THEOLOGY II MCP 2.10
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NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL PENTECOSTAL HOLINESS CHURCH
SCHOOL OF MINISTRY
Falcon, NC
November 9-10, 2018
THEOLOGY II
MCP 2.10
INTRODUCTION
In THEOLOGY I we covered many of the basic concepts we need for the study of theology. A number of those topics are covered in the text for this course and are in your study guide. We do not propose to repeat that study here. In THEOLOGY II we will cover a broader array of topics, building upon the earlier foundation. However, for those who have not yet taken THEOLOGY I, we want to review what theology is. It is the first question to consider. We begin with an explanation of what it is not. Theology is not a study of doctrine or dogma. Doctrines and dogmas are statements of belief connected to systems of belief or religious orders. Doctrine in the Christian sense is invariably supported by reference to scripture. To study doctrine means to study its origin, formulation, implication, and place in the system to which it belongs. Therefore, doctrine is limited to the belief system of certain people, groups, religious orders, denominations or religions.
The term theology comes from two Greek words, θεὸς (theos) and λόγος (logos). The term λόγος can be translated by the noun word in English, with the meaning of words themselves, as elements of speech and communication, but includes concepts like a revelation, reflection, teaching, message, accounts, doctrine and the act of speaking.[1] Λόγος can refer to the processes of the mind, including a reason for something, thinking, study, the process of reasoning and is used as a title for Jesus (). In this way, theology is broadly speaking the study of God. In Christian theology, the assumption is made that what can be known about God has been revealed by God, both generally in nature and creation, and particularly and specifically in the Bible, the Word of God (cf. ; ).
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
Theology may be different in type and scope from one environment to another. Christian theology in its purest form is the study of God as he is revealed in the Bible, the Word of God or can be known from creation. Whereas doctrinal studies focus on a study of statements and belief systems to understand and interpret them, theology is concerned with a study of the Bible and general revelation and provides the raw material for the formulation of doctrinal and positional statements about God. Theology formulates the understanding from which we derive doctrinal and positional statements on the particulars of belief.
The critical difference between doctrinal studies and theological studies is that doctrinal studies seek to understand and interpret statements of belief, whereas the study of theology is concerned with accurately understanding the revelation about God from the Word of God, which will eventually lead to the formulation of statements of belief or doctrinal position. However, theology often becomes speculative and philosophical, in that it may lead to conjectures about things not specifically revealed or addressed in scripture. These theological conclusions and extrapolations may enjoy varying degrees of certainty or be supported more or less satisfactorily by scripture itself.[2] Furthermore, we are not concerned with a speculative theology that has nothing to do with Christianity, or that seeks to establish the non-existence of God, and which depends on pure metaphysical conjecture, extrapolation or theology that is part of one of the specialized theological branches into which Christian theology has recently been subdivided. We are focused on Christian evangelical theology where the underlying premise is that what can be known about God has been revealed by him in his creation and his book, consisting 66 authoritative books, comprised of the Old and New Testaments.
WHAT KIND OF THEOLOGY
It might not surprise us to know that there is more than one approach to ‘doing’ theology, the study of what the Bible says about God. We will mention just two, systematic theology and biblical theology. These two approaches employ different methodologies. Systematic theology is more deductive and speculative, using logic and extrapolation from specifics and what is known to draw conclusions about what is not known or revealed. The goal of systematic theology is to be as thorough and as complete as possible and to cover every topic as fully as possible. Systematic theology is often speculative, i.e., the doctrine of the Trinity, of predestination, etc. For this reason systematic theology is considered to be a branch of philosophy, they speculative study of metaphysics. Biblical theology, on the other hand, is inductive, seeking to interpret the data, from specific elements in the revelation, and is less concerned with systematic correlations and arrangements. This does not mean biblical theology is unconcerned with the consistency of theological conclusions, but rather that the study of say, the love of God, is rendered in its native environment, the Word of God, rather than being analyzed as a concept and rendered in a series of bullet points or logical and philosophical deductions supported by proof-texting. In this way, systematic theology can often be academic and scholastic, with less concern for practical application or implication, in favor of a thoroughgoing statement of knowledge about God. Biblical theology, on the other hand, is more focused on an understanding of the knowledge of God in the environment of the original revelation, where the implications of scripture, once revealed demand a personal moral response to God whose voice is heard in words.
Furthermore, biblical theology acknowledges the gaps that exist in our understanding, without feeling the scholastic and speculative need to fill them all in. Systematic theology is interested in content and implications of its content in terms of meaning in the pure sense. Biblical theology is interested in the content and implications in the sense of a moral response to the message about God in the Bible. While we do have interest in both kinds of theology, we need to know that systematic theology has as its primary goal an accurate and complete statement of the truth concerning God, and may extrapolate or speculate beyond the text through the use of logic and reason. Biblical theology has as its goal an accurate understanding of how God has revealed himself so that he can secure a response from humanity with respect to his call for reconciliation and fellowship.
In our study, we will engage in a hybrid approach, starting with topic selection, explanations of theological terms, and then providing biblical rationale for the explanations. We will also ‘evaluate’ traditional explanations for theological content to be certain that ideas and terms used in the more or less systematic approach have a strong biblical basis. However, we do not have time for a truly inductive, biblical approach.
WHO IS GOD?
(Vol. I, Pages 87-96)
When we say “God,” the noun implies different things to different people, cultures or religious backgrounds. We cannot assume everyone means the same thing. If there are numbers of ideas about God, and people have different views (represented by the multiplicity of religions and even denominations), how can we know which is the right one, or represents the truth about God accurately? That the various views are contradictory of one another means that they cannot all be the truth at the same time. Francis Schaeffer wrote a book, He is There, and He Is Not Silent. The thesis of the book is that not only does God exist, but that he has deliberately and adequately revealed himself to humanity. Schaffer posits that not only is God’s existence supported by the evidence but that it is a metaphysical necessity. Our very existence, and that we can question reality and its origins is proof of the existence of a personal and intelligent creator. He is arguably the only satisfying explanation for the existence of reality as it is in its present form and complexity, as well as the personal nature of humanity.[3] Schaeffer not only believes that God exists but that he has taken the initiative to reveal himself to his creation, to man in particular, and that this revelation is both personal and intimate. In the opening of his book, he observes that the great dilemma we face is the existence of men, their morality (nobility and cruelty) and how man knows what he knows, and how certain he is of the truth of it.[4] The conclusion is that we know truth because God has revealed it to us by revealing himself to us. This means that there is a “personal beginning” to everything and that it is not the product of random unguided forces.[5]
The sources for understanding “God” in the Christian sense are called general revelation and special revelation. General revelation is what we can know about God from what we observe in creation and experience in life. Special revelation is what we can know about God from the Bible, a written record of God’s historical dealings with the human race, and in which he reveals himself, his purposes, and goals for his creation. This approach is actually quite biblical in and of itself. Paul speaks of the sin and wickedness in the world as the result of a total disregard of God’s revelation of himself in creation in general, so that human rebellion against him is a repudiation of God’s self-disclosure which is available in creation (general revelation) ().
GOD IN GENERAL REVELATION (Vol. 1, Pages 40-44)
How can we know about God? What can we know with certainty about him? Where does that knowledge come from? So, what can be known about God from general revelation, the revelation of God in creation? The Bible does not seek or feel the need to prove the existence of God.[6] Instead the Bible assumes that creation is sufficient evidence of God existence, in and of itself, beside the other revelatory activity of God in the context of history and his people, Israel (cf. ; ; ; ; ). Paul, speaking to the Romans sets the bar of that revelation very high. He says that God has revealed himself in creation to a remarkable degree so that he has made himself plain to the human race in creation (). Paul is clear that what might be known about God (τὸ γνωστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ), is revealed (φανερόν ἐστιν) deliberately and purposefully by God (ὁ [7]⸂θεὸς γὰρ[8]⸃ αὐτοῖς ἐφανέρωσεν) in his creation (τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασιν νοούμενα καθορᾶται). He says that the knowledge of God has been revealed or has appeared to men in creation (). That God has revealed it, the knowledge of himself, in creation, means that it is a deliberate attempt on God’s part to impart knowledge of himself to humanity through creation (). Paul says that the invisible things of God, what the NIV calls his attributes, are clearly revealed, noticed or perceived (καθοράω) by observation of what he has made in the creation of the world (ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου) ().[9] The point he makes is that God can affirmatively be understood by considering creation and that God has invested in creation a clear knowledge of himself through such revelation (). The emphasis is on careful consideration of creation in order to apprehend what it tells us about God and the invisible qualities of his being an nature. When creation is examined and carefully considered, it points to a creator, and the attributes and nature of the creator are revealed by what he has created (νοούμενα) (). When men carefully consider (νοούμενα) what creation might tell them about God, he is clearly revealed to them.[10] This revelation is so comprehensive and clear that human beings are without excuse when it comes to knowing God, and Paul contends that humanity has engaged in a wilful suppression (κατεχόντων) of the knowledge, truth, about God, choosing to worship and serve created things rather than the creator himself (ἐσεβάσθησαν καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα).[11] They are without excuse because their rejection of God is not the result of a lack of evidence or revelation (εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀναπολογήτους).[12] The sheer power that creation takes to generate and operate is a clear indication of the power and vastness of God, his eternality and deity (ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης).[13] To this Paul adds the observation that on account of this revelation humanity, in general, is without excuse when it denies God’s existence or is disobedient to his will and sovereignty. To Paul, the general revelation of God in creation is both sufficient and full enough for men to come to a knowledge of God and to worship him.
