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Christian Beliefs in History

Terms in this set (134)

Systematic Theology
Any study that answers the question, "what does the Bible teach us today?" about any given topic
Historical Theology
talks of specific people in history
Philosophical Theology
Done largely without the Bible, reasoning
Apologetics
A defense of the truthfulness of the Christian faith, often for the purpose to persuade non-believers
Christian Ethics
What actions or attitudes are we supposed to have according to scripture?
Biblical Theology
Bridge from biblical studies to systematic theology. Looks at a set of books to see what they say, How did a particular concept develop overtime in the history of scripture?
presuppositions
the things we take for granted; assumptions
What is circular reasoning?
Start and end with the same thing

The Bible is God's Word because it says it is God's word
christian presuppositions
1. the bible is the absolute standard of truth
2. god exists and he is who the bible says he is
Methodology
Collect, notes, summary, check findings, may send you back
General Revelation
The knowledge of God's existence, character, and moral laws come through creation to ALL HUMANITY (natural)

-W/o scripture
Special Revelation
God's words addressed to SPECIFIC people, including the words of the Bible.

To be distinguished from general revelation, which is given to all people generally.

-words from bible
-specific people
Natural Theology
relying only on purportedly non supernatural sources i thinking and concluding about god

-ideas not using scripture
-some ideas we cant figure out on our own
Arguments for God's existence
A posteriori
A Priori Proofs
A Posteriori
Empirical proofs
Inductive
Arguing from effects to cause

(cosmological, teleological, moral)

-outside observations
A Priori Proofs
Deductive
Arguing from cause to effects
(ontological)

-rationalizing
Cosmological
Infinite series do not exist
Experiences we know that things are cause and one cannot infinitely backtrace, but rather land on a beginning cause (God)

-there has to be a starting point
Telelogical
There is a designer (god)

Orderliness to the universe helps bring about certain ends so to speak of a purpose that comes from someone (God)
Moral (aka Anthropological)
If there is no God you have no basis for ethical order
No God = no basis for moral order

-feeling guilty, judgements
-we need a judge to know what is right and wrong
Ontological
Greatest conceivable being must exist

Now a being which does not exist cannot be the greatest of all conceivable beings (for the nonexistence being of our conceptions would be great if it had the attributes of existence) therefore, by definition, God must exist

-its logically possible for the perfect being to exist, therefore he has to exist
Proofs for God's existence in Aquinas
There are two fundamental principles that faith gives

Vindication of reason, not faith
Regeneration
The imparting of new life to us by a secret work of the Holy Spirit (born again, new creation)

-we believe scripture because of the holy spirit
The illumination
The bringing about the comprehension of the Biblical texts meaning and "creating a certainty of its truth and divine origin" Holy Spirit tells us truth

-certainty and origin
Intuition Theory
Were religious geniuses such that their inspiration is from natural endowment

-open to errors? YES, tons of errors
-all human
Illumination Theory
Holy Spirit heightened their powers much like a drug would
-we have some influence
-open to errors? YES
Dynamic Theory
Human and divine elements in the writings. Human directed to thoughts and concepts to convey.

-interpretation errors
Verbal Theory
Human and divine elements. Concepts and words are all chosen such that they are exactly what the HS wants. Human traits somehow still work in.
-personality of writer evident
-Open to errors, assessment? NO
-mysterious
-goes with full inherency
Dictation Theory
God told the writer what to write verbatim. Writer did not have own thoughts
-Most the HS
-Human has no role
Chicago Statement
Results fully inerrant
VERBAL THEORY
Not literally was said but general idea of what ways said, therefore not inerrancy
Inerrancy (Erickson)
The Bible is fully truthful in all of its teachings
Inerrancy (Grudem)
The idea that the scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to the fact
Absolute Inerrancy
Hold that the Bible which included rather detailed treatment of matters both scientific and historical is fully true. Genre and normative language usage rules are not considered

-very literal
-NO ERROR
Full Inerrancy
Holds that the Bible is true. While the Bible does not primarily aim to give scientific and historical data, such scientific and historical assertions as it does make are fully true. The date recorded here can be phenomenal and involve approximations. What they teach is essentially correct in the way they teach it.

-believe no error, but allow for rounding
-can be literal
-takes genre and history into account
Limited Inerrancy
Regards the Bible as inerrant and infallible in its salvific doctrine. However the scientific and historical references in the Bible reflect the outdated Understanding current at time

-the extent of the flood was understood to be global even if it was actually local (if there was one)
-often called infallibilists
-There may be ERRORS
Authority of scripture
All the words in scripture are God's words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God

-scripture is our primary authority
Clarity of Scripture
the gospel is everything necessary for salvation is accessible and acceptable to Christian's and accessible to non-christians.

