D P L IGITAL UBLICATIONS IBRARY THEOLOGY BASIC CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES by Carl Henry. COPYRIGHT, © 2002, BY DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS, DALLAS, TEXAS, USA © 2002 BASIC CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES OSWALD T. ALLIS WILLIAM M. ARNETT G.C. BERKOUWER GEOFFREY W. BROMILEY F.F. BRUCE J. OLIVER BUSWELL, JR. EDWARD JOHN CARNELL HERBERT I. CARSON RALPH EARLE FRANK E. GAEBELEIN J. NORVAL GELDENHUYS JOHN H. GERSTNER J. KENNETH GRIDER ANTHONY A. HOEKEMA PHILIP E. HUGHES W. BOYD HUNT FRED H. KLOOSTER HAROLD B. KUHN GEORGE E. LADD ADDISON H. LEITCH CALVIN D. LINTON H.D. MCDONALD JULIUS R. MANTEY OTTO MICHEL SAMUEL J. MIKOLASKI LEON MORRIS J.A. MOTYER J. THEODORE MUELLER WILLIAM A. MUELLER JOHN MURRAY ROGER NICOLE I. EUGENE OSTERHAVEN JAMES I. PACKER BERNARD RAMM WILLIAM CHILDS ROBINSON ROBERT PAUL ROTH ANDREW K. RULE HENRY STOB MERRILL C. TENNEY J.G.S.S. THOMSON CORNELIUS VAN TIL JOHN F. WALVOORD WAYNE E. WARD WALTER W. WESSEL EDITED BY CARL F.H. HENRY DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS DALLAS, TEXAS, USA COPYRIGHT, © 2002, BY DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS DALLAS, TEXAS, USA ISBN: 0-8010-4033-7 Copyright, © 1962, by Carl F. H. Henry Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 62-18752 Reprinted 1971 by Baker Book House Company With permission of the original publishers Holt, Rinehart and Winston PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTENTS † Introduction by CARL F. H. HENRY 1. The Knowledge of God: General and Special Revelation — ADDISON H. LEITCH 2. The Knowledge of God: The Saving Acts of God — GEORGE E. LADD 3. The Knowledge of God: The Inspiration of the Bible — P HILIP E. HUGHES 4. The Attributes of God: The Incommunicable Attributes — F RED H. KLOOSTER 5. The Attributes of God: The Communicable Attributes — ANTHONY A. HOEKEMA 6. The Holy Trinity — J . KENNETH GRIDER 7. The Decrees of God — GEOFFREY W. BROMILEY 8. Predestination — W ILLIAM CHILDS ROBINSON 9. Creation — H AROLD B. KUHN 10. Angels — B ERNARD RAMM 11. Satan and the Demons — G . C. BERKOUWER 12. Providence and Preservation — A NDREW K. RULE 13. Miracles — H ENRY STOB 14. The Origin and Nature of Man: Imago Dei — J OHN H. GERSTNER 15. The Covenant of Works — O SWALD T. ALLIS 16. The Origin and Nature of Sin — J . OLIVER BUSWELL, JR. 17. Original Sin, Imputation, and Inability — CORNELIUS VAN TIL 18. The Covenant of Grace — H ERBERT M. CARSON 19. The Person of Christ: Incarnation and Virgin Birth — F . F. BRUCE 20. The Person of Christ: The Kenotic Theory — W AYNE E. WARD 21. The Person of Christ: Death, Resurrection, Ascension — R ALPH EARLE 22. The Mediatorial Offices of Christ: Prophet, Priest, King — SAMUEL J. MIKOLASKI 23. The Atonement — L EON MORRIS 24. The Intercessory Work of Christ — ROBERT PAUL ROTH 25. The Work of the Holy Spirit — JOHN F. WALVOORD 26. Common Grace — M. EUGENE OSTERHAVEN 27. Effectual Calling — J. NORVAL GELDENHUYS 28. Regeneration — OTTO MICHEL 29. Repentance and Conversion — JULIUS R. MANTEY 30. Faith — CALVIN D. LINTON 31. The Mystical Union — W ILLIAM A. MUELLER 32. Justification by Faith — H. D. MCDONALD 33. Adoption — J ., THEODORE MUELLER 34. Sanctification (The Law) — J OHN MURRAY 35. The Preseverance of the Saints — W. BOYD HUNT 36. The Nature of the Church — JAMES I. PACKER 37. The Government of the Church — EDWARD JOHN CARNELL 38. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper —M ERRILL C. TENNEY 39. Other Means of Grace — F RANK E. GAEBELEIN 40. Death and the State of the Soul after Death — J.G.S.S. THOMSON 41. The Second Coming: Millennial Views — WILLIAM M.A RNETT 42. The Resurrection of the Dead and Final Judgment — WALTER W. WESSEL 43. The Final State: Heaven and Hell — J. A. MOTYER A Postscript on Theology — ROGER NICOLE INTRODUCTION † Theologians and evangelists were looked upon not too long ago either as eccentrics or as quacks. If no novelist caricatured the theologian like Sinclair Lewis libeled the evangelist in Elmer Gantry, it was probably because the theologian could pursue his relationship with God privately. But why, after all, should modern man have been overawed by theology, when scholars who claimed some private wire to the supernatural world woefully disagreed over its content and meaning? So penetrating was the impact of secular speculation and religious philosophy, moreover, that some theologians were playing back very little that the actual foes of theology would not endorse. Then followed what is now familiarly known as the exciting rediscovery of biblical theology. This trend emphasized a new examination of the Scriptures and of their unique testimony to Jesus Christ. The Judeo- Christian tradition rose to new vigor with its singular message of the self- revealing Creator-Redeemer God, who promises salvation to his fallen and sullied image-bearer and fulfills that promise through the atoning work of the God-man. Modern intellectuals steeped in the secular tenets of the day suddenly realized that in the crisis of the times the Great Tradition enjoyed fresh relevance. They were now pressed to a sustained reappraisal of the history of thought and to lively involvement in the questions of salvation history and of Scripture’s special import. Suddenly, such long-ignored themes as the inspiration and authority of the Bible, the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, sin and atonement, Christ’s death and resurrection, end-time and second coming and Kingdom once again were lively and current topics of discussion. Now it became clear that the modern revolt against theology had not arisen primarily because of rationalized charges of