Systematic Theology 1 Quiz 3 Flashcards
Introduction: Need to Know God - Why is it important to know who God is?
-when he went to college he sought after God to figure out is he real or not - book by AW Tozer - The Knowledge of the Holy - ch1 sentence 1 -
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” quite a statement - why is this? what does this mean?
there is a secret law of the soul that moves us to our mental image of God = God has so made us that we instinctively seek to become like whatever we esteem most highly // Ex. Micheal Jordan
God has so made us that we instinctively seek to become like whatever we esteem most highly // God made us so that we become like what we
adore, what we worship.. whatever we view as God
Two important deals here with knowing God
- Know God as He is - we as whole as a church need to do this more
- In knowing God for who He is to see these truths as beautiful and adore and admire him - we become more loving, more like Him as we admire him more and more
the more you know God the more __________________ // we become like the one we ____ // ex. the Greatest Commandment .. worthy of our love and God expects us to reflect his __________
you will be like Him
love
character in a finite way
to know God is our purpose in life (Isaiah 11:1 - a shoot will spring from the stump of Jesse, creation restored by Jesus’ work).. also discusses how…
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord this is where joy comes from
What is the goal of all of creation?
that the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord - God made us to be full of the knowledge of God -
Jeremiah 9:23-24 - don’t boast in your wisdom, might, or riches.. but only boast in that he
understands and knows God - boast = glory / glory = the weighty of God… what really matters
-only consider the the knowledge of God to take boast in =
find your identity in Christ
the knowledge of God is understanding = ________________________ factionally correct / living with him ……………….
an intimate relationship knowledge..
day by day and knowing him more and more
Jeremiah 31 - new covenant = end goal God has for us as His people what does he want for us in the end..
to know the Lord.. that we know him.. that we are a people who knows him
Philippians 3 - he sees something so much greater than any accomplishment.. to know Christ - seen in Jeremiah & Isaiah. Jesus is
all and all. knowing God for who he is - Jesus exhibits for us who God is.. this is what I value above all
*What is God’s number one goal for us?
TO KNOW HIM. Pursue the very things that God seeks for us to have that are most important in life - that we may know him.
Passages about making knowing God your highest priority
Isaiah 11:1
Jeremiah 9:23-24
Jeremiah 31
Philippians 3
(latin) arguments that are made prior to sense experience, you can reason that God exists
Apriori
even the fool who doesn’t believe God exists, has some thought that there might be a greater being, must be the case that this being exists
2 kinds of existences 1. contingent = one that fails to exist 2. necessary existence = something that cannot fail to exist.. on thinking of being that is the highest being he must exist necessarily.. the argument against this this does not prove God exists, just explains the necessary existence of God
ontological argument
ontological argument who came up with this argument?
St. Anselm’s argument 1033-1109 - proposed this - the ontological argument for God’s existence // some believe in this, most people say it doesn’t work
who else believes in the ontological argument ?
-Alvin Platical - Charles Harsource
ontological argument…. proves conclusively that….
God exists
-if this works it proves positive
an argumentation post/after sense experience, makes use of what we can see and experience in the world
Aposteriori
Aposteriori - who came up with this argument?
Thomas Aquinas 1224-1274 - argued that there really 3 way to show God is real - common to all of these is they all work in the same fashion, other people observe something and say how can we account for that.. moves to effect to cause // we look at the affect and say what caused that // look at some aspect of reality and ask what caused this
Aposteriori -what they present is _______ ________, because it is based on _________, you can always ask the question could more evidence been given, yes more evidence could be given and it might be forth coming
probable conclusion; evidence
Aposteriori - can never be more than _______ _______
- the evidence gives us a very probable ability for this to be truth - everything in our life is based on this - knowledge based upon experience
probable conclusion
Aposteriori - almost everything we believe is based on _______ __________ we know with some ______ that this is true // ex.
probable evidence; degree // George Washington 1st president of USA
Aposteriori -not about whether we can know this with certainty, but what ………..
degree of confidence can we have based on the evidence
Aposteriori - moves from potential to ______….
- \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ - the agent that brings it about - in his 5 ways, most significant historical - what were talking about here
actual; efficient causation
appeals to a feature of reality, the most basic feature that there is… what this is about… that there is a world, that there is something rather than nothing
Cosmological Argument
Cosmological Argument Advantage
appeals to something that is so evident in this world
Cosmological Argument - Aquinas argued that this is an explanation but not complete.. why there is a world. this particular moment of the universe exists.. must appeal to something ———……………………
outside of the universe.. people would call God to be the reason that we have the world.. there is no reason for the universe if there is no God
Cosmological Argument -Frederick Coplosten vs. Burtren Russell - debate = Copolsten followed
Thomas Aquinas // Russell = atheist view // appeal to God, only way to explain why there is a universe
Cosmological Argument - further philosophical development =
William Graig -> kalam
argument for God’s existence = it is impossible for the universe to have existed eternally because it is impossible to transfers or to travel across an infinite series of points
William Graig -> kalam
William Graig -> kalam ex.
can’t count to the highest number, there is no highest possible number, you can never travel through all the numbers that are // same thing for the universe existing right now - means that we have passed through an infinite points to get to where we are right now, a logical form of this argument // there must be an absolute beginning to the universe, a finite amount of times for the universe to exist in this moment
that there is a world
cosmological argument
kalam.. same is true for ..
