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Theology 201 Class
Notes
Theology Survey I (Liberty
University)
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Theology Notes
(WRITTEN NOTES TAKEN IN CLASS BECAUSE OF PROFESSOR’S
DISLIKE OF COM- PUTERS. I WILL TRANSFER NOTES ONTO THIS
PAGE AFTER CLASS)
January 16, 2019
• Theology = “queen of sciences”
• We make sense of everything else when we make sense of God.
- Why “do” theology?
•To understand the unity of the Bible.
•To respond to contemporary challenges.
•To guard the faith.
•To become deeper disciples.
• To understand our stories in the light of God’s story.
- What is theology?
•The study of God (theos-logos)
If God is personal, we should not approach theology as a study of an object, but as the deepening
of our knowledge of and relation to a personal being.
- The nature of Christian theology:
• Biblical, rooted in scripture
• Systematic
• Cultural
• Contemporary
• Practical
• Narratival
- Sources for theology:
• Nature (science, reason, etc.)
• Tradition/church history
• Scripture
• Experience
Theological
Method
1. Contextual Interpretation of Scripture
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4. Reflect on
Implications And
Applications
2. Consider Narrative Development
Of Revelation
3. “Dialogue with other thinkers/sources
January 21, 2019
• Don’t think of the Bible as a collection of random facts needed to be as-
sembled.
• Always put the context first.
• Theology = a journey… spiraling process.
• Remember the importance of history and community.
• Always be open to learning and correction.
• Value humility and growth over being right.
- Questions for Thinking Theologically:
• Which source is given primacy?
• How is Scripture treated (carefully, dismissively, haphazardly, etc.)
• How does the issue at hand relate to other doctrines?
• How do the contexts shape what is be- ing said?
• How does this relate to the Christian life?
- Listening Application:
Convergence of…
• The Scriptures
• The inner working of the Spirit
• Our circumstances
- How to Read the Bible:
Exploring Contexts…
• Historical (when?)
• Literary (what genre?)
• Cultural (what setting?)
• Social (what people?)
• Intertextual/canonical (where else?)
• Narratival (narrator of story?)
Examples of a-contextual reading…
God speaks to us this way.
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• Jeremiah 29:11
• Philippians 4:13
• Ezekiel 22:30
• 2 Chronicles 7:14
Prevalent examples of bad Bible reading…
• Narcissistic focus (not to us, but FOR us)
• Prosperity Gospel (blessings not always/usually financial)
• Canon-within-canon (Marcionite)
• Proof texting (context!)
• Dualistic spirituality (embodied existence)
• Explore the background…context!
• Read the whole text/context.
• Consider its relationship to other passages.
• Consider how it fits into biblical narrative.
• Examine secondary literature.
• Consider what it teaches about the Triune God.
January 23, 2019
- Contextualization
-If a message is communicated and not understood, has it really been communicated?
• Necessary because:
•Culture is changing fast
• Cultural differences are significant
• Language barriers require contextualization
- Approaches to Contextualization
• Transplanters - retain terminology and customs
• Transformers - modify the message
• Translators - contextualize
language/concepts What is the best
approach?
The danger is exaggerating diversity or exaggerating unity.
- “Doing” Contextualization
•Change the methods but not the message?
•What is the message? The sermon, attributes of God, God’s work, etc. cannot
be changed. “Euangelion” Greek; meaning the gospel.
•How? Acts 12, Galatians 2-3/Romans 3-4 (Paul talks about Jews vs. Gentiles) v. James 2
•Contextualization begins with LISTENING. Listen to understand them.
•Jesus never “goes off on” the pagans.
B T R
PP ro o fs
G
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•Don’t “other” those different than you. Don’t make enemies out of someone because
you haven’t taken the time to understand them, dehumanizing them.
•Cultural exegesis is necessary (Acts 17)
January 28, 2019
- Revelation
•God takes the initiative to make Himself known.
