The Character of God: Communicable Attributes (Part 1)
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· 42 viewsHow is God like us in his being and in mental and moral attributes?
Notes
Transcript
Review
Review
(Week 1) What is systematic theology?
(Week 1) What is systematic theology?
What the whole Bible teaches about any particular topic
Prayer
Salvation
Sin
Jesus
The Holy Spirit
Macro vs. micro. example: believe in Jesus and you will be saved
(Week 2) The knowability of God
(Week 2) The knowability of God
It is necessary that God reveal himself to us
A. If we are going to know God as He truly is then it is absolutely necessary that He reveal himself to us.
B. God alone defines who He is and it’s God who reveals who He is to us.
C. Two ways in which God has revealed Himself so that He might be known.
General Revelation
Special Revelation
We can never fully understand God
We can never fully understand God
God’s greatness is unsearchable
God’s understanding is unmeasurable
God’s knowledge is unattainable
Yet, we can know God truly
Yet, we can know God truly
(Week 3) The incommunicable attributes of God
(Week 3) The incommunicable attributes of God
Independence - “God does not need us or the rest of creation for anything.”
Unchangeableness - “God is unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises.”
Eternal - “God has no beginning, end, or succession of moments in his own being, and he sees all time equally vividly.”
Omnipresent - “God does not have size or spacial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being.”
Current Week - The Communicable Attributes of God
Current Week - The Communicable Attributes of God
What attributes are more shared with us?
A. Attributes describing God’s being
A. Attributes describing God’s being
Spirituality
Spirituality
What is God made of?
John 4:24 (ESV)
God is spirit.
“We should not think of God as having size or dimensions, even infinite ones. We should not think of God’s existence as spirit as meaning that God is infinitely large, for example, for it is not part of God but all of God that is in every point of space.”
Psalm 139:7–10 (ESV)
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
“We should not think of God’s existence as spirit means that God is infinitely small, for no place in the universe can surround him or contain him.”
1 Kings 8:27 (ESV)
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!
“Thus, God’s being cannot be rightly thought of in terms of space, however we may understand his existence as ‘spirit.’
God forbids his people to think of his very being as similar to anything else in the physical creation.
Exodus 20:4–6 (ESV)
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Definition
God’s spirituality means that God exists as a being that is not made of any matter, has no parts or dimensions, is unable to be perceived by our bodily senses, and is more excellent than any other kind of existence.
God does not have a physical body, nor is he made of any kind of matter like much of the rest of creation. God is not merely energy or thought or some other element of creation. He is not like vapor or steam or air or space, all of which are created things: God’s being is not like any of these. God’s being is not even exactly like our own spirits, for these are created things that apparently are able to exist only in one place in one time.
God is spirit which means that his existence is unlike anything else in creation.
This is a communicable attribute because we worship God in spirit
John 4:24 (ESV)
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
We are united to the Lord’s spirit
1 Corinthians 6:17 (ESV)
But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
We join the Lord in spirit when we die (Luke 23:46
Luke 23:46 (ESV)
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
Questions:
Questions:
Why is God so strongly displeased at carved idols, even those that are intended to represent him? How then shall we picture God or think of God in our minds when we pray to him?
What is it about our culture or our way of thinking today that makes us think of the physical world as more real and more permanent than the spiritual world?
B. Mental Attributes
B. Mental Attributes
Knowledge (omniscience)
Knowledge (omniscience)
Definition
God fully knows himself and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.
Job 37:16 (ESV)
Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,
1 John 3:20 (ESV)
God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
God knows himself - think of how amazing that is (he is infinite yet knows infinitely everything about himself)
God knows all things actual - he knows every star, every planet, every solar system, but also knows every atom, every molecule that makes up every star, planet, and solar system. He knows every person, but he also knows every hair that is on their head. He knows every word, in every book, that has ever been written. He knows every event and how every event has shaped future events.
Questions:
Questions:
When should we try to hide our thoughts and deeds from God? How is your answer to this question a blessing for your life?
With regard to the circumstances of your life, will God ever make a mistake, or fail to plan ahead, or fail to take into account all the eventualities that occur? How is the answer to this question a blessing in your life?
When did God learn that you would be at the location you are now in, reading this sentence, at this time on this day? How is the realization of your answer to this question a blessing to your life?
Wisdom
Wisdom
Definition
God’s wisdom means that God always chooses the best goals and the best means to those goals.
