Theo 1 Final

Doctrine of Incomprehensibility

We can never fully understand God

Creator/ creature distinction

\-God is not incomprehensible because he is bigger, but because he is different

\-you will never fully know who God is and you will never fully be able to describe/explain him

Definition of theology

\-The study of God and all things in relation to God

Theological Humility

\-God did not have to make himself knowable

\-God wants to be known and has gone through significant measures to make himself known

Accommodation

\-God wants to be known and accommodates his divinity and greatness to our humanity to help us try to behold him

\-theology is not hopeless because God has accommodated himself

\-we do theology as receivers because we are being accommodated for

biblical theology

What the bible says about a particular theme, word, or topic

Historical Theology

What the church has throughout the century believed about a certain topic

Philosophical Theology

does this doctrine make sense, philosophically, are there any inconsistencies?

Systematic theology

what can we say conclusively about God

Theological method

Prayer, Exegesis, Biblical Theology, Historical and Philosophical Theology, Systematic Theology, Start over

Univocal Language

Describing something as it actually is in reality (cannot speak about God this way)

Analogical Language

Describing a shadow of reality (we can speak about God this way)

Archetype

The true form of something

ectype

A shadow/illustration of the true form

Anthropomorphism

Ascribing creaturely characteristics to God

Anthropopathism

Ascribing creaturely emotions to God

anthropochronism

Ascribing creaturely time to God

Location Of theology

the location of theology is IN, WITH, and FOR the church

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In- you should not do theology alone

With- With the global church and with the Historic church, if the gospel is only good news in America it probably isn’t the gospel, we are a tiny sliver of the church

For-Our theology ought to lead to human flourishing, we have to keep in mind real people with real lives, you need to be in with and live for the church

Soteriology

the study of salvation

Ecclesiology

the study of the church

eschatology

the study of the (last things) end times

Protology

the study of the (first things) beginning times

Anthropology

the study of mankind

Paterology

the study of the father

Christology

the study of Christ

Pneumatology

the study of the Spirit

Harmatiology

the study of sin

Angelology

the study of angels

diabology

the study of deamons

missiology

the study of missions

Theological Triage

Primary, secondary, and tertiary doctrines

Primary doctrines

orthodoxy(is at steak), if we disagree one of us is not a christian, most important things(life or death) Heresy

Secondary doctrines

Fellowship (is at steak), can affirm faith but disagree on medium things (ex. baby baptism) probably won’t fellowship, different churches

Tertiary doctrines

Preference(is at steak), can disagree and stay at the same church

Doxology

Praise of God- thinking about God should lead to praising him

Apophatic

When we predicate things to God by way of negation

example- God is not bound by time

Cataphatic

When we predicate things to God in a positive way( saying what he is)

example- God is Love

Communicable

attributes that are also communicated to the creature

Example- God is love, we have love, it is something we can grasp

incommunicable

Attributes we do not share in

Devine simplicity

does NOT mean that God is simple and easy to understand

\-gets at the whatness of God

\-teaches us that God is not composed in parts (God IS love not God has love)

\-Who is God and what is God are the same question; God is his attributes he dosen’t just have things he is those things

\-God is his attributes but they are distinguishable to the creature

\-no such thing as ‘parts’ of the trinity; persons not parts

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essence

the whatness of God

Devine Aseity (a se)

\-God has life in himself, God is life in himself

\-is both apathetic and cataphatic but is first cataphatic

Divine immutability

The Idea that God doesn’t change

Process-God is a being not in becoming

potentiality- God has no potential

parts- God has no parts , nothing will change, add or subtract

passions-God doesn’t undergo altercations for his passions

Perfections- will not change in his perfections

Plans-His plans will not alter

merebiblicism

Idea that the way we do theology is take all the verses and sum them up

\-problem with this is something like immutability and unimmutability

devine impassibility

In its most basic form God doesn't undergo changes to his passions

\-doesn’t mean God doesn’t have emotions

\-God is never the patient he is always the agent

Passive potency

God has no potential, he is always there, nothing needs to be awakened

pure actuality(actus purus)

God is Pure act, God is fully inapt there is nothing that needs to be awoken in him, no way in which God could be more active

devine atemporality (Not temporary) or eternity (eternal)

God is not confined or controlled by time he is the agent of time

Devine infinitude

an apathetic attribute that indicates that indicates Gods perfections are without limit

excludes concepts of quantity, detention, and locality

no quantifiableness of Gods infinity

his perfections are not confined to a location

Omniscience

all knowing-Gods knowledge is a priori-our knowledge is a posteriori-Gods knowledge doesn’t need things to have happen fro him to know