metaphysical quackery and of disagreements among the religionists. The basic issue to emerge was the modern bias against the reality of the supernatural, a bias encouraged by the tenets of secularism, scientism, and naturalistic philosophy. Sharp dissension raged over what means our tormented generation could and should trust to transform society. For scientism, experimental techniques represented the only mediator between yesterday’s and tomorrow’s values. Communism looked to political violence and revolution to sweep life and society into the orbit of state absolutism; it became increasingly impatient with its own expectation of dialectical materialism to achieve proletarian objectives automatically and mechanically. Meantime, political democracy sought social change through gradual rather than swift transition, and replaced its former reliance on education with an ever-enlarging confidence in legislation to advance its ends. By its far deeper demand, the Christian message discredited all others; it called fora new race of men. “Ye must be born again!” Without denying God’s providential purpose in the background of scientific control of nature and of political preservation of order, Christianity proclaimed the absolute indispensability of the new birth. This claim involved many related concepts. It implied a special view of God and His universe, and of man’s place in it. It gave special perspective to the purpose and goal of history, to redemptive revelation and the message of the Bible. It exposed the tragic destiny of mankind in sin, and spoke of God’s ongoing witness to a lost world through the church, that body of regenerate believers whose head is the slain and risen Christ. Among the most gratifying features of this awakening interest in Bible study and theological reflection is its widening inclusion of the layman and his participation. Historians have noted that in the Protestant Reformation the laity grappled with theological concerns more deeply than did many of the clergy. Our century has served theological skim milk to both churchmen and churchgoers; to the masses outside, non-milk, non- nutritious substitutes. Even in its elementary stages, therefore, a new interest in Bible doctrine is heartening indeed. One sure sign of theological renewal will be revived interest in a systematic theology that rests on the fixed norm of biblical authority. At present, only the barest outlines of such a development are discernible on the religious horizon; much of the current theological discussion is still limited and selective. First published as a series inChristianity Today, and now appearing in book form, the essays in Basic Christian Doctrines have at least the merit of a comprehensive overview. Competent evangelical scholars of interdenominational and international stature have shared the task of preparing these studies. A supplementary essay by Dr. Roger Nicole on the various disciplines of theology has been added to challenge the reader to explore also the larger areas of theological learning. Publication of these essays in the “Contemporary Evangelical Thought” series makes them all immediately available in permanent form to both the ministry and the laity. Holt, Rinehart and Winston are to be commended for issuing the work in a format matching the companion symposium volumes Contemporary Evangelical Thought (1957) and Revelation and the Bible (1958). My colleague, Dr. Frank Farrell, is due special commendation for careful reading of the original manuscripts and for assistance in editing them for publication. This present collection of theological table talks with many of the devout scholars of our day is a feast for mind and heart. Here and there, special denominational traditions may shine through. But what the various contributors share in common as committed evangelicals far outweighs their differences. This basic agreement is only proper in a united theological effort that would stimulate renewed and devoted study of those priorities which determine the destiny of our world. CARL F.H. HENRY 1 THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD: GENERAL AND SPECIAL REVELATION -- ADDISON H.L EITCH † Addison H. Leitch, Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Tarkio College, Tarkio, Missouri, received his general and theological education at Muskingum College (B.A., 1931; D.D., 1947), Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary (B.D., 1936; Th.M., 1937), Cambridge University, England, and Grove City College (D.D., 1947; Litt. D., 1955). He is the author of Beginnings in Theology, Meet Dr. Luke, and Interpreting Basic Theology. It is the psalmist who sings “The Heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, their voice is not heard.” Men have known these things for generations. They have gloried in the glory of a God Who manifests Himself in His wondrous works. No speech nor language is spoken; it is not in the words of Greek or Hebrew or German or English; yet every day speaks and every night shows knowledge. The apostle adds in a later day, “the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Psalmist and apostle declare what no man can deny: that there is a God Who can be known through His works, and when we refuse to see Him there we are without excuse. Such knowledge of God forced on us by the world around us has been recognized and accepted by believers in every generation. In some fashion it is the approach of Plato as he moves level upon level to his supreme Idea, an idea which, according to Plato’s thinking, necessarily has moral qualities which can be defined as an Ideal. In some fashion it is the approach of Aristotle as his system carries us from utter matter to