Foundations of Truth

Week Two – God the Father

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February 9, 2022

Book Recommendations

• Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem (primary source for this lesson)
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

“…I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” - Isaiah 46:9

God’s Existence

• God’s existence is considered a “first truth,” or a knowledge that is intuitive.

Romans 1:18-21 – 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

• Scripture assumes this first truth. Therefore, the Bible was not written to prove that God exists.  Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 11:6

Three Arguments for the Existence of God

1. The Cosmological Argument – every known thing in the entire universe has a cause.  Thus, the universe itself must have a cause.
2. The Teleological Argument – from the Greek word telos, meaning “end” or “goal”.  It is a subcategory of the cosmological argument.  This universe exists with harmony, order and design.  Since the universe has apparent design, it must have inherent purpose.  There must be an intelligent and purposeful “Designer”, God.
3. The Moral Argument – Human beings have a shared sense of “right” and “wrong” (which we don’t live up to but expect others to live up to, in some way).  How could we conceive of right and wrong if they did not really exist?  If they exist, where do they come from?  (Chapters 1&2 in Mere Christianity provide a lot of insight into this argument)

God’s Transcendence

What can we know about God?  Not everything!  Not even anything fully!

• Romans 11:33 – Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
• Isaiah 55:9 – "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Because God is transcendent, He possesses attributes that are beyond our understanding.  These are referred to as Incommunicable Attributes.  No one but God can possess these attributes.

• God is Self-Existent/Self-Sufficient (Exodus 3:14; Revelation 4:11; John 5:26, Acts 17:24-25)
• God is Immutable (Ps. 102:27, Mal. 3:6, Ps. 33:11, Numbers 23:19)
• God is Infinite (Ps. 90:2-4, Jer. 23:23-24, Isa. 57:15, Prov. 15:3, Ps. 139:7-10, Ps. 145:3)
• God is Omnipresent – Everywhere at all times (Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Ps. 139:7-10; 1 Kings 8:27)
• God is Omniscient – Perfect Knowledge (Matt. 10:30, I John 3:20)
• God is Omnipotent – Sovereign Power (Matt. 19:26, Ps. 115:3; Isa. 40:12, Jer. 32:17)
• God is Triune – One God existing in Three Persons (Deut. 6:4; Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3:22; Psalm 45:6-7; Matt. 3:16-17; Matt. 28:19; John 1:1-2; John 20:28-31; Titus 2:13; Acts 5:3-4)

God’s Transference

Although we cannot know Him fully, yet, we can know Him truly!

• 1 John 5:20 – We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Transference is the action of transferring something.  (The word can also describe a neurosis.  I’m not using the word in that way.)  God is able to “transfer” certain attributes to us.  These attributes are referred to as the Communicable Attributes of God.

• God is Spirit (John 4:24, 1 Tim. 1:17)
• God is Perfectly Consistent in Character – He is always all that He is…entirely loving…entirely just…entirely holy (Exodus 34:6-7)
• God’s Wisdom (I Cor. 1:18-20, Job 12:13)
• God’s Truthfulness (Titus 1:2, John 14:6, 17:3, Ps. 25:10, Heb. 10:23, II Tim. 2:13)
• God’s Goodness (Mark 10:18, Jas. 1:17, I Tim. 4:4, Ps. 145:9, 15, 16)
• God’s Love (1 John 4:8; John 17: 24)
• God’s Holiness (Heb. 10:10, Hab. 1:13, I Tim. 6:15-16)
• God’s Righteousness (Rom. 3:26, Deut. 32:4)
• God’s Glory (Luke 2:9, Rev. 21:23)

Passage for Meditation - Psalm 103:8-14

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, 
       slow to anger, abounding in love.

 9 He will not always accuse,
       nor will he harbor his anger forever;

 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve 
       or repay us according to our iniquities.

 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, 
       so great is his love for those who fear him;

 12 as far as the east is from the west, 
       so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

 13 As a father has compassion on his children, 
       so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

 14 for he knows how we are formed, 
       he remembers that we are dust.  -  Psalm 103:8-14

Belief Statements:  Concise statements of truth that are taken directly from the text.

Example:  The Lord is compassionate.

Application:  How has He been compassionate to me?  How am I responding to His compassion?  Do I believe this?  How am I struggling to believe this?  Am I reflecting God’s compassion to the people around me?  How am I struggling to show compassion?

Pray:  Thank God for the specific ways He has shown you compassion.