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Quotes by H. Wayne House

1

Every normal person is born with the idea of God implanted in his mind, though it is suppressed in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18). As the child grows into adulthood, this idea becomes clearer. Critical experiences in the course of life may make this idea come alive (The Argument that God is an Innate Idea, proponents- Augustine, C. Hodge, Calvin).

2

[God’s foreknowledge is] the selective knowledge of God that makes one an object of God’s love; it is more than mere knowledge or cognition beforehand. The term focuses on God motivation to act, relating to persons rather than what the persons will or will not do.

3

General revelation is God’s communication of Himself to all persons at all times and in all places. It refers to God’s self-manifestation through nature, history, and the inner being (consciousness) of the human person.

4

The Bible uses many terms to describe the nature of sin: ignorance (Eph. 4:18), error (Mk. 12:24-27), impurity, idolatry (Gal. 5:19-20), trespass (Rom. 5:15), etc. Sin’s essence is placing something else in God’s place. It is anything that falls short of His glory and perfection. Sin is disobedience.

5

The word "Trinity" is never used, nor is the doctrine of Trinitarianism ever explicitly taught in the Scriptures, but Trinitarianism is the best explanation of the biblical evidence. The theological exposition of the doctrine arose from clear…scriptural teaching. It is a crucial doctrine for Christianity because it focuses on who God is, and particularly on the deity of Jesus Christ. Because Trinitarianism is not taught explicitly in the Scriptures, the study of the doctrine is an exercise in putting together biblical themes and data through a systematic theological study and through looking at the historical development of the present orthodox view of what the biblical presentation of the Trinity is.

6

[The effectual call of God] is issued by the Father and made effective by the work of the Holy Spirit as He illuminates and enables the individual to understand and respond positively to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus as contained in the Word of God.

7

Because of the fall, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the Gospel. The sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is sinful and desperately corrupt. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature, therefore he will not – indeed he cannot – choose good over evil in the spiritual realm.

8

Man is restless. He has a vague longing for blessedness. This longing was given by God, for man is restless until he rests in God. The presence of this longing is an indirect proof of God existence (The Argument from Blessedness, proponents- Augustine, Aquinas).

9

All people believe that something is true. If God is the God of truth and the true God, then God is truth. This Truth (capital T) is the context for all other truth. Therefore the existence of truth implies the existence of Truth, which implies the existence of God (The Argument from Truth, proponents- Augustine, A. Strong).

10

Man has an idea of an infinite and perfect being. Existence is a necessary part of perfection. [Therefore] an infinite and perfect being exists, since the very concept of perfection requires existence (The Ontological Argument, proponents- Anselm).

11

All men possess a moral impulse or categorical (moral) imperative. Since this morality is not always rewarded in this life, there must be some basis or reason for moral behavior that is beyond this life. This implies the existence of immorality, ultimate judgment, and a God who establishes and supports morality by rewarding good and punishing evil (The Anthropological (Moral) Argument, proponents- Kant).

12

There is observable order or design in the world that cannot be attributed to the object itself; this observable order argues for an intelligent being who established this order; this being is God (The Teleological Argument, proponents- Aquinas).

13

Every effect has a cause; there cannot be an infinite regress of finite causes; therefore, there must be an uncaused cause or necessary being; this being is God (The Cosmological Argument, proponents- Aquinas).

14

Contrast between the Visible and Invisible Church. Visible: Membership: Saved and lost, Only currently living people, Many local churches, Differing denominations, Part of the body of Christ, Differing types of government and Ministering the ordinances. Invisible: Membership: Saved only, Both dead and living in Christ, Only one universal church, No single denomination, The entire body of Christ, Christ the only head and Ordinances fulfilled.

15

[Baptism] is simply a testimony – the first profession of faith that the believer makes. The rite shows the community that the individual is now identified with Christ. It is a symbol of an inward reality.

16

Part of the image of God in man (i.e., His "natural image") is obscured, but not destroyed by sin; and part of God’s "moral image" is lost to man as the result of sin but restored in Christ.

17

In addition to the outward general call to salvation, which is made to everyone who hears the Gospel, the Holy Spirit extends to the elect a special inward call that inevitably brings them to salvation. The external call (which is made to all without distinction) can be, and often is, rejected; whereas the internal call (which is made only to the elect) cannot be rejected; it always results in conversion. By means of this special call the Spirit irresistibly draws sinners to Christ. He is not limited in His work of applying salvation to man’s will, nor is He dependent on man’s cooperation for success. The Spirit graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ. God’s grace, therefore, is invincible; it never fails to result in the salvation of those to whom it is extended.