Systematic Theologyby Wayne Grudem

Chapter 12

Communicable Attributes of God

Part 3Truth Bible ChurchSunday School7 August 2011

Communicable Attributes

• How is God like us in His being, and in mental and moral attributes?– I would phrase this differently: How are we like God

or What are some of the attributes of God that He determine to communicate to us?

• The division between the categories of “incommunicable” and “communicable” is not necessarily rigid or absolute– This is a man made distinction that helps us study God

and His attributes– Systematic Theology is a tool to help us

Communicable Attributes

• In studying the attributes of God it is gaining an understanding of His wholly integrated nature that is most important; not the division of these attributes into categories– This study intends to find the most effective way

to present the biblical material in order to study and know God

– Five major categories are presented along with the individual attributes that make up each category

Five Major Categories

• Attributes Describing God’s Being

• Mental Attributes

• Moral Attributes

• Attributes of Purpose

• “Summary” Attributes

Attributes Describing God’s Being

• Spirituality

• Invisibility

Mental Attributes

• Knowledge (or omniscience)

• Wisdom

• Truthfulness (and faithfulness)

Moral Attributes

• Goodness• Love• Mercy• Holiness• Peace• Righteousness• Jealousy• Wrath

Goodness

• Def: “The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.”

• The word “good” here implies “worthy of approval

• By implication of God’s very nature “good” is what God approves

Goodness

• Scriptural references:– Luke 18:19 “And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you

call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

– Psalm 100:5 “For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.”

– Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

Goodness

• Not only is God good but everything He does is also good– Gen 1:31a “God saw all that He had made, and

behold, it was very good.”– Psalm 119:68 “You are good and do good; teach me

Your statutes.”

• In fact God is the source of all good– James 1:17 “Every good thing given and every

perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

Love

• Def: “God’s love means that God eternally gives of himself to others.”

Love

• This one attribute, perhaps more than any other, is over emphasized to the neglect of the other attributes– Churches routinely tout God’s love but ignore His

holiness, justice, jealousy, and wrath

• 1 John 4:8 “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

Love

• Hebrew:– aheb (bheea), ahabah (hbh]a;) - love

– racham ( ~xr) - compassion

– dod ( dwOD) - beloved

– chashaq (qv;x) - be attached to, affection

– egeb ( bg<[,) - much love

• Greek:– agape (aga,ph) - affection, benevolence, love– phileo (file,w) - fondness, friend, love

Love

• Other Scripture:– John 3:35 “The Father loves the Son and has given

all things into His hand.”– John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are

My disciples, if you have love for one another.”– John 14:31a “but so that the world may know that I

love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.”

– 1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Love

• Also:– Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love

toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

• “It should cause us great joy to know that it is the purpose of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to give of themselves to us to bring us true joy and happiness.” p 199

Love

• If we love our enemies (unbelievers) even enough to witness to them this especially reflects God’s love– Matt 5:43-48:

• 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Mercy, Grace, Patience

• These may be seen as three separate attributes, or as specific aspects of God’s goodness

• I prefer the Webster’s dictionary definitions of these words to the ones Grudem provided:–Mercy: compassion or forbearance shown

especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power (or withholding due punishment)

– Grace: disposition to or an act or instance of kindness or clemency (or unmerited favor)

– Patience: a forbearance of sin over a period of time

Mercy, Grace, Patience

• Scripture:– Exodus 34:6 “Then the LORD passed by in front of him

and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;’”

– Psalm 103:8 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.”

– Romans 9:15 “For He says to Moses, ‘I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.’” quoting Ex 33:19

Mercy, Grace, Patience

• Also:– 1 Peter 5:10 “After you have suffered for a little

while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

– Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

Mercy, Grace, Patience

• Mercy:– “Because these characteristics of God are often mentioned

together, it may seem difficult to distinguish among them. Yet the characteristic of mercy is often emphasized where people are in misery or distress.” p 200

• Grace:– “Grace, then, is God’s favor freely given to those who do

not deserve this favor.” p 200

• Patience:– “slow to anger” p 200

Mercy, Grace, Patience

• We are to imitate these attributes:– Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall

receive mercy.”

– James 1:19 “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;”

– 1 Peter 2:20 “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.”

Holiness

• Def: “God’s holiness means that he is separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor.”

• Notice both the relational and moral aspects

• The inside of the Tabernacle of God was divided into two parts: the “holy place” and the “most holy place” (Ex 26:33)

Holiness

• The dwelling place of God is itself holy– Psalm 24:3

• We also see wherever God manifests Himself is “holy ground”– Exodus 3:5, Joshua 5:15, Acts 7:33

• The Hebrew word is qodesh (vd<qo) - apartness

• God is called the “Holy One of Israel”– Psalm 71:22, 78:41, 89:18, Isaiah 1:4, 5:19

Holiness• “God’s holiness provides the pattern for his

people to imitate.” p 202• Scripture:– Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to all the congregation of the

sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

– 1 Peter 1:16 “because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.

– 2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Peace (or Order)

• Def: “God’s peace means that in God’s being and in his actions he is separate from all confusion and disorder, yet he is continually active in innumerable well-ordered, fully controlled, simultaneous actions.”

