Why is God perfect

[villaneweva]

Hey,

Why does the Catholic Church believe that God is perfect?

 

[Joan_M]

If God is not perfect, He is not God.

 

[Agricola]

Because He Is.

Try to imagine a being that is infinite, and yet imperfect. Those two concepts don’t jive. God has attributes, and because He is infinite He has them perfectly. Since there is nothing outside of God all attributes that are not negations (like evil - the negation of good - God can’t be all-evil and all-good) of positive attributes are in Him perfectly. We acknowledge God as all-perfect because of this.

“We believe and confess without reservation that there is only one true God, eternal, infinite (immensus), and unchangeable, incomprehensible, almighty, and ineffable…” (Lateran Council IV: DS 800)

If someone could better explain it, please do.

God bless,

Agricola

 

[RyanL]

Have you ever read the Summa Theologica? There’s a great answer…Whether God is Perfect…and it’s short, too! (Link for philosophical assistance with particular definitions, if required.)

God Bless,
RyanL

 

[Verbum_Caro]

And from Fr. Farrel’s classic A Companion to the Summa we find this commment on Prima Pars, Question 4, Article 1 (linked to by RyanL, thanks Ryan!)

There is simply no place for imperfection in God. In Him there are no potentialities to be realized, as all potentialities must be realized, by something other than themselves. He is absolutely independent because He is first; all others depend on this first cause Who cannot depend on any other without ceasing to be first. More than that, He has in Himself the perfections of everything else that ever has, ever will, indeed, that ever could exist. Unless He be their cause they cannot be; He cannot be the cause of perfections that are not in some way already His.

 

[villaneweva]

thanks!