Systematic Theology, by Louis Berkhof - New Leaven

of modern liberal theology, with its emphasis on the goodness of man, that it has lost
sight of the necessity of the saving grace of God. The word “grace” has gradually
disappeared from the written and spoken word of many theologians, and many of the
common people in our day attach no other meaning to the term than that of
gracefulness or graciousness. Even Otto calls attention to it in his work on The Idea of the
Holy that people fail to sense the deeper meaning of the word. 14 The Theology of Crisis
deserves credit for stressing anew the need of divine grace, with the result that the word
is once more coming into use.
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY: On which elements of the ordo salutis did the
emphasis fall in the first three centuries? In how far did these centuries reveal a drift
towards moralism and ceremonialism? How was the doctrine of justification
understood? How did Augustine conceive of it? What was his conception of faith? How
many kinds of grace did he distinguish? Did grace exclude all merit in his system? Did
he conceive of saving grace as amissible? What factors favored the development of the
doctrine of good works? How did the Scholastics represent the doctrine of justification?
How did the ordo salutis fare in the hands of the Antinomians? How did the rationalistic
and pietistic neonomians conceive of it? What other than saving operations are ascribed
to the Holy Spirit in Scripture? Which are the different meanings of the word ‘grace’ in
Scripture? What does it designate in connection with the work of redemption? What is
the relation between the doctrines of free will and grace in history?
LITERATURE: Bavinck, Geref. Dogm. III, pp. 551-690; Kuyper, Dict. Dogm., De Salute,
pp. 15-20; McPherson, Chr. Dogm., pp. 367-371; Kaftan, Dogmatik, pp. 525-532, 651-661;
Warfield, The Plan of Salvation; Seeberg, Heilsordnung (Art. in Hauck’s Realencyclopaedie);
Pieper, Christl. Dogm. II, pp.. 473-498; H. Schmid, Doct. Theol., pp. 413-416; K. Dijk,
Heilsorde (Art. in Chr. Enc.); Pope, Chr. Theol. II, pp. 348-367; Neil, Grace (Art. in A
Protestant Dictionary); Easton, Grace (Art. in the Intern. Standard Bible Ec.); Smeaton, The
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, pp. 1-99, 291-414; Buchanan, The Doctrine of Justification, pp.
339-364; Moffatt, Grace in the New Testament; Bryan, W. S., An Inquiry into the Need of the
Grace of God.
14 pp. 32 ff., 145.
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