Most Important Notes from THEO 250 {4,644 words}
IX. Lesson 9 - The Charismatic Issue
A. The charismatics interpret some Bible verses differently than Fundamental Christians. The Book of I Corinthians was written before the Book of Acts. Paul and Luke were writing about the same kind of experience and the same gift. Both passages are talking about "known" languages rather than unknown tongues. In the first six chapters of I Corinthians, Paul deals with church discipline matters, and beginning in Chapter Seven, he walks about theological issues. The Apostles were given unusual "sign" gifts that others have not received (II Corinthians 12:11-12 and Hebrews 2:3-4). The assignment and allotment of the gifts is by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:4-11). Paul put the gift of tongues at the bottom of the list (I Corinthians 12:28-30).
B. In Matthew 6:7, Jesus spoke about how to pray orally in the congregation. The pagans had a habit of making empty noises and sounds when they prayed. The Corinthian church had a problem of speaking the native tongues of the gods in their pagan worship. They had problems with immorality, too.
C. Apparently, the Corinthians coveted the best gifts, so Paul wrote I Corinthians 13:1-13. II Corinthians 12:31 speaks about a more excellent way. That word "way" could have been talking about a more excellent way to covet, or it could have been talking about coveting a more excellent gift. Fundamentalists interpret the Greek word "hodos" in the latter way, which means "a way or manner of thinking, feeling, deciding." The more excellent way is the exercise the gift of loving others.
D. In I Corinthians 13:1-13, Paul was putting down speaking in tongues, but he was also associating that with the tongues of the pagan worshippers. In I Corinthians 14:1-40, he wrote about how to correctly use the gift of tongues in the church. In the church, gifts should build up the body rather than have only limited usage. To use tongues in a worship service, someone must be interpreting the tongue. The ecstatic sounds, once again, were from pagan worship. Tongues were a sign to unbelievers (I Corinthians 14:22-26), especially the Jews, and that is exactly what happened in Acts, Chapter 2:1-8.
X. Lesson 10 - The Charismatic Issue (Part II)
A. Luke and Paul were friends and travel companions. Based on Acts 2:6, the people at Pentecost, who were Jews, heard the Gospel in their own dialect or language. Speaking in tongues was speaking in known languages. The people were not just hearing Greek words in their own language because Peter did not speak until Acts 2:14. The disciples were probably mingling with the crowd, and they probably had the unique ability to communicate in the hearer's language.
B. Some people argue that Spirit baptism is the second blessing and that it occurs with the laying on of hands. See Acts 8:14-17 with the Samaritans. In Acts 10, they are Gentiles. Peter was given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew 16:18-19, and he was the common thread in each of the above accounts. The baptism was not a second blessing. It was happening because Peter was there.
C. In Acts 19:1-7, Peter was not present. Some disciples of John were there, along with Paul. From the Greek, Paul was asking them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed, and they were not sure. John's baptism was for preparation of the Lord's coming, not for salvation. Peter was not there because he had already finished his work.
D. The Book of Acts must be examined in light of the Book of I Corinthians. Some of the theological issues of all this are as follows.
1. The issue of revelation - the work of God in revealing truth is a unique gift not given to all believers. It is associated with the gift of prophecy, which is the gift of receiving revelation from the Lord. The prophets and apostles were given that gift.
2. The issue of interpretation - the Bible is objectively true, not subjectively true.
3. The issue of Apostolic uniqueness - the Apostles were unique (II Corinthians 12:12 and Hebrews 2:3-4). Their experiences were normative for all the church Age.
4. The issue of historical transition - the change is from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
5. The issue of spiritual gifts - the gifts are unique and diverse. Not all Christians have the same gifts, and many charismatics tend to think that all Christians should have one particular gift.
6. The issue of spirit baptism - In I Corinthians 12:13, the Holy Spirit places the new believer in the body of Christ. That work has nothing to do with speaking in tongues.
7. The issue of healing - many charismatics think that illness only comes from sin, but that is not always the case. God sometimes heals, but the focus is always on God, not the healer.
8. The issue of tongues - it was known languages, not ecstatic speech. It was given as a sign to the Jews (Isaiah 28).
9. The issue of spirituality - Paul differentiates between gifts and spirituality. They do not always go together.
E. Christians need to be careful about being dead. Dead churches helped lead to the charismatic movement. Christians need to appreciate the Bible because that will solve the problem. Worship is not a spectator sport.
