Doctrine Of The Knowledge Of God Pdf To Word

Introductory Matters The Nature and Purpose of This StudyNo doctrine or aspect of theology is more basic than the doctrine of God, sometimes referred to as Theology Proper. Since the term theology (the study of God) is often used of the study of other biblical subjects like the Bible, angels, man, salvation, and so on, Theology Proper is the designation sometimes used for just the study of God Himself. Rather than an exhaustive treatment, the study which follows is designed to be a general overview of the key features of what the Bible teaches about God, His existence, Persons, and attributes of the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

(The Essence and Nature of God)Opposed to Agnosticism IntroductionJust who is God? What is God like? Can He be defined? Can He be described? If we are to know God personally as the Scriptures declare we can and must, and if we are to avoid the perversions about God that we find in a satanically-deceived world, we must learn what God is like and who God is from His God-breathed revelation to us in the Bible. This is essential and it is the foundation to an intimate walk with God by which we can learn to personally relate to the who and what of God.But it is so important to remember that in our study of God there are two important things that we should seek to know.

First, we need information, revealed facts about God. We need knowledge of who God is, how He exists, or about what God is like. But second, we desperately need to go beyond just the facts about God. We need to know God personally and intimately. The facts are the foundation, but the goal is fellowship with God as we learn about His person, plan, purposes, principles, and promises. It is this that builds faith, gives peace, comfort, courage, joy, and the energy to deal with life. I am reminded of the words of Daniel in Daniel 11:32b, “ but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.” This is not just the knowledge about God, but the knowledge of God.

Definitions of GodCan we really define God? To adequately and completely define God who is infinite spirit is impossible.

How can the finite define the infinite? There is no way man can set forth a statement which totally sets forth all that God is.

“Such a statement, were it possible, would confine God; it would restrict Him and He would no longer be God. For that very reason we must say God cannot be completely defined.”First, while this is true, it is possible and necessary to define something of the being and perfections of God even though God’s essence or perfections are infinite and beyond the scope of total human understanding. Some things are clearly discernible through God’s own revelation of Himself to man in the Bible. And while our definitions and descriptions of God must always be limited, they are also absolutely necessary for faith and for our spiritual well-being and hope, limited as they are.Second, it is the perfections or qualities of God that we find in Scripture that reveal the essence or nature of God. “True as that is, it must also be said that a listing of the perfections of God must never be viewed as a final or complete definition of God.” Certainly, an infinite God is more than the sum total of the qualities we find assigned to Him in Scripture.Third, the perfections of God have always been a part of His essence.

He has never existed apart from them. Chafer wrote: “The whole of the divine essence is in each attribute, and the attribute belongs to the whole essence.

The attributes belong eternally to the essence.”Fourth, people tend to focus on one of God’s attributes to the exclusion of another or to exalt one above another. We particularly like to focus on God’s attributes of love and grace rather than His holiness and divine justice, and it is true that in some biblical contexts, one attribute is often stressed more than another. For instance, the holiness of God is mentioned more than any other of God’s perfections in the Bible including the love of God.

Man’s need to see how his sinfulness falls short of God’s holiness is perhaps one of the reasons for this, but there is a danger here that we must avoid. Lightner warns:Taking the total testimony of Scripture, however, there is a harmonious presentation of the characteristics of God. It must ever be kept in mind that God always deals with man on the basis of the totality of His Being and not simply on the basis of one or even a few of His perfections.God is love and grace and He longs for fellowship with man. His love and grace, however, cannot bypass or ignore His perfect holiness, righteousness, and justice. These perfections must condemn man in his sin. But then neither can God’s holiness ignore His love. So in His sovereignty, omnipotence, and infinite wisdom, He provided a solution of grace through the person and work of Christ thereby satisfying the totality of His perfections.Finally, before we look at the biblical explanations of what God is like, let’s take a brief look at some samples of the typical, pathetic, and unbiblical definitions and ideas of what God is like.

Definitions Which Portray God in Impersonal WaysSometimes you hear God referred to as “the Ground of All Being,” “the Force of Life,” “the Principle of Love,” “the Ultimate Reality,” “Mother Nature,” “the Cosmic Principle into which we must all get into contact,” and so forth. Such descriptions do not even come close. They are the misguided attempts of men who are not only ignorant of the truth about God, but in many cases are suppressing the knowledge of God in their unrighteousness (Rom.

