Systematic Theology (Volume 1 of 3) - Augustus Hopkins Strong

The Doctrine of God

The Judson Press

Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Seattle, Toronto

1907

[Preface]
[Part I. Prolegomena.]
[Chapter I. Idea Of Theology.]
[I. Definition of Theology.]
[II. Aim of Theology.]
[III. Possibility of Theology.]
[1. The existence of a God.]
[2. Man's capacity for the knowledge of God]
[3. God's revelation of himself to man.]
[IV. Necessity of Theology.]
[V. Relation of Theology to Religion.]
[1. Derivation.]
[2. False Conceptions.]
[3. Essential Idea.]
[4. Inferences.]
[Chapter II. Material of Theology.]
[I. Sources of Theology.]
[1. Scripture and Nature.]
[2. Scripture and Rationalism.]
[3. Scripture and Mysticism.]
[4. Scripture and Romanism.]
[II. Limitations of Theology.]
[III. Relations of Material to Progress in Theology.]
[Chapter III. Method Of Theology.]
[I. Requisites to the study of Theology.]
[II. Divisions of Theology.]
[III. History of Systematic Theology.]
[IV. Order of Treatment in Systematic Theology.]
[V. Text-Books in Theology.]
[Part II. The Existence Of God.]
[Chapter I. Origin Of Our Idea Of God's Existence.]
[I. First Truths in General.]
[II. The Existence of God a first truth.]
[1. Its universality.]
[2. Its necessity.]
[3. Its logical independence and priority.]
[III. Other Supposed Sources of our Idea of God's Existence.]
[IV. Contents of this Intuition.]
[Chapter II. Corroborative Evidences Of God's Existence.]
[I. The Cosmological Argument, or Argument from Change in Nature.]
[II. The Teleological Argument, or Argument from Order and Useful Collocation in Nature.]
[III. The Anthropological Argument, or Argument from Man's Mental and Moral Nature.]
[IV. The Ontological Argument, or Argument from our Abstract and Necessary Ideas.]
[Chapter III. Erroneous Explanations, And Conclusion.]
[I. Materialism.]
[II. Materialistic Idealism.]
[III. Idealistic Pantheism.]
[IV. Ethical Monism.]
[Part III. The Scriptures A Revelation From God.]
[Chapter I. Preliminary Considerations.]
[I. Reasons a priori for expecting a Revelation from God.]
[II. Marks of the Revelation man may expect.]
[III. Miracles, as attesting a Divine Revelation.]
[1. Definition of Miracle.]
[2. Possibility of Miracle.]
[3. Probability of Miracles.]
[4. Amount of Testimony necessary to prove a Miracle.]
[5. Evidential force of Miracles.]
[6. Counterfeit Miracles.]
[IV. Prophecy as Attesting a Divine Revelation.]
[V. Principles of Historical Evidence applicable to the Proof of a Divine Revelation.]
[1. As to documentary evidence.]
[2. As to testimony in general.]
[Chapter II. Positive Proofs That The Scriptures Are A Divine Revelation.]
[I. Genuineness of the Christian Documents.]
[1. Genuineness of the Books of the New Testament.]
[1st. The Myth-theory of Strauss (1808-1874).]
[2nd. The Tendency-theory of Baur (1792-1860).]
[3d. The Romance-theory of Renan (1823-1892).]
[4th. The Development-theory of Harnack (born 1851).]
[2. Genuineness of the Books of the Old Testament.]
[II. Credibility of the Writers of the Scriptures.]
[III. The Supernatural Character of the Scripture Teaching.]
[1. Scripture teaching in general.]
[2. Moral System of the New Testament.]
[3. The person and character of Christ.]
[4. The testimony of Christ to himself—as being a messenger from God and as being one with God.]
[IV. The Historical Results of the Propagation of Scripture Doctrine.]
[Chapter III. Inspiration Of The Scriptures.]
[I. Definition of Inspiration.]
[II. Proof of Inspiration.]
[III. Theories of Inspiration.]
[1. The Intuition-theory.]
[2. The Illumination Theory.]
[3. The Dictation-theory.]
[4. The Dynamical Theory.]
[IV. The Union of the Divine and Human Elements in Inspiration.]
[V. Objections to the Doctrine of Inspiration.]
[1. Errors in matters of Science.]
[2. Errors in matters of History.]
[3. Errors in Morality.]
[4. Errors of Reasoning.]
[5. Errors in quoting or interpreting the Old Testament.]
