THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
THEO 201 – July 13 – Video: J.P Moreland, “Loving God with all your mind”
I. Loving God with all your mind
a. Division of Worldview – Biggest divisor in America
i. Secular
1. Scientific Naturalism
2. Post Modernism
3. Moral law is not objective
ii. Ethical Monotheists
1. God gave moral law
2. We owe allegiance to God
b. Many believe theology beliefs are feeling based, not cognitive thoughts
c. 3 Great Awakenings came to USA
d. God died in USA – 1920’s
i. Scopes trial (Creation vs. Evolution)
e. Marginalization of Christianity
f. What now?
i. Restore Cognitive language to schools and churches
ii. Teach believers how to defend their faith
iii. Present Jesus Christ as an intellectual leader to our young people
THEO 201 – July 14 – Lecture: Divisions of Theology
II. Divisions of Theology
a. Bibliology
i. Prefix: book, bible
ii. Topics of Discussion
1. The Canon of Scripture
a. Do the books measure up?
i. Were books inspired?
ii. Any errors?
iii. Accurately preserved?
b. Theology Proper
i. Prefix: God
ii. Topics of Discussion
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
c. Christology
1. Existence of God
2. God’s revelation of himself
3. The law of God
4. The Decree of God
i. Prefix: Christ, anointed one
ii. Topics of Discussion
1. Deity of Christ
2. Humanity of Christ
3. Death of Christ
4. Resurrection of Christ
d. Pneumatology
i. Prefix: Spirit, breath
ii. Topics of Discussion
1. Holy Spirit in Old Testament
2. Deity of Holy Spirit
3. Procession of Holy Spirit
4. Spiritual Gifts
e. Angelology
i. Prefix: Angels
ii. Topics of Discussion
1. Elect Angels
2. Satan
3. Demons
4. Work of Angels
f. Soterioloogy
i. Prefix: Salvation
ii. Topics of Discussion
1. Man’s role in salvation
2. God’s role in salvation
3. Atonement of Christ
4. Justification
5. Sanctification
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
g. Hamartiology
i. Prefix: Sin
ii. Topics of Discussion
1. Law of God
2. Fall of Man
3. What constitutes sin?
h. Anthropology
i. Prefix: man
ii. Topics of Discussion
1. Purpose of Mankind
2. Image of God
3. Human Personality
i. Ecclesiology
i. Prefix: assembly, church
ii. Topics of Discussion
1. Nature of Church
2. Baptism
3. Communion
4. Church Leadership
j. Eschatology
i. Prefix: end times
ii. Topics of Discussion
1. Return of Christ
2. Aspects of Heaven
3. The Rapture
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
THEO 201 – July 14 - Erickson: Chapter 2 Notes
I. The Contemporary Context of Theology
a. Beware of identifying too close with contemporary culture.
b. There is a certain amount of eclecticism possible in doing theology.
c. It is important to maintain a certain degree of independence when one studies
a particular theologian’s ideas.
II. Approaches to Contemporizing the Christina Message
a. Transplanter
i. Present Biblical concepts in biblical terminology
ii. Example:
1. Copying scripture word for word, KJV -> KJV
b. Transformers
i. Eliminate portions of the biblical narrative that seem obsolete
ii. Example:
1. Deleting Leviticus because it pertained to the O.T. times
c. Translators
i. Retain the essential content of the biblical teaching but restate it into
more modern concepts
ii. Example:
1. Hebrew -> Greek, KJV -> NLT
THEO 201 – July 15 – Erikson: Chapter Notes
I. Pre-Modernism, Modernism, Post-Modernism
Pre-Modernism Modernism
(1789-1989)
Post-Modernism
•Rationality of Universe
•Logical in thinking
•Purpose in Creation
•Ultimate Truth
•Supernatural Exists
•Science elevated
•Humanistic
•Scientific Method
•Evolution
•Natural World
•Rational/Reason
•No need for
God/Supernatural
•How do we know?
•Individuals-What is
good for you, you
should do.
•Self
•Elevation of
Self
Experiences
•“My Story” is most
important
II. Big Picture
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
i. Two Possible Approaches
1. Authorial Intent
a. This approach assumes that the author (God) determines the
intent
Reader Response
a. This approach argues that meanings is determined by the reader
or a community of readers
Correct Response: God decides. His word, he decides.
2.
