Manual of Christian Doctrine (eBook)

by Louis Berkhof

in ePub, .mobi & .pdf formats

After the publication of my Systematic Theology, the publisher requested me to prepare for publication a more compendious work on Christian doctrine, which might be fit for high school and college classes, and might also be used profitably by our older catechumens. Mindful of the great importance of the proper indoctrination of the young people of the Church, I did not have the courage to refuse, but undertook to prepare a brief manual. The work seemed particularly important to me in view of the widespread doctrinal indifference of the present day, of the resulting superficiality and confusion in the minds of many professing Christians of the insidious errors that are zealously propagated even from the pulpits, and of the alarming increase of all kinds of sects that are springing up like mushrooms on every side. If there ever was a time when the Church ought to guard her precious heritage, the deposit of the truth that was entrusted to her care, that time is now. I have tried to give a rather comprehensive and yet concise statement of our Reformed conception of the truth, and sincerely hope that its clarity may not have suffered through its brevity. At the end of every chapter I have given a list of questions which will help the student to test his knowledge of what it contains. In my references for further study I have been rather sparing, since I did not desire to overload the student in any way Moreover, I have limited myself almost exclusively to Reformed authors. I hope it will not seem presumptuous that I have invariably referred first of all to my own work on Systematic Theology, since this Manual is based on the larger work throughout and can best be understood in the light of its more detailed discussion of Christian doctrine. May the King of the Church make this Manual a blessed influence in the instruction of our covenant youth.

L. BERKHOF.
Grand Rapids, Mich.
May 10, 1933.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

INTRODUCTION

Religion

Revelation

Scripture

THE DOCTRINE OF GOD AND HIS CREATION

THE BEING OF GOD

The Essential Nature of God

The Names of God

The Attributes of God

The Trinity

THE WORKS OF GOD

The Divine Decrees in General

Predestination

Creation

Providence

THE DOCTRINE OF MAN IN RELATION TO GOD

MAN IN HIS ORIGINAL STATE

The Constitutional Nature of Man

Man as the Image of God and in the Covenant of Works

MAN IN THE STATE OF SIN

The Origin and Essential Character of Sin

Sin in the Life of the Human Race

MAN IN THE COVENANT OF GRACE

The Covenant of Redemption

The Covenant of Grace

THE DOCTRINE OF THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST

THE PERSON OF CHRIST

The Names of Christ

The Natures of Christ

The States of Christ

THE WORK OF CHRIST

The Offices of Christ

The Atonement through Christ

THE DOCTRINE OF THE APPLICATION OF THE WORK OF REDEMPTION

The Common Operations of the Holy Spirit

Calling and Regeneration

Conversion

Faith

Justification

Sanctification

Perseverance of the Saints

THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH AND THE MEANS OF GRACE

THE CHURCH

Nature of the Church

The Government of the Church

The Power of the Church

THE MEANS OF GRACE

The Word as a Means of Grace

The Sacraments in General

Christian Baptism

The Lord's Supper

THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAST THINGS

INDIVIDUAL ESCHATOLOGY

Physical Death

The Intermediate State
GENERAL ESCHATOLOGY

The Second Coming of Christ

The Millennium and the Resurrection

The Last Judgment and the Final State

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By Topic

Joy

By Scripture

Old Testament

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

Job

Psalms

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Jonah

Micah

Nahum

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

New Testament

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

2 John

3 John

Jude

Revelation

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