SUBJECT: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 1

INSTRUCTOR: REV. LORENEL B. ALANZA

MIDTERM LESSON
-THE DOCTRINE OF GOD

III. THE NATURE OF GOD

The study of the Nature of God must be approached with humility and reverence.
Who can define the nature and essence of the Infinite God? Not only are His ways
"past finding out" (Rom. 11:33), His Nature and Being surpass our comprehension.
However, God has revealed as much of His essential Nature to us as is needed to
serve and worship Him. It is especially important to understand the Nature of
God, as it is revealed in the Bible, for many different concepts of deity are held by
those who reject the God of the Scriptures. The Bible does not give us a single
comprehensive definition of God; if "the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee"
(1Kgs. 8:27), how can a sentence or paragraph of human words define His Being?

The following is a theological definition, which serves as well as any: "God is a

Spirit, Infinite, Eternal, and Unchangeable in His Being, Wisdom, Power, Holiness,
Justice, Goodness and Truth." (Westminster Catechism)

Several statements about God in Scripture define various aspects of His Nature,
such as: "God is Spirit" (Jn. 4:24), "God is light" (1 Jn. 1:15), "God is love" (1 Jn.
4:8), and "God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). In this section we will focus our
attention upon four aspects of the Divine Nature.

A. God is Spirit.

1. Positive - scriptural affirmation.

The statement that God is Spirit means that He cannot be confined to a physical
body, nor to dimensions of space and time. He is the Invisible, Eternal God: "No
man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of
the Father, He hath declared him" (Jn. 1:18). Because God is Spirit, He can say,
"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Mt. 28:20); "For where
two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them"
(Mt. 18:20); and "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5). Jesus
pointed out that man must be "born of the spirit" in order to enter the kingdom
of God, in order that he may have fellowship with God who is Spirit (Jn. 3:5).

2. Negative - not corporeal, not localized.

Two problems arise in connection with the affirmation that God is Spirit. First,
some Bible passages represent God as having eyes, ears, or an arm (Is. 52:10; Ps.
34:15). These are figures of speech called "anthropomorphisms" (meaning man-
like). Living in a material world, Man has difficulty thinking of God as perceiving or
acting without human members; therefore, the Scriptures condescend to our
limitation by attributing to God (figuratively speaking) "ears" to hear our cry, or an
"arm" to help us. God, speaking through Isaiah the great prophet, and thinking
of our human limitation said, To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal?
saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these
things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by
the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. Why
sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest thou, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord,
and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou
not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. (Is.
40:25-28).
The Eternal Spirit does not need eyes to see our need, nor is He wearied in His
redeeming activity.
The second problem with the representation of God's spirituality is that He is
sometimes represented as appearing in human form (See Gn.,chs. 17,18,19; Jos.
5:13-15). Although God is in essence Spirit, He Who made all beings and things
can, for His wise ends, assume any form that suits His purpose. There are a
number of instances where God appeared in Visible form; for instance, as unto
Abraham to assure him of the promised on through whose descendents all
nations would be blessed. These ap- pearances are called "theophanies." Such
appearances, however, do not contradict God's spiritual nature. How wonderful it
is that God the Son took upon himself human form in order to become our
Redeemer, High Priest, and Eternal King! "Philip saith unto Him, Lord, show us the
hath seen the Father. Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, . . he that
hath seen me (Jn. 14:8,9). Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 15:38-54, Paul states that
spiritual beings may have spiritual bodies.
After the Resurrection, Jesus had a spiritual body not subject to physical
limitations (Jn. 20:19-29), and there is some indication that He may, in His
spiritual body, eternally bear the marks of Calvary's ordeal.

B. God is Perfect.
Jesus said to His disciples, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is
in heaven is perfect" (Mt. 5:48). It is almost impossible to think of the Creator,
who is at the same time Righteous and Loving, Holy and Merciful, Eternal Judge
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as being anything but perfect. The Scriptures
affirm this, declaring Him to be His Attributes. PERFECT. God's perfections will be
seen in sharper focus when we study

C. God is Personal.
A personal being is one that is self-conscious, who possesses intellect, feeling, and
will. It is popular among sophisticates today to believe in an impersonal God, who
is something like a life principle who can be referred to as "Nature." Such a God
neither answers prayer, nor is displeased with evil doing; he is just the universe
itself, including its laws. Such an impersonal "god" may not confront our
selfishness, but neither can he help us when our troubles are more than we can
handle. The God of Holy Heripture is a PERSONAL, Transcendent God, who stands
apart from the universe as its Creator; but Who, at the same time, is an Immanent

God who resides within His creation preserving it and caring for it as a Heavenly
Father.

