The Doctrine of the Word of God Systematic Theology The Doctrine of the Word of God By Carl Johnson

Seven Major Doctrines The Doctrine of the Word of God The Doctrine of God The Doctrine of Man The Doctrines of Christ and the Holy Spirit The Doctrine of Redemption The Doctrine of the Church The Doctrine of the Future

Definition of Systematic Theology Systematic Theology is any study that answers the question “What does the whole Bible teach us today?” about any given topic. Professor John Frame

The Doctrine of the Word of God The Word of God – What are the different forms The Canon of Scripture – Old & New Testaments The Authority of Scripture The Inerrancy of Scripture The Clarity of Scripture The Necessity of Scripture The Sufficiency of Scripture

The Word of God – What are the different forms? “The Word of God” as a Person: Jesus Christ “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” Rev. 19:13 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

The Word of God – What are the different forms? 2) “The Word of God” as Speech by God A) God’s Decrees “Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.” Gen. 1:3 “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.” Ps. 33:6

The Word of God – What are the different forms? B) God’s Words of Personal Address “Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.“ Gen. 2:16-17 “…and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.“ Matt. 3:17

The Word of God – What are the different forms? C) God’s Words as Speech through Human Lips “I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 'It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. 'But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' Deut.18:18-20

The Word of God – What are the different forms? D) God’s Word in Written Form (Bible) “And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.” Ex. 32:16 “Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.” Ex. 24:4

The Word of God – What are the different forms? “And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God…” Joshua 24:26 “Now go, write it on a tablet before them and inscribe it on a scroll…” Isaiah 30:8 "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.” Jer. 30:2

The Word of God – What are the different forms? "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” John 14:26 “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment.” 1 Cor. 14:37

Canon of Scripture - OT Ancient Greek word canon (kaneh) literally meant rod, rule, measuring rod. In a somewhat broader meaning it also refers to any type of standard or guideline. This term came to mean a collection or list of books accepted as an authoritative rule of faith and practice.

Canon of Scripture - OT “…he said to them, "Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. "For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.“ Deut. 32:46-47 “When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.” Ex. 31:18

Canon of Scripture - OT “Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the command of the Lord, and these are their journeys according to their starting places.” Num. 33:2 “It came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete, that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, "Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you.” Deut. 31:24-26

Canon of Scripture - OT “And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God…” Joshua 24:26 “Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.” 1 Sam. 10:25 “Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of Samuel the seer…” 1 Chron. 29:29 “Surely the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7

Canon of Scripture - OT “Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.” 2 Chron.26:22 “Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.” 2 Chron. 32:32 "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.” Jer. 30:2

Canon of Scripture - OT The OT Canon closed about 435 BC with the prophet Malachi. “Since the death of the last prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi the Holy Spirit departed from Israel…” (Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Sanhedrin)

Other Historical Writings “And they thought it best to tear it down, lest it bring reproach upon them, for the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them.” 1 Maccabees 4:44-45 (135-100 BC) “Thus there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them.” 1 Maccabees 9:27

Other Historical Writings “From Artaxerxes to our own times a complete history has been written, but has not deemed worthy of equal credit with the earlier records, because of the failure of the exact succession of the prophets.” Josephus (75-95 AD)

Jesus and the OT Canon In the New Testament, we have no record of any disputes between Jesus and the Jews over the extent of the canon. “Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Luke 24:44

Apocrypha 1 Esdras 2 Esdras Tobit Judith Additions to Esther Wisdom of Solomon Ecclesiasticus Baruch Epistle of Jeremiah Song of the Three Children Story of Susanna Bel and the Dragon Prayer of Manasseh 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees

Reasons for Rejecting the Apocrypha Not found in the Hebrew OT. OT canon is confirmed by many sources. The NT never cites from any of its books. None of the Apocrypha books claim to be the word of the Lord. There are theological inconsistencies in it. Many of the early church fathers spoke against it. The earliest list of the OT canon (170 AD) does not included it.

Reasons for Rejecting the Apocrypha There are no marks in these books which would attest to divine origin. Some contain historical, chronological, and geographical errors. Some justify falsehood and deception and make salvation to depend upon works of merit. Some inculcate a morality based upon expediency. One teaches that the creation of the world out of pre-existent matter. One teaches that giving alms makes atonement for sin. Another teaches that God hears the prayers of the dead.

Conclusion We must conclude that they are merely human words, not God-breathed words like the words of scripture. They have value for historical linguistic research, and contain a number of helpful stories about the courage and faith of many Jews during the period after the Old Testament ends, but they have never been apart of the Old Testament canon, and should not be thought of a part of the Bible. Did God direct history so that the right books are in the Old Testament? Absolutely!