Historic Christian Belief Pak Final Exam

general revelation

God making himself known in creation (outward general revelation) and human beings (inward general revelation)

conscience

the moral faculty which judges my actions toward others

judicial sentiment

the moral faculty which judges the acts of others towards me

implications of general revelation

- God is knowledgeable, but people suppress the knowledge of God

- We are accountable before God for our choices and actions, and are guilty before him by our own judicial sentiments

general revelation can:

- establish common ground for evangelism

- give weight to the case for theism

- display God's grace

- condemn sinful people

general revelation cannot:

- give a saving knowledge of God

verbal, plenary inspiration

plenary: full

verbal: every word

All Scripture is inspired by God, and each word is the exact word God wants used to express the message

intuition theory

inspiration as a high degree of insight

illumination theory

biblical inspiration as an 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

verbal theory

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

dictation theory

God dictated the Bible to the writers

what is the problem with dictation theory?

it disregards every aspect of human contribution

inerrancy

without error

absolute inerrancy

the Bible intends to provide exact scientific and historical data

full inerrancy

the Bible is completely true being free from all falsehood or deceit, but the references to scientific and historical data are not necessarily exact but rather general references or approximations

limited inerrancy

Bible is inerrant in doctrinal references but not in scientific and historical references

inerrancy of purpose

the Bible inerrantly accomplishes its purpose of bringing people to Christ. It does not present facts

rejection of inerrancy

the Bible is human work and naturally contains errors

allegorical interpretation

everything in the Bible is allegory

- Proponents: Origen and Marcion

literal (grammatical-historical) interpretation

what the biblical writers intended to convey by ordinary usage of human language; if the plain makes sense, seek no other sense

- Proponents: Lucian, Antiochean School, & Protestant Reformation Fathers

historical-critical interpretation

miracles in the Bible are myths, not history; historical Jesus is just a preacher once the husk of divine savior myth is peeled away

why is the work of the Holy Spirit necessary to understand the Bible?

- God's transcendence and man's finiteness

- Human reason's inability to provide the certainty

- Man's sinfulness

what is canon?

the list of books that provide a rule of faith and practice for Christians

the Apocrypha

meaning "hidden", in 1546 Roman Catholic Church declared it not a part of NT canon

What are the 3 factors in discerning NT canon?

- Apostolicity

- Orthodoxy

- Universality

When and where was the NT canon closed?

the Council of Carthage in AD 397

Dead Sea Scrolls

825-870 separate scrolls, discovered in 1948 at Qumran, every book of OT is represented

the cosmological argument

nothing moves on its own/ something must have set things in motion

the teleological argument

intelligent design, world must have been designed

the ontological argument

in order for us to even have a concept of God, God has to exist

the moral argument

since moral law exists, there must be a moral law-giver

incommunicable attributes of God

attributes that God does not share with others

- independence, unchangeableness, infinity, eternity

communicable attributes of God

attributes that God shares with others

- fruits of the Spirit

Elohim

God (OT)

El Shaddai

God Almighty

El Elyon

God Most High

El Olam

God Eternal/ Everlasting

Yahweh (YHWH)

the "I Am" or "the LORD"

Adonai

Lord

Theos

God (NT)

Kurios

Lord

Pater & Abba

Father / Daddy

3 factors of the Trinity

- unity of God

- deity of Jesus

- indwelling of the Spirit

Trinity Orthodoxy

1. There is one God

2. God is three persons

3. Each person is fully God

modalism

1 person, 3 modes

There is just one God that simply changes form when necessary

Arianism

denies the full divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit

God the Father created God the Son who uses the Holy Spirit in many ways

tritheism

believes that there are 3 separate Gods and not one God and 3 persons (Mormons hold this belief)

who illustrated the relationship of the Son with the Father to the fire igniting another fire?

Justin Martyr (110-165 AD)

Justin Martyr (110-165 AD)

illustrated the relationship of the Son with the Father to the fire igniting another fire

Irenaeus (140-200 AD)

talked about economic Trinity and was the first to talk about the eternal generation of the Son by the Father

Tertullian (155-220)

first to apply the Latin word trinitas to God and to develop the formula of 1 substance and 3 persons

Origen (185-254 AD)

used the word "hypostases" to refer to the 3 persons; also taught that the Son and Spirit are inferior to the Father

Athanasius (296-373)

affirmed the eternal generation of the Son, referred to both the Son and Spirit as homoousios and consubstantial with the Father

Cappadocian Fathers 4th c. AD (Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus)

introduced the concept of perichoresis, Father Son and Spirit mutually indwelling one another

Augustine (354-430 AD)

emphasized that the 3 Persons' work is not identical but inseparable, and laid groundwork for the social Trinity model

"Man's chief and highest end is to blank God, and fully to blank him forever"

glorify, enjoy

Why did God create?

