Christian Theology - Softcover

Sailhamer, John H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0310500419 ISBN 13: 9780310500414

Publisher: Zondervan, 1998

Synopsis

In ten brief sections, this book gives an overview of the study of theology and many of its major pillars and doctrines, including:

• Scripture.
• The Being and Work of God.
• Humanity and Redemption.
• The Doctrine of Christ.
• The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
• Salvation and Last Things.
• The Church.

 

When busy people want to know more about the Bible and the Christian faith, the Zondervan Quick-Reference Library offers an instant information alternative in a manageable length. Covering the basics of the faith and Bible knowledge in an easy-to-use format, this series helps new Christians and seasoned believers alike find answers to their questions about Christianity and the Bible.  

The Zondervan Quick-Reference Library makes important knowledge affordable, accessible, and easy to understand for busy people who don’t have a lot of time to read or study.

The information in Christian Theology is presented in units of one or two pages, so that each section can be read in a few minutes.

About this title

About the Author

John H. Sailhamer is professor of Old Testament at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Brea, California and was formerly senior professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.. His other works include An Introduction to Old Testament Theology and The NIIV Compact Bible Commentary.

From the Back Cover

When busy people want to know more about the Bible and the Christian faith, the Zondervan Quick-Reference Library offers an instant information alternative. Covering the basics of the faith and Bible knowledge in an easy-to-use format, this series helps new Christians and seasoned believers find answers to their questions about Christianity and the Bible. The information is presented in units of one or two pages, so that each section can be read in a few minutes. The Zondervan Quick-Reference Library makes important knowledge affordable, accessible, and easy to understand for busy people who don't have a lot of time to read or study.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Image of GodThe Bible states clearly that human beings are special creatures to God.When he created all the animals (Gen. 1:22), he created them 'according totheir kinds' (1:21). But when he created human beings, he made them 'inhis own image' (1:27). There is therefore a fundamental difference betweenthese two forms of created life. The animals are important, indeed, preciousto God. Jesus said, 'Look at the birds of the air . . . your heavenly Father feedsthem'; but, he continues, 'Are you not much more valuable than they?' (Matt.6:26). Human beings are the pinnacle of God's creation; among all the othercreatures, they alone are like God.What does it means to say that human beings were created in God'simage? The Bible explains the image of God in two ways. (1) It is that aspectof our nature that makes us capable of knowing God personally. We are personsbecause God is a person. (2) It is that aspect of our nature that makesus capable of worshiping God. The worship of God by means of a man-madeimage is strictly forbidden because we as humans have been created in God'simage. We were created to worship in his presence, not in the presence of adumb idol.The image of God gives human life its value and worth. Murder, forexample, is expressly forbidden on the basis of our having been created inGod's image (Gen. 9:6); so is cursing another human being (James 3:9).Human life is so valuable to God that he sent his own Son to give his life asa ransom for it (John 3:16).What were human beings like before sin corrupted and tarnished God'simage in the Fall? Human beings were 'upright' (Eccl. 7:29) and 'good'(Gen. 1:31). Their condition was analogous to the 'new self' in Christ (Col.3:10), who puts away 'sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires andgreed' (3:5) and is clothed 'with compassion, kindness, humility, gentlenessand patience' (3:12). Being just and righteous before God, they were able toobey God's commands. It was possible for them not to sin. That is somethingthat cannot be said of human beings today. For us today, after the Fall,it is impossible not to sin.Impressed on the mind of the original man and woman, as a result oftheir being created in the image of God, was the law of God. That law mandatedbasic principles of justice, such as the distinction between right andwrong and the duty to worship God. A remnant of God's law still exists in ourhearts today, showing 'the requirements of the law are written on [our] hearts'(Rom. 2:14). The Bible calls this 'conscience,' which either accuses us ofwrong or defends us when we are in the right (2:15).The FallThe Bible clearly teaches that the human race has fallen from its originalstate (Gen. 3). But the author of this account simply tells the story; he doesnot reflect on what transpired. We, the readers, are left to ourselves and oursense of the story to answer the questions it raises. We must seek our cluesto its meaning from the story itself.What then does this story teach us about the Fall? (1) The act that precipitatedit was a transgression of God's will. God had simply said, 'Do noteat of the tree,' but the man and woman disobeyed. The consequences of thatact were horrendous. (2) The man and the woman were cast out of the presenceof God and were barred from access to the Tree of Life. This meantthey began to experience both spiritual and physical death. (3) They becameaware, in their nakedness, of the shame and guilt of their sin. Their attemptto cover their nakedness is a picture of all subsequent human attempts to coverover sin and its effects. (4) In their one act of disobedience, 'sin entered theworld . . . and death through sin' (Rom. 5:12), and 'the result of one trespasswas condemnation for all men' (5:18). (5) God was not the author of sin. Hepermitted the Fall, but the man and the woman, of their own volition, transgressedGod's command. The serpent also played an important role. As aninstrument of Satan (cf. Rev. 12:9), he, not God, was the one who tempted thefirst couple to sin.How could the man and woman, created just and good, succumb to thetemptation of the serpent and sin? It was not because they had been createdwith an evil inclination. It is rather that they were caught in the trap of wantingmore than they had. They became greedy, wanting to be like God. Wantingto control their own destiny by obtaining the knowledge of good and evil,they were no longer willing to trust God. They had been created with theability not to sin, but in the Fall it became impossible for them to do otherwise.They were now depraved. Furthermore, they passed that depravity on toall subsequent generations (Gen. 6:5). This is what is called 'original sin.'Note what David wrote: 'Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the timemy mother conceived me' (Ps. 51:5). Original sin is that corrupt dispositionof the heart by which we are unable to do good and are prone to do evil. Weare lost in our trespasses and are dead in our sins; only through Christ can thosesins be forgiven (Col. 2:13).

Edition details

• Publisher: Zondervan
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0310500419
• ISBN 13: 9780310500414
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96