Notes For School
I. Revelation
A. Harwood Part 1
1.General Revelation
a. Scripture
1.Psalm 19
2. Job 36:24-40:2
3. John 1:4,9
4.ROMANS 1:18–32
b. Church History
Early Church
1. Athanasius the hero of Nicene orthodoxy, begins his case for the incarnation of the Word by pointing to order in creation to argue for a Creator who ordered all things
2. Augustine taught that God’s existence was revealed through creation, and he discerned analogies for the Trinity in humanity. First, creation reveals a Creator
Early in his Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas addresses the question of whether the existence of God is self-evident. His answer is that a thing can be self-evident in itself in two ways, either to us or not to us. God’s essence is not evident to people, but God’s essence can be demonstrated through creation. Aquinas responds to a potential objection, “To know that God exists in a general and confused way is implanted in us by nature, inasmuch as God is man’s beatitude.”
Martin Luther, like teachers during the early church and Middle Ages, affirms that all people in every place know by observing creation that there exists a Creator. Luther also distinguishes between and affirms both general and particular knowledge of God.
John Calvin taught that God implanted in every person an awareness of God. In the Institutes, he writes, “There is within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an awareness of divinity.
William Paley published Natural Theology. The book’s aim is apparent from its longer title, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity, Collected from the Appearances of Nature. Just as no one looks at a watch and thinks it came into being naturally, nature demonstrates the presence of an unseen maker
Immanuel Kant explains in Critique of Practical Reason that all people possess a categorical imperative, or a moral impulse. Since being good does not always pay in this life, there must be some basis for that impulse, such as the existence of immortality, ultimate judgment, and a God who establishes and supports morality. This type of argument has been called the anthropological argument, the view that the existence of a universally known moral code within the human conscience implies a lawgiver. J. P. Moreland and William Craig revised the argument for God’s existence as a syllogism:
1. If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties would not exist.
2. Objective moral values and duties do exist.
3. Therefore, God exists.
c. THEOLOGICAL ISSUES
2. Special Revelation
a. BIBLICAL SURVEY: A RECORD OF GOD’S SPECIAL REVELATION IN HISTORY
b. THEOLOGICAL ISSUES
B .Blount, Article 1
A. Scripture
1. INSPIRATION
2. INERRANCY
Normally, inerrancy is thought to characterize only the original documents penned by the human author. But, as far as we know, we possess no such documents. How then is the doctrine of biblical inerrancy helpful, practical, or relevant? After all, if the doctrine applies only to documents, which for all we know we don’t possess, what use is it? Here again the answer is not far to seek. If the original documents speak falsely, there seems no way to determine which of their claims are true and which false. However, if the original documents were wholly truthful, then at those points on which our current manuscripts agree, we may be confident that what the text affirms is in fact true. In cases where those manuscripts do not agree, moreover, textual criticism can in nearly all such cases determine the probable reading of the original documents. And where textual criticism cannot determine the probable reading, the textual disagreements threaten no fundamental Baptist—or even orthodox Christian—doctrine.
3.RECORD OR REVELATION?
4. THE CRITERION STATEMENT :
II. Doctrine Of God
A. Hardwood Part 2
1. Challenges to studying the Doctrine of God
a. Irreverence
b. Uncertainty
c. differences
2. The need to study the doctrine of God
a. First, God is the subject of theology etymologically. Theology is the study of God (Grk. theos). Thus, one has not studied theology until one has dealt with the doctrine of God
b. Second, our view of God functions as a worldview, a filter through which we interpret the world and events of life. Thus, our worldview filter should be grounded in historically orthodox and biblically reasoned views of God and his ways
c.Third, it is God with whom all people must eventually deal. Thus, it would be wise to improve one’s understanding of God in the present to improve one’s relationship with God and, as a result, with others
d. Fourth, all doctrines are interconnected with one another, and the doctrine of God is no exception. What one believes about God affects one’s understanding of Christ, the Holy Spirit, humanity, salvation, the church, and last things.
e.Fifth, as believers, this doctrine concerns the God who is Creator and sustainer of all things, including you.
3.Mapping out who God is.
a. Who God is in the trinity?