-the message of the gospel is clear
Necessity of Scripture
Means that the Bible is necessary for knowing the gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and for knowing God's will. But it is not necessary for knowing that God exists or for knowing something about God's character and moral law

-we need to read the scripture, no one is saved w/o scripture
Sufficiency of Scripture
Means that scripture contained all the words of God He intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive history and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly and for obeying Him perfectly

-scripture is all we need
Canon
Lists of all the books that belong in the Bible
Only the 66 books of the OT and NT are scripture
Apocrypha (deutero-canonical books)
-books of the church
-there are different variations
-should not be considered scripture
History of Apocrypha
-not by christ and NT authors
-contains some teachings inconsistent with the bible
-reguarded NOT AUTHORITATIVE
Council of Trent 1546
declares that the deutornomical books are canonical
History of the Apocrypha: Acceptance and Rejection
No dispute between Jews and Christ regarding Canon

Christ and NT authors quote OT scriptures as authoritative 295 times
Eusebius
claimed criteria for NT status
Divine Attributes
The conceptions or designations of the divine essence employed by the finite intellect in its declaration concerning what God IS

-we know god via analogy
-god= infinite, us= finite
-roles, properties, attributes, and acts
Incommunicable Attributes
attributes that God does not share or communicate to us; Shares less
Independence (Self-Existence or Aseity)
Incommunicable Attribute

Everything is dependent on God, he doesn't need us
Unchangeableness (immutability)
God is unchangeable bc his is already perfect
Impassibility
Incommunicable Attribute

God does not sin
Eternity
Incommunicable Attribute

God has no beginning or end in time and does not experience time successively
Omniprescence
God is separate from his creation, he is everywhere at all times
Unity (or Simplicity)
God is not divided into parts, yet we see different attributes to God emphasized at different times
Communicable Attributes
Attributes that God shares or communicates to us; Shares more
Spirituality
God exists as a being that is not made of any matter; has no parts or dimensions, is unable to be perceived by our bodily sense, and is more excellent that any other kind of existence

-we have souls
Invisibility
God's total essence, all of His spiritual being, will never be able to be seen by us, yet God shows himself to us through visible created things

-our souls are invisible
Knowledge (Omniscience)
God knows everything
Wisdom
God always chooses the best goals and the best means to these goals
Truthfulness
He is the true god, his words and knowledge are true
Faithfulness
God will always do what He said and fulfill what He has promised
Goodness
God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval
Mercy
God's goodness toward those in misery and distress (does NOT need sin first)
Grace
Goodness toward those who deserve only punishment (NEEDS sin first)
Love
God eternally gives Himself to others
Holiness
He is separated from sin and devoted to seeking His own honor
Righteousness (or Justice)
God always acts in accordance with what is right and is Himself the final standard of what is right
Jealousy
God continually seeks to protect His own honor

-can be a good thing
Wrath
He intensely hates sin
Will (including freedom)
God approves and determines to bring about every action necessary for the existence and activity of Himself and all creation
secret will
all things that become the past
revealed will
what we should do
Freedom
God does whatever He pleases
Omnipotence
God is able to do all His holy will
Perfection
God completely possesses all excellent qualities and lacks no part of any qualities that would be desirable for Him

He is perfect
Blessedness
God delights fully in Himself and in all that reflects His character
Beauty
God is the sum of all desirable qualities
1. God is three persons
2. Each person is fully God
3. There is one God
Biblical Affirmations
Epistemology of Biblical Affirmations
-Ousia/substance (one being)
-Unimaginable but still logical
-You can't picture it, all physical analogies fail
Modalism-
One person who appears to us as three in different forms or modes
-LEAVES OUT THE FACT THAT GOD IS THREE PERSONS
Present: United Pentecostal Church
Arianism
Son and HS are not fully God

-LEAVES OUT THE FACT THAT EACH PERSON IS FULLY GOD
Present: Jehovah's Witness
Adoptionism
Christ was not God but God was exerting a force in Christ and His life from the time of his baptism onward. He is thus adopted as sin at baptism and received supernatural powers

-LEAVES OUT THE FACT THAT EACH PERSON IS FULLY GOD (thought of Christ a man of HS)

-the son is not fully god
Tritheism
Three Gods (what Christians are accused of)

