LECTURE 2

DOCTRINE OF GOD
Introduction
In the previous lecture, we studied the sources of Christian theology, we have noted the
critical role of scripture and tradition among other sources. In this lesson, we focus our selves
to the topic on the doctrine of God. The purpose in this lesson to help you to understand the
nature and attributes of God in concrete terms. This will strengthen you to theologize key
issues from an informed position. In turn, this will form a climactic moment as it will trigger
your thinking on deeper theological issues.
The belief in the existence of God
There are innumerable definitions offered by scholars, philosophers, and skeptics: none can
sufficiently and exhaustively define God. Some of the leading theologians’ definitions are
quite instructive. Berkhof: God is one, absolute, unchangeable and infinite in His knowledge
and wisdom, Hs goodness and love, His grace and mercy, His righteousness and greatness.
Strong: God is the infinite and perfect Spirit in whom all things derive their source, support
and end.
The Bible, the core of Christian faith and practice is helpful in this endeavour.
See for instance the names attributed to God and what they reveal about God e.g.
 El and its derivations: Elim, Elohim, Eloah
 The compound El-Elyon, El-Shaddai
 Jehovah:
o Jehovah-Jireh: Provider (Gen. 22:14)
o Jehovah-Rapha – Healer (Ex. 15:26)
o Jehovah-Nissi – the Lord our Banner (Ex. 17:15)
o Jehovah-Shalom – the Lord our Peace (Judges 6:24)
o Jehovah-Tsidkenu– the Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6)
o Jehovah-Rohi – the Lord my Shepherd (Psalms 23:1)
o Jehovah-Shammah – the Lord is Present (Ezekiel 48:35)
 Adonai, my Lord

Belief in the existence is intuitive but also assumed by Scripture. This belief is also
corroborated by arguments

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 1. Cosmological Argument – derived on cause-effect. The first cause was outside the
universe and intelligent.
2. Teleological Argument – Based on order and useful arrangement/pattern evident
in life implies an intelligence and purpose in the organizing cause
3. Ontological Argument – the idea of God in infinitely greater than the human
being. The concept of the Biblical God must have some cause, God himself.
4. Moral Argument – prevailing moral order in human existence: conscience
acknowledges existence of a great law-giver and the certainty of the punishment
of violations of his law.
5. Congruity Argument – based on the belief that the postulate which best explains
the related facts is probably true. To believe in a personal, self-sufficient and self-
revealing God harmonizes with our moral and mental nature; history and natural
law have a explanation; and the universal belief in a supreme being with its
accompanying religious experiences can be accounted for. Atheism, pantheism,
agnosticism are inadequate and unsatisfactory answers to the human quest. Hence
belief in a personal, extra-mundane self-existent, ethical and self-revealing God.
Though incomprehensible (Job 11:7; Isa 40:18; Rom. 11:33) he is knowable (John
17:3; 1 John 5:20).

The Essence of God

 His Spirituality
o He is immaterial and incorporeal
o He is invisible (yet invincible)
o He is living/Alive
o He is a person

 His self-existence
Humanity’s being, unlike God’s, is on grounds external to itself. God’s existence is not
dependant on anything outside Himself. Thomas Aquinas put it, “He is the first cause,
himself uncaused”. He is not based on his will but his nature … by necessity of his nature
as the uncaused being.
 His immensity

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 Infinite in terms of spatial context. He is supra spatial-temporal, unlimited by space and
time. He is both immanent and transcendent simultaneously. He is everywhere present in
essence besides in knowledge and power. Whenever and wherever God is present, his
spiritual substance, like the soul, is a complete whole at every point.
 His eternity
Addresses infinite vis-à-vis time, that is, transcends temporal limits – no beginning, no end
… endless, everlasting. He is free from timelessness. Shedd reckoned “God has a
simultaneous possession of his total duration …” The whole of the divine knowledge and
experience is ever the Divine Being so that there are no parts succeeding parts.

The Attributes of God

These are qualities through which we can easily understand God’s nature. They
constitute the substance and provide an analytical description of God, and eventually
make a closer description of it.

Non-Moral Attributes
 Omnipresence: present everywhere at once simultaneously since he transcends
time and space.
 Omniscience: knows himself perfectly. Triune God (Father, Son and Holy
Spirit) knows one another perfectly. Knows things actually existing. Knows all
things possible. Knows the future.
 Omnipotence
 Immutability
Moral Attributes
 Holiness
 Righteousness and justice
 Goodness: love, mercy, benevolence, grace
 Truth
The Works of God
 Creation
 Sovereign rule/Sustenance
 Providence
General Attributes of God
 God is unique. There is no God like Yahweh.

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  God is infinite and omnipotent. God is everywhere, unlimited, and all-powerful
 God is eternal. God always was and always will be. ...
 God is immense. ...
 God contains all things. ...
 God is immutable. ...
 God is utterly simple-a pure spirit. ...
 God is personal.
 God is immanent (close to us)
 God is transcendent (far from us)

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (in African Religion, a comparison)

i. The Omniscient
- God’s omniscient is not confined to seeing only, but hearing is an important part
according to African people.
- The Ila says that “God’s ears are long”
- The Bambtis name for God is “He who sees and hears everything”
- This means that Africans see God as one whose watchfulness is so complete that
nothing meant, said or done can escape his attention.
His attention catches everything and his radar detects every object

