Let God Be GOD. hey say, H e r e is a gl nd t g, a. ds (1 Ti mo. of kings a nd Lord of lor Ki n g. t he

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1 Lt God B GOD Lor d th livi n gb bb a th (Ma rk 2 : 28) Ia m of th sa ra dt ha tc am do w n fro mh a v n. (J A Study of th Attributs of God Tachr Guid Rvisd Edition I am th R oh n 6:5 1) oo ta nd th r ath F th h at yt dt sti f n na n h y h av s d w at An n c am ati n g a n pl I la ll r m yo ohn :7) Zion, u d ign w 4:14) sir, will c i slya nd hw 9:15) s t om. d o what d ston (Mala chi 3:1) i s just a d (1Ptr nd r 2:4), a prcious c Go i g h t in t orn h of land. (J rston f rm n or a su ia h 23:5 r foundati ) on (Isa ia h 28 :16) (Mat t om os Bridgro ( m nd tar. i of D t o u a righ David Ch Son o f Ma ng S ol b w ng hy say, H r is a gl nd t g, a n i h d ri n k t igh tm o i rn ki to of c ax r s br h So n ua yo rd Lo ) d, an dt d is )h 5 hy 6:1 a rd,a R vl t lcto atio ll c om n2 h r 2:6 s t a ) oh S is t a d si s v ir io ; t h r o nr m sb a f t s.. (M s ll n sn ra n g ati r of ch, o w atthw 11 t h ns ( a Kin co :1 Ha gw vn or a st gg an ho ld. (1 9) on t, w wi ai 2 ho in J fo r t ds (1 Ti mo of kings a nd Lord of lor go fd n fri th n (T up rais Ki n g un ka vi dr as s I w i ll r, th O rin sp utton an da d a nd o nly Th Ru l Lt God b GOD Tachr Guid #HBLGT Lt God b GOD Studnt Workbook #HBLGS d, th b lss FAX Ri g h Go Mark Eckl th st,. (1 John 2:1) s On u o t in t h S c p H ir o s 24: (Num b r t r h rd Sh p Chi f 17 ) with advo ca t an ( W) h av ) 5:4 tr P 1 ( ll fa th 1:2) ws br (H 42 cts 10 : (A g d Ju gs Fat h ri s Ch u s J r )

2 Contnts Introduction to th Cours...4 Cours Outlin....6 How to Us This Guid...7 Part I. Th Knowldg of God Unit 1 Knowing God Unit 2 Dscribing God Part II. Th Trinity Unit 3 God Is On...25 Unit 4 God Is Triun...29 Part III. God s Unshard Attributs Unit 5 God Is Suprm and Slf-Existnt...37 Unit 6 God Is Sovrign Unit 7 God Is Infinit Unit 8 God Is Immutabl and Etrnal Unit 9 God Is Incomprhnsibl and Inffabl...55 Unit 10 God Is Omniscint and Omniprsnt Unit 11 God Is Omnipotnt Part IV. God s Shard Attributs Unit 12 God Is Good Unit 13 God Is Wis and Truthful...75 Unit 14 God Is Holy and Rightous Unit 15 God Is Mrciful and Just Unit 16 God Is Long-Suffring and Loving Part V. Synthsis and Rviw Unit 17 God s Attributs: Complmntary or Contradictory? Unit 18 Cours Rviw, Final Exam, and Evaluation Studnt Workbook Answr Ky Blacklin Mastrs Answr Ky

3 Introduction to th Cours On January 7, 1855, Charls H. Spurgon bgan his Sunday srmon with ths words: It has bn said by somon that th propr study of mankind is man. I will not oppos th ida, but I bliv it is qually tru that th propr study of a Christian is th Godhad. Th highst scinc, th loftist spculation, th mightist philosophy, which can vr ngag th attntion of a child of God, is th nam, th natur, th prson, th work, th doings, and th xistnc of th grat God whom h calls his Fathr. Thr is somthing xcdingly improving to th mind in a contmplation of th Divinity. It is a subjct so vast, that all our thoughts ar lost in its immnsity; so dp, that our prid is drownd in its infinity. No subjct of contmplation will tnd mor to humbl th mind, than thoughts of God. But whil th subjct humbls th mind it also xpands it. H who oftn thinks of God, will hav a largr mind than th man who simply plods around this narrow glob. Th most xcllnt study for xpanding th soul, is th scinc of Christ, and him crucifid, and th knowldg of th Godhad in th glorious Trinity. Nothing will so nlarg th intllct, nothing so magnify th whol soul of man, as a dvout, arnst, continud invstigation of th grat subjct of th Dity. And, whilst humbling and xpanding, this subjct is minntly consolatory. I know nothing which can so comfort th soul; so calm th swlling billows of grif and sorrow; so spak pac to th winds of trial, as a dvout musing upon th subjct of th Godhad. Spurgon was not xprssing a brand-nw thought. H was rpating and rinforcing what Christians hav nthusiastically rcommndd for almost 2,000 yars. And no wondr! Whn w dvot tim and nrgy to know who God is, w ar in agrmnt with th clar taching of Scriptur. This is what th Lord says: Lt not th wis man boast of his wisdom or th strong man boast of his strngth or th rich man boast of his richs, but lt him who boasts boast about this: that h undrstands and knows m, that I am th Lord, who xrciss kindnss, justic and rightousnss on arth, for in ths I dlight, dclars th Lord. Jrmiah 9:23 24 Now this is trnal lif: that thy may know you, th only tru God, and Jsus Christ, whom you hav snt. John 17:3 I considr vrything a loss compard to th surpassing gratnss of knowing Christ Jsus my Lord. Philippians 3:8 4 Lt God B GOD