•Human knowledge of God is partial and imperfect. (ontology - being, is what is. epistemol-
ogy - how you know what you know)
• Deuteronomy 29:29, Isaiah 65:1
• “Revelation” refers to God disclosing or revealing Himself to humans. There are
multiple sources or modes of revelation:
• Natural/general revelation
• Supernatural/special revelation
•In some sense, all revelation is supernatural.
• Natural/General Revelation:
•Natural world (creation)
•History
•Human identity (morality, human relations, logic, etc.)
•If we did not have the Bible, what might we
know of Him?
•Value and limitations of Natural/General Revelation
•Creates “impressions” about the existence and attributes of God.
•Universally available.
•Produces “generic” theism.
•Subjective and impaired by the effects of sin.
• Special/Supernatural Revelation
Includes…
•God’s actions
•Scripture
•Supremely Jesus
Points toward a relational need
•God’s actions reveal His character. In revealing Himself, God condescends to human
limi- tations.
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• Divine Acts:
• Call of Abraham
• Incarnation
• Resurrection
• Exodus
• Exile
• Cross
• Divine Speech:
•Burning Bush
•Dreams
•Prophets
•Jesus
•Psalms
•Revelation
January 30, 2019
- Inspiration
• The supernatural direction of God on the writers of Scripture.
• 66 books (39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament)
• Roughly 2,000 years
• Numerous authors
• Oral pre-text
• The “word of the Lord” (what the text says)
• Jesus says things about the OT (Matt 5:18; 19:4-5; 24:2; John 10:35)
• The NT authors on the OT (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:16)
• The Early Church
• How were the biblical authors “directed by God?”
Spectrum of views on divine and human
involvement
• Intuition - authors possessed keen spiritual insight
• Illumination - authors were given keep spiritual insight
• Dynamic - divine and human elements co-mixed in the process
• Verbal - the exact words chosen were influenced by God
• Dictation - God told the authors what to write verbatim
•Which is right? Which is right? Must take into account:
•Literary diversity
•Theological diversity
•Biblical data (Luke 1:1-4) Luke does research to write his book
•Witness of the Church
•Biblical content (words about God, words from God, and interpreted events)
•Possible viable models:
•Deputized speech
•Concursive activity
- Inerrancy
• Is the Bible true and trustworthy?
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• Degrees of Inerrancy:
• Absolute - the Bible contains completely accurate scientific and historical data
• Full - the Bible is completely accurate, but contains phenomenological descriptions
• Limited - the Bible is completely accurate concerning matters of doctrine
•The Chicago Statement
•We have to judge Scripture by its intent in the original context, not by modern
expecta- tions. (Full inerrancy)
•Theologically and historically important
•Not a matter of salvation
•Not of creedal importance, but historically affirmed
•May create temptation for absolute certainty
- Authority
• Scripture’s authority is derived from God.
• Scripture must be contextually interpreted and applied carefully.
• “It is the Bible which is the Word of God, and not our understanding of it.” -I.H. Marshall
• Scripture contains propositions and commands, but it is fundamentally a narrative.
• Vanhoozer (following Balthasar) refers to this as a Theo-drama: a divine drama which
invites its hearers to participate.
• The goal of the Christian life is transformation through being with God.
February 4, 2019
- Religion in Global Perspective
In the world…
•Christianity...............31%
•Islam..............24%
•Secular..............16%
•Hindu..............15%
•Everything else..............13%
- GOD
• “How do we avoid a culturally based view of God?”
• Contextual reading of Scripture.
• Conversation with the creeds and church history.
• Critical engagement with cultural biases.
• The God who ACTS and RELATES
• Creation —> Covenants —> Exodus —> Kingdom —> Exile —> Restoration
• Imminence & Transcendance
• “Is God involved in the world or separate/removed from it?”
• Scripture attests that God is both wholly other from His creation (not caused, indepen-
dent, etc.) and also intimately involved in it.
• ex: Isaiah 55:9, Deuteronomy 4:7
• Imminence & Transcendence are divine attributes. Not just what God does, but who He is.
• Divine attributes are permanent and intrinsic qualities, which cannot be gained or
lost. (think: the Lord’s prayer)
“There are no secular moments in a Christian life.” - Paul’s Letter to the Romans
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Every good and perfect thing is from above.
