god

• monotheism- scripture


  • The bible overall supports a monotheistic God, but there are exceptions (because like when aren't there) like Exodus 15:11 !who is like thee, O Lord, among the gods?" but even then god is unique and the best god
  • examples include isaiah 43:10 "I am He. Before me no God was formed, nor shall there be any after me"
  • and 44:6 "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god"
  • deutronomy 6:4 "the Lord our God is One"
• properties of god- name as many as you can cuh

  • omniscient- all knowing
  • omnipotent- all powerful
  • omnibenevolent- all good
  • omnipresent- everywhere all at once
  • transcendent- beyond space and time also unknowable i think
  • immenant- within space and time
  • simple- not composed of parts
  • eternal- like necessary
• omnipotence- scripture


  • job 42:1-2 "i know that you can do all things, no plan of yours can be thwarted"
  • matthew 19:26 "with God all things are possible"
  • any instance of "almighty"
  • but theres inconsistencies like hebrews 6:18 "it is impossible for God to lie" and malachi 3:6 "I the Lord do not change". so theres stuff he cant do like lie and change
• omnipotence main views


  • God can do literally anything, including the logically impossible (descartes)
  • God can do what is logically possible for a perfect being to be able to do (aquinas)
  • omnipotence is just a statement/ testament to his power its hyperbole bro
• descartes and mackie


  • descartes said god can do anything, even the logically impossible
  • mackie objects, the set of logically impossible things is empty. the idea of logically impossible actions is "only a form of words which fails to describe any state of affairs"
  • CS Lewis made the same point, meaningless combinations of words dont acquire meaning because we add the prefix "god can" to them
  • you could object to them with the idea god could change what is logically possible like a square circle doesnt exist but couldnt god change the rules and definitions of shapes to make it so?
• aquinas and geach


  • aquinas says god can do anything logically possible for a perfect being "gods power can do anything" "whatever involves a contradiction is not held by omnipotence, for it just cannot possibly make sense of being possible... for a contradiction in terms cannot be a word, for no mind can conceive it"
  • geach argued that definition is problematic because the difference between logically possible and logically possible for a perfect being is unclear
• plantinga and geach


  • plantinga said an omnipotent being may not have omnipotence necessarily and may limit its own power to preserve humanity's free will
  • geach suggested the view of god as "almightily", suggesting the words omnipotens and pantokrator. he says omnipotence is best understood as power over everything else, not a power to do everything. (you could probably object to this with examples of things god cant do but humans can like lie, change, listen to music etc)
  • this is akin to the process theologians solving the problem of evil by denying his omnipotence
• problematic examples/questions for omnipotence

  • can god make a 5 sided triangle/ square circle?
  • response: only if you accept descarte's view.
  • can god sin? another thing humans can do he cant
  • response: anselm argued sin involves a lack of power over ones actions.
  • can god make a rock thats too heavy for him to lift?
  • response: something made that way by an omnipotent being is just how it is so you dont lack any possible power since its literally unmovable. or you can use the moon, cant lift the moon since theres no directions in space so no sense of lift
• god as the omnipotent creator


  • most christians argue because monotheism and god is omnipotent he must be the creator (ruler) of everything. but disagree on the method
  • some believe the universe comes ex deo (out of gods own being) but this is often rejected because panentheistic (D:) as most christians believe in a transcendent wholly other god (different from material world)
  • the popular view, ex nihilo (out of nothing), is based in genesis 1's will and the word "let there be" stuff
  • process theologians believe god created the universe by ordering preexisting chaotic matter. + panentheism
• god as the omnipotent creator, problem of evil


  • the important point is that god is the all powerful creator of everything
  • this opens god up to the problem of evil
  • augustine addressed this problem by denying that evil (defined as the absence of good) exists
  • theres also the free will defence which means evil was created by humans, so god is not the sole creator
  • hick argues that evil provides stimulus for spiritual development
• god as the controller of all things

  • follows from god as omnipotent creator
  • the universe was made by him and hes all powerful, so he must have control over it
  • god is referred to as king since he has control over his subjects, hes omnipotent so his control is total
  • god sustains the universe, he holds it in existence and preserves it from destruction. this is expressed through: preserving it from falling back into the pre creation chaos; "set the earth on its foundation, so that it should never be shaken"; sustains human morality, providing a code to live by (Decalogue and jesus' teachings)
• omniscience


  • an important idea in christianity is that god is all knowing
  • there's two main views, theological determinism and an alternative to it proposed by aquinas
• omniscience- theological determinism


  • theological determinism: god is the only god and is omnipotent so it follows hes omniscient. he must know absolutely of all the past, present and future. so the future is fixed and unavoidable.
  • TD comes in various forms, its strongest means that humans don't have free will and god has absolute control over people's actions
• omniscience- aquinas' view


  
  

