Theology Proper

The doctrine of Theology Proper is the study of God the Father and His attributes. It is through this that mankind is able to more fully understand His omnipotence (great power), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipresence (everywhere). The first thing that must be noted is that the Bible says that there is much about God that we do not know and will never be able to know, as He alone is infinite.[1] His greatness (Ps. 145:3), wonderful knowledge (Ps. 139:6), light (1 Tim. 6:16). He compares to no one (Is. 40:18). God is explicable only in Himself (Rom. 11:33). It was “in the beginning” that God existed, as the Bible instructs that He had no beginning (Gen. 1:1) and He inhabits eternity (Is. 46:10; 57:15).

Although He is spirit (Heb. 11:27), God has revealed Himself to all people groups and cultures (Rom. 1-3); therefore, there is no reason for their continued disobedience.[2] Mankind has the ability to know truth and is told hold a responsibility to it (Rom. 1:18). Meister Eckhart writes, “God is nameless because no one can say anything or understand anything about him.”[3] God may only be known through the self-revelation of His acts and words.

The Pentateuch is the foundation in which God has laid in order for mankind to understand His self-revelation through the Bible. In these books, His names are fundamental in understanding who He is. Carl Henry writes, “Elohim is uniquely the one God who concentrates in himself the being and powers of all the gods, comprehending the totality of deity in himself..“[4] God is a shepherd (Ps. 23:1), a father (Is. 54:5), and a judge (Jer. 2:9). He is also described using human anatomy or animals, noting a “face” (Exo. 33:20) and lion (Is. 31:4). The fact that He is named serves to show that He is a personal God who shows that there is no trace of cleavage between His being and action. It is through His knowledge and actions that He is able to be known. Acting for His people (Israel), the power of God is magnified by the slaying of Israel’s enemies (1 Sam. 4-6). Although He sends Christ through Abraham, God is also active within other nations (Ps. 2). By acting in nature, God’s governing providence is to note when considering this detail (Jdg. 5).

God is a Spiritual Being (Lk. 24:39; Jn. 1:18; 4:24). Being a Spiritual Being that has never been seen, He does reveal Himself to mankind in many forms. Man has never looked into the face of a holy God, although Scripture mentions the idea of seeing Him “face to face” (Exo. 33:11-20; Num. 12:8). It is true, however, that God has the ability to manifest Himself in a way that can be seen. He has manifested Himself in creature (human) form (Gen. 3:8; 12:7), as an angel or the Angel of the Lord (Ps. 34:7), material forms (burning bush in Exo. 3:4), and in the person of Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:1, 14). God is always faithful to the promises that He makes, as the covenants are repeatedly mentioned throughout the writings of the Prophets.

Creation is to worship His majesty, as the book of Psalms lays out the works, attributes, and names of God.[5]In listing the detail surrounding the goodness of God, it should also be mentioned of His love and compassion. The Prophets mention the rational judgment of God but also the love that He has for His people.

God’s personality is important to note as well.[6] God is holy, as He justifies sinners by faith alone through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without the blood shedding of Christ, there would be no escaping from the righteous, holy judgment of God. Therefore, it is important to live a holy life through the indwelling Spirit of God (1 Thess. 4:7-8).

There are many attributes of God, as they are essential qualities of His perfect, absolute Being. First, God is omnipotent. Through all power and might, there is only one thing that limits the power and might of God: His own will. It is a holy will. God’s ability to speak things into existence (Gen. 1:1) shows the power over nature. Satan is subjected to God’s authority (Job 1:12). Finally, God has conquered power over death. Therefore, the second death is eternal.

God is omniscient and all-knowing about His creation. As He declares the beginning from the end (Alpha and Omega), His foreknowledge is revealed to believers through curiosity and His providential governance (Is. 46:10; Rev. 1:8). Being omnipresent, God is looked on as sovereign over time. This is fundamental in understanding that He cannot be understood or explained by science. Being omnipresent, God cannot be bound to one place.

God’s love should never be detached from His holiness. Only through the Son may one come to know the true love of the Heavenly Father. As Jesus recognized the power of God’s authority, so should believers strive to do the same in taking the message of the gospel to the lost and dying world. There is a point of importance that must be noted in understanding the conjunction of God’s love and holiness. The place where this issue is best detailed is the cross of Jesus Christ.

Finally, knowledge of God’s existence is sufficient evidence for the design aspect of God’s nature, and the responsibility that man has to exalt His name among the nations (Ps. 113:4). There is an addition to the general responsibility, as man is to seek intimacy with God in order to grow in a relationship with Him.[7]

[1]Mark Allen, Professor, “BIBL 425 Class Room Lecture” (2018).

[2] Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 59-60.

[3] Meister Eckhart, Edmund Colledge, and Bernard McGinn, Meister Eckhart: The Essential Sermons, Commentaries, Treatises, and Defense (London: SPCK, 1981), 206.

[4] Carl F. H. Henry, God, Revelation, and Authority (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999), 2:185.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 197.

[7] See Matt. 23:9; Eph. 4:6; and Tit. 1:2 for further explanation on Theology Proper.