attributes of God — Turning to God's Word etymology

There are three significant attributes of God that all typically go by Latin names and are worth exploring. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. All of these words begin with the prefix omni meaning “all” or “every.”

Omnipotent takes this prefix and adds to it the Latin potens, an adjective meaning “being able” or by extension “being strong.” The core concept here is having the ability to do something, so being omnipotent is having the ability to do all things or being all-powerful.

Omniscient adds to the prefix omni the adjective sciens, which shares a root with the English word science. Sciens means “knowing” or “understanding,” so being omniscient means knowing and understanding all things.

Omnipresent is perhaps the easiest of these three concepts to understand on the basis of English. Presence in English is largely unchanged in meaning from the Latin praesens. Omnipresent means “being present everywhere” with the strong implication that that presence is simultaneous.

Consider how these three attributes work together to form our core understanding of God. Most heresies throughout history have involved denying in some way one or more of these attributes of God. How do you think a better understanding of these core attributes of God can lead to a deeper relationship with God?

you also may like our study of the Letter to the Hebrews (digital only)
Many Christians struggle to understand one of the central mysteries of our faith: how Jesus can be both human and divine at the same time. The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation, an 18-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, offers an in-depth look at the way in which Jesus’ dual nature allows for the salvation of humanity. The Letter to the Hebrews is designed to provide information that will encourage Christians to remain faithful. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.

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