Basic Christian Beliefs

David S. Dockery

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780805493801
• eBook ISBN: 9781433670862
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

You grew up using the well known black and yellow striped Cliff's Notes to help you grasp everything from great literary works to algebra. Unfortunately, what ""Cliff"" forgot was the greatest literary work in history: the complete Holy Bible. Enjoy the ease of understanding the Bible like never before, book by book. Shepherd's notes helps reader's learn about the inspired authors of the Bible books and when and where they were first penned. Each Bible book is revealed in simple understandable steps that outline and underscore the focal points and personalities of the biblical text. You'll look to these unique books for their use in Bible studies, teaching, personal devotions and even in sermon preparation! Christian and home schools will find Shepherd's Notes an invaluable resource.

CHAPTER ONE

“Worthy of Worship, Worthy of Praise”

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY: AN OVERVIEW

Peanuts characters Lucy and Linus are both staring out the window as the rain is pouring down.

Lucy: “Boy, look at it rain. What if it floods the whole world?”

Linus: “It will never do that. In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow.”

Lucy looks directly at Linus, turns back toward the window, smiles big and announces:

“You have taken a great load off of my mind.”

To which Linus responds: “Sound theology has a way of doing that!”

These are wise and timely words from Linus. With feelings of fear and uncertainty abounding while we watch events from our windows, many of us hear least what we need most. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to thinking about God.

We don't want those who design the aircraft we fly in to be ignorant of the laws of aerodynamics. We want their beliefs about aerodynamics to be as sound as possible.

We want our surgeons to have sound beliefs regarding how the human body functions.

If we are so concerned about the beliefs of aeronautical engineers and surgeons, how much more should all of us be concerned about the soundness of our beliefs about God.

Engineers' and surgeons' beliefs have significant consequences in this life. Our beliefs about God have significant consequences for now and for all eternity.

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“For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).

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Theology—the beliefs we have about God—is the foundation for all of life. Everybody—atheists included—has a theology they live by. Theology is either sound or it is unsound. One of the most important tasks of every human being is to discover and live by beliefs about the ultimate nature of reality that are true.

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“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

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Jesus challenged His followers to teach others what they had learned from Him and had been commanded by Him (Matt. 28:18–20). Similarly, the New Testament epistles stress the importance of teaching and living “in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Christian truth must be formulated and articulated in such a way as to inform and shape beliefs, values, and lifestyles. The earliest form of Christian theology focused on Jesus and the teachings of the apostles. It was the responsibility of the first generation to encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who opposed it (Titus 1:9).

What is Christian Theology?

Christian theology forms the foundation of the church's beliefs, proclamation, and ministry. It not only involves believing revealed truth, but it also includes calling the church to purity and ethical holiness. Christian theology is the study of God and His works. It is not an exercise done in the ivory tower by specialists. No, theology is the responsibility of the church seeking to communicate what the church believes, primarily for believers, but also for others. Someone has said that theology is thinking about God. If that is the case, then everyone who seriously contemplates the greatness of the Creator God is in some sense a theologian.

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“Christian theology is indeed necessary for the well-being of Christians and of contemporary Christianity”—James Leo Garrett, Jr., Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990) 1:10.

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The word theology comes from two Greek terms: theos, meaning “God,” and logos, meaning “word, expression, study of.” Our task then is to think rightly about God based on what He has revealed about Himself in His Word, the Bible. Ultimately it may not matter what we think about baseball, movies, or politics, but it does matter what we think about God.

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The word theology is derived from two Greek words, theos, “ God,” and logos, “ reason, order, word,” and the like. In modern English usage such etymology is normally taken to mean that “theology” is the ordered

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Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The purpose of theology is to help believers love God through an understanding of His person, work, and Word and to produce a love for neighbor and an understanding of self (see Matt. 22:37–39).

Is Theology Divisive or Distracting?

Some think theology is divisive so we should de-emphasize its importance. But theology is the backbone of the church. Without good theology the church cannot and will not mature in the faith. The apostle Paul says that believers with an immature faith will be “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching” (Eph. 4:14).

Healthy theology that matures the heart and head not only enables believers to move toward maturity, but it results in the worship and exaltation of God. Good theology leads to doxology. After eleven chapters of Paul's expounding the doctrine of sin, justification, sanctification, and the future of Israel, the apostle concludes by writing:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and
knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments, and
his paths beyond tracing out!

Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?

Who has ever given to God, that God should
repay him?

For from him and through him and to him
are all things.

To him be the glory forever!

Amen.

—Romans 11:33–36

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“Evangelical theology aims not only to be faithful to Scripture, but also to explore the unfaithfulness of the Christian community to Scripture”—Donald G. Bloesch, Essentials of Evangelical Theology (San Francisco: Harper, 1978), 1:18.

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While it may be true that the writings of some theologians unduly complicate the Christian faith or distract us from aspects of the Christian life like evangelism and worship, we should not conclude that theology itself is distracting or divisive. Evangelism based on unsound theology will be unsound and even dangerous. Worship that does not see God as He has revealed Himself does not rightly glorify God. Theology can help us better understand the faith we desire to share in our evangelistic efforts and, moreover, can help lead us to an awareness of the grandeur, greatness, and goodness of God, whom we worship.

What Is the Source and Goal of Theology?

Our primary source of theology is Holy Scripture. Though we learn much from God's revelation in nature and our own experience, these matters must be tested by God's Word in Scripture. It is important for us to recognize what others have thought about these matters, for in many ways we stand on their shoulders as we seek to communicate the meaning of the Christian faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 3).

Our goal in this book is to outline the key themes of theology in a way that will exalt God and encourage believers in their Christian living. We will seek to address the important issues of our day, grounded in Holy Scripture, and stated in a contemporary and understandable way. Theology equips and encourages believers in their relationship with God.

Why Do We Need Theology?

Everyone has a theology. Everyone has beliefs about the ultimate nature of reality and those beliefs govern one's thinking, attitudes, and actions. If everyone ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Shepherd's Notes Titles Available
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• How to Use This Book
• Chapter One
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five
• Chapter Six
• Chapter Seven
• Chapter Eight
• Chapter Nine
• Chapter Ten