Inter-Varsity Press

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction to Systematic Theology
What is systematic theology? Why should Christians study it? How should we study it?

Part 1: The Doctrine of the Word of God

Chapter 2: The Word of God
What are the different forms of the Word of God?

Chapter 3: The Canon of Scripture
What belongs in the Bible and what does not belong?

Chapter 4: The Four Characteristics of Scripture: (1) Authority
How do we know that the Bible is God’s Word?

Chapter 5: The Inerrancy of Scripture
Are there any errors in the Bible?

Chapter 6: The Four Characteristics of Scripture: (2) Clarity
Can only Bible scholars understand the Bible rightly?

Chapter 7: The Four Characteristics of Scripture: (3) Necessity
For what purposes are the Bible necessary? How much can people know about God without the Bible?

Chapter 8: The Four Characteristics of Scripture: (4) Sufficiency
Is the Bible enough for knowing what God wants us to think or do?

Part 2: The Doctrine of God

Chapter 9: The Existence of God
How do we know that God exists?

Chapter 10: The Knowability of God
Can we really know God? How much of God can we know?

Chapter 11: The Character of God: “Incommunicable” Attributes
How is God different from us?

Chapter 12: The Character of God: “Communicable” Attributes (Part 1)
How is God like us in his being and in mental and moral attributes?

Chapter 13: The Character of God: “Communicable” Attributes (Part 2)
How is God like us in attributes of will and in attributes that summarize his excellence?

Chapter 14: God in Three Persons: The Trinity
How can God be three persons, yet one God?

Chapter 15: Creation
Why, how, and when did God create the universe?

Chapter 16: God’s Providence
If God controls all things, how can our actions have real meaning? What are the decrees of God?

Chapter 17: Miracles
What are miracles? Can they happen today?

Chapter 18: Prayer
Why does God want us to pray? How can we pray effectively?

Chapter 19: Angels
What are angels? Why did God create them?

Chapter 20: Satan and Demons
How should Christians think of Satan and demons today? Spiritual warfare.

Part 3: The Doctrine of Man

Chapter 21: The Creation of Man
Why did God create us? How did God make us like himself? How can we please him in everyday living?

Chapter 22: Man as Male and Female
Why did God create two sexes? Can men and women be equal and yet have different roles?

Chapter 23: The Essential Nature of Man
What does Scripture mean by “soul” and “spirit”? Are they the same thing?

Chapter 24: Sin
What is sin? Where did it come from? Do we inherit a sinful nature from Adam? Do we inherit guilt from Adam?

Chapter 25: The Covenants Between God and Man
What principles determine the way God relates to us?

Part 4: The Doctrines of Christ and the Holy Spirit

Chapter 26: The Person of Christ
How is Jesus fully God and fully man, yet one person?

Chapter 27: The Atonement
Was it necessary for Christ to die? Did Christ’s entire earthly life earn any saving benefits for us? The cause and nature of the atonement.

Did Christ descend into hell?

Chapter 28: Resurrection and Ascension
What was Christ’s resurrection body like? What is its significance for us? What happened to Christ when he ascended into heaven? What is meant by the states of Jesus Christ?

Chapter 29: The Offices of Christ
How is Christ prophet, priest, and king?

Chapter 30: The Work of the Holy Spirit
What are the distinctive activities of the Holy Spirit throughout the history of the Bible?

Part 5: The Doctrine of the Application of Redemption

Chapter 31: Common Grace
What are the undeserved blessings that God gives to all people, both believers and unbelievers?

Chapter 32: Election and Reprobation
When and why did God choose us? Are some not chosen?

Chapter 33: The Gospel Call and Effective Calling
What is the gospel message? How does it become effective?

Chapter 34: Regeneration
What does it mean to be born again?

Chapter 35: Conversion (Faith and Repentance)
What is true repentance? What is saving faith? Can people accept Jesus as Savior and not as Lord?

Chapter 36: Justification (Right Legal Standing Before God)
How and when do we gain right legal standing before God?