February 6, 2019
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” - Westminster Catechism
- Divine Greatness and Goodness
• Three nouns predicated about God in Scripture…
•God is LOVE.
•God is LIGHT.
•God is SPIRIT.
“The divine life and work is manifest in the mutual relations of Father, Son, and Spirit.”
-W. Pannenburg
•The unity of the Godhead is found in the shared divine essence which unites and
binds the relations of Father, Son, and Spirit.
•“God is Spirit.” (John 4:24, 2 Cor. 3:17)
•Life
•Self-Existence
•Holiness (Otherness)
•Eternality
•“God is Light.” (1 John 1:5)
•Truthfulness
•Purity
•Revelation
•“God is Love.” (1 John 4:8)
•Benevolence
•Personalness
•Self-givingness
•What is Love?
•Love is a rugged (better or worse) and affectionate (emotional) commitment of pres-
ence (withness), advocacy (forness), and direction (towardness).
•This is God’s love for us, we need to show this love to others.
•In a heuristic sense, all of the divine attributes can be tied to these three essential traits.
•Spirit
•Eternality
•Spirituality
•Life
•Constancy
•Self-existence
•Freedom
•Power
•Love
•Self-givingness
•Mercy
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•Patience
•Personalness
•Faithfulness
•Light
•Holiness
•Purity
•Authenticity
•Truthfulness
•Knowledge
•Sometimes, theologians speak of God’s essential and non-essential properties.
•Essential properties: “What could be said of God before there was anything but
God?” (speaking of divine essence)
•Nonessential properties: “What could be said of God in light of what exists?”
(speaking of contingent relations between God and His world…Creator, Sustainer,
Wrath/Judge- ment, etc.)
•What about God’s limitations?
•Make a square circle
•Stop existing
•Change His essence
•Destroy Himself
•Lie
•Sin
February 11, 2019
- The Trinity
•In the Trinity, we find the God who gives…
•The doctrine of the Trinity is fundamental to the Christian faith and the gospel.
Some Christians have denied or been suspicious of the doctrine of the Trinity
because “the Trinity” is not explicitly mentioned in Scripture.
•Narrative affirmations of the Trinity:
•Jesus’ Baptism (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22)
•Jesus’ Temptation (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-12)
•The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)
•Scripture gives two affirmations in tension with one another:
•God is one/there is only one God to worship (Deut. 6:4, Exodus 20:2-4, 1 Cor.
8:4- 6, Jas. 2:19)
•The Father, Son, and Spirit are affirmed as divine and receiving glory/worship
(1 Cor. 8:4-6, Phil. 2:5-11, Acts 5:3-4, Matt 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14)
•History
•The relations between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit was one of the most
contro- versial issues in the early church.
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•The discussion was largely prompted by the spreading of teachings deemed
heretical (Arianism, modalism, tritheism, adoptionism, Apollinarism, Docetism,
Pneu- matomachianism, monothelitism, Nestorianism)
•The creeds were the result of much discussion and reflection.
•The Apostles’ Creed (2nd-3rd century)
•The Nincene Constantinopolitan Creed (325 & 381)
•The Chalcedonian Creed (451)
•The Anthanasian Creed (500 - Part 1)
•Why trust the creeds?
•The Bible itself is creedal. (Deut. 6:4-5, Romans 10:9, 1 Cor. 8:6, etc.)
•Creeds preserve doctrinal standards and reinforce personal commitment.
February 13, 2019
- The Trinity
•The Trinity is NOT…
•Adoptionism: Jesus was a man who was adopted as the “Son of God” (deification)
•Arianism: “There was a time when the Son was not” (Jesus was created, not
co- eternal…divine creation)
•Modalism: There is one God who takes on three forms (shape shifter)
•Pneumatomachianism: The Holy Spirit is not a distinct divine person (binitarian-
ism)
•Partialism: The Godhead is made of three “parts”: Father, Son, and Spirit. Not
sep- arate but distinct.
