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Chapter 9 – The Greatness of God-THEO-
201
Theology Survey I (Liberty University)
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Chapter 9 – The Greatness of God
GOD IS…
1. Life
2. Light
3. Love
4. Spirit
5. Liberty
- KNOW:
1. Theory
2. Mystery
3. Paradox
4. Contradiction
T/F: God can do anything
- it’s false God cannot lie, die, or make another god God will not and cannot do
anything that contradicts his character
●From God’s Holiness [primary, essential attribute] stem..
1. God’s Greatness = Natural Incommunicable attributes are not shared
with creatures: self-existence (aseity), eternity, infinity, immutability…
2. God’s Goodness = Moral Communicable attributes that He shares with us
since He created us imago Dei.
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- As image-bearers we can reflect to a lesser degree God’s kind of
love, mercy, power, justice…
●we’ve become like the God’s we serve
●Holiness is the one attribute that God is
1) God’s Spirituality: One true God worshiped in spirit
and truth John 4:24 ~ Jesus
●God is Spirit, invisible, therefore idolatry is wrong
●God is a Unity, there is no other God besides Him!
●God is Holy <Other=, separate from all His creation
●He is Holy in His (internal) being, pure; His
(external) actions, righteous
●Ascribing God human forms [anthropomorphisms]
helps us relate to Him
●As God is absolutely, morally perfect, we are
called to be holy like Him!
●Exclusively one and 2, He is personally and
properly named
●Anthropomorphism – human form
●Passionism – false suffering
2) God’s Vitality: God is Life, the light/source of all life!
●God’s Aseity, self-existent: God has no start nor
any antecedent cause
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●The Bible does not argue the existence of God,
it assumes and affirms it
●God’s Eternality: the Great I AM subsists; the
Source that sustains all life
●God’s Simplicity: He is independent of all; One
yet a trinity, three-in-one
●We need God and faith in Him; we must believe
He IS God… (Heb. 11:1)
●Out of nothing – ex nihilo
●YHWH – YAHWEH – JEHOVAH (GERMAN)
●Trinity – both eternality and simplicity
3) God’s Personality: God is a rational Being not
illogical but reasonable; not static but stable
●The God of the Bible, YHWH is exclusively
One and properly named!
●God is a rational person, not force; a logical Being
who thinks, feels, acts..
●God has a name! We personally can
encounter; experientially know Him
●God is personal & social; we can reverently
develop a relationship with Him
●God is self-conscious yet His omniscience is based
on His infinity. Next…
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●God is a social being
4) God’s Infinity: God is Unlimited, Unbounded, God
is Able, Omni…present/scient/potent!
●Matter of fact, God is able; limited only by His
own nature and will!
- Space: God is not confined to location; we
can’t hide from him!
- Knowledge: God is the Fount of all
wisdom; He needs no <access=
- Power: Impossible is Nothing with El
Shaddai yet God cannot..? God is Sovereign,
totally free always in control; trust and don’t
fear
5) God’s Constancy: unchanging, faithful One, He
keeps covenant, so can be implicitly trusted
●God is Immutable, unalterable; forever faithful, so
Mt. 28:19-20
●I AM that Lord I do not change [Mal. 3:6] so,
when God <repents=…
●Does God change His mind e.g. Noah, Jonah, Israel
and the sacrificial system?
●How do we account for God <seemingly=
changing His will or ways? Ask:
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1. Has our perception or orientation of his
ways changed?
2. Is this a new phase/stage in
God’s progressive revelation?
3. Will we trust His character, as
consistently stable?
4. Faith is reasonable yet accepts things it
cannot explain!
- Faith is reasonable yet accepts
things it cannot explain Questions:
1. Can God create another God
somewhere out there?!
2. Can God be shocked or is He
surprised by something
3. Can God make a rock so
heavy that he can’t move
it?
4. Can God draw a triangle
having four equal sides to it?
5. Can God change His mind
about some he determined?
6. Can God make an
unstoppable ball hit an
immovable wall?
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●Differentiate between a
theory, mystery, paradox,
and contradiction! God’s
Sovereign Freedom and
loving Faithfulness
●While God is bound to keep
his promises, he is not
initially under compulsion to
make those promises. On the
contrary, it is common to
attribute his decisions and
actions to the <good
pleasure of his will.= God’s
decision and actions are not
determined by consideration
of any factors outside
himself. They are simply a
matter of his own free
choice! [Erickson, p. 96]
●God’s person or character
and perfect will is changeless
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●His plans will prevail
(efficacious) and can’t
be thwarted!
●God is too wise to make
mistakes and too good to be
unkind!
●Bottomline: No matter what,
we can trust and obey our
God!
