SYSTEMATIC
THEOLOGY
• An Introduction to Bible Doctrine •
WAYNE
GRUDEM
SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY.
Copyright © 1994 by Wayne Grudem.
Appendix 6 and glossary copyright © 2000 by Wayne Grudem.
This book is published jointly by Inter-Varsity Press, 38 De Montfort Street, Leicester LE1
7GP, Great Britain, and by Zondervan Publishing House, 5300 Patterson Avenue S.E., Grand
Rapids, Michigan, USA.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Revised Standard Version of
the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971, by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, and are used by permission. However,
the author has, with permission, modernized archaic personal pronouns and has changed the
verbs accordingly. Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard
Bible, © copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972 by the Lockman Foundation, La
Habra, California. Used by permission. Those marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New
International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, by the International Bible Society. Used
by permission of Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. and Zondervan Publishing House. All rights
reserved. Use of italic in Scripture quotations indicates Wayne Grudem’s emphasis.
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
GB ISBN 0–85110–652–8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Grudem, Wayne.
Systematic theology : an introduction to biblical doctrine / Wayne Grudem.
p. cm.
Includes index.
USA ISBN 0–310–28670–0
1. Theology, Doctrinal. I. Title.
BT75.2.G78 –8300
230’.046—dc20 / CIP
Inter-Varsity Press, England, is the book-publishing division of the Universities and Colleges
Christian Fellowship (formerly the Inter-Varsity Fellowship), a student movement linking
Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout the United Kingdom and the
Republic of Ireland, and a member of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.
, For information about local and national activities, write to UCCF, 38 De Montfort Street,
Leicester LE1 7GP, England.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to eight people
whom God sovereignly brought into my life:
Arden and Jean Grudem, my parents,
who taught me to believe the Bible,
to trust in God,
and to speak and write clearly;
A. Kenneth Ham, my Baptist pastor,
who awakened in me a love for systematic theology
by teaching a class on Christian doctrine
when I was thirteen years old,
and who taught me by example to believe
every word of Scripture;
Edmund Clowney, John Frame, and Vern Poythress,
Westminster Seminary professors and friends,
who influenced my theological understanding
more than anyone else,
and who taught me Reformed theology in
humble submission to every word of Scripture;
and Harald Bredesen and John Wimber,
pastors and friends,
who, more than anyone else,
taught me about the power and work
of the Holy Spirit.
Abbreviations
BAGD A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Ed.
Walter Bauer. Rev. and trans. Wm. Arndt, F.W. Gingrich, and F. Danker. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1979.
BDB A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. F. Brown, S.R. Driver, and C. Briggs.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907; reprinted, with corrections, 1968.
BETS Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society
BibSac Bibliotheca Sacra
cf. compare
CRSQ Creation Research Society Quarterly
CT Christianity Today
CThRev Criswell Theological Review
DPCM Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Stanley M. Burgess and Gary B.
McGee, eds. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988.
EBC Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Frank E. Gaebelein, ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976.
ed. edited by, edition
EDT Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Walter Elwell, ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984.
et al. and others
,IBD The Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Ed. J.D. Douglas, et al. 3 vols. Leicester: Inter-Varsity
Press, and Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1980.
ISBE International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Revised edition. G.W. Bromiley, ed. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.
JAMA Journal of the American Medical Association
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
KJV King James Version (Authorized Version)
LSJ A Greek-English Lexicon ninth edition. Henry Liddell, Robert Scott, H.S. Jones, R.
McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1940.
LXX Septuagint
mg. margin or marginal notes
n. note
N.d. no date of publication given
N.p. no place of publication given
NASB New American Standard Bible
NDT New Dictionary of Theology. S.B. Ferguson, D.F. Wright, J.I. Packer, eds. Leicester and
Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1988.
NIDCC New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. Ed. J.D. Douglas et al. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1974.
NIDNTT The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. 3 vols. Colin Brown, gen.
ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975-78.
NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentaries
NIV New International Version
NKJV New King James Version
NTS New Testament Studies
ODCC Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Ed. F.L. Cross. London and New York:
Oxford University Press, 1977.
rev. revised
RSV Revised Standard Version
TB Tyndale Bulletin
TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. 10 vols. G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds.;
trans. G.W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-76.
TNTC Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
TOTC Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
trans. translated by
TrinJ Trinity Journal
vol. volume
WBC Word Biblical Commentary
WTJ Westminster Theological Journal
Preface
I have not written this book for other teachers of theology (though I hope many of
them will read it). I have written it for students—and not only for students, but also
for every Christian who has a hunger to know the central doctrines of the Bible in
greater depth.
This is why I have called the book “An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine.” I have
tried to make it understandable even for Christians who have never studied theology
before. I have avoided using technical terms without first explaining them. And most
, of the chapters can be read on their own, so that someone can begin at any chapter and
grasp it without having read the earlier material.
Introductory studies do not have to be shallow or simplistic. I am convinced that
most Christians are able to understand the doctrinal teachings of the Bible in
considerable depth, provided that they are presented clearly and without the use of
highly technical language. Therefore I have not hesitated to treat theological disputes
in some detail where it seemed necessary.
