systematic theology i · systematic theology is the collecting, organizing, and studying of all...

CLASS 203

GROWING UNIVERSITY

Systematic Theology I

A Discipleship Ministry of FBC Mt. Sterling

CLASS 203 Systematic Theology I

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I

am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20

Dr. Chris Dortch, Editor

Cover: Head of Christ By Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn in 1648 (Public Domain)

(On display in the Gemäldegalerie art museum in Berlin, Germany.)

All scripture passages used are from the New King James Version of The Holy Bible, unless otherwise stated.

CLASS 203: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY I page i

WELCOME TO CLASS 203 SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY I

What is systematic theology? Systematic theology is the collecting, organizing, and studying of all relevant passages of Scripture on various subjects. In his book, “Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine,” Wayne Grudem explains it this way, “Systematic theology is any study that answers the question, ‘What does the whole Bible teach us today?’ about any given topic.” Why should Christians study theology? Part of the Great Commission is “teaching them to observe.” As a disciple of Christ, there are two parts to this command of Christ. First, we have been commanded to teach the whole of Scripture. This would also suggest that we must learn what Christ has commanded. Second, we must “observe,” that is we must apply what Christ has commanded into our daily living. As is our intent in all Growing University courses, the goal is not to merely gain knowledge, but “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). Proper study of God’s word should be done with a spirit of grace and humility that will not lead to knowledge that “puffs up” (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1). THE BASIS FOR THIS CLASS This course is an introduction to the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. The aim of the course is to help believers understand and apply theological subjects that well help them develop a biblical worldview. Our studies should prompt us to praise our Savior and to motivate us to fulfill the Great Commission. THE GOALS OF THIS CLASS Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Understand the core passages concerning the doctrines of Scripture, the nature of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, Satan, and demons.

2. Understand the importance of doctrinal beliefs in the life of the Christian believer. 3. Differentiate between classical Christian teachings regarding the doctrines of Scripture, the

nature of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, Satan, and demons; and teachings which do not align with the evangelical Christian faith.

4. Develop a doctrinal statement of faith based on the doctrines of Scripture, the nature of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, Satan, and demons.

PRIMARY SOURCES FOR THIS CLASS This workbook was developed from class notes and lectures given by Dr. Elmer L. Towns. The contents and basic structure were derived largely from “Theology for Today” (Dr. Elmer L. Towns) and “Systematic Theology” (Dr. Wayne Grudem). The bibliography is a short list of suggested books for additional personal study that have also influenced the development of this material.

page ii CLASS 203: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY I

ABBREVIATIONS

BIBLE NAME ABBREVIATIONS OLD TESTAMENT (OT) • Gen. Genesis • Exod. Exodus • Lev. Leviticus • Num. Numbers • Deut. Deuteronomy • Josh. Joshua • Judg. Judges • Ruth Ruth • 1 Sam. 1 Samuel • 2 Sam. 2 Samuel • 1 Kgs 1 Kings • 2 Kgs 2 Kings • 1 Chr. 1 Chronicles • 2 Chr. 2 Chronicles • Ezra Ezra • Neh. Nehemiah • Esth. Esther • Job Job • Ps. Psalms • Prov. Proverbs • Eccl. Ecclesiastes • Song Song of Songs • Isa. Isaiah • Jer. Jeremiah • Lam. Lamentations • Ezek. Ezekiel • Dan. Daniel • Hos. Hosea • Joel Joel • Amos Amos • Obad. Obadiah • Jonah Jonah • Mic. Micah

• Nah. Nahum • Hab. Habakkuk • Zeph. Zephaniah • Hag. Haggai • Zech. Zechariah • Mal. Malachi NEW TESTAMENT (NT) • Matt. Matthew • Mk. Mark • Lk. Luke • Jn. John • Ac. Acts • Rom. Romans • 1 Cor. 1 Corinthians • 2 Cor. 2 Corinthians • Gal. Galatians • Eph. Ephesians • Phil. Philippians • Col. Colossians • 1 Thess. 1 Thessalonians • 2 Thess. 2 Thessalonians • 1 Tim. 1 Timothy • 2 Tim. 2 Timothy • Tit. Titus • Philem. Philemon • Heb. Hebrews • Jam. James • 1 Pet. 1 Peter • 2 Pet. 2 Peter • 1 Jn. 1 John • 2 Jn. 2 John • 3 Jn. 3 John • Jd. Jude • Rev. Revelation

LATIN ABBREVIATIONS • c. Latin circa “around” or “approximately.” • cf. Latin confer “confer” or “compare.” • e.g. Latin exempli gratia “for example.” Literally “for the sake of example.” • etc. Latin et cetera “and others” or “and the rest.” • ff. Latin folio “and the following” (verses, paragraphs, pages, etc.). Literally “on the next

page.” • i.e. Latin id est “that is.” Literally, “that is to say.”

CLASS 203: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY I page iii

COURSE OUTLINE & TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 • Introduction to Systematic Theology ....................................................................................... 3 • Prolegomena ............................................................................................................................... 5 PART TWO: THE DOCTRINE OF SCRIPTURE .......................................................................................... 9 • Bibliology ..................................................................................................................................... 11

o The Baptist Faith & Message: The Scriptures o Introduction: Who and what is the “Word of God”? o Canonicity: Which books should be in the Bible? o Revelation: Is the Bible God’s Word? o Inspiration: Who wrote the Bible? o Inerrancy: Is the Bible accurate, reliable, and without error? o Preservation: How do we know the Bible we have today is accurate? o Hermeneutics, Exegesis, & Illumination: Can we truly understand the Bible? o Sufficiency: Is the Bible enough?

PART THREE: THE DOCTRINE OF GOD ................................................................................................ 27 • Theology Proper (Paterology) ................................................................................................. 29

o The Baptist Faith & Message: God the Father o The Revelation of God o The Names of God o The Incommunicable Attributes of God o The Communicable Attributes of God o The Providence of God o The Decrees of God o The Trinity of God

• Christology .................................................................................................................................. 51 o The Baptist Faith & Message: God the Son o The Deity of Jesus Christ o The Humanity of Jesus Christ o The Hypostatic Union of Jesus Christ o The Names of Jesus Christ o The Appearances of Jesus Christ o The Anointed Offices of Jesus Christ o The Temptation of Jesus Christ o The Death of Jesus Christ o The Resurrection of Jesus Christ o The Ascension of Jesus Christ

• Pneumatology ........................................................................................................................... 67 o The Baptist Faith & Message: God the Holy Spirit o The Deity of the Holy Spirit o The Names of the Holy Spirit o The Personality of the Holy Spirit o The Procession of the Holy Spirit o The Representations of the Holy Spirit o The Work of the Holy Spirit

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PART FOUR: THE DOCTRINES OF ANGELS, SATAN, AND DEMONS ............................................... 81 • Angelology ................................................................................................................................. 83

o The Description of Angels o The Names for Angels o The Kinds of Angels o The Work of Angels o The Most Common Questions About Angels o The Relationship of Humans with Angels

• Satanology ................................................................................................................................. 89 o The Origin of Satan o The Origin of Evil o The Personality of Satan o The Time of Satan’s Fall o The Character of Satan o The Work of Satan o The Defeat of Satan

• Demonology .............................................................................................................................. 97 o The Origin of Demons o The Description of Demons o The Names of Demons o The Personality and Nature of Demons o The Destiny of Demons o The Sons of God and the Nephilim o The Activity of Demons o The Objections to the Existence of Demons o The Worship of Demons o The Deliverance from Demonic Possession

APPENDIX ......................................................................................................................................... 111 • The Attributes of the Trinity ..................................................................................................... 111 • The Work of the Trinity ............................................................................................................. 111 GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................................................ 112 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................. 117

CLASS 203: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY I page 1

PART ONE

Introduction

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.

Matthew 28:19-20

CLASS 203: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY I


Introduction to Systematic Theology I. Why Study Systematic Theology?

The term theology comes from the Greek compound “theologia” derived from two roots: theos (“God”) and logos (“word” or “idea”).

Some people reject doctrines and theology. Ironically, they have already constructed a theology by rejecting the study. Any time a person takes several Scripture verses and synthesizes them into one sermon, Sunday School lesson, or other material, they are constructing a systematic theology. The end result of systematic theology is to synthesize all of the Scriptural information gathered, interpreted, and understood into a concise doctrinal statement.

1. Obedience to the __________ ___________________. If we have been commanded within the Great Commission to teach believers to observe all that Jesus commanded, then we must study the Scriptures in such a way that we interpret and apply the whole of the Scriptures in light of Jesus. The task of fulfilling the Great Commission is not limited to evangelism, but also the process of teaching (i.e. discipleship). For example, if we are going to properly answer someone when they ask, “What does the Bible teach about Christ’s return?” we must develop a systematic theology in order to answer the question.

2. Benefits to our ________________ ____________. Spiritual maturity is not automatic. It is a process that requires commitment and discipline. When we study theology, it helps us overcome our wrong ideas. Even though we have been saved, our minds are still corrupted with sin and we must mature in our understanding of Christ. 2 Peter 3: 18 declares, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” As we study God’s Word, we will be well equipped to make better decisions in all areas of our life. Ultimately, the more we study Scripture, the more we trust the Lord, which will result in a life of praise.

II. The Expressions of Theology

There are many approaches to theology, with each approach focusing on a particular aspect of the discipline. Here are four of the more common expressions of theology.

1. _________________ Theology: examines one topic of Scripture, limiting the focus to a particular book, author, or period of time. For example: Pauline books concerning regeneration.

2. _________________ Theology: examines the expression of theology in each age with a focus on its expressed purpose, emphasis, omissions, and influences of changes from generation to generation since the closing of the Canon.

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3. _________________ Theology: collects, arranges, compares, exhibits, and defends all data including logic, experience, reasons, and facts from the natural world.

4. _________________ Theology: involves collecting all Scripture passages, understanding those passages on each subject, and then summarizing their teaching in a clear and understandable manner.

III. The Subjects of Systematic Theology 1. _________________. The prolegomena is a “prologue” of sorts.

It is the introduction to theology. Pro means “to go before” and logos means “word.” The prolegomena will deal with presuppositions in developing a systematic theology.

2. _________________. The theology of the Scriptures.

3. _________________ Proper. The theology of God.

4. _________________. The theology of Christ.

5. _________________. The theology of the Holy Spirit.

6. _________________. The theology of angels.

7. _________________. The theology of Satan.

8. _________________. The theology of demons.

9. _________________. The theology of mankind.

10. _________________. The theology of sin.

11. _________________. The theology of salvation.

12. _________________. The theology of the church.

13. _________________. The theology of the end times.

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Prolegomena I. Presuppositions

1. The Bible is true and that it is, in fact, our only absolute standard of truth.

2. The God who is spoken of in the Bible exists, and that He is who the Bible says He is.

II. How Should Christians Study Systematic Theology?

1. _________________. The study of Scripture is a spiritual act, not an academic one. Therefore, we must join the psalmist in Psalm 119:18, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.” The apostle Paul explains that the Holy Spirit will assist us in our understanding, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Since it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to understand Scripture, it is appropriate to pray and ask for God’s help in gaining understanding of His Word.

2. _________________. In addition to being a spiritual act and seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance in understanding, our attitude also plays a role. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:5b, “… be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” Those who spend a great deal of time studying God’s Word through systematic theology will learn many things that perhaps are not well known by other Christians in their church or even by believers who are much older in the Lord than they. The Holy Spirit may show you something that others in your church (even your pastors) may not have learned. Therefore, teachers and students of God’s Word must maintain an attitude of humility. Systematic theology that is properly studied will not lead to knowledge that “puffs up” (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1) but to humility and love for others (cf. Jam. 3:13-18).

3. _________________. There are many examples in Scripture where the New Testament authors quote a verse of Scripture and then draw logical conclusions from it. It is not wrong to use human reason to draw conclusions from the statements of Scripture. However, we must remember that the deductions we draw from Scripture are not to be equated with Scripture. Our ability to reason and draw conclusions is not the ultimate standard of truth – only Scripture is. Furthermore, your ability to reason should be in partnership with the Holy Spirit. The Lord invites you, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18).

4. _________________. The Lord has given the church gifts and those gifts are people. “And He Himself gave some to be

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apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12). Those who have the gift of teaching can help us understand Scripture. This means that we should utilize the resources given to us to help us understand Scripture and we should talk with other Christians about the things we are learning through our personal study of Scripture.

5. _________________. Developing a systematic theology requires collecting and understanding all of the relevant passages of Scripture on a particular subject.

a. _________________. The use of an exhaustive concordance will be essential to collecting all of the relevant passages of Scripture. If we are going to develop a systematic theology of what it means to be a disciple of Christ, we would begin with identifying all of the passages that contain the word “disciple.” The word “Christ” is too broad and would produce far too many verses that are not relevant to the subject matter at hand. There may be other words that need to be collected as well.

b. _________________. The second step is to study the Scriptures by reading, taking notes, and organizing the passages into groups. For example, a study on the characteristics of a disciple of Christ could be categorized into three categories: sacrificial, relational, and transformational. In other words, each characteristic of a disciple fit into one of these three categories.

c. _________________. The final step is to summarize all of the information into a few points that the Bible affirms concerning the subject. For example, I might use the following as my definition of a disciple: “A disciple is a person who has trusted Christ for salvation and has surrendered completely to Him. He or she is committed to practicing spiritual disciplines toward maturity and working in community with other believers to develop their full potential for serving Christ and His mission.”

6. _________________. Once again, the study of theology is not a theoretical exercise of the intellect. It is a study of the Living Word concerning our Living God. Our response should always end with an enthusiastic “Hallelujah!” We should rejoice with the psalmist in declaring, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” (Ps. 139:17). I often find myself rejoicing with expressions of praise and delight and eager to share my joy with others.

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Study Questions (Part 1): • Define what is meant by systematic theology.

• What are two reasons for studying systematic theology?

• What are other expressions of theology?

• What are the major categories of systematic theology as they will be explored in CLASS 203 and CLASS 303?

• What are the two presuppositions of our systematic theology?

• What are the six considerations that Christians should use when studying systematic theology?

• Define and explain the simple three-step process for systematic theology.

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PART TWO

The Doctrine of Scripture

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,

for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,

thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17


Bibliology I. The Baptist Faith & Message: The Scriptures

1. The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the word, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

2. Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

II. Introduction (Who and what is the “Word of God”?)

1. The phrase “Word of God” is used in two manners.

a. First, it is used in reference to the Person of Jesus Christ. In Revelation 19:13, John describes Jesus, “The name by which He is called is The Word of God.”

b. Second, it is used to reference the speech by God.

i. _________________. “And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Gen. 1:3).

ii. _________________ _________________. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die’” (Gen. 2:16-17).

iii. _________________. For example Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him” (Deut. 18:18-20). As well as Jeremiah: “Then the LORD put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth’” (Jer. 1:9).

iv. _________________. For example the Ten Commandments, “And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven

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upon the tables” (Ex. 32:16; 34:1, 28). God commanded Isaiah, “And now, go, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness for ever” (Isa. 30:8). God said to Jeremiah, “Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you” (Jer. 30:2; cf. Jer. 36:2-4, 27-31; 51:60).

2. There is overwhelming _________ of the message of the Bible.

a. The Bible has a unified message that centers on the Person of Jesus Christ.

b. The Bible has a unified message that is revealed through the narrative of the Gospel: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.

c. The Bible was written by at least 36 humans, perhaps 40, under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, yet despite the diversity of the authors the unity of the message is consistent.

d. The Bible was written over a span of 1600-2000 years (55 generations), yet the unity of the message is consistent.

e. The Bible was written in different geographical locations, spanning 2200 miles, yet the social background does not change the perspective nor destroy the unity.

3. There is an appeal to the message of the Bible.

a. The Bible is transcultural and maintains relevance for all generations.

b. The Bible is universal and is relevant for all races, all ages, and all people regardless socio-economic status.

III. Canonicity (Which books should be in the Bible?)

1. The word _________________ comes from the Greek root meaning “rod,” which was used as a measuring reed and eventually became a standard.

2. Books in the canon are those that are officially recognized as the books of Scripture.

3. The church or a church council did not make the books of Scriptures authoritative by their vote or recognition.

NOTE: “When at last a church council, The Synod of Hippo in 393 AD, listed the 27 books of the New Testament, it did not confer upon them any authority, which they did not already possess, but simply recorded their previously established canonicity. The ruling of the Synod of Hippo was repromulgated (i.e. to publicly affirm again) four years later by the Third Synod of Carthage.” –F.F. Bruce

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4. The church accepted the testimony of the authors and recognized their books as Scripture.

5. The Old Testament

a. The earliest collection of written words of God was the Ten Commandments, thus the beginning of the biblical canon. It was commonly accepted as authoritative as the words of God.

b. The canon grew as Moses wrote the books of the Law (cf. Deut. 31:24-26).

c. Joshua added to the collection, “Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God” (Josh. 24:26). Joshua must have been absolutely convinced that he was not taking it upon himself to add to the written words of God, but that God Himself had authorized such additional writing (cf. Deut. 4:2; 12:32).

d. Later, others in Israel, usually those who fulfilled the office of prophet, wrote additional words from God (cf. 1 Sam. 10:25; 1 Chron. 29:29; 2 Chron. 20:34; 1 Kgs 16:7; 2 Chron. 26:22; 2 Chron. 32:32; Jer. 30:2).

e. The Old Testament canon continued to grow until the time of Ezra.

f. Christ affirmed the canonicity of the Old Testament, “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Lk. 24:44).

6. The _________________ of the Apocrypha

a. Josephus (a Jewish historian who lived in the first century), affirmed the canonicity of the Old Testament and rejected the Apocrypha as “not worthy of equal credit.”

b. Jesus and His disciples quote from the Old Testament over 295 times, but never quote from the Apocrypha or any other writings as having divine authority.

c. The plan of salvation as presented in the themes of the Gospel is not present in the Apocrypha.

d. They contain teachings that are inconsistent with the rest of the Bible.

e. The Roman Catholic church did not consider them canon until the Council of Trent in 1546.

f. The Apocrypha makes no claims such as “Thus saith the Lord,” or “The word of the Lord came to me…”

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g. The Apocrypha books have an historical value, but are not to be equated with the authority of Scripture.

7. The New Testament

a. The canon of the New Testament begins with the writings of the apostles. The apostles were enabled by the Holy Spirit to write Scripture (cf. Jn. 16:13-14).

b. The apostles were eyewitnesses to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

c. Paul claims apostolic authority, “If any one thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37). Paul claims that his directives to the church at Corinth are not merely his own but a command of the Lord. He later defends his apostolic authority when he says that he will give to the Corinthians “proof that Christ is speaking to me” (2 Cor. 13:3).

d. There are only five books not written by apostles: Mark, Luke, Acts, Hebrews, and Jude. Mark was quickly accepted as authoritative because of his close association with Peter. Likewise, Luke and Acts were quickly accepted as authoritative because of Luke’s association with Paul. Jude was accepted because of his relationship with James and the fact he was the brother of Jesus.

e. The author of Hebrews is unknown, but the content is overwhelmingly focused on the majesty of Christ and was widely accepted.

f. Apostolic authority was important to canonicity. Those books that were not directly written by apostles were at least acknowledged by apostles as divinely authoritative.

g. The twenty-seven books of the New Testament had universal acceptance among the churches as divinely authoritative.

h. There must be evidence of divine inspiration.

IV. Revelation (Is the Bible God’s Word?)

1. What are the two types of revelation?

a. _________________ Revelation.

i. Nature (cf. Ps. 19:1-6; Rom. 1:18-21).

ii. Conscience (cf. Rom. 2:14-16).

iii. History (cf. 1 Cor. 10:1-6).

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b. _________________ Revelation.

i. Jesus Christ (cf. Jn. 1:14, 18).

ii. Bible (cf. Deut. 29:29; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).

2. Special Revelation: Jesus Christ

a. The Bible is the Word of God because of its unique revelation of the Person of Jesus Christ.

i. The claims of Jesus Christ.

