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Protestant Reformation and its influence
Protestant Reformation and its influence
Protestant Reformation and its influence
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There is also a strong historical evidence of the need for assurance. Before the Reformation, the Church was the assurance of salvation. When parishioners were baptized and partook of the Eucharist, they had the assurance, delivered by the Church, that they were secure. This is what forms the foundation of salvific assurance for the Catholic Church today. Their dependence lies more strongly on the Church then on Scripture. Many of the Church Fathers found assurance of salvation; however, since the time of the reformation, there have been varying views of assurance. Those views range from those who feel assurance is essential to a true faith, to those who believe it was merely a cerebral recognition of scripture alone.
Today, many have a false sense of assurance that is based on
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Theologically it is understood that salvation is not based on emotion or feelings. But the experiences of one’s life can give greater assurance that God is not distant but very close to the Christian’s life. Many who grow up in Christianity experience the love, security, and joy of salvation before they experience the knowledge of salvation. The experiential senses develop sooner than cognitive development, therefore, humans “experience” before they “know.” God can use experiences to give assurance to Christians that they are truly secure in their salvation.
The witness of the Holy Spirit is the ultimate proof of salvation. The Holy Spirit gives an ongoing assurance of salvation. For Christians, the Holy Spirit is a guide as they progress through life. He will lead, comfort, and give them power to have this assurance. M. P. Winship tells of the Puritan Pastor William Perkins who advises believers that were unable to perceive the witness of the Spirit to look to the process of sanctification for assurance. Thus, sanctification is an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit that continues to bring assurance to
Salvation is an important part of the Catholic religion. As a non-religious student, I have had to rely heavily on the definition of Salvation from the teachings in my class. With the aid of The Bible, C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity, St. Athanasius’ writing on Incarnation, and the “Class Notes on Salvation, I have been able to grasp an understanding of what Salvation is. At first, I believed that Salvation was a simple definition. I thought that Salvation was accepting Jesus Christ so that all of one’s sins are washed away. However, Salvation is much more than that. After multiple classes, I have learned that Salvation is essentially God’s plan to save humans by cleansing humans from Original Sin by using mechanical techniques such as becoming a finite being and dying for humans to live an indisputably whole life. After looking at the Fall, Lewis argues that sin affects the character of the fallen individual. Because of Original Sin, it can be said that human beings are corrupted in the mind which can be seen as a punishment in itself. With the understanding of Salvation, Catholics view Salvation by understanding the two sides of Salvation, Justification and Sanctification.
Through the close study of two of the aspects shown in the diagram, their contributions allow Christianity to be considered a living religious tradition. The significant contributions of Pope John XXIII, during both his papal and Pre-papal life have had everlasting effects on not only Catholicism, but Christianity as a whole and lead to the sense of Christianity being a living religious tradition. His works include two Papal encyclicals, Mater et Magistra and Pacem in Terris, along with his work being Apostolic Delegate of Greece and Turkey. Moreover, The significant practice of Baptism has further contributed to Christian being considered a living religious tradition as it accounts for the premise of most Christian beliefs to be initiated, especially in terms of salvation and affirming the beliefs in the trinity and following the teachings of Jesus Christ.
One of the three basic pillars of the Roman Catholic Church is Tradition. The Church often uses this pillar of Tradition to validate its actions or to establish its own infallibility. One unspoken foundation that I feel is more essential, however, is that of Love. Love is what is taught in Scripture, another pillar of the Church, and should, therefore be the root of any traditions in the Catholic faith. By judging human actions or the spirit of God by cold laws enforced by the Church, we lose important insight into what our faith and our existence are truly about. Even the Church, in its humanness, sometimes forgets that love of God, others, and ourselves should be the core of every decision we make. The Church that many see as harsh and archaic could easily be refreshed and renewed, not by peppier music or stand-up comic priests, but by emphasis on the spirit of love rather than the letter of the law.
Marthaler, Berard L. “The Creed: The Apostolic Faith in Contemporary Theology”. 3rd ed. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2010. Print.
