Salvation 2.0: Part 4.4: A reflection or two

grace5Notice how far we’ve come without having to speak about Five Acts of Worship, being Scripturally Organized, or even the Five-Step Plan of Salvation.

On the other hand, our basic theology here is thoroughly Trinitarian. Much has been said about God, Jesus, and the Spirit. None is an afterthought or a throw in. Each plays an essential role.

Moreover, while morality in the conventional sense hasn’t played a big role in our discussion, we have found the need for mankind to be transformed into the image of God
— which has huge ethical implications. And we find ourselves called to participate with God in his mission to extend the Kingdom to fill the earth — so that God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

And we’ve seen that God’s justice and righteousness requires us to be concerned about the needs of others, especially the poor, the oppressed, and the powerless.

And being restored to God’s image necessarily implies that we return to our most natural condition, that is, to the Garden — where we were charged to work and to keep the Garden. This has obvious implications for the environment (although it doesn’t necessarily require us to vote for or against the Keystone Pipeline).

And the call to Gen 2 as a template for how to be truly in God’s image, as well as truly human, teaches us about marriage. It’s no wonder that when Jesus or Paul is asked about sexuality or marriage, he inevitably refers to Gen 2. It’s built into the Christian worldview at a very fundamental level.

And, at long last, the doctrine of atonement necessarily leads to soteriology — how to get saved.

About Jay F Guin

My name is Jay Guin, and I’m a retired elder. I wrote The Holy Spirit and Revolutionary Grace about 18 years ago. I’ve spoken at the Pepperdine, Lipscomb, ACU, Harding, and Tulsa lectureships and at ElderLink. My wife’s name is Denise, and I have four sons, Chris, Jonathan, Tyler, and Philip. I have two grandchildren. And I practice law.
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One Response to Salvation 2.0: Part 4.4: A reflection or two

  1. Jim H says:

    Good posit. Overall, the Churches of Christ sorely lack pulpit trained theology. Do we need more than “preaching schools?”

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