1. OLD TESTAMENT REVELATION OF THE TRIUNE GOD:In some Old Testament texts, God refers to himself in the plural, or in both singular and plural forms. In the creation account, for example, God spoke of himself using plural pronouns: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” (Gen 1:26a)
2. NEW TESTAMENT REVELATION OF THE TRIUNE GOD
3.THE HOLY SPIRIT IS INCLUDED WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON IN THE IDENTITY OF ISRAEL’S GOD
The doctrine of the Trinity can be stated as follows: God, who is Father, Son, and Spirit, is one. The unity of the Trinity can be seen in each person of the Godhead sharing fully in the divine nature; the Father, Son, and Spirit are each fully and eternally God. The diversity of the Trinity can be seen in the distinctions among the persons of the Trinity; the persons of the Trinity should not be confused with one another.
b. God’s Name
1. GOD’S NAMES IN THE OLD TESTAMEMNT:
God is a relational and personal being. His name—progressively revealed through names, metaphors, and titles—represents and reveals God. The fullest revelation was the name of Jesus.
c. God’s Attributes
1.GOD IS HOLY:Scripture explicitly says God is holy. Moses and the Israelites sing, “Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” (Exod 15:11). God’s ways are holy (Ps 77:13) and God is holy (Josh 24:19; Ps 99:9). Moses was required to remove his shoes at the burning bush because God’s presence extended holiness to the ground on which he stood (Exod 3:5). Isaiah saw a vision of God high and lifted up, and seraphim called out an early Trisagion (Grk. trisagion, “thrice holy”), a triple-declaration of God’s holiness (Isa 6:3). In John’s vision, creatures call out continuously, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Rev 4:8
2. God is love: Scripture declares, “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16)
3.GOD IS JUST
4. GOD IS SELF-EXISTING
5. God is unchangeing
d. God in creation
B. Blount Article 2.1
A. God
1. THAT GOD EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS THE FUTURE
2. THAT GOD IS TRIUNE
The 2000 edition rectifies this problem by inserting ‘triune’ in the last sentence of Article II’s first paragraph—which now states, “The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being” (emphasis added)—thus making explicit the Baptist rejection of modalism
Unlike the confession’s articles on, say, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper or Religious Liberty, its article on God does not set Southern Baptists apart from other Christians. For when it comes to their doctrine of God, Southern Baptists do not wish to stand outside the mainstream of historic, orthodox Christianity. On the contrary, they seek to dwell within the midst of that stream. So while the Baptist Faith and Message 2000—like its predecessors—distinguishes Baptist faith and practice from that of other communities of Christians, Article II functions primarily to situate its adherents within the midst of the broader community of historic, orthodox Christianity. Although Baptists are not merely Christian, neither are they less than Christian
III. The Doctrine of Christ
A. Harwood Part IV.
1.four theological-hermeneutical assumptions and explanations
a.First, Jesus was and is God. The early church worshiped Jesus and considered him to be divine, not because particular creeds claimed he was God. Instead, the early church worshiped Jesus and affirmed he was and is divine because they saw it in the Scripture interpreted in light of the resurrection.
b. Second, the Bible is a reliable record of the life and ministry of Jesus. Some questions concerning textual variants in the manuscript tradition are difficult to answer, and the historical-religious context of the first century might never be known fully. Even so, those difficulties do not preclude one from affirming that the Bible was inspired by God and is a trustworthy account of Yahweh, his relationship with Israel, and Israel’s Messiah Jesus
c. Third, the New Testament provides the historical witness for understanding the person and work of Jesus. This data does not distinguish between the person of Christ and the work of Christ. The New Testament simply testifies of Jesus.
d. The present study proceeds with a survey of the New Testament, in which the authors present the divinity and lordship of Christ as well as his earthly life along with noting how his birth and ministry fulfilled Old Testament promises. Thus, one is not required to choose among the options of whether to do Christology from above, below, or behind.
2. THE PERSON OF CHRIST New Testament Survey
a. The New Testament provides a variety of complementary portraits of Jesus. In Matthew, Jesus is Israel’s long-awaited Messiah, who inaugurates and teaches about the kingdom of heaven as well as fulfills Old Testament promises by his birth, life, death, and resurrection for sins. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is the Son of Man who has all power and authority, yet he gave his life as a ransom for many. Luke’s Gospel reveals reversals and surprises in the ministry of Jesus, the greatest of which is when the Son of God is killed, and then he kills death by his resurrection. In the book of Acts, believers are empowered by the Spirit in their witness of Jesus to all people, as seen in the ethno-geographic expansion of the gospel as well as the speeches of Peter, Stephen, and Paul. In John’s Gospel and letters, Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, who gives life to those who believe in his name. For Paul, Jesus is Lord and Christ, who died for sinners. The audience of the book of Hebrews is warned that in Jesus, God’s provision for people is superior in every way to the old covenant. James, Peter, and Jude together testify to Jesus as the Lord, who is coming for his suffering people. The book of Revelation provides a graphic depiction of the victory of God in Jesus Christ.
