Christian Doctrine
Christian Doctrine
Christian Doctrine
CHRISTIAN
DOCTRINE
THIRD EDITION
M i l l a r d J. E r i c k s o n
E D I T E D B Y L . A R N O L D H U S TA D
K
Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 3rd Edition
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
© 1992, 2001, 2015 by Millard J. Erickson
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Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
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Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
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Scripture quotations labeled RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
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15 16 17 18 19 20 21 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Preface xiii
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Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 3rd Edition
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
C ontents
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Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 3rd Edition
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
C ontents
ix
Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 3rd Edition
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
C ontents
38. The Ordinances of the Church: Baptism 40. The Second Coming and Its
and the Lord’s Supper 411 Consequents 441
Baptism: The Initiatory Rite of the The Second Coming 442
Church 412 Resurrection 447
The Lord’s Supper: The Continuing Rite The Final Judgment 450
of the Church 418 Implications of the Second Coming and Its
Consequents 452
Part 9 The Last Things 41. Millennial and Tribulational Views 453
39. Introductory Matters and Individual Millennial Views 454
Eschatology 427 Tribulational Views 461
Introduction to Eschatology 428 42. Final States 469
Death 430 Final State of the Righteous 470
The Intermediate State 433 Final State of the Wicked 475
Implications of the Doctrines of Death and Implications of the Doctrine of the Final
the Intermediate State 438 States 479
Scripture Index 481
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Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 3rd Edition
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
Preface
xiii
Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 3rd Edition
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
P A R T 1
Introduction
After studying this chapter, you should be able to The Nature of Theology
do the following: • Theology as the Study of Doctrine
• The Necessity for the Study of Doctrine
1. Compose a brief definition of theology.
2. Demonstrate the need for doctrine in contemporary • Theology as Science
society. • The Starting Point for the Study of Christian
3. Identify alternative starting points for studying Doctrine
Christian doctrine. The Method of Theology
4. List and explain each of the steps involved in de- • Collection of the Biblical Materials
veloping an adequate theology. • Unification of the Biblical Materials
• Analysis of the Meanings of Biblical Teachings
Chapter Summary • Examination of Historical Treatments
• Consultation of Other Cultural Perspectives
Christian theology seeks to understand the God
• Identification of the Essence of the Doctrine
revealed in the Bible and to provide a Christian un-
• Illumination from Sources Beyond the Bible
derstanding of God’s creation, particularly human
• Contemporary Expression of the Doctrine
beings and their condition, and God’s redemptive
• Development of a Central Interpretive Motif
work. With Scripture as its starting point, theology
• Stratification of the Topics
is most effectively developed by following a definite
methodology.
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Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 3rd Edition
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
The Nature of Theology
Theology as the Study of Doctrine God’s work, it is primarily God’s Word that
To some readers, the word “doctrine” may constitutes the content of theology.
prove somewhat frightening. It conjures up 2. Theology is systematic. It does not look
visions of very technical, difficult, abstract at each of the books of the Bible separately, but
beliefs, perhaps propounded dogmatically. attempts to draw together into one coherent
Doctrine is not that, however. Christian doc- whole what the entirety of Scripture says on a
trine is simply statements of the most funda- given topic, such as human sinfulness.
mental beliefs the Christian has, beliefs about 3. Theology is done in the context of human
the nature of God, about his action, about culture. Theology, particularly in its more ad-
us who are his creatures, and about what he vanced or technical sense, must relate the teach-
has done to bring us into relationship with ings of Scripture to data found in other disci-
himself. Far from being dry or abstract, these plines that deal with the same subject matter.
are the most important types of truths. They 4. Theology is contemporary. The aim of
are statements on the fundamental issues of theology is to restate timeless biblical truths
life: namely, who am I, what is the ultimate in a form that is understandable to the people
meaning of the universe, where am I going? who are living today.
