the doctrine of god attributes and works. 6/9/2015doctrine of god 22 key terminology attributes: to...

THE DOCTRINE OF GODAttributes and Works

04/18/23 Doctrine of God 2 2

KEY TERMINOLOGY

• Attributes: to ascribe to the Lord those things that are his, Psalm 29:1,2, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name”

• Perfections: the “things” ascribed to God by way of eminence, I Peter 2:9, “declare the praises of him”

• Properties: the things that are God’s, with reference to the persons of the Trinity

• Predicates: God’s attributes in relation to Creation


THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

• To speak of God is to speak of his Attributes• His attributes are real, not merely

descriptive: – God is more than loving; God IS LOVE– Attributes differ “neither realiter, nor

nominaliter, but virtualiter” C. Hodge, ST, 1:373

• God is not a composite of Attributes, but is a “simple” being

• The Attributes are coextensive with his being- “Substance and attributes are inseparable.” C. Hodge, ST, 1:371


THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

• ABSOLUTE• IMMANENT• INCOMMUNICABL

E• NEGATIVE• NATURAL• METAPHYSICAL• INTRANSITIVE

• RELATIVE• TRANSIENT• COMMUNICAB

LE• POSITIVE• MORAL• ETHICAL• TRANSITIVE


THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD, Berkhof• ABSOLUTE

– Attributes considering the essence of God in itself

– Self-existence, immensity, eternity

• IMMANENT or INTRANSITIVE– Those which do not

“go forth,” such as– Immensity,

simplicity, eternity

• RELATIVE– Attributes

considering the essence of God in relation to creation

– Omnipresence, Omniscience

• TRANSIENT or TRANSITIVE– Those which go forth

and produce effects outside of God, such as

– Omnipotence, benevolence, justiceCan we have knowledge of God in himself?


THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD, Berkhof• NATURAL, NON-MORAL

or METAPHYSICAL– Attributes that belong to

the constitutional nature of God, as distinguished from his will

– Self-existence, simplicity, infinity

• NEGATIVE– Those in which

something is denied– Simplicity, infinity,

eternity, immutability

• MORAL, ETHICAL– Attributes which

qualify God as a moral being

– Truth, goodness, mercy, justice, holiness

• POSITIVE– Those in which

something is affirmed

– Power, knowledge, holiness, justice, goodness and truth

Are not moral attributes natural to God?


THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD, Berkhof• INCOMMUNICABL

E– Attributes for

which there is nothing analagous in the creation, such as

– Aseity, simplicity, immensity, eternity

• COMMUNICABLE– Attributes to

which the human spirit bears some analogy, such as

– Power, goodness, mercy, righteousness

Does this distinction withstand scrutiny? Grudem suggests “less shared or more shared” as distinction


CATEGORIES OF ATTRIBUTES • God in himself

– Self-Existence– Immutability– Infinity

•Perfection•Eternity• Immensity

– Unity•Oneness•Simplicity

• God in relation to creation– Spirituality– Intellectual

• Knowledge• Wisdom• Veracity

– Moral• Goodness• Holiness• Righteousness

– Sovereignty• Will• Power


THE ATTRIBUTES per Shorter Catechism, Q. 4

• God is – A Spirit, Infinite, Eternal, Unchangeable

in his being

• Wisdom• Power • Holiness• Justice• Goodness• Truth


THE WORKS OF GOD

•The Decrees of God

•Creation•Providence•Miracles


THE WORKS OF GOD

Opera Ad Intra- God inhimself

Opera Ad Extra- God in relation to creation


THE DECREES OF GOD

• Definition: “The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby for his own glory he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.” S.C. Q. 7

• The Final Cause of all is the Glory of God, Antecedent Will

• The means towards those ends are the Consequent Will of God

• The Decree is the determination to employ those ends


PREDESTINATION AND ELECTION

• ELECTION– Soteriological– Absolute and

Unconditional– Applies to all

acts/ events re salvation

– Basis of human act of faith

• PREDESTINATION– Cosmic– Absolute and

Unconditional– Extends to all

events in detail– Basis of all

human action


BIBLICAL DATA: DECREE OF GOD• Psalm 139:16, “All the days ordained for me

were written in your book before one of them came to be”

