Session 1: Studying God

Purpose
So often people's theology is a combination of things that have been heard from the pulpit, seen on TV, and read in books. Often things are taken for granted in theology that have been handed down through tradition, denomination, and time, that are not always Biblically correct. Instead of being like the Bereans who tested everything (Acts 17:11), even the words of Paul, many people are like sponges who just absorb anything and everything thrown at them.
The purpose of BT101 is to facilitate discussion so that we can formulate a Biblical Theology of Christianity. It is not coming from any particular denominational stance, nor is its purpose to show errors in different denominations. Instead we are approaching the topics from a Biblical viewpoint, discussing and dissecting Scripture so that we will always be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have to anyone who asks (1 Peter 3:15)

Before one embarks on a theological journey for the first time, one needs to be sure that they understand the basics of theology right at the beginning.

The Shack & Its New Age Leaven

Being an owner of a Christian bookshop I am constantly coming across books being introduced into the Christian market that are actually New Age and have absolutely nothing to do with true Christianity. One such book is The Shack written by William P. Young.
I tried a couple of times to read this book, but as of yet have not been able to finish it. Apart from its lack of action, drama and intrigue, this book is so theologically perverse that I am not ever going to try again. Needless to say that I will not be stocking this book in our shop.
I came across the following review of the book on the Herescope website and found it to be so well put that I thought I would post it here.

The Jesus Driven Life

The biggest questions of all time certainly have to be, “Why am I here” or “What is my purpose in life?” On the surface, they do not seem like such bad questions, after all, the Bible does tell us that God has a plan for everyone's life (e.g. Jeremiah 29:11). But what is our purpose? Through this topic I am going to uncover what, or rather, who is meant to be driving our lives.

An Old Fashioned Doctrine

Would Jesus Oppose the Death Penalty?

One of the most contentious issues facing us today is that of the death penalty. There are many theologians that fight their point vehemently on both sides of the argument. I remember while in Bible College there were people on both sides of the fence and no resolution was ever reached. For many years I sat on the fence with the whole issue, but having worked through the whole issue of the law and its application today, I have come to a final decision. So in this final instalment of the role of the law, we are going to look at the issue and hopefully end off with a proper position on the subject. Some of you may be surprised with the outcome.

The Law As the Schoolmaster

Dispensationalists who teach that Old Testament law has been completely cancelled out by Christ, quote Galatians 3:23-25 as proof for their claim: "Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law." (The last phrase in the New King James Version translates as "we are no longer under a tutor.")
In order to fully understand this passage we need to answer two questions.

1. What does Paul mean by the term "law"? and
2. What does he mean when he says "we are no longer under a tutor"?

Sanctification and the Law

Before we go any further in discussing the role of the Law, let us proceed to look at the issue of sanctification. “Why?” you may ask. Quite simply, because the issues of justification and sanctification cannot be separated from each other and need to be fully understood together. But before I can explain the connection properly, we first need to look at what the word sanctification means.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines sanctification as “the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.” In justification, once the sinner believes in Jesus, he/she is declared righteous before God purely on Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. The guilt of sin is removed and the sinner is clothed in the righteousness of Christ. At this point, the the lifelong process of sanctification immediately begins. This process is described by the theologian, Louis Berkhof as “that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Spirit, by which He delivers the justified sinner from the pollution of sin, renews his whole nature in the image of God, and enables him to perform good works.”

Justification and the Law

Dispensational "scholars" use a number of Paul's passages to argue that Jesus cancelled the Old Testament laws and that law is no longer needed. Let us briefly look at a couple of these passages:

EPHESIANS

One passage used is Ephesians 2:8-10 - "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Let us begin by looking at the word translated as "saved" (Gk. sozo). This word is best understood when we remove all religious connotations and look at its root meaning: that is to be "rescued". To save someone simply means to rescue them from a situation that put them into danger, or would have resulted in something fatal happening to them, like a lifesaver rescuing someone from drowning in the sea. So, in the spiritual context, it means that we have been "rescued" from our previous condition that has fatal consequences.

The Role of the Law

The modern century church seems to have neglected, and at times perverted, the Biblical teachings of God's law. The reasons for this are varied, but one of the biggest is due to the teachings of Dispensationalism.
Dispensationalism teaches that all Old Testament law (this includes religious, social and civil) have been put aside by Christ and his teachings concerning law. Their motto comes from Paul's teaching that “we are not under law, but under grace.”

True vs False Conversion

There are so many people in the church today that believe that the Truth of God's Word is not enough to bring people into repentance. Some believe that we have to exhibit some kind of miraculous signs and wonders in order to convince the unbelievers of the Truth in the Word. Others try to dress it up in a way that makes it culturally relevant or “seeker sensitive”. Many believe that without some or other gimmick, the message of the Gospel will not reach its target. The church is desperately trying to find new ways of offering what the non-believers say they are looking for in the church. Every conventional form of worship is at risk of being put aside for more “relevant” forms in order to cater for the worlds appetites. Things that challenge or make people uncomfortable is not permitted. And it seems to be working. Or is it?