The Doctrine of God (Pt. 1) Theology Proper

1. The Doctrine of God (Pt. 1) Theology Proper

2. For Starters… The doctrine of God is the central point for much of the rest of theology.

3. For Starters… “What comes to a man’s mind when he thinks about God is the mostimportantthing about him.” -A.W. Tozer

4. Popular Misconceptions… • God is a celestial policeman who is constantly looking for someone to make a mistake. • For insurance companies, “acts of God” occur at the hands of a powerful, malevolent being. • God is a kind, gentile grandfather who never wants to impinge on our enjoyment of life. 2

5. Where We’re Going… • The Nature of Attributes • Classifications of Attributes • Attributes of Greatness • Spirituality • Personality • Life • Infinity • Constancy

6. The Nature of Attributes • “attributes of God”: those qualities of God that constitute what—or who—he is; qualities of the entire Godhead. • God’s attributes are permanent and essential to who He is—they cannot be gained or lost. • God’s attributes are not given to Him by us—they are not descriptions we have made up for him. Rather, they exist objectively, independent of us.

7. The Nature of Attributes • We shouldn’t think of God’s attributes as characteristics that, when added together, make up His character. • Instead, we should think of God’s attributes as His nature. • So, rather than saying God is love, holy, and powerful (love + holiness + power), we should say that God is his love, holiness, and power(God = love; God = holiness; God = power).

8. The Nature of Attributes • We are finite; God is infinite. • As a result, we will never know all there is to know about God’s attributes, His nature. (If we ever were to attain this knowledge, it would make us, well, God). • But, we can trulyknow, understand, and adore many aspects of God’s character.

9. Classification of Attributes • Communicable & Incommunicable • Communicable attributes: qualities of God that He shares with human creations (e.g., love) • Incommunicable attributes: qualities of God that He does not share with human creations (e.g., omnipresence)

10. Classification of Attributes • Absolute & Relative • Absolute attributes: qualities that God has in Himself, and that he has always possessed, independently of creation (e.g., infinity) • Relative attributes: qualities of God that are manifested through his relationship to other subjects and inanimate objects (e.g., omnipresence)

11. Classification of Attributes • Moral & Natural • Natural attributes: thenon-moral qualities that God possesses (e.g., knowledge and power) • Moral attributes: the qualities of God that relate to the concept of moral rightness (e.g., holiness, love, mercy)

12. Classification of Attributes • Attributes of Greatness & Attributes of Goodness • Attributes of greatness: the qualities of God that express His existence as personal, all-powerful, eternal, spirit, omnipresent, and unchanging. • Attributes of goodness: the qualities of God that express his moral purity, integrity, and love, particularly in relationship to his creatures.

13. Attributes of Greatness • Spirituality • God is spirit: he is not composed of matter and does not possess a physical nature. (Jn. 4:24; 1:18; 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:15-16) • This means that he does not have the limitations of time, space, and matter that physical bodies have. (Jn. 4:21; Acts 17:24)

14. Attributes of Greatness • What about those passages that speak of God as having hands, feet, an arm, etc.? • Anthropomorphisms: attempts to express a truth about God using human analogies.

15. Attributes of Greatness • But, what about when God appeared in physical form (either in a theophany, or as a self-manifestation) in the OT? • Remember, God is spirit, and thus invisible—which means that we must interpret these appearances in light of that fact.

16. Attributes of Greatness • In the Old Testament, God’s existence as spirit: • (1) set him apart from the surrounding nations’ god (or gods), because, if he is spirit, then he cannot be represented—or worshiped—by any physical object or likeness. • (2) combatted the idea that God could be contained or controlled.

17. Attributes of Greatness • Personality • God is an individual being, with self-consciousness and a will, capable of feeling, choosing, and having a relationship with other personal and social beings.

18. Attributes of Greatness • This is clearly seen by the fact that God has a name, “I AM” or “I WILL BE” (Yahweh, Jehovah, the LORD—Ex. 3:14). • For the Hebrews in the Old Testament, names were chosen very carefully, and with attention to its significance. • In fact, the Hebrews considered the name an embodiment of the person bearing it.

19. Attributes of Greatness • God is also personal because of the way he knows and communicates with human persons (e.g., the Garden of Eden). This means that he has, in some sense, a personality: he knows, feels, wants, and acts. • As a person, God can be spoken to (and speaks in return), loved (and loves in return), worshiped (and honors in return).