Chapter 37: Adoption (Membership in God’s Family)
What are benefits of being a member of God’s family?

Chapter 38: Sanctification (Growth in Likeness to Christ)
How do we grow in Christian maturity? What are the blessings of Christian growth?

Chapter 39: Baptism in and Filling With the Holy Spirit
Should we seek a “baptism in the Holy Spirit” after conversion? What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Chapter 40: The Perseverance of the Saints (Remaining a Christian)
Can true Christians lose their salvation? How can we know if we are truly born again?

Chapter 41: Death and the Intermediate State
What is the purpose of death in the Christian life? What happens to our bodies and souls when we die?

Chapter 42: Glorification (Receiving a Resurrection Body)
When will we receive resurrection bodies? What will they be like?

Chapter 43: Union With Christ
What does it mean to be “in Christ” or “united with Christ”?

Part 6: The Doctrine of the Church

Chapter 44: The Church: Its Nature, Its Marks, and Its Purposes
What is necessary to make a church? How can we recognize a true church? The purposes of the church.

Chapter 45: The Purity and Unity of the Church
What makes a church more or less pleasing to God? What kinds of churches should we cooperate with or join?

Chapter 46: The Power of the Church
What kind of authority does the church have? How should church discipline function?

Chapter 47: Church Government
How should a church be governed? How should church officers be chosen? Should women serve as pastors of churches?

Chapter 48: Means of Grace Within the Church
What are the different activities within the life of the church that God uses to bring blessing to us? What do we miss if we neglect
involvement in a local church?

Chapter 49: Baptism
Who should be baptized? How should it be done? What does it mean?

Chapter 50: The Lord’s Supper
What is the meaning of the Lord’s Supper? How should it be observed?

Chapter 51: Worship
How can our worship fulfill its great purpose in the New Testament age? What does it mean to worship “in spirit and in truth”?

Chapter 52: Gifts of the Holy Spirit (1): General Questions
What are spiritual gifts? How many are there? Have some gifts ceased? Seeking and using spiritual gifts.

Chapter 53: Gifts of the Holy Spirit (2): Specific Gifts
How should we understand and use specific spiritual gifts?

Part 7: The Doctrine of the Future

When and how will Christ return? Could he come back at any hour?

Chapter 55: The Millennium
What is the Millennium? When does it occur? Will Christians go through the Great Tribulation?

Chapter 56: The Final Judgment and Eternal Punishment
Who will be judged? What is hell?

Chapter 57: The New Heavens and New Earth
What is heaven? Is it a place? How will the earth be renewed? What will it be like to live in the new heavens and new earth?

Appendix 1: Historic confessions of faith
Appendix 2: Scripture memory passages from the NIV and NASB
Appendix 3: Contemporary Worship songs classified by chapter
Appendix 4: Annotated Bibliography of Evangelical Systematic Theologies
Appendix 5: Master List of Systematic Theologies
Appendix 6: The monogenes controversy: “only” or “only begotten”?

Preface

I have not written this book for other teachers of theology (though I hope many of them will read it). I have written it for students — and not only for students, but also for every Christian who has a hunger to know the central doctrines of the Bible in greater depth.

This is why I have called the book “An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine.” I have tried to make it understandable even for Christians who have never studied theology before. I have avoided using technical terms without first explaining them. And most of the chapters can be read on their own, so that someone can begin at any chapter and grasp it without having read the earlier material.

Introductory studies do not have to be shallow or simplistic. I am convinced that most Christians are able to understand the doctrinal teachings of the Bible in considerable depth, provided that they are presented clearly and without the use of highly technical language. Therefore I have not hesitated to treat theological disputes in some detail where it seemed necessary.

Yet this book, despite its size, is still an introduction to systematic theology. Entire books have been written about the topics covered in each chapter of this book, and entire articles have been written about many of the verses quoted in this book. Therefore each chapter is capable of opening out into additional study in more breadth or more depth for those who are interested. The bibliographies at the end of each chapter give some help in that direction.

