Systematic Theology Quiz 4

Sin and total depravity

"total" is often attached to the idea of depravity; it has sometimes been interpreted as conveying a false understanding of human nature. -Total depravity means that sin affects every aspect of our person, that our good acts are not done entirely out of love for God, and that we are completely unable to extricate ourselves of this sinful condition. --sin is a matter of the entire person --total depravity means that even the unregenerate person's altruism always contains an element of improper motive -Total depravity means that sinners are completely unable to extricate themselves from their sinful condition We are totally unable to do genuine meritorious works sufficient to qualify for God's favor

There are proper ways to satisfy each desire and also divinely imposed limits

-Failure to accept these desires as they have been constituted by God is sin. The desires are not seen in the context of their divine origin and as means to the end of pleasing God but as ends in themselves -Oftentimes temptation involves inducement from without. The desire to do what is done may be present naturally, and there may be external inducement as well. But the individual is ultimately responsible. -Natural desire and temptation, there must also be an opportunity for sin as well. We are now less able to choose the right than Adam and Eve originally were. It is even conceivable that natural human desires, god in themselves, may have undergone alteration -The cure for sin will come through a supernaturally produced alteration of one's human nature and also through divine help in countering the power of temptation. It is individual conversion and regeneration that will alter the person and bring him or her into a relationship with god that will make successful Christian living possible

The Intensiveness of Sin

-Old Testament teaching: the motive was fully as important as the act itself; our heart is wrong and must be changed; we do not merely do evil, our inclination is evil; sin is an inward condition or disposition; not merely one who commits sins, but a sinful person -New Testament teaching: sins are the result of human nature; In every human there is a strong inclination toward evil, an inclination with definite effects

Theories of Original Sin

-Pelagianism -Arminianism -Calvanism

Evaluation of the relational view

-has correctly seized on the truth that the human alone, of all the creatures, knows and is consciously related to God -One problem is the universality of the image -Another problem surfaces when we ask what it is about humans that enables them to have this relationship no other creature is able to have -we must conclude that Barth and Brunner were led astray by their wholeheartedly anti-substantialist presuppositions lead to the position that human uniqueness must be formal rather than substantive

Evaluation of the functional view

-insightful seizing on one of the major elements in the biblical picture of the image of God, that God's at of creating the human is immediately followed by the command to have dominion; a very close connection between the image and the exercise of dominion -On difficulty concerns the connection between Psalm 8 and Genesis 1. The terms "image" and "likeness" do not appear in Psalm 8 -Genesis 1 contains no clear equation of the image of God with the exercise of dominion; the human is spoken of as being in God's image before being ordered to practice dominion -A blessing is given when the human created, but that a second blessing is necessary before dominion over the creatures can be exercised

Sin produced an immediate transformation in Adam and Eve's relationship with God

-they became his enemies -it was not God who had changed or moved, but Adam and Eve

Implications of Conditional Unity

1) Humans are to be treated as unities 2) A human is a complex being, whose nature is not reducible to a single principle 3) The different aspects of human nature are all to be attended to and respected 4) religious development or maturity does not consist in subjugating one part of human nature to another 5) human nature is no inconsistent with the scriptural teaching of a personal conscious existence between death and resurrection

Why the human is made in God's image

1) Jesus had perfect fellowship with the Father 2) Jesus obeyed the Father's will perfectly 3) Jesus always displayed a strong love for humans God intends that a similar sense of fellowship, obedience, and love characterize humans' relationship to God, and that humans be bound together with one another in love. We are completely human only when manifesting these characteristics

Potential areas for temptation and sin:

1) The desire to enjoy things. When the drive is gratified in ways that transcend natural and proper limitations, it becomes the basis of sin. Any improper satisfaction of a natural desire is an instance of "the lust of the flesh" 2) The desire to obtain things. When the desire to acquire worldly goods becomes so compelling that it is satisfied at any cost, even by exploiting or stealing from others, then it has degenerated into "the lust of the eyes" 3) The desire to do things. When, this urge transgresses proper limitation and is pursued at the expense of other humans, it has degenerated into "the pride of life"

