trinity: god as personal, father & love

Question 1

what is anthropomorphism

Answer 1

practise of attributing human characteristics to non-human entities with regard to God

Question 2

examples of bible referring to god in human terms

Answer 2

• Genesis 6:6 - god is ‘sorry’ and ‘grieved’ that he made humanity
• romans 5:5 - god’s love is poured into human hearts

Question 3

problems with understanding anthropomorphic language

Answer 3

• freud understands god in concept of wish-fulfilment as we desire a god who forgives/saves and create peace so invent god in out own image
• to say god judges, forgives etc suggests god has a conscious brain so how can we understand concept of a god whose brain is like ours

Question 4

god as personal

Answer 4

• not actuallt a person but the language is analogical & used to argue god can be related to as a person
• social account of trinity has emphasis on 3 persons of trinity existing in a community of mutual self-giving

Question 5

examples of god as father

Answer 5

• displaus love of a father for his son jesus
• jesus frequently addresses god as father & taught his disciples to pray to god using that name

Question 6

god as love

Answer 6

• issue of god’s love relates to question of why an all-loving god allows evil to exist
  -encapsulated by suffering & death of jesus since these alone atone for human sin
• if god is love then love describes the relationship between persons of trinity & further requires love to be basis of human relation

Question 7

god as king

Answer 7

• god’s nature as father links naturally to that of God as king with its attendant metaphors of god as sovereign ruler
• this imagery is seen clearly in isiah 6 where prophet has a vision of god enthroned in Jerusalem temple