Session 6
The Attributes of the Triune God
Distinguish between non-communicable and communicable attributes
The non-communicable attributes of God are those that cannot be passed on or given
to something that God has created. They are in God and in God alone.
Logical conclusion…..
The ultimate difference between God and other beings is that creatures are derived,
conditional, and dependent.
God is not. God has the power of being in himself and does not derive it from
something else, God is unconditioned and so never changes or varies, nor is God
dependent on anything to sustain himself.
We in contrast are TOTALLY dependent on God for our creation, existence, and
preservation.
This perfection of self sufficiency is called ASEITY-“from oneself”
REASON demands such an “always was Supreme Being” exists because if there was
ever a time when nothing existed then nothing would be a permanent state because
nothing cannot logically become something. If there was ever a time when there
was only nothing there would always be only nothing.
There is something so logic demands that there must be an always has been.
In the beginning…… God
already was because God always is and has been and
that is the only way anything else can be.
This is why we
WORSHIP materialistic secularism is illogical, forms of nature worship are rationally
cohesive.
I don’t worship because there is nothing to worship-but there is existence the and power
of existence.
If you do not worship God it is not true that you will worship nothing it is true that
you will worship ANYTHING!!
GIVE TO GOD FIRST: It is a terrible sin of omission to not return a material offering to
God and the most important thing is not the amount but the order. Give to God first.
The little child asks but who created God? Congratulate them on budding into a great
theologian and tell them that they already understand something so profound. That for
anything to exist something or someone has to have always been!!
Communicable Attributes
These are the attributes that are in God perfectly but can be communicated to those
whom God has created, though always infinitely imperfect compared to how they are
found in God.
Holiness: purity; absolute moral and ethical excellence I Peter 1:13-16
Be holy: do not let anything into your life that God cannot proudly look on
The HOLY Spirit applies the work of Jesus to us and so our characters become more
excellent and pure and holy! Sanctification
Love “agape one another as I have agaped you” Jesus says.
A definition of agape love: a self-less, sacrificial, unconditional love. Not because I am
related to them or like them or an attracted to them, simply because they are.
As we receive this love and live in this love we become this love.
Goodness: is the perfect fullness of both holiness and love.
Holiness is keeping oneself from corruption and sin and love is interacting with others in
a selfless and sacrificial way.
-Holiness without the activity of love is not goodness and the Pharisees show how it can
become something ugly and demonic. Holier than thou…..
-Love without holiness is not goodness because it does not point to something higher
than yourself. Do-goodism of civic organizations.
God is pure goodness, both pure in relationship to sin and corruption and active in
deeds of unselfish and sacrificial agape.
WE ARE AIMING AT GOODNESS BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS!
-I am a good person Yes, perhaps playing the horizontal game but not on the vertical
game.
I can put myself above you when compared to the “median of human decency” but who
dares put themselves anywhere near the pure goodness of God?
The Christian vision of goodness is nothing less than Jesus. That is why the
more we are with Jesus that more we see our lack of goodness. Those who
comfortably consider themselves good have never personally met Jesus.
Righteous: always meeting the standards of God.
We do not do this so we do not have this.
This makes us unrighteous.
We do not sin and make ourselves sinners, we are sinners and so we sin.
We are born sinners then demonstrate the truth of our condition. We are not born
innocent and then become sinners.
“the innocence of children” is a bad phrase and creates tremendous confusion.
Without righteousness we cannot live in close proximity to God? Why? Because if God
purposefully and willfully surrounded himself with unrighteousness he would no longer
be holy.
And so to be righteous we must be made righteous and we must be made righteous by
being given an “alien” righteousness: one totally outside ourselves and not related to
anything we do.
This is the righteousness that comes from faith and this faith that imparts righteousness
is all a gift of God’s grace.
Romans 3:21-24
Wisdom Knowledge is knowing the best thing to do; wisdom is knowing the best thing
to do and always doing it. .
James tell us to ask for wisdom and we will be given it.
FOOLISHNESS IS ON YOU-YOU CAN GET KNOWELDGE AND BY ALLOWING
JESUS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND DRAWING ON THE POWER OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT YOU CAN DO WHAT IS BEST.
-The bible has patience for sinners but much for fools
And this is often the difference between “successful” Christians and less successful.
Successful Christians WORK HARD at gaining knowledge and finding out how to turn it
into wisdom.
After a certain point there is no excuse and there can be no tolerance for stupid