Featured Is God Passible?

Of course you can believe what you will. But, for the third time, the assertion that God did not experience emotion as a result of the choices of His creation, simply ignores or nullifies the multiple scriptures that say otherwise.

Agreed

 

One thing that I dislike is that "Impassibility" is explained every jot and tittle by the Neo-Orthodox and some folks here simply adopt their language RE: "Anthropomorphic" - an explanation of what cannot be fathomed of God put into human comparative semantics which we can understand.

Genesis 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Now I am no free theology buff but I can't accept the anthropomorphic explanation. So, somehow our Almighty Omni-everything God was sorry that He made man and it grieved Him at His heart. Why are reluctant to accept this?

Way off in the distant past of my KJVO upbringing I hear another passage:

Romans 3:4 ... let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written...

So I have categorized the "Impassibility" of God not as "anthropomorphic" but under the umbrella of "mystery".

I believe we have lost something by being afraid to acknowledge that there are mysteries connected to our God.

HankD

 

Hank, just curious but do you accept that there is anthropomorphic language about God in the Bible?

How are to understand passages like Isaiah 48:13 (God's hands) or 2 Samuel 22:7 (God's ears)?

Does God, particularly God the Father, have physical parts?

 

God has perfections , but not emotions or passions.
The people thought the Apostles were gods....and to prove they were not, they said they were men of like "passions".
11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,

15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

18 And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

 

Hello JonC
There is a 6 sermon series by a young man named Samuel Renihan where I think you did a really good job of laying out the historic position of the church.
I will try to pick up the links for that they're probably on sermon audio if not I can track down where I have him and he did a good job I like how he stressed that God has perfections not not just holy incommunicable attributes what perfections.
example God is love he doesn't just have love or experience love .
Could a perfect God love us anymore or any less than he already does?
Men are moved by emotions and passions .
we get surprised by something we learn something ,we we neglect to consider something .
that never can happen with God with all His holy in communicable attributes

 

My thoughts on this whole topic are very simple. I look to Isaiah 55 and the picture that God gives of himself there is that He is so far beyond us that we cannot process fully that difference being fallen creatures
even though we are being restored image bearer's now I don't think we can really get a handle on any of God's attributes in a right way because sin has affected us .

 

Hi JonC, Yes, His ways are beyond finding out. I can't accept free theology or deism (as an explanation of the"impassibility" of God) yet I am somewhat perplexed when I try to use reason and logic to do a semantic tap dance to explain the ways of God RE: Genesis 6:6). So "mystery" is my categorized comfort zone.

Others like the "tap dance" as their comfort zone and I don't blame them, as this is my second choice.

HankD

 

yes, I do but only in the events where it is an obvious symbolism.

ibid. above, God makes things He hears things...

Yes and no. God is a Spirit in His essential being, but the Israelites ate with and saw God. He can and has manifested Himself as a "man" in the OT.

HankD

 

I had shared this a few days ago with hank;

http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.a...out+Passions&keyworddesc=God+without+Passions

 

We are totally dependent upon God to reveal himself to us. I have a hard time with any form of human thought that questions God's perfections....

to speak of" God in time begins to experience"....I think first off- was there something, anything, God had to learn? To suggest this is an impossibility. A god who needs to learn is NOT the biblical God.

In the incarnation we are told this;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

This speaking of Jesus humanity speaks of Him as our High Priest having to go through or actually experience what He did not in the sense of gaining knowledge, but actually functioning as our mediator he can totally identify with us by participation in the realm of time....In His humanity, he wept, he was tired, etc.

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

 

Thank you for supplying this, JonC, and I apologize for my delay in coming back to you.

First of all, I need to confess that to my shame I have never read Calvin's Institutes. However, I don't think this quote squares with what you wrote earlier.

What I think Calvin is saying is that God does not feel emotions as we feel them. As I have tried to show, God's love, wrath etc. do not well up and subside, but are constant and invariable. He does not indeed get 'perturbed.' Here is Calvin on John 3:16.

So Calvin is saying that there is a love of God towards men, but this love is not based on mere emotion, nor on any good perceived in the creature, but solely upon His free electing will from eternity.

 

Yes some mistaken folks try to turn the "person" of God into a stone budda, never reacting to the choices of His creation. It is mistaken doctrine.

1) It was agreed each person of the Trinity experiences suffering and emotional pain. No need to backtrack on a ship that sailed.

2) Many try to throw the baby out with the bath water, scripture indicates God's emotions are sometimes "aroused."

3) God hate for sinners cannot be dismissed. Thus when we choose to sin, we arouse God's hatred.

4) Jesus was slain about 2000 years ago, not before creation. Certainly God formulated His redemption plan, including the death of His Lamb, before creation. But to conflate a plan with an action is error.

5) Acts 15:18 says God made known long ago, things like the Gentiles turning to Jesus. No support whatsoever for the mistaken doctrine of exhaustive determinism.