3.
b. How do I read the Scriptures?
a. Metanarrative: Overarching Story
i. Is there a purpose for Creation?
ii. Overarching Story of Bible in 4 Words:
1. Creation
2. Fall
3. Redemption
4. Restoration
III. Philosophy Terms & Definitions
a. Metaphysics
i. What is REAL?
b. Epistemology
i. Study of Knowledge
c. Axiology
THEO 201 – July 16 – Lecture: Chris Hollshof: How to Study the Bible
I. Biggest Problem with Bible Study is misuse of God’s Word.
a. Steve Stephens & Mike Michaels story
i. Basketball story: both reading Phil. 4:13 on the game day and only 1 wins
the game
ii. Either option:
1. I’ve been so faithful to God for so long, and he let me down by
the Scripture he gave me
2. I’ve not trusted God and he came through with his Scripture
II. Three Questions about Studying the Bible:
a. Who gets to say what the Scriptures mean?
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
i. Two Ways:
1. Either the scriptures are basically about me or basically about Jesus.
2. Is the Bible fundamentally about what I must do, or
fundamentally about what He has done?
c. What is the Best “Method” to Study the Scriptures?
i. The Interpretive Journey
1. Grasping the Text in their Town
a. Question: What did the text mean to the Biblical audience?
b. What would it have been like to be them in this situation?
c. Before this was God’s message to me, it was God’s message
to the Israelites.
d. Completing Step 1:
i. Read the text carefully and make observations
ii. Study the Historical and Literary context
iii. Synthesize the meaning of the passage to the
Biblical audience
2. Measuring the Width of the River to Cross (Differences between
their town and our town)
a. Question: What are the differences between the
Biblical audience and us?
b. Completing Step 2:
i. Account for common differences: culture
language situation, time and covenant
ii. Focus on the Unique differences found in a specific text
iii. If you are studying an Old Testament passage, you
must account for the life and work of Jesus Christ.
3. Crossing the Principlizing Bridge
a. Question: What is the one theological principle that ties this
all together?
b. Completing Step 3
i. Recall the differences identified in step 2
ii. Identify any similarities between the biblical
audience and contemporary life
iii. Holding the differences and similarities
together, identify a broad theological principle
iv. Write out the theological principle using present
tense verbs.
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
c. A theological principle should
i. Be reflected in the text
ii. Be timeless and not tied to a specific situation
iii. Not culturally bound
iv. Respond to the teaching of the rest of scripture
v. Be relevant to both the biblical and
contemporary audience
4. Consult the Biblical Map
a. Question: How does the theological principle fit with the rest
of the Bible
b. Completing Step 4:
i. Does this principle correlate with the rest of the Bible?
ii. If in the Old Testament, run your theological
principle through the grid of the New Testament
5. Grasping the Text in Our Town
a. Question: How should we live out the principles? How do
we apply it today?
b. Completing
i. Apply the theological principle to the specific
situation of a contemporary Christina
ii. There are numerous applicational possibilities,
because Christians today find themselves in a variety
of situations.
III. Meaning and Application are completely different things.
a. Meaning does not change since it was inspired by God
b. Application can change because Christians today find themselves in a variety
of situations
c. The question is not, “What does this passage mean to you?,” the question is: “How
can we apply the principle in our lives?
Book to Buy from Lifeway:
•The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name – Sally Lee Jones
THEO 201 – July 17 – Lecture: Lucas Farmer:
The Preservation of the Revelation:
Inspiration
I. Revelation vs. Inspiration
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
a. Revelation – Vertical line – God revealing himself to us
b. Inspiration – Horizontal line – Writers being inspired and writing and it being
preserved and passed on
II. The Fact of Inspiration
a. Throughout Scripture, there is the assumption or even the claim of divine origin
b. The words of the Bible are equated with the actual speech of the Lord
c. It is permissible to use the Bible as a historical document and to allow it to plead its
own case.
III. Theories of Inspiration
a. The Intuition Theory
More
human,
less
divine
More
divine,
less
human
i. Sees inspiration as a special gift of a high degree of insight
ii. Scripture writers were religious geniuses
iii. Yet, this theory of inspiration sees their inspiration essentially no different
from any other great religious r philosophical thinker
iv. Emphasizes human more than the divine
1. Human knowledge and genius, lack of H.S. involvement in theory.
b. The Illumination theory
i. There was an influence of the Holy Spirit upon the authors of Scripture, but
that it only involved a heightening of their normal powers
ii. Holy Spirit gave me a great idea, and I will write about it in the style I choose.
c. The Dynamic Theory
i. The Holy Spirit directed the writer to thoughts or concepts he should have
d. The Verbal Theory
i. The Holy Spirit actually selected the words used to convey the message of
the Bible
ii. Erickson holds to this view
e. The Dictation Theory
i. God actually dictated the Bible to the writers
ii. No human individual style since God “dictated” every specific word to be used
IV. Inspiration Key Verses
a. 2 Timothy 3:16
i. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking,
for correcting, for training in righteousness.”
b. 2 Peter 3:16
Each
Theory
as we
go
down
moves
from
more
human
to
more
divine
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
i. “He speaks about these things in all his letters in which there are some matters
that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their
own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.”
ii. Theological Significance
1. Peter recognized Paul’s words as God’s words.
c. 1 John 4:4
i. “We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not
from God does not listen to us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and
the spirit of deception.”
ii. Theological Significance
1. John uses his teachings to judge the spirit of truth and the spirit
of deception.