XI. Lesson 11 - The Free Will versus Determinism Issue
A. This is a philosophical issue. Is free will absolute or relative? Americans take their freedoms very seriously, and that adds to the issue. This is also a theological issue, so what does the Bible say about human freedom and the sovereignty of God? Free will is easier to work out on paper than in reality. The whole issue is about the truth of the Bible. The third reason why this is important is because conservative Americanism and human freedom are closely related. To go against human freedom is almost treason among many Fundamentalists. Revivalism and Fundamentalism have been closely related over the psst couple of centuries.
B. This problem seems to be greater in the North and probably because of the strong Methodist influence in the south. In the north, the Church of England, very orthodox and very Calvin, had the greater influence.
C. Where did this problem originate? It was probably with Augustine and Pelagius in the 4th and 5th century. Augustine argued against good works outweighing bad works. He said that every person stands before God as a totally depreaved sinner. The way to be saved is through faith in Christ on the cross. Semi-Pelagianism is a moderating view between the two men. Moderngism says that salvation comes about by a single operation. Augustine said that God did it all, and Pelagius said that man does it all. Semi-Pelagianism is a example of synergism, which says that God and man kind of work it out between themselves,
D. Erasmus was like a humanist.
E. The five points of Arminianism: (1) man's total depravity and his need for Grace (this was not modernism or semi-Pelagianism), (2) (not stated in this class), (3) (not stated in this class), (4) (not stated in this class), and (5) (not stated in this class). Arminianism was very popular among pastors because it emphasized human responsibility. The synod of Dort met and totally condemned Arminianism. All the pastors involved were even fired. The synod came up with the five-point Calvinism to respond to each of the five Arminian points. No attempt was made to bring about any harmony between the two groups.
XII. Lesson 12 - The Free Will versus Determinism Issue (Part II)
A. The five points of Arminianism: (1) man's total depravity and his need for Grace (this was not modernism or semi-Pelagianism), (2) (not stated in this class), (3) (not stated in this class), (4) (not stated in this class), and (5) (not stated in this class). Arminianism was very popular among pastors because it emphasized human responsibility. The synod of Dort met and totally condemned Arminianism. All the pastors involved were even fired. The synod came up with the five-point Calvinism to respond to each of the five Arminian points. No attempt was made to bring about any harmony between the two groups.
B. This issue polarized the church in Holland rather than bring peace and harmony. This problem was not solved with open Bibles, and the problem still exists.
C. The biblical case for Calvinism. In reality, Arminianism came first.
1. "T" - Total Depravity (Ephesians 2:1-5 and Romans 3:10-18) - No one seeks God on his or her own. People are not able to understand God's truth.
2. "U" - Unconditional Election (John 6:29, John 6:37, John 6:40, John 6:44, Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 1:11, II Thessalonians 2:13) - People can only get saved through God's work, and through His work, some will believe. The Father draws sinners to Him and brings them to salvation. In Romans 9:11, God often chose one person over another, and it is He who decides about the choice.
3. "L" - Limited Atonement - (John 10:14-16 and Romans 8:28-39) - Jesus came to redeem "His" sheep.
4. "I" - Irresistible Grace - (John 6:44) - Mankind cannot come to God on His own, and he cannot resist when the Holy Spirit calls him or her.
5. "P" - Perseverence of the Saints (Once Saved, Always Saved) - (John 10:27-30) - the truly born again person will persevere until the end. No created thing can pluck God's sheep from His hands.
D. A person can actually be a Fundamentalist and still a five-point Calvinist.
E. The five points of Arminianism came first.
1. Man needs the Grace of God for salvation - (John 1:9, John 3:18, Acts 14:15-17, Acts 17:28-30) - Jesus is the Light of the world. Paul might have written many of the Calvinist passages, but in Acts, he preached a sermon about man turning to God. God causes man to stop in his sins and look at Jesus. God has given all men the ability to believe and to come to Himself.
2. Conditional Election - (Romans 8:29, I Peter 1:1-2, John 6:64-65) - God knows in advance who will come. So, his electing faith is based on who will and who will not believe on Christ.