[6. Errors in Prophecy.]
[7. Certain books unworthy of a place in inspired Scripture.]
[8. Portions of the Scripture books written by others than the persons to whom they are ascribed.]
[9. Sceptical or fictitious Narratives.]
[10. Acknowledgment of the non-inspiration of Scripture teachers and their writings.]
[Part IV. The Nature, Decrees, And Works Of God.]
[Chapter I. The Attributes Of God.]
[I. Definition of the term Attributes.]
[II. Relation of the divine Attributes to the divine Essence.]
[III. Methods of determining the divine Attributes.]
[IV. Classification of the Attributes.]
[V. Absolute or Immanent Attributes.]
[First division.—Spirituality, and attributes therein involved.]
[1. Life.]
[2. Personality.]
[Second Division.—Infinity, and attributes therein involved.]
[1. Self-existence.]
[2. Immutability.]
[3. Unity.]
[Third Division.—Perfection, and attributes therein involved.]
[1. Truth.]
[2. Love.]
[3. Holiness.]
[VI. Relative or Transitive Attributes.]
[First Division.—Attributes having relation to Time and Space.]
[1. Eternity.]
[2. Immensity.]
[Second Division.—Attributes having relation to Creation.]
[1. Omnipresence.]
[2. Omniscience.]
[3. Omnipotence.]
[Third Division.—Attributes having relation to Moral Beings.]
[1. Veracity and Faithfulness, or Transitive Truth.]
[2. Mercy and Goodness, or Transitive Love.]
[3. Justice and Righteousness, or Transitive Holiness.]
[VII. Rank and Relations of the several Attributes.]
[1. Holiness the fundamental attribute in God.]
[2. The holiness of God the ground of moral obligation.]
[Chapter II. Doctrine Of The Trinity.]
[I. In Scriptures there are Three who are recognized as God.]
[1. Proofs from the New Testament.]
[A. The Father is recognized as God.]
[B. Jesus Christ is recognized as God.]
[C. The Holy Spirit is recognized as God.]
[2. Intimations of the Old Testament.]
[A. Passages which seem to teach plurality of some sort in the Godhead.]
[B. Passages relating to the Angel of Jehovah.]
[C. Descriptions of the divine Wisdom and Word.]
[D. Descriptions of the Messiah.]
[II. These Three are so described in Scripture that we are compelled to conceive of them as distinct Persons.]
[1. The Father and the Son are persons distinct from each other.]
[2. The Father and the Son are persons distinct from the Spirit.]
[3. The Holy Spirit is a person.]
[III. This Tripersonality of the Divine Nature is not merely economic and temporal, but is immanent and eternal.]
[1. Scripture proof that these distinctions of personality are eternal.]
[2. Errors refuted by the foregoing passages.]
[A. The Sabellian.]
[B. The Arian.]
[IV. This Tripersonality is not Tritheism; for, while there are three Persons, there is but one Essence.]
[V. The Three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are equal.]
[1. These titles belong to the Persons.]
[2. Qualified sense of these titles.]
[3. Generation and procession consistent with equality.]
[VI. Inscrutable, yet not self-contradictory, this Doctrine furnishes the Key to all other Doctrines.]
[1. The mode of this triune existence is inscrutable.]
[2. The Doctrine of the Trinity is not self-contradictory.]
[3. The doctrine of the Trinity has important relations to other doctrines.]
[Chapter III. The Decrees Of God.]
[I. Definition of Decrees.]
[II. Proof of the Doctrine of Decrees.]
[1. From Scripture.]
[2. From Reason.]
[A. From the Divine Foreknowledge.]
[B. From the Divine Wisdom.]
[C. From the Divine Immutability.]
[D. From the Divine Benevolence.]
[III. Objections to the Doctrine of Decrees.]
[1. That they are inconsistent with the free agency of man.]
[2. That they take away all motive for human exertion.]
[3. That they make God the author of sin.]
[IV. Concluding Remarks.]
[1. Practical uses of the doctrine of decrees.]
[2. True method of preaching the doctrine.]

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Christo Deo Salvatori.

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