February 14, 2019

Dogmatic Theology Vol 1 - Shedd - XII - Chapter 1 (Nature and definition of God) commenced

Required reading
Dogmatic Theology Vol 1 by William G.T. Shedd (Available from Amazon or free here) - Commence Chapter 1 Nature and Definition of God by reading up to the paragraph starting '2. Personality is the second fundamental predicate of spirit'

My summary
Today Shedd begins to teach us about the nature and definition of God.

He starts with what it means that God is Spirit by stating that there are two predicates which are of fundamental importance in determining the idea of God as a spirit:
(i) Substantiality (God is an essence or substance);
(ii) Personality (God is a self-conscious being).

This week we only look at the first point.  

Shedd teaches us the importance of affirming that God is a substance in contradiction to that form of pantheism which defines him as 'the absolute idea'.

He also examines what it means that God is without passions.

What grabbed me
I appreciated Shedd's clarification that God does have emotions as taught in Scripture: 'While therefore God as a most pure spirit has no passions, he has feelings and emotions. He is not passively wrought upon by the objective universe, so that he experiences physical impressions and organic appetites, as the creature does, but he is self-moved in all his feelings. God's moral love and wrath relate to the character and actions of free moral agents.'

Nothing acts on God, but He does act.

Next week's reading
Conclude Chapter 1 Nature and Definition of God.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

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