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (in African Religion, a comparison)

ii. The Omniscient
- God’s omniscient is not confined to seeing only, but hearing is an important part
according to African people.
- The Ila says that “God’s ears are long”
- The Bambtis name for God is “He who sees and hears everything”
- This means that Africans see God as one whose watchfulness is so complete that
nothing meant, said or done can escape his attention.
- His attention catches everything and his radar detects every object
- The Bena and Nuer behave that God does not have a body but his capacity for
knowledge, sight and hearing are everywhere and absolute.
iii. God is Omnipresent
- This goes with the saying that God sees everywhere and
everything

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 - It is a common belief among the Africans.
- The Shilluk and Langi say that God is like wind.
- In Rwanda they speak of God who is met everywhere
- For the Bena God is everywhere at once.
iv. The Omnipotence of God
- In Zanzibar African know God as one who thunders
- To many Africans, thunder is not merely the sound of a natural phenomenon but
the almighty power of God
- The popular name for God among the Yoruba is “the Almighty” ; they believe
that God if more powerful in heaven and on earth
- God is able to do all things\s
- He is the enabler of all who achieve any ends
- The Ngombe praise God a “the All-powerful” ‘the strong one’ who helps them
find lost things and who met out justice upon man
- The Abaluhyia look at the omnipotence of God in a different context; they believe
that God has the ability to alter the natural law which he has established; they
therefore ask God to let the natural phenomena continue normally.

iv. The Transcendence of God

- This must be balanced with God’s imminence. The two are complementary
- God is ‘far’ (transcendent), and men cannot reach him. But God is also
(immanent) near
- God’s transcendence is conceived in various ways
- In terms of time: Africans lay much emphasis in present and past than on the
future
- Many myths look towards the past.
- We have no myths about the future. People’s lives are echoed in the past. God is
seen as being in and beyond the past.
- The Akan for example praise God as “He who is there now and from the ancient
times”.
- The Tonga refers to him as “the ancient of days”. For them there is no time in life
when God was not there.
In terms of space, distance and outreach:
- The Mende call God “the High –up one”

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 - The Nubia of Sudan says that there is “Nothing higher than God” and the
Banyaruanda says that “Nothing is above God”.
To some, transcendence of God is conceived of in terms of worship and exaltation. The Akan
praise him as “he who is beyond all thanks”. The Sagama believe that God can be reached by
human prayers only through the meditation of a special council.
To some, the transcendence of God means limitlessness. The Bacongo believe that “He is
made by no other, no one is beyond him
- God is the unexplainable one.
- The Ganda consider God to be the “father of deity of all” thus recognizing him as
supreme over all other spirits.
v. God is Transcendent
This means that God is both powerful and also far above man. The Rwanda proverb ‘God
goes above nay shield’ not only means that God is powerful but also beyond and above man’s
power.
vi. God is Immanent
This means that God is close to us and able to help us. This is expressed very well in the
Rwandan proverb, ‘God has long arms’. This suggests that God is both near and far away but
that his arms can reach wherever he wishes. So God is never too far away from us not to be
able to help us.
vi. God is Self-Existent
This means that God was not created by anyone or by anything else. He exists by Himself.
He alone is God. In Rwanda, this is expressed by the names of God: ‘Habimana’ (‘God
exists’ or ‘God alone exists’) and ‘Bigirimana’ which means ‘God has all things’. He does
not need anyone to give Him anything. A proverb in Rwanda says, ‘there is none to equal
Imana’.

vii. God is Eternal and Ever Living

The people of Rwanda call God ‘Iyakare’ (‘the one from long ago’ or, as the Bible puts it,
‘The Ancient of Days’) and ‘Iyambere’ (‘the one from the beginning or from the first time’).
These words mean that it is thought that God has always existed.

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 viii. God is Great and Supreme
This is similar to the idea that God is omnipotent. So God is described as ‘Rugaba’, the One
who rules, ‘Hategikimana’, the God who gives orders and ‘Segaba’, the governor or the
father of authority.
ix. God is Creator
Here you should note that this is a frequent description of God in Rwanda and Burundi. He is
‘Umuremyi’, the Creator or Moulder. He is also called ‘Habyarimana’, trhe God who gives
birth. He is also known as ‘Harerimana’, the God who raises or educates children and so the
originator of family life. He is also called ‘Rurema’, the fashioner or Creator.
x. God is Protector
In Rwanda there is a proverb which says, ‘the plant protected by God is never hurt by the
wind’. They also say, ‘ndagijimana’, meaning ‘I give it to God’ because I can trust him to
protect me’. In Burundi it is said, ‘Ntirandekura’, meaning ‘God has not yet forsaken me’. He
also called ‘Rutangaboro’ and ‘Rufashaboro’, the helper of the poor.
xi. God is Saviour
‘Haragakiza’ is a name given to children, perhaps after a difficult birth. It describes God’s
activity and it means ‘there is salvation’. God alone gives safely and salvation.
xii. God is Merciful and Good
In Burundi God has yet another name, ‘Iyeze’ which means ‘the One who is kindly
disposed’. God is also called Imana Nziza (‘God is good’) to distinguish Him from ‘Imana
mbi’ (‘God is bad’), the one who does evil.

God is always assumed to be good which may explain why the idea of punishment is not well
understood. Also God is assumed to do good and therefore He does not need to be thanked. It
is his job to do good to his followers.
So traditionally it was almost bad manners to thank someone for helping you. If you thanked
them, you were saying that they had done something unusual which was not in their nature to
do normally. So a “thank-you” was almost an insult.

xiii. God Has a Will of His Own

Again this is another way of saying that God is all-powerful. In Rwanda it is said about God,
‘Hashakimana’, which means ‘God wills it’ or ‘God desires it’. Therefore, God has an
independent will of His own.

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