Midterm Flashcards
What is the difference between Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, and Historical Theology?
Obvious Themes
Overall System
Our Heritage
BT approaches
Cross-cut approach: focused and specific (e.g. light/darkness, love/hate)
Long-cut approach: broad themes across scripture (e.g. covenants)
Bibliology
the doctrine of the Bible itself
Theology Proper
the doctrine of God himself
Christology
the doctrine of Christ’s nature/works
Pneumatology
the doctrine of the Holy Spirit
Anthropology
the doctrine of man
Hamartiology
the doctrine of sin
Soteriology
the doctrine of salvation
Ecclesiology
the doctrine of the church
Eschatology
the doctrine of last things/end times
Importance of Systematic Theology (ST)
structure allows theology to be effective
Confession
affirms what a group believes at any given time or place, inclusive
Creed
prescribes what members must believe, exclusive
Importance of Historical Theology (confessions and creeds)
Helps the church distinguish orthodoxy from heresy
Provides solid biblical interpretations and theological formations
Presents stellar examples of faith, love, courage, hope, obedience, and mercy
Protects against individualism so prevalent today
Enables it to express its beliefs in a contemporary form
Encourages focus on the essentials (main areas emphasized repeatedly throughout its history)
Passage about Scripture being God-breathed
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Scripture about men being carried along by the Holy Spirit (inspiration)
2 Peter 1:20-21 “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Definition of Theology
reflection and articulation of knowledge from God in the Scriptures to grow in our relationship with Him and glorify Him in all we do
4 pillars of Christian worldview
Authority/Truth: people/writings
Creation: origins
Fall: evil/suffering
Redemption: destiny/solution
Correspondence
how well a truth claim aligns with observed reality
The correspondence theory
The correspondence theory suggests that truth can be clearly known and stated
What are three ways we can understand the nature of and know truth as a Christian?
TRUTH: known exhaustively by God
Truth: known by Christians as humans and through Scripture
truth: known by humans through experience, reason, etc.
Proposition
a declaratory statement/claim that can either be affirmed or denied - testing for veracity
The Protevangelium & significance
when the Gospel was first revealed in the OT
Significance: the OT is incomplete, but no less true. The new revelation did not contradict the old, but fulfills it, expands it, or causes it to fade away.
Dispensationalism
God has worked in history through defined time periods (dispensations or administrations); history is salvation history
Promises in Scripture are to be interpreted literally
Israel and the Church are two distinct administrations/dispensations
Dictation Theory
emphasizes the divine authorship of Scripture to the exclusion of the human (i.e. God dictated the exact words)
Partial Inspiration Theory
inspiration only extends to the doctrinal teachings of Scripture (i.e. only some parts of the Bible are divinely inspired, while others are human errors)
Conceptual Theory
God inspired human authors with the general concepts of the passage, but left the words and details to the author
Intuition Theory
the authors of the Bible very wise individuals with heightened spiritual insight, meaning their writings were inspired by their own natural understanding rather than direct divine intervention
Illumination Theory
the Bible is written through intensifying or elevating the religious perceptions of special Christians, but not fully divinely inspired
Neo-Orthodox Theory
the Bible is an imperfect document, since God is so above humans that He cannot be tied to words on a page; the Gospel accounts are not literal or factual since they are written by imperfect humans
Verbal Plenary Inspiration
Verbal: every word of Scripture comes from God
Planery: every part of Scripture comes from God
Importance of understanding Inspiration Theory
Communication: the Bible communicates God’s Word to us
Variety (unity vs. uniformity): a variety of different genres allow us to see the humanity in Scripture, since God is speaking in a way we understand
Accurate preservation
Repeated inspection
Greater accessibility
Inerrancy
the Bible is authoritative and trustworthy
God’s authoritative Word is wholly truth and trustworthy in everything it claims about what was, what is, and what will be
Presuppositions of Inerrancy
Assuming that the unexplained is not explainable
Presuming the Bible guilty until proven innocent
Textual Criticism
forgetting that only the original text, not every copy of Scripture, is without error
Harmonization
assuming that a partial report is a false report
What are implications of denying inerrancy?
If we deny inerrancy, a serious moral problem confronts us: may we imitate God and intentionally lie in small matters as well?
If inerrancy is denied, we begin to wonder if we can really trust God in anything He says.
We essentially make our own human minds a higher standard of truth than God’s Word itself.
If we deny inerrancy, we must also say that the Bible is wrong not only in minor details but in some of its doctrines as well
Cosmological Argument
The universe is an observable effect which requires either an infinite regress of causes tracing back to its origin which is impossible or else a sufficient uncaused Cause for its existence, thus God exists.
The cause argument
Teleological Argument
The highly complex universe not only implies a Cause/Maker but also an intelligent designer.
General revelation from Romans 1:18-20
The design argument
Moral Argument
Everyone has a sense a moral obligation (conscience), so an Ultimate Lawgiver and Judge must exist.
Same argument used by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity
The designed way of living argument
Three strands of Triunity
There is one God
God is three persons
Each person is fully God
Unitarianism
Father: Creator
Son: Creature
Holy Spirit: Impersonal
(separate)
Sabellanism (modalism)
Father: OT
Son: NT
Spirit: present
Tritheism (three gods)
Claim by Muslims against Christians
Docetism
denied human nature
Superman
Ebionitism
denied divine nature
Batman
Arianism
diminished divine nature
Thor
Apolollinarianism
diminished human nature, denied human spirit
The Hulk
Nestorianism
denied union of natures
Gollum and Smegol
Eutychianism (or Monophysitism)
denied distinction of natures
Spider-man
Adoptionism
union based on baptism
Green Lantern
Natures and Person (what and who)
Nature = essence, “what-ness” (2)
Person = ultimate center of activity, responsibility, volitionality, intentionality (1)
Chalcedonian Summary
The incarnate Christ is:
Two “whats” in one “who”
Two objects in one subject
Two natures in one person
Athanasian Equation
God Saves + Jesus Saves = Jesus is God
Kenosis
Philippians 2:6-7: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
Christ emptied Himself of the exercise of divine prerogatives (exclusive rights, etc.)
Peccability
because of Christ’s human nature, He was both temptable and able to sin
Implies susceptibility
Impeccablity
because of Christ’s divine nature was joined to His human nature, He was temptable but unable to sin
Does not imply susceptibility
Foundational Ministries of the Holy Spirit
Indwelling: Romans 8:9-10 “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
Baptism: 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
Relational Ministries (Holy Spirit)
Filling: Eph 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit”
Walking: Gal 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Grieving: Eph 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Quenching: 1 Thess 5:19 “Do not quench the Spirit.”
Historical theology can study the significance, meaning, and cultural context of …?
Creeds and confessions
Christ’s “whatness” (a term coined by N. Geisler) refers to His
natures