Conclusions regarding the Nature of the Image

1) The image of God is universal within the human race 2) The image of God has not been lost as a result of sin or specifically the fall 3) There is no indication that the image is present in one person to a greater degree than in another 4) The image is not correlated with any variable 5) In light of the foregoing considerations, the image should be thought of as primarily substantive or structural 6) The image refers to the elements in the human makeup that enable the fulfillment of human destiny

Implications of the image of God in the human doctrine

1) We belong to God 2) We should pattern ourselves after Jesus, the complete revelation of the image of God 3) We experience full humanity only when we are properly related to God 4) Learning and work are good 5) The human is valuable 6) the image is universal in humankind

Death

1) physical death 2) spiritual death 3) eternal death

Nature of sin:

1) sin is an inward inclination; an inherent inner disposition inclining us to wrong acts. Sin is any lack of conformity, active or passive, to the moral law of God. Sin is failure to live up to what God expects of us in act, thought, and being 2) Sin is rebelliousness and disobedience 3) sin entails spiritual disability - it alters our inner condition 4) Sin is incomplete fulfillment of God's standards 5)Sin is displacement of God

Three general ways of viewing the nature of the image

1) substantive view: consider within the very nature of the human, either physical or psychological/spiritual 2) relational view: regard the image not as something inherently or intrinsically present in humans, but as the experiencing of a relationship between the human and God, between two or more humans 3) functional view: consider the image to be not something that a human is or experiences but something that a human does

The Theological Meaning of Meaning of Human Creation

1. Humans are created means that they have no independent existence 2. Humans are part of the creation - by virtue of our origin, we have a kinship with the rest of God's creation, and in particular with the entire human race 3. The human has a unique place in the creation 4. there is a kinship among humans 5. There are definite limitations on humanity 6. limitation is not inherently bad 7. Humanity is something wonderful - we must put human achievements in their proper context relative to God. But it is not necessary to protect God against competition from his highest creature. Human greatness can glorify God the more - but what maes them great is that God has created them

Abortion

A conscientious Christina will treat a fetus as human, since it is highly likely that god regards a fetus as a person capable of fellowship with God for which humanity was created

Trichotomism

A human is composed of three elements: the physical body, the soul (psychological), and a spirit (religious)

Effects on the Relationship to Other Humans

Competition: whenever someone wins, someone loses. the extreme and large-scale version of human competition is war Inability to Empathize: being concerned about our personal desires, reputation and opinions, we see only our perspective Rejection of Authority: If we find security in our own possessions and accomplishments, then any outside authority is threatening Inability to Love: If our aim is self-satisfaction, people who stand in our way will represent competition and a threat to us, and we will thus not act for the ultimate welfare of others

Effects on the Sinner

Enslavement: sin becomes a habit or even an addiction - freedom to sin, is actually the enslavement that sin produces Flight from Reality: sin also results in an unwillingness to face reality Denial of Sin: it may be considered a matter of sickness, deprivation, ignorance, or perhaps social maladjustment at worst. Admitting the wrongness of our actions but declining to take responsibility for them. All of the excuses and explanations we offer for our actions are signs of the depth of our sin Self-Deceit: it is the underlying problem with we deny sin Insensitivity: as we continue to sin and to reject God's warnings and condemnations, we become less and less responsive to the promptings of conscience and the stirrings by the Word and the Spirit Self-Centeredness: in many ways sin is a turning in on oneself that is confirmed with practice. We display a certain special alertness to our own wants and needs, while we ignore those of others. Restlessness: Complete satisfaction never occurs, sin eventually loses its ability to satisfy

Every human is God's creature made in God's own image

God endowed each of us with the powers of personality that make it possible for us to worship and serve him. When we are using those powers to those ends, we are most fully what God intended us to be, and then are most completely human

Pelagianism

Holding to a creationist view of the origin of the soul, Pelagius maintained that the soul, created by God specially for every person, is not tainted by any supposed corruption or guilt -Adam's influence on his descendants is merely that of a bad example -We an, by our own efforts then, perfectly fulfill God's commands without sinning. There is no natural inclination toward sin and any later inclination in that direction comes only through the building up of bad habits. -Salvation by works is thus quite possible, this process is not a matter of salvation from something that presently binds us. Rather a preservation or maintenance of our right status and good standing. By our own accomplishment we keep from falling into a sinful condition.

