Geisler Study Guide Sys Theo I

Study Guide-1

Study Guide for

Systematic Theology ISystematic Theology IProfessor Mark E. Hardgrove, D.Min.

This Guide corresponds to:

Geisler N. (2002).Systematic Theology Vol. 1: Introduction, Bible. Minneapolis: Bethany House.

To complete this guide, you must read Geisler’s Book. The tests will be from this guide and class lectures.

Study Guide-2

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter One

Fill in the blanks and use this as a study guide for your mid-term exam.

_____________________________- is the introduction to theology. It deals

with the necessary preconditions for doing systematic theology.

Theology is a rational discourse about ______________.

_________________ theology is a discourse about God that maintains that here

are certain essential beliefs. These include, but are not limited to:

1. _________________ and ________________ of the Bible

2. The _________________ of God

3. The ______________ _____________ of Christ

4. The ________________ of Christ

5. The all-sufficiency of Christ’s atoning __________________for _________

6. The __________________ and ________________ resurrection of Christ

7. The necessity of salvation by _____________ alone

8. The _________________ and _____________ return of Christ to the earth

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9. The eternal ______________ bliss of the saved and eternal ____________ of

the unsaved.

Three categories of theology are:

1. ____________ Theology—a study of the biblical basis for theology

2. ____________ Theology—a discussion of the theology of the great

theologians of the Christian church.

3. ____________ Theology—an attempt to construct a comprehensive and

consistent whole our of all revelation from God, whether, special (biblical)

or general (natural) revelation.

The Basic Divisions of Systematic Theology

List and define the basic divisions found on page 16 of Geisler.

1. _____________________ is the study of __________________

2. _____________________ is the study of __________________

3. _____________________ is the study of __________________

4. _____________________ is the study of __________________

5. _____________________ is the study of __________________

6. _____________________ is the study of __________________

7. _____________________ is the study of __________________

8. _____________________ is the study of __________________

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May also include:

9. Christology which is the study of ________________________

10. Pneumatology which is the study of _____________________

The Preconditions of Evangelical Theology

Evangelical theologians believe that the Bible is an __________________,

absolutely ______________ communication in human language that came from an

_____________________, _________________ and morally

__________________ God.

This belief presupposes that many things are true—most of which are challenged

by our current _________________.

Study Guide-5

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Two


The existence of a ______________ God is the foundation of Christian theology.

Theism is the __________________ precondition for evangelical theology.

___________________ is the study of being or reality. It is the study of being as

being, as opposed to studying being as physical being.

The name given for the view that God created everything else that exists is

______________ (God created all), as opposed to ______________ (there is no

God at all) and __________________ (God is all).

Theism and the Opposing Worldviews

List and define the seven major world views listed by Geisler

1. ________________: ____________________________________________

2. ________________: ____________________________________________

3. ________________: ____________________________________________

4. ________________: ____________________________________________

5. ________________: ____________________________________________

6. ________________: ____________________________________________

7. ________________: ____________________________________________

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___________________ holds that more than one being exists.

___________________ asserts that all reality is one—that there is only being.

__________________ believes that there are many beings in existence.

The Alternatives to Monism

List the alternatives to Monism as listed by Geisler and the definitions:

1. ___________________ : ___________________________________________

2. ___________________ : ___________________________________________

3. ___________________ : ___________________________________________

4. ___________________ : ___________________________________________

Of these alternatives, which one is consistent with the Christian view?

The Four Arguments for God’s Existence

First: The Cosmological Argument for God’s Existence

The cosmological argument come in two basic forms: ____________________

and ___________________.

The Horizontal Form of the Cosmological Argument

1.) Everything that had a beginning had a _____________

2.) The universe had a ______________________

3.) Therefore , the universe had a ______________

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The Vertical Form of the Cosmological Argument

The argument from contingency

1). Whatever exists but can/could not exist needs a ______________ for its

existence, since the mere possibility of existence does not explain why

something exists. There mere possibility of something is _______________.

2.) But ______________ cannot produce __________________.

3.) Therefore, something necessarily exists as the ground for everything that does

exist but can not exist. It is a violation of the principle of causality to say that

a _________________ being can account for its own _______________.

The argument from change

1.) Whatever changes passes from a state of ________________ (potency) for

that change to state of being __________________ (act). That is, all

changing beings have act(uality) and potency in their very being. If not,

then all change would involve annihilation and re-creation, which is

impossible without a _____________, since nothing cannot produce

something.

2.) But no ________________ can _______________ itself, any more than the

potential for steel to become a skyscraper can actualize itself into a

skyscraper.

3.) If no potency can actualize itself, and yet at least one being is actualized

(e.g., me), then ultimately there must be something that is __________

________________ (with no potentiality), otherwise there would be no

ground for why something now exists that has the potential not to exist.

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If we deny the possibility of infinite regress of causes, then we must accept the fact

of the _________________ ________________, which scientists desire to avoid.

The Argument form Present Depenance of Every Part of the Universe

1.) Every part of the universe is right now _________________ for its

existence.

2.) If every part is right now dependent for its existence, then the who universe

must also be right now ________________ for its ________________.

3.) Therefore, the whole universe is dependent for its existence on some

____________________ ____________ beyond itself.

Second, The Teleological Argument for God’s Existence

1.) All designs imply a _________________.

2.) There is ___________ design in the ______________.

3.) Therefore, there must have been a __________________ _______________

of the universe.

A support of the teleological argument, the ________________ principle states

that from its very inception the universe was fine-tuned for the emergence of

human life.

Third, The Ontological Argument for God’s Existence

The first form of the ontological argument

1.) God is by definition and absolutely ______________ ____________.

2.) ________________ is a perfection.

3.) Therefore, God must ______________. If God did not exist, then He would

be lacking one perfection, namely existence. If God lacked any perfection

He would not be God, because God by definition absolutely perfect Being.

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The second form of the ontological argument

1.) If God exists, we must conceive of Him as ___________________ Being.

2.) But by definition, a ___________________ Being cannot NOT exist.

3.) Therefore, if a ____________________ Being can exist, it must exit.

While the ontological argument cannot prove God’s ____________________, it

can prove certain things about His _________________, if God does exist.

Fourth, The Moral Argument for God’s Existence

The heart of the argument follows this basic structure:

1.) ________ law implies a __________ Lawgiver

2.) There is an objective _________ law.

3.) Therefore, there is an objective _____________ Lawgiver.

Study Guide-10

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Three


Evangelical theology is built on the __________________________.

Two Definitions of Miracles

The weak view is that miracles might not be ______________________ at all;

it could simply be a natural event for which the observer, as yet, has not natural

explanation.

The strong view is that a miracle is beyond nature’s power to produce and that

only a supernatural power (God) can do.

__________________ law is understood as the usual, orderly, and general way

that the world operates.

Miracles are ____________________ but not anti-_________________.

Three Old Testament Words for Miracles

1.) ____________ (Heb. oth) usually carries a supernatural significance,

namely, as something appointed by God with special assigned meaning.

2.) _____________ (Heb. mopheth) sometimes used synonymously with signs,

the word has a special, supernatural (divine) significance.

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3.) _____________ (Heb. koak) is sometimes used of human power, very often

of divine power, often in direct connection with events called “signs” or

“wonders” or both.

Three New Testament Words for Miracles

1.) ____________ (Grk. semeion) is used seventy-seven times in the New

Testament. Most often it is reserved for what we would call a miracle.

2.) ____________ (Grk. teras) used sixteen times in the New Testament, almost

always refers to a miracle.

3.) ____________ (Grk. dunamis) is used to refer to human power or abilities,

of satanic power, and of often of God’s power, and is often translated

“miracles.”

The Purposes of Miracles

The Bible states at least three purposes of a miracle:

1.) To _____________ the ______________ of God (Jn. 2:11; 11:40)

2.) To ______________ certain persons as ___________________ for God (Ac.

2:22; Heb. 2:3-4).

3.) To provide _______________ for belief in God (Jn. 6:2; 14, 20:30-31).

The Various Dimensions of Miracles

1. Miracles have an ____________________ ___________________

2. Miracles have a _____________________ ____________________

3. Miracles have a ____________________ _____________________

4. Miracles have a ____________________ _____________________

5. Miracles have a ______________________ ___________________

Study Guide-12

Miracles, in the strictest sense of the word, are possible only in a ____________

world.

Be familiar with the objections, and the answers to the objections against

miracles.

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Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Four


The Prerequisites for Divine Revelation

1.) A Being capable of _______________ a revelation.

2.) A being capable of _______________ a revelation.

3.) A _____________ through which a revelation can be given.

God’s General Revelation –Nature, Humans, History, Arts, & Music

_______________ revelation refers to God’s revelation in nature, as opposed to

His revelation in ________________________ .

True or False: General revelation is NOT integral to Christian apologetics.

God is revealed in nature in two basic ways: as _________________ and as

_________________. He is the cause of the ______________ as well as the

_________________ of the universe.

God is revealed in human being is His ________________ and

______________ (Gen. 1:27); consequently, something about God can be

learned from studying human beings.

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God is revealed in history, which is call _____-_______. It is the

_____________ of God in the sands of time.

The Bible declares that God is _________________ and so is His creation.

Geisler extrapolates from this that God is revealed in art. Human can both

____________ beauty and they can also ____________ beautiful things.

Likewise, Geisler argues that God’s general revelation can be seen in music.

He writes, “We learn something more about God’s nature through human

___________, a God-ordained instrument of music.

Fill in the comparison blanks comparing General and Special Revelation

General Revelation Special Revelation

God as _________________

Norm for _________________

Means of ____________________ in ____________________

God as ___________________

Norm for ___________________

Means of ______________________ in ____________________

Special revelation contributes uniquely to Christian _________________, for

the Bible alone is both infallible and inerrant.

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The Role of Special Revelation

1. The Bible Alone is _____________________ and ____________________

2. The Bible Alone _________________ God as _______________________

3. The Bible Alone has the _____________________ of _________________

4. The Bible Alone is the _______________ Norm for ___________________

The Role of General Revelation

1. General Revelation is ______________ than Special Revelation

2. General Revelation is Essential to Human __________________

3. General Revelation is Essential to Human __________________

4. General Revelation is Essential to Christian _________________

Human reason is necessary for two things:

1.) It puts _____________ on the general ______________ law.

2.) It aids us in _______________ what it means to utilize in order to attain the

_____________ end.

Geisler states that the Bible is always ____________, but our ________________

of it is not.

God’s revelations in His Word and His world never _______________ each other.

Whenever there is a real conflict, it is between human __________________ of

God’s Word and human ___________________ of His world. Either one or both

are wrong, but God has not erred.

Study Guide-16

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Five


Logic deals with the methods of valid thinking; it reveals how to draw proper

__________________ from ___________________.

FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF THOUGHT

There are three elemental laws of all rational thinking:

1.) The Law of _____________________ (A is not non-A)

2.) The Law of ___________________ (A is A)

3.) The Law of _____________ ______________ (either A or non-A)

Without the law of noncontradiction we could not say that God is not

_______________.

If the law of identity were not binding, we could not say that God is

_______________.

If the law of excluded middle didn’t exist we could not affirm that it is either

God or ________ _________ that we are speaking about.

THE LAWS OF RATIONAL INFERENCE

Deductive Logic

The device by which one proposition can be correctly drawn from others is

called a __________________. Deductive logic comes in three forms:

1.) _______________ syllogisms

2.) _______________ syllogisms

3.) _______________ syllogisms

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Categorical Syllogisms

A categorical (__________________) syllogism is one where a categorical

(________________) proposition is deduced from two other categorical

propositions. For example:

1.) All human being are sinful.

2.) John is a human being.

3.) Therefore __________ is _____________.

Propositions

A proposition is a _____________________ sentence that _____________ or

_____________ something. A proposition is composed of a subject, a

predicate, and a copula.

In the example above, identify the

Subject _____________________

Predicate ____________________

Copula ______________________

The subject can be ________________________ or

_______________________.

Propositions can be either _____________________ or

____________________.

Seven Rules of Categorical Syllogisms

1.) There must be only ______________ terms

2.) The middle term must be distributed at least ________________

3.) Terms distributed in the _______________ must be distributed in the premises.

