14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
1 PETER 3:14-16
The question is not whether or not you’re going to be a theologian, but what kind of theologian you’re going to be.”
Michael Lawrence
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
WHAT IS THE GOD OF THE BIBLE LIKE?
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[g] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things…
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Romans 1:19-23,28
I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
PSALM 138:2
HOW DO WE KNOW GOD EXISTS?
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Romans 1:21
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Hebrews 8:10
"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,"
Hebrews 10:16
14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
Romans 2:14-15
Moral Argument: argues that there are objectively valid moral values, and therefore, there must be an absolute from which they are derived.
If everything wasn’t created ON PURPOSE, then nothing that is created HAS PURPOSE.
Ontological Argument: argues that the very concept of God demands that there is an actual existent God.
Presuppositional Argument: argues that the basic beliefs of theists and non-theists require God as a necessary pre-condition.
HUMANS WERE MADE FOR WORSHIP
To worship is to live for something.
“The human heart is a perpetual idol factory.”
John Calvin
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things…
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Romans 1:22-23,28
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[g] in the things that have been made.
Romans 1:19-20
“We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God… Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, ‘What comes to mind when you think about God?’ Weight predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man.”
A.W. Tozer
Instead of glorifying God we transformed our idea of Him into forms and images more comfortable to our corrupt and darkened hearts.
David Guzik
“Here’s how you know you’ve created God in your own image: he agrees with you on everything…”
John Mark Cromer
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.
Acts 17:16-21
As Paul sailed to Athens from the sea near Berea, he came to a city he had probably never been to before, and like any tourist, he was ready to be impressed by this famous and historic city – which, hundreds of years before, was one of the most glorious and important cities in the world. But when Paul toured Athens, he was only depressed by the magnitude of the idolatry he saw all around.
David Guzik
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
Acts 17:22-23
WHAT IS GOD LIKE?
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,[c] 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
Acts 17:24-25
GOD IS… INDEPENDENT
Independent: God does not need us or the rest of creation for anything, yet we and the rest of creation bring Him glory and bring Him joy.
Someone might wonder, if God does not need us for anything, then are we important at all? Is there any significance to our existence or to the existence of the rest of creation? In response it must be said that we are in fact very meaningful because God has created us and he has determined that we would be meaningful to him… to be significant to God is to be significant in the most ultimate sense. No greater personal significance can be imagined.
Wayne Grudem
The starting place of knowing God is knowing His love.
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of the...
