God
Monotheism
- Religious belief in early Israel moved from polytheism to monotheism.
- Encapsulated by the Shema prayer in Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is One”.
- In the Old Testament, the covenant between God and Israel was based on God’s moral commands,
making Biblical monotheism, ethical monotheism.
- In the New Testament, Jesus quotes from the Shema, saying love of God and love of one’s neighbour
are the greatest commandments.
- Moral obedience is at the heart of salvation to God’s Kingdom.
God as omnipotent Creator
Most Christians believe that God created the world ex nihilo (out of nothing), mainly because
creating simply by words of power is the act of an omnipotent/ unlimited Creator.
Some Christians reject ex nihilo on the grounds that this belief is based on a mistranslation of
Genesis 1, stating that it actually suggested that ‘creation’ amounted to God putting together pre-
existing chaotic material into order.
God as controller of all things
o An all-powerful Creator must be definition control and sustain everything.
o For some, God’s omnipotence leads to theological determinism, as God knows the future, it cannot
be changed so humans cannot make free choices and are in effect controlled by God’s omnipotence.
o Others follow Aquinas’ view that God is timeless, so sees the results of our future free choices, but
does not control them.
o To be able to choose freely is important for good moral behaviour.
God as transcendent and unknowable
Belief in God’s transcendence follows from his omnipotence and omniscience.
God cannot be known by human minds so God must be unknowable and outside space and time.
This is Rudolf Otto’s view, that God is holy and numinous.
The Trinity
- The doctrine of the Trinity is ‘perceived’ in the New Testament.
- The classical Trinity affirms that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God in three persons.
- Each possess God’s characteristics and power in equal measure, and differing only in terms of their
inner relations.
- All three persons are eternal and uncreated.
- The three persons are ‘mutually indwelling’ (doctrine of perichoresis).
- The Trinity makes it possible for humans to have a personal relationship with God, as the Father and
Son are immanent whilst the Godhead remains unknowable.
- The Trinity brings together the main historical and doctrinal truths of Christianity concerning sin
redemption and atonement.
- Difficulties with whether Jesus was the ‘Son of God’ or ‘a’ son of God, can be found in:
Monotheism
- Religious belief in early Israel moved from polytheism to monotheism.
- Encapsulated by the Shema prayer in Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is One”.
- In the Old Testament, the covenant between God and Israel was based on God’s moral commands,
making Biblical monotheism, ethical monotheism.
- In the New Testament, Jesus quotes from the Shema, saying love of God and love of one’s neighbour
are the greatest commandments.
- Moral obedience is at the heart of salvation to God’s Kingdom.
God as omnipotent Creator
Most Christians believe that God created the world ex nihilo (out of nothing), mainly because
creating simply by words of power is the act of an omnipotent/ unlimited Creator.
Some Christians reject ex nihilo on the grounds that this belief is based on a mistranslation of
Genesis 1, stating that it actually suggested that ‘creation’ amounted to God putting together pre-
existing chaotic material into order.
God as controller of all things
o An all-powerful Creator must be definition control and sustain everything.
o For some, God’s omnipotence leads to theological determinism, as God knows the future, it cannot
be changed so humans cannot make free choices and are in effect controlled by God’s omnipotence.
o Others follow Aquinas’ view that God is timeless, so sees the results of our future free choices, but
does not control them.
o To be able to choose freely is important for good moral behaviour.
God as transcendent and unknowable
Belief in God’s transcendence follows from his omnipotence and omniscience.
God cannot be known by human minds so God must be unknowable and outside space and time.
This is Rudolf Otto’s view, that God is holy and numinous.
The Trinity
- The doctrine of the Trinity is ‘perceived’ in the New Testament.
- The classical Trinity affirms that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God in three persons.
- Each possess God’s characteristics and power in equal measure, and differing only in terms of their
inner relations.
- All three persons are eternal and uncreated.
- The three persons are ‘mutually indwelling’ (doctrine of perichoresis).
- The Trinity makes it possible for humans to have a personal relationship with God, as the Father and
Son are immanent whilst the Godhead remains unknowable.
- The Trinity brings together the main historical and doctrinal truths of Christianity concerning sin
redemption and atonement.
- Difficulties with whether Jesus was the ‘Son of God’ or ‘a’ son of God, can be found in:
