Condensed Theology

A Primer in Systematic Theology

Condensed Theology: A Definition

A simplified treatment of systematic theology Aimed at all believers: from newborn babes in Christ through mature and seasoned saints With a view to providing them with a topical, orderly, and biblical framework for comprehending the entire teaching of Scripture

Bibliology: The Doctrine of Scripture

What does the Bible teach about itself?

Where Were Going

Six lessons on the Bible Addressing the following subjects:
Revelation & Inspiration Authority Power Unity Sufficiency Necessity Truthfulness
Inerrancy Infallibility

Clarity
Illumination Hermeneutics Grammatico-historical exegesis Canonical interpretation Redemptive-historical interpretation

Canonicity

The Bible as Revelation

The Bible itself is Gods very word

The Bible Is Not the Only Word of God

The Bible Is Not the Only Word of God

Gods speech is his word: his word of decree Genesis 1:3: Then God said, Let there be light; and there was light. Psalm 33:6: By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. This form of Gods word causes things to happen

The Bible Is Not the Only Word of God

Gods speech is his word: his word of address Genesis 2:16-17: The LORD God commanded the man, saying, From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die. Exodus 20:1-3: Then God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.

The Bible Is Not the Only Word of God

Gods speech is his word: his word through men Deuteronomy 18:18-20: I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.

The Bible Is Not the Only Word of God

Gods son is his word John 1:1, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Hebrews 1:1-2: God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

The Bible Is Gods Word

The Bible is Gods word in the same way that Gods speech is his word and The Bible is Gods word in the same way that Gods son is his word The Bible is Gods word in that it is a spoken revelation of God

The Bible Is a Spoken Revelation of God

The Bible Is a Spoken Revelation of God

Hebrews 1:1-2: God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. There is a clear correlation between the prior revelatory speech of God and the present revelatory speech of God

Old Testament Evidence

Old Testament Evidence

The formula, Thus says the Lord, which appears at least 419 times.

Old Testament Evidence

Exodus 4:10-16: Then Moses said to the LORD, Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. The LORD said to him, Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say. But he said, Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will. Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him.

Old Testament Evidence

Exodus 7:1-4: Then the LORD said to Moses, See, I make you God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments.

Old Testament Evidence

Numbers 12:6-8: He said, Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?

Old Testament Evidence

Deuteronomy 18:14-21: For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so. The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die. The LORD said to me, They have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. You may say in your heart, How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?

Old Testament Evidence

1 Kings 14:18: All Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

Old Testament Evidence

Habakkuk 2:2-3: Then the LORD answered me and said, Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

Old Testament Evidence

Jeremiah 1:4-10: Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. Then I said, Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth. But the LORD said to me, Do not say, I am a youth, Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD. Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.

Old Testament Evidence

Jeremiah 36:2, 4, 6, 27-28: Take a scroll and write on it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel and concerning Judah, and concerning all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day. 4Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD which He had spoken to him. 6So you go and read from the scroll which you have written at my dictation the words of the LORD to the people in the LORD'S house on a fast day. And also you shall read them to all the people of Judah who come from their cities. 27Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah, saying, Take again another scroll and write on it all the former words that were on the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned.

New Testament Evidence Concerning the Old Testament

New Testament Evidence Concerning the OT

The testimony of Jesus Matthew 5:17-18: Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Luke 16:17: But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail. Matthew 4:4: But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

New Testament Evidence Concerning the OT

The testimony of Jesus continued It is written (Matt 4:4, 7, 10) Have you not read the Scriptures? (Matt 12:3; 19:4; 21:16; 22:31) John 5:39: You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me. Luke 24:44: Now He said to them, These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

New Testament Evidence Concerning the OT

The testimony of the New Testament authors Matthew 1:22-23: Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means, God with us. Acts 1:16: Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

New Testament Evidence Concerning Itself

New Testament Evidence Concerning Itself

1 Thessalonians 2:13: For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

New Testament Evidence Concerning Itself

1 Corinthians 2:6-13: Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory, the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

New Testament Evidence Concerning Itself

2 Peter 3:15-16: and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

New Testament Evidence Concerning Itself

1 Timothy 5:18: For the Scripture says, You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing, and The laborer is worthy of his wages.

New Testament Evidence Concerning Itself

1 Corinthians 7:12: But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. 1 Corinthians 14:37: If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment.

New Testament Evidence Concerning Itself

2 Peter 3:2: That you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. 1 Thessalonians 4:15: For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. Revelation 22:18-19: I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

The New Testament Perspective on All Scripture

Crucial Texts that Address the Bible as a Whole

Crucial New Testament Bibliological Texts

1 Peter 1:10-12: As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaventhings into which angels long to look.

Crucial New Testament Bibliological Texts

2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

The Inspiration of Scripture

What does Paul mean by the phrase, All Scripture is inspired by God?