-God being temporal or eternal = God is timeless because if God himself was temporal we would have the same problem
cosmological argument… -things that have happened with science = they have wanted to come to the conclusion that the ……… but
universe is a self explained reality = the universe has existed eternally and will continue to exist eternally
but 1920s universe is expanding, moving outward - as if a bomb had exploded and gone out in different directions … put this notion of there is to death // there was another universe that gave rise to it.. so now they have the big bang, a big crunch, big bang… no one holds this any longer because of the realization of the mass of the universe is far far to pull everything back together… they now see it to continue to expand and it’ll expand and expand until it fizzles out… there must be a beginning time now..
cosmological argument -don’t put too much on what scientists say because its one aspect of
ever changing.
cosmological argument….. understanding the universe has became very clear that there was a
beginning to the universe.. there needed to be a God who made this beginning of the universe occur
orderliness - the orderliness that we see in the world.. what is the order we see in the world…
Teleological Argument
eleo = in greek the end - look at the things of this world and accomplish certain goals, even though these things // orderliness - the orderliness that we see in the world.. what is the order we see in the world…
Teleological Argument -
Teleological Argument - person
William Paley
William Paley - provided us with an argument that the world is like a watch (old swiss watch) // take the back off it and what you see is extraordinary, tiny little wheals, in order for the clock to keep time correctly - how does it do this… what all keeps the clock going.. gogs and springs… what keeps it going… there must be a ______ _______… just as there must be a ………………… so what keeps the universe going… the tides, boundaries for the seas, earth to the sun
clock maker; Maker of the universe…
things move in a particular sequence, like dominos following - ex. seasons.. fall, summer - God
-Darwin On Trial - finding it lacking and its reasoning in this book
ordained and created it to be like this, he designed it to be like this
_________ _________ believes in this Darwin culture, used evidence falsely - gave rise to the movement the________ _______ ___________, someone intellectual designed it to be that way // these things must happen because someone designed them to be that way
- ex. footprints on the beach to the ripples from the waves.. pretty pattern on the sandtake a very artistic picture of this // look at the beauty of this pattern - no intellectual design for this.. just happened.. well because God is in charge of it
- some things that we recognize that could be the outcome of natural forces.. big areas of the see Jane I love you and a heart drawn… random forces made this happen.. no one would believe this - not done randomly, someone …….
- Philip Johnson; intelligent design movement
- intellectually designed this and wrote it out… evidence in the created order of clear indicators
______ ______ wrote Darwin’s Black Box - comes from -the final black box of darwin has now been broken with these enormously powerful microscopes
- MB tells us that what we find there a collection of features that have an \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ to them… cannot take these away or would not exist.. must be put together in just the right way or life would not come about - Ex. Mouse Trap - take a part of it away and it wont work
Micheal BeHea -
irreduceable complextivity
Intellectual Design Movement is a revelation / makes new the
- God is the designer of this universe and we should follow his wise purposes for life
- what is the feature / affect… a Divine Designer
Teleological Argument
-looks as some feature of life (in this case, moral sensibility - we think in moral categories and we make judgement on moral behavior)
Moral Argument
thievery, abuse… everyone knows that it is wrong.. 9/11
moral relativism
Mere Christianity - the case for Christianity.. begins it with the
-all people in all cultures agree that these things are wrong
moral argument
2 deals here with the moral argument
- what if we were to say that these were behaviorally taught to us // we were taught to think this way.. happens in education, teach them what we think they should know // 2+2=4
- evolutionary processes - survival of the race // we might think that it is best for us to die in order to save someone.. doesn’t this go against the evolutionary process… to save someone and not yourself
- ex. promise keeping is right because God is a promise keeper
- there must be a moral law giver
- we think morally, we judge morally.. God is the moral law giver
- each one on there on is a compelling argument, when you take all three of them together the evidence is
overwhelming for the existance of God.
*Limitations to these 3 arguments:
-doesn’t prove the triune God of the Bible, not attempting to prove everything… Thomas Aquinas tell us it doesn’t prove everything.. need Bible for that.. just some
Knowledge of God: Whether God Can Be Known - A. God’s Incomprehensibility
The great creeds and confessions of the Christian Church have consistently affirmed what is often called
“the incomprehensibility of God.”
“the incomprehensibility of God.” - By this, the Church has not meant to say that God is not knowable, per se; rather, it means to say that God cannot be
fully known or comprehended. We are limited by our finitude, and in addition by our sinfulness, and by the extent to which God has chosen to reveal himself to others (Deut. 29:29). Thus we can never attain perfect and exhaustive knowledge of God.
question looking at here:
But what of the limited knowledge that we can have–is it really knowledge? That is, is it reliable and accurate information about God? This question is answered as we investigate the knowledge of God as knowledge of God’s self-revelation.
Throughout the history of philosophy and theology, there have been numerous attempts to understand what God must be like simply through human rational investigation. These various attempts to know “God in general” via
speculative reflection have been severely criticized by such diverse theologians as Karl Barth and Carl F. H. Henry
If, as is claimed in Christianity, there is only one true and living God, and if this God is only known as he reveals himself, then any attempt to conjecture or speculate on the being of God apart from___________________ is inherently dangerous, inevitably misleading, and it constitutes the height of human presumptuousness and folly. If God is to be known, He is known from start to finish only by his __________.
revelation (i.e., apart from God’s self-revelation); self-disclosure.
Revelational Knowledge of God
As we observed in our overview of the doctrine of revelation, the orthodox Church has affirmed the following avenues of God’s revelation. Since this was covered earlier, we offer here only a brief summary.