4.) The _________________ always follows the weaker premises.

5.) No conclusion follows from two negative ___________________.

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6.) No conclusion follows from two ______________ premises.

7.) No _________________ conclusion follows from two affirmative premises.

Fallacies of Categorical Syllogisms

1.) _________________________ is the fallacy where the major term is

distribution in the conclusion but not in the premise.

2.) ________________________ is the fallacy where the minor term is

distributed in the conclusion but not in the premise.

3.) _______________________ is the fallacy where the middle term is not

distributed at least once.

4.) ______________________ is the fallacy where there are not three and only

three terms in the syllogism (includes the fallacies of “ambiguous middle”

and “equivocal middle.”

Hypothetical Syllogisms

Hypothetical syllogisms are an “____ . . . _______. . .” type of reasoning. If A,

then B follows. For example:

1.) If God is all-just, then He must punish all sin

2.) God is all-just

3.) Therefore, He must ______________ _____ _________.

There are only two ways to draw valid conclusions from a hypothetical

syllogism:

1.) Modus pollens: Affirming the ____________________ (the part of the

sentence that coming before “then”).

2.) Modus tollens: Denying the __________________ (the part of the sentence

coming after “then”).

In the example above, is the syllogism a modus pollens, or a modus tollens?

Study Guide-19

Disjunctive Syllogisms

A disjunctive syllogism is an ________________/_________ type of reasoning.

For example:

1.) It is either A or not A (but not both)2.) It is not non-A3.) Therefore, it is ______.

A theological example:

1.) Either God is existent or He is nonexistent.2.) God is not nonexistent.3.) Therefore, God is _____________.

There are two ways to draw a valid conclusion from a disjunctive syllogism: Either

by denying one ________________ or by denying the other _______________.

An alternate is the statement on one side or the other of the “or.”

Exercises:

In the examples below, identify the type of syllogism, and if it is a categorical syllogism identify whether it is modus pollens, or modus tollens. After identifying the type of syllogism, insert the conclusion that must follow the premises.

Type of Syllogism

Major Premise

If I lie, then I’ll be sorry

Either I should exercise or I should diet

If you study, then you learn

If I pay now, then I’ll save

Minor Premise

I’ll lie I should not exercise

You didn’t learn

If I save, then I’ll have money later

Logical Conclusion

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INDUCTIVE LOGIC

Broadly speaking, deductive reasoning is from the ________________ to the

____________________, while inductive reasoning is from the

_______________ to the ______________________. Inductive logic begins

with any number of particulars and makes a generalization about them.

Rules of Inductive Logic

The validity of the generalization from inductive reasoning is evaluated by

asking the following questions:

How many ________________ were ______________________?

How _____________________ was the ____________________?

How _________________ was the evidence ______________________?

How does the ____________________ gained ____________________

with other knowledge?

Kinds of Probability

A priori probability is _____________________ in nature, dealing with the

advanced likelihood or odds of an even occurring. In other words, the

probability or likelihood of an event occurring is hypothesized/theorized

based on previous examples.

A posteriori probability is probability __________ the fact. In science, it is

_____________________ probability, also called scientific probability. A

posteriori probability offers varying degrees of certainty that something is

true based on an examination of the available evidence.

Sample Test Question:

True or False: The belief that the sun will come up tomorrow is based on a priori probability.

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Degrees of Probability

According to the inductive method, there are various degrees of probability,

depending on the kind and extent of evidence available. These range from

virtually _________________ on the one end to virtually _________________

on the other end.

LOGIC AND GOD

God does not merely choose to be rational and consistent. He is

______________ by his very nature.

While God is prior to logic in order of being (__________________),

nevertheless, logic is prior to God in the order of knowing

(______________________).

Good reason does not subject God to ______________ minds, but rather

subjects our ______________ minds to His infinite Mind (2 Cor. 10:5; 1 Cor.

1:21).

Sample Exam Questions:

True or False: According to Geisler the Scriptures declare that there are many things that are impossible for God to do.

True or False: God created the laws of thought.

True or False: God can transcend the laws of logic.

True or False: The laws of physics are created and can be transcended by God like everything else that was created.

Given the laws of logic, be prepared to defend the Orthodox view on the topics of: The Trinity, the Incarnation, and the doctrine of predestination/free will.

Study Guide-22

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Six


Christianity makes ________ claims

However, all true statement must be __________________ they must make sense.

The objectivity of truth is dependent on the objectivity of ____________________.

The dominant view in the contemporary world is opposed to an _______________ embrace of meaning.

The dominate view is called ___________________________, which maintains that all meaning is relative to changing situations; meaning is arbitrary and varies according to context.

Conventionalism is an overreaction to Platonic ______________________.

Essentialism, as proposed by Plato, insists that there is a ___________________ or _______________ relation between our statements and what they mean. According to this view, language is not arbitrarily related to meaning; rather, there is a one-to-one ___________________ between them.

Wittgenstein, a proponent of conventionalism, offers an alternative view of meaning that employs:

1.) ______________ resemblance2.) Language _________________3.) Forms of _________________

According to the Wittgensteinian view of conventionalism, God-talk is

_________________.

___________________ language can have only one meaning (look in

footnotes)

___________________ language is based on similarity or analogy

___________________ language is ambiguous, having two or more meanings.

Study Guide-23

Religious beliefs have ____________________ force; that is, they orient our lives.

Critique of Conventionalism’s Theory of Meaning

First, conventionalism is ____________-_______________

Second, if conventionalism were correct, then _____________________

statement would not necessarily translate into all languages as

_______________ statements, but they do.

Third, if conventionalism were true there would not be any _____________

truths in any language, but there are.

Fourth, if conventionalism were true, we would not know any truth

_____________ of and/or prior to knowing the conventions of that truth in that

language.

Fifth, the laws of logic are not based on human conventions; they are true apart

from all __________________ conventions.

Sixth, conventionalism confuses the _________________ source of meaning

with its ultimate _________________.

Seventh, if conventionalism were ________________, then no meaning would

be possible.

Eight, conventionalism has only an ________________ criterion for meaning,

such as coherence.

Ninth, conventionalism involves a _______________ argument.

Tenth, conventionalists of the distinguish between _________________ and

__________ grammar to avoid certain problems, such as those just given.

Eleven, no truly ___________________ knowledge of God is possible in a

conventionalist view of language, since in conventionalism, language is simply

based on our experience.

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REALISM:

AN ALTERNATIVE TO ESSENTIALISM AND CONVENTIONALISM

This alternative avoids the rigidity of ____________________ and the

relativism of ______________________.

Realism contends that meaning is ____________________, even though our

symbols are culturally relative, for meaning transcends our symbols and

linguistic means of expressing it.

Understanding the Meaning of Meaning

The six causes:

1.) Efficient Cause—that ___ ______ something comes to be

2.) Final Cause—that ___ ______ something comes to be

3.) Formal Cause—that ___ ______ something comes to be

4.) Material Cause—that ____ ___ _______ something comes to be

5.) Exemplar Cause—that _____ ________ something comes to be

6.) Instrumental Cause—that __________ ________ something comes to be

Note how Geisler applies these six causes to the meaning of a written text (pp. 105-106).

Words in themselves have not actual meaning; they have only ________________

meaning.

Words are only parts of a whole (the whole __________________), which does

have meaning.

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The Locus of Meaning

A text’s meaning is not found _______________ the text (in the author’s mind)

A text’s meaning is not found _______________ the text (in the mystic’s mind)

A text’s meaning is not found ________________ the text (in the author’s

unexpressed intention).

A text’s meaning is found ________ the text (in the author’s expressed

meaning).

The Unity of Meaning

Since the meaning of Scripture comes ultimately from an objective Mind (God)

and is found in an objective text that uses terms with the same meaning for both

God and human beings, it follow that there is only ___________ meaning in a

biblical text—the one given to it by the ________________. Of course, there

can be many ________________ and ___________________. Indeed, it can be

expressed in different ways in the same language.

Thus, while the ____________ ___________ (one sense) view is correct when

it affirms only one meaning to a text, there is, however, a __________

___________ (full sense) in terms of implications and applications.

The Objectivity of Meaning

Human languages vary, but _______________ does not.

___________________ insists on a one-to-one correlation between the

meaning and the expression.

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__________________ contends there is a many-to-one correlation between

meaning and the expression.

_________________ affirms that there is a one-to-many correlation.

The objectivity of truth that Christianity embraces is based on the premise that

meaning is _____________________.

The usages of ___________________ and ________________ do change, but

the meaning properly expressed by them does not.

Study Guide-27

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Seven


Another important precondition of evangelical theology is the nature of ________.

Up to modernity, orthodox theology held the _________________ view of truth,

which maintains that truth is what corresponds to the objects of its affirmations.

The Bible claims to be ____________. The psalmist declared, “Your law is

___________” (Ps. 119:142), and Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by Your

___________, Your ____________ is truth” (John 17:17).

____________________ truth, is true for everyone, everywhere, always.

Christianity claims that there is _____________ truth and also insists that truth is

that which ____________________ to the way things are.

THE DEFINITION OF TRUTH

What Truth is Not

Truth is not “That which works” This is known as the pragmatic view of truth

Truth is not “That which coheres”

Truth is not “That which was intended”

Truth is not “That which is comprehensive”

Truth is not “That which is existentially relevant”

Truth is not “That which feels good”

What Truth Is: Truth Is That Which Corresponds to the Object

Truth is found in __________________. Truth is what corresponds to its

____________ (referent), which this object is abstract or concrete. As applied

to the world, truth is the way things really are.

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Philosophical Arguments for a Correspondence View of Truth

First, noncorrespondence view of truth are ________-___________.

Second, even ________ are impossible without a correspondence view of

truth.

Third, without correspondence there could be no such thing as

_____________ or _____________.

Fourth, ______________ communication would break down without a

correspondence view of truth.

Fifth, even the ___________________ theory depends on the

correspondence view of truth.

Biblical Arugments for a Correspondence View of Truth

First, the ___________ commandment is predicated on a correspondence view

of truth.

Second, the Bible gives numerous examples of the correspondence view of

truth. Examples: Joseph, Moses, Solomon, Micaih, etc.

Third, the biblical use of the word _______ does not support the intentionalist

view of truth, since it is used of unintentional “errors” (cf. Lev. 4:2; 27, etc.).

The Bible consistently employs a ________________________ view of truth.

A statement is true if it corresponds to the _____________ and false if it does

not.

SUMMARY OF TRUTH’S DEFINITION

There is a difference between what truth ______ and what truth __________.

Truth is _______________, but truth has certain ________________.

THE NATURE OF TRUTH AS ABSOLUTE

Study Guide-29

Not only is truth correspondence, truth is also _______________________.

Evangelical theology is predicated on the premise that the Bible is ________

truth (John 17:17), not just _____ truth.

The Relative View of Truth

The relative view of truth maintains that some things are only truth for _______

people but not for ______ people. Another relative view of truth is that some

things are true only for some ___________ but not for all times. A third view is

that some things are true in come _________ but not in all places. On the other

hand, the absolute view of truth is that truth is true for all __________, at all

____________, and in all ___________.

The problems with the relative view of truth:

1.) Relativism is _________-_______________

2.) Relativism entail a world filled with __________________________

3.) Relativism means no has ever been _______________ about anything

Exam Question Example:

Please answer the objection to absolute truth that it is too narrow.

Study Guide-30

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Eight


_________________ is the belief that every religion is true, that each provides

a genuine encounter with the Ultimate. One may be better than the others, but

all are adequate.

________________ is similar to pluralism, claiming each religion is true to the

individual who holds it. Relativists believe that since there is no objective truth

in religion, there are no criteria by which one can tell which religion is true or

which religions are false.

_______________ claims that one religion is explicitly true, and all others are

implicitly true.

______________ is the belief that only one religion is true, and all others

opposed to it are false.

Christianity is exclusivistic, claiming to the _________ true religion.

John Hicks argues for _____________________. He claims that all religions

hold the same core moral values, i.e., love and concern for others. He claims

that statements similar to Christianity’s ______________ _____________ can

be found in other religions.

Geisler counters with the following points:

First, it is debatable that anything the “______ of the Spirit” can be found in

other non-Christian religions.

