CH 3 - The Canon of Scripture, Part 1

(This is one post of a large series where I will copy down the key points of each chapter as I read through Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. I will be copying many lines word-for-word and also shortening and summarizing some points in my own words. I hope that this can be useful for others as a quick reference but it is not meant to in any way substitute the personal study and investigation of the Bible and these important topics.)

What belongs in the Bible and and what does not belong?

Explanation and Scriptural Basis

The canon of Scripture is the list of all the books that belong in the Bible.

To add to or subtract from God's words would be to prevent God's people from obeying him fully.

Deuteronomy 4:2

If we trust and obey God absolutely we must have a collection of words that we are certain are God's own words to us.

A. The Old Testament Canon

The Ten Commandments form the beginning of the biblical canon.

Exodus 31:18

Exodus 32:16

The tablets were deposited in the ark of the covenant (Deut. 10:5) and constituted the terms of the covenant between God and his people.

This collection of absolutely authoritative words from God grew in size throughout the time of Israel's history.

Moses wrote books of the Bible, first four and Deuteronomy.

Joshua also aded to the collection of written words of God.

Joshua 24:26

God must have authorized Joshua to add to the written words like this.

Later, others in Israel, usually those who fulfilled the office of prophet, wrote additional words from God.

1 Samuel 10:25

1 Chronicles 29:29

2 Chronicles 20:34

2 Chronicles 26:22

2 Chronicles 32:32

Jeremiah 30:2

After approximately 435 B.C. there were no further additions to the Old Testament canon.

When we turn to Jewish literature outside the Old Testament, we see that the belief that divinely authoritative words from God had ceased is clearly attested in several different strands of extrabiblical Jewish literature.

1 Macabees for example.

Josephus (born c. A.D. 37/38) explained, "From Artaxerxes to our own times a complete history has been written, but has not been deemed worthy of equal credit with the earlier records, because of the failure of the exact succession of the prophets". Josephus was the greatest Jewish historian of the first century and he knew of the writings now considered part of the "Apocrypha", but he and many of his contemporaries considered these other writings "not... worthy of equal credit" with what we now know as the Old Testament Scriptures.

Writings subsequent to about 435 B.C. were not accepted by the Jewish people generally as having equal authority with the rest of Scripture.

And by reading the New Testament it is apparent that Jesus and his disciples, on the on hand, and the Jewish leaders or Jewish people, on the other hand, were in full agreement that additions to the Old Testament conan had ceased after the time of Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

Jesus and the New Testament authors quote various parts of the Old Testament Scriptures as divinely authoritative around 295 times, but not once do they cite any statement from the books of the Apocrypha or any other writings as having divine authority.

So, the New Testament authors agreed that the established Old Testament canon, no more and no less, was to be taken as God's very words.

The Apocrypha is the collection of books included in the canon by the Roman Catholic Church but excluded from the canon by Protestantism. What should we say about these books?

These books were never accepted by the Jews as Scripture.

The fact that these books were included by Jerome in his Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible (completed in A.D. 404) gave support to their inclusion, even though Jerome himself said that they were not "books of the canon" but merely "books of the church" that were helpful and useful for believers.

The wide use of this translation in subsequent centuries guaranteed their continued accessibility, but the fact that they had no Hebrew original behind hem, and their exclusion from the Jewish canon, as well as the lack of their citation in the New Testament, led many to view them with suspicion or to reject their authority.

It was not until 1546, at the Council of Trent, that the Roman Catholic Church officially declared the Apocrypha to be part of the canon.

It is significant that the Council of Trent was the response of the Roman Catholic Church to the teaching of Martin Luther and the rapidly spreading Protestant Reformation, and the books of the Apocrypha contain support for the Catholic teaching of prayers for the dead and justification by faith plus works, not by faith alone.

