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Theology 101

Theology 101.

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Theology 101

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  1. Theology 101

  2. “We need to have an organized system of thought so as to make a consistent defense of our faith. If we do not, we will be at the mercy of those who have such a system. The Bible gives a consistent world-view and provides answers to the great problems which have faced the philosophers for generations”(Theissen, p. 4)

  3. The Character of Scripture “The Bible is to the theologian what nature is to the scientist, a body of unorganized or only partly organized facts” • The death of Christ (Leviticus 1-7) • The sufferings, death, and exaltation of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53; Psalm 22) • The Return of Christ (Zechariah 14; Revelation 19-22) • The Person of Christ (John 1:1-18; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-20)

  4. The Character of Scripture • The Bible as the Word of God (Ps. 19; 119) • The Omnipresence and Omniscience of God (Ps. 139) • The restoration of Israel to its temple worship and land (Ezek. 40-48) • The present and future status of Israel as a nation (Rom. 9-11) • The Holy Spirit (John 14-16) • The problem of suffering (Job; I Peter)

  5. The Development of an Intelligent Christian Character • Erroneous views on Theolgy: • There is little or no connection between a person’s belief and character • Theology has a deadening effect on the spiritual life “Merely intellectual acceptance of a set of doctrines is insufficient to produce spiritual results, and unfortunately, many people have nothing but an intellectual loyalty to the truth. But true belief, involving the intellect, the emotions and the will, does have an effect on character and conduct”

  6. “We act according to what we really believe, not according to what we pretend to believe” • “Only as we know what we believe will we be able to withstand the attacks of the evil one and move forward in the victory provided for us in Christ”

  7. I Tim. 4:2 “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience, and instruction” • Titus 1:9 “Holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers…”

  8. The Possibility of Theology • “The possibility of theology grows out of two things: the revelation of God and the endowments of man. • The revelation of God takes on two forms: general and special revelation • The endowments of man are of two kinds: mental and spiritual endowments”

  9. The Revelation of God • God could never be known if he had not revealed himself • “Revelation is that act of God whereby He discloses Himself or communicates truth to the mind, whereby He makes manifest to His creatures that which could not be known in any other way”(Theissen, p. 7) • Revelation can be seen as asingle, instantaneous act of communication in time • or over an extended period of time

  10. The General Revelation of God 1. Nature • Naturalists who reject the idea of God see nature as self-sufficient and self-explaining • Pantheists see God as the ‘power of energy effecting all the changes in the phenomenal world’ • Deists see God only in nature, as the ‘all-sufficient revelation of God’ and no special revelation is necessary---if there is a god, he/she/it is distant and uncaring

  11. The General Revelation of God • Scripture states the revelation of God in nature: • Romans 1:19… • Job 12:7-9 • Ps. 8:1-3 • Ps. 19:1 • Isaiah 40:12-14; 26 • Acts 14:15-17

  12. The General Revelation of God • “What the deists held were nothing but abstract truths derived, not from nature, but from the other religions, especially from Christianity. • The deistic view has been largely superseded by the belief that we have no revelation of God in nature”

  13. The General Revelation of God • “The revelation of God in nature reveals that there is a God and that he has such attributes as power, glory, divinity, and goodness. But there are limitations of the revelation of God in nature. Although leaving man without excuse, this revelation alone is insufficient for salvation; it is intended, however, to incite man to search for a fuller revelation of God and his plan of salvation, and it constitutes a general call of God to man to turn to Him”(Theissen, p. 8)

  14. The General Revelation of God 1. Nature 2. History • Ps. 75:6 “For not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert comes exaltation; but God is the Judge; He puts down one, and exalts another” • Acts 17:26 “God has made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though he is not far from each of us”

  15. The General Revelation of God 1. Nature 2. History • Israel • Egypt • Babylon • Medo-Persia • Greece • Rome

  16. The General Revelation of God 1. Nature 2. History • “It is surely remarkable that at a time when the whole world had sunk into the despondency of polytheism and pantheism, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their descendants should come to know God as a personal, infinite, holy, and self-revealing God, as the creator, preserver, and the governor of the universe (Joshua 24:2)

  17. The General Revelation of God 1. Nature 2. History • Israel conceived of man as created in the image of God • Fallen, sinful, condemned • Needing redemption through sacrifice • Deliverance through the death of a Messiah • Resulting in salvation for the nations • The Messiah coming again to reign in righteousness & peace from Jerusalem

  18. The General Revelation of God 1. Nature 2. History • Conscience Conscience judges whether a proposed course of action or an attitude is in harmony with our moral standard or not and urges us to do that which is in harmony with it and to refrain from that which is contrary to it.

  19. The General Revelation of God • Conscience is the presence in mankind of this sense of right and wrong, of this discriminative and impulsive something, that constitutes the revelation of God. It is not self-imposed. • It is the reflection of God in the soul • There is an absolute law of right and wrong in the universe, and God will hold us accountable for aligning our lives to His standard

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