Soteriology:  The Doctrine of Salvation

Syllabus

Wallen Baptist Church, STEPS Class, Spring 2013

Revised September 12, 2015

Teachers:

Details:

Textbooks:

Schedule:

Sessions Suggested chapters
in Grudem		 Comments and
Progress in Soteriology Outline		 Additional Resources
on various subjects
✓ Session 1
Jan 16		    
✓ Session 2
Jan 23		 1 - 2  
✓ Session 3
Jan 30		 3 - 4  
✓ Session 4
Feb 6		 5 - 6  
✓ Session 5
Feb 13		 7 - 8  
✓ Session 6
Feb 20		 9 - 10  
✓ Session 7
Feb 27		 11 - 12  
  • The nature of Christ's death:  Basic Christianity, John Stott, ch. 7 ("The death of Christ")
✓ Session 8
Mar 6		  

(Some parents will miss this session due to the Awana Grand Prix night)
✓ Session 9
Mar 13		 13 - 14  
✓ Session 10
Mar 20		 15 - 16  
    No class Mar 27, Passion week  
    No class Apr 3, Spring break  
✓ Session 11
Apr 10		 17 - 18  
✓ Session 12
Apr 17		 19 - 20  
✓ Session 13
Apr 24		 Appendix 1  


Annotated Bibliography:

Soteriology

Stott, John R. W., Basic Christianity, Inter-Varsity Press, 1958, 144 pages
Excellent explanation of both Christology and Soteriology.  Stott, an Anglican, is a well known and influential biblical scholar and very clear writer.  The book is filled with helpful expositions of scripture.  He packs loads of insights into this short volume – a "must read."
Chafer, Lewis Sperry, Salvation; God's Marvelous Work of Grace, Dunham1917, Kregal 1991, Nabu Press 2010, 166 pages
Chafer was a traveling evangelist and the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary.  A straightforward explanation of the biblical plan of salvation with lots of scripture quotations and references.  Especially helpful for the new believer.  (Conservative and dispensational)
Olson, C. Gordon, Getting the Gospel Right: A Balanced View of Salvation Truth, Global Gospel Publishers, 2005, 374 pages
Covers all aspects of salvation, using the mediate view explained in the next section below under Olson's larger (and somewhat more technical) Between Calvinism and Arminianism.  Excellent balance and clarity.
Demarest, Bruce, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, Crossway, 1997, 544 pages
Demarest divides the subject of salvation into ten different aspects and, for each, presents introductory concerns, various historical views, biblical exposition, and practical implications.  A thorough and helpful work on the college and seminary level.  Demarest describes himself as moderately Reformed.
Machen, J. Gresham, What is Faith? Eerdmans 1925, Banner of Truth 1996, 264 pages
Machen founded both the Westminster Theological Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and wrote a long-used textbook on New Testament Greek.  He is well known for his scholarly defense of biblical Christianity against the liberalism of the early 20th century.  Here he discusses the biblical view of faith while also branching out to provide important insights on other aspects of soteriology as well as theology in general.

Election, predestination, etc.

See bibliography at end of Calvin and Arminius paper

Theology in general

NOTE:  The following are only a few of many good conservative theology books.  Others worth reading include Louis Berkhof, and Charles Hodge.  And don't forget the two famous reformers from the 1500s and 1600s, John Calvin and James Arminius.