perfect form or from the inanimate world to the high reaches of the Unmoved Mover. More specifically, in the Christian tradition men have discovered in the world around them “proofs” for God, reasons for faith, necessities for believing, and, at least in the direction of their thinking, they have been forced toward some knowledge of God. Arguments for the existence of God and in support of the nature of God are very old ones. They have been subjected to much criticism and therefore to considerable refinement in the history of thought. In spite of such criticism, however, they keep cropping up in one form or another, one argument, or one way of stating the argument, appealing to one generation more than to another; but none of the arguments ever quite disappears. That these arguments keep reviving is probably a reason for their fundamental strength; men feel under some duress to define what they know must be true about God from the evidence of the external world. FROM EFFECTS TO THEIR CAUSE Keeping in mind that these arguments say something about God’s attributes as well as giving reasons for His existence, we are justified in using them as supports in natural theology for our knowledge of God. In general, the arguments move under at least four titles: the cosmological, the teleological, the anthropological, and the ontological. These arguments all allow somewhat the same scheme, namely that an effect must have a cause equal to or greater than the effect itself. In the general scheme of things you cannot get something from nothing and, surely, one can observe a great deal of something in the world of nature; the question is, therefore: what is “the source, the support, and the end” of all these things about us? What is the explanation of their existence? The easiest argument is the cosmological. It argues from the existence of the Cosmos, the universe, what C.S. Lewis calls “the whole show.” Man does not need to be either clever or subtle merely to wonder about the world around him. How can one account for all these things he sees and experiences — t he birds, the rocks, the trees, and the stars in their courses? This first argument in “natural” theology finds us unable to escape the belief that back of all this Cosmos there is some thing or some one equal to bringing into existence (by what method we need not argue here) the universe within us, around us, and above us. The teleological argument is more reflective regarding the universe. Here, our interest is focused on design and purpose, as we discover the amazing intricacy with which all things are interlocked as if united in some grand mutual interdependency, some basic design. These interlocked designs and purposes point to a designer, some intelligence with creative purpose. There are no isolated data, there is no item so small that it is not somehow interrelated with every possible other thing. Nothing ever “just happens.” You can never really say of anything that “it doesn’t really matter.” Butler in his Analogy, Paley in hisEvidences, and in these latter days F.R. Tennant in Philosophical Theology found this argument from design almost conclusive for the existence and the nature of God. In his master work, Nature, Man and God, William Temple sets himself to examine the world of nature only to discover that nature includes man and that nature and man together point us to God. In some such fashion the anthropological argument grows out of the teleological argument, for nothing points more clearly to intelligence and design than the fact of man himself, man who is able to understand the design and to appreciate the designer. But beyond this is man as person. Man as a person has what we call personality. Will anyone seriously argue that personality can arise from some impersonal source? Will anyone seriously support accidents or material or both as sufficient to account for all the wonders in man? Since man is so creative himself, was the ground of his existence uncreative? Thus the argument runs. We cannot get something from nothing; we have something personal in man; we cannot believe that this personal end product comes from impersonal sources. The ontological argument points to perfection or more exactly to the idea of perfection which we find inescapable in our ways of thought. To use our thinking about God as an example, how is it possible for us to talk about the perfections of God without some idea of perfection as a point of reference? Yet we are imperfect ourselves; we think imperfectly; we are surrounded by a world of imperfections. Since, once again, we cannot get something from nothing and since assuredly we have ideas of perfection which cannot be accounted for in the immediacies of our surroundings, the conclusion suggests itself that this idea of perfection must come directly from the perfect source, namely, from God Himself. It would appear from this brief treatment that we have at least four reasons for believing in God. (Some add the moral argument, that is, the inescapable sense of “oughtness” common to all men, Kant’sc ategorical imperative. We believe that the moral argument which we have not here expanded can find a natural place in the anthropological argument.) These tell us some very definite things about God’s nature: He is mighty enough to account for the universe itself; He is intelligent enough to satisfy its design; He is personal enough to account for man as person; and He is the ground of all our understanding and perfection. If we add creativity and morality as necessary to man as person, we may presume to have found as necessary a God Who is almighty, intelligent, personal, creative, moral, and perfect. We are not far from the kingdom!