Exam Two Flashcards
Theology Proper
What are the Hebrew OT words for God?
- El (Powerful One; Mighty One, One with Strength)
- Elohim (Plural)
Why is the plural form “Elohim” used?
- Plural for the purpose of amplification or emphasis
- Possibly suggesting plurality within the Divine Unity
What is the Greek NT word for God?
Theos
What type of verb is “I AM”?
Intransitive verb (It takes on no grammatical object)
What is the Tetragrammaton?
The Four Hebrew Consonants–YHWH
What is the formal name of God?
YHWH; LORD
What is a technique used to keep reverence for the Tetragrammaton?
They refer to it as “The Name” and they use a technique called Kethiv Qere
What is Kethiv Qere?
Kethiv- What is written in the text
Qere- What is read from the text
(Translators follow this device by using the word LORD (all upper-case)–they will take the vowels from another Hebrew term “Adonai” (Lord) and insert them into the Tetragrammaton
YHWH written/LORD said
What is the term translated Lord (Lowercase)?
Hebrew OT- Adonai
Greek NT- Kurios
YHWH SABAOTH
LORD of Hosts
(Highest phrase in the OT in relation to the Divine Name–the God of the armies of Heaven)
YHWH ELOHIM
LORD God
YHWH ADONAI
Lord GOD
YHWH JIREH
The LORD Provides
YHWH ROPHEKA
The LORD Heals
YHWH SHALOM
The LORD is Peace
YHWH ZIDKENU
The LORD is our Righteousness
YHWH SHAMMAH
The LORD is There
YHWH RAAH
The LORD is My Shepherd
YHWH NISSI
The LORD is my Banner
El Elyon
God Most High
El Roi
God who Sees
El Olam
God Everlasting
El Shaddai
God Almighty
What is an Epithet?
A descriptive term or phrase expressing a quality or characteristic
What are the Biblical Epithets?
- Rock (Stability/Provider)
- Husband
- Fortress
- Judge
- King
- Tower
What is the glory of God?
It is the radiance and reflection of His being (Reflection of the State of Who God Is)
It is the exaltation and elevation of His being (What We Can Do To Exalt His Being)
What does it mean to glorify God?
We glorify God when we exalt and elevate Him in the presence of our fellow human beings. This happens both by our words about God and our walk with God.
What is an attribute of God?
A divine attribute is what we know to be true of God from His revelation about Himself. Attributes are what God has revealed to be true about Himself.
What are the 3 types of names for God?
- Proper Names (El, Elohim, YHWH)
- Personal Names (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
- Essential (Essence) Names (Wisdom, Power)
What are Incommunicable Attributes?
Attributes that find no equal or analogy in creation. There is an absolute distinction between Creator and creation.
What are Communicable Attributes?
Attributes that find some limited parallel or analogy in creation.
What are the Incommunicable Attributes?
- Self-Existence (Aseity) of God
- Simplicity/Unity of God
- Infinity of God
- Eternality of God
- The Omnipresence of God–All Present
- The Omniscience of God–All Knowing
- The Omnipotence of God–All Powerful
- The Omnisapience of God–All Wise
- Immutability–The Changelessness of God
- The Perfection of God
- The Sovereignty of God
What are the Communicable Attributes?
- The Holiness of God
- The Justice/Righteousness of God
- The Love of God
- The Goodness/Kindness of God
- The Mercy of God–Pity, Compassion, Loving-Kindness
- The Truth of God–Veracity
- The Longsuffering of God
- The Grace of God
- The Jealousy of God
Self-Existence (Aseity) of God
The ground of His existence is in Himself
Aseity recognizes the absolute self-sufficiency, independence, and autonomy of God
Simplicity/Unity of God
A state or quality of being simple, the condition of being free from division into parts, and therefore from compositeness
Infinity of God
The Divine essence viewed as having no bounds, or limits
Eternality of God
That perfection of God whereby He is elevated above all temporal limits and all succession of moments and possesses the whole of His existence in one indivisible present
The Eternity of God is His essence as related to duration
The Omnipresence of God
All Present
That perfection of the divine being by which He transcends all spatial limitations, and yet is present in every point of space with His whole being
The Omniscience of God
All-Knowing
That perfection of God whereby He, in an entirely unique manner, knows Himself and all things possible and actual in one eternal and most simple act
What makes God’s knowledge different than man’s knowledge?