Biblical Considerations

It appears that the biblical teaching on the nature of the human does not rule out the possibility of some type of compound character, or at least some sort of divisibility, within the human makeup

Evaluation of the substantive or structural view

It is significant that the text of Scripture itself never identifies what qualities within the human might be the image. -criticism that a number of advocates of the structural view have actually suggested nonbiblical concepts is justified -structural view often is narrowed to one aspect of human nature, the intellectual dimension; implies that the image of God varies with different humans; the more intellectual a person is, the greater the extent to which the image of God is present -additional problem of determining just what happened when Adam and Eve fell into sinfulness. It does not seem to be the case that the call affected intelligence or reason in general. Some unbelievers are more intelligent and perceptive than are some highly sanctified Christians

The Relational View

Many modern theologians think of the image of God as the experiencing of a relationship -humans can be said to be in the image or to display the image when standing in a particular relationship which is the image 1) The image of God and human nature are best understood through a study of the person of Jesus 2) We obtain our understanding of the image from the divine revelation 3) The image of God is not to be understood in terms of any structural qualities within humans 4) The relationship of a human to God, which constitutes the image of God, is paralleled by the relationship between humans 5) The image of God is universal; it is found in all humans at all times and places 6) No conclusion can or need be drawn as to what there might be in a person's nature that would constitute ability to have such a relationship -The influence of postmodernism has resulted in an even stronger stress on the social dimension, the relationship of human to human more than the relationship of human to God -from a postmodern Christian perspective, it is humans collectively that are the image of god, rather than individuals, in the eschatological dimension as well as the ongoing present reality

Direct Human creation and science

Progressive creationism, seems to be the best interpretation of both the biblical and scientific data. But what defines humanity anthropologically? -suggestions: tool-making, burial of the dead, use of complex symbolism or language -this is an area in which there are insufficient data to make any categorical statements; it will require much additional study

The extent of sin

Sin is universal -Old Testament teaching: the sin of the race was so great and so extensive that God resolved to destroy everything; Even those who are specifically described as perfect, have shortcomings -New Testament teaching: Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin; None will be justified by works of the law; all persons are subject to the penalty for sin - death. Except for those alive when Christ returns, everyone will succumb to death

The Biblical Account of Human Creation

The biblical picture is that an all-wise, all-powerful, and good God created the human race to love and serve him and to enjoy a relationship with him. Two accounts of God's creation of humans 1) God's decision to make humans in his own image and likeness - more emphasis on the purpose or reason for the creation humans 2) God's action implementing this decision - here the emphasis seems to be on the way God created

Original Sin: A biblical and contemporary model

The position adopted in this volume is that the entirety of our human nature, both physical and spiritual, material and immaterial, has been received from our parents and more distant ancestors by way of descent from the first pair of humans. - we were actually present within Adam, so that we all sinned in his act -because of Adam's sin all persons receive a corrupted nature and are guilty in God's sight as well -We all were involved in Adam's sin, and thus receive both the corrupted nature that was his after the fall, and the guilt and condemnation that attach to his sin. -However, just as with the imputation of Christ's righteousness, there must be some conscious and voluntary decision on our part. Until this is the case, there is only a conditional imputation of guilt. Thus, there is no condemnation until one reaches the age of responsibility -We become responsible and guilty when we accept or approve of our corrupt nature. When we become aware of our own tendency toward sin. We would in that case repent of it. -By giving our tacit approval to the corruption, we are also approving or concurring in the action in the Garden of Eden so long ago. We become guilty of that sin without having committed any sin of our own

Arminianism

We receive from Adam a corrupted nature -we begin life without righteousness. Thus all humans are unable to fulfill God's spiritual commands -Prevenient grace is extended to everyone, and in effect neutralizes the corruption received from Adam

Humans as An Animal

a member of the animal kingdom and derived from some of its higher forms -behavioristic psychology: human motivation is understood primarily in terms of biological drives -humans can also be condition to react in certain ways -positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement are the means of control and training

