This post interacts with pages 21-35 of John Frame’s The Doctrine of God.
In the opening chapter of The Doctrine of God Frame looks to assert God as the Lord. In his estimation, “no description of God, is more central to scripture than this.”
The concept of God as Lord stems from God’s interaction with Moses in Exodus 3. In v. 15 God commands Moses to tell the Israelites that “The Lord” (YHWH) has sent Moses to the people. This is the name that God personally revealed to Moses, and is one of the initial ways that God reveals himself to his people.
Because God, or YHWH, is Lord he is “the one and only true God…and deserves all of our love and allegiance.” This title is used for God (and Jesus in the NT), over 7,000 times in the bible.
The concept of God as Lord implies ideas of power and possession. God is above us and we are under him. God has a right to rule over us. He is always in a posture of authority over his creation. Frame notes that a growing number of theologians are attempting to downplay these attributes of God. Because of the abuses of power all around us, and the negative connotations many have of authority and subordination, there are some who seem to want to rescue God from the idea that he would be viewed as a tyrant or dictator.
However, just because a term or idea has been abused doesn’t make it inherently an evil thing. Lordship doesn’t necessarily have to imply abuse or oppression. Frame spends the rest of the chapter showing how scripture more clearly defines the Lordship of God. As he reveals himself throughout scripture what do we come to find out about God?
1. YHWH (Lord) is the name of a person
The bible is consistent in its teaching that God is not an impersonal force. Frame writes, “Rather than taking him for granted, as we do with impersonal things and forces, we must always take his concerns into account, responding to him in repentance, love, thanksgiving, and worship.”
2. YHWH (Lord) is holy
Although God is personal he is also unique to every other created thing. Again, in his encounter with Moses we see this uniqueness of God when Moses is instructed to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground (Ex. 3:5). One aspect of God’s holiness is this ability of God “to arouse our reverent awe and wonder.” In our understanding of God he must be set apart. We can not treat Him as simply a friend or something to be trifled with.
Another aspect of the holiness of God is his purity. When Isaiah encounters God he sees himself clearly as a sinner in contrast to the perfection of God (Isa. 6:5). It is when we begin to understand this perfection in God that we begin to see ourselves more clearly. In a time when individuals can almost be flippant in the way that they talk about God the scriptures are constantly lifting God up as someone not to be dealt with lightly.
3. YHWH (Lord) is covenant head
The final point that Frame draws out about the Lordship of God is His role as covenant head. When God initiated his relationship with Israel (Deut. 4:37-38; 7:6-8; 10:15) he set the relationship up by means of a covenant. Similar types of covenants were made between kings and their subjects in this time period. Most of these covenants (the biblical covenant included) shared a common structure:
- The name of the king identifying him as the author
- An overview of the ways that the king has helped the people
- The stipulations (or laws) that the people are expected to obey
- Blessings and curses depending on obedience to the covenant
- Provisions for various circumstances that might arise
What’s important about this idea for Frame is that God established the terms in which he would relate to people. It’s not up for us to decide what God expects of us or who God is because he has clearly laid such ideas out for us. God desires to be known, and he desires that his will for his creation be known. The context that God established to reveal himself was (and still is) a covenant.
So what are your thoughts after hearing these ideas from Frame? Does the idea of God as Lord make you uncomfortable? Are people to flippant in the way that they treat and talk about God? What changes in the way we relate to God if we don’t simply see him as friend, but also as the creator of this world who rules and reigns over all people?
I look forward to some good discussion.