The following six distinctive features of this book grow out of my convictions about what systematic theology is and how it should be taught:

1. A Clear Biblical Basis for Doctrines. Because I believe that theology should be explicitly based on the teachings of Scripture, in each chapter I have attempted to show where the Bible gives support for the doctrines under consideration. In fact, because I believe that the words of Scripture themselves have power and authority greater than any human words, I have not just given Bible references; I have frequently quoted Bible passages at length so that readers can easily examine for themselves the scriptural evidence and in that way be like the noble Bereans, who were “examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). This conviction about the unique nature of the Bible as God’s words has also led to the inclusion of a Scripture memory passage at the end of each chapter.

2. Clarity in the Explanation of Doctrines. I do not believe that God intended the study of theology to result in confusion and frustration. A student who comes out of a course in theology filled only with doctrinal uncertainty and a thousand unanswered questions is hardly “able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). Therefore I have tried to state the doctrinal positions of this book clearly and to show where in Scripture I find convincing evidence for those positions. I do not expect that everyone reading this book will agree with me at every point of doctrine; I do think that every reader will understand the positions I am arguing for and where Scripture can be found to support those positions.

I think it is only fair to readers of this book to say at the beginning what my own convictions are regarding certain points that are disputed within evangelical Christianity. I hold to a conservative view of biblical inerrancy, very much in agreement with the “Chicago Statement” of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (chapter 5 and appendix 1, pp. 1489 – 95), and a traditional Reformed position with regard to questions of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility (chapter 16), the extent of the atonement (chapter 27), and the question of predestination (chapter 32). Consistent with the Reformed view, I hold that those who are truly born again will never lose their salvation (chapter 40). With regard to male-female relationships, I argue for a view that is neither traditional nor feminist, but “complementarian”— namely, that God created man and woman equal in value and personhood, and equal in bearing his image, but that both creation and redemption indicate some distinct roles for men and women in marriage (chapter 22) and in the church (chapter 47). On church government, I advocate a modified congregational form of government, with plural elders in governing positions (chapter 47). I argue for a baptistic view of baptism, namely, that those who give a believable profession of personal faith should be baptized (chapter 49). I hold that “baptism in the Holy Spirit” is a phrase best applied to conversion, and subsequent experiences are better called “being filled with the Holy Spirit” (chapter 39); moreover, that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the New Testament are still valid for today, but that “apostle” is an office, not a gift, and that office does not continue today (chapters 52, 53). I believe that Christ’s second coming could occur any day, that it will be premillennial — that is, that it will mark the beginning of his thousand-year reign of perfect peace on the earth—but that it will be post-tribulational—that is, that many Christians will go through the great tribulation (chapters 54, 55).

This does not mean that I ignore other views. Where there are doctrinal differences within evangelical Christianity I have tried to represent other positions fairly, to explain why I disagree with them, and to give references to the best available defenses of the opposing positions. In fact, I have made it easy for students to find a conservative evangelical statement on each topic from within their own theological traditions, because each chapter contains an index to treatments of that chapter’s subject in thirty-four other theology texts classified by denominational background. (If I have failed to represent an opposing view accurately I would appreciate a letter from anyone who holds
that view, and I will attempt to make corrections if a subsequent edition of this book is published.)

3. Application to Life. I do not believe that God intended the study of theology to be dry and boring. Theology is the study of God and all his works! Theology is meant to be lived and prayed and sung! All of the great doctrinal writings of the Bible (such as Paul’s epistle to the Romans) are full of praise to God and personal application to life. For this reason I have incorporated notes on application from time to time in the text, and have added “Questions for Personal Application” at the end of each chapter, as well as a hymn related to the topic of the chapter. True theology is “teaching which accords with godliness” (1 Tim. 6:3), and theology when studied rightly will lead to growth in our Christian lives, and to worship.

