Thinking through the attributes of God is precisely a biblical exercise, and the Scriptures themselves guide us in this. When Isaiah stands against the idols of Babylon, he dives into the character of God. Who is like Him? Who declares the end from the beginning? Who made all things? He describes God as self-sufficient, self-sustaining, infinite, upholding all creation. Certainly, Isaiah weaves this into poetry, but the good exegete both honors the poetry and teases out what this is telling us about God.

Is the conversation about God’s attributes “old fashioned” and “western”?  Regarding systematic theology, one often encounters the critique that the logical ordering of various topics is “western” or “Greek” or “academic”–all of which are really meant as synonyms for “bad” and “wrongheaded.” Similar critiques are made about discussions of the attributes of God. The conversation about God’s attributes, we are told, shows a “Greek” way of thinking, an alien pattern of thought that is unfaithful to the text of Scripture.

I’d like to briefly counter this naïve assertion.  

First, it’s true that some of the terms used for the attributes of God are Greek. And it was often the Church Fathers that introduced the use of these terms. Sometimes, like with discussion of whether or not God has “passions,” the Church Fathers were entering into discussions that the Greek philosophers had started.

Yet when entering into a conversation and defending the God of the Bible, using the language and terms of those around you use isn’t necessarily a compromise. Rather, this is an apologetic move, proclaiming God’s truth in language that people can understand. To use a buzz word from missions, this is contextualizing, translating the truth for people who need to hear it. Translation is not compromise.

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