Читать книгу Mathers Systematic Theology - Norman W. Mathers - Страница 26

The unity of God means that God is one God (Deut. 6:4, James 2:19). The One God subsists in 3 persons, the Father, the Eternal Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three persons are co-equal, co-eternal and of one essence (substance), and indivisible (Matt. 28:19-20, John 14:16-17, 2 Cor. 13:14). Each person of the Godhead is God of very God. The Father is God (John 6:27, Eph. 4:6). Jesus, the Eternal Son is God (Heb. 1:8). The Spirit of God is God (Acts 5:3-4). Walvoord (1974:39-40) gives additional scriptural references for the unity of God (Ex. 20:3, Is. 44:6, John 10:30, 14:9, 17:11, 12,23, Col. 1:15). He adds these verses for the Eternal Son (Is. 7:14, 9:6). The verse added for the Father is Psalm 2:7. The verse added for the Spirit is Psalm 104:30 (ibid:39-40). A. A. Hodge (1972:138) writes on the Unity of God arguing for the uniqueness of God. There is only one God. This excludes all others. The three persons of the Godhead, constitute one essence (substance) which is indivisible. Chafer (1971:1:136) views Theology Proper as having a twofold division. The first is Theism which consists of the existence and attributes of God. The second is Trinitarianism which is the presentation of the three persons in the Godhead, their role, attributes, and relationships within the Godhead. Chafer (ibid:180) expands the definition of unity of God to include His person, His attributes, His decree, and names. The truth of the three persons of the Godhead that are co-equal, co-eternal, co-existence, of one essence or substance, and indivisible belong to Trinitarianism. Charles Hodge (1975:1:367) references the “Westminster Cathechism” that “God is a Spirit.” This statement includes both the incommunicable and communicable attributes of God. These attributes are “infinite, eternal, unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” It would be better to state God is spirit. The Greek text uses the abstract of the noun spirit without the article. The order of the words in the Greek New Testament is “spirit God” (Aland & Black 1968:334). The verb is has to be supplied. It is understood. God is perfect being (Hodge 1975:1:366). Being means God has real existence. He is of one substance (essence) (ibid:367). God is not an idea or a force or a power but is a person (ibid:367). Shedd (1979:1:251) confirms the Divine unity. God is a tri-unity or trinity. He is one God but a plural unit existing in three persons.