BST 104 - Christian Belief LectureNotes PDF

BST104–CHRI STI ANBELI EFLECTURENOTES Pr oducedbyRev.Ol udar eAl iu,...

BST104–CHRI STI ANBELI EFLECTURENOTES Pr oducedbyRev.Ol udar eAl iu, Rev.DanMusaandMr s.Yemi Mat thew, 2024 THEOLOGY–STUDYOFGOD Themeaning¬-Asi mpleandli ter aldef init ionof“Theol ogy”accordingt oDomenic (2012) ,woul dbe“thesci enceofthedi vine”; thestudyoft henat ureofGodandr eli gious beli ef. Anotherdefi nit ionoftheologybyMer ri am-Webst eri sthest udyofrel i giousfai thand pract ice, andexperienceespecial lythatper tai nsGodandofrel ati ont ot heworl d.I tisa fai thseekingknowledge;studyofrel igi on. InChristi anper spectiveorcont ext,t heologyi st hest udyofGodandespeci all yGod’s character, act i oninr elati ont ohumani t y( thecharacterandhi storyofhumanki nd)i nits responsiverelati onshi ptoGod.I tcomesf rom t woGr eekwor ds“theos”meani ng“God” and“ l ogos” , “ology”or“ logia”meani ng“discourse”,speech”“ thought”or“word”. (Domeni c:1).Howev er , thewor d“logy”hascomet obeusedf orstudy;ther efore theol ogymaysi mplybedef inedasst udyofGod.Theol ogyast hestudyofGodseekst o understandt heGodr evealedi ntheBible.Mor eso,thest udyofGodi sthestudyofGod revel ationofHi mself, I tisessent ial lyast udyofscriptur e. TYPESOFTHEOLOGY Bibl icalTheology:Geerhardusdef inedbi bli caltheol ogyasabr anchofexeget ical (study ofreli gioustexts;or igi nal andintendedmeani ngofapassageofscr ipt ure)theol ogy whichdealswi ththeprocessofsel f -revelati onofGoddeposi t edintheBible”.Itinv olves exegeticalst udiesofthebi bl icaltextint heoriginal languages( Hebrew,Aramai c, and Greek).Thatistosaybi bli caltheologyf ocusesont het eachingofindiv idualaut hor sand booksoft heBibleandpl aceseacht eachingint hescri ptures’hist ori caldevelopment. SystematicTheology:Systemat i ctheol ogyorsy stemat i cs,i sadiscipli neofChr i sti an theologyconcernedwi t ht hedoctri nesoftheBible.Itorgani zesall Chr ist iandoctri nesin alogicalorder(l ogi cal pr esentationoft hecont entofChr i sti anfai th“ dogmatics”andthe foundati onoft heChristi anwayofl i fe“ ethics”.Itisawayofst udyi ngt heBiblethat attendstotherelat ionship/ful lscopeofbibli calteaching. Exegeti calTheology :Issimplythestudyofthereli gioustext s;wi ththeaim ofexpl aini ng andinter preti ngscri pturesthr oughmul ti pledi scipl ines.Orsimpl yput,i tistheprocess ofdiscover ingtheori ginalandint endedmeani ngofapassageoft hescr iptur e. Pract icalTheology :Exami nesthepracti cal appli cat ionofthebibli caltr uthasrevealedin thescri pture.I t’ stheinsti tuti onalacti vi ti esofrel igi onpracti ced.Inanothersense, itis anapplicat ionofChri stianlif ebasedont hest udyofbibli calpri ncipl es. Dogmat icTheol ogy :Ist hatpar toft heol ogywhi cht reat sthet heor eti cal trut hsoff ait h concer ningGodandHisworks.WealsohaveHistor icalt heologywhi chdeal swith narr ati ngthedev elopmentofChri sti antheol ogy , Pastor altheol ogyamongother s. PURPOSEOFTHESTUDYOFTHEOLOGY 1.Deepenyourknowl edgeofGod; theol ogymakesusunder standGodbet ter ,Hi s char acter ,natur eandhowheworks. 2.I tist oinf orm ust heknowl edgeofGodandourr elat ionshi ptoHi m. 3.Ithel psusdefendtheChri sti anfait h:theChrist ianfai thhasbeenchal l engedand onadai l ybasesall overt hewor l d.Studyi ngtheologycanacquai ntusthe knowledgeneededtohel pdefendourf ai th. 4.Theol ogyprovi desuswitht heanswer stoquest ionsaboutthemeaningofl i fe: “whoam I ?”“Whatam Idoi ngher e?”“ HowshouldIli ve?”and“wher eam Igoing” 5.I texplainst hemaj orbel ief sordoctr inesthatar egeneral l yacceptedbyall Chri sti ans,whi l eal sohighl ight ingt het heol ogi caldi ver sit yoftheChri sti an Churches. 