V. The Intensiveness of Inspiration
a. In the mind of Jesus, anything that the Old Testament said was what God said.
i. Other writers?
ii. New Testament writers attribute to God statements in the Old Testament
not originally attributed to him directly
1. Matthew 19:4-5
iii. “It is written” formula
VI. The Words of God
a. Chart – Erikson – Page 66
b. God’s vocabulary is more advanced and precise than ours
c. Since the Holy Spirit was moving the writers of Scripture along to communicate certain
ideas, one particular word rather than any other would best communicate the idea
God was conveying
d. Verbal inspiration not dictation (although some instances of dictation)
THEO 201 – July 17 – Lecture: Lucas Farmer: Inerrancy of Scripture
I. Inerrancy of Scripture
a. Recent debate among conservative theologians
b. Teaches that the Bible is fully truthful
II. Various Conceptions of Inerrancy
a. Absolute Inerrancy
i. Holds that the Bible, which includes rather detailed treatment of matters
both scientific and historical, is fully true
b. Full Inerrancy
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
i. Holds that Bible is completely true
ii. The Bible’s primary purose is not to give scientific or historical data but
the scientific and historical assertions it does provide are completely true
iii. Describes as seen to human eye
c. Limited Inerrancy
i. Only the teachings in the Bible that are related to salvation are inerrant
and infallible
ii. Writers were limited by their scientific and historical knowledge
III. Importance of Inerrancy
a. Theological Importance
b. Historical Importance
c. Epistemological Importance
IV. Inerrancy and Phenomena
a. Moderate Harmonization
V. Defining Inerrancy
a. Pertains to what is affirmed or asserted rather than what is merely reported
b. We must judge the truthfulness of Scripture in terms of what the statements meant
in the cultural setting in which they were expressed
i. Example:
1. Numbers in ancient times were often approximated
c. The Bible’s assertions are fully true when judged in accordance with the purpose
for which they were written
d. Reports of historical events and scientific matters are in phenomenal rather
than technical language. That is, the writer reports how things appear to the
eye.
e. Difficulties in explaining the biblical text should not be prejudged as indications of error
VI. Ancillary Issues
a. Doctrine of inerrancy applies in the strict sense only to the originals, but in a
derivative sense to copies and translations, that is, to the extent that they reflect the
originals.
THEO 201 – July 20 – Lecture: The Nature of God
I. Questions to ask about the nature of God:
a. Do all religions worship the same God?
i. World Religions
1. Monotheism – one god
a. Examples:
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
i. Christian
ii. Islam
iii. Judaism
iv. Mormonism
v. Catholicism
2. Polytheism – multiple gods
a. Examples:
i. Buddhism
ii. Hinduism
iii. Greek Mythology
b. Who determines what God is like?
i. God
1. God is who he is, he does not create himself
c. What does the God of Christianity look like?
i. Jesus
1. Incarnation – Special revelation
ii. Scripture
1. God’s Special revelation to us, written Word
iii. Confessions of Faith
1. Nicene’s Creed (328)
2. Westminster Confession of Faith (1600s)
3. Baptist Faith and Message
d. Why does my view of God matter?
i. AW Tozer Quotes:
1. “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the
most important thing about us.”
2. “The history of mankind will probably show that no people has
ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will
positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than
its idea of God…”
e. Does your view of God affect how you live your life?
i. What views of God need to be addressed by Christians?