A. He applied to Himself the statement of YHWH, “I Am” (cf. Jn. 8:24).

B. He claimed to be identical with God the Father (cf. Jn. 14:9).

C. He asserted His _________________ (cf. Matt. 18:20; Jn. 3:13); _________________ (cf. Jn. 11-14); and _________________ (cf. Matt. 28:18; Jn. 5:21-23, 6:19).

D. He received and approved of _________________ from humans (cf. Matt. 14:33).

E. He _________________ sins (cf. Mk. 2:5-7).

F. His entire ministry revealed Himself as ___________.

ii. C.S. Lewis, Christian author and apologist, developed the Lewis-Trilema: Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.

A. If Jesus’ claims are _________________.

• AND He knew His claims were _____________.

o He made a deliberate misrepresentation.

o He was a hypocrite.

o He was a fool for dying for it.

o Conclusion: He was a _________________.

• BUT He did not know His claims were _________.

o He was sincerely deluded.

o Conclusion: He was a _________________.

B. If Jesus’ claims are _________________.

• Then He is neither a LIAR nor LUNATIC.

• Conclusion: He is _________________.

• Two options: (a) accept Him or (b) reject Him.

b. The all-encompassing characteristics of Jesus Christ point to the uniqueness of His revelation, which in turn points to the Bible as being the Word of God.

3. Special Revelation: Bible

a. Over 3000 times in Scripture the authors claim their

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message is from God. For example, “Thus saith the Lord.”

b. The words of Scripture are “self-attesting.” They cannot be “proved” to be God’s words by appeal to any higher authority. In doing so, the Bible would no longer be our highest or absolute authority. If we appeal to human reason, logic, historical accuracy, church polity, or even science as the authority by which Scripture is shown to be God’s words, then we have assumed the thing to which we have appealed to be a higher authority than God’s words.

c. Some may object to this “circular argument.” However, that does not make it invalid. Perhaps it is more spiral than circular. As you grow in understanding and knowledge of God’s Word, you are not back at “square one,” but rather a deeper conviction that the Bible is in fact the Word of God and the only ultimate authority.

V. Inspiration (Who wrote the Bible?)

1. What is the meaning of inspiration?

a. Inspiration is the guidance or influence of the Holy Spirit on the human writers of Scripture so that God controlled them in such a way that what they wrote was exactly what God wanted them to write without error.

b. The doctrine of inspiration is based on a Greek word theopneustos used in 2 Tim. 3:16 which is translated “God breathed out.”

c. Since breath is life, when God put His Spirit into the words of Scripture, He was also putting His life in Scripture (cf. 1 Cor. 2:13).

2. What are the four qualities of inspiration?

a. Inspired _________________.

i. Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Pet. 1:21). The moving of the Holy Spirit means “to be borne along.”

ii. These men were “moved” (picked up and borne along) as they wrote God’s message.

iii. Inspiration means an author was guided to write (in his thinking or in his written expression) what God wanted him to write.

b. Inspired _________________.

i. Inspiration incorporates the personality of the writer into the final product.

ii. The style of the writing and the selection of the words reflect the personality and background of the writer.

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c. Inspired _________________.

i. Inspiration means the words are placed there by God.

ii. “Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:12ff).

d. Inspired _________________.

i. Because God inspires the Bible, it is completely accurate and reliable in the original autographs.

ii. Since God has given us a message, it is only natural to expect that He will guarantee the accuracy of His message.

3. Views of Inspiration

a. _________________.

i. This view expresses the belief that God simply dictated what He wanted to be written down.

ii. There are examples of this within Scripture (cf. Jer. 26:2; Rev. 2:1,8), but it does not appear that all of Scripture was written in this manner (cf. Gal. 1:16, 3:1; Phil. 1:3, 4, 8).

b. _________________ Inspiration.

i. This view expresses the belief that Scriptures are inspired and authoritative only in matters of religious dogma.

ii. This view allows for the Bible to contain historical errors, but not doctrinal errors.

c. _________________ Inspiration.

i. This view expresses the belief that God did in fact inspire parts of Scripture, but failed to identify which part(s) of Scripture were inspired.

ii. Some suggest that 2 Tim. 3:16 should read, “All Scripture which is inspired by God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (italics added for emphasis).

d. _________________ Inspiration.

i. This view expresses the belief that God inspired the ideas of Scripture.

ii. This view suggests that all men have an intuitive knowledge of God and that those who wrote Scripture developed this ability to a higher degree.

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e. _________________ ____________ Inspiration. (Personal View)

i. This view expresses the belief that God inspired the complete texts of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, including both historical and doctrinal details.

ii. The word plenary means “full” or “complete.”

iii. The word verbal affirms that the Holy Spirit even inspired the word choice. “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus” (Acts 1:16).

iv. The Holy Spirit guided the writers along while allowing their own personalities to be seen in the writing.

f. _________ Inspiration.

i. This view expresses the belief that God has only inspired the Authorized Version 1611. The KJV is viewed as superior to the Greek.

ii. Peter S. Ruckman states that, “Mistakes in the A.V. 1611 are advanced revelations. In exceptional cases, where the majority of Greek manuscripts stand against the A.V. 1611 put them in file 13 … Where the Greek says one thing and the A.V. says another, throw out the Greek.”

iii. Peter S. Ruckman, “Now the ‘original Greek’ is the greatest gimmick Satan ever invented in this century for covering up truth, overthrowing truth, perverting truth, magnifying flesh, and exalting humanism.”

VI. Inerrancy (Is the Bible accurate, reliable, and without error?)

1. What is the meaning of inerrancy?

a. Inerrancy focuses on the truthfulness of Scripture.

b. Simple Definition: The Bible always tells the truth.

c. Theological Definition: The inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact.

d. Biblical inerrancy, as formulated in the “Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy”, is the doctrine that the Bible “is without error or fault in all its teaching.”

2. The _________________ of Scripture

a. God cannot lie or speak falsely (cf. Tit. 1:2; Heb. 6:18; 2 Sam. 7:28).

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b. Therefore all the words of Scripture are completely true and without error in any part (cf. Ps. 119:89).

c. God’s words are the ultimate standard of truth (cf. Jn. 17:17).

3. The _________________ of Scripture

a. The Bible can be inerrant and still speak in the ordinary language of everyday speech.

i. A reporter can say that 8000 men were killed in battle without implying that he had actually counted every single soldier. Suppose only 7823 had died or an even greater number of 8242. These are still within a margin of acceptability. Should the reporter claim 16,000 had died in battle when it was closer to 8000, then the statement would be false. There must be a degree of accuracy allowed with such things as numerical counts.

ii. The same is true for measurements. Whether I say, “I don’t live far from my office,” or “I live a little over a mile from my office,” or “I live one mile from my office,” or “I live 1.287 miles from my office,” all four statements are still approximations to some degree of accuracy. We can expect the same standard of Scripture.

b. The Bible can be inerrant and still include loose quotations.

i. Our modern English speaking culture is accustomed to quoting a person’s exact words when we enclose the statement in quotation marks (this is called direct quotation). However, the written Greek language at the time of the New Testament did not have quotation marks or the equivalent type of punctuation.

ii. Consider this sentence, “Carson said that he would return home for dinner right away.” While this is not a direct quote, it does give an acceptable and truthful report of Carson’s actual statement, “I will come to the house to eat in two minutes.” Notice that not a single word from either sentence is the same, yet the indirect quote is still a true and trustworthy statement.

c. The Bible can be inerrant and still have unusual or uncommon grammatical constructions.

i. Just because someone doesn’t follow the exact grammatical rules for constructing a sentence, does not mean the truthfulness of the statement should be dismissed.

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ii. Proper grammar is not the standard for truthfulness.

d. If we deny inerrancy…

i. We may think it’s okay to lie in small matters, as we believe God has done.

ii. We may begin to wonder if we can really trust God in anything He says.

iii. We are making our own human mind a higher standard of truth than God’s Word itself.

iv. We may go down the slippery slope that if the Bible was wrong in these “minor” details, then the Bible can be wrong in other details.

4. Are there _________________ in the Bible?

a. Prior to the invention of the printing press, copies of the New Testament were developed by hand for 1400 years.

b. One modern skeptic has suggested there are 400,000 errors in the New Testament manuscripts. That’s actually far more errors than there are words in the New Testament.

c. What types of “errors” are there?

i. The scribe simply made a _________________. He looked away and looked back to the original and picked back up at the wrong place.

• How should we think about this?

o This type of error is easy to spot.

o Because they are easy to spot, scribes often fixed them rather than copy them.

o Because they are easy to spot, these errors do not make their way into our translations.

• Why this is ridiculous:

o Bart Ehrman’s book “Misquoting Jesus” on page 13 shows Tim LaHaye’s name misspelled as “LeHaye.” The first printing of this book had 100,000 copies. So, how do we count that one typo? Do we count that as one error or 100,000 errors? To get to the 400,000 errors that skeptics have claimed are in the Bible, each copy must be counted as an “error.” Would it be fair to say, “Dr. Ehrman’s book has 100,000 errors”?

ii. The second consideration is orthographic variance.

You have likely noticed that there are regional spellings of words even within the English language. For example, if you’re in the United States you probably spell the word “color” C-O-L-O-R. However, if you’re outside of the United States, you may see the

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same word spelled C-O-L-O-U-R. It’s a regional spelling.


o Could hardly be considered an “error.”

o In fact, they are often helpful because the spelling helps us understand what part of the world the manuscript came from.


o Imagine you have an English copy of Harry Potter as well as an American copy of Harry Potter and each time we see the word spelled C-O-L-O-U-R we claimed the English copy has an error. We shouldn’t think that way toward the New Testament just because there are variances. This makes up the largest portion of so-called “errors.”

iii. The third type is minor non-translatable variance.

There are minor variances that do not show up when translated. For example, in Greek it was common to put the definite article “the” in front of a name: The Chris Dortch. However, some manuscripts have dropped the definite article.


o It’s a minor concern because it will never show up in our English translations.

o It doesn’t change the meaning of the text.


o The absence of the definite article doesn’t change the meaning of the passage at all.

iv. The fourth consideration is major translatable variance.

These are the variances that your Bible will likely have a footnote that reads, “The oldest and best manuscripts.” For example, Mark 16:9-20 is not included in the oldest manuscripts (i.e. Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus) although nearly all other manuscripts of Mark contain those verses.

Romans 10:17 has a major translatable variance. Some read, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Another may read, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”


o This is a very small fraction of the so-called “errors.” In fact, there are only about two-dozen

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of these.

o These variances do not change the message of the text.


o While these are significant passages, the variances are not sufficient reasons to doubt the validity of the Bible. Furthermore, as we have already stated, the variances do not change the message of the text at all.

d. Conclusion Concerning the “Errors”

i. There are skeptics out there who are exaggerating the data.

ii. These so-called “errors” are not reasons to dismiss the Scripture and claim, “We don’t know what Paul really said, so how can we believe the Bible?”

iii. Don’t use skeptical questions about the Bible as an excuse not to read the Bible.

Don’t use skeptical questions about the Bible to deny the claims of Christianity. Because the excuses are pretty flimsy when the evidence is examined carefully.

VII. Preservation (How do we know the Bible we have today is accurate?)

1. People sometimes ask, “If the Bible has been translated and re-translated through the years, then how do we know that the English Bible that we have today is even close to what Jesus actually said?”

2. Those who ask this question, often have the “Telephone Game” in mind. One person whispers a message to another, which is passed through a line of people until the last player announces the message to the entire group. When the last player announces the message, everyone laughs because the message was drastically butchered from the original message.

3. Unfortunately, people believe that our translations have been developed the same way, that translations have been re-translated again and again into the modern day. That is not how we translate the Bible. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Our modern translations are not a translation of a translation. Each translation returns to the ancient manuscripts.

a. Textual Criticism: The science of reconstructing ancient New Testament manuscripts.

b. Modern translations are based on more manuscripts as we continue to discover more ancient manuscripts.

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i. 1611 King James Version is a very reliable translation. Yet, they had a very limited number of manuscripts from which to study and translate.

c. Modern translations are based on even older manuscripts as new discoveries are made.

i. Erasmus (1466-1536) only had about six medieval manuscripts available to him when he translated the Bible. He understood the importance of going back to the oldest source.

ii. Today, we have manuscripts that date all the way back to the 2nd century.

iii. We also have fragments of manuscripts that date back to the early part of the 2nd century.

iv. We have about 6000 Greek manuscripts that range from small fragments to full text.

4. The King James Version is not the foundation for any modern translation; the ancient Greek manuscripts are the foundation.

5. Hebrew is a simple, solitary, and straightforward language. Hebrew is beautiful in its descriptive words, as it was ingenious in its idiomatic expression.

6. Greek was the common language.

7. Greek is perhaps the most exact expression of thought in language.

8. We do not have the original manuscripts, called “autographs,” of each book of the Bible.

9. Why were the autographs lost?

a. It is possible they were lost during the persecution of the early church.

b. It is possible they were lost due to “wear and tear.”

c. It is possible that God allowed the autographs to “vanish.” They would have venerated and worshipped them.

10. Some of the New Testament books were written on a prepared skin called parchment.

11. Some of the New Testament books were written on papyrus sheets, manufactured from a reed (cf. 2 Jn. 12 and 3 Jn. 13). Papyrus was also called chartas from which we get “charter.”

12. Ta Biblia was a collection of little books; from this we get the word Bible.

13. Some of the New Testament books were hand written by the author (cf. Gal. 6:11) and others were dictated to a scribe (cf. 1 Pet. 4:12; 1 Thess. 3:17). The author would then sign the manuscript at the end to authenticate it.

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14. The books of the New Testament remained in the possession of the addressee. Other churches would travel to make their own copies for use in their churches.

15. By the time Peter wrote 2 Peter, there was a collection of Paul’s letters in one spot (cf. 2 Pet. 3:16).

16. Other churches wanted copies of the letters…

a. So they could have a complete set of the letters.

b. Because they were immediately viewed as authoritative.

c. Because they were written by apostles.

d. Because they contained Jesus’ teachings.

e. Because the apostles began to die.

f. Because they were used in worship services (cf. 1 Thess. 5:27; Col. 4:16).

g. Because they needed to know how to confront false doctrines.

h. Because they needed to identify non-biblical material.

17. New Testament books were rolls of papyrus sheets.

18. Codex was used, which was a collection of papyrus sheets sewn together in a book form, not rolled.

VIII. Hermeneutics, Exegesis, & Illumination (Can we truly understand the Bible?)

1. Conservative interpreters of Scripture agree that the Bible is its best interpreter. “The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture, it must be searched and known by other places that speak more plainly.” –Westminster Confession of Faith

2. _________________: the study of correct methods of interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts.

3. _______________: the process of interpreting a text of Scripture.

4. _________________: the ministry of the Holy Spirit helping the believer to understand and apply the truth of the Bible.

5. When approaching the Bible, always interpret every word literally except when you come to figures of speech (e.g. similes, metaphors, etc.); in those cases seek the literal meaning of the author (cf. Cooper’s Golden Rule of Interpretation).

a. Interpret the Bible in light of its historical background.

b. Interpret the Bible in light of the author’s purpose and plan.

c. Interpret the Bible in light of the verse’s context.

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d. Interpret the Bible within the author’s meaning of words.

i. Etymology: Understand the word’s origin and historical meaning.

ii. Usus Loguendi: Understand how the author normally uses the word and the context of the word.

iii. Koine: Understand the common use and meaning of the word within biblical times.

6. Understanding and application of Scripture is not an intellectual exercise. “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). It is a spiritual discipline.

IX. Sufficiency (Is the Bible enough?)

1. The Bible is necessary for…

a. …_________________ of the Gospel (cf. Rom. 10:13).

i. You must call upon the Lord to be saved.

ii. You can only call upon the Lord if you believe.

iii. You cannot believe if you’ve never heard of Him.

iv. You cannot hear about Him unless someone tells you.

v. Conclusion is that people cannot come to faith in Christ without some knowledge of who Christ is. That knowledge of the Gospel comes from Scripture.

b. …_________________ spiritual life (cf. Matt. 4:4).

i. Spiritual nourishment is maintained through God’s Word (cf. Deut. 8:3).

ii. Spiritual nourishment is a daily discipline (cf. 1 Pet. 1:23-25).

c. …_________________ knowledge of God’s will.

i. People can have some knowledge of God’s will from their conscience, but it isn’t certain (cf. Jer. 17:9; Rom. 2:14-15; 1 Cor. 8:10; Heb. 5:14; 10:22).

ii. The Bible brings clarity and certainty of God’s will (cf. Deut. 29:29; Ps. 1:1; 1 Jn. 5:3).

2. The Bible is not necessary for… (cf. General Revelation)

a. …knowing that God _________________. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1).

b. …knowing something about God’s _________________ or moral laws (cf. Rom. 1:19-21, 32; 2:14-15).

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Study Questions (Part 2): • What are the two manners in which the phrase “Word of

God” are used?

• Define what is meant by the word canon.

• What are some of the reasons to accept the canonicity of the Old Testament?

• What are some of the reasons to reject the canonicity of the Apocrypha?

• What are some of the reasons to accept the canonicity of the New Testament?

• What are examples of General Revelation?

• What are examples of Special Revelation?

• Explain the differing views of inspiration and defend your personal view.

• What are the “autographs”? What are some of the proposed reasons that we no longer have them?

• Define what is meant by the word codex (e.g. Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus).

• Define what is meant by the word hermeneutics.

• Define what is meant by the word exegesis.

• Define what is meant by the word illumination.

• If you were to develop a doctrinal statement concerning Scripture, what would you include and why?

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PART THREE

The Doctrine of God

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1


Theology Proper I. The Baptist Faith & Message: God the Father

1. God

There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all-powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. 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.

2. God the Father

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

3. Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:16; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.

II. The Revelation of God

1. How do we know God exists?

a. Humanity has an __________ _________ of God’s existence.

i. Paul says that even Gentile unbelievers “knew God” but did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him (cf. Rom. 1:21).

ii. Sin (e.g. pride) will cause people to deny God’s existence (cf. Ps. 14:1; Ps. 10:3-4; Rom. 1:18).

iii. Sin can produce a willful suppression of truth (cf. Rom. 1:23, 25, 28, 32).

iv. For the believer this inner sense of God’s existence grows (cf. Rom. 8:15-16; Eph. 3:17; Phil. 3:8, 10; Col. 1:27; Jn. 14:23; 1 Pet. 1:8).

b. The Special Revelation of _________________.

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i. While the Bible never seeks to prove the existence of God, the Bible reveals God through His character and actions.

ii. If we believe the Bible to be true, then we know from the Bible not only that God exists but also very much about His nature and His acts.

c. The General Revelation of God through ________________.

i. The world gives abundant evidence of God’s existence. Paul asserts that God is “clearly perceived in the things that have been made” (Rom. 1:20).

ii. David proclaims, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1).

2. What are examples of General Revelation of God?

a. _________________ Argument.

The cosmological argument considers the fact that every known thing in the universe has a cause. Therefore, it reasons, the universe itself must also have a cause, and the cause of such a great universe can only be God.

i. Nature reveals God’s power and Godhead.

ii. The facts of nature reveal the existence of God.

iii. The word “cosmological” comes from kosmos (world) and logos (word). It is a study of the world as it reveals God.

A. The cosmological argument is based upon the fact of causation, or that God is the First Cause. Because something (nature) cannot come from nothing, and something (Creation) does exist by itself, therefore there must have been a force more powerful than nature to create the world. Hence the existence of creation implies a Creator.

B. Lewis Sperry Chafer, “The cosmological argument depends upon the validity of three contributing truths: (a) that every effect must have a cause, (b) that the effect is dependent upon its cause for its existence, and (c) that nature cannot produce itself.”

C. The world is a long chain of cause and effect relationship. The mind logically traces the sequence back to a beginning cause.

D. The mind rejects a chain that hangs on nothing. The chain that has no beginning or that hangs on nothing is impossible to conceive.

E. The most logical explanation for this world is a “Free Cause” or an “Uncaused Cause,” also

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called the “Prime Mover.”

F. If the First Cause had to act, meaning it acted of necessity, then it was not independent.

G. If the First Cause was dependent, then it was only the result of some other cause.

H. The First Cause had to be free, because only an independent cause was not influenced by anything outside itself (Himself).