• Psalm 33:11, “the plans of the Lord stand firm forever”

• Isaiah 14:24, “the Lord Almighty has sworn, Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand”

• Ephesians 1:5,11 “he predestined us . . . In accordance with his pleasure and will . . . . having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”


THE DECREES OF GOD

• Includes even the minute details, Matthew 10:29,30, “not one of them [sparrows] will fall . . . apart from the will of your Father”

• Includes the wicked acts of men – Luke 22:22, “the Son of Man will go as it has

been decreed”– Acts 2:23, “this man was handed to you by

God’s set purpose and foreknowledge”– Acts 4:27-28, “They did what your power and

will had decided beforehand should happen”

• Are Immutable, Isaiah 14:24,27, “I have purposed, so it will stand” (Cf. 46:9-10)


THE DECREES OF GOD

• Human responsibility: WCF 3.1 “God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as therebyneither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.”


CALVINISM-HYPER-CALVINISMCONTINUUM

The sovereignty of God

100%


PELAGIANISM-ARMINIANISMCONTINUUM

100%

Human Freedom


COVENANTAL CALVINISM

The sovereignty of God

Human Freedom

200%Solution

100%

100%


WORKS OF GOD: CREATION

• The Father creates, Hebrews 1:2

• The Son creates, John 1:3

• The Holy Spirit creates, Genesis 1:2

• The biblical concept of creation is an action of God alone in which he brings into existence that which had no existence prior to his creative word.


THEORIES OF CREATION•Old Earth

– Day-Age- Each day is a period of indeterminate time

– Literary Framework- There is a literary process at work • Paralleling days 1-4, 2-5, 3-6• God accommodating himself to our ability

•Young Earth– Mature Creation- Appearance of Age– Flood Geology- Catastrophism

explains the geological phenomena


IRREDUCIBLE MINIMUMIN CREATION

• All that is came from the hand of God

• All life forms came, ultimately, from the the creative power of God

• Adam and Eve were created by the direct act of God


WORKS OF GOD:PROVIDENCE

• “God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.” S.C. Q 11


PROVIDENCE• Creation anticipates Providence• All Christians profess belief in providence;

Calvinists extend it to every detail of life• Providence means that God enters into

his creation and upholds it- preservation and government

• Providence is universal and all-inclusive– Ordinary Providence, Jonah 1:3, the boat– Extraordinary Providence, Jonah 1:4, great

wind– Supernatural Providence, Jonah 1:17, the fish


MYSTERY OF PROVIDENCE• Agency and Responsibility (second causes)

are established by God’s providence• Biblical Examples:

– Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good”

– Isaiah 10:5ff, “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger . . . I send him against a godless nation . . . But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind”

– Acts 27:22-25, “keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost . . . it will happen just as he (God) told me”


MYSTERY OF PROVIDENCE• The Moral (Revealed/Preceptive) Will of God-

tells us what pleases God• The Decretive (Secret) Will of God- this is

what God has decreed to come to pass• Choices ordained by God are nonetheless

real choices- herein lies the paradox!• Necessity versus Compulsion, ICR 2.3.5,

“Therefore if the fact that he [God] must do good does not hinder God’s free will in doing good; if the devil, who can do only evil, yet sins with his will- who shall say that man therefore sins less willingly because he is subject to the necessity of sinning?”


MIRACLES


MIRACLES

• Definition: “a less common kind of God’s activity in which he arouses people’s awe and wonder and bears witness to himself”

• Purpose- always related to redemption; signs of authentication

• Appearance- at times of revelatory activity (Exodus, prophets, incarnation, apostolic period)

• Miracles appear as exceptions to the normal providential activity of God (God’s acts by “fiat” rather than by precedence)

THE DOCTRINE OF GODAttributes and Works

the doctrine of god attributes and works. 6/9/2015doctrine of god 22 key terminology attributes: to...

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