Theology Proper Lecture Review
THEOLOGY PROPER
Course Overview
Course Title: Theology Proper
Course Description: An exploration into the doctrine of God within Christian Theology, addressing questions pertaining to God's origin, nature, attributes, and existence through historical, biblical, philosophical, and theological perspectives.
Key Concepts:
Divinity, Spirituality, Eternity
Immensity, Omnipresence
Omnipotence, Omniscience
Characteristics: Wrath, Jealousy, Love, Holiness, Faithfulness, Righteousness, Justice, Goodness, Grace
God as Trinity and Works of God
Importance of Theology Proper to Christian faith and practice
Detailed Topics Covered
The Doctrine of God
Second Level of Knowledge About God
Forms of God's Revelation
Names and Titles of God
Nature of God: Spirituality, Personality, Self-existence, Immutability
Attributes of God: Infiniteness, Eternity, Omnipresence, Omnipotence, Omniscience, Truthfulness, Love, Holiness, Faithfulness, Righteousness, Justice, Mercy, Goodness, Grace, Jealousy, Wrath
God as Trinity
The Works of God
Fellowship with God
Course Objectives
Understand the fundamental foundation of the Doctrine of God
Engage in discourse about God’s nature and attributes
Comprehend the spirituality and immutability of God
Understand and articulate the unity of God
Apply theological insights to Christian practice
Method of Instruction
Lectures through an asynchronous platform
Class discussion and assignments
Recommended reading: Lecturer's notes, Examining the Great Doctrine of the Faith by Floyd H. Barackman
Assessment Methods
Class attendance and participation
Multiple choice final examination
Table of Contents
Module I: The Doctrine of God
Module II: Second Level of Knowledge About God
Module III: Forms of God's Revelation
Module IV: Names and Titles of God
Module V: Nature of God
Module VI: Spirituality, Personality, Self-existence, Immutability of God
Module VII: Infiniteness, Eternity, Immensity, Omnipresence of God
Module VIII: Omniscience, Omnisapience, Omnipotence of God
Module IX: Truth (Truthfulness), Love of God
Module X: Holiness, Faithfulness of God
Module XI: Righteousness and Justice, Mercy, Goodness, and Grace of God
Module XII: Jealousy, Wrath of God
Module XIII: God as Trinity
Module XIV: The Works of God
Module XV: Fellowship with God
Module I: Theology, The Doctrine of God
Meaning and Definition
Derived from Greek: Theos (God) and Logos (Doctrine, Study, Discourse)
Theology Defined: The study of the doctrine of God. A narrow aspect of broader Christian doctrine (Systema Theologia).
Levels of Knowledge About God
Two levels:
Knowledge of Existence (Awareness of God's existence)
Knowledge About God (Understanding His nature, character, actions)
Knowledge of God's Existence
Universal phenomenon; Genesis begins with "In the beginning, God…"
How do we know God exists?
Inner Consciousness: All humans have an innate awareness of God as their Creator (Romans 1:21, 19).
Denial of God’s existence termed folly (Psalm 14:1, 53:1).
Scriptural Evidence: Holy Scripture affirms God's existence, as seen in Genesis and Romans 1:20.
Traditional Proofs for Existence of God
Cosmological Argument: Everything with an effect must have a cause, positing God as that cause.
Teleological Argument: The universe's design indicates an intelligent designer (telos = purpose).
Ontological Argument: The concept of a perfect being implies existence as an essential characteristic of perfection.
Moral Argument: Society's innate understanding of right and wrong indicates a divine moral lawgiver.
Tutorial Questions
Does anyone have an excuse for denying God's existence? Discuss.
How should one approach someone who denies God's existence?
Module II: The Second Level of Knowledge About God
Focus on God's nature, character, ways, and acts.
Sources of Theology
Nature:
God's traits are observed in creation (Romans 1:20).
Scripture:
Record of God’s revelation, higher reliability than personal experiences (II Peter 1:16-21).
Tutorial Questions
Describe the sources of Theology.
Explain II Peter 1:16-21 regarding scripture as a theology source.
Module III: Forms of God's Revelation
Distinction between General and Special Revelation.
General Divine Revelation
Continuous communication of God's existence through creation.
Special Divine Revelation
Personal revelations through prophets, scriptures, and Jesus Christ.
Tutorial Questions
Discuss the general revelation of God and its relevance today.
Summarize God’s special revelation in the New Testament.
Module IV: Names and Titles of God
Importance of Names: Reflect divine attributes and nature.
Key Names
Elohim: Plural name for God, indicating majesty (Genesis 1:1).
Yahweh (Jehovah): Personal name signifying I AM (Exodus 3:14).