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.
The Cosmological Argument:[14] The cosmological argument for the existence of God in systematic theology is an argument from cause. In other words, the cosmological argument for the existence of God posits that he is the only sufficient first cause for the existence of the universe. The complexity, order, and vastness of the created universe can only find sufficient reason for its existence in the explanation of creation by God.[15] The Bible anticipates this argument in its first words when it declares, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” ().
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Essential Elements in the cosmological argument for the existence of God:
The universe had a beginning
The impossibility of eternal regression of causes
Complexity
The origin of a universal moral code in the human race
The cosmological argument proceeds from the premise of causation. Everything that begins to exist must have a cause.[16] Logically speaking then we must reach back to an uncaused cause to explain the existence of the universe, that is all of creation. This uncaused cause must be sufficient to explain the existence of everything that does in fact exist. Therefore, the cause must be all-powerful, transcendent, personal, non-material, intelligent, transdimensional and beyond time. This is called the kalam cosmological argument for the existence of God. It originated as an answer to Aristotle's assertion about the eternality of the universe and was developed by medieval Islamic scholars to prove the existence of God.[17]
1. The universe had a beginning: An infinite regression of causes into the past is impossible on two counts.
A. Impossibility of an Infinite Regression of Causes: An infinite regression of causes is logically impossible because it means that we could never reach the point of existence in the present moment. But since not only do we exist and creation exists, this implies a finite universe.[18] This is often framed as the Kalam Cosmological argument, after the Islamic theological system that adopted an early version of this argument from the eastern church. The argument points out that on the grounds of mathematics and logic there cannot be an infinite number of regressive causes, and that there must be a first “uncaused cause” that explains the origin of the universe. When formulating an argument for the creation of the universe, we have to be able to explain its existence from absolutely nothing, if we do not accept its creation by God. Furthermore, the law of entropy will not allow an infinite regression into the past and predicts that there must have been a beginning. The amount of useable energy in the universe is finite. If the universe were eternal or even far older than it is thought to be then all of the energy would be used up and the universe would have gone cold. The fact that there is still useable energy in the universes tends to support that it had a beginning. As the Kalam cosmological argument states, everything that begins to exist has a cause, therefore, the universe must have a cause for its existence.
B. The Universe Began to Exist: Although in the past science had always assumed that the universe was eternal, it has actually proven that the universe had a beginning, often against the will of the scientists themselves. Many of them have only reluctantly admitted that the universe is finite and not infinite. Albert Einstein’s theory of General Relativity predicted not a static universe, but a changing universe that had a definite beginning, so he fudged the equations to get the result he wanted.[19] Later two Russian scientists were able to predict an expanding universe.[20] An expanding universe implies that it has expanded from a contracted universe, which when run in reverse ends up a finite point where energy, time and matter come into existence from nothing, and along with them all of the governing parameters and laws of physics and chemistry (see below the teleological argument). When American astronomer Edwin Hubbel demonstrated that light from distant galaxies is shifted toward the red end of the spectrum, it was what one might expect from the Doppler effect if they were moving away at high speed, from our point of view.[21] This was empirical evidence supporting Friedman- Lammaître model of an expanding universe. Evidence from the presence in the universe of background radiation supported an explosion of the universe into existent at a point called the singularity predicted by the Friedman- Lammaître model. Fred Hoyle derisively called the theory, the “Big Bang,” which stuck! Albert Einstein called his findings that the universe had a beginning (through mathematics) “irritating.” Science has proved beyond doubt that the universe did have a beginning.
C. The Need for a Sufficient Un-caused Cause: There is need for a sufficient uncaused cause to explain the sudden origin of the universe out of absolutely nothing, in what can only be called an explosion! That this first cause must be sufficient to explain the origin of the universe, including time, energy and matter, means that it must transcend them all. The Bible’s explanation for the explosive origin of the universe out of nothing is that God said, “Let there be light!” (). The sudden existence and explosion of energy (light) and the coalescence of matter is encapsulated in his command for them to exist ex nihilo. Recent science has debunked the idea of an eternally existing universe and has found that it did have a definite beginning in the distant past, and at a specific point of physical origin called the singularity. This fits perfectly with what we know from the Bible concerning the creation of the universe by God through his command by which it came suddenly into existence.
2. The Teleological Argument and Anthropic Principle: It is argued that complexity and order in creation indicate that it is the product of a creating or designing mind. The teleological argument is an argument from design. Everything seems in the universe, macro and micro seems to be adapted to its purpose and placed to function in perfect synchronicity with every other component of the system.[22] This has been called among scientists the fine-tuning of the universe. That this is true is not arguable, although many scientists resist the notion that the universe in its present form is the product of design, rather that it is the result of random laws of physics, chemistry and biology.
A. The Anthropic Principle: The universe, the earth, and the laws of physics and chemistry appear to be fine tuned to support life. This fine tuning is called the anthropic principle.
B. Statistical Impossibility: The problem with this approach is that as knowledge of the universe has become so much more advanced, and that it has been discovered that for the right conditions to exist to support life on earth, the chances that all of the conditions could be met synchroniitically, as they would have to for life to exist or to spontaneously generate, are infinitesimally small to the point of mathematical impossibility. Many, truly and good number, of scientists are looking at the arrangement of the universe and its precision and coming to the conclusion that there is evidence of design and purpose. This precision led Fred Hoyle to remark that, “Someone has been monkeying with the physics of the universe.”
C. Irreducible Complexity: The fact of irreducible complexity is a major problem to the theory of evolution and the spontaneous generation of large precisely calibrated parameters that are perfectly synchronized with respect to one another in order to sustain and support life. It is not that the there is merely fine-tuning but that the relationship between the parameters and the cumulative effect on the universe such that it makes life possible, and it is complex. It is more likely that this complexity is the result of design than forces operating entirely blindly at random. There is a point of complexity in the physical systems of the universe, especially biological ones, beyond which they will not work at all, let alone give rise to the evolution and slow development of new and increasingly complex systems. In other words, the present state of the universe and of life depends on a certain amount pre-installed or pre-constructed complexity. Biological life at its simplest for example, the “simple cell” which at one time was thought to be the building block of evolution, is in fact a very complex apparatus, consisting of minute biological machines, none of which can function, if even a single part were missing. There is no chance of evolution, because the non-functionality would never produce life! Furthermore, the complexity of DNA and the construction of cellular protein machines which are essential for life, contains a complex programing language, the equivalent of 1000 copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica. There is no reasonable evolutionary explanation for the encoding of this information in the cell, without the presence of intelligence and design.[23]
3. The Moral Argument: We are still talking about general revelation, of the kind Paul mentions in . If life is the product of evolution, where does human moral sensibility come from? How could evolution generate through random among change over time the universal sense of right and wrong, found in the human race? Morality is the universal sense among people of what is right and wrong. In general, certain things are universally considered to be wrong, like stealing, murder, lying, sleeping with another man’s wife, etc. Many of these are encoded in the 10 Commandments of Exodus. There is also a positive moral code, such as one’s duty to one’s family, respect for others, caring for the vulnerable in society, etc. The question is whether evolution, the survival of the fittest, the development of utility can explain why humanity acts against its “best interests” so much of the time, because of a consciousness of what is right and wrong. Where does that consciousness come from? If there is no God and if we are all simply the products of biology and physics then morality is an illusion, and a illusory restraint on human behavior.
A. Moral Restraint: Morality to have genuine force must be a code that exists outside of humanity, something that is true and binding, absolute, in every situation, every culture and at all times. Morality cannot be relative or expedient, because then it may change at any moment, and no one is bound to act by a moral code that has no absolute value, as long as they are powerful enough to get by with it. And yet we expect, as human beings that everyone will act within the constraints of certain moral boundaries, and we punish those who do not. Where does this expectation come from? The obvious answer is that is inculcated into our nature by the design of the creator and it is based, not on expediency, but on his own rule and authority. We will discover in the Bible that morality is based upon not God’s word and command alone, but upon his very nature.
