1 / 24

God

God. God, the Father Almighty. Basic Theology, Part 2. Which God are we talking about?. In the ancient world, each nation had its own god or pantheon of gods Part of the task of Christian theology is to identify the God in which Christians believe. Which God are we talking about?.

alicet
Download Presentation

God

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. God God, the Father Almighty Basic Theology, Part 2

  2. Which God are we talking about? • In the ancient world, each nation had its own god or pantheon of gods • Part of the task of Christian theology is to identify the God in which Christians believe

  3. Which God are we talking about? • This is the same God that is worshipped in the Old Testament, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob • This God has been fully disclosed in Jesus Christ • To know Christ is to know God • This is not the same God the the Muslims worship

  4. Analogies in theology • Theology has always made use of imagery as a way for us to understand the nature of God • Analogies tell us something about God, but not everything about him • We always need to make sure we are not taking an analogy too far

  5. Psalm 23 - The Lord is my shepherd What images come to mind when we think of God as being a shepherd? Analogies in theology

  6. The loving care of the shepherd for the sheep God’ guidance We are like the sheep of God’s pasture and are totally dependent on him God comes to find us in our lostness and bring us home Analogies in theology

  7. Just because God is like a shepherd does not mean that he is identical to a shepherd Every analogy breaks down at some point Analogies in theology

  8. So why use analogies at all? There is no way in which a created human mind would be capable of beholding God directly As a result, we need to think of God in a scaled-down manner, appropriate to our ability to cope Analogies in theology

  9. God as Father • Jesus himself addresses God as Father • What are “fathers” like? • They are human beings • They bring their children into existence • They care for their children • They are male

  10. God as Father • How is God like/not like a father? • He is not a human being • He is our originator who brought us into existence • He cares for humanity • He is not “Male”

  11. God as Father • The use of male imagery for God • Scripture uses male imagery to describe God • The Bible also uses female imagery when referring to God’s love for humanity • Does speaking of God as “father” mean that we believe in a male deity? • To say that “a father in ancient Israelite society is a suitable analogy for God” is not the same as saying “God is male.” • The role of Father in ancient Israel allows us insights into the nature of God

  12. God as Father • God and gender • God is neither male nor female (this is a pagan concept) • The Old Testament refuses to endorse the idea that the gender or the sexuality of God is a significant matter • God creates not through the sexual act (the reason gender exists) but rather through his spoken word

  13. God as Father • Wolfhart Pannenberg (1928-2014) - Systematic Theology • The aspect of fatherly care in particular is taken over in what the Old Testament has to say about God’s fatherly care for Israel. The sexual definition of the father’s role plays no part…To bring sexual differentiation into the understanding of God would mean polytheism; it was thus ruled out for the God of Israel…The fact that God’s care for Israel can also be expressed in terms of a mother’s love shows clearly enough how little there is any sense of sexual distinction in the understanding of God as Father.

  14. “Our Mother, who is in heaven and within us, We call upon your names. Your wisdom come. Your will be done, In all the spaces in which You dwell. Give us each day Sustenance and perseverance. Remind us of our limits as we give grace to the limits of others. Separate us from the temptation of empire, But deliver us into community. For you are the dwelling place within us the empowerment around us and the celebration among us now and for ever.” God as Father • Should we refer to God as Mother also?

  15. A personal God • “Personality” relates to the part played by an individual in a web of relationships, by which that person is perceived to be distinctive by others. • “A personal God” is thus a God with whom we can exist in a relationship which is analogous to that which we could have with another human person

  16. A personal God • Personal relationships establish a framework within which such key biblical themes as love, trust, and faithfulness have their meaning • OT theme of covenant between God and his people, by which they mutually bind themselves to each other

  17. A personal God • Martin Buber (1878-1965) • “I-It” relations • subject-object relations • impersonal • “I-Thou” relations • exist between two active subjects or “persons” • mutual and reciprocal

  18. A personal God • Our relationship with God is an “I-Thou” relationship, and God is the Absolute Thou • God cannot be reduced to a concept or conceptual formulation • God is the “Thou who can, by its nature, never become an It.”

  19. A personal God • This approach allows for valuable insights into the idea of “revelation” • God’s revelation is not simply making the facts known, but making himself known • Rejects the idea that God is an object to be discovered • Theology is not so much about our quest for God as it is about our response to his self-disclosure

  20. A personal God • Salvation and reconciliation only make sense within the context an “I-Thou” relationship with God

  21. God as Almighty • What does it mean when we say God is “Almighty?” • Consider this statement: “To say that God is almighty means that God can do anything” • Can God draw a triangle with 4 sides? • Can God create a stone which is too heavy for him to lift?

  22. God as Almighty • To say that God is almighty means that God can do anything that does not involve logical contradiction • But God is about more than just this • The real concern is the divine nature itself

  23. God as Almighty • Can God force someone who loves him to hate him? • Can God break promises? • Deeper issue here, concerning the character of God • Can we ever imagine God wanting to do this?

  24. God as Almighty • God is someone who remains faithful to what has been promised • The suggestion that God might break a promise contradicts a vital aspect of God’s character—namely, God’s faithfulness and truthfulness • There is a tension between power and trust • We know a God who could do anything—but who chose to redeem us • Divine self-limitation—the notion that God freely chooses to behave in certain ways, and in doing so, places limits on divine action • God’s omnipotence is to be set within the context of God’s nature

More Related