The Truthscape Map
Foundational Questions for Testing Scripture, Doctrine, and the Apostolic Pattern
Beneath every doctrine lie a handful of foundational questions — about God, Scripture, Christ, salvation, the church, and how we know what we claim to know. These are not rhetorical questions.
Each one opens onto studies, articles, and papers that test the answer against Scripture and the apostolic pattern. Begin anywhere. Follow the question that presses on you.
Who Is God?
Every doctrine begins with God. The question is not merely whether we believe in God, but whether we let God define himself by his own revelation.
- Who has God revealed himself to be?
- What does it mean that God is holy? That God is love?
- How do his love, holiness, justice, mercy, and wrath belong together?
- What is the Trinity?
- How is Jesus Christ the full revelation of God?
What Has God Spoken?
Christian faith depends on revelation. We begin not with speculation, experience, or preference, but with the God who has spoken.
- Has God spoken clearly? Is Scripture reliable?
- What is the relationship between Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience?
- What is the difference between exegesis and proof-texting?
- When does a theological system begin controlling the text?
- What does it mean to rightly divide the word of truth?
Who Is Christ?
Christianity stands or falls on Jesus Christ — Son of God, Word made flesh, crucified and risen Lord. Every doctrine must finally answer to him.
- What does it mean that the Word became flesh?
- Why did Jesus die? What did his resurrection accomplish?
- What does it mean that Jesus is Lord?
- How does Jesus fulfill the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms?
- What does it mean to be united with Christ?
What Is the Gospel?
The gospel is the good news of what God has done in Christ — and the apostolic preaching also includes the commanded response to it.
- What did the apostles preach?
- What is the difference between the gospel event and the gospel response?
- What does it mean to repent? To confess Jesus as Lord?
- What role does baptism have in the apostolic gospel?
- When does Scripture say sins are forgiven? What must I do to be saved?
Who Are We?
Human identity cannot be understood apart from God. The world asks who you say you are; Scripture asks who God says you are.
- What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
- What is sin? What is idolatry?
- How does sin distort identity?
- What does it mean to become a new creation? To be adopted by God?
- How should identity in Christ correct identity built on culture, tribe, or self-expression?
What Is the Church?
The church is not a corporation or brand, but the people called out by God through the gospel — devoted to the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.
- When does someone become part of the church?
- What did the earliest church devote itself to?
- What is the apostles’ doctrine?
- What is the priesthood of believers?
- What has been added by tradition? What has been removed?
What Is Salvation?
Salvation is God’s gracious rescue of sinners through Christ. The question is not whether it is by grace — it is — but how God has appointed sinners to respond in faith.
- Saved from what? Saved by whom?
- What is repentance? Confession? Baptism? Regeneration?
- What is the relationship between faith and obedience?
- Does Scripture teach regeneration before faith?
- Does Scripture teach salvation before baptism?
What Is Truth?
Truth belongs to God. Jesus does not merely teach truth; he is the truth. The task is to distinguish truth from tradition and exegesis from system-defense.
- Can truth be known? Is it personal, propositional, or both?
- What is the relationship between Christ and truth? Scripture and truth?
- What is false doctrine? How does error disguise itself as truth?
- How do traditions become invisible?
- How do systems protect themselves from correction?
What Matters?
What matters is determined by God, not by cultural urgency or religious branding. But not everything matters in the same way.
- What is most important? What is wisdom? Holiness? Love?
- What is justice? What is mercy?
- What doctrines are essential?
- What errors are tolerable? What errors must be confronted?
- How do we distinguish preference from principle?
What Are We Responsible For?
Truth creates responsibility. To hear the word of God is to become accountable before God — and doctrine must become faithfulness.
- What does God require of me? How do I obey the gospel?
- How do I walk by the Spirit and grow in holiness?
- How do I guard the faith without becoming arrogant?
- How do I correct error without losing charity?
- How do I pursue unity without sacrificing truth?
How Do We Know What We Know?
Not every claim to knowledge is knowledge. Christian discernment requires more than confidence — it requires testing.
- What is the difference between information and understanding?
- Can I trust my experiences? My teachers? My tradition?
- Can I trust my theological system?
- How do I test competing interpretations?
- How do I know whether I am reading Scripture or defending a system?
What Must Be Tested?
Every doctrine must be tested — not merely other people’s, but our own systems, teachers, assumptions, and favorite conclusions.
- What have I inherited without testing?
- Where has my tradition changed the order of the apostolic pattern?
- Where have creeds or theologians become functionally authoritative?
- Where has experience overruled exegesis?
- Am I willing to follow Scripture where it corrects me?
Each question opens onto a study that tests it against Scripture and the apostolic pattern.
“Test all things; hold fast what is good.”