4 Hlping our studnts know God is th hart s dsir of vry Christian school ducator. W ncourag vry tachr to mphasiz and dmonstrat th importanc of a prsonal rlationship with God. Christian tachrs provid multipl opportunitis and invitations for studnts to trust in Jsus Christ as thir Savior and Lord. But w also know that th tachr can only do so much. W can provid inviting nvironmnts and b faithful witnsss, but w cannot orchstrat th faith dcisions of our studnts. W can giv guidanc and dirction to hlp studnts grow into faithful discipls of Jsus Christ, but w know that only as thy yild to th work of th Holy Spirit will thy grow in th grac and knowldg of our Lord and Savior Jsus Christ (2 Ptr 3:18). Th goal of Lt God B God is to hlp ighth-grad studnts larn about God, whom w want thm to know. J. I. Packr warns, Disrgard th study of God, and you sntnc yourslf to stumbl and blundr through lif blindfold with no sns of dirction and no undrstanding of what surrounds you. This way you can wast your lif and los your soul (1973, 14 15). Thr ar many gods compting for th loyalty and dvotion of our studnts; this cours can hlp thm diffrntiat th on tru God from fals gods. Your studnts will sarch th Scripturs to s what God has rvald about Himslf. As Arthur W. Pink said, An unknown God can nithr b trustd, srvd, nor worshippd (1975, 7). As you tach this cours, may God us you to lad many studnts to a dp prsonal knowldg of Him. Rfrncs Packr, J. I Knowing God. Downrs Grov, IL: IntrVarsity. Pink, Arthur W Th Attributs of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Bakr. Spurgon, Charls H. Spurgon s Srmons, Volum 1, Lt God B GOD

5 Cours Outlin Following is an outlin of this cours: Part I. Th Knowldg of God Unit 1. Knowing God Unit 2. Dscribing God Part II. Th Trinity Unit 3. God Is On Unit 4. God Is Triun Part III. God s Unshard Attributs Unit 5. God Is Suprm and Slf-Existnt Unit 6. God Is Sovrign Unit 7. God Is Infinit Unit 8. God Is Immutabl and Etrnal Unit 9. God Is Incomprhnsibl and Inffabl Unit 10. God Is Omniscint and Omniprsnt Unit 11. God Is Omnipotnt Part IV. God s Shard Attributs Unit 12. God Is Good Unit 13. God Is Wis and Truthful Unit 14. God Is Holy and Rightous Unit 15. God Is Mrciful and Just Unit 16. God Is Long-Suffring and Loving Part V. Synthsis and Rviw Unit 17. God s Attributs: Complmntary or Contradictory? Unit 18. Cours Rviw, Final Exam, and Evaluation In units 1 and 2, studnts addrss basic qustions such as ths: How can w know God? How can w dscrib God, or vn talk about Him maningfully? In units 3 and 4, studnts wrstl with th doctrin of th Trinity God is on and thr. This cor doctrin distinguishs th Christian faith from othr blif systms; most Christian cults brak from orthodox Christian taching on this issu. In units 5 through 11, studnts study attributs that spak to God s absolut uniqunss and suprmacy. God is in a catgory by Himslf; nothing and no on can b compard with Him (Isaiah 40:25). Units 12 through 16 discuss God s communicabl attributs thos charactristics (such as goodnss, justic, and wisdom) that w can partially grasp by analogy with human xprinc and that w ar to rflct in our own livs. Units 17 and 18 giv studnts opportunitis to digst, synthsiz, and rviw what thy hav larnd in th cours. Unit 18 includs guidlins for dvloping a final xam. 6 Cours Dscription Lt God B God is a study of th natur and charactr of God. It is basd on th prmis that th mor w know and undrstand God through a carful study of His Word, th gratr will b our prsonal challng to maintain a right rlationship with Him. Mor than simply a body of information, th cours translats knowldg into prsonal application as studnts discovr how an attribut of God applis to daily lif. Your studnts ar facd with qustions such as ths: Why do w nd to study th attributs of God? How do ths facts about God affct m today? Why is this important to study? Th answrs your studnts uncovr ar what mak this cours uniqu. Day aftr day, thy will intgrat Scriptur into thir thinking as thy fac som tough qustions about who God is and how H intracts with His cration. Lt God B GOD

