Theology beacon dictionary of theology
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- FULLNESS.
- EVANGELICAL, LIBERALISM. For Further Reading: Dollar, A History of Fundamentalism in America; Sandeen
- Fundamental Christian Theology
- Bakers DT
- ORIGINAL SIN, PREVENIENT GRACE, ATONEMENT, REALISM IN THEOLOGY REPRESENTATIVE THEORY, FALL (THE), GUILT.
- CHRISTLIKENESS, FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, MEEKNESS.
- BIBLE, CRITICISM (OT, NT).
- CUP. HUMANITY OF CHRIST HUMILIATION OF CHRIST, OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST. For Further Reading: Bruce, Epistle to the Hebrews, NICNT; Clark, "Gethsemane,"
- HOLY SPIRIT, FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, KOINONIA. BODY LIFE.
FULL SALVATION. This is one of the many synonyms of the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification. It is more widely used among the holiness people of Britain (where the hymn "Full Salvation" is often sung) than among those in the U.S.A. Its infrequent use in the U.S.A. is due, in part, to the fact that the word "full" in "full gospel" very often denotes tongues-speaking. Yet "full salvation" is an altogether proper term for denoting the second work of grace. The word "salvation" is used here not in the sense of conversion, but in the sense of redemption broadly conceived— as it is sometimes used in Scripture (e.g., Matt. 10:22). The word "full" in this phrase denotes especially that God does not grant us simply a partial redemption, in which our acts of sin are forgiven, but in which we struggle throughout life with our original sin. It denotes a redemption that is full, or complete, because original sin, in a second work of grace, can be cleansed away. See second work of grace, entire sanctification, original sin, cleansing, holiness. J. Kenneth Grider
Fundamentalism emerged in response to the liberal reinterpretation of orthodox Christian teachings that the faith might be reconciled to the new currents of thought—science, psychology, philosophy, e.g., as taught by Darwin, Freud, or Lotze. Emphasizing a lofty optimism regarding man, liberal theology denied the traditional doctrine of original sin. Building on Darwin's dogma of evolution, liberals accented human progress. Freud's concept of the sexual drive as the key determinant to human behavior was reductionist, proposing a conception of man as product of psychosexual forces rather than a creation imago Dei. In response to liberal views, conservative Christian teachers stressed certain fundamentals which must be preserved and defended, particularly the virgin birth of Christ, the substitutionary Atonement, inspired Scripture, physical resurrection, and the physical second coming of Christ. These doctrines were emphasized at Niagara Bible Conference in 1895. In 1909 Lyman and Milton Stewart funded the publication of 12 paperbound books, The Fundamentals, and circulated 3 million copies. James Orr and W. H. Griffith Thomas were prominent authors in the series. An important analysis of fundamentalism (by Ernest Sandeen) traces it to British premillennial eschatology which was pessimistic about social amelioration. Dwight L. Moody was influenced by the Plymouth Brethren in his "lifeboat evangelism." He asserted that the world was like a sinking ship and that he must do all he could to save as many as possible. Clarence Larkin and C. I. Scofield popularized this eschatology in dis-pensational charts and in an annotated version of the Bible, the Scofield Reference Bible. The fundamentalists established Bible institutes and seminaries to counter the growing influence of liberalism, especially since the liberals had gained control of most seminaries. If fundamentalism is identified by its commitment to certain key doctrines, it is also characterized by a distinctive mood. Committed to defense of the faith, and employing a scholarly apologetic, especially at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, it created a thoroughly rational approach to theology and biblical hermeneutics in some circles. Cornelius Van Til was the guiding spirit of this methodology. J. Gresham Machen (who rejected the appellation of fundamentalist) was one of the movement's greatest scholars. A more militant mood was manifest in some of the movement's spokesmen. Sharply critical and sometimes uncharitable, they resorted to ad hominem arguments which played into the hands of their opponents. George Dollar's contemporary study of fundamentalism describes the mood of sharp, bitter criticism toward any deviations from the separatist mentality of some fundamentalists. In the maturation of fundamentalism may be perceived the progress toward the theological conservatism expressed in the evangelical/neo-evangelical movement which seeks to develop an evangelical ecumenism (N.A.E.), greater openness in biblical hermeneutics, and a significant social ethics which addresses the ills of the world —poverty, overpopulation, hunger, and political processes. See EVANGELICAL, LIBERALISM. For Further Reading: Dollar, A History of Fundamentalism in America; Sandeen, The Roots of Fundamentalism: British and American Roots 1800-1930. Leon O. Hynson FUTURE PROBATION. The word probation derives from the Latin probare, "to try, examine, prove." It means an act, process, or period of testing. It is commonly used in many areas of life, including the legal and academic. In theological terms it is a state or period in which man has an opportunity to demonstrate his obedience or non-obedience to God, and thereby qualify for a happier state or disqualify himself. The supreme significance of probation in the Christian faith can hardly be overemphasized. "The starry heavens above and the moral law within" remind us that this life is the anteroom of eternity and is the arena of choice and testing for our unending destiny. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10). The term future probation refers to the possible freedom of choice for salvation sometime after death; very rarely it may be used in reference to salvation choice for those who remain on earth after "the Rapture of the saints" at the time of Christ's second coming. Historic Protestant Christianity has been virtually unanimous in renouncing future probation as being completely unscriptural. The verdict of 20:11-15; 21:7-8, 27; 22:11, 14-15, et al). the Bible is that death constitutes a closed door See probation, eternal punishment. (Luke 13:25; cf. Rom. 2:2-11; 2 Thess. 1:5-9; Heb. For Future Reading: Wiley, CT, 3:236ff. 9:27; 10:26-31; 1 Pet. 4:17-18; 2 Pet. 3:7-14; Rev. John E. Riley G GEHENNA. This Greek word for "hell" is found seven times in Matthew, three times in Mark, and once each in Luke and James. Aside from the passage in Jas. 3:6, this word is found only on the lips of Jesus. The term literally means "Valley of Hinnom." Abbott-Smith puts the matter succinctly: "Gehenna, a valley W and S of Jerusalem, which as the site of fire-worship from the time of Ahaz, was desecrated by Josiah and became a dump-ingplace for the offal of the city. Later, the name was used as a symbol of the place of future punishment, as in NT" (Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 89). The most striking passage, paralleled partly in Matt. 5:29-30, is Mark 9:43, 45, 47. Here Jesus said that if one's hand, foot, or eye causes one to sin, that precious part of the body had better be destroyed than for one "to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched." And then He gives the added description: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (vv. 44, 46, 48). This is "everlasting punishment" (Matt. 25:46). See hades, hell, eternal punishment For Further Reading: Hills, Fundamental Christian Theology, 2:415-31; Wiley, CT, 3:356-75. Ralph Earle GENERAL REVELATION. See revelation, natural. GENERATION. Jesus' use of genea, "generation," in Matt. 24:34 (cf. par. Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32) has often been cited by liberals as proof of Jesus' own fallibility. The statement is: "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things take place" (RSV). Error, however, may be predicated only on the assumption that Jesus intended by "generation" a span of time of approximately 40 years. What is overlooked is that this meaning of genea is a derived and secondary meaning, the primary meaning being "family, descent ... a clan, then race, kind" (Arndt and Gingrich). Vine believes this was Jesus' intended meaning in Matt. 17:17; Mark 9:19; Luke 9:41; 16:8 (cf. Acts 2:40). Even though Adam Clarke believed that much of what Jesus predicted did come to pass within that current age, he says of the word "generation": "This race; i.e., the Jews, shall not cease from being a distinct people, till all the counsels of God relative to them and the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Commentary). The charge of error in Jesus thus falls to the ground when the word "generation" is examined more accurately. In systematic theology the term "generation" (from gennesis) is a highly important technical term pertaining to the Trinity, specifically the relation of the Son to the Father. See eschatology, last days (the), eternal generation, eternally begotten. For Further Reading: Vine, ED, 1:42; Baker's DT, 235. Richard S. Taylor GENETICISM. This is the view that original sin, in the sense of moral depravity, is transmitted from Adam to his posterity by natural generation. If the view is combined with creationism (that bodies physically conceived become persons by the incarnation of a soul or spirit especially but separately created by God), the resulting implication is that depravity is entirely a physical condition. In other words, sinfulness is in the body. If the spirit becomes sinful, it will be as a result of contamination by the body. On the other hand, if geneticism is combined with traducianism (that the soul as well as the body is propagated by the parents), the way is left open to see original sin as spiritual propensity, not primarily bodily; but a propensity nevertheless which affects and permeates the whole person. Wesleyan-Arminianism and Augustinianism presuppose geneticism. Wiley says: "Arminianism has made much of this genetic law in its explanation of native depravity" (CT, 2:118). Geneticism is usually discussed in connection
