1

We Believe in God
Study Guide

LESSON WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT

ONE
GOD

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We
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Millennium
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
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CONTENTS

HOW TO USE THIS LESSON AND STUDY GUIDE ................................................. 3

NOTES ............................................................................................................................... 4
I. INTRODUCTION (0:20)........................................................................................... 4
II. REVELATION & MYSTERIES (1:49) .................................................................... 4
A. Divine Revelation (2:17)...................................................................................... 4
1. Basic Concept (2:55)...................................................................................... 4
2. Types (10:15) ................................................................................................. 6
B. Divine Mysteries (25:06) ..................................................................................... 9
1. Basic Concept (26:42).................................................................................... 9
2. Types (36:24) ................................ 11
III. ATTRIBUTES & WORKS (43:59) ......................................................................... 12
A. Divine Attributes (44:45) ................................................................................... 12
1. Basic Concept (45:07).................................................................................. 12
2. Types (56:57) ............................................................................................... 15
B. Divine Works (1:03:33) ..................................................................................... 16
1. Basic Concept (1:03:47) .............................................................................. 16
2. Types (1:12:09) ............................................................................................ 17
IV. CONCLUSION (1:18:05) ........................................................................................ 18

REVIEW QUESTIONS ................................................................................................. 19

APPLICATION QUESTIONS ...................................................................................... 22

GLOSSARY..................................................................................................................... 23

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
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HOW TO USE THIS LESSON AND STUDY GUIDE

This study guide is designed for use in conjunction with the associated video lesson. If
you do not have access to the video, the study guide will also work with the audio and/or
text versions of the lesson. Additionally, the lesson and study guide are intended to be
used in a learning community, but they also can be used for individual study if necessary.

Before you watch the lesson

o Prepare Complete any recommended readings.
o Schedule viewing In the Notes section of the study guide, the lesson
has been divided into sections that correspond to the video. Using the time
codes found in parentheses beside each major division, determine where to
begin and end your viewing session. IIIM lessons are densely packed with
information, so you may also want to schedule breaks. Breaks should be
scheduled at major divisions.
While you are watching the lesson
o Take notes The Notes section of the study guide contains a basic
outline of the lesson, including the time codes for the beginning of each
section and key notes to guide you through the information. Many of the
main ideas are already summarized, but make sure to supplement these
with your own notes. You should also add supporting details that will help
you to remember, describe, and defend the main ideas.
o Record comments and questions As you watch the video, you may
have comments and/or questions on what you are learning. Use the
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o Pause/replay portions of the lesson You may find it helpful to pause
or replay the video at certain points in order to write additional notes,
review difficult concepts, or discuss points of interest.
After you watch the lesson
o Complete Review Questions Review Questions are based on the basic
content of the lesson. You should answer Review Questions in the space
provided. These questions should be completed individually rather than in
a group.
o Answer/discuss Application Questions Application Questions are
questions relating the content of the lesson to Christian living, theology,
and ministry. Application questions are appropriate for written
assignments or as topics for group discussions. For written assignments, it
is recommended that answers not exceed one page in length.

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
 4

Notes

I. Introduction (0:20)

Theology proper: the study of God himself

II. Revelation & Mysteries (1:49)

To understand who God is, we need to explore what God has disclosed about
himself and what hes hidden.

A. Divine Revelation (2:17)

1. Basic Concept (2:55)

Divine Revelation: Gods self-disclosure, always given in human

terms and most fully given in Christ.

God has always revealed himself in human terms

Anthropomorphic Revelation: God has disclosed himself in

human form, or in ways that human beings can understand

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 5

Types of anthropomorphic revelation in Scripture:

o Human Characteristics Use of human qualities (eyes,

ears, emotions, etc.) as metaphorical descriptions of
God.

o Social Structures Descriptions of God as the supreme

King of creation, in terms similar to descriptions of
human emperors.

o Visible Appearances "theophanies," such as God's

appearing as smoke, fire, or a heavenly cloud of glory
(Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17).

o Abstract Qualities Descriptions of God using

abstractions such as just, holy, and powerful.

God has revealed himself most fully in Christ.