Christian Science teaches that God is eternal, impersonal principle, law, truth, spirit, and idea. All that really is, is divine. God is spirit; there is no matter. God is good; there is no evil, sin, sickness, or death. How deeply this misses the revelation of God in the Bible!

Definitions Which Portray God as More PersonalWe often hear God referred to as “the Man Upstairs,” or as “the Grand Old Man.” Many simply view God as a grandfatherly figure who sits in heaven in His rocking chair and views without too much concern the indiscretions of His children. I recently heard a man who had come through a life-threatening experience say, “I guess the Man Upstairs was looking out for me on this one.” But God is not a man. He is infinitely more. He became man in the person of His Son by the incarnation, but though His deity was veiled and though the Son voluntarily gave up the prerogatives of His deity, He never ceased to be God of very God.The Mormons claim God is a perfect exalted man with a literal flesh and bones body.

As man is, God once was, and as God is, man can be. This is also at the heart of New Age thinking, but it’s a far cry from the revelation of God in the Bible.

A Biblical DefinitionBearing in mind our human limitations, but recognizing our need to know what God is like that we might better know and depend on Him, Robert Lightner suggest the following:God is Spirit. He is a living and active divine person who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and love. He can enjoy fellowship with persons He created in His own image and redeemed by His grace, and He always acts in harmony with His perfect nature.Far more important than being able to simply quote or memorize such a definition is our need to understand each aspect of the definition and to know and walk with God in accordance with its truth. The rest of this study will be devoted to this very issue.The definition states that God is a living and active divine person.

God is personal. He has personality, but what does this mean and what does it mean to us?

The Nature of God: How God ExistsAs we have seen, if one looks at the evidence with an open mind, the evidence declares that God truly does exist. What’s the fundamental nature of God like? How exactly does He exist? Is He personal, or simply an impersonal force? Is He spirit, material, or a combination? In this section we are making a difference for clarity sake between the attributes or perfections of God like love, grace, sovereignty, and the fundamental nature in which God exists as personality, spirit, and triunity.

Following this, we will look at the fundamental attributes or perfections of God. The Personality of GodThe Polemic of God’s Personality—What It Protects Us AgainstThe truth of God’s personality stands opposed to impersonal pantheism and all the impersonal ideas of God as found in many various cults and in the mysticism of today’s world, especially as seen in the New Age Movement. New Age thinking says God is “the ground of all being,” or God is “the force,” or “the planetary consciousness” in human beings. Hunt describes New Age thinking as a “new ‘openness’ to one another, to ourselves, to nature, to a universal ‘Force’ (italics mine) pervading the whole cosmos—which produces an awakening of unimagined powers of the mind.”Today’s world, because of the influence of Eastern mysticism, has become pantheistic.

Pantheism teaches that matter or substance is God, and hence, everything is God, and God is everything. God is simply the sum total of the universe; God is all and all is God. Thus, God is an impersonal force to which we are all connected, but not the personal, independent, self-existent Creator who created us in His own image.God is therefore identified with nature. He is not held to be independent of or separate from nature. God is simply an unconscious and impersonal force working in the world. ( The Sovereign Decree(s) of God) IntroductionAs the sovereign, all-wise, omnipotent, and omniscient God, Scripture teaches us that God, as also immanently involved in His creation, has a sovereign plan He is accomplishing in the universe. The truth of God’s sovereign plan has many practical ramifications for us, but before we can properly relate to God’s plan, we need a right understanding of that plan generally speaking, or we may try to relate to the plan of God improperly.

We need a grasp of the fundamental principles regarding His plan from the Word to form the grid needed for our thinking so we can relate responsibly to both God’s sovereignty and to His plan. So, what exactly is God’s plan? What is God’s plan like, and how does it impact our lives?

The Nature andCharacteristics of God’s Sovereign Plan God’s Plan Is OneTheologians and Bible teachers often speak of the decrees of God in relation to God’s decisions to do certain things in history. But these are only various aspects of the one great plan of God often referred to as the decree of God. In God’s plan there are many steps and phases, yet there is only one master plan which intricately and harmoniously includes all things (Acts 2:23 “plan” is singular; Isa.

46:10 “purpose” or “counsel” is singular). The plan or decree of God is a single plan that encompasses all things. Nothing is outside the scope of this sovereign plan of God.Ephesians 1:11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, (emphasis mine)Let us remember that while there is one great master plan, each one of us has a part in the master plan of God.