•The Trinity is…
•Based upon the creedal affirmations, historic, orthodox Christianity affirms:
•One God (one divine essence)
•3 distinct persons (distinct but not separable)
•The 3 persons do not “make up” the Godhead
•Jesus begotten (not made, but relates to Father as Son)
•Holy Spirit proceeds (not made, sent by Father)
•Trinity in Unity
•Trinitarian Relations
•Distinction in relations/roles, not in nature (economic Trinity)
•Revelation: originates in Father, proceeds through Son, completed by Spirit.
•Salvation: originates in Father, accomplished by Son, applied by Spirit.
•Creation: originates in Father, through son, perfected by Spirit.
•Prayer: directed to the Father, through Son, by power of Spirit.
•Spiritual gifts: from the Father, by the Son, in the Spirit.
•The Trinity & Christian Life
•Unity and diversity
•Self-giving love
•Community (perichoresis - mutual indwelling)
•Missio Dei (mission of God)
February 25, 2019
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Metacognition
•What’s the difference between studying and learning?
•Memorization v. Cognition (knowing v. understanding)
•Intelligence: fixed or fluid?
•Study Process:
1. Preview: start thinking before class.
2. Attend: go to class and take notes on what you see and what is said.
3. Review: ask questions and assess the day after class
4. Assess: can you summarize the info in your own words, can you teach
this material to others?
•Bloom’s Taxonomy
•In the ancient world, teachers taught through “chreiai” (sayings) “learners” were to
recite, inflect, expand, condense, comment, object, refute, and confirm.
- God’s Plan
•Creation —> Fall —> Redemption
•What’s missing? Genesis 4 through Malachi in Old Testament.
Individualistic not cosmic.
•Creation —> Fall —> Covenants —> Jesus & Kingdom —> New Creation
•Humans made in God’s image to rule over God’s good creation (Gen. 1-2)
•Creaturely sin introduces destruction and chaos instead of shalom (Gen. 3)
•God calls a people (covenants to restore humanity) to knowledge and worship of
God (Gen. 15, Ex. 19:6, Is. 42-6)
•God’s people are unfaithful and exiled (prophets)
•Jesus restores and completes the divine plan (Lk. 2:32)
•Jesus defeats the “powers” (sin, death, etc.) and inaugurates new creation/restora-
tion.
•The plan of God moves forward in the Bible through the covenants (Abrahamic
—> Mosaic —> Davidic —> New)
February 27, 2019
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- God’s Plan
Does God determine everything that happens? (Cancer? Abuse? Holocaust?)
•Terms in the debate:
•Foreknowledge
•Predestination/Foreordination
•Elect
•Reprobate
•Sovereignty
•Free will
•The spectrum of the debate:
God foreknows and determines all <— ———— —> God foreknows and determines
nothing
Hard Calvinism/ Arminianism Process Theology
Determinism
Soft Calvinism/ Open Theism
Compatibilism
•Models of Divine Sovereignty (cf. Tom Oord)
•God is the Omnicause (Determinism)
•God overpowers and empowers (Calviminianism)
•God is voluntarily self-limited (free-will theism)
•God is essentially kenotic/His love constrains sovereignty (open theism)
•God sustains as impersonal force (pantheism)
•God is Creator and Observer (deism)
•God’s ways are not our ways (fideism)
•What frames our view of God?
•Sovereignty
•Love
•Relationality
•Glory
•If a human agent couldn’t act otherwise (make a contrary choice), are they
really free?
•The Bible presents a tension: God is sovereign, but humans are free and
responsible for their decisions.
•Tension in the canon
•Tension in Second Temple Judaism
•Augustinian/Pelagian controversy
March 4, 2019
- God’s Plan
•A possible paradigm:
•Good and evil in Genesis (Garden —> Joseph) (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28)
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•A contextual reading:
•God is love (unconditional devotion to another’s good without consideration of
re- ciprocation)
•God is relational (Jeremiah 38:17-18; Matthew 23:37; Luke 7:30)
•God is omniscient
•God is omnipotent
•God’s relations with humans are non-coercive
•Creation
•“There is unformed matter. There is water above and below. Light, the sun,
moon, stars, land, water, creatures, and humans.” —> Enuma Elish (Babylonian
Creation myth)
•Differences between Enuma Elish and Genesis:
•The gods are born of two “high” gods.
