This document provides an overview of themes and topics discussed in a Biblical Literature workshop, including: - The relationship between wisdom, prayer, and trusting in God. - The problem of evil and how God's goodness and omnipotence relate to natural and moral evil in the world. - Differences between the Old Testament and New Testament pictures of God, with the Old Testament focusing on God's power and reliance on people, and the New Testament centered around Jesus as the self-revelation of God. - The doctrine of the Trinity, describing God as a unity of three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) based on passages like John 1:1, and its implications for understanding God's nature

1. Themes InThemes In
BiblicalBiblical
LiteratureLiterature
BIL120BIL120
Workshop 2Workshop 2
Glenn JohnsonGlenn Johnson
Welcome!

2. Themes InThemes In
BiblicalBiblical
LiteratureLiterature
BIL120BIL120
Workshop 2Workshop 2
UpdatesUpdates
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Announceme
nts Review
of Past

3. Wisdom Principle & PrayerWisdom Principle & Prayer
I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak hisI will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his
praises.praises.
I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are discouraged takeI will boast only in the LORD; let all who are discouraged take
heart.heart.
Come, let us tell of the LORD's greatness; let us exalt his nameCome, let us tell of the LORD's greatness; let us exalt his name
together.together.
I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me, freeing me from all myI prayed to the LORD, and he answered me, freeing me from all my
fears.fears.
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadowThose who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow
of shame will darken their faces.of shame will darken their faces.
I cried out to the LORD in my suffering, and he heard me. He setI cried out to the LORD in my suffering, and he heard me. He set
me free from all my fears.me free from all my fears.
For the angel of the LORD guards all who fear him, and he rescuesFor the angel of the LORD guards all who fear him, and he rescues
them.them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those whoTaste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who
trust in him!trust in him!
Let the LORD's people show him reverence, for those who honorLet the LORD's people show him reverence, for those who honor
him will have all they need.him will have all they need.
Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trustEven strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust
in the LORD will never lack any good thing.

4. If ThereIf There
Is A GodIs A God
THEODICY
The Problem Of
Evil
Theos=“God”
Dike=“Justice”

5. If There Is AIf There Is A
GodGod
“When Bad Things Happen To Good People”

6. If There Is AIf There Is A
GodGod
CLASS-WIDE DISCUSSION 2.2: (From Discussion Starter
Questions on Handout)
“When Bad Things Happen To Good People”

7. If There Is A
GodGod
The Problem Of Evil
-ISSUE: How can we justify what we believe about God in relation
to evil in the world?
-2 Kinds of Evil
-Both Types Highlighted in Luke 13:1-5….Jesus rejects false
simplistic view (all moral/natural evil is result of judgment, i.e.,
tower fell on ‘particularly bad people who deserved it’)

8. If There Is A
GodGod
The Problem Of Evil
THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING…What Do We Mean When
We Say……..
OMNIPOTENCE?
GOODNESS?

9. If There Is A
GodGod
The Problem Of Evil
NATURAL EVIL
Moore, OK 1999 Tornado
“Active Will vs. Passive Will”
Limited Creatures
Live In Violent Energy System
Chance Factors
God’s Purposes Elsewhere…
Not A Hedonistic Paradise
Redemptive Possibilities….
Christian Hope…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL36Hzrwo58&index=3&list=PLaX9GGu-BsQQjcHTmo33MSXLo

10. If There Is A
GodGod
The Problem Of Evil
MORAL EVIL
ISIS and Purported
Egyptian Christian Martyrs
Genuine Free Choice
Required
God Respects Freedom
God Does Not Create/Will
Moral Evil
God CONCURS in the
Natural…..
Demonic Influence?

11. Themes InThemes In
BiblicalBiblical
LiteratureLiterature
BREAKBREAK

12. If There Is A
GodGod
The Problem Of Evil
HUMANS & MORAL EVIL
Civil Warfare in Darfur
Region
Freedom Required for
Goodness to be Possible
Human Guilt
Individual Sin
Intensifies Impact of Natural
Evil

13. If There Is A
GodGod
The Problem Of Evil
REDEMPTION & MORAL EVIL
CROSS OF CHRIST: Solution
CROSS & RESURRECTION (Romans 8:28)
HOPE: In The End
WE ONLY SEE IN PART….

