His Holiness Pope Shenouda III begins by defining that God’s attributes are of two types: attributes particular to God alone and attributes He shares with creation but with a qualitative difference.

Attributes particular to God alone

• Eternity: God has no beginning; He alone is eternal, and everything else is a creature that has a beginning.

• Creation from nothing: The only Creator able to bring into being from non-existence, while man is an inventor or discoverer.

• Presence everywhere and examiner of hearts: God is present everywhere and knows the inner things and cannot be examined.

• Unlimited knowledge: God knows the hidden and the apparent, the past, present and future at the same time, and what science or instruments cannot reveal.

Shared attributes but with a difference
There are attributes that creatures share with God such as wisdom, love, forgiveness and beauty, but in God these attributes are unlimited and perfect, whereas in humans they are relative and limited.

The nature of God’s knowledge versus human knowledge
Human knowledge is tied to steps, experiments and instruments and may change, while God’s knowledge is direct and certain without mediations. A person can infer or have insight but does not reach certainty about the future as God does.

Theological and spiritual effects
God’s knowledge of the future explains prophecies and divine election (the example of Jacob and Esau), and God’s knowledge being in accord with His will and holiness clarifies why God does not do everything He is able to do if it does not agree with His will or holiness. This calls the believer to humility and trust in the Lord’s providence and to respect free will.

Short conclusion
The talk about God’s attributes presents a vision of God’s distinction from creatures and calls us to worship grounded in understanding God’s transcendence, wisdom and merciful justice, while recognizing that God’s greatness surpasses human tools and limited knowledge.

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