Apophatic theology, or negative theology, helps us understand God by describing what He is not, emphasizing the mystery of a God beyond our full comprehension. While apophatic theology doesn't replace positive statements about God, it protects against false ideas by clearing away misconceptions about who God cannot be.
Apophatic theology is a way of describing God by identifying what He is not. Also known as negative theology, it is in contrast with cataphatic theology, which describes God positively, that is, identifying Him through what He is.
The Bible supports the apophatic approach through numerous statements that define God by what He is not. For example, Isaiah 55:8–9 emphasizes the incomparability of God’s thoughts and ways with ours. Titus 1:2 affirms that God cannot lie, establishing His perfect truthfulness by denying the possibility of deceit. James 1:13 teaches that God cannot be tempted with evil, revealing His holiness through negation.
Psalm 90:2 highlights God’s eternality, presenting Him as having no beginning or end. Job 11:7–8 shows that God’s nature is beyond full human comprehension. John 4:24 affirms that God is spirit, implying He is not bound by physical limitations. Acts 17:24–25 describes God as not dwelling in man-made temples or needing anything, denying creaturely limitations.
First Timothy 1:17 and Romans 11:33–36 further reinforce God's transcendence and unknowability in full. These examples illustrate that Scripture often uses negative descriptions to protect true theology from error, showing the legitimacy of apophatic theology when grounded in biblical truth.
Apophatic theology is a way of thinking about God that helps remove misconceptions about Him and distinguishes Him from humans and false gods.
In our culture, it is common to hear that different religions are simply worshiping the same God in their own way. However, through the use of negative theology, we can eliminate that argument because all other religions ascribe characteristics to their god(s) that contradict what the Bible teaches about the true God.
Consider how gods of other religions are different from God’s portrayal of Himself in Scripture. Any deviation means that the other god is not the same as the true God. It is not enough to make positive statements about them to say, for example, that they both exhibit love. A distinction through negation highlights the differences despite any superficial similarities. The true God is the creator (Genesis 1:1) and final judge (Hebrews 9:27) over His creation. It does not matter what other gods are said to teach because the Creator who demands death for every sin is not like them (Isaiah 45:21). Any religion claiming another way to heaven or paradise or nirvana is simply lying.
The next time you encounter a claim about who God is, consider applying negative theology. The Bible along with apophatic theology are tools to show our God is the only true God.