General Revelation
through Creation
through Conscience
The created order itself, as the handiwork of God, witnesses to the power, wisdom, and grandeur of its creator. Ps. 19 states that the heavens declare the glory of God. Rom. 1:20 says that creation reveals God’s power and divinity. So, while a full natural theology which claims to arrive at detailed metaphysical assertions about God may be mistaken, we have in the creation the basis for a clear knowledge of the fact that God exists and has made the world. This revelation is forceful enough to hold all of us accountable for our acceptance of God from it, and to deny this revelation and turn to veneration of the creature rather than the Creator brings God’s wrath (Rom. 1).
General Revelation
a. Natural Knowledge of God—through Creation.
Humanity possesses an inborn sense that God exists and has made the world. Calvin, following Augustine, made a strong case for this view. He appealed to the fact that every cultural group of people found on the earth had among its beliefs a belief in God. Surely this is in no measure a complete or necessarily accurate conception, but it is a starting point from which we turn to further revelation (Institutes, I.III.). C. S. Lewis also argued strongly for this understanding in Mere Christianity and in his lesser-known but profound work, The Abolition of Man. Augustine, Calvin, Lewis, and others have simply amplified the teaching of Paul in Romans 2:14-15 that God has “written the Law” upon the hearts of all human beings. We know by nature something about the character and moral demands of God.
General Revelation
Innate Knowledge of God—through Conscience.
Special Revelation
God’s revelation in personal encounter.
God’s revelation in mighty acts.
Propositional revelation.
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ as the Supreme Revelation of God.
Scripture is full of examples of God making himself known to others in personal ways, sometimes through theophanies, or dreams, or visions, or through speaking directly to them. All one need do is consider the experiences with God that men like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Elijah, Paul, John – and so many more—have had.
God’s revelation in personal encounter.
At particular points in the history of Israel and the early Church, God has intervened and acted in powerful, often miraculous ways, thus revealing something of Himself to his people. Without doubt, the greatest event in Israel’s history was her exodus from Egypt. In the numerous miracles that God performed–the plagues, parting the waters of the Red Sea, providing water in the wilderness, feeding of manna each day, etc.—God showed Himself to be the all-wise, all-powerful covenant God, who had selected Israel by His grace to be His special people. This is only one—though an important–example of God’s revelation in act. Revelation in event often requires interpretation. E.g., Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3).
God’s revelation in mighty acts.
All of God’s revelation to others in the form of human language constitutes the prepositional revelation given by God. But, one very important expression of this prepositional revelation are the inspired Scriptures. For it is the case that both the revealed acts and the revealed words of God would be unknown to us had they not been written down for later generations to read and learn from. The evangelical Church affirms the Old and New Testaments, in their totality, to be the verbal revelation of God to his people in the 66 books of inspired Scripture. The Bible has a dual authorship. As Peter expresses it, “men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet. 1:21).
Propositional revelation.
John tells us in the prologue to his gospel, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld in his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). And Jesus, in response to Philip’s request, “Show us the Father,” said to him: “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The character of God is supremely manifest in the incarnate Son of God. Jesus reveals God’s holiness and righteous indignation against sin while he extends rich and free grace and compassion to sinners. To come to know Jesus Christ is to know the heart and character of God.
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ as the Supreme Revelation of God.
Human capacity to know the revelation of God
Knowledge of God requires basically two things:
God’s own self-disclosure (i.e., His revelation of which we have just spoken), and human reception or apprehension of divine revelation.
But can man know God? Is he capable of receiving God’s self-revelation?
The answer is Yes. Because God has created us in his image, with the rational, volitional, moral and emotional tools or capacities necessary for such knowledge, we are equipped by virtue of our creation by God to know him. Sin, of course, has affected every area of our lives, but by the illuminating work of the Spirit of God, we have the capability to come to know God. And in fact, the knowledge of God, relationship with God stands as the reason for our very being. In Phil. 3, Paul expresses his desire to know God above all else. The prophet Jeremiah proclaims that the knowledge of God is superior to all else in life and. thus one should only boast of one’s knowing God (Jer. 9:23-24). And in a very important text on the new covenant, Yahweh reveals through Jeremiah that the essence of what life will be in the coming era is captured in the fact that everyone shall know God, from the least to the greatest. We were made to know God, we were created with the capacity to know God, and our future life in God’s kingdom will be characterized above all by the fact that we will know Him—in the full sense of what that means. (Note: for a treatment of the philosophical issues regarding knowing God, e.g., Hume’s and Kant’s skepticism see Ronald Nash’s Word of God and Mind of Man (Zondervan, 1982).
Knowledge about God vs. knowing God
In any relationship, there are certain things we need to know about the other person. In fact, the more we know about them, the more we are able to enter into meaningful relationship with them. But knowledge about someone is not sufficient in itself for relationship or relational knowledge. Similarly with God, learning truths about Him—though important, vital, even necessary—is not enough by itself for what God intends for us. He seeks, and we should seek,
relational knowledge—the daily and moment-by-moment interaction with God where we learn to trust him, confess to him, request of him, risk for him. Knowledge about God needs to be applied in relationship, and then we too will, with Paul, seek this above all else.
