1. Theology Proper 101

2. Question: What is God? Answer: God is Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. The Westminster Shorter Catechism

3. Qualities of God There are natural and moral qualities Transcendence Eternality Aseity Immanence Immutability Omnipresence Omnipotence Omniscience

4. TRANSCENDENCE God is outside and over all creation, space, and time. His essence (infinite) transcends that of His creation (finite beings). Gen 1:1, Job 38:4-5, Ps 97:9, Eph 4:6

5. ETERNALITY God had no beginning and He has no end. No one and nothing besides God is eternal; all things have been created. Ex 3:13-14, Ps 90:2, Is 57:15, 1 Tim 1:17

6. ASEITY God is the great Uncaused Cause. The answer to “Who created God?” is “No one.” God is transcendent and eternal, He is the Creator of all things. Gen 1:1, Acts 17:25, Col 1:17

7. “Honor thou God indeed, as the Author and Lord of all things…For there is no one superior to God, or even like Him, among all the beings that exist.” “Look for Him that is above the times, Him who has no times.” Ignatius

8. “The Self-existence of God denotes that the ground of His being is in Himself. In the reference, it is sometimes said that God is His own cause. But this is objectionable language. God is the uncaused Being, and in this respect differs from all other beings.” W.G.T. Shedd

9. IMMANENCE God is knowable. It is possible to have a relationship with God. Though He is outside and over all, He chooses to be present in His creation. Deut 10:12-13, Is 7:14, 55:6, Mic 6:8

10. Philosophies Different religions promote different philosophies concerning immanence Theism – Transcendent/immanent Deism – Only transcendent Panentheism – Only immanent Pantheism – Neither transcendent nor immanent

11. IMMUTABILITY God is not a man that He should change His mind. Though the way He interacts with man changes, His character does not. 1 Sam 15:29, Mal 3:6, Heb 13:8

12. What about Genesis 6:6, Jeremiah 18:7-10, and Jonah 3:10?

13. “God’s attitude toward the Ninevites had not changed, but they had changed; and because they had changed from sin unto righteousness, God’s attitude towards them and His intended dealings with them as sinners must of necessity change, while, of course, God’s character had in no way changed with respect to these people, although His dealings with them had.” William Evans

14. Now what? How has the Transcendent made Himself immanent? What strikes you about that? How does this change the way you look at passages that tell you to imitate God? How can you correct someone who has a low view of God? How does this knowledge change the way you live for God?