Romans 16:27 (ESV)
to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Wisdom in creation
Psalm 104:24 (ESV)
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Wisdom in redemption
1 Corinthians 1:24 (ESV)
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Romans 11:33 (ESV)
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Ephesians 3:6 (ESV)
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Ephesians 3:9–10 (ESV)
and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
Wisdom in our individual lives - God is making us more like Christ, even through suffering
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 12:7–10 (ESV)
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
God promises to give us wisdom through adversity and suffering
James 1:5 (ESV)
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Wisdom is (somewhat) communicable and is found primarily from reading and obeying God’s Word
Psalm 19:7 (ESV)
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
We will never fully understand the wisdom of God - therefore, we must trust him
1 Peter 4:19 (ESV)
Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Truthfulness (and faithfulness)
Truthfulness (and faithfulness)
Definition
God’s truthfulness means that he is the true God, and that all his knowledge and words are both true and the final standard of truth.
God is the one true God
Jeremiah 10:10–11 (ESV)
But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. Thus shall you say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”
John 17:3 (ESV)
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
What does it mean to be the one true God?
It means that God in his own being or character is the one who fully conforms to the idea of what God should be: namely, a being who is infinitely perfect in power, in wisdom, in goodness, in lordship over time and space.
God’s Words are both true and the final standard of truth.
God’s Words do not conform to a standard of truth outside of himself, but his very words are the essence of truthfulness
God always does what he promises to do
God can always be relied upon and will never prove unfaithful
The truthfulness of God is communicable in that we can in part imitate it by striving to have true knowledge about God and about his world.
We must let God’s Words guide us in our thinking and understanding.
We must seek to imitate our Creator by speaking truthfully
Colossians 3:9–10 (ESV)
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Ephesians 4:25 (ESV)
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
We must imitate God’s love for truth and hatred for falsehood
Psalm 15:2 (ESV)
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;
Proverbs 13:5 (ESV)
The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
Zechariah 8:17 (ESV)
do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”
Proverbs 12:22 (ESV)
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
Questions:
Questions:
Why are people in our society, sometimes even Christians, quite careless with regard to truthfulness in speech?
Why do we not very often realize that the greatest harm of all that comes from lying is the fact that God himself is dishonored?
C. Moral Attributes
C. Moral Attributes
Goodness
Goodness
Definition
The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.
God’s being and actions are perfectly worthy of his own approval. He is therefore the final standard of good.
Luke 18:19 (ESV)
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
Psalm 100:5 (ESV)
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 34:8 (ESV)
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
God is the source of all good in the world
James 1:17 (ESV)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
God does only good things for his children
Psalm 84:11 (ESV)
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Romans 8:28–32 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Matthew 7:11 (ESV)
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
God’s goodness is communicable in that we should strive to do good
Galatians 6:10 (ESV)
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
2 Timothy 3:17 (ESV)
that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
God is the supreme good that our hearts should seek and long for
Psalm 73:25–26 (ESV)
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
God’s goodness is closely related to several other characteristics of his nature, among them mercy, patience, and grace.
God’s mercy is his goodness toward those in distress, his grace is his goodness toward those who deserve only punishment, and his patience is his goodness toward those who continue to sin over a period of time
Questions:
Questions:
Remembering that every good and perfect gift is from God, see how many good gifts from God you can list on a piece of paper in five minutes. When you have finished, ask yourself how often you have an attitude of thankfulness to God for most of these gifts.
Why do you think we tend to forget that these blessings come from God?
Love
Love
Definition
God’s love means that God eternally gives of himself to others
What does it mean to love?
Love is self-giving for the benefit of others.
Therefore, it is evident that God’s nature is self-giving in a way that benefits others
1 John 4:8 (ESV)
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
How was love seen and made evident before creation?
God is triune and therefore there was love amongst the members of the trinity
John 17:24 (ESV)
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
John 14:31 (ESV)
but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
God has loved/does love us
1 John 4:10 (ESV)
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Romans 5:8 (ESV)
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3:16 (ESV)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
It should bring us great joy to know that it is the purpose of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to give of themselves to us to bring us true joy and happiness.
We imitate this communicable attribute of God.
Loving God
Loving others
Matthew 22:37–38 (ESV)
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
1 John 4:11 (ESV)
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
John 13:35 (ESV)
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Questions:
Questions:
What is the difference between how the world defines love and how Scripture defines love?
Is it possible to decide to love someone and then to act on that decision, or does love between human beings simply depend on spontaneous emotional feelings?
Holiness
Holiness
Definition
God’s holiness means that he is separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor
Example of the tabernacle
The holy of holies
God is the Most Holy One
Psalm 71:22 (ESV)
I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 6:3 (ESV)
And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Psalm 99:9 (ESV)
Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!
God’s holiness is communicable in that we are called to be holy
1 Peter 1:16 (ESV)
since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Hebrews 12:14 (ESV)
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
2 Corinthians 7:1 (ESV)
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
Ephesians 2:21 (ESV)
in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
Ephesians 5:26–27 (ESV)
that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.