CHAPTER 4 · WEEK 4 Who Is God? Theology Proper I — the being and attributes of God |
WHAT WE BELIEVE There is one living and true God, infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, self-existent, unchangeable, eternal, and all-sufficient. He is holy, righteous, wise, good, and love. He is not an idea. He is the I AM, worthy of all worship. |
Learning Aims for This Week
By the end of this chapter you should be able to:
· Distinguish incommunicable from communicable attributes and give examples of each.
· Explain aseity, immutability, and holiness in biblical language.
· Describe the difference between knowing about God and knowing God.
· Resist both a distant, cold God and a small, manageable God.
Key Terms
Term | Meaning in this course |
Theology Proper | The doctrine of God’s being, attributes, and triune life (Trinity is Ch. 5). |
Aseity | God’s self-existence. He depends on nothing; everything depends on Him. |
Immutability | God does not change in His being, attributes, or purposes. |
Eternity | God has no beginning or end; He is not confined to time as we are. |
Omnipresence | God is fully present everywhere, not spread thin. |
Omniscience | God knows all things — actual and possible — perfectly. |
Omnipotence | God can do all that is consistent with His nature and will. |
Holiness | God is set apart; He is morally perfect and opposed to all evil. |
Incommunicable | Attributes God does not share with creatures (aseity, eternity, infinity). |
Communicable | Attributes reflected, analogously, in redeemed people (love, holiness, wisdom). |
Teaching Notes
1. God is
Scripture does not begin with an argument for God’s existence. It begins with God acting: “In the beginning God created” (Gen. 1:1). Yet Scripture also treats unbelief as morally charged, not merely intellectual (Ps. 14:1; Rom. 1:21). The world is not a closed box. The Holy One is there.
His name revealed to Moses is “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). God is not one being among others. He is the One from whom, through whom, and to whom are all things (Rom. 11:36).
2. Incommunicable attributes — God is not a bigger version of us
Aseity means God has life in Himself (John 5:26). He does not need the world in order to be God. Creation is gift, not therapy for a lonely deity. Immutability means His character and covenant purpose do not shift with the weather of history (Mal. 3:6; Jas. 1:17). When Scripture speaks of God “relenting,” it uses accommodated language to describe His consistent response to human repentance, not a defect in His plan. Eternity and omnipresence mean He is not trapped in a place or a century. The God of Abraham is not outdated.
3. Communicable attributes — the God we are called to resemble
God is holy (Isa. 6:3). Holiness is not one trait among many; it qualifies all the others. His love is holy love. His wrath is holy opposition to evil. He is righteous and just; He does not clear the guilty without atonement (Ex. 34:6–7). He is good and merciful. He is wise. He is faithful to His word. These are not slogans. They are the atmosphere of biblical worship.
We image these attributes only analogously and by grace. You can be loving; you cannot be omniscient. Even our holiness is creaturely and derivative. That keeps worship from collapsing into self-improvement.
4. Knowing God
J. I. Packer warned that one may know much about God and not know God. Theology Proper is meant to lead to reverence, trust, and obedience. A God you can fully explain is not the God of Scripture. A God who never confronts you is not the God of Scripture either.
Two opposite errors. The first shrinks God until He is a mascot for our plans. The second freezes God into an abstraction who cannot be trusted or loved. Scripture will not let us have either. He is high and near (Isa. 57:15). |
Key Scriptures
Read these passages slowly before class. Mark what they teach about this week’s doctrine.
· Exodus 3:13–15 — I AM WHO I AM.
· Exodus 34:6–7 — The name of the Lord: compassionate, just, holy.
· Isaiah 6:1–8 — Holy, holy, holy.
· Isaiah 40:12–31 — The incomparable God who gives strength to the weary.
· Psalm 139 — Omniscience, omnipresence, and intimate care.
· 1 John 4:7–10 — God is love — defined at the cross.
· Deuteronomy 6:4–5 — Memory verse: the Lord is one; love Him wholly.
For Discussion
· Which attribute of God do you most easily forget when you are afraid?
· How does aseity change the way you think about prayer and worship?
· Can God be both love and wrath? How does Exodus 34:6–7 hold them together?
· What is the difference between mystery and contradiction?
Personal Application
· Take one incommunicable and one communicable attribute. Write four sentences of praise for each.
· Replace one anxious sentence you repeat to yourself with a sentence about God’s character.
· Begin memory work on Deuteronomy 6:4–5.
This Week’s Work
· Read Grudem, Christian Beliefs, chapters on God and God’s character as assigned (chs. 2–3 region).
· Read Isaiah 40 slowly. List every contrast between God and idols or nations.
· Work on Doctrine Brief #1 if you chose Theology Proper.
A Prayer to Carry into the Week
Holy God, You are who You are, and You do not change. Teach me to fear You without fleeing You, and to love You without shrinking You. Let Your name be hallowed in my thoughts this week. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment