The Doctrine of God - Introduction

Natural Theology - A type of theology that seeks to provide arguments for the existence of God based on reason and ordinary experience of nature and the universe.

Biblical Theology - A type of theology that seeks to understand God as He has revealed Himself to us through His Word

Systematic Theology - A type of theology that seeks to arrange religious truths in a self-consistent whole.

Natural Theology

Psalm 8:3–4 KJV 1900

3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?

We are to consider God’s Creation. One of the purposes of this universe is to declare the Glory of God (Psalm 19:1)

When we do, we should draw two conclusions from the exercise:

An understanding of the Creator’s demonstrated characteristics

An understanding of our proper position in relation to our Creator

So we are to contemplate God’s creation. Why?

Romans 1:19–20 KJV 1900

Psalm 19:1–3 KJV 1900

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard.

The context of Romans 1 indicates that this “General Revelation” of who God is is not enough to lead one to salvation. In fact, because of sin’s effect on human reason, it rather leads one to judgment than to salvation.

Creation can let us know there is indeed a Supreme Deity out there. A Creator that made all of this, and even some of His characteristics (powerful, intelligent, etc.)

It cannot let us know anything about Him personally. I.e., love, mercy, etc.

A reliance on natural theology alone must therefore assume that human reason has not been tainted by original sin

All the way back to ancient Greece, and probably before them, philosophers sought to discover metaphysical truths by observing creation

They did so under the assumption that human reason was sufficient to discover all truth, given enough time

We see this idea arise in the late middle ages in the Catholic apologetic, Summa Theologica, by Thomas Aquinas.

He believed in the Original Fall and that the soul and body were corrupted by sin

Desiring to incorporate ancient Greek and Roman writings, he held that the human intellect was NOT touched by sin and was still in a state of perfection

Therefore we could use reason to discover truth from General Revelation

This turns out to be false however.

Romans 1:28 KJV 1900

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Romans 8:7 KJV 1900

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

1 Timothy 6:5 KJV 1900

5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

2 Corinthians 3:14 KJV 1900

14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV 1900

4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Romans 12:2 KJV 1900

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Human reason by itself is not sufficient to discover truth.

Biblical Theology

Biblical theology is closely related to systematic theology, but differs in one area:

Static vs. Dynamic

Systematic theology focuses on the final state of the doctrines we profess

Biblical theology is more interested in the process by which revelation unfolds and moves toward the goal which is God’s final revelation in Jesus Christ.

Systematic theology is interested in the finished article - the statement of Christian doctrine

Biblical theology is concerned with the progressive unfolding of truth.

Systematic Theology

Using biblical texts, systematic theology attempts to compare and relate all of scripture which led to the creation of a systematized statement on what the whole Bible says about a particular topic.

Generally divided into the following categories

Doctrine of Holy Scripture

Doctrine of God

Doctrine of the Godhead

Doctrine of Man

Doctrine of Sin and the Fall

Doctrine of Salvation

Doctrine of the Church

Doctrine of the End Times

Obviously in both Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology we move from General Revelation (nature) to Special Revelation (scripture).

It’s from a thorough and systematic study of scripture that we begin to see the totality of who God is as He has revealed Himself to us.

Understanding God

Why is it important to know who God is?

Because we are called to be Christ-like. What does that look like?

Because we are called to continue Christ’s mission here on earth.

What is that mission?

Why is that the mission?

How did He accomplish it?

We will ultimately be judged on how well we measured up to His example.

What example did He leave for me?

How am I to “measure up”?

I’m commanded to trust in God. Can I trust someone I don’t know?

He revealed Himself to us for a reason. It’s God’s perfect will for us to know Him.

So this study will be an attempt to bring together everything we know about God with the express intent of getting to know Him better.

The Knowability of God

Incomprehensible

Job 11:7 KJV 1900

7 Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?

Romans 11:33 KJV 1900

33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Isaiah 40:18 KJV 1900

18 To whom then will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

Although we seek in this study to know who God is, we must begin with the understanding that the totality of God is incomprehensible.

We must also acknowledge before we begin that we will never possess a complete picture of who God is this side of glory

Nor will we possess a complete understanding of God’s plans and designs.

Knowable

Hebrews 1:1–3 KJV 1900

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Jesus is the express image of God.

John 1:18 KJV 1900

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

God made Himself known to us through the person of Jesus Christ

John 17:3 KJV 1900

3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Except we know who God is, we cannot experience salvation

1 John 5:20 KJV 1900

20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Philippians 3:10 KJV 1900

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

It’s God’s express design and desire to reveal Himself to us so that we might know Him

Ultimately we will come to know God completely

1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV 1900

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

The Existence of God

Genesis 1:1 KJV 1900

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Psalm 14:1 KJV 1900

1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, There is none that doeth good.

Romans 1:19–21 KJV 1900

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

We find no “evidences” for the existence of God in scripture

It’s stated matter of fact that He does indeed exist, and that He created everything.

The bible declares that it’s “foolishness” to not accept the fact of God’s existence.

Ultimately we must come to the conclusion that the acknowledgement of the existence of God is an act of faith

Inductive arguments vs. Deductive arguments

This faith is neither ‘blind’ nor ‘unreasonable’

Faith is a gift from God (Romans 10:17)

However this faith from God is supported by numerous and powerful evidences clear to the unbiased mind.

Do you want to be right or do you want truth?

There is no argument known to us which, as an argument, leads to more than a probable (highly probable) conclusion. For example, most of us believe that the sun will rise tomorrow morning, but if we were to analyze the evidences, the arguments that lead to such a conclusion, we should be forced to admit that the arguments, good as they are, are characterized by probability. The theistic arguments are no exception to the rule that all inductive arguments about what exists are probability arguments. This is as far as the arguments, qua arguments, claim to go. — James Oliver Buswell, Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, p. 72

These arguments for the existence of God are no substitute for Special Revelation, neither can they lead someone to salvation

They may however get someone to begin to question their commitment to another worldview and make them more open to hearing the Gospel

Arguments for the Existence of God

The Argument from Reason

Cause and Effect

Matter and motion - three explanations

They exist eternally

2nd law of thermodynamics contradicts this possibility. Everything is winding down, losing energy, etc.

The universe is expanding outward from a central location indicating a beginning

They emerged from nothing - Physical impossibility. Unless you wish to appeal to miracles

They were caused

Most logical conclusion

Does it seem likely that rational beings can emerge from an irrational process?

Man’s innate knowledge of God

Mankind seems to possess a universal belief in a supreme being of some kind

“Man is incurably religious”

One must actively push the idea of God out of our heads if that’s the goal.

The Argument from Nature

Design and Purpose

We don’t see a chaotic jumbling together of bits of matter, but everything highly organized and very well designed

The earth

Tilt of the axis provides seasons and the best distribution of light and heat during the year

Perfect distance from the sun to avoid freezing and burning

Chemical composition of the atmosphere is ideally balanced for animal and vegetable life

The ratio of land and water gives proper rainfall and humidity

Life

DNA molecule

Irreducible Complexity

Human intellect and abstract reasoning

The Argument from History

No figure can compare to Jesus Christ when one considers the impact one has had in our world

Foundations of Pentecostal Theology (B. Arguments for God’s Existence)

Christ’s uniqueness is well expressed by Napoleon in a letter to General Bertrand:Divine effects compel me to believe in a divine cause. Yes, there is a divine cause, a sovereign reason, an infinite being. That cause is the cause of causes … There exists an infinite being, compared with whom you, General, are but an atom; compared with whom I, Napoleon, with all my genius, am truly nothing; a pure nothing. I perceive Him—God. I see Him, have need of Him, I believe in Him.If you do not believe in Him, well, so much the worse for you. But, you will, General, yet believe in God. I can pardon many things, but I have a horror of an atheist and materialist … The gods, the legislators of India and of China, of Rome, and of Athens, have nothing which can overawe me … It is not so with Christ. Everything in Him astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, and His will confounds me. Between Him and whoever else in the world, there is no possible term of comparison. He is truly by himself. His ideas and His sentiments, the truths which He announces, His manner of convincing, are not explained either by human organization or by the nature of things.His birth, and the history of His life; the profundity of His doctrine, which grapples with the mightiest difficulties, the most admirable solution; His Gospel … His march across the ages and the realms, everything is for me a prodigy, a mystery insoluble, which plunges me into a reverie from which I cannot escape, a mystery is there before my eyes, a mystery which I can neither deny nor explain … I search in vain in history to find the equal of Jesus Christ.

The Argument from Morality

These then are the two points I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in. — C.S. Lewis

We were created in God’s image - we possess His moral nature

We still possess a moral nature with strong opinions of right and wrong, but because of the fall we no longer possess the correct rights and wrongs with which to order our lives.

Conclusion

Hebrews 1:1–3 KJV 1900

It’s been God’s desire and plan all through the ages to reveal Himself to us so that we might know Him. Serve Him. Love Him.