I. The Greeks once suggested that everything generated from fire. If fire were eternal, then of necessity fire must be immutable and could not change. Fire then could not act independently nor could it change its immutability to the world at a point in time. If fire changed to create a world, then it was not eternal, nor was it a cause. It was an effect.

J. If the First Cause is eternal, then how did it at a moment in time change its immutable existence to create a series of cause and effect relationships? The only answer is that the First Cause possessed Free Will.

K. First Cause possesses two qualities: (a) the power to create the world, and (b) the quality of free will or personality.

L. Cosmological Argument Summary:

• Major Premise: The present world reflects an interrelated existence that is described as a cause and effect relationship.

• Minor Premise: Everything begun traces its existence back to an independent and all-powerful First Cause that had a prior existence.

• Conclusion: Therefore, the world must be the result of an omnipotent and eternal First Cause that exercises free will.

b. _________________ Argument

The teleological argument is really a subcategory of the cosmological argument. It focuses on the evidence of harmony, order, and design in the universe, and argues that its design gives evidence of an intelligent purpose (the Greek word telos means “end” or “goal” or “purpose”). Since the universe appears to be designed with purpose, there must be an intelligent and purposeful God who created it to function this way.

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i. Design in the universe reveals a designer.

ii. The word “teleological” comes from telos (end, goal, or purpose) and logos (word), which is a study of God as He is revealed in the design in His creation.

A. Charles Hodge notes the teleological argument “is ultimately based upon the recognition of the operations of an intelligent cause in nature.”

B. By use of the word “design” we imply three things. First, it means the First Cause had a blueprint or design before the process began. Second, the First Cause selected a proper means (i.e. laws, decision, interdependency of parts, etc.) to accomplish the results that were desired. Third, the First Cause used the means according to His interdependent and all-powerful nature to accomplish the preconceived design.

C. This argument implies that the design in the universe leads to a designer.

D. A denial of the order in the universe is a denial of the uniformity of nature and a denial of the existence of the laws or principles upon which science is based.

E. Example: Paley’s _________________.

F. Teleological Argument Summary:

• Major Premise: The reflection of an orderly and harmonious universe in all its parts is accounted for by a design.

• Minor Premise: Design in the universe comes from a predetermination of design, a selection of proper means to accomplish the design and the ability to implement the design.

• Conclusion: The First Cause of the universe possesses intelligence.

c. _________________ Argument

i. Human nature reveals a personal God.

ii. The Anthropological Argument reasons that the higher parts of the human nature could never have come from non-intelligent matters.

A. Man’s intellect must come from the First Cause, and since the First Cause possesses qualities far higher and different than materialism (proved by cosmological and teleological arguments), then man must have come from God.

B. Man’s intellect must have an adequate explanation. It could not have evolved from

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matter, and it could not come from anything that is described as non-intelligent.

C. Since man with his mind can control matter, and man can modify the makeup of matter, while the reverse is not true, then mind is greater than matter.

D. Man’s freedom must have an adequate explanation.

E. Man has the power to perceive alternate choices and to follow alternate choices. Man’s freedom is based on his mind. The First Cause was free to create the world, or begin the chain of cause and effect relationships. Man gets his desire for freedom and capacity for freedom from his Creator (i.e.) God in whose image he is created.

F. Anthropological Argument Summary:

• Major Premise: Man has an intellectual and moral nature.

• Minor Premise: Man’s intellectual and moral nature are superior to matter.

• Conclusion: Man must have for its Author an intellectual and moral being.

d. _________________ Argument

The ontological argument begins with the idea of God, who is defined as a being that no greater being can be conceived. It then argues that the characteristic of existence must belong to such a being, since it is greater to exist than not to exist.

i. Our thoughts of God imply the existence of God.

ii. The word “ontological” comes from ontos (being) and logos (word).

A. “Man has the idea of a perfect being. Since a more perfect or greater being cannot be conceived, there must be a perfect being to correspond to the idea.” -Anselm

B. Actual existence is a necessary conclusion to actual thought of the most perfect being.

C. Ontological Argument

• Major Premise: The greatest conceivable being must exist not only in the mind, but also in reality.

• Minor Premise: The greatest conceivable being that exists only in the mind, is not the greatest conceivable being.

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• Conclusion: Therefore, the greatest conceivable being must exist in reality.

e. The _________________ Argument

The moral argument begins from man’s sense of right and wrong, and of the need for justice to be done, and argues there must be a God who is the source of right and wrong and who will someday bring justice to all people.

i. The conscience is a revelation of a moral God (cf. Rom. 2:15).

A. All men have an inner witness that reveals the existence of God to “who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them” (Rom. 2:15).

B. The word “conscience” comes from “con” (with) and “science” (to know) meaning a person knows certain things innately within himself.

C. Because man was created in the image of God (and God is moral), then we expect that man would possess a moral nature.

D. Man’s knowledge of breaking God’s law is one of the bases for God’s judgment (cf. Rom. 2:15; Rom. 1:20).

ii. Laws imply the existence of a lawgiver.

A. Since laws are an extension of the nature of God, the presence of laws in society are our evidence that God has made man a social creature and placed within man a desire for law and order.

B. Laws imply that mans’ inborn impulse to judge others who break the law is evidence of the law.

D. “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (Rom. 2:1).

iii. Moral Argument

• Major Premise: Man has an inner sense of right and wrong.

• Minor Premise: Man has the need for justice to be done.

• Conclusion: Therefore, God must be the source of right and wrong, who will someday bring justice to all people.

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3. Knowing the Existence of God is not an Issue of Proofs

a. The Bible clearly explains, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

b. It is only through the proclamation of the Gospel that a sinful man can come to truly understand the existence of God (cf. 1 Cor. 1:21; 2:5).

c. “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Cor. 1:21).

III. The Names of God

1. Why so many names?

a. Each of the many names of God describes a different aspect of His many-faceted character.

b. “Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven” (Ps. 148:13).

2. The three primary names.

a. Elohim: Translated as “God.”

i. El = “Strong One” or “Powerful Creator.”

ii. Ohim = “To swear or to bind with an oath.”

b. YHWH or YAHWEH: Translated as “LORD” (all caps).

i. This is the proper name for God. It is often translated into English Bibles using all caps (i.e. LORD). This is to distinguish it from Adonai (i.e. Lord).

ii. Is often mistranslated as “Jehovah.”

iii. Comes from the verb “to be.” “I am that I am” the self-existing one (cf. Ex. 3:13-14).

iv. Pronunciations: yah-way, yah-weh, yah-veh, or (breathing sound).

c. Adonai: Translated as “Lord” or “Master”

i. Adonai is the plural of Adon, meaning “Lord” or “Master.”

ii. “For the LORD (YHWH) your God (Elohim) is God (Elohim) of gods (Elohim) and Lord (Adonai) of lords (Adonai), the great God (El), mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe” (Deut. 10:17).

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3. Hebrew Names for God.

a. El Elyon: “God Most High” (cf. Deut. 26:19)

b. El Gibhor: “Mighty God” (cf. Isa. 9:6)

c. El Olam: “Everlasting God” (cf. Ps. 90:1-3)

d. El Roi: “God of Seeing” (cf. Gen. 16:13)

e. El Shaddai: “God Almighty” (cf. Gen. 49:24)

f. Yahweh Elohim: “The LORD God” (cf. Gen. 2:4)

g. Yahweh Jireh: “The LORD Will Provide” (cf. Gen. 22:14)

h. Yahweh M’Kaddesh: “The LORD Who Sanctifies” (cf. Lev. 20:8)

i. Yahweh Nissi: “The LORD Our Banner” (cf. Ex. 17:15)

j. Yahweh Rapha: “The LORD Who Heals” (cf. Ex. 15:26)

k. Yahweh Rohi: “The LORD Our Shepherd” (cf. Ps. 23:1)

l. Yahweh Sabaoth: “The LORD of Hosts” (cf. Isa. 1:24)

m. Yahweh Shalom: “The LORD of Peace” (cf. Judg. 6:24)

n. Yahweh Shammah: “The LORD Is There” (cf. Ez. 48:35)

o. Yahweh Tsidkenu: “The LORD Our Righteousness” (cf. Jer. 33:16)

IV. The Incommunicable Attributes of God

The incommunicable attributes of God are those that God does not share or “communicate” with others. While communicable attributes are those attributes that God shares with others. These are not perfect categories, but they are useful in helping us understand the nature of God.

1. _________________: God is present everywhere at the same time.

a. God’s omnipresence is a manifestation of His immensity.

i. The immensity of God goes beyond space. It extends to “no space.” He is not limited by time and space.

ii. There is no existence beyond God’s existence.

b. Because God is present everywhere, He is close to His created world. “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 139:7-10).

c. God’s omnipresence allows for transcendence (i.e.

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existence beyond the normal experience).

d. God’s omnipresence teaches He will manifest Himself in some places more than in others.

e. God’s omnipresence implies His omnipotence and omniscience. Since God is everywhere present, it is to be assumed that God knows all things. Since God is omnipotent in sustaining and controlling the world, it is only natural that He is omnipresent, suggesting He is everywhere present to run the world. Any of the three attributes presupposes and demands the other two attributes.

2. _________________: God has the power to do anything He wills to do.

a. God can do whatever He wills to do, but He does not necessarily will to do everything. Of all the attributes of God, God has limited His omnipotence by His will.

b. God’s will controls His power, otherwise, God’s power would act out of necessity and He would cease being a free being.

c. God’s power is potentially unlimited. Not only can God do impossible things (such as raising the dead), God does improbable things (such as walking on the water). “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26).

d. God’s power is comprehensive. It does not require any effort on God’s part to act in any way.

e. God’s power is discernable. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).

f. God’s power holds the world together. The Bible teaches that God is “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3). “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col. 1:17).

g. God’s sovereignty is a result of His omnipotence.

h. God can do everything that is in harmony with His nature and perfection.

i. God’s omnipotence is the only attribute that has self-imposed limits.

i. God cannot create a being or world to which His essential incommunicable attributes can be given.

ii. God cannot create a being whose nature is sinful.

iii. God cannot impose laws that are not in accordance with righteousness and holiness.

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iv. God cannot deal with any of His creatures unjustly.

v. God cannot commit sin.

vi. God cannot change His own nature.

vii. God cannot change His decrees or purpose.

3. _________________: God possesses perfect knowledge of all things.

a. God has not learned. “With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding? (cf. Isa. 40:14).

b. God accurately knows Himself. Since God is perfect in all His being, it is only natural that His knowledge of Himself is perfect in time, in scope, in all implications.

c. God knows everything possible.

i. God has knowledge of everything that could have existed in the future (cf. Rom. 4:17).

ii. All potential knowledge is bound up in the omniscience of God.

d. God knows without effort.

i. God is eternal; there is no past, for God is without time. Therefore, there is no need to recall.

ii. If we say that God had to make an effort to recall, we would say that at one moment God did not know about the facts until He recalls it to His mind.

iii. A self-existent and unlimited God demands that He is omniscient, knowing all things at all times without effort.

e. God knows all things equally well. “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Ps. 147:4-5).

V. The Communicable Attributes of God

The incommunicable attributes of God are those that God does not share or “communicate” with others; while communicable attributes are those attributes that God does share with others. These are not perfect categories, but they are useful in helping us understand the nature of God.

1. Attributes Describing God’s Being

a. God is _________________.

i. The term “spirit” when used to define God means that He is not “composed of matter” and invisible.

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ii. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “God is Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:24).

iii. As Spirit, God is not limited by a physical body. “Spirit” means incorporeal being: God is a real Being who does not exist in or through a physical body. “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Lk. 24:39).

iv. A spirit is also invisible. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15). “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (Jn. 1:18).

v. When God is described as spirit, it is implied that God is absolutely pure spirit (cf. Jn. 4:24; Deut. 4:15,16,19; Ps. 147:5).

b. God is _________________.

i. _________________ (Mind): As a person, God has the power of understanding. God is aware of Himself. A basic characteristic of personality is self-awareness, the ability to know oneself. When God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14), God was describing Himself according to His own perception. He exists in Himself and is aware of who He is. God is said to know and have known (cf. Gen. 18:19; Ex. 3:7; Acts 15:18). The infinite wisdom and knowledge of God are clearly taught in the Bible (cf. Jer. 39:19). The Bible also pictures God remembering (cf. Gen. 8:1; Ex. 2:24), which implies classifying that which He knows because He is a rational and orderly God (cf. 1 Cor. 14:40).

ii. _________________ (Emotion): As a person, God has the capacity for and ability to express emotion (cf. Gen. 6:6; Jn. 3:16; Ps. 103:8-13; Ex. 3:7-8; Jn. 11:35; Ps. 7:11). Since God is perfect, His feelings are pure in their source and perfect in their expression.

iii. _________________ (Will): As a person, God has the power and freedom to do as He chooses (self-determination). Personhood is associated with freedom. There is nothing that makes God do or be anything. God is free to follow the direction of His nature (cf. Rom. 9:11; Heb. 6:17; Job 23:13). Animals do not have personhood; they act of out instinct. Persons make rational or volitional choices. The ultimate act of personality is the power to make rational decisions that give self-direction to one’s life.

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2. Moral Attributes of God

a. _________________: God is Holy. God’s holiness means that He is separated from sin and devoted to seeking His own honor. God is a holy being before He wills holiness into action. This means God did not will Himself to be pure, He is pure (cf. Rev. 4:8; Isa. 6:3; Lev. 18:2). Holiness is the most communicable of all God’s attributes. Man’s holiness is not within self, but through identification with God who shares His nature with His children. The following could be considered within themselves an attribute of God, but also seem to be an extension of the holiness of God.

i. _______: God’s peace means that in God’s being and in His actions He is separate from all confusion and disorder, yet He is continually active in innumerable, well-ordered, fully controlled, simultaneous actions.

ii. _________________: God’s jealousy means that God continually seeks to protect His own honor. While we often think of this in a negative sense, it is because humanly speaking it demonstrates a self-centered attitude. However, it is not wrong for God to seek His own honor, for He deserves it fully.

iii. _________________ (Justice): God’s righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is Himself the final standard of what is right. In English the terms righteousness and justice are different words, but in both the Hebrew OT and the Greek NT there is only one word group behind these two English terms.

b. _________________: God is Love. God’s love means that God eternally gives of Himself to others. Love is not just a virtue of God, but it is God Himself (cf. 1 Jn. 4:8). Love involves giving yourself to another. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:10).

i. _________________ (Faithfulness): God’s truthfulness means that He is the true God, and that all His knowledge and words are both true and the final standard of truth (cf. Jn. 17:3; 1 Jn. 5:20). God’s faithfulness means that God will always do what He has said and fulfill what He has promised (cf. Num. 23:19; 2 Sam. 7:28; Ps. 141:6).

ii. _________________: God’s wrath means that He intensely hates all sin (cf. Ex. 32:9-10; Deut. 9:7-8; 2 Kgs 22:13). Since God loves all that is right and good, all that conforms to His moral character, then it should

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not be surprising that He would hate everything that is opposed to His moral character.

c. _________________: God is Good. God’s goodness means that God is the final standard of good, and all that God is and does is worthy of approval.

i. _________________: the goodness of God expressed to those in distress or misery.

ii. _________________: the goodness of God expressed through unmerited favor.

iii. _________________: the goodness of God expressed through a delay of punishment.

VI. The Providence of God

If God controls all things, how can our actions have real meaning? What are the decrees of God? God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that He (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which He created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfill His purposes.

1. _________________: God keeps all created things existing and maintaining the properties with which He created them.

a. God upholds the universe by His word of power (cf. Heb. 1:3). The word translated “upholding” in the NKJV does not merely mean to “sustain.” It is an active sense of the word with purpose and intent.

b. “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col. 1:17).

c. “For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring’” (Acts 17:28).

d. “You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You” (Neh. 9:6).

e. “But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Pet. 3:7).

f. We can’t breath without God’s providential preservation. “If He should set His heart on it, if He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust” (Job 34:14-15; cf. Ps. 104:29).

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g. It is the providential preservation of God that provides a basis for science: God has made and continues to sustain a universe that acts in predictable ways.

2. _________________: God directs the affairs of this life by the laws He has created. God and man live by the limits of these laws, and man, made in the image of God, was also created with freedom to use the opportunities of life for the glory of God.

a. There are many passages that demonstrate God’s active involvement in every aspect of our lives (cf. Matt. 6:11; Phil. 4:19; Ps. 139:16; Job 14:5; Gal. 1:15; Jer. 1:5; Acts 17:28; Jer. 10:23; Prov. 20:24; Prov. 16:1, 9; Ps. 75:6-7; Lk. 1:52; Ps. 127:3; 1 Cor. 4:7; Ps. 18:34; Prov. 21:1; Ezr. 1:1, 6:22; Ps. 33:14-15; Phil. 2:13). All of these passages, reporting both general statements about God’s work in the lives of all people and specific examples of God’s work in the lives of individuals.

b. We must be careful to guard against misunderstanding. God’s providential concurrence should not lead us to deny the reality of our own choices and actions that bring about real results. The reconciliation between God’s providence and our freewill is one that cannot be ignored. It seems best to affirm that God causes all things that happen, but that He does so in such a way that He somehow upholds our ability to make willing, responsible choices, choices that have real and eternal results, and for which we are held accountable. Exactly how God combines His providential control with our willing and significant choices, Scripture does not explain to us. But rather than deny one aspect or the other (simply because we cannot explain how both can be true), we should accept both in an attempt to be faithful to the teaching of all of Scripture.

c. What about evil? Does God actually cause the evil actions that people do? If so, then wouldn’t God be responsible for sin? Certainly not!

i. God does use all things to fulfill His purposes and even uses evil for His glory and for our good (e.g. Rom. 8:28; Gen. 50:20).

ii. God never does evil, nor is He to be blamed for evil (cf. Acts 2:23, 4:27-28; Lk. 22:22; Matt. 26:24; Mk. 14:21; Matt. 18:7; Jam. 1:13-14). Even if God allows evil, He is not to be blamed for doing evil (cf. Isa. 45:7). This doesn’t really ease the tension. It still feels unsatisfactory to say that God allows evil even though He doesn’t commit evil acts. However, we must remember that if there is evil in the universe that God did not intend (or allow), then it is not under His control. How then can we be certain that God can

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use those things for His purposes? How can we even know that He can triumph over evil?

iii. God rightfully blames and judges moral creatures for the evil they do (cf. Isa. 66:3-4; Eccl. 7:29; Rom. 9:19-20). In every case where people commit evil, we know that they willingly chose to do it, and we realize that we are rightly to be blamed for it.

iv. Evil is real, not an illusion, and we should never do evil, for it will always harm us and others (cf. Matt. 6:13; Jam. 5:19-20; 1 Pet. 2:11; Rom. 3:8).

v. In spite of all of the foregoing statements, we must confess that we do not fully understand the relationship between God’s providence and evil. We must simply acknowledge that ultimately the person committing the sin is responsible and not God. God is good.

3. _________________: God has a purpose in all that He does in the world and He providentially governs or directs all things in order to accomplish His purposes.

a. God is in control (cf. Ps. 103:19; Dan. 4:35; Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:11; Phil. 2:10-11; Rom. 8:28).

b. We must remember that we are finite and our minds cannot comprehend all that God is. We cannot fully understand His will. We cannot fully understand everything about God. We can understand the things in which He desires for us to understand, such as His moral will. We must accept that we cannot fully comprehend the complexity of God. However, we can (and should) know the things of God that He has revealed.

VII. The Decrees of God

The decrees of God are the eternal plans of God whereby, before the creation of the world, He determined to bring about everything that happens. This doctrine is similar to the doctrine of providence, but here we are thinking about God’s decisions before the world was created, rather than His providential actions in time. His providential actions are the outworking of the eternal decrees that He made long ago. The following are biblical words associated with the decrees of God.

