Salvation
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Part 6. The Path to Liberation or Salvation
1. Introduction Having examined the origins of suffering and moral disorder, we now turn to the paths of transformation. Both Christianity and Buddhism affirm that the human condition is not hopeless: liberation or salvation is possible. Yet they differ profoundly in how this goal is reached. Christianity centres on divine…
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Part 2: The Language Barrier – From Revelation to Realisation
Bridging the Light: Explaining Christianity to Buddhists with Clarity and Compassion 1. Introduction When Christians speak about God, sin, faith, and salvation, they are using a vocabulary born from revelation — truths given by a personal God who speaks and acts in history.Buddhists, however, understand truth as something realised through…
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Part 6: Sin and Suffering — The Christian Meaning of Deliverance
Bridging the Light: Explaining Christianity to Buddhists with Clarity and Compassion 1. Introduction Every religion wrestles with the same universal question: Why do we suffer? For Buddhism, the answer is found in ignorance and craving (avijjā and taṇhā).For Christianity, the answer is found in sin — the breaking of relationship…
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Part 7: Jesus Christ – Saviour, Teacher, and the Living Word
Bridging the Light: Explaining Christianity to Buddhists with Clarity and Compassion 1. Introduction For Christians, Jesus Christ is the centre of all truth — the Son of God, the Saviour, the Word made flesh.For Buddhists, the idea of a divine incarnation or a personal saviour is unfamiliar.They revere the Buddha…
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Part 6 – Roles in Creation, Salvation, and Restoration
“From Him and through Him and to Him are all things.To Him be the glory for ever. Amen.”— Romans 11 : 36 (NRSV) 1 Introduction Every divine action described in Scripture reveals a Trinitarian pattern.God never works in isolation: the Father initiates, the Son accomplishes, and the Spirit completes.This harmony—sometimes…
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Grace Beyond Ability (Contents)
Part 1 – The God Who Judges Rightly: Justice and Mercy in Harmony Part 2 – Before Understanding: Infants, the Unborn, and the Incapable Part 3 – Original Sin and Divine Grace: From Adam to Christ Part 4 – Faith, Repentance, and Confession: Receiving What Grace Provides Part 5 –…
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Part 2 – Before Understanding: Infants, the Unborn, and the Incapable
Series: Grace Beyond Ability – The Justice and Mercy of God Toward the Helpless and the Ignorant 1. Introduction If God’s justice is always righteous and His mercy unfailing, how does He respond to those who never reach moral or intellectual maturity — such as miscarried and aborted children, newborn…
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Part 10 – Lessons from Samson: Strength, Sin, and Salvation
Key Verse “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”— 2 Corinthians 12 : 10 (NIV) 1. The Paradox of Power Samson’s story is one of the most paradoxical in Scripture — a man anointed by God yet undone by himself; empowered by the Spirit yet enslaved by desire;…
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1: Creation, Fall, and Redemption
1. Theme Overview This theme explores God’s initial act of creating the world, humanity’s fall into sin, and God’s ongoing plan to redeem creation. It frames the biblical narrative from Genesis through Revelation, showing God’s faithfulness despite human rebellion. Key Concept: Core Theological Insight:God’s redemptive plan spans history, demonstrating that…
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9: Messiah and Salvation
1. Theme Overview This theme explores God’s plan for redemption through the Messiah, culminating in the salvation of humanity. The Messiah is the anointed one promised in the Old Testament, whose life, death, and resurrection bring spiritual restoration, forgiveness of sins, and reconciliation with God. Key Concept: Core Theological Insight:Salvation…
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9: Zane Hodges – Free Grace Theology and the Debate over Lordship Salvation
1. Introduction Zane C. Hodges was a New Testament scholar and leading proponent of Free Grace Theology, a doctrinal system that sharply distinguished salvation from discipleship and rejected the idea that true faith must necessarily produce good works. In contrast to Lordship Salvation—promoted by figures like John MacArthur—Hodges insisted that…
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117. Salvation
Psalms 51:12 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Luke 10:20 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. John 14:6 6 Jesus saith unto him,I…
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4: Salvation — Yeshuah (OT), Soteria (NT), and Intertestamental Usage
1. Hebrew Term: Yeshuah — יְשׁוּעָה Pronunciation: yeh-shoo-AHMeaning: Salvation, deliverance; God’s saving acts on behalf of His people. Old Testament Usage: Intertestamental Usage: New Testament Usage: Example Verses: Comparative Summary:
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Hans Urs von Balthasar – Beauty, Christ, and the Drama of Salvation
Doctrinal Themes and Denominational Traditions 1. Introduction Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) stands among the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th century, renowned for his integration of aesthetic, dramatic, and mystical themes into systematic theology. Deeply committed to Christocentrism, Balthasar reimagined theology not merely as an academic pursuit…
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Part II: Sacraments and Salvation – Where Symbols Become Flesh and Disputes Flow Like Wine
The Council of Minds: A Theological Novel Chapter 5: The Table and the Blood The great hall shimmered, and a second table appeared—this one short, intimate, set with bread and a chalice. A cross loomed behind it, neither crucifix nor empty—a paradox of death and resurrection. Aquinas stood reverently: “This…
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Article 1: The Divine Architecture of Blessing – How God Built the Universe to Bear Fruit
1. Introduction The concept of blessing—whether spiritual, material, emotional, or relational—features prominently throughout the Bible. While Christians often focus on covenantal blessing tied to faith and obedience, Scripture also presents a wider framework: God has structured the universe itself to reward certain behaviours, attitudes, and principles, irrespective of a person’s…
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Article 6: Why God Honours Honour – The Law Written on the Heart of All Peoples
1. Introduction One of the profound insights of biblical theology is that moral truth is not restricted to the religiously informed or the covenantally bound. Even those outside the faith—those who have never read Scripture or heard the name of Christ—can and do act with honour, dignity, justice, and compassion.…
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Article 12: Final Reflections – Unity of Creation and Redemption in the Blessing of God
1. Introduction From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible portrays a God who blesses. His blessings are woven into the fabric of creation and flow richly through covenantal relationship. This concluding article reflects on how these two streams—universal law and covenant grace—are ultimately not in competition but in unity, expressing the…
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Chapter 1: Humanity’s Condition Before Salvation
PART I: SPIRITUAL CONDITION AND THE CALL TO SALVATION Theological Overview: Total Depravity and Separation from God The Christian doctrine of salvation begins with a sobering truth: humanity’s fallen condition. Drawing from the Augustinian and Reformed traditions, the doctrine of total depravity asserts that every part of human nature—mind, will,…
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Chapter 3: The Work of the Holy Spirit in Conviction
Overview: How God Awakens the Heart The convicting work of the Holy Spirit is the crucial starting point in the believer’s journey of salvation. Before a person can respond to the gospel in saving faith and genuine repentance, they must be awakened to the reality of sin, the righteousness of…
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Chapter 4: Saving Faith – Believing in Jesus Christ
PART II: CONVERSION – ENTERING NEW LIFE IN CHRIST Theological Overview: Justification by Faith Alone At the heart of the Christian gospel lies the doctrine of justification by faith alone (sola fide). This foundational truth, recovered and emphasised during the Protestant Reformation, proclaims that sinners are declared righteous before God…
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Chapter 6: Confession and Commitment
Overview: Declaring Jesus as Lord Confession and commitment are at the heart of the Christian conversion experience, marking the transition from internal belief to external allegiance. While faith and repentance begin within the heart, confession brings that transformation into the public and relational sphere. It is the open declaration that…
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3.7 Redemption Stories from Sin to Salvation
🔹 Story 1: Paul the Persecutor Became a Preacher Main Characters: Saul/Paul, Jesus, AnaniasStory Summary: Saul hunted and imprisoned Christians until Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. He was blinded, humbled, and transformed into the apostle Paul—writer of much of the New Testament.Key Verses: Acts 9:1–22; Galatians 1:13–16Theme…
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6.6 Stories of Generational Sin and Redemption
🔹 Story 1: Adam and Eve – Sin Enters the World, Redemption Promised Main Characters: Adam, Eve, God, serpentStory Summary: Adam and Eve’s disobedience brought sin and death into the world, affecting all generations. Yet in the same moment, God promised a future Redeemer who would crush evil.Key Verses: Genesis…
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6.8 Stories of Redemption and Restoration
🔹 Story 1: Joseph – From Betrayal to Blessing Main Characters: Joseph, his brothers, PharaohStory Summary: Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and imprisoned unjustly. Yet God raised him to second-in-command in Egypt, using him to save many during famine and to reconcile with his family.Key Verses: Genesis…
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Chapter 8 – Early Humanity and Supernatural Involvement
The Temptation by the Serpent and the Fall of Man Biblical Basis: The Entrance of Evil into the Human Story Genesis 3 records a pivotal moment in the biblical narrative—the entrance of evil into the human experience. The serpent, described as “more cunning than any beast of the field” (Genesis…
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Chapter 9 – The Spread of Sin and Death
Cain, Lamech, and Generational Decline Biblical Basis: From Eden to Violence Genesis chapters 4 and 5 document the immediate and generational consequences of sin following the Fall. The narrative begins with Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve, who murders his brother Abel out of jealousy—committing the first recorded act…
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Chapter 11 – God’s Covenants & The Redemptive Narrative
From Post-Flood Humanity to Divine Election Biblical Basis Throughout Scripture, God unfolds His redemptive plan through a series of covenants, each marking a critical stage in His interaction with humanity. The Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:8–17) establishes divine commitment to the stability of creation. The Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1–3; 15; 17)…
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Chapter 12 – Christ, the Cross, and Cosmic Redemption
The Incarnation as the Centre of Time and Creation Biblical Basis: Christ the Creator and Sustainer of All Things The Incarnation—“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14)—marks the central event in the Christian understanding of history and cosmology. It is not merely a divine intervention within time,…
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Chapter 16 – Artificial Immortality or Divine Resurrection?
AI, Transhumanism, and the End of Humanity as We Know It (Creation to Nations – Chapter 16) “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”— 1 Corinthians 15:53 Introduction: Humanity at the Crossroads In the unfolding story from Creation to Nations, we have traced…