Physical death

death entered the world through Adam's sin, it spread to all humans because all sinned -- the wages of sin is death -Calvinists argue that physical death entered with the curse -Pelagians view that humans were created mortal and point out that if the Calvinist view is correct, then it was the serpent who was right and Jehovah was wrong in saying, for when you eat of it you will surely die. Pelagian view is a natural accompaniment of being human -The biblical references to death as a consequence of sin are understood as references to spiritual death, separation from God, rather than physical death which is linked to the fall in some clear way -There are the considerations that Adam and Eve died spiritually but not physically the moment or the day they sinned

The image of God

distinguishes humans from all the other creatures; it is what makes us human

Source of Sin: liberation theology

economic struggle - solution is to eliminate oppression and inequities in possessions and power

The impact of sin has several dimensions

effects on the sinner's relationships with God, fellow humans, as well as oneself

Eternal Death

finalization of spiritual death -eternal death is separation from God that is both qualitatively different from physical death and everlasting -this second death is said to have no power; anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. This is the permanent state of what the sinner chose in life

Federal Headship

generally related to the creationist view of the origin of the soul -that humans receive their physical by inheritance from their parents, but that the soul is specially created by God for each individual and united with the body at birth -we were not present psychologically or spiritually in any of our ancestors, including Adam. Adam however was our representative -Adam was on probation for all of us, because Adam sinned, all of us are treated as guilty and corrupted. Bound by the covenant between God and Adam

The Substantive View

has been dominant during most of the history of Christian theology -the image is identified as some definite characteristic or quality within the makeup of the human -an aspect of our physical body (tselem-"statue" or "form") or phsychological or spiritual quality in human nature, especially reason (homo sapiens, the thinking being) -Although substantive views differ widely in their conceptions of the nature of the image of God, they agree in one particular: the location of the image. It is located within humans as a resident quality or capacity

Source of Sin: Frederick Tennant

held that the source of sin is one's animal nature

Christian view of humanity

human is a creature of God, made in the image God -first, humanity is to be understood as having originated not through a chance process of evolution, but through a conscious, purposeful act by an intelligent, infinite person -second, the image of God is intrinsic and indispensable to humanity -the human also has an eternal dimension -our physical welfare is important -our value has been conferred on us by a higher source, and we are fulfilled only when serving and loving that higher being

Humans as A Pawn of the Universe

humans are at the mercy of forces in the world that control their destiny but have no real concern for them -blind forces, helplessness, futility -all those who hold that a human is basically a pawn at the mercy of the universe are gripped by a similar sense of helplessness and resignation

fiat creationism

in which God created every species in a brief period of time

theistic evolution

in which God created the first organism and then worked within the process of evolution, occasionally intervening to modify what was emerging

progressive creationism

in which God directly created each of the various "kinds," including humans; these separate creations constituted a series of steps over a long period of time

Source of Sin: Harrison Sacket Elliott

individualistic competitiveness - antidote is education that stresses noncompetitive endeavor toward common goals

Monism

insists that humans are to be though of not as in any sense composed of parts or separate entities but rather as radical unity. -to be human is to be or have a body -Biblical data pictures a human as a unitary being. Hebrew though knows no distinction within human personality. Body and soul are not contrasting terms but interchangeable.

Humans as A Machine

is interested in the human's strength and energy, the skills or capabilities possessed -The chief concern of those who have this conception of humans will be to satisfy those needs of the person that will keep it functioning effectively -the work is the primary goal and concern -persons are basically regarded as things, as means to ends rather than as ends in themselves -they are of value as long as they are useful -like chess pieces

Natural Headship

is related to the traducianist view of the origin of the soul, we receive our souls by transmission from our parents, just as we do our physical natures. -So we were present in germinal or seminal form in our ancestors, we were there in Adam -His action was that of the entire human race. there is nothing unfair or improper about our receiving a corrupted nature and guilt from Adam, for we are receiving the just results of our sin

Spiritual death

is the separation of the entire person from God -sin is a barrier to the relationship between God and humans, bringing them under God's judgment and condemnation -there is also a subjective aspect, that sensibility to spiritual matters and the ability to act and respond spiritually, to do good things, are absent or severely impaired. -The newness of life that is now ours through Christ's resurrection and symbolized in baptism; sin no longer dominates us

de novo (new) creation or derived from the process of evolution

literary material from Genesis 1-3 1) is the symbolism consistent? dust has a different meaning or means one first reverts to an animal 2) the expression "and the man became a living being" - also used to describe the other creature God had made earlier biblical data favor the view that humans were directly created in their entirety by God