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Second, moral equality of practice does not prove that there is no moral

______________ in the teaching of Christianity over other religsions.

Third, Hicks assumes a moral common denominator to argue that all religions

are ________________. He thus has to negate the superior aspects of Christian

morality or teaching in order to show that Christianity is not superior.

Fourth, the moral manifestation of a _____________ does not settle the truth

question. Being a good moral Mormon does not prove the truth of the historical

assertions of the Mormon Bible.

Fifth, in the final analysis, the moral superiority of Christianity does not rest on

our _______________ as Christians, but on Christ’s unique

__________________.

REDEMPTIVE EQUALITY OF ALL RELIGIONS

Hicks argues that humanity’s redemption is achieved in “a gradual

___________________ from the natural self-centeredness to a radically new

orientation centered on God and manifest in the “fruit of the Spirit.” As such,

Hicks argues that “salvation is taking place within all of the world religions.”

A Response to Redemption Equality

First, it’s based on the __________________ that all religions have a proper

relation to what is truly Ultimate.

Second, Hicks assumes that all religions are merely a ______________

response to the Ultimate.

Study Guide-32

Third, this denial of the truth of any particular religion is itself a form of

_______________, for it favors the worldview known as pantheism in order to

deny the particularity of the worldview known as Christian theism.

Fourth, the pluralist view often __________________ to the position that

whatever is sincerely believed is true.

Fifth, the argument for redemptive equality implies that all truth claims are a

matter of _________/_________and not __________/__________.

THE ALLEGATION THAT CHRIST IS NOT UNIQUE

Hicks argues that Jesus never claimed to be unique, but that this was the view

of the writers who portray Jesus.

Geisler argues that the New Testament documents are ________________

reliable, and their historicity has been abundantly attested.

Hick also argues that it is impossible for Jesus to be God incarnate. He asks,

rhetorically, “Is it really possible for infinite ___________________ to be

housed in a finite human ____________?”

Geisler answers that the Incarnation is not a logical _________________, and

as such there is no demonstrated incoherence in the view. Second, Hicks view

of the Incarnation assumes the unorthodox __________________ view, which

confuses Christ’s two natures.

THE ALLEGATION OF INTOLERANCE

The argument of the pluralists, is that the exclusivist view of Christianity is

bigoted and ____________________.

Study Guide-33

Geisler responds that pluralists are themselves ______________________ to

any argument that does not embrace their worldview.

Other allegations against the Christian exclusivist view is that it is narrow-

minded, and that it promotes intellectual imperialism. The problem with these

allegations is that they can be equally true of pluralists, but that they are not true

of Christianity.

CHALLENGEABLE PRESUPPOSITIONS OF PLURALISM

Pluralists generally deny any ________________________ binding moral law.

If there is no such universal moral law, then it is impossible to judge the

religions from any standard beyond them. This it is impossible to judge

Christianity as inadequate or to claim that Christianity cannot be exclusivist.

By what moral law does one make such a claim if no such moral law exists.

Beneath the pluralist’s attack on exclusivism is a ____________________

presupposition that all religious phenomena can be explained naturalistically,

that is, without any appeal the supernatural.

Study Guide-34

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Nine


Evangelicals believe that the Bible is God’s Word in _______________ words.

True or False : A precondition for doing evangelical theology is the belief that finite human language is capable of meaningfully expressing the nature of the infinite God of Christian theism.

True or False : Evangelicals accept the fact that it is impossible to speak meaningfully about God.

Three possible views with regard to “God-talk”

1.) It is ______________ (totally different from the way God actually is).

2.) It is _____________ (totally the same as God actually is).

3.) It is _____________ (similar to the way God actually is).

Evangelicals have defended versions of both ________________ and

_______________. However, Geisler argues that only through some form of

______________ is God able to communicate with us.

Analogous Language and Special Revelation (Scripture

The Bible is emphatic about two things in this connection. First, God is beyond

our __________________ and ________________ in that our finite can never

fully comprehend the infinite.

Second, human language is adequate for expressing the ___________________

of God.

Study Guide-35

But if God is both _________________ expressed in human language and yet

____________________ more than human language can express, then at best

the language of Scripture is only ____________________________-.

Analogous Language and General Revelation (Nature)

First, arguments for God’s existence are arguments from __________________

to the efficient ____________________ of their being. Since effects get their

actuality from God, they must be ___________________ to Him.

Second, Pure _________ (God) cannot create another Pure ________. It is

impossible to create an _____________________ Being. Thus every created

being must be composed of _____________________ and

_______________________. All created beings have _________________

because they actually exist, and they have ______________________ because

they have the potential not to exist. Anything that comes into existence can

pass out of ______________________.

The linguistic precondition of evangelical theology is that we do have some

positive ________________ of God.

Study Guide-36

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Ten


Hermeneutics: 1) the science and methodology of interpreting texts, especially

the books of the Bible; 2) the branch of theology that is concerned with

explaining or interpreting religious concepts, theories, and principles.

Subjectivity: 1) interpretation based on personal opinions or feelings rather than

on external facts or evidence; 2) the philosophical argument that nothing can be

proven factually; therefore all of reality is the nothing more than the individual

interpretation. As a hermeneutic, it argues that trying to discover the intended

meaning of the author is pointless, if not impossible. Instead every hermeneutic

is nothing more than the individual response to the text.

There are many forms of subjectivism in hermeneutics, but that all involve self-

defeating statements, and any attempt to deny an objective interpretation

implies that one is possible, namely, the one by which the subjectivist’s view is

expected to be understood.

Objectivity: 1) the ability to perceive or describe something without being

influenced by personal emotions or prejudices; 2) the fact or quality of being

accurate, unbiased, and independent of individual perceptions; 3) philosophy

the actual existence of something, without reference to people's impressions or

ideas.

Study Guide-37

OBJECTIVITY IN HERMENEUTICS

The Basis of Objective Hermeneutic

1.) The existence of an absolute _________________ (God)

2.) The absolute nature of _________________________.

3.) The analogy between _____________________ understanding and

___________________ understanding

4.) The ability of ______________ minds to understand the ________________

revealed by God.

PRINCIPLES OF OBJECTIVE HERMENEUTICS

1.) Look for the ___________________ meaning, not the _________________.

2.) Look for the Author’s meaning (____________________) not his purpose

(______________).

3.) Look for meaning in the _______________, not beyond it.

4.) Look for meaning in ____________________, not ____________________.

THE FOUR MAIN HERMENEUTIC PRINCIPLES FOR

INTERPRETING NATURAL (GENERAL) REVELATION

1.) The principle of _______________________

2.) The principle of _______________________

3.) The principle of _______________________

4.) The principle of _______________________

Study Guide-38

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Eleven


Historical Christianity is inseparably tied to historical events. Thus, the

existence and _____________________ of certain historical events are

essential to maintaining biblical Christianity.

The Overall argument in defense of Christianity is based on the

_______________ of the New Testament documents.

Epistemological Objections to an Objective History

The Unobservability of History

Response: It must be possible to be “________________” because they claim

to have it. How could they know everyone’s knowledge of history is not

objective unless they had and objective knowledge of it by which they judge

others? “Objective” means “__________________ and adequate”

The Fragmentary Nature of Historical Accounts

Response: The fact that accounts of history are _____________________ does

not destroy historical objectivity any more than the existence of only a limited

number of fossils destroys the objectivity of geology. History need be no less

objective than ________________________ for depending on fragmentary

accounts.

Study Guide-39

The Axiological (Value) Objection

The historian cannot avoid making value judgments.

Response: One may grant the point that ordinary _____________________ is

value-laden and that value judgments are _______________________. This by

no means makes historical objectivity impossible. Objectivity means to be fair

in dealing with the facts; it means to present what happened as accurately as

possible. Fairness, implies a value and thus objectivity is seen to be demanding

value judgments rather than avoiding them.

The Methodological Objections

The Selective Nature of Historical Methodology

Response to the problem of Historical Conditioning: It does not follow that

since the historian is a ________________________- of his time, his history is

also purely a _______________________ of the time.

The Need to Select and Arrange Historical Materials

Response: That historians must select his materials does not automatically

make history purely ______________________________. Jurors make

judgments “beyond reasonable doubt” without having all the

_____________________.

The Metaphysical (Worldview) Objections

The Need to Structure the Facts of History

Response: There is no reason to assume that the historian cannot arrange the

historical materials without _________________________- the past.

Study Guide-40

The Unavoidability of Worldviews

Response: Without a worldview it makes no sense to talk about

_______________ meaning. Meaning is system-dependent within a given

meaning, but within another system it may have a very different meaning. This

points to the necessity of establishing a worldview in order to attain

_________________________.

Miracles Are by Nature Supernatural

Response: Even if the objectivity of _________________________ is

accepted, many historians object to any history that contains

____________________. The secular rejection of miracle-history is often

based on __________________ principle of analogy. The argument is that if

something from history cannot find an analogy in the present (regular pattern of

existence) then it must be rejected as _______________. However, the

testimony for regularity in general is in no way a testimony against an unusual

event in particular. Repeatability and ________________________ are needed

to establish scientific laws or general patterns (of which miracles would be

particular exceptions), but what is needed to establish historical events is

credible testimony that these particular events did indeed occur.

Miracles Are in Principle Historically Unknowable

Response: The supernatural occurs _________ the historical but it is not a

product _________ the natural process. There is not good reason why the

Christian should yield to the radical existential theologians on the question of

the objective and historical dimensions of a miracle. A miracle can be

identified within an empirical or historical context both ______________ and

Study Guide-41

_________________, both objectively and subjectively. Miracles are

historically grounded—they are more than historical, but they are not less.

The Psychological Objection

History recorded by persons with religious motives cannot be trusted—their

religious _______________________ obscures their historical objectivity and

they tend to reinterpret history in the light of their religious beliefs.

Response: 1) There is not logical _______________________ between one’s

purpose and the accuracy of the history he writes.

2) Other important writers from the ancient world wrote with _______________

similar to the Gospel authors.

3) Complete religious ___________________ literature, such as some critics see in

the New Testament, was actually unknown in the ancient world.

4) Unlike other early accounts, the Gospels were written, at a maximum, only

____________________ after the events.

5) The historical confirmation of the New Testament writings is

________________________.

6) The New Testament writers take great care to distinguish their words from the

________________ of Jesus.

7) Luke, for example, states a clear interest for historical _______________.

8) The existence of religious __________ is no guarantee of historical inaccuracy.

9) The New Testament is ______________________ to be historical by the same

criteria applied to other ancient histories.

10) If the historicity of an event must be denied because of the strong motivation of

the person giving it, then virtually all eyewitness testimony from the survivors

of the ______________ must be discounted.

Study Guide-42

The Hermeneutical Objections

No history can be written without bringing the material into a “coordinated

whole” under some “unifying _____________________,” and Hayden White

believes these concepts are chosen from poetry.

Response: The relativity argument presupposes some objective knowledge,

otherwise they would not be able to identify the subjective. They speak of

needing to select and arrange the facts. “Facts” represent some objective

________________________. If the relativists believe that one’s worldview

can distort how one views history, then it implies that there is a correct way to

view it.

Response: As matter of fact, total relativity is _______________________.

How can one know that history was completely unknowable unless he knew

something about it? It is an admission that history is objectively knowable and

as such cannot eliminate the possibility that Christian claims of history are

knowable. Historical evidence for the central _________________ of

Christianity is more amply supported by historical evidence than for almost any

other event from the ancient world.

Response: The heralds of the historical relativist view sometimes attempt to

write _________________________- history themselves.

Response: The ability to recognize ________________ history implies

objective knowledge.

Response: Like science, history employs normal _____________________

measures that render the facts knowable.

Study Guide-43

GENERAL REMARKS ON THE OBJECTIVITY OF HISTORY

First, absolute objectivity is possible only for the ____________ Mind. Finite

minds must be content with systematic __________________, that is, fair but

revisable attempts to reconstruct the past based upon an established framework

of reference that comprehensively and consistently incorporates all the facts

into the overall sketch provided by the worldview.

Second, even with this absolute perspective, an adequately objective, finite

interpretation of history is ________________, for the historian can be as

objective as the scientist.

