Month: March 2021

Introduction

            The Holy Spirit is perhaps the most mysterious member of the Trinity. All too often, the church talks about the Son and the Father and overlooks the Spirit. Whether it be because they do not believe in the equality of the Holy Spirit or just because they themselves do not know, they do not teach how to develop your relationship with the Spirit in the way they do with the other members of the Trinity. Seeing as the Holy Spirit is our advocate and our helper, this lack of direction within the Church can have a negative impact on believers and impair their ability to fully connect with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; fortunately, there are ways in which we can know the Spirit.

Scripture

            The first way to know the Holy Spirit is through Scripture. God revealed Himself in His Word to us, that we may know Him and have a relationship with Him. The clearest depictions of the Holy Spirit come in the New Testament, especially in the Gospels and the book of Acts. The work of Jesus is intertwined with the work of the Holy Spirit, so throughout the entirety of the Gospels you can see the Spirit right alongside Jesus and see Him work in many ways.

One of the earliest mentions of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is at Jesus’ conception when Mary is told by the angel that she will bear the Son of God. “Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; He will be called Son of God.’”[1] Just a few verses later, Mary goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, and “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”[2] We can see the Holy Spirit’s first work in Jesus’ earthly life in this passage. The Holy Spirit made it possible for Jesus to be born holy, so that He could go on to live a blameless life and be the salvation of the world; He then began the work of guiding John the Baptist, who was still in the womb, to prepare the way for Jesus.

It would be a misconception to believe that the Holy Spirit does not exclusively appear in the Bible until the New Testament; even in the Old Testament, people were led by and filled with the Holy Spirit and He was at work. “The earth is full of Your creatures… when You send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the ground.”[3] In this praise to God in Psalms 104, we can see that the Holy Spirit breathes life and creation flows through Him. In the book of Judges, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel and led him to judge Israel.[4] This is just one of the many examples in the book of Judges where the Holy Spirit comes upon them and gives them the power to deliver Israel.

The Son and the Father

            We can also learn more about the Holy Spirit by knowing the Son and the Father. They have a unique relationship that reveals the Spirit to us, just as Jesus reveals the Father in His life. The more we develop our relationship with and understand the other members of the Trinity, the easier and clearer our understanding of the Spirit will be. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at His baptism and leads Him throughout His life on earth, empowering Him to perform many miraculous healings and exorcisms and giving Him the wisdom to succeed in His mission.

            By understanding how the Holy Spirit helped Jesus in His time on earth, we can understand how He helps us in our God-given missions as well. Jesus says, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirt of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, because He abides with you, and He will be in you.”[5]

Experience

            One more way we can know the Holy Spirit is by His personal work and testimony in our own lives. He lives with us and in us, and He gracefully goes before us to prepare the way just as He did with Jesus and John the Baptist. The Wesleyan concept of prevenient grace is the first experience anyone has with the Holy Spirit, whether they recognize it as such or not. The word prevenient comes from the Latin words prae (before) and venire (to come); together, they form the word praevenire, which means to come before.[6] Thus, prevenient grace means the grace that comes before. As Joe DiPaolo puts it in his article on prevenient grace, “By this grace which comes before, we become aware of God’s nature; we acquire a basic knowledge of right and wrong; and we become aware of our need for a Savior.”[7] The Holy Spirit makes it possible to know and to choose God; without His gracious work in our lives, we would remain lost and depraved due to our sinful nature.

Conclusion

            Some Christians may believe that it is impossible to know the Holy Spirit, others that it is unnecessary, but the truth is that the Holy Spirit is a vital person of the Trinity and plays a key factor in enabling us to attain not only salvation, but also a relationship with the One True God. Without Him, just as is the case without the Father or the Son, restoration would be impossible. Mystery is a part of God’s divine nature, so it may be the case that we can never achieve a complete understanding of the Holy Spirit in our time on earth; however, He has the grace to reveal Himself to us despite our foolishness and ignorance. As followers of God, we ought to strive to use the sources He gifted us to know Him the best we can, that we may become closer to Him and live in Him, as He does in us.

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Bibliography

DiPaolo, Joe. “Reflection on Prevenient Grace.” Wesleyan Covenant Association. September 13, 2018. Accessed March 10, 2021. https://wesleyancovenant.org/2018/04/18/reflection-on-prevenient-grace/.

“Prevenient (adj.).” Index. Accessed March 10, 2021. https://www.etymonline.com/word/prevenient.

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[1] Luke 1:34-35.

[2] Luke 1:41.

[3] Psalms 104:24,30.

[4] Judges 3:10.

[5] John 14:16-17.

[6] “Prevenient (adj.),” Index, |PAGE|, accessed March 10, 2021, https://www.etymonline.com/word/prevenient).

[7] Joe DiPaolo, “Reflection on Prevenient Grace,” Wesleyan Covenant Association, September 13, 2018, |PAGE|, accessed March 10, 2021, https://wesleyancovenant.org/2018/04/18/reflection-on-prevenient-grace/)

Introduction

            Jesus lived, died, and lives again as both fully human and fully God. He came to earth as the Son of God to be a sacrifice for our sins and as a man to show us how to live. Each time He was presented with a choice in which humans fail, He chose the unknowable wisdom of success. Jesus, the living Word who created Adam in the beginning and watched humanity’s downfall from heaven, plotted for good and forged a new path of righteousness from the path of destruction that humanity had set their hearts on.

