...STUDENT: CAROL J MOZEE THE PROVIDENCE DEBATE: 10/08/2013 201340 FALL 2013 THEO 350-B05 INSTRUCTOR: DR. RICHARD LUMADUE STUDENT: CAROL J MOZEE The Providence Debate: Personally why should there be a debate about God, and his where about and how and what he can and can’t do? Who is in control? God is! I know to some people this may not be an appropriate way to start this research paper, but it is what it is and I feel sad that this is how the world thinks and appreciate our God, our Father and Friend. It’s all in defining everything, and not just seeing God’s work and taking, God’s word and believing in God for whom he is. Defining God’s Providence, all things happens according to God’s Sovereign Will, “ God is in control. Romans 8:28 “ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”. When one defines God’s providence it is referring to the way God governs the world. Does God really sit on His throne and dictate or rule the world? It is not surprising that there is some disagreement in the evangelical world concerning the control of God, His dealing with salvation especially as affected by Jesus and the freewill of mankind. Some theologians think that the three are in contradictory of each other. Are they really in conflict with each other’s or can all three exist in full scriptural belief without doing any injustice to the other two? When one talks about the sovereignty of God...
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...biblical worldview. The writings within the letter, explains how with faith Christians can be justified, sanctified and glorified by God’s grace. The letter addresses the Christian view of the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and our culture. The Natural World Reading the book of Romans, helps to give an explanation of how Paul depicted the natural world when forming a Christian/biblical worldview. Think about it from the perspective of a person must know essentially where they came from before starting the framework of forming of a worldview. The bible teaches Christians that God is the creator and he created everything. In Romans, Paul describes that the natural world was created by God as it can be clearly seen (Romans 1:19-20). Paul also states that the creator should be worshiped not the created such as men, birds and animals. (Romans 1:22-23). Romans 1:25, elaborates by stating God who created everything should be honored always. However man turned away from God, worshiped false idols, embraced sin and therefore deserved death. Human sin forced God to punish not only man but the natural world too. Romans 8:20, states “The world that God created suffered defeat.” Paul describes that God will rescue the world and God has a plan for its future along with future of Christians. Human Identity God created everything. Man was a special creation that God...
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...The book of Romans was also dubbed the “purest Gospel” by Martin Luther. Paul wrote the epistle because he felt he needed to establish the Roman believers in their faith and doctrine. In Romans Paul teaches us many crucial aspects of the Christian life. Let’s explore what we can learn from Romans 1-8 about how we should view the natural world, our human identity, our human relationships, and culture. I believe Paul needed to show them, and in turn us, how utterly lost and hopeless they were in order for them to truly understand the magnificent grace of God as displayed in the Gospel. The awesome and incredible design of nature alone delivers a clear and unmistakable message about God’s person and Power. Romans declares that the wrath of God is revealed against all godlessness and wickedness of people, and that what can be known about God is plain to them, because God made it plain to them, and that since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities (His eternal power and divine nature) have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made (Romans 1:18-20). Nature itself points to a divine creator God, this “general revelation” gives us the revelation of God that has been given to all people, in all times, and in all places. General revelation refers to the natural world and its processes, or natural law. The truth about God is revealed to us not only in special revelation via the Bible, but also in general...
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...have been saved by grace through faith. That is, they know that their sinful nature separated them from God, who is holy (the opposite of sinful), and that they therefore were dead in their sins, unable to have peace with God. In other words, the payment for sin is death - eternal separation from God. They also realize that they could not make peace with God by trying to measure up to His standard of holiness - for example by following rules and regulations or by doing good works. And they learned that God nevertheless desired to have peace with man, and that God therefore Himself provided a way to make this possible. They know the Bible says that "Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful." (Romans 5:6-9). And they realize that those who believe this - that Jesus Christ, God's Son, died and paid for their sins - are saved by grace (God's 'undeserved gift' to us). Hence we are saved by grace, through faith. The Bible says that we were dead in our sins, but made alive in Christ (Colossians 2:6-17). Having thus made peace with God - by accepting Jesus Christ into our lives - we therefore have eternal life with God. Legalism: Trying to earn God's approval Yet there are countless Christian who do not realize that God's desire and will...
