The Doctrine of God (Theology) PART 1

2.6.1 Overview

We teach that the word of God reveals the following perfections of God, namely self-existence, self-sufficiency, eternality, infinity, aseity, immutability, impassibility, impeccability, incorruptibility, incomprehensibility, mystery, sovereignty, providence, transcendence, imminence, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, omnibenevolence, grace, wrath, simplicity, creator, love, goodness, righteousness, justice, holiness, jealousy, mercy, unity, veracity, and mission. We understand that this list is an enumeration of attributes, but we are convicted these attributes are revealed from Scripture, however, we do not teach that God can be triaged into levels nor His attributes as to suggest that some attributes are more important than others. We teach that God is not partly this and partly that, that is God is not composed of parts. We teach that God is who He is and He is who He is so entirely. We do not compartmentalize God by isolating and separating one of His attributes independently from His other attributes. 

We teach that to only focus on one of the attributes of God to the neglect of the other attributes concerning God is not rendering an accurate portrayal of the being of God, the glory of God, the work of God or the word of God. 

We teach there is no dichotomy in God between His being, attributes, work, and word. We teach that all of God’s attributes are eternally invested with each other. We teach that all the attributes of God are unified, interconnected, integrated, interrelated, and interdependent (e.g. Isaiah 40:28; 57:15). 

We DO NOT teach that the attributes of God are founded or based on man’s idea of God and therefore reasoned by someone else other than God.

On the other hand, we teach the attributes of God are understood as coming originally from God revealed to man from the word of God. 

We DO NOT teach that the attributes of God are subjective properties that one person might distinguish as proper while another might not.

On the other hand, we teach that all the attributes of God are objectively characteristic of God and that God is absolutely perfect and unique and all must acknowledge and bow before the objective glory and majesty of God.

We teach that all the attributes of God testify to God’s greatness and goodness.

We teach that all the perfections of God are all each absolutely perfect. 

We teach that the glory of God is the summation of all His attributes.  

We teach that God has incommunicable attributes, namely those attributes that belong to God alone. We teach these incommunicable attributes can only be said of belonging to God alone. We teach these incommunicable attributes of God are self-existence, self-sufficiency, eternality, infinity, aseity, incorporeality, immutability, impassibility, impeccability, incorruptibility, incomprehensibility, mystery, sovereignty, providence, transcendence, imminence, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, omnibenevolence, grace, wrath, simplicity, and creator. 

2.6.2.1 Self-Existence 

We teach that God is self-existent. Because God is Self-Existent all His attributes work at maximum capacity forever. All God’s attributes are Supreme because He is the One and only Supreme Being. 

In 1445 BC, an angel of the LORD appeared to a man named Moses in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush, on a mountain, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai (cf. Exodus 3; Acts 7:30-36). God spoke to the man Moses from the midst of the bush. At this miraculous event, Moses inquired of God’s name. God personally revealed His name to Moses when He said, “I AM WHO I AM . . . . This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations” (Exodus 3:14b; 15b). “I AM WHO I AM” not only reveals God’s name but also who God is, namely that God is self-existent and therefore eternal. Because YHWH is God’s name forever and His memorial-name to all generations, Exodus 3 teaches that God is perpetual and that God attributes to Himself alone divine glory, because He is self-existent and therefore eternal; and thus gives being and existence to every creature. In order for one to be self-existent means that one has always existed without beginning and ending. In other words, to be self-existent means that there was never a point in which one came into existence and there will never be a point in which one will go out of existence, that is, cease to exist. The historical narrative of the burning bush on Mount Horeb is one of the most memorable historical events for man recorded in the word of God because it is where God revealed to Moses His name and the attribute that describes who He is –namely, self-existence. The reason why God’s name “I AM WHO I AM” has the meaning of self-existence is because in the context of Exodus 3:14-15 God said, “This is My name forever.” The word “forever” in Hebrew is עולם (olam) and means permanent, forever and ever, everlasting, all successive, eternity. Eternity is not a measurement of time. Eternity is forever. On the other hand, time is a measurement because it has a beginning point and a point of cessation. On the other hand, God’s existence is immeasurable. 

The name יְהוָ֥ה (YHWH), is God’s sacred covenant name and is found over six thousand times in the OT, comes from the Hebrew copula “to be” verb הָיָה (hayah), and therefore from the context of Exodus 3 has the sense to mean self-existence.  

We teach that God did not create Himself. We teach that God has always existed. 

We teach that only God can be self-existent and this truth is clearly taught from the word of God because God said, “I Am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another” (Isaiah 42:8 a-c; cf. 48:11).  

2.6.2.2 Self-Sufficiency 

We teach that God is completely independent and is the only all-sufficient in and of Himself in glory not in need of any creatures that He has made, not needing any glory from His creatures in order for Him to be glorious. We teach that it is God who manifests His own glory by and through His creation (cf. Romans 1:19-23). We teach that God is completely independent from His creation. 

We teach God wants for nothing and lacks nothing because God is perfectly complete.

We teach that God does as He wills and everything God does is for His glory (cf. Joshua 7:9; 1 Samuel 12:22; Psalm 25:11; 31:3; 79:9; 115:3; Daniel 4:35; Isaiah 46:10-11; Revelation 4:11).  

We DO NOT teach that God is most glorified when man is most satisfied in Him because God is not dependent on man’s satisfaction to be glorified.

Instead, we teach that God is forever glorified in and of Himself and therefore it is man’s highest end to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever.  

In conclusion, we teach that God possesses the divine incommunicable attribute called self-sufficiency.  

(cf. Job 22:2-4; 35:6-7; Psalm 50; Isaiah 66:1-2; Acts 17:25; Romans 11:33-35; 2 Corinthians 3:5; 4:7; Revelation 4:11).

2.6.2.3 Eternality (Timelessness)

We teach God is without beginning and without end. We teach that God is free from all succession of moments in time as well as all succession of moments in eternity because God is the cause of all succession of moments. We teach that God by nature has always existed and will always exist forever and His attribute of eternality is related to His attributes of self-existence, infinity, aseity as well as inseparably invested with all His divine perfections. We teach that God has necessary existence of everlastingness, is not bound by time, and God is the creator of time (cf. Genesis 1:1). 

We teach that there is a distinction between God’s attributes of eternality and immortality but they are closely related inseparably bound in perfect unity as is the case with all God’s attributes. 

We teach that God has written eternity on Man’s heart but man is finite in his understanding (cf. Ecc 3:11). Man looks at eternity from the perspective of time, whereas God decreed time from eternity.

The problem with man is when man tries to reason in a chronocentric (i.e. time-centered) way of thinking – that is, thinking about eternity as if eternity is not fixed but rather a measurement of time. Man is bound with trying to make sense of successions in moments in past, present and future terms.  

We teach that God is not bound by successions in moments but sees past, present and future all at once in the infinite way without being dependent on or having the need to trace events chronologically. 

We teach that God explained to man the phenomenon of eternity in relation to time in a morphism, because man is a finite creature under the strain and authority of God’s decrees and time (cf. Ecc 3:1, 11). To this effect, terminology used in reference to God’s eternal decrees like “today,” “day,” “before the foundation of the world,” and “last days” (cf. Psalm 2:7; 2 Peter 3:8; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 1:2; 2 Peter 3:8) is kairomorphism. For finite creatures to understand succession of moments in eternity, (eternity is not a measurement of time it is a fixed state), one can use “before the foundation of the world” as a way for finite creatures to understand that which was decreed “before” time existed. The word “before” from our perspective is loaded with connotations of time like the tense of the past, but “before” from the perspective of eternity does not have the meaning of time.

We teach that God is the cause of time and all succession of moments were created by God as the boundary of the existence of finite creatures (cf. Genesis 1:1). We teach God is timeless. We teach that time will have a point of cessation and finite creatures will enter into eternity still experiencing the succession of moments, yet never ending, still God transcends successions of moments in eternity because He possess the divine perfection of eternality. In conclusion, we teach that God transcends all limitations of time and all limitations of the succession of moments. 

For this reason, there is no one like God. Therefore, we teach that eternality is an incommunicable attribute of God.

(cf. Genesis 21:33; Psalm 90:2; Psalm 102:27; Isaiah 57:15; 1 Timothy 6:16) 

2.6.2.4 Infinity 

We teach that God is infinite, that is, God’s immensity is immeasurable. God’s attribute of infinity is related to His attribute of eternality and is eternally invested with all the other perfections of God [e.g. God’s goodness (cf. Exodus 33:18-19) and love (cf. Psalm 89:2; 103:17; 118:1; 136:2-3; Romans 8:39; Ephesians 3:19) are infinite]. God’s infinite vastness is countless. We teach God’s perfection called infinity is absolute infinity and transcends all mathematical forms of infinity and set theory. We teach that there are no “transfinite numbers,” for God’s infinity is independent from all mathematical solutions. We teach that this is an incomprehensible perfection to apprehend because this is how the incorporeality of God’s nature is related to God’s infinity. Mathematics is not supernatural but part of the created order and man is finite, limited in his thinking in spaceless terms (cf. Psalm 139:6). We teach that mathematical solutions eventually have a limitation in time and space. We teach God’s perfection called infinity means that God transcends all limitations of time and space, yet this attribute of God particularly reveals how God is not limited or confined by space. We teach that God is immeasurable, and all finite space is dependent on God for God created time, space and matter (cf. Genesis 1:1). God’s infinity is related to God’s divine perfections of omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence because God is everywhere present, His presence is endless, and He is infinite in knowledge and power (cf. Psalm 147:5; Romans 11:33).  

We DO NOT teach any dualistic theory of infinity. Dualistic theories of infinity deny infinity to God, because if there were two infinities this would contradict. For example, there cannot be two infinite beings because there would be limitations on one of the beings and therefore both could not be infinite. In dualism one cannot claim one is infinite or unbounded. 

We DO NOT embrace any philosophies of dualism. 

We DO NOT teach that matter is infinite.

We teach that there is no one and no thing that is co-eternal with God.   

Therefore, we teach that infinity is an incommunicable attribute of God. 

(cf. Job 36:26; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6; Jeremiah 23:24; Psalm 139:7; Isaiah 40:28; 66:1; Acts 17:28). 

2.6.2.5 Aseity

We teach that God is uncaused, has life in Himself (cf. John 5:26) and independent so that He does not need His creation (cf. Isaiah 66:1-2; Acts 17:25). God’s attribute called aseity is related to self-existence and self-sufficiency. We teach that God does not depend on any cause for His existence, realization or end. We teach God to be independent in this way. We teach God is absolutely independent and self-existent by nature. 

2.6.2.6 Incorporeality 

We teach that God is incorporeal, viz., incorporeality means God is Spirit (cf. John 4:24, here there is no definite article in the Greek). By proclaiming God is Spirit we teach that God is most pure Spirit. God is invisible without body and parts. We teach that the Scripture passages that read of God having body parts like hands, feet, eyes and ears are anthropomorphisms and God condescendingly explaining the infinite attributes of God his eternal power and work to finite man’s comprehension (cf. Genesis 3:8; 1 Kings 8:29; 2 Chronicles 16:9; Psalm 8:6; Isaiah 65:2; Nehemiah 1:6; Hebrews 1:10). 

God has spiritual essence not material substance. God’s very nature is spiritual. We teach that God is infinite Spirit. We teach that angels are incorporeal but they are finite spirits. Angels are created spirits. We teach when man is born again, he is given a new spirit (cf. Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 4:23-24; Romans 8:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:23), and this aspect of man is incorporeal, yet spiritually alive man is finite, and when man is regenerated he is a new creature (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18), therefore, when man is born again he is given a new spirit and that new spirit is a created spirit created by God the Holy Spirit (cf. Ezekiel 36:26; John 3: 6, 8; 2 Corinthians 5:18). We teach the incorporeality of God is incommunicable because God is infinite Spirit. Therefore, there is no one invisible like God. 

We teach that God is invisible (cf. John 1:18; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16). 

We teach that it is an attack against God’s perfection of incorporeality to fashion an image of God. We teach that it is sin to commit idolatry. Idolatry is violating the second commandment of the Decalogue which prohibits every expression of fashioning an image and naming it God whether devotionally, emotionally or materially (cf. Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 4:15-19; 2 Timothy 3:4; 1 John 5:21). We teach that treating Icons as objects of worship and adoration is in violation of the second commandment prohibition.  

We DO NOT teach that God broke the second commandment by the incarnation of Christ. 

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law (cf. Matthew 5:17). 

2.6.2.7 Immutability

We teach that God possess the divine attribute called immutability. We teach that God is immutable in that God is unchangeable in His very being, character, purposes, work and word (cf. Ps. 33:11; 102:25-27; Isaiah 40:8; Malachi 3:6; Matthew 24:35; John 10:35; Hebrews 1:11-12; 13:8). We teach God’s immutability and by that we mean God is perfectly reliable, constant in purpose, and His divine nature is perfectly trustworthy. God always and perfectly keeps His word (cf. Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Romans 11:1, 29). God is unchangeable in His absolute goodness, because He cannot be tempted to do evil and He Himself tempts no one (cf. James 1:13-17). We teach that there is continuity between the OT and the NT because both reveal one unchanging God (e.g. Romans 3:29-30). 

We teach that God is immutable in all His attributes because all the attributes of God were true of Him before the universe was called by Him into existence, the attributes of God are the exact same now after the universe has been called by Him into existence, and the attributes of God will remain the exact same forever. All of God’s perfections are the essential qualities of God’s being and God is always the same. Therefore, the attribute called immutability is eternally invested with all of God’s attributes (e.g. Psalm 100:5; 119:89; Jeremiah 31:3; John 13:1).  

We teach that God is no respecter of persons which means God shows no partiality (cf. Acts 10:34). 

2.6.2.8 Impassibility

We teach that God is impassible. We teach that God is not subject to suffering, pain, or involuntary mutable passions. By this we teach that God does not involuntarily experience pain or pleasure from the actions of another being. We teach that God is the unchanging being not subject to human emotion. The impassibility of God is related to the divine perfection called immutability which means that God cannot change for the better or the worse; God cannot change for the better, because God is perfect and God cannot change for the worse for the same reason, namely God is perfect. The impassibility of God is related to the divine perfections of God called aseity and self-sufficiency because God does not need anything or anyone.  

God’s plan and purpose never change as a result of a swing in His temperament as a response dependent upon the actions of His creatures (cf. Job 23:13-15; Hebrews 6:18). We teach that God is above all causes. If God could change emotionally as a result of a swing in His temperament caused by the state or actions of another then that would imply causal dependence. 

We teach that the appearance of alleged changing emotion in God is an anthropomorphic way of expressing his pleasure or displeasure with human actions. God's eternal will for the elect and the love for elect in Christ does not undergo alteration because God is immutable (cf. Psalm 33:11; e.g. anthropomorphisms – Genesis 6:5-6; 8:21; 2 Samuel 24:16; Jeremiah 18:7-8; Jeremiah 42:10; Jonah 3:10). 

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly God and truly human, and so concerning His human nature expressed perfect emotions and was subject to the same physical limitations as humanity, such as hunger or exhaustion. We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ in His humanity suffered death on the cross and physically died, and was bodily raised from the dead. We teach God accepted the Lord Jesus Christ’s perfect (sinless) life fulfilling the Law and substitutionary sacrificial death on the behalf of those who trust in Him for salvation. We teach that Jesus in His perfect (sinless) humanity intensely felt and therefore sympathizes with believers –  "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). The English word “sympathize” is from the Greek term συμπαθέω (sumpatheό) and has the sense to mean to have a fellow feeling with an emotion and to be affected with the same feelings as another in such a way as to be touched with feeling, e.g. commiserating (cf. Hebrews 4:15; 10:34). The Greek term συμπαθέω (sumpatheό) is derived from the Greek adjective συμπαθής (sumpathés) (cf. 1 Peter 3:8) which is a compound word with the Greek preposition σύν (sun) as the prefix which means “together with” attached to the Greek word πάσχω (paschó) which means to feel heavy emotion the feeling of the mind emotion, passion and to suffer all of this as well as physical pain. The Lord Jesus Christ is the God-man, the only mediator between God and man, He is passible concerning His perfect (sinless) humanity and He intercedes for us.  

We teach that God is impassible, that is, without body, parts, does not have bodily passions such as a human hunger and thirst drive nor the need to sleep or the human drive for sexual fulfillment. Furthermore, God is not impassible in the sense of not being able to experience emotion, but rather God is impassible in being unchanged by His emotions. We teach that God is perfect never changes His actions or attitudes.    

We teach that God cannot change with respect to his essence, knowledge, will, or decrees. To suggest that God does change is an attack against all God’s perfections; specifically, the perfections of God called Self-existence, Self-sufficiency, eternality, aseity, immutability, omniscience and omnipotence. To suggest that God is subject to change because of the actions of His creatures is an attempt to divest God of His divine nature. 

We teach that impassibility is one of the perfections of God which distinguishes the Creator from all His creatures. For God is forever the same. God is completely unaffected by anything outside Himself. God is subject to no change in His being, attributes or decrees by the influence of anything or anyone outside Himself.

We teach that worshiping God needs to be exegetically didactic and theological. Worship needs to be conformed to the word of God. God is impassible, therefore God is not swayed by man’s emotional appeals to worship that focus on emotion, entertainment and feelings. We teach that people who claim they feel the presence of God through the notes performed in songs actually feel emotion – they do not feel the presence of God. People who think they feel God through music are emotionally manipulated by time signatures, melodies and rhythm but they do not feel God.  

We teach that genuine worship of God communicates and teaches about who God is, namely God’s attributes and praise God for what God has done in thankfulness and blesses God (cf. Colossians 3:16-17). 

We teach that God is not emotionally moved by worship attempts that are more feelings and exercises of emotion. 

We teach that God is worshiped by God-centered didactic theologically sound exegetically based expressions of worship.  

In conclusion, immutability means that God is unchangeable in His very being. Impassibility means that God is unchangeable by created beings.  

(Scripture support for immutability and impassibility cf.  Exodus 3:14; Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Psalm 102:25-27; 138:8; Isaiah 41:4; 43:10; 44:6; 48:12; Lamentations 3:22-23; Malachi 3:6; Romans 1:23; 8:29-30; 11:1, 29; Philippians 1:6; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16; Hebrews 1:11, 12; 13:8; James 1:17). 

 2.6.2.9 Impeccability 

We teach that God is impeccable. By using the term impeccable we teach that God is unable to sin. Impeccability is related to the holiness of God because God is distinct from everything and everyone outside His essence and that God is morally separate from sin, yet this perfection of God means it is impossible for God to sin. God’s impeccability is related to the goodness and righteousness of God because everything God does is good and righteous therefore God cannot sin (cf. Psalm 145:17; 1 Timothy 4:4).  

We teach that God is not the author of sin. We teach that God did not create sin.  God’s eternal decree certainly rendered the entrance of sin into the world, but this may not be interpreted so as to make God the cause of sin or the sense of being its responsible author.

We teach that God is the author of natural and domestic disasters by way of God’s ordinate power to use natural disasters and human governments and armies to test or judge His people and other people (cf. Isaiah 45:7). We also teach that God relents from disasters (cf. Jonah 4:2).   

We DO NOT teach that God is the author of evil.

We DO NOT teach that God is the creator of evil. 

We DO NOT teach that God is the author of sin.

We DO NOT teach that God is the creator of sin. 

The Word of God teaches that sin originated in the angelic realm and then with man. To start, the Word of God teach that sin originated in the angelic realm (cf. John 8:44; 1 John 3:8). The derivation of sin (i.e. origin of sin) must be qualified by a distinction between two classifications in the creative order, namely the angelic order (cf. Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Luke 10:18; Revelation 12:3-4) and the order of mankind (Genesis 3). The Word of God reveals the origin of sin and shows that if one wants to trace the origin of sin one must even go back of the fall of man as described in Genesis 3 and read about what happened in the angelic world. For instance, God created a host of angels sometime after the first day of the creation week (cf. Job 1:6; 38:4-7), and they were all good originally as they came forth from the creative work of their God (cf. Gen 1:31). But a fall occurred in the angelic world sometime immediately after the last day of the creation week, in which legions of angels fell away from God (cf. Revelation 12:3-4). The Word of God explains how sin originated in both of these two orders, that is the angelic order and then mankind and the distinction between the subsequent consequences for each. 

We teach that God is unable to sin and therefore God is the perfect judge and will judge sin to be sure. We teach that God cannot judge sin righteously if He is not impeccable. This is how the perfection of God called impeccability is related to God’s perfection called righteousness. God is not the author of sin because God said in Proverbs 17:15, “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.” God is certainly not an abomination to Himself. So, there is a great dilemma, namely this – how can wicked man be saved from the wrath of God? God maintains His attributes of impeccability, holiness, righteousness and goodness and solved the problem of evil at the cross of Christ. The crucifixion of Christ was the most heinous act of injustice in the history of the world. Concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the only one who lived an impeccable innocent sinless life. And concerning the impeccable innocent sinless Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle Peter said to the Jews in Acts “you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:23c). Yet the first part of the same verse reads, “this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.” (Acts 2:23a-b). God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the Cross but He holds in judgement the lawless men responsible for His murder. In so doing, God maintained and demonstrated His righteousness (cf. Romans 3:25) and maintained and demonstrated His love (cf. Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10) when Jesus satisfied God’s wrath toward sin in vicarious penal-substitution for everyone who would believe in Christ for eternal life (i.e. the elect). It is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone not works that man is saved from the wrath of God toward sin. God commands men to turn away from sin (cf. Proverbs 3:7) but in no way is God the author of sin because God is impeccable and therefore, unable to sin. 

(cf. Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31; Psalm 5:4; Habakkuk 1:13; Hebrews 4:15; James 1:13-17; 1 John 1:5; 3:5).  

2.6.2.10 Incorruptibility

We teach that God cannot die. It is impossible for God to die. This is what is meant by the divine perfection of God called incorruptibility (cf. 1 Timothy 1:17). 1 Timothy 1:17 is a doxology to God where the Apostle Paul ascribes honor (i.e. treasuring) and glory to God and emphasized God’s perfections called majesty (i.e. King), eternality (i.e. King of the ages), incorporeality (i.e. invisible) and the fact that God cannot die (i.e. incorruptible). The Greek term that Paul used in 1 Timothy 1:17 which was later translated into English “immortal” is the Greek term ἄφθαρτος (aphthartos) and has the sense to mean undecaying, imperishable and indestructible. The Greek term ἄφθαρτος (aphthartos) is a compound word in Greek, with the alpha (α) privative as the prefix of the word together with one of the Greek words for death, that is φθείρω (phtheiró) which has the sense to mean to perish or decay. When the alpha negative particle privative is inseparably attached as a prefix to a word attached to it, the alpha privative negates the word that it is attached (e.g. a-millennialism, a-theist etc). The Greek term φθαρτος (phthartos) is a derivative of phtheiro (phtheiró) and with the alpha privative prefix has the sense to mean undecaying (in essence or continuance), not corruptible. That is the sense of immortality, namely incorruptibility. The Greek term ἄφθαρτος (aphthartos) that Paul used in 1 Timothy 1:17 therefore, teaches the fact that God cannot be corrupted in the sense that God cannot perish, decay or die. Death on the other hand is corruption. Death is corruption of God’s good creation (cf. Genesis 1-2). 

We teach God is living because God is named in Scripture as the “living” God (cf. Deuteronomy 5:26; Joshua 3:10; 1 Samuel 17:26; Psalm 84:2; Jeremiah 10:10; 23:36; Daniel 6:26; Matthew 16:16; John 6:57; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; Hebrews 3:12; 4:12). Life involves feeling, consciousness, power and animated liveliness in which activity is happening and being done. God is the source of all life, that is, physical material life – life like plant life, animal life, and human life as well as spiritual life and eternal life (cf. Genesis 1-2; Job 33:4; Psalm 36:9; Psalm 139:13-16; John 1:1-5; 3:16; 5:26; 14:6; Matthew 22:32; John 10:10; Acts 3:15; Romans 6:23; 14:8; 1 John 5:12).

Physical death is the cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. The essence of physical death is the second law of thermodynamics called entropy a state in which all systems move toward decay a limitation because of the exhaustion and depletion of energy. Entropy began as a consequence of Adam’s sin. Conditions which commonly bring about physical death include aging, malnutrition, disease, starvation, dehydration, and accidents or major trauma resulting in terminal injury as well as immediate death by being murdered or killed. We teach that God cannot die by any of these means because God is omnipotent, incorporeal, immutable, impassible, self-existent, self-sufficient, eternal and transcendent. God is not bound by space or time or limited by any systems of physical energies (cf. Isaiah 40:28).     

One of the main Greek nouns in the NT used for death is the noun θάνατος (thanatos) cf. 1 Corinthians 15:26. Death has a point of origin and a point of cessation – for death started when the first Adam sinned against God (cf. Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3; Genesis 5:5; Romans 5:12, 14, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). In the Word of God, death is personified as an enemy of God (cf. Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15: 25-26, 53-57; Revelation 6:8; 20:14). 

We DO NOT teach that God died on the cross. 

We teach that the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross – for, in the incarnation, the glorious second Person of the eternal trinity took to Himself human flesh permanently forever (cf. John 1:14).  

We teach that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (cf. 1 John 4:2). We teach that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man (cf. John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:17; 1 John 1:1-2; Revelation 19:13). We teach that it was the death of death in the death of Christ (cf. Hebrews 2:9, 14). The Lord Jesus Christ proved that He abolished death because the Lord Jesus Christ was bodily raised from the dead (cf. 2 Timothy 1:10). The death that the Lord Jesus Christ died was a physical death on a cross in his human nature not His divine nature, for God cannot die (cf. Philippians 2:6-8). As God, the Lord Jesus Christ possesses the divine perfection called incorruptibility. As man the Lord Jesus Christ physically died, although He did not deserve to die because He was and is sinless (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 1 Peter 1:19; 2:22; 1 John 3:3-5). The Lord Jesus Christ is the God-man, two natures yet one in the same Person. The Lord Jesus Christ has defeated death and has the keys to death therefore death has no power or authority over Him (cf. Isaiah 25:8; Hebrews 2:9, 14, Revelation 1:17-18). 

Those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life will not be hurt by the second death. Those who refuse to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life will be eternally punished by the second death which is conscious torment forever in the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death and the eternal punishment for θάνατος (thanatos).

In conclusion, God is incorruptible which means God cannot die.

2.6.2.11 Incomprehensibility

The incomprehensibility of God means that angels and mankind are not able to fully comprehend God (cf. Isaiah 40:28; 1 Peter 1:10-12). God is the Incomprehensible God because God can not be fully comprehended. This is how God’s perfection of incomprehensibility is related to God’s perfection called infinity. This does not mean that God does not reveal Himself in His attributes to man. Because God reveals Himself in His attributes to man, the regenerate man can have knowledge of God’s divine being. However, because man is creature and as such finite, man cannot fully comprehend God because man does not possess the divine incommunicable perfection of God called incomprehensibility. 

The Apostle John recorded in John 14:9 how the infinite incomprehensible God is knowable when he recorded Jesus’ conversation with Philip; “Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” 

Incomprehensibility of God is related to the imminence of God because the infinite God of Scripture is comprehensible to the degree He has decreed to be known and for man to have a relationship to God through the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Psalm 76:1; Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14. Yet, the infinity and incomprehensibility of God is related to the transcendence of God, that is, God is beyond everyone and everything – so, in that sense He cannot be fully grasped. Yet God is a personal being who is knowable and in whom all other beings depend on Him for their existence and for the ability to comprehend (cf. Deuteronomy 29:29). God is independent and self-sufficient – He depends on no other being for information or for the comprehension of information (cf. Job 15:8; 21:22; Isaiah 40:13; Romans 11:33-34; 1 Corinthians 2:16). 

The perfection of God called incomprehensibility is proven by the fact that men rely on God for objective information and the ability to comprehend information. God only dispenses the degree of information according to who God wishes to endow that information based on God’s terms not man’s terms (cf. 1 Kings 3:10-14; 4:20-34; Ecclesiastes 2:26; Ephesians 1:17-18). God’s perfection called incomprehensibility is related to His attributes called infinity, sovereignty, and providence because God sets the limits on everything and everyone outside Himself for how much they can comprehend God.   

We teach that God is inconceivable in the sense that man cannot form an image of God in their minds.  

We teach that God is incomprehensible and what we mean by that is man cannot have a complete and exhaustive knowledge of God because man is not omniscient. 

But that does not mean that doctrine from God’s word was intended for man to not comprehend. 

We DO NOT teach Neo-theism. 

We DO NOT teach Neo-evangelicalism. 

We DO NOT teach Barthian theology. 

Because neo-theism, neo-evangelicalism and Barthian theology promote as a-priori the elevation of uncertainty in all things. 

2.6.2.12 Mystery 

We teach that God possesses the divine attribute called mystery. This attribute is incommunicable and means that God is uncreated and the most interesting being whereas all other beings are created and left in suspense by God (cf. 1 Kings 19:11-13; Ecclesiastes 3:11). God is mysterious and knows all paradoxes. God is never bored of Himself or lonely. On the other hand, men get apathetic and bored as a sinful defense when men ignorantly think they are more interesting and educated because they fail to seek after God with childlike faith and excitement in the mystery of God (cf. Luke 10:21-22). God is mysterious because God veils Himself and no one can look at God and live (cf. Exodus 33:18-23; 2 Corinthians 3-4). 

God has in Christ hidden the mystery of God – all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. It is not only that wisdom and knowledge are in Christ, but all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Colossians 2:3). The Lord Jesus Christ is God in human flesh (cf. Colossians 2:9). 

God discloses information in time when He wants by His terms the way He has eternally chosen and angels and men are dependent upon God for information and the comprehension of that information (cf. Daniel 2:47; Ephesians 3:1-13). The Greek word that the Apostle Paul used in Ephesians 3:3, 4, 9 is μυστήριον (mustérion) and has the sense to mean something that was previously hidden but now made known and in the context of its use in Ephesians it means the mystery of God’s will (cf. Ephesians 1:9). Other usage of the Greek term μυστήριον (mustérion) in connection to God revealing hidden things see Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10; Romans 11:25; 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:1; 2:7; 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Ephesians 5:32; 6:19; Colossians 1:26, 27; 2:2; 4:3; 1 Timothy 3:9, 16; Revelation 1:20; 10:7). 

We DO NOT teach that God’s attribute called mystery is God’s singular primary attribute merely because God only reveals certain knowledge to the human race. Because to teach that God’s attribute of mystery is God’s primary attribute is to triage the attributes of God into categories of primary, secondary or tertiary etc. 

There are certain doctrines that are paradoxes like the doctrine of the Trinity, but this does not mean that these paradoxes are not clearly defined in Scripture (e.g. Matthew 28:19). 

2.6.2.13 Sovereignty

We teach that God possesses the divine attribute called sovereignty. By this we teach that God is sovereign over everyone and everything. God is in complete control over all creation both things visible and invisible and God directs all things. There is no one or force that can stand in the way of and halt God from accomplishing what He has sovereignly purposed (cf. Job 42:2; Isaiah 45:9; 46:10; Daniel 4:35). God is not subject to or influenced by any human government or angelic counsel or host that can freely or otherwise stop God from performing all what God pleases to do (cf. Genesis 11:1-9; Psalm 115:3; 135:6; Isaiah 10:5; 14:4-23). 

We teach that God is completely and absolutely sovereignly independent and not even prayer can change what God has predetermined to come to pass. 

God’s attribute of sovereignty is closely related to His independence, omnipotence, providence, majesty, will, goodness, righteousness, holiness, and impeccability. What is also true is that God’s attribute of sovereignty is eternally invested with all God’s perfections. 

We DO NOT teach that the sovereignty of God excludes human responsibility, instead human responsibility is decreed by God and under the sovereignty of God. 

We teach that human responsibility is the byproduct of the sovereignty of God.  

The sovereignty of God means that God is Lord over all (cf. Exodus 23:17; Deuteronomy 10:17; Joshua 3:13). 

We teach that God does as God wills, God’s own counsel is the basis of everything, and God does everything for His glory (cf. Joshua 7:9; 1 Samuel 12:22; Psalm 25:11; 31:3; 33:10-11; 79:9; 106:8; 109:21; 115:3; 143:11; Proverbs 16:4; 19:21; Isaiah 10:15; 46:10-11; 48:9; 64:8; Jeremiah 14:7-21; 18:1; Ezekiel 20:9-44; Daniel 4:35; 9:19; Matthew 11:26; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; Romans 9:19-21; Ephesians 1:5, 9, 11).  

2.6.2.14 Providence 

We teach that God is the Creator and He provides for His creation. We teach that God is in control over everything that happens in the world and nothing can happen unless God has decreed it to come to pass. In the sense of God’s provision for mankind in general God provides physical life, breath, food, clothing and shelter for both believers and unbelievers (cf. Matthew 5:45; Acts 17:25; 1 Timothy 6:13). In the sense of God’s provision for the elect, God has provided for believers eternal life and salvation from the wrath of God in the perfect life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9-10; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). We teach that God preserves believers and provides assurance of salvation when they suffer through trials (cf. Matthew 24:15-31; 1 Peter 1:6-9; James 1:2-8). 

We teach that God is the provider for the natural world as He sustains and feeds all of His creation in their various realms and kinds according to their needs (cf. Genesis 1:1-31; 8:22; Exodus 20:11; Job 12:23-24; 38-40; Psalm 33:6, 9; 65:9-11; 95:3-5; 104; 107; 135:5; 145:15-16; 146:5-6; 147:15-18; 148:8; Jeremiah 5:22; 10:12-13; 27:5; 31:35; 51:15-16; Jonah 4:6-7; Nahum 1:3; Matthew 6:26-30; Acts 14:17; 17:24; Colossians 1:16). 

We teach that God is in control over who receives rain, prosperity, poverty and famine (cf. Amos 4:7; Genesis 41:28-32). 

We teach that God is in control over the way and timing of anyone or anything that dies (cf. Matthew 10:29-30; Luke 12:4-7; Hebrews 2:14-15; 9:27; Revelation 1:18).

We teach that God is control over who keeps or loses any hair on their heads and is imminently personalistic in this regard (cf. 2 Kings 2:23-24; Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:4-7). 

We teach there are no random events or “accidents” because all events are under God’s sovereignty and providence (cf. Exodus 21:13; Judges 9:53; 1 Kings 22:34; Proverbs 16:33; Jonah 1:7; Acts 1:23-26).

We DO NOT teach that there are “per-chance” encounters – especially between a preacher of the gospel and those who are converted by God through the gospel but instead every event has been predetermined and providentially decreed by God (cf. Acts 16:14; Romans 10:14-15). 

We teach that God sustains and preserves the created world and providentially guides the universe toward the goal that God has decreed through God’s active and meticulous governance (cf. Genesis 50:20; Nehemiah 9:6; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3).  

We teach that God controls all activities of the nations and individuals and if anyone has salvation, position, gift or anything it is by the sovereign providence of God alone (cf. Isaiah 45:1-7; Daniel 2:21; John 3:27; Acts 4:27-28; 13:48; 20:7-8; 1 Corinthians 12:11; Ephesians 4:7). 

We DO NOT teach Open-theism.

For all these reasons above, God possesses the divine incommunicable attribute called providence because the providence of God asserts God’s care for the universe, and therefore providence is an incommunicable attribute – for only God can be the provider for all His creation. It is God’s very nature to be in control over all His creation and provide for all His creation. Only God continuously upholds the existence of the universe and only God can preserve the life of His people. 

2.6.2.15 Transcendence

We teach that God possesses the divine attribute called transcendence. God’s transcendence means God perfectly transcends all limitation of time, space and matter. Transcendence means that God is eternally outside of time, space and matter and is unable to be changed by any forces within the universe whether that force be visible or invisible. Transcendence is closely related to immutability and holiness because God’s very being is unapproachable moral light (cf. 1 Timothy 6:16; 1 John 1:5). 

We DO NOT teach Deism, that is the philosophical position that rejects special revelation as the source to truly know about God and His attributes, but instead asserts that man’s empirical reason and observation of the natural world are exclusively logical, reliable, and sufficient to determine the existence of a Supreme Being as the creator of the universe who is not involved with His creation. Deism rejects belief in the revelation of the word of God. Deism teaches that there is a god who created time and everything but is uninvolved with any moment of time and does not uphold the totality and each moment of the universe by his power. Deism teaches that there is a god that has created the universe but remains apart from it and permits his creation to independently self-administer itself through natural laws. Deism is the position that teaches the universe is self-sustaining and self-acting and that the great architect god has abandoned his creation. Therefore, Deism is heresy because it isolates and redefines transcendence.  

We teach that the transcendence of God does not contradict the imminence of God because though God is transcendent to space God is also omnipresent and therefore God is imminent with space. God is perfectly present in every moment of time and its succession of moments and God transcends every moment of time and its succession of moments. 

The transcendence of God is closely related to God’s sovereignty because God is above, other than, and distinct from all God has created – for God sovereignly transcends it all.

We teach that God is greater than His creation and completely independent of His creation (cf. Psalm 97:9; 108:5; Isaiah 55:8-9; Ephesians 4:6).  

2.6.2.16 Imminence

We teach that God possesses the divine attribute called the immanence of God because God is in the world and personally involved with everyone and everything. We teach that this perfection called imminence does not contradict God’s perfection called transcendence. To hold to transcendence but not immanence is deism, while to hold to immanence but not transcendence is pantheism. We teach that God is not an abstract deity removed from or uninterested in his creation. We teach that God is personally involved with his creation (e.g. Acts 17:28). 

We DO NOT teach Pantheism 

Pantheism comes from two Greek words, pan (all) and theism (God) meaning "all is God" or "God is all." It is the belief that all things contain divinity and that God is the sum of all things. Pantheism is the view that God is everything and everyone - and consequently that everyone and everything is God. Pantheism is false teaching because it denies the transcendence of God and redefines the imminence of God. 

Pantheism is one of the main doctrines behind many cults and false religions like Hinduism and Buddhism as well as the metaphysical cults, and those who worship nature calling nature “mother,” 

Unregenerate man studied the created universe which testifies to God’s glory because God is the Creator and unregenerated man flip flopped in their depraved minds reality and they twisted and manipulated reality to worship what God has created instead of worshiping God as the Creator, and then they idolatrously called created things god. Instead, they should have looked up at the stars and said, “Wow! Look how the stars testify to God’s invisible attributes and His eternal power and divine nature because God created all of those stars! God is glorious! Let’s honor God and give Him thanks!” (cf. Genesis 1:16; Psalm 8:3; 19:1; Romans 1:19). 

Pantheism is a sinful expression of man in his fallen state who idolatrously worships the stars that God has created and refuses to honor God or give Him thanks.  

We DO NOT teach Panentheism which is a hybrid fringe off of pantheism.  

We DO NOT teach what Lutherans call the ubiquitousness of Christ’s physical body, that is Lutherans teach the omnipresence of Christ physical body in the universe (cf. Ephesians 4:10). Lutherans infer their doctrine of the ubiquitousness of Christ’s physical body into their doctrine called physical consubstantiation in their administering of wine and bread in their view of communion and as such argue that Christ’s physical body is present and express this by the use of the prepositions “in, under and through” the elements.

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is physically seated at present in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father (cf. Psalm 110:1; Mark 16:19; Luke 22:69; Acts 2:33; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 3:21). This secession we teach began at the Lord Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven after the finished accomplished work of His first advent (cf. Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9, 7:55-56; Revelation 3:21). And we teach that this secession will conclude when the Lord Jesus Christ returns during His second advent (cf. Matthew 16:27; 25:31). However, during the duration of the church age between the first and second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, His physical body is not omnipresent in the universe in the sense of what Lutherans call the ubiquitousness of Christ’s physical body (cf. Revelation 5:6). 

2.6.2.17 Omnipotence 

We teach that God possesses the divine attribute called omnipotence and this means that God is all-powerful. The term omnipotence is a compound word with the Latin term omnis meaning “all” together with the Latin term potententem or potentia meaning “power.” Therefore, the etymology of the word omnipotence has the sense to mean “all-power” or “all-powerful.” We teach that the word of God attributes to God the divine attribute of “all-powerful” by reason of one of the divine names of God, namely El Shaddai which has the sense to mean God Almighty (cf. Genesis 17:1). 

We teach the divine perfection that belongs only to God called omnipotence means that God is all-powerful to perform anything that is eternally consistent with His nature and the ability to do anything not contradicting all of God’s attributes (cf. Genesis 18:14; Job 42:2; Jeremiah 32:27; Isaiah 40:28; Zechariah 8:6; Matthew 3:9; 19:26; 26:53; Luke 1:37; 18:27; Ephesians 3:20).  

We teach that God’s unlimited divine power is inseparably constrained and eternally invested with all His divine perfections and therefore God has the ability to do and accomplish anything in accordance with which it is impossible for God to do anything morally wrong (cf. Genesis 18:25; Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; 1 John 1:5). 

God is all-powerful and therefore God possesses power over denial (cf. 2 Timothy 2:13) and God possesses power over temptation (James 1:13).

God’s divine perfection called omnipotence is closely related to God’s divine perfection called immutability because God cannot change (cf. Malachi 3:6; James 1:17).   

We teach that God cannot lie.  

We teach that God cannot deny Himself.

We teach that God cannot sin. 

We teach that God cannot be tempted by evil.

We teach that God cannot change.  

We teach that God cannot die.  

The question, “therefore, if God is all-powerful does God then have the power to die?” is a nonsensical arrogant and ignorant question that challenges the divine attribute of God called omnipotence.  We teach the very fact that God is all-powerful means that death has no power over God and God alone has the power to raise people from the dead (cf. Isaiah 26:19; Hosea 13:14; Luke 20:37; John 3:16; 5:21; 11:25-26; 11:43-44; 14:19; Romans 4:17; 8:11; 8:38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 15:26; 15:54-55; 2 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; Hebrews 2:4; 2:14-15; 11:19; Revelation 1:18; 20:6; 20:14). 

We teach that God powerfully performs miracles but not nonsense. There is no limit to God’s power. But questions like “If God is all-powerful does that mean that God can create a rock that is too heavy for Him to lift?” are nonsense questions and come from a sinful presupposition to doubt the omnipotence of God. Fallen man’s sinful expressions to try and place God under the scrutiny of questions that raise doubt about His existence, divine nature and eternal power are powerless to deny the omnipotence of God and ultimately lead to divine judgement (cf. Romans 1:18-32). Such doubtful questions set no limitation upon God’s omnipotence because God’s omnipotence is in harmony with all of God’s perfections and God is able to perform whatsoever God wills. We teach that God does not will to be nonsensical or self-contradictory.

We teach that God’s perfection called omnipotence is closely related to God’s perfection as the Creator because God’s power was revealed and displayed at creation (cf. Genesis 1-2; Psalm 8; Isaiah 42:5; 44:24; 45:12, 18; 48:13; Zechariah 12:1; Romans 1:20). 

The book of Psalms teaches that God is omnipotent (cf. Psalm 8; 18; 19; 24; 29; 33; 104). 

We teach that God is all-powerful to providentially uphold the universe by the word of His power (cf. Hebrews 1:3). 

We teach that only God has the power in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ to save sinners from the wrath of God and this is the power that raised Christ from the dead (cf. Romans 1:16; 8:11). 

We teach that God has power and authority over everyone and everything either invisible or visible (cf. Matthew 8:29; 10:28).   

In 1 Timothy 6:13-16 Paul gave an example how God’s perfection of being all-powerful is eternally invested with God’s other perfections (e.g. sovereignty, majesty, incorruptibility, transcendence, holiness, incorporeality and eternality) when he wrote: 

“I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.” 

The Greek term δυνάστης dunastés that Paul used in verse 15 which is translated into English as “sovereign” has its origin etymologically from the Greek term δύναμαι dunamai which has the sense to mean ability and power. Therefore, the phrase “alone Sovereign” (in Greek: μόνος Δυνάστης) shows how closely related God’s divine perfection called sovereignty is to God’s divine perfection called omnipotence (i.e. all-powerful) as well as the fact that the divine perfection called omnipotence is an incommunicable attribute that alone belongs to God. 

In conclusion, we teach that the divine perfection called omnipotence belongs to God and to God alone (cf. Psalm 62:11; 96:7; Revelation 4:11; 5:12; 7:12; 19:1).   

2.6.2.18 Omnipresence

We teach that God possesses the divine attribute called omnipresence and this means that God is all-present in every place of space and every point of time with His entire Being. The divine perfection called infinity is closely related to the divine perfection called transcendence. The divine perfection called omnipresence is closely related to the divine perfection called imminence. Correspondingly, we teach that omnipresence is in harmony with all of God’s perfections.

We teach that God is all-present with and in space and time.

We DO NOT teach that God is of space and time.   

We teach that God is all-present and fills all of heaven and earth and nothing is hidden from God’s omnipresence (Deuteronomy 26:15; 2 Samuel 22:7; 1 Kings 8:32; Psalm 11:4; 33:13; 115:3; 139:7-18; Isaiah 63:15;  Jeremiah 23:23-24; Matthew 5:34; 6:9; John 14:2; Acts 17:27-28; Ephesians 1:20; Revelation 1:4).  

We teach that no one invisible or visible can hide or escape the presence of God (cf. Hebrews 4:13).  

We teach that God during the time of the Mosaic Covenant was ever present dwelling in the midst of His people Israel (cf. Exodus 19:6; 20:24; 25:8; 40:34-35Deuteronomy 12:11; Judges 11:24; 1 Samuel 4:4; 26:19; 2 Samuel 6:2; 1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Kings 19:15). 

We teach that God during the time of the church age was and is ever present with His people because God indwells the church both corporately and individually (cf. John 14:23; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 2:21; 3:17). 

We teach that God is and will be ever present with Israel and this will be obvious too all when God restores the nation of Israel to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Jeremiah 32:36-44; Romans 11). 

We teach that God is the ever-present help and close to His people in all generations (cf. Psalm 11:7; 46; 51:19; 119:90; Isaiah 57:15). 

We teach that the omnipresence of God does not contradict the fact that God transcends time space and matter. We teach that time, space and matter are all spheres that God has created and therefore time space and matter are not part of God. 

We teach that God is not limited or bound to one place at one time nor are God’s perfections separated in such a way that only one part, or some parts of God is in each place. Instead, we teach that there is no place where God is not and in every place all of who God is, is indeed present there. 

We teach that the eternal separation of the unbelieving from God in the sense of the final judgment of the second death in the lake of fire is eternal bodily torment but that does not mean that unbelievers are eternally separated from the presence of God (cf. Psalm 139:8; Proverbs 15:11; Matthew 10:28; Romans 2:6-8). Instead, eternal separation of the godless from God means that unbelievers are eternally separated from the salvific benefits of reconciliation to God and eternal life in Christ Jesus (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:9). We teach that God’s presence is everywhere and unbelievers will for all eternity suffer God’s fury and wrath in the lake of fire personally paying God back for their sins (Matthew 10:28; Romans 2:6-8; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8). 

In conclusion, we teach that God is fully in every place.

2.6.2.19 Omniscience

We teach that God possesses the divine attribute called omniscience and this means that God independently knows Himself and everyone and everything in one eternal way. We teach that the nature of God’s knowledge is perfect (cf. 1 Samuel 2:3) and the extent of His knowledge is infinite and unsearchable (cf. Psalm 147:5; Romans 11:33-34). 

The term omniscience is a compound word with the Latin term omnis meaning “all” together with the Latin term scientia meaning “knowledge.” Therefore, the etymology of the word omniscience has the sense to mean “all-knowledge” or “all knowing.”

We teach that God knows everything there is to be known about everyone and everything visible and invisible (cf. 2 Chronicles 16:9; Psalm 139; Proverbs 15:3; Isaiah 40:13; Matthew 10:30; Hebrews 4:13; Romans 11:34; Ephesians 3:14; 1 John 3:20).     

We teach that God knows every single thought that everyone has ever had, are currently having or will have in the future (cf. 1 Kings 8:39; Psalm 7:9; 139:2; Proverbs 15:11; Jeremiah 11:20; 17:9-10; 20:12; Ezekiel 11:5; Luke 16:15; Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 John 3:20). 

We teach that God knows individuals before they are conceived (cf. Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Romans 8:28-30; 9:11; Revelation 13:8; 17:8). 

We teach that only God knows everything about the future (cf. Isaiah 41:22-26; 42:8-9; 43:9-12; 44:6-8; 46:10; Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:7). 

We teach that God knows the number of days of each individual, the amount of hair on every individual’s head, the number of the stars in the universe, the exact number of grains of sand on planet earth and the places people have traveled as well as the geographical boundaries that have been decreed for each individual person who has ever lived or will ever live (cf. Genesis 22:17; Job 14:5; Psalm 31:15; 39:4-5; 139:7-16; Jeremiah 23:23-25; Luke 12:7; Acts 17:26; Hebrews 9:27; 11:12; Revelation 7:9). 

We teach that God’s knowledge is eternal (cf. Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1:4-5; 2 Timothy 1:9).    

We teach that God never learns information, in other words God’s knowledge never increases because God knows everything in one eternally perfect way. God is not dependent on anyone or anything outside Himself for information (cf. Isaiah 40:13; Romans 11:34). When God asks questions of people in Scripture God does not need information but is asking a question rhetorically for the recipient of the question to solicit a self-conscious self-evaluation (e.g. Genesis 3:13; Judges 2:2).    

We teach that God’s foreknowledge and God’s wisdom are inseparable, and God always knows and acts perfectly to accomplish His goals in creation and redemption to display all His perfections for His glory (cf. Deuteronomy 4:6-8; Job 9:4; 12:13-17; chps. 37-38; Psalm 19:1-7; 104:1-34; Proverbs 8:22-31; Isaiah 40:28; Jeremiah 10:12; Romans 11:33; 16:27; 1 Corinthians 2:6-13; Ephesians 3:10-11; 1 Timothy 1:17; Jude 25; Revelation 5:12; 7:12).  

In conclusion, we teach that God has all knowledge and all knowledge is a means to one “end”, and that “end” is God’s own glory which never ends.  

2.6.2.20 Omnibenevolence

We teach that God is absolute in goodness. 

We teach that God is all good in His very nature (cf. Psalm 119:68; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19). 

We teach that God is the objective summation of all good. 

We teach that God is the source of all good.

We teach the divine incommunicable attribute of God called omnibenevolence is eternally invested with the divine incommunicable attribute of God called eternality because God is eternally good (cf. Psalm 52:1). We teach that God’s goodness is inseparably constrained to God’s self-existence, eternal nature and attribute called Creator. Therefore, God is eternally good before anything was created. Therefore, the goodness of God was on display in the creation of the universe and everyone and everything in it originally because God is good in giving being and existence to everyone and everything.  

We teach that everything God does is good (cf. Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31; 1 Timothy 4:4).

We teach that God’s benevolence is infinite and unlimited. 

We teach that God is the objective standard of good. 

We teach that only God is good (cf. Matthew 5:48; 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19).

The term omnibenevolence is a three-word compound with the Latin terms omnis meaning “all” together with the Latin term bene meaning "good" and volens the Latin term for "willing." Therefore, the etymology of the word omnibenevolence has the sense to mean “all-good-willing.” 

We teach that there can be nothing added to God’s goodness to make it better, for God is omnibenevolent.

We teach that God’s decrees, creation and laws cannot be anyway but good. 

We teach that God is all-good-willing towards His creatures (cf. Psalm 145:9-16), yet God hates that which has been added to or taken away from His work and His word (cf. Proverbs 6:16-19; 30:5-6). Sin is such an addition to or subtraction away from the work of God (cf. Genesis 3:2-5). Therefore, God hates sin because sin is lawlessness (cf. 1 John 3:4; see Habakkuk 1:13). There is judgement for those who continue to live in sin without repentance (cf. Psalm 5:4-5; 7:11-12; 145:20). We teach that the Law is from God, therefore the Law is good because everything God does is good (cf. Romans 7:7-12; see 3:31; 1 Timothy 1:8; 4:4).    

We teach that the divine perfection of God called omnibenevolence does not contradict God’s perfections called omnipotence and omniscience as consequence of the problem of evil. Merely because evil is in the world does not confound, disprove or nullify any of God’s incommunicable attributes. 

We teach that sin has infiltrated, obstructed and impeded God’s good creation but not God. Sin is an addition – that is, something that has been added to God’s good creation. But sin did not come from God (cf. James 1:13-15; 1 John 1:5; 3:5). Instead, the origin of sin began from the volition of God’s creatures when in their original fall they chose to disbelieve, dishonor, redirect, reject and replace the word of God because they willed to have a universe without the omnibenevolent God (cf. Genesis 3:1-7; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19); 1 John 3:8). The problem of evil has already been solved because of the omnibenevolence of God, that is, through the death of Christ and His resurrection from the dead, God has already judged sin and given it a death sentence. God will ultimately carry out that sentence at the end of time when the first things pass away (cf. Genesis 3:15; Psalm 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 55-56; Hebrews 1:3; 7:27; 10:12; Revelation 20:7-15; 21:1-8).         

Yet, despite the original fall of man, God is still omnibenevolent to mankind in a general sense by providing food, clothing and shelter to all men both good and bad (cf. Genesis 3:19; Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17; also see Psalm 145:7-16; see the entire book of Ecclesiastes). 

Also, God is good to the marine, firmament and terrestrial animals sustaining their various created kinds providing for them food (cf. Job 38:41; Psalm 104:21; Matthew 6:26).

The word of God calls all creatures to praise God for His omnibenevolence (cf. 1 Chronicles 16:34; 2 Chronicles 5:13; Psalm 106:1; 107:1-31; 118:1; 136:1; Jeremiah 33:11; see. Revelation 5:13).  

We teach that God proves and displays His omnibenevolence to those who trust in Christ to be saved from the wrath of God in that God causes all things for good to the benefit of the believer, that is the person who trusts God in Christ Jesus and loves God in Christ Jesus (cf. Psalm 145:20; Romans 8:28; James 1:16-18). 

The word of God testifies to the goodness of God and points sinners to repent of their sin and trust God in Christ and therefore taste and see that the LORD is good (cf. Psalm 34:8-14).   

We teach that the omnibenevolence of God reveals the perfection of God’s nature and essence. 

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ live their lives in eulogy to God, that is always expressing a “good word” blessing the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ for all that God has done for the elect and we bless God now for His goodness and forever into all eternity (cf. Ephesians 1:3-14). 

2.6.2.21 Grace

We teach the grace of God is the incommunicable perfection of God that perfectly extends undeserved favor to sinners who cannot merit it.  We teach that only God can forgive the sins of anyone under the sentence of God’s condemnation and God forgives sin apart from any consideration of the merit of sinner. It is only by faith in the only sacrifice for sin that God has provided – that is, the vicarious satisfactory penal-substitutionary death of Christ for the forgiveness of sins and His bodily resurrection from the dead. (2 Corinthians 8:9; Ephesians 2:4-10). 

In Exodus 34:5-7, graciousness is part of the Name of God, e.g. "Yahweh, Yahweh, God merciful and gracious. . ." (Exodus 34:6b). The description of God in this text reveals the merciful attributes of God’s grace namely, “. . . slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” This text revealed how God’s perfections are perfected and graciously invested together. 

We teach that the objects of God’s grace are those God have chosen to save (e.g. Genesis 6:8). 

We teach that God is by nature gracious and compassionate – the God who forgives sin because God has free unmerited favor that God extends toward sinners saving them from the wrath of God because of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Exodus 34:6; 2 Chronicles 30:9; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 111:4; 116:5; Job 4:2; Joel 2:13; Zechariah 12:10; John 1:14, 16-18; Romans 3:24; 5:15; 6:23; Ephesians chapters 1-2; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 5:10). 

We teach that God is by nature compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster (cf. Jonah 2:9; 4:2).  

We teach that the grace of God cannot be earned. God’s grace is unmerited for God’s grace is free and will not accept or allow for the merits of anyone other than the perfect merits of Christ the God-man who perfectly and fully manifested the grace of God in the flesh (cf. John 1:14, 16-18; Romans 4:4, 16; 6:14, 23; 11:5-6; Galatians 5:3-4; Ephesians 2:4-10; 1 Peter 1:13). 

2.6.2.22 Wrath (Anger)

We teach that the divine incommunicable attribute called wrath belongs only to God, because the scriptures teach that vengeance belongs to God and only God is wrathful in the perfect way (cf. Deuteronomy 32:35, 39-41; Psalm 94:1; Proverbs 20:22; 24:17-18, 29; Romans 12:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:6; Hebrews 10:30-31). 

The wrath of God has intrinsically the ultimate authority, holiness and accountability that only belongs to God as the Creator and judge of everyone and everything in the universe (cf. Isaiah 1:31; 5:16; 42:5; 43:13; 48:22; 50:11; 66:24; Psalm 2; 7:11-12; 24:1; Romans 2:5-11; Revelation 20:11-15). 

We teach that God hates all sin, and because God hates all sin, God’s anger burns against the sinner (Isaiah 1:31; 66:24; Psalm 7:11-12). 

As a NT church, after the apostolic age, during the church-age, we make no apology for the wrath of God. 

We teach that God’s wrath is consistent with God’s goodness. We teach that God’s perfection called wrath is inseparably constrained to God’s perfection called goodness. 

We teach that God is infinitely Holy and will not let sin go unpunished (cf. Exodus 34:7). 

We teach that the wrath of God is not an indictive emotional uncontrolled outburst of anger and frustration like a temper tantrum.

We teach that the wrath of God is God’s holy perfect anger in which God’s judgment is activated in the perfect divine way to judge, conquer and vanquish evil. 

We teach that God is not the author of evil, but it was God’s prescriptive will to allow evil to enter into the good creation that God made (cf. Genesis 1:31). We teach that God’s prescriptive will to judge and vanquish evil in His wrath has been decreed as God’s established rule to destroy the evil of this present world so that the New Heavens and the New Earth will be established for all eternity without the presence of evil. 

We teach that because God possesses the divine perfection called eternality, the consequence of God’s wrath has an infinite nature (cf. Isaiah 43:13). We teach that because God has been sinned against the punishment includes an infinite quality to the offense yet there is biblical evidence for degrees of punishment (cf. Matthew 11:21-24).   

We teach that the wrath of God includes unquenchable fire and darkness (cf. Mark 9:48; Hebrews 12:28-29). 

We teach that this unquenchable fire is physically literal fire and not metaphorical (cf. Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43; John 15:6; Hebrews 10:27; 2 Peter 3:7; Jude 23; Revelation 20:10).       

We teach that all men are without excuse because the wrath of God has been revealed from Heaven throughout the history of mankind – that is, first announced by the sentence of death, cursing of the ground and the expulsion of mankind from the paradise of the garden of God on earth as well as afterwards with the global flood and the destruction of man-made cities by fire and brimstone out of Heaven (cf. Romans 1:18; Genesis 3:19, 23-24; Genesis 6:5-7; 7:21-23; 19:24-25; 2 Peter 3:6-7). 

God has sworn by His anger to avenge the crimes of men committed against God because of man’s unbelief (cf. Psalm 95:11). God has decreed from all eternity to have vengeance upon all who oppose God’s only way of salvation. Vengeance belongs to God alone (cf. Genesis 4:3-16; Deuteronomy 32:43, 35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30; Revelation 19:1-3).  

We teach that those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ alone to be saved from the wrath of God are indeed delivered from God’s judgment of evil. This deliverance from the wrath of God is because the Lord Jesus Christ eternally satisfied the wrath of God through His death on the cross in substitution for the believing sinner. Therefore, the believer is delivered from the wrath to come (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9).   

Both the Lord Jesus Christ and His forerunner John the Baptist as well as the greatest missionary who has ever lived – namely, the Apostle Paul, historically warned mankind to flee from the wrath of God by repenting of sin and then turning to God by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved from the wrath of God (cf. Matthew 3:7; Luke 12:5; John 1-3; 2 Corinthians 5). 

2.6.2.23 Simplicity (Indivisibility)

We teach that God possesses the divine perfection called simplicity which means that God has one essence and God’s essence is not composed of parts or is this one essence subject to be divisible. 

We teach the simplicity of God means that God is not partly this quality or partly that quality, but that what God is, God is so entirely. The divine perfection called simplicity is closely associated to the divine perfection of God called unity and are eternally invested together. This is the case of these two divine perfections with all of God’s divine perfections – that is, they all equally and completely define the essence of God but cannot be isolated or parted from another. The divine perfections of God are not parts of God which are distinct from Himself. Instead, the divine perfections of God is His essence and God has only one essence. God possesses the divine perfect uniqueness of one essence and God is not more than one essence. By the term simplicity we do not mean the general common use of the word "simple" – but instead, simplicity means "not composed of parts." (cf. Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29).

We teach that the being of God is identical to the attributes of God. The divine perfections are identical to God's being, because the perfections are not qualities that make up God’s being as a collection, neither are the perfections of God abstract entities of themselves inhering in God as in a substance which are distinct from Himself. We teach that God’s essence and existence are one and the same. 

We teach God is the divine nature Himself. 

We teach that there are no real divisions or distinctions in God’s nature. 

We teach that God has no spatial parts. 

We teach that God has no temporal parts.

We teach that God’s divine nature transcends man’s reason and application of categorical distinctions.

We DO NOT deprioritize God.

We DO NOT teach that God’s nature can be triaged.

We DO NOT teach that God’s perfections can be triaged.

We DO NOT teach that God’s word can be triaged. 

We teach the entirety of God is what is attributed to God by the Word of God. 

We teach the Simplicity of God is God’s unique ontological status of God’s essence.  We teach that the divine perfection called simplicity does not contradict the doctrine of the Trinity because God’s essence is not divided into three persons, but instead God’s essence eternally exists fully and completely in each of the three distinct Persons of the eternal Triune Godhead (i.e. God the Father is God Romans 1:7; 15:6; God the Son is God cf. John 1:1-18; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:1-14; God the Holy Spirit is God cf. Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16). We teach there is one God eternally co-existing in three distinct Persons yet God has one essence which wholly subsists in each of the three Persons without any confusing or mingling of the persons (cf. Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2) – yet, there is but One divine essence and there are not three gods but One God. (cf. Genesis 1:26; Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 48:16; John 17:3; Romans 3:20; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:5; James 2:19).   

We teach that God is identical to His nature because God is identical to all of His perfections.

We teach all of God’s perfections are identical to God’s essence because all of God’s perfections is His essence. 

We teach God is identical with each of His perfections. We teach all the divine perfections of God are all equally divine perfections. There is no perfection of God that is less perfect than another. 

We teach that the glory of God is summation of all God’s perfections and all of God’s perfections are eternally invested with each other. 

We teach that every creature is exposed to God with all of who they are. 

We teach that as all are exposed to God – God is omnipresent before all with all of who He is.   

We give God the glory. We acknowledge that God is glorious because of all of the perfections that are eternally and permanently true of God’s very being and nature (cf. Isaiah 42:8, 48:11).

We teach that the distinctions between the attributes of God are logical distinctions not ontological distinctions. 

The scriptures reveal God’s essence as the eternally complete fullness of each divine perfection.  

(cf. Exodus 34:5-7; Isaiah 40:28; Jeremiah 10:10; 23:6; John 1:4-9; 4:24; 14:6; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 John 1:5, 4:8, 16; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15-16).  

2.6.2.24 Creator 

We teach that God is the undisputed Creator of all things created whether visible or invisible (cf. Isaiah 44:24; Nehemiah 9:6; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2). We teach God created the universe and owns everyone and everything within it (cf. Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1). 

We teach that God is the direct cause of creation and God is the source of the beginning and origin of all things.  

Therefore, only God can be said to be the Creator – this is why Creator is an incommunicable attribute of God. Although men have intelligence to build physical objects, they are in essence merely rearranging what God has already created (cf. Psalm 24:1; Isaiah 42:5; 66:1-2).

We teach that only God can create ex nihilo “out of nothing” (cf. Psalm 33:6; Jeremiah 32:17; Hebrews 11:3). 

We teach that the purpose of creation is to testify to God’s incommunicable attribute called “Creator” for the purpose to testify to the glory of God (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:18-25; Revelation 4:11). 

We teach that no one created God. 

We teach that God did not create Himself. 

We teach that God has always existed.

Only God can be said to be the Creator because if God were to create another god that god would be by definition a created being and God cannot break His commandments because God cannot sin (cf. Exodus 20:3-4; Isaiah 43:10).

We DO NOT teach that God violated the first, second or any commandment of the Decalogue in the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Isaiah 43:10-11; John 4:26; 8:24, 28; 13:19). 

We DO NOT teach that evil was part of God’s original creation (cf. Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).  

We teach that God’s divine perfection called Creator is inseparably constrained to God’s divine perfections called omnibenevolence and impeccability (cf. John 1:1-4, 9-10; 1 John 1:5; James 1:13, 17). 

We teach that God has communicable attributes, namely those attributes that human beings can have also. However, even though we teach that human beings can have these communicable attributes, we teach that God is the origin and source of these communicable attributes. We teach that only human beings that have been regenerated by God the Holy Spirit, repentance unto salvation and placed their faith in the substitutionary work of the Lord Jesus Christ can have these communicable attributes from God (cf. 2 Peter 1:3-4). The communicable attributes of God are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,  faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, righteousness, justice, holiness, jealousy, mercy, unity, veracity, and mission.

2.6.3.1 Love

We teach the love of God is the perfection of God that has to do with God’s eternal action of communicating self-giving, self-sacrifice and like-mindedness. 

We teach that God’s very essence is love (cf. 1 John 4:8, 16). 

We teach that God’s love is eternally and perfectly modeled between the three distinct Persons of the eternal Triune God (cf. John 3:35; 5:20; 10:17; 14:31; 15:9; 17:24, 26; Galatians 5:22). 

We teach that the intra-Trinitarian love of God is the model of love that is manifested between the Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples, and this love is true and undying (cf. John 13:34; Ephesians 6:23-24; 1 Timothy 1:5). 

We teach that no one can genuinely love unless they be born again by God the Holy Spirit and He gives them the fruit of the Spirit which is love (cf. Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22). 

We teach that God’s love is eternally and inseparably invested with all of God’s attributes (e.g. viz. “justice” and “righteousness” cf. Psalm 11:7; 33:5; 37:28; 45:7). 

There is a Hebrew term for love that is found frequently in the OT – that is, אָהַב (aheb) and has the contextual sense to mean to love in covenant promise, provision and self-giving action. This Hebrew term is used to describe God’s love for His people (cf. Deuteronomy 4:37; 7:8-9, 13; 10:15; 23:5; 2 Chronicles 2:11; Isaiah 43:4; 48:14; 63:9; Jeremiah 31:3; Hosea 11:1, 4; 14:4; Zephaniah 3:17; Malachi 1:2). 

There are several Greek terms for love. However, in the NT there are two Greek terms for love that have frequent occurrences in the NT. These two Greek terms are:

(1) ἀγαπάω (agapaó) cf. 1 John 4:10 and 

(2) φιλέω (phileó) cf. John 16:27.

(1) We teach that the Greek term ἀγαπάω (agapaó) is defined in the biblical context as the love of self-sacrifice – for instance, the love of God is good news of God’s action because while maintaining His holiness and divine justice, the good news also affirms that God is love, and that in His love God has responded to man’s sin problem. Motivated by His love, God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for the sins of everyone who would ever believe in Him for eternal life. This is how the Apostle John defined love, namely -  “In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for the sins of us” (1 John 4:10).  

We teach the Greek verb ἀγαπάω (agapaó) has the sense to mean “I love by sacrifice for someone.” 

Agapaó is used over 100 x’s in the NT and no less than 37 x’s in the Gospel of John. 

We teach that if someone agapaó’s someone then they are totally committed to that person in sacrificial love. Agapaó has the sense to love with the intent to sacrifice oneself for the one they love.

We teach that agapaó is an action of powerful love – it is the love that was manifest by God on the cross when Jesus died on the cross paying the penalty for the sins of the elect to save us from the wrath of God.  

We teach that God’s love is self-sacrificial because it is demonstrated in the Lord Jesus Christ’s penal-substitutional sacrifice for sin redeeming individuals from Israel and redeeming those who make up His church (John 3:16; 14:23; 15:13; 16:27; 17:23; Romans 5:5:7-8; 8:37; 9:13; Galatians 2:20).

(2) We teach that the Greek term φιλέω (phileó) is defined in the biblical context as the love of like-mindedness in sound doctrine.

We teach φιλέω (phileó) means the love of friendship – it is from where we get the name Philadelphia – city of friendship. The Greek term φιλέω (phileó) is from the Greek word φίλος (philos) which is translated into English “friend” (e.g. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13; e.g. “You are My friends if you do what I command you” John 15:14). 

Phileo is used no less than 25x’s in the NT and no less than 13x’s in the Gospel of John.

We teach that φιλέω (phileó) is the love of friendship because of like-mindedness and affection for each other because of the same cause – that is, an affection for sound doctrine for the Word of God.  Pointedly, φιλέω (phileó) was used twice in John 16:27 – “for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.” Therefore, God the Father loves a person as a likeminded friend if that person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We teach that God calls believers His friend because believers think God’s thoughts after Him. 

Phileó love is a powerful thoughtful love because it is based on your common interest in the doctrine you believe with another who is likeminded with the doctrine you believe – and if one believes the truth then you phileo God the Son and God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. 

Phileo love is a powerful kind of love for it is a doctrinal issue and if one phileos the Lord Jesus Christ then that person has life eternal but if one does not phileo the Lord Jesus Christ then that person is cursed (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:22). 

We teach that God the Holy Spirit manifests like-mindedness of sound doctrine among believers at genuine churches as believers preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (cf. Ephesians 4)

We teach Christians have this phileo love with each other (cf. Titus 3:15). 

We teach ἀγαπάω (agapaó) and φιλέω (phileó) harmonize with each other yet also are distinct. Both terms for love are genuine love for God and the Christian. 

Both NT Greek terms for love – that is, ἀγαπάω (agapaó) and φιλέω (phileó) were used by the Lord Jesus Christ in the public restoration of the Apostle Peter (cf. John 21:15-17). 

We DO NOT teach the Marcion heresy that the God of the OT is a different God than the NT. Marcion (c. 2nd century AD) was a false teacher and one of the founders of Gnosticism who taught that the benevolent god of the NT was a different god and opposed to the malevolent Demiurge or creator god, identified with the Hebrew God of the Old Testament. Marcionism taught that the god of the OT was a god of holiness and wrath but not love, however, from the OT God is explicitly described as the God who loves people (cf. Deuteronomy 4:37; 7:8, 13; 23:5; 2 Chronicles 2:11; Jeremiah 31:3; Psalm 78:68; 146:8; Proverbs 3:12; Malachi 1:2). 

We teach if anyone believes and teaches Marcion heresy then they are the seed of the serpent and spiritually dead (cf. Genesis 3:15; 2 Peter 2).  

We teach the God of the OT and NT is One God eternally existing in three distinct Persons. God has one essence which wholly subsists in each of the three Persons without any confusing or mingling of the Persons. Each Person is fully God and there is one God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One in Being/Essence/Substance, co-eternal, co-equal yet three distinct Persons.

We teach that the God of the OT is the same unchanging incorruptible self-existent holy omnibenevolent and loving God of the NT.    

We DO NOT isolate God’s attribute of love away from God’s other attributes either to the expense or neglect of God’s other attributes – Because to do so is to make a caricature of God that is not accurate of God.

We teach that the glory of God is the summation of all of His attributes and His attributes cannot be triaged or dichotomized.   

We DO NOT teach the Greek term for erotic desire – namely, eros resolves conceptually into agapaó or phileó into one kind of love at root. For the term eros is not even found in the NT. 

We DO NOT teach that agapaó or phileó love is fundamentally motivated by the pursuit of pleasure. 

We DO NOT teach hedonism nor do we teach that the term “Christian” should ever be associated with the term “hedonism.”

We DO NOT teach that God is hedonistic in His love.

We DO NOT teach that the love of God and the only love of man that is pleasing to God are both at root erotic motivated by self-pleasure.    

We teach the traditional understanding of God’s love as revealed in God’s holy word – namely, God’s love is uninfluenced by anything or anyone outside of Himself. We teach that there is nothing in the creature to influence, manipulate or attract God’s love because God’s love is free and uncaused. God’s love is eternally invested in God’s own sovereign providential will (cf. Deuteronomy 7:7-8; 1 John 3:1; 4:10, 19). 

We teach that God has loved His people from all eternity, therefore there can be nothing about His people in and of themselves that can be the cause of the love of God found in God from all eternity – because God loves from Himself according to His own eternal purpose (cf. Jeremiah 31:3; John 6:44; Romans 9:13; Ephesians 1:4-5; 3:11, 19; 2 Timothy 1:9). 

We teach that nothing can separate God’s people from God’s love (cf. Romans 8:35-39). 

We teach that love for God with all of one’s self and love for one’s neighbor is the fulfillment of the Law (cf. Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-37; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8). We teach that only the Lord Jesus Christ truly accomplished this perfectly (cf. Matthew 5:17; John 13:1; 19:30). 

Among the rest of humanity, we teach that only those who have been born again have the ability to love God as well as their neighbor (cf. Galatians 5:22). 

We teach that God loves through His providential care over His creation.  

We teach that God loves through adoption (cf. John 1:12-13; Romans 8:14-23; 9:4; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 3:26; 4:5-7; Ephesians 1:4-5; 2:19; 1 Peter 1:4; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 21:7). 

We teach that God loves His people through the communication of disciple when they are disobedient. God’s people are those who have been adopted into His family through the redemption that is Christ Jesus and God disciplines those whom God loves (cf. Exodus 20:6; Psalm 103; John 15:9; 1 Corinthians 11:31-32; Hebrews 12:4-14; Jude 21).   

We teach that those who have genuinely repented of their sin and believed in Jesus Christ, His perfect life, atoning death on the cross, physical burial and physical bodily resurrection from the dead for their justification can be assured of God’s love for them – because, Jesus said, 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” – (John 5:24); 

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” – (John 1:12); 

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are” – (1 John 3:1). 

We teach that those who have repented of their sin unto salvation and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, continue to repent and continue to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. 

We teach that the Christian loves God (cf. Romans 8:28; James 1:12) and has full assurance that God loves the Christian (cf. John 16:27), because God has adopted the Christian in His family through Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 8:29).  

In the very definition of biblical love there is found other attributes of God like patience, kindness, righteousness and veracity. This gives us another example of how all of God’s attributes are eternally invested with one another (cf. 1 Corinthians 13). 

In conclusion, we teach that God is the God of love, God’s very essence is love, and it is God’s very nature to love (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 John 4:8, 16). 

“Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” – 2 Corinthians 13:11. 

2.6.3.2 Joy

We teach that joy is a communicable attribute of God and is a state of being that expresses sincere everlasting excitement for God’s plan of redemption in the Person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Matthew 2:10; 13:44; 25:21, 23; 28:8; Luke 2:10-11; 15:3-10; 24:41, 52; John 3:29; 16:16-22). 

OT Hebrew terms for joy are גִּיל giyl (cf. Psalm 43:4); חֶדְוָה chedwah (cf. 1 Chronicles 16:27; Nehemiah 8:10);  מָשׂוֹשׂ masos (cf. Psalm 48:2);  צָוַח tsawach (cf. Isaiah 42:11); רוּעַ rua (cf. Job 38:7; רָנַן ranan (cf. 1 Chronicles 16:33); שִׂמְחָה simchah (cf. Psalm 16:11); שָׂשׂוֹן sason (cf. Esther 8:16);  תְּרוּעָה teruah (Psalm 27:6; 33:3). 

The NT Greek term for joy is Χαρά (chara) and it found frequently in the NT. There are a few occurrences of the Greek term ἀγαλλίασις (agalliasis) found in the NT which carry the sense to mean an exuberant joy leaped, shouted or proclaim like the sense of many of the OT terms for joy (cf. Luke 1:44; Jude 1:24).   

We teach that joy is a fruit of the Spirit that transcends temporal circumstances of trials, difficulty, persecution, physical pain, emotional pain, disappointment, heart ache, abandonment, disaster and misery (cf. Acts 13:52; Romans 14:17; 15:13; Galatians 5:22; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; James 1:2). 

We DO NOT teach that joy is mere happiness or mere pleasure.

We teach that joy is distinct and transcends happiness and pleasure. 

We teach that happiness has to do with when one’s temporal circumstances are pleasant and advantageous for the one who has had one’s physical needs provided. However, joy has to do with the full assurance of salvation in Christ Jesus that He has saved one from the wrath of God in spite of temporal circumstances because one knows that when all temporal circumstances are over, then the one who has been redeemed by the Person and finished work of Christ will spend all of eternity with Christ in glory (cf. John 15:11; 16:20-24; 17:13; 2 Corinthians 7:4; 8:2; Philippians 4:10-13; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; Hebrews 10:32-39; 12:11; 1 Peter 1:8).     

We teach Joy has to do with salvation and therefore joy is a soteriological issue. To this effect, the Apostle Paul wrote in the book of Hebrews the following: 

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” – Hebrews 12:2.

Jesus had joy because He knew that His perfect life and the sacrifice of Himself would result in the salvation from the wrath of God for everyone who would ever believe in Him for eternal life (cf. John 16:16-20; 17:13; Philippians 2:3-11).  

We teach that joy is genuinely manifested when a person looks to Christ no matter of their current circumstance and that person celebrates the Lord Jesus Christ’s eternal victory of completely fulfilling God’s eternal plan of redemption for them.  

We teach that joy is connected to the illumination from God the Holy Spirit, when God the Father and God the Son send Him to enlighten the hearts of believers to see, understand and believe the work of God (cf. Luke 10:17, 20, 21; 23-24; Ephesians 1:17-18; see. 2.5.3 Sentence 6). 

We teach that the elect angels in heaven have joy when a person repents unto salvation (cf. Luke 15:3-10). 

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have joy when they hear about or personally witness the repentance and faith of others (cf. Acts 15:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20; 3:6-10). 

We teach that joy is the work of God and is manifested when believers work together with the efforts of the church and support each other united as one mind on sound doctrine (cf. Romans 15:32; 2 Corinthians 1:24; 2:3; 7:13; 8:1-6; Philippians 1:27; 2:2, 29; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:3-7; Philemon 1:7; Hebrews 13:17; 1 John 1:4; 2 John 1:4; 3 John 1:4). 

God’s attributes called joy, peace and patience are closely associated with one another (cf. Philippians 4:4-9; Colossians 1:11).  

2.6.3.3 Peace

We teach that peace is an eternal attribute of God. Peace is a communicable attribute of God because peace is an everlasting fruit of the Spirit that God shares with those who belong to God through regeneration by God the Holy Spirit and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 15:13; Galatians 5:22-25; 2 Thessalonians 1:2). 

We teach that God is the God of peace (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:16). 

We teach God is by nature peaceful and has not left Himself without a witness to testify to the gospel of peace – namely, God’s terms of reconciliation and peace through the Person, perfect life, finished cross-work and bodily resurrection from the dead of the Lord Jesus Christ. We teach that those from the human race who surrender to God’s terms of peace in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, leave their former evil participation in the war that the human race has against God, are therefore saved from the wrath of God and have eternal peace (cf. 1 Kings 2:31-33; Ecclesiastes 3:8; Isaiah 53:5; 54:10; 57:1-2; Matthew 24:14; John 14:27; 20:19; Acts 14:17; 17:30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:15). 

We teach that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the gospel of peace that brings reconciliation and peace (cf. Romans 5:1; Ephesians 6:15). 

We teach the peace of God was manifested in the agency of creation and redemption – therefore, before all war, there was peace, and after all war there is peace (cf. Revelation 21:4) – for peace comes from the LORD (cf. 1 Kings 2:33). Concerning the impact of the peace of God in the Person and finished penal-substitutionary work of Christ, the Apostle Paul wrote, 

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.  For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:15-20)

We teach that war is the absence of peace. As the sovereign, omnipotent, holy and righteous God who created the universe, God has declared His terms of reconciliation in His peace treaty – that is, the terms that those who are at war with him must surrender unto and accept in the sense of repentance. For those who do not accept God’s terms of peace in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ they will suffer the wrath of God. On the other hand, those that do accept God’s terms of peace will be blessed yet they will have the same enemies that God has as God allows His enemies to continue in the various theaters of war until all God’s enemies are placed under His feet and evil is ultimately vanquished forever (cf. Genesis 3:15; Psalm 110:1; Matthew 10:34-36; Romans 16:20).  

We teach that those who God has unconditionally chosen and caused to be born again are to be partakers of the divine nature and as such escape the corruption that is in the world by lust, a world that is at war with God (cf. Ephesians 2:1-3; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16). God’s children have a changed life that is evidenced by preaching the gospel of peace, making peace, and as far as it depends on them being at peace with all men, thus accurately representing their claim of familial relationship with God and justifying their profession as Christians (cf. Matthew 5:9; Romans 12:16, 18; Romans 14:19; Hebrews 12:14; James 2:14-17; 3:17-18; 2 Peter 1:4). 

The OT Hebrew term for peace is שָׁלוֹם (shalom) and is has many occurrences in the OT. Shalom has the sense to mean completeness and soundness – because when one is likeminded with sound doctrine in their belief and behavior reflecting the wisdom from above, then one thinks God’s thoughts after Him and has peace (cf. Proverbs 3:1-35 emphasis on vv. 1-2, 5-7, 17).  

The Greek term in the NT used for peace is εἰρήνη (eiréné) and is found frequently (e.g. Romans 5:1). 

We teach there is only one mediator between God and man establishing reconciliation and peace between God and man (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5); and there is only one mediator between redeemed men and unredeemed men. The Lord Jesus Christ and His ministry of reconciliation is the only way to bring about peace between men (cf. Isaiah 27:5; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; 1 Timothy 2:1-4, 6-8). We teach that only the ministry of reconciliation can establish peace between men because men need to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ alone in order to have salvific peace with one another (cf. Ephesians 2:11-17).  

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is the prince of peace (cf. Isaiah 9:6-7). 

We teach that peace is a communicable attribute that God gives to believers in His church to be ambassadors for Christ (cf. Isaiah 33:7; 52:7; 2 Corinthians 5:11, 18-20). We teach that the ambassador for Christ lays down his arms in fear of God and in hope that God might allow opportunities of the public armistice between God and those who are hostile to God in order to persuade men to accept God’s terms of peace in the Person and finished redemptive work of Christ. For this reconciliation between God and men ambassadors of Christ make entreaties and prayers together without wrath and dissension on behalf of all men. These requests to God are not made merely for a cessation of hostilities in the mission field, but rather requests made for opportunities to negotiate lasting peace through preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and witnessing conversions miraculously grated by God in Christ. We teach that only when men are reconciled to God on behalf of Christ by His great exchange of the cross for them do they have a lasting peace. (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; 1 Timothy 2:1-8; James 3:18). 

We teach and know that in scripture, the peace of God is described as being closely associated with knowledge and the mind. We teach that peace is the fruit of the Spirit that produces an inward pacified disposition of unmoved tranquility that results from unwavering confidence in one’s salvific relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. To this effect, we teach that peace has the sense of a binding together in union with Christ Jesus. Therefore, with all things considered, peace is a doctrinal issue. Moreover, Peace as an attribute is a state of being and a state of mind and like God’s attribute of joy – peace transcends one’s temporal circumstances (cf. Isaiah 26:1-4; 55:1-13, emphasis on vv. 6-9, 12; John 14:27; Romans 8:29; Philippians 4:6-7, 9). 

We teach that anxiety is the enemy of peace (cf. Philippians 4:6-7). We teach that unbelievers have no peace regardless of their various claims to have peace. (cf. Isaiah 48:22; 57:19; Jeremiah 6:14). 

For more about the way to have peace with God see sermon, The Method of Grace by George Whitefield:

https://www.apuritansmind.com/the-christian-walk/the-method-of-grace-by-rev-george-whitefield/

We teach that God’s communicable attribute called peace is closely related and eternally invested with all of God’s attributes (e.g. Proverbs 12:20; Isaiah 32:17; 39:8; Ephesians 6:10, 15; Philippians 4:4-9). 

* Key Text: Romans 16:20. 

2.6.3.4 Patience

We teach that the patience of God is an eternal attribute of God and has the sense to mean God’s longsuffering (cf. Romans 15:5; 1 Peter 3:20). 

The OT Hebrew construction for patience is אֶֽרֶךְ־אַפַּ֥יִם (’e-reḵ- ’ap-pa-yim) and has the sense to literally mean “long of face.” (cf. Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 103:8). This Hebrew construction is translated in most English bibles as “slow to anger.” We teach that God is slow to anger (cf. Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2 Nahum 1:3).

The NT Greek term for patience is μακροθυμία (makrothumia) it is a compound word in Greek comprised of the Greek term μακρός (makros) which means “long” and θυμός (thumos) which means “wrath,” or “anger,” or “temper.” Therefore, the Greek NT term for patience – namely, μακροθυμία (makrothumia) has the sense to mean “long-tempered” (cf. Romans 2:4; 9:22; 2 Corinthians 6:6; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 1:11, 3:12; 1 Timothy 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:10; 4:2; Hebrews 6:12; James 5:10; 1 Peter 3:20).    

God’s patience is not manipulated or controlled by anyone or anything outside Himself but instead is the control that God has in and of Himself as He sufferingly endures the sin of people in their divinely appointed stay of divine discipline, punishment or execution. In other words, God is patient with sinners who deserve divine punishment (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:5, 15; 103:8; 145:8; Jeremiah 15:15; Joel 2:13; Romans 9:22; Acts 13:18; 17:30; 1 Peter 3:20). 

We teach that God has been patient with His people through the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 2:1-4; 1 Timothy 1:15-16; 2 Peter 3:8-15). 

We teach God patiently endures the sin of believers, yet God patiently disciplines His people (cf. Psalm 103:8-14; 1 Corinthians 11:29-31; Hebrews 12:1-11). 

We teach that God’s patience transcends time even when His children pray and cry out to Him to avenge them (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:4-7; Revelation 6:9-11). We teach that God has patiently appointed a time for everything (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-9). 

We teach that as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we frequently study the word of God to meditate on the patience of God for the purpose to cry out to God that God would conform us to His patience (Colossians 3:12).  

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ manifest the fruit of the Spirit called patience because of the work of God the Holy Spirit in the regeneration of a person and the work of sanctification throughout their lives (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:6; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 1:11; 3:12; 2 Timothy 3:10; 2 Timothy 4:2; Hebrews 6:12; James 5:10).  

We teach that God’s communicable attribute called patience is closely related and eternally invested with all of God’s attributes (e.g. “grace and mercy” Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Psalms 86:15).

We teach when believers become apathetic, bored and cold with each other, or when believers seek to be revenged on some one who has wronged them, they forget God’s infinite patience and longsuffering with themselves. 

2.6.3.5 Kindness

We teach that the kindness of God is an eternal attribute of God and has the sense to mean God’s benevolent morally excellent character in which God manifests a pleasant gentleness and integrity to others by making their circumstances pleasant and easy (cf. Matthew 11:30; Romans 2:4; 1 Peter 2:3; Romans 11:22; Ephesians 2:7; Titus 3:4). 

By pleasant and easy we teach that kindness is the opposite of burdensome (cf. Matthew 11:28-30; 23:4; Acts 20:29; 25:7; 1 John 5:3).  We teach that complaining is the enemy of kindness (cf. 

We teach that God’s kindness is meant to lead people to repentance (cf. Romans 2:4). 

In the NT the Greek term for “kind” is χρηστός (chréstos) and has the sense to mean useful, gently serviceable, manageable and pleasant. In the NT the Greek term for “kindness” is χρηστότης (chréstotés) and has the sense to mean pleasantly serviceable and gently useful.

We teach that God’s attribute called kindness is a communicable attribute because it is a fruit of the Spirit and therefore believers can manifest kindness (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Corinthians 6:6; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:12). 

We teach that God is by nature kind and only God sovereignly determines circumstances and providential outcomes.  

We teach that believers practice kindness to one another and others by being pleasantly useful to make one another and other’s lives easier in their circumstances. 

We teach that believers do not practice making other people’s lives difficult as if to manipulate behavior modification. 

We teach that believers do not practice making other people’s lives difficult as to sentence people to difficult circumstances through manipulation, legalism or antinomianism.  

We teach that believers do not practice making other people’s lives difficult through revenge, partiality, personal preferences or annoyance. 

We teach that unregenerate people are naturally unkind (cf. Romans 3:12 – literally v.12c-2 “there is none who does kindness, there is not even one”).

We teach that kindness does not have the sense to mean nice. The term nice has its etymology as an English term from the Latin term nescius which means ignorant and unaware. Modern English speakers tend to use the word “nice” as synonym for “goodness” but the term “nice” is more of an antonym for good because the qualities of a “nice person” are merely quietness. 

We teach that believers are not quiet, ignorant or unaware to the difficulty in other’ lives and therefore manifest kindness to help others in their difficulties. 

We teach that God’s attributes of kindness and goodness are eternally invested with another. 

We teach that the word “kind” is a synonym for “goodness.”

2.6.3.6 Goodness

We teach that the goodness of God is an eternal attribute of God according to which God is the perfect absolute standard and summation of goodness providentially because God is good intrinsically (see above. i.e. section 2.6.2.20 – Omnibenevolence). Goodness has the sense to mean a personal quality that stresses kindness in giving. (cf. 1 Chronicles 16:34; 2 Chronicles 5:13; Psalm 34:8; 106:1; 107; 118:1; 136:1; Jeremiah 33:11; James 1:17; 3:17).  

We teach the goodness of God as an incommunicable perfection means that God is the ultimate and final standard of good and everything God does is good (cf. Matthew 5:48; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19; 1 Timothy 4:4)

We teach the goodness of God as a communicable attribute has the sense to mean kindness in giving that stresses the excellent intrinsic virtuous quality and kindly nature that God produces in the lives of believers who manifest this kindness.  

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ manifest the fruit of the Spirit called goodness (cf. Acts 9:36; Romans 15:14; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:11). 

In the NT the Greek term for goodness is ἀγαθωσύνη (agathosune) and we teach the term ἀγαθωσύνη (agathosune) has the sense to mean to do good because of the intrinsic goodness, especially as a personal quality, with stress on the kindly (rather than the righteous) side of goodness. We teach that term ἀγαθωσύνη (agathosune) has the sense of the spiritual moral excellence that God produces in the life and actions of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 15:14; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:11).  

In the NT the Greek term for good is ἀγαθός (agathos) and is found over 100x’s in the NT (e.g. James 1:17; 3:17). We teach ἀγαθός has the sense to mean intrinsically good in nature and describes what originates from God and is empowered by God in the life of the Christian, through faith and as such is pleasing to God [cf. Hebrews 11:6 – “pleasing” from the Greek term εὐάρεστος (euarestos) acceptable because of the moral agreement on account of the moral excellent quality – cf. Hebrews 11:5, 6; 13:16; also see that which is acceptable to God e.g. Genesis 4:3-7; cf. Hebrews 11:4; Romans 12:1-2 where ἀγαθός (agathos) and εὐάρεστος (euarestos) are found in apposition]. And pleasing has the sense to mean acceptable because of acknowledgement of the good quality – not pleasure in the sense of the passions of lustful desires called eros or hedonism (cf. James 4:1-4). 

2.6.3.7 Faithfulness

We teach the faithfulness of God is an eternal attribute of God according to which God has perfect confidence in Himself (cf. Psalm 89:8). Faithfulness is a communicable attribute because God gives faith as a gift to those God has regenerated (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5). The person who God has caused to be born again manifests faithfulness – first, by believing in Christ for salvation and as a consequence living a changed life by trusting God and His word resulting in the practice of faithfulness in obedience to God and His word. 

We teach that God is faithful (cf. Deuteronomy 7:9). We teach that God always remembers His promise in the protoevangelium and has from all eternity acted upon that promise by providing redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ’s penal- substitutionary atonement to save the believing sinner from the wrath of God as well as rescue from the temptation of unbelief (cf. 1 John 1:9; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:18-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 10:23; 11:11; 1 Peter 4:19; Revelation 1:5; 3:14; 19:11). 

We teach that God is faithful because God perfectly keeps His word (cf. Numbers 23:19; Psalm 119:138; 138:2).

We teach that God’s faithfulness is great and eternally invested with the mercy of God (cf. Lamentations 3:22-23). We teach that God faithfully disciplines His children and does not abandon them (cf. Psalm 89:32-33; 119:75). 

We teach that faithfulness like all of God’s perfections are essential to His being. We teach that God cannot deny Himself (cf. 2 Timothy 2:13). We teach that God never changes in His faithfulness. 

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is faithful and lived perfect faithfulness to all the Father sent Him to accomplish (cf. Isaiah 11:5).

Πίστις (pistis) is the Greek noun for faith, belief, trust and faithfulness and occurs in the NT over 200x (cf. Galatians 5:22). 

Πιστός (pistos) is the Greek adjective for faithful, trustworthy, reliable, believing and occurs in the NT no less than 67x’s. 

We teach that faithfulness is a fruit of God the Spirit that is manifested in the life of the believer in Christ. Consequently, the believer in Christ manifests faithfulness because the believer in Christ is saved. We teach that God’s children do not try to work to be faithful to be saved, but they work to be faithful because they are saved (cf. James 2:14-26). 

We teach that the child of God has genuine confidence in God and trusts in God and trusts God’s word from the heart.  

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ manifest that they are faithful through faith in believing and obeying God’s word with active faithful stewardship with what God has entrusted to them in what-ever dispensation they were historically born in and served God (cf. Matthew 24:45; 25:21-23; Luke 12:42; 16:10; 19:17; John 20:27; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:2; Hebrews 3:5; Revelation 17:14). 

2.6.3.8 Gentleness

We teach the gentleness of God is an eternal attribute of God in which God has the greatest mildness (cf. 2 Samuel 22:36; Psalm 18:35; 23:1-6; Isaiah 40:11; 42:2-3; Matthew 11:29; 21:5; 2 Corinthians 10:1). 

We teach that gentleness is not something inherent in man, that is not something biological but instead gentleness is supernatural, namely the supernatural fruit of God the Holy Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:23). 

We teach that God is the origin of any meekness because it comes from the gentle strength of God (cf. Psalm 18:35; 1 Corinthians 4:21). 

We teach that God’s perfection called gentleness does not contradict God’s perfection called omnipotence. 

We teach that God’s perfection called goodness is closely associated with God’s perfection called gentleness (cf. James 3:13, 17). 

We teach that God’s perfection called gentleness is closely associated with God’s perfection called self-control (cf. Galatians 5:23). 

The Greek term used in the NT that is translated into the English term “gentleness” is the Greek noun  πρᾳΰτης (prautés) and as a noun is found no less than 12 times and has the sense to mean great mildness, expressions of power with self-control, having reservations, and avoiding unnecessary harshness (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:21; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Galatians 5:23; 6:1; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:25; Titus 3:2; James 1:21; 3:13; 1 Peter 3:15). As an adjective, the Greek term translated into the English word “gentle” is the Greek term πραΰς (praus) and has the sense to mean humble and mild in the sense of demonstrating power without being harsh, abrasive or cruel (cf. Matthew 5:5; 11:29; 21:5; 1 Peter 3:4).  

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have the ability given to them from God to practice gentleness and treat others in their care as one who gently and carefully treats an infant child (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:7).

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have the ability given to them from God to practice gentleness by having an attitude that is patient and cooperatively submissive when they are offended by others (cf. Matthew 5:38-48). We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ do not take revenge on others when offended but instead let offenses go (cf. Leviticus 19:18; Proverbs 17:9; 19:11; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13).    

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are not abrasive with their words but are instead gently humble in their speech (cf. Proverbs 15:1; Matthew 5:5; Colossians 3:8; Ephesians 4:29; 2 Timothy 2:25; 1 Peter 3:4).  

We teach that gentleness has the sense to mean the adjectival virtue known as humility (Matthew 5:5; 1 Peter 3:4). 

We teach gentleness is an inseparable feature of the perfect and eternal wisdom of God (cf. James 3:13-18). 

2.6.3.9 Self-Control

We teach the self-control of God is an eternal attribute of God in which God cannot be mastered by anyone or anything outside of Himself. We teach that God is not controlled by outbursts of anger, fits of rage or passions. We teach the perfection of God called self-control is closely associated with God’s perfections called self-sufficiency (cf. 2.6.2.2), immutability (cf. 2.6.2.7) and impassibility (cf. 2.6.2.8).

We teach God eternally expresses all His attributes always in the perfect way (cf. Isaiah 45:5-7). 

We teach that self-control is a communicable attribute of God that is given to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ as God performs true mastery from within his children so that they can have mastery over their appetites and temper (cf. Acts 24:25; 1 Corinthians 9:25; Galatians 5:23; 2 Peter 1:6). 

In the NT the Greek noun ἐγκράτεια (egkrateia) that has been translated into English “self-control” has the sense of having true mastery from within (cf. Acts 24:25; 1 Corinthians 9:25; Galatians 5:23; 2 Peter 1:6). In the NT the Greek adjective ἐγκρατής (egkratés) translated in English “self-controlled” is found in Titus 1:8 and as an adjective is found in the enumeration of the qualifications for the overseer. The etymology of the Greek term ἐγκράτεια (egkrateia) reveals that is a compound word comprised of the preposition ἐν (en) which means “in” together with the Greek term κράτος which has the sense to mean “dominion, strength, power or might.” Therefore, the etymology of the Greek term for “self-control” literally has the sense to mean to be “in-power” or “in-control.” Those that have self-control have power over themselves. We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ control themselves restraining their passions and appetites.

The pagan false gods of the pagan cultures of men present the moods of their false deities as expressions of uncontrollable outbursts of anger, fits of rage and inability to control their appetites and passions. These imaginations are simply a projection of man’s lack of self-control personified in idolatry which summons the just judgment and wrath of God (cf. Psalm 50:21-22; Acts 17:16, 22-23, 30-31).

2.6.3.10 Righteousness

We teach that the Righteousness of God is one of His perfections in which God is the perfect standard of what is right and correct (cf. Psalm 11:7; Daniel 9:14).

We teach the Righteousness of God is eternally invested with all His perfections. 

We teach the righteousness of God is closely associated with God’s holiness, justice, and God’s saving activity (cf. 2 Chronicles 12:6-7; Psalm 7:11-12; 89:14; Isaiah 5:16; Revelation 16:5).

We teach the righteousness of God means that everything God does is right (Revelation 16:5).

We teach that God is the righteous judge (cf. 2 Timothy 4:8).  

The Hebrew term that was later translated into English as “righteousness” is the Hebrew term צָדַק (tsadeq or tsadoq) and as a Hebrew word its occurrence is found frequently in the OT. 

The Greek word that was later translated into English as “righteousness” is the Greek term δίκαιος (adjective) or δικαιοσύνη (noun) and as a Greek word its occurrence is found frequently in the NT. 

We teach the righteousness of God is a communicable attribute in the sense of God’s saving activity and the result of God’s saving activity (cf. Isaiah 45:21; Ezra 9:15; Revelation 19:8). 

In the sense of God’s saving activity:

We teach the righteousness of God is the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ that God imputes to the account of the believing sinner (cf. Romans 3:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:20-21).

We teach that righteousness is meeting the holy and righteous standards of God 

We teach that God’s perfect Law demands perfect righteousness but the Law cannot provide righteousness to the account of the sinner (cf. Psalm 143:2; Acts 13:39; James 2:10; Galatians 2:16; 3:10-11, 24; Romans 3:20, 22-23; 4:6-8; 9:30).    

We teach that when a person trusts by faith in the perfect life of the Lord Jesus Christ and His vicarious penal-substitutionary crucifixion and bodily resurrection from the dead, God then takes the perfect righteous standard of His Son and imputes the righteousness of Christ to that person who believes. Then God declares that person right in His sight who believes in Christ Jesus (cf. Romans 4:3, 5, 21-25).  

Justification is the act of God in declaring His righteousness to the account of the believing sinner. 

The basis of righteousness is the work of God, namely God sending His Son the Lord Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for the sins of the believing sinner (cf. Romans 3:25-26; 1 John 2:2; 4:10).

We teach that propitiation means to satisfy the wrath of God and in this satisfaction God’s holy and righteous demands have been satisfied. The Law demands righteousness and cannot provide it, but God provided righteousness apart from the Law in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who fulfilled the Law and all righteousness (cf. Matthew 3:15; 5:17; Romans 3:21; Galatians 4:4-5).      

In the sense of the result of God’s saving activity: 

We teach that God gives the ability to His children to discern the things that are right and make the right decisions (cf. Matthew 7:1-5; John 7:24; Romans 12:1-2; see Romans 8:4). 

We teach when we think God’s thoughts after Him we think right, we teach when we obey God’s righteousness imperative commands we do what is right (cf. James 4:13-17). 

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ do not practice righteousness before men to be noticed by them, but instead do the right thing not to be noticed by men because doing the right thing is right in the site of God (cf. Matthew 6:1-4).

2.6.3.11 Justice

We teach that justice is the divine perfection of God according to which God is absolute justice in Himself and perfectly vindicates and has eternally accomplished justice against every violation of what is right (cf. Revelation 19:11).  

We teach that the justice of God is closely associated with the righteousness of God because of God’s perfectly right rectitude as the Lawgiver (cf. Deuteronomy 4:8; Psalm 9:4; 99:4; 119:7, 62, 75; Isaiah 33:22; Romans 7:12; James 4:12). 

We teach that God is the perfect judge – namely, a judge who shows no partiality (cf. 2 Chronicles 19:7; Luke 18:7; Romans 2:11; James 4:12; 1 Peter 1:17). 

We teach that justice is making a judicial decision based on verdict in identifying what is right and the only objective standard to accomplish right judgement is the standard of God’s word (cf. Luke 1:6).  

We teach that justice is a judicial decision through the objective righteous standard of the word of God declaring someone or something approved or disapproved– namely, a right judgment (cf. Proverbs 17:15). 

The Hebrew term translated into the English word “justice” is the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָט mishpat (cf. Psalm 89:14). The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָט mishpat is from the Hebrew term שָׁפַט shaphat which has the sense to mean to judge. Both Hebrews terms have frequently occurrences in the OT. 

The Greek term translated into the English word “justice” or “just” is the Greek term δίκη (dike) as has the sense to mean a judicial decision of justice and its enforcement (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Jude 1:7).  

We teach there is the distributive justice of God in the sense of God distributing reward (i.e. remunerative justice) and punishment or punitive justice (i.e. retributive justice) (cf. Genesis 18:25; Psalm 7:11-12; Isaiah 3:10-11; 11:4; 16:5; Romans 2:6-8; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 1:17).

In the sense of remunerative justice: 

We teach God distributes rewards for believers who by faith obey God and pursue the justice of God (cf. Deuteronomy 7:9-13; Psalm 58:11; Matthew 25:21, 34; Luke 17:10; Romans 2:7; 1 Corinthians 4:7; Hebrews 11:24-26).      

In the sense of punitive justice (i.e. retributive justice):

We teach that God distributes punishment toward His creatures for violating the prohibitions He has given them and for disobeying His Law (cf. Genesis 2:17; Exodus 34:7; 2 Chronicles 12:6; Ezra 9:15; Nehemiah 9:23; Psalm 129:4; Isaiah 5:15-16; Jeremiah 11:20; Ezekiel 18:4; 28:22; 36:23; 38:16, 23; 39:27; 43:8; Daniel 9:14; Hosea 10:12; Zephaniah 3:5; Romans 1:32; 2:8; 2:9; 12:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Revelation 15:4; 16:5, 7; 19:2, 11. 

We teach that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and therefore deserve the punitive justice of God (cf. Romans 3:1-20, 23). 

The justice of God demands the punishment of the sinner, but the justice of God also accepts the vicarious penal-substitutionary sacrifice of one who has never sinned, as in the case of the Lord Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice for sinners (cf. Acts 17:31; 1 Peter 3:18). 

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have the ability to and are commanded to be just and pursue justice (cf. Deuteronomy 16:20; Psalm 119:106; Proverbs 21:3; Isaiah 1:17; 56:1; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 7:9).   

We teach the opposite of justice is partiality. We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ do not show partiality (cf. Exodus 23:2, 6; Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 1:17; 16:19; Proverbs 17:15; 18:5; 24:23; 28:21; 1 Timothy 5:21; James 2:1-12; 3:17).

2.6.3.12 Holiness

We teach that the holiness of God is the divine perfection of God according to which God is absolutely holy in Himself and this means God’s nature is perfectly separate in His essence from everyone and everything and above everyone and everything outside Himself. We teach that God is holy and that means that God is absolutely separate from sin (cf. Isaiah 59:2; 1 John 1:5; 3:5; see 1 Peter 1:19). We teach that God is holy and because God is holy, God hates all sin (cf. Psalm 5:4-6; Isaiah 59:2; Habakkuk 1:13). 

The Hebrew term in the OT translated as the English term “holy” is קָדוֹשׁ qadosh (adjective) and has the sense to mean the sacred holiness and as a Hebrew term it has many occurrences in the OT (cf. Isaiah 6:3).    

The Greek term in the NT translated as the English term “holy” is ὅσιος hosios and hagios and has the sense to mean sacred separation in the incommunicable sense (cf. Revelation 15:4; 16:5).

We teach that God is by nature absolute perfection and purity without any sin and darkness (cf. 1 John 1:5). We teach that God is completely holy – namely, God’s holiness cannot be ever changed or overpowered by the moral blemish or defilement of the darkness (cf. John 1:1-5). We teach that nothing but perfection can be attributed to God. 

We teach that God’s holiness is eternally invested with God’s attribute called goodness because everything God does is holy – that is, there is no work that God could have done that is imperfect or unholy (cf. Genesis 1:31; Romans 7:12). 

We teach that God’s holiness is eternally invested with God’s attributes called goodness, righteousness, aseity (independence), immutability (i.e. God cannot change), impeccability (i.e. God is perfect – God cannot sin), and infinity (i.e. God is infinity holy). We teach that God’s holiness is eternally invested with all of God’s perfections (cf. Psalm 145)

We teach that God’s perfection called holiness is inseparably constrained to God’s perfection called veracity (i.e. absolute truth) because God said in Psalm 89:35, “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David.”

In the incommunicable sense we teach the holiness of God is a majestic holiness and is closely associated with God’s incommunicable attribute called transcendence in the sense that God’s perfection called holiness makes God distinct from everyone and everything created (cf. Exodus 15:11; 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Chronicles 30:27; Psalm 5:7; 22:3; 27:4; 48:1; 71:22; 89:18; 97:12; 98:1; 99:3-9; 103:1; 105:3; 145:21; Proverbs 30:3; Isaiah 5-6; 10:20; 29:23; 43:14-15; 49:7; 54:5; 57:15; Jeremiah 51:5; Ezekiel 39:21-29; Hosea 11:9; Habakkuk 1:12-13; Mark 1:24; Luke 1:49; 4:34; John 17:11; Revelation 4:8; 6:10; 15:4).  

We teach that the communicable aspect of holiness is a righteously virtuous holiness in which God has communicated holiness to elect angels and redeemed men and women. In this sense, holiness is a behavioral and ethical feature. Holiness as a communicable attribute of God is separation with a purpose as God has positionally set apart believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and taken them out of darkness and brought them into God’s marvelous light to be separate from the world (cf. Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 2:15-17; 5:4). God is holy and therefore those who are God’s elect angels as well as those who are God’s chosen people from the human race are called by God to be holy (cf. Leviticus 11:44; 19:2; 20:26; 22:32; Deuteronomy 7:6-11; Joshua 24:19; Psalm 110:3; Isaiah 1:12-20; Ezekiel 39:7; Amos 2:7; 5:21-23; Zechariah 8:17; 1 Timothy 5:20-21; 1 Peter 1:16). 

We teach that God’s Law is righteous and holy and good (cf. Romans 7:12).

We teach that God’s perfection called holiness is inseparably constrained to God’s perfection called wrath (cf. Genesis 19:24-28).  

We teach that God’s holiness demands that God punishes sin (cf. Proverbs 3:32; 15:26; 17:15; Romans 6:23)

We teach that God’s holiness demands perfect obedience to His Law (cf. James 2:10). 

We teach God’s holiness was eternally on display at the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. The physical death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross eternally demonstrated God’s infinite holiness and hatred of sin. On the cross the innocent spotless sinless Lord Jesus Christ (namely, God the Son in human flesh cf. John 1:1-5, 14; Colossians 2:9; 1 John 1:1-4; 4:2) was treated by God the Father as if the Lord Jesus Christ committed the sins of everyone who would ever believe upon Him to be saved from the wrath of God (cf. 1 John 4:10). We teach God the Father charged or imputed the sins of the elect to the account of the Lord Jesus Christ when the Lord Jesus Christ died in penal-substitution on the cross for everyone who would ever believed in Jesus Christ to be saved from the wrath of God. The guilty sinner who trusts by faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ’s perfect life under the Law of God, the Lord Jesus Christ’s vicarious propitiatory penal-substitutionary physical death on the cross and the Lord Jesus Christ’s physical bodily resurrection from the dead –  we teach that the believing sinner is treated by God the Father as if they have lived the lawful perfect righteous life of the Lord Jesus Christ even though the believing sinner is guilty of breaking the Law of God. We teach that God the Father charges or imputes the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ to the account of the believing sinner. We teach the believing sinner is justified by faith alone in Christ alone and set apart as holy unto God. We teach this is the work of God to save the believing sinner from the wrath of God in which the believing sinner deserves in and of themselves (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21; see Romans chapters 4-5). 

We teach this finished work of the great exchange of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ (i.e. vicarious propitiatory penal-substitution and double imputation) does not in any way contradict the holiness of God – but instead the great exchange of the cross has eternally displayed the holiness and righteousness of God. We teach that God’s eternal wrath has been eternally satisfied by the perfect and finished merits of the Lord Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection from the dead (cf. Romans 3:21-26; 1 John 2:2; Romans 4:21-25; 1 Corinthians 15:4). Therefore, because of the finished merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, God has eternally forgiven the sins of those who genuinely trust in Christ Jesus alone to be saved from the wrath of God and the penalty that the believing sinner eternally owes God has been eternally expiated (i.e. eternally removed cf. Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:1-4; 11-18; 1 John 1:7).   

We teach that God disciplines His people so that we may share His holiness (cf. Hebrews 12:10).   

We teach that the church does not replace Israel – that is, the nation of Israel is distinct from the church and not replaced by the church (cf. Romans 11). 

We DO NOT teach replacement theology (e.g. supercessionism – federal theology – covenant theology all terms and systems that are used interchangeably for the purpose to teach that the church replaces the nation of Israel). 

We DO NOT teach that there are multiple ways to be saved from the wrath of God. 

We teach that salvation from the wrath of God is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone in the Person, merits and finished redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ alone – for no man can save himself by his own merits (cf. Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:5; see Isaiah 64:6).

We teach that God’s judgment and restoration of Israel is part of God’s eternal plan for salvation and eternally maintains and manifests God’s holiness (cf. Ezekiel 39:21-29; Romans 9:1-11:36).    

For the LORD God has promised the restoration of the nation of Israel – “Therefore, thus says the LORD God, ‘Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name” Ezekiel 39:25.   

2.6.3.13 Jealousy

We teach that the jealousy of God is the divine perfection of God according to which God is eternally zealous to promote, proclaim, protect, preserve and vindicate all of His divine perfections. We teach that God is a God of vengeance and will absolutely avenge all lawless criminality against God’s name, honor, glory, God’s exclusionary right to be the only One to be worshiped and obeyed, and God’s property (namely, God’s redeemed people, holy land and holy city). 

We teach that the earth is the LORD’s and all it contains the world and those who dwell in it (cf. Psalm 24:1). Therefore, God possesses and owns everything created. We teach that God has the right to be protective of anyone and anything that God sovereignly chooses. 

We teach that God is Jealous for His name and Jealous is His name because God said, “for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14; cf. Ezekiel 39:25). 

The OT Hebrew term translated into English “jealous” is the Hebrew term קַנָּא qanna and as an adjective has the sense to mean describing God as punishing those who hate Him as well as demanding exclusive worship from His people (cf. Exodus 20:5; 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:9; 6:15; see also קַנּוֹא qanno Joshua 24:19; Nahum 1:2). 

We teach that God is jealous for His honor, glory and sole right to be the only object of worship because God is the most valuable being that exists and God’s being is self-existent (cf. 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:13-16). We teach that God will avenge His honor upon those who do not worship God and value God above all. We teach that people need to realize that to not worship God and not value God above all is to hate God which has generational consequences (cf. Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:9; 6:15; 29:20; 32:16, 21; 1 Kings 14:22; Psalm 78:58-59; Psalm 79:1-7; 1 Corinthians 10:22; James 4:4). 

We teach that God’s perfection called jealousy is eternally invested and inseparably constrained to God’s perfection called holiness (cf. Joshua 24:19; James 4:5)

We teach that God is jealous to be worshiped. 

We teach that God hates idolatry. 

We teach that God is jealous to discipline His people (Psalm 79; Ezekiel 16:42; 23:35; 1 Corinthians 10; 11:27-34; Hebrews 12:4-11; Revelation 3:19).

We teach God is jealous to protect His Law (cf. James 2:9-13). 

We teach that God is jealous to be treated as holy among His people and we teach that God is jealous to protect His ordinances (cf. Leviticus 10:1-3; 1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-36; 4:10-22; Numbers 19:20; Deuteronomy 12:32; Matthew 3:5-12; Acts 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 11:27-34). 

We teach that God is jealous to protect His Gospel (cf. Galatians 1:6-10). 

We teach that God is jealous to protect His word (cf. Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19). 

We teach that God is jealous for the land that He promised to Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant (cf. Genesis 15:18-21; Ezekiel 36:5-6; Joel 1:18; Zechariah 1:14). We teach that God in His jealousy will establish and fulfill the Messiah’s future Davidic Kingdom reign (cf. 2 Samuel 7; Isaiah 9:6-7; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Revelation 20:1-6).    

We teach that God in His jealousy saves His people (cf. 2 Kings 19:31; Isaiah 37:32; 63:15-16). 

We teach that believers are partakers of the divine nature because of the Lord Jesus Christ and believers are zealous for God the Father’s honor (cf. Numbers 25:7-13; Revelation 2:12-17; 3:19-22).  

We teach there is the communicable sense of the Divine attribute called Jealousy: 

The NT Greek term translated into English “jealousy” is the Greek term Epipotheo from epi (Gk preposition – “upon”) and potheo (to yearn – to have a burning intensity to protect one’s possession). Cf. James 4:5. Occurrences in NT (cf. Romans 1:11; 2 Corinthians 5:2; 2 Corinthians 9:14; Philippians 1:8; Philippians 2:26; 1 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 Timothy 1:4; 1 Peter 2:2). 

We teach that God is the source of holiness and jealousy and sanctifies the man of God to be holy and jealous for God’s glory – this can only be understood in the sense that man is a tripartite constitution as God is jealous to “sanctify us wholly, and our whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23; see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  

We teach the jealousy of God is closely related to the wrath of God (cf. Ezekiel 36:5-6; 1 Corinthians 10:14-22). 

We teach that Christians do not practice idolatry because idolatry provokes the Lord to jealousy and those that love the Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible manifest such love to the degree that they are unwilling to live their lives in such a way to offend the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; James 4:1-10; 1 John 2:15-17; 5:21; Revelation 2:12-17).  

2.6.3.14 Mercy

We teach that God possesses the divine perfection called Mercy (cf. Exodus 34:6-7; Numbers 14:18; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Micah 7:18; Nahum 1:3; Psalms 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Nehemiah 9:17; 2 Corinthians 1:3). We teach that the mercy of God is the perfection of God in which God does not deal out retribution to destroy people when people deserve to be destroyed. 

The Hebrew term used in the OT that was later translated as the English term mercy is the Hebrew term רַחוּם rachamim and has the sense of the compassionate action of God extended to save people who are in misery, distress, suffering, wretchedness, hardship, difficulty, affliction, anguish, anxiety, torment, agony, adversity, trouble, pain and sorrow – and forgive their iniquities even though they do not deserve or merit help (cf. Exodus 34:6; Deuteronomy 4:31; 2 Chronicles 30:9; Nehemiah 9:17, 31; Psalm 78:38; 86:15; 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). 

The Greek term used in the NT that was later translated as the English term mercy are the Greek terms ἔλεος eleos (cf. Matthew 9:13; 12:7; 23:23; Luke 1:50, 54, 58, 72, 78; 10:37; Romans 9:23; 11:31; 15:9; Galatians 6:16; Ephesians 2:4; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2, 16, 18; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 4:16; James 2:13; James 3:17; 1 Peter 1:3; 2 John 1:3; Jude 1:2, 21) and οἰκτιρμός oiktirmos (cf. Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Philippians 2:1; Colossians 3:12; Hebrews 10:28). Both terms has the sense to mean the compassionate act of saving or forgiving someone in misery, distress, suffering, wretchedness, hardship, difficulty, affliction, anguish, anxiety, torment, agony, adversity, trouble, pain and sorrow even though they do not merit or deserve any help in their miserable condition. 

We teach that God’s mercy never fails (cf. Lamentations 3:22).

We teach that the Christian receives all the benefits of God’s mercy because of the first advent, finished atoning work, session and second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ 

The Mercy of God in the First Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ 

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly manifested mercy during His first advent because the Lord Jesus Christ is God in human flesh (cf. Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 20:34; Luke 1:50). 

The Mercy of God in the Finished Atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ 

In the eternal sense, we teach that all men everywhere deserve to pay God back in eternal torment in the lake of fire for the sin nature the human race has inherited from the first Adam as well as the sins men have committed against God (cf. Romans 2:5-6; 3:9-18; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3; Revelation 20:11-15). However, God in His divine mercy has extended mercy in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ to men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Therefore, because God is merciful not every person who has ever lived will receive what they deserve. The believing sinner deserves eternal judgment but the Lord Jesus Christ has eternally taken the believing sinner’s punishment upon Himself through His atoning death on the cross on the believing sinner’s behalf. Therefore, the mercy of God has been eternally extended to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved from the wrath of God (cf. Ephesians 2:4). Those who refuse to repent and refuse to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ do not receive the salvific mercy of God. 

We teach that God has not extended mercy in the finished atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ to every single human person who has or who will ever be physically born in the history of mankind (cf. Romans 9:22). 

We teach that God has extended mercy in the finished atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ to everyone who would ever believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved from the wrath of God (cf. Romans 9:23; 1 Peter 1:3).  

The Mercy of God in the Session of the Lord Jesus Christ 

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ receive mercy every single day of their lives because the Lord Jesus Christ is our great high priest interceding for us at the right hand of God the Father at the throne of God in Heaven and therefore the Christian receives mercy in every sense in the Christian life (cf. Hebrews 2:17; 4:16; Romans 9:23; 11:30; 12:1; 1 Corinthians 7:25; 2 Corinthians 4:1; Ephesians 2:4; Philippians 2:27; 1 Timothy 1:2, 13-16; 2 Timothy 1:2, 16; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2:10; 2 John 1:3; Jude 1:2).  

The Mercy of God in the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will receive the eternal mercy of God in final salvation at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ at His second advent (cf. 2 Timothy 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Jude 1:21). 

In the communicable sense we teach that God gives believers in the Lord Jesus Christ the supernatural attribute of mercy as a gift to extend mercy to each other and other men (cf. Romans 12:5-8; James 3:17). 

We teach that for the one who does not show mercy (i.e. merciless) that person evidence that they are not in Christ but still under the wrath of God (cf. James 2:13; Matthew 18:21-35). 

We teach that mercy is inseparable with forgiveness (cf. Matthew 18:21-35). 

2.6.3.15 Unity

We teach that God is not a robot or machine that can be taken apart and isolated into sections. We teach that God is a unity not a unit. Because of God’s attribute of unity there is no dichotomy in God between His attributes. Therefore, there is unity in God between all His attributes. The unity of God means that there is one God and that the divine nature is complete, unbroken, undivided, and indivisible. The unity of God refers to His Being, One and Only, inseparably constrained to all His attributes and in that sense is incommunicable (cf. Deuteronomy 6:4; John 10:30; 1 Corinthians 8:6). The sense of unity being communicable has to do with believers in the Lord Jesus Christ thinking God’s thoughts after Him from the word of God and being unified with one heart, one mind and one purpose from the word of God (cf. John 17:20-23; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:3-16; Philippians 1:27).   

We DO NOT teach that you can triage God’s attributes.

We DO NOT teach doctrinal triage. 

We DO NOT teach any form of pseudo unity like theological triage that employs military, medical and business pragmatism. 

We teach that theological triage attacks the unity of God. Therefore, theological triage is man’s quest to eisegete into the word of God principles of the wisdom of man. Therefore, theological triage must be rejected. 

God’s incommunicable attribute called simplicity is closely related to God’s communicable attribute called unity. 

We teach concerning the simplicity and unity of God that there is no inequality amongst any of God’s attributes we teach that there is no attribute that can be triaged to exceed the other attributes. 

We DO NOT teach that one attribute of God is greater than another attribute of God.

We DO NOT teach that one attribute of God is higher than another attribute of God.  

We teach that all the attributes of God are equal because they are all God Himself. 

2.6.3.16 Veracity (Truth)

We teach that God possesses the divine perfection called veracity. Veracity means absolute truth. We teach that God always is truthful and truth telling. 

We teach that God has never lied.

We teach that God does not lie (cf. Numbers 23:19).

We teach that God will never lie (cf. Hebrews 6:18). 

We teach that God cannot lie (cf. Titus 1:2).

We teach that God’s word – namely, the inerrant original autographs of the Scriptures is absolute truth. 

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is full of grace and truth and therefore the only perfectly reliable source of truth.  He must be listened to and obey on every single word because Jesus Christ is God in human flesh (cf. John 1:14, 17-18; 1 John 4:2).

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ extended His ministry of absolute truth in the apostolic writings of the apostles (e.g. 1 Timothy 2:5-7; 2 Peter 3:15-16).   

We teach that God’s knowledge, decrees and actions are absolute truth. 

We teach that God’s truth is perfectly trustworthy and the only objective account of reality. 

We teach that God’s divine perfection called veracity is genuine and real (cf. Jeremiah 10:10; John 3:33; Romans 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 6:10; 19:11, 13; 22:6).

We teach that the God of the Bible (cf. Genesis – Revelation) is the only true God (cf. John 17:3). 

We teach that God of the Bible is the only real God (cf. Deuteronomy 32:21; John 14:6; 17:3; 1 John 5:20). 

We teach that concerning all of God’s promises, covenants, dependability, reliability, salvation, faithfulness and love – God communicates these features in absolute truth (cf. Exodus 34:6; Numbers 23:19; Deuteronomy 4:31; 7:9; 2 Samuel 2:6; 15:20; Psalms 19:9; 25:10; 33:4; 36:5; 40:11; 111:7; 119:86, 142, 151; Daniel 4:37; 9:4; Nehemiah 1:5; John 17:17; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:18-20; Ephesians 1:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 10:23; 11:11; 1 John 1:9). 

We teach that the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ knows God in Christ Jesus who is true (cf. 1 John 5:20). 

We teach that the God-man the Lord Jesus Christ never lied but always spoke and lived the truth. 

We teach that all other men are liars in and of themselves (cf. Romans 3:4). 

However, we teach that the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ lives a changed life by the power of God and practices walking in the light by telling the truth but does not practice lying (cf. 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:22). 

We teach that the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ lives their life by practicing speaking the truth in love (cf. Ephesians 4:15).   

2.6.3.17 Mission

We teach that mission is one of the attributes of God that is communicable. God’s mission began in Genesis and continued through the OT. The bible is primarily about the redemption of man and we teach that salvation in its whole course is the work of God. The moment man sinned in Genesis 3 he died spiritually and was in need of a Savior. God’s mission was that He promised that Savior as early as Genesis 3:15. The OT is the history of the nation of Israel – the nation from which the Messiah would come. Also, God gave the nation of Israel His righteous standard, namely the Law. God commissioned Israel to enter the land He promised Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant. Giving the covenants to Israel presupposes God’s mission. In the OT God gave the nation of Israel a mission because the text reads: 

For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them (Deuteronomy 7:6-11). 

Deuteronomy 7:6-11 is explicit evidence that shows God’s attribute of mission is inseparably constrained with His attributes called immutability, veracity and love.

We teach that the nation of Israel was given the mission to witness to the surrounding nations about the greatness and goodness of God and the only way to be saved from His wrath, namely God’s only substitutionary sacrifice for the forgiveness sins (cf. Isaiah 53). To this effect, Israel was to be a witness in going forth with the message of redemption for the nations, however, the nation rejected the Messiah, the church was established and the Gospel was taken to the gentiles. In the end of human history, God will regenerate, forgive and redeem the nation of Israel (cf. Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-28). The nation of Israel will believe the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and God will have them testify to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Isaiah 66:19; Romans 11, emphasis on vv. 25-27; Revelation chapters 7, 11, 14). 

We teach that the Nation of Israel is the nation from whom the Messiah has come, namely the Lord Jesus Christ and fulfilled His mission by fulfilling the Law, dying in penal-substitution on the cross for everyone who would every trust in Him to be saved from the wrath of God and He was bodily raised from the dead for the justification of the believing sinner (cf. Isaiah 42:1, 6-7; 49:6; chapter 53; Matthew; Mark; Luke; John; Acts 2:22-24; Romans 4:24-25). 

In the NT, the Lord Jesus Christ after His bodily resurrection from the dead commissioned His disciples when He said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). During the Apostolic age just before His ascension, the Lord Jesus Christ sent His apostles on the mission to testify to His bodily resurrection from the dead when He said, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Lord Jesus Christ commissioned the thirteenth apostle, namely the Apostle Paul to testify to this same mission when He said to Paul in Jerusalem, “Take courage, for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause, at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also” (Acts 23:11). The Greek term translated into English as “solemnly witnessed” is the Greek term διαμαρτύρομαι and has the sense to mean to thoroughly give an earnest testimony, the etymology of the word is from where we get the term martyr. The Lord Jesus Christ is referred to in Scripture as the faithful martyr (cf. Revelation 1:5). Those who Christ Jesus has given His life for in Penal-Substitutionary Atonement join His cause and are willing to lay down their own lives to be faithful witnesses to the Lord Jesus Christ’s perfect life, substitutionary death and bodily resurrection from the dead. This is how mission is one of the communicable attributes of God.  

We teach the glory of God is the summation of all His attributes and all God’s attributes testify to His greatness and goodness.  

We teach a person has right thoughts about God when that person’s thoughts of God agree with what the word of God teaches about Him –that is, when we think of His being and attributes as the word of God teaches, thus thinking God’s thoughts after Him. Thinking about God rightly is to think about all of who God is concerning the unity and summation of all of God’s perfections. Therefore, all doctrines from the Word of God are eternally invested with one another and are equally true and important (cf. Ps 89:2; 119:89, 160; Is 40:8; Matt 24:35; 1 Pet1:25). 

We teach that God has put His divine perfections on display and they are evident in natural revelation and therefore man knows about God’s invisible attributes (i.e. God’s eternal power and divine nature) but because of man’s sin man suppresses the truth about God and His perfections and therefore man is under the wrath of God (cf. Romans 1:18-32). In man’s unbelief, for unbelief is the essence of sin, unregenerate man refuses to accept the genuine testimony of natural revelation. 

We teach that the only way properly have knowledge of the divine perfections of God is from a regenerated heart by the power of God and as a result illumination to have the consideration of special revelation, that is studying God self-revelation in Scripture and believing the truth about the nature and perfections of God. 

We acknowledge that man’s attempts are finite at systematically enumerating God’s attributes, but this document is an opportunity for us to affirm and defend the attributes of God that are revealed from holy Scripture. What is more, some have categorized God’s attributes designating a twofold designation of non-moral and moral categories, but we teach all of God’s attributes have a moral quality due to His attributes of holiness, righteousness and goodness being eternally invested with all His attributes.   

We teach when it comes to acknowledging God’s perfections correctly, the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ must exegete God’s word from a spirit that is submissive to the indwelling of the Person of God the Holy Spirit who dwells in the believer. This is theocentric –that is, theology with its origin from God. Reasoning from God’s perspective, namely thinking His thoughts after Him, is possible because of regeneration. The believer can understand God’s Word clearly because God has clearly revealed His word and the believer is a recipient of the ministry of the illumination of God the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph 1:18).

2.7.1 Overview

We teach that God, from all eternity, by His perfect wisdom, holy intra-Trinitarian counsel and free will, sovereignly and unchangeably decreed and ordained everything that comes to pass. We teach that God has decreed the end from the beginning – namely, all of history – that is, past, present and future as well as succession of moments in eternity. We teach God’s eternal counsel forever stands and God will perfectly and completely accomplish all God has purposed. We teach that the ultimate purpose of the eternal decrees of God is to glorify God. 

(cf. Genesis 45:8; 50:20; Job 14:1-5; Psalm 33:11; 39:4; 119:89-91; Proverbs 16:4, 33; 19:21; Isaiah 14:24; 46:10; John 1:13; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; 17:26; Romans 8:29-30; 9:1-33; 11:33-36 Ephesians 1:4, 6, 9-11, 12, 14; 2:8-10; 3:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 9:27-28; 1 Peter 1:2; Revelation 4:11). 

2.7.2 Introduction 

We DO NOT teach that God is the author of sin (cf. Genesis 50:20; Psalm 5:4; 92:15; Habakkuk 1:13; 1 John 1:5; 3:5; James 1:13).

We DO NOT teach that God makes plans or alters His plans as human history develops. 

We teach that God has eternally made His plans from all eternity and His plans remain eternally fixed and unaltered. 

We DO NOT teach that God offered violence to the will of His creatures (cf. Genesis 4:6-8). 

We DO NOT teach that the independent decrees of God contradict the liberty or contingency of second causes. 

We teach that the sovereign decrees of God establish the liberty and contingency of second causes. 

We teach that the eternal decrees of God are not inconsistent with free agency. The eternal decrees of God do not take away man’s responsibility to do right. We DO NOT teach that the eternal decrees of God remove accountability upon the motives of man to which man must give an account to God. We DO NOT teach that the eternal decrees of God remove the responsibility for the exertion of human will to practice what is right to which man must give an account to God. What is more, the eternal decrees of God do not make God the author of sin. 

We teach that the eternal decrees of God are the eternal purposes of God based on God’s most wise and holy eternal counsel, through which God freely and unchangeably, for God’s own glory, decreed all that comes to pass including the fact that evil is in the world as well as the eternal purpose for the salvation of everyone who would ever trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved from the wrath of God (cf. Isaiah 14:24-27; Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:4, 9, 11; 3:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 16; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8). 

We teach that the eternal decrees of God are based upon God’s perfections and because God is holy and righteous – We teach that God cannot purpose anything that is wrong. We teach that everything God has eternal decreed He eternally decreed in the most holy, righteous and good way. 

We teach that the means to which the eternal decrees of God have as their end is the glory of God – which never ends. We teach that God is absolute perfection. 

We teach that the eternal decrees of God envelope exhaustively and completely without exception all that comes to pass, namely, all the past, the present and the future as well as all succession of moments in eternity, with no one or nothing excluded from being under the Theistic-deterministic jurisdiction of God and God’s Sovereign decree. We teach that everything has been pre-determined by God. We teach that there is no one or nothing outside of God that influenced God in making God’s eternal decrees. 

https://bcri.wordpress.com/2016/06/24/on-predestination-double-predestination-and-limited-atonement/

2.7.3 The Wisdom of God

We teach that the wisdom and knowledge of God perfectly correlates and is in perfect eternal harmony to the eternal decrees of God. God’s wisdom is God’s perfect knowledge to act to bring about His eternal purpose and perfectly glorify Himself and is not subject to anyone or anything outside of God (cf. Romans 11:33; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16; Ephesians 1:8-14; 3:10-11; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:9-11; 5:12-13). 

We teach that God created everyone and everything by His Word in the most wise and holy counsel of His own will (cf. Genesis 1:3; Job 12:13; Psalm 33:6; 147:15; 148:5; Isaiah 40:8; 48:13; Hebrews 11:3). 

We teach God created everyone and everything by His wisdom and God redeems whosoever He wills by His wisdom (cf. Job 38:1-42:6; Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 19:1-7; 104; Proverbs 8-9; Jeremiah 10:12; Deuteronomy 4:6-8; Romans 16:25-27; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16). 

We teach that God’s wisdom and knowledge is eternal and not subject to change in temporal succession – in other words, God knows everything at once from eternity and in totality while knowing all distinctions and all order. God’s knowledge has the eternally perfect logical order and structure. We teach God’s knowledge is from Himself and is not dependent on anyone or anything outside Himself. 

We teach that the word of the cross of Christ is the power of God and Christ Jesus is the power of God and the wisdom of God (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16). 

2.7.4 The Will of God 

We teach that God’s will is perfect. God’s will is His eternal sovereign intentional purpose and independent superintendency in governing the direction of all that comes to pass. We teach that God has determined all that comes to pass from His will. 

The NT words that were used to describe the will of God are the Greek terms βουλή boulé (noun), βούλημα bouléma (noun), βούλομαι boulomai (verb), θέλημα theléma (noun), and θέλω theló (verb). 

We teach that the will of God is the predetermined plan and predestined purpose for the Lord Jesus Christ to die on the cross in penal-substitutionary atonement for everyone who would ever trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved from the wrath of God, thus atoning for sin and reconciling sinners to God (cf. Luke 22:42; Acts 2:23; 4:28). 

We teach it is the will of God to extend His salvation to the elect. We teach that God wants and desires to birth faith in the elect which empowers them to believe in the Person and finished redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ and continue in believing unto glory persevering to the end (cf. Ephesians 1:9; Hebrews 10:36-39).

We teach that everyone and everything is dependent on the will of God, e.g. creation, preservation of creation, governments, election and reprobation, suffering, regeneration, sanctification, every man’s life and destiny, as well as the biggest things down to the smallest things  (cf. Psalm 135:6; Proverbs 21:1; Isaiah 45:9; Jeremiah 18:6; Daniel 4:17-35; Matthew 10:29; Luke 22:42: Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; 18:21; 22:23; Romans 9:15-18; 12:1-3; 15:32; Ephesians 1:11-12; Philippians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; James 4:15; 1 Peter 3:17; Revelation 4:11).       

We teach God’s will is sovereign and independent (cf. Psalm 115:3; Proverbs 21:1; Job 9:1-10:22; Isaiah 10:15; 29:16; 30:14; 40:15-17; 46:10; 64:8; Jeremiah 18:1-10; Daniel 4:35; Matthew 20:15; Romans 9:19-24).  

We teach it is God’s will for believers to be separate from the world-system. We teach that it is God’s will for believers to live lives of purity – that is, practicing abstaining from sexual immorality and this is God’s will in sanctification (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:3). 

We teach it is God’s will for believers to have full assurance of salvation (cf. Colossians 4:12). 

We teach that it is God’s will for the church to be ruled by a plurality of elders without partiality and served by a plurality of deacons without military, medical and business pragmatism (cf. Timothy 3:1-16; 5:17-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18; Romans 12:7-13; Titus 1:5-13; Philippians 1:1; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-4).  

We teach that leadership, offices and gifts in the church come only by the will of God (cf. Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1). 

We teach it is God’s will for the church and church membership not to be based on the worldliness of the American dream – that is, making the decision to join a church based on one’s own family, secular work, military service, material goals, retirement, recreation, personal preferences, or public persona, but instead to make decisions where the Lord Jesus Christ comes first and where His church is not a second or third tier commodity (cf. Romans 12:1-2; James 4:15; 1 Peter 5:2; 1 John 2:17). 

We teach that God is omniscient and God will have the victory by accomplishing all that God has willed concerning the church as well as the eternal security of the Christian (Romans 8:26-30). 

We teach that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ practice the will of God from the heart (cf. Ephesians 6:6). We teach that believers practice what is right (cf. John 9:31; 1 Peter 2:15). 

We teach that it is God’s will for believer in the Lord Jesus Christ to share in the sufferings of Christ and as such, suffering in the Christian life is according to the will of God (cf. 1 Peter 4:19). 

We teach there is perfect harmony and agreement in the Godhead concerning the will of God. We teach that God is not a frustrated deity. We teach there is no confusion in the Godhead. We teach there is unity in the Godhead concerning the will of God. We teach that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit cooperate in the economy of the Godhead concerning God’s will in seeking to save those who have been set upon by electing grace from eternity. We teach the Father elects, the Son comes to die for the elect and the Holy Spirit gathers the elect through regeneration (cf. Matthew 20:28; Luke 19:10; John 1:12-13; 3:1-17; 4:34; 5:19, 30; 6:38-40; Ephesians 1:3-14; Titus 3:5). 

We teach that the will of God cannot be frustrated by man. We teach that God is not restrained in accomplishing His purposes. We teach God knows what God is doing and accomplishes all His purposes (cf. Isaiah 46:9-10; 55:11). 

We teach that the ultimate explanation for the will of God is found in the vicarious propitiatory penal-substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead (cf. Acts 2:23-24). 

2.7.5 The Logical Order of the Decree of God

We teach predestination. The word προορίζω (proorizó) “predetermine” was used no less than six times in the New Testament (cf. Acts 4:28; Romans 8:29, 30; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1:5, 11). The term was comprised of the preposition (πρό) “before” and (ὁρίζω) horizó to which the English word “horizon” was derived. Therefore, προορίζω literally means “before horizons.” The word ὁρίζω as a verb means “I define, determine, appoint, decree, I separate, mark off by boundaries; I determine, appoint, designate” and was found no less than seven times in the New Testament (cf. Luke 22:22; Acts 2:23; 10:42; 11:29; 17:26; 31; Romans 1:4).  

We teach that eternity is not a measurement of time. Instead, eternity is static – that is, eternity is a fixed state. We teach predeterminism or predestination is always to be understood from the perspective of God’s eternal decree (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:14). 

We teach that the ultimate explanation for predestination is found in the vicarious propitiatory penal-substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead (cf. Acts 2:23-24).

We teach the logical order of God's decree to decree the fall of man in relation to God’s decree to save some sinners through election and condemn others through reprobation by way of an infralapsarian decree.

We teach that the decree of election and reprobation respectively are decreed from eternity (cf. Ephesians 1:4-6; Romans 9:18-23). 

When one reads the Word of God one reads of the biblical succession of facts and acts one after another in time – and we teach it was by one single act that God has at once ordained these things from eternity. 

We teach that God from eternity, by His grace and according to the free good pleasure of His will (cf. Romans 9:18), God chose from eternity in Christ to save a definite number of particular people out of the entire human race (cf. Ephesians 1:4-14) - a race that had fallen in time after the foundation of the world by its own fault from its original innocence into sin and ruin (cf. Genesis 1-3). 

We teach the logical order of God’s eternal decrees as follows:

(1) The decree of God to create the world and humanity in it.

(2) The decree of God to permit the Fall of humanity.

(3) The decree of God to predestine/elect some fallen humans to salvation and eternal life and predestine others to damnation and everlasting punishment in hell.

(4) The decree of God to provide salvation through Christ’s atonement (limited) for the redemption of the elect.

(5) The decree of God to send God the Holy Spirit to gather the elect through regeneration and apply salvation (the righteousness of Christ) to the elect and leave the reprobate to their deserved fate (cf. John 1:12-13; 3:1-36; 16:7-11).

We teach that it was not merely some of the members of the human race who were the objects of God’s decree to create, but all of mankind. 

We teach it was not merely some men, but the entire human race, which was decreed to fall in Adam (cf. Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:22a).  

We teach when it comes to election and reprobation, all men are fallen and are equally unworthy and guilty (cf. Romans 9:21). 

We teach that the elect have been chosen “out of the world” (cf. John 15:19). 

We teach that election is solely of the sovereign grace and mercy of God and therefore is unmerited by the object of God’s electing grace (cf. Romans 9:16, 23). 

We teach that reprobation is judicial and is a manifestation of the justice of God to render just deserts upon the sinfulness of the object that is reprobate (cf. Romans 1:24, 26, 28; 9:22; Job 21:30). 

We teach it was from the mass of the entire fallen race of men that some were elected to eternal life while others were sentenced to eternal conscious torment for their sins. 

We DO NOT teach supralapsarianism.  

We DO NOT teach that God is the author of evil. 

We DO NOT teach that God is the author of sin. 

We DO NOT teach an abstract sovereignty. 

We DO NOT teach that God’s sovereignty is exercised in an arbitrary way. 

We teach that the Sovereignty of God is in perfect unity and inseparable constrained to all of God’s perfections. 

We teach that God cannot commit sin. We teach that God possesses the divine incommunicable attribute called impeccability.  

2.7.6 The Theodicy of God

We teach the theodicy of God. 

Theodicy is a Greek term that literally means “God-just.” Theo means “God” and dicy or dikē means “just.” The Greek root for just is found in the Greek word for righteousness, namely, “δίκαιος, ία, ιον.” Δίκαιος is an adjective which is defined of God as, “just, righteous, a just judge” (cf. John 17:25; Rom 3:26).” The same word is described of God the Son, the second Person of the Eternal Trinity, namely the Lord Jesus Christ (God in human flesh), in 1 John 2:1 which reads, “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” In the Context of 1 John 2:1-2 it is Jesus who is an advocate with the Father against sin. Consequently, it is Jesus Christ who satisfies God the Father’s wrath toward sin. This propitiation is through the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.  Δίκαιος is also used to describe the excellent innocence of Jesus Christ in Lk 23:47. The Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate standard of righteousness and perfection.

The opposite of righteousness is the word “ἀδικία” (unrighteous) and it is described of fallen man in Romans 1:18. The alpha privative on “ἀδικία” indicates non- “dikē” or non- justice/righteousness. The word ἀδικία is used in 1 John 5:17a which reads, “All unrighteousness is sin”. Early in 1 John 3:4 the author defined sin when he wrote, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness”. In the next verse, the author identifies the Lord Jesus Christ as being the one who came to take away sins and the one who has no sin in Him when he writes, “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5; cf. Heb 4:15). Therefore, God is righteous and He will judge unrighteousness (i.e. sin). He cannot judge unrighteousness if He is not righteous and He is not righteous if He has any unrighteousness or created unrighteousness. To this effect, the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit made an explicit theodicy argument when he wrote, “But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?” (Romans 3:5-6; see Isa 10:1-4).

This same issue was taught in the book of Genesis with the patriarch Joseph and his brothers. For instance, Joseph’s own brothers plotted to kill him, but he was sold into slavery, stealing him away from his family in an attempt to destroy his life (cf. Gen 37:18-36). Therefore, the brothers’ intent was wicked toward Joseph. But why did those terrible things happen to Joseph? God tells us why these terrible things happened to Joseph – that is, “as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Gen 50:20). Genesis 50:20, as well as the book of Job, are clear examples of the doctrine of concurrence. In the case of Joseph’s suffering, God meant it for good, whereas the brothers meant it for evil. God’s intent was only for Joseph’s good and the good of others. On the other hand, the brothers took exception to Joseph and committed evil against their own brother. God decreed the entire event before the foundation of the world. God brought the event to pass. Joseph suffered. Yet God’s intent was only for good, and God holds the human agency – that is, the brothers, responsible. Therefore, God is always justified. Moreover, God, Joseph and Job were all magnanimous toward those who caused them harm or in Job’s case those who were worthless counselors who added to Job insult to injury (cf. 42:7-10). This is the issue of Theodicy – that is, justifying the existence of the Omni-Benevolent Sovereign God when we suffer in a world in which evil is a reality of our daily experience.   

The most challenging question a person can be asked when they suffer is the question God asked Job in chapter 40, verse 8 – that is, “Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?” This question is at the heart of the book of Job, for reason that God is the main character of the book and as consequence Job is about Theodicy (i.e. justifying the existence of the omnibenevolent God and defending God’s Sovereign decrees when there is suffering and evil in the world). We teach that the book of Job helps believers understand theodicy and the sovereign decrees of God as well as personally helping believers navigate through their own trials and sufferings in life that God has ordained for them by His Sovereign wisdom and will. We teach that the word of God is the ultimate source that defends and accurately represents God when there is suffering, and remind the readers when they suffer to entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right (cf. 1 Peter 4:19).

We teach that the ultimate explanation for the theodicy of God is found in the Person and vicarious propitiatory penal-substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead (cf. Acts 2:23-24). For concerning humanity – it was the Lord Jesus Christ who was the only truly innocent sinless person who has ever suffered.  And it is only by faith in His personal righteousness, finished cross work and resurrection from the dead that the believing sinner is declared justified by God (cf. Job 9:1-2; 16:19; 19:25-27; Isaiah 53:1-12 emphasis on v. 11; Luke 18:13-14; Romans 3:19-31; 4:1-25; 5:1-21; 1 Corinthians 15:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:20).

2.7.7 Summary   

We teach the sovereignty of God. 

We teach the wisdom of God – see section 2.7.3 above. 

We teach the will of God – see section 2.7.4 above.

We teach predestination – namely, that God has predestined everything that comes to pass.

We teach the logical order of the eternal decrees of God – see section 2.7.5 above

We teach the theodicy of God – see section 2.7.6 above. 

We teach that at the heart of the eternal decrees of God is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We teach that the ultimate explanation for predestination as well as the will, wisdom and logical order of the eternal decrees is found in the vicarious propitiatory penal-substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead (cf. Acts 2:23-24; Romans 5:6-11; Galatians 4:4; 1 Peter 3:18).

We DO NOT teach that God is the author of sin (cf. Genesis 1:31; Psalm 5:4-6; Habakkuk 1:13; James 1:13-18; 1 John 1:5).