b. THEOLOGICAL ISSUES IN THE DOCTRINE OF THE PERSON OF CHRIST
1. Docetism: not human
2. Apollinarianism: Not fully human
3. Eboionism: Not God
4. Arianism: Not Fully God
5. Nestorianism: two Persons
6. Eutychaniam: Two Natures
7. Wasn’t Virgin Born:The scientific objection is that it is not possible to create human life from the material of only one parent. In reply, those who affirm the virgin birth also tend to affirm that a heavenly angel visited Mary and Joseph. Also, the theological backstory is more shocking than a virgin conception: God became flesh. The virgin birth naturally raises scientific objections because scientists observe natural occurrences, but the virgin birth would have been a miracle—an incident that transcends typical patterns
8. Jesus Sinless :In the end we must affirm the two propositions with which we began: (1) Jesus was genuinely tempted, and (2) Jesus did not sin. Scripture does not address directly the “could he have sinned” question, and we should rest content in what has been revealed to us. Second Corinthians 5:21 and Hebrews 4:15 make clear that Jesus was sinless. This is the nonnegotiable teaching of the Bible
3. Work of Christ
a. Death and Resurrection
1.First, it is important to establish that Jesus actually died. Some people affirm a version of the swoon theory that Jesus was only wounded and fell into a condition in which his heart rate slowed down so that he only appeared to have died
2.Second, Jesus was not an unwilling victim. Rather, he clearly gave his life for the sins of the world. Jesus identified himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep (John 10). Christ’s death on the cross was a demonstration of God’s love for sinners (Rom 5:8). Jesus was not an unwilling victim. Rather, he willingly gave his life as a payment for sin.
3.Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear, thrust between his right ribs, probably perforated not only the right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured his death. Accordingly, interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.
4.Interestingly, the biblical accounts provide no eyewitnesses of the event of the resurrection. Instead, the resurrection is an event that is believed as a matter of both faith and reason. The resurrection is a matter of faith in the sense that it is believed and affirmed by Christians even with no eyewitnesses to the event itself. The resurrection is a matter of reason in this sense: it is not necessary to produce any eyewitness claims because if one establishes that Jesus was genuinely alive in a glorified body after he was genuinely dead, then he must have been raised. If Jesus had not been raised, then Christians are still dead in their sins, and physical death will be their end. But if Jesus was raised, then Christians have the hope that they too will be raised because they have been united with him through repentance and faith. Also, if Jesus was raised from the dead, then physical death will be the beginning of the rest of their lives. Everything about Christianity depends on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
b. Atonement in the Bible
1. The Old Testatment
Genesis 3:21 reveals another picture of God’s mercy when he provided clothing for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness. This is an example of implied atonement. A garment of skin would have come from an animal. The killing of an animal in order to make garments to cover their shame after their sin implies an animal sacrifice to atone for sin.
In Exodus 11–12, God provides for atonement through the application of the blood of the Passover Lamb above the doorposts to save households from his judgment through the death angel. We observe themes of God’s sovereignty, the judgment of sin, and God’s people marked by blood (Exod 12:13) and ransomed from slavery (Exod 12:15) by the blood of an unblemished lamb. In Exodus 25–30, God provides specific instructions for the layout and ceremonies of the tabernacle, which demonstrates that people approach God on his terms, not on their terms.
Day of Atonement (Lev 16–17
2.THE PROPHETS
3. New testament
Jesus came to give his life a ransom (Matt 20:17–19, 28; Mark 10:45). In John 1:29, John the Baptist declared, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Leon Morris offers the following nine possibilities for understanding the phrase “Lamb of God”: the Passover lamb; the Isaiah 53:7 lamb; the Isaiah 53 servant of the Lord; the lamb of the daily sacrifices in the temple; the “gentle lamb” of Jeremiah 11:19; the scapegoat (which was not a lamb); the triumphant lamb in Revelation; the God-provided lamb of Genesis 22:8 (Isaac asked about a lamb, but God provided a ram); a guilt offering (Lev 14:24) or sin offering. Morris concludes that the expression is “definitely sacrificial,
According to Paul, the death of Jesus was a demonstration of God’s righteousness and love (Rom 3:25; 5:8). Jesus died for all and became sin that sinners might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:14–21). In Galatians 3:10, 13, Paul explains that Jesus became a curse for us. At the cross, God provided redemption for adoption (Gal 4:5), God provided redemption through Jesus’s blood (Eph 1:7), and God reconciles us to each other and to himself (Eph 2:16).
