How is God Simple? – Divine Simplicity Explained

You may have heard about the notion of divine simplicity—let's explain that.

[theodore]

If God's activities are identical to God's essence then. God's act of creation is God's essence. In which God creates in all possible worlds. Not only that but there is only one possible world because God's essence is the same in all possible so his act of creation is the same in possible worlds. So creation is by definition an emanation of God like the gnostics and Plato taught.

But God creates freely and creation is not an emanation of God. So absolute divine simplicity is false.

[theodore]

The fullness of divinity (pleroma theotes) is in Christ. Obviously the Father too has the fullness of divinity. So this is the same divinity. They are of one essence.

The bible also says that the saints are called to partake of the divine nature. In the Greek of holy scripture it says that God has energy (energeia energeo, dynamis, etc) Scripture also says that his energy is in the believer energizing them and working in them.

According to the doctrine of Divine simplicity God's essence is identical to God's energy because there are no distinctions in God.

But if this true then when God's energy is infused in us it is the divine essence the fullness of divinity in us. In which case the saints are members of the Godhead and it's not a Trinity anymore because the Saints become equal to the Father Son and Holy Spirit. That is blasphemy.

Rightfully everyone rejects this blasphemous conclusion

So Eastern Christians come to the conclusion that God's essence and energy are not identical. Instead we believe in a qualified simplicity that is not absolute.

The Latins accept ADS and teach that we partake of created grace.
But if that's true I don't understand how theosis and union with God can be real.

Furthernore if ADS is true and there are no distinctions within the Divinity how can it be Triune? Shouldn't each person in the Trinity be the same person? As much as I love him doesn't St. Augustine say that it is the same thing for God to be as for God to be a person? As much as I love him doesn't modalism then follow? Obviously Augustine rejected modalism. I'm saying he is inconsistent. Fortunately you do not have to be totally infallible to be a very holy saint!

[theodore]

Christians are monotheistic not because divine simplicity is true but because there is one Arche Anorchos: The Father alone. He is the uncaused cause.

Even though his Son and Spirit are divine with the very same divinity of the Father in its fullness these are not extra gods because the Father eternally causes them and their will energy and power are his will energy in power. The pagans on the other hand often believed in multiple arches with no origin and their gods had opposing wills not one.

[MarpLG]

IF God has no potencies then where are potencies coming from? Better explanations of simplicity is that He has all potencies.

[panokostouros]

God is simple because of perichoresis of the Eternally existent Persons, not because of autonomous man's definition of simplicity derived from the fallen world.

[danplatonov]

How does the theory of evolution, that seems likely, and the emergence of a soul coincide sensibly? p.s. I liked the video, thanks for sharing!

[CosmicFaust]

+Rational Catholicism Are you a substance dualist?

[brainjiniuspsagala]

Then you become jesus... But, sadly, knowledge is not skill... So, please help to, please convert the knowledge become being...

[tassiespirit]

You are trying to classify God Almighty by your lowly human rules and classifications, of which you have stated He does not fit into - thus proving that He is more complicated that your silly definition of Divine Simplicity!

[paja]

God is complex and is not simple, in accordance with the Revelation of God (Bible).
Teaching that God is simple is the erroneous teaching of pagan Greek philosophy.