_The Doctrines of the Bible._
By REV. J. L. HURLBUT, D.D., AND R. S. HOLMES, A.M.
_Doceo_ means I teach. _Doctum_, a teaching. _Doctrina_, the result of
teaching—_learning_. The doctrines of the Bible are simply its teachings.
They are the teachings of God to the race, contained in the record of his
dealings with the race. These dealings of God produced a supernatural
history, in the course of which man originated and fell, the nature and
character of the Creator appeared, the presence, power and effects of sin
were made known, and the original and ultimate purposes of God with the
race were declared. The outline of these teachings or doctrines is not
designed to be exhaustive, nor is it formed on the model of any treatise
on systematic theology. It aims to prompt to further study in the
classics of theology, and to plainly state a few essential truths. These
doctrines of the Bible are:
_1. The Doctrine Concerning Beginnings._ (_a_) God was without
beginning—Genesis 1:1. First fact—“The Eternal God.” (_b_) The Holy
Spirit was without beginning—Gen. 1:2. Second fact—“The Eternal Spirit.”
(_c_) The Word was without beginning—John 1:1. Third fact—“The Eternal
Son.” Essential doctrine: the Triune God; unbegun, coequal, eternal.
(_d_) All else, the whole vast universe, began by the power of God—Gen.
1:1—through the Son—John 1:3. Fourth fact—“Man God’s offspring.”
Essential doctrine: The Fatherhood of God; his sovereignty and right to
demand obedience of his creatures.
_2. The Doctrine Concerning Relations._ (_a_) God _is Creator_: hence
_powerful_; _a spirit_—John 4:24—hence unseen; _without beginning or
ending, hence infinite and eternal_—Ps. 90:1. Formula: “God is a spirit,
infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness,
justice, goodness and truth.” (_b_) _Man is the creature._ Essentially a
thing created; he dies daily, to be recreated daily. What of himself man
destroys, the Creator by daily sustenance replaces. He is therefore the
bread-giver, _Hlaf-ford_—_Lord_. The gifts of the Creator are beneficent;
so he is the Good-One, God. The Creator is also guardian, protector—that
is, _Father_.
Relation restated. The Creator, Lord, God, Father. The creature—a
dependent child. The law of paternity—like produces like. Essential
doctrine—man was originally like God, in harmony with him and at peace
with him—Gen. 1:27.
_3. The Doctrine Concerning Positions._ (_a_) Man supreme in creation.
God calls himself Father of no other created thing. _Man a thinker,
hence supreme._ (_b_) _Man free in the midst of creation._ No other
power to dispute his right. In fellowship with God, his Father. In a
place of his Father’s choice, under rules of his Father’s making; with
a work of his Father’s planning—Gen. 2:15-16—with power to follow his
own will—(Gen. 2:17, last clause)—answerable to no one but his Father.
Essential Doctrines—The sovereignty of God—the freedom of man. (_c_) _Man
confronted by a foe_—Gen. 3:1—A sinful power in the universe: sin before
man—2 Peter 2:4, 1 John 3:8. _Picture_—The Almighty Father—the boundless
earth—the wide permission; the single restraint; the only child; the
tempter; the fall; sin’s victory—Romans 5:12. Essential doctrine: By
man sin entered the world, and death by sin, imparting to man a sinful
nature, and separating man from God.
_4. The Doctrine Concerning Results._ (_a_) Separation from God; Eden
lost; toil, pain and death—Gen. 3:17-19:23. (_b_) The kingdom of
death—Romans 5:14; its prince, Satan; its subjects unclean—Job 15:14-16;
its history a record of “sin, schism, and the clash of personalities.”
(_c_) Eternal punishment probable from analogy, reasonable, just. Let
the student carefully examine the testimony.
_5. The Doctrine Concerning Rescue._ (_a_) Promised early in history—Gen.
3:15. (_b_) _Divine_—John 3:16. (_c_) Yet _human_—Gen. 3:15; Romans 5:18;
Luke 3:23 and ff. Central fact of history, the God-man. (_d_) Restoration
to God’s likeness—1 John 3:2. (_e_) A life-giving rescue—Romans 6:23.
(_f_) A cleansing rescue; find the symbolic use of water in Bible. (_g_)
Obtained through suffering and propitiatory death—Isaiah 53. (_h_)
Established by resurrection—Ps. 16:10, 49:15; Hosea 13:14. Essential
doctrine: Salvation from God as a free gift of his grace for all who
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
_6. The Doctrine Concerning Instruction._ (_a_) God himself the teacher
of the race. _Adam_—_Abel_—the Altar and Sacrifice. Note: _service_ and
_sacrifice_, man’s first lesson; the ark and Noah; rescue from sin’s
penalty through obedience, man’s second lesson; Abraham—reckoned as
righteous, because believing, man’s third lesson. (_b_) Moses the teacher
of the race; the tabernacle in the wilderness; the same lessons repeated;
God using his servant by direct instruction and communion. (_c_) The
prophets the teachers of the race—Samuel—Malachi—the same lesson
repeated; God teaching by inspiration; the home; the church; holy men
speaking as moved by the Holy Ghost. (_d_) God by his Son the teacher of
the race; Jesus Christ, Galilee, Samaria, Judea, the manger, the desert,
the cross, the Easter morn, lessons, service, obedience, sacrifice,
victory. (_e_) God by his teacher of the race.