Geisler, Norman

Systematic Theology,
Vol. 2
Introduction
Read pages 17-24
Week One Session One
 What is an attribute of
God?
• A characteristic than can be
attributed to God’s nature.
• An essential trait of God.
 The Importance of the
Truth of God’s Attributes
• All basic theological truths depend upon
God’s attributes.
• Knowing the “true” God helps us identify
the “false” gods.
• Being in error on God’s attributes has
consequences.
• Spiritual growth is build upon our
concept of God.
• A commitment to what is not ultimate,
will ultimately be spiritually unsatisfying
Be prepared to comment on
the following statement.

“What you think of God is the

most important thing about
you.”

A. W. Tozer
 How many attributes does
God have?
• Geisler proposes 20 nonmoral attributes
of God, 5 nonmoral characteristics of
God, and 3 moral attributes of God.
• Many theologians use terms like
communicable and non-communicable
attributes. Communicable attributes
were those shared by humans, such as
love holiness. Non-communicable
attributes are those that exclusive to
God, such as omnipotence, omniscience,
and omnipresence.
Nonmoral Attributes of God
Also called metaphysical
attributes
Nonmoral Characteristics
of God
1. Sovereignty
2. Transcendence
3. Immanence
4. Omnipresence
5. Ineffability
 Moral Attributes of God
1. Holiness
2. Justice
3. Jealousy
4. Perfection
5. Truthfulness
6. Goodness
 Moral Characteristics of
God
1. Mercy
2. Wrath
 How are God’s Attributes
Predicated
• Only three possible ways to predicate
(ascribe)
1.Univocally—attributed entirely the
same way it is attributed to creatures.
2.Equivocally—to use attributes of God in
an entirely different way.
3.Analogically—attributed in a similar
way.
Geisler says the analogical
attribution is the only
option
“Analogous God-talk is the only meaningful way
to speak of God.” Geisler, p. 23
There are two basic types of analogy: extrinsic
and intrinsic.
1.Extrinsic analogy is an analogy where only the
effect, not the cause, has the characteristic
properly.
2.Intrinsic analogy is an analogy where both
effect and cause possess the characteristic.
 Reasons for Metaphorical
Attributes of God
Metaphors . . .
1. inform us what God can do, not what
He is.
2. communicate what God is like in an
indirect and non-literal way.
3. Are often evocative, even though they
are not literally descriptive, that is,
they do not literally and directly
describe God.
 Kinds of Metaphorical
Descriptions of God
1. Anthropomorphisms—depict God in human
form, such as having eyes.
2. Anthropopathism—picture God having changing
human feelings like anger and grief.
3. Anthropoieses—attribute to God human
actions, such as repenting and forgetting.

None of these are intended as literally true, and to

take them as such can lead to serious error.