B. The Impossibility of Society and Life Without Moral Restraint: Atheists do not believe in an absolute moral code, because they do not believe in God. But they also cannot and will not live with the logical outcome of their own views. If they are attacked by someone stronger, more powerful, their homes robbed, their family attacked, they will want the perpetrators to be punished and imprisoned, restoration made. Instinctively they act as though there is a moral code. No one says, “Ah well, he is stronger than me, I supposed he has a right to kill my children and abuse my wife!” The atheist is as outraged by injustice as anyone else, and yet he will argue that there is no such thing as justice and morality! This is a vacant philosophy that cannot explain the presence of the universal concept of morality in humanity. The only real and satisfying explanation is that inherent morality is the product of design by God, and that its presence in the conscience of human beings is the result of his programming. For that reason, universal morality is an argument for the existence of God, the God we read of in the Bible.
In this way, general revelation speaks to the power of God, his eternality and self-existence, his infinite wisdom and the divine mind, and to his holiness of character. The attributes of God are truly revealed by what he has created, just as Paul claims in Romans. This is a very light overview of some principle arguments for the existence of God from general revelation, which answer to the principle Paul speaks of in , that God has made himself sufficiently known through what he has created that men are without excuse who reject him. Furthermore, to it has been the habit of the human race to suppress the truth found in general revelation in order to exalt the created above its creator, and thus to worship it rather than God (, ).
SPECIAL REVELATION (Vol. 1, Pages 44-50)
By special revelation we mean the revelation about God found in the Bible, through the incarnation of Christ, and the continued illumination of the Spirit in the church and on the Bible. This revelation is actually a written record of God’s activity in the history of our world, in connection with his interaction with humanity. In that revelation there is a much clearer picture of God revealed, including his being, nature, character, wisdom, purposes and goals. Special revelation through the Word of God reveals the specifics of what God intends for us to know about him and his plans or purposes for creation.
1. Special Revelation is Rooted in History: The first thing then is to acknowledge that special revelation is historical. It is God revealing himself through his dealings with humanity, Israel in particular, the incarnation of Christ and in the church through the Spirit. The inspired record of this revelation has been compiled and collected into the Bible, consisting of 66 books in two divisions, Old and New Testament. We believe that this revelation is inspired and in its original form without error (cf. Theology I – MCP 1.05). However, this revelation is also organic in that it has been mediated through the written record at the hand of inspired human beings by the Holy Spirit, who now continues to illuminate its meaning to the church throughout the ages.
A. Intentional and Specific: Special revelation means that this revelation of God is both intentional and specific. There is a precision and certainty in special revelation, so that what we know about is not confined to general knowledge about him but a precise understanding of him, his nature, will and purpose. The Bible gives us hope that we can know God accurately and intimately. The most significant thing about special revelation in this respect is that it reveals God’s desire to initiate and engage in a relationship with his creation, and with humanity in particular, and that he has embarked on an elaborate plan of redemption to reconcile an alienated humanity back to himself.
B. Historical: God has revealed himself in history through his providence, miracles, the incarnation of Christ (the high-water mark of revelation and self-disclosure by God), and the Bible as a record of truth about God, his activity and purpose. If God’s special revelation is historical, it is knowable in the same way that all history is knowable, and it is falsifiable (capable of verification by the historical scientific method), just as any historical claim is falsifiable. The Bible has nothing to fear from historical investigation into the claims it makes about God and his activity in history.
2. What Can We Know About God from Special Revelation? The question is, then, what sorts of things do we know about God?
A. Our Knowledge of God is Not Exhaustive: First, we cannot know God exhaustively, but we can know him as he reveals himself to us. If he is infinite, implied by his creation of the universe, then we as well as creation are finite. But God has created us to be qualitatively like him, in his image and capable of knowing him.[24] But we cannot possibly understand or know everything about him exhaustively. He is beyond our complete understanding.
B. Our Knowledge of God is Conferred: Secondly, this knowledge is conferred, it is revealed. Because a full and accurate knowledge of God cannot be derived from our investigation into him, as the evidence of pluralism in our world exhibits, we must come to know God specifically from what he has revealed about himself. General revelation shows us something about God, special revelation shows us about God’s nature and purposes. We will look at a few examples of things we know about God because they have been revealed to us by special revelation.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (Vol. 1, 111-125)
1. The Big Three: In systematic theology the big three attributes normally first discussed are God’s omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing) and omnipresence (everywhere present at the same time).
A. All Powerful, the Creator – God is all powerful, something which we clearly derive from his creation of the entire universe, material and immaterial (). God is greater than all created things. If he created them and is greater than what he has made, so that nothing exists outside of beyond God, then his power is without limit. The opening statement in Genesis that he created the heavens and the earth and that “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light,” infers that he is capable of creation by the exercise of his will alone. This is immense and unimaginable power (). The Bible assumes the limitless power of God. There are a number of implications that flow out of the limitlessness of God’s power and being.
o God is timeless and eternal in his being and existence (; 2 Tim. 6:15-16). Since time began at creation (at the big bag according to science), then God exists outside of time, and is eternal, without beginning and end. To Moses God said that he is “I AM” the one who is (). Later in other places the Bible speaks of God’s existence beyond time and space, that is above and beyond creation. Isaiah says God sits upon the circle of the earth (). God is capable of telling the end of all things before it comes about, and of knowing even at the beginning what that end will be (). Indeed, he is the one moving the history of creation to the conclusion he has designed for it. John calls him the alpha and omega, the beginning and end (; ).
o That God is creator and all powerful means that he is also sovereign, the ruler over creation. He is entitled to declare and exact his purpose in creation because is its maker (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ).
o If God is timeless, then he is immutable, meaning that he is unchangeable and unchanging in his nature and being. The Bible makes this clear in a number of ways. In the Old Testament God states propositionally to Israel “I, the Lord, do not change!” (, cf. ; ; ; ). The New Testament confirms the immutability of God when James says that there are no variable shadows in or variations in God, he is the same always (). In Hebrews Jesus is stated to be the same always (). We can trust God not to change, he is not fickle or capricious!
o If God is immutable, then he is to be trusted in what he has revealed about himself. This means in connection with his revealed love and compassion, God is reliable and faithful. He can be trusted in what he says and what he has undertaken to do (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ).
o Nothing is beyond the ability of God to do, and no purpose of his will fail (cf. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , ; , ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; )
B. All-Knowing – There is no limit to the knowledge, wisdom or understanding of God (; ; ; ). The psalmist state it succinctly, God is might in power and unlimited in his understanding (). The first evidence of this is seen in creation, its design, precision and complexity (). In the garden when God came to Adam and pointed out that he has eaten of the fruit, God’s prior knowledge of his is revealed (). Nothing is hidden from him (; ), especially our sins (cf. ; ). God’s wisdom has often been hidden to people, but it is more clearly revealed through the gospel and Jesus Christ (). God is the revealer of mysteries and things that are currently hidden (; cf. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). In this way God’s own wisdom and knowledge is the source of all understanding (; ; ). Everything that is created and the purpose for God has ordained it will ultimate carry forward to his own end, because God is his knowledge and wisdom has worked it out (; ).
C. Everywhere Present at the Same Time – To say that God is eternal is not simply to say that he existed in the ages past and will continue to exist in the ages future. That is a human perspective, because we are bound to created time. God transcends time. He is not governed by it, nor is he restricted by it. The psalmist said that 1,000 years to God is but a day, and we rejoice that God is eternal (). To this Peter adds that a day is as a 1,000 years, so that God can accomplish in a single day what we would imagine would take an immeasurable amount of time (). Time is irrelevant to the God in the sense that he is bound or constrained by it. We are constrained by it in every aspect of our human existence, and we have a limited amount of it to do what we will in this life. But God is not, he is above time and lives above its constraints. Similarly, when it comes to geography, God is not constrained by space, by location. He is not bound to a single physical location as we are. It is the nature of humanity to be geographically bound to a location, whereas God can be present in any and every location simultaneously.
o The psalmist offers us a perspective on this when he contemplates whether or not he could find some place where the presence of God is not (). He is in the heavens, on the earth, even to its furthest corners and depth. His presence can be found is in the skies above and the grave blow!
o Isaiah remarks that the throne of God is in heaven, but the footstool of that throne is on earth () – incorporating the beautiful concept of God reign over all creation in heaven and on earth, where Israel, the temple and the ark are God throne in the earthly creation. The Shekinah of God is the physical token of his reign on earth, in the holy of holiness, but in truth God presence can be found throughout the universe. In Isaiah God echoes the words of Solomon at the dedication of the temple, what kind of structure could be built for God to dwell in, since he made the earth and all of the heavens ()!
