The Order of YHWH
Order of the Cosmic Kingdom, part (a)
EDEN TO ZION VIDEO SERIES
Transcript
Introduction
God is King of His universal cosmic kingdom (e.g. 1 Chron. 29:11; Psalm 24:1; Deut. 10:14). In today’s western culture, it can be popular to push back from an any notion of hierarchy and even authority. The universe of which God is King however has a divine order, which made up of a perfect universal law, freedoms and constraints, missions, and ultimately is governed by a heavenly throne.
Before turning to chapter 3 of Genesis, we’re going to look at three main facets of the biblical worldview. First God himself – his nature; his attributes; how he’s described; the trinity; – what we call Theology Proper. Secondly, we’ll turn to the order of the field, the canvas of all things – the dwelling place of God; how is the throne room in heaven described; a biblical view of the order of nature; the where, what, why of sheol, hades, and the lake fire (we tend to bundle together as hell); and how God interacts with his creation. Then lastly, we’ll look at the Order of the players – looking at angelology; the order of mankind; and lastly animals and plants, and the hierarchy and ordained order between them all.
So: The order of God, the order of the field of play, the order of the players. We’ll broach these topics in two, possible three sessions, and then we’ll continue ploughing through the narrative. But it’s a good idea to firm up the pillars of our worldview – who is it that we worship and is in control, what is the field of play we are part of, and how should we interact with the master controller and his players.
If you’re new here, welcome, we’re in a series working our way through the grand narrative of the bible, investing time and thought in developing a biblical worldview as we go – hence the worldview language of controller, field, players.
In this session, then, the order of YHWH, or what we call theology proper.
Theology proper is what the revealed Word of God has to say about who God is.
God’s attributes
Firstly, the attributes of God.
To study God’s attributes is to discover who God is. His attributes speak of his character. Typically, Christians connect God with the attribute of love but then put aside his attributes of wrath, jealousy, or perhaps his immutability. If you pick and mix his attributes, you form a God in your own image. We could think of this purely an academic exercise, but no, if we are called to image God, and our character is the only think that matters, then we ought to learn about his attributes to reflect them. To build a biblical worldview of God’s character we must search the scriptures systematically to discover his many attributes.
God’s attributes are broadly categorised in two. Firstly, the incommunicable attributes of God – those less shared by us (for example, God’s eternity, unchangeableness, omnipresence etc). Secondly, the communicable attributes of God – those shared to some degree with God (for example, love, mercy, justice etc).
For accuracy and efficiency we will rely on Wayne Grudem’s definitions and general format of God’s attributes. There is no point in trying to be clever and coming up with our own definitions, so let us lean well-seasoned definitions and classifications.
God's incommunicable attributes
God is Self-existent
God is totally independent: “the world and its fullness” (Ps. 50:12) are His; He owes no one (Job 41:11); is in need of nothing including his own creation (Acts 17:25; Job 41:11; Ps 50:10-12); and yet he takes “great delight” (Zeph. 3:17) in it and our praise and glorification of him. Those who are “called by” his name are “created for” his glory (Isaiah 43:7; see Eph. 1:11-12; Rev. 4:11).
Jesus revealed that “before the world existed” he shared the “glory” with the Father (John 17:5). Jesus continued that “love” existed between him and the Father “before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). God necessarily exists as an incomparable being. Creation was desired, not necessary. Far from insignificant, God created man, determining our meaningfulness to him.
God’s self-existence or independence is defined as follows: “God does not need us or the rest of creation for anything, yet we and the rest of creation glorify him and bring him joy.”
God is Unchanging
God’s unchangeableness or immutability is defined as: “God is unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises, yet God does act and feel emotions, and he acts and feels differently in response to different situations.”
Consider the following scripture:
They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
but you are the same, and your years have no end. (Ps. 102:26-27)
God’s being, that includes his perfect character, and therefore his purposes, do not change. Once he has determined or promised that something will happen, it will. Through Malachi he declares: “For I the LORD [Yahweh] do not change” (Mal. 3:6).
Does God ever change his mind? What about the places in scripture where God relents from the course of judgement (see Ex. 32:9-14; Jon. 3:4, 10). Simply put, “God responds differently to different situations... but nevertheless remained unchanging in his being and purposes.”[3] This understanding provides hope for mankind that when a person repents from wicked ways, the LORD responds mercifully to our change. His unchangeableness also means we have a being to put faith, hope, and trust in; an ultimate authority "worthy... to receive glory and honor and power " (Rev 4:11).
God is passionate and feels emotions that include everlasting love (Isa. 54:8; Jer. 31; 1 John 4:8; John 3:16), joy (Zeph. 3:17; Isa. 62:5; Jer. 32:41), jealousy (Exodus 20:5; Joshua 24:19), hate (Proverbs 6:16; Psalm 5:5; 11:5), grief (ps. 78:40), pity (ps. 103:113), compassion (Ps. 135:14; Judges 2:18; Deut. 32:36), laughter (Ps. 2:4; 37:13: Proverbs 1:26). Our emotions and passions reflect his, except that our feelings are frequently distorted by sin. God’s emotions are righteous whereas our can align with evil.
God is Eternal and Timeless
Moses wrote in the Psalms: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Ps 90:2). Looking forward to the establishment of the Kingdom, David wrote: “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.” Ps. 145:13. Jude writes: “to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (25).
God is timeless in that he has existed from eternity past and will forever exist. He declares, “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Isa. 44:6; cf. 41:4; 48:12). Jesus calls himself “the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev. 1:8), meaning the beginning and the end.
God is an immaterial spirit who existed before he created material matter, and therefore time and space as we understand it. God is eternally independent of these three. He sees every particle of existence in all of history with the same clarity as if it just happened. That does not mean that God acts before time and lets the world unfold without interaction. It also does not mean that God sees all history playing at the same time. God determines ahead of time (Isa. 46:9-10), but he sees events in time and acts in time (Gal. 4:4-5). The Bible is a record of his acts, predictions, and fulfillment past and future as he acts in time. He created time, space, matter, he is ruler over it, and therefore his purposes are accomplished through them, as history plays out.
