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by Dr. Bob Keyes Series: Are you there?...It's me, God.
Week 1: Infinity and Trinity Introduction
God is knowable. He is not the impersonal, unknowable god of traditions like Hinduism or the New Age movement. Why can we know God? Because, he has revealed himself to us. God wants to be known by us. How has he revealed himself to us? He has revealed himself through creation, through the soul that he created in each one of us, through Jesus Christ, and through the Bible. So, how can we know God? By studying what he has revealed of himself. This involves both understanding who God is and developing a relationship with him. “What you think of God is the most important thing about you.”
The Knowledge of the Holy
A.W. Tozer This series will allow us to better know the God who we love and serve. Does it really matter if we know what God is like? In answer, we can ask, Does it really matter if we know our spouse, or our children, or our friends? Of course, it matters! We cannot develop meaningful relationships with others (including God) unless we increasingly come to know them better.
1. Knowing God A. God has revealed himself to us 1. General revelation a. Creation
b. Human soul
2. Special revelation a. Jesus Christ
b. Bible
B. How do we know anyone? 1. Knowing who the person is
2. Knowing how the person acts
C. How do we know God? 1. Knowing who he is
2. Knowing how he acts
Attributes of God Unique to God
(Incommunicable) | Reflected in humans
(Communicable) | | Self-existence (uncaused) | Spirit (immaterial) | | Eternal (no beginning or end) | Omnipotence (all-powerful) | | Infinite (without limit) | Omnipresence (everywhere-present) | | Trinity (one God containing three persons) | Omniscience (all-knowing) | | Immutability (unchangeable) | Faithfulness | | Simplicity (not composed of parts) | Truthfulness | | | Jealousy | | | Perfection | | | Love | | | Mercy | | | Holiness | | | Righteousness | | | Knowability | | | Wisdom | | | Majesty | | | Beauty | | | Grace | | | Patience |
2. The Infinity of God A. What is infinity? a. Mathematical concept
B. No part of creation is actually infinite. a. The idea of infinite things in the universe results in paradox.
b. The universe had a beginning in time.
c. The universe has a finite amount of space.
C. Only God himself is infinite. (I Kings 8:27; Job 11:7-9) a. God is eternal.
b. God is present everywhere.
c. God is unlimited in his being and nature (attributes).
d. God is simple (not composed of parts); therefore, any paradox about infinity doesn’t apply to him.
3. The Trinity of God A. What is a person? 1. Intellect
2. Will
3. Emotion
B. Understanding the persons of God (the Trinity) 1. There is only one God. (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29)
2. The Father is God. (Jn. 6:27; Rom. 1:7; Gal. 1:1)
3. Jesus is God. (Jn. 8:58; Mark 2:5; 14:61-64)
4. The Holy Spirit is God. (Acts 5:3-4; I Cor. 6:19)
5. The Father is a person. (Matt. 6:32; Matt. 6:9-10; Gen. 6:6)
6. Jesus is a person. (Jn. 2:25; 6:38; 11:35)
7. The Holy Spirit is a person. (Jn. 14:26; I Cor. 12:11; Eph. 4:30)
8. Conclusion - God is tripersonal – one being God consists of three persons (three centers of self-consciousness all equal in power and glory) having the same nature (attributes) but different functions.
C. The persons of God have different functions but work together. 1. Creation (Gen. 1:1-3) a. Father – planning creation
b. Son – making creation (Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16) (mediator)
c. Spirit (applier = end user) – means of creation
2. Redemption a. Father – source of salvation (draws us) (Jn. 6:44)
b. Son – mediator of salvation (Col. 1:19-23)
c. Spirit – applier of salvation (I Cor. 2:10-16)
D. Relating to the persons of God 1. Father
2. Son
3. Holy Spirit
Personal Application: 1. Reflect on these words: “A spiritual and saving knowledge of God is the greatest need of every human creature. The foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a clear mental apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture. An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped. . . . Something more than a theoretical knowledge of God is needed by us. God is only truly known in the soul as we yield ourselves to Him, submit to His authority, and regulate all the details of our lives by His holy precepts and commandments.” The Attributes of God
A.W. Pink
2. In your prayers, focus on the work of each person of the Trinity as you address them individually or collectively as God. An example of such a prayer (from Ransomed Heart Ministries) can be found through the church’s website at: Daily Prayer
Get links to all of the resources for this week in Series Resources,
our growing library of resources mentioned in the sermon series.
3. Consider one or more of the following books as part of your reading for this summer: Loving God (1987) – Charles Colson
Knowing God (1973) – J.I. Packer
Father, Son, & Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, & Relevance (2005) – Bruce Ware
The Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief (1998) – James White Tougher (but great!) stuff: The Existence and Attributes of God (1682) – Stephen Charnock – The Classic Puritan study on God – even reading selected portions is awesome and inspiring (this work is progressively being made available online at www.stephenCharnock.com) Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (2003) – J.P. Moreland & William Lane Craig – excellent work for understanding some of the more difficult attributes of God (e.g., Trinity, omniscience, immutability, sovereignty) in a Biblically accurate and philosophically consistent framework.
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