Christ, the just, suffered for us, the unjust (1 Pet 3:18–21). Jesus was the propitiation for the sins of the world (1 John 2:1–2). The final book of the New Testament ends with images of Jesus as the slain Lamb, whose blood brought redemption (Rev 5:9; 7:14) as well as the defeat of Satan (Rev 12:11), and who will return soon (Rev 22:7, 12, 20).
4.Church History
Throughout the history of the church, Christian thinkers have attempted to describe Christ’s work accomplished at the cross by focusing on certain biblical-theological models. In this chapter, we surveyed eight models of the atonement: ransom, Christus Victor, satisfaction, moral influence, example, governmental, substitution, and penal substitution.
5.In his life and ministry, Jesus fulfilled the offices of prophet, priest, and king. Though all Christians affirm that Christ died for sinners, they differ concerning the intent and extent of the atonement. Those who affirm particular atonement say God the Father sent the Son to die for the sins of and to accomplish the salvation of his elect only. Those who affirm general atonement say God the Father sent the Son to die for the sins of every person so that any person who repents and believes will become one of God’s elect.
First, because of the incarnation of the eternal Son, God the Father can be known
Second, Jesus is the prototype for humanity. Christians sometimes wrongly think of themselves as the model for humanity and wonder whether Jesus can truly relate to the human condition. Such a view is exactly backward
Third, the incarnation of the eternal Son reveals God’s free and loving desire to know and be known by his creatures.
B. Blount Article 2.2
1.THAT CHRIST IS GOD AND MAN
a.Setting forth the early church’s understanding of the Christ of Scripture, the Symbol of Chalcedon remains the classic statement of orthodox Christology. According to it, Jesus Christ is “truly God and truly man.”
In the end, then, one can affirm the 1963 edition of the Baptist Faith and Message without affirming an orthodox Christology. This sad fact explains the changes in Article II §B of the 2000 edition concerning the nature of Christ. As Baptists have long affirmed, Jesus of Nazareth is not merely a partaker of human nature. He is not merely partly human; He is rather fully human. He did not merely take on the demands and necessities of human nature; rather, He took on that very nature itself. Yet in doing so, He nonetheless remained fully divine. So says the Baptist Faith and Message 2000; and so say Southern Baptists as a people.
IV.The Doctrine of The Holy Spirit
A. Haywood Part 5
1. Biblical Survey of Holy Spirit person and work
a. Old testament survey
b.New testament Survey
In the New Testament, the person and work of the Holy Spirit are intimately related to God the Father and the Son. The Son, who was sent by and accomplished the will of the Father, was empowered and indwelled by the Spirit. The same Spirit who empowered Jesus while he accomplished ministry in his earthly body also empowers his body, the church, in its witness of Jesus throughout the earth. The Spirit indwells and empowers believers to do the Father’s work on earth. That work includes Spirit-filled living and Spirit-filled preaching about the Son, who gave himself for sinners. God redeems, transforms, and sanctifies people today by the power and work of his Spirit through his people.
2. Historical Survey
a. Apostolic Fathers
b. Early Apologist
1. Justin Martyr: wrote Dialogue with Trypho in the format of a conversation. In Dialogue 4, Trypho asks, “Will the mind of man see God at any time, if it is uninstructed by the Holy Spirit?” In reply, Justin mentions that prophets filled with the Holy Spirit spoke what they heard and saw. Justin also wrote this phrase when quoting from the prophet Isaiah, “as the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of Isaiah, cries, speaking thus while he personates them.” In that text, Justin revealed his view that the Holy Spirit both spoke through and indwelled Isaiah. Justin indicts Trypho’s Jewish teachers because of their rejection of Jesus the Christ and Son of God as “convicted by the Holy Spirit of inability to perceive the truths taught by God.” Further, the Holy Spirit declared by the prophet Isaiah that the virgin would have a son, fulfilled in Christ
2. Athenagoras: argues against the charge of atheism and for the Christian view of God as uncreated and who “framed all things by the Logos, and holds them in being by His Spirit.” Also, Athenagoras refers to the prophets, who were “guided by the Spirit of God” and “who moved the mouths of the prophets like musical instruments.
c. Church Fathers
1. Irenaeus: views on the Holy Spirit are seen in his responses to the gnostics and early adoptionists. Irenaeus emphasizes the Spirit’s work in creation, in the life of Jesus, and in the revelation of prophecy and Scripture
2. Tertullian :summarized the “rule of faith” by explaining that the one God created all things through the Word, his Son, who was “brought down by the Spirit and Power of the Father into the Virgin Mary” and who sent “the Power of the Holy Ghost to lead such as believe.” For Tertullian, the Spirit was active in the incarnation of Christ as well as his ministry, and then the Spirit led those who would believe in Jesus after his ascension to the Father.
