While focusing on Part IV “The Doctrine of the Word of God” and Part V “The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God” from John Frame’s Systematic Theology, it is possible to note that these parts are helpful to understand how people perceive God’s Word and how they form their knowledge of God. This reflection paper provides the proper discussion of key points learnt from Chapters 23-32 of Frame’s book.
Part IV of the book is titled as “The Doctrine of the Word of God”, and the ways to receive, perceive, and understand God’s words are discussed in Chapters 23-28. I have learnt from Chapter 23 “God and His Word” that the divine word is not only in the written or verbal form, but it is in the acts. Thus, the Word is the attribute of God, and this idea is closely associated with such important phenomena as creation and providence.
Those people who have learnt the Word of God are not the same anymore. Chapter 24 “God Speaks to Us in Events and Words” provides more details to understand the fact. Thus, I have learnt that there are many ways in which the Word comes to people, and they are human words or historic events, and natural events. These ways are the media for revelation.
It is stated in Chapter 25 “God’s Written Words” that the prophets who heard the divine voice represented their knowledge in the written word. From this point, it is also the direct Word from God. Referring to Chapter 26 “The Nature of Scripture”, I can state that God’s Word is truth in its nature because the principles of infallibility and inerrancy are followed in Scripture. Now, I understand that I can discuss Scripture as the reflection of God’s direct words.
Chapter 27 “From God’s Lips to Our Ears” and Chapter 28 “From the Text to Our Hearts” are very interesting and important for me because they present the information on the ways of receiving and understanding God’s Word. I received the opportunity to understand that God’s Word comes directly to prophets who write it, and these copies are extremely important for believers.
Although many autographs are lost, God uses many media to come to the person’s heart. I can guess that the reason is in the fact that Scripture includes the message that comes directly to the believer’s heart and mind.
I have learnt from Part V “The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God” how God and person can know each other. In Chapter 29 “God and Our Knowledge”, it is stated that God knows everyone in spite of the personality’s aspects. Thus, there are many perspectives from which God can see the person.
That is why, there are no ideas or acts which can be unnoticed. Our knowledge of God is more limited, but we need to know more about God in order to learn more about us. In Chapters 30-32, there are ideas on how people can learn more about God. I have learnt that the human heart, mind, intuition, and imagination are the strong sources to learn more about God and to understand the revelation principle.
There are many important facts presented in Chapters 23-32 of John Frame’s Systematic Theology which provide the important framework to conclude about God’s Word and the roots of the knowledge. The chapters provided me with the opportunity to understand how the persons can learn more about their nature and the nature of God.
Furthermore, I have realized that the knowledge of God and the knowledge of a man are interconnected, and the most important information associated with the divine word can come with the help of the human words, written words, and natural and historic events.
Bibliography
Frame, John. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief. USA: P&R Publishing, 2013.