THEOLOGY PROPER
THEOLOGY PROPER
Theology
Theos
Logos
Theology
Theos
GOD
Logos
What is Systematic Theology?
Theology
Theos
GOD
Logos
Study/Rational Expression
What is Systematic Theology?
Theology
Theos
GOD
Logos
Study/Rational Expression
Theology = the study of the rational and
logical expression of God

Systematic Theology
◦ “Systematic theology is any study that answers the
question, ‘What does the whole Bible teach us
today?’ about any given topic.”
--John Frame

Study and Learn for Worship!
◦ Psalm 139:17: “How precious to me are your
thoughts, O God!”
Meet the God of
your theology!

The Necessity of Revelation:
◦ Matthew 11:27: “No one knows the Son except the
Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal
him.”

The Necessity of Revelation:
◦ If we are to know anything about God, it must be
God who reveals Himself to us
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Knowing God:
◦ The meaning of eternal life:
◦ John 17:3: “And this is eternal life, that they know
you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you
have sent.”

We cannot comprehend God fully and
exhaustively, but why?

Why can’t we comprehend God fully?
1. God is One of a kind, foreign, and unique
◦ Isaiah 46:9: “For I am God, and there is no other; I
am God, and there is no one like Me.”

Why can’t we comprehend God fully?
1. God is One of a kind, foreign, and unique
2. God is Transcendent
Psalm 145:3: “Great is the Lord and greatly to
be praised, His greatness is unsearchable.”

Why can’t we comprehend God fully?
1. God is One of a kind, foreign, and unique
2. God is Transcendent
3. God keeps secrets from us
 Deut 29:29: “The secrets of God belong to the Lord
our God, but the things revealed belong to us.”
Biblical Truth
Incomprehensibility
Postmodernity/
Emerging Church/
Agnostics
Comprehensibility
Hegel/Speculative
School/Ancient
Philosophy

What we know about God is still true about
God

What is an attribute?
◦ C.C. Ryrie: “Attributes are qualities that are
inherent to a subject. They identify, distinguish,
or analyze the subject.”
“What comes into our minds when we think
about God is the most important thing
about us. Man’s spiritual history will
positively demonstrate that no religion has
ever been greater than its idea of God.
Worship is pure or base as the worshiper
entertains high or low thoughts of
God…there is scarcely an error in doctrine
or a failure in applying Christian ethics that
cannot be traced finally to imperfect and
ignoble thoughts about God.”
--A.W. Tozer
Omnipresence
Love
Justice
Mercy Wrath
Wisom
Holiness
Knowledge
Omnipotence
Freedom
Independence
Eternity
Goodness
Omnipresence
Love
Mercy
Justice
Holiness
Wrath
Knowledge
Wisdom
Freedom
Omnipotence
Eternity
Independence
Goodness
Love
Mercy
Justice
Holiness
Wrath
Love
Omnipresence
Justice
Mercy
Wisdom
Holiness
Wrath
Knowledge
Omnipotence
Freedom
Eternity
Independence
Goodness
We need a Scripturally Balanced View of God’s Attributes
Omnipresence
Love
Justice
Mercy Wrath
Wisom
Holiness
Knowledge
Omnipotence
Freedom
Independence
Eternity
Goodness
“The fairest face on earth, with the most comely
features, would soon become ugly and
unsightly, if one member continued growing
while others remained undeveloped. Beauty is,
primarily, a matter of proportion. Thus it is with
the Word of God: its beauty and blessedness are
best perceived when its manifold wisdom is
exhibited in its true proportions. Here is where
so many have failed in the past. A single phase
of God’s Truth has so impressed this man or
that, that he has concentrated his attention
upon it, almost to the exclusion of everything
else.”
--A.W. Pink

Definition: “God depends on nothing other
than himself for existence.”
--John Feinberg

Colossians 1:17: “He is before all things, and
in Him all things hold together.”

Definition of the Eternity of God:
◦ “God has always existed in the past and always
will exist in the future. He never began to be,
knows no growth or age, nor will he ever cease to
be.”
--Robert Raymond

Exodus 3:14: Moses asks: “Who shall I say
sent me? What is His name? God said to
Moses: I AM WHO I AM.”

From Latin “omni” meaning “all”
◦ God is present everywhere, at all points in space,
with the totality of His being

Psalm 139:7-10: “Where can I go from Your
Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your
presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are
there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You
are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I
dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even
there Your hand will lead me, and Your right
hand will lay hold of me.”

