What do condescension and accomodation mean in relation to God?

Response

In theology, accommodation and condescension are two terms that describe the process by which an infinite and perfect God adapts His communication for imperfect and finite people. Simply put, condescension is the concept that God chooses to communicate in a way that His audience can comprehend.

Throughout history, many distinguished theologians have used the concept of accommodation to clarify how God interacts with His creations. Anthropomorphisms in the Bible, for instance, are often interpreted in terms of accommodation, as God is Spirit “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”, (John 4:24). Through the use of anthropomorphism, God adjusts Himself to us, explaining His actions and emotions in a way that we can relate to and comprehend.

Like all theological perspectives, views on condescension or accommodation vary. Almost every theologian recognizes that God condescends to human understanding in some way. God communicates through human languages, inspires human authors, and reveals Himself through natural phenomena (fire, clouds, etc.).

However, some individuals take the doctrine of accommodation to an extreme, suggesting that certain aspects of the Bible should be dismissed because they convey inaccurate ideas that God merely adjusted to convey a broader message. Consequently, the doctrine of accommodation can sometimes be used as an intellectual weapon against biblical statements regarding morality or reality that may unsettle certain audiences. For instance, some argue that when Jesus referred to Moses as the author of the Torah (see Mark 10:5 and John 5:46), He was simply adapting to the prevailing belief of that era. In essence, although Jesus was aware that Moses did not write the law, He spoke as if he did for the sake of His h

Listeners and their assumptions. Certainly, for Jesus to entertain a false view would be equivalent to lying and completely contrary to His holy nature.

In summary, accommodation is a widely accepted concept with less widely accepted applications. Some form of accommodation, or condescension, is necessary—how else can an infinite God communicate to finite humanity? Some theologians describe this as “adaptation” rather than “accommodation” to differentiate it from the heretical belief that Jesus Christ distorted the truth.

Gregg Allison defines the correct perspective of accommodation as “God’s act of condescending to human capacity in his revelation of himself. Although acknowledged earlier in history, this doctrine is particularly linked with John Calvin. He emphasized the appropriateness of God, who is infinitely exalted, adapting himself to human weakness so that his adjusted revelation would be understandable to its recipients. Indeed, God lowers himself like a parent communicating with a child. This accommodation is prominently evident in Scripture: it is the Word of God expressed in limited human languages for sinful human beings with limited capacity to comprehend it, yet it does not partake in human error” (Allison, G., “Accommodation,” The Baker Compact Dictionary of Theological Terms, Baker Publishing Group, 2016).

God has opted to communicate with us in ways we can comprehend, and for that, we are eternally thankful. That condescension or accommodation showcases His omniscience and omnipotence, as well as His immense love and concern for His creatures. When taken to extremes, the doctrine of accommodation becomes detrimental. God never employed accommodation to condone human error, and Jesus never engaged in deceit.