We can define his attribute of eternity (or eternality) as: “God has no beginning, end, or succession of moments in his own being, and he sees all time equally vividly, yet God sees events in time and acts in time.”
God is Omnipresent
As Lord over space, and who is not contained by space (1 Kings 8:27), “God is present at every point of space with his whole being, yet God acts differently in different spaces.”
David expresses God’s omnipresence:
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.” (Ps. 139:7-10)
It is not that God is so big that the universe cannot take all of him. But rather that his being is distinct from and is not to be thought of in spatial terms (even if he chooses to present himself in a specific form).
In Jeremiah it reads: “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord” (Jer. 23:23-24).
All thought, word, and deed are seen by God. Which is why Jesus would say: “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3).
God is present in some places to judge (Amos 9:1-4), while in another place to bless (Ps. 16:11), while sustaining all (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:17). To say then that going to hell (Sheol) is to be separated from God is an error. God is present but acts differently in hell (Sheol) than in heaven. When the bible speaks of God’s presence it is usually in reference to God’s specific blessing, making himself known to his people. When God is described as distant, his presence remains throughout the universe, but it means his specific blessing is removed from a people.
God is Unified
God is not for example partly love (1 John 4:8) and partly light (1 John 1:5). Any attribute of God is true of all his being. The bible communicates different attributes of God so that we can begin to grasp God’s character. This means that God responds the same throughout history, and that the character of the Father, Son, and Spirit are unified. God does not act differently in the OT than in the NT, or any other supposed dispensations of time. It is that God reveals different aspects of his character depending on the situation. His character is consistent, and we should caution against overemphasizing any one of his attributes. None is more important that the other, and it is his whole being that we should focus on.
We can define his unity as: “God is not divided into parts, yet we see different attributes of God emphasized at different times.”
God's Communicable Attributes
These are commonly categorized attributes that are somewhat reflected by us image bearers.
Attributes Describing God's being
Spirituality
Firstly, “God is spirit” (John 4:24). Spirit is not material, energy, or thought, but a real existence not associated with space. It is why we are not to worship, “an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below” (Ex. 20:4). The creator is not to be compared to his natural creation. His spirit is limitless, “is unable to be perceived by our bodily senses, and is more excellent than any other kind of existence.”
God has given man a spirit to reflect and become "one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17) with the Lord in prayer (1 Cor. 14:14), in worship (John 4:24; Phil. 3:3), the Holy "Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom. 8:16), and in death mans “dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7).
Invisibility
Secondly, because he is spirit, he is invisible. Having said that, God graciously allows his creation to see manifestations of him in heaven and on earth.
John tells us that, “No one has ever seen God; the only God [the Son], who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” (John 1:18)
God has appeared in what we call a theophany on numerous occasions. “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex. 33:11), in the form of a pillar of cloud, “But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” (vv. 20)
He appeared through different manifestations, to patriarchs, prophets, the people of Israel, and others.
Jesus was the greatest manifestation made visible through flesh. He said to Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). We are all promised that one day “we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2), “face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12). We may never see the full essence of God, but we will one day truly see the vividness of God, and in doing so “we shall be like him” according to the original order of the image.
We can define it then as: “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.”
Mental Attributes
God is Omniscient (all-knowing)
He knows himself fully, “has perfect knowledge” (Job 37:16), “he knows everything” (1 John 3:20) in existence and every possibly (Job 37:16; 1 John 3:20). He does not have to reason or calculate, nor reach/muse a conclusion. He never learns, nor forgets. His knowledge therefore does not increase, meaning he has known everything of history for eternity.
God is Infinitely Wise
Grudem defines God’s wisdom: “God’s wisdom means that God always chooses the best goals and the best means to those goals.”
When we question God’s acts or lack thereof, we are reminded by Paul, “that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). His wise decision meant the creation of all things (Ps. 104:24) and his wise decision continue to determine the best ways to get the best results from his perspective.
If we seek wisdom from other sources, we do with the knowledge that He is “the only wise God” (Rom. 16:27).
Proverbs 9:10 connects worship with wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Prov 9:10. cf. Ps. 111:10). David Finkbeiner comments: “Those who worship and know the Lord submit to His authority and consequently grow in wisdom and righteousness.”
James said, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (Jam. 1:5).
Reading the scriptures makes one wise (Ps. 17:7), and a nation who obeys his word will be recognized by others who will say, “surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Deut. 4:6-8). That was the mission given to Israel.
Because we will never fully receive the wisdom that the Lord has, there are times when we must trust and put our faith in his ways and means.
God is Faithful and True
Firstly, the God of the Bible is the true God.
Jeremiah says, “the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King… The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” (Jer. 10:10-11)
In his first epistle John writes: “we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20)
Secondly, God is the final standard of truth.
“The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.” (Deu. 32:4)
It is “impossible for God to lie” (Heb. 6:18; cf. Num. 23:19; Titus 1:2). Therefore, as a “God of faithfulness” (Deu 32:4) he cannot break his promises. His “words are true” (2 Samuel 7:28) and so we can rely on him to accomplish all that he has said he will.
Paul exhorts us to reflect this attribute of our creator: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col. 3:9).
We are to imitate his truthfulness and be one who “hates falsehood” (Prov. 113:5). For this reason, the ninth commandment reads: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex. 20:16).
Moral Attributes
God’s Goodness
God is the final standard of good, worthy of approval by himself. It is why after “God saw everything that he had made” he declared his own work as “very good” (Gen. 1:31).
Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19). God is the source of all good in the world (James 1:17; Ps. 154:9; Acts 14:17).
On occasion “he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). The prophet Nahum reminds us that, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him” (1:7). Jesus said the Father gives “good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11) of “those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). In reflecting his goodness, we are to “do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).
