The Doctrine of Divine Inscrutability
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Rom 11:33–36).
In Reformed theology, the doctrine of divine inscrutability (often discussed as divine incomprehensibility) asserts that while human beings can know God truly through His revelation, they can never know Him exhaustively or fully. This doctrine is a cornerstone of the Reformed tradition, emphasizing the infinite qualitative difference between the Creator and the creature.
Core Principles
- The Finite and the Infinite: A central maxim in Reformed dogmatics is finitum non est capax infiniti—the finite cannot contain the infinite. God’s essence is infinite and beyond the capacity of any created mind to fully grasp or define.
- Apprehension vs. Comprehension: Reformed theologians distinguish between apprehension (knowing something is true and having limited understanding) and comprehension (knowing a thing perfectly and totally). Humans can apprehend God's perfections through His works and Word but can never comprehend His full glory.
- Divine Accommodation: Because God is inscrutable, He "lisp" or accommodates His revelation to human capacity. He describes Himself not as He is in His absolute essence (which is inaccessible), but in relation to us, using human-like language (anthropomorphism) to make Himself known.
- The Hidden and Revealed God: Following Martin Luther, Reformed thought often distinguishes between the hidden God (Deus absconditus) and the revealed God (Deus revelatus). We must work in the light of what God has revealed (Deuteronomy 29:29) while acknowledging that secret things remain hidden within His unsearchable counsel.
Theological Implications
- Inscrutable Will/Decree: The doctrine is frequently applied to God's sovereign decrees, particularly in predestination and providence. The reasons for God's specific choices in election or His permission of evil are often termed "inscrutable" because they are rooted in a divine wisdom humans cannot fully penetrate.
- The Problem of Evil: Rather than providing a detailed "theodicy" (justification for evil), the Reformed tradition often leans on inscrutability. It argues that although humans cannot see the reasons for suffering, God is good and has a complexity of knowledge and purpose that we simply cannot grasp.
- Humility and Worship: The practical goal of the doctrine is to foster "holy amazement" and humility. It protects the majesty of God, ensuring He is not reduced to a human-scale object of study but remains the transcendent Lord.
Key Source Documents
- Westminster Confession of Faith: Describes God as "infinite in being and perfection" and governed by the "unsearchable counsel of His own will".
- Heidelberg Catechism: Emphasizes that all creatures are so completely in God's hand that they cannot move without His will, even if the reasons for such movements are not always visible.
- Institutes of the Christian Religion (Calvin): Argues that God's essence is incomprehensible and that human perception is far escaped by His divineness.
In Reformed theology, the doctrine of divine inscrutability asserts that because God is an infinite and independent Being, His purposes and judgments are naturally beyond the full comprehension of finite human minds.
This perspective applies to the problem of evil through several key frameworks:
- The Distinction of Two Wills
Reformed thinkers often use the distinction between God’s revealed will and His hidden (or decretive) will to address evil.
- Revealed Will: What God has commanded in Scripture (e.g., "Thou shalt not kill"). Humans are morally obligated to follow this.
- Hidden Will: God’s sovereign decree for everything that actually happens, including the permission of evil for a greater purpose.
- The Inscrutable Link: While these two wills may seem to conflict, the Reformed view holds that they are perfectly reconciled in God's mind, even if we cannot explain how.
- Inscrutability as a Modest Defense
Unlike traditional theodicies that attempt to provide specific reasons for every tragedy, the Reformed "way of inscrutability" argues that it is entirely expected for creatures to be unable to grasp God's ultimate reasons.
- It posits that no human can know enough to conclude that God doesn't have a good reason for a specific evil.
- Because God is essentially good, believers can assume a justifying reason exists even when it remains hidden.
- Affirmation without Explanation
Reformed theology rejects "bare permission"—the idea that God simply steps back and lets evil happen. Instead, it teaches:
- Sovereign Ordination: God establishes that evil will certainly happen as part of His plan.
- Divine Mystery: We are called to affirm two seemingly contradictory truths: that God ordains all things and that He is not the author of sin. The inability to logically bridge these is seen as an "imbecility" of the finite mind rather than a flaw in God's character.
- Shift from Theodicy to Theophany
Instead of trying to "justify" God's ways to man (theodicy), the Reformed perspective often moves toward theophany—the manifestation of God's presence.
- Drawing from the Book of Job, this view suggests that when faced with evil, the "answer" is not a logical explanation but an encounter with the sheer majesty and independence of God.
- God's ways are "past finding out" (Romans 11:33), and the proper response to this inscrutability is worship and trust rather than exhaustive intellectual satisfaction.
These theological explanations clarify how the Reformed doctrine of divine inscrutability addresses the problem of evil by distinguishing between God's revealed and hidden wills, and emphasizing trust in His hidden reasons.
Joel Beeke: The Knowability and the Incomprehensibility of God
Kevin De Young: The God Who is Not Like Us
James Dolezal: Divine Incomprehensibility
Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL_dg_8ETi4
Part 2
