Systematic Theology 5 by Pastor Dolapo Lawal: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

How to Wire Doctrine: The Law, the Poets, the Prophets

When establishing a doctrine, trace it through three layers of scripture:

1. The Law (the five books of Moses) — if Jesus preached it, he referenced the law. If you cannot find it in the law, there is a high chance it is foreign to scripture.
2. The Poets (Psalms, wisdom literature) — is there a corresponding idea in the Psalms, especially a messianic psalm?
3. The Prophets — is there a prophetic anticipation of this truth?

Luke 24:44 — "All things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms concerning me." Jesus himself used this three-part structure as the roadmap. The entire New Testament is written against this backdrop.

Definition of Canon

Canon means a rule or measuring stick. It refers to the set of books recognised as divinely inspired and authoritative.

Old Testament canon: 39 books, recognised by the Jewish community and affirmed by Jesus. New Testament canon: 27 books, written by apostles or close associates, consistent with apostolic doctrine.

Jude 1:3–4 — "Contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints, for certain men crept in unnoticed..." The faith he is defending is not an emotion — it is a body of doctrine. People attacked it from within through teaching.

The New Testament Is Interpretation of the Old

When Paul was preaching, his audience had one Bible: Genesis to Malachi. When they wanted to verify his message, as the Bereans did, they searched those scriptures. If what he was saying could not be found in Genesis to Malachi, it would have no standing.

Romans 1:17 lifts directly from Habakkuk 2:4 — "The just shall live by faith." Paul is not inventing a new idea. He is explaining an old one. Galatians 3:16 is an explanation of Genesis 22:18. 1 Peter 2:24 is an explanation of Isaiah 53:4–5.

The New Testament is the foreground of Old Testament writings. They are one book.

You cannot interpret interpretation. The New Testament writers were already doing the interpreting. What we must do is understand what they understood and present it in the same manner — with the audience context of who they were writing to, and what their scriptures said.

Faith to Faith — Clarified

Romans 1:17 — "From faith to faith." This is not levels of faith. It is:

• Faith in the promise of the Messiah (the faith of the men of old in Hebrews 11)
• Faith in the fulfilment of the Messiah (the faith of those who have heard the gospel and believed it)

Hebrews 11:1 — "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." This is not defining our faith. It is describing the faith of Abraham, Moses, and David — people who had a substance of hope in something they could not yet see, because that thing was the coming Christ.

Our faith is different: we have seen. The promise has come. The testator has died. We believe in what has happened, and we receive the inheritance.

The Bible is not a motivational book. It is not a business book. That document is about the promise of the Messiah and the manifestation of that promise. Everything else is a side attraction.