1. _________________: (proorizo) (cf. Eph. 1:5, 11; Rom. 8:29; Acts 4:28, translated “determine”). The word “predestinate” means God has a plan of salvation and extended it to everyone who would respond in faith. The apostle wrote of God’s predestined plan, by which He has drawn a circle around the world because He loves all men (cf. Jn. 3:16). Then He died for all (cf. Jn. 1:29), and calls everyone to partake in that plan. Therefore, predestination deals primarily with what is God’s plan, not the specific “who.”

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2. _________________: (proginosko) The word “foreknowledge” extends God’s sovereignty into the future (cf. Acts 2:23, 26:5; Rom. 8:29, 11:2, 1 Pet. 1:2, 20; 2 Pet. 3:17). Because God is omniscient, He possesses a full knowledge of events before they happen. For example, God knows who will accept Him as Savior before they do.

3. _________________: (ekloge) The word “elect” is in reference to those who respond to God’s call. They are part of the plan that God has chosen for their salvation (cf. Col. 3:12; Rom. 11:7; 1 Thess. 1:4). Scripture only uses the term “elect” after a person has responded to the Gospel and is saved. It never uses the term “elect” of someone who will (future tense) accept Christ.

4. ____: (kletos) The word “call” originates out of His sovereignty (cf. Rom. 1:1, 6, 7; 1 Cor. 1:26, 7:20; Eph. 1:18; 4:1; 2 Thess. 2:11). Summoned by God to an office or to salvation.

5. _________________: (proethemen) The word “purpose” is used in reference to God’s overall plans (cf. Rom. 1:13, 3:25, 8:28, 9:11; Eph. 1:9). The word “will” (boulen) carries the same meaning (cf. Acts 13:26, 20:27; Eph. 1:11). The word can also be translated “counsel” and is a resolved plan, purposefully arranging all physical circumstances, which guarantees every scene of life works to God’s eternal purpose. These three words (i.e. purpose, will, and counsel) are related to the volitional nature of God, that He can translate His desires into an organized program relating to His creation.

6. __________ ___________: (eudokia) The words “good pleasure” indicates the satisfaction of God through the work of faith.

7. Calvinism (John Calvin, 1509-1564) and Arminianism (Jacobus Arminius, 1560-1609).

a. “Total Depravity” or “Free Will.”

i. Total Depravity: Our sinful corruption is so deep and so strong as to make us slaves of sin and morally unable to overcome our own rebellion and blindness. This inability to save ourselves from ourselves is total. We are utterly dependent on God’s grace to overcome our rebellion, give us eyes to see, and effectively draw us to the Savior.

ii. Free Will: Though man is fallen, he is not incapacitated by the sinful nature and can freely choose God. His will is not restricted and enslaved by his sinful nature.

iii. The Conviction of the Holy Spirit: While we are deeply depraved and slaves to sin, humanity was created in the image of God. When presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have the free will to accept or reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit unto salvation.

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b. “Unconditional Election” or “Conditional Election.”

i. Unconditional Election: God’s election is an unconditional act of free grace that was given through His Son Jesus before the world began. By this act, God chose, before the foundation of the world, those who would be delivered from bondage to sin and brought to repentance and saving faith in Jesus.

ii. Conditional Election: God chose people for salvation based on His foreknowledge where God looks into the future to see who would respond to the gospel message.

iii. The Elect and God’s Plan: God’s plan of salvation was established from the beginning, while those who will be saved are known by God through His foreknowledge.

c. “Limited Atonement” or “Universal Atonement.”

i. Limited Atonement: The atonement of Christ is sufficient for all humans and effective for those who trust him. It is not limited in its worth or sufficiency to save all who believe. But the full, saving effectiveness of the atonement that Jesus accomplished is limited to those for whom that saving effect was prepared. The availability of the total sufficiency of the atonement is for all people. Whosoever will, whoever believes, will be covered by the blood of Christ. And there is divine design in the death of Christ to accomplish the promises of the new covenant for the chosen bride of Christ. Thus Christ died for all people, but not for all in the same way.

ii. Unlimited Atonement: The position that Jesus bore the sins of everyone who ever lived. “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:2).

iii. The Atonement is Available but not Automatic: The atonement of Christ is available to every person, but limited only in it’s application by the free will of the individual.

d. “Irresistible Grace” or “Resistible Grace.”

i. Irresistible Grace: The resistance that all human beings exert against God every day (cf. Rom. 3:10-12; Acts 7:51) is wonderfully overcome at the proper time by God’s saving grace for undeserving rebels whom He chooses freely to save.

ii. Resistible Grace: The grace of God can be resisted and finally beaten so as to reject salvation in Christ.

iii. The Gift of Grace: The grace of God is a gift. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is

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unfair to claim we had any part in God’s grace by simply accepting His gift.

e. “Perseverance of the Saints” or “Fall from Grace.”

i. Perseverance of the Saints: All who are justified will win the fight of faith. They will persevere in faith and will not surrender finally to the enemy of their souls. This perseverance is the promise of the new covenant, obtained by the blood of Christ, and worked in us by God Himself, yet not so as to diminish, but only to empower and encourage, our vigilance; so that we may say in the end, I have fought the good fight, but it was not I, but the grace of God which was with me (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7; 1 Cor. 15:10).

ii. Fall from Grace: A person can fall from grace and lose his salvation by his own choosing and actions.

iii. The Preservation of the Saints: This is the doctrine of “once saved always saved.” Once Christians are saved, Satan will never have possession of their soul, but he will attempt to make them ineffective in their witness of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit preserves the believer and maintains their salvation.

VIII. The Trinity of God

It is important to understand that as we examine such things as the attributes of God, that we not think of them as only applicable to God the Father. It is appropriate to remember these attributes are in close connection with the doctrine of the Trinity. A biblical teaching on the doctrine of the Trinity will demonstrate that all of God’s attributes are true of all three persons because each person is fully God. (see page 107)

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. While the word “Trinity” is not to be found in Scripture, the reality of the Triune Godhead is seen throughout Scripture. God exists in the persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Triune Godhead is equal in _________________, distinct in _________________, and submissive in _________________.

1. Three statements that summarize the biblical teaching.

a. God is three persons. The fact that God is three persons means that the Father is not the Son; they are distinct persons (1 Jn. 2:1; Heb. 7:25). Likewise, the Father is not the Holy Spirit; but distinct persons (cf. Jn. 14:26; Rom. 8:27). The Son is not the Holy Spirit; rather they are distinct persons (cf. Matt. 28:19; Jn. 16:7).

b. Each person is fully God. God the Father is clearly God as evident from the first verse of the Bible, where He created the heaven and the earth. The deity of the Father is maintained throughout the Old and New

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Testaments. Next, the full deity of Christ is seen in such passages at John 1:1-4. Some, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, have wrongly translated the passage as “the Word was a god” (cf. “Colwell’s rule” concerning Greek grammar). This doctrine will be developed more fully under “Christology.” Likewise, the deity of the Holy Spirit will be addressed more fully under “Pneumatology.”

c. There is one God. Scripture is overwhelmingly clear that there is one and only one God. The Trinity is one in essence, that is there is oneness in nature. In other words, God is only one being. There are not three Gods. There is only one God.

2. Four misunderstandings of the doctrine of the Trinity.

There are many attempts to explain the Trinity. Every analogy that attempts to explain the Trinity has theological shortcomings (e.g. an egg, an apple pie, roles, etc.). That is not to say that the Trinity cannot be understood, but it is to say that the Trinity cannot be oversimplified and compared to anything else we know.

a. _________________ claims that there is one God who appears to us in three different roles. This view asserts three different manifestations of God, just as a man could be father, husband, and brother at one time.

b. _____________ claims there is one God who has appeared to us in three different modes over time. This view asserts God the Father as Creator in the Old Testament, God the Son as Redeemer in the New Testament, and God the Holy Spirit relates to people today. The basic error of Modalism is that it denies the eternity and distinctiveness of the three Persons of the Trinity.

c. _________________ claims that only God the Father has eternally existed. This view asserts that the Son and Holy Spirit are created beings and rejects the full deity of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

d. _________________ claims that Christ and the Holy Spirit are merely a power or attribute of God, but not God.

3. The Old Testament points to the Trinity.

a. The names of God imply the Trinity.

i. The name “Elohim” is plural, even though it identifies one God, it is a plural unity.

ii. There is a use of plural personal pronouns of God. “And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). “The man is become as one of us” (Gen. 3:22). Isaiah “heard the voice of the LORD saying, Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” (Isa. 6:8).

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b. The worship of God by use of a trinitarian formula. “Holy, holy, holy” (Isa. 6:3). Jacob blessed his son Joseph in the name of God; three times he identified God differently (cf. Gen. 48:15-16). “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee; the LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Num. 6:24-26).

c. All three Persons are distinguished as God. The judgment of the Lord on Sodom and Gomorrah distinguishes between the Lord who judged with fire and the Lord who judged with brimstone (cf. Gen. 19:24). YHWH has a Son (cf. Ps. 2:7) who is called God (cf. Isa. 9:6).

4. The New Testament points to the Trinity.

a. The presence of all three at one time during the baptism of Jesus. Jesus was being baptized. The Father spoke from heaven. The Holy Spirit descended like a dove (cf. Matt. 3:16-17)

b. Jesus taught the truth of the Trinity. “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (Jn. 15:26).

c. The early church taught the truth of the Trinity. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Cor. 13:14). “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).

d. The New Testament authors made distinctions. Generally speaking, the NT authors use the name “God” to refer to God the Father. They use the name “Lord” to refer to God the Son. “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all” (1 Cor. 12:4-6). (see also 1 Pet. 1:2; Jd. 20-21).

e. 1 John 5:7 states, “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” Many modern translations have removed “…in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” because these words are not found in the earliest manuscripts. The full verse is usually only found in the KJV and NKJV. Some modern translations will include a footnote.

f. The distinct work of each Person of the Trinity.

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i. _________________: God the Father spoke the creative words to bring the universe into being. God the Son carried out these creative decrees. God the Spirit was God’s manifested presence in creation as He moved about the face of the earth.

ii. _________________: God the Father planned redemption and sent His Son into the world. God the Son was obedient to the Father and accomplished redemption for us. God the Spirit works within the believer in the process of regeneration to sanctify and empower believers for His service.

5. Why is this doctrine important?

a. The atonement of Christ is at stake. If Jesus was merely a created being, and not fully God, then he could not bear the full wrath of God against all of our sins. No creature, no matter how great can save mankind.

b. If Jesus is not God, should we pray to Him and worship Him? We pray and worship to Him because He is God incarnate. Only God is worthy of worship.

c. If Jesus is not God, then it was God’s creation that saved us and not God Himself.

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Christology I. The Baptist Faith & Message: God the Son

1. God the Son

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

2. Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16..

II. The Deity of Jesus Christ

1. The __________ of the claims of Jesus Christ attest to His deity.

a. Simply because someone claims to be God does not make the claim true.

b. However, if God would reveal Himself, He would also identify Himself by a claim that He is God.

c. The one who claims to be God would have to demonstrate God-like moral attributes of holiness.

d. Jesus’ claim to deity.

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i. Jesus used the personal name “I Am,” that identified Himself as God (e.g. I Am the Bread of Life, I Am the Light of the World, I Am the Good Shepherd, etc.).

ii. Jesus claimed to be Adonai (cf. Matt. 22:42-45).

iii. Jesus claimed deity by including Himself in the baptismal formula (cf. Matt. 28:19).

iv. Jesus claimed to be one with the Father (cf. Jn. 10:30).

v. Jesus claimed to forgive sins (cf. Mk. 2:5-7). This is something only God can do.

vi. Jesus allowed people to worship Him (cf. Matt. 14:33, 28:9; Jn. 20:28-29). Only God should be the object of our worship.

vii. Jesus claimed the incommunicable attributes of omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence. God does not share these attributes.

viii. Jesus claimed to have a special relationship God (cf. Jn. 5:18, 10:30).

2. The ____________ of the ______ affirms the deity of Jesus Christ.

a. “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (Jn. 5:39).

b. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:1-3, 14).

c. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6).

d. “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13).

3. The _________________ of Jesus Christ attest to His deity.

a. Jesus claimed to exist before Abraham. “Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM’” (Jn. 8:58).

b. Jesus is described in terms of eternality. He is not limited by time.

i. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8).

ii. “’I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and

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the End,’ says the Lord, ‘Who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Rev. 1:8).

4. The _______ nature of God attests to the deity of Jesus Christ.

a. Everything that is true about God is true of each person of the Triune Godhead.

b. “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit have sent Me” (Isa. 48:16).

5. The _________________ of Jesus Christ from heaven attests to His deity. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (Jn. 6:38).

6. The _____________ of creation being attributed to Jesus Christ attests to His deity. “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (Jn. 1:3).

7. The _________________ of God being attributed to Jesus Christ attests to His deity.

a. “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3).

b. “Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail” (Heb. 1:12).

8. The _________________ of Jesus Christ

a. The term “kenosis” is derived from the Greek word used in Philippians 2:7, “but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

b. Can Christ give away part of His deity and remain God?

i. Jesus did not give up any of His divine attributes. To do so would make Him something less than God. Jesus Christ is both 100% God and 100% human.

ii. What then does it mean that He “emptied Himself” (kenosis). Jesus did not give up His attributes, but He willing gave up the status and privilege that was His in heaven. He “humbled Himself” for our sake. 2 Corinthians 8:9 affirms this view, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

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III. The Humanity of Jesus Christ

1. The _________________ of the Virgin Birth

a. The virgin birth shows that salvation ultimately must come from the Lord (cf. Gen. 3:15). Salvation does not come through human effort or power.

b. The virgin birth made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person (cf. Jn. 3:16; Gal. 4:4).

c. The virgin birth makes possible Christ’s true humanity without inherited sin (cf. Lk. 1:35). Because the Holy Spirit brought about the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary, the child was to be called “holy.”


a. Moses: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15). The protoevangium: the first Gospel.

b. Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14).

i. Some argue Isaiah did not mean a “virgin” but rather a “young maid.” However, the Hebrew word “almah” can be translated either way.

ii. Why I favor “almah” to be translated as “virgin.”

1. A non-virgin “young maid” having a child would be nothing unusual. It would not be an extraordinary event that the text implies.

2. The Septuagint (LXX) translated it as “virgin.” This suggests that it was the commonly accepted translation among Jewish scholars even centuries before Jesus was born (c. 3rd century BC).

3. Matthew wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and used a Greek word, which could only be translated as “virgin” (cf. Matt. 1:22-23).

c. Jeremiah: “How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth – a woman shall encompass a man” (Jer. 31:22). Jeremiah’s use of the word “create” shows the Lord will use His divine power to accomplish the task.

3. The _________________ Support of the Virgin Birth

a. Matthew

i. Matthew identifies Mary as a virgin (cf. Matt. 1:22-23).

ii. Matthew cites Isaiah 7:14, identifying the birth of Christ as the fulfillment of the prophecy.

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iii. Matthew identifies the Holy Spirit as the source of Mary’s son (cf. Matt. 1:18-20).

iv. Matthew identifies Joseph as the husband of Mary, but does not identify him as the father of Jesus.

v. Matthew records that Joseph married Mary knowing her condition. Then he clearly states, “and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS” (Matt. 1:25).

vi. Matthew uses the phrase “her son” (cf. Matt. 1:25), not “his son” or even “their son.”

b. Luke

i. Luke identifies Mary as a virgin (cf. Lk. 1:27).

ii. Luke demonstrates Mary’s confusion of how she could be pregnant. “Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’” (Lk. 1:34).

iii. Luke provides a genealogy of Jesus and uses the phrase “being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph,” (Lk. 3:23).

iv. Luke calls Jesus “the Son of the Highest” (Lk. 1:32) and “the Son of God” (Lk. 1:35).

c. John

i. John identifies Jesus as coming from the heavenly Father (cf. Jn. 8:38).

ii. John explains the Jews accused Jesus of not knowing who His father was. “Abraham is our father” (Jn. 8:39).

iii. John explains the Jews implied that Jesus was born out of wedlock. “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father – God” (Jn. 8:41).

d. Paul

i. Paul declared, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4). The phrase “born of a woman” or “made of a woman” implies the virgin birth.

ii. Paul declared, “Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3). This supports the phrase “under the law” (Gal. 4:4) which affirms Jesus is a proper descendant of David.

iii. Paul’s two phrases “born of a woman” and “under the law” acknowledge that Jesus was indeed born of a virgin and still a descendant of David.

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a. The sinlessness of Jesus Christ. The New Testament affirms that Jesus was fully human yet He never sinned.

i. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

ii. “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).

iii. “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22).

iv. “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin” (1 Jn. 3:5).

v. “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats” (Ex. 12:5).

b. The Son of God. A man can only be the son of one father. The virgin birth affirms Jesus is “the Son of the Highest” (Lk. 1:32).

c. The Supernatural Power of God. The virgin birth demonstrates the power of God. “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Lk. 1:34). The angel explains that Mary’s pregnancy and the pregnancy of her relative Elizabeth in her old age demonstrate that “with God nothing will be impossible” (Lk. 1:37).

IV. The Hypostatic Union of Jesus Christ

1. The hypostatic union is an affirmation that Jesus is both divine and human. He is the God-Man. The term is hyphenated to reflect that Jesus Christ is totally God and totally human at the same time.

2. The hypostatic union affirms that Jesus Christ is at all times 100% God. And at all times, Jesus Christ is 100% man. He is not 50% God and 50% man. To do so would make Him something less than God and/or something less than human. He is 100% man, yet the wind and waves obey Him. He is not God “some of the time” and man “some of the time.” He is fully God and fully human.

3. “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell” (Col. 1:19).

4. “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9).

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V. The Names of Jesus Christ

1. YHWH “I AM” Jesus used 7 + 1 “I Am” statements to equate Himself as the God of Abraham.

a. I Am the Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35)

b. I Am the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12)

c. I Am the Door (Jn. 10:9)

d. I Am the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:11)

e. I Am the Resurrection and the Life (Jn. 11:25)

f. I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn. 14:6)

g. I Am the True Vine (Jn. 15:5)

h. +1, I Am … I Am (Jn. 4:26; 8:58; 18:5, 6, 8)

2. Son of _________________

a. “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You’” (Ps. 2:7). The Father calls the second Person of the Trinity by the name “Son.”

b. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isa. 9:6). Whose Son? The names by which He will be called tell us that this is the Son of God.

c. Jesus Christ has always been the Son of God. He did NOT become the Son of God at the incarnation, baptism, resurrection, ascension, or even at some point in history’s past. He has ALWAYS existed.

3. Only _________________ Son

a. The term “only begotten” is used to describe the unique relationship between God the Father and God the Son (cf. Jn. 1:14, 18, 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:9).

b. The term “begotten” is used to describe that Christ expresses the nature of God the Father, just as a son possesses the nature of his father.

c. The term “today I have begotten You” does not refer to physical birth or even to the beginning of Jesus’ existence, since He already exists. It was a coronation of His Kingship.

4. Son of _________________

a. Jesus used the term “Son of Man” when discussing His earthly ministry.

b. The Jewish listener would hear “Son of Man” and immediately think “Messiah.”

c. Jesus properly understood Himself to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah.

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5. _________________ (Logos)

a. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1).

b. The Greek words “logos” can be used to refer to Jesus Himself (cf. Jn. 1).

c. The Hebrew word “dabar” can be used to refer to the personification of Wisdom (cf. Proverbs). The Word is Healer (cf. Ps. 107:20). The Word creates (cf. Ps. 33:6).

d. Jesus is called the Word of God because this phrase is used over 1200 times in the Old Testament to refer to the revelation or message of God, as in the phrase “the Word of God came to…” Jesus Christ was the message, meaning, or communication from God to men.

VI. The Appearances of Jesus Christ

1. _________________

a. A Christophany is the manifestation of God in visible and bodily form before the incarnation. Some may use the word “theophany,” but Christophany seems to be a better word choice since it was an appearance of Christ.

b. How to identify Christ in the Old Testament…

i. Is the person identified as the second Person of the Trinity?

ii. Is the person identified as God?

iii. Is the person given any characteristics that are reserved for deity?

iv. How do others in the narrative respond to him?

v. Does the person receive worship?

vi. Often described as “The Angel of the LORD.”

