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So I'll just read chapter 2 of 
God and of the Holy Trinity, and then we'll get into a study 
of this very important and foundational chapter in our confession of 
faith. So this is paragraph 1. The Lord our God is but one only 
living and true God, whose subsistence is in and of himself, infinite 
in being and perfection. whose essence cannot be comprehended 
by any but himself, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, 
parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in 
the light which no man can approach unto, who is immutable, immense, 
eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite, most holy, 
most wise, most free, most absolute, working all things according 
to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will for his 
own glory, most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant 
in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and 
sin, the rewarder of them that diligently seek him, and with 
all most just and terrible in his judgments, hating all sin, 
and who will by no means clear the guilty. Paragraph 2, God 
having all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself, 
is alone in and unto himself all sufficient, not standing 
in need of any creature which he hath made, nor deriving any 
glory from them, but only manifesting his glory in, by, unto, and upon 
them. He is the alone fountain of all 
being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things. and 
he hath most sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do by 
them, for them, or upon them whatsoever himself pleaseth, 
in his sight all things are open and manifest. His knowledge is 
infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing 
is to him contingent or uncertain. He is most holy in all his counsels, 
in all his works, and in all his commands. to him is due from 
angels and men whatsoever worship, service, or obedience as creatures 
they owe unto the creator and whatever he is further pleased 
to require of them. Paragraph three, in this divine 
and infinite being, there are three subsistences, the Father, 
the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and 
eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence 
undivided, the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding, 
the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, the Holy Spirit 
proceeding from the Father and the Son, all infinite, without 
beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided 
in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative 
properties and personal relations, which doctrine of the Trinity 
is the foundation of all our communion with God and comfortable 
dependence on Him." Well, there is much in those three paragraphs 
that we just read. And it is not just a mounting 
upon one another or a multiplication of words and clauses, of adjectives 
and nouns and verbs and whatever we have there, but rather in 
trying to bring forth what the Scriptures say with regards to 
the one who is incomprehensible, The confession is affirming and 
denying certain things about God that Christianity should 
and from the beginning has affirmed and has denied. This is, we've 
come to the subject of theology proper. We all know what theology 
is, generally speaking, the study of those things revealed in the 
Bible concerning God and all things. Well, theology proper 
is specifically the science of or the doctrine and study of 
God. We know that theology as we understand 
it and as we recognize it can include that as well as soteriology, 
the doctrine of salvation, anthropology, the doctrine of man, many other 
ologies that we can study. But theology proper is peculiarly 
designed or peculiarly recognized as that study whereby God is 
the proper object, the proper subject of that study. Just a preview of what we're 
going to do from Chapter 2. Today, we're going to do some 
introduction to the doctrine of God. We're going to look at 
the unity of God, also called divine singularity. And then 
we'll look at the divine omniperfections of God, those three omniperfections 
that are often spoken of concerning God. Next week, in week two, 
we'll look at the triunity of God, the stuff of paragraph three, 
wherein we read in this divine and infinite being there are 
three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit. Week three, we'll look at divine 
simplicity. Talk about what that is, what 
that means, and why it is important. And in week four, we'll look 
at divine impassibility. Again, what that means, what 
it is, why it is very important, and some of the downgrade trends 
in modern Christendom that are stealing from the glory of God 
as seen through the blessed prism of divine impassibility. And 
then probably we'll add, I was originally only going to do four 
weeks, but week five, we'll look at the practical applications 
of theology proper. In other words, based on everything 
that we have looked at from Chapter 2, what are the boons to our 
souls? What are those practical applications 
of theology proper? How is man to respond to these 
doctrines and all of those sorts of things? So why don't we begin 
then with some introductory things before we look at a brief outline 
of the chapter. Why don't we open with, because 
we are studying God, why don't we open with a reading of the 
Holy Scriptures? Because it is there in the Holy 
Scriptures that God has revealed himself. You can turn with me 
to the book of Jeremiah, a good launching pad verse as we seek 
to mine the riches of the Holy Scriptures as they pertain to 
the doctrine of God. In Jeremiah chapter 9, verse 
23 and verse 24, we have something of the desire 
of God for his own glory and that coming through the recognition 
of his creation. Notice in Jeremiah 9 verse 23, 
thus says the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, 
let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich 
man glory in his riches, but let him who glories glory in 
this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, 
exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, 
for in these I delight, says the Lord." So man is not to glory 
in his wealth, in his strength, in his own riches. Man is not 
to be marked by an egocentrism. Man is not to be marked by an 
anthropocentrism. a man-centered approach, but 
rather man is to be marked by a theocentric approach, but let 
him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows 
me. We are to understand and know 
God. Yes, the confession affirms that 
he is incomprehensible, that his essence cannot be comprehended 
by any but himself, but that is not to the exclusion of actually 
at least in our finitude understanding some things about God, those 
things that he has revealed to us in his holy scriptures. Let him who glories, glory in 
this, that he understands and knows me. Augustine has said 
something to this effect. in his confessions, speaking 
to God, Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless 
until we find rest in Thee. And I think we could go to a 
place like Romans 1 to see this. You see, man is, unbelieving 
man, whether Jew or Gentile, is restless in his heart until 
he knows the Lord. He has a full-time job, as it 
were, suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. His heart is 
always restless because he is seeking in his finitude and his 
rebellion against the living and true God to suppress the 
truth of God in unrighteousness. And so it is this from God that 
we are to be found exercising, glorying in the understanding 
and in the knowledge of God. We need to understand and we 
need to appreciate the importance of the subject matter, because 
of the reason that we just read, because God desires that we set 
aside our humanity, our egocentrism and our anthropocentrism and 
rather glory in Him alone. Secondly, we need to, the importance 
of this topic is seen with regards to downgrade trends, that means 
a lessening, a downgrading of truth in modern Christianity. 
