Systematic Theology at Redeemer
Systematic theology seeks rightly to divide the Word of truth, particularly the holy Scriptures. It aims at formulations which correctly understand the Scriptures, through proper exegesis, and applies those formulations to the needs of the church and the issues of the day. To that end, the Systematic Theology curriculum enables students:
- To understand and be able to articulate “the whole counsel of God” in the form of the system of doctrine taught in Scripture
- To grasp the way this system of doctrine derives from sound interpretation that does justice to the unity of Scripture in its historical and authorial diversity
- To understand the history of doctrine, primarily the theological heritage of the Reformed Churches and their confessional documents, especially the Westminster Standards
- To recognize within the theological heritage of the Reformed Churches what is perennial and undoubted and what is not yet settled
- To value the Westminster Standards as a summary of the system of doctrine taught in Scripture and, where appropriate, be prepared ex animo to subscribe to them as such
- To embrace the system of doctrine taught in Scripture in a way that enhances devotion to God and service to the church and the world, and so, in all, “to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge”
“The task of systematic theology is to set forth in orderly and coherent manner the truth respecting God and his relations to men and the world. This truth is derived from the data of revelation, and revelation comprises all those media by which God makes himself and his will known to us men. All other departments of theological discipline contribute their findings to systematic theology and it brings all the wealth of knowledge derived from these disciplines to bear upon the more inclusive systematization which it undertakes.” – John Murray
ST101 Introduction to Systematic Theology
Purpose: to provide foundations for the study of theology, particularly for deepening understanding of the teaching of Scripture as a whole and in its unity. Topics covered in the course include nature, method, and sources of theology; revelation and the inspiration of Scripture. 2 semester hours. (M.Div. requirement)
ST113 Doctrine of God
Purpose: To grasp that we can know nothing of God except he first revealed himself to us; to recognize that the doctrine of God (theology proper) seeks to unpack the teaching of Scripture and not directly the problems set by philosophy; to value those ecumenical creeds of the church which give classic expression to vital elements of the doctrine of God, and whose doctrine is evident in the Westminster Standards; to embrace the doctrine of God not as a bare set of propositions but as the very personal knowledge of God so essential to worship and service and so characteristic of a Reformed world and life view. Topics covered in the course include nature, method, and sources of theology; revelation and the inspiration of Scripture. 2 semester hours. (M.Div. requirement)
ST211 Doctrine of Man
Purpose: To enable students to understand and to value their identity as made in God’s image, as they see that image in Jesus Christ; to think of “self-esteem” in a biblical way, as “boasting in weakness”; to enable students to recognize the guilt and misery of their sin; and how that is removed by God’s love expressed in Christ and his work; to understand what is crucial about the relation between the imputation of Adam’s sin and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness; to learn more of the skills involved in graduate research. Topics covered in this course include Reformed and other understandings of the image of God; dichotomy and trichotomy; biblical aspects of personality; covenant relationship to God; New England, Princeton, and Southern understandings of the imputation of Adam’s sin; law and gospel as basis of the knowledge of sin; inability; forgiveness of others. Prerequisite, Hebrew III completed or in progress and Greek III or equivalent. 2 semester hours. (M.Div. requirement)
ST223 Doctrine of Salvation I
Purpose: To deepen understanding of the salvation accomplished by the triune God in Christ in both its central focus and comprehensive scope. Topics covered include plan of salvation, covenant of grace, person and work of Christ. Prerequisite, Hebrew II and Greek III or equivalent. 3 semester hours. (M.Div. requirement)
ST313 Doctrine of Salvation II
Purpose: To understand and be able to articulate the application of redemption, the sacraments, and the last things; to recognize how emphases running throughout the curriculum (redemptive history, union with Christ, and authorial diversity) come together in our understanding of the order or application of salvation; to reflect on Calvin’s doctrine of salvation, thereby learning the necessity of a sympathetic-critical reading of the soteriology of the Westminster Standards; to learn how best to proclaim the gospel and to defend a Reformed understanding of it. Topics covered in the course include the history and order/application of salvation and union with Christ: its context (effectual calling, regeneration, and pneumatological union); its benefits (justification, adoption, sanctification); its realization (faith and repentance); its sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper); its certainty (assurance and perseverance/preservation); and its consummation (the last things). Prerequisites, Hebrew III, or equivalent, and Greek III, or equivalent, completed or in progress. 4 semester hours. (M.Div. requirement)
ST323 Christian Ethics
Purpose: to study and reflect on our obligations toward God’s revealed will; to arrive at certain convictions about key moral issues facing the church today; to grow in wisdom, the ability to discern good and evil in every situation. Topics covered include the biblical foundation for ethics, an introduction to different types of ethical systems, hermeneutical questions, Christians and the public square, sanctification, the clash of obligations, calling, stewardship, sexual ethics, bioethical issues, race matters, ethics in cyberspace, just war theory, and ecology. Prerequisite, Hebrew III and Greek III or equivalent. 4 semester hours. (M.Div. requirement)
ST530 The Westminster Standards
Purpose: To exposit the theology of the Assembly by means of a study of the Westminster Confession of Faith. Topics covered in the course include the origin and convening of the Westminster Assembly. 2 semester hours. (Elective)
