“The Communicable Attributes of God”
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Welcome: We are so glad you are here with us tonight. Welcome to our Men’s Bible Study.
Announcements:
Tomorrow Evening at 4:00p.m. we will have our Christmas Eve Candle Light Service.
No Men’s Bible Study Next Monday December 30th. We will be back the following Monday which is Monday, January 6th.
Prayer:
Last week we began our study on who God is by looking at the Incommunicable attributes of God (that is those attributes that God does not share or communicate to others). This week we will now begin to look at the communicable attributes which are those attributes that God does share. So, the main question we will look at this evening is how is God like us?
*Have someone read the first major paragraph as well as the 5 major categories.
A. God’s Being.
B. Mental Attributes.
C. Moral Attributes.
D. Attributes of Purpose.
E. Summary Attributes.
Question #1 Name and differentiate between the two attributes that describe God’s being.
1. Spirituality. What is God made of? Is God made of matter like you and I? Is He made of flesh, bones, muscles? The answer in Scripture is that God is none of these things that we have mentioned. In John chapter 4 we see that God is Spirit.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Because God is Spirit helps us to understand that God is in no way limited to a spatial location. We should not think of God as having size or dimensions, even infinite ones. God is omnipresent. God is not like anything else in physical creation. God does not have a physical body, nor is he made of any kind of matter like much of the rest of creation. God is not merely energy or thought or some other element of creation. God is Spirit.
*God’s spirituality means that God exists as a being that is not made of any matter, has no parts or dimensions, is unable to be perceived by our bodily senses, and is more excellent than any other kind of existence.
2. Invisibility. Related to God’s spirituality is the fact that God is invisible. Yet we also must speak of the visible ways in which God manifests himself. We can define God’s invisibility as follows. God’s invisibility means that God’s total essence, all of his spiritual being, will never be able to be seen by us, yet God still shows himself to us through visible, created things.
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.
16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
Question # 2 What does it mean that God knows all things “Actual and Possible”?
When it comes to God’s mental attributes we come to understand that God is Omniscient. God’s knowledge may be defined as follows, God fully knows himself and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.
16 Do you know the balancings of the clouds,
the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,
20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
The definition also says that God knows all things actual and possible. This means all things exist, all things happen, and all things that might happen. God’s knowledge of all things actual applies to the entire creation, for God is the one before whom no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. God also knows all things possible, including events that might happen but do not actually come to pass. For example Jesus could state that Tyre and Sidon would have repented if Jesus’ own miracles had been done there in former days. Our definition of God’s knowledge speaks of God knowing everything in one simple act.
Question # 3 Differentiate between God’s attributes of mercy, grace and patience.
In this question we will look into the Moral Attributes of God. This is namely speaking about the goodness of God. The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval. Ultimately, therefore, God’s being and actions are perfectly worthy of his own approval.
19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Because we know that this attribute is true about God, we as believers should imitate this attribute. We should ourselves do good and thereby imitate the goodness of our Heavenly Father.
God’s goodness is closely related to several other characteristics of his nature. For example, God’s mercy and grace may be seen as two separate attributes, or as specific aspects of God’s goodness. God’s mercy means God’s goodness toward those in misery and distress. God’s grace means God’s goodness toward those who deserve only punishment. God is loving in the fact that He is patient with us sinners.
Question # 4 Why is it appropriate for God to be jealous for his own honor?
There are many times where we can associate the word jealous in a negative sense, however it can also be used in a positive way at times.
2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
God’s Word shows us that God is a jealous God and He continually and earnestly seeks to protect his own honor. He commands his people not to bow down to idols or serve them. He desires that we his people do not give ourselves to the worship of any false god. Thus God’s jealousy can be defined as follows, “God’s jealousy means that God continually seeks to protect his own honor.
In other words it is appropriate and not wrong for God to seek his own honor, however, for he deserves it fully. God freely admits that his actions in creation and redemption are done for his own honor.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for how should my name be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.
Question #5 Is God’s wrath inconsistent with his love? Explain.
The Bible often talks about the wrath of God. Even though we hear much about God’s love there are many passages that tell us about God’s wrath. It should not surprise us that God would hate everything that is opposed to his moral character. God’s wrath directed against sin is therefore closely related to God’s holiness and justice. God’s wrath may be defined as follows, “God’s wrath means that he intensely hates all sin.”
9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
What would God be like if He did not hate sin?
What would God be like if He was not troubled by sin?
So, in thinking about God’s wrath, we must also bear in mind his patience. Patience and wrath are mentioned together in Psalm 103.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
To rightly answer this question God’s wrath is not inconsistent with his love. We should be thankful for his patience in waiting to execute that wrath in order that yet more people may be saved.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Question # 6 What is the difference between God’s secret will and his revealed will?
God’s will is that attribute of God whereby he approves and determines to bring about every action necessary for the existence and activity of himself and all creation. This definition indicates that God’s will has to do with deciding and approving the things that God is and does. It concerns God’s choices of what to do and what not to do.
However, there are distinctions in aspects of God’s will and we see this namely in God’s secret will and God’s revealed will.
One helpful distinction applied to different aspects of God’s will is the distinction between God’s secret will and his revealed will. Even in our own experience, we know that we are able to will some things secretly and then only later make this will known to others. Sometimes we tell others before the thing that we have willed comes about, and at other times we do not reveal our secret will until the event we willed has happened. This verse in Deuteronomy is very helpful.
29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Those things that God has revealed are given to us for the purpose of obeying God’s will. That we do all the words of this law. There are also many other aspects of God’s will or plan that he has not revealed to us. These things would be details about future events, specific details about hardship or of blessing in our lives and so forth. In these matters we are to simply trust God.
God’s revealed will usually contains his commands or precepts for our moral conduct. This revealed will is what we should do or what God commands us to do.
On the other hand, God’s secret will usually includes his hidden decrees by which he governs the universe and determines everything that will happen. We do not find out what God has secretly purposed until events actually happen. Because this secret will of God has to do with his decreeing of events in the world, this aspect of God’s will is sometimes called God’s will of decree.
Question # 7 Are there any limitations to God’s power? Explain, using the definition of his attribute of omnipotence.
God’s omnipotence means that God is able to do all his holy will. The word omnipotence comes from the word omni which means all and the word potens which means powerful. So, omnipotence means all powerful. In other words, there are no limits on God’s power to do what he decides to do.
14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?
17 ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
There are, however, some things that God cannot do. God cannot will or do anything that would deny his own character. This is why we would say that the definition of omnipotence is stated in terms of God’s ability to do all his holy will. It is not absolutely everything that God is able to do, but everything consistent with his character.
1. God cannot lie.
2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
2. God cannot be tempted with evil.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
3. God cannot deny himself.
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
Although God’s power is infinite, his use of that power is qualified by his other attributes just as all God’s attributes qualify all his actions.
Questions?
Close in Prayer.