His goodness includes his mercy and grace. Grudem defines both: “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.”
Salvation is by the grace of God. It is because of his goodness, that although “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23-24).
God’s Love
“God’s love means that God eternally gives of himself to others.”
We’re familiar with John’s words: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This attribute is true within the Trinity from all eternity (John 17:24; John 14:31).
John reveals God didn’t wait on us to love: “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 john 4:10; cf. 1 john 4:19; John 3:16).
Paul adds: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).
God’s purpose is to give himself to humanity to bring about blessing and goodness.
We imitate this attribute by loving God in return, and loving people (Matt. 22:37-38). We therefore demonstrate our love: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 john 5:3).
We are warned: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)
God’s Holiness
“God’s holiness means that he is separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor.”
He calls himself the “Holy One” (Isaiah 43:15) on numerous occasions.
We are to imitate his holiness. We too are to “Strive for... holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). Again, “he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.” Heb 12:10
He said to Israel: “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2; fc. 1 Peter 1:16). Corporately too, the church is to become “holy and without blemish” so that “he might present the church to himself in splendor” (Ephesians 5:26–27). Eventually, when Jesus returns all things will become holy (Zechariah 14:20-21).
God’s Righteousness
“God’s righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right.”
“all his ways are justice… just and upright is he.” (Deut. 32:4)
Psalm 89 says: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” (Ps. 89:14)
Righteousness and justice are connected but distinct in the English language. However, Grudem points out that in both the biblical Hebrew and Greek there is one word group behind the English words for righteousness and justice.
It is right that God treats people based on what they deserve, and therefore His righteousness requires him to punish sin. The creator does not need to explain his actions to his creatures.
When we observe terrible acts of sin, man often asks, “where is God?” That God does not punish immediately does not mean he will not punish. He “will by no means clear the guilty” (Ex 34:7), but in his patience he gives man a chance to repent. Apart from any immediate consequences, punishment eventually comes to the sinner. The good news is that in time, and for all those who have faith in him, Jesus took the punishment on the cross “to show God's righteousness” (Rom 3:25).
We reflect God’s righteousness when we conform to God’s character. Two errors that befall Christians is, firstly to neglect our call to seek justice in society, and secondly to adopt a secular version of justice. On the first count, God does not reward passivity, and on the second, man “introduces distortions into their practice and lives” ironically drifting away from God’s righteousness. We see large portions of the church falling for secular social justice movements today.
Knowing he is righteous and sovereign overall means that justice will be done.
God is Jealous
Moses wrote: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deut. 4:24).
“God’s jealousy means that God continually seeks to protect his own honor.”
Jealousy is sometimes thought of as a bad thing. Distinct from envy, which desires what is not yours, jealousy is being protective of what is rightfully yours.
For this reason, He says to the Israelites “for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14; cf. Deut. 5:9)
When man is jealous it is not always wrong (see 2 Cor. 11:2) but our actions most often present pride seeking one’s own honour.
It is helpful to remember that we belong to God and only he is worthy of all praise, honor, glory.
God’s Wrath
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger” (Ps. 103:8), with great kindness “meant to lead you to repentance” (Rom. 2:4). But God’s wrath is his response to anything that is opposed to God’s moral character.
“God’s wrath means that he intensely hates all sin.”
God’s wrath is seen throughout the OT in response to those who do not follow his will, particularly idolatry. Because of Israel’s obstinance, God said to Moses, “let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them” (Exodus 32:10).
The prophets wrote of a future "day of wrath" (Zeph. 1:14-15). The NT affirms the message of the prophets saying, “the wrath of God is coming” (Col. 3:6). Those who do not put their faith in Jesus the Lamb will say, “to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev 6:16-17).
Romans 2:5 says, “because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” (Rom. 2:5,8). Again, Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Rom. 1:18).
The good news is that Jesus took the wrath upon himself: “Christ died for the ungodly… Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Rom. 5:6-11; cf. Rom 3:25-26). "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" (John 3:36).
While Christians will suffer consequences of their own sin, and God will discipline us for our own good, we should not fear the wrath of God, because we are no longer “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9; cf. 1 Thess. 1:10). When Jesus returns, the church body is “caught up... in the clouds”, commonly referred to as the rapture (1 Thess. 4:15–17), and it is at that point we will be delivered from the wrath that will be poured out, on the earth, before it is renewed (Rev. 6:17). This doesn’t mean we don’t go through the tribulation though – after tribulation, but before the wrath of God.
His wrath should make us thankful for his patience, and that he will punish, and it should motive us to evangelism.
When we feel hatred toward evil, we reflect somewhat this attribute of God. However, we are warned to put away “anger, wrath” (Col. 3:8; cf. Eph. 4:26) and “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God” (Rom. 12:19).
Attributes of Purpose
God’s Will (including freedom)
God’s choices are reason for everything that happens. “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.”
God has total freedom, unconstrained, and dictated to by no one, and “he does all that he pleases” (Ps. 115:3).
God “created all things” and by his “will they existed and were created” (Rev. 4 :11). Human rulers are determined by God’s will (Prov 21:1; Dan 4:32; Rom 13:1). Paul tells us that God chose us: “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11). Everything about the events surrounding Jesus’ death were determined by his Will (Acts 4:27-28). Following in his footsteps, for many Christians, our suffering is his perfect will (1 Peter 3 :17).
Aspects of God’s will include his secret will and revealed will. Consider the following verse: “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” (Deut. 29:29). Revealed will is what God has commanded that we do or do not do (sometimes referred to God’s will of precept, or will of command). His secret will, are those things hidden from us, that God governs the universe. For example, the day or hour of Jesus’ return. We don’t find out until they happen. Biblical prophecies by nature are revealed will, but the details of which are secret will until it takes place. This aspect of his secret will is can be referred to as God’s will of decree.
