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NOTE ABOUT THIS STILL INCOMPLETE FIRST
DRAFT
At this time, only five of the over thirty main
topics included in the Systematic Theology
Project are complete doctrinal expositions
(although still preliminary)—Law of God,
Sabbath, Annual Holy Days, Tithing and Giving,
and Healing. The remainder of the topics are
covered by brief overviews in some cases or by
"extended" overviews in other cases. All
overviews will be upgraded to full expositions
of the approximate length and thoroughness of
the other five within the next 24 months or so.
It should be emphasized that all of the
statements—whether overview, extended overview
or full exposition—are first drafts and, as
such, will be subjected to continual analysis
and revision.
NOTE ABOUT THE BIBLICAL TRANSLATION
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical scriptures
are quoted from either the Revised Standard
Version or the King James Version.
ORGANIZATION AND PURPOSE
This systematic theology is being produced by
the Worldwide Church of God to reflect its
doctrines, beliefs, practices and traditions.
The development of the project is the response
to a need sensed by the leadership of the
Church. The need was for an up-to-date and
accurate statement of our official doctrinal
positions and understandings, which would
provide a formal record and serve as a
communications vehicle both within and without
the Church.
Within the Church, the systematic theology will
establish a coherent and consistent reference
for the ministry and for the lay membership. As
such, it will promote unity among the ministry
and further understanding among the members. As
a formal record of the Church's beliefs and
teachings, the systematic theology will provide
an official source of public information about
the doctrines of the Worldwide Church of God.
The Bible alone is God's written revelation to
man. This systematic theology is simply an
attempt to explain our comprehension of God's
Word as believed, taught, expounded and applied
by the Church. It is written by men for men—
and is consequently not to be put on a par with
God's Holy Word. The systematic theology is not
to replace the Bible nor to supersede or
overshadow it. The point of view is that of
looking up toward, and not down upon, God's
Word. Although we are building a
superstructure, the Bible will always remain
the foundation. The readership of this theology
is cautioned not to lose this perspective.
A specific approach is followed in order to
make this systematic theology applicable and
relevant to ourselves and to others. A document
intended to fulfill the goals of being
accurate, readable, unifying and informative
must, of course, be written in a manner that
can accomplish these goals. This Systematic
Theology Project is therefore somewhat
different from other systematic theologies
whose goals are different from ours. ' While
other projects may be aimed at scholars or
theologians exclusively, this work is to be
used as a practical working tool for the field
ministry of the Worldwide Church of God. As
such, there will be material—for example, on
Christian living and Church organization—that
is not ordinarily found in academic systematic
theologies. Some of these subjects could be
classified as administrative practices or
Church traditions rather than doctrines and
beliefs. The point is that everything included
is given as guidelines for the ministry.
Therefore, we are under no illusion that this
systematic theology is like any others. It is
unique and intentionally so.
While the Worldwide Church of God traces its
roots to the New Testament Church, our recent
history dates from the calling of Mr. Herbert
W. Armstrong in the late 1920's and to his
commission by God in the early 1930's to preach
the gospel to the world as a witness. As the
Pastor General of the Church, he has set the
example of approaching doctrine as a search for
truth so that one might know and obey God. He
also has long recognized that it is ultimately
through God's Spirit that we can fully
comprehend the Bible. For the years since Mr.
Armstrong's calling until now, the written
record of our beliefs has taken the form of
booklets or articles on individual topics
written as we grew in knowledge, understanding
and insight. But as the Church developed into a
substantial institution, Mr. Garner Ted
Armstrong, Executive Vice-President of the
Church, recognized the need for a more
organized, thorough systematic presentation of
the Church's doctrines and beliefs, and thus
commissioned the present Project.
