BI 352 – Bible Doctrines 2
Spring 2014 Syllabus
J. Michael Lester
I. Course Description
This class is designed to enhance the biblical understanding gained in Bible Doctrines 1. BI 351 is a prerequisite for this class. Based on what we have covered in that class, there are some foundational principles that are assumed. For example:
1. It is assumed that the Bible promises its own extension from one generation to the next. In our generation, the King James Bible is the preserved Word of God for the English-speaking people. (Psalm 12:6-7; Psalm 138:1-2)
2. It is assumed that God is the Creator of everything, that He is a holy God, and that He exists as three distinct Persons with one essence. There is only ONE God. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6)
3. It is assumed that Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God, but also that He is God the Son. It is in Him that all fullness, the very nature and essence, of the Godhead dwells. (Col 2:9; Heb 1:6, 8)
If these assumptions are not understood as yet, it is recommended that you take Bible Doctrines 1 again. During this semester, we will cover each of the following doctrines along with its subsequent applications:
a. Bibliology
· We will study Revelation – the Bible’s authority
· We will study Inspiration – the Bible’s recording
· We will study Preservation – the Bible’s extension through time and language
· We will study Canonization – the Bible’s recognition as authoritative and binding by Israel and the Church
· We will study Illumination – the Bible’s enlightenment through the Spirit
· We will study Translation – the Bible’s preservation through languages
NOTE: By virtue of this class, you should be able to answer the following questions:
1. Is the Bible truly God’s word? (Can you defend the Bible’s authority?)
2. What is the Canon of Scripture?
3. What does it mean to say the Bible is inspired?
4. Does the Bible contain errors?
5. Why are there so many translations today?
6. Is there sufficient evidence to support the doctrine of inspiration?
7. What is the difference between illumination and revelation?
b. Theology
· We will see that God is holy. (Isaiah 57:15)
· We will understand that sin is a violation of His holiness, not simply just doing wrong. (This assumes that moral absolutes exist.)
· We will understand that the attributes of God in their entirety never violate the holiness of God.
· We will see that God’s sovereignty no where violates the free will of man biblically. We will also understand that the logic of man (Calvinism) and the extremes of man (Arminianism) cannot dictate our system of beliefs. We must rest our understanding of God solely on the Bible.
· We will understand that the issue of sovereignty is one of control, and not one of causation.
· We will see that this holy, sovereign King has chosen to be a merciful Redeemer in order to have fellowship with us – we who are sinners by nature.
· God, in His roles, functions as Creator, Redeemer, and King. True and honest biblical exegesis insists that this basic understanding be kept in mind.
NOTE: By virtue of this class, you should be able to answer the following questions:
1. What does it mean to say that God is holy?
2. What is sin?
3. What are the differences and similarities between Calvinism and Arminianism?
4. What does it mean to say that God is sovereign?
5. To what extent does the sovereignty of God reach?
6. What do the attributes of God teach us about His nature?
c. Christology
· We will understand that the Bible teaches that Christ was a Man.
· Therefore, we will find verses that deal with the humanity of Christ. While Jehovah’s Witnesses are well-versed in scriptures dealing with the human nature of Christ, they tend to be conspicuously silent concerning verses dealing with His divine nature or simply re-translate it in the Watchtower (e.g. John 1:1; Heb 1:8).
· We will also see that the Bible teaches that Christ is the Pre-incarnate Son of God. The “First begotten from the dead” refers to a privileged position, not a birth order.
· We will learn multiple verses concerning the deity of Christ.
· We will ultimately learn how to defend our position based on biblical principles, not traditional teachings.
