Biblical & Theological Issues

by Craig Branch –

The “Purpose Statement” of the Apologetics Resource Center states, “The Apologetics Resource Center equips the Church to understand, live, defend, and advance the Christian gospel and worldview.” Part of our mission is to “reach the hearts and minds of people with the truth claims of the gospel… [and to] contend for the faith.” This implies that one must first know the truth before he can defend it.

In this issue of Areopagus Journal, we hope to lay before you the basic contents of “the faith” that we are called to defend, those things which Paul calls “the deposit” that we are to pass on to faithful men who will pass it on to yet more faithful men (2 Tim. 2:2).. In what follows, I will explain why it is important that we do so and provide an introductory sketch of those doctrines essential to Christianity.

There are Errors and Then There Are Errors

One of the classic passages in Scripture charging believers in apologetics is Jude 3:3-4, exhorting us to “contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints.” The context of Jude’s exhortation was the need to respond to “certain men” who had redefined the gospel and denied the true Jesus Christ.

Peter likewise warns about false prophets and teachers who introduce “fatal heresies, even denying the true redeemer, Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 2:1). God inspired Paul in numerous passages to exhort Christians to study and know sound doctrine for spiritual health and to avoid many fatal heresies (1 Tim. 1:3-5; 4:1-3; 6:3-4; 2 Tim. 1:13-14; 2:15, 4:2-5; Titus 1:9-11).

The Scripture makes a distinction between fatal heresies and error. Not all errors are fatal. Some are worse than others. What Jude, Peter, and Paul are concerned about are “heresies”— errors related to the essential, defining doctrines of Christianity. Paul clearly specifies that the essential defining doctrines for Christianity closely associated with the Person and Work of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 11:3-4, 13-15; Gal. 1:6-9, 2:15-16). Necessarily related to the Person and Work of Christ is the essential doctrine of the Triune Godhead, or the Trinity. God reveals that there is but one true God to be believed in and worshipped, but many false gods. To believe in them is fatal (Ex. 20: 3-5; Gal. 4:8; 1 Tim. 2:5; Jn. 4:24). Connected to the Work of Christ is the gospel, the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ. Any other belief regarding salvation is false and fatal.

The ways fallen mankind have corrupted Christianity’s essential doctrines are numerous. All the world’s other religions are out of harmony with Christianity and therefore false. Such religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Baha’i, and Judaism. Other expressions of fatal heresy are found in pseudo-Christian cults such as Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, Seventh-day Adventism, many Churches of Christ, Roman Catholicism, United Pentecostalism, and many more. These religions and cults deny the interconnected and essential Biblical revelation of the Trinity, the nature and fallen condition of man, the Person and work of Christ, and/or the gospel of grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

In addition to religious groups, liberalism in the Church has denied the inerrancy and authority of the Bible, making truth doctrinal relative. They have no place for dogma. For them, Christianity is all about social activism, righting the injustices in the world, and not about how sinners can be reconciled to a Holy God who literally became flesh in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to atone for our sins, and rose from the dead on the third day.

Whether we are talking about non-Christian world religions, pseudo-Christian cults, or religious liberals, we must say that they are guilty of fatal errors. They reject those doctrines that are essential to Christianity, exposing themselves to the danger of eternal damnation.

In This Issue
Our first article by Kenneth Samples addresses the revelation of the character of God, especially his triune nature. Even though the word “trinity” is not in the Bible, Samples systematically lays out the scriptural support for this doctrine. He also exposes the misconceptions and heretical expressions of the Godhead that are found in church history and today.

There are those who attempt to use Scripture to refute the doctrine of the trinity. They will point, for example, to several passages in which Jesus seems inferior or subject to the Father (Jn. 14:28; 1 Cor. 15:28; Jn. 17:3; Col. 1:15; Jn. 20:17) or other passages that seem to indicate that Jesus was not all knowing (Mark 13:32). These texts supposedly show that Jesus is not God and undermine the trinity. But when all the passages revealing the triune God and the person and work of Christ are brought to bear, the three distinct Persons in the One Being of the Godhead and the dual natures of Jesus Christ can be shown to be totally consistent with the proof-texts applied by those in denial.¹

“The Implications of the Fall: Romans 5:12” is by Dr. Donald Hartley, Bible and Theology professor at Southeastern Bible College. HIs focus is on the fallen condition of mankind. Dr. Hartley describes the consequences of the Fall—how all human beings inherit the guilt and corruption of Adam and are born in a state of sin, subject to the wrath of God. This article tells us why we need a Savior.

