Systematics Study Guide

Courtesy of Stephanie. We love you Mrs. Hathorn!

BAVINCK:

***Know attributes (communicable and incommunicable)---categorizations and basic ideas of each one

INCOMMUNICABLE à ex---independence, immutability, infinity, unity, simplicity (no subheadings as well)

COMMUNICABLEà ex---God’s Spiritual Natureà Corporeality & Anthropomorphism, Invisibility   Intellectual Attributesà Knowledge, Foreknowledge, and middle knowledge, wisdom, trustworthiness   Moral Attributesà Goodness, Holiness, Righteousness (Justice)  Attributes of Sovereigntyà God’s will as ultimate, Free and necessary will of God, Nominalism, The problem of Evil, Revealed and hidden will, Omnipotence   Perfection, Blessedness, and  Gloryà The glory of God

***Know the differences between INCOMMUNICABLE and COMMUNICABLE

***KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOREKNOWLEDGE AND KNOWLEDGE—is there a difference (pg. 196 and summary)

***KNOW ABOUT SIMPLICITY!!!!!—last paragraph

***Middle Knowledge –main critique—God’s knowledge is not dependent on the world—ignores the aspect of God’s decree and providence---makes God dependent on man and our choices.

***KNOW ABOUT BAVINCK’s view of FATHERHOOD!!!!!!—In what sense God is father to different parts of creation

--How is he the Father to everyone?—father to all men, he created us  -vs- How is he the Father to believers?—To believers, he is our adopted father who has redeemed us! 

***KNOW ABOUT GOD’S INFINITY----eternity—excludes beginning and end and no succession of moments (pg. 159 1^st sentence of Infinity) (WHAT IS THIS) –vs- omnipresence—not being confined by space—God is creator and all that exists is and remains his in absolute sense (WHAT IS THIS) = both aspects of infinity  (pg. 162)

CALVIN:

---Holy Spirit is known through scripture---test it with scripture—doesn’t take away from the spirit, just shows the spirit’s consistency.

---How do we distinguish the true God from false gods?