Yet this book, despite its size, is still an introduction to systematic theology.
Entire books have been written about the topics covered in each chapter of this book,
and entire articles have been written about many of the verses quoted in this book.
Therefore each chapter is capable of opening out into additional study in more breadth
or more depth for those who are interested. The bibliographies at the end of each
chapter give some help in that direction.
The following six distinctive features of this book grow out of my convictions
about what systematic theology is and how it should be taught:
1. A Clear Biblical Basis for Doctrines. Because I believe that theology should
be explicitly based on the teachings of Scripture, in each chapter I have attempted to
show where the Bible gives support for the doctrines under consideration. In fact,
because I believe that the words of Scripture themselves have power and authority
greater than any human words, I have not just given Bible references; I have
frequently quoted Bible passages at length so that readers can easily examine for
themselves the scriptural evidence and in that way be like the noble Bereans, who
were “examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). This
conviction about the unique nature of the Bible as God’s words has also led to the
inclusion of a Scripture memory passage at the end of each chapter.
2. Clarity in the Explanation of Doctrines. I do not believe that God intended
the study of theology to result in confusion and frustration. A student who comes out
of a course in theology filled only with doctrinal uncertainty and a thousand
unanswered questions is hardly “able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to
confute those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). Therefore I have tried to state the
doctrinal positions of this book clearly and to show where in Scripture I find
convincing evidence for those positions. I do not expect that everyone reading this
book will agree with me at every point of doctrine; I do think that every reader will
understand the positions I am arguing for and where Scripture can be found to support
those positions.
I think it is only fair to readers of this book to say at the beginning what my own
convictions are regarding certain points that are disputed within evangelical
Christianity. I hold to a conservative view of biblical inerrancy, very much in
agreement with the “Chicago Statement” of the International Council on Biblical
Inerrancy (chapter 5 and appendix 1, pp. 1203–6), and a traditional Reformed position
with regard to questions of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility (chapter 16),
the extent of the atonement (chapter 27), and the question of predestination (chapter
32). Consistent with the Reformed view, I hold that those who are truly born again
will never lose their salvation (chapter 40). With regard to male-female relationships,
I argue for a view that is neither traditional nor feminist, but “complementarian”—
namely, that God created man and woman equal in value and personhood, and equal
in bearing his image, but that both creation and redemption indicate some distinct
roles for men and women in marriage (chapter 22) and in the church (chapter 47). On
church government, I advocate a modified congregational form of government, with
plural elders in governing positions (chapter 47). I argue for a baptistic view of
THEOLOGY
• An Introduction to Bible Doctrine •
WAYNE
GRUDEM
SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY.
Copyright © 1994 by Wayne Grudem.
Appendix 6 and glossary copyright © 2000 by Wayne Grudem.
This book is published jointly by Inter-Varsity Press, 38 De Montfort Street, Leicester LE1
7GP, Great Britain, and by Zondervan Publishing House, 5300 Patterson Avenue S.E., Grand
Rapids, Michigan, USA.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Revised Standard Version of
the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971, by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, and are used by permission. However,
the author has, with permission, modernized archaic personal pronouns and has changed the
verbs accordingly. Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard
Bible, © copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972 by the Lockman Foundation, La
Habra, California. Used by permission. Those marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New
International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, by the International Bible Society. Used
by permission of Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. and Zondervan Publishing House. All rights
reserved. Use of italic in Scripture quotations indicates Wayne Grudem’s emphasis.
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
GB ISBN 0–85110–652–8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Grudem, Wayne.
Systematic theology : an introduction to biblical doctrine / Wayne Grudem.
p. cm.
Includes index.
USA ISBN 0–310–28670–0
1. Theology, Doctrinal. I. Title.
BT75.2.G78 –8300
230’.046—dc20 / CIP
Inter-Varsity Press, England, is the book-publishing division of the Universities and Colleges
Christian Fellowship (formerly the Inter-Varsity Fellowship), a student movement linking
Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout the United Kingdom and the
Republic of Ireland, and a member of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.
, For information about local and national activities, write to UCCF, 38 De Montfort Street,
Leicester LE1 7GP, England.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to eight people
whom God sovereignly brought into my life:
Arden and Jean Grudem, my parents,
who taught me to believe the Bible,
to trust in God,
and to speak and write clearly;
A. Kenneth Ham, my Baptist pastor,
who awakened in me a love for systematic theology
by teaching a class on Christian doctrine
when I was thirteen years old,
and who taught me by example to believe
every word of Scripture;
Edmund Clowney, John Frame, and Vern Poythress,
Westminster Seminary professors and friends,
who influenced my theological understanding
more than anyone else,
and who taught me Reformed theology in
humble submission to every word of Scripture;
and Harald Bredesen and John Wimber,
pastors and friends,
who, more than anyone else,
taught me about the power and work
of the Holy Spirit.
Abbreviations
BAGD A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Ed.
Walter Bauer. Rev. and trans. Wm. Arndt, F.W. Gingrich, and F. Danker. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1979.
