Systematic Theology

Systematic Theology                   By   Michael C. Nadraus                     A PAPER     Submitted to Dr. Larry R. Oats In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the course Systematic Theology At Maranatha Baptist Bible College               Watertown, Wisconsin April    2004         Bibliology       What I believe about bibliology is fairly simple.  The Word of God is our basis for all we are.  It is everything it claims to be and beautifully written.  No other books dare to compare to the way the Bible has changed the lives of people across the world.  This is what I believe so far in my Christian life. The Bible is the Word of God and is given to us by inspiration of the Holy Ghost (2nd Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”).  The Bible is special revelation and a person can come to salvation from it.  I believe general revelation can bring mankind to a point that they know there is a God and Creator and general revelation can condemn but cant save a persons soul.  So special revelation was needed for redemption.  Therefore people who never hear the gospel, and have just seen God in general revelation, by the fact he is a just and merciful God, must spend eternity in Hell, unless salvation by grace through faith is taken, which comes from the Word of God.   General Revelation As for general revelation, the facts of who God is and what he does are as follows: God is the creator of all things (Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”).  God is the sustainer of all life (Acts 17:25 “seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things”).  He is a Invisible, eternal, independent and powerful God.  I believe that all humans depend on a higher being and have a sense of obligation to Him.  General revelation in any of these areas was designed to bring men closer to God but not actually redeem them (Acts 17:27 “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him”).  It can establish humans to feel guilt but not save them from eternal damnation (Romans 1:32 “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”).  God is seen in nature and that is clearly found in Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen”, “so that they are without excuse.”  God said it and that should be enough to settle any debates.  The fact is a person can look at the animals, plants and majestic landscapes all day long and know there is an intelligent creator and that it was not evolving by chance.  Also the use of the nature Psalms such as 8,29 and 65 are designed to draw the believer to the knowledge of God.   Special Revelation Special revelation comes in many different ways.  It is universal in nature and geared to all mankind.  God spoke to people such as Noah (Genesis 6:13 “And God said unto Noah”) and Moses (Exodus 3:1-4).  He spoke through Jesus Christ and the prophets.  God showed himself through mighty acts such as the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 13), the 10 plagues in Egypt (Exodus 7-9) and the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-4).  Dreams, visions and theophanies were also used in the way of special revelation.  The most extreme of God giving us this type of revelation is his son Jesus Christ.  He taught that divine revelation could be communicated in words (John 1:1; 17:8 “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me”), preaching or reading the Bible.  These truths can be brought through, out of a sinful man, from an infinite God.  This revelation has not been given to all mankind.  Many places of the world have never heard or seen anything more then the general revelation.  They have no Bibles or preachers.  Special revelation comes with a responsibility to proclaim it to others (Matthew 28:16-Mark 1).  The ones who have it are commanded to spread it to the others who have not received it yet.  Knowing this truth is insufficient if we do not practice it.  God used various forms to reveal himself this way to mankind.  He also shows us how we can relate to him.   Inspiration I believe that the Bible was given by inspiration and received by illumination.  It is perfect and righteous altogether.  What the humanly authors have written is inerrant and authoritative.  It is the one true standard for all of mankind.  Jesus recognized the canon of the Old Testament.  The Holy Spirit guided them in the recording of the Word of God.  To me it seems as if it obvious that the Bible is the Word of God.  People tend to rationalize and forget what they can’t explain.  But the whole time they can stand in completeness against it without ever deeply studying it out.  In all my years of trying to figure out other religions and their so-called scriptures they use, I find none that compare to the Bible.  Written over 1500 years by about forty authors, sixty-six books.  No other book has been ever written quite like it and it is revelation from God, 100% without error or contradiction.    Theology Proper       The existence of God and his nature/character is displayed for all of mankind to see.  Genesis 1 and 2 assumes right off the bat that God exists and is before the creation.  God is just and punishes sin yet is full of mercy (Genesis 3).  God is self-existent and we are not.  He is eternal and unchanging (Exodus 3:15 “this is my name for ever”).  He is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 21:6 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end”).  He is an invisible spirit.  What was brought up in class was that when we get to Heaven we might never see God.  I struggled with that for a while to grasp it but that makes sense.  How could we ever see all of God at once and take it all in.  