ATTRIBUTES OF GOD - INTRO 2

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD - INTRO 2

The source of this article in theology is the Bible. It is true that there are two methods of approach to the subject of God. One method is philosophical, the other is Biblical. The philosophical approach begins with reasoning argument and at last (hopefully and perhaps) ends with God. The Biblical method brings man into the immediate presence of God. It is concerned with practical rather than philosophical matters. Man in his sinful condition cannot wait for the settle­ment of all the intellectual problems. So, inasmuch as the Bible was written for sinful men, it brings men without delay into the very presence of God. It starts out, "In the beginning God" (Gen. 1:1).

This primary and basic method of approach is direct and practical rather than argumentative. A rose, for example, needs no philosophical arguments to prove its existence. Its beauty and fragrance are immediate channels of revela­tion, entirely sufficient for those whose minds are not spoiled by mere specula­tion. In the same way there are channels of revelation concerning God which are immediate. God hath spoken concerning Himself, His nature, and His work. He has spoken in ways which are more universally accessible and convincing than in the case of any other fact of experience.

Best of all, God has made this revelation of Himself accessible to men within the covers of His book, the Bible. This is a God-breathed record, in­capable of error and verbally inerrant. It also provides the necessary tools for an accurate interpretation of its message about God. This makes it possible for men to article and re-article, to verify and validate their conclusions about God. It is objective, so that other men can also examine this record and compare notes, measure their progress, and correct their conclusions.

This divine record covers a vast area of channels through which God made His revelation to men. These channels of revelation constitute the method by which God discovered Himself to men. In no sense do these channels of revela­tion describe man in the process of discovering God. When Adam sinned he walked out of the presence of God, and from that day to this of his race it is written, "there is none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11). Beginning with Adam, God went searching for fallen men (Gen. 3:8-11).

Seven channels of revelation can be isolated and described as set forth in the theological notes of Dr. Alva J. McClain.

1. God made revelation of Himself in the material and animal creation. "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and God­head" (Rom. 1:20; Psa. 19:1-4).

2.     God made revelation of Himself in the nature and constitution of man. For "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Gen. 1:26-27; Acts 17:28-29).

3.     God made revelation of Himself in early times by speaking directly to men. God spoke audibly to Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, and to others (Gen. 3:8-11; 6:13 ff; 12:1-4). At first this may seem impossible, because it is so different from today. But the text seems to say that.

4.     God made revelation of Himself in miraculous and providential works. He performed miracles among and in behalf of the people, and He worked through them to reveal Himself. "God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him" (Deut. 4:34-35).

5.     God made revelation of Himself in the experience and life of God's people: in the personal experience of each saved person (2 Tim. 1:12), and in demonstration of life to other people (Matt. 5:13-16; 1 Pet. 2:9). Peter explains that "ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people: that ye should shew forth the praises of him who called you out of dark­ness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9; Phil. 3:10).

6.     God made revelation of Himself in the Holy Scriptures. "God...at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets" (Heb. 1:1). "Who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" (1 Pet. 1:10-11).

7.     God made revelation of Himself in the person of Christ. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18). In support of this observation, Christ replied to Philip's request to see the Father, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:8-9).