6 This on-smstr cours is dsignd for ighth-grad studnts. Class mmbrs should ach hav a studnt activity book to complmnt thir dirct study of th Bibl passags rfrncd. This tachr guid provids xtnsiv suggstions for implmnting th lssons day by day, including blacklin mastrs and an valuation systm. Th mthodology involvs studnts in th instructional procss and xtnds to th application of biblical principls in thir daily livs. A hands-on approach is usd throughout. How to Us This Guid Instructional plan. This tachr guid provids a complt plan for your instructional program. It has bn dsignd to facilitat your succssful intraction with studnts as thy study th attributs of God and apply what thy larn to thir livs. Studnt matrials. Each studnt should hav th studnt activity book for this cours and th vrsion of th Bibl adoptd by your school. Th studnt activity book provids Intracts workshts dsignd to assist studnts in thir prsonal and group study of God s Word. To provid flxibility, th pags ar punchd for insrtion into a 3-ring bindr. Thy ar also prforatd for asy rmoval to giv you th option of having studnts hand in som of thm for grading. You hav svral options for using Intracts, including th following: assign a complt Intract to th ntir class assign slctd itms to crtain studnts assign slctd itms on spcific days. You will nd to dcid whn it is appropriat to assign som or all Intract qustions as homwork, dpnding on th class tim availabl and th pac of th cours. B sur to allow sufficint tim in your schdul to rspond to your studnts work. Th Intract qustions srv as th basis for class discussion. Days of instruction. Each unit is dividd into fiv days. Typically, th first four days build on ach othr. Th fifth day is providd for nrichmnt and rviw; th fifth day also includs a unit quiz. This plan allows you flxibility in dsigning your program. Som schools hav chapl in liu of Bibl class on or two days a wk. You may want to do a mmory-work chckup on day. You may nd to allow for fild trips and othr school vnts. Th matrials ar flxibl nough to fit into a varity of schduls. Th days of instruction ar not linkd to spcific days of th wk. You can dcid to implmnt th lssons from Monday to Friday, or you may bgin with day 1 on anothr day of th wk. Th matrials wr dsignd to assist you, not to impos a spcific structur. Fl fr to add to, dlt, or modify any suggstions in ordr to mak th program mor appropriat for your particular classs from yar to yar. Visual aids. Th cours includs a CD of blacklin mastrs (BLMs) to aid you in your instructional program. Ths BLMs may b displayd or projctd as visual aids or duplicatd for distribution to studnts. Each BLM is clarly numbrd for your rfrnc. Answr kys to th BLMs and Intracts can b found at th nd of this tachr guid. Studnt valuation. A unit quiz is providd for day 5 of vry unit. You hav th option of assigning individual Intracts as homwork to b handd in. Each unit also contains a Scriptur mmory passag that can b usd for assssmnt. 7 Lt God B GOD

7 Lsson format. Th lssons in this tachr guid follow a prdictabl pattrn and contain common lmnts. This continuity is dsignd to hlp you quickly grasp th ky concpts covrd, th matrials ndd, th squnc of activitis, and th instructional flow. Contnt ovrviw. Th instructional units ar groupd into fiv major divisions: Part I: Th Knowldg of God (units 1 2) Part II: Th Trinity (units 3 4) Part III: God s Unshard Attributs (units 5 11) Part IV: God s Shard Attributs (units 12 16) Part V: Synthsis and Rviw (units 17 18) Th first pags of ach major division fatur a dtaild ovrviw of th contnt to b covrd in that part of th cours. This contnt ovrviw is dsignd to quip you to prsnt and discuss th topics in thos units. It will hlp you anticipat challngs, xplain difficult concpts, and handl studnt qustions and concrns. It will also provid suggstions for hlping studnts intrnaliz, appropriat, and apply th biblical tachings in thos units. Objctivs. Clar objctivs ar providd for ach lsson. Lsson matrials. This sction alrts you to th matrials you will us in th unit, including any blacklin mastrs that nd to b displayd or duplicatd for distribution. Mmory passag. At th bginning of ach unit, this tachr guid provids a suggstd Bibl mmory passag. Sinc schools handl mmory work in various ways, you may xrcis any of svral options including ths: us th mmory passag suggstd, xpand th mmory slction to longr passags, hav studnts mmoriz an ntir Bibl book during th smstr, participat in a schoolwid Bibl mmory program, or coordinat with th mmory program of your supporting church. You ar ncouragd to incorporat th mmory program into your instructional day and to mak it as crativ as possibl. Rad, discuss, and assign th vrss on th first day of th unit. Us varid tchniqus to provid practic in th nxt thr days. (For xampl, whn calling th roll, hav studnts rspond with ach succssiv word of th assignd passag.) Oral or writtn valuation can occur on th fifth day. Studnts should b rsponsibl for th accumulation of vrss ovr tim and should b rady to rspond to qustions rlatd to th mmory work as part of ach valuation point. Taching stratgis. This sction provids stp-by-stp procdurs for ach day s instruction. You hav complt control ovr th flow of ths procdurs within th tim allottd for your class. Do not hsitat to mov an activity from on day to th nxt, rduc or xpand an activity, or rplac an activity ntirly. Summary. This is your Bibl class. Th cours matrials ar mant to assist you. If thy ar to b ffctiv, you nd to plan carfully for ach instructional unit. Svral wks bfor th smstr bgins, scan through th cours matrials to idntify activitis that may rquir spcial prparation or coordination with othrs. Bgin planning for thm now. 8 Whom God calls, H nabls for th task. You hav a spcial privilg in opning God s Word daily to your studnts. It is a challng to maintain an nthusiasm and aw that will impact your studnts attitud toward studying God s attributs. Of all th things w must do wll in a Christian school, non compars with th Bibl tachr s task. May God richly blss you as you prsnt th wondrful words and works of God, which, as th Holy Spirit nabls, bring lif changs and trnal rwards. Lt God B GOD