The personality of God is revealed in His dealing with Moses, when He declared
His name: "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He Maid, Thus shalt
thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Ex. 3:14). Then
in Exodus 6:2,3 . I am the Lord; and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and
unto Jacob by the name of God almighty [El Shaddai], but by my name, JEHOVAH
was I not known unto them." The Hebrew word, Jehovah or Yaweh is derived
from the verb "to be." "I AM THAT I AM" may be a kind of interpretation of the
name Jehovah. Jehovah God is the One Who was, Who is, and Who eternally shall
be. As a PERSON, God is here revealed to have a personal name; He speaks and
enters into a covenant as an intelligent being; He answers the inquiries of Moses
as one who responds to human anxiety, and feels his concern with him. He
chooses a man to carry out His WILL to lead Israel as a witness nation among
nations. He declares that He has heard the groanings of His people in Egypt,
whose anguish mattered to Him. This is a Personal God, and not a mere
impersonal

In the New Testament, the Son of God (who was a Person) said, "For as the Father
hath LIFE in HIMSELF; even so gave He to the Son also to have LIFE in HIMSELF. ."
(Jn. 5:26). This infers that the Father is the same kind of Person as the Son to
whom He gave His LIFE. Since Man as a creature of God has intellect, emotion,
and volition, and he is able to intelligently contemplate God and His universe as a
rational person, surely he is not superior to God in capacities. God has Divine
personality, far beyond His creatures, but if He made Man to commune with Him
and to worship Him, He must certainly have endowed him with like characteristics
to His Nature when He made him in His own IMAGE.

The Bible's gospel is God's message to the sinner who has disobeyed a Personal
God, whom he has offended by his rebellion. This sinner bears a burden of guilt
which only a new relationship with God, made possible by the Redeeming Work
of the Son of God, will alleviate: "There is therefore, now, no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1); "But God commendeth His love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). Love
cannot come from an impersonal principle, LOVE is a personal characteristic.
D. God is One.
The Law of God given on Sinai begins with the declaration: "Hear O Israel: the
Lord our God is ONE Lord. (Dt. 6:4). Nothing is condemned in Scripture more than
the worship of other numerous gods: "Ye shall not go after other gods, of the
gods of the people which are round about you." (Dt. 6:14). The nations
worshipped many gods who corresponded to the forces of nature, gods who were
the creation of their own imagination, who were represented by images and idols.
These idolatrous nations were a constant thorn in the side of Israel. The downfall
of Israel was their continual flirtation with these deities of nature. When Israel's
King Ahab had opened the door to the worship of Baal, a false nature god, Elijah
spectacularly challenged the priests of Baal and Ashtoreth to a contest with
Jehovah, the living God. (1 Kgs. 18:21-40). He then prayed, God.
"Hear me O Lord... that this people may know that Thou art the LORD ." (1 Kgs.
18:37). When Jehovah, not the false deities, answered by fire, the people in one
accord cried, ". . . The LORD He is the God" (1 Kgs.18:39). It was important for the
man of God to halt the catastrophic trend toward polytheism. The Bible,
therefore, uncompromisingly calls for the worship of ONE true God. The prophet
Isaiah sounded the same trumpet call: "Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel,..the
Lord of hosts, I am the Arst, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God" (Is.
44:6). Championing the same great truth, our Savior said in prayer to the Father,
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God. ." (Jn.17:3).
The Apostle Paul commends the Thessalonians because they "turned unto God
from idols, to serve the living and true God" (1 Thes. 1:9).

