Theology C Flashcards
Briefly explain and defend (including Scripture proofs) the doctrine of the Trinity.
There is but one God only, the living and true God.
-WSC #5
There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. - WSC #6
Hear oh Israel: The Lord our God, the LORD is one.- Deut. 6.4
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit…- Matt. 28.19
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all- 2 Cor. 13.14
What are the attributes of God? (Be prepared to offer Scripture proofs)
God is a Spirit infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. -WSC #4
Which attributes of God are communicable?
Wisdom: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.- James 1.5
Holiness: Be holy, because I am Holy
-Leviticus 11.44; 1 Peter 1.16
Justice: Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.- Amos 5.15
Micah 6.8- He has shown you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you- but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Which attributes of God are incommunicable?
Infinite: “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven -what can you do? Deeper than Sheol -what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. – Job 11.7-9
Eternal: “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Ps. 90.2
Unchangeable: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”- James 1.17
What are the decrees of God?
The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. - WSC #7
What are the differences between infralapsarian and supralapsarian views of God’s decrees?
Infra: views God’s decrees historically God decreed to CREATE man in holiness God decreed to permit the FALL God decreed to ELECT some God decreed to PASS over others Summary: Election and Christ go together. The Fall happened, then God elected men unto salvation in Christ.
Supra: views God’s decrees logically (elect before the fall)
Decree to ELECT some and pass over others
Decree to CREATE
Decree to PERMIT the fall
Decree to JUSTIFY the elect and condemn the reprobate
Summary: God elected men before the Fall, then decreed the Fall. The first thing in his mind is the last thing he accomplished.
What is an Amyraldian view of God’s decrees?
A system of Reformed theology based on the premise that God wills all to be saved if they believe. Unlimited Atonement or 4 point Calvinism. Moise Amyraut of the Saumer Academy.
How does God execute his decrees?
God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.
- WSC #8
What is God’s work of creation?
The work of creation is, God’s making of all things out of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.
- WSC #9
Briefly discuss the length of days in Creation.
The PCA allows a diversity of views on the subject of the length of days, as the Westminster Divines held to a diversity of views, and the Scriptures aren’t crystal clear on the issue.
The Calendar Day view, where I tend to land, sees Genesis 1 as a literal 6 day, 24 hour event. It would be hard to imagine Moses, writing to Israel for clarity’s sake, as composing dense analogies, nor simply using poetic devices to convey a general event. Though the sun isn’t created before day 4, we can read the passage in Revelation that speaks of God as the light, orienting the days in their current solar form even before the sun was created.
Evaluate Biblically the theory of evolution.
Naturalistic Evolution- believes everything, including matter and man developed by natural random processes and are purely a result of natural forces functioning over a period of time. Naturalistic evolution denies God’s work of creation and providence. This system denies that God created the world out of nothing, by the power of his word, in the space of six days.
Theistic Evolution- believes that God as the worker/ mover behind the process set the evolutionary process in motion.
This system , though acknowledging God as creator, gives him little more credit than first cause. This theory tends to view the creation account as mythical and denies God the sovereign capacity to create as he claims in Genesis 1-2 (essentially a form of Deism)
What is God’s work of providence?
God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing of all his creatures and all their actions- WSC #11
What is a miracle?
A miracle is when God works without, above or against the normal means of his providence.
“God in His ordinary providence, makes use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them, at His pleasure WCF 5.3
Do miracles occur today? Explain.
If we take miracle to mean that God working without second causes for the sake of the affirmation of revelation, like Warfield does, then we would not affirm that miracles occur today due to the closed nature of the canon. In saying this I would also add that I would at the same time affirm what Warfield called “extra-ordinary” acts of providence. In other words, I do think God still answers prayer in quite extraordinary ways (for example prayers for healing).
Is God responsible for sin?
No.