8 ) Lord of th sabbath (Mark 2:28) Part III GOD s Unshard Attributs I am th living brad that cam down from havn. (John 6:51) I am th R ot and th Offspring of David, and th bright Morning Star. (Rvlation 22:6) (T)h Lord you ar sking will com to his tmpl; th mssngr of th covnant, whom you dsir, will com. (Malachi 3:1) I will rais up for David a righto us Branch, a King who will rign w of lords (1 Ti mothy 6:15) God, th blssd and only Rulr, th King of kings a nd Lord (W) hav Th Dsir of all nations (Haggai 2:7) I lay a ston in Zion, a t std ston, a prcious cornrston for a sur foundation (Isaiah 28:16) Bridgroom (Matthw 9:15) And w hav s n an d tstify th at th Fath r has snt his Son to b th Savior of th wo rld. (1 John 4:14) islyand do what is just and right in th land. (Jrmiah 23:5) Son of Man c am ati n g and drinking, and thy say, H r is a glutton and a drunkard, a frind of tax collctors an d sinnrs.. (Matthw 11:19) Chosn of God (1Ptr 2:4) an advocat with th Fathr Jsus Christ, th Rightous On. (1 John 2:1) Chif Shphrd (1Ptr 5:4) Scpt r (Numbrs 24:1 7 H ir of all things (Hbrws 1:2) Ju dg (Acts 10 : 4 2 )

9 Contnt Ovrviw Thologians hav traditionally dividd th attributs of God into two broad catgoris: incommunicabl and communicabl attributs. (In this cours w ar using th trms unshard and shard attributs.) Th unshard attributs ar thos that ar tru of God alon. No human bing is infinit or trnal, for xampl. Thr ar othr attributs that God shars with His craturs to som xtnt. For xampl, w ar commandd to b wis, mrciful, and just in imitation of God. But ths catgoris may not b as clar-cut as w might think. Though th word wis can b applid both to God and to us, th diffrnc btwn th infinit prfction of God s wisdom and th finit imprfction of our wisdom can mak us think th sam word is usd for two compltly diffrnt things. Nvrthlss, bcaus God commands us to pattrn our charactr aftr His by rflcting crtain attributs, w can say that in som sns God shars thos attributs with us. In this cours w will b xamining th following unshard attributs of God: God is suprm, slfxistnt, sovrign, infinit, immutabl, trnal, incomprhnsibl, inffabl, omniscint, omniprsnt, and omnipotnt. Notic that som of ths attributs us a ngation to affirm a divin attribut. Infinit mans not finit ; immutabl mans not changabl ; incomprhnsibl mans not undrstandabl ; inffabl mans not dscribabl. Our limitd languag simply dosn t hav words that adquatly convy ths attributs; thrfor, w us words that tll us what God is not. Othr attributs us th prfix omni-, which mans all or univrsally : omniscint mans all-knowing ; omniprsnt mans vrywhr prsnt ; omnipotnt mans all-powrful. Th othr four attributs in our list suprm, slf-xistnt, sovrign, and trnal suggst comparisons with cratd things. Th comparisons suggstd by ths words rmind us of David s words in Psalm 145:3: Grat is th Lord and most worthy of prais; his gratnss no on can fathom. But though w cannot fully comprhnd God, w can still dscrib Him in maningful ways. This cours is intndd to hlp your studnts do just that. Following is a brif summary of th unshard attributs your studnts will b working with for th nxt svn units: God Is Suprm and Slf-Existnt To say that God is suprm is not just to say that H is gratr and mor powrful than fals gods: H is th only God. No othr bing dsrvs to b calld God. As th on who cratd and sustains all things, God has no qual. H shars His glory and majsty with no cratd thing. God is uncratd; thrfor, H is slf-xistnt. H dos not dpnd on any othr thing for His xistnc; rathr, all cratd things dpnd on Him. God Is Sovrign As th only God, th Crator who is suprm ovr all, God is absolut rulr, with absolut authority ovr all His cration. Nothing or no on can thwart His purposs. 34 Lt God B GOD

