Christian Doctrine

Who is God?
Part 1
Update on grade distribution
Old breakdown New breakdown

Weekly participation 10 10

Assignments 7.5 (2.5 each) 15 (5 each)

Midterm 12.5 5

Final Report 5 5

Final Exam 15 15

TOTAL 50 50
Update on midterm
Old midterm New midterm

Grade 12.5% 5%

Venue eClass Quiz Google Assignment

T/F, Multiple Choice, Matching,

Structure 300-word writing assignment
Essay
Take-home, due beginning of class
Timing 1.25 hours, in class
next Wednesday.

Resources Memory Open-book

Teamwork? Solo Solo

Essay questions
• Trace the development of the fundamental Covenant relationship
of God and God’s people throughout…

• Explain the four key elements of of the “Faith of the Apostles”(4)

and explain its link to the development of the Early Church (1).

• Analyze the central Christian metaphor of God as “Father,”

naming its benefits (3), its limitations (1), as well as its link to the
Common Thread of the course (1).
Who is God? What does God do?

• Doctrine, docere, teachings

• Who do Christians understand God to be? (1/2)
• What do Christians understand God to do? (0/2)

• Go back to the roots!

• Testimony of New Testament
• Testimony of Faith of the Apostles
Faith of the Apostles
• Key for development of early Church
• Closest to Jesus and his teachings
• Eyewitness faith of 12 men
• 1-3 years with Jesus
• Listening
• Learning
• Observing
• Co-working
• Convinced Jesus was the Messiah
• Four key elements of this faith
Four key elements 1/2
• 1. Witnessed life and work of Jesus
• Miracles
• Wonders
• Signs
• Teachings

• 2. Witnessed betrayal and death of Jesus

• Upset the powers of government and religion
• Betrayed and crucified
• Disappointed – wasn’t he the Messiah?
• Moment of crisis: THIS WAS A FAILURE.
Four key elements 2/2
• 3. Witnessed resurrection of Jesus
• Resurrection: rising from the dead
• Tomb empty on the third day
• Appearances for forty days to:
• Group of women
• Mary of Magdala
• Peter and John
• Emmaus disciples
• Jesus’ ascent into heaven

• 4. Witnessed descent of God’s Holy Spirit

• On Pentecost (50th day): Communal reception
• Holy Spirit sent them to preach, teach and build community
Inaugural Speech of Peter

• Acts 2:14-36
• We are all witnesses to this:
• Jesus was a man of miracles, wonders and signs (1)
• You killed Jesus (2)
• God raised Jesus from the dead (3)
• Jesus returned to heaven
• God sent the Holy Spirit, this is what is inspiring us
as we preach and teach (Pentecost) (4)
• God made Jesus Lord and Christ!
Acts 2:37
“Now when they heard this,
they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other apostles,
“What are we to do, my brothers?”
Pentecost: birth of the Church
• Key beliefs of the apostles after Pentecost:
• We have been formed into a community!
• We are empowered by God’s Holy Spirit!
• We have been missioned to preach Jesus!
• …Who God sent to teach and heal
• …Who was rejected by the powers
• …Who was raised by God and exalted
• Movement became known as “The Way”
• The Church was built on the faith, the living
testimony and the invitation of the Apostles
Early Church’s prayer
• Waiting for Jesus’ return

• Gatherings in house churches

• Trade stories / sayings of Jesus
• Sing psalms
• Reenact Last Supper together
• The Lord’s Supper
• Eucharist: thanksgiving
• Feast of Agape: love
Luke 22:19
‘He took the bread, said the blessing, broke it,
and gave it to them, saying,
“This is my body, which will be given for you;
do this in memory of me.”

And likewise the cup…

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
which will be shed for you.”’
Early Church’s initiation
• Inducted new members
• Process of catechism (instruction)
• Scriptures
• Teachings of Jesus
• Acts of Jesus & God
• Ritual baptism: initiation
• Water
• New life
• Symbolic rebirth
• Produced their own scriptures: Spirit at work!
• Faith of the Apostles: “unchangeable core of their religion”
God… in the Faith of the Apostles
• Zoom out: Who?!

• One God
• of Abraham
• of Moses
• of Judaism
• of Islam

• “Yahweh” / “Adonai” for Jews

• ‫ ﷲ‬for Arab Christians & Muslims
Key elements of God
• Eternal
• Omnipotent (all-powerful)
• Omniscient (all-knowing)
• Creator of the Universe and all within it
• Sustainer of life
• Merciful and forgiving
• Transcendent but also immanently present
• Sovereign Lord
• Just judge on the Last Day
• One who gives reward or punishment
Psalm 46:10
“Be still
and know
that I am God.”
God: Father? 1/2
• Christians call God “Father”
• Jews called/call God Father
• Jesus called God “Abba”
… like ”daddy” or ‫ﺑﺎﺑﺎ‬

• What are the downsides of this?

• God is not male
• God is not a biological father
• This is just a metaphor
God: Father? 2/2
• Despite the limitations of this
metaphor, there are also obvious
benefits…
• Upsides to the metaphor:
• Evokes closeness and familiarity
• Evokes life together
• Evokes family unity under father
• Power over us
• Provides good things to us
• Forgives us
• Expects us also to forgive
• Gives us responsibilities
Dialogue with God
• From the beginning:
• God speaks
• We listen

• God has an eternal message:

• God’s Word
• God’s Wisdom

• God’s eternal Word is:

• not created
• not different from God
A step further: Incarnation

• Incarnation: “taking on or becoming flesh”

• God’s Word…
• took flesh!
• dwelt among us in Jesus!
• revealed in human person of Jesus!
• Emmanuel: “God is with us”

• Jesus didn’t deliver a book but embodied

revelation (Jesus is the Message)
Matthew 1:23
“Behold,
a virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel, God is with us.”
Jesus’ birth
• “O little town of Bethlehem”
• Jesus was born a baby boy to a holy
woman (Mary)
• Mary was a virgin
• Jesus born of the power of God
• No sexual relations
• No divine “seed”

• “Jesus was conceived through the power

of God (the Holy Spirit) and was born of
the Virgin Mary.”
The Virgin Mary
• Woman.
• Holy, virginal, human woman
• Without sin: special grace from God
• Consider her like our own Mother
• Venerated (revered) with pictures, shrines, churches
• Common misconceptions:
• Mary is not the wife of God
• Christians do not worship Mary; we ask for her prayers