Session 2: Our God And Who He Is
DOCTRINE CORRELATION
What is . . . Worse than Satan Dead men eat it RIDDLE FROM RUSSIA: What is . . . Better than God Worse than Satan Dead men eat it If you eat it, you’ll die
ANSWER: NOTHING
KEY: If you begin with the right view of God, everything else begins to make sense!
He is the God Who is There We cannot prove that God exists, but: Belief in God is the rule, not the exception
There is no God - Cartoon
There are rational arguments for His existence: Cosmological Teleological Ontological Moral Experience
The Cru Statement of Faith “There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.”
Old Testament Hints Genesis 1:26, 11:7. "Let Us. . . ." Genesis 16:7-13 – Angel of YAHWEH Isaiah 48:16. The Lord, your Redeemer Isaiah 6:3. "Holy, Holy, Holy."
New Testament Clarity There is a clear distinction made between the Persons Each Person is identified as divine There is still only one God.
We must avoid the common errors regarding the tri-unity Demoting the Holy Spirit to a mere influence (a “force”) Demoting Jesus to inferior or unequal status with the Father Believing there is a God who appears in three forms or modes
We Categorize God's Nature Into 'Attributes' To Help Us Understand Gods of pagan mythology - personal but far from infinite God of Greek philosophy & “god” of Eastern mysticism - infinite but ultimately impersonal Only the God of the Bible is both awesomely infinite and intimately personal
His Infinite Attributes (incommunicable, non-moral, etc.) Self-existence. Who and what God is, are not derived from some other being or source. Other 'infinite' attributes include the 'omnis' (omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence), immutability and eternality.
His Personal Attributes (communicable, moral, etc.) Wisdom Mercy Other personal attributes include holiness, justice, and love.
Why are the attributes important? Only the God of the Bible is both infinite and personal. Only the God of the Bible is infinite in majesty, knowledge and power and personal in beauty, mercy and love.
Who is the God we worship? Three Answers: He is the God who is there He is "God in three persons, blessed Trinity." He is infinite and personal