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The eschatological position which interprets the “millennium” of Rev. 20:1–6 as a merely spiritual reality during the entire Church age, after which Christ returns.
Defending the truth of the Christian worldview. There are several apologetic methods:
The school of thought (especially in apologetics) which presupposes the existence of the Triune God of the Bible as the necessary epistemological foundation for the very discussion of these things, rather than taking a “neutral” stance (which really does not exist) when seeking to prove the existence of God. Presuppositionalism demonstrates that the conditions necessary for argumentation ultimately presuppose Christianity, making any argument against it self-defeating.
This method of apologetics stems from the belief that unbelievers simply need more evidence. Facts are pulled from archaeology, historical records, astronomy, biology, whatever the evidentialist thinks the unbeliever needs to know in order to be convinced of the truth of Christianity.
This method of apologetics stems from the belief that unbelievers simply need more philosophy. Using arguments from Aristotle, Aquinas, Islam, and many other philosophical traditions, a classicalist seeks to prove the existence of a general god and then work their way to Trinitarian Monotheism.
God is entirely self-existent and self-sufficient, meaning His existence is not contingent on anything and that He lacks nothing.
Obligating adherence or obedience.
The belief that God sovereignly decrees whatsoever comes to pass including which individuals will be saved. See the Five Points of Calvinism for more info. Named after Reformation theologian John Calvin, the word Calvinism has come to refer specifically to the Five Points of Calvinism.
Clear, logical, and sound. Not engaging in fallacy or violating any of the laws of logic.
The belief that Scripture is rightly understood when it is organized in terms of covenants. Two major covenants are the covenant of works under Adam and the Covenant of Grace, also called the Covenant of Salvation, which is the common plan of salvation by grace through faith in the Messiah, and the members of this covenant are the people of God from every age.
A relatively new and novel tradition of biblical interpretation characterized by an intentionally literal interpretation of Scripture wherever literal interpretation is possible. Popularized in the 19th–20th centuries by John Nelson Darby and C. I. Scofield, Dispensationalism is named for the 7 “dispensations” or time periods in this view of the biblical timeline. The core tenet of Dispensational eschatology is a sharp separation between the Church and ethnic Israel, such that each has a distinct eschatological destiny.
Simplicity, as opposed to complexity, states that God is one such that He cannot be divided into parts, nor is He ever in different states, or experience passions. He is always and eternally the same.
The study of the theories of knowledge, what distinguishes fact from opinion, and what constitutes truth. When you ask, “Why?”, you are doing epistemology.
The theory that God is the only source of true knowledge, and so in order for us to have true knowledge, it must be revealed to us by Him, and that He has done so through His Word.
Developed by Gordon Clark, this theory of knowledge is axiomatic, resting on certain necessarily basic, improvable propositions like the truth of Scripture, the existence of the self, and the reliability of the senses.
Developed by Cornelius Van Til, this theory is circular, teaching that all true propositions can be proven, including what Gordon Clark considered necessarily basic, through the argument of the impossibility of the contrary.
These are the things that come first temporally in our quest for knowledge, for example: the recognition of the existence of the self, trusting in the reliability of the senses, reason, memory, language and categories to think in, etc.
These are the thing(s) that come logically first in our quest for knowledge, namely, God.
The kind of knowledge common to all people, built on the basic assumption of the preconditions for intelligibility, with few or insufficient justifications for intelligible experience. This kind of knowledge cannot be known with certainty, but can be acted upon with confidence. For example, “That ball is red.” “Fire is hot.”
The kind of knowledge unique to the people of God, built on the only justification for the preconditions for intelligibility, namely the Truth of Scripture. This kind of knowledge is actually justified, and so it can be known with certainty.
The theory that true knowledge comes from within, and that nothing external is required in order to know facts.
The theory that true knowledge must come from outside of one’s self, that we cannot come to a knowledge of facts on our own.
