Core chapters
Every chapter of the second edition receives a scheduled Wednesday and a controlling biblical text.
The recommended course architecture
Read the whole book. Train beyond the book.
Wayne Grudem's Bible Doctrine, Second Edition is the yearlong theological spine: all 34 chapters, taught across 52 Wednesdays, with 18 Word of Truth labs for exegesis, apologetics, Spirit-empowered ministry, preaching, and leadership.
The decision
Bible Doctrine is the spine—not the ceiling.
It is more suitable than Concise Theology for this particular course because its seven-part structure already follows a complete systematic-theology sequence, it gives substantial attention to spiritual gifts, and its chapter length supports serious weekly preparation without requiring a seminary textbook.
Packer remains a valuable companion voice for devotional clarity and historic Reformed emphasis. Neither author becomes the authority of the class: students read the ESV first, examine every claim in context, and are free to identify principled disagreements with Grudem.
Formation labs
Students practice interpretation, defense, discernment, preaching, ministry, and leadership.
Final authority
The textbook organizes the journey; Scripture governs every conclusion.
The complete year
Thirty-four chapters. Eighteen laboratories. Fifty-two Wednesdays.
Core-reading weeks move through the book in order. Laboratory weeks slow down for disputed texts, ministry practice, apologetic encounters, and the competencies the book alone cannot supply.
Core reading Word of Truth lab
Formation unit
Foundations
Week01
Core reading
Chapter 1 · Introduction to Systematic Theology
Define doctrine as whole-Bible truth for worship, life, and witness.
Week02
Word of Truth lab
Handling the Word Without Shame
Practice observation, interpretation, doctrine, and application.
Formation unit
The Word of God
Week03
Core reading
Chapter 2 · The Authority and Inerrancy of the Bible
Receive Scripture as the truthful speech of the truthful God.
Week04
Core reading
Chapter 3 · The Clarity, Necessity, and Sufficiency of the Bible
State what Scripture promises—and what it does not.
Week05
Word of Truth lab
Context Governs Meaning
Read verses inside paragraphs, books, covenants, and canon.
Week06
Word of Truth lab
Greek and Hebrew Without Pretending
Use language tools carefully and expose common word-study fallacies.
Week07
Word of Truth lab
The I AM Case · Exodus 3 and John 8
Build a complete five-minute exegetical defense of Christ's divine identity.
Formation unit
The Doctrine of God
Week08
Core reading
Chapter 4 · The Character of God: Incommunicable Attributes
Know the self-existent, unchanging, infinite Creator.
Week09
Core reading
Chapter 5 · The Communicable Attributes of God
Trace holiness, love, knowledge, justice, and goodness into Christian life.
Week10
Core reading
Chapter 6 · The Trinity
Confess one God in three eternally distinct persons.
Week11
Word of Truth lab
Trinity Defense Drill
Answer modalism, tritheism, and the claim that the doctrine is unbiblical.
Week12
Core reading
Chapter 7 · Creation
Distinguish biblical creation from naturalism while identifying legitimate intramural questions.
Week13
Core reading
Chapter 8 · God's Providence
Hold divine sovereignty and meaningful human action together.
Week14
Core reading
Chapter 9 · Prayer
Pray as dependent children inside God's sovereign purposes.
Week15
Core reading
Chapter 10 · Angels, Satan, and Demons
Practice sober, Christ-centered spiritual warfare without speculation.
Week16
Word of Truth lab
Doctrine of God Defense Lab
Answer atheism, idolatry, and distorted accounts of divine oneness.
Formation unit
Humanity
Week17
Core reading
Chapter 11 · The Creation of Man
Ground human dignity, purpose, embodiment, and accountability in the image of God.
Week18
Core reading
Chapter 12 · Man as Male and Female
Study equality, distinction, embodiment, marriage, and service under Scripture.
Week19
Core reading
Chapter 13 · Sin
Diagnose guilt, corruption, bondage, death, and our need for sovereign grace.
Week20
Word of Truth lab
Law, Conscience, and Accountability
Show what the law reveals, restrains, and condemns—and what it cannot accomplish.
Formation unit
Christ
Week21
Core reading
Chapter 14 · The Person of Christ
Confess the eternal Son as fully God and fully man in one person.
Week22
Word of Truth lab
Incarnation and Divine Identity
Defend the virgin conception, sinlessness, and deity of Christ from controlling texts.
