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Salvation - Letter to a Friend

This paper takes the form of a letter to a friend, explaining salvation. It incorporates the views of Letty Russell and Daniel L. Migliore along with those of other noted theologians.

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SalvationDear Jackson I'm so glad you asked me about salvation I remember years ago whensomeone I knew shared his testimony of salvation and how shocked I was tofind that we all need salvation because we all sin we have actually all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and we just can't measure upto His standard of perfection on our own I had always thought thatsalvation was just for people that had committed unspeakable sins likemurder or incest but when

Liberation theology, for example, is a concept thatincludes relief for the poor and oppressed in the view of the Church'smission. Nothing ismissing and nothing is broken in shalom. We can lose our appreciationof who God is, what He has done for us, and what our lives would be likewithout Him. Migliore says,"...we misunderstand the depth of sin if we see it merely as a violation ofa moral code, a deviation from conventional behavior, doing somethingcommonly considered 'bad.'"[2] "Instead," he points out, "sin is primarilythe disruption of our relationship with God."[3] One manifestation of sinis a turning away from, and at times a hostile reaction to, the grace ofGod. Although God wants everyone tobe in fellowship with Him, He allows each of us to make our own choice. As the Biblephrases it, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;and all these things shall be added unto you."[28] Now I am a wholeperson, although at times I must contend in faith for that wholeness tomaintain it. This is something that all of us-everyone on earth-experiences, even though we are unaware of it until someone explains thespiritual dimension of our lives to us. Christine. B. Ray, "The Ramifications of Religious Pluralism forMinistry: How Christian Communities Are Currently Responding to thisChallenge and a Vision for the Future," citing Knitter 86: 3.[25] Kitchens, Ray, citing Knitter 79: 3.[26] Revelation 13:8 (KJV).[27] Mark 16:15 (KJV).[28] Matthew 6:33 (KJV).[29] Luke 1:76-77, 1 Peter 1:1 -12.[3 ] 1 Thessalonians 5:9-1 , 1 Peter 2:24, Romans 1 :9-13, titus 2:11, Acts4:11-12.[31] 1 John 4:9-1 . SinceHe is the only man that ever lived who is perfect and completely sinless,He is the only one that qualifies to deliver sinful man from sin. It means beingcomplete and entire, having no want; it means having everything that you'resupposed to have so that you don't suffer the distress of lack. Migliorewarns that if we reject the grace of God, this can lead to a situation inwhich we despise ourselves and allow ourselves to idolize other things inour lives.[4] This can produce emptiness-that hollow feeling that says, "Iam worth nothing, and I have no one," and we will probably try to fill upthat empty place with money, food, things, or sex, none of which can takethe place of the One who belongs on the throne of our hearts and Who alonecan satisfy our hungry hearts. Available from http://www.duke.edu/~cck4/Religious%2 Pluralism.doc.; Internet; accessed 2 December 2 9.Luther, Martin. fear not; forGod hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.Genesis 26:24 KJV .And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God ofAbraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, andmultiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.Genesis 35:17 KJV .And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife saidunto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.Genesis 43:23 KJV .And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of yourfather, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. Christine Henson, "Letty Russell: Contributions toward a HolisticEcclesial Vision," Religious Education, 92 (1): 111.[17] Henson, 111.[18] Henson, 112.[19] Henson, 112.[2 ] Kitchens, Ray, citing Knitter 17: 1.[21] Clark H. It's easy to take God's love and gracefor granted when we approach Him too cavalierly and allow other things orother people to take the throne of our heart. 1997. Kitchens and K. Wehave to continually renew our minds to the Word of God. Pinnock, "Biblical Texts-Past and Future Meanings," Jets43(March, 2 ): 79.[22] Avery Cardinel Dulles, "Who Can Be Saved?" First Things: A MonthlyJournal of Religion & Public Life, 18 (Feb 2 8): 2 .[23] Dulles, 2 .[24] C. I tried to fill that void with other people and other things, butnothing satisfied. Although Jesus is both God and man, He laid down His godly powerswhile on the earth, preferring to be called "Son of Man" to emphasize thateverything He did was something that we too could do. The French philosopher Blaise Pascal notedthat "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannotbe filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made knownthrough Jesus," and that inner void will remain until we allow God to stepinto our heart and fill it.[5] Another way we sin is by developing a negative and disrespectfulattitude toward God's love for us. Not only that, I see how much Jesus lovesme by the sacrifice that He made for me. First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion & Public Life, 18 (Feb): 17-22. According to Knitter, Karl Rahner callsthis "the greatest scandal and the greatest vexation for Christianity."[2 ] Needless to say, with all of the different varieties of Christianity inthe world, there are different models that you'll recognize. 2 4. Often espoused by Catholics, this theology spurs its adherents tofight for justice for those in society that are disadvantaged. As Migliore puts it, "Christian faith prompts inquiry not leastbecause it points to the shocking mystery that in the humble servant Jesus,his ministry, death, and resurrection, God is at work for oursalvation."[1 ] You may wonder how it is possible to be a Christian andstill sin, but I assure that we can fail even though we believe in God andin the salvation offered by Jesus. Collins, CO:Ignatius Press, 2 2): 55.[13] Martin Luther, "On the Freedom of a Christian," 152 .