6.ThestudyofTheologyhel psusr ecogni zeGodnotsi mpl yinl i fe’ sboundar y si tuat ions, butinthecentr eofev erysi tuat ion. Ar gument sfort heexi stenceofGod–Cul l edf rom Wi l lmi ngt on’ sGui det otheBi ble( 1984: 591) SomePhi l osophi cal argument sfort heExi stenceofGod Theuni versalbel iefargument :Thear gumentexplai nsthatal lmankindhassomeidea ofasupr emeBei ng.Indeedt heconceptofGodfoundamongmanycul t uresand ci vi lizati onsdi ff ergreatlyonnumber ,nameandnatureofthi ssupr emeBei ng, nevertheless, theidear emains. TheCosmologi calar gument:Thi sargumentseest hewhol eofcreat ionasaneff ect wit hacause.Thi sisbecauseinsci enti fi cthi nki ng, ever yef fectmusthaveanadequat e cause. TheOntologi calargument:StatesthatmankindhasanideaofaMostPer fectBeing. Theideaincl udesideaofexistence,si nceabeing,ot herwiseperf ect,whodidnotexi st wouldnotbeasper fectasaper f ectbeingwhodidnotexist.Therefor e,si ncethei dea ofexi stenceiscontainedi nint heideaoftheMostPerf ectBeing,theMostPerfect Bei ngmustexi st. TheAnt hropologi cal Argument : Theconsci enceandmor alnat urepossessedby mankinddemandsasel f -consci ousandmoralMaker.Thisbui lt- inbar ometersuppl i es noinf or mation,andt heinformati ononwhichitpassesjudgmentmaybei ncorrect.But never theless,consci encetel lsusweoughttodowhati sri ghtregardingthei nf ormat i on wehav e.Thoughconsciencemaybeweak( 1Cor.8: 12),good(1Pet.3:16),defi led(1 Cor.8:7) ,seared(1Tim.4:2), strongorpure(1Cor.8: 7,9), buti tisneverabsent.The onl yadequateexplanat ionisthatthegreatMoralBeing, whocreatedusall ,plantedt he moral senseinus.Noot herexplanati onisadequate. Teleol ogicalargument:Anargumentfortheexi stenceofGodwhichr easonsthat ,si nce theuniverseexhibi tsevi denceoforderanddesi gn, t heremustbeani ntel li gentand purposefulGodwhocr eateditt ofuncti oninthi sway. Scr ipt ural argumentf ort heexi stenceofGod TheBibl esimplyopensbydeclar ingtheexist enceofGod(Gen.1: 1;John1: 1)andthati t i sonlyafoolthatcont est stheexistenceofGod,al lweknowisthatthewhol eofthe Bi blei sreplet ewi t htheknowledgeoftheexist enceofGod. Thenat ureofGod Godi sSpi ri t-GodasSpi ri tisincorporeal,i nvisibl e,wit houtmat eri al substance,without physical part sorpassionsandt hereforefreef rom al ltemporaryli mi tat ions( John4:24). Whent heOTspeakofGod’ sarms( Deut.33:27) , hiseyes(Ps.33:18),ears(2Kgs19: 16), andmout h(I sa58:14),t het ermsar eonlyanthr opomorphi cexpr essions. Anthropomor phi cexpressionisat erm whichi susedtoexplainsomef unctionor character i sti cofGodbyusi ngwordsdescr iptiveofhumanel ement s.Suchexpr essions donotmeant hatGodpossessest hesephy sicalpart s.Rather, theymeansi nceGodi s spi rit,eternalandabletodoal lthi ngs,Hei scapabl eofdoingpreciselythef uncti ons whichar eper for medbyt hesephy sicalpropertiesinmankind. Godi sperson-Per sonalit yi nvolvesexist encewi ththepowerofsel f- consci ousnessand self -determinati on.Tobesel f -consciousmeanst obeabl etobeawar eofone’ ssel f amongot hers.I tismor ethanmer econsciousness.Ev enanimalspossesssomet hing (sti mulus)whi chmakest hem awar eofthi ngsar oundt hem.Theonl yissueisthatthe animalsar enotabletoobj ectifythemselves.Manki ndincontrast,possessboth consciousnessandsel f-consci ousness.Self- determinationhastodowi t htheabilit yto l ookt ot hefutur eandpr epar eacour seofaction.Italsoinvol vesthepowerofchoi ce. Self- determinati onalsohast odowi ththepowert oactf rom hi sownf reewil landt o thusdet er mi nehisacts.Itisusual l yadmi t tedt hatthattherearethreeelementsof personalit y,which,are–i ntell ect,emot i onandwi l l. Thus, asaper son, Godexhi bit sal lthoseel ement sinv olv edi nper sonal i ty.Forexampl e: Godcr eat es–Gen1: 1 Goddest roy s–Gen.18: 20; 19: 24 Godpr ovi des–Ps104: 27- 30 Godpr omot es–Ps75: 6,7 Godcar es–1Pet5: 6,7 Godhear s–Ps94: 9,10 Godhat es–Pr ov.6: 16 Godgr iev es–Gen6: 6 Godl ovesJohn3: 16 Godi sOne, thoughHei str ini ty, yetHei sindi vi sibl einHi sbei ng Theat tri but esofGod Anat tr ibuteofGodi swhateverGodhasi nanywayrevealedasbeingtrueofHi mself. Somet heologiansr athercal lthistheper fecti onsofGod.A.W.Tozerwr otethat“i fan att ributeissomet hi ngt r ueofGod, iti salsosomethi ngwecanconcei veasbei ngtrueof Him.God, beingfi nit e,meanst hatHemustpossessattr ibutesofwhichwecanknow nothing”(TheKnowl edgeoftheHol y, p.19). Whil eotherwri terstreatt heatt ri but esofGodgeneral l y,WayneGrudem ( 147,148)has di vi dedthecommuni cabl eatt ri butesofGodi nt o5categori esandal soexplai nedthem wi thdif ferentt it les.Thesecat egoriesshall beli stedherebutexpl ainedlater. 