God

1
God

• Three topics
• Major metaphors for God
• Attributes of God
• Doctrine of the Trinity

2
Major metaphors for God

• Heavenly Father
• compassionate
• calls to responsibility
• Example Hosea 11
• Eternal Mother
• same meanings

3
Isaiah 4214

• For a long time I have held my peace,
• I have kept still and restrained myself
• now I will cry out like a woman in labor,
• I will gasp and pant.

4
Isaiah 4913-15

• Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth
• break forth, O mountains, into singing!
• For the Lord has comforted his people,
• and will have compassion on his suffering ones.
• But Zion said The Lord has forsaken me,
• my Lord has forgotten me.
• Can a woman forget her nursing child,
• or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
• Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

5
Matthew 2337

• Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the
  prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How
  often have I desired to gather your children
  together as a hen gathers her brood under her
  wings, and you were not willing!

6
Luke 158-10

• Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she
  loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep
  the house, and search carefully until she finds
  it? When she has found it, she calls together her
  friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me,
  for I have found the coin that I had lost. Just
  so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of
  the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

7
Attributes of God

• We must be careful to draw our understanding of
  Gods attributes from the biblical story rather
  than from some philosophy or ideology. (p. 23)
• Why?

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Two major divine attributes

• Mystery (transcendence)
• majesty almighty, holy (Ex. 3)
• the God of surprises
• hiddenness
• trouble understanding Gods will
• Love (immanence)
• compassionate, self-giving
• calls for a response
• faithful and forgiving
• strong tough love

9
The Doctrine of the Trinity New Testament texts

• Matthew 2819 Go therefore and make disciples
  of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
  Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
• 2 Cor. 1313 The grace of the Lord Jesus
  Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the
  Holy Spirit be with you all.
• Texts from Johns gospel that we read

10
Why did the question arise?

• Jesus experienced as bringing salvation
• But only God saves
• Therefore, Jesus must somehow be divine
• The Hellenistic context
• People asked philosophical questions
• If Jesus has a connection with God, what exactly
  is the nature of the relationship?

11
Some early attempts to resolve the question

• Monarchianism
• the Father became Jesus
• but in NT they are distinct
• Sabellianism
• Fr.-Son-Spirit three temporary manifestations
• but all three have ongoing importance
• Gnosticism
• denied humanity of Jesus

12
Ariuss solution

• God is absolutely transcendent
• Problem biblical God is immanent too
• Jesus was a creature
• Use of biblical texts (see p. 39)
• Reaction if Jesus was only a creature, we are
  not saved! Only God saves. . .
• Ariuss opponent Athanasius
• Christ became human that we might become divine

13
The Council of Nicea

• Jesus is one in being (homoousios) with the
  Father
• Is this term in the New Testament?
• No!
• But it clarified what the NT said made explicit
  an implicit teaching
• A turning point
• concern over use of philosophy to define doctrine
• The aftermath of Nicea?
• Constantinople reaffirmed Nicea, added doctrine
  of Holy Spirit

14
Significance of the doctrine

• God is involved in our salvation through Jesus
  Christ and the Holy Spirit
• underscores the relatedness of God
• affirms life and movement in Gods inner being

15
Feminist critique

• Radical feminism
• rejects the Trinity and Christianity in general
• Liberal feminism
• seeks major changes in basic Christian teachings
  (e.g., divinity of Christ)
• Moderate feminism
• believes that traditional teachings can be
  retrieved in ways that are inclusive of women