Peace (or Order)

• God’s actions are characterized by “peace” and not by “disorder” – eirene (eirh,nh) - peace, welfare

– akatastasia (avkatastasia) - instability

– taxis (ta,xij) - orderly

Peace (or Order)

• God is the “God of peace” – Rom 15:33, 16:20, Phil 4:9, 1 Thess 5:23, Heb

13:20, 1 Cor 14:40

– 1 Thess 5:23 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

– 1 Cor 14:40 “But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.”

Righteousness, Justice

• Def: “God’s righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right.”

• The terms righteousness and justice are different words, but in Hebrew and Greek there is only one word group– tsedeq (qd,c,)– dikaios (dikaioj)

Righteousness, Justice• Scripture:

– Deut 32:4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.

– Genesis 18:25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”

– Psalms 19:8 “The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

– Isaiah 45:19 “’I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a waste place’; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, declaring things that are upright.”

Righteousness, Justice

• “With respect to the definition of righteousness given above, we may ask, what is “right”? In other words, what ought to happen and what ought to be? Here we must respond that whatever conforms to God’s moral character is right.” p 204

• Also see first paragraph on p 205

Jealousy

• Def: “God’s jealousy means that God continually seeks to protect his own honor.”

• We often think of this term in a negative light, and as it typically applies to sinful man we are right in doing so

• In some instances with man and with God, however, this word has a positive sense– 2 Cor 11:2, Isaiah 48:11

Jealousy

• Scripture:– Ex 20:5 “You shall not worship them or serve

them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,”

– Ex 34:14 “-for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God-”

– Deut 4:24 “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

Jealousy

• God is absolutely right and justified in His jealousy– 1 Cor 4:7 “For who regards you as superior? What do

you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

– Rev 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

– Isaiah 48:11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; for how can My name be profaned? and My glory I will not give to another.”

Jealousy

• “People sometimes have trouble thinking that jealousy is a desirable attribute in God. This is because jealousy for our own honor as human beings is almost always wrong. We are not to be proud, but humble. Yet we must realize that the reason pride is wrong is a theological reason: it is that we do not deserve the honor that belongs to God alone (cf. 1 Cor 4:7; Rev 4:11” p 205

Wrath

• Def: “God’s wrath means that he intensely hates all sin.”

• The Bible speaks on the wrath of God with an amazing frequency, yet it is often ignored!

• Why?

• God’s wrath is closely related to His holiness and justice

Wrath

• Scripture:– Psalm 5:5 “The boastful shall not stand before

Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity.”– Ex 32:9-10 “The LORD said to Moses, ‘I have

seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.’”

– Deut 9:7-8 “– Rom 1:18 “

Wrath

• More Scripture:– Deut 9:7-8 “Remember, do not forget how you provoked

the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. Even at Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the LORD was so angry with you that He would have destroyed you.”

– Rom 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”

– Col 3:6 “For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,”

Wrath

• As we recall too Gods patience and forbearance we should be motivated to evangelism– Heb 3:11 “AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY

SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’”– Rev 6:16 “and they *said to the mountains and to

the rocks, ìFall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;”

Wrath

• “Yet it is helpful for us to ask what God would be like if He were a God that did not hate sin.” p 206

• Realize that Jesus bore the wrath of God, on your behalf!

• He saved us from God’s wrath – Romans 3:25-26

For Next Week:

Chapter 13: The Character of God:

“Communicable” Attributes

(Part 2)

Attributes of Purpose

• Will

• Freedom

• Omnipotence

“Summary” Attributes

• Perfection

• Blessedness

• Beauty

• Glory

Review of theCommunicable Attributes of God

With a Scripture citation

for each attribute

Attributes Describing God’s Being

• Spirituality– John 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship

Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

• Invisibility– 1 Timothy 6:16 “who alone possesses immortality

and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

Mental Attributes• Knowledge (or omniscience)– 1 John 3:20 “in whatever our heart condemns us; for God

is greater than our heart and knows all things.”

• Wisdom– Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the

wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

• Truthfulness (and faithfulness)– Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield

to those who take refuge in Him.”

Moral Attributes• Goodness– Luke 18:19 “And Jesus said to him, ìWhy do you call Me

good? No one is good except God alone.”

• Love– Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward

us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

• Mercy– Exodus 34:6 “Then the LORD passed by in front of him

and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”

Moral Attributes• Holiness– 2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises,

beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

• Peace– 1 Corinthians 14:33 “for God is not a God of confusion

but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

• Righteousness– Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For

all His ways are just;A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”

Moral Attributes

• Jealousy– Exodus 20:5 “You shall not worship them or serve

them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,”

• Wrath– Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed

from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”

Attributes of Purpose• Will– James 4:15 “Instead, you ought to say, ìIf the Lord wills,

we will live and also do this or that.”

• Freedom– Psalm 115:3 “But our God is in the heavens; He does

whatever He pleases.”

• Omnipotence– Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made

the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,”

“Summary” Attributes

• Perfection–Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as

your heavenly Father is perfect.”

• Blessedness– 1 Timothy 6:15 “which He will bring about at the

proper time - He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,”

• Beauty

• Glory

“Summary” Attributes

• Beauty– Psalm 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the

LORD, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple.”

• Glory– Revelation 21:23 “And the city has no need of the

sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”