Definition (Grudem):
◦ “God is unchanging in his being, perfections,
purposes, promises, yet God does act and feel
emotions, and he acts and feels differently in
response to different situations.”

Malachi 3:6: “I, the Lord, do not change.”



“Omni”—all
“Science”—knowledge
God is “all knowing”

1 John 3:20: “God…knows all things.”

Definition of God’s omniscience:
◦ “That perfection of God whereby He, in an entirely
unique manner, knows Himself and all things
possible and actual in one eternal and most simple
act.”
--Berkhof

Definition of God’s Wisdom
◦ “God’s wisdom means that God always
chooses the best goals and the best
means to those goals.”
--Wayne Grudem
◦ God uses the best possible means to
produce the best possible result for the
best possible end, His glory.

Romans 16:27: calls God the “only wise God.”
Truthfulness of God
Truthfulness of God
Genuineness of God
God is a true, genuine,
authentic God
Truthfulness of God
Genuineness of God
God is a true, genuine,
authentic God
Veracity of God
Whatever God says is true
and accurate
The Truthfulness of God
Truthfulness of God
Genuineness of God
God is a true, genuine,
authentic God
Veracity of God
Whatever God says is true
and accurate
The Faithfulness of God

From Latin:
◦ Omni: “all”
◦ Potens: “powerful”
◦ God is all-powerful

God is all-powerful and able to do whatever
He wants to do.
◦ Psalm 115:3: “Our God is in the heavens, He does
whatever He pleases.”
Often seen as stemming from God’s Goodness
Mercy
GOODNESS
Patience
Grace

Definition of the Goodness of God:
◦ “That perfection of the divine nature which prompts
him to deal bountifully and kindly with all his
creatures.”
--Robert Raymond

Definition of God’s Mercy:
◦ Berkhof: “the goodness of God shown to those who
are in misery or distress.
 Matthew 9:36 : “Seeing the people, Jesus felt
compassion (mercy) for them, because they were
distressed and dispirited like sheep without a
shepherd.”

Definition of the Grace of God:
◦ The goodness of God toward those who are
undeserving.

Definition of the Grace of God:
◦ The goodness of God toward those who are
undeserving.
 1 Peter 5:10: “the God of all grace”

Definition of the Patience of God:
◦ “God is…withholding judgment and continuing to
offer salvation and grace over long periods of time.”
--Millard Erickson

2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord…is patient toward you,
not wishing for any to perish, but for all to
come to repentance.”

Definition of Love:
◦ Love is an unconditional commitment to give the
highest good to the object loved in a self-sacrificial
manner.
Love is an
unconditional
commitment
to give the highest
good
to the object loved
in a self-sacrificial
manner.
Love is an
unconditional
The highest
good =
GOD
commitment
TO GIVE GOD
to the object loved
in a self-sacrificial
manner.

Definition of the Love of God: God’s love is an
unconditional commitment to give Himself to
the object loved in a self-sacrificial manner.
Self-Sacrifice
Romans 5:8-10: “But God demonstrates
His own love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us …for if
while we were enemies we were reconciled
to God through the death of His Son.”
The highest good
Self-Sacrifice
1 Peter 3:18: “Christ also suffered once for
sins, the righteous for the unrighteous,
that he might bring us to God.”
The highest good

Definition of the Holiness of God:
◦ God is distinct or separate from everything else.
◦ God is separate or set apart in his moral purity
and perfection.

The only way to flee from the holiness of
God is into the holiness of God

God always acts in accordance with what is
right and is Himself the final standard for
what is right
◦ 1 Peter 3:18: Jesus is the “righteous one”

God requires all to meet His standard of
righteousness
◦ Deuteronomy 32:4: “The Lord is the Rock, his works
are perfect, and all His ways are just.”

God’s glory speaks of His brilliance, honor,
and excellent reputation and God is worthy to
be given superlative honor and excellent
reputation by everything in the universe

Glory speaks of brilliance, honor, and
excellent reputation and God is worthy to be
given superlative honor and excellent
reputation by everything in the universe
◦ Revelation 4:15: “Worthy are You, our Lord and our
God, to receive glory and honor and power.”

The Cross of Jesus Christ

Isaiah 40:9: “Get you up to a high mountain,
O zion, herald of good news; lift up your
voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of
good news, lift it up, fear not; say to the
cities of Judah,
“BEHOLD YOUR GOD!”