14. The OldThe Old
TestamentTestament
Picture Of GodPicture Of God

15. The OldThe Old
TestamentTestament
Picture Of GodPicture Of God
The Power of STORY and
Personal Knowledge

16. The OldThe Old
TestamentTestament
Picture Of GodPicture Of God
GOD RELIES ON
PEOPLE

17. The OldThe Old
TestamentTestament
Picture Of GodPicture Of God
GOD IS A CONTRACT
MAKER

18. The Old TestamentThe Old Testament
Picture Of GodPicture Of God
GOD IS PLUGGED INTO HISTORY

19. The Old Testament Picture Of GodThe Old Testament Picture Of God
HISTORY WAS NOT
OUTSIDE OF HIS
CONTROL

20. The Old Testament Picture Of GodThe Old Testament Picture Of God
GOD MAKES MORAL PRINCIPLE
CENTRAL TO LIFE

21. The Old Testament Picture Of GodThe Old Testament Picture Of God
GOD IS AWESOME….in the truest
sense of the word.

22. The NewThe New
TestamentTestament
Picture Of GodPicture Of God
JESUS: The “Self-
Revelation Of God”
JESUS: Human/Divine…
READ IN CLASS: Mark
14:32-42

23. How Has GodHow Has God
RevealedRevealed
Himself To Us:Himself To Us:
TrinityTrinity
Prominent in the early church, a source of mystery for
us now…

24. How Has GodHow Has God
RevealedRevealed
Himself To Us:Himself To Us:
TrinityTrinity
No study of God/Bible can ignore the Holy Spirit’s role as a
central aspect to Christianity
TRINITY: a “mystery” at its core……but what comes to mind
when we think about the early church?
Today, here’s what comes to mind….

25. How Has GodHow Has God
RevealedRevealed
Himself To Us:Himself To Us:
TrinityTrinity

26. How Has GodHow Has God
RevealedRevealed
Himself To Us:Himself To Us:
TrinityTrinity
Where there is confusion about the Trinity, the previous
example doesn’t help…..the Holy Spirit is not a commodity
you tap into on demand like electricity for instance
Not 3 separate gods…there is simultaneous unity in the
diversity, like water in 3 forms
John 1:1 is a good starting point….

27. How Has GodHow Has God
RevealedRevealed
Himself To Us:Himself To Us:
TrinityTrinity
-In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. (1 John 1:1, NIV)
-yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came
…and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things came and through whom we live. (1 Cor. 8:6,
NIV)….Paul is quoting from Deut. 6:4-8 and places Jesus squarely in
the middle, unity shown between God and Jesus while distinguishing
Embraces the tension of unity/diversity

28. How Has GodHow Has God
RevealedRevealed
Himself To Us:Himself To Us:
TrinityTrinity
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
Wrestled with this mystery
Language “being” “essence” is unsettled when referring to unity…..also
“person” when referring to distinction
So that: UNITY in being and DISTINCTION in person

29. How Has GodHow Has God
RevealedRevealed
Himself To Us:Himself To Us:
TrinityTrinity
WHY DOES THIS MATTER AS A THEME?
UNITY & DIVERSITY: basis of unified Church and peoples/many “tribes
and nations”…points to God’s nature
Without trinity, we would not know what love is….need to know the lover
and the beloved, the self and source of love….love is not created but
central to the being of God

30. How Has God Revealed Himself To Us:How Has God Revealed Himself To Us:
TrinityTrinity
WHY DOES THIS MATTER AS A
THEME?
We believe, not
because we fully
understand the
mystery, but by the
light of the trinitarian
love, we can see
everything else

31. Themes InThemes In
BiblicalBiblical
LiteratureLiterature
BREAKBREAK

32. DISCUSSION 2.3: DifferenceDISCUSSION 2.3: Difference
Between The Old Testament andBetween The Old Testament and
New Testament Picture of GodNew Testament Picture of God
• Hive Off Into Discussion Groups (10 Minutes)
• GROUP 1: Characteristics of the Old Testament Picture of God
• GROUP 2: Characteristics of the New Testament Picture of
God
• Reconvene Whole Class: Findings (10 Minutes)
• WHOLE GROUP:
• What are your personal challenges/questions in believing?
• The Bible presents the “Triune” God as desiring relationship
with us….how does that feel?