2. More Major Attributes of God: There are a number of important major attributes of God that scripture reveals progressively. God is righteous and holy. God is just and right. God is loving and capable of showing compassion and mercy.
A. Holiness and Righteousness: When we think of these attributes we naturally think in terms of conduct and behavior. However, biblical holiness and righteousness is the proper personal balance and interplay of integrity of character and right conduct, so that outward action truly represents the reality of inner purity and rightness. To say God is holy and righteous, is to say that his character and nature is utter pure and morally blameless. In his nature no wickedness or sin exists in any measure at all. John tackles this with a metaphor using one of his favorite pictures, light. “God is light, and in his is no darkness at all!” ().
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
o The angels around the throne cry, “Holy, holy, holy…” in acknowledgement and awe of the purity of God (; ), and the psalmist says we are to worship him in the beauty of holiness, where the interpretation can be in view of his holiness, or in the context of holiness in our own lives. Probably both are intended! Paul similarly states that God dwells in unapproachable light (). This means that God always does the right thing morally in all situations, even when we have reason to question his judgement on certain issues.
who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
o Furthermore, it means that self-evidently humanity is estranged from God and separated from him by sin, immorality and wickedness. Reconciliation is needed, and the impediment must be overcome if fellowship with God is to be possible to rebellious humanity, his eyes are too pure to look on (condone or overlook indefinitely) sin (cf. ).
Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
o The holiness and moral purity of God along with his sovereignty as creator implies inevitable ultimate judgement on sin. That God will punish sin is premised on his holiness and the falleness of humanity (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ).
They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
o God’s holiness requires moral transformation in those who are reconciled to God and who enter into fellowship with him (cf. ; ; ).
If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
B. God is Just: To say God is just is to say that God acts with integrity and fairness in all that he does. The term just often used in the English translates Greek words that are all part of the family of words that relate to righteousness. To say that God is righteous is to say that he is just. To say he is just is to say he is righteous. Righteousness is that quality of inner integrity and purity of heart and motivation that means that God will always act completely consistent with his nature and inner purity and holiness. In other words, if God pardons the sinner, he will only do so on grounds that are acceptable and right with respect to the holiness and integrity of his own nature and being. Furthermore, if God pronounces judgment on the sinner, he will do so justly, in a way that is consistent with his holiness and purity, but never capriciously or arbitrarily. We need not fear the wrath of God if we have accepted the mercy of God, as though God might turn on us for some unforeseen reason or capricious motive! In this way we see the mercy of God in balanced tension with his justice and aversion to sin, having made a way for reconciliation and pardon through Christ, but not overlooking the persistent wickedness of those who refuse to humble themselves to repent and seek the offer of salvation. This means that judgment will fall not on those who God condemns arbitrarily, as the world likes to characterize it, but on those who refuse his love and mercy, and who as a result of their refusal stand under God’s condemnation as a result of their own stubborn rebellion.
C. God is Love and Merciful: There are a few major attributes of God that are laid out propositionally in scripture (cf. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , , ; ; , ; , ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). One of these is God is love (, ). Elsewhere the love of God is revealed in the text as part of the unfolding or progressive revelation of God. For example, Jesus reminds us that God loved the world so much that he sent his One and Only Son (). In that statement the love of God is revealed by God gesture toward a lost humanity. However, John later categorically states as a truth proposition that God is love. He means that in some vital and fundamental way God can be characterized in term of his love for his creation and humanity in particular. The Bible does not say God is wrath although he is capable of judgment. In some way God’s nature can be understood in terms of his love, mercy and compassion for what he has created. When some attempt to describe the nature of God and his attitude toward lost humanity, they do so by describing the scathing anger of God against sin, but when Moses begged God to see his glory, as he passed in front of Moses, covering his eyes from looking directly on his glory, the voice of God described his presence to Moses as he went by, ““The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” ().[25] God leads in terms of his interaction with creation with love, mercy and compassion. Although he asserts his intention to bring judgment on the wicked (), he describes himself to Moses beginning with his compassion and mercy! This powerful passage gives us a vital clue as to how God sees himself in relation to us!
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
o This leads the writers in the Bible to rejoice that mercy triumphs over judgment (; ; ; ; ; )! Meaning that mercy precedes judgment and offered as an alternative to judgment, that God prefers to offer and show mercy, than to have to act in judgment.
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.
o Through Jesus Christ, Paul says, God has been in the world, even from the beginning, reconciling men to himself (). If we read beginning Genesis with discernment and clarity, we will see that from the outset God is set on a redemptive, reconciling path, with respect to those who have fallen because of sin (cf. ).
OTHER ASPECTS OF GOD’S NATURE AND BEING (Vol. 1, 87-95, 127-141)
There are a few things about the nature and being of God that need mentioning before we move from this topic, and which have to do with the nature of God’s being.
1. God is Spirit (Vol. 1, 90): This is actually one of those few propositional truths about God actually stated in the scripture, in this case by Jesus himself ().
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
A. God’s is Not Material: Jesus said and he is not concerned with locations and buildings when it comes to worship. He is much more concerned with worship inspired by the Spirit and that is sincere. We see this principle repeated throughout the Old Testament, where God rebukes his people for relying up their ritual observances, but not putting their hearts into the worship of him or service to him (cf. ; ; ; ; ).
B. Ritual Without Sincerity of Heart Is Hypocrisy and Unacceptable To God As Worship (Cf. ): In connection with a question about how to correctly worship God, Jesus affirmed that God is spirit (). By this Jesus means that God’s nature is immaterial, unlike human beings, who although they are material, are composed of both a spirit/soul as well as a body (see below). This is another way of saying that God in his essence and being transcends material creation and is not subject to its limitations.
C. The Spirit of the Lord: This aspect of God’s existence and being is often mentioned in the Old Testament where the Spirit of the Lord is spoken of, meaning God himself and his divine presence (Jud. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). In the New Testament the Spirit of the Lord becomes the Holy Spirit.
2. The Trinity (Vol. 127-141) – Without doubt the most profound mystery in seeking to understand God is the idea of the Trinity.
A. The LORD God is ONE God: So, we must begin with the unassailable assertion, a proportional truth that God is definitely ONE God ().
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
B. The Shema: (the most important and fundamental Hebrew faith or doctrinal statement) asserts that God is one, in distinction to the culture of the nations around Israel who worshipped many gods. This is an assertion not that God is not many gods is a distinction that set them apart from the nations for whom the gods were a pantheon of bickering, flawed, capricious super-humans to be tricked, placated or won over. The nations feared their gods often not because they deserved respect but because they were unpredictable and sadistic. They might act in favor of you one day and against you another for no reason, and needed to have the egos massaged in order to show favor. Furthermore, they could easily pick favorites in the bestowal of their bounties, and that meant that those who worshipped them were hopelessly enslaved to their whims. The gods of Canaan were linked to the major seasons and farming cycles, which mean that they needed to be worshipped in connection to the agricultural seasons, if their worshipper were to experience bounty in the harvest or have the much needed weather at the right times. Worship of these gods meant that they engaged in ritual enactments of the lives and behaviors of their gods, especially the sexually explicit ones. Worship of the gods was often accompanied by sacrifices, sometimes human ones, ritual drunkenness and mass orgies. It was for this reason that God forbade Israel to act like or make any kind of alliance with the nations who occupied the land before they did. Israel was to be an example of godliness and a society in which the proper worship of the genuine creator of all things was exemplified in holiness and righteousness before him. This sets the stage for understanding the trinity and the difference of the the relationship between Israel and God, compared to the nations around them.
C. “In the beginning God….” (): The opening statement in the word of God is not just an introductory sentence. It is an important theological statement in and of itself, not least with respect to the identity and nature of God and his being. God is the stated to be the creator of all things. Nothing exists that he did not create, regardless of the views or theories in the ancient world or the modern world for that matter. His existence is not argued for but stated, and the revelatory evidence is then unfolded progressively in the Bible, representing a period several millennia of Israel’s history, which is recorded in the 66 books of the Bible, in two testaments, by a about 40 writers over a period of 1,600 years. This means that the revelation of God is not propositional, but progressive and liked to God’s dealings with creation, with Israel and in particular to the covenants he made with his people.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
o God is introduced as Elohim (אֱלֹהִים), the noun translated god or gods. Context tells when it is referring to God or to the gods of the other nations. This may seem odd to us, but it is common in Hebrew and in Greek, the two principle languages of the Bible for words to be capable of multiple frames of reference which are then determined by context. This noun is a plural form of the singular el. So immediately we are alerted to something strange about how God is referred in the Old Testament. Among the many nouns and proper names given to God, Elohim is one of the principle names by which God refers to himself, often in the formula “LORD God” or Yahweh-Elohim. The addition of the proper name Yahweh clarifies and makes clear who is Elohim. (NB. The noun baai).