1.At tr ibut esDescr ibi ngGod’ sBei ng-Spi ri tual i ty, Inv isi bil i ty 2.Mental Attr ibut es-Knowl edge( orOmni sci ence) ,Wi sdom, Trut hful ness( and f ait hful ness) 3.Moral Att ri butes-Goodness, Love,Mercy(Grace,Pat ience) ,Hol i ness, Peace( or Or der) ,Ri ghteousness( orJusti ce) ,Jealousy ,Wr at h 4.At tr ibut esofPur pose-Wi l l,f reedom, Omni pot ence( orpower ,andSov erei gnt y) 5.“ Summar y”At tri but es-Per fect ion, blessedness, beaut y,gl ory ,Hol i ness I ndi vi dual Att ri but esofGod Godisself- exi stent( Ex3:13- 14)–thismeanst hatGodexi stsbecauseHeexist s.Heis notdependentuponanyt hingoranyoneforHisthought s(Rom 11: 33,34) ,Hiswill (Rom 9: 19;Eph.1:5) ,Hispower(Ps115: 3),Hiscounsel(Ps33: 10,11). Godi sSel f-suf fici ent(Ps50:10-12)–thoughthi satt ribut eissli ghtl yconnectedtoself - exist ence,butitfur therteachesthatGodhasneverhadineter nit ypastnorev erhav ein theagestocome, asingleneedforwhichhi sowndi v inenatur ehasnotalready provi ded. Godi set ernal (Deut.33: 27; Ps102: 11, 12)–si mpl ydef ined, thi smeanst hatGodi s absol utel yfreefrom t hetyrannyofti me.InHimt her eisnopastorfut urebutoneal way s andnever -endingpresent.Hei snei thercondi ti onednorconf inedbyti me. Godisi nfi nit e(1Kgs8: 22,23, 27; Jer.23: 24)–Godhasnol i mit ati ons.Hei sbounded onl ybyHisnatur eandwil l. Godi somni present( Ps139:7- 12;Matt18:20)–TheOmni presenceofGodmeansthat Heispr esentev er ywherewi thHiswhol ebeingatthesametime.Thi smustnotbe confusedwi thpanthei sm,which, teachest hatGodisever ywhereandever ythi ngi sGod. ther ear etwoaspect sofGod’somnipresence: - God’ simmanence–thi sspeaksofGodbei ngi nthewor ld, andact ingwi thi nand t hroughhi scr eati on. - God’ str anscendence–Thi saf fi rmst hatGodi sabov eandbey ondhi scr eat ion. Godi somni potent(al l- powerf ul)(Gen.18: 14;Rev.19:6)–thi smeanst hatGodcando anythi ngifi tcanbedoneandi fitdoesnotcontr adictHisownnature.Forexampl e,God cannotli eorcheat,f orthi sthi ngswoul dcontr adictHisnatur e.Herearesomeexample ofHisomnipotence. Ov ernat ure Hesepar atesl i ghtf rom dar kness( Gen1: 4) Hesepar atest hewat ersbyt hef ir mament( space)( Gen1: 7) Hesepar atesseasf rom t hedr yland( Gen1: 10) Hemeasur esoceansi nHi shands( Isa40: 12) Hewei ghsmount ainsi nHi sscal e(I sa40: 12) Her egar dsnat ionsasadr opi nthebucket( Isa40: 15) Hel ooksupont hei slandsassmal lpar ti clesofdi rt( Isa40: 15) Ov ermanki nd( Dan4: 30- 32) Ov erangel s(Ps103: 20) Ov erSat an( Job1: 12; 2:6) Ov erdeat h(Heb2: 14, 15) GodisOmni scient(al lknowing)(Ps104:24; 147: 5;I sa40:13,14;Heb4:13)–God possesses(withoutpri ordiscoveryoffacts)complet eanduni ver salknowledgeofal l thi ngspast,presentandfuture.Thisi ncludesnotonlytheactual, butalsothepossi ble. Thistot alandimmedi ateknowl edgei sbasedonHi seter nit y( Hehasalway s, andwil l alwaysexi st)andHi somnipresence(Hehasbeen, i sandwi l lalwaysbeever y whereat thesamet i me).Consi dersomeaspect sofomni sci ence: Heseesal lthi ngs( Pro15: 3) Heknowsal lthi ngs( thebi gandt hesmal lofHi suni ver se–Ps147: 4;Mat t10: 29, 30) Heknowsmanki nd Ourt hought s–Ps44: 21; 139: 2b Ourwor ds–Ps139: 4 Ourdeeds–Ps139: 2a, 3;Rev.2: 2,9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8,15) Oursor rows–Ex3: 7 Ourneeds–Mat t6: 32 Ourdev oti on–Gen18: 17- 19; 22: 11, 12; 2Chr on.16: 9 Ourf rai l ties–Ps103: 14 Ourf ool i shness–Ps69: 5 Heknowshi sown–John10: 14; 2Ti m 2: 19 Heknowst hepast ,pr esentandf utur e–Act s15: 18 Heknowswhatmi ghtorcoul dhav ebeen–Mat t11: 23 Godi swise(Ps136:5;Prov.3: 19;1Cor.2: 7;1Tim.1:17;Jude1: 25)–Wi sdom among otherthi ngs,i st heabil i tytodev i seperf ectendsandtoachiev