3. Basil of Caesarea responded to doubts about the full divinity of the Spirit in his work On the Holy Spirit. Basil accused a group of heresy16 because they argued from three prepositional phrases (from whom, through whom, and in whom) that Scripture indicates differences in nature among the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Through an abundance of biblical quotations, Basil demonstrates that the phrases are not limited to the person, as attributed by his opponents. The references in Scripture to the Father, Son, and Spirit do not indicate differences in nature. Basil points to the biblical references to the Spirit as well as the Father and Son at baptism, the indivisibility of the Spirit from the Father and the Son, and argues against the “sub-numeration” (ontological subordination) of the Spirit to the Father or the Son. Finally, Basil argues, Scripture uses the term “Lord” when referring to the activity of the Spirit, and—like the Father and the Son—the Spirit is beyond comprehension
4. Augustine: views on the Holy Spirit are best discerned by considering his views on the Trinity, to which he gave a considerable amount of thought, reflected in his work On the Trinity. Augustine clarifies that whatever one affirms about one person of the Trinity, one also affirms about the others because they are of the same essence.21 For Augustine, neither the Father nor the Son is more true than the Spirit, and neither the Father nor the Son is greater than the Spirit; the persons of the Trinity are equally true and great
d. Medieval theologians
e. EARLY MODERN THEOLOGIANS
f. THE RENEWAL MOVEMENT
3. THEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’S PERSON AND WORK
The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, who is personal and can be grieved. The Spirit’s work in salvation includes conviction, conversion, sanctification, and empowerment. He baptizes, fills, and seals believers. The Spirit gifts believers for the advance of God’s work and the benefit of others. Christians differ on whether the miraculous gifts that occurred in the first century should be expected in the twenty-first century. Cessationists say, “no”; continuationists say, “yes”; contextualists say, “sometimes.”
B. Blount Article 2.3
V.Doctrine of Humanity
A. Harwood Part 3
1. Human Identity and construction
a. What are human beings
1.Made in God’s image:Though mentioned in only five biblical texts, the idea that people are made in God’s image is a fundamental belief, affirmed by Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The Bible affirms but does not define what it means to be made in God’s image. Genesis 1:26–27 states, “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind [ʾādām] in our image [ṣelem], in our likeness [dəmût], so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
b.What are people made of?
Being made in God’s image also indicates its purpose of relationship with God. Oliver Crisp notes that Christ’s incarnation entails the union of both the image of God and “the blueprint for all other human natures.” He observes that “all human beings are given a nature that has the requisite image of God so that God the Son may unite himself with human nature.” Crisp concludes, “Human nature is created in order that it might reflect the divine image and be united to God.” People are made to be in a relationship with God. As Augustine famously prayed, “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you
People are created in the image of God and for a relationship with God and others.
The Bible chronicles the universal problem and effects of human sin as well as God’s solution in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
In this chapter, I summarized and critiqued the views and biblical interpretations of Augustine, whose views have significantly influenced the Christian tradition. I also presented six major views on original sin. Though Christians differ on whether and in what ways subsequent generations are affected by the first couple’s sin, Christians should be united in declaring that all people are sinners in need of God’s grace that is available only through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As these doctrinal discussions continue, may God’s people be faithful witnesses of the crucified, risen, and returning Son.
B. Blount articles 3,18
A. Article 3
1.Changes from the 1963 edition to the 2000 edition are minimal. The 2000 edition of Article III replaces a single sentence in the 1963 edition, “Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation,” with two sentences: “Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation.” It also adds the sentence: “The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God’s creation.” It then replaces yet another sentence, “Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence; whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin, and as soon as they are capable of moral action become transgressors and are under condemnation,” with two sentences: “Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin
2. Marriage:God’s plan for marriage, inaugurated in Genesis and reaffirmed in the New Testament (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:6–8; Eph. 5:31) has three parts:
3.Husbands:God commands husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25). This love, which is protective, nurturing, serving, and edifying, is not replaced with, but accompanied by, headship. This headship calls the husband to a loving servant leadership in which he cares responsibly for his wife’s spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.