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...addresses salvation, and righteousness in the form of condemnation (Romans 3:5), justification (Romans 5:1), and sanctification (Romans 6:19). Natural World One cannot speak of the natural world, without referring to the Book of Genesis. From the onset, Paul were adamant in teaching the Romans that God is the creator of the natural world, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20 KJV). Although, man and his mindset, has what he thinks his own agenda as revealed in Romans 1:25. Thus came the, “fall of man.” From the beginning of time (Genesis 1:1) to this day, man has fallen short of the glory of God’s grace. While not Paul’s main teaching focus, he does allude to this fall, “Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and...
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...Examination God-ward Perspective Conclusion Bibliography 3 3 4 5 5 7 3 Introduction In this report, I will examine an example where conflict is the substance of the text within the Bible. I will discuss how the story unfolds and demonstrate the antithesis between the children of God and the children of Man. Antithesis is defined as “contrast or opposition.”1 I will also discuss God-ward perspective in relation to conflict. Biblical Background “For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23 [KJV]). This verse out of the book of Romans is a clear example of antithesis within the Bible. When the entire book of Romans is reviewed it is obvious that the author of this letter to Rome is Paul (Romans 1:1; [KJV]). Paul writes this letter to the Romans somewhere between the times of A.D. 55 and 58 and occurred “during his third missionary journey.”2 It is rightly placed first among the Epistles because it is the most complete exposition in the New Testament of the central truths of Christianity. Paul needed to visit the Roman Christians and his desire to communicate to them the great doctrines of grace that had been revealed to him. Based on the text “the place of writing seems to be Corinth, for Paul sent Phoebe to the Romans. Phoebe was a deaconess from Cenchrea, the eastern seaport of Corinth.”3 Paul wrote the book of Romans for several reasons. First, Paul knew he needed a local church in order reach...
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...ELECTION ______________________________ A Research Report Presented to Mr. Nathaniel J. Madden Mingo Valley Christian School ______________________________ In Partial Fulfillment for the Course Systematic Theology Junior Bible ______________________________ By Courtney Padgett Spring 2012 According to the Webster’s Dictionary, elect means “to select; to determine on a course of action; chosen; selected from a number” (Webster 122). The doctrine of election directly concerns salvation. Although many Christians many immediately associate the term “election” with the teachings of John Calvin, this doctrine began long before Calvin crafted Institutes of the Christian Religion. The topic of election is in Bible, and can be found in the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, the book of Deuteronomy explains how Israel’s personal relationship with God began. For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Deut. 7:6-8). This Hebrew...
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...is in Christ, and the affects that the fallen world has on human relationships. Chapter eleven in Genesis explains how people forget their judgement so quickly and return to their crimes and idols. Genesis one, three, and six portrays the world at a fallen state. God created the universe with perfection. Each day, He created something new on the Earth and saw that they were all good. He created man in His image,” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). But, the earth instantly became a fallen world, beginning in Genesis 3. As a result of Adam's sin in the sixth verse of chapter three, the world has to encounter sickness, sorrow, evil and death. Everyone is born into the world with a sinful nature. So, nobody is born innocent and pure, but have the inbuilt desire to sin. God’s plan was to create a world for the humans He created with creature righteousness to dwell in His presence. But, because of this new fallen state, God’s judgement is upon man, woman, nature, and Satan. God casts a wearisome toil upon man, a physical pain in child bearing along with the requirement of submission upon women, He creates thorns and thistles in nature, and recognizes Satan as an enemy. God created humankind in His image. That is the identity of the human race. This is portrayed throughout Genesis one and two. From the time Adam and Eve rebelled against God by eating from the...