It used to be widely taught that religion evolved from an original Animism and
polytheism (many gods) to a monotheism (one God). More recent archeological
evidence, together with the finding of modern missionaries, indicates that Man
was originally monotheistic (from God's revelation of Himself to the first parents),
and that the religions of the nations became increasingly corrupted with the
passing of time. There will be a section on the TRINITY of God later on (Section
VII), but it is Important first to establish the UNITY of God.

E. Erroneus Theories About God.

The Bible's teaching about God is that He is the All-powerful, All-wise Creator of
all things who is Just and Holy and at the same time Loving and Merciful; He is
Transcendent (above and distinct from the creation) while, at the same time, He
is Immanent (resident in and involved with His creation). He is a Personal God
who seeks fellowship with His redeemed people; He punishes ultimate rebellion
with eternal death; He rewards faith and obedience with eternal life through His
Son and Mediator, Jesus Christ. He is the Supreme Being, who is also the Heavenly
Father. He spoke into being the immeasurable universe, yet He notes the
sparrow's fall, and hears the faintest cry. He made the galaxies, but He stooped to
Bethlehem's manger. We tremble before His Majesty, but we seek solace in His
unconditional Love. He dwells beyond the remotest galaxy, but He is no farther
from us than the reach of faith. This is the Christian's God. There are, however,
different views held by those who ignore the scriptural doctrine of God.

1. Atheism.
The Atheist denies the existence of any deity. He believes that the universe came
about by chance, or that it has always existed, sustained by resident, impersonal
laws. But, is any earth-bound man reasonable who denies the existence of a
maker for a universe, whose vast expanse he can no more explore than a mole
can explore St. Paul's Cathedral? There are two kinds of atheists: (1) the
philosophical atheist who denies that God exists, and (2) the practical atheist who
lives as if God did not exist.
2. Agnosticism.
The Agnostic does not deny God's existence; he denies the possibility of the
knowledge of God. Professor Huxley, who coined the word "agnostic," took the
term from the Greek altar in Athens referred to by Paul in Acts 17:23 which had
the inscription "Agnosto Theo" (the unknown god). But Prof. Huxley
misunderstood the intent behind the inscription; the Athenian "unknown god"
was the real God above all the lesser deities, who were really only the human
heroes from the dawn of history, whom the Greeks had elevated to the status of
gods. Socrates and Plato gained some insight into the existence of a Supreme
Being, they just did not know what to call Him. Agnosticism is popular today; it is
a comfortable refuge for those who think of themselves as intellectuals, but who
do not want to take a position of faith in the God of the Scriptures. A sincere and
humble seeker after God will sooner or later find Him, for He is not far from any
us.

3. Materialism.
The Materialist denies the existence of spirit, or spiritual beings. To him all reality
is merely matter in motion. The human mind and soul are only functions of the
physical brain developed over billions of years by gradual evolution. There is no
life after death; "heaven" or "hell" are only earthly states of pleasure or pain,
success or failure. If the Materialist is consistent, he has no real basis for morality;
doing good is only doing what brings the greatest pleasure to the greatest
number, but there is no reason why he feels deep obligation to be moral other
than his own loss of esteem.
According to the Materialist, there is no judgment above the human level, sin is
only imperfection.

4. Pantheism.
This is the religion of Hinduism. God is simply Nature, the sum total of the
universal system. The term comes from theos meaning "god," and pan meaning
"all." The philosophers Spinoza and Hegel were the best known European
pantheists. Some prominent liberal "Christian" theologians of today are really
pantheists, and are among those who do not believe in a Personal Transcendent
God. The turn of many to Eastern religions has revived pantheism in America. The
Bible makes no room for this ancient but dreary religion; its best hope is nirvana,
the desireless, passionless, soulless state.