Wives, on the other hand, were created to be “helpers” to their husbands (Gen. 2:18). The term “helper,” which is also used by God to identify Himself (Exod. 18:4; Deut. 33:7), describes the woman God created to become a partner with the man in the overwhelming task of exercising dominion over the world and extending the generations (Gen. 1:28; 2:18). When you call upon God to be your “Helper,” you are not suggesting that He divest Himself of His deity and supernatural powers. Rather you ask Him to come to your aid with the powers of His divine person. There is no hint of inferiority in the term
VI. Doctrine of Salvation
A. Haywood Part 6
1. What is salvation?
The Bible contains the following words and images for salvation: deliverance, entrance into God’s kingdom, new life, belonging to God’s family, forgiveness of sin, reconciliation to God, redemption from sin, sanctification, transformation, righteousness, and participation.
2. Predestination and Election the How and Why
The word “predestine” occurs only six times in the Bible, all in the New Testament.
As demonstrated by examining the occurrences of the word in the Bible, predestination does not refer to God selecting individuals for salvation. Rather, predestination refers to God’s promises for believers.
a. ELECTION IN THEOLOGY
b. Election in the Bible
1.GOD’S CHOICE OF ABRAM
2.GOD’S CHOICE Individuals
3. GOD’S CHOICE OF A NATION
4.GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE
3. decretal theology model
4. THE ORDO SALUTIS: (“order of salvation”), which refers to the sequence of events in an individual’s salvation. The ordo salutis concerns the logical rather than the temporal sequence of events. The phrase “logical sequence” refers to events as conceived of and planned by God, in contrast to the order in which those events are experienced by humans in time.
5. whosoever will model:God loves and desires to save every person, Christ died for every person, and anyone can respond in repentance and faith to the message of the gospel and be saved.
All Christians, Jew or Gentile, once lived according to the desires of “our flesh,” by which he means carrying out in actions one’s sinful inclinations. Thus “we,” which clearly refers to Jews, were once “children of wrath by nature like everyone else.” It should be clear that Paul does not mean that people were destined for wrath, since he is talking about himself and in this case other Jewish Christians. He means that they were acting in a fallen way like those who deserved God’s wrath.
In the early church, salvation was commonly understood as theosis, which refers to the view that God became a human so humans could be transformed by the Holy Spirit to become like God and participate in God forever. According to Augustine’s later writings, God gives faith to and justifies selected sinners. Martin Luther emphasized justification by faith alone. The Calvinist-Arminian dialogue that crested at the Synod of Dort corresponds roughly to the decretal theology and whosoever will models of salvation presented in the chapter.
B. Blount Articles 4,5,13
A confession of faith is like a mirror held up to an age. Like a mirror it reveals a great deal about ourselves and the age in which we live. Our epoch is resistant to particularity and distrustful of claims to universal truth. Nevertheless, the church’s responsibility is to maintain the apostolic witness in the face of contemporary challenges to truth-telling. In the end, the sum and substance of the article on salvation in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is something every authentic believer—and surely every authentic Baptist—can instantly understand and gladly affirm—Jesus saves.
VII. Doctrine of the church
A. Bibilical and historical Survey The nature and marks of the church
In the Old Testament, God’s people were united to him by covenant, elected for service, and on mission to the nations. In the New Testament, God’s people were linked to the previous group through covenant, election, and mission, as well as Israel’s Messiah. The church is represented in the New Testament by various images, including the family of God, the people of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Spirit. The marks of the church are one, holy, catholic, apostolic, proper preaching, proper administration of the sacraments, and regenerate church membership.
B.MINISTRIES AND ORDINANCES
The church’s primary ministries are worship, proclamation, evangelism and missions, edification, and care. To the extent that local churches are engaged in these ministries, they are engaged in the purposes to which God has called his people. The two ordinances observed by most Christians are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The major views of the ordinances are Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, and symbolic. Though Christians differ in their theology and practice of the ordinances, Christians are united in their focus on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus to reconcile sinners to God.
C. STructures within and among the church
Churches are composed of members who organize according to three major forms of polity: episcopal, presbyterian, and congregational. Churches can relate to one another by remaining independent, voluntarily associating, networking for resources, or through multisite congregations. Churches should be led by pastors and served by deacons.