2. The _________________ of the LORD

a. Hebrew: mal’ak YHWH

b. The Angel of the LORD executes judgment (cf. 2 Kgs 19:35).

c. The Angel of the LORD appears to Abraham (cf. Gen. 22:11-18).

d. The Angel of the LORD carries out the ministry of reconciliation (cf. Zech. 1:12).

e. The Angel of the LORD accepts worship from Manoah and his wife (cf. Judg. 13:9-22).

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VII. The Anointed Offices of Jesus Christ

1. Christ fills the threefold and anointed offices of Prophet, Priest, and King.

2. Why are the three called the anointed offices?

a. A person was inducted into the three offices when he was anointed as prophet (cf. 1 Kgs 19:16), as priest (cf. Exod. 29:4-7; Lev. 8:12), and as king (cf. 1 Sam. 10:1; 16:13; 1 Kgs 19:15).

b. Oil was used to anoint a person into office. Oil was symbolic of the Holy Spirit who would give His wisdom, power, etc.

c. The Greek word “Christ” and its Hebrew equivalent “Messiah” are translated “the Anointed One.”

3. _________________: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear” (Deut. 18:15).

a. Foreteller: Spoke about future events. Jesus accurately spoke of future events and made several prophecies.

b. Forth Teller: Spoke God’s message to the people. Jesus preached the message of God, and so fulfilled the office of prophet.

4. _________________: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).

a. Make atonement for people (cf. Ex. 30:10; Heb. 9:12, 26; 10:10, 12; 1 Tim. 2:5).

b. Make intercession for people (cf. Heb. 7:25).

5. _________________: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim. 1:17).

a. Spiritual kingdom (cf. Jn. 19:19)

b. Everlasting kingdom (cf. Lk. 1:33)

c. Righteous kingdom (cf. Heb. 1:8-9; Ps. 45:6)

d. Victorious kingdom (cf. Ps. 110:1; Mk. 12:36; 1 Cor. 15:25)

e. Worship of Jesus as King (cf. Phil. 2:10-11)

VIII. The Temptation of Jesus Christ

1. Since Christ’s deity and humanity are asserted, then God must allow the relationship of the divine nature to the human nature of Jesus Christ empirically tested.

2. _________________ means Christ could not sin and did not sin. The Holy Son of God demonstrated His sinless character. He did not sin when given the opportunity.

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3. _________________ means Christ was actually tempted. No one can say His character or nature was unchallenged, because Christ was actually tempted.

4. Could Jesus have sinned?

a. Some suggest that if Jesus were not able to sin, His temptations could not have been real, for how can a temptation be real if the person being tempted is not able to sin anyway?

b. Scripture clearly affirms that Christ never actually sinned. There should be no question concerning this fact.

c. Scripture also affirms that Jesus was tempted, and that these were real temptations (cf. Lk. 4:2). If we believe Scripture, then we must insist that Christ “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). If our speculation on the question of whether Christ could have sinned ever leads us to say that He was not truly tempted, then we have reached a wrong conclusion.

d. Scripture also affirms “God cannot be tempted by evil” (Jam. 1:13). At this point we are faced with a dilemma. While the dilemma is difficult to understand, it is not a contradiction. A contradiction would be “Jesus was tempted” and “Jesus was not tempted.”

e. The Bible does tell us “Jesus was tempted” and “Jesus was fully man” and “Jesus was fully God” and “God cannot be tempted.” We cannot merely say Christ was tempted in His human nature, but not tempted in His divine nature, since Christ acted in perfect unity with His two natures.

IX. The Death of Jesus Christ

1. Who was Responsible for Christ’s Death?

a. The _________________ was responsible. “And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6) and “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand (Isa. 53:10).

b. The _________________ was responsible. “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (Jn. 10:18).

c. Every _________________ is responsible because His death was purposefully for others. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn. 3:16).

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d. Herod, Pontius Pilate, Gentiles, and the people of Israel all played a role in Jesus’ death (cf. Acts 4:27-28).

e. Pilate, Herod, chief priests, and scribes all played a role in Jesus’ death (cf. Lk. 23:6-12).

f. _________________ Iscariot played a role in Jesus’ death (cf. Matt. 26:14-16).

g. _____________ played a role in Jesus’ death (cf. Jn. 13:27).

2. Accomplishments of the Death of Christ

a. The _________________ work of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).

b. The ________________ by the Blood of Christ (cf. Heb. 9:22). Three Greek words that are translated “redemption:”

i. Agorazo: The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ purchased the sinner in the marketplace (2 Pet. 2:1).

ii. Ekagorazo: The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ paid the price with His blood and removed the slave from the marketplace (cf. Gal. 3:13). The slave was never exposed to sale again.

iii. Lutrao: The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ paid the price for the slave and released him (cf. Gal. 4:5; Tit. 2:14). The slave is given freedom.

c. The _________________ of God’s Wrath (cf. 1 Jn. 2:2).

i. The idea of satisfaction and “turning away of wrath” is conveyed by the use of hilaskomai (cf. Heb. 2:17), hilasterion (cf. Rom. 3:25), and hilasmos (cf. 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10).

ii. The word “propitiation” is associated with the term “mercy seat” (hilasterion) which was the “lid” on the Ark of the Covenant.

d. The _________________ of the Law Are Satisfied.

i. The law was a unit, and to break one law was to break all the laws (cf. Jam. 2:10).

ii. The “good news” is that Jesus has satisfied all the demands of the law against all persons.

iii. Jesus nailed the demands of the law to the cross putting to death the enmity (cf. Col. 2:14; Eph. 2:15-16).

e. The _________________ of Mankind to God.

i. Reconciliation (katallage) has the root meaning, “to restore divine favor.”

ii. This does not imply that all of mankind is saved. Rather all of mankind is placed in a savable position.

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f. The _________________ of Sin.

i. Every person is guilty of personal sin (cf. 1 Jn. 1:10).

ii. Every person is a sinner because of imputed sin (cf. Rom. 5:12-13).

iii. Every person is a sinner because of his or her sin nature (cf. 1 Jn. 1:8; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 6:6).

g. The Basis for Daily _________________.

i. Judicial guilt is the non-experiential condition of the sinner who stands guilty before God.

ii. Personal guilt is experiential in nature and becomes a means by which a sinner is convicted of his sins.

iii. When the Christian consciously sins, he will experience personal guilt, but will not have judicial guilt again.

iv. After salvation, the Christian’s sins do not affect his position in Christ (relationship), but his fellowship with God is affected.

h. The Basis for _________________.

i. The Old Testament sacrifices were insufficient to save (cf. Heb. 10:4).

ii. The Old Testament atonement only “covered sin” while Christ “took away sin” (cf. Jn. 1:29).

i. The Judgment of _________________.

i. The protoevangelium is the first gospel (cf. Gen. 3:15).

ii. The “crushed head” would be considered a fatal blow.

iii. The “bruised heel” would be considered a temporary infliction.

X. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

1. The _______________ of the Resurrection. “To a greater extent than anything else, Christianity – at least the Christianity of the New Testament – is a religion of resurrection.” –Unknown

2. The _________________ of the Resurrection.

a. The empty tomb.

b. The transformation of frightened disciples into bold proponents of the resurrection.

c. The rapid emergence of the church, which claimed to be the body of Christ in whose midst He lived.

d. The testimony of various individuals and groups of people who claimed they conversed with and had fellowship with the resurrected Christ.

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e. The transformation of a Christ-hating persecutor like Saul into a fervent preacher of Jesus Christ (Paul).

f. A hermeneutical conviction by the emerging church that correlated the death, burial and resurrection of Christ with Old Testament reference to the Jewish expected Messiah.

g. The production of a body of literature (i.e. The New Testament) that comprehensively, completely, and historically explains the purpose, cause, and effect of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

h. The inability of the Jewish leaders to disprove the resurrection in the very city in which Christ died and was buried.

i. The use of Sunday as the Christian day of worship instead of the Sabbath.

j. The conversion of James and Jude, the half-brothers of Jesus,, who were opposed to Christian teaching.

k. The testimony of Ignatius of Antioch, who was born around 30 AD, later martyred by Emperor Trajen (117 AD).

3. The _________________ of the Resurrection.

a. _________________ Life

i. “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn. 2:19).

ii. “Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it” (Acts 2:24).

b. _________________ the Body and Spirit

i. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (Jam. 2:26).

ii. The biblical definition of death conveys a separation of the body and spirit. The resurrection of Christ reunited Christ’s body and spirit.

c. _________________ the Power of Death

i. “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’” (1 Cor. 15:54-55).

ii. Christ’s body did not see corruption (cf. Ps. 16:10).

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d. _________________ Body

i. _________________: A resurrected body is not subject to growing old, sickness, or disease. Completely healthy. We will see mankind as God created them to be (cf. 1 Cor. 15:42-44, 49).

ii. _________________: A resurrected body will be visually appealing. The righteousness of Christ has an attractive radiance (cf. Matt. 17:2; 1 Cor. 15:49; Dan. 12:3).

iii. _________________: A resurrected body will have the strength and power to sufficiently accomplish all that we desire to do in conformity with the will of God (cf. 1 Cor. 15:43).

iv. _________________ and Spiritual: A resurrected body is both physical and spiritual. It is a physical body that is consistent with the character and activity of the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom. 1:11; 7:14; 1 Cor. 2:13, 15; 3:1; 14:37; Gal. 6:1).

v. Jesus’ Glorified Body

1. Wounds were still visible (cf. Ps. 22:16; Jn 20:25-29).

2. Engaged in physical activity (cf. Jn 20:22; 21:15; 21:4; Lk 24:41-43; 24:15).

4. The _________________ of the Resurrection

a. ______________ _______________ ____________: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (Jn. 11:25).

b. _____________ ________: “What is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:19-20).

c. _________________ _________________: “Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification” (Rom. 4:25).

d. Providing Our _________________ _________________: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20).

e. _________________ with _________________: “And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).

i. Planted together (cf. Rom. 6:5) ii. Made alive together (cf. Col. 2:13; Eph. 2:5) iii. Raised together (cf. Eph. 2:6) iv. Sit together (cf. Eph. 2:6) v. Glorified together (cf. Rom. 8:17)

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XI. The Ascension of Jesus Christ

1. The _________________ of the Ascension

a. _________________. After the resurrection, each time Jesus departed from His disciples He seemed to disappear instantaneously (cf. Lk. 24:31). At the ascension, He left them gradually (cf. Acts 1:9).

b. _________________. Only one other time did we obviously see His shining glory (cf. Matt. 17:2).

c. _________________ _________________. Jesus’ ascension marked the beginning of a new ministry for His followers (cf. Acts 1:9-11).

2. The _________________ of the Ascension

a. ________ _________. The sending of the Holy Spirit will now be sent to empower the new ministry (cf. Jn. 16:7; Lk. 24:49).

b. ______________ _________. The Holy Spirit will equip believers with spiritual gifts to accomplish the new ministry (cf. Eph. 4:8).

c. _________________. Christ is preparing a place in heaven for those who will follow Him (cf. Jn. 14:3).

d. _________________ _________________. The Christian has positional standing in Christ Jesus (cf. Eph. 2:6).

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Pneumatology I. The Baptist Faith & Message: God the Holy Spirit

1. God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

2. Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17..

II. The Deity of the Holy Spirit

1. The __________ of the ______ affirms the deity of the Holy Spirit.

a. “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?” (Acts 5:3) “You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:4b).

b. The writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 95:6-7 and begins, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says…” (Heb. 3:7).

2. The _________________ of God being attributed to the Holy Spirit attest to His deity.

a. Eternal (cf. Heb. 9:14; Is. 40:12-18).

b. Unchangeable (cf. Is. 48:16).

c. Goodness (cf. Ps. 143:10; Is. 63:10; Eph. 4:30).

d. Truth (cf. Jn. 16:13).

e. Omnipotent (cf. Rom. 15:13).

f. Omnipresent (cf. Ps. 139:7-10).

g. Omniscient (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10-11; Jn. 14:26).

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3. The Holy Spirit _________________ the work of God.

a. “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2).

b. Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:5).

c. The Holy Spirit indwells within the believer. (1) God is for us, (2) God is with us, and (3) God is in us. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit respectively.

4. The Holy Spirit receives _________________.

a. We offer our lives as an act of worship (cf. Rom. 12:1).

b. We bring glory and honor to the Holy Spirit through obedience (cf. 1 Jn. 3:24).

5. The ______ _____ of God attests to the deity of the Holy Spirit.

a. Everything that is true about God is true of each person of the Triune Godhead.

b. “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit have sent Me” (Isa. 48:16).

c. The Holy Spirit is included in the benediction and baptismal formula (2 Cor. 13:14; Matt. 28:19).

III. The Names of the Holy Spirit

1. Helper, Counselor, Comforter (cf. Jn 14:16; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7)

2. Spirit of Truth (cf. Jn 14:17; 15:26: 16:13)

3. Spirit of the LORD (cf. Is. 11:2; 2 Cor. 3:17)

4. Spirit of God (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14; Rom. 8:9-11; Matt. 3:16)

5. Spirit of Christ (cf. 1 Pet. 1:11)

6. Spirit of Life (cf. Rom. 8:2)

IV. The Personality of the Holy Spirit

1. The Holy Spirit is a _________________. The Holy Spirit is not an “it” or “a force” or “a power.”

a. The Holy Spirit performs the actions of a person.

i. He teaches (cf. Jn. 14:26)

ii. He testifies (cf. Jn. 15:26)

iii. He guides (cf. Rom. 8:14)

iv. He speaks (cf. 1 Cor. 2:13)

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v. He enlightens (cf. Jn. 16:13)

vi. He strives (cf. Gen. 6:3)

vii. He commands (cf. Acts 8:28)

viii. He intercedes (cf. Rom. 8:26)

ix. He sends workers (cf. Acts 13:4)

x. He works (cf. 1 Cor. 12:11)

b. The Holy Spirit is treated as a person.

i. He can be obeyed (cf. Acts 10:19)

ii. He can be lied to (cf. Acts 5:3)

iii. He can be resisted (cf. Acts 7:51)

iv. He can be grieved (cf. Eph. 4:30)

v. He can be reverenced (cf. Ps. 51:11)

vi. He can be blasphemed (cf. Matt. 12:31)

vii. He can be outraged (cf. Heb. 10:29)

viii. He can be called (cf. Ez. 37:9; Matt. 9:38)

2. The Holy Spirit has the attributes of a Person

a. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, equal with the Father and Son in nature.

b. _________________: “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11).

c. _________________: “Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me” (Rom. 15:30).

d. _________________: “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor. 12:11).

V. The Procession of the Holy Spirit

1. “But when the Helper comes, whom I (Jesus) shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (Jn. 15:26).

2. According to Jn. 15:26, Jesus Christ is the agent who will direct the Spirit from the Father to work in believers. Hence, the doctrine of procession deals with duties, and should not be confused with the nature of Persons of the Trinity.

3. The Triune Godhead is equal in _________________ and submissive in _________________.

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VI. The Representations of the Holy Spirit

1. Dove: The dove speaks of the beauty and gentleness of the Spirit’s character (cf. Matt. 3:16; 10:16).

2. Seal: The seal indicates the security of the Spirit’s grace and the proprietorship of His love (cf. Song 4:12; Jn. 6:27; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30; 2 Tim. 2:19; Rev. 7:3-8).

3. Oil: The oil is typical of the Spirit’s grace and the illumination of His teaching (cf. Lk 4:18; Acts 10:38; 2 Cor. 1:21; 1 Jn. 2:27).

4. Fire: The fire is an emblem of the purification and penetration of the Spirit’s operations (cf. Ex. 3:2; 19:18; Mal. 3:2; Matt. 3:11; Acts 2:3; Heb. 12:29; Rev. 4:5).

5. Rain: The rain designates the abundance and grace of the Spirit’s supply (cf. Deut. 32:2; Ps. 72:6; 84:6; Hos. 6:3; Jer. 5:24; Zech. 10:1).

6. Atmosphere: The atmosphere portrays the element and use of the Spirit’s exclusiveness (cf. Gal. 5:16, 25; Eph. 5:18; Phil. 3:3; Rev. 1:10).

7. Wind: The wind proclaims the winnowing and searching of the Spirit’s power (cf. Is. 40:7; Ex. 37:9; Jn. 3:8; Acts 2:2).

8. Rivers: The rivers proclaim the abundance of the Spirit’s supply and the plentitude of His grace (cf. Ps. 1:3; 46:4; Jn. 7:38).

9. Dew: The dew shadows forth the refreshing and fertilization of the Spirit’s presence (cf. Gen. 27:28; Deut. 32:2; 33:13, 28; Ps. 133:2; Job 29:19; Is. 18:4; Hos. 14:5).

10. Water: The water symbolizes the effectiveness and sufficiently of the Spirit’s ministry (cf. Ps. 65:9; Is. 44:3; Jn. 3:5; 4:14; 7:37-38).

11. Clothing: The clothing depicts the equipment and strength of the Spirit’s endowment (cf. Jd. 6:34; Lk. 24:49).

12. Earnest: The earnest delineates the sample of the Spirit’s promise of glory (cf. 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5).

VII. The Work of the Holy Spirit

1. The Holy Spirit and Creation

a. The Holy Spirit’s Role in Creation

i. The Holy Spirit worked in cooperation with Christ Jesus in creating the world (cf. Ps. 33:6).

ii. The Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the waters (cf. Gen. 1:2).

iii. The Holy Spirit “adorned the heavens” (cf. Job 26:13).

iv. The Holy Spirit renews the vegetation of the earth (cf. Ps. 104:30).

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v. The Holy Spirit sustains life (cf. Job 33:4; Ps. 104:29).

b. The Holy Spirit’s Results in Creation

i. The Holy Spirit brings order (cf. Isa. 40:12, 14; Gen. 1:2).

ii. The Holy Spirit sustains life (cf. Job 33:4).

iii. The Holy Spirit brings beauty (cf. Job 26:13).

iv. The Holy Spirit brings renewal (cf. Ps. 104:29).

2. The Holy Spirit in Christ’s Earthly Ministry

a. The Holy Spirit role in the _________________ of Christ (cf. Heb. 10:5).

b. The Holy Spirit’s role in the _______ of Christ (cf. Matt. 1:18).

c. The Holy Spirit’s role in the _________________ of Christ (cf. Lk. 2:40, 52).

d. The Holy Spirit’s role in the _________________ of Christ (cf. Lk. 3:21-22).

e. The Holy Spirit’s role in the _________ of Christ (cf. Lk. 4:14).

f. The Holy Spirit’s role in the _________________ of Christ (cf. Lk. 4:18-19).

g. The Holy Spirit’s role in the _________________ of Christ (cf. Matt. 12:28).

h. The Holy Spirit’s role in the _______ of Christ (cf. Heb. 9:14).

i. The Holy Spirit’s role in the _________________ of Christ (cf. Rom. 8:11).

j. The Holy Spirit’s role in the _________________ of Christ (cf. Jn. 16:14).

3. The Holy Spirit in You

a. Pre-Conversion

i. _________________. The word conviction means to “cause to see.” “And when He (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me” (Jn. 16:8-9).

1. The Holy Spirit will convict of sin. When a person refuses to believe God, he has attacked the character of God.

2. The Holy Spirit will convict of righteousness. The Holy Spirit helps people see themselves in relation to the righteousness of God.

3. The Holy Spirit will convict of judgment. The Holy Spirit “causes them to see” their sin has already been judged.

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ii. _________________. The word means to “hold back” “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:7).

1. The Holy Spirit’s presence prevents the complete corruption of the world.

2. The Holy Spirit’s restraint will one day be “taken out of the way” (cf. 2 Thess. 2:7).

3. The Holy Spirit restrains sin through the instrument of the church.

4. The Holy Spirit restrains sin directly by working in human hearts.

5. The Holy Spirit restrains sin through laws and agencies.

b. Conversion

i. _________________:

1. The word “regeneration” is used only once in the Bible. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5).

2. Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit whereby people are given God’s life and God’s nature and made part of the family of God.

ii. _________________ of the Holy Spirit:

1. “He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit’s descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” (Jn. 1:33).