5. Polytheism.
This word again comes from the two Greek words, poly meaning "many," and
theos meaning "god," the belief in many gods. Among ancient nations, every facet
of nature was ruled over by a god or goddess; this arose from the worship of the
forces of nature. Later tribal heroes were elevated to the position of deities and
ruled over rivers, rainfall, agricul
ture, human passions, various planets, seasons of the year, etc. Israel's
neighbors were polytheists and often corrupted Israel's worship. The
Bible strongly condemns this paganism with its idolatry (Is. 44:9-20)
However, after the Babylonian captivity, Israel was virtually cured of
idolatrous worship.
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THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
6. Deism.
Deism, comes from the Latin deus which means "god." The Deist
believes in a transcendent but "absentee" God. His God made the universe
and Man, but left His creation to sustain itself by natural laws. Deism
denies Man's sinful nature and therefore the need of an atonement or a
redeemer. Deism rejects all miracles as well as the Divine inspiration of
Scripture. This view of God is irrational, for why would a Personal God
are not numerous today.
create the world and Man and have no revealed purpose for Man? Deists
7. Dualism.
61
Dualism is the doctrine of the existence of two opposite realms opposed
to one another: one of spirit and one of matter, opposed to one another, or
the rule of the world by two gods: one of evil and darkness, and one of good
and light. Zoroaster, a Persian philosopher of Moses' time, first advanced
the idea of two gods of equal power, neither of whom ultimately triumphs.
The Bible teaches us of good and evil, of Satan and of God. But God and
His kingdom at the end of the age will triumph over Satan and evil: "And
the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are
subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan
the power of the enemy.
as lightning fall from heaven. Behold I give unto you power
... over all
." (Lk. 10:17-19). The book of Job gives us a
picture of a kind of dualism, or conflict between the forces of God and
Satan, but again God and virtue triumph. The Gnostics and Manicheans
in post Apostolic times were dualists, teaching that all matter was evil
and that only spirit was good. In the New Testament, "the world" does not
refer so much to physical things, but to the spirit of sin and evil in an
unregenerate society dominated by Satan. Material things may be good
and useful to God's kingdom when managed with a dedicated steward-
are yours; whether
ship. All things are ours when laid at the feet of Jesus: For all things
the world, or life, or death, or things present, or
Cor. 3:21-23), and
things to come: all are yours; And ye are Christ's and Christ is God's" (1
6:17)
. be not highminded, nor trust is uncertain riches,
but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. . . ." (1 Tm.
"C
There is another dualism that teaches that all affliction, calamity,
adversity, poverty, and trouble come directly from Satan. No doubt, much
of such does derive from Satan's realm, and in fact all such is the result of
the Fall; but the theory that all adversity is Satanic is contradicted by the
experience of almost all the Apostles and martyrs and great leaders of the
Church, who made adversity glorify God. Adversity is evil only if we
church:
permit Satan to defeat us with it. On the other hand, there is victory in
Christ out of all life's experiences. Paul said, writing to the Corinthian
For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which
came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength,
insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we had the
dei sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in our-
98 selves, but in God which raiseth the dead: who delivered us from soled
great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet
deliver us.... (2 Cor. 1:8-10). oleret bas extenfonie ale pornsh
This is an example of trouble in Paul's life that God used for His purpose,
but three times the Apostle uses the word "DELIVER." There are oppos-
ing forces in the world and the believer is in the midst of the battle, but we
are on the winning side: "... greater is he that is in you, than he that is in
the world" (I Jn. 4:4). Amen!
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besoggo
Cofieo IV.OWTHE NAMES OF GOD
62
10 Webster defines "name" as "that by which a person or thing is
known." The Hebrews thought of names as being revelatory, as disclos-
ing some attribute or characteristic of the person named. For instance,
the name "Adam" means "of the earth" or "taken out of the red earth"; his
name revealed his origin. A number of names for God are found in the
Scriptures, for no one name, or even multiplicity of names, can reveal all