If we did, then we would have to be all knowing and all seeing.     God is a living (1st Timothy 4:10 “because we trust in the living God”) spirit (John 4:24 “God is a Spirit”) yet he is also explained in terms of anthropomorphisms.  He is said to have in the Bible, bodily parts like a face (Exodus 33:23), hands (Exodus 33:23), arm (Exodus 6:6) and finger (Deuteronomy 9:10).  He is also said to have hatred (Deuteronomy 12:31), jealousy (Exodus 20:5), vengeance (Deuteronomy 32:35) and anger (Exodus 15:7).  God has a personality, emotions (Psalm 103:13 “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him), a will (Psalm 33:11 “The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations”) and intellect (Job 12:13 “With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding”).  God is absolute moral perfection.  God is not an idol or image (Acts 17:29 “we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device”).     He is a personal God who is active and living (1st Timothy 4:10 “the living God”), interacting with each human.  He hears and answers prayers (Luke 1:13 “for thy prayer is heard”).  He is at the same time immutable (James 1:17 “with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”) with a purpose (James 1:18 “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth”).  A concept that is maybe beyond the human mind of understanding is how can an immutable God answer prayer?  Do my prayers and desires change my Fathers perfect plan ever?  I am still working that one out.  I think it does but I cannot explain it yet and maybe never will be able to.   God’s Character     The character of God is multi-faceted.  He is a loving (Exodus 20:6 “And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me”), Holy and faithful God.  God is Omnipotent and sovereign in all His ways.  A false concept of who God is will and can lead to the creations false religions and pagan worship.  There is no fault or blemish in the perfect character of God.  Even his jealousness and anger are perfect and righteous.  He is truth and holiness.  We as Christians need to look for his character, study and understand it and most importantly live it daily to grow closer to Him and become more inline with our Father.   The Trinity The Trinity is beyond the limits of humans reason but explained best from Scripture.  How can three be one?  The Bible says “one people” can refer to many individuals.  “One flesh” includes two different people.  “One God” refers to a unity.  There is a triune administrative order that never violates the quality of the Godhead.  There is a perfect relationship and fellowship between the three yet they are all distinct in their activities.    Summary I have been saved for 8 years now and the fact is this.  I lived the quote D.L. Moody said years back. “99/100 Christians are merely playing at Bible study in their lives.  Therefore 99/100 are mere weaklings when they might be giants, both in their Christian life and service!”  I was one of the 99 and that’s why I know so little about this subject.  Was it my plain old apathy or preoccupations with other interests that caused this, I think it may be a mix of both.  There just seems like there is so much to learn and soak in.  I feel as if I write the same conclusion for every one of my personal theology papers.  I feel like I was doing ok then I realized how little I know and I fill in the blanks with what I learn from these classes.  Blanks I never even knew I had before.  Moody also said “it is better to have zeal without knowledge than it is to have knowledge without zeal.”  I want to try for both.    Anthropology Creation     The origin of humanity goes back to Adam and Eve (Genesis 1), and the creation of the earth and the universe can also be found in the Bible.  God created it all in 6 literal days (Genesis 1:2-31).  God in His ability to do completely anything created the earth with the appearance of age.  On the seventh day he rested.  Not that he needs to rest but I think it was to sit back and take in all of the wonderful things that were now created. Human Beings in God’s Image     We as humans are distinct from any other creation.  We are not part of the animal world.  We are a complex unity of material and immaterial substance.  The material was formed from the dust of the ground by God (genesis 2:7).  The immaterial came about when God breathed into Adam the breath or life (Genesis 2:7).  Eve seemingly gets her spirit from Adam.  I lean towards the idea that God created the soul/spirit once and after that it is just expanding from there.  God does not create souls each and every time a lady gets pregnant.  Mankind was created for God’s glory ultimately.  I think the traducianist view is right on how the immaterial part of a person is created in the same was the material part is created.  Adam and Eve procreated in their own image (Genesis 5:3).  This does not contradict the fact that all of mankind was condemned when Adam sinned (Romans 5:16-18).     Inwardly a human is a spirit on the image of God.  This may also be called a soul when it does not refer just to the life of the body.      I am trichotomist.  I do not think that by a person being a dichotomist they are wrong and we need to divide over it.  Frankly I see more evidence leaning to the trichotmist view but what it all boils down to, whether we have a body, soul and spirit or a body and a soul/spirit, it does not really destroy any basic doctrines.  I see verses like 1st Corinthians 14:14 and the spirit prays’ and the soul doesn’t understand.  Hebrews 4:12and 1st Thessalonians 5:23 also back up this view.  My own thoughts were if an animal such as a dog has a body and so do we, they are obviously alive and have the spirit of life in them and we are alive and have the same.  