God choses to blind or hide things from some, while revealing them to others. Speaking of gospel truths, Jesus said the Father in Heaven had “hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children” (Matt 11:25-26; Cf. 1Co 1:26–29).
In delegating authority and freedom however, he allows things to take place that he does not directly cause or approve of the outcome. That evil things happen does not mean he wills them. For he takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezek. 33:11). But he can use evil for his good purposes.
If we sin, he did not will it. We are responsible for our own sin, and God’s will remains intact. Both truths are affirmed, but in his secret will, is not understood until the age to come.
In his image we reflect his freedom of choice, limited as our is. We should guard against self-assurance, submitting our worldly-plans to God’s undisclosed will (James 4:13-15). And in his loving kindness and plans of restoration, again, “we know that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rom. 8:28 NET).
“God’s totally free will (working in a way consistent with this character)… was the final reason he chose to create the world and to save sinners and thereby bring glory to himself.”
God’s Omnipotence including Sovereignty
Our omnipotent (all-powerful) God is King of the universe. We read he is, “God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth” (Gen. 14:18; Ps. 89:11), “abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Ps. 147:5). Nothing bypasses the sovereign filter of God. Not one wave moves, a hair flick, a death occur, a colour change, a plant grow, without at the very least the permission of God. His eye is on every particle in existence and, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13 NIV; cf. Ps. 11:4).
King David’s prayer speaks of God’s universal sovereignty:
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all” (1 Chron. 29:11-12).
We do well to hear the words of the prophet Micah: “Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it, that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple” (Mic. 1:2 NIV; Hab. 2:20).
John Piper says that, “God’s sovereignty is his right and power to do all that he decides to do.” No one can hinder God, and no one can say he does not have the right to do whatever he wishes. As part of his sovereignty, Grudem defines God’s omnipotence: “God’s omnipotence means that God is able to do all his holy will.” God’s providence which is about how he relates to his creation to accomplish his will, is something we will look at later.
God is not limited in power:
The LORD said to Abraham: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Gen 18:14).
God said to Jeremiah: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jer. 32:27).
Jeremiah said to God: “‘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” (Jer 32:17).
Speaking about the rich entering the kingdom, Jesus said: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26).
Paul said God, “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Eph 3:20).
The angel Gabriel said to Mary: “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37).
Jesus says he is the one with all might: “I am... the Almighty.” (Rev 1:8).
There are some things that God cannot do. “Although God’s power is infinite, his use of that power is qualified by his other attributes.” He cannot not go against his own character. For example, “God cannot be tempted with evil” (James 1:13), He “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2 NASB), and “he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim. 2:13).
Creation reveals his “power”, “wisdom”, and “understanding” (Jer. 10:12). “He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable” (Isa. 40:28). When you look to the skies, see a cat climb a tree, study the physics of the universe, the complexity of human life, one cannot deny the infinite power, skill, wisdom, of God. It should fill us with awe and fear of our creator.
We noted in Genesis 1, God named the Day, Night, Earth, Seas, and Heavens. Naming expresses the authority (cf. Dan. 1:7) of the one who calls, and the receiving of the name or title is an act of submission.
The Almighty Creator is therefore worthy of worship by his creation, from the earth to the heavenly places: “Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?” (Ps. 89:5-7).
Man reflects God’s spiritual, physical, persuasive, authoritative, (and so forth) power, and as we do so we should endeavour to reflect his character.
Summary Attributes
God’s Perfection
“God’s perfection means that God completely possesses all excellent qualities and lacks no part of any qualities that would be desirable for him.”
We just read from Deuteronomy: “The Rock, his work is perfect” (Deut. 32:4).
From the Psalms: “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” Ps 18:30
Jesus exhorts us to reflect his perfection: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).
God’s Blessedness
“God’s blessedness means that God delights fully in himself and in all that reflects his character.”
Paul wrote to Timothy: “Lord Jesus Christ… is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15).
Just as God takes pleasure in things that reflect his own excellence, we imitate God’s blessedness when we find happiness in that which is pleasing to God.
God’s Beauty
“God’s beauty is that attribute of God whereby he is the sum of all desirable qualities.”
Grudem distinguishes “beauty” from “perfection”, saying that “perfection” means he lacks nothing desirable, whereas “beauty” affirms he possess everything desirable. Two ways of affirming the same truth.
Psalm 73 says: “there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25).
David longed to “gaze upon the beauty of the Lord” (Ps 27:4).
When our conduct mirrors the character of Christ, his beauty is found in us.
One of my favourite passages includes: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news” (Isaiah 52:7)
Summary of God’s Attributes
By naming and defining the full array of God’s attributes we paint a truer picture of who God is and the image we are called to bear.
We don’t like it when some only ever speaks about one side us - only referring you as being angry or Jealous. Why with God? If we only ever single out God’s love – you paint a hippy god. Or if you focus only on his wrath - you paint a mad and bad god.
I witness people create a God from their version of Jesus in NT: “just look to Jesus, view all scripture through his eyes..” and they always mean their version of Jesus in the NT. You can’t apply “our Passover Lamb” (1 Cor 5:7) to your life and ignore the “wrath of the Lamb” (Rev 6:16). Jesus is not a bag of pic and mix. We need the blend of all of his attributes – which means to study all of his word. No attributes is more important than any other. Each attribute qualifies every other.
God’s works can highlight some attributes more than others (his wrath is obvious in his judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, his goodness in the gift the Son unto death, and so forth) but all his attributes can be seen to some degree in any of his acts of redemption.
Michael Brown wrote: “At one and the same time, God is unspeakably holy and indescribably merciful, terrifying in wrath and overwhelming in love. That's our God!”
A Personal God
The Names of God
God’s attributes means he is a personal God.
The various names of God are a way of revealing the identity and essence of God.
