Bible - unit 3

Theology “proper”

A branch of systematic theology that examines the bible’s teachings on God.

How do we know that God exists?

1.) Humanity’s inner sense of God

2.) Believing the evidence in scripture and nature

Explain how we have an inner sense of God

All people everywhere possess a deep, inward

awareness that God exists, that they belong to Him

as creatures, and that He is their Creator

What are the four arguments

Cosmological, ontological, teleological, moral

What does the cosmological argument?

Everything that begins to exist has a cause.

The universe began to exist, so it must also have a

cause outside of itself.

That first cause is what we call God.

What is the ontological argument?

God is defined as the greatest possible being. A being

that actually exists is greater than one that exists only in

imagination.

Therefore, the greatest possible being must exist in

reality

What is the teleological argument?

The universe shows incredible order, complexity, and

fine-tuning, from the laws of physics to the complexity of

life.

Design usually points to a designer, so this order

suggests an intelligent Creator.

What is the moral argument

People everywhere recognize real moral laws: some

things are truly right and others truly wrong.

Objective moral laws point to a moral lawgiver who

stands above humanity.

That lawgiver is God

What is theism?

Belief in one personal God who

created all things and remains

actively involved in His creation.

He sustains it, governs it, and

reveals Himself to it.

What is deism

Belief in a God who created the universe

and set its natural laws in motion, then

left it to run on its own. He is known

through reason and nature alone, and He

does not intervene, reveal Himself, or

relate personally to His creation

Why can we never FULLY understand God?

Because God is infinite and we are

limited, we will never FULLY

understand Him.

How can we fully know God but not understand Him.

Because God is infinite, we will never

reach the end of learning about Him.

Each new truth we learn is real, and

each one draws us deeper into awe.

What are the two attributes of God

incommunicable and communicable

What is incommunicable attributes

INCOMMUNICABLE ATTRIBUTES ARE

QUALITIES THAT BELONG TO GOD IN

A WAY THAT WE DO NOT SHARE.

What is communicable attributes

COMMUNICABLE ATTRIBUTES ARE

QUALITIES THAT GOD SHARES WITH

US IN SOME WAY.

What are the communicable attributes of God

Independence, eternity, Immutability, omnipresence, unity

What does it mean that God is independent

God does not need us or the rest of creation for anything, yet we and the rest of creation can glorify Him and bring Him joy. Also known as His self-existence or aseity

What does immutability?

God is unchanging in His being, perfections, purposes, and promises, yet God does act feel emotions, and He acts and feels differently in response to different situations.

Can God change?

No, God is perfect, so if He is perfect that means he wasn’t perfect.

What does it mean that God is eternal?

God has no beginning, end, or succession of moments in His own being, and He sees all time equally vividly, yet God sees events in time and acts in time.

What does is mean that God is omnipresent?

God does not have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with His whole being.

Explain unity one of the commicable attributes of God

God is not divided into parts, yet we see different attributes of God emphasized at different times.

What are the communicable attributes of God?

PERFECTION, BLESSEDNESS, BEAUTY, GLORY

What does it mean that God is perfect?

God’s perfection means that God completely

possesses all excellent qualities and lacks no part

of any qualities that would be desirable for Him

What is God’s blessedness?

God’s blessedness means that God delights fully in

Himself and in all that reflects His character

What is God’s beauty?

God’s beauty is that attribute of God whereby He is

the sum of all desirable qualities

What is God’s glory?

God’s glory is the created brightness that surrounds

God’s revelation of Himself.

WHAT IS GOD LIKE IN HIMSELF?

THE BIBLE REVEALS THAT IN HIS VERY BEING, GOD IS

TRIUNE.

Explain the doctrine of the trinity

God eternally exists as three persons, Father,

Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully

God, and there is one God.

Is the word “Trinity” ever mentioned in the bible?

No

What does the word trinity mean?

"tri-unity" or "three-in-oneness."

What are the three statements that summerize the trinity?

1. God is three persons.

2. Each person is fully God.

3. There is one God.

Whats modalism?

teaches that God is not three distinct persons but one person

who appears in three different

forms or "modes."

Whats arianism?

teaches that the Son was atone point created by God the Father, and that before

that time the Son did not exist, nor did the Holy Spirit,

but the Father only

What is SUBORDINATIONISM

Subordinationism teaches that the Son and often the Holy Spirit are inferior to

the Father in nature or status.

What is ADOPTIONISM?

Adoptionism teaches that Jesus was originally just a man who was later

“adopted” by God as his Son.

What is PARTIALISM

eaches that the threemembers of the Trinity are each "100% God"

but not "100% of God."

WHAT ARE THE DISTINCTIONS

BETWEEN THE FATHER, THE SON, AND

THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Since each person of the Trinity is fully God,

the difference between them is not in power,

wisdom, or deity. The difference is in their

roles and relationships.