Then what makes us different, we have a soul and they do not.  The soul brings a lot to human beings.  Our personal identity will be with us even after we die.     Relationship between Man & Woman     We are biologically different and created that was by the perfect creator.  The equality of personhood is true.  We were both made equally in God’s image and there is a distinct interdependence found in each man and woman (1st Corinthians 11:11-12).  Both are found with spiritual gifts (1st Corinthians 12:7, 11).  There is no difference when it comes to salvation of the soul.  There is a difference when it comes to the roles.  The male is the head of the family and the marriage.  Adam was created 1st (genesis 2:7).  Eve was created as the helpmeet (genesis 2:8).  When the curse came, this did not in any way bring new roles between men and women, but it did distort the original ones.  The husband does need to be the leader of the home yet not in the Hitler fashion as some do it.  The other extreme is also wrong were the husband is too passive for the good of anything in his own life or family.  The woman should be submissive yet not fall to the extremes of becoming a feminist or not having a mind of her own when it comes to making decision or living life.        Hamartiology     The definition I like for the description of the fall is that it was a inner defection of the soul from God.  It was outwardly shown by the act of eating the fruit.  Adam and eve became guilty (Genesis 3:7).  They then experienced a broken relationship with God (Genesis 3:8-10).  The sinful heart was now inside of them.  They were punished by having to leave the garden and physical death would now occur (Genesis 3:22-24).  Another consequence of the sin was that the woman pain of childbearing.  Man was now also in the fact that he has to tend to the fields and work the ground, which was also cursed.  Strenuous labor was now assigned to him.  No one who has ever been born was ever exempt from sin, besides Jesus Christ.  The sin stain affects each and every soul born.  Morally Adam and Eve were originally righteous like God.  Prior to the fall, they did enjoy an unbroken relationship with God.  Internally and externally the human life was a peaceful one until sin entered the scene.  Disbelief and disobedience to God is where the fall began.  They were just as we are and had the same temptations and the same draw to sin.  It looks enticing and appealing but it is dripping and full of death and sin.  Adam, being the first of all of mankind legally and morally represents each and every human being. Flesh gives birth to flesh and Adam and Eve gave birth to a generation that was ready to produce children that were morally the same as their parents (John 3:6).  Sin ultimately brings forth death (James 1:15).  They became the 1st servants of sin and passed on to the rest of the world, a sin nature (John 8:34; Romans 7:5).  The heart is wicked and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9).  I believe that sin, no matter how small the sin or big, it all brings forth destruction.  Some may have smaller consequences here on earth but even the smallest sin still needs to be paid for and a lost soul will have to pay for that in Hell for all eternity.  I think that too many people in modern times seek the help of doctors with many degrees to help them overcome such sin problems as drinking and drugs, the reality is, even with all of this help, they may even beat the bad sin habits but sin still has taken it toll and all the help will not redeem that persons soul. We are depraved and our minds have been clouded by sin since day one of our lives.  Our reasoning skills may be lessened by sin and dulled to making the biblically right choices. I believe that we have a free will and that we have the ability to do what we desire. We can choose among all the alternatives and do as we please.  Sin will affect us in that we will not put others before us and we will fail to love God properly.  Unrepentant sinners have a total inability to change their moral natures and achieve a perfect status.  Sin is a word, thought or deed that breaks the Word of God’s commandments. The world will make us try to believe that human nature is actually good but all this is nonsense and we are infected with the sin nature which is evil.  People from all over the world want to be like God in their own ways and rebel against God’s rule by moral law.  Each of these people is responsible for their own soul and must take heed to that fact before death arrives.    Conclusion     I find that maybe it was my Catholic upbringing but what I learned about Adam and Eve was pretty basic and it has stuck with me since then.  I think it was after I got saved and began reading the Bible on my own is where I learned more of the finer details to it all.  I knew I was a sinner even before I got saved but it was just like the area of creation.  I knew the basic foundation for it but it was quite vague.  I think I find subject of hamartiology easier to read and be like ‘hey I totally understand that’, and it leads me to be able to explain it to others better but when it came to the anthropology side of it, I found my self comprehending it but seemingly having a tougher time putting it into words.  Election   Election is at the beginning of my line of personal soteriology.  I found this to be the hardest to place in the right spot.  I know that man has a free will.  He can choose or reject salvation.  What I think of election is that before anything ever was created, God knew who was going to choose him and who would reject him.  The group of souls that would accept Him and become born again are called the elect.   