BASIC CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE (ENGLISH) // MODULE - 2 // THE NATURE AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD //

  

BASIC CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

 

Module:2 THE NATURE AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

 

THE NATURE OF GOD

Romans 1:19–20 indicates that the existence of God may be known by all thought general revelation.9 However, to know the nature of God, it is necessary to turn to special revelation, to the Bible. God discloses himself in a variety of ways in the Bible. An important way of knowing something about Him is supplied through His divine names.

 

’El (Heb. “God”), the singular form, occurs about 250 times in the Bible and emphasizes the idea of strength (see Gen. 14:18–22). A related singular form, ’Eloah (Heb.), is found 42 times in the Book of Job alone. But its plural, ’Elohim, occurs over 2,000 times in the Old Testament; it is usually connected with God’s creative power and providential care of the universe and humankind. Further, its implication is of plurality in the Godhead (see Gen. 1:26; 3:22).

 

Yahweh is translated “LORD” in many English versions.10 It is God’s covenant-keeping name (see Mal. 2:5; 3:6). This name occurs some 7,000 times in the Bible. Its meaning is “He will [actively] continue to be.” It also implies He will show what kind of God He is by what He does, and is especially connected with the promise “I will be with you” (see Ex. 3:12). Special compound names, employed with ‘El and with Yahweh, emphasize the nature of God and His covenantal relationships. These include ’El Shaddai, “God Almighty” (Gen. 17:1; from a root shadu, meaning “mountain”); ’El Elyon, “God Most High” (Gen. 14:18); ’El Ro’i, “The God who sees me” (Gen. 16:13); ’El ‘Olam, “The Eternal God” (Gen. 21:33); ’El ’Elohe Yisra’el, “God, the God of Israel” (emphasizing God’s special relation with Israel, Gen. 33:20); Yahweh-ropheka, “The LORD your [personal] Physician” (Ex. 15:26); Yahweh-nissi, “The LORD my Banner” (Ex. 17:15); Yahweh-shalom, “The LORD is Peace” (Judg. 6:24); Yahwehro’i, “The LORD my Shepherd” (Ps. 23:1). The One who forgives is denoted by Yahweh-tsidkenu, “The LORD our Righteousness” (Jer. 23:6). The name of the New Jerusalem will be Yahweh-shammah, “The LORD is there” (Ezek. 48:35). And God’s heavenly name is Yahweh-sabaoth, “The LORD of hosts [including angelic hosts]” (Ps. 148:2; cf. Matt. 26:35).

 

These are other important terms that describe the nature of God: ’Adonai (Heb.), Kurios (Gk.), “Lord”; ‘Attiq Yomin (Aramaic), “The Ancient of Days,” a title given in connection with His judging and ruling over the kingdoms of this world (Dan. 7:9,13,22); Qedosh Yisra’el (Heb.), “The Holy One of Israel”

 

Ab (Heb.; Aramaic ’Abba; Gk. Ho Patēr), “Father,” or “O, Father!” (a very respectful form of address in Bible times); Melek (Heb.), “King” (Isa. 6:1,5); Go’el (Heb.), “Redeemer”; Despotēs (Gk.), “Lord,” “Master,” “Owner”; and Rishon wa-’acharon (Heb.; Gk. Ho Protos kai Ho Eschatos), “The First and the Last” (speaking of His rule over the entire course of history, Isa. 44:6; 48:12; Rev. 2:8).

 

THE TRINITY

A great mystery is before us here, for, since there is only one God, only one Trinity (or “Triunity”), we have no adequate analogies, or comparisons, to aid us in understanding the Trinity of the Godhead (the divine Being that exists in a unity of three distinct, divine Persons).

God the Father is principally credited with the work of creation; God the Son is the principal agent in applying the word of redemption to humanity; God the Holy Spirit is the deposit, or first installment, guaranteeing our future inheritance.

 

Although there is no specific passage in the Bible that uses the term “trinity,” there are numerous passages that allude to the Trinity. A vivid example is clearly given in the events of the baptism of Jesus at the Jordan River by John the Baptist: “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (Matt. 3:16–17). The Trinity is admittedly a mystery, a mystery too great for human comprehension. But as with so many truths hard for the unregenerate person to accept, the Spirit of Truth helps our weakness and human inability (1 Cor. 2:13–16). We worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and recognize their personalities in what we see in the Bible. Therefore, we humbly acknowledge that they are One in fellowship, purpose, and substance.

 

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

In addition to the attributes that describe His inner nature, God bears special relationships to His creation. These are called communicable attributes, for they can be found (to a much lesser degree, of course) in human nature. They may be divided into two categories: natural and moral.

Among these natural attributes is God’s omnipotence (the quality of being all-powerful). He enjoys freedom and power to do all that is consistent with His nature. He is sovereign over the universe. Isaiah 40:15 describes the majesty of the King of kings: “Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.” But if God is sovereign, one may ask, why is there sin in the world? The answer lies in the fact that God is sovereign over himself and has the power to limit himself:12 He chose freely to create beings (people and angels) with the integrity of moral choice. God determined that He would not invade the freedom of the personal will.

 

God is omnipresent, everywhere present (Ps. 139:7–10). He is not limited by space. He is present to people everywhere, and to all that He has created, in manifold and wonderful ways, loving and caring for even the sparrow that falls (Matt. 6:25–29).

 

Although He is present everywhere, one must remember that while He especially reveals himself and His glory in heaven, on earth He dwells only in intimate personal relationship with those who humble themselves and choose to admit Him into the sanctuary of their inmost being (Isa. 57:15; Rev. 3:20).

 

God is omniscient, having infinite, universal, complete knowledge and insight. He views reality from a different perspective than we do. We see things in a stream of consciousness. Life is for us a flow along a time line. For example, we look ahead to the future, which eventually becomes the present and then the past. For God, however, all reality is known to Him.

Besides the natural attributes of God, which form an important category of His communicable attributes, there are several moral attributes.

 

Goodness is one of them. God is truly a good God. He is disposed to looking out continually for the welfare of His creation. He does not set out to lay snares for His creatures. Evil is an enemy of both creation and God. The Bible is filled with descriptions of God’s goodness, people ascribing to Him such characteristics as love (1 John 4:8), loving-kindness and faithfulness (Ps. 89:49), grace (Acts 20:24), and mercy (Eph. 2:4). The greatest act of God’s love is displayed in the climax of His plan of redemption at the Cross. No one has greater love than this.

 

God is holy. Central to the biblical message about God’s character is His holiness. “Holy” in the Bible basically means “separated, dedicated.” There are two important aspects of God’s holiness. (1) He is separated from and elevated above all that is transient, impermanent, finite, imperfect, as well as all that is evil, sinful, and wrong. (2) He is also separated to and dedicated to the carrying out of His great plan of redemption, the bringing in of the coming Kingdom, and, ultimately, setting up the new heavens and the new earth. This conception of God is utterly necessary for a proper understanding of worship. It is a helpful corrective to “cheap, easy believism” and superficial religious experience, which do not serve to dedicate us to doing the will of God. God evokes awe, for He is holy. (See Isa. 6:1–5.)

 

God is also righteous. This means He can be depended on to act with justice (see Deut. 32:4; Dan. 4:37; Rev. 15:3). More than that, it means that God is in himself essential righteousness itself (Ps. 71:19). It is His nature to be just; He will always be true to His nature (Isa. 51:4–6). It is this characteristic of God that gives moral order to the universe.

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