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Class Description:
The objective of this class is to help students be able to think systematically about faith and then articulate what they believe. We will be using biblical and extra-biblical resources to help guide us in the discovery of a personal systematic theology.
Learning Goals:
- Understand the process of Systematic Theology
- Understand the categories of Systematic Theology
- Understand how to use source material in a theological process
- Be able to articulate in a two page summary a personal Systematic Theology
Class Location: Narthex
Times: Thursdays, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Requirements: Bible, pen and class notebook
Schedule of Classes:
Oct. 11 Systematic What?
Oct. 18 How Do You Know What You Know?
Oct. 25 How Do You Explain the Mess that We Are In?
Nov. 1 Being Clear About the Solution
Systematic Theology
I. What is Systematic Theology?
A. Simple definition:
“Knowing what you believe”
B. Seminary definition:
“a systematic presentation of what the Bible teaches about God.”
II. What is the Objective of Systematic Theology?
“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3
III. What is the Process of Systematic Theology?
A. We all start with one
B. Gather data
C. Define Categories
D. Sort the data
E. Get other inputs
IV. Step One – We’ve Already Got One
Break up into your tables and take the test.
Systematic Theology Worksheet
Category Name: ___________________________
Key Question: _______________________________________________________
Key Bible References:
Reference What’s it say about the question?
_________________ ________________________________
_________________________________
_________________ _________________________________
_________________________________
_________________ ________________________________
_________________________________
_________________ _________________________________
_________________________________
_________________ ________________________________
_________________________________
_________________ _________________________________
_________________________________
What do I believe? _________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
What’s the Creed say? _________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Beliefs Clarification Exercise
What do you believe about Christianity? Whether you have been a member of the Church for a short or lengthy period, you no doubt have formed a set of beliefs about different aspects of the Christian faith. Perhaps you have never articulated your beliefs in a systematic way. The exercise that follows is designed to help you identify what you believe about basic questions related to the Christian faith.
Look at the following questions and check the responses that best represent your conviction. There may be more than one of the responses which you can affirm. We have designed the choices to represent many perspectives. Feel free to write your own responses in the spaces provided. “I am not sure” or “I have no definite opinion” are acceptable responses.
- From what source does a person discover the truth about spiritual reality and the meaning of life?
_____The Holy Scriptures
_____Church Tradition
_____Human reason
_____All of the above but Holy Scripture is the ultimate source of authority.
_____It is not possible to be certain about spiritual truth or ultimate reality.
_____Other (Write you own response.) ________________________
- What do you believe about the Bible?
_____It originated from human sources alone, and its contents must be subject to scholarly research before it can be accepted as true.
_____Although the Bible contains myths and errors, it contains some amazing first-hand reports.
_____Although there are myths and errors in the Bible, every statement and all the parts that are related to God’s plan of salvation are true.
_____Whatever the Bible teaches on any subject is God’s authoritative truth.
_____Other (Write your own.)_________________________________
- What you believe about the existence of God?
_____There is no God.
_____It is impossible to know whether God exists or not.
_____There is only one true God and he has revealed himself in Jesus Christ.
_____”God” is an impersonal force at work in creation and part of the natural order.
_____There are many gods and spirits that control our destiny.
_____Each individual is his/her own God.
_____Other (Write your own.)_______________________________
______________________________________________________
- What do you believe about the Trinity?
_____There is only one God and he is one person.
_____There is one God who is three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
_____There is one God who revealed himself in three different forms at different times.
_____I do not know what to make of the Trinity.
_____Other (Write your own.)________________________________
- What do you believe about the identity of Jesus of Nazareth?
_____He was an ordinary man?
_____He was an extraordinary man and a great teacher.
_____He was a divine being in human form.
_____He was the one true God in human form.
_____Other (Write your own.)_______________________
______________________________________________
- What do you believe about the Jesus’ resurrection?
_____It never happened.
_____Jesus was such an inspiring leader and teacher that his memory lived on in the life of his followers.
_____Jesus returned in the form of a spiritual presence to be with his followers.
_____Jesus was raised bodily from the dead by God.
_____Other (Write your own.)_________________________________
_______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
- What do you believe about the Holy Spirit?
_____There is no such being.
_____The Holy Spirit is an impersonal force at work in the church and the world today.
_____The Holy Spirit is a ghost.
_____The Holy Spirit is both a person and fully divine.
_____The Holy Spirit brings God the Father and the Son into the lives of believers.
_____Other (Write your own.)______________________________
_____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
- What do you believe about humanity?
_____People are nothing but bodies that cease to exist after death.
_____People are persons who exist in bodies. After the body dies, the person continues to exist.
_____People are whole persons consisting of body and personality (soul) which are inseparably integrated. The soul cannot exist without the body.
