III. Refuting Those Who Contradict Sound Doctrine Flashcards
If the Holy Spirit’s work is necessary to bring conviction of truth, what are the use of apologetics and polemics?
Apologetics and polemics can be used by the Holy Spirit to convict of sin and convince of the truth, just as we are called to proclaim the Gospel–which the HS uses to regenerate.
1 Peter 3:15 “In your heart honor Christ as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
Defend the Protestant view of the canon of Scripture against the claims of Rome.
The canon is the canon affirmed by the Lord and acknowledged by the NT writers as the OT canon.
There we hold to the Hebrew Scriptures of the Jews, NOT to the greek apocrypha or deuterocanonical books. Jesus refers to the Law Prophets and Pslams following the Jewish canon in Luke 24:44.
Self attesting authority vs tradition acknowledging it.
Discuss the legitimate concerns and the fatal defects of “liberation theology.”
Liberation is legitimately concerned with the backing up of our witness with actual love. We do not want to just say–go and be blessed and not take care of real needs, battle injustice, care for the poor, the widows, and orphans. However, this release from suffering is meant to point to the larger release from all suffering in the New heavens and earth. We also know that suffering, though terrible, is a result of sin and the rejection of God–without giving people salvation from sin and death in jesus, we are leaving people enslaved to sin and death–not liberated. We offer liberation from sin itself–getting at the core problem behind human suffering.
Describe and refute neo-orthodoxy’s view of Scripture.
The neo-orthodoxy view says that the Bible is not the word of God but reveals the Word of God–Jesus.
The Bible merely is man’s interpretation of the Word–Jesus’–actions.
The Bible is not objectively true, but testifies fallibly to the one truth.
Therefore, all that matters is an experience of Jesus through Scripture, not Scripture itself.
Goes against the self-attestation of Scripture, Jesus’ own understanding of Scripture and his use of Scripture. Scripture is God-breathed. And it is the means of getting jesus and encountering Jesus becuase it the Word of God that reveals the Word of God. The HS reveals the Son through his authrotiative word.
Is the Bible’s view of man’s calling to “subdue and rule over the creation” responsible for the polluting of the earth? What is the difference between the Bible’s teaching concerning our stewardship over God’s creation and contemporary environmentalism as a form of nature religion?
I would say man’s greed and sin are what is responsible for polluting the earth–though we use whatever means necessary to justify this greed, even Scripture. We are stewards over creation because we are the rulers over it and we cultivate the garden for our own good, not just for the good of creation.. We are not then, simply one more aspect of creation, equal with the rest. Likewise, we steward creation in a way that allows us to be creative, to cultivate, to use for our fruitfulness–in a way to honor God and express our image bearing–and because it bears witness to God–not because it is god or because it gave us life.