The Christus Victory

            Throughout church history, the church developed different theories of the doctrine of the Atonement: the reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ[1]. Gustaf Aulen divides these theories into two categories in his book Christus Victor[2]. The first category is objective, in which the Atonement deals with a problem outside of ourselves (such as God’s righteous wrath against sin). The second category is subjective, in which the Atonement deals with a problem within us (such as our estranged view of God)[3]. The theory of the Christus Victor, however, falls outside both of these categories. “Christ – Christus Victor – fights against and triumphs over the evil powers of the world, the ‘tyrants’ under which mankind is in bondage and suffering, and in Him God reconciles the world to Himself.”[4] This theory sees the work of Christ as a continuous divine act that changes the situation between God and man, as opposed to the objective theories which see it as a discontinuous work started by God or the subjective theories which see it as a change within men.

The Works of Men

The failed nature of the works of men began with the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. This one disobedient act of eating the forbidden fruit put into motion thousands of years of men being plagued by a sinful nature. Even with the guidance of the Word of God that we now call the Old Testament, men continued to reject righteousness and foolishly fall back into their sin.

This nature can be seen in the Israelites during the time of the prophets. They claimed themselves as God’s chosen people, yet they worshipped other gods outside His temple. They were meant to be a light to the world, but they mistreated orphans, widows, and foreigners. They were called to be set apart and holy, but they committed unspeakable sins in the streets of God’s city. They became so consumed by evil that God’s presence fled His own temple in Ezekiel.

An individual example of this nature can be seen in the great King David. David was the mightiest king of Israel who knew no defeat in battle and had God on His side. He served God and God blessed him. However, even he fell prey to his own sinful nature when he took the married woman, Bathsheba, as his own and forced her into adultery, then attempting to cover his tracks by having her husband killed on the frontlines. His foolish, sinful decision led to much misery and devastation. David is proof that even the Godliest men fall short of the glory of God.

The Works of Christ

            Jesus, perhaps, is the exception that proves the rule. He came to earth as a man and lived a perfect life, continuously denying the temptation of sin and choosing the path of wisdom and righteousness instead. Each and every time He was faced with an impossible decision, He somehow chose the Godly path. Jesus did what no other man could do: He lived a perfect life in spite of the sin that plagued the world and tried to engulf His very being; He could not be overcome.

            A prime example of Jesus choosing the high road would be in His temptation in Matthew 4. Jesus is lead to the desert by the Spirit and is put through a series of tests, which He passes with flying colors. Where a starving man would choose food, the starving Jesus chose the Word of God. Where a prideful man would choose his own glory, the humble Jesus chose honoring God. Where a greedy man would choose power, the servant Jesus chose loyalty to God.

            Another example of Jesus’ wisdom and righteousness is the story of the adulterous woman in John 8. The Pharisees created a trap for Jesus so that they could have the people turn against Him and set-in motion their plan to have Him killed. They brought Jesus a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery, the punishment for which (according to the books of Moses) was stoning, and asked Him what should be done with her. If Jesus said to stone her, He would look to be without mercy and love; furthermore, the Romans would come after Him as only Romans could inflict the death penalty. On the other hand, if He said to let her go, He would look to be without justice and disobeying the commands of God. So, Jesus said to let the one who is without sin throw the first stone. Once again, Jesus outsmarted the evil set before Him with a divine wisdom, showing Himself to be above the sinful ways of men.

Conclusion

            Just as through the sinful acts of one man death came into the world, so through the righteous acts of one man life is offered as a free gift to mankind[5]. Jesus Christ, not only through His death but through every act of His life, brought freedom from the bondage of sin and gave humanity a way out of certain condemnation. He is the light that showed us the way to the right path previously hidden in darkness. He is the only man who ever did and ever will live a perfect life without sin. Because of Jesus’ works in life, we are given grace in His death.

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Bibliography

“Atonement.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 22, 2021. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atonement.

Aulén, Gustaf. Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement. London: SPCK, 2010.

“Subjective and Objective Atonement – Abelard,Girard.” The Rebel God. October 16, 2006. Accessed February 22, 2021. https://www.therebelgod.com/2006/10/subjective-and-objective-atonement_16.html.

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[1] “Atonement,” Merriam-Webster, |PAGE|, accessed February 22, 2021, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atonement).

[2] Gustaf Aulén, Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement (London: SPCK, 2010), |3|).

[3] “Subjective and Objective Atonement – Abelard,Girard,” The Rebel God, October 16, 2006, |PAGE|, accessed February 22, 2021, https://www.therebelgod.com/2006/10/subjective-and-objective-atonement_16.html).

[4] Gustaf Aulén, Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement (London: SPCK, 2010), |4|).

[5] Romans 5:17-18.

Introduction

            Jesus has come to be known by many names: the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior, the Christ, the Son of Man. All of these encompass one fact of His being; Jesus is the one and only promised Son of God sent to die as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity. “If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.”[1]

The Incarnation

            Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God. In order to fulfill His plan for redemption of the world fallen slave to sin, God needed to send someone to atone for the sins of all and take judgment onto themselves. To do this, He sent none other than Himself. God came to earth in a living, breathing human body for all to see and know, and His name was Jesus of Nazareth.

