Systematic Theology 1
Introduction to Systematic Theology
The purpose of systematic theology is to collect and collate and consider all the relevant passages in the Bible on a particular topic and then summarize what the Bible as a whole teaches about that topic. It is to take into account the whole counsel of God on a particular subject.
As such, systematic theology is premised on the consistency of the Scriptures – that the Bible speaks as a single voice (God’s voice) across time and through its various human authors; that we can bring teaching from all the various component parts of the Bible and they fit together into some coherent whole.
The end result of systematic theology is a textbook of doctrine that has been harvested from the biblical narrative.
There are however some hazards to be aware of in systematic theology.
* 1stly, we can lose sight of the progressive nature of Scriptural revelation. God’s purposes and plans were gradually unfolded over time – much of what was revealed with the coming of Jesus Christ was previously hidden or present only as a shadowy outline in the OT. God has progressively revealed truth to man over time;
* 2ndly, we can lose sight of the personal aspect of biblical revelation. God has not generally presented truth to man as doctrinal propositions (a carefully worded theological statement of faith); rather, God has revealed truth to men through His active involvement in the circumstances of their lives. Much doctrine is learnt through personal experience. Much of the OT is historical narrative – the Bible is not a textbook of theological statements.
Systematic theology is usually conducted and communicated under a number of key headings:
* Doctrine of God - theology
* Doctrine of Man - anthropology
* Doctrine of Christ – Christology
* Doctrine of the Holy Spirit – pneumatology
* Doctrine of salvation – soteriology
* Doctrine of the church – ecclesiology
* Doctrine of the future – eschatology
We’ll cover these in the 15 sessions allocated to Systematic Theology. The first 2 sessions (this month and next month) will look at the doctrine of God.
The doctrine of God
In this first session we are going to consider what the Bible teaches us about the nature of God - what God is like. In next month’s session we will consider what the Bible teaches about the activity of God – what God does.
That God exists is simply taken for granted by the Bible. We read in the opening verse of Scripture Genesis 1:1 ‘In the beginning, God….created the heavens and the earth’ and that assumption of the existence of God permeates the whole of the Bible.
This is not an unreasonable or unwarranted assumption. The Bible says that even people without access to the Bible should realise that there is a God. Romans 1:20 (which is one of the verses in a passage that you have been working on in the Preaching and Teaching sessions) states that it is inexcusable for anyone not only to know that God exists, but also to know something of God’s nature.
Since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
The beauty and the order and the harmony of creation bear clear witness to the existence of God and declare something of God’s nature. Whether you look at creation through the microscope or a telescope or with the unaided eye, it declares the presence and power of a wonderful Creator.
John Calvin said (Institutes I. v. 1)
[God] has engraved unmistakeable marks of his glory, so clear and so prominent that even unlettered and stupid folk cannot plead the excuse of ignorance…there is no spot in the universe wherein you cannot discern at least some sparks of His glory.
According to the Bible, anyone who says in his heart ‘There is no God’ is simply a fool (Psalm 14:1).
But not only can we learn about the nature of God from general revelation (God’s world book), we can learn much more about God from special revelation (God’s word book) – the Bible. Indeed, we need God’s Word to teach us about the true nature of God because sin distorts our ability to rightly interpret even what we might know about God from general revelation. (See Romans 1:18, 21)
Scripture shows us God clearly and truly. Another quote from Calvin (Institutes I. vi. 3):
The splendour of the divine countenance is for us an inexplicable labyrinth unless we are conducted into it by the thread of the Word.
So – what does the Bible tell us about the nature of God?
Before we begin perhaps it is worth saying that we who are finite creatures will never fully understand the infinite God. But even though we may not know everything about God, we can certainly know something about God. So - our knowledge of God gained from our study of the Scriptures may not be exhaustive, but it will be true.
So - What is God like?
When we try and answer that question we usually do so by recourse to what are usually referred to the attributes of God.
The attributes of God are usually divided into two categories:
* God’s incommunicable attributes – the aspects of God’s nature that make Him completely different and distinct from us.
* God’s communicable attributes – the aspects of God’s nature that God shares with us – the more personal aspects of the divine nature.
Actually, it can be a little difficult to separate the attributes of God out into these two categories because the aspects of God’s nature that He shares with us, He exhibits in much greater measure and to a much higher degree than any of us. So whilst, like God, we too have knowledge, our knowledge is incomplete and imperfect, whereas God’s knowledge is infinite and infallible, and thus very different from ours.
Rather than divide the attributes of God up into two separate lists, what I want to do is to use the answer to Q7 of the Westminster Larger Catechism as a summary statement of divine attributes.
Question 7: What is God?