Third, in reality neither the scientist nor the historian can attain objective

meaning without the use of some ________________ by which he understands

the facts.

Study Guide-44

Study Guide for Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Chapter Eleven


_________ theology is done will determine ______________ the theological

conclusion will be.

VARIOUS KINDS OF THEOLOGICAL METHODS

The Reductio Absurdum Method

Zeno (c. 495 – c. 430 B.C.) Argued that nothing existed except one solitary

________________-. Nothing, he argued could move from point A to point B,

since there are an infinite number of points between them, and it is impossible

to traverse the __________. Therefore, by reducing pluralism to the

_______________, he believed he had proven monism (that all is one.). The

method itself does not necessitate any view contrary to Christian belief.

The Socratic Method

Socrates (c. 470 – 399 B.C.) This could better be called the _____________

method or the method of interrogation, for it is based on the simple technique of

discovering truth by asking the right _____________. The true Socratic

Method is based on the belief in _______________; however, others have

abstracted this methodology from the belief in _______________ and use it to

lead a mind down the path of truth by asking the right questions.

Study Guide-45

The Deductive Method

Aristotle (384 – 322 B.C.) Credited with being the first to record the canons of

deductive logic (Prior Analysis). These deductions are done by way of logical

___________________-, which take on either a categorical, hypothetical, or

disjunctive form. In the categorical form the conclusion follows from the truth

of the _________________________. In the disjunctive form, the conclusion

is true if one of the two disjuncts (statements on either side of the “or “in the

premise) is negated.

The Inductive Method

Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626) He developed the inductive logic and

____________________ logic, known popularly as the _______________

method. These were put in their current form by John Stuart Mill (1806 –

1773). There are two categories of induction: imperfect and perfect. Perfect

induction are possible with regard to biblical teaching, since the Bible contains

a ______________________ and manageable amount of material, a high

degree of certainty is obtainable in a perfect induction.

The Cartesian Method

Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650) He developed a method for discovering truth

that began in systematic and methodological ____________________. It began

with “I doubt, therefore I think,” and it concluded with “I exist, God exists, and

the world exists.” Descartes outlined a method by which one could obtain

certainty.

Study Guide-46

1.) The rule of ________________: Only indubitably clear and distinct

ideas should be accepted as true.

2.) The rule of ________________: All problems should be reduced to their

simplest parts.

3.) The rule __________________: All reasoning should proceed from

simple to complex,

4.) The rule of ________________: One should review and recheck each

step of the argument.

The Euclidian Method

Euclid (fl. 300 B.C.) Developed a system of ______________________ that

began with certain basic definitions and axioms held to be self-evident. From

these all other postulates and theorems were deduced logically and

systematically. Using this method, Spinoza developed an entire philosophical

system, including proofs for __________________ as well as descriptions of

the creation and nature of human beings, free will, and ethics. From deductive

rationalism Spinoza also deduced that miracles were _______________ and

began the first systematic effort at negative higher criticism of the Bible.

The Transcendental Method

Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) Credited with the development of transcendental

method. It is neither deductive nor inductive; it is more

_______________________, arguing back to the necessary preconditions of

something being the case. The transcendental method seeks for necessary

_________________ of a given state of affairs, not an actual ___________ of

them.

Study Guide-47

The Abductive Method

Charles Sanders Pierce (1839 – 1914) is credited with developing the abductive

method. An abduction is more like an _______________ or

_____________________ flash that provides one with a model for doing

science or theology. Sometimes this abduction comes as in intelligent

__________________ and other times in a dream or a vision. It is an intelligent

insight into the situation.

The Retroductive Method

A retroductive theology is where additional insight is gained from further

_____________________. In this way, the more one knows, the more one

know what he knows better. Sometimes this movement is described as a

____________________. But it is considered a benign circle, not a vicious

circle; in the discipline of interpretation it is called “the ________________

circle.” This is the process by which one understands the whole in the light of

the parts and the parts in light of the whole.

The Analogical Method

Joseph Butler (1692 – 1752) is best known for his famous Analogy of Religion.

It is a presentation of the plausibility of Christianity in terms of the analogy

between _________________ and ________________ religion.

1.) The Use of Probability: Argued that our knowledge of nature is only

_______________. From this he concluded two things in the defense of

Christianity. First, since this is the case, “one is always in the position of a

potential ______________________, and so one never can posit what one

knows of nature as the standard to judge what is natural.” Second, probability,

which is the guide to life, supports the belief in a ______________________

revelation from God in the Bible and the miracles of Christ.

Study Guide-48

2.) The Objection to Deism: He who believes the _____________________ to

have proceeded from Him who is the Author of nature, may well expect to find

the same sort of difficulties in it as are found in the constitution of

_________________. [Therefore,] he who denies Scripture to have been from

God, upon account of these difficulties, may for the very same reason deny the

world to have been formed by him. Thus if the Deists concluded that God

created the world, which they do, then they would be forced by their own logic

to accept the possibility that the Scriptures were from God as well.

3.) A Religion Should be Judged as a Whole: Another result of Butler’s analogous

argument is that a system of religion must be judged as a whole, and not simply

from attacks leveled against specific _____________.

4.) The Relation of Natural and Supernatural Revelation: Butler agrees that God is

the Author of ________________ and that Christianity contains a republication

of this original revelation. He writes: “The essence of ____________________

religion may be said to consist in the religious regards to “God the Father

Almighty”: and the essence of revealed religion as distinguished from the

natural to consist in religious regard to “the Son” and to “the Holy Ghost.”

5.) The Defense of Miracles: In Butler’s words: “No presumption, from analogy,

against the general Christian Scheme; for (1) although undiscoverable by reason

or experience, we only know a ________________ _______________ of a

vast whole; (2) even if it be unlike the known course of _________________-,

(a) the unknown may not everywhere resemble the ___________________;

(b)we observe unlikeness sometimes in _________________; (c) the alleged

unlikeness is not complete. Thus no presumption lies against the general

Christian scheme, whether we call it __________________________ or not.

Study Guide-49

The Dialectical Method

Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) Consists in opposing a _____________ with an

_________________ and making a synthesis of them.

F. C. Baur (1792 – 1860) claimed that that first century’s supposed tension

between Peter’s Judaistic form of Christianity (thesis) and Paul’s anti-Judaistic

form of Christianity (antithesis) found its reconciliation (synthesis) in John’s

second-century gospel. The tragedy has been that this dialectic tended to

determine the facts rather than discover them, and it has led to an overlooking if

not rejecting of the evidence that points to a much earlier date for John.

Karl Barth (1886 – 1968) employed a dialectical method, stating that the thesis

of ____________________ was opposed by the antithesis of

_______________________ that he synthesized into neo-orthodoxy.

The Pragmatic Method

William James (1842 – 1910) According to James, “Truth happens to an idea.

It becomes ___________________, is made true by events . . . ‘the true,’ to put

it very briefly, is only the expedient in the way of our

______________________, just as ‘the right’ is only the expedient in the way

of our ___________________.”

According to pragmatism, we know what is true by whether or not it

_________________.

The Experimental Method

John Dewey (1859 – 1952) More popularly known as experimentalism, this is

an _______________________- contribution to the discipline of methodology.

One discovers the truth by doing, and the final vote is cast by whether or not

our experimentation produces _______________________.

Study Guide-50

TOWARD DEVELOPING AN APPROPRIATE THEOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY

Step 1: An Inductive Basis in Scripture

Evangelical theology is based on a belief that the Bible and the Bible alone is

the only _______________________, infallible and inerrant revelation from

God; as a result, any adequate methodology must be based on sound exposition

of ______________________. Using the Socratic method of interrogation of a

piece of literature we might ask:

______________ wrote it?

______________ did he write it?

______________ were they located?

To _____________ was he speaking?

______________ was said (or done) according to the text?

Step 2: A Deduction of Truths From Scripture

Systematic Theology draws certain logical conclusions from the premises

provided by a biblical _________________.

Step 3: The Use of Analogies

The method of analogy can be used to derive and refine an understanding of

God’s revealed truth. Since God has revealed Himself in both

______________ and _____________________revelation, systematic theology

can make use of analogies from either to help explain and expound truth.

Study Guide-51

Step 4: The Use of General Revelation

God has revealed Himself in all of nature, including ________________-

nature. Indeed, every _____________________ in creation, wherever it is

found, is similar (analogous) to God, since He cannot produce what He does not

possess; He cannot give to creation what He does not have to give.

Step 5: The Retroductive Method

This step involves use of all the ________________________ gained in step 4

in order to help refine, nuance, and fill out our ______________________ of

what is meant in the teachings of steps 1 through 3.

Step 6: Systematic Correlation ( of all information into a fully orbed doctrine through the use of the laws of logic that insist that all truth must be noncontradictory)

The Bible is the ______________ and _______________Word of God in the

_________________ text (not in all copies). In accord with a good analogy, it

is like Christ (the Word of God) in that both have a divine and human

dimension, yet without error. However, the Bible should be understood in

terms of the literary forms in which it is expressed, its own phenomena (data),

and in accord with other revelation from God in nature.

Step 7: Each Doctrine is Correlated with all Other Doctrines

The word systematic in systematic theology implies that all the teachings of

both general and special revelation are _________________ and

________________. The entails the use of another methodology—logic. The

law of _____________________________ affirms that A is not non-A. To two

truths can be contradictory, which is why all biblical truth and extrabiblical

truth must be brought into a consistent whole.

Study Guide-52

Step 8: Each Doctrine is Expressed in View of the Orthodox Teachings of the Church Fathers

Systematic theology is a ___________________ discipline; only the Bible is an

infallible guide for faith and practice. However, theology should not be done in

a vacuum—just as we can see farther spatially if we stand on the shoulders of

giants, we likewise can see further theologically if we stand on the shoulders of

the church __________________. Considering seriously the enduring

teachings of the orthodox Fathers of the past is essential in constructing a viable

evangelical systematic theology for the present.

Step 9: Livability is the Final Test for Systematic Theology

True Christianity is not merely ___________________; it is also ethics. It is

not simply theoretical; it is practical. Its goal is not only to satisfy the

_____________ but also to shape the _____________. Therefore, it must be

livable; its truths must be effective in a pragmatic way. Of course, not all that

works is true, but what is true will work.

Study Guide-53

BIBLIOLOGYStudy Guide for Chapter Thirteen

The Bible claims to be a book from God, a message with divine

__________________.

Two basic texts on Revelation and Inspiration: _________________________ and

___________________________.

The biblical authors were ___________________ and ________________of God.

Short Essay Question:

Support the position that the Bible is the “the inspired, authoritative Word of

God.”

The extent of divine authority in Scripture includes:

All that is ________________—2 Timothy 3:16

Even the very ________________—Matthew 22:43; 1 Corinthians 2:13

And the _____________and ___________—Matthew 22:32; Galatians 3:16

Even the _____________________ parts of words—Matthew 5:17-18

Study Guide-54

The locus of revelation and inspiration is the written ____________________,

not simply the idea or even the writer.

Biblical inspiration is not only verbal (located in the words), but it is also

_________________________, meaning that it extends to every part of the

words and all they teach or imply.

The inspiration of God includes not only what the Bible teaches explicitly, but

also what it teaches _____________________,, covering not only spiritual

matters but factual ones as well.

While everything is the Bible is equally _______________, not everything is

equally __________________________.


Define “inspiration” as it applies to the Bible.

While the Bible was not dictated by God to secretaries, the final product is as

____________________ and _____________________ as though it were

dictated.

Study Guide-55

Study Guide for Chapter Thirteen

The Hebrew godesh and Greek hagios both mean _____________ or

_______________, which means “to be set apart.” As an attribute of God,

holiness means to be totally and utterly set apart from all creation and from evil.

Holiness is used of God’s Word similarly to the way it is used of God, namely,

to be set apart from other things, to be _______________, to be

________________.

God’s Word is not only holy itself, but it is able to make us

__________________.

As the Word of God, the Bible has divine authority.

The word _______________________ is not used in Scripture of itself;

however, other statements are used of the Bible that imply its infallibility.

Jesus declared that the Bible is _________________________.

The Bible has __________________________ power—it cannot be worn out; it

is tireless and inexhaustible.