ethoseendsbyt hemost perfectmeans(A.W.Tozersai dthat ).I tseestheendfrom thebegi nning,sotherecan benoneedt oguessorconj ectur e.Wisdom seesever ythi ngi nfocus, eachinproper rel ationtoal l,andisthusabletoworktowardpredest inedgoal swithf l awlesspreci sion. All God’sactsaredoneinperfectwi sdom,fi rstforHi sowngl ory ,andt henforthe hi ghestgoodofthegreatestnumberf ort helongestti me.Andal l Hi sactsareaspure astheyarewise, andasgoodast heyarewiseandpur e.Notonlycoul dHisactsnotbe bett erdone:abett erwayt odot hem couldnotbei magined.Aninfini telywiseGodmust workinamannernottobei mpr oveduponbyf i nit ecreatures(Knowledgeoft heHoly , p44). Godi sI mmut abl e(Heb.1:10-11;13:8;Jam 1: 17; Act s1:11)–thismeanst hatGodnever diff ersf rom Himself.Hemayonoccasi onalt erhisdeal ingswi t hmeni na dispensat i onalsense,buthi sdi vi nechar act erremainsconstant.Thi sisav i tal att ri but e ofGodwi t houtwhichHecoul dnotbeGod.For ,exampl e,humanbei ngsdochangein twodi recti ons.Hemaygof rom bettertoworseorf r om woretobet t er.Buti tis unthinkablethatGodcoul dtraveldownei t heroftheseroads. Godissov er eign–Thi smeansthatGodistheabsol uteandsolerul erintheuniver se. Tobet r ulysover ei gndemandst hatonehav et hetot alfr eedom,power,knowledge, wisdom anddet erminati ontocarr youtapredeter minedcourseofacti on.God possessesalltheseininfi nit emeasureandisthussoverei gn. God’ ssov erei gnt ycomeswi thf ewpr obl ems, twoar ethusenumer atedbel ow. - IfGodissover eign, howdoweexpl ai nthepresenceofsinandevi l?Theposit ive andsimpleanswerist hatGodal l owed( t houghHedi dn’ tarr angefor)si ntoenter thi suniver se,t hatHemi ghtrecei vethemostgloryandthattheel ectmight recei vethemostgood(Rev.4: 11;Rom 8: 28) - IfGodi ssover eign,howdower econcilether esponsibil i tyandf reedom of manki nd?Accordingt oA.W.Tozer,Godsov ereignl ydecr eedthatmankind shouldbef r eetoexer ci semoralchoice,andf rom thebegi nni nghasf ulf il ledthat decreebymaki nghi schoicebet weengoodandev i l.Whenhumanschooset odo evil ,theydidnottherebycountervai lthesov ereignwi l lofGodbutf ul fi ll sit. Inasmuchast heet ernaldecr eeddecidednotwhi chchoicethemanshoul dmake butthatheshoul dbef r eetomakeit(Ps135: 6;Isa46:9- 11). Godisi ncomprehensi ble–thi sisexplai nedthatnooneexceptGodhimselfcaneven remot elyunder standandcomprehendGod(Jos5:7- 9;11: 7-9;Ps36: 5,6;Rom 11:33). Godisi nscrut able–thi satt ri but eexplainsthei nexpl i cableandmyst eri ouswaysofGod. Thi sisver yclosetot heincompr ehensibil i tyofGodexceptt hati thastodowit hthe abi l ityt oexplai nthewaysofGod(Rom 11:3) Godi sHol y(Lev19: 2;Ps99: 9; 1Pet1: 15)–hol i nessist hemostpr ominentofal lof God’sat tr ibutesaspr esent edi ntheScr i ptur es.Thisonesi ngleattri buteorperf ecti on perhapscomescl osertodescr ibi ngorsummar i zingtheet ernalCreator ’sperfect i on mor ethananyot herchar acteristi ct hatHepossesses.I thasbeensuggest edt hatHis holi nessi stheuni onofal lot herat tr ibutes,aspur el i ghtist heunionofal l thecol oured raysoft hespect r um.Hol yist hewayGodi s.Tobehol yHedoesnotconf ormt oa standard.Hei sthatst andar d.Hei sabsolut elyholywithani nfi nit e,i ncompr ehensi bl e full nessofpur i tythatisincapabl eofbei ngot herthanitis.BecauseHei sholy,allHis attr ibutesar eholy;thatis,what ev erwet hinkasbel ongingt oGodmustbet houghtofas holy.Godi sholyandHehasmadehol inesst hemor alconditionnecessarytotheheal th ofHi suniverse(Knowl edgeoft heHol y,p113). Godisri ghteousandj ust–ri ght eousnessi sdescr ibedasmor alequi ty.Just iceisthe i ll ustr ati onofthismor alequi ty.Inright eousness,Godr eveal edhisloveforholi ness.I n j usti ceGodr eveal sHi shatr edf orsin.TheScri pturespresentthi st wi nat t ri butei na t hreefol dli ght. - Thei ntr insi crighteousnessandj ust iceofGod(Exo.9: 27;Ezr a9:15;Neh.9: 8;Dan 9: 14).Godisr i ghteousandjusti nHisbei ng.Thesequali ti esarenotfor cedon Godf rom outsideHisbeing  - Thelegi sl ati ver ight eousnessandj