helps distinguish what we believe about God from Jews and others who do not believe in the trinity // significance of this // put on trinitarian classes, everywhere present - in OT & NT
Trinity in Unity
Trinity in Unity passage
Ephesians 1
Trinity in Unity - Eph 1 explained
apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God (Father), faithful in Christ Jesus, grace and peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ - v3 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ - who (the Father) has blessed us in the heavenly places …. mediates these blessings by the Spirit.. we have to see God’s work in trinitarian terms.. to who does the pronoun refer? The Father chose us, in the Son before the foundation of the world. The Father predestined us. Destined us in advance to be his chosen people.. he would do this through his Son. Does this through his Beloved (Jesus). The Father made known to us the desire of his will. The Father takes the lead on designing and saving. The Father accomplishes this work on the Son’s behalf. Our place in His Son. We have obtained an inheritance. The Father who predestined us into his family, he also predestined us to have an inheritance. This is ours. In Christ , you were sealed in Christ (all of these blessings.. spiritual blessings in the heavenly places…. by the Spirit), sealed with the Holy Spirit as promised. to the praise of the glory of the Father, Father, Son, Spirit plays a huge part into who God is. One God manifested through Father, Son & Holy Spirit - a taxis - order of the triune God - all glory given to the Father (Philippians 2) - -
Trinity in Unity - 2 parts
Scriptural Monotheism
Scriptural Trinitarianism
there is ONE GOD. Follow the pattern we find in scripture.. that there is one God. most ancient religions were polytheistic… with the coming of Christ we have to see this oneness of God as complex; Genesis 1 main purpose is theological, God created the heavens and the earth // one God created it all, what’s the point? they’re were separate regions … the only God there is created the earth, as Creator that is over all that is Rule over all nations // Yahweh is their God because he is all people’s God.
Scriptural Monotheism
Scriptural Monotheism Scripture
- Deut 4:35 - to you Israel - that you may know the he is God, don’t believe the Egpytians
- Deut 6:4, 1 Kings 8:60 - Only God, no one else
- Isaiah 40-48 // 46:9, remember the former things, there is no one like me
- NT: just as strongly monotheistic; early church were surrounded by polytheistic
- would of been easier to say we have three Gods than to come up with the trinity
- to the oneness of God, John 17:3, to know God - the only true God
- 1 Corinthians 8- 1 Timothy 2:5 ONE GOD. Romans 3:30,
- jews and gentiles (rom 3) all sinners - we have the same God
- james 2:19 former adhearisce - you believe that there is one God..doesn’t deny the truth
Scriptural Monotheism Scripture -maintained and affirmed there is one god in a ________ _______(Father, Son, Holy Spirit) would be easy to give us one aspect of this // one God and more complexity of this oneness
polytheistic world
-it was evident to early christians that even the verses about God’s oneness are very complex / leading to something about the trinity
Scriptural Affirmations of the Triune God
Scriptural Affirmations of the Triune God Scripture Examples (1)
- Ex. John 17:3 this is eternal life that they may know the one true God and Jesus Christ
- Ex.(2) 1 Corinthians 6:8 - 1 God the Father and 1 Lord Jesus Christ by who things are created // can only be one Creator, but God & Jesus are apart of this.. so looks like they’re separate but on the other hand only one God can create… so they must be One as well
- John 1:1 - In the beginning (Genesis 1:1) the Word was with God, Word was God // some how we have to understand them as different and identical // attributing diety to Christ
Scriptural Affirmations of the Triune God Scripture Examples (2)
- Hebrews 1 - Jesus is the Creator (Colossians 1), exact representation of the Father (Christ must be God to represent God), he upholds on things by t he word of His power, let all the angels worship the Son (only God is suppose to be worshiped) Psalm 102 - Christ is God.. God calls him these (God) here in Hebrews
- Acts 5:3-4 - Ananius why have you lied to the Holy Spirit about this.. why have you lied to God, the Spirit
- 1 Corinthians 2:11 - only the Spirit knows the thoughts of God
- Hebrews 9:14- eternal Spirit
- the church saw there was serious complexity to the oneness of God
-Triatic Passages: (no scripture that says trinity, but teaches the three together as the One God
- Matthew 28:19-20 - the One name of God is Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
- 2 Corinthians 13:14 benediction to the people - may God bless you. may God go with you. May the grace of Jesus. May the love of the Father. May the fellowship of the Spirit go with you.