Jesus is Gods supreme revelation of himself to the human

race (Colossians 1:15).

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 6

2. Types (10:15)

Two types of Gods revelation:

General Revelation God's self-revelation to human beings

through every experience of creation (Psalm 19).

Jesus often drew theological lessons from general revelation,

using nature and human activities to teach about God.

Paul pointed Gentiles toward what they knew about God

through reflection on nature and Greek poetry (Acts 14:17;
17:28).

Romans 1-2 teaches that we can learn many things about God
through our experiences of life in Gods creation.

Gods invisible qualities his eternal power and divine

nature have been clearly seen, being understood from
what has been made. (Romans 1:20)

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 7

Natural theology: the ongoing attempt to learn about God

through general revelation.

Threefold strategy of medieval scholastics for pursuing natural

theology:

o "the way of causation" (via causalitatis) we can learn

truths about God by observing the good things that God
has created or "caused to be."

o "the way of negation" (via negationis) we can infer

truths about God by contrasting him with the limitations
and imperfections of creation.

o "the way of eminence" (via eminentiae) we can infer

truths about God by noting how God is always greater
than his creation.

Christians should be eager to search out everything we can

learn about God through general revelation.

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 8

Romans 1-2 presents some negative outlooks on general

revelation as well.

General revelation reveals "the wrath of God" rather than the

way of his mercy and salvation (Romans 1:18; 1:25).

Sinful people lie to themselves and to others about what God

has revealed through his creation.

Corrupt human hearts miss the truth about God disclosed in

general revelation.

Special Revelation Gods self-disclosure through

supernatural means (e.g., dreams, visions, auditions, Christ).

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 9

Special revelation guides our attempts to understand general

revelation and discloses the way of salvation.

Jesus taught his followers to devote themselves to Gods

special revelation in Scripture (Mark 12:28-34).

We can rely on Scripture to discern Gods disclosures in both

general revelation and special revelation throughout history.

B. Divine Mysteries (25:06)

1. Basic Concept (26:42)

Divine mysteries: Innumerable, undisclosed truths about God that

limit our understanding of God.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of

God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths
beyond tracing out! (Romans 11:33)

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 10

"There is infinitely more in God than we have any idea of; and
what we do know, we know imperfectly" (Charles Hodge,
Systematic Theology, Volume 1, Part 1, chapter 4).

Theres not a single thing about God that we understand fully.

Two ways divine mysteries limit what we know about God:

Limited information

We see only a "poor reflection" of the truth of God, as if

were looking "in a mirror" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

If God hasnt revealed it, we cant know it.

Limited explanations

Divine mysteries limit our ability to explain the logical

coherence of much of what God has revealed about
himself.

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 11

The truth of any theological claim depends only on whether

or not God has disclosed it in general or special revelation.

2. Types (36:24)

Two types of divine mysteries:

Temporary truths about God hidden from human beings

for a time, then revealed at some later point in history.

God has disclosed more and more about himself over time.

The most dramatic unveiling of divine mysteries took place

in the special revelation of Christ (Ephesians 1:9; 3:3;
6:19).

Only when Christ returns in glory will he disclose every

temporary mystery (1 Corinthians 13:12).

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 12

Permanent truths about God that are beyond our

comprehension (the incomprehensibility of God).

We will never understand everything about anything about

God (Isaiah 55:8-9).

III. Attributes & Works (43:59)

A. Divine Attributes (44:45)

The study of divine attributes looks at who God is.

1. Basic Concept (45:07)

Divine attributes: The perfections of Gods essence revealed

through a variety of historical manifestations.

"Essence" (essentia) refers to God's being or substance

(substantia).

The essence of something is the unchanging reality that

underlies all of its outward, changing manifestations.

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 13

Four important distinctions of God's essence:

Gods essence what God is in himself.

Gods perfections or attributes the qualities of Gods

essence.

Gods long-term historical manifestations his disclosures

of himself over long periods of time.

Gods short-term historical manifestations his disclosures

of himself in relatively short periods of time.

"There is one Divine Essence which is called and which is God:

eternal, without body, without parts, of infinite power, wisdom,
and goodness, the Maker and Preserver of all things, visible and
invisible" (Augsburg Confession, Article 1).