Adonai: Title denoting lordship (translated as Lord, 450 occurrences).
Compound Names
El Shaddai: The Almighty God, sufficiency (Genesis 17:1).
El Olam: Everlasting God.
Jehovah Jireh: The Lord who Provides (Genesis 22:14).
Tutorial Questions
Explain the phrase: “Names of God are not only denotation but also connotation.”
What are the main differences between O.T. and N.T. God's names?
Module V: Nature of God
Divine Nature: Uncreated essence specific to God alone.
Attributes Classification
Moral vs. Natural: Characteristics of God's nature.
Absolute vs. Relative: Attributes inherent in God vs. those expressed through interaction.
Communicable vs. Incommunicable: Attributes that can be imitated in humans vs. those unique to God.
Notable Attributes
Spirituality, Immutability, Omniscience, Omnipotence, Holiness, Love, Grace, etc.
Tutorial Questions
Differentiate between God’s nature and His attributes.
Classify the attributes: Love, Grace, Power, Self-Existence, Eternity under Absolute and Relative categories.
Module VI: Spirituality of God
Definition: God as Spirit; transcending physical forms (Luke 24:39).
Personality of God
Self-consciousness, self-determination, evidenced in scriptures (John 17:13).
Tutorial Questions
Discuss spirituality in context of other spirit beings.
Name 3 attributes linked to the spirituality of God.
Module VII: Infiniteness of God
Qualitative Infiniteness
God possesses no limits in nature and attributes (Psalm 18:30, Isaiah 40:25).
Quantitative Infiniteness
Fullness in attributes, no need for replenishment (Psalm 145:3, Isaiah 40:25-31).
Tutorial Questions
How does infiniteness relate to God's attributes?
Discuss lessons from infiniteness, immensity, and eternity.
Module VIII: Omniscience, Omnisapience, Omnipotence of God
Omniscience
God's knowledge encompasses all event outcomes (1 John 3:20).
Omnisapience
Application of wisdom in achieving the best results (Romans 16:27).
Omnipotence
God as all-powerful, capable of achieving His will (Jeremiah 32:27).
Tutorial Questions
Discuss hiding thoughts from God.
What role should God's omnipotence play in our lives?
Module IX: Truth, Love, and Holiness of God
Truthfulness
God as the standard of truth and knowledge (Jeremiah 10:11).
Love
Sacrificial love as shown through Christ (John 3:16, 1 John 4:9).
Holiness
God’s separation from sin; His call for believers to be holy (Leviticus 19:2).
Tutorial Questions
Discuss God's sacrificial love messages.
How does God's love differ from human love?
Module X: Faithfulness, Righteousness, Justice, and Mercy of God
Justice and Righteousness
Righteousness: God acts in accordance with His moral character (Deuteronomy 32:4).
Justice: Fair dealings and judicial rightness (Isaiah 45:21).
Mercy
Compassion towards sinners (Ephesians 2:4).
Tutorial Questions
Discuss the relationship between God's righteousness and justice.
What is the essence of God's mercy?
Module XI: Jealousy and Wrath of God
Jealousy
God’s protective honor; positive characteristic (Exodus 20:5).
Wrath
God's hatred for sin (Romans 1:18).
Tutorial Questions
Reflect on your own jealousy for God’s honor.
Describe God’s wrath and its implications for humanity.
Module XII: God as Trinity
Definition
Three eternal persons within one Divine essence: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Old and New Testament Affirmations
Genesis introduces plural forms affirming triunity.
Baptismal formula: One name, three persons (Matthew 28:19).
Tutorial Questions
Explain the implication of denying the Trinity in Christian faith.
Module XIII: The Works of God
Creation of the Universe
Creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing) as God’s sovereign act (Genesis 1:1).
Redemption
God’s provision for salvation through Jesus (John 3:16, Romans 5:6).
Tutorial Questions
Discuss God's creative work across scripture.
How should Christians respond to the debt paid by Jesus?
Module XIV: Fellowship with God
Personal relationship through grace and faith (John 17:3).
Principles for Deepening Fellowship
Listening to God through scripture (Psalm 1:1-3).
Talking to God through prayer (Philippians 4:6).
Pleasing God by holy living (2 Corinthians 5:9).
Tutorial Questions
Who can have fellowship with God?
Importance of fellowship in Christian life.
Bibliography
Barackman, F.H. Practical Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1998.
Warfield, B.B. The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible. Philadelphia: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1948.
Stevenson, H.F. The Titles of the Triune God. London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott Ltd, 1955.
Packer, J.I. Fundamentalism and the Word of God. London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship, 1958.
Shedd, W.G.T. Dogmatic Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969.