BDB A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. F. Brown, S.R. Driver, and C. Briggs.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907; reprinted, with corrections, 1968.
BETS Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society
BibSac Bibliotheca Sacra
cf. compare
CRSQ Creation Research Society Quarterly
CT Christianity Today
CThRev Criswell Theological Review
DPCM Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Stanley M. Burgess and Gary B.
McGee, eds. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988.
EBC Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Frank E. Gaebelein, ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976.
ed. edited by, edition
EDT Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Walter Elwell, ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984.
et al. and others
,IBD The Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Ed. J.D. Douglas, et al. 3 vols. Leicester: Inter-Varsity
Press, and Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1980.
ISBE International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Revised edition. G.W. Bromiley, ed. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.
JAMA Journal of the American Medical Association
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
KJV King James Version (Authorized Version)
LSJ A Greek-English Lexicon ninth edition. Henry Liddell, Robert Scott, H.S. Jones, R.
McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1940.
LXX Septuagint
mg. margin or marginal notes
n. note
N.d. no date of publication given
N.p. no place of publication given
NASB New American Standard Bible
NDT New Dictionary of Theology. S.B. Ferguson, D.F. Wright, J.I. Packer, eds. Leicester and
Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1988.
NIDCC New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. Ed. J.D. Douglas et al. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1974.
NIDNTT The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. 3 vols. Colin Brown, gen.
ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975-78.
NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentaries
NIV New International Version
NKJV New King James Version
NTS New Testament Studies
ODCC Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Ed. F.L. Cross. London and New York:
Oxford University Press, 1977.
rev. revised
RSV Revised Standard Version
TB Tyndale Bulletin
TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. 10 vols. G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds.;
trans. G.W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-76.
TNTC Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
TOTC Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
trans. translated by
TrinJ Trinity Journal
vol. volume
WBC Word Biblical Commentary
WTJ Westminster Theological Journal
Preface
I have not written this book for other teachers of theology (though I hope many of
them will read it). I have written it for students—and not only for students, but also
for every Christian who has a hunger to know the central doctrines of the Bible in
greater depth.
This is why I have called the book “An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine.” I have
tried to make it understandable even for Christians who have never studied theology
before. I have avoided using technical terms without first explaining them. And most
, of the chapters can be read on their own, so that someone can begin at any chapter and
grasp it without having read the earlier material.
Introductory studies do not have to be shallow or simplistic. I am convinced that
most Christians are able to understand the doctrinal teachings of the Bible in
considerable depth, provided that they are presented clearly and without the use of
highly technical language. Therefore I have not hesitated to treat theological disputes
in some detail where it seemed necessary.
Yet this book, despite its size, is still an introduction to systematic theology.
Entire books have been written about the topics covered in each chapter of this book,
and entire articles have been written about many of the verses quoted in this book.
Therefore each chapter is capable of opening out into additional study in more breadth
or more depth for those who are interested. The bibliographies at the end of each
chapter give some help in that direction.
The following six distinctive features of this book grow out of my convictions
about what systematic theology is and how it should be taught:
1. A Clear Biblical Basis for Doctrines. Because I believe that theology should
be explicitly based on the teachings of Scripture, in each chapter I have attempted to
show where the Bible gives support for the doctrines under consideration. In fact,
because I believe that the words of Scripture themselves have power and authority
greater than any human words, I have not just given Bible references; I have
frequently quoted Bible passages at length so that readers can easily examine for
themselves the scriptural evidence and in that way be like the noble Bereans, who
were “examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). This
conviction about the unique nature of the Bible as God’s words has also led to the
inclusion of a Scripture memory passage at the end of each chapter.
2. Clarity in the Explanation of Doctrines. I do not believe that God intended
the study of theology to result in confusion and frustration. A student who comes out
of a course in theology filled only with doctrinal uncertainty and a thousand
unanswered questions is hardly “able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to
confute those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). Therefore I have tried to state the
doctrinal positions of this book clearly and to show where in Scripture I find
convincing evidence for those positions. I do not expect that everyone reading this
book will agree with me at every point of doctrine; I do think that every reader will
understand the positions I am arguing for and where Scripture can be found to support
those positions.
I think it is only fair to readers of this book to say at the beginning what my own
convictions are regarding certain points that are disputed within evangelical
Christianity. I hold to a conservative view of biblical inerrancy, very much in
agreement with the “Chicago Statement” of the International Council on Biblical
Inerrancy (chapter 5 and appendix 1, pp. 1203–6), and a traditional Reformed position
with regard to questions of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility (chapter 16),
the extent of the atonement (chapter 27), and the question of predestination (chapter
32). Consistent with the Reformed view, I hold that those who are truly born again
will never lose their salvation (chapter 40). With regard to male-female relationships,
I argue for a view that is neither traditional nor feminist, but “complementarian”—
namely, that God created man and woman equal in value and personhood, and equal
in bearing his image, but that both creation and redemption indicate some distinct
roles for men and women in marriage (chapter 22) and in the church (chapter 47). On
church government, I advocate a modified congregational form of government, with
plural elders in governing positions (chapter 47). I argue for a baptistic view of