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...an adaptation to the Dutch play Elckerlyc., The Chambers Dictionary of Eponyms defines “everyman” as the typical or average person, ‘the man in the street.’ The allegorical character Everyman is portrayed as the classified definition. The failure of every man is sin. Like a scorpion delivers a deadly sting, sin spreads its immovable sting; the result-death seizes its allegiance. ““. . . Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin . . .”— (I Corinthians 15:55-56, New International Version). Before sin yielded its entrance, there was no account of Death. Sin is how Death marked Everyman. The character Death is symbolic of physical death and Everyman is symbolic of the entire human race. Physical death is predestined and removes the physical life of all humanity. Death is named by God, His mighty messenger (63); it can be perceived that Death is a forceful messenger of God. Not forceful to feel threatened or intimidation, but forceful in a sense of an “eye opener.” Under God’s rule, Death dispatches and conveys God’s message. Death is summoned by God, and is obedient to God’s submissive will and authority to approach Everyman and inform him of his inescapable journey to encounter Death and God’s judgment. God inhabits the domination of Death’s message. Death declares to Everyman God’s dominates, “For it is God’s commandments that all to me should be obedient” (117-118). Everyman fears Death despite the fact that God is in control, “I tell you, my friends...
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...Jean Leon Iragena Dr. MacMaster IDST 1128-02 Spring Project March 24, 2011 The Truth behind Free Will: Luther vs. Erasmus The notion of free will is one of the most complex notions to define and to understand; it is defined differently according to one’s interpretation of the scriptures, especially the Bible. Both Martin Luther and Desiderius Erasmus, influenced by their faith and beliefs, write respectively against and for free will. Both try to adequately answer the questions: Does man have free will? If yes, why and how? If not, how? Possible answers to these questions given by both authors and some scholars who write against or for each one of these opponents’ arguments highlight, especially, the differences in the conception of man’s free will. Luther and his supporters view free will as an imaginary or impossible and dangerous thing to have; Erasmus and his supporters defend that the existence of man’s free will is irrefutable for it is in human nature itself as the Bible says it. In spite of some of Luther’s good ideas that prove man’s absence of free will and Erasmus’ excellent interpretation of the Bible, neither of them fully responds to the human yearning of knowing the concept of free will. After a thorough and wise analysis of the defense and abnegation of man’s free will of these authors, I find it impossible to fully deny or prove the existence of man’s free will. It is important to take into...
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...challenges presented in the heresy of Pelagianism concerning grace and original sin. Augustine’s writings against Pelagius serve as our primary source for understanding his response. It is expected to find that Augustine responded in a biblically orthodox manner showing the true nature of man while defending the doctrines of grace and original sin. CONTENTS ABSTRACT ii Pelagianism 1 THE BACKGROUND OF PELAGIUS 2 THE WRITINGS OF PELAGIUS 3 THE TEACHINGS OF PELAGIUS 6 AUGUSTINE 7 AUGUSTINE’S BACKGROUND 7 ORIGINAL SIN 8 TRANSMISSION OF SIN 9 THE GRACE OF GOD 10 CONCLUSION 10 BIBLIOGRAPHY 11 Pelagianism The Heresy of Pelagianism began in the fifth-century and was named after the British monk Pelagius. He is well known even today for his views on original sin and freedom of the will. A definition provided by William Shed in his work Dogmatic Theology states that, “Pelagius affirmed the freedom of the will, which for him meant that a person always has the ability to choose good as well as evil. That is, for Pelagius the power of contrary choice is essential to free moral agency. According to Pelagius, a person is always ‘able to sin and able not to sin’ (posse peccare et posse non peccare). Naturally, such a view of freedom carries implications for the doctrine of original sin. Pelagius denied that human beings derive a corrupt nature from Adam; if they did then they would not be responsible for their sins. Rather, Adam’s transgression served merely as a bad example...