Coined at the Canons of Dort, the Five Points of Calvinism were a formal response to the five errors of Arminianism, they are commonly used as a summation of what is now called Calvinism, but that was never their intent. They are commonly seen in the acrostic T.U.L.I.P.
Since the Fall, everyone is born into sin, which corrupts every part of the person. Total Depravity does not teach that everyone is as evil as they possibly can be, but that, since every part is corrupted, we cannot do anything truly righteous apart from God.
By His grace, God the Father in eternity past chose some people whom He will save, known as the elect, apart from any merit in them or any works they will do. This is also known as the Divine Decree.
In perfect conformity to the Father’s decree, Jesus died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice on behalf of the elect, paying the penalty for their sins in full. Limited Atonement does not teach that Christ’s sacrifice was insufficient to save all of mankind, but that it was only effective in saving those He intended to save. If the atonement was unlimited, there would be no one in Hell, because Christ’s atonement accomplished salvation.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, God draws those He has chosen to saving faith in Him by raising them from spiritual death to life. Just as breathing is natural to those who are alive, so coming to faith in Christ is natural for those whom God has regenerated.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, God preserves those whom He has chosen and called, such that they continue in their faith until the end.
These five statements summarize the core tenets of the Reformation.
Scripture Alone. Scripture is the sole infallible rule for faith and practice.
We are saved by grace alone.
We are saved through faith alone.
We are saved in Christ alone.
We are saved to the glory of God alone.
The doctrine of the person of Christ which states that the Son of God took on a human nature in the incarnation, such that Jesus is forever one Person with two natures, divine and human.
The study of being. When you ask, “What is _____?”, you are doing ontology.
The belief that the return of Christ will occur after the millennium of Rev 20. It is characterized by an optimistic view of history, that things have and will continue to be on a (generally) positive trajectory, that things will continue to get better, nations will become increasingly christianized, and that Christ will return after all His enemies have been placed under His feet as a footstool (1 Cor. 15:25).
The preconditions for intelligibility are those things which must be true in order for us to have intelligible, meaningful experience. They include, but are not limited to:
The eschatological position which places the second coming of Christ after the “millennium” of Rev. 20:1–6.
The problem of induction demands an answer to the question of whether the future will be like the past. In order for inductive reasoning to take place, the future must be like the past, the same rules must apply, the universe cannot be essentially chaotic.
The Problem of the One and the Many is possibly the oldest philosophical problem. It deals with the question of whether the nature of reality is ultimately unified or diverse. If reality is ultimately unified, then why are things different from one another, and if reality is ultimately diverse, then why is anything similar? Early attempts to solve this problem include Plato’s forms, and the Hindu conception of Brahman. Neither ultimate oneness or ultimate diversity can account for reality as it is.
A Reformed, Theonomic movement to apply the moral Law of God (including the Mosiac Law, see Theonomy) to every area of life.
Describing a person or entity who holds the doctrines of Calvinism, Covenant Theology and of one of the Reformed confessions, namely the Westminster Confession of Faith, the 1689 London Baptist Confession, or the 39 Articles.
The doctrine of God’s complete control over every aspect of the universe, both seen and unseen.
Derived from the Latin Theo: (God’s) and Nomos: (Law), Theonomy is the belief that the principles behind the civil laws of the Old Testament remain binding on governments today, and that Christians ought to work to implement these principles into the law of the lands in which they live.
Existing above and beyond the limitations of physical reality.
The philosophy stemming from Thomas Aquinas, and the official philosophy of the Roman Catholic Church. It is extensive and covers a broad range of topics, but it is particularly notable for using Aristotelian categories to explain Christian (mostly uniquely Roman Catholic) doctrines, and an anthropology that justifies the use of these pagan categories in Christian thought.
The doctrine of God which states that Yahweh is three Persons, sharing one undivided divine nature. That the Father is not the son, nor the Holy Spirit, that the Son is not the Father, nor the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit is not the Son, nor the Father, but that all three are fully God and Lord.
Applying to every human person who has ever lived and will ever live.