Listen to what Pink says with regards to this. And his words 
are harsh. His words are hard not to understand 
and not difficult as in repugnant to us, but rather they come with 
a firm polemic. Notice what he says here. The 
god of this century no more resembles the sovereign of holy writ than 
does the dim flickering of a candle the glory of the midday sun. 
The God who is talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of 
in the ordinary Sunday school, mentioned in much of the religious 
literature of the day, and preached in most of the so-called Bible 
conferences, is a figment of human imagination, an invention 
of Maudlin's sentimentality. The heathen outside the pale 
of Christendom form gods of wood and stone, while millions of 
heathen inside Christendom manufacture a god out of their carnal minds. 
In reality, they are but atheists, for there is no other possible 
alternative between an absolutely supreme god and no god at all. A god whose will is resisted, 
whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated, 
possesses no title to deity, and far from being a fit object 
of worship, merits nothing but contempt. You see, this doctrine, 
theology proper, is of the utmost importance because if God does 
call us to glory in this, that we understand and know him, then 
the endeavor, the enterprise of learning of God and knowing 
God is foremost. It is of the utmost primacy for 
man. That brings us then to the proper 
Christian posture in the study of God. We don't as Christians 
come to the study of God as so many scientists with our beakers 
and with our microscopes, analyzing something in a cold and detached 
manner, as if God is some sort of species to be examined under. the lens of a microscope. Calvin 
puts it this way, the knowledge of God does not rest in cold 
speculation, but carries with it the honoring of him. We come, 
as it were, on our knees humbly, not examining in the emptiness 
or the barrenness of our reason from point zero and analyzing 
data and arriving at certain things with respect to God, but 
rather we come with the foundation of the Holy Scriptures And we 
see what God himself has made known to us. We don't find out 
God. God reveals himself to us. And 
in that, we are to understand and to know him. McLeod, expanding 
upon Calvin, says, God is not simply a great sight, the object 
of speculative curiosity. And you've heard this before. 
The revelation of his glory in the whole theological process, 
which legitimately follows from it, is holy ground. We cannot 
stand as superiors over God or his word. We may not coldly and 
detachedly analyze and collate the great self-revealing deeds 
and utterances of Jehovah. The doctrine must thrill and 
exhilarate. It must humble and cast down. 
Theology has lost its way and indeed its very soul if it cannot 
say with John, I fell at his feet as dead. So remember, we 
don't stumble into a study of the doctrine of God with our 
dusty microscopes and analyze the one who is infinite, the 
one who is immense, the one who is incomprehensible. And then 
lastly, before we look at a brief outline of the chapter, some 
preliminary helps and interpretive cautions as we traverse theology 
proper. And these things hopefully you 
can try and keep in your mind as we engage in the study of 
God. Again, some preliminary helps 
and interpretive cautions. First, understanding the vast 
and unbridgeable ontological chasm. Ontological simply means 
the doctrine or study. Ontology means the doctrine or 
study of being, existence. Ontological means of or pertaining 
to the study. of those things. So let's begin 
again. First, understanding the vast 
and unbridgeable ontological chasm between God and man, that 
God is wholly other, not of the same kind, not a constituent 
fellow in the category of being as men and angels. You see, it 
is the stuff of what Pink is talking about that men can say 
or construe a God who is simply an incorporeal superman empty 
of all of humanly imperfections. And that is not what God is. 