Intuitive rather than acquired
Simultaneous rather than successive
Prescience is not causative–to know is not to do
Knowledge of both actualities and potentialities
What is Open Theism? / The Openness of God?
God is not omniscient; He is coming to know
The Omnipotence of God
All Powerful
The power of God is the Divine essence energizing and producing outward effects
What are the qualifications to God’s Omnipotence?
God is able to do all that is consistent with His nature, will, and character
All limitations placed on God are self-limitations consistent with His being
What are the things that Scripture makes clear that God cannot do because they are contrary to His nature?
He cannot…
Deny Himself
Lie
Be seduced to evil
Look upon sin with favor
Sleep or slumber
Change
Could God create a rock so great that He could not pick it up?
NO!
IF God could create something GREATER than Himself He would deny His own Power and Supremacy.
IF God could NOT create something greater than Himself it would also deny His Power and Supremacy
Can God create something equal to, or greater than, Himself?
If God creates the rock–by definition, the rock is created or caused–God is uncaused. The rock is an effect.
If God creates the rock–the rock is contingent upon God and cannot be greater than God since it is contingent upon God
If God creates the rock–it is temporal–it has an origin point, God is eternal
Omnisapience of God
All-Wise
God is all wise, and thus He applies His knowledge in such a way that the best means are employed to achieve the highest ends, and thus bring Him the greatest glory
Practical/applied side of omniscience
Omnisapience is often empathized Scripturally in four distinct areas:
- Creation
- Providence
- Redemption
- The Church, in which Jews and Gentiles abide as brothers and joint-heirs
Immutability
The Changelessness of God
God does NOT change in essence, attributes, consciousness, or will
God’s character does not change; His attitude and His actions with reference to specific men in particular situations will change, especially as those people change in their own attitudes and actions toward God.
What Biblical passages do people use to go against the Immutability of God?
God repented that He made Saul king
God repented regarding the calamity He intended on Israel
God repented regarding the severity of plague He brought on Israel
God repented regarding the destruction of Nineveh
What are the two possible ways to view “change” in God?
- Anthropomorphic language to express God’s dynamic (not static) activity with His dynamic (changing) creation
- Expresses not a change of will, nature or attributes, but a willingness to change with a changing dynamic humanity–immutability is not the same as immobility
The Perfection of God
God is absolutely complete. He does not fall short nor does He lack anything. He is absolutely complete in Himself; He is all that God ought to be.
The Sovereignty of God
He rules as King in the most absolute sense of the word
The Holiness of God
There is both holiness as a concept (Sanctus–to be set apart) and holiness as an attribute
Two types: ethical and Majestic
Ethical Holiness
To be set apart from sin
Perfection of God by which He eternally wills and maintains His own moral excellence, abhors sin, and demands purity in His moral creatures.
Resulting action: A sense of sin
Transcendent or Majestic Holiness
To be set apart from creation
God is absolutely and totally distinct from all His creation, and is exalted above them in infinite majesty
Resulting action: A sense of awe
The Justice and Righteousness of God
The perfection of God by which He maintains Himself over against every violation of His holiness, and shows in every respect that He is the Holy One
Applicational/Practical dimension of His holiness
The Love of God
That perfection of God by which He is eternally moved to self-communication
It is…
Spontaneous
Voluntary
Righteous
Eternal
The Goodness / Kindness of God
That perfection of God which prompts Him to deal bountifully and kindly with all His creatures
The Mercy of God
Pity, Compassion, Loving-kindness
Mercy is that eternal principle of God’s nature which leads Him to seek the temporal good and eternal salvation of those who have opposed themselves to His will, even at the cost of infinite self-sacrifice
The Truth of God
Veracity
That perfection of His being by virtue of which He fully answers to the idea of the Godhead, is perfectly reliable in His revelation, and sees things as they really are
God is absolutely reliable. Veracity emphasizes God’s habitual truthfulness and faithfulness
What is the Nature of Truth?
- Truth is that which corresponds with reality
- If something does not correspond with reality, it is therefore not true
- Modern science and research hypothesis construction is predicated on the belief in falsification–if something is not true, it is to be rejected. It does not fit reality (research and null hypotheses within research design)
- Theologically, if God is truly true, and His word is Truth–then Scripture will correspond with reality
The Longsuffering of God
That aspect of the goodness of God in virtue of which He bears with the forward and evil in spite of their continued disobedience
PATIENCE
The Grace of God
The unmerited favor of God to those who have forfeited it, and are by nature under a sentence of condemnation
In what context should we think of the jealousy of God?
