Lesson 7 - Doctrine of God (Attributes)

Question 1

How does the WCF (Larger Catechism) help bring understanding to the Attributes of God?

Answer 1

WLC 6 - What do the Scriptures Make Known of God (WLC 6 gives an order/systematic theology of God)

a. ) What God is
b. ) The persons of God
3. ) His decrees (purposes)
4. ) The Executions of His decrees (works)
5. ) In God’s works of nature, grace, and glory

WLC 7 - What is God?

a. ) Incommunicable Attributes - in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty
b. ) Communicable Attributes - “knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth”

The biblical prooftexts of WLC suggests a solid foundation for the church’s teaching.

Indeed, his identity as YHWH (who he is), the independent and infinite one, determines the nature of all of his attributes (what he is): recall WLC 7.

Question 2

What is the root of the controversy surrounding contemporary approaches to the attributes of God?

Answer 2

1. ) A number of contemporary approaches disregard, distort, or deny a classical, catholic, and Reformed understanding of the attributes of God (James Dolezal).
   - Process Theology - denies most
   - Historicist approach - deny some (impassibility, eternity)
   - Open Theism - denies some (omniscience, independence)
   - Christocentric Theism (Karl Barth) - denies or distorts some (independence, immutability, impassibility)
   - Traditional Evangelical Approach - disregard or distort some (simplicity, independence, immutability, impassibility)
2. ) Root: rejects classical metaphysics and in turn rejects a traditional approach to the divine names/attributes (e.g. the threefold way)

Question 3

With what do proponents of these contemporary approaches replace the traditional approach?

Answer 3

Root: Rejects Classical metaphysics –> rejecting traditional approach to divine names/attributes

Replaces: alternative approach to the divine names/attributes

a. ) Start with what we know about human beings
b. ) Take away 1st the body, then temporal limitations, our epistomological and volitional confinement to knowing about and having control over particular point of space and time, then our moral defects, and to keep going until we arrive at the notion of a being who has power, knowledge, and goodness likes ours but to an unlimited agree (Univocal approach)
c. ) We start with human beings and go from there to define God, instead of starting with God and how he chooses to name himself. (They replace theomorphism with anthropomorphism)

Examples: While the Bible ascribes attributes to the triune Lord in an anthropomorphic way (a linguistic matter), the triune Lord does not have attributes in an anthropomorphic way (a metaphysical matter).

“Albert is wise.” = Albert’s wisdom can increase, decrease, or disappear without Albert ceasing to be Albert (being).

“God is wise” = God’s attributes and being are together. God can’t stop being wise without stopping being God.

In sum

1. ) Though we may and must attribute various perfections to the triune God (a linguistic reality), we must recognize that God does not have his attributes in the way that creatures have their attributes (a metaphysical reality).
2. ) God’s being is not ontologically distinct from God’s attributes. (Eg. “Albert is wise” vs. God is wise. )
   
   • • Indeed, his identity as YHWH (who he is), the independent and infinite one, determines the nature of all of his attributes (what he is): recall WLC 7.
3. ) God’s attributes are not distinct from each other.
   
   • • The distinction between various attributes exists in our minds, not in God.
   • • God’s various attributes, nevertheless, are not synonyms; a plurality of descriptions are necessary for us in order to praise the infinite richness of God’s being (Ps 145:3).
4. ) God’s being is not ontologically distinct from the three persons of the Trinity.

Question 4

What are the incommunicable attributes of God?

Answer 4

Incommunicable - the ones that God is alone; the ways God is not like us (way of negation is prominent here)

1. ) Self-existence/Independence - God is independent, not only in his existence, but also in all of his attributes and perfections, in all his decrees and deeds (Exodus 3:14)
2. ) Infinity - Infinity is not just negation, but unfathomable fullness (“his greatness is unsearchable” - Psalm 145:3)
3. ) Eternity - infinity in respect to time (Rev. 4:8 - who was and is to come)
4. ) Immensity/Omnipresence - infinity in respect to space (1 Kings 8:27 - “heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you.”)
5. ) Immutability and Impassibility - cannot change/be changed (immutability) and cannot be acted upon by anything outside of himself (impassibilility) - James 1:17
6. ) Unity - YHWH is one (Deut 6:4) - God is in another class by himself (unity of singularity) and God is not composed of attributes on which he depends (unity of simplicity)

Question 5

What are the communicable attributes of God?

Answer 5

1. ) Spirit/living/immortal - God is spirit (John 4:24)
2. ) Knowledge - The Lord is a God of Knowledge (1 Sam. 2:3)
3. ) Will: the knowing God wills and approves himself and all good things (Eph. 1:11)
4. ) Power: What God’s knowledge perceives as possible (due to his almightiness), and what God’s will decrees will be actual, God’s power effectively brings to pass through his own agency and through the agency of secondary causes. (Job 42:2)
5. ) Goodness: loveliness, benign character, sweetness, friendliness, kindness, and generosity of God (Exodus 33:19, 34:6-7)
6. ) Love - God is love (1 John 4:8); natural love of God - God’s love of himself; volitional love - God’s love of us
7. ) Grace - grace is gift and receipt (2 Cor. 8:9)
8. ) Mercy - God is inclined to come to the aid of a creature in misery
9. ) Longsuffering/Patience - he refrains himself from pouring out his full wrath upon the sinner, thus postponing his punishment—meanwhile bestowing benefits upon him.” - Exodus 34:6
10. ) Truth and Faithfulness - He is completely trustworthy because he is without deceit (Jeremiah 10:10)
11. ) Righteousness and Justice - righteousness of God consists in giving each his worthy due, either by punishment or reward” (Rom. 11:35)

Question 6

What are the summative attributes of God?

Answer 6

holiness, perfection, glory, and beatitude