The Doctrine of the Word of God (5) ?s

Review Questions

1. Define systematic theology.

• Systematic theology is any study that answers the question, "What does the whole Bible teach us today?" about any given topic.
  

2. Give four reasons why Christians should study systematic theology.

• Studying theology helps us overcome our wrong ideas
• Studying systematic theology helps us to be able to make better decisions later on new questions of doctrine that may arise
• Studying systematic theology will help us grow as Christians
• The most important reason for studying systematic theology is that it enables us to obey the command of Jesus to teach believers to observe all that he commanded
  

3. Name six attitudes or activities that should characterize or accompany the study of systematic theology.

• We should study systematic theology with prayer
• We should study systematic theology with humility
• We should study systematic theology with help from others
• We should study systematic theology with reason
• We should study systematic theology by collecting and understanding all the relevant passages of Scripture on any topic
• We should study systematic theology with rejoicing and praise
  

4. Defend the following statement: "All the words in Scripture are God's words."

• This is what the Bible claims for itself
• We are convinced of the Bible's claims to be God's words as we read the Bible
• Other evidence is useful but not finally convincing
• The words of Scripture are self-attesting
  

5. What is meant by the idea that the words of Scripture are "self-attesting"?

• Since the words of Scripture are "self-attesting," they cannot be "proved" to be God's words by appeal to any higher authority. If we make our ultimate appeal, to human logic or to scientific truth to prove that the Bible is God's Word, then we assume the thing to which we appeal to be a higher authority than God's words and one that is more true or more reliable.
  

6. How can we know that God's words are truthful?

• God cannot lie or speak falsely
• Therefore, all the words in Scripture are completely true and without error in any part
• God's words are the ultimate standard of truth

7. Define the term inerrancy and discuss how this idea can be consistent with the Bible's use of the language of ordinary, everyday speech.

• The inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything which is contrary to fact. The Bible can speak of the sun rising and the rain falling because from the perspective of the speaker this is exactly what happens. From the standpoint of the speaker, the sun does rise and the rain does fall. Same thing goes for measurements. If a reporter can say that 10,000 men were killed in a battle without thereby implying that he has counted everyone and that there were not 9,999 or 10,001.
  

8. List and respond to three objections to the concept of the inerrancy of Scripture.

• The Bible is only authoritative for "faith and practice."
• The Bible repeatedly affirms that all of Scripture is profitable for us and that all of it is "God-breathed" To say that the major purpose of Scripture is to teach us in matters of faith and practice is to make a useful and correct summary of God's purpose in giving us the Bible. But as a summary it includes only the most prominent purpose of God in giving us Scripture.
• The term inerrancy is a poor term
• The word has been used by scholars for more than a hundred years, and they have always allowed for the "limitations" that attach to speech in ordinary language. Furthermore, it must be noted that we often use nonbiblical terms to summarize a biblical teaching. The word Trinity does not occur in Scripture, nor does the word incarnation. Yet both of these terms are very helpful because they allow us to summarize in one word a true biblical concept.
• There are some clear errors in the Bible.
• Where? If people will mention one or more specific passages where, they claim, there are errors, a close examination of the biblical text itself will bring to light one or more possible solutions to the difficulty.
  

9. Name four possible problems that may result from a denial of biblical inerrancy.

• If we deny inerrancy a serious moral problem confronts us: May we imitate God and intentionally lie in small matters also? In Ephesians 5:1 it tells us to be imitators of God. But a denial of inerrancy that still claims that the words of Scripture are God breathed words necessarily implies that God intentionally spoke falsely to us in some of the less central affirmations of Scripture.
• If inerrancy is denied, we begin to wonder if we can really trust God in anything he says. If we become convinced that God has spoken falsely to us in some minor matters in Scripture, then we realize that God is capable of speaking falsely to us.
• If we deny inerrancy we essentially make our own human minds a higher standard of truth than God's Word itself. We use our minds to pass judgment on some sections of God's Word and pronounce them to be in error. That is like us saying that we know truth more certainly and more accurately than God's Word does, at least in these areas.
• If we deny inerrancy, we must also say that the Bible is wrong not only in minor details but in some of its doctrines as well. A denial of inerrancy means that we say that the Bible's teaching about the nature of Scripture and about the truthfulness and reliability of God's words is also false.