LESSON 5

God’s Communicable Attributes

1. How can God’s communicable attributes be divided?

Into those that belong to God’s knowledge, His will, and His power.

2. Which attributes belong to His knowledge?

His omniscience, according to which God perfectly and continuously knows all things, and His wisdom.

3. Which attributes belong to God’s will?

His goodness, holiness, truth, and righteousness.

4. Which attributes belong to God’s goodness?

His love, grace, mercy, and long suffering.

5. Whom does God love?

God loves Himself as the highest good and all His creatures for His own name’s sake. I John 4:8

6. How then can God love the reprobate wicked?

He cannot, for the Scriptures teach that the curse of God is in the house of the wicked. Proverbs 3:33

7. How then can God love His people who are also sinners?

He loves them not as sinners, but as those whom He chose in Christ and justified through Him. Ephesians 1:4

8. What is God’s grace?

It is His attitude of undeserved favor towards His people in Christ and the power whereby He saves them. Romans 11:6

9. What is God’s mercy?

It is His attitude of pity towards His people in their misery and His power to deliver them from it. Ephesians 2:4, 5; Psalm 106:44, 45

10. What is God’s power?

It is His omnipotence, whereby He is able to accomplish all that He has determined to do in His counsel. Genesis 17:1; 18:14;Luke 1:37

EXTRA WORK

1. Look up the First Point of common grace on page 63 of Ready to Give an Answer and explain what this point teaches.

2. Prove that this teaching is wrong according to Scripture by explaining the following texts: Psalm 5:4, 5; Proverbs 3:33; Romans 1:18.

3. What does Romans 9:15 teach concerning the mercy of God?

4. What does II Peter 3:9 teach concerning the long suffering of God?

5. Look up the following passages and explain why it is wrong to teach that God loves all men: Psalm 73:1; Jeremiah 31:3;Romans 8:38, 39; John 3:16; I John 4:9.

6. Which attributes of God are spoken of in the following passages:Exodus 34:6, 7; Isaiah 6:3; Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 119:68;I Peter 1:16?