His Attributes. But, we need only know God's Attributes to the extent
that He is pleased to reveal them, and those that pertain to the relation-
ships we have with Him. It is assuring to know that there is some
relationship with God, revealed by one of His names, that corresponds to
every need of His children. It is the goal of theology to define, as far as
possible, what those relationships are. The study of the names of God will
significantly help us to attain that goal.
oriol209A Joga
A. Elohim (pl.), Eloah (sing.). weedial
Jerit bri
16 The name ELOHIM is the first word used in Scripture to designate
"God." "In the beginning ELOHIM created the heaven and the earth"
(Gn. 1:1). This name is used around 2,500 times in the Old Testament. Its
probable root meaning is "strong and mighty one." E. B. Smick, writing in
the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible says: "There are
many suggestions for the meaning of the root but no consensus, perhaps
related to El meaning 'mighty' or 'strong'. A most commonly used Heb.
word for God, god, angels, or magistrates." The singular form ELOAH, in
the same reference work, is defined as follows: "('God,' singular of Elohim,
q.v.). It is used forty-one times in Job (replacing Elohim) and sixteen
times elsewhere. These occurrences are mainly poetic and refer to the
true God except in II Chronicles 32:15; Daniel 11:37-39; and Hab. 1:11 (cf.
Job 12:6)."8 The name Elohim, like the word "God" in English, may refer
to the true God or to any object of worship, or even to human dignitaries.
viola varensvba obom odw
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Ils lo que tend
7. Webster's New World Dictionary, s. v. "name."
8. Elmer B. Smick, Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. Merrill C.
Tenney (Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975) II, s.v. "ELOHIM."on blow ow 10
evods swasom to tuo beesig Tow ow tart,siaA ni au of omso
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD anotimbatsio
Almost always, when used together with the definite article, it is applied
to the one true God of Israel. 1688
The use of the plural form for God (Elohim) with the singular article
needs some explanation. Some scholars define the word as the plural of
Majesty or completeness. There may be some truth in this explanation,
but it falls short of being a fully satisfactory accounting of its use in the
whole of Scripture. To most conservative scholars, it gives a clear indica-
Hon of the Trinity in Unity. From an up-to-date Bible reference work:
"The plural ending is usually described as a plural of majesty.
but a
better reason can be seen in Scripture itself where, in the very first
chapter of Genesis the necessity of a term conveying both the unity of the
one God and yet allowing for a plurality of persons is found (Gen. 1:2,26)."
And again, "More probable is the view that elohim comes from eloah as a
unique development of the Hebrew Scriptures and presents chiefly the
plurality of persons in the Trinity of the godhead."9 (More will be said
about the Trinity in Section VII).
ons 9m stoled allow [obbod2
1. EL: meaning "God, god, mighty one, strength" (Dt. 32:4). 88.
This is a very ancient name for God (probably related in origin to eloah
And elohim, but on this scholars are not agreed) which is found in some
Arm in all of the Semitic languages. It can have several meanings, but in
the Bible, it usually refers to the true God of Israel. El, as a Divine name,
doon not frequently appear alone, but most often it is used in compound
With other terms as: El Elyon, El Shaddai, etc. It also occurs in common
Mames, as in Daniel, meaning "God is my judge." It is interesting that this
MAMO, as well as most of the common Divine names, are found in the 32nd
Chapter of Deuteronomy. onT 210500 emen gif story II ergono
2. EL ELYON: (Dt. 32:8): "The Most High" (from alah which
Means "to ascend").anm bol b10.
gnia) nobA (lg) proba
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and
he was the priest of the most high God [El Elyon]. And he blessed
him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God [El Elyon1.com
possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed by the most high God use
El Elyon] which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. (Gn.
14:18-20). boe
brow and an EW SIBE 90 doons Visy af
was the Most High God who so loved the world that He sent His Son to
leom us, who is our High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek
Heb. 6:20). The Savior lowered Himself to the level of the guiltiest sinner:
Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above
every name.. ." (Phil. 2:9). He is at the right hand of the Most High God.
#. EL OLAM: "The Everlasting God."
YOJIA
201
STOTIS
The thought conveyed by this name was not only the eternal duration