Answer: God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection; all- sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
Let me highlight some (but not all) of the attributes listed in that answer. I should also say that the list is not exhaustive – we might add, for example, that God is jealous or zealous, or want separately to identify that God is love, or that God is faithful.
1. God is spirit (John 4:24 God is spirit…). God does not have physical form – he does not have a material body. God is pure spirit. Thus he is invisible to us.
2. God is all-sufficient (Acts 17:25 God is not served by human hands as if he needed anything…) God is not dependent upon anyone or anything else. God is utterly independent and absolutely self-sufficient. God stands outside and apart from creation, although he is active within the created order.
3. God is eternal (Psalm 90:2 From everlasting to everlasting you are God). God is self-existent and self-sustaining – He has no beginning and no end. He is not bound by time in any sense.
4. God is unchangeable - immutable (Malachi 3:6 I the Lord do not change). God is unchanging in his being, his attributes, his purposes and his promises. What a comfort that is to us – that God is ever the same – utterly dependable. God’s immutability also means that the God of the OT is the same as the God of the NT.
5. God is incomprehensible (Psalm 145:3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom) This might seem a strange attribute as it seems to suggest that we cannot know God – what it conveys is that we will never fully know God. This reminds us that we cannot fully define or describe God simply by a list of attributes.
6. God is everywhere present - omnipresence (Jeremiah 23:24 ‘Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord) This does not mean that God is the creation (pantheism). God is everywhere present but always distinct from his creation. There is nowhere where we can hide from God.
7. God is almighty – omnipotence. God is all powerful (Matthew 19:26 With God all things are possible). God is able (He has the power) to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. There is no limit to what God can do. God can fulfil all of his promises and bring all his purposes to fruition.
8. God knows all things – omniscience (1 John 3:20 God knows everything) God’s knowledge is infinite and detailed. It’s a knowledge that is both wide (encompassing all things) and deep (even the hairs on our heads are numbered Matthew 10:30). There is nothing that we can hide from God – he even knows the hidden desires of our hearts, and the otherwise secret thoughts of our minds.
9. God is most wise (Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!) One aspect of his wisdom is the fact that God sometimes allows – but does not cause – evil things to happen in order to accomplish good purposes. We may not understand why and how this is – we simply have to acknowledge that we have reached the border of our knowledge and trust in God’s infinite wisdom.
10. God is most holy (Isaiah 6:3 & Revelation 4:8 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty) There is no sin or evil in God. God is utterly righteous – He cannot bear sin – He must remain separate from sin. Thus, we can only enter the presence of God – we can only draw near to God – if our sin is dealt with.
11. God is most just (Deut 32:4 God is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he) God will deal with every person according to a perfect standard of justice. There are no miscarriages of justice in God’s court.
12. God is most merciful and gracious (Exodus 34:6 The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God…) How appropriate that this phrase follows on from God as most holy and just. God’s holiness and justice would cause us to despair on account of our sin – but God is also most merciful and gracious. Merciful in not giving us what we deserve; gracious in giving us what we do not deserve. But this is not at the expense of his justice. The cross is as much about God’s grace towards sinners as it is about God’s justice against sin.
13. God is long-suffering – He is patient and forbearing – slow to anger. (Romans 9:22 God…bore with great patience the objects of his wrath..) God delays his judgement – He announces it beforehand and he gives time for sinners to repent. He is long-suffering with his people – remaining faithful despite our many faults and frequent failings.
Some final observations, as we consider the attributes of God:
1. These attributes of God are all present to full measure in the nature of God and are not in opposition to each other – they each and together express the glory of God. For example, God is at the same time most just and abundant in goodness – God’s love and God’s justice cannot and must not be played off one against the other. We should not single out one attribute of God as more important or more prominent than another.
2. God is personal – he is not an abstract force – a supreme being that is distant and remote from us. He is personal – we speak of God as ‘he’ not ‘it’. We can enter into and enjoy a relationship with God – for example, we can address him with praise, and speak to Him in prayer. Not only is he the god – but he can also be my God. God is personal - indeed, we must also affirm that God is present in three persons. Which leads on to the 3rd observation…
3. God is trinitarian – the one God exists as three persons – and each person of the trinity is fully God, and therefore these attributes of God apply to each of the three persons of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We often think of these attributes as applying only to God the Father but they are equally true of God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
What should our response be to the study of the nature of God?
* We should respond in wonder, awe, and praise at such a great and glorious God.
* We should respond in humility and cry out to him for mercy – the God who knows us so intimately
* We should be amazed that the God who is like this should bother with us – knowing what we are truly like.
* We should want to get to know God – not just know about him but to really know him. After all, this is the essence of the first and greatest commandment – to know God and to love Him with all of our being.
Audio File: Lecture 1