ust iceofGod( Ps7: 9;67: 4;96: 10; 119: 137).In thi swise, o GodRewar dst hegoodact s(2Ti m 4: 8), o Puni shesev ildoi ngs( 2Ti m 4: 14) - Theimput edri ghteousnessofGod–imputemeanst oascr ibeort ocr edi ttoa per sonoracause(Rom 4:3- 8;1Pet2: 24). Godi strue(Tit1:1,2;Rom 3:4)–byt ruthwemeant hatatt ributeofthedivi nenat urei n vi rtueofwhi chGod’ sbeingandGod’ sknowledgeeternall yconf ormtooneanot her. Truthisthereforeany t hingfactual aboutGod.Andsi nceChr istist het r uthofGod, we aresuccessf uli noursear chf ortruthonlyaswer ecognizeHi m.Godi stheult imat eand onlysour ceandst andardoftruth.Thati swhytheBi bledescr i besthe“Godthatcannot l ie”(Tit1:2), andconcl udesthati tisutterl yimpossibleforGodt ol i e( Heb.6: 18). Godi sfait hful(Deut7: 9;Ps36:5;Lam 3:22,23)–God’sf ait hfulnessr eferstoHissel f- l oyaltyandt othatofHisenti recreat ion.Hewi l lnotandi ndeedcannotchangeHi s characternorfailt operfor m allHehaspr omised.Hi sfai thf ulnessisseeninthe fol lowingar ena: I nnat ure( Psal m 119: 90; Gen8: 22; Col 1:17) I nkeepi ngHi spr omi sest oHi sfr iends Adam –Gal 4:4; Gen3: 15 Abr aham –Gen15: 4;18: 14; 21: 1,2 Moses–Exo.3: 21; 12: 35, 36 Joshua–Josh1: 1-5; 23: 14 Dav id–2Sam 7: 12, 13; Luke1: 31- 33 Hezeki ah–2Ki ngs19: 32- 34 I nkeepi ngHi spr omi sest oHi senemi es Ahab–1Ki ngs21: 17- 19; 22: 34- 38 Jezebel –1Ki ngs21: 23; 2Ki ngs9: 30, 35- 37 I nti mesoft empt ati on–1Cor10: 13 I nchast eni ngHi schi l dren–Ps119: 75; Heb12: 6 I nfor giv ingoursi ns–1John1: 9 I nanswer ingourpr ayer s–Ps143: 1;1John5: 14, 15 I nkeepi ngt edsav hesav ed–1Cor1: 8,9; 1Thess5: 23, 24 I ndef endi ngHi speopl e–1Sam 12: 22 Godi sl i ght( 1John1:5,7;2Cor.4:6;1Tim 6:16;Jam 1: 17)–Hei sbot ht hesourceof l ightandstrengthofalli l luminat ion.Thisrefersnotonlytothosegoldenbeamsof energyr adiatingfr om thesunandst ars, butal sotomor al ,mental ,andspiri tual ray sof i nformati onandi nspi rati on. Godi sgood( Rom 2:4;Ps23:6;107: 8)-A.W.St rongdef inesgoodnessast heet ernal princi pleofGod’ snat ur ewhi chleadsHi mt ocommuni cat eofHi sownl if eand blessednesst ot hosewhoar eli keHi minmor alcharact er.Al so, thegoodnessofGodi s thatwhi chdisposesHi mt obeki nd, cor dial,benev ol entandf ul lofgoodwi lltowar d manki nd.heist enderheart ed,andofqui cksy mpat hy,andHi sunf aili ngatti tudet oward alloralbeingsi sopen, f rankandf r iendl y.ByHi snatureHei sinclinedtobest ow blessednessandHet akesholypl easureint hehappi nessofHi speopl e Godismerci ful (Ps103:8-17)–mercyisthateternalpr inci pleofGod’ snat urewhich l eadsHimtoseekthetempor al goodandet er nal sal vati onofthosewhohaveopposed t hemselv estoHiswil l,evenatthecostofinfi nit esacr i fi ce Godisgr acious(Ps111: 4;116: 5)–Gr acemeansunmer i tedfavour.Comparingmercy andgrace, God’smer cyall owsHi mt owit hholdmer i tedpuni shment , whileGodgrace al lowshimt ofreelybestowunmer i tedfavour.Mercyisnotget ti ngwhatwedeser ve, namely,hell.Gr acei sgetti ngwhatwedonotdeser ve, namely,heaven.Grudem ( 159) al somakeaconnect i onbet weenGod’ sgrace,goodness, mercyandpat i ence:God’ s mercyishi sgoodnesst owar dthoseindistr esshisgr acei shi sgoodnesst owardthose whodeser veonl ypunishmentandhi spati enceishisgoodnesst owardthosewho conti nuet osinov eraper i odoft i me Godislove–t wodef i niti onsareappli edtotheloveofGod.Lov eisunsel fi shconcer n aboutanother’ swelfare.Secondl y,l oveisthatactofonepersonseekingthehi ghest goodofanot herper son.Considerthefol lowingaspectofGod’slove. Godl ovesI srael –Deut.7: 7,8 Godl ovest hewor ld–John3: 16; 1Ti m 2: 3,4 Godl ovest heChur ch–Eph.5: 25- 32 Godl ovessi nner s–Rom 5: 8 Godl ovest hespi ri tual Chr ist ian–Gal 2:20 Godl ovesHi sSon–John3: 35; 15: 9;Mat t.17: 5 Godl ovescheer ful giv er–2Cor.9: 7 SomenamesofGod El ohim:t hiswasusedabout2, 570t imesi ntheScr ipt uresi tref erst oGod’ spowerand might–Gen.1; 1;Ps19: 1 El :FourcompoundsofHi snames El yon–Thest rongestst rongOne–Gen.14: 17- 20; Isa14: 13, 