Now, with the initial establishment of this
more formalized systematic theology, certain
fundamental difficulties arise as by-products
of the process. First is simply the "look" of
apparent perfection and permanence. Only the
Bible itself claims total inspiration, and any
systematic theology must be at least somewhat
arbitrary and artificial. The Bible is God's
Word, presenting with great literary scope and
historical sweep the record of God's
instructions to man and man's relationship with
God. As such, the reality of biblical truth is
coherent and integrated. Biblical "doctrines"
are not formally categorized into topics,
subtopics and sub-subtopics. But this is what
must be done in any systematic theology. We
have obviously tried to formulate the overall
organization to best represent the current
teachings of the Worldwide Church of God. Yet,
since this doctrinal
organization, as with any doctrinal
organization, must divide the truth of God into
independent subjects, the full impact of the
tight interrelationships and inter-dependencies
among all doctrines must of necessity be
somewhat sacrificed. Furthermore, we fully
recognize the numerous ways in which this
systematic theology could have been organized.
We have no illusion that what is hereby
presented is perfect or cannot be improved, but
we intend to accurately reflect the
contemporary teachings of the Church.
The Church recognizes "doctrine" as simply
being the basic tenets or teachings of the
Bible and the Church. The importance of
understanding true doctrine is as vital as
understanding God's master plan itself—since
doctrine in reality is only this same master
plan broken down into its component parts. The
challenge of any systematic theology is to take
these various parts and organize them in a
clear and logical fashion.
The paradox of any systematic theology (as
discussed in the section on the Bible) is that
no one doctrine can be understood apart from
all the other doctrines, and it is impossible
to comprehend all the doctrines without
understanding each individual one. The
interrelationships and interdependencies among
all the biblical teachings are extremely
strong. The structural associations and
interactions among the numerous doctrines are
not therefore limited to a simple
two-dimensional linear progression. Rather,
what we are confronted with is a
multi-dimensional structure with the number of
dimensions just about equaling the number of
doctrines. This means that to explain fully
almost any of the biblical doctrines, one would
have to explain most of the others.
How then do we start? How can we best begin to
systematize biblical theology? Our approach has
been first to discern the appropriate doctrinal
subjects necessary to most efficiently include
the full body of the Church's biblical
teachings, and then proceed to organize them
into a logical and consistent structure. We
developed seven general categories and over
thirty major doctrinal topics for this
preliminary draft. Categories and topics were
chosen and organized to best reflect a logical
pattern of biblical order and to emphasize them
as taught and practiced by the Worldwide Church
of God.
- PRIMARY DOCTRINES; God, Bible, Jesus
Christ, Holy Spirit, Mankind, Angelic Realm;
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- SALVATION; Salvation, Faith, Repentance,
Baptisms, Laying on of Hands;
- KINGDOM OF GOD: Kingdom of God, Gospel,
Prophecy, Resurrections, Judgment;
- LAW OF GOD: Law of God, Biblical Covenants,
Ten Commandments, Sabbath, Annual Holy Days,
Tithing and Giving, Sin;
- THE CHRISTIAN: The Christian, The Christian
Relationship with God, The Christian
Relationship with Fellow Man, The Christian
Family, Healing;
- THE CHURCH OF GOD: The Church of God,
Ministry of the Church, Fellowship of the
Brethren;
- TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES: Statements
on almost thirty traditional doctrines, such as
immortal soul, heaven, hell, trinity, Sunday,
Christmas, Easter, Rapture etc., presenting the
theological viewpoint of the Worldwide Church
of God.
Next, each doctrinal subject was thoroughly
explored from both biblical and Church
perspectives to determine the scope of
subtopics and concepts that should be covered.
These were then submitted to dozens of
ministers for evaluation. The actual writing of
the papers developed from a carefully
constructed outline of concept flow and was
directed to emphasize a practical product. Each
paper was written to be readable and useful as
well as biblically accurate and logical. The
papers were then submitted to other ministers
and scholars of the Church for critique, and
each paper passed through many edits. As an
explanation rather than as a defense, each
doctrinal paper expresses our beliefs honestly
(and hopefully clearly) in a straightforward
manner. This systematic theology is
thereby not intended as a challenge or rebuttal
to others' beliefs.
Each particular doctrinal paper contains first
a "Doctrinal Statement" (a succinct and direct
declaration of the essence of what we believe
on the topic) , followed by a "Doctrinal
Overview" (an expanded statement summarizing
the basic tenets of the doctrine), and finally
a "Doctrinal Exposition" (a full, detailed
explanation of the subject).