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This is infinitesimally small which should be humbling, but our part is very important to God, important enough to consider us individually even as to the number of the hairs on our head (Matt. Such should not only comfort, but it should remind us we are here for a purpose (cf. 5:6-7 and Eph. DefinitionThe decree or plan of God is “God’s eternal purpose, according to the wise council of his own will, whereby, for His own glory, he has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass” (“Shorter Catechism,” Question 7, Westminster Confession of Faith). The great purpose of this plan is the manifestation of the glory of God in all His divine perfections. Various Designations of the Plan of GodThe Scriptures refer to God’s plan by various designations.

Some of these may look at some specific aspect of God’s plan, but it is still a part of the decree of God. Some of these are: “the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11), “predetermined plan” (Acts 2:23), “foreknowledge” (1 Pet.

The Doctrine Of The Word Of God

20), “purpose” (Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:28), “kind intention” (Eph. 1:9), “predestined” (Rom. 8:30), “elect” (1 Thess. 1:4), and “will of God” (Eph.

Doctrine Of The Knowledge Of God Pdf To Word Online

The Time of the Institution of the Plan of GodWhen did God form His plan? Second Timothy 1:9 declares it is “from all eternity.” First Peter 2:20 says it was from “before the foundation of the world.” God’s plan is an eternal plan that has existed from all eternity. While it is an eternal plan, it is unfolded and manifested in time or human history.

However, the entire plan was formed from all eternity and it is not subject to change. God is not scrambling about trying to work out His plan or make last minute corrections. When we fumble the ball, or when things go wrong, or when tragedy strikes, according to Scripture, God’s plan has not slipped a gear.

He is still on the throne and in control. The tragedy was (or is) a part of God’s plan.

God includes our fumbles and allows the tragedies of life in His sovereign purpose (Isa. 43:10-13; 44:6-9, 24-28; 45:6-13, 20-22).He has foreordained all that comes to pass and this includes the evil and the good and the permission of the evil will ultimately demonstrate His glory and bring praise to Him (Ps. It Is an All-Wise Plan, the Very Best Possible PlanSince God’s plan is the plan of an omniscient and all-wise God, it must be the wisest plan possible. God’s plan accomplishes the purposes of God in the most complete and perfect way. His plan is best because He is omniscient, knows all things possible, and was eternally aware of all other possible plans. Since God is perfect in His perfections—holiness, love, grace, mercy, justice, goodness, truth, power, etc., our faith in God must rest in the fact it is the wisest possible plan and, as His finite creatures, we need to submit to God’s plan regardless of how things appear to us. We need to learn to see life from the standpoint of its overall purpose, the glory of God.

Unfortunately, we tend to look at life from the finite standpoint of our very temporal and limited existence. Looking at God’s plan from an eternal perspective with its eternal weight of glory, enables us to rest in today and to accept life and use the things that happen to serve God and His eternal plan. Paul demonstrates this attitude and perspective toward the trials of life. He wrote:2 Corinthians 4:8-18 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you. 13 But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore also we speak; 14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you.

15 For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.The prophet Isaiah reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that God’s thoughts and ways are very different from ours, as much so as the heavens are higher than the earth. This means we may often be perplexed about the way God runs the universe and about the things that He allows to go on in terms of misery, pain, and evil.

Since we now see in a mirror dimly, we must simply wait for God’s illumination in the future when we will see face to face (1 Cor. Enns writes:God’s wisdom and knowledge cannot be comprehended, and His decisions cannot be tracked as footprints in the sand. God has consulted no one and no one has advised Him. But because God knows all things He controls and guides all events for His glory and for our good (cf.

104:24; Prov. 3:19).Having discussed the sovereignty of God and His plan and purposes for the nation of Israel in Romans 9-11, the Apostle concludes with this praise to the infinite wisdom of God:Romans 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?

35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever.

