Historic Christian Belief (REL 313 - Pak) Test 2 Study Guide

Monism

only one aspect (body, soul, spirit are all in 1)

Problem: Too many bible texts affirm an immaterial part lives on after physical death / near death experiences affirm this

Dichotomy

Body and Soul/Spirit-this is Historic Christian Belief

soul and Spirit can be interchangeable

Trichotomy

Body, soul (emotions, thoughts, will), and spirit (get at conversion) are all seperate

Problem: Scripture uses soul and spirit interchangeably

Pre-existence

The souls of people existed as angelic spirits before the creation of Adam (created at the beginning of time)

not Biblical: Origen believed there were creatures that fell into humans and demons

Creationist

Soul is created and implanted sometime between conception and birth

Weakness: how is sin transmitted (goes with federalism)

Transducianism

Soul as well as the body are inherited from the parents at the time of conception.

Weakness: how is soul generated from another soul? (goes with realism)

Origin of Sin

from Adam and Eve's sin

1) Choice of moral autonomy

2) Choice for unbelief

3) Choice for independence

Original Sin

Sin is transmitted to all of us

-sinful nature and guilt

-inherited from Adam

Federalism

The original guilt is imputed to us.

part of corporate solidarity, Inherited through Adam

Reformed Theology

Realism

The original guilt remains with us.

part of corporate solidarity, Inherited through parents (passed down)

Western Church

Corporate Solidarity

guilt and corruption-western beliefs

Only corruption

Eastern church beliefs

Partial Depravity

Greek View

-no original guilt

-Justin Martyr-rejected human freedom

-essential goodness of humanity

Total Depravity

Latin View

-Terutillian

-Every part of us is affected by sin

Incarnation

in-flesh

Impeccable

Jesus was unable to sin because he is God and cannot be tempted with evil

Cerinthus

Christ descended on Jesus at baptism and left at crucifixion

Ebionism

Denied Jesus' deity-Jesus was the Messiah but only a human who justified himself by the words of the law

Jesus was not God

Adoptionism

Jesus was born human and adopted as Son of God at his baptism

declared heresy

Docetism

body of Jesus and his crucifixion were an illusion-basically saying matter is evil so God wouldn't take on a human body

Jesus was not Human

Modalism

The different parts of the godhead are different modes of one God

(3 different people not 1)

condemned by Tertullian

Arianism

God the Son is created by God the Father as a lesser god

Denies full deity

Jesus was not fully God

Council of Nicea

First ecumenical council

Called by Constantine I

Declared writings of Arius as blasphemous

Agreed on creed to say that Jesus is the same nature as God

Athanasius

Important defender of the Trinity

Constantine I

Supported the church

Allowed for church freedom

the first Christian Roman Emperor

Issues edict of Milan

Apollinarianism

Jesus had a fully human spirit, but was not fully human

Jesus was not fully human

Nestorianism

Christ existed as 2 persons-the man Jesus and the divine son of God

Jesus was 2 distinct persons

Eutychianism/Monophsiticism

Jesus had only one nature (divine) that absorbed his human nature

Jesus was one blended nature

Council of Chalcedon

Condemned both Nestorianism and Eutychianism/Monophysitism

Said Christ was one person with 2 separate and distinct natures, united but unmixed

(The Synod of Robbers)

Atonement

reconciliation and sacrifice

Religious concept in which obstacles to reconciliation with God are removed, usually through sacrifice.

Propitiation

taking on the wrath of God

Expiation

removal, forgiveness of sin

takes place on the basis of propitiation

Redemption

to buy back

Ransom

the price paid to redeem someone from the bondage of captivity

Reconcilliation

restored relationship

Ransom to Satan Theory

Proposed by Origen

Adam and Eve sold humanity to the Devil, Christ had to die as a ransom

Problem: Makes the Devil too High

Christus Victor View

Proposed by Irenaeus

Adam failed to obey God, so Christ had to reverse the effects of the fall

Latin View/Vicarious Satisfaction

Proposed by Anselm of Canterbury

Christ came to keep the law perfectly and died a voluntary death

Punishing sin is not the focus, fulfilling God's requirement is

Fulfilling the law

The Reformed View/Penal Subsititution

Held by Evangelicals

Christ bore a penalty for sin when he died as a substitute for us.

Christ is our substitute

Moral Influence Theory

Proposed by Peter Abelard

Christ's death is a way of God showing his love by identifying with their sufferings

Example Theory/Socinianism

Held by follower of Socinus

Christ suffered to leave us an example-we can achieve perfection because Christ did

Governmental Theory

Held by Hugo Grotius

Christ died to demonstrate that laws had been broken and penalty would be required-law is still required, Christ's death shows the seriousness of it

General Atonement

Salvation for everyone is possible

majority doctrine in Protestant Christianity

Only for those who believe in Jesus

unlimited in scope, limited in efficacy

Dorman relates to Arminianism

Particular Atonement

Christ's death purchased the salvation of the elect

limited in scope, unlimited in efficacy

Celsus

First critic of the resurrection

The resurrection was a dream, a lie, or an overactive imagination

G.E. Lessing

Refused to believe in resurrection because there was no first-hand experience

Result of the Age of Enlightenment

David Strauss

Believed miracles don't happen

Said that resurrection was memory projected into a living presence

introduced the idea of MYTH

Resurrection is the the basis of the Christian faith but a product

Rudolf Bultmann

History only has cause and effect-resurrection cannot be taken seriously

Kerygmatic

Karl Barth

Put emphasis on empty tomb

does not say that means Christ was resurrected

Wolfhart Pannenberg

Christian theology is based on history

Christ is the key to the interpretation of history

Resurrection is a historical event that had witnesses

Swoon Theory

Taught by Koran

Christ never actually died, was resuscitated in the tomb

False:

Severity of Roman Flogging

Heart failure due to blood and water spilling out

Theft Theory

Jesus' body was stolen by his friends, enemies, or grave robbers

false:

Die for a lie

Produced the body to stop the rumors

no motivation

Hallucination Theory

Disciples hallucinated Jesus coming back

False:

Individual occurances

Rare

requires anticipation and expectancy

What does resurrection prove?