- Ephesians 1, 2:17-18, 4
- 1 Peter 1:1-2, introduction, Spirit and Son involved in the blessing you get from God
- Matthew 3:13-17 - Jesus’ baptism
- Complex, not simple - One God.. yes.. how do we understand this one God? this is not a simple conception
- John 8:58 - Jesus greater than Abraham
- must affirm there is one God and also that Father, Son, & Holy Spirit are God
the doctrine of the trinity arose in the early theologians grapaling of Jesus / who is Jesus; my Lord & my God and then affirm monotheism.. how do you understand the nature of Christ? the theological debates had to do about Jesus’ humanity & diety // worked hard at trying to figure this out
Christological Background
try to hold the supreme monoarchiness of God the Father, the supremacy of the Fathe
eastern = greek church, very strong commitment to the monarchy of God the Father
Monarchian Heresies
Monarchian Heresies
- Dynamistic Monarchianism / Subordinationism – Arius
2. Modalistic Monarchianism / Modalism – Sabellius
died in 336, bishop, influential in the early church, Jesus is a highly exalted being/ strengthened by God, but not God; Jesus was the first born (Col 1:15).. this doesn’t work because Jesus created all things so how would he create himself& Jesus is eternal
Dynamistic Monarchianism / Subordinationism – Arius
supreme rulership over the Father // God is one God, while the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit are all God // problem being… God will then become Jesus and then will become the Spirit so not three persons, but changes its being… understand them as “modes” of existing // didn’t except this… severe resistance to these proposal
Modalistic Monarchianism / Modalism – Sabellius
The Church’s Rejection of Monarchianism -
Rejection of Modalism
on the surface sounds more promising, but it didn’t take a church council to defeat this.. because of the simple reason of Christian’s reading their Bible knew this just cannot be the case - ex. of why wrong… 1. baptism of Jesus // they’re all present, God is not a // 2. Jesus in the garden of Gesemanie… Jesus is praying to the Father // not in a cord with biblical teaching // not taken as serious as Arius’ view
The Church’s Rejection of Monarchianism -
Athanasius’ Opposition to Arianism -
Athanasius - bishop in Alexander, hero in this time period, good job doing this! Thank goodness he proved the Arius view wrong.. highly … the atoning work of Christ is at stake.. all of our hope, our salvation itself it jeopardized if Jesus is not God // if Jesus is only a created being, he would not be able to make the payment of infinite punishment if he was not an infinite being, /// Saint Anselm wrote Cordaus - argued if Christ were not God he could not unite us to God unless God reconciled us to himself // Athanasius believed that salvation could on be secured if Christ was fully God - anything otherwise said would jeopardize what Christ did
This was silly and people knew it was obviously not correct
Modalistic Monarchianism / Modalism – Sabellius
This went against Christ being fully God and questioned Jesus’ atoning work on the cross
Dynamistic Monarchianism / Subordinationism – Arius
person who came up with Modalistic Monarchianism / Modalism –
Sabellius
person who came up with Dynamistic Monarchianism / Subordinationism
Arius
what is Jesus’ proper relationship with the Father
Council of Nicea (A.D. 325)
Council of Nicea (A.D. 325) 3 groups
- Athanasius - Jesus is fully God / deity
- Arians’ followers - Jesus was subordinate to the Father
- Orginistic group - middle road people - follower’s of Origin - he used language in some of his writings - proposed that we can think of Jesus in a
* Homoiusios way - the nature of Christ is very similar to the nature of God, to say he was similar is to say that he was different -
* Homousios - affirms that Christ has the same likeness of God - Christ is the same nature as the Father,
Jesus is fully God / deity
Athanasius
Jesus was subordinate to the Father
Arians’ followers
middle road people - follower’s of Origin - he used language in some of his writings - proposed that we can think of Jesus in a
Homoiusios way - the nature of Christ is very similar to the nature of God, to say he was similar is to say that he was different -
Orginistic group
the nature of Christ is very similar to the nature of God, to say he was similar is to say that he was different
Homoiusios way
affirms that Christ has the same likeness of God - Christ is the same nature as the Father,
Homousios
Council of Nicea - the view that prevailed is the ___________ viewing they wrote the Nicea Creed -we believe in One God the Father Almighty, maker of everything invisible and invisible, and Christ Jesus - this is the orthodox view - Jesus is fully God - he must share with Christ the same nature -
Athanasisus
the son’s distinguishiness of the Father while the same as the Father -
Nicean Creed
(A.D. 381) - the Spirit of the God as the breath of the God, so not a separate person but rather the eyes of the Lord, the breath of the Lord speaking and comforting, and inatimate force, but not as the third part of the trinity
Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381) -
Heroes = greek/eastern Cappadocia Fathers
Possel the Great
Gregory of Nyssa
Gregory Nazianzus
Constantinople - really propelled the three of them forward, argued insistently that we unashamedly adopt the language of the Spirit as the same nature as the Father & the Son // made at his brothers and he left the council, he was mad at them
Possell and Gregory of Nyssa were scared to do this
with the Arian’s at this council
Gregory Nazianzus
Gregory Nazianzus dropped out of the Constantinople but who made it happen..
Possell & Gregory of Nysaa worked.. the Spirit is God scripture
=2 Cor 3:18 the Spirit is God, Lord - we believe in the Lord ->the Life Giver = >work of God to do, work of the Spirit - who proceeds from the Father
- John 15 - when the helper comes who I will send to you, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father as the Son is begotten by the Father - who is to be glorified with the Father & the Son
- established for the church the diety of the Spirit and the diety of the Son
- Holy Spirit History =
filioquee
Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and through the Son - western tradition sough to add he proceeds from the Father and Son - filioque - added this to the Nicean Creed
- adding this made a split between the eastern & western churches // even to this day
- Eastern - Son begotten, Spirit proceeds (parrell relations)
- Western - Spirit proceeds from Father and the Son - indicates a place of subordination // submission to the Father & the Son // 1. Father 2. Son 3. Spirit
Synod of Toledo (A.D. 589)
Son begotten, Spirit proceeds (parrell relations)
Eastern
Spirit proceeds from Father and the Son - indicates a place of subordination // submission to the Father & the Son // 1. Father 2. Son 3. Spirit
Western
this all culminated with him
atrinantotea = wrote a book on the trinity that
meant to represent Augustine’’s mature understanding of the trinity
Augustine (A.D. 354-430) on the Trinity
God’s whole and undivided essence belongs _____, _______, ________, & _________ to each of the three Persons of the Godhead, so that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each is fully God while each is his own personal expression, in role and activity, of the one eternal and undivided divine essence.
- opposes Arianism
- God is not divided into parts. The full divine nature of the God head
equally, eternally, simultaneously, and fully
the relationship within the trinity (the Father, Son, Holy Spirit) apart from creation {who God is apart from creation}
Immanent
how does God (the trinity) relate to the world that he made, he relates to the that he made {God chose to create & God chose to relate}
Economic
- God didn’t have to create the world. He did though.