1. Polytheism
2. Atheism
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
a. “no god”
3. Agnostic
a. “I don’t know if there is a god”
4. Animism
a. “Spirit world controls everything that is going on”
b. Wind blew ->Spirit of wind, Corn grew-> spirit of corn
5. Materialism
a. Focuses on material, physical things
6. Idealism
a. Focuses on ideas, the mind
7. Henotheism
a. Hierarchy of Gods
8. Pantheism
a. “Everything is God,” trees are god, cows are god
9. Deism
a. “absentee God,” fully removed from his creation
b. “God is there to create, but not there to sustain”
10. Dualism
a. Two equal forces
b. Example: good & evil, mind & matter, yin & yang
THEO 201 – July 20 – Lecture: Chap. 9: The Doctrine of God
I. Immanence of God
a. Definition
i. God is present and active within his creation
ii. Not limited to miracles, but can include miracles
iii. Does much of his work through natural
b. Implications
i. God is not limited to working directly to accomplish his purposes
1. He can work through other people, does not have to just do
the miraculous
ii. God may use persons and organizations that are not avowedly Christian
iii. We should have an appreciation for all that God has created
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
iv. We can learn something about God from his creation
v. God’s immanence means that there are points at which the gospel can
make contact with the unbeliever
II. Transcendence
a. Definition
i. Removed from creation
ii. God is not merely a quality of nature or of humanity, he is not just the
highest human being
iii. He is not limited to our ability to understand him
iv. His holiness and goodness go far beyond, infinitely beyond ours, and this is
true of his knowledge and power
b. Implications
i. There is something higher than human beings
ii. God can never be completely captured in human concepts
iii. Our salvation is not our achievement
iv. There will always be a difference between God and human beings
v. Reverence is appropriate in our relationship with God
vi. We will look for genuinely transcendent working by God
THEO 201 – July 20 – Lecture: Chap. 10: The Greatness of God
I. Spirituality
a. God is spirit, not composed of mater, does not possess a physical nature
b. God does not have the limitations involved with a physical body
c. Anthropomorphisms
i. Giving human characteristics of God to help us understand
1. God moves
2. God sits on his throne
3. God’s face
d. Theophany
i. Temporary physical manifestations of God
1. Burning bush
2. Limited to Old Testament before Incarnation
II. Life
a. God is characterized by life
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
i. Exodus 3:14 “I am”
b. God has a kind of life different from that of every other living being
i. God is source of all life
ii. God is eternal (no beginning, no end)
c. God’s very nature
III. Personality
a. God can have a relationship with each of us
b. Has a name, capable of feeling
c. He engages and communicates with humans
d. His value is in who he is, not because of what he does
e. God is depicted as having all of the capacities associated with personality:
i. God knows
ii. God feels
iii. God wills
iv. God acts
v. God is to be treated as a being, not an object or force
IV. Infinity
a. Space
i. Omnipresence
1. Everything is present to God
ii. Time
1. Can see beginning and end, not limited by time
iii. Omniscience
V. Constancy
a. God does not change
b. God cannot decrease for if he were to, he would cease to be God
THEO 201 – July 21 – Lecture: Chap. 11: The Goodness of God
I. Moral Qualities
a. Moral Purity
i. God’s absolute freedom from anything wicked or evil
ii. Characteristics
1. Holiness
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
a. Definition
i. “Withdrawn from common, ordinary use”
b. Examples in O.T.
i. Ark of the Covenant
ii. Burning bush ground
iii. Temples
iv. God’s people (Israel nation)
c. We need to compare our holiness to the standard of
God’s holiness, not against the standard of other humans
2. Righteousness
a. Definition
i. The holiness of God applied to his relationships
with other beings
b. Integrity
3. Justice
a. Definition
i. His justice is his official righteousness, his requirement
that other moral agents adhere to the standards as
well
ii. Fair in the administration of his law
i. Definition
1. Relating to truth
ii. Genuineness
1. Being true
iii. Veracity
1. Telling the truth
2. God can not lie
iv. Faithfulness
1. Proving true, keeps all his promises and covenants
c. Love
i. Definition
1. Selfless love
2. Eternal giving or sharing of himself
ii. Benevolence
iii. Grace
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
1. Getting what we don’t deserve
iv. Mercy
1. Not getting what I do deserve
v. Persistence/Longsuffering/Patient
1. Withholds judgment and continues to offer salvation and grace
over long periods of time
2. Example
I. Remaining faithful and patient with Israel even though they
kept turning away
II. Not short tempered
THEO 201 – July 21 – Lecture: Chap. 12: The Trinity
III. False Views of the Trinity
a. Tri-theism
i. Three gods
b. Modalism
i. One god, 3 distinct personalities
ii. Only 1 form can be present at each time
iii. One god reveals himself in one of three “roles” he plays at a time, but one at
a time
c. Illustrations:
i. Unacceptable:
1. Three-leaf clover
2. Three states of water
3. Three-fold nature of man
4. Three parts of an egg
ii. Possible/Partial Illustrations:
1. Time
a. Past, present, future
2. Math
a. 1 X 1 X 1 =3
IV. The word, Trinity, is not found in the Bible, but the concept is found throughout the Bible.
V. Athanasian Creed
VI. The Trinity is:
THEO 201-001 Summer Session Notes
a. Equal in nature
i. Christ is equal to the Father
1. John 1:1
ii. Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the
Son 1. John 15:26
b. Separate in Person
i. The Baptism of Jesus
1. Luke 3:22
ii. Jesus’ statements
1. John 15:26
iii. Early Church
1. II Cor. 13:14
c. Submissive in duties
i. H.S. submitting to Jesus and the
Father 1. John 15:26
ii. Jesus submitting to the will of the father in the garden
