Sanctification is the ongoing process of being made holy. That is God’s will for Christians today as it is written in 1Pe 1:16 (KJV) “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” And it was God’s will for the Israelites to be sanctified and live holy,…
In reference to the Christian, this aspect of sanctification takes place in the believer's future.…
we are baptized. However, the tendency to sin can only be decreased by building our…
In the New Testament, the church can be referred to as the “local” church or the “universal” church. The local church is a place where assemblies of believers come together at a particular location and time. The universal church refers to the body of Christ. Many churches believe that they are healthy because they have a certain number of people on their membership roll. Healthy churches measure their spirituality according to God’s Word. This paper seeks to convey that healthy churches are measured in spiritual terms versus numerical terms; follow biblical instead of cultural patterns of ministry; are based on theological instead of sociological foundations; focus on ministry not a marketing model; and adopt scriptural not secular models of leadership. This will be done by examining Kenneth Gangel’s discussion on the different marks that can be used to gauge a healthy church in his article “The Marks of a Healthy Church.”…
The first three chapters are dedicated to demonstrate the need for a new theology. In chapter one, he throws down the gauntlet in front of the so-called dead and ineffective systems of theology that have been followed traditionally (1). His appeal specifically revolves around the college men and women of his day. He argues that “if our theology is silent on social salvation, we compel college men and women, working men and theological students to choose between an unsocial system of theology and an irreligious system of social salvation” (7). In chapter two, he discusses the challenges that arise in changing systems of theology. He calls theology “esoteric” and argues that the gospel was given by and to laymen (15).…
This paper will define, discuss and analyze Jim Putnam and Bobby Harrington’s five stages of discipleship as well as the four spheres or areas of our life. Additionally, I will describe what stage I feel that I am in and offer evidence to support that. Moreover, I will reflect on the four spheres of my life with regards to Bonhoeffer’s discipleship and the cross. Finally, the concept of the meaning of submission to Christ will be discoursed.…
All activities are being enacted by the senses of the material nature without exception; but the unrealized, deluded by false identification of being the body, thus thinks: “I’m the doer” So man’s uselessly arrogance, his ego that he is the doer, has not any meaning, it is totally reasonless, and the reasoned of all arrogance is his ignorance, lack of wisdom, a wise man never takes credit of his success or his failure. Living life in pain has no reason, if you know that you don’t have any control in your life or others life, you cannot even control your thoughts, they are coming according to its nature, according to its pattern, so you can be happiest man or woman in this world, you can live life in balance because there is no other way of…
Keifer invites the church to ponder the eternal, mysterious significance of the baptism. “The community into which we are baptized is not fundamentally an institution but an event, and the event is founded on the person action of the triune God. We are baptized not simply into a human community, but into the risen Christ and the indwelling of the Spirit.” The infinite paradox of God’s grace through the sacraments as well as the catechumenate reminds the baptized members that baptism marks just the beginning of one’s Christian…
Wuthnow, Robert. Christianity in the 21st Century. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc, 1993. Print.…
Religious studies and Theology are undoubtedly of invaluable effect on the life of the learner. The two studies have the mandate of transforming the overall perception to life as regards religion, personal beliefs and the philosophy of life. In this study, an array of topics were studied which in the end further enlightened on the mental conception and most interesting was the study involving the claim by Jesus that he was God. In addition to these, the course was informative and elaborates on the questions most people ask about the life of modern day Christians. Does it matter the lifestyle one adopts? Are there any procedures the church can initiate so as to communicate God 's love for the community in a manner that is not questionable and without doubt, but, remains beneficial to all Christians? Indeed, the questions are very relevant and of great importance to any present day Christian living in faith and in such hard times where confusion and…
Translated “the law of prayer [is] the law of faith”, lex orandi, lex credendi is a basic principal of liturgical theology. The way we view and practice baptism as an act of worship, significantly impacts us in terms of our faith. At the heart of the matter, Pedobaptists and credobaptists essentially disagree on the meaning of lex orandi, lex credendi. This essay will explain the main differences that makes baptism mean something different amongst various Christian denominations. Furthermore, this essay will explore biblical texts in order to explain the defense for both infant and adult baptism. It will also examine the history of various denominations within Christianity in an attempt to describe the current theologies of Christians today, most importantly their views regarding baptism. Christians from various different denominations disagree about the meaning and purpose of the sacrament of baptism because they disagree about the nature of faith, the role of baptism, the means of salvation, the nature of grace, and the function of the…
Schreck, Alan. Catholic and Christian: an Explanation of Commonly Misunderstood Catholic Beliefs. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant, 1984. Print.…
Before the 1960's, wolves were considered treacherous, despicable, and beasts of waste and desolation. When wolves were added to the endangered species list in 1967, they made the transitioned from villain to saint in the public eye as an symbol of endangered species. Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park, and permitted to thrive in the upper Midwest. The increase in population of wolves has been credited by scientists and media for the propagation of other species.…
Douglas expands on the idea of holiness through developing an argument that reveals how holiness is materialized and mediated on through ritual acts. To begin with, the virtue of holiness is one that is attributed to God and is acquired by the Israelites through sacrifice and ritual. In order to obtain this virtue one must come before God clean; and the acts and animals that are considered unclean are those who appear to be blemished and impure. The common factor Douglas asserts is the idea of wholeness. Wholeness extends past the body, but is developed in social situations and acts. Theft would be unholy social act that creates disruption and confusion, which is the opposites of the wholeness, clarity and completeness desired for the community and people of Israel.…
Cited: "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church." Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.…