What God Is
There
is no definition of God. That which is defined, is limited. How can we define
and limit God? If we could do this, God would not be God, but, instead, we
would be gods or at least something superior to God.
Reading
Holy Scripture, we can, without fear of being in error, say that God is the
highest, infinite, unlimited, perfect spiritual Being from Whom derived all
that has been created and is sustained. John the Evangelist says: "God is
Spirit." As Spirit, which God is, He does not require space, but rather He
fills space; He is, that is to say, present everywhere. He is beyond time; that
is, eternal. He is unaffected by change and therefore is unalterable. The
Spirit cannot be confined within earthly limits; it does not age, does not accept
changes or alterations. Since God has all of these qualities, He is
All-knowing. He comprehends everything. He has unlimited knowledge. He knows
and has always before Him the past, the present, and the future. Past, present,
and future have a meaning for us; but for God, Who is eternal, they have no
meaning or significance. Everything is in the present to Him. God is All-wise.
And He acts always correctly and with purpose. He is the All-mighty and the
Ruler of everything. He is All-powerful; nothing can resist Him. Before Him,
"every knee" is bent. Again, John the Evangelist tells us that God is
Love. Since He is complete Love, He is also Most-Holy. He is Perfect Goodness.
He is the highest justice. He treats all of His creatures with utmost love,
justice, and mercy. God is self-sufficient. He has no need whatsoever of
anything outside of Himself. He is truly Blessed. Scripture tells us still
again that He is Light, the Light of Truth that enlightens and blesses
everything.
In
addition to all that we have said to now, we can conclude without any doubt
that "every perfect Gift is from above;" every good quality is found
in God and is directed by God with perfect selflessness and love, and is
directed toward His creatures. All of God's actions are for man's good and the
good of His creatures. God's perfection and the fact that the world is such an
harmonious whole, lead us to the conclusion that God is One. One directing mind
that rules everything. There is no greater blasphemy than for someone to
believe that many gods exist, one god for heaven, another god for the earth,
another god for the sea, another god for Hades, and so forth. Nothing can stand
beside the One God.
Some
will ask how can you say that we believe in one God when you speak of Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit? And again, what position does the Panagia (The Virgin
Mary) have in divinity? Is God the Father? Is God the Son? Is God the Holy
Spirit? If so, do we not, perhaps, have three gods? And beyond that--is the
Panagia a goddess? At this point we will say very simply that the Father is
really God. And the Son is God. and the Holy Spirit is God. There are not,
however, three Gods. There is one trinitarian God. In another section, we will
explain all of this in detail to the extent that the human mind can comprehend
it. I say this because, as we said previously, God is infinite and the human
mind does not have the capacity to understand that. When discussing theology,
we must also bear in mind these philosophical thoughts. Ideas have three
categories: logical--that is, those that are in accord with human logic;
irrational--which are contrary to human logic and consequently cannot stand;
and supra-logical ideas--that is, those ideas that go beyond logic, that are
above logic. Supra-logical ideas cannot be investigated by the human mind.
As
for the Panagia, the Mother of Our Lord, we can say that of course she is not a
goddess. She is herself human. Worshipping her is not permitted. We can,
however, honour her. We can request her to intercede for us because her
intercession has a powerful influence upon her Son and her God, and our God,
Jesus Christ. But we shall speak about our Panagia in another section.
Only True, Trinitarian
God, All-holy, All-mighty, All-wise, All-loving, All-knowing, Eternal and
Unchangeable, Who are present everywhere, accept our humble praise. Receive our
thanksgiving and our gratitude, which arises from our sinful hearts, but with
sincerity. Hear our supplication. During the course of this catechism, whose
purpose is to know You better and to unite us to Yourself, become Yourself the
mouth of the speaker. Open the hearts of men to accept Your Word. Abide with
us. Let as many people as possible hear Your Word for them to be fertile soil
in which Your Word may bear fruit. Gaze with love and goodness upon how men
suffer from sin because they are not near You. Redeem us all. Make all of us
Yours.