  • Aquinas' view: god doesn't exist in time, he exists timelessly (transcendent). he sees all of time at once, not linearly like us. so this means he sees the results of out future free choices but doesn't cause them. this allows for free will.
  • this view is tied to transcendence so shares it's objections/ problems
• god as transcendent and unknowable


  • god is above and beyond the space time universe
  • god isn't a thing or object, hes not made of anything and doesnt exist in anything (neither in time or space, since theyd limit him)
  • god is eternal, having no beginning or end
  • he is the omnipotent creator so nothing is responsible for his existence. he wasn't created, either by himself or something else. it is within his essence to exist
• god as transcendent and unknowable- scripture


  • isaiah 55:8-9 "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways... as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your[s]"
  • 1 corinthians 2:11 "no one comprehends the thoughts of god except the spirit of god"
• god as transcendent and unknowable- scripture
 2


  otto argues we should focus on gods holiness, as being numinous and transcendent. eg god telling moses to take his shoes off on holy ground (exodus 2:23- 4:17)

  gods true nature is unknowable is also central in moses' narrative if "they ask my, "what is his name?" what shall i say to them?" responded to with "i am who i am" this shows te idea that god is the creator and cant be categorised, known or understood.
• god as transcendent problems


  • its odd to believe in something you don't understand, whats the point of a god you cant learn directly from/about?

  there are some things we dont understand but belive in like quantum mechanics

  • god being outside of time actually still limits him since there are things he can experience like listening to music
  • god is supposed to be immanent, able to repsond to prayer and create miracles/religious experiences. if hes outside of time he cant do that.

  you can reject immanence, but then you lose massive evidence pointing to his existence
• The trinity- key features


  • father son and spirit are one god in three persons
  • each is god and has the divine characteristics like the omnis
  • they differ only in relations eg the son differs from the father only since hes the son, not the father
  • god exists as one substance in three persons/ hypostases
  • all three are eternal and uncreated
  • PERICHOSIS,
• trinity- scripture


  • the doctrine of the trinity is not seen clearly anywhere, rather "percieved" (made up i think)
  • matthew 28:19 "baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit"
  • 2 corinthians 13:14 "the grace of the lord jesus christ and the love of god and the fellowship of the spirit"

  the early church thought through jesus they experienced god incarnate: john 10:30 "i and the father are one"

  • holy spirit: john 14:16-17 "do not fear to take mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the holy spirit"
• trinity scripture 2


  • holy spirit is seen in:
  • john 14:16-17 "do not fear to take mary your wife, for that which is concived in her is of the holy spirit"
• trinity old vs new

  • god is encountered in the old testament revelation as father, creator and judge
  • in the new testament, god is encountered as a human being and the revelation of the holy spirit is made explicit- jesus conceived by the power of the holy spirit and at his baptism the spirit descends on him in bodily form as a dove
• shield of the trinity


  a symbol to represent the aspects of the trinity. the outer circle shows how they're all distinct but linked to the inner circle showing they're all god. they're all unique and all completely god but also within each other. this relation is called perichoresis.

  
• the importance of the trinity- doctrine

  it brings together the doctrines of sin atonement and redemption

  • the relationship between god and humanity was affected by the original sin which made atonement necessary to make up for sin, the trinity explains this coherently.
  • god sent the son as the atonement, the sun is fully human and fully god so is able to make the atonement through his death and resurrection.
  • the holy spirit gives new birth in jesus so that humans have the hope of eternal life
• the importance of the trinity- immanence

  the trinity makes it possible for humans to have a personal relationship with god

  • there's a contradiction in thinking of god as both personal and immanent as well as transcendant and unknowable. how can god be known and loved as well as answer prayers and perform miracles be unfathomable and outside the space time universe?
  • the trinity offers a solution
  • the godhead is transcendant and unknowable; the father is a personal creator who can be known and loved; the son is immanent as a human person; the holy spirit is in human spirit
• the importance of the trinity- a model for human relationships


  • the relationship between the father son and holy spirit is one of love since god is love.
  • humans are made imago dei, so personal relationships between people are modeled on trinitarian love and therefore, are of immense value
  • jurgen moltmann developed a social account of the trinity which put emphasis on the three persons existing in a community of mutual self giving and receiving love.
  • this concept is a model for human relationships emphasising giving and receiving love as well as accepting difference and sameness
• jesus is the son of god

  • son of god is used non literally in places like 2 samuel 7:14- i will be his father and he will be my son- to say david is a representative of god
  • and literally during jesus' baptism in Mark 1:11 a voice from heaven says "thou art my beloved son; with the I am well pleased"
  • and jesus acknowledges this relationship in Matthew 11:27 "all thing have been delivered to me by my father"

  trinitarian doctrine points to jesus as the literal son of god but liberal christians often interpret it in the first way, as a representative of god/ godly man.
• jesus is the son of god- issue