Dr. Fred Malone introduces us to “The Person and Work of Christ.” He presents us with the biblical means by which God accomplishes man’s redemption. Jesus Christ had to be fully God and fully man to make a substitutionary atonement for fallen sinners and reconcile them to a Holy God.

Dr. Joel Becke’s article, “What Must I Do to Be Saved? Three Truths and a Consequence: Salvation by Faith Alone,” takes the next logical step by presenting the life-saving gospel— God’s plan of salvation. Sinners appropriate the benefits of Christ’s redemptive work, not by works of righteousness, but by faith alone.

In our final article, Dr. Buzwell McNutt addresses the second return of Christ in “The King is Coming.” He does not argue for a particular eschatological system (a debated topic), but focuses on the final phase of Christ’s redemptive accomplishment, namely, his return to earth to judge the living and the dead. McNutt also lays out the believers’ remaining responsibility until that event.

All Christians are called to know the truth and correct the errors of the many heresies circulating today.

Orthodoxy or Orthopraxy?

Let me conclude with a challenge: to truly understand essential doctrine or any biblical doctrine goes beyond mere intellectual assent. As theologian John Calvin once said, “Sound doctrine (orthodoxy) without practice (orthpraxy) is not sound doctrine.”

One can know the right things but not truly believe them. Dallas Willard gives an illustration of this in his book, The Divine Conspiracy. He writes, “I sometimes joke with my students by asking them if they actually believe the right answers they wrote on their tests. They always laugh. They know that belief is not required.” Human teachers never lower a student’s grade for simply giving the right answer without believing it. But, only true belief controls one’s life. Jesus said if you love me, you will obey me (Jn.14:15, 21). James warns about the fatal consequences of those who claim to have true faith yet without a demonstrative reality of it. Even demons know about Jesus and correctly believe who He is, but “they tremble” (Jas. 2:14-19).

This brings us to the importance of understanding the relationship between what is called orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Orthodoxy means “right belief” or correct doctrine. Orthopraxy means “right living” or good works.

Far too often Christians fail to hold these two categories in balance. Without understanding the equal importance and dynamic relationship between orthodoxy and orthopraxy, one can have an anemic relationship with the triune God. Focusing primarily or exclusively on doctrinal knowledge often leads to intellectual pride, formalism, and rationalism. Knowledge can “puff up” but love builds up (1Cor. 8:1). One has only a “dead orthodoxy” that is more a relationship with doctrinal principles than with the living God. But, too much emphasis on experience or good works often leads to pietism, burn-out, disappointment, legalism, and choices based on human sentiment rather than God’s truth.

In order to have an intimate, interactive love relationship with Jesus Christ, we need a balance of sound doctrinal understanding, experiential communion, and devoted obedience. Because God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the Head and Sustainer of the Church and the source of spiritual life, fruitful living can only be done by participating in His life through faith, created and sustained by the Spirit through His word. We obey from the changed heart (Rom. 6:17), and yet the changed heart is dependent upon the hearing and understanding of the truth (1 Pet. 1:22-23; 2 Tim. 3:16, etc.). God’s desire is for us not to know just in part (intellectually), but to more fully know—a full, relational, participatory understanding as well as intellectual. For example, in Ephesians 1:17 and 4:13, Paul’s foundational prayer is that we will gain wisdom and true enlightenment through our interactive knowledgeable relationship with Christ. From that we are to grow into a mature man, no longer deceived and tossed about through false and deceptive teaching.

We are called to the priority of regular, proper, and deep study of the Scriptures (2 Tim. 2:15). Jesus prays for us to be sanctified in the truth for His word is truth (Jn. 17:17; 8:31-32). But notice that God presents the written Word as the “living word” which penetrates where we live (and hide), and that Jesus is also the living word (Heb. 4:12; Jn. 1:1, 14). Some understandably argue for the logical priority of orthodoxy (sound doctrine) over orthopraxy (right living). But even so, they must always be married, where the two become one.

Craig Branch is the director of the Apologetics Resource Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

Notes
¹For a detailed exegesis of passages utilized by false teachers to refute the deity of Christ and the trinity, contact our office for an information packet on the “The Trinity” (www.arcapologetics.org). Also see Ron Rhodes, “Defending the Deity of Christ and the Trinity against Jehovah’s Witnesses” Areopagus Journal 5:4 (July-August 2005): 23-28.

(First published in Areopagus Journal Vol. 9 No. 2 – Essential Doctrines)