Omnipotence

All powerful

\-2 things you shouldn’t do, challenge Gods power with logical impossibility, and forget Devine simplicity

omnipresence

everywhere present, the holy presence of God is holy presence everywhere

omnisapience

all wise -everything God knows is wise

via triplex

\-really old, but good way to talk about Gods attributes

\-attributes that maintain Gods perfections

Via triplex-way of negation

by apathetic theology, God won’t change, he won’t go away

Via triplex-way of causation

that which is good in the creature is caused by God - he is supremely good and causes good

Via triplex- way of imminence

anything good in the creature God has supremely- if we have holiness he is supremely holy

Theistic Mutualism

not healthy way to think about God- between the creature and the creator there is a mutualistic relationship- creature changes creator in the same way creator changes creature

theistic personalism

not a health way to think about God- God’s being is personally like you- God is like us personally but to an infinite degree

Trinitarian Revelation

trinity might not be named anywhere but is everywhere inferred

Ecumenical council

global council

Council of Nicaea

the first ecumenical council

Arius

Brilliant theologian, very convincing, made a teaching song, worked on convincing the masses rather than other theologians taught Arianism

Arianism

“there was a time when he was not” believed that Jesus was inferior to the father- believed that God was eternal, but that Jesus was not, believed Jesus was created

Alexander of Alexandria

disagreed with arius. argued that whatever the fathers essence is, so is the sons, Jesus always was (Homoousion)

Athanasius of Alexandria

recorded what was said at nice; secretary of Alexander wrote a book called on the incarnation; killed Arianism

Constantine

called together the first Ecumenical council

Homoousion

same substance; same as the father

Homiousion

similar substance; similar to the father but not the same

the Nicene creed

declares what they believe (homoousion)

Eternal modes of subsistence

The ONLY thing that distinguishes the persons of the trinity

the one divine essence that subsists in the Father is Unbegotten

the one divine essence that subsists in the Son is eternal generation or begotten

the one divine essence that subsists in the spirit is eternal spiration or procession

Eternal Functional subordination(EFS) or eternal relation of authority and submission(ERAS)

seems to show the son is functionally subordinate to the father -does what the father wants him to do

argue against economic and immanent

deny ontological subordination but affirm functional subordination

not in value of person but subordinate in the role they play

economic trinity

Life of the trinity outward facing

Immanent trinity

internal life of the trinity, inward facing

Appropriation

there are certain acts that are only appropriated by one person in the trinity

immanent trinity

the triune God in and of himself, the internal life of the triune God

Economic trinity

Triune God in relation to created order

The triune Gods actin history: creation, providence, redemption

Rahners rule

believes the immanent are the economic and the economic are the immanent- they are the same thing

worried about there becoming 2 Trinitys

Three paradigms of the trinity

1 modern social Trinitarianism (No)

2 EFS/ERAS(No)

3 Biblical orthodox Trinitarianism(Yes)

modern social Trinitarianism

Economic constitutes immanent (heresy)

ERAS/EFS

economic projected into immanent

Takes what is true of economy and projects it back onto the immanent

biblical orthodox Trinitarianism (correct one)

missions reveal/ reflects the eternal relations of origins alone (unbegotten, begotten, Spiration)

imminent is revealed by the economic

Missions

simply the economy

Arianism

teaching that the son and the spirit are creatures created by God

Adoptionism

Jesus is not coeternal with God but he was so good at following God he was adopted into eternity

Common predication

Patterns of speech about God that are common to all 3 persons of the trinity

Proper Predication

Patterns of speech that are only proper to one person of the trinity

\n Sabellianism or Modalism

one essence one person instead of 3 persons God is one person that has 3 modes of showing up to us

docetism

Jesus did not really take on humanity, his fleshy appearance was just an appearance

social Trinitarianism

any idea of society within the trinity - don’t want this

conflation

confusing economic with immanent, collapsing them into each other

Revelation

\-God did not have self disclose himself to us

\-sheer Grace

\-Revels himself for creatures good and his glory

\-God revels himself through: nature, scripture, Christ

Divine revelation

Gods gracious act of making himself known to the creature

General revelation

\-the kind of revelation that is available to all people at all times and has a general message

\-declares the meaning of God

\-enough to condem but not to save

Natural revelation

the kind of revelation that is linked with nature what can be theologized about God through general, natural means

Special revelation

\-God’s revelation of himself given to certain people at a certain time with a certain message

\-God speaks in scripture is a theophany

\-Visions, dreams, prophecies

theophany

God speaking

circular reasoning

an argument can prove its self valid; the Bible is authoritative because it says it is authoritative

Inspiration(5 attributes of scripture)

God breathed out scripture through a human author

The institution theory (6 Views of inspiration)

\-wants to remove the supernatural

\-enlightened spiritual teaches with strong intuition

\-the Bible is of a non divine origin