God's Word and God's World: Theology of Revelation and Creation

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the theological doctrines of revelation, inspiration, canonicity, creationism, theodicy, and comparative worldviews from Exam 2 Study Guide.

Revelation

God's top-down act of making Himself known to humanity rather than humans speculating about Him (1 Cor. 2:11-12).

Inspiration

The process by which the Holy Spirit "breathed out" God's revealed truth through human authors for human recipients (2 Tim. 3:16).

Inerrancy

The doctrine affirming that the original autographs of Scripture are entirely free from errors or lies, though translations may contain them (2 Pet. 1:21).

Infallibility

The doctrine that the Bible cannot fail and unfailingly achieves God's divine purpose (Rev. 22:18-19).

Illumination

The sovereign work of the Holy Spirit opening human eyes to understand and apply the Scriptures (1 Cor. 2:12).

Canonicity

The standard, norm, or "measuring rod" through which the $66$ books of the Bible were recognized and received as the rule for faith and practice.

Hermeneutics

The discipline and methodological process of biblical interpretation to make sense of the text.

Exegesis

The critical explanation or interpretation of a biblical text that involves drawing out its intended meaning.

General Revelation

Universal revelation given to all people through creation, consisting of the heavens/nature, history/events, and the human heart/conscience.

Special Revelation

Saving revelation given through the writings of the Holy Bible, manifested in the proclaimed Word, written Word, and living Word.

Intuition Theory

The inspiration theory proposing that the biblical books were written by specially gifted humans exercising a high degree of natural religious insight.

Dynamic Theory

The theory of inspiration asserting that God conveyed His general thoughts through the writers, who then expressed them in their own words.

Verbal Theory

The theory of inspiration holding that God selected every specific word in the original manuscripts while working through human authors.

Dictation Theory

The view of inspiration claiming that biblical authors acted merely as passive secretaries recording the exact spoken words of God.

Council of Carthage (AD 397)

The historic Christian council that formally recognized the complete $66$-book biblical canon.

Apocrypha

A collection of $14$ "hidden" intertestamental books accepted as authoritative Scripture by Roman Catholics but rejected by Protestants.

Apostolicity

A primary criterion for New Testament canonicity requiring that a document be written or directly endorsed by the apostles of Jesus.

Irenaeus (AD 140-202)

Bishop of Lyon, France, who defended the Apostolic faith, unified the church under the creed, and argued that God's grace preferred a redeemed race over a perfect one.

Marcion

An early heretical teacher who rejected the Old Testament, claiming the God of the Old Testament was bad and the God of the New Testament was good.

Montanus

An early leader who claimed to be a prophet through whom the Spirit uniquely spoke, asserting that God continues to deliver binding revelation through visions.

Karl Barth

The neo-orthodox theologian who maintained that the Bible is not inherently the Word of God, but rather "becomes" the Word of God when God chooses to speak through it.

Lottie Moon (1840-1912)

A missionary to China who exemplified incarnational missions and bold evangelistic preaching, living out the conviction that Jesus is Lord of all.

Gnosticism

An early heresy defined by dualism, which asserted that the material world is inherently corrupt and evil.

Docetism

A Christological heresy claiming that Jesus Christ was not truly physical and merely appeared or seemed to be a human being.

Ex Nihilo

The theological affirmation that God created the cosmos "out of nothing" without the use of preexisting matter.

Transcendence

The natural attribute of God stating that He is wholly distinct, above, and infinitely beyond His creation in power, wisdom, and majesty.

Immanence

The attribute of God describing His pervasive, sustaining presence and active involvement within His creation.

Aseity

An incommunicable, natural attribute of God denoting His absolute self-existence, independence, and uncreated nature.

Supernaturalism

The theological position that God created and actively governs and sustains His world, intervening directly even against the course of nature.

Providentialism

The view that God established an autonomous natural system within the world that operates continually without necessitating miraculous divine intervention.

Occasionalism

The non-biblical view that natural entities have no causal power and that God directly and consistently causes every event at each moment.

Noncompetitive Agency

The doctrine that divine agency and created human or scientific agency operate concurrently at $100\%$ without diminishing each other.

Theodicy

The theological defense of God's just, loving, and sovereign character in the presence of evil and suffering.

Augustinian Theodicy

The explanation of evil proposed by Augustine asserting that evil entered the world through human and demonic failure to obey God (Rom. 5:12).

Perfect Will

The sovereign decree of God that will certainly come to pass, which cannot be thwarted and is frequently hidden from human view.

Prescriptive Will

God's revealed moral commands and laws which humans possess the capacity, but not the moral right, to disobey.

Pleasurable Will

The desires and delight of God, which reflect His pure character even though He permits evil actions that He does not approve.

Young-Earth Creationism

The creation model proposing that God created the earth in literal days roughly $6{,}000$ to $8{,}000$ years ago.

Old-Earth Creationism

The view affirming that God created the cosmos over billions of years, introducing Adam and Eve directly into the garden in recent history.

Evolutionary Creation

The perspective that God utilized and providentially superintended the process of biological evolution to bring about physical life.

Naturalistic Evolution

The secular view that the cosmos originated through the "big bang" and biological life developed strictly by natural causes without divine involvement.

Vedas

The foundational Hindu sacred texts (meaning "knowledge") that outline a monistic/pantheistic worldview devoid of a Creator-creature distinction.

Lotus Sutra

A central sacred Buddhist scripture reflecting a nontheistic view aimed at attaining emptiness (sunyata) to escape suffering (dukkha).

Mishnah

The authoritative Jewish collection of oral traditions asserting the existence of a single Creator who providentially answers prayer.

Hadith

The recorded Islamic traditions detailing Muhammad's daily practices, embodying radical monotheism and submission to Allah's predetermined will (inshallah).