•The god-children are too noisy.
•Eventually there is a war among the gods, and the dead bodies of the gods
are the matter which constitutes creation.
•Humans were made to do the work of the gods (slaves).
•4 major elements in Genesis 1:
•Assigning of function (bringing order)
•Ordering of temple (a place for God’s presence)
•Polemic against other ANE (Ancient Near East context) stories (God not
capri- cious or fighting for supremacy)
•Created as image bearers (humans reflect God and His work)
•Elements of a doctrine of creation
•Ex nihilo (Gen. 1:1; Eph. 1:4; Heb 1:10)
•Everything distinct from God was made.
•God’s creation was - and is, and will be - GOOD.
•The Trinitarian persons each played a part (Gen. 1:2; 1 Cor. 8:6; John
1:3; Heb.1:10)
•Creation vs. Evolution/Science
•Thinking apologetically…
•Naturalism = problem (a worldview)
•“[Naturalism] can’t account for: consciousness, truth, physical, constancy,
intentionality, fine-tuning, trust in cognitive functions, morality, evil,
love, beauty, etc.”
•If I am just a chemical composition - just material stuff - how am I
also capable of these things??
•Approaches to Creation
•Major Christian views on Creation:
•Young earth, progressive, and theistic evolution
March 6, 2019
- The problem of evil
• If God, why evil?
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• Spectrum of responses:
• Perhaps God is not omnipotent (process theology)
• OR God is not good (determinism)
• OR God does not exist (atheism/skepticism)
• OR Evil does not exist (pantheism/other eastern religions)
•Two main branches of evil:
•NATURAL EVIL - cancer, disease, natural disasters
•MORAL EVIL - murder, rape, abuse, racism
•But also… EXISTENTIAL EVIL
•Canonical approaches to evil (D. Rishmawy)
•Retributive - what goes around comes around; deuteronomistic
•Sapiental - evil teaches us; proverbs
•Eschatological - God will deal with it; prophets
•Mysterious - we can’t understand; Job
•Communion - God is with us during evil
•The Fall
•Approaches (theodicy):
•Soul-making defense - Without evil, would our soul be transformed? Did
good things come out of the evil thing?
•Augustinian Theory - Understanding evil…taking something good and misusing it
•Free Will Theodicy - Exists because God has given us moral freedom; freedom
is misused sometimes.
•“Without freedom, you can’t have love.” - C.S. Lewis
•THE CROSS AND RESURRECTION! God DID NOT do nothing about evil!! God
will make everything right.
March 18, 2019
- The Unseen Realm
•Our age is marked by intense skepticism toward the spiritual world.
“We cannot use electric lights and radios and, in the event of illness, avail ourselves of
modern medical and clinical means and at the same time believe in the spirit and wonder
world of the New Testament.” - Bultmann
•The spiritual world of the Bible is more complex than just Satan, angels, and demons.
(Ex: Genesis 6:1 and Job 1:6)
•The Divine Council
•Job 38:4
•Psalm 89:5
•The “Sons of God” are created “divine” beings who serve Yahweh.
•They discuss and implement the plan of Yahweh in the “divine council.”
•They are also referred to as the “elohim” the “gods.”
•The Nephilim/Rephaim
•Genesis 6:2
•THUS, the Flood…
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•Genesis 11:1
•Deuteronomy 2:9
•Numbers 13:2
•Joshua 13:21
•1 Samuel 17:4
•1 Samuel 8:19
•1 Samuel 9:2
•The Sons of God and the Nations
•Deuteronomy 32:8 - God hands over the nations to the sons of God and He chooses
Israel as His chosen people.
