50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith

A Guide to Understanding and Teaching Theology

Gregg R. Allison

• Publisher: Baker Books
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9780801019128
• eBook ISBN: 9781493412723
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

50 essential doctrines, clearly and succinctly explained

Christian doctrine must be confessed by the church, taught from generation to generation, and applied to daily life. In this volume theologian Gregg Allison unpacks fifty key doctrines of the Christian faith, including the foundational doctrines of

● the nature and works of God
● the Bible
● God's created beings
● Jesus
● the Holy Spirit
● salvation
● the church
● the end times
● and more

Allison covers each doctrine in a clear, engaging way and provides guidance for how to accurately teach them. He also explains how the doctrines connect to daily life, because he believes that Christian doctrine is not only true belief but also true practice.

This is an indispensable resource for anyone who desires to form believers in sound doctrine and transform lives for the glory of God.

Part 1
Doctrine of the Word of God

1
The Inspiration of Scripture

SUMMARY

All Scripture is God-breathed, because the Holy Spirit superintended the biblical authors as they composed their writings, the Word of God.

MAIN THEMES

• Scripture has God for its author.
• Scripture was also written by human authors under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
• All Scripture is God-breathed.
• Inspiration extends to the words of Scripture.
• The Spirit and the human authors wrote together.
• Various modes of inspiration were used.
• As a result of its inspiration, Scripture is authoritative and true.

KEY SCRIPTURE

Matthew 19:4–5; John 10:35; Acts 4:24–26; 1 Corinthians 2:10–12; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:16–21

Understanding the Doctrine

Major Affirmations

As the Bible itself affirms, “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16 NIV). The word “inspiration” has historically been used to describe this doctrine, referring to the divine guidance of the writers of Scripture through the movement of God’s Spirit. But we should also think of the process as one of “expiration” (breathing out): Scripture is the product of the creative breath of God.

The Holy Spirit was particularly responsible for the Bible’s inspiration: the biblical authors “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21). He superintended Moses, Isaiah, Luke, and the others as they composed their writings. While these authors employed their own personalities, theological perspectives, writing styles, and so forth, the Spirit ensured that what they wrote was what God wanted them to write: the Word of God, divinely authoritative and fully truthful.

At times, the church has tended to emphasize Scripture’s divine authorship, even to the neglect of its human authorship. Indeed, the Holy Spirit’s role in relation to the biblical authors was illustrated by a musician who strums his stringed instrument or a flautist playing her flute. At times the church embraced mechanical dictation. But the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture affirms complete participation on the part of both its divine author—the Holy Spirit—and its human authors. Moses, Jeremiah, Matthew, Paul, and the others were fully engaged in the writing process. They consulted earlier writings, conducted interviews, selected the narratives to include, thought carefully, composed their writings, and more—all under the superintending work of the Holy Spirit.

Inspiration is plenary: all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16). Inspiration is not confined to the “important” parts of Scripture, those passages that guide people to salvation or instruct about faith and obedience for pleasing God. Rather, its historical references (for example, Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark, Jonah and the great fish), its affirmations about the world (for example, creation out of nothing, the sun and the moon appearing as two great lights), its genealogies, and more were inspired by the Spirit. The contemporary tendency to ascribe inspiration to some portions of Scripture but not to all is in part due to feelings of embarrassment about portions like the imprecatory psalms and God’s decree to destroy Israel’s enemies. But the difficulties encountered in Scripture are not a reason for dismissing its plenary inspiration. Readers of Scripture may find parts of it more or less inspiring at different times and different places, but all Scripture is God-breathed.

Inspiration is verbal: it extends to the words of Scripture. This is the sense of Paul’s statement “all Scripture is God-breathed,” as the term “Scripture” refers to the very words themselves. Because Scripture is verbally inspired, Jesus builds his argument for the resurrection of the dead on a present-tense verb, challenging its critics, “Have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Matt. 22:31–32, quoting Exod. 3:6; emphasis added). Likewise, Paul argues his case for a sole heir of the Abrahamic promises on a singular noun: “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ” (Gal. 3:16, quoting Gen. 12:7). Thus, while inspiration certainly applies to the biblical authors as they were being moved by the Holy Spirit as they wrote, it is true of the very words of Scripture themselves.

Inspiration is concursive: the Spirit and the human authors wrote together. The Spirit’s work was not just the influence of providential care or guidance that all Christians experience as they walk with God. Nor did inspiration lead merely to a heightened religious consciousness, or extend only to the thoughts or ideas in the minds of the human authors. This particular work of the Holy Spirit was unique to the prophets and apostles, as he and they collaboratively wrote the Word of God. Thus, Jesus considered that what Moses said, God himself said (Matt. 19:4–5, quoting Moses’s comment about marriage [Gen. 2:24] and ascribing it to “he who created them”—that is, God).

Though Scripture is inspired, the way that inspiration came about is largely mysterious. These modes include historical research (Luke 1:1–4), observation of life (Ecclesiastes), Spirit-assisted memory (John 14:26), miraculous revelation (2 Cor. 12:1–4), occasional dictation (Rev. 2–3), and sound counsel (1 Cor. 7:25–26, 39–40).

