Great question! Christian tradition and Scripture naturally holds that God is metaphysically simple (Exodus 3:14, for example), and we can find this in the Church Fathers quite readily. Ss. Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Augustine, Ambrose, Athanasius, etc. are all readily quotable on the simplicity of God. We wouldn’t say that God “has a will” or God “has love” in a sense, but rather, that we speak of God analogically. Since all of reality flows from the essence of God, all of our aspects as humans arise from Him, so that we have personality is predicated in God in a way we cannot understand, but nonetheless know to be true.
We also clearly know that God is intentional since we exist. God is entirely self-subsistent, so He doesn’t need us, but inherently created all reality nonetheless. The best writing on this material is arguably from the following chapters in the SCG:
- 49
- 50
- 55
- 72–73
- 79
- 81
- 86
- 88
- 90–94
- 97
- 100
