Historic Christian Belief Final Exam (Pak)

Divine Revelation

God making himself known to the objects of that revelation

We are finite, he is infinite

General Revelation

God making himself known in: Creation & Human Beings

Conscience

Judges my actions towards others

Questionable

Judicial Sentiment

Judges acts of others towards me

Unquestionable

Moral Law

Conscience + Judicial Sentiment...Law about Right and Wrong

Moral Law Objections

Obj. 1: It's just a herd instinct (i.e. saving someone from drowning)

A: Moral Law is not an instinct, but something that guides your instincts

Obj. 2: It is a social convention: taught by education

A: We can say one set of moral values is better than the other which indicates that there is a standard against which we measure them all.

General Revelation Conclusions

God is knowable

We are accountable before God for our choices and actions

General Revelation Cannot?

Give saving knowledge of God

Intuition Theory

Inspiration as a high degree of insight-holy spirit not involved

Illumination theory

Inspiration as a high influence of the Holy Spirit upon the biblical authors in increasing spiritual perceptivity but no special communication of the truth

Dynamic Theory

Emphasis on the combination of divine and human elements in the process of inspiration. (KARL BARTH)

Verbal Theory

Each word is the exact word that God wants used at that point to express the message

Dictation Theory

God dictates the Bible to the writers

Plenary Inspiration

Inspiration of all works of scripture, Full

Verbal Inspiration

Every word of scripture is inspired by God, Word

Allegorical Interpretation

Extended Metaphor...Historical events and realities are images/shadows of divine realities

Literal Interpretation

What the biblical writers intended to convey by ordinary usage of human language...Grammatical Exegesis, Historical Exegesis...Martin Luther

Grammatical Exegesis

If the plain sense makes sense, then seek no other sense

Historical Exegesis

Bible was written to common people and it understandable to anyone. However, was written a long time ago to a different culture

Historical Interpretation

Miracles in the Bible were not history but myths...Truth can be found by peeling away the husk of the myth

Cosmological

Unmoved mover...Efficient 1st cause...Necessary being...Most perfect cause

Teleological

Universe has order because of creator

Ontological

Unimaginable: he is a being by which nothing greater can be perceived

Moral

Moral sense for existence of God

Incommunicable Attributes of God

Independence

Immutability (unable to change)

Infinity

Eternity

Communicable Attributes of God

Knowledge/Wisdom

Truthfulness/Faithfulness

Goodness

Love

Mercy/Grace/Patience

Holiness

Righteousness/Justice/Wrath

God's Summary Attributes

Perfection

Blessedness

Beauty

Glory

Trinity (Factors)

Unity of God

Deity of Jesus demonstrated by resurrection

Presence of God within his people (indwelling of the Spirit)

Modalism

Godhead as single unit:

Father - Creation

Son - Redemption

Holy Spirit - Sanctification

Arianism

Christ the Son was a subordinate to the God the Father

Tritheism

3 Gods (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) All independent from each other

Trinity in Creation

Father: Spoke creative words

Son: Carried out the decrees

Holy Spirit: Sustained and manifested God's presence in His creation

Trinity in Redemption

Father: Planned redemption

Son: Obeyed Father and Accomplished redemption

Holy Spirit: Regenerates and Sanctifies us

Westminster Larger Catechism (Creation Purpose)

Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

Augustine (Creation Purpose)

You have created us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.

Jonathan Edwards (Creation Purpose)

1. To display his Glory

2. God's Kindness

3. God acting for himself and for other's sake = the same thing

Greek Philosophy

God + Matter = two eternal, self-existent principles

Matter = essentially evil

Pantheism

God is equal to all that is

Dialectial Materialism

Matter is eternal and there is no God

Communism or classless society = goal of history

Atheistic Evolution

No purpose or goal in history...Everything happens by chance

Young Earth Creationism

Earth=few thousand years old

Flood in the time of Noah was global

All death=after the Fall

Apparent Age = built into the creation

Progressive Creationism

God created series of acts over a long period of time

Animal death = before the Fall

Literary Framework Theory

Days of creation = view as logical instead of chronological

Arranged in 2 groups of 3 days

Gap Theory

Where Satan rebelled against God and brought sin to the universe

Scientists Consensus

Universe had a beginning

Time had a beginning

Fine-tuning of Universe = Intelligent Creator

Providence

God's personal involvement

General Providence

God sustaining order of the universe in a general way

Use of natural laws

Wrath of God as impersonal consequences

Special Providence

Nothing happens from God's sovereign will

God's Permissive Will

God's Directive Will

Wesley (Special Providence)

God's Permissive Will

God's Directive Will

Calvin

God's Directive Will

Why do we pray?