            Jesus was not only fully God, but He was also fully man. “Not only does the incarnation reveal God, but it also reveals man.”[2] He restored the image of God in man and showed us what it meant to live as one created in the image of God. This was only possible as one who was both God and man. Through not only His life but the very essence of who He is, we can understand more about our nature and the nature of God.

The Messiah

As previously stated, Jesus is now known by many names, one of which being the Messiah. However, we find that this is interestingly one name that Jesus rarely acknowledges. This is likely due in part to the connotation of the word at the time in His culture. The Jews believed that God would be sending someone to them to rescue them and establish His kingdom. We know that Jesus has done exactly that; however, He did it in a much different way than the Jews had come to imagine.

Jewish culture had shaped the Messiah into a kind of warrior that would take earthly kingship and free them from tyranny. At the time, this meant that he would overthrow the Romans hold over them and establish a new, unbeatable kingdom in the name of the God of Abraham. They never imagined that the kingdom of God that was to come would be a spiritual one ruled by peace and humility. Because of this, in the minds of the people the Messiah had taken on this role of vengeance and justice that was never intended to be.

Jesus presents Himself as one who would bear suffering and endure pain and betrayal in order to fulfill the will of His Father. Even His own disciples did not accept this role He was to play at the Messiah. One of the few places Jesus acknowledges Himself as the Messiah is to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. Likely, He chooses to reveal Himself to her in that way because she comes from a different culture that has a different understanding of who the Messiah is to be and what role He is to fulfill.

The Sender

            Jesus’ life and being led up to one final act in His first time on earth: His death and resurrection. Surely, this was not simply an act to showcase His power and then leave humanity behind. Rather, He fulfilled His purpose of salvation for the world, just as God had promised through the many prophets who came before Him. Jesus fulfilled this promise by taking on the burden of our sin and dying a criminal’s death for our sake, being raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit that lived within Him, and finally sharing that same Spirit with us before He left to sit at the right hand of God the Father until it is His time to come again.

            Jesus is the sender of the Holy Spirit. He Himself was sent by the Father to atone for our sins, and He then sent the Spirit to help anyone who accepts Him as Christ. “[Jesus] continued to sanctify human living by His obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit. The inner secret of His holy life was His loving relationship with His Father in the Spirit.”[3] Jesus wanted to share not only heaven and the new earth with us, but as the incarnation and revelation of God, He wanted to make it possible for us to share in His love for the Father. To do this, He sent His Holy Spirit to us before His return, that we may connect with Him and grow deeper in our love for the Father, just as Jesus Himself did.

Conclusion

            Regardless of what title you may give Him, Jesus is the promised one from the beginning who God sent to be the salvation of the world. Jesus is the Word and is with God and is God. He is fully God and yet at the same time He is fully human. He is the Son, a loving member of the Holy Trinity. He is the one who was prophesied to crush the snake’s head; and He is the one who will one day return again to complete the redemption story and bring about the new heaven and new earth where we will live in perfect harmony as things were meant to be in the beginning.

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Bibliography

Dunning, H. Ray. Grace, Faith, & Holiness, 686. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988.

Noble, T. A. Holy Trinity: Holy People: The Historic Doctrine of Christian Perfecting, 239. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2013.

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[1] Romans 5:17-18.

[2] H. Ray Dunning, Grace, Faith, & Holiness (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988), 686.

[3] T. A. Noble, Holy Trinity: Holy People: The Historic Doctrine of Christian Perfecting (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2013), 239.

Introduction

            The relationship between human solidarity and sin is a rather interesting one to look at. There are complications that arise in attempting to understand it, such as figuring out just how much it plays a role in our personal sin, or how other cultures affect each other. Some of the questions and answers given when speaking of this topic are just speculation – we will never know for certain. However, today we will discuss what we can deduce from our sources of systematic theology.

Human Solidarity

What is it?

            John Donne, a 17^th century poet, is quoted as saying, “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.”[1] This is a poetical statement of a strikingly true fact – we do not live our lives in isolation. Humanity has societies and cultures that everyone belongs to, and those who belong to them are influenced by them greatly. We are greatly affected by each other’s lives, even when it truly has nothing to do with us.

            Think on this: if your mother dies (and you had a good relationship with her), you will be incredibly sad and heartbroken. That makes sense, as you are now living without someone who has always been there for you your entire life. However, think on this: when your friend’s mother dies, you will be sad, and your heart will ache. Why? You might not have even known their mother. Yet somehow you developed a personal connection with her solely through her child; so, your heart aches for your friend’s loss and (even slightly) for your own. That is an example of human solidarity.

What are its effects on us?

            If you go search for the effects of solidarity, you will find organizations such as the United Nations have created entire days dedicated to celebrating human solidarity.[2] In the introduction of their website, they explain it in this way, “[It] is centered on people & planet, underpinned by human rights and supported by a global partnership determined to lift people out of poverty, hunger and disease. It will, thus, be built on a foundation of global cooperation and solidarity.”[3] That is a rather positive view of solidarity, and they are not wrong. We can use the unity of humanity to make good things happen in the world and, historically speaking, we have.