10 God Is Infinit God is without limit. Limitation coms with bing cratd and dfind. God th Crator dfind vry othr thing simply by crating it. Not only is God without limit in His bing, infinity also dscribs th prfction of vry on of His attributs. H is infinit in lov, wisdom, mrcy, goodnss, and so on. God Is Immutabl and Etrnal Chang implis incompltnss or a lack. God has nithr. His knowldg is infinit; thrfor, h xprincs no surpriss or unxpctd vnts. His plans ar prfct from th tim H concivs of thm till thy ar compltd. And His charactr dos not chang. No mattr how many popl rbl against Him or disoby Him, His lov for thm dos not diminish or go away. God is not subjct to tim constraints. H cratd a tim-bound univrs, and tim itslf. Evry cratd thing has a bginning; th uncratd God has no bginning and no nd. God is Incomprhnsibl and Inffabl Bcaus God is infinit and w ar finit, w can nithr undrstand nor dscrib Him adquatly. W know Him only to th xtnt that H has rvald Himslf, and w must dpnd on His Word for guidanc as to how to dscrib Him. God Is Omniscint and Omniprsnt God posssss all knowldg. In ssnc, thr ar two typs of bings: God and vrything ls. H has prfct knowldg of Himslf, and H has prfct knowldg of vrything ls bcaus H mad vrything ls out of nothing. God is vrywhr fully prsnt. God has no parts. Whn w say that God is with us, w don t man that part of God is with us. God is infinit spirit. Othr spirits (such as angls) can b prsnt in only on plac at a tim bcaus thy ar finit limitd. God has no such limitations. God Is Omnipotnt God s almighty powr is rlatd to His suprmacy and sovrignty. H has absolut authority, and H is abl to xrcis that authority. As th infinit God, H cannot b rstraind by finit craturs. Throughout th whol Bibl, as popl studid and mditatd on ths attributs of God, th normal rsponss wr aw, worship, and obdinc. W pray that your studnts will rspond in ths sam ways. 35 Lt God B GOD

11 8 GOD Is Immutabl and Etrnal 51 Lt God B GOD

12 52 Unit 8 God Is Immutabl and Etrnal Day 1 Objctivs Mmory Passag: Isaiah 46:9 11 Lsson Matrials: Blacklin Mastrs Intracts Th studnts will xamin Scriptur passags that prsnt God as immutabl. 2. Th studnts will answr and discuss qustions about God s immutability, considring th implications of this attribut for socity and for individual Christians. Taching Stratgy Your studnts liv in a fast-changing world. For xampl, many popl mov oftn to nw jobs and nw homs, and childrn may grow up with littl stability in thir church, school, and circl of frinds. Prhaps bcaus of this, knowing that God is immutabl (unchanging) can bcom a spcial sourc of strngth, for H is indd an anchor that holds in th storms of lif. Hav th studnts turn to Intract 8.1, God Is Immutabl, in thir studnt book and follow th dirctions as thy answr qustions rlating to this attribut. Discuss thir answrs, using th answr ky on th CD for idas and prompts. Day 2 Objctivs 1. Th studnts will rviw and conclud thir study of God s immutability. 2. Th studnts will considr passags of Scriptur in which God appars to chang His mind. Taching Stratgy 1 Hav studnts rviw Intract 8.1, contrasting th changlssnss of God with th changablnss of th human condition. Rmind thm that ralizing God is immutabl can hlp thm know how to liv thir own livs. Taching Stratgy 2 With th whol class, discuss Intract 8.2, Can a Changlss God Chang? Introduc th activity by xplaining that som passags of Scriptur sm to indicat dirctly or indirctly that God changd His mind. Invit voluntrs to rad aloud Gnsis 6:6, Jonah 3:10, and Gnsis 18:16 33 as xampls. Thn ask, In light of God s immutability, how should w undrstand ths statmnts? (S also 1 Chronicls 21:1 15 and Jrmiah 26:3, 19.) Explain that th Hbrw word usd in ths instancs is nahum (na-cum). It mans a brath or a sigh, and thus shows an motional concrn xprssd as compassion or grif. Th NIV translats ths passags proprly. Th KJV uss th word rpntd, sming to say that God wnt back on His prvious word. Th Living Bibl, a paraphras, incorrctly stats that God changd His mind. Explain that what may sm to us a divin adjustmnt or a dviation from th original plan is corrctly intrprtd as a divin action byond our limitd comprhnsion. (S Job 11:7 9, 42:1 6; Isaiah 40:13 14, 55:6 13; Romans 11:33 36; and Ephsians 1:9 11.) Oftn this is undrstood as anthropomorphism a dscription in human trms of somthing that s not human (in this cas, God). What ths passags do is rmind us that it is somtims impossibl to intrprt in human trms th actions of an infinit God: For my thoughts ar not your thoughts, nithr ar your ways my ways, dclars th Lord. As th havns ar highr than th arth, so ar my ways highr than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Day 3 Objctivs 1. Th studnts will xamin Scripturs showing that God is trnal. Lt God B GOD

