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Systematic Theology I

The study of systematic theology is a mixture of science, art and faith. Join Dr. Ware as he leads you in understanding the core teachings of Scripture in a way that help you articulate your systematic theology, deepen your relationship with God and live out your life as a changed person.
Number of lessons: 27
Total length: 27 hours and 30 minutes
Format: Audio
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About This Class

What value is there to attempt to know the unknowable or to try to understand someone that, by their own description, is beyond our understanding?

Even though we cannot know everything there is to know about God, there are some things you can know because he has revealed them to you. You can develop a systematic theology as you contemplate what you experience in nature, what you can read in the Bible and what you can know from history. This will give you insights into who God is, how you can have a relationship with him, and how you will live your life differently. Dr. Ware begins by giving you a systematic theology definition and explains systematic theology teachings and concepts that you will find in systematic theology books. He also helps you to learn both the inductive and deductive approaches in assessing various criteria so you can determine for yourself the validity of any theological position.

Some of the first lectures in Dr. Ware’s Systematic Theology I give you the core theological positions of major movements like Calvinism, Arminianism, Covenant, Liberalism and Neo Orthodoxy and help you compare and contrast their different perspectives. Also, since the Bible is the primary source for determining your systematic theology, Dr. Ware defines and explains key terms like inspiration, revelation, inerrancy, illumination and canonicity. God’s existence and attributes make up a major part of this class. The final lectures in Systematic Theology I focus on what the Bible teaches us about humans and sin.

The study of systematic theology is a mixture of science, art and faith. Join Dr. Ware as he leads you in understanding the core teachings of Scripture in a way that help you articulate your systematic theology, deepen your relationship with God and live out your life as a changed person.

This is the first of a two semester class on systematic theology. We recommend the book Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem as a companion book for this class. Dr. Grudem also wrote an abridged version entitled Bible Doctrines that includes discussion questions that are helpful for using in a small group/classroom situation. 

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About the Professor

Bruce Ware

Dr. Bruce Ware, T. Rupert and Lucille Coleman Professor of Christian Theology at Southern Seminary, is a renowned theologian and author. Formerly at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, he has written extensively on theology, including works like God's Greater Glory and Big Truths for Young Hearts.

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Bruce Ware

Lessons

  • 1. Prolegomena

    An introduction to theology, answering the questions of what is EST (Evangelical Systematic Theology), why study EST, and how it relates to other theological disciplines.

  • 2. Method of Evangelical Theology

    Introductory issues of how to do EST and the criteria for assessing theological formulations.

  • 3. Cultural Contextualization; Theological Systems

    Issues of cultural Christianity, and the evangelical position of "contextualized normativity."

  • 4. Calvinism and Arminianism

    Begins with a discussion of the background to the discussion (Pelagius, Augustine, Council of Carthage, and semi-Pelagianism), and then a discussion of Luther, Calvin, Arminius, the Synod of Dort and the Five Points of Calvinism.

  • 5. Covenant Theology

    Covenant Theology, Dispensationalism, and their views of Israel and the church

  • 6. Liberalism, Neo Orthodoxy, Evangelicalism

    A discussion of these three positions and the key figures in each (Schleiermacher, Ritschl, von Harnack; Barth, Brunner, Niebuhr; Carnell, Henry, Graham)

  • 7. Doctrine of Scripture

    The beginning discussion of revelation and the specifics of General Revelation

  • 8. Special Revelation; Inspiration

    A continuation of the discussion of revelation with an emphasis on Special Revelation, moving into the topic of Inspiration (definition and key passages).

  • 9. Inerrancy

    A survey of the recent debate, defining inerrancy (including the relationship of hermeneutics and inerrancy), and its relationship to authority.

  • 10. Illumination; Canonicity

    The definition of illumination, why it is necessary, and how we come to know truth. The critceria for canonicity is then discussed and why the canon is now closed (i.e., why no more books would be accepted into the Bible).

  • 11. Theism; Proof of God's existence

    Why there is a need to know God, and "theism" (arguments as to whether there is a God or not).

  • 12. Knowledge of God; the Trinity

    Can God be known? The Doctrine of the Trinity (Scriptural basis; historical background; Monarchian heresies)

  • 13. The Trinity

    Continuation of the discussion of the Trinity and the church's rejection of Monarchianism

  • 14. Attributes of God

    Beginning of the discussion of the attributes of God's character, and how the discussion is organized.

  • 15. Attributes of God: Love, Self-Sufficiency

    The related doctrines of God's self-sufficiency and his love. (The lecture begins in the middle of a sentence but not much content is missing. Point V., subpoints 1 and 2 were covered in lecture 14. See Outline tab.)

  • 16. Attributes of God: Incommunicable (Part 1)

    God's incommunicable attributes are those that he does not share with us: self-existence; self-sufficiency; infinity; omnipresence; eternity

  • 17. Attributes of God: Incommunicable (Part 2)

    Completes the discussion of God's incommunicable attributes by discussing immutability, the doctrine that God does not change.

  • 18. Attributes of God: Communicable (Part 1)

    Discussion of those attributes of God's character that he shares (to some degee) with his creation, beginning with his intellectual attributes (omniscience).

  • 19. Attributes of God: Communicable (Part 2)

    A continuing discussion of God communicable attributes, both intellectual (Omnisapience; truth) and moral (goodness; love).

  • 20. Attributes of God: Communicable (Part 3)

    Continuation of the discussion of God's communicable moral attributes (love, grace, mercy; holiness, righteousness, justice) and the attributes of God's rulership (freedom; omnipotence).

  • 21. Sovereignty of God (Part 1)

    The Scriptural teaching and issues related to this central question

  • 22. Sovereignty of God (Part 2)

    Hyper-Calvinism, Process Theology, Arminianism, and Calvinism

  • 23. Sovereignty of God (Part 3)

    Concluding discussion on Calvinism

  • 24. Introduction and Human Origins

    An introduction to the doctrine of humanity and the doctrine of humanity's origin (Adam and Eve)

  • 25. Human Nature and the Soul

    Theories on the structure of the human soul (Monism, Dichotomy, Trichotomy) and the transmission of the soul (Creationism, Traducianism).

  • 26. Doctrine of Sin

    Sin is one of the most foundational and significant topics in Scripture. The doctrines of salvation and sanctification are meaningless without an accurate understanding of sin. The Old Testament teaches both the personal and corporate aspects of sin. New Testament teachings include the essence of sin and total depravity.

  • 27. Original Sin

    The facets of the Fall, theories of Original Sin, and God's triumph over sin

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