THE GREATNESS OF GOD - Clover Sites



THEOLOGY PROPER — Lesson 2: The Greatness of God

There are qualities in God that we share with Him in a limited degree (i.e. love, mercy, kindness, etc). These qualities are less difficult for us to comprehend since we have some personal knowledge of them. There are also qualities in God that we do not share in any degree with Him (i.e. self-existence, eternality, etc). These qualities are more difficult for us to comprehend because they are so alien to our experience. Nonetheless, we worship God by meditating on all the attributes or descriptions that God reveals regarding His person. Grudem refers to these two categories of attributes as communicable and incommunicable. We call them “greatness” and “goodness.”

“It is of exceeding great importance that we should have right notions and conceptions of the nature, attributes, and perfections of God. It is the very foundation of all religion, both doctrinal and practical; it is to no purpose to worship God, except we know what we worship.”

– Jonathan Edwards

In this lesson we discuss the following attributes regarding God’s greatness: self-existence, eternality, immutability, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, perfection, infinity and incomprehensibility.

I. God is self-existent or independent

The source of God’s existence is wholly within Himself, depending on nothing external to Him. God does not need man or any part of creation in order to exist or for any other purpose. God is absolutely complete and sufficient in Himself. God’s existence and character are determined by Himself alone. God is the ground of His own existence.

“Our Maker exists in an eternal, self-sustaining, necessary way- necessary, that is, in the sense that God does not have it in Him to go out of existence, just as we do not have it in us to live forever. We necessarily age and die, because it is our present nature to do that; God necessarily continues forever unchanged, because it is His eternal nature to do that. This is one of many contrasts between creature and Creator.” – J.I. Packer

Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Psalm 50:12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.

John 5:26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

Acts 17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

--Practical values:

1. Our physical and spiritual life is not dependent on a source which can be shut off.

2. God can keep His promises of eternal life, since He is life.

3. Our life’s meaning is not connected to what we give to God, but what we receive from Him. He has determined that we would be meaningful to Him by enjoying Him and glorifying Him. He allows us to bring joy to His heart even though He does not need us.

Isaiah 43:7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Joseph Nally Q and A: The Self Existence of God – Who Made God?

R.C. Sproul: Self Existence, video excerpt (8:32-11:05)

Recommended Resource: R.C. Sproul – The Aseity of God (conference message, 50 min)

Question: Why did God create man and the rest of creation?

(see also Psalm 36:9; Jeremiah 2:13, Rev 4:11)

Self-sufficiency by Timothy Brindle

Creatures, there’s none awesome, Like Yahweh, the only Uncaused One, Nah, none put Him into existence, see, He always was His own sufficiency, His glory- He knows it perfectly, No need of time- He is His own eternity, True indeed, there’s nothing that You would need, As a Triune, loving community, The “I AM” — tells His famous NAME, From the burning bush—the self-sustaining flame, Free in sovereignty—there’s no doubtin’, He is all He needs—His own FOUNTAIN!, You need none-You’re independent, Impossible for You to have discontentment, Because in Yourself—You’re full of pleasure, Oh God, You are Your own Holy treasure!

Chorus

In Yourself, You have all power and might, In Yourself, You are the fountain of life, With no lack—none else can give to Thee, You’re fulfilled in Your self-sufficiency (repeat)

Verse 2

To speak of God in need would be absurd, As Tozer said, “need is a creature word”, Worthy of authentic worship, We can’t add to God- He’s already perfect, But Father, Spirit, Son, yes—all of You, Chose to create—just because You wanted to, Even though LORD—You don’t need us, It pleased You to show Your glory to creatures, The Son—the Word of Life- He speaks forth, The Spirit—the Breath of Life- no weak force! Of all Life—the living God is the source, So to create—He needed no resource, How we love this profound discussion, That God made all things out of nothing! Ex Nihilo! How may tools did You use to create? Yup, it’s zero bro! It pleased You to create, by shoutin’, Into existence every lake and mountain, And snake and falcon, Then You made human beings and with the greatest favor crowned them , You sustain all things—a gracious fountain! Providing rain by gallons for daisies sproutin’, But all of this didn’t add anything to God—
Absolutely nothing changed about Him!

Verse 3

Yo this is hectic, Since Adam disrespected Him who is the blessed, From the life of God, we’re disconnected, We turn to idols for life- we’re wicked, wretched, And we’re all disgusting, evil in our flesh, And God would be just to leave us in our death, And there’s only One who can reconnect us, To the source of life and oh, He is precious! The LORD can give life or choose to kill, The Lord Christ gives life to whom He will, Because, like the Father, He has life in Himself, So He is the resurrection, I’m hyper to tell, Behold the infinite love of Jehovah, For wicked, lifeless sinners—bubblin’ over! When the Author of Life done offered His life, Upon the cross- it’s God slaughtered and sliced, The Immortal One became mortal to die, Born to be torn for our horrible lies, And sexual immorality, So trade Him your death–for His Immortality, The death of death in the death of Christ, Now we live with Him in resurrection life, Now we’re righteous because Christ was crushed, The Holy Spirit is Christ’s life in us, By the Word of Life, we’re alive and we’re full, It’s renewing our minds—and reviving our soul! So come daily to the Giver of this Life, And drink deeply from His River of Delights, When making mistakes or faint in our strength, From His fullness receive grace upon grace, From lifeless idols, let’s turn to Christ, Who is Himself the eternal life!

Chorus 2

In Yourself, You have all power and might, In Yourself, You are the fountain of life, Even though the Father doesn’t need us, Yet to You, God, we’re worth the blood of Jesus!

Chorus 3

In Yourself, You have all power and might, In Yourself, You are the fountain of life, So savor the Savior, Because to know Him is the Life we were made for!

II. God is eternal

God’s existence cannot be measured by time. He is above time and the Author and Ruler of time. God has no beginning and no ending. While God sees past, present and future perfectly, He acts in time and acknowledges time in the realm of the outworking of His plan for human history. Time does not have any affect upon God’s person, purposes, or perfections.

Psalm 90:1-2 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John Flavel, An Exposition of the Assembly’s Shorter Catechism, Of God’s Eternity

Q. 1. What is it to be Eternal as God is?

A. The Eternity of God is, to be without beginning, and without end, Psalm 90:2. From everlasting to everlasting thou art God.

Q. 2. How doth God’s Eternity differ from the Eternity of Angels, and Human Souls?

A. It differs in two respects: First, In this, That though the Angels, and the Souls of men shall have no end; yet they had a beginning, which God had not. Secondly, Our Eternity is by gift from God, or by his appointment; but his Eternity is necessary, and from his own Nature.

--Practical values:

1. God’s eternity provides assurance of unfailing help.

Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’

2. God’s eternity provides perspective on our lives.

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

3. God sees all time with equal clarity.

Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.

2 Peter 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Grudem helps us with some considerations, “In God’s perspective, any extremely long period of time is as if it just happened. And any very short period of time (such as one day) seems to God to last forever: it never ceases to be “present” in His consciousness. Thus, God sees and knows all events past, present and future with equal vividness. This should never cause us to think that God does not see events in time and act in time, just the opposite: God is the eternal Lord and Sovereign over history, and he sees it more clearly and acts in it more decisively than any other.” (Page 170)

Questions: How long did God wait before He created the universe? How can God create time?

(see also Genesis 21:33; Psalm 102:12; Habakkuk 1:12; Romans 1:20; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 1:2; Revelation 1:8; 4:10)

III. God is unchangeable (immutable)

There is no change in God’s nature, character, mind, or will. God never becomes greater or lesser, better or worse. God has never learned, grown, developed, improved, evolved, become older.

“Let your station in life change, and your property be gone; let your whole life be shaken, and you become weak and sickly; let everything flee away — there is one place where change cannot put his finger; there is one name on which mutability can never be written; there is one heart which never can alter; that heart is God’s” – Spurgeon

A.W. Pink: The Attributes of God – Immutability

Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Psalm 102:25-27 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.

Psalm 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

--Practical values:

1. Our inheritance can never be lost

Psalm 33:11-12 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

2. God’s people won’t be destroyed

Malachi 3:6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

3. God will deal with our sin and will continue to give good gifts

James 1:13-17 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

4. We can set aside all teachings that God is evolving or changing to fit our time and culture as being false. Any change in God would either be for the better or for the worse. In either case, God would not be eternally perfect and thus not worthy of our worship and our trust.

Question: How do we explain passages like Exodus 32:9-14, Isa 38:1-6, Jonah 3:4, 10, and 1 Samuel 15:10-11?

1 Samuel 15:10-11 The word of the LORD came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night.

An unchangeable God must change in His dealings with changing men and changing circumstances in order to remain unchangeable in His character. God responds differently to different situations. The specific case of Saul can be understood as an expression of God’s present displeasure toward Saul’s sinfulness. The text does not suggest that were God to start over again that He would not have made Saul king. The text teaches that God was grieved over Saul’s actions. This does not mean that Saul’s grievous actions were not designed by God to accomplish His purposes. In fact, the story reveals that this is the case.

5. God’s immutability encourages us in prayer

“What comfort would it be to pray to a god that, like the chameleon, changed color every moment? Who would put up a petition to an earthly prince that was so mutable as to grant a petition one day, and deny it another?” – Stephen Charnock (1670)

IV. God is omnipresent

God is in the universe, everywhere present with His whole being at the same time. God does not have size dimensions and is not limited by space in any way.

Psalm 139:7-10 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Jeremiah 23:23-24 “Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.

Acts 17:27-28 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

--Practical values:

The doctrine of ubiquity or omnipresence has several practical benefits for the Christian. First, we are assured that the Lord is faithful to be with us and sustain us even when we feel like we are far away from Him. Also, if He seems far off from us, it may be that He is disciplining us because of our sin, and so we should examine ourselves to see if we need to repent. – R.C. Sproul

R.C. Sproul: God is Everywhere

1. A warning — we cannot escape God

Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

Amos 9:1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: “Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape.

2. A blessing — God is with us

John 14:23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Matthew 28:20b … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

We can never be in any place where God cannot hear us or help us.

Questions and cautions:

1. We cannot be materialistic about God’s omnipresence. More is involved in presence than a physical body. Remember that God is spirit and “spirit” does not have physical dimensions.

2. We must make a distinction between metaphysical presence and spiritual fellowship. This is how we can understand that God is in hell and is in charge of hell, but that kind of presence of God is markedly different from the presence of God in heaven. When God is said to be present, it is usually meant that He is present to bless and to be enjoyed.

3. How can we explain the following?

Matthew 6:9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Genesis 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.

(see also 1 Kings 8:27, 30; Isaiah 57:15; Amos 9:1-4)

V. God is omniscient

God’s knowledge is all-inclusive. It includes all things actual and possible — past, present, and future. This includes perfect knowledge of Himself, the material world, the animal world, the spirit world of the dead, the world of mankind, all minute details of personal life, past and future events, all possible events under all possible combinations of circumstances even if they never happened.

“God’s knowledge is immediate awareness, not based on experience, deductions or inductions of fact or truth. His knowledge is not acquired knowledge, for God’s knowledge of all things is eternal, present always in His mind.” – Culver’s Systematic Theology

1 John 3:20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

(material world) Psalm 147:4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.

(animal world and details of life) Matthew 10:29-30 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

(spirit world of the dead) Job 26:6 Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.

(world of mankind) Acts 1:24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen

(past and future events) Isaiah 46:9-11 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

(all possible events) Matthew 11:21 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

God’s knowledge is eternal, perfect, and complete in Himself. It is not derived from any source outside of Himself.

(perfect and complete) Job 37:16 Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge

Hebrews 4:13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Isaiah 40:13-14 Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

Sam Storms: The Omniscience of God

Question: If God knows everything that will happen in the future, how can our choices be “free”?

“God foreknows everything that will come to pass in the future because he has foreordained everything that comes to pass. Humans are free moral agents insofar as they act voluntarily according to their desires. But all such desires and subsequent volitional activity fall within the sovereign and pre-temporal (or eternal) purpose of God.” – Sam Storms

“God foreknows what will be because He has decreed what shall be.” – A.W. Pink

Modern liberal writers of theology quite uniformly deny the compatibility of human freedom and God’s omniscience.

“The knowledge of God … must be limited by His own nature and purpose … if He has put a check on His power to give man freedom of will, then He must have limited somewhat His knowledge of the future. … If God knows now every choice any man will ever make, then every choice is already determined and freedom is a delusion … if men have any margin of free will whatever, then God’s foreknowledge of some of their choices must be a knowledge of probabilities, not of certainties.” – Harold DeWolf

—Culver’s Systematic Theology

God’s knowledge involves moral purpose

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Questions:

1. How do we explain

Genesis 18:20-21 Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

(God is concerned about His reputation for Abraham’s sake; it is not that God does not already know what is happening)

2. Isn’t God too great to notice every trivial event?

Psalm 113:4-9 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!

(God is so great that He has to know the smallest details to know all. Besides that, who decides what is trivial?)

3. If God knows all future events, are they certain?

(Yes, or else God’s foreknowledge would be in error at times. It is impossible for us to know God’s will for the future absolutely, although it is always possible for us to know God’s will in moral principles.)

--Practical values:

1. A blessing

Matthew 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

2. A warning

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Practical Implications identified by Sam Storms:

Consider how the doctrine of divine omniscience ought to affect our worship and adoration of God:

“Consider how great it is to know the thoughts and intentions, and works of one man from the beginning to the end of his life; to foreknow all these before the being of this man, when he was lodged afar off in the loins of his ancestors, yea, of Adam. How much greater is it to foreknow and know the thoughts and works of three or four men, of a whole village or neighbourhood! It is greater still to know the imaginations and actions of such a multitude of men as are contained in London, Paris, or Constantinople; how much greater still to know the intentions and practices, the clandestine contrivances of so many millions, that have, do, or shall swarm in all quarters of the world, every person of them having millions of thoughts, desires, designs, affections, and actions! Let this attribute, then, make the blessed God honourable in our eyes and adorable in all our affections…Adore God for this wonderful perfection!” (Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God, pp. 239-40).

A proper understanding of this divine attribute ought also to have a profound impact on our humility. Charnock explains:

“There is nothing man is more apt to be proud of than his knowledge; it is a perfection he glories in; but if our own knowledge of the little outside and barks of things puffs us up, the consideration of the infiniteness of God’s knowledge should abate the tumor. As our beings are nothing in regard to the infiniteness of his essence, so our knowledge is nothing in regard of the vastness of his understanding. We have a spark of being, but nothing to the heat of the sun; we have a drop of knowledge, but nothing to the divine ocean. What a vain thing is it for a shallow brook to boast of its streams, before a sea whose depths are unfathomable! As it is a vanity to brag of our strength when we remember the power of God, and of our prudence when we glance upon the wisdom of God, so it is no less a vanity to boast of our knowledge when we think of the understanding and knowledge of God” (240).

What is our response when we think of God’s knowledge of the secrets of our hearts? What impact does this have on holiness? “Can a man’s conscience easily and delightfully swallow that which he is sensible falls under the cognizance of God, when it is hateful to the eye of his holiness, and renders the actor odious to him? …Temptations have no encouragement to come near him that is constantly armed with the thoughts that his sin is booked in God’s omniscience” (258).

What is even more glorious is that this doctrine which makes us fearful of sin is also the foundation of comfort and assurance. If God is omniscient, then he knows the worst about us, but loves us notwithstanding! The apostle John writes: “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything” (1 John 3:19-20).

Finally, our trust and hope shall not disappoint, for they are in him who knows all things. Charnock again explains:

“This perfection of God fits him to be a special object of trust. If he were forgetful, what comfort could we have in any promise? How could we depend upon him if he were ignorant of our state? His compassions to pity us, his readiness to relieve us, his power to protect and assist us, would be insignificant, without his omniscience to inform his goodness and direct the arm of his power…You may depend upon his mercy that hath promised, and upon his truth to perform, upon his sufficiency to supply you and his goodness to relieve you, and his righteousness to reward you, because he hath an infinite understanding to know you and your wants, you and your services” (249).

VI. God is omnipotent

God is able to do all things that are consistent with His nature and character. He is able to accomplish His will perfectly and completely.

Sam Storms: The Omnipotence of God

“God’s power is like Himself, self-existent, self-sustained. The mightiest of men cannot add so much as a shadow of increased power to the Omnipotent One. He sits on no buttressed throne and leans on no assisting arm. His court is not maintained by His courtiers, nor does it borrow its splendor from His creatures. He is Himself the great central source and Originator of all power.” – C. H. Spurgeon

God is never exhausted by the exercise of His power

Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

God’s power is on display

(in creation) Jeremiah 10:12-13 It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

(in history) Daniel 4:17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’

(in heaven) Daniel 4:35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

(in salvation) Ephesians 1:18-19 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might

“The power of God is that ability and strength whereby He can bring to pass whatsoever He pleases, whatsoever His infinite wisdom may direct, and whatsoever the infinite purity of His will may resolve. … As holiness is the beauty of all God’s attributes, so power is that which gives life and action to all the perfections of the Divine nature. How vain would be the eternal counsels, if power did not step in to execute them. Without power His mercy would be but feeble pity, His promises an empty sound, His threatenings a mere scarecrow. God’s power is like Himself: infinite, eternal, incomprehensible; it can neither be checked, restrained, nor frustrated by the creature.” – Stephen Charnock

--Practical values:

1. Nothing is too hard for God.

Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

2. God will reign in spite of the mess we’ve made.

Revelation 11:17 “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.

3. God is able to do more than we can ask or imagine.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us

Practical Implications identified by Sam Storms:

1. A reason to praise - Stephen Charnock explains:

“Wisdom and power are the ground of the respect we give to men; they being both infinite in God, are the foundation of a solemn honour to be returned to him by his creatures. If a man make a curious engine, we honour him for his skill; if another vanquish a vigorous enemy, we admire him for his strength; and shall not the efficacy of God’s power in creation, government, redemption, inflame us with a sense of the honour of his name and perfections! We admire those princes that have vast empires, numerous armies, that have a power to conquer their enemies, and preserve their own people in peace; how much more ground have we to pay a mighty reverence to God, who, without trouble and weariness, made and manages this vast empire of the world by a word and beck! What sensible thoughts have we of the noise of thunder, the power of the sun, the storms of the sea! These things, that have no understanding, have struck men with such a reverence that many have adored them as gods. What reverence and adoration doth this mighty power, joined with an infinite wisdom in God, demand at our hands” (Charnock, 429).

2. A warning to the rebellious — Divine omnipotence is an ominous warning to those who think they somehow can resist God’s judgment. “How foolish is every sinner,” writes Charnock. “Can we poor worms strut it out against infinite power?” Oh, that every obstinate sinner “would think of this, and consider his unmeasurable boldness in thinking himself able to grapple with omnipotence! What force can any have to resist the presence of him before whom rocks melt, and the heavens at length shall be shrivelled up as a parchment by the last fire! As the light of God’s face is too dazzling to be beheld by us, so the arm of his power is too mighty to be opposed by us” (437).

3. A comfort to the saved - God’s omnipotence is a comfort to us when we are persecuted and oppressed (Ps. 27:1). It is a comfort and encouragement to us when we are tempted (1 Cor. 10:13). It is especially a comfort to us when we pray, for it reassures us that God is altogether able to do what we ask. See Eph. 3:20-21. Here are John Stott’s comments:

“(1) He is able to do or to work, for he is neither idle nor inactive, nor dead. (2) He is able to do what we ask, for he hears and answers prayer. (3) He is able to do what we ask or think, for he reads our thoughts, and sometimes we imagine things for which we dare not and therefore do not ask. (4) He is able to do all that we ask or think, for he knows it all and can perform it all. (5) He is able to do more … than (hyper, ‘beyond’) all that we ask or think, for his expectations are higher than ours. (6) He is able to do much more, or more abundantly, than all that we ask or think, for he does not give his grace by calculated measure. (7) He is able to do very much more, far more abundantly, than all that we ask or think, for he is a God of superabundance” (139-40).

Question: What are some things that God cannot do?

“According to Scripture, God cannot violate His own character. He cannot sin or tempt people to sin. And, Scripture declares, He cannot acquit the guilty. That is, He cannot just forgive — He cannot just let bygones be bygones when his justice, holiness, and righteousness are at stake.” – Michael Horton

Michael Horton: Something God Cannot Do

VII. God is perfect

God is complete, lacking nothing. He is all that God ought to be. He falls short in nothing. He lacks no quality that would be desirable to Him or for Him.

Deuteronomy 32:3-4 For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

Psalm 18:30 This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

--Practical values and questions:

1. All that we need in God is found in Him

Colossians 2:10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

2. This attribute of God qualifies all others

Job 37:16 Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge

3. What about the command for us to be perfect?

Matthew 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

R.C. Sproul: Perfectly Perfect (lecture, $2)

VIII. God is infinite

God is wholly without limits except those that are self-imposed. This attribute also qualifies all others.

“God is infinite. Infinity is the having no bounds or limits within which a thing is contained. God then is infinite, i.e. he is whatsoever he is without bounds, limits, or measure, Job 11:7. ‘Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?’ We cannot define the presence of God by any certain place, so as to say, Here he is, but not there; nor by any limits, so as to say, Thus far his being reacheth, and no further: but he is every where present, after a most inconceivable manner, even in the deepest darkness, and the closest recesses of privacy. He fills all the innumerable spaces that we can imagine beyond this visible world, and infinitely more than we can imagine.” – Thomas Boston

Psalm 40:5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.

Job 5:9 who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number

--Practical values and questions:

1. God’s blessings are infinite.

John 1:50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

2. God’s wrath is infinite.

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

3. Reveals the magnitude of sin

Psalm 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

4. Is God limited in some ways?

Matthew 13:58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Psalm 78:41 They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

IX. God is incomprehensible

God cannot be completely comprehended by any finite mind. This does not mean that He is unknowable, just that He cannot be known completely.

“Now, I need to address a common error in the church today, made popular by the so-called ‘emerging conversation.’ The error is that because God is incomprehensible or a mystery, our doctrines and dogmas are unbiblical. In other words, we should not try to discern God or know God and just accept him as a mystery.

“I understand why some people think this way, but it is wrong. While God cannot be completely understood, he has made himself known to us, most fully in the revelation of Jesus Christ, so that He can be truly known. To deny the revelation of God throughout Scripture is absurd; to sit aside and say, ‘Because we can’t know him completely, your doctrines are stupid’ is itself a ridiculous notion. The incomprehensible God has made himself known to us, not fully because we can never fully know Him, but revealed nonetheless. He wants us to know him. He wants us to grow in knowledge of who he is.” – Judson Marvel, The Incomprehensible God

Job 11:7 Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?

Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

--Practical values:

1. This assures us of an inexhaustible field of knowledge

2. This prevents boredom in worship. The climax of our worship is not mastery but being overwhelmed by our Master!

X. God is sovereign

God possesses absolute authority and rule over all aspects of His creation. In order to be sovereign, God must be free, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. This attribute is the sum of several others. This attribute lies at the heart of every encouragement to trust, depend, praise or commit oneself to God. God’s sovereignty is absolute, irresistible, universal and infinite.

“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’” – Abraham Kuyper

“I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes — that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens — that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence - the fall of … leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche.” – Charles Spurgeon

John Murray: The Sovereignty of God

1 Chronicles 29:11-13 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

Psalm 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!

Psalm 140:7 O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.

Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

Jeremiah 32:17 ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

Lamentations 3:37-38 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?

Ezekiel 20:44 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”

Dan 4:35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Acts 4:24-30 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—

for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Psalm 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

--Practical implications of this attribute:

1. An appreciation of God’s sovereignty deepens our veneration of God.

2. An appreciation of God’s sovereignty comforts us in trial, temptation and pain.

3. An appreciation of God’s sovereignty encourages us in prayer and evangelism.

4. An appreciation of God’s sovereignty strengthens us in our assurance and sanctification.

Rebuilding Some Basics of Bethlehem: 10 Reasons Why Believing in the Sovereignty of God Matters

By John Piper

What we mean by the sovereignty of God is captured in paragraph 3.2 of The Bethlehem Baptist Church Elder Affirmation of Faith. The dozens of biblical passages used to support this paragraph are found in the online version.

3.2 We believe that God upholds and governs all things — from galaxies to subatomic particles, from the forces of nature to the movements of nations, and from the public plans of politicians to the secret acts of solitary persons — all in accord with His eternal, all-wise purposes to glorify Himself, yet in such a way that He never sins, nor ever condemns a person unjustly; but that His ordaining and governing all things is compatible with the moral accountability of all persons created in His image.

Why does it matter whether we believe this? Ten reasons:

1. The good news of God’s substituting his Son for us on the cross depends on it.

“Truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4:27–28)

2. The perseverance of the saints in the fear of God depends on it.

“I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.” (Jeremiah 32:40)

3. Progress in holiness now, and the final perfecting of the saints in the end, depends on it.

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13)

“But you have come to Mount Zion . . . and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.” (Hebrews 12:22–23)

4. The assurance of God’s final triumph over all natural and supernatural evil depends on it.

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” (Isaiah 46:9–10)

5. The comfort that there is a wise and loving purpose in all our calamities and loses, and that God will work all things together for our good, depends on it.

“Though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love. … Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?” (Lam 3:32–38)

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

6. The hope that God will give life to the spiritually dead depends on it.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4–5)

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

7. Well-grounded expectation of answered prayer depends on it.

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” (Rom 10:1)

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. … For the promise is for … everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:38–39)

8. Boldness in the face of seeming hopeless defeat depends on it.

“Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” (2 Samuel 10:12)

“Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.” (2 Chronicles 32:7)

9. Seeing and savoring the revelation of the fullness of God’s glory depends on it.

“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ … What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power … [acted] in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy?” (Romans 9:20–23)

10. Praise that matches the fullness of God’s power, wisdom, and grace depends on it.

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. … We will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 115:3, 18)

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.” (Psalm 96:4)

The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is an anchor for the troubled soul, a hope for the praying heart, a stability for fragile faith, a confidence in pursuing the lost, a guarantee of Christ’s atonement, a high mystery to keep us humble, and a solid ground for all praise. And oh so much more. O Lord, turn this truth for the triumph of your saving and sanctifying grace.

Confident and comforted with you,

Pastor John

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