Week23
Core reading
Chapter 15 · The Atonement
Explain substitution, reconciliation, victory, and the sufficiency of the cross.
Week24
Core reading
Chapter 16 · Resurrection and Ascension
Connect the empty tomb and exalted Christ to justification, mission, and hope.
Week25
Word of Truth lab
Christology Defense Lab
Answer a merely human Jesus, a created Jesus, and denials of the cross and resurrection.
Formation unit
Redemption
Week26
Core reading
Chapter 17 · Common Grace
Recognize God's non-saving kindness without confusing it with regeneration.
Week27
Core reading
Chapter 18 · Election
Study God's gracious purpose with humility, confidence, and evangelistic urgency.
Week28
Core reading
Chapter 19 · The Gospel Call
Distinguish the universal proclamation of Christ from the Spirit's effective call.
Week29
Core reading
Chapter 20 · Regeneration
Understand the sovereign new birth that enables repentance and faith.
Week30
Core reading
Chapter 21 · Conversion: Faith and Repentance
Describe the sinner's Spirit-enabled turning from sin to Christ.
Week31
Core reading
Chapter 22 · Justification and Adoption
Defend credited righteousness, faith apart from works, and welcome into God's family.
Week32
Word of Truth lab
Law and Gospel · The IUIC Question
Answer a law-keeping gospel from Romans and Galatians in context.
Week33
Core reading
Chapter 23 · Sanctification
Pursue Spirit-empowered growth without turning grace into passivity or legalism.
Week34
Core reading
Chapter 24 · The Perseverance of the Saints
Hold preservation, enduring faith, warning texts, and assurance together.
Week35
Core reading
Chapter 25 · Death, the Intermediate State, and Glorification
Face death with resurrection hope and a biblical account of the believer's future.
Week36
Word of Truth lab
One New Humanity
Show from Ephesians 2 that Gentiles are full covenant citizens in Christ.
Formation unit
The Church
Week37
Core reading
Chapter 26 · The Nature of the Church
Identify the church's marks, purposes, authority, discipline, and mission.
Week38
Core reading
Chapter 27 · Baptism
Study the sign of initiation while representing major evangelical differences fairly.
Week39
Core reading
Chapter 28 · The Lord's Supper
Receive the covenant meal with remembrance, communion, proclamation, and hope.
Week40
Core reading
Chapter 29 · Gifts of the Holy Spirit I: General Questions
Pursue edification, dependence, order, and every biblical gift.
Week41
Core reading
Chapter 30 · Gifts of the Holy Spirit II: Specific Gifts
Study prophecy, tongues, healing, discernment, and service gifts without sensationalism.
Week42
Word of Truth lab
Prophecy Under Scripture
Earnestly desire, carefully weigh, and never allow impressions to rival the canon.
Week43
Word of Truth lab
Healing, Prayer, and Spiritual Safety
Ask boldly, submit humbly, protect the vulnerable, and refuse manipulation.
Week44
Word of Truth lab
Recognizing Qualified Leaders
Test character, doctrine, household faithfulness, and service before platform.
Formation unit
The Future
Week45
Core reading
Chapter 31 · The Return of Christ: When and How
Confess Christ's visible return while distinguishing certainty from disputed chronology.
Week46
Core reading
Chapter 32 · The Millennium
Compare major views carefully and keep the blessed hope central.
Week47
Core reading
Chapter 33 · The Final Judgment and Eternal Punishment
Defend divine justice, human accountability, and the urgency of the gospel.
Week48
Core reading
Chapter 34 · The New Heavens and New Earth
End the doctrinal survey with embodied resurrection and restored creation.
Formation unit
Defense and Entrustment
Week49
Word of Truth lab
Rival Authorities and Rival Gospels
Practice responses to Roman Catholic, prosperity, and restorationist claims.
Week50
Word of Truth lab
Rival Gods and Rival Christs
Practice responses to Jehovah's Witness, LDS, Islamic, Jewish, and Oneness claims.
Week51
Word of Truth lab
From Text to Sermon
Turn faithful exegesis into one clear, Christ-centered message for real hearers.
Week52
Word of Truth lab
Guard the Deposit · Final Defense
Teach, defend, minister, and entrust the truth to others.
Weekly preparation
Read the chapter. Open the Bible. Enter the room ready to reason.
Students complete the assigned reading before Wednesday and bring one insight, one question, one controlling text, and one point of respectful disagreement for discussion.