Because of its inspiration by God, Scripture is authoritative and true. It possesses the right to command what believers are to do and prohibit what they are not to do. Moreover, whatever it affirms corresponds to reality, and it never affirms anything that is contrary to fact.

Biblical Support

The doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture is evident in the Old Testament writings. “Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment to them” (Deut. 1:3). The prophets affirmed of their instructions, “Thus says the LORD” (for example, Isa. 66:1). Still, the divine inspiration of those earlier writings is more fully presented in the New Testament. Paul highlighted plenary inspiration (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Peter underscored the collaboration between the Holy Spirit’s superintending work and the human authors’ writing of Scripture (2 Pet. 1:16–21). The early Christians attributed the words of a psalm of David to the “Sovereign Lord, . . . who through the mouth of our father David . . . said by the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 4:24–26, quoting Ps. 2:1–2). Jesus emphasized the unfailing authority of even casual clauses in the Old Testament: “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35, referring to Ps. 82:6). Indeed, he warned people who thought that he had come to do away with Scripture. Rather, his intention was to fulfill its every word (Matt. 5:17–18).

As for the inspiration of the New Testament writings, Jesus himself promised the Holy Spirit as the guarantee that what the apostles taught and wrote would be a truthful, authoritative witness to him and his work (John 14:26; 16:13). The Holy Spirit, then, knowing completely the things of God, revealed them to the apostles and superintended their writing (1 Cor. 2:10–13). Paul wrote with the conviction that his instructions were given “through the Lord Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:2). Indeed, the gospel that he communicated was the very word of God (2:13). Even when he could not point to a specific teaching of Jesus on a particular topic, Paul sensed that he had the Spirit of God when presenting his sound judgment (1 Cor. 7:25–26, 39–40). Peter considered Paul’s writings to be part of “the other Scriptures”—that is, together with the body of the inspired Old Testament writings (2 Pet. 3:15–16).

Major Errors

1. The denial of the superintending work of the Holy Spirit. This position dismisses all divine action in the writing of Scripture, reducing it to a merely human book. This viewpoint refuses to listen to Scripture’s own affirmation about itself, and demonstrates a very low view of divine action among human beings.

2. The denial of the human authorship of Scripture. The mechanical-dictation view considers the biblical authors to be passive secretaries without any significant and willful participation in the writing process. God simply dictated his Word, and they wrote it down. This position cannot explain the various personalities, theological perspectives, writing styles, and more that are clearly evidenced in the biblical writings. Some people deny the human role in writing Scripture out of fear that, if human beings actually wrote it, and if “to err is human,” then Scripture must contain errors. This fear overlooks the superintending operation of the Holy Spirit that protected the Word of God from human error.

3. The denial of plenary inspiration. This view considers some parts of Scripture to be inspired, while others are not, dismissing what Scripture claims for its inspiration. A major problem with this view is the need for reliable criteria for deciding which parts are inspired and which parts are not.

4. The denial of verbal inspiration. This position claims that the Spirit guided the thoughts of the biblical authors as they wrote but that such inspiration did not extend to the words they used. This viewpoint rejects what Scripture claims for its inspiration.

ENACTING THE DOCTRINE

Because Scripture is God-breathed, it is divinely authoritative. The church is called to do what it commands, avoid doing what it prohibits, heed its warnings, believe its promises, and so forth. Also, inspired Scripture is completely truthful. The church is called to trust everything that it affirms. This is the case when Scripture addresses matters of salvation, faith and obedience, holy living, and worshiping God. It is likewise the case when it treats matters of history, creation and God’s providence, genealogies, and more. All Scripture is God-breathed, inspired by the Holy Spirit!

Because non-Christians do not yet trust Jesus Christ for salvation, the church engages missionally by communicating the gospel to them. It believes that the Word of God, breathed out by him, is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). As people become believers, the church disciples and cares for them by preaching and teaching inspired Scripture.

What’s at stake in this doctrine? God’s relationship to Scripture is. If the Bible is God-breathed, then God enjoys the closest possible relationship to it. Indeed, it means that he is fully invested in his Word, acting through it to save and transform the church. If this is not the case, then Scripture begins to resemble a human book. It is a book like all other books, filled with laws, proverbs, compelling stories, myths, and more. But being God-breathed, Scripture is the authoritative, truthful Word of God.

Perennial Questions and Problematic Issues

• Why is the doctrine of Scripture so foundational for the Christian faith?
• Some Scripture...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Endorsements
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction to Christian Doctrine
• Part 1: Doctrine of the Word of God
• Part 2: Doctrine of God
• Part 3: Doctrine of God’s Creatures
• Part 4: Doctrine of God the Son
• Part 5: Doctrine of God the Holy Spirit
• Part 6: Doctrine of Salvation
• Part 7: Doctrine of the Church
• Part 8: Doctrine of Future Things
• Notes
• For Further Reading
• Scripture Index
• Back Ads
• Back Cover