14 El -Roi –thest rongOnewhosees–Gen.16: 13 El -Shaddai–thebreast edOne–used48t i mesinOT.TheHebr dshadi ewwor sof ten usedtodesignat ethebosom ofanur singmot her( Gen.17: 1). El -Ol am –t heev erl ast ingGod( Isa40: 28- 31) Adonai–Mast er–Lord.ThisdepictsthatGodownsallHiscreat ion.TheHebr ewOT nameAdonai anditscounterpar tinGreek,Kuri osdescri betherel ationshi pbet ween masterandslave.Adonaithuscarri esat wofol dimpl icati ons.Themast erhasar i ghtto expectobedi enceandundi vi dedloyalt y.Theslaveontheotherhand,mayal sohavethe pri vil egeofenjoyi ngprovisi on. Jehov ah–t hi swasGod’ smostcommonlyknownnamei nt heBibl e.Itoccur s6823 ti mes.Heisthesel f- exi stentOne,t heGodofthecovenant( Gen.2: 4).Ninecompound namesofJehovahare: Ji reh: theLORDwi l lpr ovi de( Gen.22: 13, 14) Ni ssi :theLORDmyBanner( Exo.17: 15). Shal om: theLORDi speace( Judg.6: 24) Sabaoth:theLORDofhosts.Sabaothi sderi v edf rom theHebrewwordt saba,meani ng “host. ”TheLORDofhost sisarefer encetothecaptai nofheav en’ sarmies.These armiesaresaidtobecomposedofangels(Ps68:17;104: 4;184:2;Matt.26:53)and Christhi mselfist hei rleader( Josh5:14). Maccaddeschcem: t heLORDt hysanct if ier( Exod.31: 13).Theideaispreval enti n ExodusandLevit icus.TheLORDsetsapartHispeopl eforspecialser viceandot her purposes. Rohi (Raah) :theLORDmyshepher d(Ps23: 1). Tsidkenu: theLORDourr ighteousness( Jer.23: 6).I nthefutur emill enni um accor dingt o ProphetJeremi ah, theof fi cialnameofGodshallbeJehovah- Tsi dkenu Shammah: t heLORDwhoi spresent( Ezek.48: 35).Int hegol denaget henameof Jerusal em maybeJehov ah-Shammah Rapha:t heLORDourheal er(Exod.15:26).I mmedi atelyafterthedeli verancefrom Egypt vi atheRedSea,t heLORDannouncedHi sHeal thI nsuranceSchemef orIsrael.The ‘ medicare’ woul dhavesuf ficed,hadtheykeptt hebargain.Ithinksamemaybeenj oyed t oday TRI NITY TheDef ini ti onandMeani ngoft heTr ini ty TheChr istiandoct ri neoft heTrini ty(Lat i n:Tri nitas, l it. ' tr iad',from Lat in:tri nus't hreefold' )isthe centraldoct r ineconcer ningthenatureofGodi ntheChr i stianchur ch,whichdefinesone Godex istinginthr eecoequal , coeternal,consubst antialdivinepersons: GodtheFat her,Godthe Son( JesusChr ist)andGodt heHol ySpi r it, threedi sti nctper sons(hypostases)sharingone essence/ substance/ nature(homoousi on).Ast heFour t hLat eranCouncildeclar ed, i tisthe Fatherwhobeget s,theSonwhoi sbegot ten,andt heHol ySpi ri twhopr oceeds.I nt hiscontext, oneessence/ natur edefneswhatGodi i s,whil et het hreeper sonsdef newhoGodi i s. “Ther eisbutoneonl yli vi ngandt rueGod, ther ear ethr eeper sonsi ntheGodhead, theFat her , Sonand Hol ySpi ri tandt heset hreear eonet rueet ernalGod, thesamei nsubst ance, equali npowerand gl ory , al thoughdi st ingui shedbytheirpersonalpropert ies, theScri ptur esmani f estt hatt heSonandthe HolySpiri tareGodequalwitht heFather,ascr ibi nguntothem suchnames,attr ibutes, works, andwor shipthatar epropertoGodonl y.”Defi nit ionOfTheTr i nit y(adapt edfrom West mi nster Confession). Thisexpr essesatoncetheirdi sti ncti onandt hei rindissol ubleunit y.Thus,t heent i repr ocessof creati onandgraceisvi ewedasasi nglesharedacti onoft hethreediv inepersons,i nwhicheach personmanif eststheatt ri butesuniquetothem i nt heTr i nit y,t herebyprov ingthatever ythi ng comes" f rom t heFather ,""t hroughtheSon,"and"i nt heHol ySpi rit." Trinit y,i nChr i sti andoct ri ne,theuni tyofFather,Son,andHolySpiri tasthr eepersonsinone Godhead.Thedoct r ineoft heTr i nityisconsideredtobeoneoft hecentral Chr isti anaffir mati ons aboutGod.I ti srootedi nthef actthatGodcamet omeetChrist iansinat hreef oldf i gure:( 1)as Creator,Lor doft hehistoryofsal vation,Fat her,andJudge,asrevealedi nt heOldTestament;( 2) ast heLordwho, intheincarnatedf i gur eofJesusChr i st, li vedamonghumanbei ngsandwas presentintheirmidstast he“Resur rectedOne”;and(3)astheHol ySpir it,whom t hey experiencedasthehel perorintercessori nthepowerofthenewl