THEOLOGY > Theology Proper > Flashcards
Theology Proper Flashcards
What does Genesis 1-3 teach us about theology proper?
a. God Is
b. God Creates
c. God’s Design
d. God’s Standards
e. God’s Authority
How does one know God?
The ability to know God is dependent upon God revealing Himself to man. “If we are to know God at all, it is necessary that he reveal himself to us” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 149).
List and evaluate the rational arguments for God.
a. Cosmological Argument (cause and effect)
b. Teleological Argument (design means Designer)
c. Anthropological (moral) argument (Law means lawgiver)
d. Ontological Argument (must be a “greatest Good” because everyone knows it to be true.)
e. These arguments will never ultimately prove the existence of God, especially not necessarily a Biblical conception of God.
Biblically defend the transcendence of God.
Psalm 97:9
Biblically defend the immanence of God.
Ps 139:7-11
Independence/Self-Existence/Aseity/Life/Self-Sufficiency
“God depends on nothing other than himself for his existence” (Feinberg, No One Like Him, 239).
Acts 17:24-25
Immutability
“God is unchangeable in his essence, attributes, consciousness, and will”
Num 23:19
Omnipresence/Immensity
“God is present in the totality of his being every place in space”
Prov 5:21
Eternal
Rom 1:20
Omnipotence
Psalm 115:3
Personality/Spirituality
John 4:24
Holiness
Exodus 15:11
Righteousness/Justice
Rom 3:25-26
Jealousy
Ex 34:14
Wrath
Col 3:6
Love
1 John 4:8
Mercy
Grace
Omniscience
Truthfulness
Faithfulness
Divine Unity/Simplicity
Divine simplicity = not composed of parts.
God is not divided into parts, yet we see different attributes of God emphasized at different times”
- The Decree of God.
a. “God’s decree is his eternal plan, whereby, according to his decretive will and for his glory; he foreordained everything that comes to pass” (MacArthur and Mayhue, Biblical Doctrine, 211).
- The Sovereignty of God
a. God’s sovereignty is his exercise of rule (as ‘sovereign’ or ‘king’) over his creation” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 217).
- God’s decretive/secret/sovereign will
God’s Decretive Will (Secret Will, Sovereign Will): God’s sovereign choices for what will actually happen (Eph 1:11).
- God’s perceptive/moral will
God’s Preceptive Will (Moral Will, sometimes Perfect Will): Things that are revealed by God, moral norms, which God desires to be obeyed (Rom 12:1; 1 Thess 4:3, 1 Thess 5:18, etc.).
- Providence of God
a. “God’s active and continuous involvement in creation through which He brings His eternal purposes to pass as an expression of His divine sovereignty” (Matt Waymeyer).
- Divine Concurrence
a. “God cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 317).
- Divine Compatibilism
a. “Compatibilism holds that, when properly defined, human free will and divine determinism are complementary ideas; that is, it is possible to accept both without being logically inconsistent. Compatibilism contends that one’s will is free within the boundaries of one’s nature. Unregenerated human will is free only within the limitations of human finiteness and depravity” (MacArthur and Mayhue, Biblical Doctrine, 225).
- Libertarianism (Libertarian view of free will)
a. Evil originated by the free choices of creatures, a choice that was not in any way caused, controlled, or foreordained by God. So God cannot be accountable for evil (James Mook).
- Theodicy
a. “A response to the problem of evil in the world that attempts logically, relevantly and consistently to defend God as simultaneously omnipotent, all-loving and just despite the reality of evil” (Grenz, Guretzki, and Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, 113).
- Trinity
a. “God is three persons in one essence. The Divine essence subsists wholly, indivisibly, simultaneously, and eternally, in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Andrew Snider).
- The Ontological Trinity
a. “God’s triunity in his eternal nature” (Beeke and Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology, Vol 1, 893).
b. “refers to God in himself, and concerns the internal relations members of the Godhead have with one another” (Feinberg, 488).
c. Emphasis on who each person of the Godhead is—all ontologically equal as God.
- The Economic Trinity
a. “Gods’ triunity in his historical works” (Beeke and Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology, Vol 1, 893).
b. “deals with the self-disclosure of the Godhead in the members work in the world” (Feinberg, 488)
c. “…in their economic roles, certain members of the Godhead are functionally subordinate to other persons in the Godhead” (Feinberg, 488).
- Modalism/Sabellianism
a. Modalism (Sabellianism, modalistic monarchiansim) : “There is one person who appears to us in three different forms (or modes)” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 242).
- Subordinationism
a. Subordinationism: “…the Son was eternal (not created) and divine, but still not equal to the Father in being or attributes—the Son was inferior or ‘subordinate’ in being to God the Father.
- Peccability
a. The peccability position asserts that Christ could have sinned even though he did not. This is by far the minority view among theologians today.
- Impeccability
a. The impeccability position asserts that Christ was unable to sin.
- Define, explain and biblically defend the Aseity of God.
a. Independent/self-sufficient
b. Gen 1:1
c. John 1:1
d. John 5:26 (life in himself)
e. Acts 17:24-25
f. Eph 1:11
- Define, explain and biblically defend the Wrath of God.
a. “God’s wrath means that he intensely hates all sin” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 206).
b. God’s wrath is expressed in action (Rom 1:18)
c. Eternal wrath (Jn 3:36)
d. Poured out on Christ (1 John 4:10)
e. God’s wrath ultimately glorifies Himself (Matt Waymeyer) Rom 9:22-23
- Regarding God’s omnipotence, what are 5 things God cannot do because they are contrary to his nature? (See Class notes)
a. God cannot lie: “…in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago” (Titus 1:2).
b. God cannot approve evil: “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab 1:13).
c. God cannot sin: “…God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 Jn 1:5).
d. God cannot tempt anyone: “…for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He himself does not tempt anyone” (Jms 1:13).
e. God cannot deny His promises: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim 2:13).
