303 Midterm Flashcards
Creed
Latin - credo. A statement of belief. In the church it is a core statement of common belief. The Apostle’s Creed came from three questions answered by catechumin’s answers before baptism. Believing that vs. believing in.
Confession
Latin - confiteor. To own up/admit something. Also to profess. A longer, richer, more complex creed, less memorizable. A declaration of doctrine. Rules of faith, which unite and discipline believers and rule out heresies. They are ID markers.
Rule of Faith
(A use and purpose of the creeds and confessions.) Ruler or measure to keep people within boundaries. Keeps church relatively pure from heresy. Something to unite around and keep us in line. Plenty of room for theological difference.
God’s Essence
BC 1&8: Who God is. Nothing will ever change. The trinity. The doctrine of simplicity implies that each person of the holy trinity is identical with the essence of God. For protestants, all three have the whole essence. One single essence who is displayed in three distinct persons. We can describe it by what it isn’t via negativa or what it is: via eminentiae
Theology’s Object
The triune God, creation and their relation. With an accent of humans but not just humans.
Faith
BC 22: Eph 2:8 You are saved by grace through faith The holy spirit kindles faith in us. The object of our faith is Jesus Christ and all of his merits. Grace is the agent. We must guard against seeing faith itself as a good work.
Misery in the HC
HC 3: Sin leads to misery leads to sin, distance from God. We try to relieve suffering with that which caused the sin in the first place. German: Elend.
Structure of the HC
Misery, Deliverance, Gratitude. Comfort as an overarching theme.
3rd use of the Law
1: Civil/political function, 2: tutor of sin and tutor to Christ, 3: rule of gratitude thereby giving glory to God, assuring us of our faith by the fruits, and win our neighbors
Repentance
HC 88. More than remorse. 180 turn. Mortification and vivification
Internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit
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Providence
HC 1, 27 & BC 13. the doctrine of God’s sovereignty over creation. Because God is omniscient, he is never surprised. He always works for good. When we can’t see the good it is our limitation, not his. Each event, and God’s response are part of his foreknowledge or plan.
Original Sin
BC 12, 14-16. Original sin includes both corruptions, turning to other ends God’s good gifts, and guilt. People are born into matrices of evil, their slate has been written on for years by their ancestors.
I am not my own
Q&A 1. True. I did not create myself or my own world. I can’t govern myself, if I had to satisfy my sin, I’d come up short, I don’t have to try to be my own. the sin of Eden extends to us, the world’s longest running delusion that we are our own.
Christians believe in three gods but are too timid and conventional to say so.
BC 8&9. This criticism may be made of theologians whose social approach to the trinity at the risk of tritheism. At the far side of this would be Aryanism, in which only the father is considered properly divine while the son & spirit are creatures. Karl Barth may make such a critique, his simplicity approach errs on the side of oneness.
Faith seeks understanding
Anslem quote. Theology is rooted in our faith in God, that seeks to understand God, creation and their relation.
Jesus is the same as God
This is a claim that Karl Barth might make. Erring on the side of oneness. God is one essence with three modes of being. As opposed to Jesus being a distinct person with the same essence or a creature of God.
God’s mercy and justice appear to be in tension.
BC 16&20. God’s mercy and justice were fully displayed on the cross, whey then do we still need to experience both. We are missing part of the puzzle. God’s emotions do not change. He always loves us and hates sin.
There are good reasons for the theologian to work in the interrogative mood.
This pertains to the task of the theologian and the object of theology. A good theologian will be a restlessly conservative seeker of sheer truth. He or she will cherish the traditional interpretations of doctrine, but view them with a critical eye, always asking questions, such that theology has a progressive, reformist dimension.
Sin is a form of self-abuse
We discussed in the context of preaching and teaching sin in a no-fault culture, and in misery, part 1 of HC. The pain sin inflicts on ourselves is an important point, though the way it grieves God is more important. Augustine referred to sin as such.
Thology consists largely of repeating traditional formulations of doctrine
Theology can often be accused of this, especially if not approached in the interrogative mood. It must assume true the inheritance of the past, but must be moved to a new position.
Sin & misery appear to cause each other or, at least, to be the occasion of each other
This is addressed in the first part of the HC and addresses the cyclical nature of sin and misery. Misery is often the result of sin, and abuse in families often lead the abused to become abusers.
The purposes and uses of creeds and confessions
rule of faith: to bring unity and provide boundaries therefore polemical: to correct heresy
identity markers: set Christians apart, once you make the confession, you can’t take it away
didactic: educating young and new believers. Apostle’s creed has been used for baptism
liturgical: singing, prayer, preaching
great theology to be learned from the Heidelberg Catechism
Misery, Deliverance, Gratitude
Comfort vs. Anxiety
The theologian’s task
faith seeking understanding. Interrogative and conservative. A restlessly conservative seeker of sheer truth.
The HC’s uses and treatment of the law of God
- Political/civil guidance
- tutor of sin, tutor to Christ
- rule of gratitude: glory to God, assuring us of our faith by evidence of our faith, winning our neighbors for Christ.
Broadens
Deepens
Positivizes
Applies