Source of Sin: Paul Tillich

relates sin to human existential estrangement from the ground of all being, from other beings, and from oneself, a condition that seems to be virtually a natural accompaniment of creaturehood

Punishment

retribution is regarded as primitive, cruel, a mark of hostility and vindictiveness, which is singularly inappropriate in a God of love who is a Father to his earthly children -God's concern is in maintaining justice -dissuading others from a similar course of conduct, punishment was frequently administered publicly -disciplinary effect of punishment to convince sinners of the error of their ways and to turn them from it

Source of Sin: Reinhold Niebuhr

the anxiety caused by human finiteness, the attempt to overcome through one's own efforts the tension between one's limitations and one's aspirations

The Functional View

the idea that the image is not something present in the makeup of the human or the experiencing of relationship with God or fellow humans, but the image consists in something one does -man is a creature meant for dominion-having and that as such he is in the image of his Maker -"the cultural mandate": God sent his highest creatures, humans, out into creation and commissioned them to rule over it. Implies that humans are to make full use of their ability to learn about the whole creation; by coming to understand the creation, humans will be able to predict and control its actions

Dichotomism

the most widely held view throughout most of the history of Christian though has been the view that the human is composed of two elements: a material aspect (the body) and immaterial component (the soul or spirit) -The body is the physical part of humans, the part that dies. -The soul is the immaterial part of humans, the part that survives death.

Conditional Unity

the normal state of a human is an embodied unitary being -this monistic condition can be broken down at death so that the immaterial aspect of the human lives on even as the material decomposes. At the resurrection, there will be a return to a bodily condition. This person will assume a body that has some points of continuity with the old body, but is also a new or reconstituted or spiritual body. -Since we are unitary being, our spiritual condition cannot be dealt with independently of our physical and psychological condition, and vice versa. -there is no conflict between the material and immaterial nature. The unity is dissolvable, dissolution take place at death. At the resurrection a compound will again e formed with the soul, once more becoming inseparably attached to a body

Source of Sin: evangelical perspective

the problem lies in the fact that humans since the fall are sinful by nature and live in a world in which powerful forces seek to induce them to sin. -sin is not caused by God. responsibility for sin is placed squarely on the shoulders of humans themselves -humans have certain desires. these rives were given by God and there are situations in which their satisfaction is not only permissible but also perhaps even mandatory -human capability - we are able to choose among alternative including options that are not immediately present. This capability greatly expands the possibilities of sinful action and/or thoughts

Conditional immortality

the state of Adam before the fall - he was not inherently able to live forever, but he need not have died. Give the right conditions, he could have lived on forever -before the fall they could die, now they would die -the curse also included a whole host of ills that would lead to death -the potential of death was within creation from the beginning, but so was the potential of eternal life. Sin in the case of Adam and each of us, means that death is no longer merely potential but actual

Guilt

the state of having violated God's intention and thus being liable to punishment -the sinner has violated the law and is deserving of punishment -entrusted with the wealth of the creation, we have used it for our own purposes -we have failed to treat with respect the highest of all beings -we are ungrateful for all God has done for us and given to us -we have spurned god's offer of friendship and love, the salvation accomplished through the death of God's own Son

Calvinism

there is a definite connection between Adam's sin and all persons of all times -His sin is not just the sin of an isolated individual but is also our sin -Because we participate in that sin, we all receive a corrupted nature along with a consequent inherited tendency toward sin -All persons are guilty of Adam's sin. Death, the penalty for sin, has been transmitted form Adam to all humans. -sin entered the world through Adam and death through sin, and so that death passed to all people because all became sinners

Divine Disfavor

when God says that he hated the wicked, it is apparent that they initiated the change in relationship -it is part of God's holy nature to be categorically opposed to sinful actions -By sinning, we have placed ourselves on the wrong side of god and have in effect become his enemies -God is not the enemy of anyone; he loves all and hates none -it is quite clear that God is angered by sin; anger is not something God chooses to feel - his very nature is one of holiness - it automatically rejects sin -we must avoid thinking of God's anger as being excessively emotional -he is capable of exercising patience and long-suffering -perhaps disappointment is a better word