In Genesis 2 we read it was YHVH Elohim (often rendered LORD God) who made the earth and the heavens. The only proper name of God written in four Hebrew letters (remember it doesn’t contain vowels) correspond to the English letters YHVH. It has been pronounced Jehovah or more accurately Yahweh. Orthodox Jews today refuse to speak aloud the name YHVH in fear of mispronunciation which in their eyes would be blasphemous. Instead they use Adonai, a royal title, meaning Lord or master. Revealing his name to man tells us he a personal God we can know. He was not given the name, rather he is the name.
Adonai is typically translated as Lord (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15), with just the first letter in capitals. When we see LORD written in all caps, this a reference to Yahweh. “God” is a translation of the Hebrew equivalent, such as Elohim.
God identified Himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM.” He told Moses to tell the Israelites that “I AM” sent him (Exodus 3:14). In this context, I AM is the definitive statement of God’s incommunicable attributes such as his self-existence, unchangeableness, eternity, as well as his omnipotence, will, and so forth. Jesus identifies himself as the great I AM, in saying “I am the Alpha and the Omega… who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev. 1:8).
Other names include:
EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 139:19).
EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]: “God Almighty,” (Gen 17:1).
EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19).
EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6).
YAHWEH-JIREH [yah-way-ji-reh]: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14).
YAHWEH-RAPHA [yah-way-raw-faw]: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26).
YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15).
YAHWEH-M'KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28).
YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24).
YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16).
YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1).
YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mahw]: "The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35).
YAHWEH-SABAOTH [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7).
EL ROI [el-roh-ee]: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13).
EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]: "Everlasting God" (Gen 21:33; Psalm 90:1-3).
EL-ELOHEI YISRAEL: “God, The God of Israel” (Gen 33:20)
“The God of Abraham” (Gen 26:24)
“The God of Abraham and Isaac” (Gen 28:13)
“The Fear of Isaac” (Gen 31:42; 31:53)
“The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5)
These names tell us that he is the Most-high, Lord of Lords; the all-powerful warrior; and yet our kind Shepherd and healer who sees us even when we think he’s turned his face from us; he’s the provider, the one who gives righteousness, peace; the one who sanctifies and makes Holy; the banner of victory; and the Lord will be where he sets to plant his name; and glory follows his presence. He’s Lord of all hosts - both of Heaven and earth, angels and of men, Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. And his name is bound to the patriarchs and the nation of Israel.
In fact, Harrigan says, “he has revealed himself over three hundred times as “the God of Israel” (including variants “God of Abraham,” “God of your fathers… no name is more prominent and central to the revelation of his nature and character than “LORD/God-Israel”.
God is Knowable
From the creation account and the days of unsullied fellowship that followed, we learned that man can know God in person. But, what about those of us today who have never seen God? Grudem surmises: “First, all people have an inner sense of God. Second, we believe the evidence that is found in Scripture and in nature.”
The spirit of God breathed into man provides an inner conscience that knows he is created and therefore has a creator.
The bible explains why there is something rather than nothing. Life, beauty, art, music, love, humour, consciousness. The scriptures communicate a God who deeply cares for his creation and “interacts with us as a person, and we can relate to him as persons.” It was created for everlasting purpose with him as the everlasting personal King. The God who created all and is master over all, values us and wants to commune with us. We are precious in his sight.
The bible tells us that God can choose to love us, delight in us, display his power and glory to us, speak to us, and in return we can obey him, display gratitude, pray to him, and worship him and so forth.
To convey his profound love and desire to commune with man, God speaks of his people Israel as his children (Hosea 1:10; Isaiah 43:6), and likewise all believers are referred to as his sons and daughters (2 Cor 6:18; Gal 4:6; John 1:12; Rom 8:14-17; etc).
Paul says that creation itself points to the creator: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). David too said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Ps. 19:1) Paul continues in Romans 1 that although gentiles, “knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (1:21). Man can therefore choose to harden his heart toward God and live in darkness, or soften his heart and live in the light of truth.
Hamilton says, “God reveals himself to his people in a medium with which they can identity and which they can comprehend. The Creation account portrays a God who speaks, who evaluates, who deliberates, who forms, who animates, who regulates.” We can see him in those things. God preserved the weekly pattern today so that we can identify with his creation account.
Knowing God, has nothing to do with intelligence or profound thinking: “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” (Rom: 1:19). Rather it is the, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps. 14:1; 53:1). I once sat in a biblical discussion group, and one person expressed their deep family hurts, and they was a moment of silence. Then one young man said the profound thing that touched everyone, particularly the hurting person. I looked down I noticed his bible was beat up – he’d read that book. But the point is the that this young man had a full time carer, because he had learning difficulties and… I don’t know the correct terminology, but someone once said “he wasn’t quite all there…” but I tell you what the spirit was all their working in him and through him – he knew Yahweh Elohim.
It is the love of sin that causes man to blind himself with pseudo-rational. Alternatively, a love of God yields knowledge of our loving heavenly Father (Romans 8:15), the “knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph. 4:13; c.f. Phil 3:8, 2 Peter 1:2), and we’ve said the Holy Spirit “bears witness with our spirit” (8:16).
Belief in God is not blind but based on overwhelming evidence, from both God’s works (creation), and his word (scripture).
We cannot fully understand God or any one of his attributes comprehensively. David says, “his greatness is unsearchable” (Ps. 145:3) and, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” (Ps 139:6). Paul writes: “no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God”(1 Cor 2:11).
Though our knowledge is limited, we can truly know God (Jer. 9:23-24; John 17:3; 1 John 5:20). It means we continue to delight in the knowledge of God and discoveries of who he is, his ways, works, and Word. To be a Christian is to have a personal relationship with God the Father, through the relationship with the Son, by the relationship of the Spirit. He hears us through prayer and praise, God speaks primarily through the scriptures, and he dwells in us and with us.
Order of the Trinity
The doctrine of the Trinity is central to the Christian faith. It can be defined as follows: “God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.”
