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Systematic Theology Part XIII-Now These...I Like!

There are some things that everyone can agree about liking. The look of fresh snow on the ground. The first day of summer break. The smell of baking cookies. Bacon. With God there are some attributes that everyone likes. These attributes are his Love, Goodness and Righteousness.

God's Love

1 John 4:8, 16 tells us that God is love. Often when we talk about God’s love we are thinking in a people-centered way. We think about God’s love as it relates to us. It’s true...God does love us (as we are about to see) but it’s important to understand that God’s love did not start with the creation of the world and people. According to John 17:24 God's love extends to eternity past. Before the foundations of the world he loved Jesus.

Love is a attribute of God. It always has been and always will be. God takes great joy in loving us, his creation, but before we existed he still loved.

“Had God chosen never to create the world or human beings within it, he would not suffer a deficiency of love.” (Timothy George, A Theology for the Church, p226)

God expresses the full essence of love within himself...within the trinity.

God has perfect love within himself. He receives and gives love perfectly within the Trinity. God was not obligated to share this love with us, but he has! How does God love?

Jonah 4:2-God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love
Zephaniah 3:17-God rejoices over us, quiets us in his love
John 3:16-Loved us and sent his son to save us
Romans 5:8-While we were still sinners Christ died for us

God has passed down this love to his children. John 13:35; 1 John 2:9-11; and 1 John 4:8, 16
remind us that if you are in Christ and Christ is in you your first instinct should be one of Love.

God's Goodness

We use the word "good" to describe a myriad of actions and objects. A person can be called good if they don't do what is considered bad. A basketball shot or football field goal can be called good if it is accurate. A movie, book or cd is called good if it's enjoyable. Food is good if it tastes good and satisfies.

The multiplicity of definitions for "good" may confuse us or limit our understanding of what it means for God to be good. Here's a definition:

“The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men.“ (A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, p127)

How is God good?

God is Gracious
“God’s expression of goodness in His not giving us our due punishment” (David Nelson, Systematic Theology Class Notes, p83)

God is a great gift giver. Gift givers don’t give gifts based on how good you’ve been. Gift givers give gifts out of love and grace. If gifts were based on how good we’ve been, all of us would get boxes full of coal, or maybe even angry spitting cobras. That’s what we deserve. In the case of eternity we deserve hell, but that’s not what we get. Instead...

Ephesians 2:5-9-gift of God for salvation shown in Christ Jesus
Titus 2:11-results in salvation
Titus 3:4-7-gives us an inheritance in eternity

“If God gave to all what they deserve, none would be saved.” (Millard Erickson, Systematic Theology, p322)

God is Merciful
“God’s pity and goodness expressed toward those in distress.” (Nelson, p83)

What's the difference between grace and mercy? According to Erickson:
"if grace contemplates humans as sinful, guilty, and condemned, mercy sees them as miserable and needy.” (Erickson, p322)

and

“God deals with his people not on the basis of their merit or worthiness, what they deserve, but simply according to their need” (Erickson, p320-321)

Psalm 103:13-mercy as compassion-the way a father has compassion to a child
Exodus 3:7-8-delivering Israel from slavery
Mark 1:40-41, Matthew 14:14-mercy in healing

As a pastor I see a lot of need. People without food, without homes, without heat, without hope. We should show mercy when we see these needs, but we always need to remember:

The greatest need any person has is rescue from sin!

And God is patient in providing this rescue from sin!

God is Patient
“The expression of God’s goodness in withholding due punishment over a period of time.” (Nelson, p83)

Psalm 86:15-slow to anger, steadfast love
Romans 2:4-his patience is for the purpose of leading us to repentance
2 Peter 3:15-count the patience of the Lord as salvation

God is “withholding judgment and continuing to offer salvation and grace over long periods of time” (Erickson, p322)

Our culture is built AGAINST patience. People get upset when the satellite stalls or the light doesn’t change at the right time or the lady in front of you at Wal-Mart decides to write a check instead of sliding the card. We can't believe it when our fast food order doesn't come in under 3 minutes or when our waiter doesn't refill our sweet tea the moment we drink the last drop. Our understanding of patience is largely gone, so don't think of God's patience as human patience. His patience has lasted thousands of years and continues today. May we take on a more Godly patience with those around us.

God is Righteous

Psalm 11:7 tells us that God is righteous. How does God show his righteousness?
His Law is Perfect (Psalm 19:7)
His Actions are Perfect (Jer 9:24-practices righteousness)

“God commands only what is right, and what will therefore have a positive effect on the believer who obeys.” (Systematic Theology, p313, Erickson)

God is Just

God's righteousness leads to his justice (Job 34:12). How is God just?

God punishes sin (Gen 2:17; Rom 6:23)
God rewards righteousness (Psalm 58:11)


All of these attributes all come together and are revealed in their fullness at the cross (Romans 5:8). The cross of Christ is the ultimate display of love, grace, mercy, patience, righteousness and justice. Are you grateful for that?

Write a letter of thanksgiving to God for each of these attributes:
Why are you thankful for God’s love?
Why are you thankful for God’s goodness?
Why are you thankful for God’s righteousness?
Why are you thankful for God’s justice?

Tell Him!