The Bible has the quality of being __________________________; that is, it

cannot be overcome, made void or ineffective—it always accomplishes its

purpose.

Study Guide-56

SAMPLE ESSAY QUESTION:

Give and support one argument (Geisler offers three) that shows that the Bible

is without error.

Study Guide-57

Study Guide for Chapter Fifteen

The Bible is not only of _________________ origin, it also has

________________ authors, and therefore it is a human book. Indeed, it is a

_____________________________ book.

SHORT ESSAY

Defend the proposition that in addition to being a book of divine origin, it is

also a human book.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

There is one human characteristic that the Bible does not have;

_______________.

The logic of inerrancy is as follows:

God cannot err

The Bible is God’s Word

Therefore, the ____________ cannot ______________

Study Guide-58

Christians claim that God breathed out everything in the

___________________ text, not everything in the _______________.

The degree of accuracy between copies is greater than that of any other book

from the ancient world, exceeding _____________ percent.

Both ___________________ and Scripture are _________________________.

It should be noted, that the Bible is not ______________, and should not be

______________________.

Worshipping a book is known as bibliolatry, or “idolizing the book.”

Study Guide-59

Study Guide for Chapter Sixteen

Whatever Jesus taught about the ______________ is the last word on the topic.

Jesus’ words apply __________________ only to the Old Testament; however,

since He also made certain promises the apostles about New Testament truth,

and since the apostolic writings were considered on par with the Old Testament,

then what Jesus taught about the divine authority of the Old Testament applies

__________________ to the New Testament.

Over and over Jesus declared, “It is _____________” (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10).

With respect to what Jesus taught about the Old Testament:

1.) Jesus Affirmed Its Divine __________________

2.) Jesus Affirmed Its __________________

3.) Jesus Affirmed Its __________________

4.) Jesus Affirmed Its Ultimate __________________

5.) Jesus Affirmed Its Factual __________________

6.) Jesus Affirmed Its Historical __________________

7.) Jesus Affirmed Its Scientific __________________

Jesus employed several terms that refer to the Old Testament as a whole:

First, “law and __________________” its equivalent

Second, the term “the __________________”

Third, Jesus used a phrase equivalent to our “from Genesis to

__________________”

Study Guide-60

Not only did Jesus confirm the Old Testament to be the Word of God, He also

promised the same for the New Testament, affirming that the Holy Spirit would

__________________ the apostles “all things” and __________________ them

into “all truth.”

Paul cited the words of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, calling them

“__________________” right alongside the Old Testament.

Peter acknowledges the letters of __________________ as Scripture.

Christ and the Critics

Jesus affirmed that Daniel was a __________________, not a mere

__________________.

Jesus confirmed that God __________________ Adam and Eve

Jesus confirmed that __________________ was swallowed by a great

__________________

Jesus verified that the world was __________________ by a

__________________

Jesus maintained that there was __________________ Isaiah not

__________________

Jesus confirmed that __________________ wrote Psalms ascribed to him

According to the accommodation theory, Jesus was merely

__________________ Himself to the accepted Jewish belief of the day with

respect to the divine authority of the Old Testament. Geisler proves this false

on my counts:

Study Guide-61

Accommodation to error is contrary to the __________________ of Jesus’ life.

Accommodation to error is contrary to Jesus’ __________________

Another critical hypothesis is the __________________ theory, which argues

that because Jesus was fully human, His knowledge was limited and thus His

words could not have been considered divine authority.

While Jesus was fully human, He was also fully __________________.

Jesus had a __________________ knowledge even in His human state

Christ possessed complete and final __________________ for whatever He

taught

Study Guide-62

Study Guide for Chapter Seventeen

The history of the Christian church is in overwhelming support of what the

Bible claims for itself, namely, to be the divinely __________________,

__________________, and __________________ word of God.

Epistle of Pseudo-Barnabas This work cites the gospel of Matthew after stating

that it is what “God __________________”

Epistle to the Corinthians He quotes the Synoptic Gospels after calling them

“__________________.”

Epistle to the Philippians He referred to the New Testament several times in

his epistle, introducing Galatians 4:26 as “the word of __________________”.

Papias Wrote five books titled Esposition of the Oracles of the Lord, which is

the same title given to the Old Testament by the apostle Paul in Romans 3:2,

revealing Papias’s high regard for the New Testament as the very

__________________ of God.

Justin Martyr He spoke of the Gospels as the “__________________ of God”

Tatian He called John 1:5 “__________________”

Study Guide-63

Irenaeus He referred to the divine _________________ of the New Testament.

Clement of Alexandria He called the gospel “__________________” in the same senses as the Law and the Prophets.

Tertullian Never wavered in his support of the doctrine of __________________ of both the Old and New Testaments.

Hippolytus Exhibited the same deep sense of __________________ toward

Scripture as his teacher Irenaeus

Origen Held that God “gave the law, and the prophets, and the

__________________, being also the God of the apostles and the of the Old

and New Testaments.

Cyprian Appeals to the Gospels as __________________, referring to them as

the “commandments of Christ.”

Eusebius Held to the __________________ of the Old and New Testaments.

Athanasius Was the first to use the term “__________________” in reference

to the New Testament books, which he called “the foundations of salvation.”

Cyril Offered what he called a summary of the “whole __________________

of the Faith” that has been built up strongly out of all the Scriptures.

Study Guide-64

Ambrose In his Letters Ambrose cites Matthew by using the familiar

introductory statement for a __________________ inspired writing.

Jerome His writings include many references to the “Holy

__________________” and to their authority.

The Syrian School at Antioch They viewed the Holy Spirit as providing the

content of __________________ and the prophet as giving it appropriate

expression and form.

Augustine of Hippo He completely endorsed the claims of the New Testament

for its __________________.

Gregory I Refers to Hebrews as “__________________”

Anselm of Canterbury He continued to state the __________________ view of

inspiration.

The Victorines Their respect for Scripture was based on the belief of their

predecessors—that the Bible is the __________________ inspired Word of

God.

Thomas Aquinas In his Summa Theologica states, “The __________________

of the Holy Scripture is God.”

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Study Guide for Chapter Eighteen

On the nature of Scripture, there are no substantial __________________

between the views of the Reformers and the great early and medieval

__________________ of the church.

Martin Luther did not depart from the doctrine of Scripture held by his great

mentor, Augustine. He firmly adhered to the divine __________________,

__________________, and __________________ of Scripture.

John Calvin was just as repeatedly emphatic about the divine

__________________ and __________________ of Scripture as were

Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther.

Ulrich Zwingli held on to __________________ and __________________ of

Scripture.

The Westminister Tradition Inspiration and authority of Scripture is affirmed in

“The Article of the __________________ of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation”

The Weslyan Tradition In The Twenty-Five Articles of Religion, Article II,

“The Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation” affirms the absolute

__________________ and total __________________ of the Bible.

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The Anabaptist and Baptist Tradition In the introduction to his Treatise

Against the Anabaptists, even Calvin acknowledged that “this sect

__________________ the Holy Scripture, as we do.”

The Roman Catholic View on Scripture The Council of Vatican I proclaimed

the __________________ of Scripture.

The Eastern Orthodox View of Scripture The Eastern Church has maintained a

high view of the __________________ of Scripture, in line with both the

Roman Catholic and Protestant view.

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Study Guide for Chapter Nineteen

The word _________________ simply means “to execute judgment.”

There are two basic kinds of _________________ criticism: lower and higher.

_________________criticism has to do with the _________________ of Scripture.

_________________ criticism has to do with the _________________ of the text.

Higher criticism can be divided into two categories: positive and negative, also

called _________________ and _________________.

Destructive criticism is based on the presuppositions that are opposed to the Bible

and to _________________ theology.

One of the most persistent and unjustified presuppositions of negative biblical

criticism is _________________.

Associate the name with the philosophical view:

Inductivism: _________________

_________________: Thomas Hobbes

Antisupernaturalism: _________________

_________________: David Hume

Agnosticism: _________________

_________________: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Scientism: _________________

_________________: Spencer and Darwin

Study Guide-68

Roots of Destructive Biblical Criticism

Pietism: Stressed the primary importance of _________________ over “cold

orthodoxy.”

Liberalism: Friedrich Schleiermacher

The basis of religion is found in _________________. Religion is found in

_________________, and doctrine is only a form of feeling. The aim or goal of

religion is love of the ______, the World-Spirit. Religion is neither true or

false.

Existentialism: Soren Kierkegaard

It should be noted at the outset, that Kierkegaard’s personal faith can be

described as _________________, and he sought a form of piety that sought to

experience God rather than just to know about God. Other’s took his writings

and went beyond Kierkegaard in their application of his philosophy. For him

Christianity is a faith, first and foremost, and when this faith is founded on

Christ neither the rational affirmations of the truth of Scripture nor the criticism

of Scripture could diminish the experience one has with God through Christ.

The subjective and experiential form of religion eventually gave way to

rationalism. Some of the more notable proponents of destructive biblical

criticism include:

Ferdinand C. Baur: Postulated that the Gospel of John must be a second-

century _________________ between the thesis of Peter and the antithesis of

Paul.

Rudolph Bultman: Developed an antisupernatural form of _________________

of the New Testament.

Study Guide-69

Study Guide for Chapter Twenty

The rise of modern _________________ undermined the historical orthodox

view of Scripture.

THE CLASSICAL LIBERAL VIEW OF SCRIPTURE

L. Harold DeWolf’s View

Antisupernatural

Cultural _________________

Favor of the _________________ view

The Bible is not the _________________ of God

The Bible is _________________ and errant

The origin of Scripture is not _________________

Harry Emerson Fosdick’s View

Antisupernatural bias

Naturalistic _________________

The Bible is fallible and _________________

The Bible contains _________________

The Bible has scientific _________________

Some the acts ascribed to God in the Old Testament are immoral

THE NEOCLASSICAL LIBERAL VIEW OF SCRIPTURE

Schubert Ogden

God is not _________________, all-knowing, all-powerful

Revelation is not _________________

Rejects that what the Bible says, is what __________ says

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None of the New Testament, in present form, was written by an

_________________ or one of his disciples

The Bible has authority only to the extent that it brings _____________ to us

An Evaluation of Liberal Views of Scripture

Some Positive Aspects of the Liberal Views

The emphasis on the _________________ element of Scripture

The focus on matters of _________________ criticism

An understanding of the need for _________________

The emphasis on the need for biblical _________________

Some Negative Aspects of the Liberal Views

Liberalism’s belief is contrary to the claim of the ______________

It is contrary to the claim of _________________

It is contrary to the historical claim of the _________________

It is based on the wrong view of _________________

It is based on an unjustified _________________

It is _________________ with its own assumption

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Study Guide for Chapter Twenty-One

The neo-orthodox view of Scripture arises out of a reaction to dead

____________, as well as out of reaction to dead _________________.

KARL BARTH: THE FATHER NEO-ORTHODOXY

The Origin of Scripture

___________ is the source of the Bible

The Threefold Word of God

Barth said there are three levels to the Word of God

Primary level of the Word of God is ____________, the Living Word of God

Secondary level of the Word of God is the _______________, which is a

witness to God’s primary revelation in Christ.

Tertiary level of the Word of God is the _____________ of the Word.

The Purpose of the Bible

The Bible is an _____________ through which God reveals His Word.

The Bible is a Record of Revelation

It is merely a ______________ of God’s revelation in Christ.

A Witness to the Word of God

The Bible is a _________________ witness to God’s revelation in Christ.

The Bible is Fallible and Errant

There are obvious overlappings and _________________, for example,

between the Law and the prophets, between John and the Synoptics, etc.

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AN EVALUATION OF THE NEO-ORTHODOX VIEW OF SCRIPTURE

The Positive Aspects of the Neo-Orthodox View

Rejection of mechanical _________________ theory of inspiration

Emphasis on the _________________ of Christ

Rejection of _________________ (worship of the Bible)

Stress on the need for personal _________________ with God

The _________________ of God in His acts/works

Focus on the need for _________________

The Negative Aspects of the Neo-Orthodox View

This view of Scripture is biblically _________________

This view of the Bible is _________________ unsupported

This view of the Bible is _________________ inconsistent

This view of Christ is _________________

This view of Scripture is _________________ misplaced

This view is filled with logical _________________

This view of Scripture is practically _________________

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Study Guide for Chapter Twenty-Two

The Neo-Evangelical view is named this because it is a deviation from the

longstanding Evangelical teaching on Scripture.