3. Unlimited Atonement - (I John 2:1-2, II Corinthians 5:19, I Timothy 4:10, II Peter 2:10-19) - Jesus was the Propituation (the satisfaction) for the sins of the whole world. Jesus is the Savior of all mankind but especially of those that believe. Jesus is the Redeemer (He paid for our sins). The key terms apply to the whole world in a universal way and to believers in a special way. The death of Christ was for all men and women for all time.
4. Resistible Grace - (Romans 1:18-32) - Many people have had the opportunity to believe, but they have refused. God's Grace is resistible. Even Judas was an example of that. He had the opportunity to believe, but he would not.
5. No one can say, "Once Saved, Always Saved" for sure - (Ephesians 1:11, I John 2:24-25, Hebrews 3:13-14, Hebrews 6:6-8) - People are only secure as long as they are in Christ. People (believers) are to exhort one another daily against sin.
F. Both systems are cohesive and logical. But the Bible does not contradict itself, so that is what must be examined.
XIII. Lesson 13 - The Free Will versus Determinism Issue (Part III)
A. Calvinists and Arminians are both trying to be faithful to the Scriptures, and very good cases can be made for each system. Buying into either system pretty well locks the person into all five points of the respective system. The Calvinist is trying to protect the majesty of God, and the Arminian is trying to protect the love of God. Because of that, the "real" truth is probably not really yet known.
B. Can a person find a satisfactory answer?
1. Paradox - One view sayst that free will and the sovereignty of God are paradoxical, so a person must just leave them as they are. A railroad track appears to come together over distance, but they do not. So, settling for the paradox does not really solve the problem. The Bible does contradict or correct itself.
2. Antinomy - Literally means against the law. An example is the virgin birth because it broke the natural child-bearing laws. Maybe this issue is an antinomy that cannot be figured out. A person's dog does not understand what his or her owner is doing with a newspaper. Man communicates with dog and God communicates with man. The dog will never understand everything about the man, and man will never understand everything about God. God has done some things that transcend man's ability to understand. Despite this explanation, however, the problem remains.
3. Forget about it - Forgetting about it is often the path that people take when a theological issue arises. Just win souls and do not worry about the problem issues. That response is probably true if it ever gets in the way of preaching the Gospel. But in general, anti-illectualism is not a real good answer.
4. Some people reject the labels of both systems, but that does not eliminate the problem, either. What does the Bible teach or seem to teach? People should try to come to terms with the issue.
C. There is a truth even if people do not yet understand it. An approach to finding the answer, at this point, is probably the most important thing.
D. Some biblical guidelines for addressing this issue.
1. Divine sovereignty - (Matthew 11:25-30) - Divine sovereignty should not be used to limit the preaching of the Gospel. Regardless of who is correct, no one knows the identity of the elect.
2. (Romans 9:14-20) - God does what He will, and He is always right to do so. One passage of Scripture will never contradict another passage. There is a coherency rather than a contradiction, and Paul understood that.
3. WHOSOEVER - (Romans 10:9-17) - This passage is a universal appeal -> WHOSOEVER. In Isaiah 7:18-25, the prophet wrote about Assyria being used as ministers of God's anger. God's Word teaches human responsibility and accountability. If man did not have freedom, then he could not be held accountable.
E. False Starts in trying to resolve this issue.
1. People sometimes try to say that God limits His sovereignty, but this is a false start because He does not act to limit His character. God cannot limit His sovereignty or holiness.
2. People sometimes try to limit human freedom. Erasmus taught secular humanism, but Luther went too far in opposing it. The Bible teaches that man is free, but man cannot save himself. This is another false start.
3. People try to cloud the issue, but this does not solve the problem, either. Man can be spiritually dead and still believe.
4. People try to say that this problem must be solved, but that is not true.
F. The Bible teaches election, salvation by Grace, man's inability to come to God on his own, the atonement on behalf of the world but is restricted in its application, God is still God after sin and Creation, man remains man even after sin (he can still respond to the Gospel), personal holiness, and the security of the believer..
G. No matter what, some people will be saved and some lost. No matter what, the Great Commission applies to everyone. Do not spend too much time getting hung up on these kinds of issues. Be faithful to the position that you take. Finally, realize that the ultimate task is to spread the Gospel.