It Depends on God AloneThough God often uses human instruments to accomplish His plan, it ultimately depends solely upon God both for its source and for its accomplishment.As to Its Source:Isaiah 40:13-14 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him? 14 With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, And informed Him of the way of understanding?As to Its Accomplishment:Isaiah 40:21-26 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is He who sits above the vault of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. 24 Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. 25 “To whom then will you liken Me That I should be his equal?” says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power Not one of them is missing.Ephesians 1:11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, Things Excluded From God’s PlanExcluded from the decree of God are all things relating to His own existence, His attributes, His subsistence in three Persons, His intimate relationships, or His responsibilities. All these proceed from the nature of God rather than from His will or decree. The decree of God relates to His acts that are not immanent and intrinsic and that are outside His own being. The Scope of God’s Sovereign Plan The Totality of God’s PlanEvery year, we are bombarded with news of horrible things that occur all around the globe: serial murders, mass killings, plane crashes, devastating floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and on the list goes. There seems to be no end to it. Could all this be in God’s plan?

God’s Word, though perplexing to us, gives us the answer. The Bible tells us that God is the One “ who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11) (emphasis mine). Not some things, but all things.

Note how the Psalmist put it:Psalm 103:19 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; And His sovereignty rules over all.Even the evil and the good are included together in the sovereign plan of God. There are no areas, or happenings over which God is not the Supreme Ruler.

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Everything in creation is subject to His rule and only occurs as a part of His sovereign plan (see Isa. 46:10-11; 45:6-7, 9). Illustrations of the Areas Included in God’s Plan(1) The material universe (Ps. 33:6-11; 89:5-18; Deut.

1:16-17; Heb. 1:2-3a).(2) Nations and their rulers (Isa. 10:5f; 30:1ff; 31:1f; 41:2-4; Acts 17:26; Rom. 13:1f).(3) Man’s length of life (Deut 32:39; Ps. 68:20; 91:3f; Job 14:5, 14; 21:21).(4) The works God has planned for one’s life (Eph. 16:1-4, 9; Ps.

37:23).(5) The sinful acts of men (Pr. 16:4; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; Isa. 10:5-14).(6) The death of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:19-20; Acts 2:23).(7) The kingdom of God (Matt. 25:34).(8) The salvation of men (Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess.

2:13).(9) The giving of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:11).(10) The gifts of specific individual believers to specific ministries (1 Cor. 5:3).(11) Even the calamities of life fall within the permissive aspect of the sovereign will of God (Isa. 45:7).Since God is infinitely holy, how do we account for the evil and the pain and allowance of sin? Not an easy question and there are no easy answers, but Scripture does give us an answer.The fact of sin is the major problem in the doctrine of God’s decree. If sin had not entered the universe, there probably would have been no possibility of challenging the sovereignty of God. Within our limited comprehension as human beings it is perhaps difficult to see how God would sovereignly adopt a plan in which terrible acts of sin take place.

Yet that is the universe in which we find ourselves and the universe to which Scripture addresses the truth of God’s sovereignty It is not sufficient to assume that God was unable to prevent sin from eventuating or that He could not cause it to cease at any moment if this were His will. God, however, permitted evil to appear, and the Bible provides the only basic solution to the problem of evil in the universe which exists in all forms of human thought.The essential nature of sin is one area that needs to be explored. Though evil is a part of God’s original plan, it is not attributed to God as an act of His will in the sense that He determined that evil would be accomplished. Scripture is clear that the presence of sin in the world cost God the death of His Son as a sacrificial Lamb on the altar when He was killed at Calvary. Permitting evil cost God the most of any possible plan.Under the circumstances the question may be raised as to why sin is allowed in the universe. This is best explained by pointing to the ultimate purpose of God to bring men into likeness to Himself. To realize this end they must know to some degree what God knows.

They must recognize the evil character of sin In examining the fact of sin consideration must be given to the fact of God’s grace toward the fallen and the sinful. No demonstration of grace is possible unless there are objects that need grace, objects that know the experience of sin.

Sin must be brought into final judgment.In conclusion, it must be said that God’s primary divine purpose was not to avoid the presence of sin. He could have prevented it if He had willed to do so. To achieve His purposes, which were holy, just, and good, God had to permit sin in order to demonstrate His glory—especially His righteousness, love, and grace. The Means God Uses to Accomplish His All-Encompassing PlanIn the outworking of God’s plan in human history, God’s decrees are often viewed in three aspects: The efficacious or overruling will of God, the permissive will of God, and directive will of God.The Efficacious or Overruling Will of GodThe efficacious will of God is carried out by various means (directly by physical causes, Job 28:25-26; Gen. 1, and by spiritual forces, Eph. 2:8, 10; 4:24; Phil. 2:13) for which God is personally or directly responsible and for which He acknowledges responsibility as in the preceding verses.The Permissive Will of GodOther parts of God’s plan He permits.