D. The use of Elohim for God: Elohim who is declared emphatically to be “one” (), creates a sense of tension for us who read it for the first time. However, in Hebrew plurality not only references number, but quality, where plurality indicative the superlative quality of God. El means mighty, powerful, emphasizing strength,[26] so that Elohim references the all powerful, superlative quality of God, in terms of his might, power and strength. God is all powerful. When Elohim is of God, the verb connected to God as the subject is singular, confirming the singularity of God, one God.
o Elohim, however, does anticipate and confirm the truth of the Trinity, more perfectly revealed in the New Testament, where it is clear that while God is one God, he exists somehow in a multiplicity of three persons. These are identified in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Athanasian Creed (cir. 381-428), embodies the now common and traditional confession of the Trinity as we know it in the church today.[27] However, the truth about the Trinity is interwoven throughout the Bible, and more clearly seen in the New Testament with the incarnation of Jesus Christ (cf. ; ).
o In the Old Testament God is referenced in connection with his Spirit, under the rubric the Spirit of God or the Lord (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , ; ; , ; ; , ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ), “your Spirit” (referring to God and the personal Holy Spirit) (; ; ), “my Spirit” (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ), and the Spirit (, , ; ; ; ; ; ; , , , , ; ; , , ; ; ). French Arrington points out the references in Isaiah, where the Holy Spirit is mentioned as distinct to or along side of God (; ).
o One of the most intriguing occurrences of plurality in the Old Testament is in the use of the divine first person plural pronouns “us” and “we,” implying within the godhead a plurality of persons.[28] This occurs in where God engages in an “internal” conversation about the creation of human beings, that they should be made in “our image” and in “our likeness,” which is then said to have been accomplished when man is created in “his image” (singular), so that the two ideas play off of one another – one God, somehow representing a plurality in his being (). This type of referential language resurfaces in Isaiah, when after his vision of God in the temple, in all of his glory, the Lord asks the question “Who will go for us, who can I send?” (). The number is mixed at first singular, “Whom shall I send?” and then, “Who will go for us?” This is quite remarkable.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
o References are also made to the Messiah who is God’s divine representative, but who like the Spirit has divine attributes which properly belong to God alone (; ; ; ), often under the rubric of the kings, prophets or leaders of Israel in the sense that a coming messianic figure will embody and replace them all. He is also called Israel’s shepherd, coming king, and the Servant of Yahweh, the great messianic servant who embodies all of those who have been called to serve God (). Then there are the occasional epiphanies, what scholars call the preincarnate appearances of Christ in the Old Testament, there is the strange language at Babel where God came down to see the project (), God’s appearance to Abraham as the Angel of the Lord (), and to Manoah and his wife (). , if taken as the stylized and prophetic utterance of the Messiah, includes the whole Trinity, whereby the Messiah makes reference to God and his Spirit.[29]
“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
So he said, “These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.”
o In the New Testament the incarnation of God the Son, as Jesus Christ, born to the virgin Mary, is explained as the appearance of the Son of God (). The New Testament is full of the recognition of Christ as the Son of God, a messianic title from the Old Testament covenant made with David concerning the kingship of Israel (; ; ). Jesus is actually called the Son of God at his baptism by God, when the voice from heaven confirms his identity to John the Baptist and the crowds around him (Matt. 3:27; ; ; ). This title was almost immediately and universally applied to Jesus by those who knew him and believed in him (; ; ; , , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; ). Jesus accepted and used that title of himself (, , , , , , ; ; ; ; ; ). The church made this claim a central aspect to their preaching about the crucified and risen Jesus, that he was in fact the incarnate Son of God who, coming from God () became the sacrifice for sins (; ; ; ; ; ; , ; , ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; , , ; ; ; , , , , , ; ).
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
o Jesus is called the Word of God in , where his equality with God is established, and verified by his presence at creation. In Colossians Paul further establishes the divinity and equality of Jesus with God by calling him the “express image of God in bodily form,” God who was incarnate into this world as a human being, but no less “God” for the experience of it (), similarly placing Christ with the Father at creation as co-creators of the heavens and earth. In Philippians Paul describes the incarnation in the words of an ancient hymn, that Jesus was with equal with God, sharing every attribute of God, but emptied himself of the advantages of his deity to become a human being, and to obediently die on the cross ().
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
o What French Arrington calls the Trinitarian pattern in the New Testament, is a sort of organic way of referring to God in respect to the three persons of the trinity.[30] One of the most striking early attestations to the Trinity is found in the birth narrative, when the angel announced to Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah (). In that passage the Messiah, to whom Mary is to give birth is to be called the “Son of God,” but will be conceived in her womb when the Holy Spirit overshadows her. The style of the first two chapters of Luke is often thought to represent and early Aramaic tradition (possibly written), and therefore to be very early in the tradition of the first century church. In it there is clearly a Trinitarian perspective. An example also is found in the baptism narratives, where Jesus the Messiah (physically present), is baptized, after which the voice of God is heard to speak from heaven, and the Holy Spirit in a physical form descended upon him to anoint him (cf. ; ; ). In Matthew the disciples are to baptize new disciples in the name of the father, Son and Holy Spirit (). Paul’s benedictory formula in is strongly indicative of the trinity, where he mentions the “love of God, the grace of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians all believers have access to God the Father through Jesus Christ, by the Spirit (). Peter speaks of the election of believers to God the Father, sanctified by the Spirit in order to become obedient to Jesus Christ (1 pet. 1:2). Jude’s benediction includes all three members of the trinity, when he mentions “praying in the Holy Spirit,” staying put in the “love of God” and “looking for the mercy of Jesus Christ” (, ). Even in his treatment of spiritual gifts, Paul invokes a Trinitarian model – “varieties of ministries coming from the one Spirit, “The variety of ministries also come from “the same Lord,” (Christ), and are part of a multiplicity of operations, which are under the direction of the “same God” (Father) (). In Acts two the gift of the Holy Spirit was the promise of the Father, but poured out by the Son (, ; ). Other passages also confirm this and are listed in the text book (, ; , ; ).
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
o In the gospel of John, where Jesus refers to the God as his Father, and is claimed to be the Son of God, a confession that is a “test” of authentic faith, the relationship is genuine and the persons distinct (cf. ; ; ).[31] In these passages the authority of Jesus though conferred from God the Father, means that he exercises the authority of God in his behalf. Jesus speaks of the Father sending the Son out of his love for the world, so that he might offer regeneration to those who believe in him through the operation of the mysterious Spirit (). Jesus is called portrayed as being the image of God, through whose incarnation, God has made himself perfectly known to humanity (; ; ). Paul explanation of the importance of salvation hovers around the idea that believers have been adopted as sons (children) of God, so that the Spirit of the Son (the Holy Spirit) now resides in them, enabling them to cry, “Abba!” or “Father!” in the most intimate and relationally close sense (). Paul comes the closest to presenting this truth in a formulaic or theological way, when in Colossians he talks about the Father rescuing from the kingdom of darkness through the Son (), and then goes on to state the equality of the Son to God the Father, despite the distinctions (). In Philippians Paul appears to be quoting an ancient hymn that expresses the theology redemption from before incarnation to the the death of Jesus and then to his exaltation to the throne of God (). In that hymn Jesus is described as being “the exact image of God,” equal with God and finally exalted to the throne of God to share share sovereignty over redeemed creation. This description reaches back in many respects to the Old Testament where the “one like a son of man” (Messiah, Anointed One)(Jesus) is given dominion and power by the Ancient of Days (Father, God) and will rule of his behalf over creation, after he has conquered the forces that sought to wrestle it from God’s control ().
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
o The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of God in the New Testament, and is acknowledged to be present and co-creator with the Father and the Son at the beginning (Cf. ). The Holy Spirit is personal, sharing the personal attributes of God, and he not simple a manifestation of God or an impersonal force. He can be grieved and distressed and resisted (; ; ). The Holy Spirit is the personal representative of God, and his presence with God’s people is the same as the presence of God among them or in them.[32] The Holy Spirit is a divine person on the Trinity, with all that it implies to have personhood. Arrington lists the personal attribute so the Spirit in scriptures – He acts (cf. ), commissions (cf. ), guides (cf. ), intercedes (cf. ), he can be blasphemed (, ), grieved (), possesses intelligence and wisdom (cf. ), has a will (cf. ; ). When Peter confronted Ananias about lying concerning the sale price of the his property, it was to the Holy Spirit he had lied (, ), and this meant he had lied to God![33] To possess the Holy Spirit is to have the presence and power of God in the life of the believer. Paul sometimes calls the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ or of the Son (; cf. ). In this way we see a Trinitarian thread strongly woven throughout the scriptures!
WHO IS MAN?