of God, but also His everlasting faithfulness. As recorded in Genesis,

Abraham calls on Jehovah, "the Everlasting God," who keeps His coven-
ants (Gen. 21:33). The Psalmist, thinking of the Lord as a perpetual
dwelling place, said, "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all
generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst
formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting,
thou art God [El]" (Ps. 90:1-2). Isaiah, the messianic prophet, exhorted the
people in a time of wavering: "Trust in the Lord [Jehovah] forever, for in
God [Jah] the Lord [Jehovah], we have an everlasting Rock" [lit., "Rock of
Ages"] (Is. 26:4, NASB). Adam Clarke remarks on Isaiah 26:4: "Does not
this refer to the lasting streams from the rock in the desert? and that rock
was Christ."10
64
4. EL SHADDAI: "The Almighty God."
"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord [Jehovah]
appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God [El
Shaddai] walk before me and be thou perfect" (Gn. 17:1). (See also
Gn.28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; Ex. 6:3; Ez. 10:5.) The compound form, El
Shaddai, is found seven (7) times; the single word shaddai meaning "the
Almighty" is found forty-one (41) times, thirty-one (31) times in Job alone.
Some older commentators took the word shaddai as being derived from a
word shad meaning " breast," giving to the Divine name the meaning of
"The Satisfier" or "All Sufficient One." This opinion seems to have been
derived from an incorrect translation in the Greek Septuagint Version
Almost all scholars now derive the word shad from a word meaning
"mountain," thus "The Almighty," which is its obvious meaning in
Genesis 17:1, where the name first occurs. The emphasis derived from this
name is God's Omnipotence.
B. Adonai (pl.); Adon (sing.) - Lord, lord, master, owner, ruler.
This name is expressed in the following Scriptures: "After these things
the word of the Lord [Jehovah] came unto Abram in a vision, saying. Fear
not Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram
said, Lord God [Adonai Jehovah], what wilt thou give me, seeing I go
childless...?" (Gn. 15:1,2). The word adonai is used in the Old Testament
in very much the same way as the word "kurios" is used in the Greek New
Testament, and in much the same sense as we use the English word
"Lord". It can refer to a person who is a master, owner or ruler; or it can
refer to the Lord God, because He is the Master and Owner of everything:
"And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master [adonai], and
departed. ." (Gn. 24:10). "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, say
ing, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord [adonai] being old
aiso?" (Gn. 18:12). Peter refers to this verse: "Even as Sara obeyed Ab
raham, calling him lord [kurion]. . . ." (1 Pt. 3:6). The believer should be
10. Adam Clark's Commentary on the Whole Bible, abridged by Ralph Earle (Grand
Rapids, MI
Baker Book House, 1976).
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
reminded that when we call Jesus "Lord" we are recognizing Him as our
Master; to call Jesus Lord and not obey Him is a contradiction in language
And in conduct.
C. Jehovah.
JEHOVAH is the personal NAME of God in His relationship as
Redeemer.
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of
Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent
me unto you; and they shall say to me, what is His name? what
shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, "I AM THAT I
AM:" and he said, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I
AM hath sent me unto you." And God said moreover unto Moses,
"Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the LORD
Jehovah] God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my
NAME for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.'
(Ex. 3:13-15).
9:
65
This personal name also appears in Exodus 6:2,3: "And God spake unto
Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD [Jehovah]: And I appeared unto
Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty
INI Shaddai I, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them."
Jehovah is the name for the Lord God occurring most frequently in the
Old Testament (5,321 times). The actual Hebrew form of the word was
YHWH (the Hebrew alphabet does not have vowels). We really do not
know how the Hebrews pronounced the name (probably Yahweh, the
fireek transliteration is iaoue). Because they were forbidden by the
Commandments to take the name of the Lord in vain, they feared to
Pronounce the name of Yahweh, therefore they substituted in reading the
Word Adonai. After centuries transpired, they forgot how to pronounce
Jehovah or Yahweh; and when scholars finally invented "vowel points"
written Hebrew, they gave to Jehovah the vowel points for Adonai,
Hot knowing what the original vowel sounds had been.
Ncholars differ over the etymology of the name JEHOVAH (YHWH),
but quite certainly, it comes from a form of the verb "to be." This seems
lear from the Lord's statement to Moses that "I AM" had sent him. "I AM
THAT I AM" seems to amplify the name in a way that it could mean "the
pernally existing One." Jesus seemed to identify with the name when he
Bid to the Jews, "Before Abraham was, I AM." (Jn. 8:58). Could it mean:
AM the Way, the Truth and the Life" (Jn. 14:6), "I AM the Light" (Jn.
I), "I AM the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35)", and "I AM the Resurrection and
the Life" (Jn. 11:25)? With joy we sing, "He's everything to me.' An
breviated form of Jehovah, JAH is found forty-eight (48) times in the
Old Testament (first in Ex. 15:2). It has the same meaning as Jehovah. It
Beurs mostly in the Psalms and it is always used in a context of PRAISE:

extol him that rideth upon the heavens, by His name JAH...." (Ps.
68:4)
D. Ha Tsur "The Rock."
The metaphorical name for Jehovah, Ha Tsur, is found five (5) times
in Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two: "He is the Rock, his work is per-
." (Dt. 32:4). The term stresses the Immutability of God, the Rock
fect..
of Ages. (See also Dt. 32:15,18,30,31; Is. 17:10; 26:4; 32:2; 51:1; Ps. 19:14.)
Paul said, "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of
that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ." (1 Cor.
10:4). (Also Ex. 17:6).
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—
E. The Compound Names of Jehovah.
Since Jehovah is the covenant name of God expressing personal
relationship (Ex. 19:3-6), it is natural that His name would be com-
pounded with other terms that identify and make specific those relation-
ships.
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1. JEHOVAH ELOHIM.
"These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they
were created, in the day that the Lord God [Jehovah Elohim] made the
earth and the heavens. . ." (Gn. 2:4). This name identifies Jehovah with
the creation of all things. The Triune God of Creation is also the Redeemer
of His people.
2. JEHOVAH JIREH.
"And Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide
[Jehovah Jireh ], as it is said to this day, 'In the mount of the Lord it will be
provided' (Gn. 22:14, NASB). God PROVIDED a substitute for Isaac, that
he might go free; He has likewise provided for us, once for all, a substitute,
the Lamb of God. "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up
for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom.
8:32) at bem
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3. JEHOVAH RAPHA.
"And He said, 'If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord
your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His com-
mandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on
you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your
HEALER'" (Ex. 15:26, NASB). Jehovah here reveals His personal rela-
tionship as the HEALER of His people. Since the promise related to
physical diseases, the healing must also be physical healing. There are a
significant number of physical healings in the Old Testament which
exemplify this attribute. The promise is conditional upon obedience how
ever, which explains why the physical healings were not more common. A
very large part of the ministry of Jesus and His Apostles was given to
physical healing. The Church has been given "gifts of healings" 1 Cor.
12:9) and the conditions of obedience still apply to God's people. blo
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4. JEHOVAH NISSI.Som of
"And Moses built an altar, and named it The Lord is My Banner.
(Ex. 17:15, NASB). The Israelites had just been victorious in the battle
with Amalek. Aaron and Hur had held up the hands of Moses until
sunset, and while they did so Israel prevailed. To commemorate the
victory, an altar was built and named Jehovah Nissi (Ex. 17:8-15). The
Lord is our banner of victory in the battle, "and His banner over us is
love." (See Sg. 2:4.)
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5. JEHOVAH SHALOM.
"Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it The Lord is
Peace [Jehovah Shalom]" (Jgs. 6:24, NASB). When God was calling
Gideon to lead Israel to victory over the Midianites, an angel appeared to
him and wrought a miracle. Gideon supposed that he would die as a
result. Jehovah assured him that he would live and lead Israel to
Triumph. Jehovah was PEACE to him, even before the battles began.
Nhalom (peace) means more than freedom from conflict; it means prosper-
Hy, health, well-being, and faith in the face of conflict. Jesus said, "My
pence I give unto you." (Jn. 14:27). (See also Eph. 2:15,16).
619
6. JEHOVAH RAAH.
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"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" (Ps. 23:1). It was consoling
to Israel to think of Jehovah as the great Shepherd of their flock, who
Provided such rich pastures that none needed to suffer want. What assur-
Ance there is to the Christian believer in the words of Jesus, "I am the good
hepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (Jn. 10:11). And,
When the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory
What fadeth not away" (1 Pt. 5:4).
1. JEHOVAH TSIDKENU.
"In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and
Mis is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHT-
OUSNESS" (Jer. 23:6). Paul wrote concerning Jesus our Savior: "But of
mare ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
MOHTEOUSNESS, and sanctification, and redemption...." (1 Cor. 1:30).
A JEHOVAH SABAOTH.
"Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts [Jehovah Sabaoth], he is
King of glory" (Ps. 24:10). (See 1 Sm. 1:3). Elisha found that the Lord of
la surrounded His people in times of attacks by the enemy. (2 Kgs.
Jor
#JEHOVAH SHAMMAH.
"I was round about eighteen thousand measures; and the name of the