This great “Father of the Church,” wrote a handbook on the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. The Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love was written in the year 420. It is a brief handbook on the proper mode of serving God, through faith, hope, and love. It is easy to say what one ought to believe, what to hope for, and what to love. But to defend our doctrines against the slander of those who think differently is a more difficult and detailed task. If one is to have this wisdom, it is not enough just to put an enchiridion in the hand. It is also necessary that a great eagerness be in the heart.
religious truth derived from Catholic traditions as well as from the Bible” (Davies 497). Although the
Sanctification is the process of being made Holy. In the process of being made holy, the life of the believer is changing. The believer begins to slowly and painfully (mentally, Romans 12:2) go from living of the flesh, to living a life of the spirit. The process of being made Holy comes at the work of justification, the works of Jesus Christ. We can only produce what is Holy, by allowing what is Holy (Jesus Christ) to change our lives (1 Corinthians 1:30) salvation, than after salvation God immediately begins to work to change our lives so that we can represent Him. Looking into the Old Testament and New Testament, we can see the major emphasis on the works of sanctification on the God's children lives.
He carries with Him the transcendence that comes only with God Himself. Therefore, His work on our behalf makes our salvation sure. Jesus, the God-man, has atoned for our sins. We can place our confidence in Him because of His divine nature” (7). This is the ultimate application of the gospel of John. John is a book that Christians need to read and gather as much information out of it as possible to share with others who do not believe in or have not heard of Jesus. The applications written in this book are for all to hear and for all to reap the benefits of. Jesus is the only one who can save humanity from the sin that we have brought upon ourselves in which the consequence is death. Jesus died on the cross so that we would not have to pay for our sins. God sacrificed His one and only son so that we may live eternally with Him in Heaven. According to the lesson on John, the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to provide the gospel message to others and share the love of Christ (Lesson 7.23.3). We are to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our actions so that the Lord might save as many as
Justification by faith is of great importance, it is the foundation of our whole position and standing with God. Martin Luther wrote, “When the article of justification has fallen, everything has fallen.” John Calvin called it, “the main hinge on which religion turns.” Thomas Watson said, “Justification is the very hinge and pillar of Christianity.” The issue of Justification was the primary dispute between the reformers and the Roman Catholic Church, and the problem was, and still is, between salvation by faith alone and salvation based on good works.
... is faith, which is to “return to what took place at salvation.” Faith and obedience are keys to spiritual victory as we are called to pursue holiness and be sanctified (Col. 2:11-12).
Even after leaving the Roman Catholic faith, it was still my belief that works were an integral part of redemption. At the conclusion of this course, that belief has finally been laid to rest. This course also revealed to me how much of my own redemption and salvation was a systematic process. Thus, I can now see how God revealed things to me concerning my own salvation and redemption through life events and experiences.
The Holy Spirit spreads and defends faith by word and action as a true witness of Christ, and therefore never ashamed of the Cross. For the future of Confirmation, there are many ways to continue the future development of Confirmation with the Holy Spirit, thereby bringing others closer to Christ as well as continuing our path of righteousness, once completed. We tend to get so busy in our daily lives and families that we find ourselves not making time for God and our faith; this is when the walk with Christ can dissipate. Once you are confirmed, you are making the lifelong choice to follow God, and live a life of service to your faith. We do this by working to bring our children closer to Him.
One of the important aspects Christianity is sanctification. Christians desire to be sanctified by reading the Bible, praying, and obeying God’s Word. Then, what is the correct meaning of sanctification? The word “sanctification” contains a meaning of “becoming holy.” Moreover, it is given by God, who is holy, to His people to be set apart from worldliness.
There are many views of the assurance of salvation. Most current denominational systems are based on one of these views of salvation. This research will only look at three of the most popularly held views.
At one point or another in one’s life you are faced with God, eye to eye and you know it. You can feel the Holy Spirit’s presence, like a humming sound that’s too low to hear, but it’s there and you can feel it, a feeling that you are not alone. For some, this feeling lasts for eternity, and for others God works within them again and again because the Lord’s love is persistent. The feeling I had came and went, for it was not strong enough as a child. But now, I am the strongest I have ever been.