God is of a completely different order of being than man is. God is of a completely different 
order of being than man. cannot be located, Dolezal says, 
on a single chain of being with non-divine things. And this won't 
help anybody listening right now, but if we think of existence, 
we don't have God inside that circle, angels and men. We can't construe God as co-extensive 
with the universe. We can't construe God as dwelling 
inside of existence. But rather, it is the case that 
God cannot be located anywhere. God cannot be located on a single 
chain of being with non-divine beings. And I think we see this 
in other places, but in Isaiah 6. We've noted this before. You see, it's very often God's transcendence or God's holiness, 
we could even say, is very often downgraded or minimized to be 
only that of ethical perfection. And though it must be upheld 
that God is most certainly ethically perfect, we must uphold that 
God is wholly ontologically other than man and, of course, angels. Notice what's going on in Isaiah 
6. And we need to appreciate this with regards to the posture 
that we are to have in theology proper. Notice in Isaiah 6, beginning 
in verse 1. In the year that King Uzziah 
died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted 
up. And the train of His robe filled 
the temple. Above it stood seraphim, each 
one had six wings. With two, He covered His face. 
With two, He covered His feet. And with two he flew. And one 
cried to another and said, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his 
glory. And the posts of the door were 
shaken by the voice of him who cried out. And the house was 
filled with smoke." You see, what we find here is this. The angels are ethically perfect. Remember, the elect angels do 
not sin and have not sinned. And yet these elect and perfectly 
sinless angels are crying out, holy, holy, holy is the Lord 
of hosts. The whole earth is full of his 
glory. So it is not simply the case that the angels are singing 
ethically pure, ethically pure. Ethically pure is the Lord of 
hosts though that is most certainly true of God the Lord of hosts 
But rather they are exalting the Lord God because of this 
certain truth That God cannot be located on the same chain 
of being as any other created thing because he is whole transcendently 
holy He is W-H-O-L-L-Y-H-O-L-Y. He is transcendently removed 
from man in his pure being, in his infinite perfection, and 
in his immensity. A reading of Chapter 1 should 
just say that. Chapter 2, paragraph 1 rather, 
should just say that. The multiplication of intelligible 
words there to describe the infinite God. He is wholly other. Recognizing this is, remember, 
preliminary helps and interpretive cautions, and as we work through 
this stuff, we may not be able to finish everything today, but 
sometimes that's bad, sometimes that's good, and it's good when 
we're studying the Lord God of heaven and earth. Second, recognizing 
the legitimacy of biblical speculation. And what I mean by that is not 
the vain and philosophical speculations of humanistic sciences and philosophy, 
but rather the stuff of chapter 1 and paragraph 6, where we read 
this. The whole counsel of God concerning 
all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith 
in life is either A, expressly set down, or B, necessarily contained 
in the holy scriptures. unto which nothing at any time 
is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit or traditions 
of men." In other words, we find propositions and truths explicitly 
set down in Holy Scripture or necessarily contained, and that 
demands and expects the exercise of going to two or more addresses 
of Holy Scripture where implicitly things are revealed, where we, 
with our spirit-wrought minds, engage in arriving at specific 
doctrines. We noted this a number of Sundays 
ago when we studied chapter one. There is that logical, that reasonable 
use of our reason that God expects us to come to the scriptures 
and understand things. Jesus demanded this and expected 
it in Luke 24, when he indicted the disciples for not knowing 
that the Christ must suffer. must be delivered up to be crucified 
and rise again. He says, did not the law, the 
prophets, and the Psalms speak concerning me? Well, it didn't 
say, or the prophets didn't write, there will be a fellow named 
Jesus Christ who will be born of Mary and Joseph in year in 
year zero, just to use something that doesn't make sense, but 
in a certain year, you know what I'm getting at. And so a principle 
of the Holy Scriptures is that we engage in biblical and wholesome 
speculation, that is, the use of the Bible and implicit texts 
to arrive at a most certain and biblical truth. Third, recognizing 
the revelatory condescension of God when we approach interpretation. And what I mean by that is what 
Calvin says, the anthropomorphites, he says, these were people back 
in the day, and perhaps they're present today in some form, who 
actually ascribe to God literal members, a body and parts. The anthropomorphites also who 
imagined a corporeal God from the fact that scripture often 
ascribes to him a mouth, ears, eyes, hands, and feet. are easily 
refuted. For who even of slight intelligence 
does not understand that, as nurses commonly do with infants, 
God is want in a measure to lisp in speaking to us. Thus such 
forms of speaking do not so much express clearly what God is like 
as accommodate the knowledge of him to our slight capacity. To do this, he must descend far 
beneath his loftiness. So when we come to the Bible 
and we read that God, with an outstretched arm, with an outstretched 
hand, redeemed Israel from bondage in Egypt, we should, as those 
of slight intelligence, understand that God does not have a literal 
arm and hand that he extended in spatio-temporal reality to 
pull, literally, his people from out of bondage in Egypt. We understand 
what Calvin is saying that God accommodates the knowledge of 
him to our slight capacity. So that when we also read that 
God was grieved in his heart, we understand with Gil and with 
Calvin and with multitudes of theologians that God wasn't really 
grieved in his heart because that would ascribe changeability 
to God and emotion to him. God is immutable a most pure 
spirit and so we understand that this truth and we need to understand 
as we engage in this enterprise of theology proper the revelatory 
Condescension of God when it says that he will cry out as 
a woman in labor He does not cry out as a woman a woman in 
labor when it says that he will pant and gasp after us we're 
not to assume that God can lose his breath and has some sort 
of you know, involuntary control of his diaphragm and his lungs. 