REPRESENTATIVES OF NEO-EVANGELICALISM

G. C. Berkouwer

Berkouwer believed that in the Bible we can distinguish between the Word of

God and the words of man. The ________________ of God could be heard

within Scripture—a confession that falls short of the clear orthodox

proclamation that the Bible is the Word of God and not merely contains the

Word of God.

Berkouwer thought of Scripture more as a result of the ________________ of

God than as a ________________ work of God.

Berkouwer believed that inspiration is ________________ (that is, that the

Bible is inspired as a ________________, but not necessarily in all its parts),

but verbal and plenary.

Berkouwer believed that the Bible is inspired in its ________________, i.e., the

divine message of salvation, but again, not in verbal or plenary inspiration.

Study Guide-74

Berkouwer was willing to accede that the Bible had human ________________,

such as error, like any other human writing.

Berkouwer believed that the Bible has ________________ accommodations

that must be viewed as relevant only for the cultural in which it was written. As

such, he would not grant that the Bible is culturally transcendent.

Likewise, Berkouwer believed that the Bible contains ________________

accommodation, meaning that it reflected the human understanding of science

during the time in which it was written, and as such contains error.

Additionally, Berkouwer held that the Bible contains historical accommodation,

reflected in the fact that the writers “use certain _______-_________

conceptions in their writing.” In this, he says, there are errors in Scripture, and

he uses error in the sense of being incorrect, not corrupt or willfully deceptive.

In addition to the above accommodations claimed by Berkouwer, he also

believes that the Bible is ________________ even in the worldview it

expresses. He writes, “Scripture bears the marks of the period and of the milieu

in which it was written and shares in part these marks with culture which in

many ways was interrelated to that of Israel.” As such, he would claim that this

Judean/Jewish worldview is limiting and is not applicable throughout all times,

cultures, and worldviews. For example, the current Postmodern worldview of

the Twenty-First Century.

Finally, Berkouwer went so far as to claim there are ________________ in the

Bible.

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Jack Rogers

Rogers was one of the faculty members of Fuller Theological Seminary who

successfully push through a neo-evangelical view of Scripture, which led to the

departure of several of the notable evangelical faculty members of the

seminary.

Rogers holds that “evangelicals believe the Bible is the authoritative word of

God.” However, he also maintained that it included accommodation to human

finitude and even error is involved in the this process. Follower Berkouwer, he

argued that the nature of inspiration is not verbal and plenary, it is

________________.

Rogers was willing to speak of the inerrancy of the Bible, but regarded it in

terms of truth being determined by ________________ and not

correspondence. That is to say, the Bible is without error in what it intends to

do, not in all that it actually states. As such, Rogers believes that the Bible does

in fact have historical and scientific errors.

Once inerrancy was defined by ________________, rather than content, the

neo-evangelicals could speak of the saving ________________ of Scripture

with respect to what is meant by inspiration.

Having embraced the hermeneutical perspective of saving purpose rather than

verbal or plenary inerrancy, Rogers is able to accommodate modern

________________ criticism of the Bible.

Rogers proceeded in his ________________ philosophy of church history to

reinterpret the past in favor of his new evangelical view.

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How does the neo-evangelical view differ from the evangelical view of Scripture? (See summary on page 197)

C. S. Lewis

Lewis viewed Scripture as the ________________ of God through

________________ distortion. Lewis maintains that there was a constant

divine/human ________________ in the formation of Scripture.

For Lewis, Scripture resulted more from God’s ________________ than from

His supernatural intervention.

With respect to the inerrancy of the Bible, Lewis believed that there is a

________________ between the Word of God and the word of man contained

in Scripture.

Lewis’s view of the New Testament was more ________________ than his

view of the Old Testament. He had no difficulty with the liberal view that there

are myths in the Old Testament.

Study Guide-77

Likewise, he had no difficulty accepting that there were historical

________________ in the Bible. Unlike many neo-evangelicals, Lewis did not

limit the errancy of Scripture to ________________ matters. He found error,

for example in some of the psalms, which he believed were contemptible and

even devilish.

Lewis clearly rejected the orthodox view of ________________ Scripture.

Lewis rejected the traditional ________________ of certain sections of the Old

Testament, including Psalms. In addition, he rejected many of the Old

Testament ________________.

Lewis, was willing to embrace theistic ________________ in direct

contradiction with a literal interpretation of the creation account.

EVALUATION THE NEO-EVANGELICAL VIEWS OF SCRIPTURE

Positive aspects

It emphasizes the ________________ whole of Scripture

It warns against ________________ philosophical view

It takes seriously the ________________ nature of Scripture

It highlights the need for divine ________________

It interacts with contemporary ________________

Negative aspects

It is contrary to the claims of ________________

It is contrary to the ________________ of the Church Fathers and Reformers

It is based on a ________________ view of truth

It undermines the divine ________________ of the Bible

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Study Guide for Chapter Twenty-Three

THE EVANGELICALS ON THE BIBLE

The evangelical view of Scripture is a continuation of the historical

________________ view as expressed in the Bible. Evangelicals affirm the full

________________ and factual ________________ of the Bible.

NOTEABLES

Francis Turrentin

The authority of Scripture depends on their ________________. They are from

God, therefore, they must be authentic and divine.

Turrentin held that the Bible is both ________________ and

________________. The Bible cannot err because: 1) The Scriptures are

inspired of God; 2) If the integrity of Scripture cannot be maintained then they

cannot be regarded as the sole rule of faith and practice.

Turrentin believed that the ________________ Hebrew and Greek texts are

without error. He also believes that the Hebrew and Greek texts are the

standard and rule to which all ________________ should be applied.

Turrentin believed in __________ ________________, which means he

believes that the Bible is the only written authority for believers.

Turrentin believed in the ________________ of Scriptures, that is, that God has

insured that copies of Scripture have been providentially preserved by God.

Study Guide-79

Jonathan Edwards

Edwards believed that the Bible was the very ________________ of God.

Edwards believed that the Bible was also a ________________ book. When

Edwards refers to the divinely authoritative product of inspiration and not to the

human means by which it was produced.

THE OLD PRINCETONIANS

Charles Hodge

C. Hodge argued that “all Protestants agree and teach that ‘the word of God, as

contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only

________________ rule of faith and practice.’”

Hodge affirmed that “the Scriptures are infallible, i.e., given by

________________ of God.

Hodge opposed ________________. He calls the theory of evolution “atheistic

. . . the exclusion of design from nature is . . . tantamount to atheism.”

A. Hodge and B. B. Warfield

These men believed that the Bible is the Word of God; it is not merely the

thoughts but the very ________________ of Scripture that are infallible.

They do not deny the ________________ element in the Scriptures and this

“obvious humanness” eliminates any notion of a “mechanical” or “verbal

dictation” view of inspiration.

Study Guide-80

They believed in the ________________ inspiration, and absolute errorlessness

in all it affirms. The Bible is therefore, verbal, plenary, infallible and inerrant.

What the sacred writers affirm is infallibly true.

In response to negative biblical criticism their position remained consistent with

the basic ________________ teaching about Scripture.

Evangelical Theological Society (ETS)

Their view is consistent with that of Hodge-Warfield.

THE EVANGELICAL VIEW OF SCRIPTURE

Acceptance of the long-standing ________________ view of the full inspiration

and factual inerrancy of Scripture. This orthodox view has been rejected in

modern times because of an unnecessary and unjustified acceptance of

antisupernaturalism and the uncritical and unsubstantiated acceptance of alien

philosophical presuppositions.

Evangelicals reject ________________. God Himself is supernatural, to

believe in God presupposes the possibility of the supernatural intervention of

God by way of miracles and spiritual manifestations.

Evangelicals reject the insertion of ________________ philosophical view into

the theological discussion. They reject the attempt to insert baseless

philosophical premises, antisupernaturalism, evolution, progressivism, and

secular existentialism.

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Study Guide for Chapter Twenty-Four

Many contemporary theologians who call themselves fundamentalists accept the

same view as expressed in the “________________” position. Both groups trace

their roots back to C. Hodge, A. A. Hodge, B. B. Warfield, and J. G. Machen.

Historical Fundamentalism

Historic fundamentalism held the standard ________________ view of

Scripture, the view of the Fathers and Reformers of the church.

Contemporary Fundamentalism

Current fundamentalists do not hold a ________________ view of Scripture.

They range from the standard evangelical view to a verbal dictation and even

beyond to a KJV only view.

VERBAL DICTATION VIEWThe Verbal Dictation View of John R. Rice

Rice embraced what he called “________________ dictation,” meaning that

there is a human side to the Bible in its style, language, composition, history

and culture.

THE INSPIRED KING JAMES VERSION VIEW

Most fundamentalists were reared on the KJV Bible. They appreciate the

beauty rhythm, cadence and descriptive power is indicative of

________________ style language.

However, some have taken things too far by ________________ this

aesthetically pleasing translation. They have frozen the truth of the original

Hebrew and Greek text of the Bible in this seventeen-century book as time has

passed them by.

Study Guide-82

CRITIQUE OF THE INSPIRED-KJV CLAIM

The choice of version is ________________. Why a Bible in English rather

than in German, or French, or some other language?

Why choose only this ________________ Bible as inspired? Why not some

other English translation, such as the more popular NIV?

Why are recent edition of the KJV? Why not the ________________ one?

Even the two editions issued in 1611 differ from each other.

The original KJV had the ________________ books in it. They were not taken

out until the 1629 edition.

To hold to the KJV as an inspired translation is to confess that many things in it

are ________________ and/or false. Some of the Old English words have lost

their meaning, or actually now mean the opposite of their original—for

example, “let” in 2 Thess. 2:7 now means “hinder” and not the modern meaning

of “let,” i.e., “allow.”

BIBLICAL DOCETISM—DIMINISHING SCRIPTURE’S HUMANITY

Biblical docetism is an unorthodox view of Scripture, since it too diminishes the

Bible’s ______________ side. Denying biblical humanity is a failure to

recognize one or more of the following human characteristics of Scripture:

Scripture has human ________________, some forty in all.

The Bible was written in human ________________ —Hebrew, Aramaic, and

Greek.

Study Guide-83

The Bible utilizes different literary ________________ —from down to earth

to sophisticated.

The Bible uses different human ________________ —poetry, narrative,

parable, etc.

The Bible reflects different human ________________ —from shepherd to

prophet, to pastor.

The Bible reveals human thought ________________ and processes, including

human reasoning.

The Bible reveals human ________________ —including sorrow, anger, joy,

etc.

The Bible manifests specific human ________________.

The Bible expresses human ________________, basically Semitic.

The Bible utilizes other written human ________________, some of which are

not in the Bible.

Study Guide-84

Study Guide Chapter Twenty-Five

Christianity is a historical religion, and the main events on which it is based,

such as Creation and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, claim to be

space-time events in the _______________ world.

The historicity of the Old Testament is based on two major factors: The

reliability of the Old Testament text, and the reliability of those who put the text

together.

THE RELIABILITY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS

The _______________ of Old Testament Manuscripts

Thousands of ancient manuscripts exist for the Old Testament

The _______________ of the Old Testament Manuscripts

Conservatives place the last book of the Old Testament around 400 B.C.

The _______________ of the Old Testament Manuscripts

The accuracy of the Old Testament manuscripts was attested in the discovery of

the _______________ Scrolls provide a cross-check on how accurately

manuscripts were copied during a thousand year period and the results

confirmed the accuracy of later manuscripts.

The Historicity of Particular Sections of the Old Testament

W. F. Albright wrote: “There can be no doubt that the archaeology has

_______________ the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition.”

Study Guide-85

Historicity of Adam and Eve

First, they are presented in Genesis 1-2 as _______________ persons.

Second, they gave birth to _______________ children.

Third, the phrase, “this is the _______________ of,” is used to record later

history.

Fourth, later Old Testament chronology of historical persons place

___________ at the top of the list.

Fifth, the New Testament places Adam at the beginning of _______________

literal ancestors.