XIV. Lesson 14 - Personal Separation
A. The Fundamentalist Movement is based on biblical holiness and biblical separation. The Bible views Christians as saints, and the idea for the child of God is separation from the world and separation to God This is also the principle of biblical sanctification. Prostitutes had the heads shaved in biblical times in order to sanctify, separate, or set apart prostitutes from normal society. They often wore wigs so that they would not stand out too much. Christians separate in terms of what they put on their body, what they put in their body, and what they do with their body. They often confuse biblical principles and personal preferences, however.
B. Paul gave some clear teachings in his writings to the church at Corinth (I Corinthians). They thought that they were very spiritual, but they were wrong. They were blessed in many ways, but they still had many problems.
1. I Corinthians 5:11 - do not keep company with immoral people (the principle of association). Christians should associate with other Christians. I Corinthians 5:11 says, "But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat."
2. I Corinthians 6:12 and I Corinthians 8:1-3, 9 - this principle is controlled by love and a desire to minister to others (the principle of liberty and love). Knowledge is not an excuse to do whatever one wants because stronger Christians should think of the weaker Christians. Consumption of fermented wine is a modern-day example. During the first century, the better cuts of meat were offered to idols, so that meat would have been the best anyway. But the early Christians were encouraged to refrain out of love to the weaker Christians. I Corinthians 6:12 says, "Everything is permissible for me--but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me--but I will not be mastered by anything."
3. I Corinthians 6:12 - all things are lawful, but not all things are expedient (the principle of expedience).
4. I Corinthians 6:12 - caffeine is an example of this. Lack of coffee causes a caffeine headache, and that shows control. Some people are controlled by food and their eating habits (the principle of control). Addictions show a lack of discipline and not controlled by the Holy Spirit.
5. I Corinthians 6:17 - the Christian's union with Christ causes him or her to influence others (the principle of a Christian's union with Christ). Therefore, each one must be careful about his or her decisions. I Corinthians 6:17 says, "But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit."
6. I Corinthians 6:19 - this is the basic idea of sanctification and separation (the principle of ownership). Christian's bodies are bought with a price, so they belong to the Lord. I Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
7. I Corinthians 10:23 - not all things are lawful because God as outlawed some things for Christians, such as worshipping idols, stealing, killing, or committing adultery (the principle of edification). I Corinthians 10:23 says, "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive."
8. I Corinthians 10:28-29 - when people ask if something seems appropriate, then that is a tipoff that the person's conscience is bothered (the principle of conscience). I Corinthians 10:28-29 says, "But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake -- the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience?"
9. I Corinthians 10:30-31 - people can enjoy things in the world that God made but in such a way that the Lord is honored and glorified (the principle of thanksgiving). I Corinthians 10:30-31 says, "If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
10. I Corinthians 9:22 - Paul was obsessed with soul-winning (the principle of evangelism). I Corinthians 9:22 says, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."
C. The above are the principles of personal separation.
XV. Lesson 15 - Ecclesiastical Separation (Part I)
A. In 1957, Billy Graham had a New York Crusade, and he tried to reach as many people as he could. Many conservatives were fearful that liberals would get saved and then sent back to their liberal churches. This caused a split among Evangelicals and Fundamentalists. What does the Bible teach about church unity? In John 17:20-23, Jesus prayed His high Priestly prayer. In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul wrote about unity in the Body of Christ. In Ephesians 5:31-32, Paul wrote about unity within the marriage relationship and within Christ and the church. In I Corinthians 12:12-13, the illustration is between the physical body and the church relationship. The church today may be focusing more on separation than in unity, and that may be a mistake.
B. What is the nature of the unity?
1. Spiritual Unity - "all who love Christ should love all who love Christ" (Jack Van Impe). This unity is not organizational. It is spiritual. The problem is how can this be worked out. What should Christians be willing to do for each other to show their love. If one is only talking about an appreciation for one another, then that is not problematic. Different theological views among different denominations can be problematic in actually trying to show unqualified love for one another.
2. Unity among all Churches - How do you draw the line?
3. Conciliar Unity - Like a World Council of Churches, where all churches work together. Churches should dialog together regardless of denominational differences. This would mean that Christians should be reaching out to all the other religions of the world. To do this, one must find a common denominator among the different Christian denominators and try to come back together. However, Fundamentalists insist that the common denominators must be the fundamentals of the Faith based on the Bible (inerrancy, virgin birth, sinless sacrifice, bodily resurrection, and literally coming again). This movement has failed to find the common denominator.
