The Character of Scripture (2) – Scripture’s Titles and Features

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Scripture’s Titles for Itself             Studies have often, and rightly, been done on the names and titles of the Lord Jesus, because those names and titles are intentionally meant to describe a certain aspect of His nature. So with Scripture, there are a number of different titles, even besides the common designations “Scripture” and “Word.”             Titles Communicating Its Authority. […]

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The Character of Scripture (1) – An Exposition of Psalm 19

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            If the Bible is not assessed for what it is at the very beginning, any observations that follow will be maligned. If we do not see it as revelation from God, we may forget to see Him at the center of it all. If we do not see it as a spiritual book, we may lose the full impact […]

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An Introduction to the Bible – Its Contents (2)

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            Key Events. While the Bible is full of narratives, all of which play a significant role in its purpose, there are a few key events which are spoken of more or are more impactful than other events. Creation. The first words of Scripture are these: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” Creation is the setting […]

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An Introduction to the Bible – Its Contents (1)

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The Contents of the Bible             The Central Message of Scripture. The Bible, though it is a unique document, is not only a unique document. It has a message to convey. It has a purpose to fulfill. From beginning to end, the God of Creation is seen as progressively manifesting His intrinsically holy Being, especially emphasizing His greatness, His glory, […]

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An Introduction to the Bible – The Basics

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            Before the beginning of time, God existed – completely invisible and sufficient in and of Himself. Then He created, and heaven and earth came into existence. Then He spoke, and light brought visibility to God’s creation. For the first time, God manifested something of Himself by physical means. It was this action which began a process of revelation which […]

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Formation of Biblical Doctrine – Part 3

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The Principles We Apply             Every professional knows the boundaries of his field and dares not violate those boundaries. Scriptural principles act like boundaries for those who are willing to listen. In our field of study, we must exercise certain disciplines to keep us from surpassing what is appropriate for our field.             We Employ Spiritual Intelligence and Discernment. Whereas […]

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Formation of Biblical Doctrine – Part 2

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The Tools We Use             Living in the third millennium A.D., we have the advantage of several tools to aid us in studying Scripture texts and topics. To depend fully on these tools is to be naive. But to ignore these tools is to be presumptuous. Both teaching and self-study are essential in the understanding of Biblical truth. To ignore […]

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Formation of Biblical Doctrine – Part 1

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Preconditions to Studying             When establishing a method of theology, one needs to understand first and foremost that there is no such thing as “theological instant coffee.” In other words, there is no fail-proof method that guarantees 100% correct doctrine in one step. There is no place for presumption when studying doctrine. This does not mean we cannot confidently assert […]

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Foundations of Good Theology

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            Every good theological position – every well-formulated doctrine – begins on a solid foundation. Imagine a scientist proposing a new theory without any knowledge of scientific formulas. Imagine a single trying to give marriage counseling. Imagine a grammarian writing a dictionary without training in linguistics. What is wrong with these pictures? In each of them, there is an inadequate […]

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Theological Fallacies (3) – System-Related Fallacies

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            Humans are, by nature, peer-persuaded. In other words, they like to have the approval of a group, regardless of how right the group is. Thus cliches exist like “go with the flow,” “peer pressure,” and “mob mentality.” However, groups in and of themselves are not always bad. A country is a group. A family is a group. A business […]

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