hom that day shall be, The LORD is THERE" (Ez. 48:35). How
ngthening it is to know that the Transcendent God who created the
universe is also the Immanent God ever present with His people! The
or of Hebrews declared: "... for he hath said, I will never leave thee
wanke thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I
will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb. 13:5,6).
F. New Testament Names of God.
1. THEOS.oed Jau
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"In the beginning was the Word [logos], and the Word was with God
[Theos], and the Word was God [Theos]" (Jn. 1:1). The Greek word theos,
like elohim can mean "God" or gods." It is the usual word for "God" in the
New Testament.
2. KURIOS.
"And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
[Kurios], to the glory of God [Theos] the Father [Pater]" (Phil. 2:11). All
three New Testament Divine names are used in the verse above. Kurios is
like adonai in the Old Testament.
3. PATER.
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father [Pater] which art in
.. but ye have received
heaven, Hallowed be thy name" (Mt. 6:9). Also,
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ABBA, FATHER" (Rom. 8:15).
Abba was the Aramaic word for "father"; it was the word Jesus used in
prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. What a privilege that, because of
Christ's work of Redemption, we may call upon the Omnipotent One as
our heavenly FATHER!
Forte Fatbart
V. THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
To write about the Attributes of the Infinite God is a sobering under
taking. However, one can only search the Word of God with the assurance
that in the inspired Scriptures we have God's revelation of Himself to us
God has revealed to us those perfections and excellencies of His Nature
that He deems essential to our redemption, our worship, and our fellow
ship with Him. This can be one of the most interesting studies in the
realm of Bible doctrine. Who is not awed and thrilled at reading words
such as the following from the inspired pen of the prophet Isaiah:
2241800
and
To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of His great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
WOH
Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God?
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
He will not grow tired or weary,
and His understanding no one can fathom. (40:25-28, NIV).
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Such expressions extol Him as both Creator and Provider; they reveal
His Power, Wisdom, Providence and Immutability. This is but a part of
one chapter from the Old Testament. When we add the New Testament
and the revelation of God as seen in His Son Jesus Christ, we have a rich
and living source from which to understand the "properties" and "virtues"
of our God.
It is not easy to categorize the Attributes of God. There are clearly two
general kinds, but proper words to distinguish them are hard to find. One
kind, only God possesses; another kind, man may possess to a limited
degree. The kind that only God has I will call Absolute Attributes; the
kind that can be shared with us I will call Moral Attributes.
A. Absolute Attributes.
1. SELF-EXISTENCE.
"For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to
have life in himself. (Jn. 5:26).
»
God is the Absolute Source of all life and being, the Uncaused Cause.
He is not one in a series of emanations as some have mistakenly taught.
He is the Eternal Living God, Creator of all beings and all things that
have ever existed: "And he is before all things, and by him all things
Fonsist" (Col. 1:17). God is not dependent for being or essence upon any
urce outside Himself, thus He is Self-existent.
M. IMMUTABILITY.
"For I am the Lord, I change not. ." (Mal. 3:6). "Every good gift and
Very perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of
ghts, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (Jas.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ we love to quote: "Jesus Christ the same
terday, and to day, and for ever" (Heb. 13:8). The clauses, "with whom
A Variableness" and "Jesus Christ is the same," are unqualified;
refore, the unvariableness and sameness apply to all the Divine attri-
How It in very comforting to the believer to know that the covenants and
son of God are as reliable as the foundations of Heaven. In Solomon's
Byer at the dedication of the temple, he declared, "Blessed be the Lord,
hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to all that he
ised there hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He
ised by the hand of Moses his servant" (1 Kgs. 8:56).
Man changes from day to day; his obedience is not constant. Man's
live netions and attitudes may diminish the experience of condi-
blessings for him, but this does not gainsay the Faithfulness of God.
gh the mouth of Malachi, God spoke with both reproach and
aly "ven from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from my
www, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return
(8:81nt) inomybut