GOD
We Believe in God
Explore who God is, his attributes, his plan for the universe, his works in history, and why we should study theology proper.
About this Lesson Series
- Instructor
- 73 instructors
- Discipline
- Theology
- Course Group
- Basic Christian Doctrine
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- Course Materials, Academic Packets
Who is God? What are his attributes? His eternal plan? His works in history? At the most fundamental level, the Scriptures were given to us to teach us about who God is and what he has done for us. In fact, knowing God is essential for us to understand ourselves and our world. This is why we study what theologians call theology proper, or the doctrine of God.
Want to learn more about our triune God? View our companion lessons on The Trinity.
Series Goals
- Introduce the primary concerns of systematic theologians in regard to theology proper.
- Discuss a systematic approach to discerning God's attributes.
- Survey God's plan and works, especially his decrees, creation and providence.
Lessons in this module
- 1 What We Know About GodA companion video to lesson 1 of the same series that asks the following questions: What can we know about God from the Bible's portrayal of him as King? How should Christians today respond to the kingship of God? What are the main ways we can come to know God? What does creation tell us about God? What is natural theology? Can human beings be saved by general revelation alone? How important are the Scriptures in the life of a believer? Why does Scripture sometimes describe God as mysterious? What do theologians mean when they say that God is incomprehensible?
- 2 How God Is DifferentA companion video to lesson 2 of the same series that asks the following questions: Why should we distinguish between God's communicable and incommunicable attributes? What do the Scriptures tell us about God's spirituality? What do theologians mean by God's simplicity? What is God's omniscience? What do theologians mean by God's aseity or self-existence? What does God's aseity, or self-existence, teach us about his independence from his creation? What is God's infinity? What does it mean to say that God is eternal? What is God's immutability? How can God be immutable if the Bible says that he sometimes changes his mind? What does it mean that God is omnipresent? What does omnipotence mean? How do you interpret the passages of the Bible that tell us that there are some things God cannot do? Where is God's love best demonstrated?
- 3 How God Is Like UsA companion video to lesson 3 of the same series that asks the following questions: Can we learn everything we need to know about God through natural theology, or do we also need special revelation? How can figurative comparisons about God found in the Bible teach us about God's attributes? What does Psalm 8 teach us about our value and significance before God? What does it mean that we are created in God's image? Is it possible to really know ourselves without some knowledge of God, and is it possible to really know God without some knowledge of ourselves? Why is it sometimes difficult to infer theological propositions from Scripture, especially narrative and poetry? How can theologians infer theological propositions from the narratives and poetry of Scripture? How does God demonstrate his communicable attribute of love for us? How should God's communicable attribute of love affect our lives? How does God manifest his wisdom in creation? What does the Bible mean when it says that God is holy and that we also are to be holy? How should God's attribute of holiness affect our lives on a daily basis?
- 4 God's Plan and WorksA companion video to lesson 4 of the same series that asks the following questions: What is divine immanence? What is divine transcendence? Why is it important to balance both God's transcendence and his immanence in the doctrine of God? Must God's eternal plan also be immutable? How can we avoid fatalism if God has an eternal plan for his world? How should believers evaluate the teachings of open theology? How is it possible for God to know the future? How significant is the debate between differing views on the order of divine decrees? What is divine foreknowledge? Where do you stand on the debate over the role of God's foreknowledge in the salvation of sinners? What is the value of the doctrine of God's eternal plan, counsel or decree for systematic theology? Why is God's glory so pervasive in the Bible? What do theologians mean by the providence of God? What do theologians mean when they say that God often operates through second causes? Is there any aspect of God's creation that is outside the realm of God's authority or sovereignty? What power does Satan have in this world? What aspects of God's extraordinary providence can we call miracles?
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