God's Simplicity and Unity

For most of church history, Christians have confessed the doctrine of divine simplicity—the teaching that God is not composed of parts. But what does this mean, and why does it matter? In this episode, Anthony Alberino explores the profound connection between God’s simplicity and His unity. We’ll see why the classical tradition insists that God is not only without physical parts but also without metaphysical or even logical parts. Unlike creatures—composites of act and potency, essence and existence—God is utterly uncomposed. Because composed beings are dependent beings, only a God who is absolutely simple can be the uncaused, necessary, and independent source of all reality. From here, Anthony shows how divine simplicity grounds divine unity:

• Simplicity means that God not composed of parts and that all that is in God is God. His attri ...