(Vol. I, Pages 185-206)
What is the origin of man? There have been a few notable theories offered, among them evolution. But if we are considering theology and a biblical answer to the question, then the answer is that man, like all of creation was made by God.
1. Created by God: To say that humanity was created by God, means that the entire race in all of its diversity is the special creation of God, with all that implies in the record of that creation in and 2. Whatever we have said about creation generally we now apply to the creation of humanity. It seems from the text that human beings were the final and most important of all of God’s creative acts (cf. ; ; ). This is seen in a number of things from the text.
A. Six Days of Creation: The stepping off of creation into 6 daily increments, with the seventh day as a day of rest, designated holy by God and a Sabbath, with man as the final creative act of a seemingly progressive series of creative, means that in some way humanity is culmination of the series. The creation of Adam is seen in the text as the pinnacle of God’s creative action, purpose and design.
B. Creation of Man is Purposeful: The creation of Adam is deliberative and purposeful, whereby God confesses his intentionality of creating man, and declares the purpose for that creation. This is not random, or simply the creation of the last in a predictable series of creative acts. Rather man is creative purposefully and in some sense with a unique and special relationship to God as creator, not shared by any other part of creation. While the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s, Adam is viewed as the created son of God, made in his image and likeness ().
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
C. The Status of Humanity in Creation: The status of humanity in God’s creation is elevated because of this deliberative and purposeful creation, and because of God’s self-declared intension that man should be like God, and image and reflection of God’s own likeness (). We might ask ourselves in what way did God intend humanity to be like him, and a reflection and image of him?
o The notion of man being in the image of God is linked to taking dominion over the creation. To be created in the image and likeness of God is about representation, representing God to his creation, as its ruler on God‘s behalf.
o Therefore, we have three things: Representation of God through humanity, God’s rulership of creation through delegated authority in humanity, and the partnership between God and man in the context of his creation. This is reflected in the eschatological language of the prophets that assert that the knowledge of the glory Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, meaning that God will reestablish his purpose, despite the advent of sin, whereby knowledge of him will be propagated throughout creation, through a redeemed and reclaimed humanity (; ).
o In this shared enterprise is the idea that God created Adam and Eve for fellowship with God. There are many passages that assert the primary purpose of God for humanity, that they be his people and that he might be their God (; ; ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; 34:34; 36:28; 37:23, 27; ; ; , ). This theme literally runs through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, whereby God consistently and persistently asserts that his purpose is to establish a redeemed people with whom he will fellowship and interact.
o We must recognize that the dispersion and propagation of the rule and dominion of God over creation was to be the responsibility of the human beings he created. The command was to take dominion, by which it was meant that man must eventually move out beyond the garden and taken the rule of God to the rest of the earth, but to do so in the image and likeness of God, as his representative. This meant that they were to represent God qualitatively in dominion, love, compassion, holiness, etc. The attributes of God’s nature and character were to be reflected by humanity, so that creation would see God reflected in them.
o The image of God is equally and even more completely evident in the creation of male and female. asserts that the creation of man in the image of God found its most complete and full expression in the creation of male and female, not just Adam. The divine partnership is counterbalanced by a human partnership between male and female, who together, not separately represent and image God to his creation, and are responsible for it, and for taking the knowledge of God throughout its boundaries. In this partnership they are co-equal partners, with differing roles.
o There is no subordination of one to the other, this does not occur until after sin enters the garden and envy leads to a struggle for position even within this relationship. God’s verdict upon the creation of Eve was that the two will become one flesh (), and in this way to further reflect the unity/plurality within the Godhead.
o Mankind was commissioned to increase and multiply, filling the earth with human beings, and to take dominion over it, that is to rule it wisely and in good stewardship for God, in a way that best represents him and his being and rule.
2. The Theory of Evolution: A note about evolution. Evolution is a theory about the origin of man as an animal species, arising from the slow development of more simple animal species to more complicated organisms over vast amounts of time. The theory of evolution was something developing in the minds of some scientists in the 19th century, of which Charles Darwin is the most notable. His theory of evolution, based on his observations, principally in the Galapagos Islands, have formed the basis for the more advanced and sophisticated theories in currency today. This theory is challenged by the number of inconvenient scientific and cosmological facts:
A. Darwin’s Little Black Box: Darwin saw the first simple cell as essentially a “black-box” capable of slowly developing into something more complex over time. However, science has since proven that the simple cell is actually extremely complicated with motors, machinery, mechanisms and systems of reproduction, with huge libraries of complex DNA code. There is an irreducible complexity to the even the simple cell that cannot be accounted for.
o If the cell were any less complex it could not exist as a life system. There is a minimum amount of complexity required for life, that cannot be accounted for by random development over time.
o There is no explanation possible for the vast volumes of information contained in the DNA code of even the simplest cell that could not possibly have it come from random change over time. In every experience of life, the presence of organized complex systems of information, and machinery, it is the product of design and a designer. (See the cosmological argument above)
B. Human Consciousness and Self-awareness: The presence of consciousness and life come from unconsciousness and non-life is a scientific and philosophical problem impossible to overcome.
o There is enough cumulative evidence for a creator to put the matter of man’s origin beyond reasonable doubt. (Evolutionists’ resistance to intelligent design borders on the pathological and religious.)
3. The Human/Divine Partnership: It is evident from the description of creation in and 2 that God intended a partnership between Adam and himself. This is the divine pattern from the inception of creation, that God intended to engage in a partnership with human being in order to accomplish his goals and purposes. This partnership would find its ultimate and absolute expression in the incarnation of the Son of God. If we are to ask the reason that Good created man in the first place, we come up with a very interesting answer.
A. Taking Dominion and Kingdom Building: gives is a picture of garden that God created for Adam and Eve, where they were to begin the project of “taking dominion” over the earth. They were to begin there and to extend the rule of God on his behalf in his image and likeness to the whole of creation. The garden was a favorable environment, whereas the rest of the earth was less favorable and required development (). Many have called Eden the garden temple (and the symbolism of trees and angels in the temple and tabernacle support this), where they were privileged to fellowship with God and communion with him.
B. After the Fall: In scripture after the fall, God is continually seeking men and women with whom he might partner and fellowship. Abraham is one who is called the “God’s friend” (; ; ). Moses is said to have fellowshipped with God face to face like a man talks to his friend, it was direct and intimate, not like the more indirect ways God communicated with other prophets (). Israel was called to be a people among whom God dwell, building on the Garden of Eden, whereby God says that he will be there God and they were to be his people (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ), and he said that his intention to was to live among them (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). In Revelation at the close of the age, the purpose is fulfilled and God states that in eternity the redeemed will be his people and he will be their God, dwelling among them in fellowship ().
C. The Church and the Project of Kingdom Building: God’s redemptive purposes, therefore, are carried forward in the church empowered by the presence of the Spirit among them, as he enables his people in this present age to seek to win the lost.
4. The Adam and Eve Partnership: The first pair were never in competition with one another over leadership authority. They were created equal with different roles. Together as a unity of male and female they represented the image of God (not individually and separately as we often emphasize today.). Although each bore the image of God and his likeness, somehow as a unit of male and female, they more perfectly reflected God to his creation ().
A. Eve was taken from Adam’s side, a symbolic representation of equality. Her role is clearly defined as a someone suitable for Adam, to support and encourage him ()
o HELPER – Someone who provides aid and relief.
o SUITABLE – Right and appropriate for the purpose or situation
B. There is No Implication of Inferiority or Subordination (just differentiated roles): It is only in our present sinful world condition that we ascribe a sense of inferiority to the role of helper, or practical role of providing aid. Eve’s role was not inferior, it was different to Adam’s. Please note she was assigned it by God, just as Adam was, and was created and commissioned to his purpose. (Eve broke faith with God and Adam when she ate the fruit and sabotaged Adam rather than heling him. She violated the covenant and she compromised her commission and role, the one assigned to her by God). After sin entered the garden we see that contention arises over headship and rulership (remember the original commission to take dominion). God notes that Eve will aspire to dominate Adam and he will ruthlessly resist ()!
5. The Fall into Sin (): In this study we will do a whole section on sin. At this point we want to note the effect of sin on the immediate relationship of man to God and the effect on humanity itself. to us the account of the entrance of sin into creation through the temptation and failure of the first pair, Adam and Eve. We will analyze the mechanism of this temptation and failure later, but right now we want to note the effect sin had on them.
A. The Discovery of Guilt And Shame: The idea that Adam and Eve were naked in the garden without shame or embarrassment, is foreign to us. That they were not ashamed in the presence of God is just weird. Our inability to comprehend this is the result of sin, because sin has corrupted all innocence. When Eve ate the fruit and gave it to Adam, they first felt ashamed of their nakedness. Lest we think that this is a prurient detail in the story, we need to understand that the discovery is an indication that they are now experiencing guilt, shame and the realization of their failure to obey God. They are ashamed and afraid of God when he comes into the garden (), precisely because they have disobeyed him, which is why he questions them about who told them they were naked. No one had. They didn’t need to be told. They had discovered it as a result of their disobedience to God. Their attempts to cover up and compensate were not adequate and they could not reverse the consequences of their actions.
