Transcript A Defense of Christian Theology

A Defense of Christian Theology
APLA
John Oakes
1/17/10
Course Outline
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Existence of God
Jesus
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The Bible
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Messianic Prophecies
Claims of Jesus
Miracles of Jesus
Resurrection of Jesus
Inspiration and Inerrancy
How We Got the Bible, Canon
Contradictions?
History, Archaeology and the Bible
Science and Christianity
Christian and Other World Views
Defense of Christian Theology
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Problem of Pain, Suffering and Evil
Free Will/Predestination
The Problem of Hell
Augustine on Evil
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When accordingly it is inquired, whence is evil, it must
first be inquired what is evil, which is nothing else than
corruption, either of the measure, or the form or the
order, that belong to nature. Nature therefore which has
been corrupted, is called evil, for assuredly when
incorrupt it is good; but even when corrupt, so far as it
is nature, it is good, so far as it is corrupted it is evil.
Sin is not the striving after an evil nature, but the
desertion of a better, and so the deed itself is evil, not
the nature which the sinner uses amiss. For it is evil to
use amiss that which is good.
Intro to the History of Christian Theology
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Trinity and the nature of God
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Christology
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Nature of sin, grace and redemption
Early Motivations to Christian Theologians
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Apologetics:
Response to Greek
philosophical
criticism (Celsus)
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Logos theology of
Justin Martyr
Heresy: Orthodox
response to
heterodox theology
Origen of Alexandria AD 185-254
Heresies
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Adoptionism (God adopted the man Jesus at his
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Gnosticism
baptism)
 Ebionites (Jesus a mere man)
 Modalism (Jesus and Holy Spirit modes of God)
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Cerinthus, Valentinus
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Docetism (Jesus only appeared to be human)
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Arianism (Jesus was not divine—he was created)
The Orthodox Response
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Use of Greek terms, modes of argument
Polemical Writings
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Against Heresies Irenaeus
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Appeal to apostolic (later church) authority
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Creeds
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Councils
Doctrine of the Trinity
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Tertullian AD 160-220
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The Father and the
Son are different “not
in condition, but in
degree; not in
substance, but in
form; not in power,
but in aspect”
Creeds
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A second century Roman creed (said at
baptism)
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I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son,
our Lord, and in the Holy Ghost, the holy
church and the resurrection of the flesh.
Church Councils
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Nicaea AD 325
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Constantinople AD 381
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Monophysitism
Constantinople III AD 680
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Define the “two natures” of Jesus
Constantinople II AD 553
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Nestorianism condemned, Pelagius anathematized.
Calchedon AD 451
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Nicene Creed Holy Spirit also homoousious
Ephesus AD 431
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Arianism Jesus homoousios With the Father
Monothelitism
Nicaea II AD 787
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of
all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the
Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God;
begotten, not made, being of one substance (homoousios, of the same
substance, consubstantial as opposed to homoiousios) with the Father, by whom
all things were made.
Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was
incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was
crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the
third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven,
and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to
judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from
the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped
and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism
for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life
of the world to come. Amen.
Is this what we believe?
Chalcedon AD 451
“In agreement with the holy fathers we all unanimously teach
that we should confess that our Lord Jesus Christ is one
and the same Son; the same perfect in Godhead and the
same perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man, the
same of a rational soul and body; consubstantial with the
Father in Godhead and the same consubstantial with us in
manhood; like us in all things except sin; begotten of the
Father before all ages as regards his Godhead and in the
last days the same, for us and for our salvation, begotten
of the Virgin Mary, the theotokos (as opposed to the
Christotokos of the Nestorians) (the God-bearer, the
mother of God) as regards his manhood; one and the
same Christ, Son, Lord, only-begotten, made known in two
natures without confusion, without change, without
division, without separation…
Chalcedon (cont.)
“Without confusion and without change”
to oppose monophysitism/Coptic Christianity
Monophysite = one nature
“Without division, without separation”
to oppose Nestorianism
Q: Are we splitting hairs here?