Creation        I think that next would be the creation of the world.  Genesis chapter one gives the details of creation.  God created it all.  Anything and everything we ever see came from the Creators hands.           Fall of Man      This is where sin enters into the world for the 1st time and the stain of it is passed on to all men.  Genesis 3:1-19 gives an account of the whole scenario with Adam and Eve and the serpent.  It is further backed up by verses such as Romans 5:14, 18-19.  How by one man sin enters into the world. Provision for Salvation for All Jesus Christ was the provision.  And the Bible in Romans 10:13 says that it was for all.  Romans 5:18 says how the free gift was for all men.  Romans 3:23 says how Jesus was the gift of God and the only way to eternal life.    Calling   Romans 10:14 talks on how they need a preacher to hear.  The Word of God is proclaimed to them.  Whether by tract, preaching, reading the Bible, or one on one.  Anyway it is passed on to them a gospel seed is planted.  The ball is their court now and they can reject or accept Jesus.    Belief   If the person accepts Jesus, this involves repentance from sin and trusting in Him.  Romans 10:9-10 is part of this.  These verses speak of the confession of sin to Jesus and belief in who Jesus was and what he did on the cross.  This is the point where a person gets saved.  Or when then can be biblically called born again.  John chapter three where Nicodemus goes to see Jesus is also a good illustration of this. Regeneration   This word means a "new birth."  Titus 3:5 is describing it as a change of heart as a passing from death to life 1st John 3:14.  Becoming a new creature in Jesus is found in 2nd Corinthians 5:17.  It is the bringing in of life to the souls who are dead in sin.   Justification   It is the judicial act of God, where he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ.  It is the declaring of someone becoming righteous.  It says all claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified.  Romans 3:28 and Romans 5:8 support this.    Reconciliation   The best way I can describe this is by taking the definition someone else one told me.  It is the removal of animosity between God and man.  2nd Corinthians 5:19 and Hebrews 2:17.  A relationship between us and God is back on track and fixed.       Sanctification This involves more than a moral reformation of character and lifestyle.  It is also brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit bringing the whole entire nature more and more under the influences of the new gracious principles. Sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration.  Romans 6:13 tells us to serve God and not sin.  Colossians 3:10 tells us to love one another.  We are to try to be holy because He is holy.  Perfect sanctification is not attainable in this life. Perseverance of the Saints This is a certain continuance in a state of grace. Once justified and regenerated, the believer can’t totally or finally fall away from grace, but will certainly persevere in it and in the end attain everlasting life in Heaven. Basically saying once saved always saved.  John 10:27,28.  There is no way out of the Fathers hand.  Nothing you can do or anything anyone else can do will ever change that. Glorification   Romans 8:30 says that it comes after the justification.  I know we get our glorified bodies someday after we die.  I am guessing it will be like Jesus’ when he came back from the dead to see the disciples.  We will have our glorified bodies someday.  This is the final step is our process of soteriology. Angelology          What I believe about angels is still in its simplest form.  I feel I must learn not to rely on what I learned in the past about angels.  The majority of it has no biblical basis to it.  What I do believe is this.      The angels are not eternal.  God created angels, possibly in the first six days of creation.  Genesis 2:1 speaks of the host.  I can’t see anything else God would be speaking of besides spirit beings such as angels.  Psalm 148 names creations of God and calls them to praise Him.  Angels are found in verse two.      They don’t have a body made of the same elements that a human body is made out of.  They do not grow physically.  Time is not important to them.  Do they all look alike?  I have no biblical proof either way but strongly believe they do not look the same.  God made no two blades of grass exactly the same and no two leaves the same.  God enjoys variety and creating unique things, so why would He not do the same with the angels.      They can take on human form and we will never know if we meet one.  Hebrews 13:2 says we may be entertaining them and not even knowing it.  This is proof enough that they can manifest themselves so perfectly as human that we would be perfectly fooled.  A question I am left asking myself is if we can entertain angels unaware, do we ever entertain demons unaware?      There are classes of angels.  Cherubim and Seraphim are at least two of them.  This does not mean there is only two classes, the Bible does not make mention of any more.      They have superhuman intelligence but it is limited.  1st Peter 1:12 describes the angels looking into salvation.  They don’t quite know what its like to be lost and to receive the gift of salvation.  Matthew 24:36 shows they don’t know the time the rapture will take place.  They know the secrets of the material and spiritual order of this world.  Yet God has not revealed all of His secrets to Him.      The activity of angels towards people was, in the O.T. to give them messages and help them.  They minister to believers.  Protect believers as in the case with Peter in prison in Acts.  