We understand that God, tending to our infinitude, lists to us, 
as it were, in his infinitude to reveal certain truths concerning 
him. Fourthly, we need to divest ourselves 
of the tendency to let the text speak instead of letting the 
Bible speak. What do I mean by that? Well, 
related to the thing that we previously spoke about, we read 
a text and we see that God's eyes are in every place. Or we 
see something about God, again, having eyes and ears and arms. 
And we cannot just rip that out of its context, and more to the 
point, out of the Bible as a whole, which has a theology, which has 
an ontology, a doctrine of being as it respects God. We cannot 
just tear those things out of their context. Paragraphs 7 and 
9 in chapter 1 speak of this. Again, these are interpretive 
helps as we seek to study God. Paragraph 7 of chapter 1, all 
things in scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike 
clear unto all. Yet those things which are necessary 
to be known, believed, and observed for salvation are so clearly 
propounded and opened in some place of scripture or other that 
not only the learned but the unlearned in a due use of ordinary 
means may attain to a sufficient understanding of them. And then 
paragraph 9, the infallible rule of interpretation of scripture 
is the scripture itself and therefore when there is a question about 
the true and full sense of any scripture which is not manifold 
but one, it must be searched by other places that speak more 
clearly. And here we are to understand 
that attribute brought out in paragraph 5 the consent of all 
the parts. One of the attributes of Holy 
Scripture that argues to its God-breathedness is that attribute 
of the consent of all the parts. If in one place it says God is 
spirit, but in another place it says God with an outstretched 
arm redeemed his people, we must, and we must understand something 
there. We go to the scriptures And we 
find the Bible revealing a theology to us. And when we arrive at 
certain texts, we understand those in light of the Bible as 
a whole. Fifthly and lastly, we need to 
commit to the exertion of mental energy. In other words, it sometimes 
can be man in his laziness to not exert the mental energy in 
learning and in studying theology. Oh, I just have no patience for 
that. Can't we just bask in the effervescent 
petals of God's omnibenevolence and not have to ever study and 
learn of him? No, we are to understand and 
we are to know him. If we do not understand and we 
do not know him, then we can be like those of downgrade Christendom 
who construct a god of their own vain imaginations. Okay, 
then. Oh, and actually with that, this 
is a great quote. You see, very often, Deuteronomy 
29.29 is used as an escape hatch for studying theology. You know 
Deuteronomy 29.29? The secret things are of the 
Lord, but those which are revealed are for us and for our children. 
Oh, this, you know, we don't need to study ontological things 
concerning God. That's the stuff of the secret 
things. No, those are the things revealed. And by our use of chapter 
1, 6, we are to understand and we are to know him. Whenever 
something is too hard and something starts to arouse the necessity 
for the exertion of mental energy, We want to open the hatch of 
Deuteronomy 29, 29 and jump out. No, we need to hunker down. This 
is what Stephen Charnock says, though we cannot comprehend him 
as he is, we must be careful not to fancy him to be what he 
is not. And so to ensure that we do not 
do that, we engage in the study of theology proper. So first then, 35 minutes later, 
a brief outline of the chapter. A brief outline of the chapter. 
