the heart of theology

The Bible is the Word of God in such a way that, when the Bible speaks, God speaks. --B.B. Warfield

MATTHEW

Jesus is the long-promised Jewish Messiah, the King, the prophesied Star of Jacob.

MARK

Jesus is the prophesied Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 sent to redeem God's people.

LUKE

Jesus is the prophesied Son of David--the fiery Spirit-anointed Son of Man of Daniel 7.

JOHN

Jesus is the eternal Word of God, Son of God, very God Himself walking in human flesh.

WHEN I ENCOUNTER THE GOD OF THE BIBLE

I come to see that my very questions are skewed, badly ranked, and disordered--even before I try to give my answers. In other words, the Bible is not primarily concerned with me and my quest for personal meaning and fulfillment. It's a story about God, who is good enough to tell us about Himself, about ourselves and about this world, and to give us the true meaning of history. ... [The Bible] is the revelation of God and God's history with us. Its relevance lies not in helping the pious individual to attain spiritual well-being but in the way it actually introduces us to reality. ... At no point was [theology] conceived merely as an intellectual enterprise. In Scripture, and in the best of Church History, doctrinal reflection has maintained a deeply integrated connection with the biblical narrative, the desire of the heart, and the engagement of the will and the body in worship and life. --Michael Horton, Pilgrim Theology, 15-17.

39

OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS

27

NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS

66

CANONICAL BOOKS

DR. JAMES R. WHITE

Though it may seem surprising to some, in many aspects the Christian scholar of today is 'closer' to the original writings of the apostles than people who lived as little as two centuries later. Why? For one thing, we not only have ready access to the entire Bible but also many of the secular writings of the day that give us important historical, cultural, and / or linguistic information. ... While a person living in the sixth century might have been chronologically nearer to the time of Paul, he would not have had nearly as much opportunity to study the Pauline writings as we have today. ... These considerations allow us to be far more biblical in our teaching and doctrine than the person who had to live his life in hiding due to persecution, resulting in limited access to the Scriptures, and also to those able to teach him. --Scripture Alone: Exploring the Bible's Accuracy, Authority, and Authenticity, 183-84.

JOHN 17:16, 17, 19

They are not of the world, said Jesus, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth--Your word is truth ... For their sakes I sanctify Myself so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

2 TIMOTHY 3:16, 17

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 PETER 1:20

But know this first of all: no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

THEOLOGY AS APPLICATION
DR. JOHN M. FRAME

In Christianity the study of God [theology] is a study of God's revelation of Himself. Natural revelation and word revelation illumine one another. Scripture is crucial to the task of theology, because as a source of divine words it is sufficient for human life (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and it has a kind of clarity not found in natural revelation [referring to nature, God's creation, cf. Ps. 19:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. So theology must be essentially a study of Scripture. It should not be defined as an analysis of human religious consciousness or feelings.
But we need to ask how theology is to study Scripture. I propose that we define theology as synonymous with the biblical concept of teaching, with all its emphasis on edification [building someone up in the faith: cf. Colossians 2:6, 7; Jude 1:20]. Theology responds to the needs of the people. It helps those who have questions about, doubts about, or problems with the Bible. Nor would it be wrong to say that theology occurs in the lives of people, in their behavior, as well as in their speech. Their application of the Word in their behavior may be called theology. So theology is not merely a means of teaching people how to live: it is life itself. --Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief, 3-7.

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YOUR GOD OF LOVE IS AN IDOL

YOUR GOD OF LOVE IS AN IDOL

What would be your reaction if you discovered that the god you worship is one you created in your own imagination and not the God of the Bible? Would you be willing to change your perspective or would you defend the god you created, the one you prefer, the one you're comfortable with, the one that asks little of you, the one who loves you just the way you are without any hint of transforming you into an ins…

SECULAR LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT AND THE GOSPEL

SECULAR LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT AND THE GOSPEL

I was reading a quote by G. Campbell Morgan to share it on Facebook but then I hesitated: "The man who does as he likes is the greatest slave. The man who never does as he likes is God's free man." As a born-again believer, I understand clearly what he means, as he echoes Paul: "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in y…

BAPTIST AND REFORMED?

BAPTIST AND REFORMED?

Can a person be called both Baptist and Reformed? The answer may depend upon who is answering the question. Dr. R. Scott Clark says that the Arminian Remonstrants who reject a Calvinistic soteriology are more appropriately Reformed than a Baptist who denies granting the Sign of the Covenant to their children until they personally affirm faith in Christ. But if pædobaptism renders someone Reformed then are M…

NOT WILLING FOR ANY TO PERISH

NOT WILLING FOR ANY TO PERISH

If God does not will , or is not willing, for any person to perish (2 Pet. 3:9) then why does anyone perish and find him- or herself in Hell upon death? Many answer: "The issue at 2 Peter 3:9 is not about God's sovereign will but God's holy desire that no one perish and find him- or herself in Hell upon death. God desires / wants / would like every person 'to be saved and to come to the k…

DENYING THE MASTER WHO BOUGHT THEM

DENYING THE MASTER WHO BOUGHT THEM

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them , bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality and, because of them, the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgmen…

BLINDSIDED

BLINDSIDED

"There are two of me," sings Amy Grant on her song, "Shadows," from her 1988 album, Lead Me On, my favorite album by her, "one does the right thing, one cannot see." The apostle Paul admits the same truth regarding every born-again believer: "Now if I do what I do not want to do," meaning the "me" that has been awakened / revived / resurrected / regenerated by …

GOD THE FATHER

GOD THE FATHER

sends His Son into the world as Redeemer
GOD THE SON

GOD THE SON

obeys His Father and atones for sinners
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

obeys the Son and applies salvation to believers