Evangelicals insist that God has revealed some of the attributes of

his divine essence.

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 14

On occasion, biblical authors referred explicitly to Gods eternal,

essential perfections (Psalm 34:8; 1 Timothy 1:17).

For the most part, the Scriptures portray Gods attributes indirectly
through:
descriptions
names and titles
metaphors and similes
actions

God always manifests himself in ways that are true to who he is,
but his attributes are not the same as his manifestations.

We must be careful to maintain the distinctions between Gods

attributes and his long- and short-term historical manifestations.

Its often difficult to distinguish between Gods attributes and his

long-term historical manifestations.

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 15

God manifests himself in various ways in history, but his attributes

have been true of him forever and will always be true of him
forever.

2. Types (56:57)

Evangelicals typically refer to two types of God's attributes:

Incommunicable perfections of Gods essence that

creation cannot share with him.

It common for Gods incommunicable attributes to be

associated with the terms:
o eternal
o without body
o without parts
o infinite

The Scriptures dont call humans to imitate these attributes,

but to worship and praise God for how different he is from
us.

Communicable Gods eternal perfections that are shared

with his creation.

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 16

Human beings have power, wisdom and goodness on a

human scale.

Scripture commands us not simply to admire these divine

attributes, but also to imitate them.

B. Divine Works (1:03:33)

1. Basic Concept (1:03:47)

Divine works: How God works all things according to his eternal
purposes.

God works out every single event that ever has occurred and ever
will occur (Ephesians 1:11).

We should not limit Gods works simply to those events that

Scripture attributes exclusively to God.

First Cause God is the ultimate cause behind every event

that occurs at every moment in history.

Second causes created beings or objects that perform real,

but secondary roles in causing events to occur.

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 17

In one way or another, Gods works include everything that occurs

in history, whether he does them directly or indirectly.

Divine works are according to God's eternal purposes (Ephesians

1:11; Isaiah 46:10).

Gods works always fulfill his eternal purposes.

2. Types (1:12:09)

Two types of divine works:

Creation God is "the Maker of all things, visible and

invisible" (Augsburg Confession, Article 1).

Traditional treatments of God's work of creation

emphasize:

o Fact God created everything that exists.

o Variety God created variety both in the physical

and spiritual realms.

o Purpose God first established the creation to fulfill

his eternal purposes.

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 18

Providence God is the "Preserver of all things, visible and

invisible" (Augsburg Confession, Article 1).

Providence (providentia) attending to something, or

taking care of something.

Creation is just as dependent on God now as it was at the

very first moment of creation (Colossians 1:16-17).

God's work of providence can be summarized in three main

ways:

o Fact God preserves and sustains everything he has

made.

o Variety God interacts with different facets of

creation in different ways.

o Purpose God ensures that creation will fulfill his

eternal purposes.

IV. Conclusion (1:18:05)

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
 19

Review Questions

1. What is divine revelation? List four ways that God has revealed himself in human
terms (anthropomorphic revelation). Include specific examples from Scripture.

2. Explain both general and special revelation. How does God use each type to reveal
himself to us?

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Review Questions 20

3. What do theologians mean when they talk about divine mysteries? What is the
difference between temporary mysteries and permanent mysteries? Give examples of
each.

4. How do systematic theologians define divine attributes? Why must we carefully

distinguish between God's attributes and his historical manifestations when we study
theology proper?

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Review Questions 21

5. How do evangelicals define God's divine works? What does it mean that God "works
out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will" (Ephesians 1:11)?

6. The Augsburg Confession tells us that God is the Maker and Preserver of all things.
Explain the two types of divine works represented by this statement.

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
 22

Application Questions

1. What attributes of God shown in the person of Jesus Christ most amaze you about
your Creator? How does the person of Jesus Christ prevent you from fashioning
God into your image?

2. What kinds of things have you learned about the world around you from what
God has revealed in nature apart from Scripture? Has God's revelation through
creation made a difference in your daily life? Explain your answer.

3. We cannot be saved through the knowledge gained from general revelation alone.
How did God use his special revelation to bring you to a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? How does this impact the way you
minister to those around you?