13 2. Th studnts will answr qustions and solv problms rlating to this attribut. Taching Stratgy 1 Dirct studnts to Intract 8.3, God Is Etrnal, in thir studnt book. Hav thm follow th dirctions, working alon or in small groups. Aftrward, us th answr ky on th CD as you lad th class in discussing th answrs. Taching Stratgy 2 Aftr discussing Intract 8.3, rmind studnts that w liv in a tmporal world, and our tim is limitd. Ask thm to think about ths qustions: Do I vr struggl with th us of my tim? If so, how? Is it possibl to bring this ara of my lif undr submission to God? What activ, prsonal, masurabl tactics can I us to control my tim? Rad Colossians 3:1 4 aloud. Suggst that studnts tak tim now to list thir daily activitis, asking this about ach: How dos this activity glorify God and hlp to prpar m for trnity? Should it tak mor (or lss) of my tim? Day 4 Objctivs 1. Th studnts will synthsiz in a mock nwspapr thir idas about tim-bound humans and our trnal God. 2. Th studnts will compar and contrast God s trnal viwpoint and our limitd human viwpoint rgarding tim. Taching Stratgy 1 Display or duplicat Blacklin Mastr 8.1, Timlss, a parody of a nws magazin or nwspapr. Point out that th pag contains articls having to do with tim and trnity, as wll as spcial faturs, such as an obituary column and an advrtismnt. Explain that studnts will crat thir own class nwspapr about tim and trnity. Thy should complt thir papr by th nd of tomorrow s class. Tak a fw minuts for studnts to brainstorm idas for faturs not shown in th xampl, such as ditorials, classifid ads, sports nws, financial nws, tchnology, photos, comics, fashion, and food. Studnts may choos whatvr kind of fatur thy d lik to do; thy can work individually or with a partnr. Each pic should rflct a scriptural principl or should b followd by rlvant Bibl vrss in parnthss. Display th sampl so that studnts can rfr to it for idas on contnt or layout. Taching Stratgy 2 To hlp studnts gt startd on th nwspapr projct, ncourag thm to us a Bibl concordanc to find vrss having to do with tim and trnity. Encourag thm to think about th implications of an trnal God and tmporal humans. Provid quotation books or wbsits. Hav studnts brainstorm familiar sayings and slogans ( Tim flis whn you r having fun, Tim is of th ssnc, No tim lik th prsnt ) as wll as titls (Th Tim Machin, From Hr to Etrnity) and phrass ( tim warp, tim marchs on, on tim ). Finally, hlp studnts dvlop a list of hadlins to spark writing idas. For xampl: Minding Your Minuts Turning Back th Clock Tim-Saving Dvics Prfct Timing Twinkl Tim Your Tim, His Hands Right on Tim On a Day, Two a Day Undrstanding th Tims Ths Ar th Tims That... Just a Minut Don t Miss Your Appointmnt Wait Your Turn 53 Lt God B GOD

14 Day 5 Enrichmnt Activitis 1. Tak your studnts to a library or suggst wbsits to rsarch topics that rlat to trnal lif and popl s sarch for it. Thms might includ rincarnation, cryognics (th frzing of bodis to prsrv thm for a futur tim, whn thy will b brought back to lif), or immortality. Discuss what was found and how it rlats to th fact that God is trnal. 2. Continu work on th nwspapr projct from day 4. Considr printing and distributing this nwspapr within th school and community. B sur to sav copis from yar to yar. 3. Hav studnts rviw what thy v larnd about God s immutability and trnity and add that information to Intract 2.1, God s Attributs. 4. Distribut Blacklin Mastr 8.2, Unit 8 Quiz. 54 Lt God B GOD

15 A Study of th Attributs of God Studnt Workbook Answr Ky

16 Intract 8.1 God Is Immutabl Explor what it mans for us that God is immutabl, or unchanging. 1. Rcord what ths vrss tll us about God, along with your own thoughts and qustions. Numbrs 23:19 20 God is immutabl. H is not lik a human prson, who can chang his or hr mind. What H says H will do, H will do. 1 Samul 15:29 God dos not chang His mind. Psalm 110:4 What th Lord says, H will not go back on. Isaiah 46:9 11 What God plans will tak plac; H dos not chang His plan. Malachi 3:6 God s choic of Isral would nvr chang. Romans 2:1 11 (spcially vrs 11) God judgs according to truth. H is forbaring and long-suffring, and His goodnss lads popl to rpntanc. H nvr shows partiality. 2. Answr th following qustions and xplain how th fact that God is immutabl bars on ths issus: What ar som fads you hav witnssd? Whn dos somthing bcom old-fashiond or outdatd? Dos th fact that somthing is nw mak it right, good, or bst? Dos bing old mak somthing wrong or infrior? Fads ar hr for a short tim and thn thy r gon. (Ask studnts to nam som currnt fads.) Oftn fads ar styls in cloths, foods, and music short-livd, mutabl, changabl. Somtims w think somthing nw is bttr than somthing old, and w call th old stuff old-fashiond. Biblical word old in Old Tstamnt simply rfrs to tim. Old Tstamnt tachings about God s attributs, for xampl, ar as rlvant today as vr, bcaus God dos not chang. 128 Lt God B GOD

