Author: Richard
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Introduction to the Doctrine of Last Things
The study of the doctrine of last things is called eschatology. Eschatology is from the Greek word éskhatos (ἔσχατος) meaning last. Scripture uses this term to refer to the last days (éschatai hemerai; Is 2:2), the last time (éschatos ton chronon; 1 Pt 1:20), and the last hour (éschate hora; 1 Jn 2:18). Eschatology is typically sub-divided into… Read more
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Introduction to the Doctrine of the Church
Ecclesiology is the study of the doctrine of the Church. The word “church” is used in a variety of ways and can therefore be confusing if people are thinking of it in a different sense. The invisible Church refers to true believers whereas the visible church refers to people claiming to be Christians but may or may not… Read more
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Introduction to the Doctrine of Salvation
Soteriology is the study of the doctrine of salvation. Salvation, in turn, is the deliverance from sin and its effects. It is common among Protestants to organize the process of salvation into three stages: justification, sanctification, and glorification. Although these terms can be used in different ways, their use for stages in salvation refers to the following. Justification occurs… Read more
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Introduction to the Doctrine of Christ
Christ is the Greek-based equivalent of the Hebrew-based word messiah, which literally means anointed one.[i] In the OT, messiah is generally used when referring to a savior or a liberator of people. For example, when a new Jewish king or priest was installed, they were anointed with oil to sanctify them and make them holy.… Read more
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Introduction to the Doctrine of Man in Relation to God
The study of the nature of mankind is called anthropology. The study of the nature of mankind as described in Scripture is called biblical anthropology. This category could therefore alternatively have been titled Biblical Anthropology. It covers issues such as the origin of man, the nature of man, what is meant by man being created… Read more
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Introduction to the Doctrine of God
The doctrine of God is the part of theology that, confusingly, is referred to as theology (theo=God) in a specialized sense. The doctrine of God is the natural starting point in the study of theology since an understanding of God is necessary to understand the relationship of God to other things. This introductory post… Read more
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Introduction to Heresies
A heresy is a theological doctrine, system, or belief that is determined to be false and incompatible with official church dogma. The development of official church dogma has therefore been highly influenced by debates over which beliefs are heretical and which beliefs are not heretical. A close examination of Christian creeds reveals that much of… Read more
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Pre-Reformation State of Christianity
This history covered by this post begins several centuries before the Protestant Reformation. The events that occurred during this time set the stage for the Reformation to play out as it did. Certain specifics are elaborated in the Events section below, but this section presents an overall if simplified narrative of major historical trends that… Read more
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First Century Christianity
Outside of Scripture, there is very little direct historical evidence describing first century Christianity, especially with regards to specific events at specific times. Therefore, the best that historians can do is to identify the few events that are known, and to infer where other events take place in relationship to these fixed events. N.T. Wright identifies… Read more
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Introduction to Ethics
Why should people act ethically? For most, the answer is spiritual faith. They believe in a faith system that includes a moral code. They know by faith that everyone should generally try to be nice, unselfish, and helpful rather than mean, greedy, and unhelpful. They believe that they should try their best to be a… Read more