It can be helpful to view the doctrine in three parts.
1. God is three persons.
2. Each person is fully God.
3. There is one God.
Following the pattern of progressive revelation, the trinity is implied in the OT, and revealed more so in the NT.
The Plurality of God
Elohim or Eloah
The first verse of the Bible reads, “In the beginning, God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). According to Arnold Fruchtenbaum the reference to Elohim is a, “plural noun having the masculine plural ending “im.” Eloah is the singular noun for God which is also employed in the Old Testament (e.g. Deu 32:15; Job 3:4; Hab 3:3). The singular noun for God occurs 250 times, but Elohim the plural noun is used ten times that. Why not always make use of the singular if the Godhead is not plural in some form? Elohim can be followed by a singular verb, such as “God created” (Elohim bara, Genesis 1:1), but our proposition is that bible describes one God of three persons and therefore we would expect a general pattern of plural noun followed by a singular verb.
Fruchtenbaum provides examples where Elohim is followed by a plural verb:
Genesis 20:13: “And when God [Elohim] caused me to wander.” Literally - They caused me to wander.
Genesis 35:7: “because it was there that God [Elohim] revealed himself”. Literally - They revealed/appeared to him.
2 Samuel 7:23: “God [Elohim] went to redeem.” Literally - They went to redeem.
Psalm 58:11: “surely there is a God [Elohim] who judges.” Literally - They judge.
Plural Pronouns
We saw the use of plural pronouns obvious in the English translations in Gen 1:26: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). “Let us”, “in our”, “after our”. Angels were not in the process of creation and man was not made in their image so it cannot refer to them. It refers to the plurality of persons within the Godhead.
There’s more:
“Then the Lord God [YHVH Elohim] said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:22).
“And the LORD [YHVH] said… Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech” (Genesis 11:6a,7).
Then we have an interesting construction of a verse in Isaiah 6: “And I heard the voice of the Lord [Adonai] saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8). There is the use of “I” which is singular, and then “us” which is plural. Which kind of sounds contradictory unless you understand as Christians do that there is plurality in unity. One God, three persons. I’m glad this can be confirmed by scholars, but the English translations are good, and you can see it as clear as day.
Plural Descriptions
Where researching the Hebrew can help is taking a look at the nouns and adjectives.
Ecclesiastes 12:1: “Remember also your Creator…” Literally - creators.
Psalm 149:2: “Let Israel be glad in his Maker.” Literally - makers.
Joshua 24:19: “…holy God…” Literally - holy Gods.
Isaiah 54:5: “For your Maker is your husband…” Literally - makers, husbands.
More than one person of god is seen in the same passage
Look at this verse that reveals two persons in relationship are called Elohim:
“Your throne, O God [Elohim], is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God [Elohim], your God [Elohim], has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” (Psalm 45:6-7).
The first instance of the person God [Elohim] is being anointed by the second instance of the person God [Elohim]. We understand it as God the Father anointing God the Son to receive his everlasting throne. Hebrews 1:8 applies the “anointed” God as Christ Jesus. The plurality of persons is there in the passage.
In Ps. 110:1 David refers to two distinct persons of God. Jesus implies it is speaking of him and the Father (Matt 22:41).
Take also Hosea 1: “But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord [YHVH] their God [Elohim]. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen” (Hosea 1:7). Bear in mind this is God speaking. So, the person of God will save them by another person of God, YHVH their Elohim.
We also see the name of God applied to two different persons: “Then the LORD [YHVH] rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD [YHVH] out of heaven” (Gen 19:24). The first mention in this verse is a person of YHVH (who must be in close proximity to the earth) is raining judgment from the second mention of the person YHVH who is in heaven. We understand as the Son, the preincarnate Jesus who ordered the judgment which comes from the Father in heaven.
Again, take Zechariah 2: “For thus said the LORD [YHVH] of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: “Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the LORD [YHVH] of hosts has sent me” (Zech 2:8-9). Did you catch that. YHVH being sent by YHVH for a specific purpose.
The NT has many examples whereby God is three distinct persons (John 1:1-2; John 17:24; 1 John 2:1; Heb 7:25; John 14;26; Rom 8:27; Matt 28:19; John 16:7).
Identifying the father, son, spirit
Only three distinct personalities are identified in scripture as divine.
The first is the most common reference as LORD (YHVH), the Father, the first person of the trinity.
The second is the Angel of YHVH we recognise as the Son, the second person of the trinity. Frequently translated “the angel of the LORD,” the Angel of YHVH is distinct from all other angels (Heb. malak meaning messenger) who are created beings. In Genesis 16, “The angel of the LORD” (9,10) is the one who speaks to Hagar. Then in verse 13 this same Angel of YHVH is YHVH – “So she called the name of the LORD [YHVH] who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” (v13a).
Exodus 23 houses an interesting passage: “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him” (Ex 23:20-21). This is not a typical angel. This angel sent by God is able to pardon sin, which only God can do. Yet he can because God’s name, YHVH is in him. YHVH is saying the angel of YHVH is YHVH, so pay special attention to him.
The context of any given passage should reveal whether it is speaking of a typical created angel, or the Second person of the trinity.
The third distinct person is Ruach Ha-kodesh, the Spirit of God, who makes an appearance in just the second verse in scripture (Gen 1:2). The New Testament calls the third person the Holy Spirit.
Some falsely teach that the Holy Spirit is the power of God but not a person.
The bible describes the Holy Spirit in way that is personal and relational. For example, the Holy Spirit teaches and reminds (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13), is referred to as the counsellor or comforter (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:17), He speaks, (Acts 8:29; Acts 13:2), He makes decisions (Acts 15:28), He feels emotion such as grief (Ephesians 4:30) and outrage (Hebrews 10:29), He can be lied to (Acts 5:3, 4), He can forbid speech or prevent action (Acts 16:6-7), He “searches everything” and “comprehends the thoughts of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), He apportions spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11), He helps, intercedes, and has a mind (Romans 8:26-27), “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16), He bears witness about the Son of God (John 15:26), He glorifies the Son (John 16:14). Clearly this cannot be an emanation of God but rather the third person of the Godhead.
