Authority, Revelation and Scripture Survey of Christian Doctrine

Survey of Christian Doctrines 12 I.AUTHORITY  “If people don’t know Jesus they can never have any peace at all or know God.”  “No, God can be known in a hundred ways.”  “God is inside you. You feel the presence of the infinite.”  Diverse viewpoints rise from question of authority

Survey of Christian Doctrines 13 The source of authority  The creeds  The historic confessions  The “mind of the church”  Christian experience  Christian reason  The “inner voice”  Or…?

Survey of Christian Doctrines 14 The ultimate source  The ultimate source is the triune God himself as he is made known to us through the Bible  1. God has taken the initiative (REVELATION)  2. God has come to us in Jesus. He is the Word and Wisdom of God and the mediator all our knowledge about God (Jn 1:1f; 14:6-9; 1 Cor 1:30; Col 2:3; Rev 19:13  3. Our knowledge comes through the Bible when we submit to its authority.

Survey of Christian Doctrines 15 II REVELATION  Definition  Significance  We are creatures (Gen 1:1,27)  We are sinners (Rom 1:18; 1 Cor 1:21; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:1f; 4:18)  And yet…

Survey of Christian Doctrines 16 General revelation  Creation (Rom 1:18-32; Acts 14:17; 17:26f)  Moral Experience (Rom 2:14f; 1:32) The conflicts of conscience are relevant to the issues of God’s judgement.  Consider 1 Tim 3:7; 1 Pet 2:12  Rom 3:21-26; 1 Cor 15:3 imply a continuity between universal moral experience and that of the believer

Survey of Christian Doctrines 17 General Revelation  A universal religious sense  The dynamic factor (Rom 1:21-28)  Its effects: a) the goodness of God, b) the guiltiness of man.  Its limitations  God has not left himself without a witness.

Survey of Christian Doctrines 18 Special Revelation  Jesus Christ  Hoy Scripture  The relationship of these forms  A third form?  Redemptive revelation (Jn 3:1f; 15:26; 1 Thess 1:5; Titus 3:5

Survey of Christian Doctrines 19 III SCRIPTURE  God’s condescension  The possibility of verbal revelation  Analogical truth  God’s purpose: durability, dissemination, purity and finality

Survey of Christian Doctrines 110 Grounds for receiving the Bible as God’s written word  The Bible’s witness, Logos  Jesus’ view of the Old Testament  The apostles’ view of the Old Testament  Jesus’ words and teaching  The special authority of the apostles  God addresses us in its words

Survey of Christian Doctrines 111 Inspiration  The method of inspiration  2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:19-21; Jn 10:34-36  The OT Prophets

Survey of Christian Doctrines 112 Theories of Inspiration  Dictation  Accommodation  Supervision

Survey of Christian Doctrines 113 Two related terms  Verbal  Plenary  Authority of Scripture  An element of mystery  Our doctrine of God

Survey of Christian Doctrines 114 Canonicity  Definition of “canon”  The OT canon  The NT canon

Survey of Christian Doctrines 115  INFALLIBILITY  INERRANCY  “As originally given”  Difficulties

Survey of Christian Doctrines 116 Hermeneutics  Definition: the science of interpreting Scripture  Scripture must be interpreted through the Holy Spirit –According to the corporate Spirit –According to the HOLY Spirit  Scripture must be interpreted by Scripture –According to the purpose of Scripture –According to the light of other passages –According to the later and fuller exposition  Scripture must be interpreted literally –According to the original meaning –According to literary form –According to context