17 Intract 8.1 Continud 3. Popl cry for quality and consistncy and justic. How dos God s immutability affct ths issus? Thr must b on unchangabl sourc of truth, authority, and thics. Th immutabl God is th only rliabl foundation for justic, and H provids absolut standards for right and wrong. 4. Christians ar supposd to rflct God s charactr. Slct a charactristic from th list blow, rad th vrs associatd with it, and xplain why it is spcially important for Christians to show that charactristic. Honsty. Provrbs 14:5 Trustworthinss. Titus 2:10 Sincrity. Romans 12:11 Intgrity. Titus 2:7 Dpndability. Provrbs 13:17 Answrs will vary. Good rputation. 3 John 12 Rsponsibility. Nhmiah 9:8 Truthfulnss. Provrbs 12:22 Faithfulnss. 1 Corinthians 4:2 Right intntions. Provrbs 14: Lt God B GOD

18 Intract 8.2 Can a Changlss God Chang? Th vrss listd in th chart blow suggst that God may hav changd His mind. Look up ach passag, and in th first column dscrib th spcific circumstancs of God s actions. Thn in th scond column summariz how ths vrss might bttr b xplaind than by saying that God changd. Circumstancs God can t chang, so... Gnsis 6:5 8 Th popl of Noah s day hav sinnd so gratly that judgmnt must fall. God was grivd by th popl; in His mrcy, H gav thm anothr 120 yars to rpnt bfor th flood. Exodus 32:9 14 Judgs 2:17 18 God told Moss H would dstroy th popl bcaus thy wr unfaithful; thy turnd from Him and worshippd a goldn calf. God gav His popl judgs, but th popl continud to b unfaithful; still, God dlivrd thm from thir nmis. God dosn t chang His mind; H fulfills His promiss to Moss and th popl. Aftr a priod of judgmnt, God has compassion on His popl and snds a dlivrr. 1 Samul 15:1 11 Saul sinnd against God by not fully obying His commands. God was grivd that H had mad Saul king bcaus of Saul s foolish choics. Jrmiah 18:7 10 God gav a gnral command about judging thos who disoby His laws and blssing thos who oby. God dvisd a plan that causd His popl to rpnt, and H snt prophts to show His compassion. Amos 7:1 6 In a vision th propht Amos saw th judgmnt that God plannd against Isral for thir sin. God snt prophts to warn His popl. Jonah 3:1 10 Th popl of Ninvh sinnd gratly against God. God snt Jonah to warn thm to rpnt; thy did, and God postpond His judgmnt. 130 Lt God B GOD

19 Intract 8.3 God Is Etrnal Explor what it mans for us that God is trnal. 1. Discovr what ths Scripturs tll us about God. Writ your answrs blow, along with your own thoughts and qustions. Job 36:26; Psalm 90:2, 4; Isaiah 45:21, 46:9 10; 2 Ptr 3:8 God is trnal and livs in trnity. God dos not liv in tim as w know it; H cratd tim. H is th only God and always was, is, and will b throughout trnity. 2. Considr two possibilitis for what is trnal, or lasts forvr. What diffrnc dos it mak which you bliv? MATTER IS ETERNAL or GOD IS ETERNAL If God is trnal, H is in control. H sts standards of right and wrong, so w hav a basis for our actions. If only mattr is trnal, thr is no prsonal Crator who sts standards and who givs trnal lif. 3. Compar and contrast th following pairs of statmnts: Good guys finish last. Th first shall b last and th last first. Th first statmnt sms to suggst that bad guys, who ar willing to do wrong, succd. Jsus words say that God will right th wrongs of this lif; thos who ar now first, or honord will b last, or judgd, in trnity. Only th fittst surviv. H who loss his lif shall sav it. Th first ida, from th thory of volution, mans that th strong will sav thmslvs. Jsus words say much th opposit: on who sacrifics his lif now will b savd in trnity. It s a dog-at-dog world. If your nmy is hungry, fd him. Th first statmnt says that on must climb ovr othrs to gt ahad or succd. Jsus commands th opposit: w should hlp othrs, vn our nmis. 4. How dos th fact that God is trnal affct th statmnt pairs in qustion 3? Th first statmnt in ach pair strsss this lif ovr th nxt. If God wr not trnal, that might b a rasonabl choic. But God is trnal and th aftrlif xists, so Jsus words in th scond statmnt in ach pair ar a bttr guid to lif. 131 Lt God B GOD