232 GENTLENESS—GENUINENESS OF SCRIPTURE with the so-called Realistic Mode and Representative Mode. These also are theories which seek to account for the transmission of original sin. The relation of geneticism to these theories is intricate and complex, and as a result there is often misunderstanding. Some suppose that if one is a realist or federalist (representative theory adherent), he cannot be a geneticist. This is an error. Wesley was a geneticist, but also a federalist. The simplest way to explain this is to point out that geneticism relates primarily to the transmission of depraved nature itself, whereas realism and federalism are diverse ways of explaining the transmission of guilt from Adam to his de-scendents. No matter what one's theory is concerning whether or not guilt is attached to original sin, he may still be a geneticist. A geneticist is simply one who believes that each generation inherits a sinful bias from the previous generation, and so on back to Adam. Yet the question of guilt cannot lightly be dismissed. The close relationship is expressed by Wiley: "Hereditary depravity then, is only the law of natural heredity, but that law operating under the penal consequences of Adam's sin" (CT, 2:125). While many Arminians reject outright any notion of guilt being attached to original sin, such rejection is not strictly Wesleyan. Wesley believed that inbred sin carried with it legal liability for Adam's sin, exposing even the infant to condemnation; but that such liability was universally cancelled in the prevenient grace which was an unconditional benefit of the Atonement. See ORIGINAL SIN, PREVENIENT GRACE, ATONEMENT, REALISM IN THEOLOGY REPRESENTATIVE THEORY, FALL (THE), GUILT. For Further Reading: Wiley, CT, 2:107-28; gms, 286-89, 296-302. richard S. taylor GENTLENESS. "Gentleness," commonly thought of as being synonymous with kindness and mildness, appears only twice in the OT, and then in identical clauses: 2 Sam. 22:36; Ps. 18:35. The NBV marginal note at the Psalms passage indicating the meaning of the Hebrew anah to be "condescension" and the NIV translation of it as to "stoop down" suggest that the Almighty is not only gentle and kind, but that He willingly condescends to meet the need of the individual person (cf. Ps. 130:3). In the NT, "gentleness," referring to a quality of Christ's character, appears in 2 Cor. 10:1 (kjv, neb, rsv, niv), a translation of the Greek noun epieikeia. The noun occurs only once more in the NT, Acts 24:4, where it is translated "clemency" (Kjv), "kindness" (rsv), and "indulgence" (neb). This same term had wide usage in the ethical Greek writings of the NT times and before. In such literature it was used to describe the person who, aware that on occasion a thing may be legal but at the same time morally wrong, was willing to forego his legal rights rather than to be involved in wrong. The adjective epieikes is used five times in the NT. In Phil. 4:5 Phillips translates it "gentleness." It is also rendered "moderation" (kjv) and "forbearance" (rsv). In 1 Tim. 3:3 it is rendered "patient" (kjv), "gentle" (rsv), "forbearing" (neb). In Titus 3:2; Jas. 3:17; and in 1 Pet. 2:18, it appears as "gentle" (kjv) and as "considerate" (neb, niv). In Gal. 5:22 (kjv) "gentleness" appears as a translation of chrestotes; but that term is more generally translated "kindness." In Eph. 4:2 prautes is translated "gentle" in the NIV and "gentleness" in the NASB and the NBV. According to Hodge, this term refers to a disposition of mind which "enables us to bear without irritation or resentment the faults and injuries of others." Gentleness, always intent on doing what is right, signifies mercy, kindness, forbearance, and condescension. See CHRISTLIKENESS, FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, MEEKNESS. For Further Reading: Barclay, New Testament Words, 94-96; Baker's DT, 235-36. armor d. peisker
Nonconservatives, not respecting Scripture in this way, often question a book's genuineness. This has occurred, widely, among nonevangeli-cals, in the case of the Pastoral Epistles. But, since they all three state that Paul wrote them, evangelicals in general accept the fact that he did. Since the Book of Hebrews does not state who wrote it, evangelicals are divided over the matter of who did. Paul's name got associated with it in certain early KJV Bibles; but that statement of authorship was an addition not contained in the manuscripts we have of Hebrews. See BIBLE, CRITICISM (OT, NT). J. Kenneth Grider
GETHSEMANE—GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT 233
GETHSEMANE. Gethsemane was the site where Jesus regularly prayed (Luke 21:37; John 18:2) and retreated on the night of His betrayal. Though only named in Matt. 26:36 and Mark 14:32, yet Luke 22:39-40 and John 18:1-2 refer to the same site. John alone calls it "garden," leading to the designation "Garden of Gethsemane." The precise location cannot be identified conclusively. Without doubt the evangelists believe that Jesus was confronted with a real choice in Gethsemane. From His baptism and culminating in Gethsemane, Jesus faced the temptation to abandon His God-appointed and self-chosen role as Suffering Messiah in exchange for another, less arduous path to glory. Once Jesus had reconfirmed His acceptance of the Father's will in Gethsemane, He went to His death without a murmur. But the choice was real. To suggest that Jesus could not have done otherwise is to make Gethsemane into a meaningless charade. Neither the Gospels nor Heb. 5:7-8 will allow such an interpretation. The precise nature of the "cup" has attracted many suggestions. A once popular and recently revived view (cf. Hewitt, Hebrews, 97ff) is that Jesus feared He would die in Gethsemane and thus prayed for strength to reach Calvary. Clearly at variance with Heb. 5:7-8, only a forced reading of the Gospels