            That being said, there is also an unneglectable negative effect of solidarity. Just as we influence each other with love for others, we also are influenced by each other’s hatred; and just as we can come together to support and lift up minorities, we can also come together to abuse and oppress them. As wonderful as it may be to talk about the ruffles and rainbows of solidarity, today we are talking about its effect in tandem with sin.

Original Sin

Augustine

            Saint Augustine was a Christian theologian and philosopher in the 4^th century. His position on human solidarity and sin went on one extreme of the spectrum. The doctrine of imago Dei is the clear biblical teaching that humanity was made in the image of God.[4] Augustine believed that this image became so damaged in the fall that humanity can no longer choose anything righteous; humans can only ever choose evil. To gap the bridge between being unable to choose right and needing to choose right to become saved, Augustine leaned into predestination.[5] Predestination is the belief that God elects certain people above others and chooses salvation for them on their behalf.

Pelagius

            The monk Pelagius was a Christian theologian in the 4^th century. His position on human solidarity and sin differed greatly from Augustine’s, with Pelagius on the polar opposite side of the spectrum. He taught that Adam’s sin had no meaningful impact on us, other than that he, as the first man, did not live up to the image he was supposed to and left us with a bad example to follow.[6] He believed that the freedom given to us by God remains the same as it always has, and that we naturally accept God’s grace without hinderance.

Lodahl

            Michael Lodahl discusses this very issue in his book, The Story of God. In his chapter on human solidarity, he says,

“What each of us says, does, and thinks profoundly impacts and influences those around us, and they deeply influence those around them, ad infinitum… no one comes into this world with a clean slate, precisely because the world into which we come is already a history filled with sin, manifested in war, bloodshed, slavery, abuse, torture, fear, and a thousand other nightmares.”[7]

            Lodahl believes that there is a middle ground to be taken between the stances of Augustine and Pelagius. Unlike Augustine, he believes that we are influenced by each other for good and for bad, and not everything is predestined for us – we still hold responsibility for our actions. Unlike Pelagius, he believes that the traditions and behaviors of generations past impact who we are today. Considering our sources and evidence, Lodahl’s position seems to be the most accurate of the three.

Conclusion

            Human solidarity is a fact of life, and it always has been. God created us to be relational beings and even said, “It is not good for man to be alone.”[8] Humans have such a strong influence on each other; when Eve sinned, Adam followed her without a fight. So when Adam and Eve committed the first sin in the Garden of Eden, all of humanity became poisoned with sin. That does not mean, however, that we are doomed. We can still be saved and sanctified by the Holy Spirit and live in such a way that our holiness will positively influence the world around us.

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Bibliography

Dunning, H. Ray. Grace, Faith, & Holiness. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988.

“International Human Solidarity Day.” United Nations. United Nations. Accessed May 3, 2020. https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-solidarity-day.

Lodahl, Michael. Story of God: a Narrative Theology. Place of publication not identified: Beacon Hill Press, 2010.

“No Man Is an Island – A Selection from the Prose Quotes by John Donne.” Goodreads. Goodreads. Accessed May 3, 2020. https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/6791114-no-man-is-an-island.

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[1] “No Man Is an Island – A Selection from the Prose Quotes by John Donne,” Goodreads (Goodreads), accessed May 3, 2020, https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/6791114-no-man-is-an-island).

[2] “International Human Solidarity Day,” United Nations (United Nations), accessed May 3, 2020, https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-solidarity-day).

[3] Ibid.

[4] H. Ray Dunning, Grace, Faith, & Holiness (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988)).

[5] Michael Lodahl, Story of God: a Narrative Theology (Place of publication not identified: Beacon Hill Press, 2010)).

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Genesis 2:18 (NIV).

Introduction

            Before anything else, we must begin this discussion with this statement: God’s creation is good. There are many views on creation today and, unfortunately, many of them view all of God’s creation as evil. Far too often do Christians forget their duty to be stewards of the earth because they label all of creation as condemned and forgotten. We will face this view among others as we continue our discussion on the doctrine of creation.

Creation in the Beginning

Original Creation

            In the beginning, God created everything in the heavens and the earth, and at the end of each day He called His creation good. That we know from Genesis 1. God created the earth as He saw fit for a suitable home for the ultimate peak of His creation: humanity. God is a relational being and, therefore, He created us to have a relationship with Him. He created us in His image; this meaning that we were created in the likeness of His Spirit and His character, not necessarily His physical likeness.

            Everything that God created was perfect, from the billowing clouds to the tides of the sea and everything in between. Nothing was created with flaws or shortcomings; after all, a perfect God could not label something imperfect as good. All of creation basked in the glory of the Lord as He walked there daily at the sides of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. They walked together in the Garden of Eden (meaning the garden of “paradise”[1]). Humanity ruled over the beautiful creation God had made. There was a loving, intimate relationship between God and Man. Not a single thing was out of place. Everything was as God had intended it to be.