Christian doctrine is, then, the answers the 5. Theology is practical. Paul did not ex-
Christian gives to those questions that all pound doctrine merely to inform his readers,
human beings ask. so that they might have more data. Rather, he
Doctrine deals with general or timeless intended that the doctrine be applied to every-
truths about God and the rest of reality. It day life. The doctrine of the second coming
is not simply the study of specific historical of Christ can, of course, become the object of
events, such as what God has done, but of the speculation—people attempt to ascertain when
very nature of the God who acts in history. it will occur in relation to other events. Paul,
The study of doctrine is known as theology. however, in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 urges his
Literally, theology is the study of God. It is readers to comfort one another with this truth.
the careful, systematic study, analysis, and That the Lord will return and will resurrect all
statement of Christian doctrine. Certain of who have believed in him is a source of peace
its characteristics will help us to understand and encouragement in a world in which so much
the nature of the theological enterprise: of value appears to be undergoing destruction.
1. Theology is biblical. It takes its primary
content from the Old and New Testament The Necessity for the Study of Doctrine
Scriptures. While additional insight may be Is there really a need to study doctrine? Isn’t
obtained by the study of God’s creation, or it sufficient if I simply love Jesus? In the view of
what is sometimes referred to as the book of some people, doctrine is not only unnecessary
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Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 3rd Edition
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
W hat Is Theology?
but also undesirable, and may be divisive. by—indeed, depends on—reality. A person
There are, however, several reasons why such who falls from an upper story of a tall build-
study is not optional. ing may shout while passing each window on
1. Correct doctrinal beliefs are essential to the way down, “I’m doing fine,” but eventually
the relationship between the believer and God. the facts will catch up with the person’s experi-
Thus, for example, the writer to the Hebrews ence. Simply feeling good about Jesus cannot
says, “And without faith it is impossible to be divorced from the question of whether he is
genuinely the Son of God. Hope for the future
depends on whether his resurrection took place
Far from being dry or abstract, and whether ours will some day.
Christian doctrine deals with 3. Correct understanding of doctrine is im-
the fundamental issues of life: portant because there are many secular and
religious systems of thought that compete for
namely, who am I, what is our devotion these days. Marxism, the basis
the ultimate meaning of the of communism, long claimed the allegiance
of many. Popular self-help philosophies and
universe, where am I going?
psychologies abound. Among the religious
options are large numbers of sects and cults
please God, because anyone who comes to in addition to a great variety of Christian
him must believe that he exists and that he denominations. And not only are alterna-
rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. tive religions found in foreign lands, but they
11:6). Also important for a proper relationship also claim significant numbers of devotees in
with God is belief in the humanity of Jesus. the United States. It is, therefore, not simply
John writes, “This is how you can recognize a question of whether one shall believe, but
the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowl- what one shall believe.
edges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh It has been suggested that the way to deal
is from God” (1 John 4:2). Paul emphasizes with the numerous alternatives is a thoroughgo-
the importance of belief in the resurrection of ing refutation and systematic exposing of their
Christ: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus shortcomings. A positive approach of teaching
is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God the views of the Christian faith would seem to
raised him from the dead, you will be saved. be preferable, however. This approach provides
For it is with your heart that you believe and a basis on which to measure the alternative posi-
are justified, and it is with your mouth that tions. Authentic merchandise is studied in order
you profess and are saved” (Rom. 10:9–10). to recognize counterfeits. Similarly, correctly
2. Doctrine is important because of the con- understanding the doctrinal teachings of Chris-
nection between truth and experience. Our age tianity is the solution to the confusion created
is one in which immediate experience is highly by the myriad of claimants to belief.
valued. Thus many utilize drugs because of the
excitement or stimulation they provide. Fan- Theology as Science
tasies supply satisfying experiences to some. A question is sometimes raised regard-
Yet in the long run, our experience is affected ing the legitimacy of the study of Christian
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I ntroduction
doctrine in an institution of higher education. ositional verbal form. (3) To some extent, it
Is the teaching of theology not mere indoctri- employs methods used by other specific dis-
nation? To be sure, there are limits to the teach- ciplines, particularly history and philosophy.
ing of Christian theology in a state institution, (4) It shares some subject matter with other
where there cannot be any official connection disciplines. Thus, it is possible that some of its
with a given form of religion. However, there propositions may be confirmed or refuted by
is nothing prohibiting an objective, scientific natural science, behavioral science, or history.