One objective this project strives to fulfill
is to project the right perspective by
presenting each doctrine in its proper biblical
context and appropriate relationship to other
doctrines. We try to emphasize what is of clear
biblical importance. It is all too easy to
focus on a relatively minor point of doctrine
to the apparent exclusion of more fundamental
topics. This usually happens because one has
questions he feels need immediate resolution;
at other times it is because one has a
particular interest in the topic. Sometimes
points of doctrine generate focus or interest
in inverse proportion to how much the Bible
discusses them; this is quite understandable,
because the obscure points are, by their very
nature , more intellectually stimulating and
intriguing than the obvious and easily proved
fundamentals of the faith. However, no matter
what the reasons, the pitfall of doctrinal
myopia is to lose the vision of the "big
picture" of God's master plan. Once one has
lost this overview, he has lost his spiritual
way.
The best way to keep our doctrinal focus sharp
and clear is to stay finely tuned to the
central figure of the entire Bible: Jesus
Christ. Jesus Christ is both the focal point
and the "big picture" of the entire Bible—He is
the overview of both testaments. The Old
Testament is the story of His creation and
government (Col. 1:16), His dealings with
Israel (1 Cor. 10:4) and His laws; it also
records His ancestry and the detailed
prophecies of His first and second comings. The
New Testament is the story of His life and
message, the magnification of His laws, the
beginning of His Church and the announcement of
His coming Kingdom. If Christ did not exist,
there would be no Bible-there would be no point
to it. Jesus Christ is the Word of God; and
since the Bible is God's written word, it is,
in a very real sense, the embodiment of Jesus
Christ in verbal representation on the printed
page.
In accordance with the focal point and overview
of the Bible, this systematic theology stresses
Jesus Christ— past, present and future. It
tells of His life, His works, His message, His
"good news," His teachings, His instructions,
His laws, His way of life, His admonitions, His
corrections, His rebukes, His love, His mercy,
His forgiveness, His people, His friends, His
covenants, His Church, His Kingdom, His
promises, and His salvation. The focus is on
Jesus Christ, as these statements represent His
doctrines which we have attempted to present in
an organized and systematic manner. No one
keeping close to the trunk of this tree will
ever get caught out on a limb. No one following
the foundational doctrines of Jesus Christ will
ever suffer doctrinal tunnel vision and the
resultant spiritual blindness that such tunnel
vision can cause.
Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong has always emphasized
the fundamental "trunk of the tree" doctrines
of the Church. These deal with two essential
elements: 1) God's purpose for human existence;
and 2) the plan by which He will accomplish
that purpose. Together they answer the question
which has been the title of one of Mr.
Armstrong's primary booklets, Why Were You
Born?
God's purpose for mankind offers the most
incredible possible potential that can be
imagined. Indeed, it stretches the imagination
beyond its limit, for God states that every
human being can eventually be born into God's
own Family, with God Himself as his or her real
Father. Man was created to actually become God,
just as God Himself is God, with the same
qualities of existence such as immortality and
eternal life. Man was designed to become a full
member of the God Family, just as our elder
brother, Jesus Christ is God and part of that
Family. This is mankind's ineffably awesome
potential—a spectacular destiny which will
eventually include the entire universe as part
of our inheritance.
God's plan for accomplishing this purpose for
mankind is equally breath-taking. God will make
His truth known to all human beings from all
time and every place and give to each of them
individually a full opportunity for salvation.
God is not willing that any should perish and
has structured a plan which will make available
to all people the full knowledge of His purpose
and way (though what they do with this
knowledge will be a product of their
independent minds to which God has given free
moral agency).
This, then, is the essential foundation of
biblical doctrine as believed and taught by the
Worldwide Church of God—that all mankind, every
human being who has ever lived, will eventually
have the opportunity to become born of God into
the Family of God, to literally become God.
Around this fundamental concept every other
biblical doctrine must revolve and relate.