The permissive will of God embraces only the moral features that are evil or contrary to His desired will. Though God does not actively promote this aspect of His sovereign will, He uses them to accomplish His purposes, since He knows before hand just how every person will respond to every possible situation, and decreed to allow it or not. Regardless, God always places the responsibility for these acts and their results with men or angels, as in the case of the fall of Satan and then of man (Acts 14:16; Ps.

10:5-14; Acts 2:23; Rom. A classic example of this is perhaps the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in the book of Exodus.Ten times it is said that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34; 13:15), and 10 times that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17). Paul uses this as an example of the inscrutable will of God and of His mercy toward men (Rom. Seven times Pharaoh hardened his own heart before God first hardened it, though the prediction that God would do it preceded all.The fact that God permits these things does not make them less certain, nor remove them from the sovereign plan of God, but it does remove the responsibility for the sinful acts of men and fallen angels from God. Another illustration of this is the way God sovereignly uses kings, who often commit evil acts and who, though they operate by their own volition and have no intention of serving God (see Isa. 45:4-6), are accomplishing God’s sovereign purposes. Isaiah calls Cyrus, the Persian monarch, God’s anointed because he was carrying out God’s purposes in protecting the Nation of Israel.

In this passage, we have this well-known verse that is directly related to this subject:Isaiah 45:7 The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.Regarding this verse, Ryrie writes: “Included in God’s plan are all things (Eph. 1:11), though the responsibility for committing sin rests on the creature, not the creator.”The Psalmist writes in Psalm 76:10, “Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.” (NIV)“Wrath” refers to the evil acts of men done in rebellion against God, or His people, or against the world. God may use such rebellion or wrath in His sovereign plan to carry out His purposes, or He may restrain it. “The entrance of sin into the universe was made certain by God’s plan. God did not create sin, but in His infinite wisdom He allowed its entrance into the universe.”Sin is always the product of the creatures own negative volition to God. God may permit it, use it, or hinder it, but it is the creature who chooses to sin in rebellion against God.

God did not create man to be a robot but a creature created in God’s image with the moral responsibility to know God, love God, and choose for God. A robot that could do only what it was programmed for would bring little glory to God; it certainly would not have the capacity for love and true fellowship.The Directive Will of God and Human ResponsibilityBy the directive will of God we mean the will of God as it may be discerned and defined by God’s specific instructions or directions as they are found in the Word and by His specific workings within a person’s individual life.

God’s sovereignty not only includes the end, but the means He has chosen to attain that end. The primary means He has chosen is found in the directive will of God. This is where human responsibility comes into play. This truth moves man onto the stage with God, not as a puppet, but as a volitional and moral agent responsible for a relationship with God wherein man studies, prays, serves, and witnesses for God and the Savior.God could act and accomplish His plan without man, but He has chosen to use human beings as earthen vessels to bring His plan to fulfillment.

As noted last week, in the words of J.I. Packer, this book is both magisterial and indispensible as a quality recent work on the doctrine of Scripture.John Frame’s is the 4th and last book in his Theology of Lordship series. It is also probably the most concise and easy to read, and in Frame’s own estimation, possibly the best book he’s ever written (Packer agrees, as does D.A. Carson in his blurb).Right now at Westminster’s bookstore you can get 15% on this book, as well as when you buy another book from this series.

I used the discount to get this along with and, each at also an additional 15% the already reduced price.I would highly recommend this entire series to you, and encourage you to take advantage of this deal. You may want to start with this one and as they go really well together as bookends of the series. They are also the shortest volumes (DKG is around 400pgs, DWG is around 650, while DCL is over 1000).Don’t be thrown off either by the word “doctrine” in the title. These books are really a biblical theology of the topics they deal with. In the non-technical sense, they are a biblical account of the theology of knowledge (DKG), the theology of God (DG), the theology of ethics (DCL), and the theology of God’s word (DWG) respectively. They are all very “sermonic” in their tone and are clear and crisp in their prose making them readily accessible to just about anyone wanting to grow in their knowledge of the important topics of Christian theology.In a sense then, this is a series in the theology of how God’s lordship plays out in the Christian life presented in a very pastoral and understandable terms.

If you’ve really wanted to grow deeper in your understanding of Scripture and theology, you can’t go wrong with any of the books in this series.

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