When a soul is saved the angels rejoice in Heaven says Luke 15:10.  When called upon the execute judgment upon the enemies of God.  This is found in Both O.T. and Revelation. Strength of angels is enormous.  In the O.T., in one night, a single angel killed 185,000 of the enemy.  Angels had an important role in the resurrection.  An angel rolled back the stone that closed of the tomb of Jesus and told the women that He was risen, Matthew 28:2-5.  Estimates define the weight of the stone up to four tons.      1st Corinthians 13:1, Paul says there is a language of men and a language of angels.  He breaks it up into two separate categories.  This seems possible due to the many different languages the world uses today.       They each can’t be in more then one spot at any given time, such as Heaven and earth.  They, like humans, are not omnipresent.  They can go anywhere at anytime God permitting, Daniel 9:21.  They are innumerable.  There is no marriage or offspring between angels.  They are not mediators between God and men.  That would be out of line with 1st Timothy 2:5.      The Angel of the Lord seems to be God in a visible form or the Logos in some pre-incarnate state.  Angel of the Lord and Jehovah are used interchangeably often.       Demons are fallen Angels who are no longer perfectly obedient to the will of God.  Satan is a fallen angel who rebelled against God and will one day be cast into Hell for all eternity.  Once the head of the angels and beautiful, he is now the leader of opposition to God.  The five “I wills” of Satan in Isaiah 14 can be summed up as a summary of him wishing to rebel and do his own will and not that of God and His will. Demons are intelligent spirits also.  In Matthew 12 we see they seem to be desirous of entering a body of something living.  They can enter into unsaved humans and animals and afflict with disease of a mental or physical kind.  Demons are condemned just as Satan is.  They will be sentenced and punished forever for their sin, 2nd Peter 2:4.      In both cases of demons and angels we see levels hierarchy and limitations on what they can do.  Demons are subject to Satan and angels to God.  Nothing in scripture says angelic activity has ceased today.  They never bring attention to themselves, or at least the non-fallen ones don’t.  Angelic activity does seem to heighten at important scriptural events.     Pneumatology             The Holy Spirit was neglected in my life for many of the early years after my conversion.  I knew it was inside me and that I received it after I got saved.  I just never was taught or tried to delve deeper into what it completely meant and did.      The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity.  He was evidently there at creation in Genesis 1:2-5.  The Holy Spirit is equally God the Father and God the Son.  He is designated as God many places in the Bible.  The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of God in 1st Corinthians 3:16, Spirit of the Father in Matthew 10:20 and even the Spirit of Christ in Romans 8:9.  He is also called “another Comforter” in John 14:16.  We can find comfort in Him when trials come.  His ministry and job is different with purpose, just as Jesus had a purpose and His ministry differ from God.  The Holy Spirit is not a "thing" to be possessed by every human, but a guide and comforter, for the saved, which leads us into a closer walk with Jesus Christ.  He comforts us when we face the hardships of daily life, and leads us along as we share our faith with others.      The Holy Spirit, after salvation comes to dwell within the new believer and never leaves at any time, John 20:22.  The nature of the Holy Spirit is that of God.  As it is inside of the saved individual it convicts them of sin, John 16:8.  He will also guide us in truth and right according to John 16:13.  The disciples had Jesus Christ with them, which was amazing, we as saved individuals have a better promise, which He would live within us. The Spirit living within believers indicates another higher level of a closer relationship with Jesus. ___      Ephesians 5:18 speaks of being filled with the Spirit.  We can confess our sins, and yield our wills to God and pray we can be filled with the Spirit if we desire.  We need to let our life entirely be in control of God and his commandments.  Every saved soul should be filled with the Spirit in order to have God’s power to serve Him.      He will never bring attention to himself or glorify himself.  John 16:13-14 points out he will bring glory to Jesus Christ.      The sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit shows God marking the believers as His own personal property and under God’s ownership.  God does the actual act of sealing, 2nd Corinthians 1:22.  The Holy Spirit is the down payment spoken of in the previous verse.  Something we can never lose under any circumstances.  The Holy Spirit is the actual seal itself, Ephesians 1:13.      There was the part He had in the writing of the Scriptures by inspiration, 2nd Peter 1:21.  The authors of the Bible were moved or carried along by the Holy Spirit.  The authors kept their personalities and specific styles of writing but the Holy Spirit controlled the process of refreshing memories and events of them so today we can be quite sure that we have the Word of God without doubt.  John 14:26 tells how He would provide perfect memory to the apostles when writing the New Testament.      Our flesh can resist the Holy Spirit.  We can ignore it and try to put it out of our mind.  It can be grieved.  Stephen tells us about this is Acts 7:51.  While He provides illumination, 1st Corinthians 2:12-16, to help us understand God’s will we can still ignore this.