Owing to the obvious interdependence of
biblical doctrines, not everything to be said
on any particular subject can often be
presented in the same place or even in the same
paper. The reader is requested to keep this in
mind before making hasty evaluations or jumping
to quick conclusions. For example, the complex
discussion of "law and grace" must be woven
through many of the doctrinal statements. This
has been an especially confusing subject for
those who have erroneously claimed that the
Worldwide Church of God teaches that salvation
can be earned through obedience to the law. In
order for the reader to grasp the full and
proper biblical understanding of the
many-faceted interrelationships between law and
grace, several of the following doctrinal
statements, overviews and expositions need to
be read in parallel (beginning with Law of God
and Salvation, then including Biblical
Covenants, Sabbath, Ten Commandments, "Law or
Grace" in Traditional Christian Doctrines, and
finally also involving particularly relevant
aspects of other papers, such as the historical
comparison between the Worldwide Church of God
and the early New Testament Church in The
Church of God).
All doctrinal statements need to be read in
their entirety. By searching through the
systematic theology in general or any one
statement in particular for the answer to an
intriguing or needle some problem one runs the
risk of short-circuiting himself. To accurately
comprehend the specific subject of one's
current interest, the reader is advised to at
least read through that whole doctrinal
statement to appreciate the full scope of the
doctrine under consideration, as well as to
skim through any related statements. (For
example, many of the more general—but most
powerful—reasons how we can know that the early
New Testament Church observed God's Feast days
are not presented in the statement on Annual
Holy Days, but are in Law of God, Biblical
Covenants and especially Sabbath.)
The systematic theology project is the product
of numerous ministers and scholars of the
Worldwide Church of God. It is only through
this substantial resource of knowledge and
experience that we can hope to attain a
reflection of God's understanding and wisdom.
Yet the systematic theology must not be
cemented in stone. It will need continual
revision as God guides the Church in further
understanding of His Word.
What is herein presented is therefore still in
preliminary form. It must continue to grow in
both scope and quality. But it cannot grow
without constant constructive input from the
ministry. Ministers should consider it their
responsibility to help refine the Systematic
Theology Project, contributing to it in the
same spirit with which it was prepared. Hence,
we accept, appreciate and welcome—indeed
solicit—all information which serves to enhance
and improve this effort.
Such input may take the form of short or long
edits, comments, ideas, additions, deletions,
critiques, scriptural references, and/or new
information and research. The proper procedure
for giving input is to present your
contribution in as clear a manner as possible
and send it to the Systematic Theology Project
at Church Headquarters in Pasadena, California,
U.S.A., in care of Dr. Robert Kuhn. All
information will be read and considered, and if
accurate, appropriate and approved, it will be
incorporated.
Input from the general membership of the Church
is also welcome, but should be submitted
through the local pastor. The sheer volume of
such material could overwhelm the headquarters
staff unless it is deemed by the local pastor
to have merit. No doctrinal paper can be
considered unless the author's pastor has
studied the paper and then submitted it with
his appropriate annotations, edits, or
comments.
We welcome all input and do plan to begin
working on a second edition just as soon as
this first edition is finished. Yet the
Systematic Theology of the Worldwide Church of
God will never be finalized and complete, as we
continue to follow Peter's admonition to "grow
in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ."
On the other hand, this recognition of need for
refinement and the invitation for criticism
should not be misinterpreted. It does not mean
that the doctrinal statements, overviews and
expositions included here can be followed or
ignored by ministers and members as they see
fit. While these statements of current
teachings and practices contain very little
that is "new" as such, in some cases they do
include additional supportive information and
commentary, or contain original analyses,
syntheses and approaches, or give fresh insight
and understanding—all of which reflect
positively in generating refined comprehension
of, and continued confidence in, the
fundamental doctrinal convictions of the
Church. As such, these papers supersede
individual opinions; out-of-print publications,
articles, and booklets; and past teachings and
earlier understandings. As far as the papers
themselves make possible, they should be used
for doctrinal understanding and exposition.
The process of editing has included approval by
the necessary Church leaders and officers.
These papers are therefore authoritative in
their present form (until upgraded and/or
revised) and are to be followed as guides in
teaching, preaching, and practice by the
ministry and Church membership.
Copyright © 1978 Worldwide Church of God All
Rights Reserved (expired copyright)
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