study of Christianity as well as of other reli- And yet theology has its own unique sta-
gions. In a private institution, and particularly tus. Some of its subject matter is unique to it:
in one that has a commitment to Christianity, for example, God. It also deals with common
the study of Christian doctrine is quite ap- objects but in a unique way; for example, it
propriate. It need not in any way be inferior considers people in terms of their relationship
to the other disciplines studied. to God. Thus, while Christian theology or the
To be a proper topic for study, theology study of Christian doctrine is a science, it is a
must in some sense be a science. We do not science with its own peculiar status. It cannot
mean to say that it must be a science in the be reduced to any other science, either natural
narrow sense of the natural sciences.1 Rather, or behavioral.
it must have some of the traditional criteria
of scientific knowledge: (1) a definite object The Starting Point for the Study
of Christian Doctrine
of study; (2) a method for investigating the
subject matter and for verifying assertions; One of the questions that must immediately
(3) objectivity in the sense that the study deals be faced when we study Christian doctrine is
with phenomena external to the immediate ex- the source from which our knowledge will be
perience of the learner and therefore accessible drawn. Even in Christian circles, several an-
to investigation by others; and (4) coherence swers have been given:
among the propositions of the subject matter
so that the content forms a definite body of 1.
Natural theology. The created universe
knowledge rather than a series of unrelated or is studied to determine certain truths
loosely connected facts. about God and about human nature.
(This empirical approach to doctrine
Theology as we will be dealing with it meets
will be examined in chap. 3.)
these criteria. It also occupies common ground
with the other sciences. (1) It accepts the same 2.
Tradition. Inquiry is made into what has
rules of logic as do the other disciplines. Where been held and taught by individuals and
difficulties appear, theology does not simply organizations identifying themselves as
invoke paradox or incomprehensibility. (2) It Christian. Thus, what has been believed
is communicable—it can be expressed in prop- is made normative for what should be
believed.
1. Here we are speaking of science in the broader Eu- 3.
The Scriptures. The Bible is held to be the
ropean sense: the Germans, for example, speak of Natur- defining document or the constitution of
wissenschaften, or sciences of nature, and Geisteswissen-
schaften, which are roughly what we would call behavioral the Christian faith. Thus, it specifies what
sciences. is to be believed and what is to be done.
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Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
W hat Is Theology?
4.
Experience. The religious experience of a belief and practice. The Bible is the guideline
Christian today is regarded as providing that is to be followed since it possesses the
authoritative divine information. right of defining correct belief and practice.
This is not to say that Christianity down
We will follow the third approach. A similar through the ages has repeated and will con-
practice can be found in various institutions tinue to repeat the accounts of the Bible in
and organizations that have some charter, con- exactly that form. Much of the Bible deals with
stitution, or articles of incorporation defining specific cases and was written to specific situ-
ations in history. To repeat the same words in
the same fashion would be to distort the mean-
The Bible is the constitution of the ing. Rather, what is to be done is to express
Christian faith: it specifies what is to for today what Jesus or Paul or Isaiah would
say if he were addressing the present situa-
be believed and what is to be done.
tion. This does not involve an alteration of
the fundamental meaning, but a re-expression
what the institution is to be and the procedures and reapplication of it.
it is to follow. Where there is a dispute between
two claimants to be the true representative of
such a group or movement, a court of law will The Method of Theology
ordinarily rule in favor of the party deemed
to adhere to the basic charter. In the United We have said that theology is a science. That
States, the Constitution is binding. Indeed, any means in part that it has a definite procedure.
law that contradicts the Constitution will be While the steps we will describe need not be
declared invalid by a court. rigidly followed in sequence, there is a logical
In the case of Christianity, we also are deal- development to them.
ing with a constitution, namely the Bible.