ife. Neithertheword“Tri nity”northeexpl ici tdoctri neappearsintheNewTest ament,nor didJesusandhi sfol lower si ntendtocontr adicttheShemai ntheHebr ewScr ipt ures:“ Hear,O Isr ael:TheLordourGodi soneLord”(Deut eronomy6: 4).Theearli estChr isti ans,however, had tocopewi tht heimpl i cationsofthecomingofJesusChr istandofthepr esumedpr esenceand powerofGodamongt hem—i. e.,t heHolySpiri t,whosecomi ngwasconnect edwiththe celebrat ionofPentecost.TheFather, Son,andHol ySpir itwereassociatedi nsuchNew Test amentpassagesastheGr eatCommi ssion:“Gother eforeandmakedi sci plesofallnat ions, bapt izi ngthem i nthenameoft heFat herandoft heSonandoft heHolySpir it ”(Matthew28:19); andintheapost oli cbenedict ion:“Thegraceoft heLordJesusChrist, thel oveofGod, andthe communionoftheHolySpiri tbewi thyouall ”(2Cor i nthi ans13:13).Thus, theNewTest ament est abli shedthebasi sforthedoctrineoftheTrinit y. CHRI STOLOGYANDPNEUMATOLOGY TheDif fer enceBetweenChr ist ologyandPneumat ology( A.A.VanRul er)byFr ed Sander sonJuly17,2009 A.A.v anRul erisst i l lav erystimul ati ngt heologian,i nj ustaf ewpages, drawsat t ention tot hedifferentv ocabulari esusedi nScriptur ef orChristologyandpneumat ology,wor ks them upi nt odistincttheologi calgrammar s,andsket chesoutt he“str uctural dif ferences” betweent het wodoct r ines.Theessayis“ Str uct ur alDifferencesBet weent he Chr istol ogicalandPneumat ologi calPerspectives, ”foundi nhi sbookCal vi ni st Trinitari anism andTheocent r icPoli ti cs:Essay sTowar daPubl icTheology,trans.anded. byJohnBol t(Lewi st on: EdwinMellenPress,1989) ,pages27- 46. Herear eVanRuler ’smaj orpoi ntsont hedi ff erencebet weenChr ist ologyand Pneumatol ogy : I.Per sonhood.Thereisnoalready-exi sti nghumanper soninvolv edintheincarnat ion. TheSoni sthedivi neperson,andhet akesahumannat uretohimsel f.Butinthecaseof theSpi r it ,itisal waysamat terofadi vi nepersonint eract ingwithahumanper son.In technicalterms,VanRul ersay sthatenhypostasi sistheheartofChr istol ogy,buti sa uselesscat egor yinpneumat ol ogy. I I.NatureandPer sons.I nchrist ology,t akingon(orassuming)t heoneuniv ersal human natureist hekey, butinpneumatologythekeyi sindwelli ngvari ouspar ti cul arhuman persons. II I.Substi tuti onvs.Empower ment.Christsavesyoubyr eplaci ngy ouanddoinginyour placewhaty oucouldnotdo.TheSpi r itdoesnotr epl acey ou,butempower syouand setsyout owork.Inpneumatology , itmakessenset otalkaboutcooperati ng,worki ng alongwi t hGod.Unl essyoudisti nguishchr i stol ogyandpneumat ol ogy,y ouarelikel yto talkaboutcooperatingwit hJesusi nat onementandj usti fi cation(! ),ormaketheHoly Spiri ttakethecreditandtheblamef ory ourdeeds. IV.Sacrif icev er susFel l owship.Theideaofsacr if iceiscent ralt othewor kofChr i st.Van Ruleristempt edtosayt hatithasnopl aceinpneumat ology ,si ncenothingthatt he Spiri twor ksinthelif eoft hechurchshoul dbeseenascompet i ngwith,compl eti ng, or evencont inui ngt heonce-and-for -al lpropit iati onofChr ist.ButhenoticesthatChr i sti ans arecalledt ooff ertheirbodiesasal i vi ngsacr if ice,t obr ingt hesacr if iceofpr aise,andto coll ectmoneyas“ t heof f ering. ”Sov anRul ermakesr oom f orapneumat ologi cal of fer ing, butconsi der sitamedi um off ell owshi p. V.Once-for -Allness.Thi sisabsol uteinchri stology, butrelati veinpneumatol ogy.Chr ist descendedandascended, buttheSpir itdescendedandr emainsamong.Thechurchis anongoingr eali tyoftheSpi ri t’ spresence,andar ef orthi sr easonisdiv ineandhumanin atotal lydif ferentsensethanJesusisdivi neandhuman. VI.Indwell i ng.Thi sisachr ist ologi cal her esy:Youcan’ tsaythatGodwasi nChri stby i ndwell ingahuman.Buti tist hecentr ali deaofpneumatol ogicalor thodoxy.I ntheSpi ri t, Godindwell shumans. VII.Conf li ctandProgr ess.TheSpi rit ’sworkinali feisamat terofconfli ct;apersoncan resist ,gr ieve, quench, andopposetheworkofGodt heSpir it.VanRul eralsocompar esit toanextendedgameorconv er sat ionstr etchingoverthespanofaper