2. “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5).

3. The Greek word “baptizo” means to fully immerse.

4. On the day of Pentecost, the believers in the upper room were both baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 2).

5. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13).

6. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the salvific act whereby the individual is fully immersed into the body of Christ.

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iii. _________________:

1. God has created mankind to be in fellowship with God. This is expressed through God’s desire to “dwell among men.”

2. The idea of the tabernacle is God’s presence dwelling among men.

3. The idea that our body is God’s temple is a picture of God’s desire to dwell among His people.

4. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory” is the physical manifestation through Christ (cf. Jn. 1:14).

5. “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (Jn. 7:37-39). The “living water” is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

6. “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom. 8:9). The indwelling of the Spirit is evidence that we belong to Christ.

iv. _________________:

1. _________________. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).

2. _________________. “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:13-14).

c. Post-Conversion

i. _________________:

1. “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).

2. Too often people make the focus of this passage on avoidance of drunkenness. The focus of the passage is to “be filled with the Spirit” not merely to “avoid drunkenness.”

3. The word “filled” carries the idea of “be continually filled.”

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4. The word also carries the idea of “being controlled.” Much like we might say, “he was filled with anger.” That is to say “he was controlled by anger.”

5. When a person is “drunk with wine,” their walk, talk, and sight are all controlled by the bottle. In contrast, we are to be continually controlled by the Holy Spirit. When a person is filled with the Spirit, their walk, talk, and sight are controlled by the Spirit.

ii. _________________:

1. The word “sanctification” means “to be set apart.”

2. The Holy Spirit has the role of making the believer “holy” (i.e. “to set apart”) and “spiritual” (i.e. “to reflect the character of God”).

3. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).

4. Sanctification process…

a. First, the believer was sanctified when the individual was forgiven and set apart to God in salvation.

b. Second, the believer is constantly being set apart from sin as the individual utilizes the means of grace in their life.

c. Third, the believer will be completely sanctified when the individual meets the LORD and will be at that time without sin.

iii. _________________:

1. The Holy Spirit will illumine the ____________. “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (Jn. 16:13).

2. The Holy Spirit will illumine the _______________. “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

3. The Holy Spirit will illumine the _________________. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).

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iv. _________________:

1. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26).

2. “The only prayer that is acceptable to God is prayer in the Spirit.” –R.A. Torrey

v. _________________ of the Spirit:

1. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23).

2. Notice it is “fruit of the Spirit” not “fruits of the Spirit.” The fruit of the Spirit is a singular unit closely related to the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification.

vi. _________________ of the Spirit:

1. Spiritual gifts are part of the post-conversion work of the Holy Spirit. A spiritual gift is a special ability, given by the Holy Spirit at the conversion, to be used to minister to others and therefore build up the Body of Christ.

2. There are three primary passages of Scripture that address spiritual gifts: Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12-14; Eph. 4:7-11.

a. “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:3-8).

b. “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given

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to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues” 1 Cor. 12:4-10.

c. “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.’ (Now this, ‘He ascended’ – what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:7-11).

4. _________________ the Spiritual Gifts

a. Pneumatikon: _________________

i. “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant” (1 Cor. 12:1). The word “gifts” is not in the original text, but is supplied in the English translation.

ii. Pneumatikon is an adjective, which gives meaning to the thing or person that possesses it.

iii. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is the source of a Christian’s spirituality, who also dispenses the gift.

b. Charismata: _________________ _________________

i. The root of the word comes from charis, which is “grace.”

ii. A spiritual gift is that which is not earned by human initiative, but is bestowed by the Spirit.

c. Diakonia: _________________

i. “There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord” (1 Cor. 12:5).

ii. Gifts are given for the purpose of ministry.

d. Energema: _________________

i. “And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all” (1 Cor. 12:6).

ii. Gifts are given to be used in a variety of ministry activities.

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e. Phanerosis: _________________

i. “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (1 Cor. 12:7).

ii. When a Christian exercises a spiritual gift, it should be an evident work.

5. Snapshot of Spiritual Gifts

a. _________________: From the Holy Spirit

b. _________________: To all believers

c. _________________: For Christian service

d. _________________: Spiritual ability

e. _________________: Proper relationship to the Holy Spirit

f. _________________: To be exercised by believers

6. Discovering and Developing Spiritual Gifts

a. Only _________________ have spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 2:14).

b. Every Christian has at least ______ spiritual gift (1 Cor. 7:7).

c. No one receives _________ of the spiritual gifts (cf. 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Eph. 4:7-8, 11-12; 1 Pet. 4:9-11).

d. No single gift is given to _____________ (cf. 1 Cor. 12:28-30).

e. The Holy Spirit _________________ what gifts you get (cf. 1 Cor. 12:4-11).

f. You can’t _________________ a spiritual gift, but you can desire and ask God to give them to you (cf. Eph. 4:7; 1 Cor. 12:31; 1 Cor. 14:1).

g. The gifts are to be used in ____________ (cf. 1 Cor. 13:1-3).

h. I am to _________________ the gifts God gave me (cf. 1 Cor. 4:1-2; Matt. 25:26-28).

i. Using my gifts _________________ God and helps me and others grow spiritually (cf. Jn. 15:8).

j. Spiritual gifts are for the benefit of _________________ (cf. 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Cor. 12:7).

k. Spiritual gifts produce _________________ and ________________ in our church family (cf. Eph. 4:11, 13-14).

7. The Sins Against the Holy Spirit

a. _________________ (cf. Matt. 12:31-32: Lk. 12:10)

i. A rejection of the convicting work of the Holy Spirit unto salvation is understood as the unpardonable sin. This rejection, which constitutes blasphemy, can only occur after a person has fully understood the Gospel and was moved by the Holy Spirit to accept it.

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ii. The sin is unpardonable simply because pardon is never received by the sinner. Everyone who has died outside of Christ has committed the unpardonable sin.

b. _________________ to / Tempting (cf. Acts 5:4, 9)

c. _________________ (cf. Heb. 10:29)

d. _________________ / Striving with (cf. Gen. 6:3; Acts 7:51)

e. Vexing / _________________ (cf. Isa. 63:10; Eph. 4:30)

f. _________________ (cf. 1 Thess. 5:19)

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Study Questions (Part 3): • What are examples of General Revelation of God?

• What are the three primary names for God?

• What are the three incommunicable attributes of God?

• What is meant by incommunicable attributes?

• What are the five points of Calvinism (i.e. T.U.L.I.P.)?

• What are the five points of Arminianism?

• What evidence shows the eternal existence of the Trinity?

• What evidence do we have concerning the deity of Christ?

• Define what is meant by kenosis.

• What is the protoevangelium?

• What evidence supports the virgin birth?

• What is the theological implication of the virgin birth?

• Define the hypostatic union of Jesus Christ.

• What is a Christophany?

• What are the three anointed offices of Christ?

• Name some of the proofs of the resurrection of Christ.

• What is at least one role of the Holy Spirit in each area: pre-conversion, conversion, and post-conversion.

• What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

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PART FOUR

The Doctrines of Angels, Satan, and Demons

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Hebrews 13:2


Angelology I. The Description of Angels

1. Definition of Angel

The word “angel” means messenger. Angels are created, spiritual beings with moral judgment, high intelligence, and mighty in power.

2. Attributes of Angels

a. Created Beings. Angels have not always existed; they are part of the universe that God created. Colossians 1:16-17 gives the impression that all angels were created simultaneously.

b. Incorporeal Beings. Angels are not composed of matter. They are spiritual beings, but they can make physical appearances. While they are incorporeal beings they are not omnipresent (cf. Heb. 13:2).

c. Moral Judgment. Some of them have sinned and fell from their positions (cf. 2 Pet. 2:4; Jd 6).

d. High Intelligence. Angels demonstrate high intelligence as seen throughout Scripture as they speak to people. While they are highly intelligent they are not omniscient (cf. 2 Sam. 14:20; Matt. 28:5; Acts 12:6-11).

e. Mighty in Power. Angels apparently have great power. While they are great in power they are not omnipotent (cf. Ps. 130:20; Eph. 1:21; Col. 1:16; 2 Pet. 2:11; Matt. 28:2; Heb. 2:7; Dan. 10:13).

II. The Names for Angels

1. “gods” (cf. Ps. 97:7; Heb. 2:7)

2. “sons of God” (cf. Job 1:6; 2:1)

3. “host of heaven” (cf. Neh. 9:6; Ps. 148:2, 5)

4. “holy ones” (cf. Ps. 89:5, 7)

5. “spirits” (cf. Heb. 1:14)

6. “watchers” (cf. Dan. 4:13, 17, 23)

7. “thrones,” “dominions,” “principalities,” and “authorities” (cf. Col. 1:16)

8. “sons of the Mighty” (cf. Ps. 29:1; 89:6-7; Isa. 13:13; Joel 3:11)

9. “princes” (cf. Dan. 10:13, 20-21; 12:1)

10. “morning stars” (cf. Job 38:7; Rev. 22)

11. “beasts” (cf. Rev. 4:6-8; Ezek. 1:6-11)

12. “elect” (cf. 1 Tim. 5:21)

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III. The Kinds of Angels (i.e. Heavenly Beings)

1. The “_________________.”

a. The cherubim were given the task to guard the entrance to the Garden of Eden (cf. Gen. 3:24).

b. The cherubim serve as God’s chariot (cf. Ps. 1810; Ezek. 10:1-22).

c. The likeness of cherubim were pictured over the ark of the covenant as two golden figures with the wings stretched out above the ark.

2. The “_________________.”

a. The seraphim are only mentioned in Isaiah 6:2-7 where they continually worship the LORD, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”

b. The seraphim are described as having six wings. Two covered his face, two covered his feet, and two he used to fly.

c. The four living creatures mentioned in Revelation 4:8 are not identified as seraphim, but they do have a similar description with six wings and continually worship the LORD, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” These “living creatures” are described in Ezekiel 1:5-14 as well with an appearance like a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle.

3. The “_________________.”

a. Michael. Scripture indicates there is a rank and order among the angels. Michael is called an “archangel” in Jude 9. This title indicates a rule and authority over other angels. Likewise, he is called “one of the chief princes” in Daniel 10:13. Michael appears to be the leader of the Lord’s angelic army (cf. Rev. 12:7-8; 1 Thess. 4:16). His name means “who is like the Lord.”

b. Gabriel. While Michael is the only one specifically identified as an “archangel” in Scripture, Gabriel is identified in Scripture as a messenger who comes from God (cf. Dan. 8:16; 9:21). Gabriel came to speak to Daniel. Gabriel also came to speak to Zechariah and Mary (Lk. 1:19). His name means “man of God.”

c. Lucifer. Again, Lucifer is never described as an archangel within Scripture. Only Michael is given that title. Lucifer is the original name for the devil. He originally possessed a high place in heaven (cf. Isa. 14:12). His name means “bearer of light.”

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V. The Work of Angels

1. Angelic _________________: God has used a variety of ways to make His revelation known to man (cf. Heb. 1:1). Angels are His messengers (cf. Rev. 22:8; Lk. 1:26-27).

2. Angelic _________________: God uses angels to protect us (cf. Ps. 91:11-12; 34:7; Matt. 18:20).

3. Angelic _________________: God uses angels to help us in difficult situations (cf. Acts 5:19).

4. Angelic _____________: The Holy Spirit influences the believer’s mind, while angels are limited to external influences.

5. Angelic _________________: Angels patrol the earth as God’s representatives (cf. Zech. 1:10-11) and carry out war against demonic forces (cf. Dan. 10:13; Rev. 12:7-8).

6. Angelic _________________: Angels minister directly to God by glorifying Him.

IV. The Most Common Questions About Angels

1. How many angels are there?

a. Scripture does not give us a specific number of angels that God created. It is an extremely high number. Psalm 68:17 declares “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of thousands.”

b. While we do not know the exact number, the number is fixed and is limited. Hebrews 12:22 says there are “innumerable angels” at least from a human standpoint (cf. Rev. 5:11).

2. Do people have individual guardian angels?

a. Scripture clearly tells us that God sends angels for our protection (cf. Ps. 91:11-12).

b. There is no definitive evidence from Scripture that every person, or even believer, has an assigned guardian angel.

3. Do people become angels when they die?

a. No. Angels are clearly described in Scripture as created beings and people do not “become” an angel upon death.

b. See notes above on description of angels.

4. Do angels appear to people today?

a. The author of Hebrews encourages his readers, none of whom are apostles or even first-generation believers associated with the apostles (cf. Heb. 2:3), that they should continue to show hospitality to strangers, apparently with the expectation that they too might sometime entertain angels without realizing it (cf. Heb. 13:2).

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b. There seems, therefore, no compelling reason to rule out the possibility of angelic appearances today.

c. We must use caution. The fact that demons can appear as angels of light should caution us that the appearance of any angel-like creature does not guarantee that this being speaks truthfully (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14).

5. Who is the “Angel of the LORD”?

a. In some passages “the Angel of the LORD” (not “an angel of the LORD”) is spoken of the Lord Himself (cf. Gen. 16:10-13; 22:12; 31:11-13; Exod. 3:2-6). If the Angel of the LORD receives worship or exhibits attributes that only belong to the LORD, then it is safe to believe it to be a Christophany.

b. In some passages the angel of the Lord seems to be distinguished from God (cf. 2 Sam. 24:16; Ps. 34:7; Zech. 1:11-13).

c. Some passages refer to “an angel of the Lord” which usually indicates an angel sent by God (cf. Lk. 1:11).

VI. The Relationship of Humans with Angels

1. Angels Among Us

a. Angels shut the mouths of lions to protect Daniel (cf. Dan. 6:22).

b. Angels delivered apostles from prison (cf. Acts 5:19-20; Acts 12:7-11).

c. Angels ministered to Jesus in the wilderness (cf. Matt. 4:11).

d. Angels appear in human form and intervene with the physical world (cf. Heb. 13:2; Gen. 18:2-5; 19:1-3).

2. Beware of False Doctrine from Angels

a. Paul cautions that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14).

b. The lying prophet deceived the man of God (cf. 1 Kgs 13). These warnings should encourage us to study the truth of God’s Word and recognize false doctrine.

3. Do Not Worship, Pray, or Seek Angels

a. Worshiping angels was one of the false doctrines being taught in Colossae (cf. Col. 2:18). The angel speaking to John in the book of Revelation warns John not to worship him (cf. Rev. 19:10).

b. We may pray to God the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit not angels. We cannot and should not attribute to angels an attribute and activity that is exclusively reserved for God alone (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5).

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c. Seeking after the appearance of angels can be an unhealthy curiosity. It is not wrong to ask God to send His angels to protect us in times of need (cf. Ps. 91:11).

4. Judging Angels

a. Though we are “for a little while lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:7), when our salvation is complete we will be exalted above angels and rule over them. In fact, even now, angels already serve us (cf. Heb. 1:14).

b. One day the LORD will give us authority over angels to judge them (cf. 1 Cor. 6:3).

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Satanology I. The Origin of Satan

1. The primary source for correct information about Satan is Scripture.

a. We cannot look to culture to understand Satan.

i. Satan does not wear a red suit with horns and carry a pitchfork.

ii. Satan is not equal to God in any way. He does not share God’s incommunicable attributes.

1) He cannot be everywhere at once.

2) He is not all knowing. He cannot hear your thoughts.

3) His power is limited.

iii. Satan does not make you sin. The devil did not make you do it. 1 Cor. 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

b. We must look to Scripture to understand Satan.

i. A study of theology is not complete apart from an examination of Scripture concerning the origin of evil, the force behind evil, and the personification of evil.

ii. The very nature of Satan is to deceive concerning his identity and purpose (cf. Jn. 8:44). We must rely solely upon Scripture as our source for understanding.

2. Where did Satan come from?

a. When God created the world, He “saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Gen. 1:31 emphasis added). This verse indicates that everything was very good at this time. All that God had created was good. However, by Genesis 3 we see Satan tempting Eve to sin (cf. Gen. 3:1-5). Something happened between Genesis 1:31 and Genesis 3:1.

b. New Testament References.

i. “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment” (2 Pet. 2:4).

ii. “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in

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everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jd. 6).

iii. These verses tell us that some angels rebelled against God and became hostile opponents to His Word.

c. Old Testament References.

i. “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit (Isa. 14:12-15).

ii. Ezekiel 28:12-19 describes the devil as a beautiful created being whose heart grew corrupt and sinned.

d. God did not create evil. Satan was originally created as a being with power of personality and the freedom of choice.

i. Satan had an issue of pride and self-deception. Notice the “I will” statements of Isaiah 14.

ii. Satan’s choice to sin was internal. Notice “For you have said in your heart.”

II. The Origin of Evil

1. Satan was the originator of sin.

a. Satan sinned before any human begins did so, as is evident from the fact that he tempted Eve (cf. Gen. 3:1-6; 2 Cor. 11:3).

b. Satan was a “murderer from the beginning” and is “a liar and the father of lies” (Jn. 8:44). The Bible also makes clear that “the devil has sinned from the beginning” (1 Jn. 3:8). This does not imply that from the moment of his creation, but rather Satan is the beginning of sin. The devil is the originator and chief practitioner of sin.

2. Satan chose to sin out of the desire of his own heart (cf. Isa. 14). Of this we can be certain, God is not the author of sin… our desires are. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (Jam. 1:13-15). Sin is birthed from temptation and personal desire.

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III. The Personality of Satan

1. The devil is a real person and demonstrates _________________, _________________, and _________________.

a. He has the capacity to reason (mind). His intelligence is reflected in his ability to quote Scripture (cf. Matt. 4:6).

b. He has the ability to feel (emotion). His emotion is reflected in verses where he and his demons show wrath or fear (cf. Rev. 12:12).

c. He has the freedom of choice (will). His volition is reflected in verses the reveal his desires (cf. Lk. 22:31; Jn. 8:44).

2. The devil does not share God’s incommunicable attributes (no one does), but attempts to attain them.

a. Satan is not _________________, but his emissaries (i.e. demons) are high in number and have a far-reaching presence (cf. Heb. 12:22; Rev. 12:4).

b. Satan is not _________________, but was created with great wisdom that grew corrupt (cf. Ezek. 28:12-19).

c. Satan is not _________________, but has deceived himself and others into believing he can supplant the Most High God (cf. Isa. 14:12-15).

IV. The Time of Satan’s Fall

1. _________________ Past

a. Some suggest that Satan was created and fell within eternity past. Suggesting all of this took place prior to God’s creation mankind.

b. Job 38:4-7 is the primary verse of support for this theory. It is suggested that since angels rejoiced over God’s creation they were created long before the world was created.

2. The _________________ Theory

a. Some suggest that Satan was created and fell during the gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.

b. They suggest between the act of creation and God’s pronouncement, “the earth was without form and void,” there was a destruction upon the original creation, including Satan, for his insurrection against God. Therefore, they deduce that Satan fell during the catastrophic judgment on the original creation.

3. Post-_________________

a. It is the belief of this author that Satan was created with other heavenly beings during the six days of creation and

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fell after creation and prior to the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden.

b. Exodus 20:11 declares God made everything in heaven and earth during the six days of creation, “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

c. Genesis 1:31 demonstrates that everything God made, both in heaven and on earth, was good, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” God would not have pronounced Satan’s rebellion as very good.

d. Ezekiel 28:10-15 describes Lucifer as being in the Garden of Eden and is described as a good angel.

e. While we cannot be dogmatic about the exact amount of time, Satan’s fall occurred at some point between God’s declaration that everything He created was good (including the angel Lucifer in the Garden of Eden cf. Ez. 28:10-15) and Satan’s fallen state as made known in Genesis 3. It is very likely to have been very soon after day 7.

f. Furthermore, Adam and Eve were instructed to “be fruitful and multiply.” Since sin is going to impact all of creation, the temptation certainly occurred prior to Eve becoming pregnant. While some have argued Adam and Eve could have enjoyed 100 years in the Garden of Eden before conceiving their first child, it is unlikely they would have delayed obedience to their first command.

g. Some have narrowed the window between day 7 and day 10, suggesting the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), which is the 10th day of Tishrei as the indicator. They suggest it was the 10th day that coverings were made to “cover their sin” (cf. Gen. 3:21).