Honor-Shame Context
The Two Proper Responses to Theology Proper
Worship of God through Personal Adoration
Worship of God through Personal Obedience (Obedience to the Word and Submission to His Plan)
What should true worship center on?
God’s person and character; Theo-centric rather than anthro-centric
4 parts:
1. Acknowledgement (Reverence for His person and character)
2. Ascendance (Humility toward His person and character)
3. Adoration (Exaltation of His Person and Character)
4. Affection (Enjoyment of His Person and Character)
Definition of the Doctrine of Trinity
The Godhead exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who are one in essence and nature, yet three in distinct person and work.
One essence in three persons
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are…
CoEQUAL, CoEXISTENT, and CoETERNAL
What is Tri-Theism?
There are three Gods (Father-Son-Holy Spirit) who are united around a loose association called “Godhead”
Modified/Stipulated form of polytheism
Denies singularity
What is Modalism/Sabellianism?
Trinity is one of revelation or manifestation. Father-Son-Holy Spirit are manifestations, or modes, of various forms or roles of God
Different roles in different times depending on His purposes
Affirms singularity of the Divine nature, but denies uniqueness of individual personhood
What passage do people try to point out for modalism?
The Baptism of Christ
Hebrew Word “Yahid”
Only, only one, solitary–concept of absolute singularity, only one
Hebrew Word “Ahad”
One–Allows concept of plurality within a singularity
The word used in Deut. 6:4
How does the Hebrew language prove the Oneness of the Trinity?
Hebrew language allowance for plurality within unity
- Ahad
- Usage of plural pronouns
- Usage of Hebrew plural endings (Elohim)
What are the Scriptural indications of plurality within unity of the Godhead?
- Hebrew Language allows for plurality with unity
- Usage of Divine Name in plurality
- Personifications given to the Spirit and the Word
- The LORD is declared to have a Son
- Usage of the Triad in reference to God (ex. Holy, Holy, Holy)
- The Diety of the Angel of the Lord
The Oneness of God is…
- numeric–an affirmation of monotheism
- generic–it is common to all three members
Tri-plex
1+1+1=3: Tri-theism; affirms distinction, denies singularity and unity of essence
Tri-Union
1x1x1=1: Individual (Personal) self-distinction yet unity of essence
What does tri-plex versus tri-union show us?
The persons of the Trinity are not three particular substances to whom one general nature is common, but three that subsist by ONE substance which itself is particular, yet all three have it
What are the key illustrations of the Trinity?
Water, egg, apple, triple point of water, the nile
Ontological Trinity
Internal relationship of the Trinity (Inner-Trinitarian Relationship); creedal Trinity as understood above focusing on Divine being or nature–who God is
Economic Trinity
External relationship of the Trinity to that which is outside the Trinity–what God does
Each member has different roles within the Godhead and each has different roles in relationship to the world
What is the sending order of the economic trinity?
Father sends the Son
Son sends the Spirit
Father sends the Son who sends the Spirit
NEVER REVERSED
Greek Presuppositions regarding the Three Persons
EK- From or Of (Often Used of the Father)- Generation
DIA- Through, Because of (Often Used of the Son) - Meditation / The Son’s role in salvation
EN- By, In (Often Used of the Spirit)- Causation / The Spirit’s role in sanctification
Definition of the Decree of God
His eternal purpose according to the counsel of His will, whereby for His own glory, He hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass
What are the 5 major decrees?
The decree to…
Create
Permit Sin
Provide Salvation
Elect
Reprobate
What are the characteristics of the Decree of God?
- A Single Decree (Unified Purpose)
- An Eternal Decree (Timeless Purpose)
- A Wise Decree (Informed Purpose)
- A Complete Decree (Encompassing Purpose)
- An Immutable Decree (Changeless Purpose)
What is the purpose of the Decree of God?
The Glory of God
Providence of God
God’s government of the entire moral universe through secondary causation, which government includes all that happens in human history, and by which He causes all things ultimately to fulfill His perfect purposes
The Doctrine of Decrees…
Explains the purpose of the universe
The Doctrine of Creation…
Explains the existence of the universe
The Doctrine of Preservation…
Explains the continuance of the universe
The Doctrine of Providence…
Explains the direction of the universe