20 Intract 8.3 Continud 5. Explain why thos who bliv God is trnal hav a strongr cas for opposing rap, bigotry, murdr, or any othr dviant act. If God wr not trnal, His standards wouldn t b th ultimat authority for human bhavior. Popl would liv by human standards. No on could tll anyon ls what to do. Th standard for right and wrong would b lft to th strongst. An absolut standard from th trnal God is mor practical and snsibl for ral lif. 6. Whn w sin, what happns if w rpnt? Dos God rmmbr our sins forvr? Ar thy trnal too? S Psalm 103: Scriptur tlls us that whn w rpnt, God sparats our sins as far as th ast is from th wst. This is an infinit distanc sinc ast and wst hav no pols (as do north and south). God rmovs our guilt forvr. 7. If God no longr rmmbrs our sins aftr H forgivs us, why can t w forgt thm too? Why do wrong actions of our past somtims haunt us? W bar th scars of past actions. Th rsults of our sin oftn rmain vidnt (Lviticus 26:40 45, 1 Timothy 5:24 25). But Paul s xampl shows us that w should forgt as part of God s forgivnss (Philippians 3:1 6, 14 15). 8. God is trnal, but w ar tmporal; w liv in tim, and tim is limitd. What ar som tactics w can us to mak bttr us of our tim? S Psalm 39:4 6; Psalm 90:7 12; Ephsians 5:15 17; Jams 4: Bcaus tim is limitd, w nd to us it wll. Suggstd tactics will vary. 9. An old song says that w should liv with trnity s valus in viw. What dos this man? How dos ach activity mntiond in Colossians 3:1 14 rflct trnity s valus? Answrs will vary. 132 Lt God B GOD

21 A Study of th Attributs of God Blacklin Mastrs Answr Ky

22 Timlss Tim Cratd Aftr Etrnal Planning Havn (UPI). Aftr th projct had bn an trnity on th drawing board, th Trinity cratd tim, spac, and mattr (Gnsis 1:1). Futur physics studnts will b glad for this balanc in cration. Tim dfind: Just as distanc is th spac btwn two placs, tim is th spac btwn two vnts. Th rgularity and prdictability of ths vnts provid th basis for all masurmnt concpts of tim such as minut, hour, day, and yar. Nwsflash! Jrusalm (AP). A thousand yars is lik a day to God. According to Psalm 90:4, God apparntly has a diffrnt timkping scal than humans. H is quotd as stating that for ach of His havnly days, 1,000 human yars pass. That s about a 365,000:1 ratio of arthly to havnly days. Lifspan Shortnd Palstin (AP). Scintists discovrd today that th lngth of on s lif can b compard to th longvity of fog on a sunny day (Jams 4:14). Daylight Working Hours Rom (AP). According to sourcs, mployrs ar urging that production quotas b incrasd bcaus night is coming up vry soon (Romans 13:12). Tim Trials Bgin Damascus (AP). Paul announcd that th rac of th Christian lif continus, according to a sourc quotd in 1 Corinthians 9: Whn askd, h commntd, Thos who rac in th Roman racs do it for a crown that will not last, but w do it to gt a crown that will last forvr a crown of lif. Obituaris Rom. Jo Citizn, DOB , did ystrday in a Roman arna from mortal wounds dlivrd by a lion, thr bulls, a bar, and a Roman animal trainr. Funral srvics will b hld tomorrow at th hom of Mr. Citizn. Th burial will b in th Unmarkd Cmtry for Jwish Martyrs. Jo is survivd by his wif and childrn. Spcial not to our radrs: TIMElss will cas this obituary column at th nd of tim. Introducing th NEW Etrnx watchs! No mor day, month, or yar rmindrs! War th BEST in faclss watchs. Guarantd to last forvr! Nvr nds battris! Choos from trnal purpl, vrviw blu, and tim-machin grn. Tak th tim out of Timx with nw Etrnx timlss tim pics from Evrlast! 191 Lt God B GOD BLM 8.1

23 Studnt Unit 8 Quiz 1. Rad Malachi 3:6. According to this vrs, why is it a good thing that God is immutabl? Isral was not dstroyd. 2. Rad Exodus 32:9 14. In this passag, God sms to chang His mind. What might b a bttr xplanation of God s actions in this passag? God was xprssing somthing that is byond our comprhnsion; H spaks in human trms (anthropomorphism). 3. A frind says to you, W liv in tim. What s so important about bliving that God is trnal? Writ an answr to your frind. Answrs will vary. 192 Lt God B GOD BLM 8.2

24 Studnt (optional) Cours Evaluation This valuation will hlp m, th tachr, do a bttr job th nxt tim I tach this cours. Plas answr honstly, and do not put your nam on th valuation. This valuation will not b rad until AFTER final grads ar compltd and turnd in. What part of th cours did you lik bst? Why? Which lsson or topic was th most intrsting and njoyabl? Why? Which lsson or topic was th most maningful or hlpful to you? Why? If you could chang anything about th ovrall cours, what would it b? On strngth of my tachr is: On waknss of my tachr is: Did th class mt th goals st forth at th bginning of th smstr? If not, why not? What kinds of changs would bnfit th nxt group of studnts to tak this cours? 212 Lt God B GOD BLM 18.1

25 Final Commitmnt This papr will not b collctd or sn by anyon xcpt you. Plas b honst in filling out this form. Your honsty will allow God to us this commitmnt and th things you hav larnd to hlp you grow toward ral maturity in Christ. Th on truth that had th biggst impact on my lif is: An ara of my lif that I nd to improv or in which I nd to grow is: An ara of my lif about which I fl confidnt whn I considr th charactr of God is: Aftr studying th natur of God, I fl: I am willing to commit myslf to a closr rlationship with God. Ys No 213 Lt God B GOD BLM 18.2