Traditionally, man has claimed an unwarranted expertise in making up gods. Idolatry can be on the outside, but it can be on the inside too. We have presumptuous self conceived characteristics of God in our minds. We comprehend many attributes of God, but often we define those attributes in terms of our human characteristics multiplied many times over. This leads to a version of God, which is small, which doesn’t stand when we hit the bottom. We must develop theology of impossibility. For example, most people would assume that they understand that God is omnipotent. It is impossible to comprehend God and His attributes humanly, without a revelation from Him. It doesn’t matter what vocabulary we use to describe the perfections of God. After all, which of us can claim to have comprehended or contained the eternity in our minds, until Holy Spirit takes His Word and reveals the depths and the heights of the One who transcends all and everything? Let us consider some divine attributes and contrast those with human understanding : God is Omnipotent. Human definition of omnipotence would mean that He would be so much strong. We have seen strengths of warriors, ultra mega-machines, electrical power etc. We have imagined giants, dragons and dinosaurs as strong creatures. We expect God to be many multiple times stronger. The picture may instill fear in human mind. However, let us consider a moment in human history, when Jesus hung on the Cross. “And those who passed by blasphemed Him, shaking their heads, and saying, [You] destroying the temple and building [it] in three days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. And in the same way also the chief priests mocked, with the scribes and elders, saying, He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God, let Him deliver him now, if He will have him. (For He said, I am [the] Son of God.)” (Matthew 27:39-43) If He is the Omnipotent Son of God, humanly it seems the most important moment to exercise His power. Save yourself, use your strength, come down and take on your enemies. And better do it quick. In Matthew 26:53-54, while being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, we see Jesus scolding his disciples for trying to defend Him at the time of His arrest with these words, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” As a child I was told the story of a wrestler who tried to hold her wife’s wrist and ended up injuring her. In the movies of dinosaurs, I saw the giant’s huge tail moving and bring down everything on its way crashing down powerfully. Someone once posed a question to me, “Do you mean to say that Omnipotence can hold an egg in its hand without crushing it?” This is exactly how God’s nature appears to be. Christ became weak, though He was ultimately strong. He is described as the one who does not break a thing as vulnerable as a bruised reed; He deals gently with sinners; He waits on the ultimate plan of love; He seems to be slow in using His strength. Let me put it another way – He seems to use His Omnipotence to withhold using His full power in His own plan. God becomes Weakly Omnipotent. Most people believe that God is Omniscient too. He knows all things – past, present and future – possible, actual and impossible. He has complete knowledge. Yet, because of the Calvary He has chosen not to remember our sins. In our minds it seems more natural to remember the ills someone causes us rather than the good. Think of this.  The all knowing God doesn’t know any details of the sins you have committed. On occasions we see Jesus denying having knowledge of things He should have obviously known – timing of the kingdom, rewards of individuals and woman with the issue of blood touching Him etc. He chooses to be Forgetfully Omniscient. God is all wise. But, Apostle Paul mentions the foolishness of God in his first letter to the Corinthians (1:25). Preaching of the Cross appears foolishness to the intellectual world. It does not seem to have philosophical or religious appeal; It does not seem to tell man to get his act right; It tells him to receive freely the forgiveness offered in the gospel. God chooses to be Foolishly Wise. We also know that God is Omnipresent. He should be so easily visible. Countless times the argument has been given in human history, “Where was God when…?” But, He hides. He is unseen. He doesn’t allow His steps produce the noise of the dry leaves. That we may seek Him by faith. He chooses to be Absently Omnipresent. If man made up God of the Bible, we won’t be able to come up with such oxymoronic characteristics. We won’t be able to make up the theology of incarnate Christ. We won’t be able to boldly claim that full deity and perfect humanity can dwell in one person. Man cannot fathom how Christ humbled himself to become a man, yet given a name above all names (Philippians 2:5-11) and revealed God who is Humbly Exalted. In the Old Testament, on many occasions, when the glory of God showed up, God’s presence was surrounded by thick clouds and intense darkness (Exodus 20:18-21). Even at the Cross God showed Himself Darkly Glorious for three hours. He is also the One who is Blindly Seeing (Isaiah 42:18-20, Genesis 16:13). He is also Uncomely Beautiful (Isaiah 53:2, Psalm 27:4) The Cross of Christ manifests the blending of such seemingly opposite attributes blended in the Divine Perfect persona of God. When Christ gave His life on the Cross, God displayed His perfect justice against the sins of man as well as His mercy towards the children created by Himself. He is indeed a Merciful Judge (Job 9:15). How could man ever pay for all his sins and survive the eternity in hell. But now, because of that perfect merciful justice, God is able to forgive anyone who would come to Him in the name of Christ. Mercy rejoices over judgment (James 2:13). God is love. He really knows to love, He acts in love, He plans to love, and He executes in love. Yet, in His perfect love He also hates perfectly (Psalm 139:22). He hates sin, and yet loves the sinner. He appears to be Hatingly Loving. Among such strangely opposite unions of characteristics, one of the most controversial among theologians is God’s sovereignty. God rules all things. He does what He chooses. He elected all His own in the eternity past. None of the elect can stay lost in the final analysis. And yet, in His plan of the gospel, man’s exercise of free will is crucial cog in the wheel. Every man is responsible to either receive or reject Christ and His free gift of salvation. God does not manipulate that choice. In fact, God brings us to Himself to truly set us free. Free to obey and free to turn our back on Him. This is God’s Flexible Sovereignty. Considering such attributes should make us fall on our knees, tremble at His Word and make us look fools in our own eyes. It must make us worshipers. It must undone us. Like apostle Paul exclaimed in Romans 11:33-36, “O the depth of wisdom and knowledge of God…. How unsearchable…..His judgments……His ways……. mind of God….. of Him…….through Him…..to Him are all things….To Him be glory… Amen!” PS - If you would like to enjoy a thought provoking spirituality quiz, then jump to our fun quiz page. You may also watch our YouTube videos. What about learning about life after death?