•Daniel 10:12
•Isaiah 66:18
•The Fallen One(s)/Kings
•Ezekiel 28:14
•Isaiah 66:18
•Jesus and the Demons
•Mark 1:34
•Matthew 12:28
•Matthew 4:8
•Colossians 1:13
•Revelation 11:15
•The Powers
•Romans 5:12
•2 Corinthians 4:4
•Ephesians 1:20
•The Fallen Sons of God (revisited)
•1 Peter 3:18
•2 Peter 2:4
•Jude 6
•The Punishment of the Heavenly Powers
•Isaiah 24
•The Reign of God Through the People of God
•Genesis 3:15
•Romans …
March 25, 2019
- Jesus’ Identity
•The “quests” for the historical Jesus have complicated the question of Jesus’ divinity.
•FIRST QUEST (1800-1900): Sensationalized and selective (NT not reliable -
Jesus failed revolutionary)
•NO QUEST (1900-1950): Jesus of history vs. Christ of faith
•SECOND QUEST (1950-1980): Criteria of authenticity and emphasis on
dissimi- larity (skeptical)
•THIRD QUEST (1980-present): Rooted in history and culture (recovering
the Jewish Jesus)
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•Jesus the Jew
•Came as a human, an Israelite
•Fulfills the Divine Plan
•Completes the covenantal promises
•Restores and transforms humanity
•Inaugurates the Kingdom of God as the divine-human Davidic King
•The Gospels present a complex and variegated portrait of Jesus.
•The Gospel message is bigger than Jesus’ death for personal salvation.
•2 facets of OT gospel: kingdom victory in Isaiah 61.
•Jesus inaugurates the Kingdom of God.
•Jesus inaugurates the restoration of creation.
•Jesus restores humanity to its vocation (telos) to worship and serve God by governing
His good world.
•This good news creates an invitation.
March 27, 2019
- Divine Identity
•Strongest indicators are:
•Forgiving sins (Mark 2:5)
•Jesus sent FROM God (where God is)
•Jesus as “Lord of Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28)
•Son of Man coming on the clouds (Mark 14:61-64)
•Jesus is “Lord” (Romans 10:9)
•Christ Hymn of Phil. (2:6-10)
•Jesus worshipped (Jesus is the presence of God)
•Jesus is the presence of God returning to Jerusalem
•Prayer to Jesus
•Praise to Jesus
•Christianized Shema in 1 Corinthians 8:4-6
•Nearly 100 passages in NT where an OT text about Yahweh is applied to Jesus
•Relation of Jesus believers.
April 1, 2019
- Christological titles
•The titles ascribed to Jesus provide windows into His complex identity.
1. Son of Man - human, Daniel 7
2. Son of God - Divine and Davidic King
3. Christ/Messiah - Anointed One
4. Lord
5. Logos - pre-existent; divine power
6. I AM - John’s gospel
7. Lamb of God - Innocence, sacrificial death
8. Son of David
9. Savior
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10. Servant
11. Rabbi
12. Chosen One
- Christological heresies
•Adoptionism: Jesus was a man and then was adopted as “Son of God.”
•Apollinarism: Jesus had a human body but a divine mind (not two natures in one,
unified person).
•Arianism: “There was a time when the Son was not.” (Jesus was created, not co-eternal).
•Docetism: Jesus’ body was an allusion (denial of two natures).
•Monophysitism: At the incarnation, Jesus’ two natures were made one either divine over-
riding the human or a fusion of the two.
•Monothelitism: Jesus had two natures, but only one will (not two natures with two wills).
•Nestorianism: Jesus existed as two separate but connected persons (not two natures
in one person).
- Reconciling Identities
•“How is it that Jesus is human and divine?”
•Jesus, in His humanity, clearly is limited as other humans (hungry, pain,
limited knowledge)
•Jesus, in His divine nature, is co-equal (equal power, pre-existent, equal
authority, equal goodness)
•How did Jesus of Nazareth, as a human, perform miracles and live a sinless life?
•By the power of the Holy Spirit - John 14:12)
•This union of Jesus’ two natures is referred to as the “hypostatic union.”
•Fully human nature and fully divine nature, but one person.
•Two minds?: the divine accesses the human, but the human does not access the divine.