(God’s power cannot be out “LASTD” (lie, approve evil, sin, tempt, deny promises))
- Does God know the future? Support your answer biblically.
a. declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done” (Isaiah 46:9-10
b. having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26).
c. Eph 1:11
- Biblically defend the personhood of God using Scripture.
a. God is living: “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself” (Jn 5:26).
b. God has emotion: “Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him” (Ps 103:13).
c. God has a will: “[God] predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:11).
d. God is intelligent: “O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all” (Ps 104:24).
e. God is self-aware: “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’” (Ex 3:14).
God has personhood, like LEWIS (living, emotion, will, intelligent, self-aware)
- Explain and biblically defend the jealousy of God. What does it mean and how is His jealousy manifested?
a. The jealousy of God is God’s holy and passionate desire and action for exclusive devotion and allegiance to His glory.
b. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” (Ex 20:5).
c. 1 Cor 10:22 “shall we provoke the lord to Jealousy.”
- Explain and biblically defend the holiness of God. Use Scripture to support your answer.
a. Moral holiness: “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY’” (1 Pet 1:15-16).
b. Majestic greatness: “Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel” (Ps 22:3).
- What is the difference between the common grace and the saving grace of God? Give biblical support for both in your answer.
a. Generally given: “The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (Ps 145:9).
b. Material provision: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt 5:44-45).
c. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8)
d. Rom 3:24 “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”
- List five passages that affirm both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man (see class notes).
a. Gen 50:20, Joseph: “As for you, you meant evil against me…but God meant it for good…”
b. Habakkuk 1:5-11, Chaldeans: “For behold, I [God] am raising up the Chaldeans…the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.
c. Acts 2:22-23, Death on cross: “Men of Israel…you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men…this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God…”
d. Acts 4:27-28, Assembled mob: “…for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus… to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.”
e. Phil 2:12-13, Maturation: “Therefore, my beloved… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
*Just Cite Divine And Man (Joseph, Chaldeans, Death on cross, Assembled mob, Maturation)
Explain and refute the four erroneous views of creation
Gap Theory
* Gap between 1:1 and 1:2
* instantaneous language of Gen 1 makes a gap seem random and out-of-place “Let there be…and it was so” (Gen 1:3, 6, 9)
Theistic Evolution
* “God used evolution to create.”
* God directly created Adam and Eve (Gen 1:26-27).
* All creatures reproduce “according to its kind” (Gen 1:11,12).
* No death before the fall, yet Gen 1:31 declared this creation “very good.” (Gen 1:31).
Day Age Theory
* each “day” represents a long period of time
* “yom” is an extended, non-literal period of time in the rest of the Old Testament only when it is plural or part of a compound grammatical structure (McCabe).
* Wrong order of days for sustaining life.
* In Gen 1, the day is ended by the word “night,” heavily implying the natural 24-hour cycle (McCabe).
* If Moses wanted to specifically represent a long period of time, he could have used another Hebrew word like “olam,” which refers to a long-period of time (McCabe).
Framework Interpretation
* text is merely a literary-poetic expression of God’s kingdom, reign, and rule, but it does not include history
* Matt 19:4-6, Jesus cites the historical creation of man to preserve the continual sacredness of marriage
* 1 Tim 2:13, Paul cites Adam/Eve’s creation as the historical basis for roles in the church.
* Rom 5:17, Paul cites the historical work of Adam as the basis for the veracity of Christ’s work salvation.
Define and briefly explain God’s preservation of the universe and give 3 passages that support your answer.
a. “Preservation is God’s work of maintaining and protecting the existence of the created universe” (George Zemek).
b. God’s preservation includes the progress of natural cycles (water, solar, agricultural) and the limitation of destruction (natural disaster, moral sin).
c. Gives life: “…nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25).
d. Universe upheld: “he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb 1:3).
e. Natural cycles: “He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth” (Ps 104:14).
- What is modalism? How would you biblically refute its claims?
a. Modalism is the belief that God is one person who appears in history in three different forms, called modes (Father, Son/Jesus, Holy Spirit)
b. Simultaneous activity: Matt 3:16-17 shows all three persons simultaneously, yet distinct from one another.
c. In salvation: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:11)
List the incommunicable attributes of God and a verse for each
List the communicable attributes of God and a verse for each
- Explain and defend Scripture’s teaching about the Trinity in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Old Testament Indications of the Trinity
* Gen 1:1-2 “God” and “Spirit of God”
* Gen 1:26, 3:22, 11:7, Is 6:8 (The use of plural pronouns “us”)
* Ps 110:1 (cf. Matt 22:41) “The LORD said to my Lord”
* Is 48:16 “LORD God,” “me” and “his Spirit”
* Is 61:1 “Spirit of the Lord God,” “the LORD,” and “me”
New Testament Affirmations of the Trinity
* Baptism Matt 3:16-17
* Matt 28:19
* John 10:30
* Rom 15:16 and 30
* Eph 2:18
* 1 Peter 1:2-3