  1. if on of god is trinitarian and literal then jesus' authority is god's authority
  2. if it is taken in the liberal figurative sense, then jesus' authority is strictly human

  this has a huge impact on the question of jesus' moral authority. its one thing to follow his ethical teachings if he commands them as the son of god, but its very different to follow the teachings of a human being.
• significance of John 10:30

  • I and the father are one (memorise this one lol)
  • the context i the feast of the dedication of the jerusalem temple, some jews saw jesus and asked him if he was chist, this is his reply
  • the claim is ambiguous (likely because of the messianic secret)

  the word one in greek translation is hen which could mean two different things:

  • it could be jesus claiming to be literally one with god
  • or jesus and god are one in harmony about his mission
• john 10:30- jesus and god as one essence

  • jesus' questioners cleary thought he was claiming to be god since they wanted to stone him to death for blasphemy
  • in john 8:58 jesus tells his questioners "before abraham was, I am" which seems to be a claim he existed before abraham, that he was preexistant and one with god.
  • this is stated very cleary in 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 jesus and god in harmony

  • jesus uses the same greek word for one in john 18:11 where he asks god for oneness between him and his apostles, just as between them. clearly he is not one in essence with his apostles, so why is his oneness with god claimed as such?
  • in 10:36 jesus says that he is the son of god doing his fathers work, here it seems to be that he is the son of god because he is doing work god wants done
• john 10:30


  • jesus' conversations wouldve been in aramaic but john's gospel is in greek so its impossible to be sure of the original meaning since translation can easily change the sense of original words and we cant even be sure of the historic accuracy of the original text, jesus' words couldve easily been misremembered
  • johns gospel is considered the latest of the four gospels so its possible what the text actually is is johns interpretation of who jesus was many years after the events described within
• significance of 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" (gotta memorise this one too)
  • 1 corinthians is one of the earliest books of the new testament to be written, around 57CE so what Paul says about Jesus comes from a time close to him
  • its pauls advice concerning eating meat offed to idols, members of the church said it was alright since idols dont exist. paul agrees an idol has no real existence and affirms monotheism.
• significance of 1 Corinthians 8:6

  • some argue paul is claiming jesus is god, this is supported by the Shema, the jewish prayer that is the great statement of monotheism "the lord our god, the lord is one". since pauls language is so similar it seems hes equating god as father with jesus as lord
  • against that, the greek word for lord here is kurios which is a common title with the meaning of sir/ slave owner/ husband. so applied to jesus it doesnt mean the Lord so people could be reading more into the text than what's really there.
• significance of 1 Corinthians 8:6

  • where paul describes jesus as the one "through whome are all things..." the word through suggests jesus is god's instrument in creation but doesnt identify jesus with god.
  • the majority of jesus' followers became convinced he was god in human form so maybe the language we see in jon 10:30 and here is part of that process
  • this text came before the formation of the nicene creed and could be seen as a stepping stone towards the teaching on the trinity
• the anthropomorphic tradition


  • one problem with describing jesus as fully god and fully human is it requires us to talk about god anthropomorphically. anthropomorphism is the practice of attributing human characteristics to non human entities.
  • the bible frequently describes god in human terms; god as father; god rests; god talks
  • this is a problem since hes a perfect transcendent being and humans are neither, were bringing him down to our level which is blasphemous
• anthropomorphic features given to god in scripture

  • experiences emotions- exodus 20:5 "jealous", jeremiah 30:23-24 "wrath... anger"
  • he has a "heart", "hand", "face" etc
  • is called "father" as well as "mother"
  • genesis 1:27, because its useful elsewhere "god created mankind in his own image... male and female he created them"
  • does human actions like "rested" in genesis and "changed his mind" in exodus (use 2 for obj to transcendence cuz 1 the lord does not change so contradiction but 2 how can change mind outside time?)
• problems with anthropomorphism


  • if god has human characteristics, presumably he shares physical limitations, how can an omnipotent god be limited?
  • if god can regret and forgive, then he has a conscious brain that is presumably explainable. so hes not unknowable and transcendent?
  • god seems to be part of the universe rather than its creator
  • an anthropomorphic god seems to be evidence of freud and feuerbach's theories
• god as personal


  • god can be related to like a person: so one who answers prayers, gives religious experiences etc is experienced in a personal sense, like you have a relationship with him
  • a personal god would be immanent within the world, whereas the godhead is thought of as transcendant and unknowable, the persons are thought of as immanent and personal
  • moltmann again innit
  • most christians believe moral standards are objective and given by a personal god
• how the bible portrays god as personal

  • hes like a father, hes like a king, hes like? ur neighbour
  • you can make requests of him, Luke 11:1-13 "your father in heaven gives the holy spirit to those who ask him", this shows you can interact w him too
  • he can forgive, seen in the doctrine of atonement