BTheol Bachelor of Theology Basic Christian Doctrine 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which term describes the doctrine that God exists as three persons in one essence?
- Tritheism
- Modalism
- The Trinity (Correct answer)
- Arianism
Correct answer: The Trinity
The Trinity teaches that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons sharing one divine essence.
Question 2: What does the doctrine of 'total depravity' primarily assert?
- Humans are incapable of any good action
- Every aspect of human nature is affected by sin (Correct answer)
- Humans are as sinful as they could possibly be
- Sin is inherited only through the father's line
Correct answer: Every aspect of human nature is affected by sin
Total depravity means sin has corrupted every dimension of human nature—mind, will, emotions, and body—not that humans commit every possible sin.
Question 3: The hypostatic union refers to which theological concept?
- The unity of the Old and New Testaments
- Christ's two natures united in one person (Correct answer)
- The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers
- The union of the church as the body of Christ
Correct answer: Christ's two natures united in one person
Hypostatic union is the Chalcedonian doctrine that Jesus Christ is fully divine and fully human in one person without confusion or separation.
Question 4: Which view of the atonement emphasizes that Christ paid the penalty owed to God's justice on behalf of sinners?
- Moral Influence Theory
- Christus Victor
- Penal Substitution (Correct answer)
- Ransom Theory
Correct answer: Penal Substitution
Penal substitution holds that Christ bore the punishment that sinners deserved, satisfying divine justice.
Question 5: What is the significance of the term 'kenosis' in Christology?
- Christ's resurrection from the dead
- Christ's emptying of certain divine attributes in the Incarnation (Correct answer)
- The divine filling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
- The eternal generation of the Son from the Father
Correct answer: Christ's emptying of certain divine attributes in the Incarnation
Kenosis, drawn from Philippians 2:7, describes how the Son voluntarily limited the exercise of some divine attributes in becoming human.
Question 6: Which doctrine teaches that God decreed from eternity who would be saved, independent of foreseen faith?
- Prevenient grace
- Universal salvation
- Unconditional election (Correct answer)
- Conditional election
Correct answer: Unconditional election
Unconditional election holds that God's choice of individuals for salvation is based solely on His sovereign will, not on foreseen human response.
Question 7: The phrase 'extra Calvinisticum' refers to the Reformed teaching that:
- Calvinists hold to a stricter view of Scripture than Lutherans
- The eternal Son remained omnipresent even while present in Christ's body (Correct answer)
- Election occurs outside of time in God's eternal decree
- Only Calvinist churches are the true visible church
Correct answer: The eternal Son remained omnipresent even while present in Christ's body
The extra Calvinisticum asserts that during the Incarnation, the divine Son was fully in the human body yet also beyond it, upholding divine immensity.