Just a reminder of first principles, when we studied chapter one of 
the Holy Scriptures, we noted Muller's Latin phrase that that 
is chapter one of the Holy Scriptures. Those first principles, chapters 
one and then two through six. Chapter one was the Principium 
Cognis endi, or the principle of knowing. How do we know? we 
know by virtue of God revealing himself. And ultimately, and 
finally, in the Holy Scriptures, the 66 books of the Old and New 
Testaments. When we come to chapter two in 
the doctrine of God, we arrive at the Principium Ascendae, the 
principle of being or essential foundation, this is Muller, is 
a term applied to God considered as the objective ground of theology 
without whom there could be neither revelation nor theology. So that is where we're at here 
with chapter two of God and of the Holy Trinity. First principles, 
the principle of being or essential foundation. If we could title, 
if you have your confessions there still in front of you, 
if we could title each paragraph of the chapter perhaps we could 
title them this way. Paragraph 1, God's essential 
glory. God's essential glory. The Lord our God is but one only 
living and true God whose subsistence is in and of Himself, infinite 
in being and perfection, whose essence cannot be comprehended 
by any but Himself. And there are a number of things 
affirmed and denied or affirmed by way of affirmation and denial 
concerning God. There are truths that the confession 
brings out with respect to God and there are many of them and 
that is what we'll be doing this morning and in future weeks is 
studying those things that the confession identifies that the 
Bible reveals concerning the Lord our God who is the one and 
only living and true God. So paragraph one, God's essential 
glory, and therein we see a multitude of attributes and things said 
with respect to the Lord our God. Paragraph two, we could 
title God's transcendent relations. God's transcendent relations, 
we see the divine independence from his creation. And the relationship 
of man to God at the end of paragraph two, to him is due from angels 
and men. whatsoever worship, service, 
or obedience as creatures they owe unto the Creator and whatever 
He is further pleased to require of them. So God's essential glory, 
paragraph one. God's transcendent relations, 
paragraph two. And then paragraph three, God's 
triune majesty. And that one should be obvious 
by the first statement. God's triune majesty. In this 
divine and infinite being, there are three subsistences the Father, 
the Word, or Son, and the Holy Spirit. So God's essential glory, 
God's transcendent relations, and God's triune majesty. Francis 
Turretin, somewhat similarly, though a little bit differently, 
but still in a threefold manner, presents a threefold consideration 
of the exercise or the goal of theology proper. First, that 
we may know that he is, with respect to existence, against 
the atheist. Second, that we may know what 
he is with respect to his nature and attributes against the heathen. Third, that we may know who he 
is with respect to the persons against the Jews and heretics. So that's just a brief outline 
of the chapter. We'll look at much of the language 
as we now continue in the study the first statement in paragraph 
one at the point of this, divine singularity. Or we could say 
the unity of God, divine singularity. First off, we, well, let's just 
read the confessional language. The Lord our God, again, is but 
the only living and true God, whose subsistence is in and of 
himself infinite and in being and perfection. The Lord our 
God is but only, is but one only living and true God, divine singularity. First off, we know that God is 
one with respect to the indivisibility of his essence. In paragraph three, we see that 
language being used, the essence not divided. In the Trinity, 
we do not have a divided essence. When we get to the study of the 
Blessed Trinity, the Holy Trinity, we do not have the divine essence 
and then God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The essence of God is undivided. In this divine and infinite being, 
though, there are three subsistences. And a subsistence is simply an 
instance of a divine essence. There it is not that the essence 
is divided into thirds. The essence is indivisible. So God is one with respect to 
the indivisibility of his essence. Secondly, God is also one with 
respect to the numerical unity of his essence. His essence cannot 
be divided. His essence cannot be multiplied. So in the Trinity, we do not 
have an essence multiplied. It is the divine essence and 
the essence undivided. We do not have a multiplication 
of the divine essence, whether with respect to triune theology 
or with respect to heathen polytheism. The essence, there is no multiplication 
of divine essence. But perhaps more commonly considered, 
consider as Christians this language, the Lord our God is but one only 
living and true God, unity with regards to Christian monotheism, 
his oneness to the exclusion of others, his oneness to the 
exclusion of others. And this would be, of course, 
against polytheism. polytheism kids if you recognize 
the word poly from math and geometry a polygon a multi-sided gone 
multi-sided shape Poly simply means many and so polytheism 
many gods very simple to understand you probably already knew that 
But this idea of divine singularity is in opposition and in contradistinction 
to the heathen notion of polytheism, that there is a pantheon of deities 
at whatever levels they may be that govern this particular reality. God is, the Lord our God is, 
but one living and true God. The Bible does not advocate and 
does not present the affirmation of a polytheism like many Bible 
haters and God haters advocate. Many will come to the Bible and 
say that the reference to certain gods such as Baal and Moloch 