_____Other (Write your own.)________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
- What do you believe about human nature and evil?
_____Human nature is basically good.
_____Human nature is neutral and so can be influenced for either good or evil.
_____The evil in people is a legacy from a prior animal stage in development and will be overcome by the inevitable progress of evolution.
_____Every man and woman inevitably re-enacts the story of Genesis and falls into the sin of self-pride and self-interest.
_____There is an innate and persistent bias in human nature towards sin (self-centeredness and lawlessness) which is inherited at birth.
_____Other (Write your own.)________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
- What do you believe about the death of Jesus?
_____The death of Jesus was a supreme example of obedience to God’s will?
_____It was a representative action performed by Christ who conquered the powers of evil and death on behalf of the whole human race.
_____It was a substitutionary sacrifice instead of and on behalf of sinners.
_____Other (Write your own.)_________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
- What does it mean to be a Christian?
_____A Christian is a person who believes in God.
_____A Christian is a person who tries to live a good life.
_____A Christian is a person who submits to Jesus as Lord and trusts in him as Savior.
_____Other (Write your own.)_________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
- What do you believe about how a person becomes a Christian?
_____A person becomes a Christian by being born into a Christian family.
_____A person becomes a Christian by being baptized.
_____A person becomes a Christian by being confirmed.
_____A person becomes a Christian by attending church.
_____A person becomes a Christian by submitting to Jesus as Lord and trusting in him as Savior.
_____Other (Write your own.)________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
- What do you believe about growing in holiness?
_____Because a Christian is reckoned to be righteous by God, he can live as he likes.
_____Christians grow in holiness by suppressing evil desires and striving to obey God’s Law.
_____Christians can achieve a state of perfection in this life, one in which the sin nature is eradicated and freedom from sin is enjoyed, through a special in-filling of the Holy Spirit.
_____Christians are new persons in Christ, and therefore it is possible for them not to sin even though they still have sin natures.
_____Other (Write your own.)_________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
- What do you believe about the Church?
_____The Church is a congregation of Christians meeting together.
_____The Church is the same a parish.
_____The Church is a group of Christians who have genuine fellowship together.
_____The Church is all the Christians on earth at any one time.
_____The Church is all believers in heaven and on earth from all times.
_____Other (Write your own.)_________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
- What do you believe about Christian ministry?
_____Only persons who are ordained are real ministers.
_____Only the specially gifted and those in designated leadership positions in the church are real ministers.
_____All God’s people are ministers.
_____Because all God’s people are called to ministry, it is inappropriate to set apart or to ordain persons for special ministries.
_____Other (Write your own.)_______________________________
______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
- What do you believe about the sacraments of the Gospel?
_____They are only visible signs and symbols of God’s grace to us in Christ.
_____They are effective signs and means of receiving God’s grace when received worthily in repentance and faith.
_____They are effective signs and means of receiving God’s grace irrespective of the attitude of the recipient.
_____Other (Write your own.)________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
- What do you believe about the significance of Holy Baptism?
______It is primarily a naming ceremony.
_____It is primarily a sign of profession of faith in Christ.
_____It is primarily (in the case of infants) a sign of profession of faith on the part of the sponsors (parents and godparents.)
_____It is primarily a service of reception into the membership of a local church or parish.
_____It is a sign of new birth and incorporation into the body of Christ.
_____Other (Write your own.)________________________________
_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
- What do you believe about the Holy Eucharist?
_____It is a supper in which the risen Lord and his people are present together.
_____It is a proclamation of the Gospel.
_____It is a remembrance of the death of Christ.
_____It is an offering of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for the sins if his people.
_____It is an offering of ourselves to God in Christ.
_____It is and offering of praise and thanksgiving to God in response to the death of Christ for us.
_____It is a participation in the real body and blood of our Savior Christ.
_____It is a participation in the benefits of Christ’s death on the cross for us; those benefits are forgiveness and renewed life through the Holy Spirit.
_____Other (Write your own.)________________________________
_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
- What do you believe happens after death?
_____Nothing. Death is the end of conscious existence.
_____At death the individual is absorbed into the infinite whole or being (for example, God, the Absolute, Nirvana).
_____At death the individual is reincarnated in either a higher or lower form of life, depending on the good or evil of the former life.
_____At death the individual continues to develop morally in the spirit world which exists near and all around the physical world.
_____All persons irrespective of the life they have lived are received into heaven after death.
_____Most ordinary persons spend some time in an intermediate “life” state after death before being cleansed and purified of some evil with which they have been contaminated before entering heaven.
_____The whole person – body and soul – dies but will be raised at the resurrection. In the meantime the soul sleeps.
_____At death a person consciously continues to exist in the presence of God in heaven or in torment in hell.
____ Not Sure.
_____Other (Write your own.)_____________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
- What do you believe about Jesus’ promise to return to earth?
