Theological Term of the Week

pantheism
“[T]he view that there is a God, and God is everything. … God isn’t beyond the universe or greater than the universe. Rather, God is the universe.”1

• Scripture disproving pantheism by teaching that God is distinct from creation:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 ESV)

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:18-25 ESV)

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Heidelberg Catechism

Question 47. Is Christ, then, not with us to the end of the world, as he has promised us? (a)

Answer: Christ is true man and true God. With respect to his human nature he is no longer on earth, (b) but with respect to his divinity, majesty, grace and spirit, he is never absent from us. (c)  

(Scriptural proofs after the fold.)

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Sunday's Hymn: We Praise Thee, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator

We praise thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator,
In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before thee, we kneel and adore thee,
We bless thy holy name, glad praises we sing.

We worship thee, God of our fathers, we bless thee;
Through life’s storm and tempest our guide hast thou been.
When perils o’ertake us, escape thou wilt make us,
And with thy help, O Lord, our battles we win.

With voices united our praises we offer,
To thee, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise.
Thy strong arm will guide us, our God is beside us,
To thee, our great Redeemer, for ever be praise.

—Julia B. Cory

St. Olaf Choir

Piano prelude

Other hymns, worship songs, prayers, sermons excerpts, or quotes posted today:

• Let All Things Now Living at Graces Daily
• In Memory of the Savior’s Love at The Happy Wonderer
• Ground and Settle Us In Your Truth from Trevin Wax
• The story is God’s story at Blogging Theologically
• Lifting Up Our Hearts - 34 at The Upward Call
• Genuine Birth at Tried With Fire
• Lord’s Day 31, 2014 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Your weekly dose of Spurgeon: First love at Pyromaniacs

Have you posted a hymn (or sermon, sermon notes, prayer, etc.) today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by contacting me using the contact form linked above, and I’ll add your post to the list.