106 – God’s Mode of Being

SEMESTER 1

106 – God’s Mode of Being

BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE

COURSE: THEOLOGY I LESSON # 6
GOD’S MODE OF BEING

INTRODUCTION:

1. We have stated that God’s existence warrants all proper religious activity.
2. We then see that the nature of God dictates the nature of that religious conduct.
3. It thus becomes very important to understand the mode of God’s being, “What God is like.”
4. This subject is rightly seen as God’s nature and attributes.
5. In this lesson we shall discuss His nature and define and categorize attributes.
6. In many lessons to follow, we will consider particular attributes and/or acts of God.

I. THE NATURE OF GOD

1. God is a spirit. (Jn. 4:24)

i. This means that God is exclusively spirit. (Lk. 24:39)
ii. The exclusiveness of spirit (not inhabiting a body) is assured by invisibility. (Col. 1:15, I Tim. 1:17, Heb. 11:27)
iii. Bodily references to God (i.e., hands, eyes, ears) are all anthro­pomorphisms.

a) These are to reveal the effects of certain feelings and actions of God upon men.

iv. There are human appearances of God, (as to Abraham) prefigur­ing his tabernacling with men in Christ. These are called chris­tophonies.

2. God is one: That is to say, He is singular not triplicate.

i. The doctrine of the trinity teaches tri-unity not in any sense plurality.
ii. God’s essence is homogeneous, undivided and indivisible.
iii. This concept is scriptural. (Deut. 6:4, Isa. 44:6, Jn. 17:3, I Cor. 8:4, I Tim. 1:17)
iv. This concept is logical, in view of infinity as is stated by Psalm 145:3 and Job 11:7-9, etc.

a) Infinity is possible to only one being.

v. Composibility or divisibility (which oppose essential neces­sary unity) are impossible of God because:

a) Composition supposes the possibility of separation which involves mutability and thus destructibility.
b) Composition supposes a time of separate existence thus either superior or inferior, thus imperfect exis­tence.
c) Composition supposes either an outside force and\or evolution without purpose or design.

vi. Again, let it be said, this does not preclude the doctrine of the trinity, for trinity refers not to component parts (i.e., Father, Son and Spirit) but to three distinctions in the same being.

II. PREVIEW OF DIVINE ATTRIBUTES:

By this, we mean a characteristic which belongs to, or is attributable to a particular being. It is common to divide God’s attributes into two catego­ries.

1. Absolute attributes:

i. self-existence
ii. immutability
iii. holiness

2. Relative attributes:

i. eternity
ii. omnipresence
iii. omniscience
iv. omnipotence
v. veracity
vi. love
vii. justice