_____Jesus is gone forever and will never return.
_____Jesus has already returned. He is spiritually present in the world today.
_____Jesus will return bodily as he said he would at the time appointed by God the Father.
_____Other (Write your own.)_________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Clarifying your own thinking about these basic questions will help you as you continue with this course.
Beginning and Ending
As you begin this course, you may already know some Christian doctrine. In your study this should deepen and widen, but whatever you do, you will never finish your study of doctrine in this life. To be a Christian means to be a disciple, that is a learner, or one who is forever growing in his or her knowledge of God. This course will not teach you everything, nor will a four-year theological degree, nor will a doctorate in theology. A lifetime must be spent in getting to know God better through your study of the Bible. We all have something to learn for we always remain disciples of the Teacher of teachers.
Session #2
I. Data is Everything
A.
So that we might know…
B. General Revelation
C. Specific Revelation
II. Can the Data Be Trusted?
A. Validity: Did it really happen?
1. Why ___________________?
2. Why ___________________?
3. Why ___________________?
4. Why ___________________?
B. Reliability: Do we have accurate records of it?
1. How big a GAP?
2. How many readings?
Author |
Copies |
Gap in years |
Homer’s “Illiad” |
643 |
500 years |
Caesar’s “Gallic Wars” |
10 |
1000 years |
Plato “Tetralogies” |
7 |
1200 years |
Tacitus “Annals” |
20 |
1000 years |
New Testament |
24,000 |
<100 years |
Data from: “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” Josh McDowell, 1979
III. What Do We Believe About the Bible?
Break up into your tables and do the Systematic Theology Worksheet
Category Name: __Bible________________
Key Question: __What is the Bible?________
Key Bible References:
Reference What’s it say about the question?
Isaiah 40:8 _________________________
Matthew 4:4 _________________________
Proverbs 30:5-6 _________________________
Romans 15:4 _________________________
2 Peter 1:20-21 __________________________
1 Corinthians 2:13 __________________________
2 Timothy 3:15-17 __________________________
Hebrews 1:1-3 __________________________
Jeremiah 30:1-2 __________________________
Luke 24:27 ___________________________
What do I believe? ______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
What’s the Creed say? _______________________________________
_______________________________________
Category Name: __CREATION_______________
Key Question: ____________________________
Key Bible References:
Reference What’s it say about the question?
Genesis 1:1-4 ____________________________
Genesis 1:31-2:1 ____________________________
Psalm 33:6-9 ____________________________
Isaiah 45:12 ___________________________
Revelations 4:11 ____________________________
1 Corinthians 8:6 ____________________________
Isaiah 45:5-7 ____________________________
Colossians 1:16-17 ____________________________
John 1:1-3 ____________________________
Psalm 104:24-30 ____________________________
What’s the creed say? _____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
What do I believe? ______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Session #3
I. Paradise Found: Creation
Break out into your groups and do a worksheet on Creation
II. Categories
A. Chronological
B. Trinity – God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Statement From the Creed |
Category of
Theological Study |
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth. |
Paterology |
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. |
Christology |
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary. |
Christology |
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. |
Christology
Soteriology |
On the third day he rose again. |
Christology |
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead |
Eschatology |
I believe in the Holy Spirit, |
Pneumatology |
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, |
Ecclesiology |
the forgiveness of sins, |
Hamartiology
Soteriology |
the resurrection of the body, |
Eschatology |
and the life everlasting. Amen. |
Eschatology |
C. You choose
III. Paradise Lost: Sin
Break out into your groups and do a worksheet on Sin
Category Name: _______SIN_____________
Key Question: _________________________
Key Bible References:
Reference What’s it say about the question?
Genesis 4:6-7 ____________________________
John 8:34 ____________________________
1 John 1:8-9 ____________________________
Galatians 3:22 ____________________________
Romans 3:9-18, 23 ____________________________
Romans 6:16-18 ____________________________
Romans 5:12 ____________________________
Romans 7:18-20 ____________________________
James 1:13-15 ____________________________
Ephesians 2:1-2 ____________________________
What’s the creed say? _____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
What do I believe? ______________________________________
______________________________________
_________________________________
Session #4
I. Verse Selections
A. Word Selections
B. Internet Tools
C. Familiar with the Bible
D. Bible Cross References
II. What happened spiritually on the cross?
Break out into your groups and do a worksheet on The Cross
III. Systematic Theology Final Exam
Category Name: _____The Cross____________
Table of Contents
Key Question: ___________________________
Key Bible References:
Reference What’s it say about the question?
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
What’s the creed say? _____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
What do I believe? ______________________________________
______________________________________
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