B. The Banishment from The Garden: The banishment from the garden is both real and symbolic in nature. If the garden is a temple, the place of worship and fellowship with God, designed to expanded throughout the earth, then their sin now makes it impossible to remain in fellowship and proximity to God. God is holy and he will not have anything to do with sin. They had excluded themselves from his presence by surrendering to temptation. They are therefore banished. The intimacy is forfeited, the privilege of dwelling with God, his presence with them in continual fellowship is compromised and lost.
C. Redemption is Promised and Demonstrated Right Away: At the close of chapter three Good remarkably kills and animal to use its skins to cloth them pair. In that action, a number of redemptive ideas are ensconced and the groundwork for redemption is laid.
o God provides he covering for their nakedness as a result of sin, because the coverings they have provided are inadequate. In this he demonstrates that if they are reconciled to him, he will need to provide the means. They cannot in and of themselves find their way back to God.
o This act of redemption was costly and shocking, as the first pair watch bloodshed of one of the animals in the garden for the first time, its fear, its struggle, its death and its blood shed for them, standing in their place. God had warned them that if they ate of the fruit they would die (). Indeed they would and did. But the purpose of God was to beat a path back to life for them through redemption. By enacting a sacrificial slaying of an animal, both the cost and means of redemption are demonstrated.
o He had already promised, when he cursed the serpent, that there would be enmity between the woman’s offspring and the serpent’s, and that the serpent would bruise his heel (the offspring of the woman), but that he would in turn crush the serpent’s head (). In that statement God was making the promise of redemption, but indicated that the victory over the serpent would cost the offspring of the woman suffering. Note that the bruising of the heel of the offspring of the woman indicates that the suffering is not permanent, of catastrophic, and that the offspring will “survive it.” As in and , prefigures not only the death and suffering of the Messiah, but his triumph and victory through resurrection!
o This off course found its fulfillment in the cross, and in the death of Jesus Christ (cf. ).
D. The Condition of Man Following the Fall into Sin: In God warned that if Adam ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he would die (). In other words, there would be consequences for disobedience. These consequences immediately play out in their banishment from the garden and their alienation from God, the loss of intimacy and fellowship. If we read scripture correctly “death” can be characterized as the cessation of physical life and eternal separation (banishment)from God (see below). The consequences of sin are best described by Paul in ).
o Sin entered the world through one man, Adam.
o Death was a consequence of sin, and so death also entered the world simultaneously.
o Sin and death were both passed on to the whole human race as a consequence of Adam’s sin, so that all are born in sin and all die.
o All are born alienated or separated from God, incapable in our natural condition of intimacy and fellowship with God, and in need of redemption and reconciliation to God, a reconciliation that we are incapable of providing for ourselves. Paul describes this as death reigning over the entire race as a consequence of Adam’s sin.
o Jesus was one man, born sinless into the world, who gave his life on the cross to suffer the fullest extent of the consequences of sin, the full judgment of God and his wrath, in order that he might exhaust the judgment of God and offer reconciliation and redemption to those who are sinners from birth. While we were still sinner Christ died for us that we might be justified before God, and have peace with him through reconciliation by faith ().
o The fallen condition of human beings includes a fundamental flaw in their nature as a result of sin, genetically passed down from generation to generation. This is first of all seen in the Old Testament with the birth of Cain and Abel, with Cain slaying Abel and refusing to repent (). This is followed by a description of humanity at the time being absolutely wicked and beyond hope, with God exasperated and full of regret over their creation (). This in turn is followed by a description of the arrogance of man after the flood, their rejection of God and their rebellion against his rule (). Their intention was to provide community and self-rule without God, in a city and society where they did not need him, and with the tower as a symbol of their independence from God (a sort of “in your face” gesture of defiance.
o David acknowledges after his sin with Bathsheba that there is a flaw in his nature, and that he was born in sin, corrupt from the very day he arrived in the world (). Ezekiel speaks of a new covenant in which God will give his people a new heart to replace the old one, meaning their human nature corrupted and affected by sin (; ). Jeremiah said that the heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure and understanding (). Jesus said that the evil men do comes first from the wickedness that is in their hearts, where the heart is originator of sin, meaning the corruption in their nature, and it is that which defiles them in the sight of God (; )! Paul confirms this in a morbid discussion of his encounter with the law as a rule of righteousness which he could not possible keep. He found that the law revealed only that there was a serious corruption in his nature that made righteousness before God impossible (without union with Christ) (). Later on Paul would call this the old man, or old self which was in need of being “put off” (); -24; )
E. Redemption, Judgment and the Wrath of God: Paul states in that the entire human race stands under the condemnation and wrath of God, as a result of it rebellion against him, its stubborn refusal to acknowledge God and because of an unwillingness to repent (). In and 3 Paul demonstrates that no matter what our background, Jewish or Gentile, law or no law, we all stand in danger of God’s judgment because we have all sinned. The conclusion is that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (), and have only one hope, that is redemption, the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ (). This redemption has been accomplished by Jesus Christ, whom God himself presented as an atoning sacrifice for sins, by shedding his blood on the cross, and thereby offering propitiation to God for the sins committed by men (). In Colossians Paul more clearly describes the mechanism by which the cross has atoned for sins. In , Paul explains that although we were dead in trespasses and sins, Christ died on the cross for us (cf. ). God cancelled the debt our sins incurred with respect to his holiness, which resulted in judgment, by nailing them to the cross with Christ, as he took our place (). The result was that not only were are sins atoned for, resulting in God forgiving and justifying us, but the power of sin, death and the one who is the instigator of sin has also been thoroughly disarmed and disempowered by God through Christ and his resurrection (). The cross became the decisive moment when the power of sin to bring condemnation on us from God’s wrath, and its power to enthrall and dominate us was decisively broken!
o Paul speaks of the wrath of God stored up for us because of our stubborn hearts of sin before God, resisting him in disobedience and refusing to repent (, ). Redemption then in the same as “being saved from God’s wrath (judgment)” ).
o God’s wrath comes and will come upon sin, and Paul says that we should make no mistake that judgment follows disobedience ().
o In Revelation where the end of time is envisioned in a prophetic scene out of a nightmare, the angel of God swings a sickle over the earth to cut down the wicked in order to gather them for final judgment and damnation ().
o One of the last scenes in Revelation prior to the new heavens and earth, is the great judgment seat of God, too where all are called who have been resurrection prior to the second death. These name are NOT written in the Book of Life, and are therefore condemned to the Lake of Fire forever ().
o Daniel assures us that everyone will be raised too life that has died, some to everlasting life and others to everlasting damnation and banishment from the presence of God ().
WHAT IS SIN?
(Vol. 2, Pages 117-145)
Let us begin with a few simple definition of sin. In his book on theology, volume 2 (117-145), Arrington gives three definitions of sin, and then explains the significance of sin. This list comes from the words used in the New Testament for sin. The first of these words is the word from which we get the technical theology term for the study of sin, hamartiology.
1. Sin (harmartia): This is the most basic definition of sin, or wrongdoing, the idea of missing the mark. It presupposes a standard of behavior or conduct that has been missed, ignore or not complied with.
A. Missing the Mark: When we talk about God we are talking about the missing the mark of what he has required, failure to live up to the standard he has revealed. We have missed the mark. However, the standard that we have failed to meet is not an external or arbitrary standard, but a standard that consists in the nature of God own holiness and righteousness.
B. God’s Holiness is the Standard: Since God is in fact stated everywhere in the Bible to be holy, and his holiness is inviolable and without possibility of compromise, sin, and sinners are automatically excluded from fellowship and connection with God, unless a remedy for sin can be found. Paul says that sin leads to death, that is alienation from God, and in that passage he means even for those who once claimed salvation, but have gone back to persistent and habitual sinning (cf. ). In , sin is described in this most basic way, when Paul says that we have all sinned and missed the mark of God’s glory; that is the standard of God’s righteousness and holiness, for which he originally created us in his image.
C. Sin is Moral Corruption of Human Nature: Paul also note in and in that sin is not just wrong conduct, or conduct that misses the mark of God required standard, but that it is a universal condition of humanity born into the world without Christ. and both deal with this issue, where David laments that he is born in sin and is flawed in his nature from birth on, and Paul explains that this flaw has been passed on from Adam, who was the first to sin, too the whole human race through hereditary genetics. In Paul describes this desperate condition (via his own testimony), and demonstrates that without union to Christ he cannot not be freed from the sin flaw in his nature, and he cannot produce the righteousness of God until he is first saved and rescued from sin by Christ.