Expression of faith

Means by which God accomplishes the goals of his providential rule

God's command/sovereignty

Monism

Man is only one element

Trichotomy

Man is made of three parts (body, soul and spirit)

Dichotomy

Man is made of two parts; said to be body & soul OR body & spirit (Most widely held)

Origin of Human Soul (2)

1. Creationism - God forms spirit of Man within him

2. Traducianism - Soul formed from parents

Origin of Sin (3)

1. Covetousness

2. Anger & Lust

3. Jealousy-Anger-Selfishness

Corruption and Guilt of Adam

Realism - inherited both (Western Church)

Federalism - inherited corruption

Theological Determinism

There is a God who determines all that humans will do

Pelagius' Teaching

Human Ability: "powers of Man are gifts of God"

Sinlessness is attainable

Grace= provided in the law

Condemned to be fatal heresy

Incarnation

Christ was embodied in flesh

Humanity of Christ

Human Body

Human Mind

Human Soul & Emotions

Impeccability of Christ

Not able to Sin

Council of Nicea (AD 325)

Arius' writings denounced as blasphemous

Nicene Creed: God the Father and God the Son are same substance

Council of Constantinople (AD 381)

Jesus was fully God and fully Man

Council of Ephesus (AD 431)

Decreed that Jesus was one person, not two separate people

Council of Chalcedon (AD 451)

Christ is one person with two separate and distinct natures: united but not unmixed

Ebonism

Jesus was not God

Arianism

Jesus was not fully God

Docetism

Jesus was not human

Apollinarianism

Jesus was not fully human

Nestorianism

Jesus was two distinct persons

Eutychianism

Jesus had one blended nature

Expiation

Removal, forgivness of sins

Propitiation

Bearing the wrath of God

Expiation vs. Propitiation

Jesus' death brings Expiation because it first accomplishes Propitiation

Redemption

To buy back

Ransom

Price paid to redeem someone from bandage of captivity

Reconciliation

Restored relationship

Ransom to Satan Theory

Adam and Eve sold humanity to the Devil during the Fall, so God sent Christ as a ransom

Christus Victor View

Christ's life recapitulated all the stages of human life

Latin View (Vicarious Satisfaction)

Christ became man to keep the Law perfectly and then die a voluntary death

Reformed View (Penal Substitution)

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

Moral Influence Theory

Christ death = way of God showing us his love by identifying with their sufferings (Peter Abelard)

Governmental Theory

Christ died to demonstrate the fact that God's laws had been broken and that penalty would be required (Hugo Grotius)

General Atonement

Christ's death made the salvation of all persons possible...Protestant

Particular Atonement

Christ's death purchased the salvation of the elect

Calvinism

Total Depravity (Inability to choose to accept salvation)

Unconditional Election (predestination)

Limited Atonement (only the elect)

Irresistible Grace

Perseverance of Saints (salvation cannot be lost)

Arminianism...(depravity/election/atonement/grace/salvation)

Partial Depravity (Ability to choose to accept salvation)

Conditional Election (Foreknowledge)

Unlimited Atonement (For all humanity)

Resistible Grace (Can resist God's call)

Conditional Salvation (Salvation can be lost)

Amyraldianism

Rejects limited atonement

Objective v. Subjective Grace

Natural ability to believe v. willingness

Takes an act of God to illuminate the mind

Kingdom of God

God's reign over his people

Jews believed kingdom of God would come with the coming of the Messiah

Work of Holy Spirit

Empowerment

Sanctification

Revelation/Guidance

Assurance

Unification

Blessing

Baptism

Holy Spirit is a Person

Spirit teaches, bears witness, hears and speaks, intercedes

Holy Spirit is God

Spirit = Spirit of God = Spirit of Christ

Filioque Clause

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

Great Schism (1054)

Mutual excommunication of the Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael I

Two causes

1. The insertion of the filioque clause into the Nicene Creed

2. Disputes over papal authority

Split Church into West and East

Justification

Entering into right relationship with God

Luther on Justifying Faith

The doctrine of "justification by faith" does not mean that the sinner is justified because they believe.

Justification by grace through faith is more accurate.

God does everything necessary for salvation. Even faith itself is a gift of God, rather than human action.

Particular Election

God's election is unconditional since it is without regard to anything present in human condition...(predestination)...Augustine, Calvin

Corporate Election

Election is not based on an unconditional decree but on the basis of faith in Christ...(conditional)...Arminius

Ecclesiology

"Church" in the New Testament