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... our human identity as it relates to God, human relationship and how it should be understood and culture. He shows us God’s love for all mankind, regardless of nationality or cultural background through His saving grace found in Jesus Christ. He grants salvation to all by faith in His son, with no favoritism or partiality. Man is incapable of saving himself, it is not earned through his works or good deeds, it’s only found by faith in Christ. It is essential for us today to have a clear and proper biblical understanding of our Creator, our relationship to Him and others, sin and its consequences and also our justification and redemption found in Jesus Christ. The Natural World Our natural world was spoken into existence by God and was perfect in its creation. The bible explains to us how the world was formed in Genesis 1:1-25 and God called His creation good. His purpose for creating our natural world and all that is in it was to worship and glorify Him. Our natural world is clearly a manifestation of His existence, sovereignty and power as stated in (Romans 1:20-21). There is general revelation of God’s creation, which speaks to everyone regardless of their culture and language and regardless of their access to Scriptures or the gospel according to (Psalms 19:1-6). God intended for man to subdue and take dominion of the earth, but man failed because of sin according to (Genesis 1:28). However, according to Romans 8:35-39, there is nothing that can separate us from the love...
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...led him to doubt and reject many of the Calvinistic doctrines. To label oneself as either a Calvinist or Arminianist would need to fully understand each of their doctrines. PART ONE Calvinism ”The theological system of John Calvin and his followers marked by strong emphasis on the sovereignty of God, the depravity of humankind, and the doctrine of predestination.” -Merriam-Webster Dictionary John Calvin was a great reformation theologian who lived from 1509-1564. “The system of Calvinism adheres to a very high view of scripture and seeks to derive its theological formulations based solely on God’s word. It focuses on God’s sovereignty, stating that God is able and willing by virtue of his omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, to do whatever He desires with His creation. It also maintains that within the Bible are the following teachings: That God, by his sovereign grace predestines people into salvation; that Jesus died only for those predestined; that God regenerates the individual where he is then able and wants to choose God; and that it is impossible for those who are redeemed to lose their salvation.” (Slick) Calvinism has five points which can be known by this acronym: T.U.L.I.P....
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...Tiffany American Literature Before 1865 14 February 2012 Puritan Ideology: Irresistible Grace Puritanism was a group of practices and principles that created reforms in doctrine and religion. The basic Puritan beliefs were founded on the TULIP concept. It is an acronym that stands for: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints. There are also other beliefs outside of TULIP, such as typology, manifest destiny, and backsliding. However, a principle that was focused on by John Winthrop and Jonathan Edwards is irresistible grace. It makes the assertion that God’s grace is freely given; it cannot be earned or denied. Grace is recognized as the saving and transfiguring power of God. Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity” and Edward’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” are effective examples of literature that shows irresistible grace. John Winthrop, along with many other people from Europe, came to America to establish the “city on the hill” idea of religion. While being the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he felt that it was his duty to remind the people of their purpose for coming to America. He envisioned a society that practiced God’s teaching and that was based on His ideas. By creating this religious community, the Puritans would be an illustration showing everyone else how to live the way that God wanted. In his sermon, “A Model of Christian Charity,” he tells the Puritans that their...
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... is the only way to heaven. The Natural World In Genesis 1:1 of the Bible, scripture states that “foundation of the earth was originally created by God.” Then Paul references the creation of the world in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” This scripture speaks to the fact that in God’s creation, he’s shown to be the orderly designer, powerful creator and undeniable. Keener (1993) referenced Cicero who stated “the human mind cannot deny what God is like.” The splendor of the earth pointed to God, but people still rejected Him and the goodness of what he completed for mankind. In this rejection, man willfully create gods for themselves and turn to idol worship (Keener, 1993). In doing so, Paul warns his readers that only God was worthy of praise and those that rejected the knowledge from the creation caused damnation on themselves. (Hindson and Towns, 2013). Human Identity Paul made it clear that we discover our true human identity in our relationship and acceptance of God and through Jesus Christ. Man and woman were made in God’s image (NIV, Genesis 1:27) to have a personal relationship with God and to emulate His purpose which was to be fruitful and multiply (NIV, Genesis 1:28). This should have been a natural instinct since we came from a creator that did the same....
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