[14] Luther.[15] Luther.[16] N. Because of that sin nature, we areseparated from God, who is holy and cannot have sin in His presence. And he laid his right handupon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:Revelation 1:17 KJV .And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. God is love, and I see the imprint ofHis love in Christ's sacrifice. Available from http://pdfserve.informaworld.com/622439_713582246_746971244.pdf; Internet; accessed on 2 December 2 9.Kitchens, C., Ray, K. This is why 63 scriptures inthe Bible tell us to "Fear not!"[7] We all sin in some way. Jackson, I know that all of this is a lot for you to take in all atonce, so I'm going to simplify it for you by giving you my personal view ofsalvation. As afriend explained it to me, sin is utterly destroyed in the presence ofGod's holiness, and therefore, if we were to enter His presence withoutsalvation, we would instantly become "crispy critters." However, God longsfor fellowship with us, and His plan to make that fellowship possiblewithout destroying us was to send Jesus to the earth to become thesubstitute for us. Thomas Aquinas, for example, said, "Three things arenecessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; toknow what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do."[12] MartinLuther said, "To preach Christ is to feed the soul, to justify it, to setit free, and to save it, if it believes the preaching. We can begin to gloss over the holiness of God as though itwere just a religious form instead of the essence of His nature and thething that keeps Him free from all personal competing interests and doublestandards. Wecan choose to receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, in which case wewill then have received salvation and will dwell forever in heaven afterour death or at the rapture. The Ramifications of Religious Pluralism for Ministry: How Christian Communities Are Currently Responding to this Challenge and a Vision for the Future. There are so many religions, and even manyChristian religions, that unity among Christians is difficult to achieve,and communication is problematic. Religious Education, 92(1): 1 7-118. be courageous, and be valiant.1 Kings 17:13 KJV .And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but makeme thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make forthee and for thy son.2 Kings 6:16 KJV .And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they thatbe with them.2 Kings 17:34 KJV .Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD,neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or afterthe law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob,whom he named Israel;2 Kings 25:24 KJV .And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear notto be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the kingof Babylon; and it shall be well with you.1 Chronicles 28:2 KJV .And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and doit: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be withthee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished allthe work for the service of the house of the LORD.2 Chronicles 2 :17 KJV .Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still,and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fearnot, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will bewith you.Psalm 55:19 KJV .God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Being a Christianhas earthly as well as heavenly benefits. Once I became saved, however, shalom was the result. In fact, theBible records that at the same time that Jesus was being crucified, thePassover lamb was being slaughtered at the temple. He is our Champion and our Leader in this life too. The Word of God explains thatJob is fearful for his children and prays for them constantly, but fear isthe opposite of faith; fear is of the devil. And hebrought Simeon out unto them.Genesis 46:3 KJV .And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down intoEgypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:Genesis 5 :19 KJV .And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?Exodus 2 :2 KJV .And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, andthat his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.Deuteronomy 1:21 KJV .Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possessit, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neitherbe discouraged.Deuteronomy 2 :3 KJV .And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battleagainst your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do nottremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;Deuteronomy 31:6 KJV .Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for theLORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, norforsake thee.Deuteronomy 31:8 KJV .And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, hewill not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.Joshua 8:1 KJV .And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take allthe people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given intothy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:Joshua 1 :25 KJV .And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of goodcourage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom yefight.Judges 4:18 KJV .And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turnin to me; fear not. I've heard some Christians suggest that God allows the devil toharm us, basing that assumption on the book of Job. 2 8. Eerdmans Publishing.Pieper, Josef. By separating Himself completely from sin, God has made itimpossible for Himself to lie or misuse us or to have any truck with anyonethat does. I havedifficulty overcoming the temptations of the world, so I rely on God'sgracious gift in Jesus. He is not drowning in the treacherous, deep waters ofsin; He is standing on the bank of righteousness, safe and secure. But she answered not, neither did sheregard it.1 Samuel 12:2 KJV .And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all thiswickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORDwith all your heart;1 Samuel 22:23 KJV .Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life:but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.1 Samuel 23:17 KJV .And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall notfind thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next untothee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.2 Samuel 9:7 KJV .And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness forJonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thyfather; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.2 Samuel 13:28 KJV .Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon'sheart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then killhim, fear not: have not I commanded you? Selah.Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.Psalm 64:4 KJV .That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot athim, and fear not.Isaiah 7:4 KJV .And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither befainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierceanger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.Isaiah 35:4 KJV .Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, yourGod will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come andsave you.Isaiah 41:13 KJV .For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fearnot; I will help thee.Isaiah 41:14 KJV .Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saiththe LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.Isaiah 43:1 KJV .But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formedthee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee bythy name; thou art mine.Isaiah 43:5 KJV .Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, andgather thee from the west;Isaiah 44:2 KJV .Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, whichwill help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom Ihave chosen.Isaiah 54:4 KJV .Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; forthou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thyyouth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.Jeremiah 4 :9 KJV .And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and totheir men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, andserve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.Jeremiah 46:27 KJV .But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for,behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of theircaptivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and noneshall make him afraid.Lamentations 3:57 KJV .Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fearnot.Daniel 1 :12 KJV .Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thoudidst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God,thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.Daniel 1 :19 KJV .And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong,yea, be strong. I was incomplete, because that God-shaped part of mewas missing. Jesus is analogous to the animals sacrificed in the Jewish temple inHis day and for thousands of years preceding. Letty Russell: Contributions toward a Holistic Ecclesial Vision. Available from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=7&hid=1 6&sid=b6d71 c -8ace- 415a-b633-57ac98288f65%4 sessionmgr1 4; Internet; accessed 2 December 2 9.Henson, N. Thomas. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shaltcatch men.Luke 8:5 KJV .But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only,and she shall be made whole.Luke 12:7 KJV .But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. In order to take our place and pay the price for oursin, Jesus had to be sinless and blameless, never sinning Himself. We can choose instead to reject Jesus andfollow after another god, or no god at all, in which case we will berelegated to hell for all eternity. Eerdmans Publishing, 2 4):151.[3] Migliore, 151.[4] Migliore, 151.[5] "Blaise Pascal quotes," ThinkExist.com.[6] Job 2:6 (KJV).[7] Genesis 15:1, Exodus 2 :2 , Isaiah 54:4; Matthew 28:5, Luke 12:32(KJV), [and many more]. This book I read by Daniel L. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, shecovered him with a mantle.Judges 6:1 KJV .And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of theAmorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.Judges 6:23 KJV .And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt notdie.Ruth 3:11 KJV .And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest:for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.1 Samuel 4:2 KJV .And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her,Fear not; for thou hast born a son. For faithalone...and the efficacious use of the word of God, bringsalvation...."[13] Moreover, Luther was strongly aware of the importanceof God's Word in enjoying the benefits provided by that salvation,attesting "that the soul can do without everything, except the word of God,without which none at all of its wants are provided for."[14] Luthercontinued, "But, having the word, it is rich and want for nothing; sincethat is the word of life, of truth, of light, of peace, of justification,of salvation, of joy, of liberty, of wisdom, of virtue, of grace, of glory,and of every good thing...."[15] Letty Russell is another theologian that I like a lot; maybe you'veheard of her. B. Who Can Be Saved? And he laid his right handupon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:-----------------------[1] Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8.[2] Daniel L. 2 . Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. Fear not therefore:ye are of more value than many sparrows.Luke 12:32 KJV .Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give youthe kingdom.Luke 18:4 KJV .And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, ThoughI fear not God, nor regard man;John 12:15 KJV .Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass'scolt.Acts 27:24 KJV .Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, Godhath given thee all them that sail with thee.1 Peter 2:18 KJV .Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the goodand gentle, but also to the froward.Revelation 1:17 KJV .And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. Biblical Texts-Past and Future Meanings. ThinkExist.com. That is why I need Jesus as mypersonal savior. Jets 43 (March): 71-81. Migliore-Faith Seeking Understanding: AnIntroduction to Christian Theology-explains it so well. Her concept of shalom as part ofsalvation is critical to my understanding of what it means to be saved. Jesus is not just our "fireinsurance," our guarantee that we will escape hell and live in heaven afterdeath. My acceptance of new life throughChrist makes me a child of God, which is God's gift to me. ReferencesBlaise Pascal Quotes. Salvation, wholeness, completion, andshalom come only in that way, and there is no greater life than that. Available from http://jets.galaxie.com/files/JETS- PDFs/43/43-1/43-1-pp 71- 81_JETS.pdf; Internet; accessed 2 December 2 9. As Christians,we are part of His mission here, to show God's love to all, to "preach theGospel to every creature," and to bring in God's end-time harvest on theearth.[27] As I mentioned before, my favorite theologian is Letty Russell. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, andsaid, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.Joel 2:21 KJV .Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.Zechariah 8:13 KJV .And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, Ohouse of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be ablessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.Malachi 3:5 KJV .And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witnessagainst the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against falseswearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, thewidow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right,and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.Matthew 1:2 KJV .But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORDappeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear notto take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is ofthe Holy Ghost.Matthew 1 :28 KJV .And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.Matthew 28:5 KJV .And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I knowthat ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.Luke 1:13 KJV .But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard;and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his nameJohn.Luke 1:3 KJV .And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favourwith God.Luke 2:1 KJV .And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you goodtidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.Luke 5:1 KJV .And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partnerswith Simon. Even though I believe in God and in thesalvation offered by Jesus, I am still human and subject to sin as long asI live inside sinful flesh. Let me say like this. However, there is more to being saved thanchecking a box that says "Christian." Even going to church is no guaranteeof salvation, although an astonishing number of people think that it is.As my pastor likes to say, "Going to church doesn't make you a Christianany more than sitting in a garage makes you a car." God demands a decisionfrom us if we want to be Christians, and that decision to accept Christ asour Lord and Savior is not one made lightly. Available from http://thinkexist.com/quotation/there_is_a_god_shaped_vacuum_in_the_hea rt_of/166425.html; Internet; accessed 2 December 2 9.Dulles, Avery Cardinel. I am sinful, and so is everyone else. Another form of sin occurs when we selfishly develop a negative anddisrespectful reaction to God's love for us - a love shown by God'screative power and God's call to the stewardship of creation. Ilike to explain it like this: Before I was saved, I was fragmented anddisenfranchised, a hollow person with a God-shaped void in the center of mybeing. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction toChristian Theology, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. 152 . How can I sum up my views for you? Shefigures into my explanation of my personal view of salvation because sheunderstands that being a Christian is not just a long earthly battleagainst sin or a tough mission against demonic forces. I hope this letter has made salvation and Christianity understandableto you. Russell uses the metaphor of "thechurch in the round" to describe her concept of shalom, envisioning it as"people gathered around the table and in the world in order to connectfaith and life in action reflection (the round table)."[17] In addition,Russell talks about people "work[ing] for justice in solidarity with thoseat the margins of society (the kitchen table), and...welcom[ing] everyoneas partners in God's world house (the welcome table)."[18] These threetables symbolize functions of the church; the round table signifies"connection," the kitchen table "solidarity," and the welcome table"partnership."[19] Religious pluralism, or the multitude of religions, has become aproblem in modern times. The Latinmodel, for example, emphasizes practical theology that "must address humanstruggles for justice and freedom," with "more attention given...toChrist's solidarity with the poor and to the social dimensions of sin."[21] The Catholic model asserts that "the Catholic Church [is] the all-embracing organ of salvation and [is] equipped with the fullness of meansof salvation;" other Christian churches "[possess] certain elements ofsanctification and truth that were...derived from the one Church of Christthat subsists in the Catholic Church today," and as such, "God could usethem as instruments of salvation."[22] Even so, the Catholic modelrepresents the Catholic Church as being essential for obtaining salvation,and the Catholic Church asserts that "ll who [are] aware of this [have] aserious obligation to enter the Church in order to be saved."[23] Wherethe Protestant model is concerned, Knitter argues that "there is nosalvation without Christ because only with Jesus can other religions havetrue knowledge and achieve salvation."[24] Knitter explains that theEvangelical model is predicated upon Christ's uniqueness, arguing thatsalvation is not possible without Him.