Original Sin

            However, God had created something else (someone else) long before the time of earth that sought out to destroy His creation. Once held in high esteem as an angel of the Lord, Lucifer betrayed God and was cast out of heaven as a fallen angel. He lived in bitterness and jealousy, seeking to thwart all of God’s plans. When God created Man, he saw the perfect chance to do just that.

            God had given Adam and Eve only one command: do not eat out of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told them that if they disobeyed that command, they would die. That is where Satan came in. He came to Eve disguised as a snake, and he began to plant seeds of doubt with lies. “Before there was death, there was the lie.”[2] He whispered in her ear that surely God would not let her die if she ate it, and surely God would not withhold knowledge from her. Satan twisted the consequences of disobedience from sudden death to instant wisdom, and Eve believed him. She ate from the tree, and she convinced Adam to as well.

            It was in that moment that not just humanity, but all of creation fell. When God came and saw what they had done, He cursed all of creation with death. Animals were now vicious and violent, the earth was now riddled with thickets of thorns, birth was now horrible painful, nature was powerfully disastrous. Everything that God had created to be good was tainted with evil through the act of one man. That is how the salvation story begins.

Creation in the Future

Restoration

     “If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore, just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.”[3]

            In the passage above, Paul puts the doctrine of restoration beautifully. Each and every word is impactful and filled with the life-giving Spirit, but I would like to specifically focus on the word “all.” Paul does not say that Jesus’ sacrifice will bring restoration to some. He does not say that Jesus’ sacrifice will bring life to a few. Paul says that the righteous act of Jesus dying on the cross will restore all. While Paul is talking about humanity here, the entirety of creation can be included in that all. As he says later on in Romans, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”[4]

            Creation is not doomed. All of nature will be restored come the day of our Lord Jesus’ return. God will create a new heaven and a new earth, purging all of the evil that tainted His original creation. Satan’s influence will be cast away and all that will remain is perfection and goodness, just as was so in the beginning.

Resurrection

            Just as the rest of creation will be restored, as will humanity. God’s ultimate plan for us is that we be resurrected and given new life in the new heaven and earth. “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have died.”[5] Of course, this resurrection to life is offered to those who have accepted the eternal life that was given to them by the Father through the Son. The Bible does say that those who have not accepted Christ’s sacrifice will be resurrected not to eternal life, but to eternal judgement.[6]

Conclusion

            God created everything to be good. Creation is good. Yet, sin came in and corrupted God’s perfect creation. Satan thought he had won, but the God we know will never let that happen. He put in place a plan to restore all of creation; He gave hope to what looked like a lost cause. This hope reached a climax with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it will be completed with the restoration and resurrection of nature and humanity. Therefore, if God did not give up on creation, neither should we. There will come a time when once again will creation be what it was always meant to be: a manifestation of God’s will for His glory, a place where He can walk in loving intimacy with all of humanity.

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Bibliography

“Eden.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Eden.

Wilson, Jared C. The Gospel According to Satan: Eight Lies about God That Sound like the Truth. Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2020.

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[1] “Eden,” Merriam-Webster (Merriam-Webster), accessed April 22, 2020, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Eden)

[2] Jared C. Wilson, The Gospel According to Satan: Eight Lies about God That Sound like the Truth (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2020))

[3] Romans 5:17-18 (NRSV).

[4] Romans 8:21 (NKJV).

[5] 1 Thessalonians 4:14 (NRSV).

[6] John 5:29 (ESV).

Introduction

            Of all doctrines and theological concepts in the Christian faith, the Holy Trinity is quite possibly the most difficult to fully grasp. The Holy Trinity is the three persons of One God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The divine and infinite nature of the Trinity makes it impossible to explain in our human, finite language; however, this does not mean we cannot discuss it further and understand it to the best of our ability. Today, we will be discussing specifically how the Trinity’s relationship with each other affects each individual person’s abilities, actions, and responsibilities.

The Father

            The Father, as do the Son and the Spirit, has a unique personality and responsibility within the Trinity. The Father is referred to by name frequently throughout the entire Bible, Old Testament and New Testament. There are many misconceptions of the Father which will need to be addressed first and foremost.

            The first misconception is that the Father is higher than the other two persons of the Trinity, the Son and the Spirit. Many people think that He is somehow more powerful or more divine than the other two, worthy of more praise and glory (this such heresy about the Trinity is known generally as subordinationism[1]). Different subcategories that fall under the scope of subordinationism present different reasons for why they believe this to be true, one example being a heresy known as Arianism.

            Arianism is the belief that God is unknowable, unchangeable, unreachable, and impassible. Thus, a God with that description could never incarnate as a human on earth to be known and seen by all and to have a personal relationship with humanity; therefore, Arianism stakes the claim that Jesus of Nazareth was simply a man that God the Father chose to be His tool for salvation and made Him divine. Since this would mean that Jesus was the created and not the creator, according to this tradition the Son is not worthy of the same worship that the Father is, and to worship Him in such a way would be blasphemy.