20. Attributes of Greatness • Because he is a person, God is to be treated as a person, not as an object or force to be used or manipulated. • Finally, God is not a means to an end; he is the end. In other words, we value him for who he is, not for what he does.

21. Attributes of Greatness • Life • God is characterized by life. His very name “I AM” indicates that he is a living God (Ex. 3:14). • The living God is often contrasted with other Old Testaments gods, which were often inanimate objects made of metal or stone (Jer. 10:10).

22. Attributes of Greatness • God’s life is very different from the life of every other living being. • All other beings have their life in God; God does not have his life from any external source. • God has always existed: he is eternal. If he weren’t, that would meanthere was a time when he began to exist—at which point he would no longer be God. • All other living beings need nourishment, warmth, protection, etc., to sustain life; God has no need of such things. He exists independent of everything else.

23. Attributes of Greatness • Just because God exists apart from anything or anyone else, this does not mean that he does not desire a relationship with other beings—specifically, humans. • God relates to us, not because he is compelled by some need, but by his choice.

24. Attributes of Greatness • In other words, he does not need us. He is not fortunate to have us; it is we who are the fortunate and favored ones. • In short, amidst a world of uncertainty and constant change, one thing is sure: there is a God, and there always will be.

25. Attributes of Greatness • Infinity • God is infinite; in other words, he is both unlimited and unlimitable, which separates him from anything else we experience (vs. energy, oceans, etc.)

26. Attributes of Greatness • In what ways is God infinite? • He is not limited to space—he is not confined to space in any way. • *Remember, he does not possesses a physical body; thus, he cannot be located at a particular place. • Also, as an infinite being, there is no place where God cannot be found—there is no point within creation where he does not exist.

27. Attributes of Greatness • This means that God is available to us wherever we may be, and it means that God is not limited to meeting us a particular place (i.e., “church”). • In short, God has access to the whole of creation at all times.

28. Attributes of Greatness • In what ways is God infinite? • He is not limited to time—He existed before time began. • As a timeless being, then, God does not grow or develop; He does not change. • Remember, though, that just because God is not bound by time, does not mean that he doesn’t know what is happening in time. He does—they are all present, “now,” to him.

29. Attributes of Greatness • In what ways is God infinite? • He is unlimited in knowledge —His understanding is immeasurable (Ps. 147:5). • He knows every truth, even those not yet discovered by humankind; after all, he built them into creation. • He also knows you—fully and truly. You can hide nothing from him.

30. Attributes of Greatness • In what ways is God infinite? • He is unlimited in wisdom. • Because he knows all things—all facts and possibilities— God knows what is good and will grant it accordingly.

31. Attributes of Greatness • In what ways is God infinite? • He is unlimited in power. • This is seen in one of his names, ‘el Shadddai. • This is seen in his ability to overcome impossible obstacles (e.g., Sarah’s barren womb, in Genesis 18). • This is seen in his power over nature—after all, he created it. • This is seen in his power over humans.

32. Attributes of Greatness • In what ways is God infinite? • He is unlimited in power. • All this means that God’s will is never frustrated: what he chooses to do, he does. • However, there are some things God cannot do: • He cannot do the logically absurd or contradictory. • He cannot undo the past. • He cannot act contrary to his nature (i.e., he cannot lie, he cannot be cruel). • He cannot fail to do what he has promised.

33. Attributes of Greatness • In what ways is God infinite? • He is unlimited in power. • Lastly, God being unlimited in power means that he is totally free, not only in the choices he makes, but how he goes about carrying out those choices. • His decisions and actions are not determined by anyone or anything outside himself; they are simply a matter of his own free choice.

34. Attributes of Greatness • Constancy • God is unchanging. • He cannot increase in anything, because he is already perfection. • He cannot change in his nature—thus, he cannot change his mind, plans, or actions. • This does not mean that God is static and inactive; he is certainly active and dynamic, but in a way that is stable and consistent with his nature.

35. Attributes of Greatness • Constancy • God is unchanging. • In other words, God is dependable: He will be the same tomorrow as he is today, and He will be faithful to his promises. • We can rely on him, therefore, to do what he says he is going to do, and that this will be for the good of those who deeply and truly love him.

36. The Doctrine of God (Pt. 1) Theology Proper