[25] There are aspects of the Christian life that some churches embrace andothers do not. I remember years ago whensomeone I knew shared his testimony of salvation and how shocked I was tofind that we all need salvation because we all sin; we have actually all"sinned and fallen short of the glory of God," and we just can't measure upto His standard of perfection on our own.[1] I had always thought thatsalvation was just for people that had committed unspeakable sins, likemurder or incest, but when my friend explained how we need to be perfect inorder to enter a perfect heaven where a holy God-that's a God completelyseparated from all sin-resides, I realized that there was just no way Icould ever be in God's presence unless I did something about the things inmy life that are not holy. SalvationDear Jackson, I'm so glad you asked me about salvation. Thomas, (Ft. He alsohad to be a man, so God had Him born of a woman to place Him on a par withus. I can guarantee that if you decide to receive Jesus as Lord andSavior, you'll be glad you did. Fortunately, when I acknowledge my sinful nature, my sins areforgiven.[9] I believe that through the sacrifice of Jesus, my wonderful,loving God is able to address the diversity of myriad needs and sins,because the atonement found in the inimitable Christ is inexhaustiblyabundant. Many people seem to feel that they are Christians simply by default;in other words, because they do not decide to reject Christ, they assumethat they are Christians. Jesusbecame incarnate to the world, offering salvation to a fallen people thathad been prophesied in the Old Testament.[29] That salvation becameavailable to us through His death on the Cross, and it is available to allthat desire it-but only through Jesus, and only because god raised Him fromthe dead.[3 ] Humanity could not save itself from sin, because we were notcapable of atoning for our sinful nature in our own strength. I cannot save myself; I must depend upon the graceof God for my salvation.[8] A drowning man cannot pick himself up by thescruff of his neck and pull himself out of the deep water; it takes anotherto do that-someone who is not drowning. "On the Freedom of a Christian." Available from http://www.sjsu.edu/upload/course/course_3435/Martin_Luther_On_the_Free don_of_a_Christian.pdf; Internet; accessed 2 December 2 9.Migliore, Daniel L. N.d. I see mankind as having inherited a sin nature from Adam andEve at the Fall. St. This symbolism isintentional, as it shows us that Jesus was the "Lamb slain from thefoundation of the world;" He was always God's plan for saving us.[26]Nevertheless, salvation is not automatic. Her idea of salvation pivots on the concept of shalom, orthe peace and wholeness of God.[16] Shalom is the Hebrew word for "peace"in the Old Testament, but it means much more than peace. Appendix A All occurrences of "fear not" in the Bible.Genesis 15:1 KJV .After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision,saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.Genesis 21:17 KJV .And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagarout of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Ft. Collins, CO: Ignatius Press.Pinnock, Clark H. The priest would lay thesins of the people upon a lamb, and the lamb would be slaughtered, thusshedding its blood to cleanse the people of their iniquities. It tookGod's love and the sacrifice of Jesus' life to accomplish it.[31] Thatsaving act of God, through the redeeming grace of Jesus, offered all peoplea glimpse of God's forgiving nature. I nolonger had anything missing in the spiritual sense, and as I began actingand speaking on the basis of my faith in God's Word, other missing thingsbegan being restored to me in the physical realm as well. That's why it takes effort to walk every dayin the right relationship with God that Jesus has purchased for us. 2 2. In Job 2:6 where Godand the devil are conversing about Job, and the devil complains that hecannot get to Job because God has set a hedge of protection around him, Godtells Satan, "Behold, he is in thine hand, but save his life."[6] What Godis saying here is not, "I'm putting Job in your hand" but "He is already inyour hand." Job has placed himself in the devil's hand by aligning histhoughts with those of the devil-by fearing. See Appendix A.[8] Ephesians 2:8-9.[9] Ephesians 4:32, 1 John 2:12.[1 ] Migliore, 3.[11] Romans 12:2 (KJV).[12] Josef Pieper, The Human Wisdom of St. The Human Wisdom of St. Romans 12:2 tellsus, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by therenewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,and perfect, will of God."[11] Some of the great men and women of God have had marvelous insightsinto salvation.

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Right to Privacy and drug testing
This paper is about mandatory drug testing for athletes in sports. It addresses these issues: Is there a valid reason that the courts can use to justify mandatory drug testing of student athletes? Privacy rights.
"ROAD TO MAKKAH, THE" (MUHAMMAD ASAD).
Critical review of Muslim author's autobiography, focusing on author's bias toward Arabs & Islam.
Methodists: Death and Dying
This paper examines the history of Methodism, with an emphasis on death and dying and the evolution of the Methodist funeral through the years since Wesley.
C.S. Lewis
This paper discusses the life of C.S. Lewis, highlighting his mother's death, his time in the Army, his conversion to Christianity, and several of his most notable books.
"A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE"
(Tennessee Williams) & [A Doll House] (Henrik Ibsen). Compares & contrasts female protagonists. Success & failure in life & self-discovery, conflicts with men, personalities.
JESUS AND THE OUTCASTS OF SOCIETY.
Examines biblical theme. How Jesus' association with specific social and cultural outcasts shaped Christian moral and philosophical content. Importance of the Redemption. Jesus' position as a Jew and outcast in Roman society. Jesus' challenge to Pharisee logic and Hypocrisy. Concept of inclusion. Outline.
"A TALE OF TWO CITIES".
Synopsis & critical review of novel on 18th Cent. political & religious novel, characters, themes, plot.

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Salvation - Letter to a Friend

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