NOTE: By virtue of this class, you should be able to answer the following questions:
1. Was Jesus really a man?
2. Could Jesus sin, and just chose not to?
3. What is the teaching behind Philippians 2:5-11? (Kenosis Passage)
4. Did Jesus ever personally claim to be God?
5. How can Jesus be “all-God” and “all-man” at the same time?
II. Course Objectives
As a result of this course, students should be able to:
1. Compare and contrast the concepts of revelation and inspiration
2. Compare and contrast the concepts of revelation and illumination
3. List at least 5 verses that teach the doctrine of preservation
4. Use at least 5 verses that show why the Apocrypha is not in our Bibles today
5. Define the words inerrant, infallible, verbal and plenary
6. List the dominant attribute of God’s character as given in Scripture
7. Resolve the tension of Calvinism by contrasting God’s roles as Creator, King, and Redeemer
8. State a reasoned biblical answer as to why there are moral absolutes
9. List 20 verses dealing with the deity of Christ
10. Be able to pass a comprehensive final exam with at least 80% accuracy
11. List at least one verse with each of the other attributes of God
12. Prove from Scripture that the “love of God” does not lead us to universalism.
III. Course Requirements
This class involves more than simply listening to lectures given in class. There is an outside responsibility that falls upon you, the student:
1. Obtain a copy of the book, A More Sure Word. Each chapter should be read carefully and methodically.
a. Identify five principles from each of the 10 chapters.
b. This assignment is to be typed and double-spaced.
c. Must have a collegiate title page.
d. Due February 17, 2014 by 4:00 pm.
e. This can be accepted early; it will not be accepted late.
f. Please email to
2. Obtain a copy of the book, Jesus Christ our Lord by John Walvoord. You are required to read the assigned chapters
a. Read chapter 1, “Christ in Contemporary Theology”
1. One page summary of this chapter
2. Typed, and due by March 10, 2014 by 4:00 pm.
3. This can be accepted early; it will not be accepted late.
4. Please email to
b. Read chapter 5, “Christ in Old Testament Prophecy”
1. List 10 Old Testament prophecies with their New Testament fulfillment
2. This is due by April 7, 2014 by 4:00 pm.
3. This can be accepted early; it will not be accepted late.
4. Please email to
c. Read chapter 11, “The Present Work of Christ”
1. Briefly describe five of the present works of Christ
2. This is due April 21, 2014 by 4:00 pm.
3. This can be accepted early; it will not be accepted late.
4. Please email to
3. You will have 3 smaller research papers this semester. Each paper will be 750-1000 words in length. We will follow the following format:
a. This paper is to be typed and double-spaced. The paper is to include commentary from the student that shows insight into the assigned topic. I DO NOT WANT CUT AND PASTE VERSES FOR ALL THE PAGES!
b. Conform to the template found at http://lester.wcbc.edu
c. A collegiate title page,
d. An outline showing the progression of thought
e. When doing your outline, I expect you to have at least three major thoughts, with at least two sub-points under each thought.
f. At least 750 words
g. A properly constructed bibliography page, using at a minimum five sources, three of which should be from credible theological journals.
h. Include footnotes (not endnotes or in-line citations), properly done (Turabian style), when material is quoted.
i. Font size should be Times or Times New Roman and no larger than 12.
j. There is NO GRACE PERIOD for these papers. Mark the dates for when each assignment is due. Please do not come in to tell me your computer would not print, your disk went bad, there was no paper in the computer lab, or that you were sick on that day, or that you needed a cut day.
1st Due Date: February 24
Choose one of the following subjects:
The inspiration of Scripture and its relevance today
The Preservation of Scripture through Churches
Does Preservation extend through translations?
Scripture’s Canonization and its binding on believers
Write a 750-1000 word paper
2nd Due Date: March 31
Choose one of the following subjects:
The holiness of God and the ramifications of our approach to Him
The sovereignty of God in relation to salvation and man’s will
An exposition of Isaiah 40 in relation to the character of God
God as Creator, Redeemer, and King
Write a 750-1000 word paper
3rd Due Date: April 14
Choose one of the following subjects:
The Deity of Christ from the book of Isaiah
The Deity of Christ as shown by His attributes
The Deity of Christ from the Gospel of John
The Deity of Christ proven from the Old Testament
Write a 750-1000 word paper
4. Learn the assigned memory verses for each doctrine. The Word of God is much more powerful than the notes of a teacher. In your endeavor to pass the class, do not forget that this is Bible doctrines – learn the Word of God.