V. The Character of Satan

1. The Names of Satan (The names and their meaning reflect the character of the individual.)

a. Satan (Job 1:6)

b. Devil (Rev. 12:7)

c. Apollyon (Rev. 9:11)

d. Beelzebub (Matt. 12:27)

e. Belial (2 Cor. 6:15)

f. Old Serpent (Rev. 20:2)

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g. Adversary (1 Pet. 5:8)

h. Anointed Cherub (Ex. 28)

i. Deceiver of the whole world (Rev. 12:9)

j. Evil one (Jn. 17:15)

k. Leviathan (Isa. 27:1)

l. Lucifer (Isa. 14:12)

m. Murderer (Jn. 8:44)

n. Roaring Lion (1 Pet. 5:8)

o. Son of the morning (Isa. 14:12)

p. Wicked one (Jn. 3:12)

q. Prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2)

r. Prince of this world (Jn. 14:30)

s. God of this age (2 Cor. 4:4)

t. Dragon (Rev. 12:9)

u. Beast out of the bottomless pit (Rev. 11:7)

v. Accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10)

w. Angel of the bottomless pit (Matt. 4:1)

x. Angel of light (Matt. 4:1)

y. Enemy (Matt. 13:39)

z. Father of lies (Jn. 8:44)

aa. Liar (Jn. 8:44)

bb. Prince of demons (Matt. 9:34)

cc. Man of sin (2 Thess. 2:3)

dd. Thief (Jn. 10:10)

2. The Nature of Satan’s Kingdom

a. The _________________ of Satan’s kingdom are twofold.

i. The angels who fell during his rebellion.

ii. The people with unregenerate hearts.

b. The _________________ of Satan’s kingdom.

i. Satan is the ruler of this world (cf. Jn. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Notice it always says “this world” and not “the world.” God is clearly ruler and in control of “the world,” but Satan has domain over the systems that control the evil throughout this world.

ii. Satan is the ruler of this world that denies the supernatural and exalts the natural (cf. Eph. 2:2).

c. The _________________ of Satan’s kingdom.

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i. To hinder the work of God.

ii. To counterfeit the Person of God.

iii. To destroy the plan of God.

VI. The Work of Satan

1. Satan desires to _________________ the work of God. The devil is constantly opposing God and all that God does.

a. He has repudiated God from the beginning (cf. Isa. 14:12-14).

b. He has deceived a third of the angels (now demons) to rebel with him (cf. Rev. 12:4).

c. He was the originator of sin (cf. 1 Jn. 3:8).

d. He was the originator of lies (cf. Jn. 8:44).

e. He belittled God and advised Adam and Eve to reject God (cf. Gen. 3:1-5).

f. He insinuated that people only love God because of what God does for them, not because of God’s own worthiness of worship (cf. Job 1:9).

g. He opposes Israel (cf. 1 Chron. 21:2; Ps. 109:6; Zech. 3:1-2).

h. He tempted Jesus (cf. Lk. 4:1-13).

i. He possessed Judas to prompt him to betray Jesus (cf. Jn. 13:2).

j. He blinds the minds of those who are lost (cf. 2 Cor. 4:3-4).

k. He takes away the Word out of the hearts of the unsaved, lest they should believe and be saved (cf. Lk. 8:12).

l. He deals with saints through wiles and snares (cf. Eph. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:26).

m. He seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (cf. Jn. 10:10; Heb. 2:14; Rev. 1:18; 1 Pet. 5:8).

2. Satan desires to _________________ the Person & Work of God.

a. He desires to be like the “Most High God (El Elyon)” (cf. Isa. 14:14).

b. He has a counterfeit tri-unity of Satan, Anti-Christ, and the False Prophet (cf. Rev. 2:10) in contrast to the Trinity (cf. Matt. 28:20).

c. He has counterfeit “power, signs, and lying wonders” (cf. 2 Thess. 2:9) in contrast to the miracles of Christ (cf. Matt. 4:23).

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d. He has counterfeit “apostles” (cf. 2 Cor. 11:13) in contrast to the Apostles of Christ (cf. Matt. 10:1)

e. He has a “mystery of iniquity” (cf. 2 Thess. 2:7) in contrast to a “mystery of godliness” (cf. 1 Tim. 3:16).

f. He has a “mark of the beast” (cf. Rev. 13:16) in contrast to “God’s mark on His servants” (cf. Rev. 7:3).

g. He has “children of Satan” (cf. Jn. 8:44) in contrast to “children of God” (cf. Jn. 1:12).

h. He is a mockery as an “angel of light” (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14) in contrast to Jesus as the “true light” (cf. Jn. 1:7).

i. He has false “ministers” (cf. 1 Cor. 11:15) in contrast to those Jesus has called (cf. Eph. 4:11-12).

3. Satan desires to _________________ the plan of God. The devil seeks to destroy the race that God has sought to redeem.

a. He has tried to destroy the Messianic line (cf. Gen. 3:15; 4:25; 1 Sam. 17:35; Matt. 1:6; 2 Kgs 11:1-5).

b. He has tried to destroy the human race through which Christ would come (cf. Gen. 6:5; 7:13; Matt. 13:4-19).

c. He has tried to destroy the nation of Israel (cf. Gen. 15:5; Exod. 1:16; Esth. 3:6; 7:9-10).

d. He has tried to destroy Christ (cf. Matt. 4:1-11; 16:23; Jn. 13:27).

e. He has tried to destroy the Church (cf. Matt. 16:18).

f. He has tried to destroy Scripture. History is filled with examples of Scripture being destroyed or attempts made to prevent people from obtaining the Scriptures.

g. Each time the devil seeks to destroy God’s work of redemption, God uses the circumstances to bring about His purposes. (e.g. Ananias and Sapphira and their ultimate death became the catalyst for a sudden surge in church growth. The persecution of the church in Acts 8:1 caused the spread of the Gospel.)

VII. The Defeat of Satan

1. The Principle of _________________

a. A healthy respect for your opponent means that you understand the real threat of defeat. While the ultimate victory is ours in Christ, Satan can win battles and make us ineffective in our witness. Even Michael, the archangel, was not prepared to confront Satan except in the name of the Lord (cf. Jd. 9).

b. A healthy respect for your opponent means that you do not become overconfident in your own strength. We

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must remember that it is Christ through us that brings victory (cf. 1 Jn. 4:4; Prov. 3:5-6).

2. The Principle of _________________

a. One bad apple spoils the whole bushel. We must evaluate our lives and remove things that might hinder our growth.

b. Likewise, we must remove ourselves from people, places, or things that will cause us to stumble.

3. The Principle of _________________

a. Christians should place themselves under the biblical principles and divine protection of Almighty God. To live apart from the submission to God’s authority is to live a haughty spirit of self-reliance.

b. Christians should also resist the devil and he will flee (cf. Jam. 4:7).

4. The Principle of _________________

a. The tempted Christian must “be watchful and pray” (cf. Mk. 14:38).

b. The tempted Christian must “put on the whole armor of God” (cf. Eph. 6:13-17).

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Demonology I. The Origin of Demons

1. The Greek word “diabolos” (dee-ab’-ol-os) is translated “devil” and refers to the devil himself.

2. The Greek word “daimon” (dah’-ee-mown) is usually translated as “devils”, but might be better translated as “demons.”

3. While there are some who suggest demons are “children of angels” (cf. Gen. 6:4) or “spirits of the dead” (pop culture), it is commonly accepted that demons are fallen angels who have rebelled against God (cf. 2 Pet. 2:4; Matt. 25:41). While an exact number is unknown, it is believed that the devil influenced 1/3 of the angels to rebel with him (cf. Rev. 12:4).

4. Therefore, God did not create “demons,” but He created angels and then those angels of their own volition purposefully chose to rebel against Him (cf. Jd. 6-7).

II. The Description of Demons

1. Definition of Demon

Since demons were created as angels, they are going to have the same attributes as we have seen in angels. However, they are unclean spirits and immoral in nature and activities (cf. Lk. 4:31-37).

2. Attributes of Demons

a. _________________ Beings. Demons have not always existed; God originally created them as angels and through their own choosing rebelled against God. Colossians 1:16-17 gives the impression that all angels were created simultaneously.

b. _________________ Beings. Demons are not composed of matter. There is no Scriptural basis for demons revealing themselves in a physical manner. It appears they are powerless to work evil unless they inhabit a physical person or animal (cf. Matt. 12:43-44). While they are incorporeal beings they are not omnipresent. They are also high in number, which may give the impression of omnipresence.

c. _________________ Judgment. Demons are fallen angels who have sinned and fell from their positions (cf. 2 Pet. 2:4; Jd. 6). They are morally bankrupt and will never desire to repent or seek forgiveness.

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d. _________________ Intelligence. God created angels with high intelligence. Therefore, demons are going to have high intelligence as well. While they are highly intelligent they are not omniscient (cf. 2 Sam. 14:20; Matt. 28:5; Acts 12:6-11).

e. _________________ in Power. God created angels with great power. Therefore, demons apparently have great power. While they are great in power they are not omnipotent (cf. Eph. 6:12; 1 Jn 4:4).

f. “With respect to their essence, they are still pure (i.e. entirely) spirits, immortal, and possessed of great power and activity. But a change has taken place in regard to their qualities, intellectual and moral originally of a higher order of creatures than man, they retain their superiority in mental ability, although it cannot be doubted that it is greatly impaired … the intellectual powers of fallen angels have been blighted; that their understandings are obscured, and perverted by their passions; and that their wisdom, which has degenerated into cunning, often leads them astray, and involves them in perplexity and confusion.” –John Dick from his book “Lectures on Theology” (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1978), p. 399.

III. The Names of Demons

1. _________________: Although the Scriptures never explicitly refer to Molech as a demon, the worship of Molech was a recurring problem for Israel throughout the Old Testament. Human sacrifice was one of the most documented practices of Molech worship (cf. Lev. 18:21; 1 Kgs 11:7).

2. _________________: When Jesus asked of a demon-possessed man, “What is your name?” The demons responded, “My name is Legion, for we are many” (Mk. 5:2-10).

3. Abaddon (Hebrew) / _________________ (Greek): There are demons described by John during the “Seven Trumpets” prophecy. When the fifth trumpet is blown, the “abyss” will open and demonic locusts will be released to torture those who have not received God’s seal. Abaddon is the “angel of the bottomless pit” (cf. Rev. 9:11).

4. _________________ of God: While this name is not exclusively used for demons, it is used in reference to angels and demons (cf. Genesis 6:2-4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7).

5. Principalities, Powers, and _______________ of ________________ of This World: Ephesians 6:12 seems to give us multiple names for demons. This passage describes demons and the powers of the unseen world.

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6. _________________ (plural): The Bible teaches the coming of an Antichrist (singular) during the Great Tribulation. By the end of the first century, John wrote, “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour” (1 Jn. 2:18).

IV. The Personality & Nature of Demons

1. Demons are _________________ beings with personality and demonstrate mind, emotion, and will.

a. They have the capacity to reason (mind). Paul credited demons with enough intellectual ability to design and propagate the various false doctrines (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1-3).

b. They have the ability to feel (emotion). Their emotion was reflected when they begged Christ in fear not to send them into the deep (cf. Lk. 8:31).

c. They have the freedom of choice (will). Their volition is reflected in their rebellion against God (cf. Jd. 6-7).

3. Demons _________________ nature.

a. The chief difference between angels and demons is their moral nature. Demons have no opportunity or desire of repentance for salvation. Lucifer and his angels were in God’s presence and had knowledge of God’s glory (cf. Lk. 12:48). They were not tempted to sin, but chose completely of their own volition to rebel against God.

b. Demons are perpetually immoral because of their rebellion against God. It is difficult for believers to comprehend the evil nature that demons possess. Demons far surpass in wickedness the vilest person we know.

c. Their nature is described as “unclean” (cf. Matt. 10:1; Mk. 1:27; Acts 8:7).

V. The Destiny of Demons

1. _________________ Confinement

a. There are some demons who have limited freedom among humanity.

b. There are some demons who have been confined until the Tribulation.

i. John described the release of some of these demons when they will come from the bottomless pit to afflict people (cf. Rev. 9).

c. There are some demons who have been confined until the Day of Judgment.

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i. Jude identified another group of demons whom God “has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jd. 6).

ii. Peter affirms Jude, “God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment” (2 Pet. 2:4).

iii. The crime of these whom God has confined until judgment must have been so horrendous that they will never again experience any degree of liberty (cf. Gen. 6:1-4).

2. _________________ Confinement

a. During the Great Tribulation there will be “spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Rev. 16:14).

b. After the Battle of Armageddon, these demons will be confined with Satan in the bottomless pit during Christ’s millennial reign on the earth (cf. Rev. 20:3).

3. _________________ Confinement

a. Hell is a literal place that God “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). It is not God’s will for mankind to go to hell (cf. 1 Pet. 3:9). A person will only go to hell by choice, his choice as expressed by his rejection of Christ.

b. Demons are aware that someday they will be eternally confined to the lake of fire (cf. Matt. 8:29).

c. Peter uses the word “Tartarus” to describe hell. While this is the only occurrence of the word in the New Testament, it is frequently used among Greek writers. It is from those writers we must learn the context of what Peter intended. It was understood to be the lowest of the infernal regions, the place of darkness and of punishment. It was a place of confinement and torment for those who had been guilty of impiety towards the gods and of great crimes against men.

VI. The Sons of God and the Nephilim

1. The title “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2-4 is also used in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7 to designate angels.

2. The term “sons of God” as used in the Old Testament denotes beings brought into existence by the creative act of God (e.g. angels). The term “sons of God” as used in the New Testament identifies those who are saved by the redemptive work of God (cf. Jn. 1:12-13; 3:3-7). The term “sons of God” can also be seen in the Old Testament to refer

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to the godly (cf. Ps. 73:15) or the Israelites (cf. Deut. 32:5; Hos. 1:10). The term is not used exclusively for angels.

3. Jewish tradition holds strongly to the idea that Genesis 6:1-4 is descriptive of a terrible sin committed by angels attracted by the beauty of mortal women, and who forsook their proper habitation in order to live on earth with the daughters of men. While this is a strong point, man is fallible.

4. The early church holds strongly to the idea that Jude’s statement in v.6 refers to Genesis 6:1-4. It was not until the end of the 4th century that other views were suggested (e.g. sons of Seth). Again, man is fallible.

5. One such view is the “sons of God” are the sons of Seth, while the “daughters of men” are the offspring of Cain. The language of the text does not seem to support this view. Furthermore, if the “sons of God” were godly believers, they perished in the Flood, yet Peter states that it was the ungodly who received that judgment (cf. 2 Pet. 2:5).

6. The “daughters of men” can surely be the offspring of mankind. The term “sons of God” implies something entirely different from the human race when used in conjunction with “daughters of men.”

7. The progeny of the union between the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” was of such character as to indicate a super-human union. The Hebrew word “nephilim” which is rendered “giants” in Genesis 6:4 is the same word as that found in Numbers 13:33, where it is used to describe the sons of Anak. It is from the verb “to fall.”

8. This corruption of the human race by the “sons of God” was in harmony with Satan’s continued attempts to thwart the plan and purpose of God, and thus answers the question of why these angels sinned. By influencing these angels to rebel, become insubordinate to God, to not keep their first estate, to leave their own habitation, and to come down into the realm of the daughters of men and seek them out for themselves, Satan aimed to corrupt the offspring of the human race through which he will be defeated (cf. Gen. 3:15). If Satan had succeeded, then Christ would not be able to come through the human race. He almost succeeded, Genesis 6:12, “So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” By the grace of God… one family remained: Noah’s (cf. Gen. 6).

9. The Scriptures reveal that angels fell, came down, and went after strange flesh (cf. Jd. 6-7; 2 Pet. 2:4), and the testimony strongly suggests that their sin was that of Genesis 6. Jude 6-7 also presents Sodom and Gomorrah as a comparison.

10. Matthew 22:30 offers a contrast between the “angels of heaven” and the “sons of God” as described in Genesis 6.

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The “angels in heaven” do not marry, nor are given in marriage. The “sons of God” left their own place, forsook their habitation, and came seeking after strange flesh.

VII. The Activity of Demons

1. Physical _________________

a. Jesus cast a demon out of a mute man who immediately began to speak (cf. Matt. 9:32-33)

b. A man who was blind and mute was demon-possessed and when Jesus healed him he could speak and see (cf. Matt. 12:22).

c. Job was afflicted physically with boils covering his body due to satanic activity (cf. Job 2:1-10).

d. Not all physical afflictions are symptoms of satanic or demonic activity, but Satan and demons are capable of causing physical pain and suffering.

2. Ecclesiastical _________________

a. Demons have successfully caused many divisions among the believers in the church. Pastors have lost ministries, churches have split, and behaviors have hindered the cause of Christ to unbelievers. Perhaps not demon-possession, but demon-oppression among believers.

b. Demons are associated with those who bring false doctrine and cause apostasy (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1).

c. Not all ecclesiastical divisions are symptoms of demonic activity. When Martin Luther opposed the Roman Catholic Church for doctrinal reasons, his decision was a catalyst to the Reformation.

3. Mental _________________

a. One man (i.e. the Gadarene Demoniac) was so wild he could not be bound and dwelt among the tombs. He seemingly had 1000s of demons. When Jesus cast out the demons, he was described as “sitting and clothed and in his right mind” (cf. Mk. 5:1-20; Lk. 8:26-39).

b. A boy has convulsions, foams at the mouth, and becomes so violent he harms himself. Jesus casts out the demon (cf. Lk. 9:37-42).

c. In both cases, they were causing physical harm to themselves.

d. Not all mental disease is symptomatic of demonic activity. For example, at one time people with epilepsy were considered demon-possessed, and exorcists were employed to remove the evil spirit. However, we cannot dismiss all abnormal behavior as a “mental disease.”

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4. _________________

a. Demons seek to tempt believers to pursue a lifestyle apart from God and ultimately destroy the believer’s testimony.

b. Demons seek to tempt unbelievers by binding them to some particular sin and convincing them that they are not worthy to become a Christian.

c. Not all temptation is symptomatic of demonic activity. Sometimes we are drawn away by our own desires and enticed (cf. Jam. 1:14).

5. Discouraging _________________

a. Demons want to discourage you from your God given purpose to bring glory to God and fulfill the Great Commission. They will lie, deceive, and do whatever it takes to discourage you from ministry (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1-8).

b. Demons want to discourage you from conquering your own evil desires (cf. Col. 2:18-23).

6. False _________________

a. This seems to be one of the demons primary works. They are certainly the driving force within cults, but they have also crept into some churches (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1).

b. Demons are described as “antichrists” and their chief task is to foster a “substitute religion” with a “doctrine of demons” (cf. 1 Jn. 2:18).

7. Blinding of the _________________ of Unbelievers

a. Satan and his demons strive to prevent people from coming to Christ through spiritual blindness (cf. 2 Cor. 4:3-4).

b. The Holy Spirit illuminates Scripture for the unbeliever to overcome spiritual blindness (cf. 1 Jn. 4:4; Jn. 14:26; Eph. 1:18; Jn. 16:13-16; 1 Cor. 4:5).

8. Spiritual _________________

a. While Christians cannot be demon-possessed, we still find ourselves in spiritual warfare against demons (cf. Eph. 6:10-20; Lk. 4:2; 2 Cor. 12:7; Jam. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8).

b. Demons desire to make Christian ineffective in their witness for Christ. Without the help of God, the Christian is unable to stand against the wiles of the devil and his demons (cf. Eph. 6:10-20).

9. The _________________ of God

a. It must be frustrating to demons after they had accomplished some evil scheme to later find out they helped carry out the will of God (cf. Job).

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b. God used “an evil spirit” to accomplish His will in the life of Saul, Israel’s first king (1 Sam. 16:14).

c. God used “a lying spirit” to deceive the false prophets of an evil king (cf. 1 Kgs 22:22-23).

d. God can and will continue to use demons to accomplish His will (cf. Rev. 9:16).

