L3 - CPT Chp 2: Revelation and Scripture

Question 1

What is the purpose of Divine Revelation?

Answer 1

To achieve God’s purposes in creation.

Question 2

What are the 4 ways the question “how might we be saved” could be answered without revelation?

Answer 2

1. Legalism (Set of rules must be followed)
2. Ritualism (Ceremonial practices must be followed)
3. Relativism (No set of beliefs is correct)
4. Nihilism (No answer to the question)

Question 3

What is a divine revelation?

Answer 3

Revealing of something previously unknown.

Question 4

What are the 2 main ways in which God has chosen to reveal himself?

Answer 4

1. General Revelation
2. Special Revelation

Question 5

What is General Revelation?

Answer 5

Things about God and the world that humans can learn on their own.

Question 6

What are the 3 gaps between us and God that make general revelation insufficient?

Answer 6

1. Ontological Gap (We aren’t all-powerful)
2. Epistemological Gap (We are limited in knowledge)
3. Moral Gap (We are sinful)

Question 7

What is Special Revelation?

Answer 7

Things we can only learn with divine assistance.

Question 8

What is inerrancy?

Answer 8

Bible makes no errors at all.

Question 9

What is infallibility?

Answer 9

Bible makes no mistakes with matters of faith and practice.

Question 10

What is dictation theory?

Answer 10

God dictated to its human writers the very words they wrote down.

Question 11

Why is the dictation theory so unpopular?

Answer 11

Doesn’t take into account differences in genre, style, vocab, and substantive content in Scripture.

Question 12

What is the influence theory?

Answer 12

God’s main influence was on the ideas or concepts of the authors, not the specific words

Question 13

The influence theory has difficulty in maintaining what?

Answer 13

That God is the author of scripture.

Question 14

What is the appropriated discourse view?

Answer 14

God “signed off” on the Bible just like a boss signs off on something his secretary wrote for him.

Question 15

What is verbal plenary inspiration?

Answer 15

All of the words of scripture have been inspired.

Question 16

What are the 2 ways of ensuring that the Bible contains all the words God intended?

Answer 16

1. Theological determinism
2. God’s Middle Knowledge

Question 17

What is theological determinism?

Answer 17

Every event has been guaranteed to have been given some aspect or attribute of God.

Question 18

What is compatibilism?

Answer 18

Humans can be free AND their actions have been determined by God.

Question 19

What is God’s middle knowledge?

Answer 19

God can know what any person would freely decide in any circumstance.

Question 20

Some suggest that God did not inspire individual writers but…

Answer 20

Groups of people (specific communities)

Question 21

What is historical biblical criticism?

Answer 21

Interpret the Bible as any other historical document.

Question 22

What is a weaker approach to historical biblical criticism?

Answer 22

Trying to interpret scripture without theological or philosophical assumptions.

Question 23

The authors claim that Christians should at least agree on what?

Answer 23

The Bible is the central way in which God exercises authority over the lives of individual believers and over the Church.