Christian Faith - The Doctrine of God: Theology Proper

What is the doctrine of the incomprehensibility of God?

We can never fully understand God, yet we can know God truly.

What is a communicable attribute of God?

attributes of God that are shared with humanity

What is an incommunicable attribute of God?

attributes of God that are not shared with us

creatio ex nihilo

creating out of nothing

Three attributes of God that creation highilights

Love, wisdom, and power

Biblical teaching of the Trinity

God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but those three are not each other

OT support of the Trinity

Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:5-7

Isaiah 6:8

NT support of the Trinity

Matthew 28:19

2 Corinthians 13:14

Council of Nicaea

a council of Christian bishops that formalized the term “Trinity” and articulated the proper understanding of the Son’s relationship to the Father and Spirit

Modalism

God appears as one person of the Trinity only one at a time

Arianism

Jesus is a demi-god, God the Father is the only true God, the Son and the Spirit are not fully God

Economic Trinity

how the Trinity functions

Ontological Trinity

what the Trinity is - its essence

Practical uses / benefits of the Doctrine of the Trinity

1. The Trinity encapsulates the Gospel story
2. Reveals to us the relational dimension of God
3. Reveals how we should live our lives relationally
4. The triune God is a picture of humility
5. Shows us how to pray
6. Forces us to hold intention with the concept of God - that He is three and also one

What are the incommunicable attributes of God?

1. Independence / Aseity
2. Unchangeability / immutability
3. Eternality
4. Omnipresence
5. Unity / simplicity

What are the 3 categories of the communicable attributes of God?

mental attributes, moral attributes, attributes of purpose

What are the communicable mental attributes of God?

Knowledge / omniscience, wisdom, truthfulness / faithfulness

What are the communicable moral attributes of God?

Goodness, love, mercy, holiness, peace, righteousness, jealousy, wrath

What are the communicable attributes of purpose of God?

Will, freedom, power / sovereignty / omnipotence

Day 1 of Creation

Creation of light and darkness

Day 2 of Creation

Sky and waters separated

Day 3 of Creation

Dry land and waters separated, plants and trees created

Day 4 of Creation

Sun, moon, stars, lights all created and separated by day and night

Day 5 of Creation

Creation of fish and birds

Day 6 of Creation

Creation of animals and humanity

Day 7 of Creation

God rested from work to admire creation and to model physical and spiritual rest for humanity

Imago dei

Image of God

Two senses of the image of God in man

1. in the sense of similarity in attributes / quality
2. in the sense of similarity in function / task