and Ashtorea and all these other deities is a biblical affirmation 
of their existence. But it is only the one living 
and true God, Yahweh, that is to be worshipped. So the Lord 
our God is but one living and true God is to the exclusion 
of polytheism, and it is also to the exclusion of what's been 
called monolatry. Maybe you've never heard that 
one before. But the affirmation of many deities, but the sole 
worship of only one of those deities, whether deemed supreme 
or deemed preferable. So monolatry is the worship of 
one among many gods only. Of course, the Bible excludes 
that as a notion. When the prophet says, if Yahweh is your God, serve 
him. If Baal is your God, serve him. He's not affirming the existence 
of Baal either as a lesser, greater, or equal deity. But rather, in 
the context demands and Psalmist affirms that he is mocking the 
reality of this one called Baal, who could ever be a fellow or 
a contemporary or a rival to Yahweh, who is the Lord our God 
and is but one only living and true God. Of course, this would 
be to the exclusion of tritheism, which we don't hear of too much, 
but which has been a pseudo-Christian heresy Throughout the history 
of the church. So where in our Bibles then would 
we go to to see divine singularity? well, we could go to Deuteronomy 
6 and Deuteronomy 6 verse 4 because there we see a Old Testament 
affirmation of This particular reality divine singularity the 
unity of God Christian monotheism Hero Israel the Lord our God 
the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your 
God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your 
strength." So it's very clear there and very explicit. The 
Lord our God, the Lord is one. In Deuteronomy, you can move 
a bit to the right to Deuteronomy 32. Deuteronomy chapter 32 and 
verse 39 because they're in the same book 
we have this same doctrine upheld now see that I even I am he and 
there is no God besides me I kill and I make alive I wound and 
I heal nor is there any who can deliver from my hand you see 
the explicit nature of the Bible's affirmation God's own self revealing 
affirmation of his divine singularity. Now see that I, even I am he, 
and there is no God besides me. In the New Testament, we see 
the consent of parts. In 1 Corinthians chapter 8, we 
see Paul upholding this most certain truth. In 1 Corinthians 
chapter 8 at verse 6, yet for us there is one God, the Father 
of whom are all things, and we for him, and one Lord Jesus Christ 
through whom are all things and through whom we live. You see 
Paul upholding that most certain doctrine. And then lastly, to 
bring forth four witnesses, you can turn to 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy. In a verse speaking with respect 
to the mediatorial work the Lord Jesus Christ We have this in 
verse 5 of 1st Timothy 2 for there is one God and one mediator 
between God and men the man Christ Jesus so divine singularity God 
The essence of God is indivisible the essence of God is numerically 
one it cannot leave be multiplied And most certainly, God is the 
only living and true God. When the Bible speaks concerning 
other gods, it either is A, speaking in a way whereby the writer is 
mocking pagan and heathen idolatry. They have eyes, but they do not 
see. Mouths they have, but they do not speak. Ears they have, 
but they do not hear. Our God, in the blessed contrast, 
they have eyes, but do not see. God does not properly have eyes, 
and yet he sees all things. You see, the great and the high 
loftiness of God and the pagan and human conceptions of deity 
is absolutely immense. Gods are referred to sometimes, 
or the language of God is improperly applied, or as the old boys might 
say, participatively applied to judges and to God's earthly 
ambassadors in Psalm 82. the judges of Israel are spoken 
to as gods, who are not judging righteously in the land. It's 
a small g god, a language, an idiomatic reference we could 
say to men as being God's earthly ambassadors. But there is, of 
course, one only living and true God. Moving on then, and at the 
end of this, if anybody has questions, you can write them down as we're 
going, or if you can remember them, great. You can ask them 
once we've finished at 1033. You can ask some questions if 
you have any. So moving on then to divine omniperfections, 
and we'll continue this next time, divine omniperfections. It's very common to consider 
God, not completely, but in considering God and in doing theology proper, 
to consider those three omniperfections of God, though there really are 
more. We'll consider them at another time. We could call God's 
all-lovingness, or his most-lovingness, his omnibenevolence, and that 
sort of thing. But commonly considered are omnipotence, 
omnipresence, and omniscience. So God's omniperfections first. His omnipotence, God is all-powerful. God is all-powerful. Where do we find this in Chapter 
2 of the Confession? Well, largely, we see it encompassed 
under this language, whose subsistence is in and of himself infinite 
in being and perfection. We could not construe of power 
perfectly unless it was omnipotent, unless it was all-powerful. So 
God, by virtue of being infinite and in being and perfection, 
is all-powerful. We also see this in the statement, 
without body, parts, or passions. For if God had body, parts, or 
passions, he would have a limitability that would prevent him from being 
all-powerful. If he was confined to, if you 
will, parts that extend in space, he would not be all-powerful. If he was divisible somehow in 
those things that he is comprised of, there would be lack or want 
of an attribute because it would not be the fullness of his being 
or his essence. So we need to understand those 
two things as we get to probably maybe more clear language with 
regards to his omnipotence, though it's encompassed in those things. 