Sixth, _______________ referred to Adam and Eve as the first actual “male and

female.”

Seventh, the book of _______________ declares that literal death was brought

into the world by a literal man.

Eighth, in comparison of Adam with _______________, 1 Corinthians 15:45

manifests that Adam was understood as being historical.

Ninth, Paul’s declaration that “_______________ was first formed, then Eve”

Tenth, logically there had to be a first real set of human being, male and female

to account for present _______________.

The Historicity of Noah and the Flood

First, the account presents itself as _______________, not mythological.

Study Guide-86

Second, it is part of a broader _______________ account, being linked by such

literary connectives as, “this is the account of Noah” (Gen. 6:9).

Third, it is immediately followed by a listing of _______________ and cities

know to come from that area of the world.

Fourth, Noah and his sons are listed in a later ___________ record in 1

Chronicles.

Fifth, Isaiah the prophet referred to ________ and the Flood as historical events

(54:9).

Sixth, during the time of Ezekiel the prophet, Noah was still considered one of

the great figures of _______________ history.

Seventh, _______________ affirmed that Noah, the Flood, and details

surrounding the Flood are historical (Matt. 24:37-38).

Eight, the writer of _______________ places Noah in the great Hall of Faith

along with other historical figures like Abraham, Moses, and David (Heb. 11:7).

Ninth, the apostle _______________ twice refers to Noah and the Flood as a

literal person and event (1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5).

Tenth, there is abundant _______________ evidence that the water once

covered the entire earth, including mountains and the poles.

Eleventh, the worldwide existence of Flood stories in diverse _____________

and _______________ is testimony to the historicity of Noah and the Flood.

Study Guide-87

Historicity of the Tower of Babel

The _______________ archeological finds of this area support the historicity of

this text.

Historicity of the Patriarchs

Law codes have been found from the time of Abraham that show why the

Patriarch would have been hesitant to throw Hagar out of his camp, for he was

_______________ bound to support her.

The discovery of the _______ letters reveals such names a Abam-ram, Jacob-el,

and Benjamites. These to not refer to the biblical character, but demonstrate

that these names are consistent with names of that time and place.

Historicity of Sodom and Gomorrah

Evidence has revealed that all five cities mentioned in the Bible (Sodom and

Gomorrah and three other cities in the area) were in fact centers of

_______________ and were geographically situated as the Scriptures say.

Be prepared to support the historicity of the Mosaic period, the monarchial

period, and the captivity and post-captivity accounts in short answer form.

Study Guide-88

Study Guide for Chapter Twenty-Six

Few scholars have denied the complete _______________ of the New Testament.

Even Bultmann, who denied the miracles and attempted to “demythologize”

Scripture, said, “By no means are we at the mercy of those who _______________

that Jesus ever lived.”

The historicity of the New Testament is basically the historicity of the _________,

the book of _______, and the early epistles of ______.

THE RELIABILITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

The _______________ of New Testament Manuscripts

The early ________ of the New Testament Manuscripts

The _______________ of the New Testament Manuscripts

The _______________ of the New Testament Manuscripts by Early Church

Fathers

THE RELIABILITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT ACCOUNTS

The Historicity of Acts

The date and authenticity of the book of Acts is crucial to the historicity of early

Christianity and, thus, to apologetics in general. If Acts was written before

_______________ while the eyewitnesses were still alive, then it has great

historical value in informing us of the earliest Christian beliefs.

If Acts was written by A.D. 62 (the traditional date), then it was written by a

_______________ of Jesus (who died A.D. 33).

Study Guide-89

Five strong reasons, given by Colin Hemer for accepting the traditional early

date of Acts:

There is no mention in Acts of the crucial historical event of the fall of

_______________ in A.D. 70, which places Acts before that event.

There is no hint of the outbreak of the _______________ in 66 or of any serious

or specific deterioration of relations between Romans and Jews, implying Acts

was written before that time.

There is no hint of the more immediate deterioration of Christian relations with

Rome involved in the _______________ persecution of the late 60’s.

There is no hint of the death of _______________ at the hands of the Sanhedrin

in c. 62, recorded by Josephus.

Since the apostle _______________ was still alive (Acts 28), it must have been

written before his death (c. A.D. 65).

Historicity of the Gospel Accounts

Arguing for the historicity of one of the _______________ Gospels is to argue

for the historicity of all the three (Matthew, Mark and Luke), Geilser shows

strong support for the historicity of Luke because there are numerous arguments

to support his historicity.

The author of Luke is known to be an accurate _______________, as evidenced

by his writing the book of Acts.

The Gospel of Luke was written by about _______________, which was within

30 years of Jesus’ ministry.

Study Guide-90

Luke states that he researched for writing this account:

He is aware of other earlier _______________ accounts of Christ’s life

The gospel of Luke is based on “_______________” testimony

He had “carefully _______________ everything from the beginning”

The archeological confirmation of the Gospels

The Gospels breathe the same air of first-century ____________ culture.

The mention of __________, Sadducees, Jewish traditions, customs, and use of

Aramaic words affirm that they were written during the first century.

References to ___________, topography, lakes, land, etc. all point to the

authenticity of the Gospels.

The accurate portrayals of historical ______________ such as Caesar Augustus,

Quirinius, King Herod, etc. strongly support the historical accuracy of the test.

Archeological discovery of specific places, such as the Siloam pool, pool of

Bethesda, the foundation of ____________ temple, etc. are consistent with the

accounts of Scripture.

Like the rest of _______________, the life of Christ portrayed in the Gospels

fits perfectly into the known facts unearthed by the archeology of this period.

Evidence for the Historicity of Paul’s Early Epistles

There is general agreement, even among _______________ critics, that Paul

wrote 1 Corinthians adjourned A.D. 55.

First Corinthians presents the same basic information about Christ found in the

_______________, but some five years earlier than Luke.

There is strong internal evidence for Pauline authorship, as well as strong

external evidence, namely _______________ of Rome, the Epistle of

_______________, the _______________, and the Shepherd of

_______________.

Study Guide-91

Paul rests the very truth of Christianity on the historicity of the

_______________, and as such provides lists of living witnesses to Jesus’

resurrection, including Paul himself.

Confirmation of the New Testament from the Basic Facts Position

Professor Habermas lists “at least twelve separate facts that are agreed to be

knowable history” by “practically all critical scholars”:

Jesus died by _______________

Jesus was _______________

His disciples _______________

The tomb was later found _______________

The disciples believed they later saw literal appearances of ___________

They were transformed from doubters to bold proclaimers of His

_______________

This message was the center of their early _______________

They preached this in _______________ shortly after it happened

The church was born and grew _______________

_______________ was their primary day of worship

James was converted from _______________ to belief in the resurrection of

Jesus

A few years later Paul was _______________, proclaiming that he had seen the

resurrected Christ.

Given this “knowable history” it can be argued that no purely naturalistic theory

explains all these facts and that the actual _______________ resurrection of

Jesus is the best explanation of all the facts.

Study Guide-92

Strong Internal Evidence for the Historicity of the Gospels

There is no attempt by the Gospel writers to _______________ (make them

agree with one another on every point) their accounts. If this was a fraud, one

would expect them to try very hard to get their accounts to agree 100 percent.

The Gospel writers have passages that appear to put Jesus in a

_______________, such as not going immediately to heal Lazarus, instead,

allowing Lazarus to die, and then going to raise him. Further, they record the

negative gossip concerning Jesus, i.e., that He was a drunkard, a madman, that

He was demon possessed, and that His own brothers did not believe in Him. If

these writers were trying to perpetrate a fraud, they would have omitted these

negative reports, and only cast Jesus in a positive light.

The Gospel writers leave _______________ passages in their text. If they were

trying to fabricate historical facts about the life of Jesus, they would have

smoothed out difficult passages rather than leaving them in.

The Gospel writers include reports that cast ______________ (the disciples) in

a negative light. Again, one would not expect this in a false account.

By all accounts, the Gospel writers did not deny their testimony, even under

threat of _______________.

The Gospel writers claim to have based their account on _______________, a

claim that could easily have been proven wrong if it were not true.

Study Guide-93

Study Guide Chapter Twenty-Seven

The doctrine of inerrancy is not directly taught in Scripture, although it is

_______________ implied. Two things are directly taught:

Premise 1). The Bible is the _______________ of God

Premise 2) God cannot _______________

Conclusion: The _______________ cannot _______________

DEFINITIONS:

_______________ means “breathed out by God, what comes from God himself.”

_______________ means “what has divine authority, what cannot be broken.”

_______________ means “what is without error, wholly true.”

What is inspired is _______________, since inspired means to be breathed out by

God, and what is God-breathed cannot be in _______________. However, not

everything inerrant is divinely _______________.

The Bible is God-Breathed

__________ declared that “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for

teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16)

The Nature of a Prophet

The Bible claims to be a _______________ writing (Heb. 1:1; 2 Peter 1:20-21),

prophets, as mouthpieces of God, spoke only what God put in their mouths.

Study Guide-94

The Divine Authority of the Bible

Jesus said God’s Word was exalted above all _____________ authority (Matt.

15:3-6).

The Bible is “What God Says”

What the Bible _______________, God _______________.

The Bible is Called “The ____________ of God”

This very phrase or its equivalent is used many times of the Bible in part or as a

whole.”

God Cannot Err

Every moral law has a Moral _______________

There is an _______________ moral law

Hence, there is an absolute _______________ Lawgiver

The argument from Scripture

“. . . it is impossible for God to __________” (Heb. 6:18)

Paul speaks of the “God who does not lie” (Titus 1:2), a God who, even “if we

are faithless, he will remain _______________, for he cannot disown himself”

(2 Tim. 2:13).

God is truth (John 14:6), and so is His Word; Jesus said to the Father, “Your

Word is _______________” (John 17:17).

The Psalmist said, “All your __________ are true” (Ps. 119:160; cf. Rom. 3:4).

Study Guide-95

Therefore the Bible Cannot Err

Truth is ___________________ with the facts. Therefore when we speak abou

the inerrancy of the Bible we mean that it is actually and factually correct in

whatever it affirms.

The Bible has no _______________ of any kind. Whatever God affirms is true,

is true no matter what the subjects; He cannot err on any topic.

THEOLOGICAL DEFINITION OF INSPIRATION AND INERRANCY

Inspiration is the supernatural _______________ exerted on the sacred writers

by the Holy Spirit of God, by virtue of which their writings are given divine

trustworthiness.

Six Crucial Elements in a Complete Definition of Inspiration and Inerrancy

Its divine _______________ (from God);

Its human _______________ (through men);

Its written _______________ (in words);

Its original _______________ (in autographs or original text);

Its final _______________, normative (for believers);

Its inerrant _______________ (without errors).

Objection that Inerrancy is Contrary to Fact. It Makes the Following Mistakes

Mistake 1: Assuming that the unexplained is not _______________

Mistake 2: Presuming the Bible _______________until proven innocent

Study Guide-96

Mistake 3: Confusing _______________fallible interpretations with

_______________infallible revelation

Mistake 4: Failing to understand the _______________of the passage

Mistake 5: Neglecting to interpret difficult passages in the light of

_______________ones

Mistake 6: Basing a teaching on an _______________passage

Mistake 7: Forgetting that the Bible is a _______________book with

_______________ characteristics

Mistake 8: Assuming that a partial report is a _______________report

Mistake 9: Demanding that New Testament _______________of the Old

Testament always be exact quotes

Mistake 10: Assuming that _______________accounts are false ones

Mistake 11: Presuming that the Bible approves of all it _______________

Mistake 12: Forgetting that the Bible uses _______________, everyday

language

Mistake 13: Assuming that the _______________numbers are false

Study Guide-97

Mistake 14: Neglecting to note that the Bible uses different

_______________devices

Mistake 15: Forgetting that only the original text, __________ every copy of

Scripture is without error

Mistake 16: Confusing general statements with _______________ones

Mistake 17: Forgetting that later revelation ______________previous revelation

Mistake 18: The allegation that _______________irregularities are errors

First, there is no _______________standard for grammar.

Second, grammar as such does not deal with _______________but is only the

form through which verbal truth is expressed.