- to display his glory

- God's benevolence

- God acting for himself and for others' sake are one and the same thing

Alternative Worldviews

Greek philosophy

God is good, matter is evil

Alternative Worldviews

Pantheism

God is equal to all that is

Alternative Worldviews

Dialectical materialism (Marxism)

matter is eternal, and there is no God; Communism, or classless society, is the goal of society

Alternative Worldviews

Atheistic evolutionism (Darwinism)

no purpose or goal in history; everything happened by chance

what are the 5 Christian views of creation?

Literary Framework theory

Gap theory

Theistic Evolution

Progressive Creationism

Young Earth Creationism

Literary Framework theory

days of creation should be viewed as a logical rather than chronological structuring

Gap theory

huge period of time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 where Satan rebelled and brought sin into the universe

Theistic Evolution

God used evolution to make everything in the world

Progressive Creationism

God created in a series of acts over long periods of time

Young Earth Creationism

God created in 6 days and creation is only a few thousand years old but apparent age was built into the universe

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

discussed angels extensively, earning the title Angelic Doctor; placed angels in a hierarchical order

angels

- created spiritual beings that do not have physical bodies but can take on a bodily form

- they have names and are many in number

- they serve God's purposes and are involved in our lives

demons

- fallen angels and their leader is Satan

- they are active in human lives but are limited in their power

providence

God's foreknowledge, beneficent care, and governance

general providence

God sustaining the order of the universe in a general way, similar to common grace

special providence

God's personal and all-inclusive governance; nothing happens apart from God's sovereign will

Calvin vs. Wesley

Wesley: special providence includes both directive will and permissive will

Calvin: special providence is all directive will- there is no permissive will outside directive will

why pray?

- expression of faith

- primary means by which God accomplishes the goals of his providential rule

- God's command

- God's sovereignty

what does imago dei mean?

"image of God" refers to the fact that God has created us in his image

what is the significance of imago dei?

- the culmination of work of creation

- all human beings have dignity and intrinsic value

- the image of God is a gift

monism

idea that man is made up of only one element

dichotomy

idea that man is made up of two parts (body and soul/spirit)

- correct view

trichotomy

idea that man is made up of three parts (body, soul, and spirit)

Pre-existence

- held by Origen

- condemned as Heresy at Second Council of Constantinople in 553 AD

the souls of people existed as angelic spirits before the creation of Adam

Creationism

the soul is created and implanted sometime between conception and birth

Traducianism

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

origin of sin

- meaning of the fall: choice for moral autonomy, choice for unbelief, choice for independence

- the symbolism of forbidden fruit

original sin/guilt

our sinful nature (and guilt) inherited from Adam

original sin: realism

the original guilt remains with us

original sin: federalism

the original guilt is imputed to us

original sin: Eastern Church

only corruption, not guilt

free will

The idea that human beings are free to make their own choices

determinism

the view that all events and choices are determined by previously existing causes

Pelagian Controversy

- condemned as heresy by the Council of Ephesus in AD 431

Pelagius taught that sinlessness was attainable and there is no need for supernatural assistance

Augustine and his view of free will

- strongest opposer to Pelagius

- free will but influenced by sin

- human nature = depraved

- inner grace necessary for salvation

- traducianism

compatibilism

the belief that God's sovereignty does NOT conflict with free will

incompatibilism

the belief that God's sovereignty DOES conflict with free will

self-determination (West)

the view that will is free in the sense that it is at liberty to do as it pleases but the sinful nature causes the will to choose sin

indetermination (East)

the idea that will is free and not inclined to either good or evil

Council of Nicea

The council called by Constantine that agreed that the trinity was "homoousios," and denounced Arius as a heretic

Council of Constantinople

The council that stated that Jesus was fully God and fully man, denouncing Apollinarius

Council of Ephesus

The council that denounced Nestorius and decreed that Jesus was one person