Schaeffer, Francis A., The God Who Is There: Speaking Historic Christianity into the Twentieth Century, Inter-Varsity Press, 1968
One of the earliest (and still one of the best) books explaining the devastating effects of the philosophical movements of the past two centuries – effects on belief in God and thus on all other biblical doctrine.  Documents the intellectual ruin springing from the death of antithesis and absolutes and the rise of subjectivism and existentialism.
Lewis, Gordon R., Decide for Yourself: A Theological Workbook, InterVarsity Press, 1970.
Each topic is presented by briefly describing several different views.  Then the relevant biblical passages are presented for the reader to evaluate the various views.  Lewis makes it quite clear which view he holds.  Excellent place to start.
Thiessen, Henry C., Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology, Eerdmans, 1949.
Excellent first reader in theology.  Dense with scripture references.  Dispensational, not Calvinistic.  (Beware Doerksen's revision, published after Thiessen's death, which contains Calvinistic corruptions of Thiessen's views.)
Buswell, James Oliver, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, 2nd edition, Zondervan, 1962.
Thoughtful and full of good insights.  Somewhat conversational style.  Deals with key passages in their extended context.  Reformed.
Erickson, Millard J., Christian Theology, 2nd edition, Baker, 1998 (3rd edition "coming soon")
Although a seminary level text, this is a relatively easy read.  Clearly written and comprehensive.  Moderately Calvinistic.  Fair treatment of others' views.  An abbreviated version is available under the title Introducing Christian Doctrine (2nd edition).
Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Zondervan, 1994
Comprehensive.  Written in straight-forward, easy to understand language.  Calvinistic.
Culver, Robert Duncan, Systematic Theology: Biblical and Historical, Mentor / Christian Focus Publications, 2005
Thorough coverage of the various theological topics plus the history and literature related to those topics.
Strong, Augustus Hopkins, Systematic Theology (Revell, 1907)
Broad coverage of the entire field of systematic theology.  Pages 829-848 discuss conversion, repentance, and faith and include some interesting thoughts on the content of the faith of those who have never heard of Christ.  (The reader should be aware that some theologians find fault with Strong's theory of the atonement, labeling his views as "evolutionary pantheism" and claiming that he identifies Christ with the human race to such an extent as to make Christ responsible for human sin and under obligation to pay for sin.  For one evaluation of Strong's theory of the atonement see James Oliver Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, Vol 2, p. 97-100.)
Henry, Carl F. H., God, Revelation, and Authority (6 volumes), originally published by Word, 1983, (published in paperback in 1999 by Crossway)
Highly acclaimed in evangelical circles.  Relevant to both theology and apologetics.  An excellent antidote to neo-orthodoxy and other pseudo-christian systems.
Bruce, F. F. and W. J. Martin, The Deity of Christ, Manchester: North of England Evangelical Trust, 1964
This original 24 page booklet has been retyped and placed online at theologicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/ffb/deity_bruce.pdf.  Packed with solid information related to the trinity and the deity of Christ.  Deals with a number of passages misinterpreted by Arians and Jehovah's Witnesses.
Boettner, Loraine, Studies in Theology, (Presbyterian and Reformed, 1947)
Strongly Calvinistic.

Study Bibles

The NIV Study Bible (Kenneth Barker, genl. ed.) Zondervan, 1999
Full of helpful cross references, notes, introductions to individual books and major sections, index to subjects and charts, concordance, maps.
NRSV Harper Study Bible, Expanded Edition (Harold Lindsell, genl. ed.) Zondervan, 1991
Full of helpful cross references, notes, introductions to individual books, index to annotations, concordance, and maps.

Websites

biblos.com
Excellent search capabilities in multiple translations, dictionaries, etc.  Commentaries, atlas, and many other resources.
biblestudytools.com
Dozens of English translations plus some foreign languages.  Search capabilities.  Commentaries and many other resources.
biblegateway.com
Dozens of English translations plus many foreign languages.  Search capabilities.  Commentaries and many other resources.
net.bible.org
Uses the New English Translation, also called the NETBible.  Search capabilities.  Includes other translations for comparison.  Hebrew and Greek text with mouse-over highlighting that corresponds to the English text (similar to an interlinear) and displays a lexical entry.  Heavily annotated (several notes on each verse) often dealing with the translation process and textual criticism.  Many other notes and articles related to introductory matters and typical commentary.  Valuable to all; especially valuable to those with a basic knowledge of Hebrew/Greek.  Major input from scholars at Dallas Theological Seminary.
whatthebibleteaches.com
An updated presentation of R. A. Torrey's 1898 systematic theology entitled What the Bible Teaches (using the NIV).