4. Think of someone you know who refuses to believe that God exists. What are
some possible reasons why someone might deny Gods existence? How might
general revelation refute this disbelief?

5. How does the doctrine of God's transcendence comfort and reassure you in your
Christian life? What is it about Gods complete "otherness" that challenges you
most and why?

6. In Isaiah 55:8-9, God reminds us that his ways are far beyond ours. Name a few
of God's actions that are difficult for you to understand. What do you most look
forward to understanding when Christ returns in glory?

7. As we learned in this lesson, "God works all things according to his eternal
purposes." How does this reassure and strengthen you when you are suffering
through trials and facing temptations? How can you use this truth to reassure and
strengthen others?

8. The doctrine of God's providence tells us that he is always at work in our lives.
When have you been most tempted to think that God is not at work in your life?
What Scripture verses call you back to a right understanding of his constant care
and provision for you?

9. What is the most significant thing you learned in this lesson?

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
 23

Glossary
anthropomorphism Term referring to how God mysticism Belief system that emphasizes the need to
sometimes speaks or behaves in ways that seem almost go beyond reason to receive revelation through
human transcendent spiritual enlightenment

Aristotle (ca. 384-322 B.C.) Ancient Greek natural theology The ongoing attempt to learn about
philosopher and scientist who studied under Plato and God through general revelation
founded the Lyceum in Athens
patristic theology Theology from approximately A.D.
Augsburg Confession The foremost confession of 150-600 that described, explained and defended
faith of the Lutheran church written by German Christianity in ways that were relevant for Hellenistic
Reformer Philipp Melanchthon; first presented on June cultures
25, 1530 at the Diet of Augsburg
Plato (ca. 427-347 B.C.) Ancient Greek philosopher
communicable attributes Characteristics of God that who studied under Socrates and founded the Academy at
can be communicated to his creation in some measure Athens
(e.g., wisdom, power, goodness)
providence God's active involvement in history as he
Deism Philosophy popular in the 17th and 18th works out his eternal plan for creation and the welfare of
centuries that teaches that after God created the universe, his people
he left it to function on its own providentia Latin term meaning "attending to,"
"sustaining," "taking care of"
divine attributes The perfections of Gods essence
revealed through a variety of historical manifestations scholasticism School of philosophy taught by the
academics (or "Scholastics") during the medieval period
divine mysteries Innumerable, undisclosed truths that put great emphasis on the use of Aristotelian logic
about God that limit our understanding of God and attempted to harmonize Christian theology with
classical philosophy
divine revelation Gods self-disclosure, always given
in human terms and most fully given in Christ special revelation Gods disclosures of himself and
his will to a select number of people through dreams,
Enlightenment, the A philosophical movement of the visions, prophets, the Scriptures, and other similar means
17th and 18th centuries that emphasized human reason
over religious, social, and political traditions substantia Latin term meaning substance
essentia Latin term meaning "essence" or "being" theophany A visible appearance of God to a human
being or beings
general revelation Gods use of the natural world and
its workings to make his existence, nature, presence, via causalitatis Latin phrase for "way of causation,"
actions and will known to all humanity meaning to learn about God by observing the good
things he has created; part of the three-fold strategy
Hellenistic Of or relating to Greek civilization, culture, developed by medieval Scholastic theologians for
or language, after the time of Alexander the Great pursuing natural theology

Hodge, Charles (1797-1878) Well-known theologian via eminentiae Latin phrase for "the way of
from Princeton Theological Seminary who wrote eminence, meaning to learn about God by noting how
numerous commentaries, articles, and books, including God is greater than his creation; part of the three-fold
his three-volume Systematic Theology strategy developed by medieval Scholastic theologians
for pursuing natural theology
incommunicable attributes Characteristics of God
that cannot be communicated to man (e.g., omnipotence, via negationis Latin phrase for the way of negation,
omniscience, omnipresence, eternality) meaning to learn about God by contrasting him with his
creation; part of the three-fold strategy developed by
medieval Scholastic theologians for pursuing natural
theology

We Believe in God
Lesson 1: What We Know About God
2015 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org