Jesus' Diety

Jesus is who he says he is and everything he said was true

Insures our regeneration and justification

Which member of the trinity do we experience

Holy Spirit

Father-through OT

Jesus-through time on earth

Holy Spirit-Pentecost-forward

Pneumatology

Study of the Holy Spirit

Origen and the Holy Spirit

Believed the Holy Spirit was created-heresy

Tertullian and the Holy Spirit

emphasis on one substance of the Son and Spirit with the Father

Montanists

charismatic group who claimed to prophesy additional revelation than what is in the Bible

Arianism and the Spirit

considered Holy Spirit a created being

Athanasius and the Spirit

the spirit is fully divine, consubstantial with the Father and the Son

Spirit makes us "partakers of God"

Augustine and the Spirit

The Spirit is the gift of both the Father and the Son and thus proceeds from both (double procession)

Council of Constantinople

Expanded Council of Nicea's "we believe in the Holy Ghost" to "...who proceeds from the Father"

Filioque clause

widely accepted in the West, never accepted in the East

"I believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and Son"

West and East cant agree on anything

The Great Schism & Causes

Mutual excommunication of the eastern and western church

1) Insertion of filioque clause into the Nicene creed

2) Dispute of Papal authority

(T/F question: FALSE)

Luther's emphasis of Spirit

inseparable connection between Spirit of God and Word of God

Calvin on Spirit

the inward witness of the spirit provides the absolute certainty that the Bible is the word of God

Wesley on Spirit

Close connection between witness of the Spirit and fruit of the Spirit

Rationalism on Spirit

not recognized because it cannot be proved by reason

Work of the Holy Spirit

1) Regeneration

2) Santification

3) Empowerment

4) Intercession

5)Spiritual Gifts

6) Revelation/Guidance

7) Assurance

8) Unification

9) Baptism

Spiritual Gifts

Given to all believers

1)used for edification of the whole body

2) all gifts are important

3) different gifts are given to different believers

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Takes place at conversion (according to Dorman)

No consensus throughout the church

Baptized into one body

Anthropology

the study of humankind

Imago Dei

Image of God

Specific Aspects of Imago Dei

Physical

Mental

Moral

Spiritual

Relational

Functional

Significance of Imago Dei

1) the Culmination of work of creation

2) All human being shave dignity and respect

Essential Nature of Man

1) to be "spiritual" includes intellect, emotion, and will

2) Growing in knowledge of God is just as important as growing in faith with him

3) Maturing in Christ involves the whole person

Sin

is failure to conform to the moral law of God. It is a condition that is judicial, moral, legal, and relational

The Symbolism of the Forbidden Fruit

1) Man's relationship to God as creature to Creator

2) A constant reminder

Depravity

moral corruption; wickedness

Synergism

A Belief That Faith Arises Out of An Inherent Capacity of the Natural Man.

John Chrysostom

Monergism

Salvation only by God's grace without the help of human free will

Incompatibilism

view that a deterministic universe is completely at odds with the notion that people have a free will

Determinism

The view that all events, including moral choice, are completely determined by previous existing causes

Free Will

The unique ability of a person to exercise control over their conduct in the fullest manner necessary for moral responsibility

Campatibilism

The view that the existence of free will and the truth of determinism are compatible with each other

Theological Determinism

1) The thesis that there is a God who foreknows and decrees all that humans will do.

2) the problem of free will

Indetermination

Eastern View

The will is free and not inclined either towards good or evil

Moral inability is not compatible with moral accountability

Self-Determination

West

The will is free in the sense that it is at liberty to do as it pleases.

Our sinful nature will cause us to choose sin

Moral inability is compatible with moral accountability

Pelagius

A positive thinker concerning human nature and ability but not a biblical thinker

Necessity of hope

-Sinlessness is attainable and was achieved by many even before Christ

-Each man comes into this world without entailment of sin

Socinianism

Condemned as fetal heresy by counsel of Ephesus

Semi-Pelagianism

Belief in the universality of original sin as a corruptive force in mankind

Can be subdued through asceticism

condemned to heresy Council of Orange

Easter Church

Trichotomist Creationist

Original guild rejected

Partial Depravity

Synergistic

Indetermination

Western Church

Traducianist

Original Guilt Accepted

Total Depravity

Monergistic

Self- Determination

Martin Luther (1483-1546) &

John Calvin (1509-1564)

Human free will was greatly diminished by original sin

The Council of Trent (1545-1563)

Human beings are incapable of meritorious acts without the aid of supernatural grace

The Doctrine of Immaculate Conception

Mary herself was free from sin

Roman Catholic

Titles of Christ

Prophet

High Preist

King

Son of Man

Servant of God

Lord

Son of Man

Used the most by this title

Emphasized his deity from heaven and given dominion

Necessity of Christ's Humanity

1) Represent Obedience

2) Substitute Sacrifice

3) Mediator between God and Men

4) an example and pattern in life

5) sympathetic high priest

Homoousois

Of same nature