•Jesus, the human, was empowered by the Spirit to fulfill the mission of God. In His na-
ture, Jesus fulfills the divine intent for humanity.
April 08, 2019
- Jesus and the Christian Life
•Jesus freely chose the incarnation and crucification revealing the self-giving and life-giv-
ing love of God for others. (Romans 8:29)
•The incarnation offers a pattern of life to us. Our culture makes impossible demands
and offers little meaning beyond achievement.
•The gospel calls us not to do more, but to be with God (union) and His people and
share the fruits of that with others.
•For the Christian, their life is “hidden in God with Christ” (Colossians 3:3)
—> This means you are NOT:
•What you have
•What you do
•What other people say or think of you
•Nothing more than your worst moment
•Nothing more than your best moment
- Jesus’ Mission
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•What did Jesus come to do?
•Second temple Jews largely expected the Messiah to do the same.
•The Maccabees, Judas son of Hezakiah, Judas the Galilean, Simon Bar Kokhbah,
etc.
•THE BIG STORY
- Jesus’ Self Understanding
•Prophet proclaiming the Kingdom of God
•Messiah inaugurating the Kingdom of God (victory and restoration)
•Sacrificially died to deal with evil
•Personal embodiment of Israel’s God
- Jesus Mission & the Gospel
•The good news of Jesus is…
1) The continuity with the story of Israel
2) Centered on Jesus’:
•Pre-existence with the Father
•Incarnation in human flesh
•Death for sins
•Burial
•Resurrection on the third day
•Appearances to many
•Exhalation/enthronement
•Future judgement
•The good news results in…
1) Restored to right covenant relations with God and others.
2) Incorporation into the Lord’s body on earth, the church.
3) Infused individually and corporately by the Spirit to live in Christ Like
cruciform (i.e. sacrificial): a) faithfulness, b) hope, c) love
towards
BOTH neighbors and enemies.
- As agents of the reconciliation
- in joyful anticipation of the return of Christ
- The resurrection of the dead
- The renewal of Creation
- Jesus’ Mission - “Gospel of the Kingdom”
•God is keeping His promises/covenants
•God is setting the world and creation right-side-up again
April 10, 2019
- Jesus’ Mission
•What did Jesus’ death actually do?
•The atonement is a debated element of Jesus’ mission.
•Major theories:
EX: Shows us the depth of God’s love and inspires us to follow suit.
•Moral influence theory: Heals us of the sickness of and ignorance caused by
sin.
•Ransom: Jesus’ death paid a ransom (to Satan?).
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•Christus Victor: Jesus’ death and resurrection defeated sin and death.
•Satisfaction/Penal: Christ’s death satisfied the punishment due to humanity.
•Substitution: Christ’s death happened in the place of humans.
•The Christus Victor and Ransom theories held the most sway in the early church.
•The Satisfaction/Penal view, which is most popular, was largely developed by Anselem
theory.
•The exodus provides a narrative context for the atonement of Jesus.
•The exodus is a paradigmatic act of salvation in the New Testament.
•Fulfillment of Exodus (new covenant and expunging of sin).
•Edith Humphrey
•Redemption: setting free from sin and death.
•Reparation: making amends.
•Righteousness: God’s right action making us right.
•Representation: on our behalf/in our place
•Rescue: delivering from darkness
•Recapitulation: reliving the human story, the right way
April 15, 2019
- Jesus’ Mission
•An incorporate and precipitative model of the atonement can integrate various
atonement theories together.
•Jesus’ health and resurrection occurs on behalf of humans (substitution), in order to free
them from the powers of sin and death (Christus Victor), accomplish forgiveness (satis-
faction/penal) and create a community of believers who are transformed into His likeness
(moral influence/example).
•In sum: The biblical narrative should be kept in mind when formulating a view.
•The myriad of images in the NT should be integrated.
•The atonement must be seen as a Triune Work:
•The sending of the Father
•The willingness of the Son
•The empowerment of the Spirit (the Father is not at odds with the Son)
•God’s forgiveness/freeing of us from sin enables us to forgive/free others from their
sin against us.