The writings of the Apocrypha should not be regarded as part of Scripture:

(1) They do not claim for themselves the same kind of authority as the Old Testament writings

(2) They were not regarded as God's words by the Jewish people from whom they originated

(3) They were not considered to be Scriptures by Jesus or the New Testament authors

(4)They contain teachings inconsistent with the rest of the Bible

They do have value for historical and linguistic research, but they have never been part of the Old Testament canon, and they should not be thought of as part of the Bible.

With regard to the canon of the Old Testament, Christians today should have no worry that anything needed has been left out or that anything that is not God's words has been included.

Ch 2 - The Word of God

(This is one post of a large series where I will copy down the key points of each chapter as I read through Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. I will be copying many lines word-for-word and also shortening and summarizing some points in my own words. I hope that this can be useful for others as a quick reference but it is not meant to in any way substitute the personal study and investigation of the Bible and these important topics.)

What are the different forms of the Word of God?

A. The Word of God as a Person: Jesus Christ

The Son of God is sometimes referred to as "the Word of God"

Revelation 19:13

John 1:1

John 1:14

While this usage is not common, it does indicate that among the members of the Trinity it is especially God the Son who in his person as well as in his words has the role of communicating the character of God to us and of expressing the will of God for us.

B."The Word of God" as Speech by God

1. God's Decrees.

A decree of God is a word of God that causes something to happen.

Creation is best example. Genesis 1:3, Genesis 1:24

Psalm 33:6

Not only the original creation but also the continuing existence of all things, for Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Christ is continually "upholding the universe by his word of power."

2. God's Words of Personal Address.

Sometimes God communicates with people on earth by speaking directly to them.

Examples: To Adam - Genesis 2:16-17, Genesis 3:16-19; In Giving Ten Commandments - Exodus 20:1-3; At Jesus' Baptism- Matthew 3:17

In these and others, it was clear to the hearers that these were the actual words of God; they were hearing God's very voice, and they were therefore hearing words that had absolute divine authority and that were absolutely trustworthy.

Actual words of God and also "human" words in that they are spoken in ordinary human language that is immediately understandable. But that does not limit their divine character or authority in any way.

3. God's Words as Speech Through Human Lips.

Frequently in Scripture God raises up prophets through who he speaks.

Although these are human words, spoken in ordinary human language by ordinary human beings, the authority and truthfulness of these words is in no way diminished: they are still completely God's words as well.

Examples: Deuteronomy 18:18-20 to Moses; to Jeremiah - "Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, 'Behold, I have put my words in your mouth' " (Jer. 1:9); Also, God tells Jeremiah, "Whatever I command you you shall speak" (Jer. 1:7)

See Also: Ex. 4:12, Num. 22:38, 1 Sam. 15:3, 18, 23; 1 Kings 20:36; 2 Chron. 20:20; 2 Chron. 25:15-16, Isa. 30:12-14; Jer. 6:10-12; Jer. 36:29-31

Anyone who claimed to be speaking for the Lord but who had not received a message from him was severely punished - Ezekiel 13:1-7; Deut. 18:20-22

4. God's Words in Written Form (the Bible).

We find in Scripture several instances where God's words were put in written form.

First - Two tablets of stone on which were written the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 31:18

Exodus 32:16

Exodus 34:1

Further writing was done by Moses (Deut. 31:9-13) and Joshua (Joshua 24:26). God commanded Isaiah, "And now, go write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness for ever" (Isa. 30:8). Also God told Jeremiah, "Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you" (Jer. 30:2).

Jesus promises his disciples that the Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance the words which he, Jesus, had spoken (John 14:26; John 16:12-13).

Paul can say that the very words he writes to the Corinthians are "a command of the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:37; 2 Peter 3:2)

The reliability, permanence, and accessibility of the form in which God's words are preserved are all greatly enhanced when they are written down. Yet there is no indication that their authority or truthfulness is diminished.

