God

• the bible supports a monotheistic account of god

  • exodus, who is like thee, o lord, among the gods?

  but...

  isaiah - before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me

  isaiah - i am the first and i am the last, besides me there is no god

  deuteronomy - the lord our god is one
• god's properties are omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence, omnipresence, immanence, transcendence, simplicity, eternal
• the bible on omnipotence

  the bible isn't always consistent. 'it is impossible for god to lie' hebrews. 'i the lord do not change' malachi

  nevertheless:

  genesis - is anything too hard for the lord?

  job - no plan of yours can be thwarted

  matthew - with god, all things are possible
• there are three main views of gods omnipotence

  1. god can do anything, including the logically impossible (descartes)
  2. god can do what is logically possible for a perfect god (aquinas)
  3. omnipotence is a statement of he poewer of god (geach)
• descartes view on omnipotence vs mackie

  god can do anything, even logically impossible things

  • mackie argued the set of things that are logically impossible is empty, "only a form of words which fails to describe any state of affairs"
  • c.s lewis backs this up, meaningless combinations of words don't acquire a meaning when prefixed with 'god can'
• aquinas vs geach on omnipotence

  aquinas accepts god can do what is logically possible for a perfect god - whatever involves a contradiction is not held by omnipotence, for it cannot possible make sense of being possible ... no mind can conceive it

  • difference between logically possible and logically possible for a perfect god is unclear
• plantinga and geach on gods omnipotence

  plantinga - an omnipotent being may not have omnipotence as a necessary quality, they might limit their power to preserve human free will

  peter geach - god is almightily and also suggested omnipotens and pantokrator. power OVER everything (sovereignity) not the power to do everything
• process theologians solve the problem of evil by denying god is omnipotent
• problems of omnipotence

  can god change the past?

  can god sin?

  can god make an unliftable rock?

  can god make a five sided triangle?
• can god change the past?

  arguable god cannot change past history as this involves a contradiction of what we know to be the case. god cannot do what is illogical unless you adopt descartes view

  • multiverse theory
  • god is omnipotent
• can god sin?

  are we better than god because we can, in the sense we have an ability that god lacks

  god cannot sin, as this would stop god being perfect. god cannot sin as sin involves change and god doesn't change

  sin involves a lack of power over ones actions

  • above human understanding
  • does he choose not to?
  • anything god does is made morally right
• can god make an unliftable rock?

  meaningless question, if something is made by an omnipotent being then that is how the thing is as by nature it's unmoveable

  god already did! the moon

  • god can do the impossible
  • he has, but does that make him not omnipotent?
• can god make a 5 sided triangle?

  only if you accept descartes view. aquinas says impossible actions aren't actions

  • mackie ate as previously said
• mavrodes tries to solve the problem of gods omnipotence

  mavrodes argues there are logical limits to whats possible

  ockham - the absolute power of god refers to the options available to god before he committed himself to an action: the ordained power of god refers to options currently available
• god as the omnipotent creator

  since god is the only god, he cannot be challenged by any other power or authority, therefore he must be omnipotent

  matthew - with god all things are possible

  if god is omnipotent, he must be the creator of everything that exists

  • most christians agree but disagree about gods method
• gods methods of creation

  1. ex deo (out of gods own being), most christian reject this idea as it implies god and his creation are the same but god is transcendent and wholly other
  2. ex nihilo (out of nothing) found in genesis (let there be...). the universe may be a mental construct by god
  3. process theologians believe the universe is made from existing chaotic matter
• a downside of god being the creator of everything is the problem of evil
• the idea of god as the controller of all things follows naturally from the belief that god is the omnipotent creator
• god controls everything and is referred to as king or sovereign as he has complete control over his subjects
• the most importance expression of god as a controllor is that god 'sustains the universe'. god sustains the fabric of existence in itself, this is expressed through...