-LEAVE OUT THE FACT THAT THERE IS ONE GOD
Subordinationism
Son was fully God, but not equal to the Father in being or attributes "The son is God, but not fully God"
-PROBLEM: Logical contradictory
Voltronism "Partialism"
Pie chart where each person makes up 1/3 of being
"Three things combined to make a bigger thing"
-LEAVES OUT FACT THAT EACH PERSON IS FULLY GOD
Properties of the Trinity (eternal procession)
relationship b/w the 3 persons, finite groups of people
Properties of the Trinity (eternal generation)
-eternal generation: lightbulb and phone analogy, the light has always been on, the son has always been generated

-phone = father, light = son
tertullian
-an apologist who refuted Sabellian heresy
-used substantia and persona
miahypostatic tradition
-strict monothesism
-God begets the Son and sends the Holy Spirit; the Son is God in the same way that the Father is
diahypostatic tradition
-god the father is only god
-the Son is non-eternal, created being above all creatures but subordinate to God; still prior to and above creation (arianism)
Emperor Constantine
ends religious persecution in rome in 313 with his edict of milan
Bishop Alexander of Alexandria
miahypostatic tradition, tried to ensure unity of teaching
arius
diahypostatic tradition,
was a pastor and gave an exposition to alexander that began the arian controversey in 318
council of nicaea 325
determined that the trinity existed

-emperor constantine
anthanasius
develops theology of nicaea using homoousious
damasus
bishop of rome, declares the nicene creed to be true, and the trinity to be true

unity of east and west
Nicene-constantinopolitan creed 381
theodosius
HS is affirmed as God
cappadocian fathers
helped sort terminological confusion
unity of east and west
applied personal properties to persons
nicene creed
the recieved texts of the protestant churches

one god
ex nihilo
"out of nothing," the way in which God created the universe
time
god does not experience time
transcendent
god is greater, seperate, and above his creation
immanent
he is intimatly involved with all creation and present
god is always both
immanent and transcendent
naturalism/materialism
atheism, nature and universe
pantheism
universe is god
panenthesim
god is dependent on creation

avatar movie
dualism (materialistic)
alongside god

the material with which the universe created existed eternally with God
manichaeism
good and bad god, always in conflict
deism
there is no supernatural embreaking
Gods glory
we are not necessary, glorify god and enjoy him
relationship b/w scripture and findings in modern science
grease fire analogy

conclusions from general rev. and special rev. should agree

the unity of scripture should always be maintained
providence
God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that He...

God preserves it, (maintain)
concurs it, (agrees with)
governs it (conduct the policy)
decrees of god
eternal plans of god
election
est. of gods degrees who will end up with him
reprobation
est. of gods degrees who will NOT end up with him
foreordination
est. of gods degrees of everything
predestinations
est. of gods degrees of heaven and hell
preservation
god keeps all created things existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them

why physical laws operate
concurrence
god cooperates with created things in every action, directing distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do.
helpful analogy
primary cause: author
secondary cause: character

god is the primary cause of everything
competing conception of miracles
not supernatural, just unnoticed

-rarely occurring or noticed natural phenomenon
-breaking or suspending of natural laws
-supernatural countering natural forces
Calvinism knowledges
natural knowledge -> infinity novels
free knowledge -> 1 novel
calvinism/ thomism (god)
god already knows
god is lone author and publisher
Arminianism/ Molinism (knowledges)
natural knowledge -> infinity novels (could)
middle knowledge -> feasible novels (would)
free knowledge -> 1 novel
Arminianism/ Molinism (God)
god is chief co-author
god is lone publisher
middle knowledge
maybe an unfallen world is feasible
he chooses the world in which we get created
god is limited, he can create any scenerio
genesis 1:26-28 image of god?
"us" "our" = trinity
social, creative, power/dominion, blessing
irrespective gender and sex
moral obligations
cultural mandate
command to rule the earth for god and to develop a god-glorifying culture.
imago dei
Image of God, cannot be human w/o
structural sense of the imago dei
how we are made, our gifts that allow us to function
functional sense of the imago dei
imaging or reflecting god as he intended in our various relationships and callings

what we do
Pre-fall
structure: fully equipped
function: natural law, cultural mandate, eating command
fall
structure: damaged but still present
function: obliterated

*we can still have the image of god after the fall

- Depravity: we are incapable of functioning how God wants us to
redeemed
capable to believe and obey

structure: restored a bit
function: restored
glorification
unable to die, structure and function will be perfect

Non posse peccare et mori: not able to sin and die
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