            Another misbelief is that God the Father does not personally care for or love us. The Father is seen as the hard, old man calling the shots, and we only receive any grace or love because the Son and the Spirit beg Him to. The entire story of the Bible shows otherwise, of course, but this tends to happen because of the way stories are told and verses are interpreted within the Church. For example, one of the reasons this happens is because some people take the verses speaking about how the Son and the Spirit advocate for us as to mean that the Father does not care about us but He helps us anyway just because He cares about them. One of the most famous verses in the Bible states specifically otherwise, of course: “For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”[2] God the Father sent the Son to earth because He loves us. He has loved us from the beginning and does everything He does because He still loves us today and forevermore.

The Son

The Son of course is just as unique as the Father. The Son has quite the spotlight in the New Testament, but He is referred to consistently throughout the Old Testament as well. While the Old Testament calls Him the Messiah, we finally get a name for Him come the New Testament: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus is fully God and fully Human, contradictory to the Arianism we discussed previously.

The Son is the incarnation of God. He is the physical person of God taking the form of a human body to represent both Himself and the Trinity to us. Many times in the Gospel, He will say that you can see the Father through Him. The Son is on the same level as the Father and as the Spirit, He simply holds different responsibilities that require different things from Him. This understanding gets tricky, though, as we do not want to mistakenly fall into the heresy of Modalism.[3]

Modalism is the belief that there is no true distinction between the three persons of the Trinity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It believes that they are merely the same person taking on different roles to accomplish certain purposes. This is incorrect, as we believe these words from the Nicene Creed:

“We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God… We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.”[4]

            So, the Son is the sacrificial lamb of God, sent by the Father to come to earth as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, that we might be able to receive the Spirit as a guide for this life until we join God in the next. He loves us and lived a perfect life as an example of how we should live out the teachings that God has given us. He reached down to us to give us a way to find the Father and live in step with God forever. The Son sent the Holy Spirit to us before ascending to heaven, where He prepares for His return at the resurrection.

The Holy Spirit

            The Holy Spirit is a very interesting person of God. I say this because of the way in which the Spirit is spoken of throughout the Bible. One of the names for Him that stands out the most is the “helper.” This being because not only is He our helper, but He is the helper of the other persons of the Trinity as well. As Thomas A. Noble puts it, “[Jesus] continued to sanctify human living by His obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit. The inner secret of His holy life was His loving relationship with His Father in the Spirit.”[5]

            The Holy Spirit is frequently called on by the mightiest characters of the Bible, including Jesus Himself. Jesus relies on the Spirit during His life on earth to guide Him and to give Him strength. “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.”[6] This verse from Romans is a statement that the Holy Spirit lives in us, yes, but I would like to focus on the saying that it was the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. This is intriguing in that it implies that different abilities are given to the different persons of God. So, it is interesting to see that the Son and the Father both rely on the Spirit just as much as He relies on Them.

Conclusion

            The persons of the Holy Trinity are each unique individuals who are all fully and equally God while remaining distinct from each other, yet They are reliant on each other and on Their dynamic to accomplish the purposes which They have set out ahead of Them. They have all been together from before the beginning of time and all have equal standing. The Father sent the Son to earth to be the salvation for our sins, and the Son sent the Spirit to guide us along the right path after He left. They exist and move in harmony with each other, working together to collectively rule with grace, justice, and love.

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Bibliography

Dunning, H. Ray. Grace, Faith, & Holiness. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988.

CREED, NICENE. The Nicene Creed. S.P.C.K.: London, n.d.

Noble, T. A. Holy Trinity: Holy People: The Historic Doctrine of Christian Perfecting, 239. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2013.

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[1] H. Ray Dunning, Grace, Faith, & Holiness (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988)).

[2] John 3:16.

[3] H. Ray Dunning, Grace, Faith, & Holiness (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988)).

[4] CREED, NICENE. The Nicene Creed. S.P.C.K.: London, n.d.

[5] T. A. Noble, Holy Trinity: Holy People: The Historic Doctrine of Christian Perfecting (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2013), 239.

[6] Romans 8:11.

Introduction

            Once one has a grasp on the concept of systematic theology, the next step is to discover just how to organize what makes Christian theology possible; that is, the sources on which our beliefs are based. Without having a set of established, legitimate sources, theologians would be unable to reliably interpret and relate the doctrines of the Christian faith to others. By sources of theology, we mean the events or artifacts that reveal God to us. Having these sources in place gives us a starting point on our journey to uncovering the crevices and depths of Christian theology. Here we will discuss the four major sources of Wesleyan systematic theology.

What Are the Four Sources of Systematic Theology?

The Bible

            Naturally, the first and most important source of Christian theology is the Holy Book that God has given as a graceful, loving gift to us: the Bible. As put by H. Ray Dunning in Grace, Faith, and Holiness, “All sources carry only derivative authority… they are authoritative to the degree that they adequately bear witness to the primary revelation, what carries final authority. From the Christian perspective, this is the Christ-event and, in the light of it, the salvation-events of the Old Testament, of which it is the fulfillment.”[1]

            God makes it clear throughout all of Scripture that He wishes to have a relationship with us[2]. Because of His great love for us, He gave us His words through the Holy Spirit giving inspiration to the writers of the collective work we call the Bible.[3] Our belief is that the primary way that God chose to reveal himself to us is through the Bible. Since we believe that His word is inerrant, this means that we can rely on everything in the Bible to teach us thorough and true theology; the challenge arises when we attempt to translate very complicated concepts into words that anyone can understand.

