Series:              Systematic Theology Part 1
Title:                The Unshared (Incommunicable) Attributes of God’s Character
Purpose:          To identify how God is different from us
Date:               October 20, 2024
 
I.                   Introduction to the study of God’s character
A.    Classifying God’s attributes
1.      Unshared (incommunicable) - attributes that God does not share with humans
2.      Shared (communicable) - attributes that God does share with humans
3.      Not a perfect system because none of God’s attributes are communicated completely and many of the incommunicable ones we share in part
B.     The names of God in scripture
1.      Scripture frequently talks about God in anthropomorphic language - using human terms to describe a non-human God
2.      All that the Bible tells us about God is true but the Bible does not tell us ALL there is to know about God
C.     Balanced definitions of God’s incommunicable attributes
II.                The unshared (incommunicable) attributes of God
A.    Independence
1.      Self-existence - He needs nothing outside of Himself
2.      Not lonely because his is triune- John 17:5
3.      God exists by virtue of His very nature - He always is - Exodus 3:14
4.      God is NOT a superhuman - He is qualitatively different
B.     Unchangeableness - immutability
1.      Being, perfections, purposes, promises
2.      Evidence in scripture
3.      Does God sometimes change His mind?
4.      The question of God’s impassibility - idea suggests God has no emotions
5.      The challenge from process theology
6.      God is both infinite and personal
7.      The importance of God’s unchangeableness
C.     Eternity
1.      God is timeless in His own being
2.      God sees all time equally vividly
3.      God sees events in time and acts in time
4.      We will always exist in time
D.    Omnipresence
1.      God is present everywhere
2.      God does not have spatial dimensions
3.      God can be present to punish, to sustain, or to bless
E.     Unity - different attributes not different parts
1.      Every attribute of God is true of all of God’s being
2.      Every attribute of God also qualifies every other attribute of God
3.      God of war in OT and love in NT is a fallacy
4.      No attribute is more important than any other attribute