can support this view which appears to spring from a too mechanical view of the Atonement on the one hand and a reverent but misguided attempt to safeguard the divinity of Jesus on the other. Another interpretation is that Jesus shrank from the prospect of breaking His hitherto unbroken filial fellowship with the Father—which He knew His sin-bearing would cause. Partially based upon Mark 15:34 and Matt. 27:46, this view takes seriously the horror of sin and its awful consequence: separation from God. But attractive though this view may be from a doctrinal perspective, it alone cannot do justice to the text. Recent biblical studies have shown the strength of the apparently obvious meaning of the text, namely, that Jesus shrank from the prospect of death. The profound influence of the OT suffering figures in the Psalms and Prophets upon both Jesus and the evangelists provides the background for understanding the meaning of the cup. In the Psalms, the righteous sufferer cries to God for deliverance, and Jesus, as the righteous Sufferer par excellence, seeks deliverance from death. This, coupled with His role as Suffering Messiah largely based upon the Isai-anic servant, means that though Jesus shrank from death, "he recognized the path of the Father's will and followed it to the end" (Bruce, Hebrews, 102). Jesus placed His confidence in His Father, and He became obedient unto death (Phil. 2:8). For us, the significance of Gethsemane lies in our assurance that Jesus endured the utmost temptation to abandon the Father's will, that He paid the ultimate cost for following it, and that God vindicated Him. Thus, we too have hope as we follow Jesus. See CUP. HUMANITY OF CHRIST HUMILIATION OF CHRIST, OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST.
Paul (16 times) and Peter (once, 1 Pet. 4:10) are the only biblical writers to use the terms charisma (sing.)/charismata (pi.). Peter uses charisma to describe capacities to be used in service (diakonia) and communication (lalein). Paul lists 22 abilities, capacities, benefits, or graces divinely imparted as charismata. Paul uses charisma /charismata eight times to indicate general bestowals as varied as the benefit of his own ministry (Rom. 1:11), justification (5:15-16), eternal life (6:23), manifestations of God's elective mercy (11:29), a particular station or condition of life (1 Cor. 7:7), answered prayer (2 Cor. 1:11), and ability for ministry (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6). However, Paul's most distinctive use of the precise word charismata is found in Rom. 12:6 and 1 Cor. 12:4, 9, 28, 30-31 where he names capacities or abilities for carrying on the work of the Church. H. Orton Wiley defines them as "the divinely ordained means and powers with which Christ endows His Church in order to enable it to properly perform its task on earth. . . . [They are] supernatural endowments for service . . . determined by the character of the ministry to be fulfilled" (CT, 2:317-18). Paul gives two lists of charismata (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-11) with only prophecy common to both, and so different in range and tone as to hint that no complete catalog is intended. Proph
234 GLORIFICATION—GLORY ecy is defined in 1 Cor. 14:3 as speaking to others for "strengthening, encouragement and comfort" (Niv). It is listed first in Romans 12, and throughout 1 Corinthians 14 it is valued above unfamiliar languages. The Romans list deals with gifts that are essential to the everyday life of the normal Christian community:
7. Compassion, deed, showing mercy. The Corinthians list deals with gifts that are more exceptional, less universal, possibly transitory (1 Cor. 13:8-9), reflecting in part the unusual conditions in the church at Corinth:
6. Prophecy (as above).
First Cor. 12:28 adds two charismata not previously mentioned:
Paul cites four principles governing the distribution of gifts: (1) Value and profit for the Church as the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:7; 14:6, 19); (2) The sovereign will of the Spirit (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:11-18, 28-30); (3) The unity of the Church with varied functions in one Body (vv. 14-27); (4) The subordination of gifts to graces, especially love (12:31—13:13). See HOLY SPIRIT, FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, KOINONIA. BODY LIFE. Directory: sites -> default -> files -> publications publications -> Table of Content forward introduction publications -> Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies Georgia Institute of Technology publications -> Housing Counseling Research in Chicago publications -> Communicating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Audiences publications -> New Brunswick Info Sheet on First Nations Child Welfare publications -> Paap’s Electronic Newsletter 14 November 2008 Volume 11 Number 22 towards ‘smart’ subsidies in agriculture: lessons from recent experience in malawi publications -> Information support of pedagogical process for the children experiencing difficulties with acquisition of preschool educational programs publications -> Asus’ ZenFone ar has Google’s augmentted and virtual reality baked in — but not combined publications -> School Readiness and Early Grade Success Consultation Memo Atlanta, ga Download 6.66 Mb. Share with your friends:
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