            As the primary source of theology, all secondary sources should comply with the teachings of God’s word. If a source does not align with the Bible, there is one of two explanations; either the secondary source is incorrect, or it is being interpreted incorrectly. Whatever the reason may be, we need to carefully evaluate each and every source with each other to make sure that they are not contradictory – that is why systematic theology is very important.

Tradition

            Tradition is defined as the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction.[4] Traditions have been present since the first generation to walk the earth, and they are still as prevalent as ever today. While many might think of tradition as nothing more than old people pushing their lifestyle and worldview on the younger generations, that is a viewpoint that ought to be reconsidered.

            If we take a close look at the definition above, it can be drawn that not only is tradition a valuable set of teachings from the work and research of the people before us, but it is also something that we ourselves are making every day. As developing theologians, we should not underestimate the importance of tradition as a secondary source of theology. Rather, we should take a good look at the ways of the past generations and evaluate them in the light of the new knowledgeable discoveries we have today (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls) and adjust them as necessary.

Reason

            One of the most important sources that we have in theology is the very mind and conscience that God gave us. As humans, we do not go without a day in our life when we have an existential crisis. There are many questions that we cannot avoid as humans that point to this, such as: what is the purpose of humanity? What is the purpose of the universe? What is my purpose as an individual? Asking yourself these questions does not necessarily challenge the integrity of your faith; it is how you respond to them that shows where your faith lies. Everyone asks themselves these questions in at least one point in their life (often many more than that), and their answer to that question becomes what is known as their worldview.

A worldview refers to “a culture’s orientation to supernatural, human, and natural entities in the cosmological universe and other philosophical issues influencing how its members see the world.”[5] As Christians, we have taken upon ourselves the worldview answers (relative to the questions above) that God created humanity to have a relationship with Him, the universe was made for His glory and originally as our domain, and we are to live our life in pursuit of His kingdom.

Experience

            The last and perhaps most overlooked of the four sources is experience. By experience, we mean what we call the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit. We discussed earlier how God wishes to reveal Himself to us so that we can have a relationship with Him (after all, that is ultimately what theology is about); one of the ways in which He does this is by living in us, walking beside us, and guiding us along the way. When you devote your life to the will of God and the expansion of His kingdom, you will find that your life changes in such a way that He is the only possible explanation. Many Christians, especially those who grew up in the church, do not recognize this power working in their life. While it is true that we might not see drastic changes being made in our life every day, it is also true that the righteous living we strive to attain day-by-day does make a difference, even if that difference does not become apparent right away. Proverbs 3:5-6 says it in this way, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”[6]

            Overlooked as it may be, experience is one of the most impactful of the secondary sources. While tradition speaks to our nature and reason speaks to our mind, experience speaks to our soul. Jesus sent the Helper to us for a purpose; that purpose being to help guide us and reveal the Trinity to us in a way we could not otherwise hope to achieve.

Proper Application

            Identifying the proper application of these sources can, at times, be challenging. However, as previously stated in this paper, the fact that all secondary sources must align with the theological teachings of the Bible is the best way to start. While it may be difficult for us developing theologians, with time and effort we will eventually find ourselves naturally comparing everything we learn from outside Scripture to what lies within it. When we accurately and effectively apply the technique of discovering the parallels between the primary and secondary sources, we begin our path to becoming good theologians.

Conclusion

            If we properly apply all of the sources above to our study and to our lives, we will be able to build a relationship with God that will bring an understanding we could not otherwise attain. While this certainly does not mean that we will gain the wisdom to know every theological concept with certainty, it does mean that we will have sound doctrine in the essentials of the Christian faith. With this knowledge of and about God paired with our close relationship with the Holy Trinity, we will find that our lives will make an impact for the good of God’s kingdom that we could never hope to achieve on our own.

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Bibliography

Dunning, H. Ray. Grace, Faith, & Holiness. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988.

“Tradition.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 24, 2020. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tradition.

Quintanilla, Kelly M., and Shawn T. Wahl. Business and Professional Communication: Keys for Workplace Excellence. Thirded. Thousand Oaks, CA, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2020.

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[1] H. Ray Dunning, Grace, Faith, & Holiness (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988)).

[2] James 4:8a; 1 John 4:19 (NRSV).

[3] 2 Timothy 3:16 (NRSV).

[4] “Tradition,” Merriam-Webster (Merriam-Webster), accessed February 24, 2020, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tradition).

[5] Kelly M. Quintanilla and Shawn T. Wahl, Business and Professional Communication: Keys for Workplace Excellence, Third (Thousand Oaks, CA, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2020)).

[6] Proverbs 3:5-6 (NRSV).

Introduction

            Before any further insight can be found on a topic, one must educate themselves on just as exactly what it is that they are studying; otherwise, there will always be a central piece of the puzzle missing. This is just as true for the study of theology as it is for the study of any other science, soft or hard alike. With that in mind, the meaning of theology (specifically systematic theology) must be uncovered before continuing into doctrinal study.

What is Systematic Theology?