- The Holy Spirit
•“Does the Holy Spirit have a story?”
•Spirit Gives Life Creation - Genesis 1:2; 2:7; Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 40:12-14
•Spirit Departs Humanity - Genesis 6:3; 11
•Spirit Empowers Israel - Isaiah 63:11-14; Nehemiah 9:30
•Spirit Departs Israel - Ezekiel 11:23; Isaiah 59:21
•Spirit Returns Through Messiah - John1:32-33; Acts 10:38
•Spirit Gives Life (Again) - Acts 2:2-4; 33; 38; Romans 8:2-4; 1 John 3:24
•The Spirit in the Biblical Story
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•The Holy Spirit empowered the incarnate Jesus to fulfill His mission and even
His death.
•The gift of the Spirit at Pentecost is fulfillment of the expectation of Joel 2:28-
29 and Jeremiah 31:31-34/Ezekiah 36:26-27 (new covenant)
•God’s renewal of His people and creation involves the work of the Spirit of
God (new creation).
•The Person of the Holy Spirit
•The Holy Spirit is personal.
•The Spirit, though often not as emphasized among many Christians, is co-equal
and co-eternal with the Father and Son.
April 17, 2019
- The Person of the Holy Spirit
•Tilling notes the same divine relationship present between believers and the Father
and Son is present in the language of the Spirit in the NT.
•“Spirit language” speaks of God’s activity in relating to His world, creation, and people.
•GOD is thus present in Christ among His people precisely through the Spirit.
•The Work of the Holy Spirit
•The Holy Spirit indwells believers, individually (1 Corinthians 3:16) and corpo-
rately (1 Corinthians 6:19); compare Exodus 19:18-19.
•The Holy Spirit gives new life to believers, raising them together with Christ (John
3:5-8; Romans 8:1-11) and empowers and transforms the people of God (1
Corinthi- ans 12:1-14; Galatians 5:16-23; 1 Peter 1:2).
•The Holy Spirit convicts the world (Hohn 16:8-11).
•The Holy Spirit inspires Scripture and prophetic words (2 Timothy 3:16; 2
Peter 1:21).
•The Holy Spirit intercedes on behalf of believers (Romans 8:26-27).
•Central, then to the work of the Spirit in the Bible is the bringing of the truth and
the bringing of life.
•Spiritual formation does not occur through the comparison with others.
•Ex: “So and so is such a good Christian, God, let me be more like them…”
•OR through being digitally connected
•OR through having more, doing more, getting
more
•The Spirit is the agent of personal transformation in the life of a Christian.
•The Spirit works cooperatively with us on our patterns of behavior through our commu-
nion with God and God’s family.
•Cultivating a spiritual life isn’t about being busier but being present with God.
April 24, 2019
- The Holy Spirit and Miraculous Gifts
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•Controversies
•Miraculous Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 27-31)
•Prophecy
•Tongues
•Healing
Charismatic <—————————> Sensationalists
•The fruit of the Spirit should accompany these gifts
•The glory goes to the Spirit, not the person.
•Spirit Baptism: evidence of spiritual baptism seen in the gift of tongues (1
Corinthians 12:30)
•Gift of tongues as a requirement is problematic.
•Prophetic Words: (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)
•1 Thess. Indicates that prophetic words still occur BUT discernment must
be used.
•Blasphemy against the Spirit (Mark 3:28-29, Matthew 12:30-32)
•“Their hardness of heart is their determination to reject any proof for Jesus’ di-
vine mission, to the extent that they even attribute God’s Attestation of Jesus to
the devil.” (Keener)
•“Don’t let the controversies give you pneumonophobia!”
•Don’t close yourself from the work of the Spirit
•SPIRITUAL GIFTS
•Romans 12:6-8
•1 Corinthians 12:8-10
•1 Corinthians 12:28
•Ephesians 4:11-12
•1 Peter 4:11
- Prophecy
- Teaching
- Apostles (sent ones)
- Encouragement
- Pastoring
- Tongues/Interpretation
- Evangelism
- Leading
- Guidance
•Speaking (1 Peter 4:11)
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