He is almighty, the confession says. He is almighty. And of course, in paragraph two, 
those were just some things in paragraph one, but in paragraph 
two, we read that he is alone in and unto himself, all sufficient, 
and that he has sovereign dominion. And so the putting of all these 
things together, or these things separately, no doubt speak to 
the fact that God is omnipotent or that he is all-powerful. What 
is a good definition of omnipotence? And this is from Turretin. The 
power of God is nothing other than the divine essence itself 
productive outwardly, through which he is conceived as able 
to do whatever he wills or can will, those things which are 
not repugnant to his most perfect nature or imply no contradiction. I'll just read that one more 
time because it's very important to understand this. The power 
of God is nothing other than the divine essence itself, productive 
outwardly, through which he is conceived, is able to do whatever 
he wills or can will, those things which are not repugnant to his 
most perfect nature or imply no contradiction. You see those 
silly atheists or those silly agnostics who say, well, I'm 
going to defeat your God right away because God can't create 
a rock that's so big that he can't lift it. Or God can't be 
all powerful Because he can't make your eyes hear things Therefore 
your God can't exist because you say he's all-powerful these 
things are absolutely silly because And they're actually removed 
from the province of divine power to the province of logic Really 
because to do things illogical God cannot do but we'll get to 
that in a moment. Where do we find this in? in 
the Bible. Where do we find God's omnipotence 
in the Bible? Let's turn first to Psalm 115. Psalm 115. Very, very often used, and rightly 
so, in discussions of and in defense of God's sovereignty, 
but no doubt also speaks to that sovereignty or that supreme dominion 
exercised. Psalm 115 in verse 3, but our 
God is in heaven. He does whatever He pleases. Sovereignty and omnipotence. 
It is not just the case that God has the rule and authority 
or the right and authority to do whatever He wills. But he 
actually has the all-encompassing and all-extensive ability to 
do that which he wills. And this is said in contradistinction 
to pagan idols and those who are not in the heavens, those 
who are no gods at all, who are simply whittled out of the wood 
that surrounds or out of the metals of the earth and bowed 
down to in absolute vanity. Our God is in heaven. whatever 
he pleases. As we move forward in Revelation 
to the book of Daniel, and I believe Jim had occasion to read this 
the other night in our Bible study, in Daniel chapter 4. And 
notice the language that we find here with respect to God at the 
point of his all-powerfulness, his omnipotency, omnipotency. And at the end of the time, verse 
34 of Daniel 4, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven and 
my understanding returned to me. and I blessed the Most High 
and praised and honored Him who lives forever and the reasons 
why for His dominion is an everlasting dominion and His kingdom is from 
generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth 
are reputed as nothing. Speaking to omnipotence now and 
the illimitability of it, He does according to His will in 
the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth 
No one can restrain his hand or say to him, what have you 
done? He does. That really is a definition 
of God. He does. He is pure act. God does. He does according to 
his will in the army of heaven. God is the great I am. God is the great he does. He 
is all powerful. He is omnipotent. And it is illimitable. No one can restrain his hand 
or say to him, what have you done? With respect to this idea 
that Turretin brings out in the definition, he is conceived as 
able to do whatever he wills or can will, we can turn to the 
book of Matthew. In Matthew chapter 3 and in Matthew 
chapter 26, we have two examples. In Matthew chapter 3, notice 
in verse 9, Matthew 3, 9. And do not think to say to yourselves, 
we have Abraham as our father, for I say to you that God is 
able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. So it speaks to God's omnipotence 
at this point that he is conceived as able to do whatever he wills 
or can will. God is able to raise children 
to Abraham from these stones. And then also in Matthew 26, 
you can turn there for a moment. In Matthew 26, the point of God's 
ability to do whatever he can will, Matthew 26 and verse 53. Or do you think that I cannot 
now pray to my father and he will provide me with more than 
12 legions of angels? How then could the scriptures 
be fulfilled that it must happen thus? You see, God is not limited. God should be and must be conceived 
as able to do whatever he wills or can will. That brings us to 
some observations then as we close with respect to omnipotence. First off, God's power is not 
limited when we deny to him the power to perform contradictories. In other words, the notion that 
God cannot make your eye hear or your nose smell is not some 
sort of instance or aspect of limitability in God. God's power 
is not limited when we deny to him the power to perform contradictories. This is Turretin. Although we 
assert that God cannot do certain things, we ought not, therefore, 
to be considered as denying his omnipotence as we are charged 
by the Papists and the Lutherans. For we understand this only of 
those things implying a contradiction. and arguing some fault or imperfection 
in the first cause. Now, we reckon those things to 
be contradictory, which we deny that God can do, as that accidents 
can subsist without subjects, that any body can be illocal 
or everywhere. Now, bear with me for a moment, 
and what do you think Turretin is talking about there when he 
says as we are charged by the papists and the Lutherans or 
When he says now we reckon those things to be contradictory which 
we deny that God can do as that Accidents can subsist without 
subjects and that anybody can be illocal or everywhere That's 
right transubstantiation and consubstantiation the papistical 
the Roman Catholic or the Lutheran doctrines of the Lord's Supper. 