Sin, Redemption, Salvation
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Augustine!!!!!
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The City of God Soveriegnty
Total depravity
Monoergism (only God)
Predestination
Original Sin
Infant baptism required for
salvation
Sacramentalism
Transubstantiation
City and State
Opposed Donatists
Augustine of Hippo (from 6th century)
Augustine: Evil and Free Will
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About Augustine: “Evil arises from the corruption
of a nature which is essentially good. What is
called evil is good corrupted; if it were not
corrupted it would be wholly good; but even
when it is corrupted, it is good in so far as it
remains a natural thing, and bad only in so far as
it is corrupted.”
“A man’s free will avails for nothing except to
sin.”
Pelagius AD c. 354-430
Works
Salvation?
Affirmed the existence
of free will. “Evil is not
born with us, and we
are procreated without
fault.” Rejected infant
baptism. Taught that
we become holy
through our own
effort?
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Q: What is the nature of “the Fall” of mankind? What
happened in the garden?
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Puritans: “In Adam’s fall we sinned all.”
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Romans 5:12-19 What “death” is this in v. 12
Thomas Aquinas
1225-1274
Aristotle
Revelation by reason
Scholasticism
Arguments for existence of
God
Natural Theology
“Summa Theologica”
Thomas Aquinas:
“God, therefore, is the first cause, who moves causes both natural
and voluntary. And just as by moving natural causes He does not
prevent their actions from being natural, so by moving voluntary
causes He does not deprive their actions of being voluntary; but
rather is He the cause of this very thing in them, for He operates
in each thing according to his own nature.”
In other words, Aquinas believed in free will and not a strict
monergism.
Question:
Do you believe in Predestination?
History of the Doctrine of Predestination
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Augustine of Hippo AD 354-430 “The City of
God”
Martin Luther (1483-1546): an Augustinian
monk.
Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) Reformed Theology.
John Calvin (1509-1564) “Institutes of the
Christian Religion”
The key: A profound belief in the sovereignty of
God
Double Predestination and TULIP
Martin Luther 1483-1541
Augustinian Monk
Faith Alone
Grace Alone
Scripture Alone
Predestination
Martin Luther:
“Away with James… His authority is not great enough to
cause me to abandon the doctrine of faith [alone] and
to deviate from the authority of the other apostles and
the entire Scripture.” St. James’ epistle is really an
epistle of straw, compared to these others (Romans,
Galatians, John) for it has nothing of the nature of the
gospel about it.”
Ulrich Zwingli
1484-1531
Opposed baptismal
regeneration
Double Predestination
Reformed Theology
“Those individuals who end
up damned forever in hell are
also eternally determined by
God for that fate.”
The Radical Reformation
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Separation of Church and State
Opposed strict predestination
Opposed infant baptism
Believed in baptismal regeneration
Menno Simmons
John Calvin
1509-1564
Institutes of Christian Religion
His emphasis: the sovereignty
of God
TULIP
TULIP
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Total depravity
Unconditional election
Limited atonement
Irresistable grace
Perseverence of the saint (once saved,
always saved)
Jacob Arminius
(1560-1609)
Opposed Reformed idea of
predestination.
Are we Arminians?
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Q: Scriptures which appear to support the
doctrine of predestination?
Q: Scriptures which prove free will and
refute predestination?
Jonathan Edwards
“A Sinner in the Hands of an
Angry God.”
How do we know we are of the
elect?
1800’s America: Predestination Light
Once Saved, Always Saved
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Preservation of the Saints
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Believer’s Prayer.
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Once God saves you, in is impossible to lose your
salvation, no matter what.
Predestination?
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Romans 8:28-30
Romans 8:31-39 Nothing can separate us
(except we ourselves because we
have free will)
John 10:27-29
my hands…
Romans 9:10-21
No one can snatch them out of
(read v. 14-18)
Hebrews and Falling Away
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They shall never enter my rest 3:11, 4:5
We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to
the end the confidence we had at first. 3:14
They were not able to enter because of their unbelief
3:19
Be careful not to be found to have fallen short of it. 4:1
Some… did not go in because of their obedience 4:6
Let us make every effort to enter that rest so that no
one will fall by following their example of
disobedience 4:11
Do you get the point?