10. Demon _________________

a. Demon possession is not a term used in the original language. It can be translated “demonized.”

b. Demon possession is the inhabitation of an evil spirit in which the unbeliever has willfully (even ignorantly) submitted to controlling influence that produces great violence and suffering.

c. Demon possession occurs when an unbeliever willfully rejects God and submits to the work of Satan and his demons (cf. Matt. 8, 9, 12; Mk. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 16; Lk. 4, 8, 11, 13).

d. Demon possession is the opposite of the filling of the Holy Spirit. It is an issue of who is in control (cf. Eph. 5:18 with Acts 5:3).

e. Demon possession and the Christian.

i. Some suggest that Christians can be demon possessed. However, the Scriptures make clear that the Holy Spirit takes up residence upon salvation. The Holy Spirit will not share residency with a demon (cf. 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; 1 Cor. 6:19).

ii. Christians cannot be “possessed” by demons because they have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. However, they can be “oppressed” by demons. Believers are externally harassed and influenced (1 Thess. 2:18).

1) Demonic possession: Non-believers who open their lives up to demonic involvement through cultic practices, habitual sinful behavior, rebellion, bitterness, idol worship, etc.

2) Demonic oppression: The Bible says that the devil seeks to devour believers (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8), and Satan and his demons “scheme” against Christians (cf. Eph. 6:11). As Satan attempted with Jesus (cf. Lk. 4:2), demonic forces tempt us to sin and oppose our efforts to obey God. Should a Christian allow the demons to succeed in these attacks, oppression results. Demonic oppression is when a demon is temporarily victorious over a Christian.

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VIII. The Objections to the Existence of Demons

1. The _________________ Theory

a. “Demon possession” is nothing more than a vivid symbol of the prevalence of evil in the world.

b. This view was advanced by David Freidrich Stauss.

2. The _________________ Theory

a. “Demon possession” is nothing more than physical infirmities of the body and mind (e.g. epilepsy, blindness, mute, etc.). Jesus was simply accommodating the culture by allowing them to believe in demons.

b. This view rejects the spiritual aspect of the physical manifestation. “Seeing they do not see” (Matt. 13:13).

3. The _________________ Theory

a. “Demon possession” is nothing more than a psychological delusion on the part of the victim.

b. This view suggests the victim imagines himself possessed and controlled by another and more powerful being, which results in mental excitement and emotional frenzy.

4. The _________________ Theory

a. “Demon possession” is nothing more than practices of an uncivilized society.

b. This view suggests that we understand our physical world better now and demon possession simply doesn’t exist and perhaps never did. Those who hold onto such beliefs are hanging onto uncivilized practices.

5. Should any of these objections be true, they bring into question the character of Christ and the integrity of the Scriptures. Make no mistake, when the Bible states that Jesus commanded an evil spirit to depart from a man, this individual possessed an evil spirit.

IX. The Worship of Demons

1. _________________

a. The act of foretelling future events, or of revealing secret knowledge, by means of signs and omens or other supernatural agency. This includes such things as killing an animal to observe its liver to determine the state of affairs and direction of the immediate future (cf. Ez. 21:21). This includes horoscopes and astrology.

b. These practices are demonic and an illegitimate means of trying to determine the will of God.

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2. _________________

a. An effort to communicate wit and interrogate the dead.

b. The Bible teaches the dead are unable to communicate with the living (cf. Lk. 18:27-31). Don’t underestimate the craftiness of demons. They very well may pose as the dead in an effort to deceive people. This includes the use of such mediums as the Ouija board.

c. The necromancer was considered an abomination unto the Lord (cf. Deut. 18:11-12).

3. _________________

a. Magic finds its source and strength in demonic power. This is not the same as “illusions” which use gimmicks and slight of hand.

b. Black magic describes people who employ evil spirits to bring forth calamity and sorrow upon another.

c. White magic describes people who parade as “good people” who will do “good things” for a “small price.”

4. _________________

a. Sorcery relates with calling upon demons to create situations around people.

b. Sorcery may include the use of psychedelic drugs.

5. _________________

a. The witch is one who makes use of magic and sorcery to accomplish the will of people.

b. Witchcraft is directly opposed to God (cf. Deut. 18:10).

X. The Deliverance from Demonic Possession

1. How to know you are in trouble.

a. We spend our time in the wrong place (cf. Mk. 5:5).

b. We are forced into bondage by others (cf. Mk. 5:4).

c. We do not take responsibility for our life (cf. Mk. 5:3).

d. We are dominated by our emotions (cf. Mk. 5:5).

e. We reject God and are upset with His presence (cf. Mk. 5:5).

f. We are continually out of control (cf. Mk. 5:5).

g. We are angry and/or hate others (cf. Matt. 8:28).

h. We are anti-social in behavior (cf. Lk. 8:27).

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2. How to get out of trouble.

a. Recognize your need for help (cf. Mk. 5:6).

b. Go to Jesus Christ for help (cf. Mk. 5:6).

c. Recognize there is power in the Word of Christ (cf. Mk. 5:8).

d. Realize only God can send evil away (cf. Matt. 8:32).

e. Get close to Jesus (cf. Lk. 8:35).

f. Clean up your outside appearance (cf. Lk. 8:35).

g. Share your experience with others (cf. Mk. 5:19).

3. Biblical qualifications in counseling those who are battling demonic possession or oppression.

a. _________________

i. The counselor must be born of the Spirit by trusting in Jesus Christ (cf. Jn. 1:12-13; 1 Jn. 5:4-5, 18).

ii. The counselor must have a dedicated life to the Lord in which the Holy Spirit has evident control.

iii. The counselor must make sure they do not have any habitual or unconfessed sin in their own life.

iv. The counselor must have a healthy understanding and belief in spiritual warfare.

b. _________________

i. The counselor must know God’s Word. It is essential to know what the Bible says about the enemy, Satan and the demons, their power and methods (cf. 2 Cor. 2:11; 11:14).

ii. The counselor must know God’s armor. It is essential to know how to use it (cf. Eph. 6:10-18).

iii. The counselor must know Christ’s victory over Satan and be convinced of his position of power in Christ (cf. Col. 2:15).

c. _________________

i. If possible, the counselor should seek to involve one or two other mature Christians.

ii. If possible, the counselor should have some prior experience with other counselors in dealing with the demonic.

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4. How demons are cast out.

a. The victim must want help. There must be a choice by the victim to seek help.

b. The counselor(s) must acknowledge the help is not in the faith, prayers, or strength of the counselor(s), but only in the blood of Jesus Christ.

c. The counselor(s) must be sure to have confessed all sin and is fellowship with Christ.

d. The demon must be exposed as a demon. This includes determining their name and how many.

e. The counselor(s) must share their faith and the Word of God to give strength to the victim.

f. The counselor(s) must claim victory in the blood of Jesus Christ.

g. The victim must clearly decide if he/she is going to follow Christ and be free.

h. It is by the faith of the victim they will be set free.

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Conclusion Systematic Theology

As your pastor, it is part of my Great Commission role to “teach them to observe.” As a fellow believer, it is all of our responsibility to “learn and obey.” It is my prayer that we not merely gain knowledge (teach/learn), but that we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” 2 Pet. 3:18 (observe/obey). Proper study of God’s Word should be done with a spirit of grace and humility that will not lead to knowledge that “puffs up” (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1). Our studies should prompt us to praise our Savior and to motivate us to fulfill the Great Commission.

Greater Discernment

This course should have equipped you with a greater degree of discernment concerning the things of the Lord. You should be able to…

1. Explain the doctrines of Scripture, the nature of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, Satan, and demons.

2. Understand the importance of doctrinal beliefs in the life of the Christian believer.

3. Differentiate between classical Christian teachings regarding the doctrines of Scripture, the nature of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, Satan, and demons; and teachings which do not align with the evangelical Christian faith.

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Study Questions (Part 4): • What does the word “angel” mean?

• What are the attributes of angels?

• What are the three “kinds” of angels?

• Who is the only angel actually identified as an archangel in Scripture?

• What is the work of angels?

• How do we know Satan was the originator of sin?

• Which theory do you think best describes the time of Satan’s fall? What evidence supports that theory?

• Describe the threefold work of Satan.

• What are the attributes of demons?

• Who are the “sons of God” and the “nephilim”?

• Describe the activities of demons.

• What are examples of demon worship?

• How has this course better equipped you for the Great Commission?

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APPENDIX

Attributes of the Trinity Attributes God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit

Omnipresence Jer. 23:24 Matt. 28:20 Ps. 139:7-12

Omnipotence Rom. 1:16 Matt. 28:28 Rom. 15:19

Omniscience Rom. 11:33 John 21:17 John 14:26

Immutability Mal. 3:6 Heb. 13:8 Hag. 2:5

Eternality Ps. 90:2 John 1:1 Heb. 9:12

Holiness Lev. 19:2 Heb. 4:15 Name “Holy”

Love 1 John 3:1 Matt. 9:36 Name “Comforter”

Chart 1

The Work of the Trinity Work God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit

Creation of the world Ps. 102:25 John 1:3 Gen. 1:2

Creation of man Gen. 2:7 Col. 1:16 Job 33:4

Death of Christ Isa. 53:10 John 10:18 Heb. 9:24

Resurrection of Christ Acts 2:32 John 2:19 1 Peter 3:18

Inspiration Heb. 1:1-2 1 Peter 1:10-11 2 Peter 1:21

Indwelling believers Eph. 4:6 Col. 1:7 1 Cor. 6:19

Authority of ministry 2 Cor. 3:4-6 1 Tim. 1:12 Acts 20:28

Security of believer John 10:29 Phil. 1:6 Eph. 1:13-14

Chart 2


GLOSSARY OF PEOPLE AND TERMS

Agnostic: the existence of God (or truth) is unknowable.

Angelology: the study of the theological doctrine of angels.

Anthropological Argument: an argument to prove the existence of God through the human nature. The Anthropological Argument reasons that the higher parts of the human nature could never have come from non-intelligent matters.

Anthropology: the study of the theological doctrine of man.

Apocrypha: from the Greek word “apokrypha,” which means “things that are hidden, secret..” The Apocrypha is a collection of Jewish books that are not considered part of the canon of Scripture by Protestants.

Apostasy: the abandonment of Christianity for unbelief.

Arminianism: the theological teaching of Jacob Arminius (1560-1609). The fundamental principle in Arminianism is the rejection of predestination, and a corresponding affirmation of the freedom of the human will.

Atheism: the belief system that denies the existence of God.

Atonement: literally: “to cover.” Blood of Christ cleanses the sinner from sin’s defilement. The term includes substitution, redemption, propitiation, and reconciliation. Substitutionary in nature. On the cross of Calvary, God placed our sins upon Christ and accepted Him in our place.

Bibliology: the study of the theological doctrine of the Bible.

Bishop: literally: “overseer.” Part of the three-fold office of the pastor in the local church. This role focuses on the administrative aspects of the church. (see also elder and pastor)

Calvinism: the theological teaching of John Calvin (1509-1564). Also known as reformed theology. The fundamental principle in Calvinism is the sovereignty of God and is best known by an acronym TULIP: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the Saints.

Canon: “measuring rule,” hence “standard.” The Protestant canon includes thirty-nine books in the OT, twenty-seven in the NT. Protestant churches have accepted these books not because of the decision of a church or council, but because the books themselves were: (a) authoritative: “Thus saith the Lord,” (b) prophetic: OT – prophet, king, judge, etc. or NT – either written by an apostle, the testimony of an apostle, or eyewitness (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20), (c) authentic: it must be consistent with other revelation of truth, (d) dynamic: it demonstrates God’s life-changing power (cf. Heb. 4:12), (e) received: it was accepted and used by believers (cf. 1 Thess. 2:13).

Cherubim: a special group of angels who guard the holiness of God from the sinfulness of man.


Christological: relating to the theology concerned with the person, attributes, and ministry of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, a Christological Hermeneutic is a method of interpreting Scripture that is concerned with the person, attributes, and ministry of Jesus Christ. The Bible is to be interpreted and understood with a view that Christ is the central personality of all Scripture.

Christology: the study of the theological doctrine of Christ.

Christophany: Christ’s appearance in angelic form before the incarnation.

Cooper’s Golden Rule of Interpretation: “When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths indicate clearly otherwise.” Here is an abbreviated paraphrase of his rule: “when the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense lest it result in nonsense.”

Cosmological Argument: an argument to prove the existence of God through cause. The Cosmological Argument considers the fact that every known thing in the universe has a cause. Therefore, it reasons, the universe itself must also have a cause, and the cause of such a great universe can only be God.

Deacon: literally: “servant.” An office in the church that seeks to serve the needs of the body of Christ.

Deity: the quality of being divine. A quality that belongs exclusively to God.

Demonology: the study of the theological doctrine of demons.

Demon Oppression: the influence of spiritual warfare between believers and demons. Demonic forces tempt believers to sin and oppose their efforts to obey God. Demonic oppression occurs when a demon is temporarily victorious over a Christian.

Demon Possession: literally: “demonizing.” Occurs when God permits demons to embody a nonbeliever and control their mind or body. It is the culmination of a volitional rejection of God and a volitional yielding to Satan and his demons.

Demons: Fallen angels who rebelled against God and were cast out of the presence of God. Beings who are the emissaries of Satan to carry out his diabolical plans. They possess tremendous intellectual ability, and are reprobate, evil having no opportunity or desire for repentance or salvation.

Dichotomy: the belief that the basic composition of man is made up of two parts: body and soul. (see also “trichotomy”)

Dispensationalism: the theological belief system that asserts that biblical history is best understood in light of a number of successive administrations of God’s dealings with mankind, which are called “dispensations.” The current dispensation is the “church age” and the coming dispensation is “the millennial Kingdom.”

Doctrine: a belief or set of beliefs.

Ecclesiology: the study of the theological doctrine of the church.


Elder: literally: “aged man.” Part of the three-fold office of the pastor in the local church. This role focuses on the preaching and teaching. The wisdom of preaching and teaching are usually associated with someone of age, thus the title “elder.” (see also bishop and pastor)

Empirical Evidence: the knowledge acquired through the senses.

Eschatology: the study of the theological doctrine of the end times.

Etymology: the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.

Fundamentals of the Faith: The irreducible essence of Christianity which includes: (1) the inspiration and authority of Scripture, (2) the deity and virgin birth of Jesus Christ, (3) the vicarious substitutionary atonement, (4) the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and (5) the physical return of Jesus Christ.

Gabriel: the messenger angel of God.

Hamartiology: the study of the theological doctrine of sin.

Heresy: a belief or opinion contrary to biblical doctrine.

Hermeneutic: concerning interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts.

Hypostatic Union: the combination of divine and human natures in the single person of Christ. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. He was not 50% God (something less than God) and 50% man (something less than human).

Inerrancy: that which God revealed and inspired (i.e. The Bible) is accurate, reliable, authoritative, and without error.

Justification: an act whereby God declares a person righteous and perfect when they trust Christ, giving them all the privileges involved in a legal acceptance before God.

Kenosis: literally: “to empty oneself.” When Christ became a man: (1) He veiled His glory, (2) subjected Himself to human limitation, and (3) voluntarily gave up the independent use of His absolute attributes.

Lucifer: literally: “bearer of light.” The original name for the devil. Though it does not reflect his present character.

Michael: the most powerful angel. Usually related to Israel and resurrection. Described as the archangel (meaning the highest in the order of angels).

Millennial Reign: the thousand-year reign of Christ specifically mentioned in Revelation 20:1-6. It is the anticipated Messianic Kingdom by the Old Testament Prophets. It will follow the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the Second Coming of Christ.

Omnipotence: the ability of God to do everything that is in harmony with His nature and perfection.

Omnipresence: the presence of God everywhere in creation at the same time in His fullness, without extension.

Omniscience: the perfect knowledge of God of all things, actual and potential.


Ontological Argument: an argument to prove the existence of God through the idea that the “most great” being must exist. The ontological argument begins with the idea of God, who is defined as a being that no greater being can be conceived. It then argues that the characteristic of existence must belong to such a being, since it is greater to exist than not to exist.

Pastor: literally: “shepherd.” Part of the three-fold office of the pastor in the local church. This role focuses on caring for the people in the church. (see also elder and bishop)

Plenary Verbal Inspiration: this view expresses the belief that God inspired the complete texts of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, including both historical and doctrinal details.

Pneumatology: the study of the theological doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

Prolegomena: a “prologue” of sorts. It is the introduction to theology. Pro means “to go before” and logos means “word.” The prolegomena deals with presuppositions in developing a systematic theology.

Prophecy (Broad Definition): The word prophecy means “to forth-tell.” Forth-telling involved insight into the will of God. This type of prophecy exhorted people to change their behavior.

Prophecy (Narrow Definition): The word prophecy means “to fore-tell.” Fore-telling involved foresight into the plan of God. This type of prophecy predicted the future. While many people think of prophecy as fore-telling it is forth-telling that is much more common in the Bible. However, in the instances where fore-telling is used it is compelling evidence that the Bible is in fact the Word of God.

Prophet: The word prophet comes from the word meaning “to announce.” A prophet was God’s mouthpiece or the human instrument through which God declared His message to men.

Propitiation: Christ satisfied the demands of God’s offended holiness by His death.

Rapture: “caught up” (cf. 1 Thess. 4:17). “Come up here…” (Rev. 4:1). All believers in the church age will be taken to Heaven with Christ.

Reconciliation: the results of the death of Christ that makes man savable because God looks favorably on him because the wrath of God has been propitiated.

Redemption: literally: “to purchase.” The work of the Holy Spirit whereby believers are given God’s life and God’s nature and made a part of the family of God. Occurring at the moment of conversion, it lasts for eternity, making the person capable of doing the “righteous things” required by God. Makes possible his sanctification.

Repentance: literally: “to change one’s mind.” A change of mind in relation to one’s actions and attitudes.

Resurrection of Christ: the life of the physical body of Christ was renewed, His body was reunited with His spirit, and death was subjected to Him.

Sabellianism: the false teaching that the trinity is three different manifestations of the same God. It denies the nature and distinctiveness of the three persons of the trinity.


Sanctification: literally: “to set apart.” A person, institution, or thing is set apart by God as Holy. Past sanctification: the person was positionally set apart, present sanctification: the person is becoming set apart in his experience, and future sanctification: the person will become perfect when he is glorified.

Satanology: the study of the theological doctrine of the Satan.

Second Coming: the return of Christ and His church to the earth to establish His Millennial Reign, following the seven years of tribulation.

Seraphim: literally: “burners.” Angels concerned with the holiness of God.

Soteriology: the study of the theological doctrine of the Salvation.

Teleological Argument: The teleological argument is really a subcategory of the cosmological argument. It focuses on the evidence of harmony, order, and design in the universe, and argues that its design gives evidence of an intelligent purpose (the Greek word telos means “end” or “goal” or “purpose”). Since the universe appears to be designed with purpose, there must be an intelligent and purposeful God who created it to function this way.

Theology Proper: the study of the theological doctrine of the God the Father (also Paterology).

Theology: literally: “the study of God.” The study or belief of God and His relationship to the world and man (broad sense).

Tribulation: (1) trouble or affliction of any kind. (2) a seven year period immediately following the Rapture of the church and concluding with the Second Coming of Christ to set up His Millennial Reign.

Trichotomy: the belief that man is a three-part being: body, soul, and spirit. (see also dichotomy)


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Akin, Daniel L. A Theology for the Church. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2007.

Barackman, Floyd H. Practical Christian Theology: Examining the Great Doctrines of the Faith, 4th Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2001.

Boice, James M. Foundations of the Christian Faith: A Comprehensive and Readable Theology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986.

Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology, 2nd Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1998.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994.

Towns, Elmer L. Theology for Today. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Group/Thomson Learning, 2002.

Growing University Online Store

Visit the “Growing University Online Store” through our church website. Many of the books mentioned above are available for purchase through Amazon.

The direct link to the online store is http://www.fbcmtsterling.com/growing-university-store.html

The path to the online store is www.fbcmtsterling.com > GET INVOLVED > Discipleship Opportunities > Growing University Store.

systematic theology i · systematic theology is the collecting, organizing, and studying of all...

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