The Single Focus - Part I

Is there any single attribute of God that stands above all?  After all, if I were to pull out a book like Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem (for the expressed purpose of an outline format of the attributes of God), I would find twelve chapters, no less than about 15 pages each, declaring the “Doctrine of God” … that is … the existence, the knowability, the character of (in both Incommunicable and Communicable attributes), and more.  As Grudem states, “When we come to talk about the character of God, we realize that we cannot say everything the Bible teaches us about God’s character at once.”  He is independent of/from all creation, unchangeable, eternal, omnipresent, and unified.  And herein lies the problem with emphasizing one attribute … that the unity of God means that His attributes are not just additions to His real being, but rather, “God’s whole being includes all of his attributes”.  So then, spirituality, invisibility, knowledge (omniscience), wisdom, truthfulness (faithfulness), goodness, love, mercy (grace, patience), holiness, peace (order), righteousness (justice), jealousy, wrath, will, freedom, omnipotence (power and sovereignty), perfection, blessedness, beauty, and glory, are all inclusive of Who He Is.

However, when called to the challenge, Jesus answered what our greatest commandment is to fulfill.  He did so by quoting the Pentateuch (that is the first five books of the Bible) – and specifically – Deuteronomy, Chapter 6 – which were the “marching orders” of the people as they entered the land.  And what he quoted was this,

One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’“  This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’“  On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. - (Matthew 22:36-40)