6 Weekly Sessions (90-minutes each)
Wednesdays, October 16 – November 27
(skipping November 20, 2024)
3-4 P.M. EST
$299
Given the debates surrounding the doctrine of God and the recent invention of “classical” theism to distinguish historic teaching from more novel developments, this cohort examines Scripture’s broad presentation of the doctrine in dialogue with patristic, medieval, Reformation, and post-Reformation developments.
The cohort led by J. V. Fesko is not an abstract exploration of the doctrine of God but one that factors the doctrine of the covenants and the person and work of Christ as important coordinate concepts. And while the cohort does not examine the doctrine of the Trinity in detail, it assumes the doctrine. What we say of God is true of all three persons of the godhead. In the words of the Athanasian Creed, “That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. . . . The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being.”
The cohort does not merely set forth these concepts for the sake of contemplation, which is in and of itself a good thing, but also connects them to the work of the triune God in the economy of redemption. In other words, the triune God who saves is the triune God who eternally exists apart from the creation. Knowing who God is shapes the nature of salvation, the Christian life, and our worship of our covenant Lord. In the end, the cohort will help Christians connect these precious truths about God to our lives as we live out and proclaim the gospel.
The registration fee includes these textbooks:
- Matthew Barrett, None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2019).
- James Dolezal, All That Is in God (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2017).
Recommended Reading
- Petrus van Mastricht, Theoretical-Practical Theology, vol. 2, Faith in the Triune God, ed. Joel R. Beeke, trans. Todd M. Rester (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2019).
- Scott R. Swain, The Trinity: An Introduction (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020).
- Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God, 2 vols., ed. Mark Jones (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022).
*If you have any questions pertaining to signing up for your cohort or group/church rates, email benjamin.gladd@thegospelcoalition.org
*Refunds are not available
*Registration closes October 2, 2024
This session examines what the Bible has to say about the knowledge of God available to humans through the creation, both in the wider cosmos and within the microcosmos (“small universe”) of humans. This session uses insights gathered from Stephen Charnock’s opening two discourses on the existence of God and practical atheism. We study passages such as Psalm 19 and Romans 1:19-20.
What is the significance of God’s name, “I AM”? We study this attribute of God by reading Charnock’s Discourse Five. We also look at Exodus 3:14 and see how the New Testament, especially the book of Revelation, explains the significance and meaning of God’s name.
This session dives into the topic of God’s immutability, or his unchanging nature. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Charnock’s Discourse Six is a guide for examining this attribute and we study passages of Scripture such as James 1:17, which states that God is the “Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
We are creatures that consist of parts, parts of our bodies, our souls, and as such we are composite beings. God, on the other hand, is “without body, parts, or passions” as the Westminster Confession states (2:1). We will use Matthew Barrett’s book None Greater and its chapter on God’s simplicity (pp. 71-88) as a guide. We will also look at passages such as John 4:24, which tells us that “God is spirit.”
In this session we study the omnipresence of God, that is everywhere in the creation but nevertheless distinct from the creation. We will use Charnock’s Discourse Seven as our guide and consider passages of Scripture such as Psalm 139.
This session looks at the attribute of God’s knowledge. What does God know, and how does he know it? We look at God’s omniscience, that he is all-knowing. We will use Charnock’s Discourse Eight as our guide. We will also think about passages such as Psalm 94:11, that God “knows the thoughts of man.”
Given the debates surrounding the doctrine of God and the recent invention of “classical” theism to distinguish historic teaching from more novel developments, this cohort examines Scripture’s broad presentation of the doctrine in dialogue with patristic, medieval, Reformation, and post-Reformation developments.
The cohort led by J. V. Fesko is not an abstract exploration of the doctrine of God but one that factors the doctrine of the covenants and the person and work of Christ as important coordinate concepts. And while the cohort does not examine the doctrine of the Trinity in detail, it assumes the doctrine. What we say of God is true of all three persons of the godhead. In the words of the Athanasian Creed, “That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. . . . The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being.”
The cohort does not merely set forth these concepts for the sake of contemplation, which is in and of itself a good thing, but also connects them to the work of the triune God in the economy of redemption. In other words, the triune God who saves is the triune God who eternally exists apart from the creation. Knowing who God is shapes the nature of salvation, the Christian life, and our worship of our covenant Lord. In the end, the cohort will help Christians connect these precious truths about God to our lives as we live out and proclaim the gospel.
The registration fee includes these textbooks:
- Matthew Barrett, None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2019).
- James Dolezal, All That Is in God (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2017).
Recommended Reading
- Petrus van Mastricht, Theoretical-Practical Theology, vol. 2, Faith in the Triune God, ed. Joel R. Beeke, trans. Todd M. Rester (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2019).
- Scott R. Swain, The Trinity: An Introduction (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020).
- Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God, 2 vols., ed. Mark Jones (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022).
*If you have any questions pertaining to signing up for your cohort or group/church rates, email benjamin.gladd@thegospelcoalition.org
*Refunds are not available
*Registration closes October 2, 2024
This session examines what the Bible has to say about the knowledge of God available to humans through the creation, both in the wider cosmos and within the microcosmos (“small universe”) of humans. This session uses insights gathered from Stephen Charnock’s opening two discourses on the existence of God and practical atheism. We study passages such as Psalm 19 and Romans 1:19-20.
What is the significance of God’s name, “I AM”? We study this attribute of God by reading Charnock’s Discourse Five. We also look at Exodus 3:14 and see how the New Testament, especially the book of Revelation, explains the significance and meaning of God’s name.
This session dives into the topic of God’s immutability, or his unchanging nature. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Charnock’s Discourse Six is a guide for examining this attribute and we study passages of Scripture such as James 1:17, which states that God is the “Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
We are creatures that consist of parts, parts of our bodies, our souls, and as such we are composite beings. God, on the other hand, is “without body, parts, or passions” as the Westminster Confession states (2:1). We will use Matthew Barrett’s book None Greater and its chapter on God’s simplicity (pp. 71-88) as a guide. We will also look at passages such as John 4:24, which tells us that “God is spirit.”
In this session we study the omnipresence of God, that is everywhere in the creation but nevertheless distinct from the creation. We will use Charnock’s Discourse Seven as our guide and consider passages of Scripture such as Psalm 139.
This session looks at the attribute of God’s knowledge. What does God know, and how does he know it? We look at God’s omniscience, that he is all-knowing. We will use Charnock’s Discourse Eight as our guide. We will also think about passages such as Psalm 94:11, that God “knows the thoughts of man.”
6 Weekly Sessions (90-minutes each)
Wednesdays, October 16 – November 27
(skipping November 20, 2024)
3-4 P.M. EST
$299