Doctrine of God

Definition and Meaning

The doctrine of God is the branch of systematic theology that deals with God Himself. It addresses God's existence and the revelation through which He may be known, as well as the names of God, the attributes of God, and the Trinity. God's works, such as creation and providence, also fall within its scope.

The Reformed tradition often divides God's attributes into two categories. Attributes such as love, holiness, and justice, which are reflected to some degree in human beings, are called communicable attributes. Attributes that belong to God alone, such as aseity, immutability, and eternity, are called incommunicable attributes.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Old Testament presents God as the one God (Deuteronomy 6:4) and as the self-existent One (Exodus 3:14). The New Testament speaks of "the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19) and confesses that "God is love" (1 John 4:8).

The early church contended over two views. One was Arianism; the other was modalism, the view that the one God merely changes His mode of appearance at different times. Through these controversies, the Council of Nicaea (325) and the Council of Constantinople (381) formulated the doctrine of the Trinity, affirming that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are of the same essence (homoousios). The Reformers inherited this classical doctrine of God. In the modern era, views such as process theology and open theism have emerged that reopen questions about God's immutability and His knowledge of the future.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Korean Protestants generally use the name Hananim for God, while the Korean Catholic Church and the Korean Common Translation Bible use Haneunim.
• In worship, many Korean churches confess God the Father Almighty, the Creator, by reciting the Apostles' Creed. The benediction is pronounced in the name of the triune God.
• Korean Presbyterians, following the Westminster Confession of Faith, tend to emphasize God's sovereignty and His decree (the plan God ordained from eternity).
• Korean Methodist and Holiness churches, following Wesleyan theology, give priority to God's love and grace, which reach out first to all people.
• Pentecostal denominations in Korea, including the Full Gospel churches, emphasize the Holy Spirit, who continues to work today, and the goodness of God.
• Among Korean Baptists, both Calvinist and Arminian positions are found, varying from church to church.
• These differences in emphasis carry over into the predestination and free will debate.
• In Korean seminaries, the doctrine of God is taught as a foundational course in systematic theology. The volume on the doctrine of God in Park Hyung-nong's Dogmatic Theology is known as a textbook that greatly influenced conservative Presbyterian theological education in Korea.
• In Korea, process theology and open theism are introduced mainly within academic theology. Theologians in conservative denominations criticize them as incompatible with the traditional doctrine of God.