4. Focus on the Evangelical World. I do not think that a true system of theology can be constructed from within what we may call the “liberal” theological tradition — that is, by people who deny the absolute truthfulness of the Bible, or who do not think the words of the Bible to be God’s very words (see chapter 4, on the authority of Scripture). For this reason, the other writers I interact with in this book are mostly within what is today called the larger “conservative evangelical” tradition—from the great Reformers John Calvin and Martin Luther, down to the writings of evangelical scholars today. I write as an evangelical and for evangelicals. This does not mean that those in the liberal tradition have nothing valuable to say; it simply means that differences with them almost always boil down to differences over the nature of the Bible and its authority. The amount of doctrinal agreement that can be reached by people with widely divergent bases of authority is quite limited. I am thankful for my evangelical friends who write extensive critiques of liberal theology, but I do not think that everyone is called to do that, or that an extensive analysis of liberal views is the most helpful way to build a positive system of theology based on the total truthfulness of the whole Bible. In fact, somewhat like the boy in Hans Christian Andersen’s tale who shouted, “The Emperor has no clothes!” I think someone needs to say that it is doubtful that liberal theologians have given us any significant insights into the doctrinal teachings of Scripture that are not already to be found in evangelical writers.

It is not always appreciated that the world of conservative evangelical scholarship is so rich and diverse that it affords ample opportunity for exploration of different viewpoints and insights into Scripture. I think that ultimately we will attain much more depth of understanding of Scripture when we are able to study it in the company of a great number of scholars who all begin with the conviction that the Bible is completely true and absolutely authoritative. The cross-references to thirty-four other evangelical systematic theologies that I have put at the end of each chapter reflect this conviction: though they are broken down into seven broad theological traditions (Anglican/Episcopalian,
Arminian/Wesleyan/Methodist, Baptist, Dispensational, Lutheran, Reformed/Presbyterian, and Renewal/Charismatic/ Pentecostal), they all would hold to the inerrancy of the Bible and would belong to what would be called a conservative evangelical position today. (In addition to these thirty-four conservative evangelical works, I have also added to each chapter a section of cross-references to two representative Roman Catholic theologies, because Roman Catholicism continues to exercise such a significant influence worldwide.)

5. Hope for Progress in Doctrinal Unity in the Church. I believe that there is still much hope for the church to attain deeper and purer doctrinal understanding, and to overcome old barriers, even those that have persisted for centuries. Jesus is at work perfecting his church “that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27), and he has given gifts to equip the church “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph. 4:13). Though the past history of the church may discourage us, these Scriptures remain true, and we should not abandon hope of greater agreement. In fact, in this century we have already seen much greater understanding and some greater doctrinal agreement between Covenant and Dispensational theologians, and between charismatics and noncharismatics; moreover, I think the church’s understanding of biblical inerrancy and of spiritual gifts has also increased significantly in the last few decades. I believe that the current debate over appropriate roles for men and women in marriage and the church will eventually result in much greater understanding of the teaching of Scripture as well, painful though the controversy may be at the present time. Therefore, in this book I have not hesitated to raise again some of the old differences (over baptism, the Lord’s Supper, church government, the millennium and the tribulation, and predestination, for example) in the hope that, in some cases at least, a fresh look at Scripture may provoke a new examination of these doctrines and may perhaps prompt some movement not just toward greater understanding and tolerance of other viewpoints, but even toward greater doctrinal consensus in
the church.

6. A Sense of the Urgent Need for Greater Doctrinal Understanding in the Whole Church. I am convinced that there is an urgent need in the church today for much greater understanding of Christian doctrine, or systematic theology. Not only pastors and teachers need to understand theology in greater depth—the whole church does as well. One day by God’s grace we may have churches full of Christians who can discuss, apply, and live the doctrinal teachings of the Bible as readily as they can discuss the details of their own jobs or hobbies—or the fortunes of their favorite sports team or television program. It is not that Christians lack the ability to understand doctrine; it is just that they must have access to it in an understandable form. Once that happens, I think that many Christians will find that understanding (and living) the doctrines of Scripture is one of their greatest joys. ...