Christians are those who continue in the Collection of the Biblical Materials
teachings that Jesus Christ himself laid down. The first step will be to identify all the rel-
They cannot deny or modify what was taught evant biblical passages dealing with the topic
and practiced by Jesus, or by those whom he being investigated and then to interpret them
authorized. In theory, of course, it would be very carefully. This is the process known as
possible to amend the Constitution. Note exegesis. The exegete will want to use the very
that in human dealings, however, only certain best of theological tools and methods. These
persons are eligible to make such an amend- tools include concordances, commentaries,
ment; an external organization cannot alter and, for the person who knows the original
the Constitution. In the case of Christianity, languages, the biblical texts, grammars, and
its constitution, the Bible, was not created or lexicons.
formulated by the humans who make up the It is important even at this step to think
Christian church. Rather, it originated from carefully about the materials being used. We
God himself. That being the case, only God should consider the position of the author
has the authority to change the standards of of a commentary, for example. We should
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I ntroduction
mean?” If biblical concepts are to be accu- identify it with the essence of the doctrine.
rately translated into a contemporary form, it For example, one Japanese Baptist pastor told
is important that they be correctly understood. a Baptist theology professor from the United
If they are not, there will be even greater im- States, “Your view of the priesthood of the
precision at later points in the process as the believer is based more on the American Con-
ambiguity is compounded. As is commonly stitution than it is on the New Testament.”
said, unless something is clear in the mind of Was he right? That is not the point. Perhaps his
the speaker, it will never be clear in the mind of view is based more on the Japanese structure
the hearer. Likewise, unless something is clear of society than on the New Testament, but
in the mind of the theologian as exegete, it will the point to be borne in mind is that we may
not be clear in the mind of the theologian as unconsciously read our own experience into
preacher seeking in turn to communicate to the Scriptures. Interaction with other cultural
others the results of exegesis. perspectives will help us to distinguish the es-
sence of the biblical teaching from one cultural
Examination of Historical Treatments
expression of it.2
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I ntroduction
that is found in the book of Deuteronomy and ciplines have in fact contributed to our theo-
in the book of Romans. If we fail to do this, logical knowledge—sometimes despite the re-
one of two things may happen. We may insist luctance of biblical exegetes and theologians.
on preserving a particular form of a teach- For example, the scholarly effort to determine
ing. We might, for example, insist on retention whether the days referred to in Genesis 1 are
of the Old Testament sacrificial system. The to be thought of as twenty-four-hour periods,
other danger is that we will, in the process of longer periods, or even nontemporal concepts
attempting to declare the message, so alter it has not been limited to biblical exegesis. Natu-
that it becomes in effect a different genus rather ral sciences, particularly geology, have con-
than a different species within the same genus. tributed to our knowledge of what God did.
In the example of the sacrificial system, what is We need to make certain, however, that
permanent and unchanging is not the form of the Bible is the primary authority in our en-
the sacrifice, but the truth that there must be deavor. We also need to be certain that we do
a vicarious sacrifice for the sins of humanity. not draw conclusions prematurely about the
This task of identifying the permanent truth relationship between biblical and nonbiblical
within temporary forms of expression is so materials. While the Bible, when completely
important that we will be devoting a large por- understood, and the creation, when completely
tion of the following chapter to this subject. understood, are in perfect harmony with one
another, we must recognize that we do not
Illumination from Sources Beyond the Bible have a perfect understanding of either one.
We said earlier that the Bible is the primary Accordingly, there may well be some tension
source of our doctrinal construction. While at times in our treatment of them.
it is the major source, it is not the only one.
God has revealed himself in a more general Contemporary Expression of the Doctrine
sense in his creation and in human history. Once we have determined the abiding es-
Examination of that revelation will help us to sence or permanent content of the doctrine, we
understand more fully the special revelation must express it in a fashion that is reasonably
preserved for us in the Bible. accessible to persons of our day. One of the
An example is the question of the image ways this might be done was first formulated
of God in humankind. The Bible teaches us by Paul Tillich and is known as the method of
that God created humans in his own image correlation. The first step is to inquire what
and likeness. Though there are some general questions are being asked by our age. By this
indications of its nature, we are not able to we mean not simply the immediate existen-
determine from Scripture what the image of tial issues that individuals face but the whole
God involves specifically. The behavioral sci- way in which the general culture views real-
ences, however, may give us some insight into ity. These questions then become the starting
the image of God by enabling us to identify point for our presentation of the Christian
what is unique about the human among the message; that is, we relate the content of bib-
various types of creatures. lical theology to them. To be sure, we must
It is worth noting that in the history of not allow the non-Christian world to set the
biblical interpretation some nonbiblical dis- agenda completely, for in many cases it may
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Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
W hat Is Theology?