- Son’s relationship to the Father (begotten). He was eternally begotten. Nothing originated the Father, but the Son was originated… he is ……..
eternally begotten and orginated..
eternally = always existed // begotten = came into existence // John 1:18 - no one has seen God, referring to v 14 - the Word became flesh.. the only begotten Son = Jesus when he was born into this world… the Son of God & the Son of Mary // the Son is not eternally begotten / Son
-Eternally begotten by the Father
= John 15:26, 1:15- when the Helper comes = the day when the Spirit will come upon his people (Acts 2 - pentecost) … always happening, but coming into being /
-he doesn’t believe these are biblical = but what do we say about the trinity
-Eternal proceeding from the Spirit
The roles of the trinity…
Son depends on the Father - eternal submission. The Son seeks to carry out the will of the Father. Procession of the Spirit’s role. Father, Son, Holy Spirit = hierarchy.
Spirit seeks to point to Jesus.
Father =
architect, Ephesians 1:11, he deigns our salvation, supreme command
Son =
to fulfill the will of the Father, carrying out the plan of the Father under the will of the Father, under the authority of the Father
The Spirit =
John 16:13 - his job is to glorify the Son & the Father
___ & ____ relationship within the Trinity. Hierchial - the way God has revealed to us is who he is
Authority & Submissive
Jesus said he was seeking to do the will of His Father = ………….
- After the Son completes his will - 1 Corinthians 15:27, 28 - the Son submits to the Father - Phil 2 - Jesus is the Lord - to the praise of the Father
while I was with the Father I was given his order to come to earth and do what he told me to do
Relevance of the Doctrine of the Trinity
- Salvation is only possible if God is the triune God of the Bible
- Pattern for prayer -
- Human Relationships - represented in human life // the man & the woman —> submissive authoritative relationship built in /
Salvation is only possible if God is the triune God of the Bible =
a just God brings just and God’s wrath on sin // there must be a real payment made to satisfy God -> infinite value —> must be God who pays the penalty —> must at the same time be one of us (human) Christ - the God man - must be God to do it, must be a sinless man to accomplish this as well
- Jesus living his life in the strength of the Spirit, Jesus in his divine nature was God, Jesus in his human nature needed God to do what he did
- if there was no_______ there would be no _____
trinity; salvation
Pray to the Father and end the prayer in the name of Jesus. We can only do this by the power of the Spirit - prompts and leads us in our prayer.
Pattern for prayer -
represented in human life // the man & the woman —>submissive authoritative relationship built in // reaffirmed in eh 5, 1 tim 2.. authoritative and submission relationship should be represented in human life.. good and just authority // submission = vibrant desire to carry out the desire of another.. submission and authority is beautiful … Christ like
Human Relationships -
- theology proper = how to study the essence and attributes of God // look through different textbooks and theologians have divided God up into categories //
Attributes of God = Methodology and the Doctrine of God -
attributes that have to do with his power & widsom
natural attributes
either within the trinity or within his relationship with his created being, ex. holiness, love, & mercy (wisdom
-no clear cut classification scheme //
moral attributes
absolute vs. relativism
absolute (who he is, internal God ) vs. relvatism (relationship to creation, adding to God)
attributes of goodness & greatness
Millard Erickson
Classification of Attributes
Incommunicable, Communicable
Communicable= attributes that his creatures can also have, ex. love Incommunicable = ex. self-existence
Transendence , His Emmanence
transendence = God is beyond us (in the fullness of himself, separate of this world)
ii. Emmanence = speak of God’s nearness to us (apart of our lives)
attributes that his creatures can also have, ex. love
Communicable
ex. self-existence
Incommunicable
God is beyond us (in the fullness of himself, separate of this world)
Transendence =
speak of God’s nearness to us (apart of our lives)
Emmanence
try to account for both transcendence & emmenent.. now people see him as so eminent that we have lost his transcendence (use to be the opposite)
Need for Methodological Balance in the Doctrine of God
too much transcendence =
exalt this so much that it calls into question his eminence
people were obsessed with explaining how God is perfect and they preferred to talked about how God cannot change (immutible), because it opens up the door that God could change for the good or for the worse.. We must talk about God in absolute
immutability
God is outside of time; past, present, future is not in him, there is a unified consciousness, above time // God sees everything together in one moment /
- this was to protect God’s perfection
- Protect God’s character = he does not relate in time
- this would show a limitation to God if he was subject to time, as we are to waiting for a pay check
Timeless Eternity
God is not made up of parts, God is infinitely one thing
- to avoid the possibility of something to change
- God cannot change - he can relate in a distance, but he is not in the fray - he is not literally with us // people now believe that this diminishes how God wants to relate to us // the pendulum principle takes over - 19th & 20th century the methodological balanced switch dot the imminence of God and lost the transience of God // the immanence
Divine Simplicity =
1920s went to Harvard taught philosophie (wrote principle mathematics with Russell)- launched a movement called Processed Philosophy - talugh at Chicago - Heartsore promoted Whitehead = God is very much involved in the world - he feels everything that happens in the world, the concrete nature of God is made up by what is happening in the world // God is supreme and experiences everything in the world // ………………………………………………………….. since in which the popular theology level we have a low view of God..