Furthermore, we observe the Spirit’s relationship with Father and Son (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2). Masculine pronouns are used for the Holy Spirt (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-14). And finally, the attribute of power is not the same as the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14; Acts 10:38; Rom 15:13; 1 Cor. 2:4).
The father is clearly fully God in the OT. The Son of God is fully God in the OT and more clearly seen in the NT (John 1:1-4; John 20:25-31; Heb 1:3-10; Col. 2:9; et al). As well as other passages mentioned, the Holy Spirit is counted equally as fully God (Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor. 3:16; Ps. 139:7-8; 1 Cor. 2:10-11; John 3:5-7).
From the Scriptures we see three distinct persons who are God: the Lord YHVH (Father), the Angel of YHVH (Son) who took on flesh in the NT, and the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit).
We see all three persons in the same passage
In Isaiah 48 one of the persons of God is speaking saying, “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last. My hand laid the foundation of the earth” (Isa 48:14-13a). And then a few verses later in the same passage he says, “And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit” (v16). This is the Son of God, declaring He called Israel, He was the agent of creation, He was sent by YHVH, and so too His Holy Spirit. Three distinguishable persons. The Father, Son, and Spirit in the same sentence.
In Isaiah 63 we see the three persons again in the same passage:
“steadfast love of the LORD [YHVH]” (v7)
“the angel [of YHVH] of his presence saved them” (v9)
“But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit… Spirit of the Lord gave them rest” (v10,14)
The Father, Son, and Spirit were all active and given credit in the Exodus events.
The New Testament affirms and continues the concept of the trinity
Jesus the Son of God said, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26).
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:16-17)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19).
“he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:1:4-5).
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
And there are more (Eph 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2; Jude 20-21; etc)
In new testament the Father is often referred to as God, and the Son as Lord (1 Cor 12:4-6).
One God: Echad or Yachid
We are not polytheists believing in three gods. God is one being. One in purpose and essence. Biblical Hebrew points to the mystery of his triunity.
The Sh’ma is the Jewish prayer and great confession: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deu 6:4). Amen. We agree the LORD [YHVH] is One. This passage doesn’t contradict our proposition, it affirms it. The Hebrew word used for one is echad. Echad is not a numerical one but in fact a compound one. Yachid is the word used in scripture for absolute unity, but here in the Sh’ma, not yachid but echad is used. YHVH is one [echad].
As an aside, when it says, “our God” in the Sh’ma, it is in the plural, Elohim, literally meaning “our Gods”, or “our persons”.
In Genesis 1 we read: “And there was evening and there was morning, the first [echad] day” (Genesis 1:5). One (echad) day comprises evening and morning. In the following chapter: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one [echad] flesh” (Gen 2:24). The person of the man in unity with the person of the woman become one [echad]. They reflect somewhat the plurality and the oneness [echad] of the Godhead.
Echad is used in reference to Israel: “The whole assembly together [echad] was 42,360” (Ezra 2:64). The ESV has translated echad as together. That would make sense. The people of God are echad. We could say the body of Christ is echad. Multiple persons together in unity as one.
Ezekiel was told by God to take two sticks, “And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one [echad] in your hand” (Ezekiel 37:17). The sticks represented the northern and southern tribes of Israel coming together as echad, one. The chosen people of God will one day become echad again. Multiple chosen people of God joined together in unity to form a whole.
The NT affirms the oneness of God (Isa. 45:5-6; 1 Tim 2:5; Rom 3:30; James 2:19).
Roles within the Trinity
The persons of the Trinity are equally God, equal in their attributes, yet differ in their relationships within the Godhead and with their creation. The “economy of the Trinity” is the academic term meaning the “ordering of activities” of the Trinity.
Regarding creation, we saw the Father spoke the universe into existence, the Son carried out these decrees (John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2), and the Spirit sustaining and manifesting God’s presence (Gen. 1:2; Psalm 33:6).
Regarding redemption, the Father planned and sent his Son (John 3:116; Gal. 4:4; Eph. 1:9), the Son responded in obedience to accomplish the work of redemption (John 6:38; Heb. 10:5-7;), and the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son to apply redemption to us through regeneration (John 3:5-8), sanctification (Rom. 8:13; 15:16; 1 Peter 1:2), empowerment (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 12:7-11), and so forth.
We see therefore an economy, or order within the Trinity. The Father plans, directs, and sends the Son and Holy Spirt. The Holy Spirit obeys both the Father and the Son. The Father, Son, and Spirit are equally God, but the Son and Spirit are subordinate in their roles. The theological term is: “ontological equality but economic subordination.” Grudem simplifies it as: “equal in being but subordinate in role.” This is key to the doctrine of the Trinity. Ontological equality affirms each person are deity (without inferiority), while economic subordination affirms the eternal relational roles.
Clearly, there is a divine order between the persons of God. Those of us who repel submission of any sort must seek the order of the Lord and plead why it does not relate. The word submission has been hijacked of late with an addition of negative connotations, though the proper meaning is one of good form. Sub meaning under, mission being self-explanatory, signifies you are on the same team subscribed to the same mission aiming for the same goal or outcome. The Father who has the leadership role within the trinity spoke, the Son worked his creation, and the Spirit’s presence sustained. Though equal in deity, importance, and personhood, the father has authority and the Son and Spirit submit to his will.
God Eternally existed as Father, Son, Spirit
As well as the eternal distinctions apparent within the creation passages, scripture also indicates the eternal distinctions with regard to predestination. For example, the “Father... chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:3-4), “to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). The eternal distinct persons and their respective roles is the very nature of God. His eternal economy cannot be distorted.