son’sli fe-hi stor y. VIII.Mixt ureandMi ngli ng.TheSpirit ’sworkimpartsgif tst ousthatbecomepar tofus; graceisinfusedintotheChristi an.Therei sami xt ureormi ngl ingofthedi vi neand humani nourl i ves.Again,t hiswouldbeher esyinchri stologi calter ms( theforecast call sforsteadymonophy si ti sm wi t hgustsupt opantheism).ButvanRul erthi nksthere i sr oom forthecategoryofmi xt ureinpneumat ol ogy. I X.Per f ecti on.Thechar act erofChri st’ swor kistobeabsolut e,complete,andperf ect. Butifyouimportthelanguageofperf ecti oni nt opneumat ol ogy,your uni ntoal lthe probl emsofper fect ionism andunr eali sti cidealsabouttheChri sti anl ife.Progr essand refor mationarekeycategor i esi ntheworkoft heSpir it. Thusv anRuler.Someofhi sassert ionsseem poorl yphrasedandnotwel l- enough supportedbybi bli cal evi dencebutsincereadi nghisessay,Ihavebeenmor ealertt o observingthedifferencesbetweenthewor kofChri standthewor koftheSpi r it , especiall yinScr i pture.Iti sadiff erencewor t hbecomingsensiti zedt o, tohelpbreakthe habitofassigni ngal ltheSpi ri t’ swor ktoJesus,l eavi ngtheSpi r itunemployed. Mymai ncrit icism ofvanRul er’ sschemai sthat , hav i ngteasedapar tt heset wodoct r inal perspectiv es, atheologianreallyoughtt oputthem backt ogether.Af t erall,everyt hing Christdoeshedoeswi t ht heSpi ri t(conceiv edbyt heSpiri t,anointedbyt heSpi ri t, senderoft heSpi r it ,hispresencenowmedi atedbyt heSpirit, et c. ),andev eryt hingt he Spiri tdoeshedoeswi thChr i st( anoint ingChrist,appl yingther edempt i oni nChr i st, enablingconf essi onofChr i st,etc.).Thet wodi sti nctworksofChr i standt heSpi ri tare i nternall yconnect edt oeachot her ,andshouldn’tbeplayedof fagainsteachot her. Therear enott wodiffer enteconomi esofsalvati on,butonet wof oldeconomy. Oneexampl eofhowIt hi nkthi scouldhelptheav erageChrist ianthinktheologi call yis thequestionofwhol iv esinyourheart.Mostev angelical sknowt osayt hatJesuslives i nt hei rhearts.Butindwel li ngismorepr operl yapneumat ol ogicalterm,pointi ngtothe wor koftheSpiri t.I tisoneofthemajorpointsoft heBibl ethatthei ndwell ingofthe Spiri tisthefulf il lmentofthenewcovenant , whileonlyaf ewscatteredv er seseverpoint toChristasindwell ing.Soitwoul dbemor epreci se, andmor erobust,tosaythatthe HolySpir itl ivesi ny ourhear t.Butoncewe’ veteasedthesetwoapar tforthesakeof cl arit y,i t’ sev enmoreimportantthatweputt hem backtogether: TheascendedChr i st senttheHolySpir ittodwelli nhisdi sci ples,ashi swayofkeepingthepr omise“Iwil lbe wit hy outotheendoft heage.”I ndeed, “Jesusiswi t hus;fortheHol yGhosthasnot comet osupplyChri st’ sabsence, buttoaccompl i shHispresence.”(AdolphSaphir ) Jesusdoeslivei nourhear t s,bytheSpi r it.Thisisonlytr ueifChristol ogyand pneumatologyarenotthesamet hing,butar eclosel ycoordinat edt obri ngaboutt he onepurposeofGod. ANTHROPOLOGY Ty pesofAnt hropol ogy Anthropologyi sthestudyoftheor igi nanddev el opmentofhumansoci eti es andcul t ur es.Cul t ur ei sthelearnedbehav i orofpeople,i ncludi ngt hei rlanguages, bel i ef systems, soci alstruct ures,i nsti tuti ons,andmat er ialgoods.Anthropologistsstudy thechar acteristi csofpastandpr esenthumancommuni t iesthroughav ari etyof techniques.I ndoi ngso,theyinvesti gateanddescribehowdi f ferentpeoplesofour wor l dlivedt hroughouthi st ory. Asanthropol ogistsst udysoci eti esandcul turesdiff erentfrom t heirown, t heymust eval uatethei rinterpretat ionstomakesur etheyar en’ tbiased.Thisbiasisknown asethnocent ri sm, orthehabitofvi ewi ngallgroupsasinferiort oanot her ,usual l ythei r own,cult ural gr oup. SubdisciplinesofAnt hropology Anthr opol ogy ’ sdiver set opicsofstudyaregenerallycategori zedinfoursubdi sci pli nes. Asubdi sciplineisaspeci al izedfi eldofstudywi t hinabr oadersubjectordiscipli ne. Anthr opol ogi stsspecial izeincultur alorsocialanthropology, li nguisticanthr opology, bi ological orphy si calant hr opology,andarchaeology.Whi l esubdiscipli nescanov erl