Whitehead
God needs the world as much as the world needs God = horrible for Emmanence -
methodological balance is__________ - see the Bible as God speaks of them - lets not be swayed by one or the other .. let’s learn from the Bible what God tells us. Transcendence and Emmaence _____________
important: go together
One Pair Related: Self-Sufficiency and Love - so important these
two together
thus says the high & exalted one - this great glorious God has found it good to come to us
-Isaiah 57:15 -
rarely spoken of, but grounds our correct understanding of God
self-sufficiency
God possesses within himself intrensquitley - he doesn’t posses it because someone gave it to him, it is God’s nature to posses it - it is always his and it always will be - every quality in an infinite nature // holy, beauty, perfection,
self-sufficiency definition
self-sufficiency scripture evidence psalm 50
Psalm 50 - God is the judge. What have the people done? v 10 God is upset because the Israelites were believing that God was hungry and that they were providing him food because he was hungry; they were bringing sacrifices to God because God needs them // if i were hungry i would not tell you, all the animals are mine // you are giving me nothing that i do not already have
S.S. Psalm 50 - -v 14 sacrifice of thanksgiving = ___________. You are the receiver. God does not need our help. ________ relationship. We depend upon God. God does not depend …………….. We give him thanksgiving because he gives us all things.
-we honor God when we see that he is our help and the he is our giver.
God is the giver; One way; upon us at all
self-sufficiency scripture evidence -Isaiah 40:12 -
no one informs or instructs God // God’s nature is morally perfect;; infinite knowledge & wisdom // only God’s will be done, verse 15 - all the nations before God are nothing - a drop in a bucket.. nothing.. God is huge. He is powerful.
- all the nations are as nothing before him // God cares for his people, he testifies his love for the nations. compared to God’s power what can the nations contribute to God’s power = nothing // God has it all - God’s greatness is SOO MUCH.
self-sufficiency scripture evidence -Acts 17:16 -
alter to an unknown God - therefor what you worship in ignorance.. this is the TRUE GOD. -v 25 God’s self-sufficiency
the God who made the world, he brought everything into the world. God alone exists eternally. God spoke for his creation. God exists apart from creation. Creation cannot add from him. He created it and he owns it. It is God’s already. v24 he is not served by human things; he gives us life - he gives to all people all things // God possesses them.
self-sufficiency - denials
- Processed Theology - Hearthorne - talks of how he hates this, religion is serving God is contributing value to GOD - God is not so lucky to have us.. No. God does not need us.
- God was lonely so he created us - to fill up this emptiness in God.- were here to make God not be lonely. God needs you. this is blasphemes
- we are the empty ones and God fill us
self-sufficiency - questions
- Why are we here?
2. Why does God demand so much from us? when he needs none of what he demands
Love - God’s loyalty that he will remain faithful
Key OT term: hesed -
Love - unconditional nation of God’s love - we do not deserve this love but he gives it to us anyways
Key NT term: agape -
Relation of Self-sufficiency to Love -
1. Unconditional love requires that God be self-sufficient
- for God to love so intensely God must be self-sufficient -
- God does not need us. Human Relationships - none of us are self-sufficient. God’s love can be fully unconditional
- Tozer = need is a creation word not the Creator’s word
Relation of Self-sufficiency to Love
2. What is God’s purpose with us, God’s people?
-God cares about us. He does not need us. God created us as empty vessels so he could fill us up. We now enjoy him and love him. We can never contribute anything to God.
Relation of Self-sufficiency to Love -
3) Why does God demand so much from us?
Acts 17:25- we cannot serve God as if he needed something from us
- he doesn’t need our help, God could do all of it on his own but he wants to share in his job - he calls us into service because he wants to
- God does this for us as a privilege - he commands our obedience, CS. Lewis - God marshals us by his commands to do what is best for us
- God’s commandments bring us life
Relation of Self-sufficiency to Love -
4) Worship and the self-sufficiency of God
- worship gives expression to God
- he doesn’t need it
1. He alone is worthy of worship - the only one who deserves our praise is God
2. it is our delight to worship him - God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him
4 Questions -in Relation of Self-sufficiency to Love -
1) Unconditional love requires that God be self-sufficient
2) What is God’s purpose with us, God’s people?
3) Why does God demand so much from us?
4) Worship and the self-sufficiency of God
true of God alone - distinctively Gods
Incommunicable Attributes -
Incommunicable Attributes - true of God alone - distinctively Gods
- Self-Existence (Aseity) -
- Self-Sufficiency
- Infinity
- Omnipresence (Immensity)
- Eternity
- Immutability -
God has existed & will always existed - it is his necessary for him to exist and he will always exist Gen 1:1 - God brings the world into existence // Exodus 3:14 - God is I am - he has always been
Self-Existence (Aseity) -
God’s possession within himself all that he needs
God has no instrisict needs
He has all that he needs within himself
his beauty, his wisdom, his power - God is the sole possessor of therse
Is. 40, Ps 50, Acts 17
Is 66:1-2 Creator - no place to go from God - nothing you can do to help God
Romans 11:33-37 - the Greatness of God - who knows the mind of God - first from him and to him are all things and for him
James 1:17 - God doesn’t tempt - he is the Good perfect Giver
Acts - God gives all
he possesses all of this within himself
Self-Sufficiency
to be bound or restricted / God is not - God is boundless // he is always enough, always enough patience, always enough wisdom
Psalm 147:5
Infinity
God is not bound by time
Eternity
Eternity Scripture
Psalm 90 - from everlasting to everlasting you are God
Psalm 93:2 - your throne is established from old - you are always God - you reign as God eteranally
Exodus 3 - God calling himself “I am”
1 Timothy 1:17 - now to the King eternal - everlasting, endures always
Jeremiah 10:10 the Lord is the true God
Eternity - what does this mean?