not ask or even recognize the existence of the find out the philosophical distinctives of the
most important questions. Nonetheless, it is various cultures. It has been observed that
frequently helpful to ascertain what questions increasingly the most important distinction
are being asked. culturally will be between North and South,
A number of themes will present themselves rather than East and West, as the third world
as fruitful for exploration as we seek to for- grows in prominence. We must develop the
mulate a contemporary expression of the mes- ability to express concepts like sin and atone-
sage. Although our age seems to be increas- ment in culturally relevant ways, for these
ingly characterized by depersonalization and concepts are of the essence of the Christian
detachment, there are indications that there is message.
a craving for a personal dimension in life to There is also the dimension of height. A
which the doctrine of the God who knows and message can be expressed at different levels of
cares about each one can be profitably related. complexity and sophistication. This may in-
And although there has been a confidence that volve simply the age of the hearers. One should
modern technology could solve the problems not, for example, communicate the Christian
of the world, there is a growing awareness that message in the same form to a child as to a
the problems are much larger and more fright- university professor. Beyond that, there is the
ening than realized and that humans are the question of background in biblical and theo-
greatest problem to themselves. Against this logical concepts. Frequently, students will read
backdrop the power and providence of God the work of a professional theologian who is
have a new pertinence. at a much more advanced level than are those
Today it is popular to speak of “contextu- to whom they in turn will bear testimony to
alizing” the message. This term is frequently the truth. The ability to express biblical truth
used in the discipline of missiology, where at different times and places and to different
there is a need to translate concepts from audiences is vital.
one’s own culture to a different contemporary
culture. There seem to be three dimensions Development of a Central Interpretive
of the contextualizing process. The first we Motif
may call length. This involves taking the mes- It is not always necessary for individual
sage from biblical times to the present and Christians to formulate a basic central char-
re-expressing it. acterization of their theology. Often, however,
The second dimension we may call this is helpful. Sometimes this motif reflects
breadth—Christianity may assume different one’s denomination. For example, some per-
forms of expression in different cultures. sons of the Reformed tradition stress the
Western missionaries must be certain that sovereignty of God, whereas some Lutherans
they do not simply carry their own culture emphasize the grace of God and the role of
to other parts of the world. Little white cha- faith. The way in which we characterize our
pels with spires have sometimes been built for theology is often related to our own personal-
Christian worship in Africa. Church architec- ity and background. The customizing touch
ture is not the only realm where this problem will make biblical truth more functional when
occurs. It is imperative, for instance, that we we install it into our own lives.
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I ntroduction
Stratification of the Topics all other doctrines is derived from it. Further,
It is important that we decide what the the doctrine of God is basic because it sup-
major issues of theology are and what the plies the very framework within which all other
subpoints or subissues are. The more major theological construction is done. It also may
a given point, the greater should be the degree be the case that at a given time a particular
of tenacity with which we insist on it. Thus, issue or topic requires more attention because
while one may not as a condition of fellowship it is under attack or because it receives spe-
with another believer insist on agreement as cial treatment in the world we are addressing.
to whether the church will be removed from Clearly, a careful consideration of the relative
significance of theological topics is essential.
the world before or after the great tribula-
tion, there must be agreement on the issue of
Questions for Review and Reflection
whether Christ will return. In part, this is a
matter of simply outlining our theology so • What are the five facets of the definition of
theology?
that we can determine the major points, the
• Why may theology be considered a science?
subpoints, and the topics that are subordinate
• What are the potential sources for Christian
to the subpoints. doctrine, and why is this question important?
Having said this, however, we recognize that • What steps are involved in the process of doing
there is still a gradation among the major doc- theology? Illustrate how it should be done.
trines. For example, the doctrine of Scripture • How might theology be significant in solving
is fundamental because our understanding of an ethical dilemma?
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Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 3rd Edition
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2001, 2015. Used by permission.
(Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)