THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF THEOLOGY

THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF THEOLOGY

2003

LESSON FOUR

Theology as Aptitude (p. 46 et. seq.)
1. The “personal qualification” defined by those passages which describe the persons to whom the office may be committed.
2. These qualifications are described in Scripture as:
  1. A spiritual aptitude.
    1. presupposes, besides natural gifts, personal faith in Christ.
    2. eliminates unbelievers with intellectual apprehension of doctrine.
    3. a gift from God (2Co 3:5,6).
    4. also must have the common Christian virtues (e.g. 1Ti 3:1-7).
    5. remember: efficacy of means of grace not affected by administrant’s character.
    6. is essentially “a supernatural aptitude” (Baier, quoted p. 47)
  2. Includes ability to confine his teaching entirely to God’s Word.
    1. 1Ti 6:3, 4a.
    2. no “private revelations” (Jer 23:16).
  3. The ability to teach the whole Word of God, the entire truth of Scripture.
    1. Ac 20:26,27.
    2. Without subtraction or addition.
  4. Ability to refute false teachers.
    1. Tit 1:9-11.
    2. “modern” demand to refrain from polemics.
      1. not supported by Scripture.
      2. must avoid foolish questions (Tit 3:9).
      3. not from carnal motives, in carnal zeal (2Co 10:3).
      4. present truth first, then refute falsehood.
    3. polemics are absolutely needed.
      1. Antithesis assists clear comprehension.
      2. To avoid being guilty of their blood.
  5. The willingness and strength to suffer for the Christian doctrine.
    1. 2Ti 2:3,9.
    2. World opposes the Gospel (1Co 1:23).
    3. Mt 24:9: will be directed principally against the teachers.
    4. 2Ti 2:1.
Theology as Doctrine (p.51 et. seq.)
1. The “objective sense”, doctrine.
2. Nothing other than the presentation in oral and written form of the doctrine presented in Holy Scripture.
  1. Theologian compiles the doctrinal statements contained in Scripture.
  2. Then groups them under their proper heads.
  3. Then arranges these doctrines in the order of their relationship.
  4. Must all be based on Scripture.
3. Not man’s doctrine; God’s own doctrine.
  1. Col 2:8.
  2. Tit 2:10 (the “doctrine of God our Savior”).
  3. Church to be closed to all doctrines devised by men.
  4. Yet “modern” theology insists on man’s right to judge these matters.
  5. 1Pe 4:11.
  6. Takes strictest mental discipline.
  7. Correctly, it is “ectypal, or derived, theology”, i.e. a re-presentation of the “archetypal, or original, theology”, originally found only in God, but which He has communicated through His Word.
  8. Temptation is to “sell our own, or new, etc. brand”.
    1. Accusation of “repristination”.
    2. Prizes the “divergent trends”.
    3. Seeks to have Ego certify within itself the truth.
  9. It is impossible to separate these two functions of Scripture:
    1. The source of doctrine.
    2. The norm of doctrine.
    3. Otherwise, not theocentric, but anthropocentric.
  10. Opponents like to accuse true teachers of being:
    1. Guilty of “intellectualism”.
    2. Guilty of “dead literalism”.
    3. Guilty of a “paper pope”.
    4. Lacking “inner warmth”.
    5. Violative of laws of psychology (cf 1Co 2:5).
4. Look at the pertinent vocabulary.
  1. It is sheer delusion to replace Scripture with the Christian “experience”.
    1. Yet there is a Christian experience.
    2. Daily encounter with sin and grace.
    3. Wrought solely through the teaching of His Word, Law and Gospel.
    4. “Grandfather” of Ego Theology: Schleiermacher, Friedrich (1768-1834) (ignores the concept of sin).
    5. “Father” of Ego Theology: Hofmann, Johann (1810-77) (guided by faith, consciousness, which operates “independently” of Scripture, denies original sin).
  2. Christian experience of sin and grace wrought solely through the Word.
    1. In no way through an immediate operation of God.
    2. Or through God’s operation in the realm of nature and of history.
    3. God makes use of these events, to direct man’s external attention to the proclamation of the Word of Christ.
      1. But the experience of sin and grace effected only through the teaching of His Word.
      2. Whether Scripture is directly quoted or not.
  3. Sheer delusion to derive doctrine from “experience” and not Scripture.
    1. To be sure, there is a Christian faith consciousness, and out of it the Christians speak and teach.
    2. 2Co 4:13.
    3. Ps 116:10.
    4. Our faith knows nothing but His Word; are inseparably joined together.
    5. Opponents want faith to be its own source and its own object.
    6. Some even say that Christianity not “in real truth” concerned with doctrine.
    7. Depriving faith of its object, i.e. the doctrine presented in Scripture, has fatal results.
    8. 2Ti 3:16.
  4. Delusion to consider the “regenerate Ego” the source of true doctrine.
    1. Teacher should be reborn, new man.
    2. But old Adam present and should not be the theologian.
  5. Delusion to look to the “content”, or import, and not to the words (they say “letter”).
    1. Can not express the content without the words.
    2. The meaning of Scripture lies solely in the words of Scripture.
  6. Delusion to philosophy of history to make doctrine in accord with the facts of history.
    1. Surely, Christian religion bears a “historical character”.
    2. Son of God entered “history” (The Eternal became temporal).
    3. Ro 16:25,26.
    4. Opponents are engaging in entirely unhistorical attack on the true history of Christianity.
    5. He, in His Word is the one and only Teacher to the end of days.
      1. Mt 23:8,10.
      2. Mt 28:19,20.
      3. Jn 17:20.
5. Conviction that Scripture is His own Word and sole source of doctrine produces three chief virtues in the theologian.
  1. He will despair of his wisdom and approach Scripture with a humble spirit that prays: 1Sa 3:9.
  2. He will not seek other text books of the Christian doctrine, but will receive the doctrine revealed in Scripture by faith and faithfully teach it (Jer 23:28).
  3. By His grace, he will have the courage and strength to demand exclusive authority for the doctrine taken from Scripture as being God’s own doctrine and thus do his part to check the ravages of indifferentism, doctrinal chaos, and confusion.