The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum God and "passions" in the WCF

The WCF (Section II, 1.) states that God is

"without body, parts, or passions".

What did the Westminster divines mean concerning "without passions"?

Thanks,
John

WCF II:1 with Scripture proofs:
1. There is but one only, living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and withal, most just, and terrible in his judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.

Acts 14:11 "And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. 15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein."

John,

You are obviously referring to CHAPTER II, section 1.

What that section is teaching, specifically the phrase "without passions", which should not be separated from "without body, parts" because they are referencing a similar thought, is that God, being the essence of perfection in Himself is not like man. More specifically, the writers were contrasting the idols created by men after themselves with the true living God. Thus, God is not like man in that He is without a physical body. He does not consist of several parts. And, He is not governed by passions, i.e., emotions.

When we read in Scripture, e.g., "a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm" (Deut 4:34) or "the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings" (Ruth 2:12), etc., we are to understand them metaphorically or as anthropomorphisms; not literally. Likewise, when we read "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." (Gen 6:6) and "And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people." (Ex 32:14), these are to be understood as anthropopathisms, i.e., attributing to God the passions of men for our understanding. But, these things are not actually of the essence of God. The Lord is unchangeable, eternal, perfect, etc., in His being. Therefore God is not swayed from His eternal purpose and His good pleasure which He has determined in Himself to show forth His glory. All His works are perfect (Deut 32:4) and thus there is no possibility that God would have to change His mind based upon what any creature does. That His temporal judgments are stayed based upon the repentance of man only speaks to His providence and His justice based upon conditions met and which He previously declared... "If...then".

I'm curious to know what precipitated the question? It is definitely legitimate and a good one so I am not criticizing its asking.

In His grace,

Thanks for the explanation.

This came up at a group Bible study I am part of. Recently, I had seen the next installment of "The Truth Project" concerning who God is. Some people in the group asked me what I thought of it since they knew I had a few problems with the previous installment. I had fewer problems with this installment than the last one and, as an a positive example, I mentioned that in the video the WCF Chapter II Section 1 was commended and read when discussing who God is. Some people took issue with parts of the WCF and in particular "without passions".

John

But the Son does have a "physical" body - the same one that was incarnate God; the one that lived sinlessly, was crucified, raised from the dead, and ascended. The Confession does not deny this, of course, but clarifies that His body is not like ours; that no member of the Triune Godhead is subject to urges or emotions.

Without a doubt God is passionate towards His people, loving them with everlasting love; and passionate about sin, despising it and its terrible consequences... but He is not governed by those traits in Himself.

-Robin

Just a bit of clarification is needed methinks. The "Son", the second person of the Trinity does not have a body. The INCARNATE Son of God, i.e., the Christ owns the body and the Son dwells in it, thus the two natures of Christ; God and man. None of the three persons of the Trinity, as to their essence, consists of a body for God is spirit. But I'm assuming that is what you were trying to say.

Yes, God is "passionate" not only toward His people for He loves them with an everlasting love having predestinated them in Christ (Eph 1:4). God is also a jealous God in regard to Himself, i.e., He will not have anything worshiped, adored, reverenced, etc., other than Him. God also hates all that is contrary to His nature and that expression of His holy nature called the law... etc. You stated it perfectly when you wrote that "He is not governed by those traits (aka: passions)..." For His passions are the natural expression of who He is. In other words, the very essence of God determines His response to everyone and everything.

Deep stuff, eh?

Too deep for me! It helps me to remember that we are not meant to comprehend these things, and that one day we will see Him as He is, and we shall be like Him (1 John 3:2)!

Comprehending the infinite God with an infant mind is a most challenging quest. Fortunately, most of us realize that it is impossible, as it should be, and simply embrace such great truths by faith because Scripture has revealed them. However, there are those who insist on going beyond the capabilities of their puny minds and delve into rank speculation. One of the tenets of Christianity and especially emphasized in most Reformed circles is the INCOMPREHENSIBILITY of God, i.e., His transcendence. Blessed be God Who has condescended to make known to us who He is, who we are and what is required of us to render unto Him due worship and to live lives that are pleasing to Him. All this is summed up in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ; the great Revealer, Revelation and Redeemer.

In His grace,

"Passion" is related to the word "passive," so the idea is one of being acted upon by another force. This is the sense in which we speak of the "Passion" of Christ, that is, His suffering for our sake. God, as deity, is "without passions," that is, there are no forces acting upon Him & making him suffer or act in a particular way. God's "emotions," such as they are, are fully self-determined, unlike human emotions.