What is Fellowship

At the Flood Zone last night we used our concordances and looked for principles of what true, Biblical fellowship is. Here's what we found:

1. Fellowship takes devotion (Acts 2:42)

2. Fellowship is found in a common relationship with Jesus (1 John 1:3-7)

3. Fellowship includes encouragement, accountability, protection, and makes the Christian walk easier. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

4. Fellowship brings joy, unity and amplifies love. (Philippians 2:1)

5. Fellowship is restorative (Galatians 6:1-2)

Be encouraged toward true Biblical fellowship!


6. Fellowship produces wisdom (Proverbs 13:10)

7. Fellowship is family (John 1:12)

Systematic Theology Part 11-The Source

Ever wondered what the child of Snoop Dog and the Queen of England would look like? How about the Governator and Byonce? You can find out at http://www.skynetwork.co.uk/celebrity2/.

Now, obviously this is a joke and a bit extreme, but the reality is that parents do communicate attributes to their children. Kids look like their parents in certain ways.

When we started the “Doctrine of God” part of this study we said that God has 2 different types of attributes: Incommunicable and Communicable. So far we have looked mainly at incommunicable attributes:Infinite, incomprehensible, 3-in-1, eternal, self-existent, perfect, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent.

Side Note: Remember that this does not exhaust the incommunicable attributes of God. He is infinite, so there is infinitely more about him that we do not know. The point of studying these attributes, however, is to give you a greater awe and wonder toward this GREAT and POWERFUL God we worship!

According to Genesis 1:27 God has communicated certain of his attributes to humans; however, only as a shadow. Remember that God holds these attributes infinitely. The first two communicable attributes we are looking at are really foundational to understanding who/what we are.

Jeremiah 10:10a-
But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God and the everlasting King.

The first communicable attribute of God is Life.

Truth 1: God is Alive

What exactly does it mean that God is alive? When we think of things that are alive (people, animals and plants) we would say that they are alive "because" of some reason. A person is alive "because" he was born; "because" he has been fed; "because" his heart is beating. A plant is alive "because" a seed was planted; "because" rain falls and the sun shines. Things are alive "because".

There is no "because" when it comes to God's life. If we were to ask “why is God alive” the answer would follow, “He just is”. He Is! (I AM).

“While all other beings have their life in God, he does not derive his life from any external source.” (Millard J. Erickson, Systematic Theology, p297)

Truth 2: God is the Source of Life

Since God is the source of life then he does not just have life, He is life. He does not get his life from any outside source. Also, his life is not sustained by anything outside of himself.

If God is Life Then...
1. All life comes from God (Genesis 2:7; John 14:6)
Physical and Eternal life both find their origination and source in God.

2. God is unique (1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Samuel 17:26; Psalm 84:2; Jeremiah 10: Psalm 135:16-18)

There are millions of "gods" and "idols" all around the world. None of these "gods" are life in themselves like the "one true and living God" is. The God of the Bible is unique in life. Yet so many people are chasing after idols and dead "gods".

Our second communicable attribute is found in John 4:24: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

Truth 3: God is Spirit

He is not matter and is not dependent on matter; “does not possess a physical nature.” (Erickson, p294)

God “does not have the limitations involved with a physical body.” Erickson, p294

If God is Spirit Then...
1. He cannot be destroyed (1 Timothy 1:17)
2. He is invisible (Colossians 1:15; Luke 24:39)
3. He shows himself in his acts (Romans 1:20)
-creation-general revelation
-providence
-redemption

But how is this attribute communicable? Where do we see this attribute in ourselves?

2 Corinthians 4:16-5:4 describes our bodies as "earthly tents" that will fall apart and decay but our spirits will always remain. Here's a video clip that might help us understand what's going on here.



When I think of Darth Vader, I think of the suit. But Darth Vader is not the suit. Darth Vader is the man inside the suit, Anakin.

When people think of me, or you, they think of our "suits"; our bodies. But this body is not who I am. This body is wasting away, but the spirit, who I truly am, is being renewed day by day.

Justin McRoberts puts it this way in his song "America and the Soul":

”I do not have a soul trapped somewhere in my body. I am a soul I carry in my skin.”

Truth 4: Our bodies are not who we are

God blessed us with bodies. There are great joys and pleasures that can be experienced in body that cannot be experienced by spirit. Our bodies are cursed by sin. We die because of sin. We get sick because of sin. Not necessarily because of a specific sin, but because of sin’s general impact on creation.

This truth can make some significant differences in our lives: our dependence on the idols of comfort and approval, the way we view death, the way we view aging and our understanding of necessity. The reality is that we should not be living for this body. This body is wasting away.

The average world life expectancy is 66.57 years worldwide. 77.5-80 in the USA. This means that I’ve lived %40 of my life. You have lived %15-22 of your life. In reality, though, you could die any moment. Will we spend the rest of the bodies life pursuing what will bring pleasure and fill want or will we live for the eternal nature of our spirits? The reality is that 2000 years from now you will have spent 65 years in body and 1935 more years in spirit only.

Eternity MUST be our focus!

If God is life, where does our life come from?
If God gives us life, who should we depend on for everything we need for life?
If God gives us everything we need for life, who should get the glory for our life?

Our lives MUST acknowledge God

This week challenge yourself to acknowledge God first and seek his kingdom by focusing on how your actions here are impacting eternity for you and the people around you. Take care of the body you've been given so you can serve here on earth for more years, but don't focus on the temporary. Live for the eternal.