2. Transgression (parabasis): Sin is sometimes described in the New Testament as transgression, meaning to over step a boundary. The point is that sin goes beyond the boundaries set by God.
A. Overstepping the Boundary: The first sin of Adam and Eve can be seen in this light, as a transgression, because God had defined a boundary beyond which they should not go, “do not eat…” (), but they stepped over that boundary and ate. They transgressed, or crossed the delineating line that God had set by his command. Transgression then is breaking the law or command of God and focuses on the act as direct and flagrant disobedience to God, his will and instruction. Paul often speaks of sin in this way in connection with the law or commands of God.
B. It is Deliberate: When Sin is described as a transgression it is viewed as a deliberate overstepping of the known boundary of God’s will or command and is therefore willful disobedience to God. This is rebellion. Sin is not an accidental moral mistake, but rather a choice to violate the will or law of God. This in turn speaks the underlying issue of the sinful corruption of human nature by that produces sin in us because we have fallen away from God in our natures, and are morally flawed. This flaw leads to desire controlling the will and forcing the issue of surrender to its wants and needs, even and especially when the appeal is outside of the boundaries of God’s commands (cf. ).
3. Ungodliness (asebeia): To call sin ungodliness is to focus on the moral corruption of sin with respect to our human nature and mind. deals with this, and describes the condition of the corrupt human personality before union with Christ. This describes the moral condition of corruption, the moral bankruptcy of the human condition without Christ.
A. Sin is Moral Pollution: Ungodliness is a reference to moral pollution of the life of those who disobey and reject God, in terms of both their inner impurity and outward wicked conduct.
B. Righteousness is Moral Purity and Uprightness: In the Bible, righteousness implies inward rightness and purity with God, manifested and complimented by right conduct outwardly, so that one is a reflection of the other. Outward works of righteousness without the inward purity of righteousness afford by God through Christ and the moral transformation of salvation is not enough. Jesus often called this sort of religiosity hypocrisy, when he found it in the Pharisees. In the same way, Jesus makes it clear in that it is the ungodliness, the corruption of the heart by sin, that produces sinful or wicked conduct.
4. The Origin of Sin: We need to say word about the origin of sin. It is clear from scripture that sin did not originate with God. However, God did create angelic being s and human beings with free will and moral agency, capable of making a choice between obedience to him, his command and surrender to his sovereignty, or not! We will not spend much time on the absolute beginning of sin with the rebellion of Lucifer in heaven, in an attempt to usurp the throne of God, along with one third of the created angelic beings. However, we want to spend a few moments considering the account in of the origin of sin in the human race and on earth.
A. Defying the Command of God: The command of God to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is odd to us. Why put it there if it was going to lead to the disaster that ensued in humanity? Simply put, love and obedience do not exist in a vacuum. For genuine love to be exercised toward God, by those who have genuine free will, there is always possibility that it will be withheld. The tree and the command are the lightning rod for demonstrating and expressing love.
o Love as God’s important principle for fellowship, requires holiness. At this point we get into an important principle in scripture. Love is not essentially emotional, it is about loyalty and obedience, it is practical in nature. God is less interested in our protestations of love, than he is in our demonstrations of love in terms of obedience and loyalty to his will. The one presupposes the other. So in the scriptures, especially in Deuteronomy in connection with Israel’s ongoing relationship with God we are constantly faced with the formula, expressed in a variety of ways, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. In this way love is principally a matter of obedience to God!
o The principle is that a genuine heart toward God (love), will result in genuine conduct of obedience and loyalty. So, when our conduct violates the command of God, it is indicative of a flaw in our love for God. This is consistent with the picture of righteousness in the Old Testament, that it involves integrity, the inner condition of heart purity, matched and expressed in right conduct.
o We see that when sin occurred in the garden that the temptation of Satan of Eve was an appeal to her desire, her mind and her will to defy God. There was in this temptation an attempt to corrupt her thinking, and perception, and once she had surrendered her will to the suggestion, she acted. This is the anatomy of sin. It is a violation of the will and command of God through disobedience, premised on an inner surrender of the will to the idea of disregarding the command of God, and one’s responsibility and loyalty to God.
· It is this attitude of surrender and willingness to surrender to sin that Adam and Eve would now passion to the human race as a flaw in their nature.
· So we see in the nature of the temptation and how it went down that Eve’s attitude toward God and his command changed, signaling a shift in her loyalty, and an unwillingness to obey God, if it might advantage her. Her ego has grown, desire is asserting itself, and action follows. The damage to her nature and her basic psychology, including the development of a willingness to disobey God, had already arisen before she acted. It was not the simple act that caused the problem, because the problem of a failure in her nature had already occurred at the time she surrendered her will to the idea of disobeying God.
[1] Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996, Vol. 399; Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997. Kittel, Gerhard, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–, Vol. 4, 74.
[2] For example theologically designed statements concerning the Trinity are not found in scripture in the form they are often rendered by theologians. Nevertheless, there is a high degree of confidence among orthodox and evangelical theologians that trinitarian formulations are accurate reflections of the teaching found in scripture with respect to the nature and being of God.
[3] Schaeffer, Francis A. He is Here and He Is Not Silent. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1-2.
[4] Schaeffer, Francis A. He is Here and He Is Not Silent. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 4-20.
[5] Schaeffer, Francis A. He is Here and He Is Not Silent. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 91-92.
[6] Arrington, French L. Christian Doctrine: A Pentecostal Perspective. Vol. 1. Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 88
[7] Holmes, M. W. (2011–2013). The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (). Lexham Press; Society of Biblical Literature. ().
[8] Check out the research by Einstein on relativity, the Hubble’s theory of an expanding universe and the confirmation of this fact.
[9] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 493.
[10] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 674.
[11] Holmes, M. W. (2011–2013). The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (). Lexham Press; Society of Biblical Literature. NB. In our naturalistic western society serving and worship creation has taken on new meaning hitherto not understood by Paul in the first century context. Scientific naturalism has taken on the pathos of a religion, complete with creeds, mantras, liturgies and dogmatics. To violate the any of these is to risk excommunication from the “church” and worse, to lose research funding and grants (cf. Ben Stein’s DVD Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Vivendi Entertainment (available on Amazon Prime; Frank Turek’s Stealing From God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case. NavPress).
[12] Holmes, M. W. (2011–2013). The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (). Lexham Press; Society of Biblical Literature.
[13] Pope, William Burt. A Compendium of Christian Theology. (Vol. I). Second Enlarged and Revised Edition. London: Wesleyan Conference Office, 1879, 238.
[14] Pope, William Burt. A Compendium of Christian Theology. (Vol. I). Second Enlarged and Revised Edition. London: Wesleyan Conference Office, 1879, 238.
[15]Note that the argument proceeds from the premise of the existence of everything that has a beginning, a starting place. God did not have a beginning and is therefore not governed by this premise. More about that later.
[16] Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. Wheaton, ILL: Crossway Books, 2008, 96-98.
[17] Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. Wheaton, ILL: Crossway Books, 2008, 96.
[18] Stobel, Lee. The Case for a Creator: A Journalist investigates The Scientific Evidence that Points Toward God. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004, 97-98.
[19] Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. Wheaton, ILL: Crossway Books, 2008, 125.
[20] Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. Wheaton, ILL: Crossway Books, 2008, 125.
[21] Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. Wheaton, ILL: Crossway Books, 2008, 126.
[22] Pope, William Burt. A Compendium of Christian Theology. (Vol. I). Second Enlarged and Revised Edition. London: Wesleyan Conference Office, 1879, 238-239.
[23] By reasonable we mean that if similar discoveries were made, like a manuscript or a book, written with words, grammar, and in a language that could be understood by others, with literary structure and purpose, we would never conclude that it was the product of random purposeless forces. For more information on design in creation in a readable format, check out Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for a Creator, by Zondervan.
[24] Schaeffer, Francis A. He is Here and He Is Not Silent. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 91.
[25] The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[26] Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977, 43.
[27] Cross, F. L., and Elizabeth A. Livingstone, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005, 120.
[28] Arrington, French L. Christian Doctrine: A Pentecostal Perspective. Vol. 1. Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 130-131).
[29] Arrington, French L. Christian Doctrine: A Pentecostal Perspective. Vol. 1. Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 131.
[30] Arrington, French L. Christian Doctrine: A Pentecostal Perspective. Vol. 1. Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 131-133.
[31] Arrington, French L. Christian Doctrine: A Pentecostal Perspective. Vol. 1. Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 133.
[32] Arrington, French L. Christian Doctrine: A Pentecostal Perspective. Vol. 1. Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 136.
[33] Arrington, French L. Christian Doctrine: A Pentecostal Perspective. Vol. 1. Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 136.