Relationship between the trinity
To understand correctly, we must acknowledge that God the Father is not one third, or partly the being of God and so forth. Each person of the Trinity is fully God, possessing the whole being of God. The persons of God are not different ways of viewing God, but actual distinct persons. There is no difference in being, but rather in relationship and function. Because as humans our experience is limited to each person associated with one being, we find it hard to grasp God of one being having three persons.
The Trinity is a mystery to some degree, and at the same time we affirm from scripture the truths that God is three persons, each person is fully God, and God in one being. This is not a contradiction (we are not saying for example that God is three persons, and God is not three persons); it is merely alien to our experience. It is spiritually edifying to proclaim what we do understand, while being open about what we will never fully comprehend. We have limited but truthful understanding of God. Analogies to try to explain the trinity are often deficient. It should cause humility, worship, and surrender.
The Essence of Who is he
The doctrine of the Trinity gets to the essence of who he is. We may not fully understand God’s ways and his descriptive terms – but it’s how he has chosen to reveal himself to man. We don’t get carried away with thinking if one is called Father and the other Son that means one must have been born and therefore where is the mother. No! These are words to help us comprehend the relationship within the Godhead. All three are God who have eternally existed.
If the concept of the trinity is untrue, then who was loving before creation? Who was God communing with before creation? It makes sense with the concept of a compound unity allowing for a plurality in the Godhead.
This isn’t a case of flipping Judaism on its head. Jesus didn’t come to start a new religion. The tri-unity of the Godhead is Jewish. It’s all there in the Hebrew. The NT simply expounds on the mysteries of the OT. Jesus the Messiah was and is Jewish. He revealed himself in angelic form in the OT and then humbled himself to come in human form in the NT.
God is described in Male Terms
All three persons of the Trinity are described in male terms. Our creator is completely desexualised. Hamilton says, “sexual identity and sexual function are foreign to God’s person.” He is not a man or a woman as we understand humans but is depicted in male terms. Explaining the Hebrew choice of word, Orthodox Jew Dennis Prager explains, “the verb ‘created’ in the first verse of the Torah is in the masculine and in the singular. So, we immediately know there is not more than one God and there is no goddess.” He may not recognise the three persons in one being, but his point stands.
God is relational, and rather than have a relationship with a thing or an it, he chose to relate to us in male form. In a growing genderless society, we must remember that God has intentionally revealed himself in male terms and he wishes us to respond to him in such terms. And for good reason.
Firstly, male terms can cover all people of both genders. For example, man or mankind and so forth.
Secondly, many find this general truth controversial, but men (as in the human race, both male and female) follow men. In fact, males are much more likely to follow men. Mainly because of their design which we will look soon enough but also because we instinctively know God is self-described in male terms. So, because of this relational instinct, whereby our ultimate authority and creator who provides, gives rules, judges, and is masculine, there is a better chance we will listen. Which is also why the Bible is written by men predominantly to men. This can be offensive in today’s world. Do not misunderstand my point. As we have understood men are in no way of more value to God than women. The Bible is for both men and women to read and study. But God has order to his plan, and he knows the best way to steer his own creation to good rather than bad.
The evidence of men being the perpetrators of violence and chaos is overwhelming. They make up 95% of inmates in UK prisons. The lifelong effects on children of a fatherless home is well documented. Middle-age men in the UK are more likely to die from suicide than anything else. Therefore, if God can steer the men, he can steer humanity. After all, the potter can choose what he does with the clay.
Law and order is foundational of any civil society, and it’s the men who are more likely to require rules. The bible describes God as a warrior and yet also loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and in total control, demonstrating these are also male traits that men can identity with. And, still, an authority to which they are accountable. Those who do not have an earthly father can relate to their heavenly “Father of the fatherless” (Ps. 68:5). Having a Heavenly Father then, is an immensely powerful reality, that transforms societies for good. For this reason, the parable of the prodigal son is so powerful; a patient Father, waiting to embrace his son upon return. Jesus, the Son of God, who took on human flesh, is the model son for us all.
God is first described in the Old Testament as the Father of Israel: “Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?” (Deu 32:6). Israel is described as God’s child (Hos. 6:1) and first-born son (Ex 4:22–23). Jesus told his disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven” (Matt 6:9). It should astound us that we can have a relationship with our heavenly Father who beholds all the attributes aforementioned. The Father of Truth. And He is Fatherly in his attitudes to all men. He sustains humanity in fatherly way. Life is a gift from the Father. But it is only through the Son do we come to know the Father.
As an additional thought, the Son, the second person of the trinity, came to live as a male human named Jesus. Jesus necessarily had to be male, be sacrificed on the cross as a male, resurrected as a male and will return as a human male. Fully God, a fully male man.
The modern era has seen an exponential attack on the word of God, with identity and order centre focus. Addressing feminism, R. Albert Mohler Jr. says, “Feminist theologians for example, reject naming God as Father. Feminists see the title “Father” as evidence of ancient and repressive patriarchism.” To clarify the biblical position, Mohler continues: “To say that God is Father is not to say that God has a gender. We simply speak as the bible speaks. We affirm God is Father, Son, and Spirit. That affirmation does not imply that God has a gender as in the same way as his human creatures.”
His masculine pronouns emphasise his personal nature in contrast to impersonal entities. Feminists attempt to manipulate the male titles and cults attempt to see things that are simply not there. The Son of God was not begat, nor does it mean there is a mother god. Objecting to the exclusive male terms is the beginning of rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity. It is “a form of postmodern pop spirituality, which has little to do with historic Christianity and biblical teaching.” Mohler concludes: “To tamper with this is not merely to be creative in worship; it is to create a false God. We have no right to petition for a change.”
Such is the importance of accurate terms of God, historic Christian creeds such as the Nicene creed and the Apostles creed begin with belief in “the Father almighty.”
We should refer to God in whichever way he has decided.
[closing words]
* * *
For a specific reference please contact us here.