The Inspiration of Scripture

Not to fill with enlivening or exalting emotion: As in hymns that inspire the congregation; or an artist who was inspired by Impressionism. Not to stimulate to action; motivate: As in a sales force that was inspired by the prospect of a bonus. Not to affect or touch emotionally: As in the falling leaves inspired her with sadness. Not to draw forth; elicit or arouse: As in a teacher who inspired admiration and respect. Not to be the impetus for: As in an invention that inspired many imitations. Not even to affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence.

The Inspiration of Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. Inspired by God Greek: qeo,pneustoj (thepneustos): Godbreathed

The Inspiration of Scripture

To say that the whole of Scripture is God-breathed is to say that its every word is identical with Gods words. Moreover, when he characterized the Scripturesas being of the character of the very breath God breathed out, Paul was asserting something about its nature. Just as Gods breath (his word) created all the host of heaven (Ps. 33:6), just as his breath gave physical life to Adam and to all mankind (Gen. 2:7; Job 33:4), just as his breath gave spiritual life to Israel, the valley of dry bones (Ezek. 37:1-14), so also his powerful, creative breath, in its word form, is living and active (Heb. 4:12), imperishable and abiding (1 Pet. 1:23), and through it Gods Spirit imparts new life to the soul.

The Process of Inspiration

How does God breathe out his word?

The Process of Inspiration

Through dictation Exodus 31:18: When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God. Exodus 32:16: The tablets were Gods work, and the writing was Gods writing engraved on the tablets.

The Process of Inspiration

Through dreams and/or visions and/or angelic messages from God, which were then recorded by the human biblical authors Revelation 1:1-2: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

The Process of Inspiration

Through his chosen instruments themselves Deuteronomy 31:9, 24-26: So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. 24It came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete, that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you.

The Process of Inspiration

Through his chosen instruments themselves, continued Joshua 24:25-26: So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.

The Process of Inspiration

Through his chosen instruments themselves, continued 1 Kings 14:18: All Israel buried [Jeroboams son] and mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet. Jeremiah 37:2: But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the LORD which He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. Zechariah 7:7: Are not these the words which the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous along with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?

The Process of Inspiration

Through his chosen instruments themselves, continued: the watershed text 2 Peter 1:20: But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of ones own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

The Process of Inspiration

2 Peter 1:21: For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. This does not mean moved in the sense of stirring the emotions: As in music that has the power to move. Acts 27:15: and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along. Greek: evfero,meqa (ephermetha): driven along (Acts fero 27:15); fero,menoi (phermenoi): moved (2 Pet 1:21). menoi

The Process of Inspiration

2 Peter 1:21: For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. That is, no genuine prophecy has its origin in mans imagination; it comes directly from God. Thus his chosen instruments, under the Spirits direct superintending influence, spoke Gods word.

The Process of Inspiration

2 Peter 1:21: For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Peter is not denying that mans volition, personality, intelligence, or writing style has anything to do with Gods inspiration of their propheciesthey spoke from God.

The Process of Inspiration

2 Peter 1:21: For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. The speech to which Peter refers includes the written speech of Scripture 2 Peter 3:15-16: And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

The Process of Inspiration

God has revealed his word in Scripture to his people Sometimes through a process of verbal dictation Sometimes calling on his chosen instruments to record their dreams or visions in Scripture Most often through the chosen instruments themselves in a process of what has come to be known as concursive inspiration.

The Process of Inspiration

B. B. Warfields (1851-1921) concursive inspiration. On his (and our) exegesis, we can say that there is a direct and permanent identification between Gods words and the words of the biblical writers so that the Bible is always both a human and a divine word that does not need any supplementary action to render it divine. The idea of concursive inspiration, therefore, does not mean that men are co-authors with God of the Scriptures; it means simply that God has made each of the authors of Scripture such that what they would spontaneously write (as, for example, the letters of Paul) would be the very words God intended to communicate his truth to men.

Conclusion

Conclusion
The Bible in all its parts, in every word, is the very word of God It is a revelation of the living God and as such is inspired by him What makes the Bible Gods revelation is that he has inspired it.

Glossary

Glossary
Revelation: The divine act whereby God discloses to men what could not have been previously known by them through natural means. Inspiration: This term refers to the notion that the words of Scripture are themselves the very word of God. It poorly reflects the language of 2 Tim 3:16, which would be more accurately rendered, God-breathed. Concursive Inspiration: The idea that God inspired the Bible through a process whereby the individual personalities and writing styles of the authors would be retained without diminishing the absolute divinity of the Bible.