Term Definition

            The word theology comes from the combination of the Greek words “theos,” meaning god, and “logia,” meaning words or talk.[1] Thus, the literal meaning of the word theology is “words about God.” The English dictionary, however, defines the term as such: “the study of the nature of God and religious belief.”[2] A conclusion can be drawn from these two definitions that theology means to discuss and interpret God and His divine nature.

            To venture one step further, the fact that there are several types of theology, specifically Christian theology, must be acknowledged. A few of these are biblical theology, historical theology, and systematic theology. For the purposes of this paper, systematic theology will be the center of discussion. So, what is systematic theology and how does it differ from other forms of theology? “Systematic theology concerns those beliefs (of God and cognate beliefs) in ordered elucidation and in their relation to contemporary thought and life – ‘contemporary’ in each age, the task of theology falling to be done continually as the intellectual outlook and even the meanings of words undergo change.”[3] This differentiates it from the others mentioned in that while the others focus on fixed history and tradition, systematic theology attempts to join traditional context with current context to find the purpose in each generation theologizing, blindly following the teachings of the ages with no personal insight or knowledge.

History

            Systematic theology has not been around since the beginning of Christianity; therefore, the history of how and why it came about must be studied. As put in Alan Richardson’s “A Dictionary of Christian Theology:”

“Before the Enlightenment it was held by Catholics and Protestants alike that the propositions contained in the Scriptures were collectively the total revelation of God to man, given through the Holy Spirit. But these propositions did not present the truth in a systematic form, and thus it was necessary for theologians to systematize the truths contained in the thousands of biblical propositions and construct a ‘system’ which should present the whole range of revealed truth from Creation to Last Things… Since the Enlightenment it has become impossible to regard the task of theology as that of systematizing the biblical propositions regarded as inerrant, but the task of presenting in an orderly fashion the content of Christian truth still remains.”[4]

In other words, the propositions of older theologians were without form, so they introduced a way of putting all of the biblical propositions in a systematic presentation. However, it eventually became evident that there is no way to perfectly systematize all of those truths; therefore, it developed into the more adequate approach of putting them in an order that could be understood clearly.

Why Does Theology Matter?

Original Purpose

            As previously stated, systematic theology was created to give order to all the principles of the relation between God and man presented by the Bible. Such a method makes a relatively complicated subject slightly easier for the common people (those without a significant background in biblical studies) to understand. It modernizes biblical propositions without compromising their integrity and original importance.

Modern Application

            The fact that time changes most anything – with the exception of God – is well known. The interpretation of theology is included in this scope. While there is value to the history and traditions of theology, they are not necessarily a timeless truth. Factors as simple as a change in the connotation or context of a word can drastically impact the meaning of a statement.

For example, if one looks into the history of the word “naughty” they might be surprised with what they find. Originally, naughty meant someone who has naught (nothing); in today’s world, naughty is used to describe a person who acts poor or disapproved behavior.[5] Similarly, the words “awesome” and “awful” have changed with context. “Awe” used to mean fear or terror; when it was used to describe an attitude we should have towards God, people ascribed the word awesome to it, meaning respectful fear. Awesome and awful used to mean the same thing, but over time that context has changed in such a way that those two words no longer apply implicitly to God. Now, awesome means something wonderful or outstanding, while awful means something tragic or disastrous.[6]

Those are prime examples of why it is important to adapt to the current world and its climate. Far too many things would be lost in translation and commonly misunderstood if it were not for systematic theology. People would need to have more formal education to be able to grasp biblical propositions. While formal education is indeed a wonderful thing, it is unrealistic and uncalled for that everyone should be formally trained in the historical study of the Bible. Each individual has a different call and for many Christians that call is not to full-time ministry; this certainly does not mean that their call is any less important, for God gives to each person according to His will.[7]

Conclusion

            Let it be known that there is far more studying to do to truly get to the bottom of systematic theology; that statement being made, the purpose of this paper is to provide a simple introduction of the topic. All being said and done, the ultimate meaning of theology (particularly Christian systematic theology) is the orderly fashion in which one can research the relationship between God and man. The reason for putting in the effort to do so is that God gave us His word that we might learn more about Him and who He is, as well as what that has to do with us. If one brings together the meaning and the purpose of systematic theology, they will be fulfilling an important piece of the puzzle of Christianity.

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Bibliography

Dunning, H. Ray. Grace, Faith, & Holiness. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988.

Hermin, Judith. “11 Words With Meanings That Have Changed Drastically Over Time.” Mental Floss, December 22, 2015. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61876/11-words-meanings-have-changed-drastically-over-time.

Richardson, Alan. A Dictionary of Christian Theology. London: S.C.M. Press, 1981.

“Theology Definition.” Google Search. Google. Accessed February 7, 2020. https://www.google.com/search.

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[1] “Theology Definition,” Google Search (Google), accessed February 7, 2020, https://www.google.com/search).

[2] Ibid.

[3] H. Ray Dunning, Grace, Faith, & Holiness (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988)).

[4] Alan Richardson, A Dictionary of Christian Theology (London: S.C.M. Press, 1981)).

[5] Judith Hermin, “11 Words With Meanings That Have Changed Drastically Over Time,” Mental Floss, December 22, 2015, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61876/11-words-meanings-have-changed-drastically-over-time).

[6] Ibid.

[7] John 3:17.