Be ready for a verse quiz each Wednesday over 3 new verses. Memory verses are to be learned verbatim with correct spelling.
BIBLIOLOGY
1. Psalm 12:6,7
2. 2 Timothy 3:15-17
3. Isaiah 40:8
4. Psalm 119:152
5. Psalm 138:2
6. John 17:17
7. Jude 3
8. Psalm 68:11
9. 2 Corinthians 13:8
THEOLOGY
10. Isaiah 57:15
11. Genesis 1:1
12. Isaiah 40:12-13
13. Isaiah 40:21-22
14. Deuteronomy 6:4-6
15. Isaiah 42:8
16. Lamentations 3:22-23
CHRISTOLOGY
17. John 1:1
18. John 17:3-5
19. John 10:28-33
20. John 5:18
21. Colossians 1:18-19
22. Colossians 2:9
23. Philippians 2:5-11
24. Hebrews 1:6-8
IV. Grading Factors
Inevitably, there will be those who look for the bare minimum to pass a course. In delineating these factors, I am not advocating that you simply “try to get by.” In the area of doctrine, you must be committed to go all the way. 2 Timothy 3:10 ~ Thou hast fully known my doctrine. There was no way for Timothy to know fully the doctrine of the Apostle unless Paul first learned it well enough to communicate it.
1. Test/Quizzes 13%
2. Project 61%
3. Exams 26%
V. Spiritual and Academic Integrity
Classroom Behavior:
As part of this class, you are an integral part of a learning community. Please be aware of your behavior and its effects on others. Talking, coming in late, leaving early, sleeping in class, and being discourteous can all diminish classmates’ learning experiences. Realize that everyone in this class might be in a position someday to recommend you professionally. Earn and keep their respect.
Attendance Policy:
In your student portal, you are able to track your attendance. You should be checking this weekly. If you miss more than fifteen (15) percent of this class, you will be automatically dropped from the roster and receive an “F” for the course. The amount missed contains the accumulation of tardies, cuts, and any other absences.
If you are absent on a quiz or test day, it is your responsibility to know what you have missed. Each student will have 48 hours (classroom time) from the end of class to make up his missed test or quiz. If these are not made up within that time frame, they will be recorded as a 0%. Make-up tests may be more difficult and comprehensive than the test given in class.
Late Testing times are 6:45am Tuesday through Friday and 1:00pm Monday through Friday. Late Test forms must be filled out in advance.
Academic Honesty:
Cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and any act designed to give an unfair advantage to the student (such as, but not limited to, submitting the same written assignment for two courses or providing false or misleading information in an effort to receive a postponement or an extension on a test, quiz, exam, or other assignment) is considered cheating and will not be tolerated.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is “the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work.” Common forms of plagiarism are copying words or ideas and not giving the author credit for them by providing proper reference.
Another author’s specific words must be placed within quotation marks with an appropriate reference given. Another author’s ideas must include an appropriate reference.
You may choose to use appropriate footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical references.
VI. Contact Info:
I am looking forward to teaching this class and prayerfully asking God to use this class to equip you in preparation for your ministry through the mighty working of the Holy Spirit, both in your life and mine. If there is any way I can be of assistance, please email me or stop by my office on the second floor of the North Building.
I hope you enjoy this course as much as I enjoy teaching it. If you are having problems, questions, or just want to talk, I encourage you to contact me in person, on the phone, or via email. I WANT TO TALK TO YOU! Don’t let small problems during a semester grow to a crisis at the end. It is always easier to repair anticipated difficulties than to untangle a mess!
1. Email
2. Cell 661.466.3429
3. Office Hours In office every weekday until 5pm
4. Additional Resources http://lester.wcbc.edu
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WEST COAST BAPTIST COLLEGE
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RESEARCH PAPER
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A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO
BROTHER MIKE LESTER
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE
BI 352
BIBLE DOCTRINES 2
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BY
JOHN DOE
BOX #
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LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA
7 FEBRUARY 2012