  -god preserves the universe from falling back into the watery chaos he put into structured and ordered form at creation

  -god 'set the earth on its foundations so it should never be shaken' psalm

  -ethical monotheism - ten commandments/jesus teachings
• there are two views on omniscience

  1. since god is the only god, and he is omnipotent, he must be omniscient. therefore, he knows the future and it is therefore fixed (theological determinism)

  2. god is timeless. god sees the entire history of the universe timelessly, god sees the results of our choices but doesn't cause them, god permits human free choices despite being able to intervene
• god as transcendent and unknowable

  god is above and beyond this space time universe, he isn't a thing or object, god is eternal, aseity, god is his own existence

  expressed in the bible - isaiah 'for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts and 'no one comprehends the thoughts of god except the spirit of god' corinthians

  otto - numinous and transcendent
• gods transcendence is further emphasised by moses narrative

  'what is his name?' ... 'i am who i am', the hebrew of this is ehyeh aser ehyeh, which is an etymology of god's name YHWH
• the trinity

  father, son and spirit are one god in three persons

  differs only in terms of their inner relations

  hypostases - god exists as one substance in three persons

  all three persons are eternal uncreated
• hypostases

  one substance in three persons
• the trinity in scripture

  go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit matthew 28:19

  and the grace of the lord jesus christ and the love of god and the fellowship of the holy spirit be with you all 2 corinthians
• jesus as god incarnate in scripture

  upholds trinitarian understanding of god,

  john 10:30 i and the father are one

  john he who sees me sees him who sent me

  john i am in the father and the father is in me
• gods presence and the holy spirit in scripture

  upholds trinitarian beliefs

  matthew - joseph, son of david, do not fear to take mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the holy spirit

  acts - and they were filled with the holy spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance
• the trinity shield

  wa

  A) the son

  B) the father

  C) the holy spirit

  D) god

  
• it brings together the main historical and doctrinal truths of Christianity concerning sin, atonement and redemption

  original sin of adam and eve made jesus come back and atone

  • god sent the son to redeem humans from sin in Galatians
  • the son is fully human and fully god
  • the holy spirit gives new birth in jesus (titus) so humans have the hope of eternal life
• the trinity = personal relationship with god problems

  1. problem one - transcendent and immanent?
  2. problem two - personal creator who is to be known and loved is unknowable

  solutions

  1. the godhead itself is transcendent and unknowable
  2. as the father, god is a personal creator who can be known and loved by his creations
  3. as the son, god became immanent
  4. the holy spirit is indwelling in the human spirit
• the trinity as a model for human relationships

  the relationship of love between father, son and holy spirit is one of love since god is love

  humans are made imago dei, personal relationships are then modeled on trinitarian love and therefore valuable
• jurgen moltmann

  social account of the trinity, emphasises the three persons existing in a community of mutual self giving and receiving love, model for human relationships, as well as giving and receiving and accepting difference and sameness
• john 10:30

  i and the father are one
• john 10:30 context

  feast of the dedication of the jerusalem temple

  'how long will you keep us in suspense? if you are the christ, tell us plainly.'

  replies with 'i and the father are one'
• john 10:30 explanation

  ambiguous as to whether jesus is literally god's son

  one in greek translation is hen, which could mean either one in essence with god or he and god are in harmony about jesus' mission
• john 10:30 - jesus and god in harmony

  john 18:11, uses hen again when asking for oneness between himself and his apostles - obviously isnt claiming he is one in essence with the apostles

  therefore it doesn't mean we can assume in 10:30 he is claiming oneness with the essence of god
• john 10:30 - jesus and god as one essence

  jesus' questioners did believe him as they wanted to stone him to death but did not

  john - 'before abraham was, i am' suggesting he was pre-existing abraham and one with god, this supports the idea of them as one essence

  john 1:1-2 - 'in the beginning was the word, and the word was with god, and the word was god, he was with god in the beginning'
• john 10:30 explanation continued - two final points

  jesus convo in aramaic, johns gospel in greek. we don't know!!!! might not have even been remembered accurately

  johns gospel is likely the latest of the four gospels, may have been johns interpretation many years after the events
• 1 corinthians 8:6

  yet for us there is one god, the father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one lord, jesus christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist'