The Doctrine of God

Jeremy Bell
September 18, 2022
Romans 11:33-36 and others
Sermon Recap PDF

Introduction

Beneficial Resources:

ESV Study Bible
Bill Patton’s sermon on this topic

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?” For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. — Romans 11:33-36

Why the Doctrine of God? Why does this matter?

Because without a strong and secure foundation, when the winds blow, when the storms come, there needs to be something solid to anchor that structure in place.
The foundation is important. In fact, its critical to whether the house will ultimately stand or fall.
What we’re doing in this series is taking us back to the foundations — to the essential structure of the house of our faith.
When I see who God is, and how He’s revealed Himself to us — His lack of limitations, His boundless wisdom, His ability to do abundantly more than we can ask or imagine then I have faith to press on, to continue forward in faith and hope.
I need to see God for who He is, day by day My first and foremost job is to find my satisfaction, my delight, in who God is!

“I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to make my soul happy in the Lord.” — George Mueller

How do we make our souls happy in the Lord other than by knowing Him through His Word.
God has revealed Himself to us so that we might know and love Him.

God is One and Infinite

“There is only one true and living God, who is infinite in being, power and perfections.” — SG SoF

Among the many things that are revealed about God in His Word is that there is One God and He is infinite!

“I am the Lord and there is no other; besides me there is no God.” –Isaiah 45:5

He is the only one true and living God. And He is infinite in His being!

God is Omnipresent

God is “everywhere present in the fullness of His being” — SG SoF

“Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence?” — Psalm 139:7

Though our finite minds cannot understand how this can be, still we affirm that God is everywhere present in the fullness of His being

“If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” — Psalm 139:8-10

God is Omnipotent

He is not only infinite in His being, He is infinite in His power.
He is omnipotent.
God’s infinite power means He is able to do all His will.

“He is supremely powerful to perform all His holy and perfect will, ruling over His creation with total dominion, righteousness, wisdom and love.” — SG SoF

Because He is infinite in power, God’s ultimate will can never be thwarted by evil. What reason for hope we have!

“With God all things are possible.” — Matthew 19:26

We serve a God who has no limit to His power; His power is infinite.

God is Immutable

Immutability: God doesn’t change.

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

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” — Hebrews 13:8

God is Holy

God is completely and utterly distinct from His creation in His perfect holiness.
There is no fault or impurity in Him. There never was, there never will be.

The Gospel

How amazing that the Father sent the Son into this world to be our perfect Savior.
Christ Jesus gave up His life for us upon that tree.
How do we respond to that kind of love?
We respond by falling down in worship.
We respond like the four living creatures in heaven who never cease to say

“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty” – Rev. 4:8

We serve an infinitely righteous, infinitely holy God!

The Unity of God

The scriptures reveal God’s character to be a unified whole of His attributes. No one attribute is more important than all the rest. He is unified in His being and essence.

“God is not divided into parts, but His whole being includes all of His attributes: He is entirely holy, loving, wise, just, good, merciful, gracious and truthful.” — SG SoF

In other words, God doesn’t simply possess the attribute of love, as if it was one part of Him, He is love.
He doesn’t simply possess mercy, He is mercy.
He doesn’t simply possess wisdom, He is wisdom.

The Holy Trinity

“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One” — Deuteronomy 6:4

“Each person is fully God, sharing the same deity, attributes and essential nature, yet there is but one God. Each person is distinct, yet God is not by this distinction divided into three parts, natures or gods.” — SG SoF

This doctrine of the Trinity is an important doctrine in our Christian faith, because it declares to us that the Godhead “exists in a perfect unity” at all times, not divided or separated.
The unity of the Godhead result in an eternal “fullness of fellowship and love.”

“Christians are monotheists. We don’t believe in many gods or a pantheon of gods but just one God, and this God expresses Himself and exists as three persons…One is not the other, but they’re equal in rank, equal in power, equal in glory, equal in majesty. Just as Jesus sends out the disciples to go baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we see this doctrine of the Holy Trinity woven throughout the scriptures.” — Kevin DeYoung, New City Catechism Devotional

God is Sovereign

Not only is God unified in His essence and being, God is sovereign over all, and His purposes will always be accomplished.

“The counsel of the Lord stands forever; the plans of His heart to all generations.” — Psalm 33:11

God’s plans will come to pass. His sovereignty means that His counsel will stand.

What do you understand by the Providence of God?
A. God’s providence is his almighty and ever present power, whereby, as with his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand. — Q.27 (Heidelberg Catechism)

“God in His great love, before the foundation of the world, chose those whom He would save in Christ Jesus. God’s election is entirely gracious and not at all conditioned upon foreseen faith, obedience, perseverance, or any merit in those whom God has chosen. His decision to set His saving love on the elect is based entirely on His sovereign will and good pleasure.” — SoF

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us[ for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. — Ephesians 1:3-6

Conclusion

As we have surveyed what God has revealed to us in His Word, about His nature and His character — His infinite power and perfections–His never-ending goodness, mercy and love.
We find ourselves, like the Apostle Paul, amazed at God
We cry out with Paul who says