03.6. Glossary of terms
GLOSSARY OF TERMS Solitariness: That God is one God, self-existent, self-sufficient, and unique.
Eternality: That God is not bound by time, but is always existent, always present, and holds all of time in his hand.
Invisibility: That God has no physical form, and cannot be seen by any creature.
Spirituality: That God in his essence is spirit; that he is actual Personality who may influence the physical world, but is not bound by it.
Immutability: That God is wholly perfect, and therefore cannot change.
Omnipotence: That God has infinite power to accomplish all his will.
Omniscience: That God knows all things exhaustively, actual or potential, past or future; that he effortlessly understands all the best ends and all the best means to those ends.
Holiness: That God is utterly separate from all creation, and the only source of all moral and ethical perfection.
Love, essential: That God’s essential being is love; that his love is fully and perfectly manifested within the fellowship of the Trinity, apart from any relationship to creation. See Love, redemptive.
Creativity: That attribute which God displayed when he brought the worlds into existence with a word, and ordered them in beauty and harmony.
Sustaining: Preservation. That God actively holds all creation together and keeps it in existence.
Transcendence: That God is different, separate from, and higher than his creation.
Omnipresence: That God in his being is infinite and unbounded. That he is everywhere at all times.
Ownership: That God created all things, and therefore possesses all things. That he has all rights to make, shape, and use all of his creation as he sees fit.
Law-giving: That God tells every created thing how to conduct itself. That he can and does lay moral obligations on men.
Sovereignty: That God actively reigns over all creation, unilaterally raising up and putting down, dispensing mercy and justice, hardening and granting repentance as he wills.
Goodness: The kindness and benevolence which God shows to all of his creation.
Glorification: Displaying or acknowledging the infinite glory that God by his very nature possesses; the purpose for all of creation.
Wrath: That God by his holy nature utterly abhors sin and therefore holds immense and terrible anger towards sinners.
Righteousness: Justice. That all of God’s actions are without sin and consistent with his holy character, and therefore, no charge can ever be brought against him.
Judgment: That God actively brings into account every thought and action of every moral creature and rewards each one appropriately, according to the perfect standard of his holiness.
Longsuffering: That God often withholds his wrath and anger for considerable amounts of time instead of pouring out wrath and judgment immediately.
Hardening: That God sometimes judges sinners by destining them to continue in their sinfulness and treasure up greater wrath in the day of judgment.
Sovereignty over evil: See sovereignty. That God is not frustrated by the rebellious acts of his creatures, but instead uses those very deeds to accomplish his holy purposes.
Vindication: That at the conclusion of history, God will be shown to be right in all that he has done, and all who have opposed him will be justly condemned.
Love, redemptive: That God freely, sovereignly, and apart from any need in himself desires to give to the sinful men whom he has chosen all that is necessary for their greatest good and eternal joy.
Condescension: That God, through Christ, humbly descends from the unapproachable heights of his glory to reveal himself to us and procure the blessings of his grace for us.
Mercy: That God withholds from us the punishment that we so richly deserve by pouring it out upon Christ instead.
Grace: That free, sovereign, and unmerited favor which God displays toward his children because of the cross.
Faithfulness: The trustworthiness of God to fulfill what he promised and to complete what he started.
Righteousness, to the redeemed: See righteousness. That it is right and just that God should forgive us, show us favor, and give us the rewards that perfect righteousness merits, because of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us.
Initiative: That God actively and sovereignly draws sinners to himself when they are naturally inclined against him. That man’s response to the offer of salvation is secondary to God’s initial work of electing, calling, and regenerating.
Fatherhood: That God adopts into his family all whom he redeems, bestowing upon them all the rights and privileges of being his children and Christ’s brothers.
Joy, in the redeemed: That God not only accepts those whom he redeems, but genuinely rejoices in them. That Christ truly delights in those whom the Father has given to him.
Glorification, in the redeemed: See glorification. That the ultimate purpose of God’s great work of redemption is to display the marvelous glory of his grace.