Hebrews 6:4-6 Who is he talking to?
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a. been enlightened (NT church “enlightened” =
baptized)
b. tasted the heavenly gift (salvation?)
c. shared in the Holy Spirit
d. tasted the goodness of the word
e. tasted the coming age (saved)
Yes, you can fall away! Conclusion: You had
better move on toward maturity in Christ.
Hebrews 6:4-8
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It is impossible… if they fall away, to be brought back
to repentance.
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They are crucifying the Son of God all over again.
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Land that produces thorns… will be burned.
Falling Away Hebrews 10:26-31
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Crucifying the Son of God all over again.
Subjecting Jesus to public disgrace
Trampling the Son of God under foot. (Heb 10:29)
Insulted the Holy Spirit (Heb 10:29)
Blasphemed (spoken against) the Holy Spirit (Matt
12:32)
Committed the unforgivable sin (1 John 5:16 )
What is the “unforgivable sin?” To willfully, deliberately
continue in sin. (Hebrews 10:26)
Also; Hebrews 12:14-17, 12:25 you will not escape… if
you turn away…
God’s Assurance: Hebrews 6:9-20
Two unchangeable things:
God’s Word
God’s Oath (Genesis 22:16-18)
Jesus, your anchor, is behind the veil with the
Father
God’s Assurance: Hebrews 10:19-23
We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place
Let us draw near to God… in full assurance of
faith.
For he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:35-36 Do not throw away your
confidence; it will be richly rewarded…. You will
receive what he has promised.
Summary
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Correct theology (God, Jesus, salvation) is harder to find
than you think.
Do not fall into the trap of relying on human reason too
heavily.
Always protect the mystery.
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Trinity
Jesus
Faith, Works and Grace
The Problem of Hell
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The most difficult questions:
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Problem of Evil, Problem of Suffering
Trinity
Violence for God in OT
Problem of Hell
Attributes of God
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Eternal
Omnipresent
Omniscient
Omnipotent
Righteous, Holy
Love
Justice
God is not merely loving, he is love
Love and Justice
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For God so loved the world…
The wages of sin is death Rom 6:23
The law of sin and death Rom 8:2
We like God’s love, but we are not so fired up
about his justice.
When we reach heaven, we will understand and
fully appreciate, on an emotional level, God’s
justice. Rev 11:17-18 Rev 16:5-6 The elders are
thankful that God’s judgement has finally come.
You are just, O God.
Psalm 94:1-3 David How long, O Lord
Here is the Good News
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God’s love met God’s justice at the cross. As far
as we are concerned, love won.
Romans 3:21-26
Here is the Bad News: Hell
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Romans 3:10f There is no one righteous, not even one.
Revelation 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written
in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev
21:8 …the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second
death. Rev 20:10 … They will be tormented day and night
for even and ever.
Does God choose to send us to hell? No! We choose hell
and God, in his justice, accepts our decision.
Is suffering in hell literally eternal? Is joy in heaven
literally eternal?
The Problem of Pain and
Suffering (and The Problem of
Evil)
John Oakes
Davao
January 15, 2009
The Problem of Pain and
Suffering
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An apologetic/intellectual problem
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A human problem
Pain and Suffering: An Apologetic
Problem
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Agnostic:
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God of the Bible is completely good and loving.
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God of the Bible is all-knowing and all-powerful.
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Conclusion: Given all the pain and suffering in the
world, the God of the Bible is not real.
Examples of Suffering
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Are they truly bad/evil?
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Are they God’s fault?
Kinds of Suffering
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Physical pain: acute and chronic
Disease: acute and chronic
Broken relationships
Poverty, hunger, etc.
Violence; terrorism, genocide, violent crime, etc.
Chronic fear (rape, natural disasters, abuse,
etc.)