C. The Focus of Our Study

The focus of this study is on the written form of God's Word, the Bible. This is the form that is available for study, for public inspection, for repeated examination, and as a basis for mutual discussion. It tells us about and points us to the Word of God as a person, Jesus Christ.

The Bible is the most profitable for us to study and it is what God commands us to study. (Psalm 1:1-2; Joshua 1:8)

It is the Word of God in the form of written Scriptures that is "God-breathed" and "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV).

Do you think you would pay more attention if God spoke to you from heaven or through a prophet rather than through the written Scriptures? Would you believe or obey more readily and often? Do you think your present level of response to the written words of Scripture is an appropriate one? What can you do to improve your attitude toward Scripture?

Considering the many different ways and frequency that God speaks to us, it is an awesome privilege and gift he's given us, and it also demonstrates his delight in relationship with us.

Intro to Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

(This is the first of a large series where I will copy down the key points of each chapter as I read through Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. I will be copying many lines word-for-word and also shortening and summarizing some points in my own words. I hope that this can be useful for others as a quick reference but it is not meant to in any way substitute the personal study and investigation of the Bible and these important topics.)

Chapter 1. Intro to Systematic Theology

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.

The emphasis is different than that of historical theology, philosophical theology, or apologetics.

It also differs from Old Testament theology, New Testament theology, and biblical theology as these three disciplines organize their topics historically and in the order the topics are presented in the Bible. Although, the latter of these would likely have a lot of overlap with ST as they both look at the whole Bible.

Systematic Theology attempts to summarize the teaching of Scripture in a brief, understandable, and very carefully formulated statement.

Application to Life.

Based on this definition of ST, it is implied that application to life is a necessary part of the proper pursuit of systematic theology. Thus a doctrine under consideration is seen in terms of its practical value for living the Christian life.

Personal spiritual growth should be experienced.

This book is systematic or "carefully organized by topics".

It will treat topics in with much attention to every detail and hopefully accuracy.

What are Doctrines?

For our purposes, A doctrine is what the Bible teaches us today about some particular topic.

A doctrine is simply the result of doing systematic theology with regard to one particular topic.

Can be very broad or vary narrow.

This book is divided into seven major sections:

1. The Doctrine of the Word of God

2. The Doctrine of God

3. The Doctrine of Man

4. The Doctrine of Christ and the Holy Spirit

5. The Doctrine of the Application of Redemption

6. The Doctrine of the Church

7. The Doctrine of the Future

These doctrines meet at least 1 of these criteria:

Heavily emphasized in Scripture

Significant throughout the history of the church and all Christians

Have become important for Christians in the present situation

What is the difference between Sys. Theology and Christian Ethics?

The emphasis of ST is on what God wants us to believe and to know; while the emphasis in Christian ethics is on what God wants us to do and what attitudes he wants us to have.

Initial Assumptions of This Book

1) that the Bible is true and that it is, in fact, our only absolute standard of truth.

2) that the God who is spoken of in the Bible exists, and that he is who the Bible says he is; the Creator of heaven and earth and all things in them.

Why should Christians study Study Theology?

To teach others.

Jesus commands us to teach believers to observe all that he commanded. (Matthew 28:19-20)

The task of fulfilling the Great Commission includes not only evangelism but also teaching.

To benefit our lives.

Overcome wrong ides. Be confronted with the total weight of the teaching of Scripture on any particular subject.

Make better and more informed decisions on new topics of importance as they arise.

Will help us grow as Christians.

The more we know about God, about his Word, about his relationship to the world and mankind, the better we will trust him, the more fully we will praise him, and the more readily we will obey him.

The church is often times theologically immature which can cause disorderly and random theology and have bad effects on the church. See Ephesians 4:14.

How Should Christians Study Systematic Theology?

1)With Prayer

2)With Humility

3)With Reason

4)With Help from Others

5)by Collecting and Understanding All the Relevant Passages of Scripture on Any Topic

6)With Rejoicing and Praise