Round the Sphere Again: Series

Two recent blog series that I recommend to you.

Attacking Anxiety
I’ll admit it; I’m a worrier. I worry less than I used to, but I can still become anxious over nothing. John MacArthur has been writing about fighting anxiety the biblical way.

• Overwhelmed by Anxiety?
• Worn Out by Worry
• Anxiety and God’s Sovereignty
• Observing God’s Care
• What Did Jesus Say About Worry?
• Our Father Overcomes Our Anxiety, Part 1
• Our Father Overcomes Our Anxiety, Part 2
• The Incompatibility of Faith and Anxiety
• The Folly of Worry in Light of Our Future

You’ll want watch for more, because this series isn’t finished.

Diagramming Scripture
For what it’s worth, in my opinion, many Christians are not careful enough in their observation of the text of scripture. They don’t see the connections or the flow of the argument, and they don’t know how to start seeing them. But there’s help: Tim Brister shows us his way to use sentence diagramming to study scripture “for greater Bible intake, ultimately leading to greater life transformation through the Spirit’s work through His Word.” 

• Disciple-Making and Sentence Diagramming, Part 1
• Disciple-Making and Sentence Diagramming, Part 2
• Disciple-Making and Sentence Diagramming, Part 3
• Disciple-Making and Sentence Diagramming, Part 4
• Disciple-Making and Sentence Diagramming, Part 5

There will be more posts in this series, too.

Theological Term of the Week

communicable attributes
Those attributes of God that Heshares with humans, although in a limited way, such as his love, goodness, justice and knowledge; those attributes of God that are to be imitated in our lives.

• From scripture:

The LORD is good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made. (Psalm 145:9 ESV)

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10 ESV)

 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:10-11 ESV)

• From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem, God’s communicable attributes listed in five categories:

A. Attributes Describing God’s Being

1. Spirituality 

2. Invisibility 




B. Mental Attributes

3. Knowledge (or Omniscience)

4. Wisdom

5. Truthfulness (and Faithfulness) 




C. Moral Attributes

6. Goodness

7. Love

8. Mercy (Grace, Patience)

9. Holiness

10. Peace

11. Righteousness (or Justice)

12. Jealousy

13. Wrath





D. Attributes of Purpose

14. Will

15. Freedom

16. Omnipotence (or Power, and Sovereignty)




E. Summary Attributes

17. Perfection

18, Blessedness

19. Beauty

20. Glory

15. Freedom

16. Omnipotence (or Power, and Sovereignty)

Learn more:

1. Blue Letter Bible: What are the various ways in which God’s attributes are categorized?
2. Bruce Ware: Attributes of God: Communicable Attributes, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (audio)
3. Wayne Grudem: The Character of God - Communicable Attributes, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9 (audio) 
4. R. C. Sproul: Communicable Attributes (video)

Related term:

• incommunicable attributes
• goodness
• grace
• holiness
• love 
• mercy
• omnipotence
• omniscience
• righteousness 
• truthfulness
• wisdom of God
• wrath

Filed under God’s Nature and His Work

Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.

This Week in Housekeeping

Finally, a quiet week so I can start catching up on a few neglected tasks, like updating theological term posts. It’s been almost two months since I’ve done this!

ontological Trinity

• Removed a dead link.
• Added a link to Ra McLaughlin: Equality in the Godhead.
• Added related terms economic Trinity, Trinity.
• Added “Filed under Trinity.”

perseverance of the saints

• Removed a dead link.
• Added a link to John MacArthur’s Perseverance of the Saints (pdf).
• Added related terms assurance of salvation, irresistible grace, unconditional election.
• Added “Filed under Salvation.”