They have a bad theology proper, and maybe more specifically, 
well maybe not more specifically, but also a bad Christology in 
that they argue for what's called, and this touches upon our subject, 
the ubiquity of Christ's humanity. The ubiquity of Christ's humanity. When they say that any body, 
can be illocal or everywhere. You see, in the Lord's Supper, 
they say that Christ's full human body, in its completeness, is 
in every wafer consecrated by the host. So what Turton is saying 
here is that the Papists and the Lutherans, because they have 
a sacramental pre-commitment to their transubstantiation and 
their consubstantiation are saying that we limit God's omnipotence 
when we say that he can't do the contradictory. How is it 
that Christ can be fully body in every host and wafer? Well, he can't because God can't 
do that which is illogical. God can't do that which is supernaturally 
contradictory. God can't make an incorporeal 
man, God can't make himself corporeal. There are things that God can't 
do, but those things are only contradictories, things that 
can't be at the same time, or can't be at the same time ever. God exercised to close, or there's 
a threefold identification of things that are impossible. When 
we think about divine omnipotence, When we think about God's all-powerfulness, 
we can think of a threefold identification of things impossible. First off, 
God cannot do those things that are supernaturally impossible. 
Again, this isn't to limit God, but God can't destroy himself. God can't make himself corporeal. He can't do that which is contradictorily 
against his own being in essence. God can, however, do those things 
that are naturally impossible because these things don't defy 
supernatural reality and they don't defy logic. God can or 
we can have a God or Christ born of a virgin. God can raise men 
from the dead. God can do those things that 
are contrary to the strictures of the natural laws that he has 
himself put in place with respect to the cosmos. But God cannot 
do those things which are morally impossible. So God cannot do 
those things that are supernaturally or morally impossible because 
they are contradictions with respect to his own being in essence. 
Because God is love, he cannot not love in contradistinction 
to his love. because God cannot lie. The Bible restricts those things, 
or the Bible speaks to things like God cannot lie. Hebrews 
6.18. 2 Timothy 2.13 as well. There are those things that God 
is not able to do because they are impossibilities or contradictories. And to close, God exercises his 
power in two ways. He exercises them immediately 
and immediately. What do we mean by that? Chapter 
5 of your confession. Chapter 5 of your confession. And maybe just a qualification, 
God can not love. Of course, God is spoken of as 
hating. With regards to contradiction, 
though, God can't at the same time love that which he loves 
and hate that which he loves. But the moral contradiction or 
the moral impossibilities usually speak with regards to the law 
as being the expression of God in his nature and in his essence. 
Divine providence, with this idea that God exercises his power 
in two ways, immediately and immediately, Paragraph 3 of Chapter 
5, God in his ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet is free 
to work without, above, and against them at his pleasure. In other 
words, God can use and does use the immediate things of providential 
means in his creation, like men and armies to come and to sack 
his covenantally disobedient people, but he can immediately 
act in time and in history or he can immediately act with respect 
to grace and to judgment without the use of those means. Well 
we'll close in prayer and then if there are any questions feel 
free to ask. Next time then we will look because 
an hour just isn't enough to mine the riches of what we have 
in the doctrine of God at these points so we'll look at omnipresence 
and omniscience. Next time, let's close in prayer. God, we rejoice in the truth. We rejoice in what you've revealed 
to us in your word concerning what you are, who you are, what 
you do. We rejoice that we can know the 
truth. We rejoice that we can know you 
by virtue of your revelation to us and the spirit making these 
things true to us. And we just pray, Lord God, that 
you'd help us In this exercise of studying theology proper, 
we pray that we would have that proper disposition of coming 
as John, falling at your feet as dead men, humbly approaching 
the God of heaven and earth, who is holy, holy, holy. And 
we do pray that you would bless us with knowledge by your spirit 
and by your word as we do engage in the exercise of understanding 
and knowing you unto your glory. We pray that you would go with 
us now, help Pastor Butler to preach well, help us to worship 
our God well, and might all be done unto the praise of your 
most high name. And it's in Christ's name that 
we pray, amen.