Introduction to Theology Proper

Cornerstone Bible InstituteApril 25, 2009

"There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the thought, "Behold I am wise." But when we come to this master-science, finding that our plumb-line cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the . . . the solemn exclamation, "I am but of yesterday, and know nothing." Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead's deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of grief and sorrow; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead. It is to that subject that I invite you this morning."

C.H. Spurgeon

John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:17-18 - For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Hebrews 1:1-3 - God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.

"At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, "In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, 'He who through faith is righteous shall live.'" There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith...Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates... And I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which I had before hated the word "righteousness of God." Thus that place in Paul was for me truly the gate to paradise."

Martin Luther

Psalm 97:9 - For Thou art the LORD Most High over all the earth; Thou art exalted far above all gods.

Isaiah 46:9 - For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';

The Transcendence of God

Jeremiah 23:23 - "Am I a God who is near," declares the LORD, "And not a God far off?

Psalm 8:4 - What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost take care for him?

The Immanence of God

The Doctrine of the Trinity

Cornerstone Bible InstituteApril 25, 2009

1. Nicene Creed AD 325

2. Chalcedonian Creed AD 451

3. Athanasian Creed 4th-5th Century AD

Appendix 1, Grudem's Systematic Theology

Three Creeds Defining the Doctrine of the Trinity

homoiousios - "of a similar nature“

homoousios - "of the same nature"

Arian Controversy

1. God is three persons

2. Each person is fully God

3. There are not three gods but one God.

Summary of Doctrine of the Trinity (Grudem)

Matthew 11:25-27 -- "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

John 17:1-3 - "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.

The Father is not the Son

Luke 4:1 - And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness.

John 14:16-17 - And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that he may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.

The Son is not the Spirit

John 16:7 - But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

John 16:14 - He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of mine, and shall disclose it to you.

The Son is not the Spirit

And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."

Summary Picture

Ephesians 4:4, 6 - There is. . . one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

1 Peter 1:3 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The Father is God

John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 20:27-29 - Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here in your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing." Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

Titus 2:13 - looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 1:8 - But of the Son He says, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever,

The Son is God

1 Corinthians 3:16 - Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Acts 5:3-4 - But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit. . . You have not lied to men, but to God."

The Spirit is God

Matthew 28:19-20 - Go therefore an dmake disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

2 Corinthians 13:14 - The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

1 Peter 1:2 - according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood. . .

Trinitarian Expressions

Deuteronomy 6:4 - Hear O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

1 Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus?

James 1:19 - You believe that God is one; You do well.

There are not three gods, but one God

Modalism

Arianism

Tritheism/Polytheism

Aberrant views of the Trinity

Trinity and GospelCornerstone Bible Institute

April 25, 2009

Read Ephesians 1:3-14

1. How many times are the Father, Son and Spirit distinguished in salvation?

2. What is the Father's role in salvation? What is the Son's role in salvation? What is the Spirit's role in salvation? Summarize each answer in 1 sentence.

Group Exercise

1. Are you painfully preoccupied with a particular habitual sin?2. Are you discouraged or depressed by your failure to measure up?3. Do you frequently experience anxiety that something's about to go

wrong?4. Does it appear God can use others but not you?5. Is there something in your past you just can't seem to get over?6. Do you fear that your past will come back to haunt you?7. Do your difficult circumstances seem like God's judgment for your

sin?8. Do you steer clear of intimate relationships or small-group

discussions?9. When you sin, do you get a vague sense that somehow there'll be

a price to pay10.Do you seldom think of the cross?

From Jerry BridgesBookends of the Christian Life

Ephesians 1:8-9 - in all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him. . .

Ephesians 1:11 - we have. . . been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

(1) The Father plans salvation in eternity past and executes his purposes in time

John 4:34 - My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

John 5:30 - "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 17:4- I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given Me to do.

Isaiah 53:10 - But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,

1 John 3:1 - See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are.

Romans 8:15-17 - For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

Matthew 5:17 - "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.

Galatians 3;13 - Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us -- for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree“

Romans 1:1-4 - the gospel of God. . . concerning His Son. . . who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead

(2) The Son makes provision for salvation through His life, death and resurrection from the grave.

John 16:7-10 - but I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I wil lsend Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me;

Titus 3:4-6 - But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

(3) The Spirit applies the work of the Son to sinners who hear the gospel.

John 16:13-14 - But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of mine, and shall disclose it to you.

Acts 1:8 - you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shal lbe My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

Consideration #1: The Spirit's passion to glorify Jesus

1 Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

Matthew 6:9 - Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who art in heaven,

John 17:3 - And this is eternal life, that they may know thee, the only true God…

Consideration #2: The work of Jesus grants us a relationship with the Father

Part 1: The Doctrine of the Trinity

Part 2: Trinity and Gospel

Part 3: Trinitarian Sanctification (or How to Change) - next week