The nature of God in Christianity

Monotheism

belief in only one god

Ethical Monotheism

a form of exclusive monotheism in which God is the source for one standard of morality, who guides humanity through ethical principles.

Exodus 20:3

You shall have no other gods but me

Deuteronomy 6:4

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Isaiah 44:6

Apart from me there is no god

Mark 12:29-31

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Omnipotence

all-powerful

Ex Deo

out of God, God created the world from within himself, god and his creation are the same thing.

transcendent

God is beyond space and time

ex nihilo

out of nothing, many believe god created the universe ex nihilo

omniscience

all-knowing

Determinism

The idea that what will happen is already determined by god

What does Aquinas suggest about determinism?

Just because god knows the sees and knows all things, does not mean that knowledge is causative.

What does Swinburne argue?

He argues that in order for god to be personal and loving, he cannot be unchanging and perfect, therefore god cannot know future human choices and therefore cannot control them.

Aseity

Another name for the attribute of God's independence or self-existence

God is unknowable

When Moses asks god who he is, he responds 'I am that I am'

Why don't people say the word 'god'?

The word is thought too holy to write down

What is the Trinity?

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit

What does ruach mean?

Hebrew word for spirit/breath, god the Holy Spirit is described this way. Feminine word.

What is Docetism?

A first-century heresy that taught that Jesus only seemed to be human

What is Arianism?

Jesus was the greatest creature of God, but only a creature, Jesus is greater than normal humans, but not God

What is the Nicene Creed?

This states that Jesus was 'begotten not made, consubstantial with the father' e.g. Jesus and god are that of the same substance, thus have equal power and importance.

How does the trinity help Christians overcome the contradiction of a god that is both imminent and transcendent?

God the father is transcendent whilst Jesus was imminent and the Holy Spirit remains imminent to this day.

John 10:30

I and the Father are one.

1 Corinthians 8:6

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

How did some scholars interpret 1 Corinthians 8:6?

Some interpret this to mean that Jesus is less than God the father, because 'one god' is separated from 'one lord'

What does 'god as personal' mean?

Christian's believe that god is a personal presence.

How has god acted upon the world in history?

Noahs flood, Jesus, ect and continues to do so now through answering prayers and causing miracles

What demonstrates god as personal?

describing him through anthropomorphic qualities. Human beings were made in the image of god

Why is god considered a father?

When god made the universe, he was considered the father of everything. He also has actions and characteristics that put him in a fatherly role such as rescuing the israelities when they needed his help. He also sets the standards of behaviour in his 10 commandments and enforces them with a fatherly discipline and punishment.