God the Father, Mentor's Guide, MG06

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G O D T H E F A T H E R

3. Theology is reflection about revelation ; it is human thinking about God’s person and revelation.

a. We should be alert to how our culture influences our thinking about God.

b. We ought not trust our own judgments about God unaided by the Holy Spirit .

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c. Many theologies exist because no theology explains God fully .

d. Humility is the cardinal virtue for theological study.

4. Credible theology issues from Scripture and Church : theology is the Church reflecting on God’s revelation anchored in Scripture.

5. Theology may consult other disciplines but must never follow them absolutely; God alone can reveal himself to us by his Spirit through the Scriptures .

II. The Sovereign God Makes Himself Known to Us: General and Special Revelation

General revelation: “God’s communication of himself to all persons at all times in all places.” Special revelation: “God’s particular communications and manifestations of himself to particular persons at particular times, communications and manifestations which are available now only by consulting certain sacred writings [i.e., the Bible].”

~ Millard Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine , 2nd Ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2001. p. 42