Disappointment, feelings of failure, loss of hope
Death of a loved one, mourning
Bottom line, there is a lot of pain and
suffering in the world.
Question: Is this because God does not
care, or is this because he is not
sufficiently powerful to prevent human
suffering and evil in the world?
Caution: There is no simple answer.
Causes of Suffering
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Free Will
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Sin
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Natural Disasters
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Stupidity
Free Will: God Gives Us a Choice
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Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Joshua 24:15
John 7:17
Question: What is the alternative?
Question: Is this a sign that God does not love
us?
God took a huge risk…
Free Will, An Illustration: The Prodigal Son
Cause of Human Suffering and Evil: SIN
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The great majority (but not all) of suffering is
the result of sin
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Addiction, lack of self-control
Sexual immorality, perversion and abuse
Anger, violence
Greed
Pride, arrogance, jealousy, desire for control
Selfishness
God’s Moral Law is Simple: Sin Produces Suffering
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Exodus 20:5-6 You shall not bow down to them (the
idols you have made) or worship them; for I, the Lord
your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for
the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate me, but showing love to
thousands who love me and keep my commands.
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God is love and God is just.
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Bear in mind Ezekiel 18:19-20
Is Sin the Cause of All Suffering?
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Job: Why did he suffer?
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John 9
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Is AIDS God’s punishment for homosexuality?
No!
Tsunami off Sumatra in 2004: Whose sin was
this a punishment for?
Causes of Suffering #3: Natural Causes
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Plate Tectonics
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Weather
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Bacteria
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These are all very good things.
A Question: Is Pain Evil?
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Touch a burner on the stove
Broken Bone
Overeating
Emotional Pain
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Pain is Good. Pain is from God
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But… Not all pain is explained so easily.
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A Question: Is Death Evil?
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For plants and animals, death is a positive good.
Isaiah 57:2
Philippians 1:21
For humans, death is a transition, not an end.
If the atheist is right, then maybe death is evil,
but if the atheist is right, there is no evil.
Question: Is Suffering Evil?
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Psalm 30:5 For Humans, without suffering there is no joy.
John 9:1-3 Suffering, if received correctly, glorifies God.
Romans 8:28 All kinds of suffering can be used for good
(but be careful how you use this passage)
Romans 5:3, James 1:2-3 Suffering produces good
character. No pain, no gain.
1 Peter 2:20-22, 2 Tim 3:12. Suffering is the natural result
of doing good.
Coll 1:24-29, 1 Pet 4:12-17 Suffering is how we come to
know Christ and to fill up his suffering.
Through shared suffering is how we become close to one
another.
Suffering and Evil: The Apologetic Problem
A Summary
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Most suffering is the result of free will and our choice to
sin. It is because God loves us, not because he does not
care or is not powerful enough to stop us from suffering.
Pain is not evil, death is not evil, suffering is not evil. All
of these are gifts from a loving God.
The Problem of Pain and Suffering Part II
The Human Problem
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Our response to suffering depends on our world
view.
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What is the Hindu world view?
What is the Buddhist world view?
What is the world view of Islam?
What is the world view of the
atheist/naturalist?
The Christian World View
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The physical world is real.
The physical world is good, not evil. (Gen 1:31)
Pain and suffering are very real, but they are not
the problem: the human problem is sin and
separation.
The Christian response: Compassion! Micah 6:8,
James 1:27
God Understands (and so should we)
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God is ready and willing to hear our complaints.
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Habakkuk 1:2-4, Jeremiah 12:1
Even Jesus cried out in his suffering. “My God, my God…
Jesus can relate fully to our suffering.
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Hebrews 2:17-18, Hebrews 4:15.
This ought to affect our response to others’ suffering. 2 Cor 5:14-15
Look at Jesus’ response to suffering: John 11:35 Jesus wept.
Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem… Compassion.
What Should We Do?
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Live with integrity, like Job.
Use your suffering as an opportunity to show
empathy.
Alleviate suffering, not because it is evil, but
because that is how God responds to suffering
Show compassion. Matthew 9:36-38