BTheol Bachelor of Theology 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which New Testament letter is addressed 'to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations'?
- 1 Peter
- Hebrews
- James (Correct answer)
- Jude
Correct answer: James
The letter of James opens with this address, suggesting its audience is Jewish Christians dispersed outside Palestine.
Question 2: In systematic theology, 'soteriology' is the study of:
- The nature and attributes of God
- The doctrine of salvation (Correct answer)
- The end times and last judgment
- The person and work of the Holy Spirit
Correct answer: The doctrine of salvation
Soteriology examines how humans are saved, including topics like atonement, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
Question 3: The Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) defined Christ as having:
- One nature blending divine and human
- Two natures, divine and human, in one person without confusion or separation (Correct answer)
- A divine nature that replaced his human nature at baptism
- Only a divine nature with the appearance of humanity
Correct answer: Two natures, divine and human, in one person without confusion or separation
Chalcedon's definition affirms Christ's two natures — fully divine and fully human — united in one person without mixture, confusion, separation, or division.
Question 4: Which Old Testament prophet is associated with the 'Servant Songs' describing a suffering servant who bears the sins of others?
- Ezekiel
- Amos
- Isaiah (Correct answer)
- Jeremiah
Correct answer: Isaiah
Isaiah chapters 42–53 contain four Servant Songs, with Isaiah 53 most prominently describing vicarious suffering, widely applied to Christ in the New Testament.
Question 5: What is the primary difference between general revelation and special revelation?
- General revelation is in the Old Testament; special revelation is in the New Testament
- General revelation is available to all through nature/conscience; special revelation is God's specific communication through Scripture and Christ (Correct answer)
- General revelation is for clergy; special revelation is for laity
- General revelation concerns ethics; special revelation concerns prophecy
Correct answer: General revelation is available to all through nature/conscience; special revelation is God's specific communication through Scripture and Christ
General revelation reaches all people through creation and conscience (Romans 1-2), while special revelation is God's specific disclosure in Scripture and the incarnate Christ.
Question 6: Liberation theology, which emerged in Latin America in the 1960s-70s, emphasizes:
- Individual spiritual conversion above all social concerns
- God's preferential option for the poor and social justice as integral to the gospel (Correct answer)
- The restoration of Old Testament theocracy
- Strict separation of church and political life
Correct answer: God's preferential option for the poor and social justice as integral to the gospel
Liberation theology reads Scripture through the lens of the poor and marginalized, arguing that authentic faith demands structural transformation of unjust social systems.
Question 7: The 'New Perspective on Paul,' associated with scholars like E.P. Sanders, challenges the traditional Reformation reading of Paul by arguing that:
- Paul rejected the Old Testament entirely
- First-century Judaism was not a religion of works-righteousness, altering how we understand Paul's critique of 'works of the law' (Correct answer)
- Paul's letters were written after the Gospels
- Justification in Paul refers to moral transformation rather than forensic declaration
Correct answer: First-century Judaism was not a religion of works-righteousness, altering how we understand Paul's critique of 'works of the law'
Sanders argued that Second Temple Judaism operated on 'covenantal nomism' (grace + law-keeping), meaning Paul's target was Jewish boundary markers, not earning salvation through merit.
BTheol Bachelor of Theology 4
Which New Testament letter is addressed 'to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations'?