4. One World Church - this would be an organic unity of the church across all religions. All denominators would be destroyed. The problems are (1) Paul only appealed for unity within single local churches, not among all churches, and (2) brethren can join hands with one another more easily than churches can with other churches.
C. The criteria for ecclesiastical separation from other churches are as follows:
1. Why is biblical separation treated so strongly if unity is so important? Can churches relate on a broader scale since they should be able to locally? Genuine believers in Christ have specific biblical criteria for determining other genuine believers, and they determine one's relationships with others. In I Corinthians 5:9-13, Paul said to not associate or mingle together with fornicators, Christian or not Christian. He said to not associate with them because they will be a negative influence. God will judge those that are not Christians. Christians should look for holiness in other Christians. Personal separation and ecclesiastical separation go together on this point. This is the criterion of the lifestyle.
2. In Galatians 1:6-9, Paul wrote to separate from those that declare a different gospel than the Gospel of Christ. Christians should not want to be identified with such false teachers or with their teachings. This is the criterion of the gospel.
3. In I John 2:18-23 and I John 4:1-4, John wrote to separate from those that deny Christ. Those that can separate from the Gospel of Christ never had it. This is the criterion of the Christ.
D. Conclusions: - (1) Unity must be based on the Bible. (2) Loving the brethren must be linked to the truth. (3) Faith must match the creed and lifestyle. Christians should separate from certain churches for the right not wrong reasons. (4) Biblical principles, not personal reasons should guide separation. (5) Spiritual unity does not automatically imply organic unity. (6) There can be a genuine appreciation among true Christians for one another.
XVI. Lesson 16 - Ecclesiastical Separation (Part II)
A. In I Corinthians 10:19-21 (a Christian cannot be a part of the Lord and of the devil), and II Corinthians 6:14-18 (come out from among the unclean thing), and I John 2:18-20 (the antichrists were never really a part of the church). All Christians should love the same Lord, the same Word, and other Christians, but they must also separate out those that do not.
B. The Ecumenical Movement was born out of good intentions. In 1878, 1888, and 1900, the Ecumenical Council tried to figure out a way to reach the world for Christ. It was a missionary focused effort, and Christians wanted to present a united front to the unsaved so that they would not be working against each other. Revivals in the 19th century had an impact on the developement of the Ecumenical Movement (i.e., the YMCA and the YWCA were two significant groups). The Conference in Edinburgh in 1910 is usually considered to be the beginning of the Modern Ecumenical Movement (the focus was on the united front - faith in Christ, commitment to His Word, and a Christian lifestyle).
C. By 1937, the Faith and Life Movement and the Faith and Work Movement started to join together and lead to the World Council of Churches (Carl McIntyre), which was finalized in 1948. All of this started out as a missionary movement, but over time, it has been seriously watered down. At the present time, it is very liberal and very open even to the unsaved. Their liberation theology, which is a social gospel, not a spiritual, Bible-based gospel in Christ, has even led them to support some guerilla groups around the world. They have also shown slack to abortionists and homosexuals.
D. The current agenda now seems to be more focused on unity than in presenting the gospel, and they are very open to faiths that are not even Christian.
E. The New Testament church should separate from heretical groups. The gospel must not be compromised. The church should also separate from immoral groups, based on their use of money, sex, and even dignity of life issues.
F. Secondary separation means to separate from those that do not separate from heretics. Terciary separation means to separate those of the secondary separation.
G. The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) met to provide a medium to unite as genuine Christian brothers and sisters to set force practical outreach. The NAE tried to accomplish some positive goals. The NAE gave birth to Fundamentalists (leaned toward Carl McIntyre's views) and Evangelicals.
H. Billy Graham, in 1957, acted in a way that separated Fundamentalists (he should have only used fundamentalist groups to support his crusade) and Evangelicals (should focus on uniting with everyone to win some). In recent years, several church leaders have worked to bring the two groups back together. There are good people on both sides. Other Christians should not be the enemies.
Tom of Bethany "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews
THEO 250 - Fundamental Theological Issues (Lessons 17-24)
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