Third, irregular grammar is often a more _______________expression of an

idea as slang reveals

Study Guide-98

Study Guide for Chapter Twenty-Eight

_______________means rule or norm, and as used of the Bible it means which

books are the normative books for Christian faith and practice.

Judaism, Catholicism and Protestantism agree over the common _______________

(Jewish) cannon, which consists of thirty-nine books (numbered twenty-four in

Jewish Bible). This can be called the _______________ canon.

Although the Roman Catholic canon has _______________more books than the

Protestant Bible, only _______________extra books appear in the table of contents

of Roman Catholic Bibles.

A Response to Catholic Arguments in Favor of the Apocrypha

There may be New Testament allusions to the Apocrypha, but there are no clear

New Testament _______________from them—not one.

The fact that the New Testament often quotes from the Greek Old Testament in

no way proves that the apocryphal books contained in Greek manuscripts of the

Old Testament are _______________.

Citations by the church fathers in support of the canonicity of the Apocrypha

are _______________and misleading. What one church father accepted,

another church father rejected. There is no unanimity on the fact that the

apocryphal books should be viewed as canonic.

Although some individuals in the early church had a high esteem for the

Apocrypha, there were many individuals who vehemently _______________it.

Study Guide-99

As even many Catholic scholars will admit, scenes from the

_______________do not prove the canonicity of the books whose events they

depict.

None of the great Greek manuscripts contains all of the

_______________books.

There are some important reasons why citing these church councils does not

prove the Apocrypha belonged in the canon of the church.

First, these were only _______________councils, not binding on the whole

church.

Second, these books were not part of the Christian (New Testament period)

writings, and hence, they were not under the providence of the Christian

_______________to decide.

Third, the books accepted by these Christian councils may not have been the

_______________ones in each case,

Fourth, the local councils of Hippo and Carthage in North Africa were

influenced by _______________, who is the most significant antiquated voice

that accepted the same apocryphal books later canonized by the Council of

Trent. However, his position is ill-founded.

The Greek Orthodox Church has not always accepted the Apocrypha, nor is its

present position _______________.

Study Guide-100

At the Council of Trent the _______________ proclamation was made

accepting the Apocrypha as the part of the inspired Word of God. However, the

“infallible” decision at Trent came a millennium and a half after the books were

written and in an obvious polemic against _______________ and the

Reformation.

Apocryphal books appeared in Protestant Bibles prior to the Council of Trent,

and they were generally placed in a separate _______________ because they

were not considered of equal authority.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran included not only the

community’s bible (the Old Testament) but also their library, with fragments of

hundreds of different books. There were some Old Testament apocryphal

books, but there were no _______________ on any of the apocryphal books,

only on canonical books.

Argument in Favor of the Jewish/Protestant Old Testament Cannon

The true test of canonicity is _______________, which determines canonicity

for Old Testament books. God determined which books would be written in the

Bible by giving their message to a prophet. So only books written by a prophet

or an accredited spokesperson for God are inspired and belong in the canon of

Scripture. Of course, while God _______________ canonicity by propheticity,

the people of God had to _____________ which of these books were prophetic.

No apocryphal book claims to be written by a _______________.

There is no _______________ confirmation of any of the writers or the

apocryphal books.

Study Guide-101

There is no predictive _______________ in the Apocrypha.

There is no new _______________ truth in the Apocrypha

Even the Jewish community acknowledged that the prophetic ____________

had ceased in Israel before the Apocrypha was written.

The apocryphal books were never listed in the _______________ Bible.

Never once is any apocryphal book cited authoritatively by a _______________

book written after it.

No canonical list or _______________ of the Christian church accepted the

Apocrypha as inspired for nearly the first four centuries.

The _______________ rejected the canonicity of the Apocrypha.

Incorrect and Correct View of Cannon

Incorrect View of Canon Correct View of Cannon

Church _______________ Canon

Church is ____________ of Canon

Church is Magistrate of Canon

Church Regulates Canon

Church is ____________of Canon

Church Discovers Canon

Church is Child of Canon

Church is ____________ of Canon

Church ______________ Canon

Church is Servant of Canon

Study Guide-102

THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON

The Evidence for the Completeness of the New Testament

The reasons for believing that the _______________ books of the current New

Testament and those alone, belong in the Christian canon are very strong.

The Promise of Jesus

First, Jesus was the full and complete _______________ of the Old Testament

(Matt. 5:17)

Second, Jesus chose, commissioned, and credentialed twelve _____________

(cf. Heb. 2:3-4) to _____________ this full and final revelation that He gave

them (Matt. 10:1f.), and before He left this world He promised these apostles to

guide them into all _____________, saying, “the Holy Spirit . . . will teach you

all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

Third, the apostles of Christ lived and died in the first century, consequently the

record of this full and final revelation of Christ to the apostles was completed in

the _______________century.

Fourth, so that there would be no doubt as to who was authorized to teach this

full and final revelation of God in Christ, God gave special supernatural

_______________ to the apostles (who in turn gave them to their associates—

Acts 6:6; 8:15-18; 2 Tim. 1:6). [Note: Geisler’s view here is a cessationist

view, which holds that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit ended with the

completion of the New Testament. Further, the argument is that only the

apostles (and associates) exercised these gifts. This is not a view which the

Pentecostal community shares.]

Study Guide-103

Fifth, there is only one _______________ record of apostolic teaching in

existence, and that is the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. All other

books claiming inspiration were written in the second century or later.

The Providence of God

God, who is omniscient and omnipotent, would not inspire books for the faith

and practice of believers down through the centuries that He did not

_______________. Lost inspired books would be a lapse in God’s providence.

The Preservation by the Church

First, a _______________ of these books was made from the earliest times;

even within the New Testament itself this preservation process was put into

action.

Second, the _______________ of the apostles show a concerned awareness of

their mentor’s writings, quoting from prolifically.

Third, when _______________ by heretical teaching, such as that of Marcion

the Gnostic, who rejected all but part of Luke and ten of Paul’s epistles, the

church responded by officially defining the extent of the Canon.

Proclamation of the Church

Eventually the Christian church came to pronounce _______________ on the

twenty-seven books of the present New Testament canon. There has been no

significant debate on this since around AD 400.

Study Guide-104

The New Testament Apocrypha

The New Testament Apocrypha includes: the Epistle of Pseudo-

_______________; the Epistle to the Corinthians; the Gospel According to the

_______________; the Epistle of _______________ to the Philippians; the

_______________, or Teaching of the Twelve; the seven Epistles of

_______________; the Ancient Homily, or the Second Epistle of

_______________; the Shepherd of Hermas; the Apocalypse of Peter; and the

Epistle to the Laodiceans.

Reasons for Rejecting the NT Apocrypha

First, none of them experienced any more than a local or temporary

_______________.

Second, most of them had at best a quasi-canonical status, being merely

_______________to various manuscripts or listed in tables of contents.

Third, no major canon or church council _______________them as part of the

inspired Word of God.

Fourth, their limited and temporal _______________is explainable on the

ground that they were believed wrongly (1) to have been written by an apostle,

or (2) to have been referred to in an inspired book.

THE COMPLETENESS OF THE BIBLICAL CANON

There is no evidence that any inspired book has been __________. This is

confirmed by

The _______________ of God

The immediate and careful _______________ of the church

The absence of any evidence of any other _______________ or apostolic

book.

Study Guide-105

Alleged contrary examples are easily explained as either

_______________ works to which the biblical author made reference, or

Inspired works contained in the sixty-six inspired books but with another

____________.

CONCLUSION

The Bible is the only _______________ written revelation of God to man. It is

complete and as such is sufficient for _______________ and

_______________; nothing more is needed; the spiritual guide to life needs no

new chapters. The Author inspired a complete manual from the beginning and

has _______________ all of it, intact.

Study Guide-106

Study Guide for Chapter Twenty-Nine

The Bible cannot be the Word of God, unless there is a God_______________ nor

can the Bible be supernaturally confirmed to be the Word of God unless there are

special acts of God, such as _______________.

Scientific Evidence for a Supernatural Cause of the Universe

Everything that comes into existence has a _______________; modern science

has shown that the universe must have had a Cause, since the material universe

came into existence.

Scientific Evidence for a Super-Intelligent Cause of the Universe

The _______________ principle states that the universe was fitted from the

very moment of its existence for the emergence of life in general and for human

life in particular.

Theistic Implications of the Anthropic Principle

The conditions that gave rise to the anthropic principle are such that would lead

one to believe that the universe was “_______________ crafted” for our

benefit.

Intelligent Design Explains the Origins of Complex Life—Microbiology

Life does not arise from purely non-intelligent _______________ laws.

Microbiology has demonstrated,

The _______________ code of life is mathematically identical to that of a

human language

The specified complexity of a one-celled animal is equal to thirty volumes of

the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Study Guide-107

ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN THE BIBLE

The order of _______________ of creation are known by modern science and

they correspond to the biblical account.

Just at the Bible affirmed long before science demonstrated it to be true,

everything reproduces after its own _______________.

Science has shown that human bodies are indeed made of the

_______________; the minerals and compounds are found in the composition

of the earth.

Rain water returns to its _______________ through a cycle of evaporation and

precipitation. The Bible declared this before science understood it.

The earth is _______________ and hangs in space, just as we now know.

The life is in the _____________, a fact well attested to by a loss of blood

bringing death.

The sea has ____________ and boundaries. The continental shelf that makes

this possible is a fairly recent discovery.

The laws of _______________ were instituted in the Moasic Law long before

humanity knew anything of microbes.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE SCROLLS

The New Testament _______________ are more numerous than the ancient

classics which have survived.

The New Testament manuscripts were written much _______________ to the

actual events, and as such less likely to have been corrupted.

The New Testament Manuscripts are more _______________ copied than any

other ancient texts. One hundred percent of the message of the New Testament

has been preserved in its manuscripts.

Study Guide-108

The New Testament manuscripts were written by _______________ and

eyewitnesses of the events.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE SCRIBES

The nature of the prophet as a _______________ of God

Prophets claimed to be _______________ by the Spirit of God

“Thus _______________ the Lord”

The Scriptures claim to be _______________ out by God

What the _______________ says, God says

The Bible claims to be the “_______________ of God”

THE TESTIMONY OF THE SUPERNATURAL

Supernatural _______________ in the Bible

Supernatural _______________ in the Bible

THE TESTIMONY OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE BIBLE

First, it was written over a period of some _______________ years or more.

Second, it is composed of _______________ different books.

Third, these books were written by some _______________ different authors.

Fourth, it was composed in _______________ languages—Hebrew, Greek, and

Aramaic.

Fifth, it contains hundreds of different _______________.

Sixth, it was written in a variety of different literary _______________,

including history, poetry, didactic, parable, allegory, apocalyptic and epic.

Seventh, it was composed by authors of many different _______________.

Study Guide-109

Yet, in spite of all this vast diversity, the Bible reveals an astounding unity

First, it is a _______________, unfolding drama of redemption.

Second, the Bible as one _______________theme: the person of Jesus Christ

Third, the Bible has one unified _______________: humanity’s sin and

salvation through Christ.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE STONES

The rocks cry out in support of the historicity and authority of the Bible. No

archeological find has ever _______________ a biblical claim.

Wm. Albright said, “There can be no doubt that archaeology has

_______________ the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition.”

For Acts, the confirmation of historicity is _______________.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE SAVIOR

Jesus _______________ to be the Son of God (John 8:58; Matt. 16:16-18;

26:63-64) and was confirmed by acts of God (John 3:2; Acts 2:22). Jesus said

the _______________ is the Word of God, therefore either the Bible is the

Word of God, or Jesus is not the Son of God.

Jesus confirmed the Old Testament to be the _______________ of God.

Jesus _______________ that the New Testament would be the Word of God.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT

No amount of evidence apart from the work of the _______________ will

convince anyone of the significance of the fact that the Bible is God’s Word.

Study Guide-110

THE TESTIMONY OF THE SAVED

The _______________ power of the Bible is widely know. On chief example

is Saul of Tarsus who was transformed from being a hater of persecutor of

Christ and Christians, to becoming a preacher of the gospel, even to the

Gentiles.

Geisler Study Guide Sys Theo I

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