Comments on: Divine Simplicity: Don’t Think of God Without It https://reformedforum.org/divine-simplicity-dont-think-of-god-without-it/ Reformed Theological Resources Wed, 15 Apr 2020 23:59:54 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 By: Timothy Joseph https://reformedforum.org/divine-simplicity-dont-think-of-god-without-it/#comment-3591516 Fri, 22 Nov 2019 11:32:05 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=17980#comment-3591516 In reply to Scott Doherty.

Scott,
The type of distinction you make is purely hypothetical. Regardless of what WCF maintains, while God is certainly “most free”, otherwise He is not God; God’s freedom to act does not mean He could have acted otherwise, potentially or not. He is omniscient and omnipotent therefore His acts are always perfect precluding any other possible action.
Tim

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By: Scott Doherty https://reformedforum.org/divine-simplicity-dont-think-of-god-without-it/#comment-3577544 Sun, 04 Aug 2019 01:46:52 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=17980#comment-3577544 One (really two) sentences gave me a scholastic itch, and I had to scratch.

“God is also pure act(ion). He has no unactualized potential.”

Of course you mean ad intra (with respect to his being and perfections). Because if God was actus purus ad extra, then he would have done all things possible to his power, knowledge and will, but since he has not, those acts ad extra remain in potentia (i.e. unactualized potential). God is not only simple, but also “most free” WCF 2.1. His decree was free, though eternal and immutable. And if free, then he could have decreed other than he did. He left much potentia ad extra, only in potentia, not in actu.

Thanks Jeff.

See also Muller’s Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms. Pg.24: actus purus.

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By: Patrick https://reformedforum.org/divine-simplicity-dont-think-of-god-without-it/#comment-3576024 Sun, 21 Jul 2019 05:54:33 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=17980#comment-3576024 That was nice and simply put

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