Ben B asked: One dominant concept of god is that he is infinite. Another is that he is unchanging. These two properties appear at first to be mutually compatible; God is infinite yet always the same.
Consider the evereyday example: One can never fully know another person, for the simple fact that people are always changing.
Consider the ff:
god as a reliable, unchanging, same as always in personlaity and character.
god knows all things fully including himself.
eternity and infinity are synonyms for an interminable length of time
Now imagine you are able to spend eternity with a god who is infinite and unchaging. Since infinite and eternity are two equally long measures of time, one would have just enough time to comprehend all things that ever will.
Now likewise god, who is infinite and eternal is also all-knowing. God’s knowledge of all would be measurable within the bounds of eternity. This is true as god is eternal himself and capable of containing knowledge of all. Thus that which god knows can be measured within the bounds of eternity.
Lets take this another step.
God who knows all would certainly know all there is to know of himself. To such a god this self-knowledge would be a measurable reality.
So where does this leave us? We see that:
god is eternal
god’s knowledge is measurable (even to himself)
god’s self-knowledge is measurable
god is unchanging
So knowledge of that which is constant is measurable and has a limit. In such a reality, knowledge is finite.
Imagine again you’re with god in heaven spending eternity with him. Just you and him. Nobody else.
If this god could be described as infinite and unchanging then the above rationale would apply.
Thus such a god would be limited in knowledge of all things and himself. Man, in his eternal nature will come to realize the finiteness of this unchanging god. His god is fixed (unchanging), which in the scope of eternity becomes a finite.
Conclusion: The concept of god as infinite and unchanging presents a problem. The two are not mutually compatible if god is to be infinite.
Either god is infinite and changing or he is finite and unchanging.
In choosing one that would apply to god the majority would agree on infinite. The logical choice leaves us with a god who is infinite and changing. This is a concept of god that is for instance radically different from the Christian view.
What about progressive sophistication?
The view that god could be then infinite but also changing brings up a problem. Changing hints at a form of progressive sophistication, where change is made in the aim of improvement. This challenges the idea that god is perfection. Perhaps an argument agianst this would be: the reason behind the change is perfect for its purpose.
Please share your thoughts on this argument.
I’m eager to hear your thoughtful reflections on this problem i’ve laid out. Hope i made it thorough enough so you find it hard to poke holes in.
Enough, show me the money!