- God exists outside of space & time. He created both of these.
- Timelessness Eternity
Eternally Present to God - we can comprehend this- to remove the possibility that
God could change
you cannot change if God has no part of time
God creates in a moment in time - God exists through moments - many if not all see God’s eternity as a timeless thing - all dwelling places God has been God with his people -God is involved for the real relating of things to the world - God’s relationship to space
space
feeling space & time - God is fully outside of ——; while God is ______ ___ __
time; FULLY WITH US
God cannot change in his essential attributes or are an exstention of his moral nature or his ethical commitments
Immutability
changelessness of the very being of God, the faithfulness of God
ontological
Immutability - ontological
psalm 102
psalm 102 - in comparison to you Lord is the same God - God’s ontological being of God - God is changeless - he is perfect - he is God and he will never change
Immutability - ontological
malachi 3:6
Malachi 3:6 - the Lord does not change, the day will come when God will come // God’s people are not ready for his coming, but he will get them ready // the Lord does not change so you are not consumed // refiner’s fire will meet sin in his on people and those who are not his people .. comforting word of God .. for i the Lord will refine and purify his people // faithfullness to his people, Isreal has reason to hope even within there sin - I the Lord do not change - my Word is trustworthy
God is unchangeably perfect therefore His Word is trustworthy
ethical deal = God’s Word will be kept
Immutability - ontological
james 1:17
james 1:17 - God is a Father of LIGHT. God’s character is always of light… God cannot tempt because that would be dark. All that God does is good. God only gives good. God gives in accordance to this. God will only do good to his people. God is who he is in his immortal nature. Rich resource = God & His Word are both fixed and sured
Immutability - ontological
Abrahamic Covenant
Abrahamic Covenant = this is what I will give you says God. this was God’s free choice - does God have to choose to save? no. He chooses to save. the ethical promises of God are different than his nature -
immutable upon once God says it - this is not about his character this is not permanently fixed… but once said he is bound to
keep what he says
to be true to scripture God is immutable but also changeable because
he is a person in relationship with us
= enemies - under the wrath of God = the person moves token reconciled and to love God // major changes happen to us when conversion happens.. it change on God’s side as well - we were his enemy but now we are not
Relationship Immutability
unbelievers are storing up their wrath for the day Jesus comes - we repent and God makes us______ & his family - we now have peace with Christ - ………….
his friend,
real change in God but its is not a change in his attributes
His emotional states - people use to say that God has no emotions because emotions are not good
- Numbers 19 complained about Moses’ leadership, God was so ticked - and God was going to kill them but Moses pleaded for him not too. God was angry with the rebels //
- God has no sin we do
- God changing his mind (35 examples) -
- 1 Samuel 15 - read twice that God regrets making Saul king (11-35) he changes — what is stated before - he intended
this change from the beginning -
-unchangeable - but God
relationally does when it’s appropriate
Whereas the ontological argument argues from cause to effect, the cosmological, teleological, and moral arguments argue from effect to cause.
False
St. Anselm is most closely associated with the cosmological argument for the existence of God.
False
The feature true of the universe that the teleological argument seeks to account for is that there is something rather than nothing.
False
The ontological argument is a deductive argument which, if it works, would prove the existence of God.
True
The feature true of the universe that the moral argument seeks to account for is moral sensibility.
True
The early church seriously questioned and almost dropped its adherence to monotheism when it became convinced that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.
False
The main opponent of Athanasius was Sabellius.
False
Arius proposed that the Son was the first and greatest of all of God’s creation.
True
The Council of Nicea defended in particular the deity of the Holy Spirit.
False
The primary advocate of modalism was Sabellius.
True
The position that prevailed at the Council of Nicea had been argued by the Cappadocian Fathers.
False
“Ontological immutability” refers to God not being able to change in his essential attributes or divine nature.
True
God’s attribute of infinity means that God is absolutely unrestricted in every quality or attribute that he possesses.
True
The divine self-sufficiency entails that God does not care about or have any real and genuine interest in anything that he has created.
False
“Relational mutability” refers to God changing appropriately in respect to changes that occur within his created order and among his moral creatures.
True
Thomas Aquinas’ “Five Ways” represent early examples of this kind of argument for God’s existence:
a. Cosmological argument
b. Moral argument
c. Ontological argument
d. Teleological argument
e. a., b., and d. Correct
God’s existence can be proved simply from thinking the thought of a Being than which none greater can be conceived:
Ontological argument
Conclusions drawn from this argument have a probabilistic level of certainty:
a. Cosmological argument
b. Moral argument
c. Ontological argument
d. Teleological argument
e. a., b., and d. Correct
It was mentioned that C. S. Lewis was a champion of this kind of argument for God’s existence:
Moral argument
The “filioque” addition to the Nicean Creed affirmed that:
The Spirit proceeds from the Father “and the Son”
A key triadic passage:
Matthew 28:19-20 Correct
That Christ was “homoiousios” with the Father was proposed by:
Followers of Origen
Gregory of Nyssa was instrumental in the outcome of this council:
d. Constantinople
Incommunicable attributes are those divine attributes which:
are possessed by God alone, and are not shared to any degree with created reality
Communicable attributes are those divine attributes which:
are shared with at least some portion of finite, created reality
