Theological Positions of James Arminius and John Calvin - Research Paper Example

? Responses to Questions al Affiliation Responses to Questions In 150-300 words, describe why the death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus is vital to our salvation. (10%) The death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus is deemed vital to our salvation because through being aware of the journey that Jesus Christ endured, the devoted believers in the Christian and Catholic faith are encouraged to emulate his life through this teachings. As such, as the faithful devotees would be immersed in observing what has been taught and would be expected to follow, practice, and live a life of prayer, sacrifice, and strict adherence to the teachings of Jesus. These teachings are said to be instrumental for the conversion of sinners, for the salvation of souls, and for looking forward to eternal life with Jesus, in heaven. Likewise, it was asserted by Powell (2008) that “the death of Jesus Christ is an integral aspect of salvation” (p. 3232) because at the moment of death, it was noted that God forgave the sins of many and became the liberation of the souls from the bondage of sin; thus, opening the gates of heaven to eternal life and to salvation. In addition, it was also contended that “salvation includes new life in Christ, comprising regeneration (or rebirth) and eternal life. We have this new life as we participate in Jesus’ resurrection” (Powell, 2008, p. 3599). 2. In 150-300 words, compare the theological positions of James Arminius and John Calvin. (10%) James Arminius alleged that man should not be held accountable for the sin of Adam; but only accountable when man transgressed against God’s laws voluntarily. Likewise, his teachings include: (1) God elects those who would be saved and would have an eternal life; (2) all mankind were also taught and believed to be savable; (3) man is also believed not to be capable of saving oneself; but only with the grace of the Holy Spirit; (4) belief in prevenient grace; and finally, (5) man can still lose salvation by opting to reject God. On the other hand, the theological position of John Calvin, a reformist, focused on infant baptism, among others; where he asserted that during the Protestant Era, infants should be baptized as a symbol of the new covenant. As such, children of Christian disciples should be baptized while infants to be participants in the noted new covenant (Powell, 2008, p. 4764). Likewise, his teachings include: (1) total depravity concept where man was believed to be incapable of saving oneself; (2) that God chooses those who go to heaven or hell and man can do nothing to change this; (3) that Jesus allegedly died on the cross not to save mankind; but only those who were elected to go to heaven; (4) that man cannot resist God if and when he chooses to draw man towards Him; and finally, (5) salvation is believe to be left entirely to God. 3. In your own words, write a one to two sentence definition of the following terms or phrases: (5%) Canon of Scripture, as defined, means rule of a collection of writings of the Church which were considered of great value (Powell, 2008, p. 4514). Image of God was allegedly described in the Bible where man was created after the likeness of God, in terms of resemblance to some form of goodness, which is solely attributable to Him. Kenosis is a term which actually meant ‘emptying” which was analogous to Jesus, as the Son of God, who apparently emptied his divinity and assumed the role of a slave (Powell, 2008, p. 5270). Omniscience was noted to be the term which signifies the universality of God’s wisdom, which far exceeds the understanding and grasp of human nature and intellectual faculties of man. Original sin is reported to be a doctrine which presupposed that people are born in a sinful world; and therefore, it is acknowledgement that even before the ability to reason and have the capacity for spirituality, people are born to participate in the natural and universal sinfulness of the world. Orthodoxy was acknowledged to come from the word orthodox, a Greek term which allegedly means ‘right belief’ to assert to the teachings of the Catholic or Christian faith (Powell, 2008, p. 4496). Prevenient grace allegedly signifies that the grace of God precedes any action of humans (Powell, 2008, p. 2693). Repentance is the action of returning to the grace of God by acknowledging that one has sinned; yet one is immensely sorry for the transgressions that were made. Sanctification is noted to be the state of holiness or the freedom of men from the corruptive impact of sin (Powell, 2008, p. 4022). Sins of commission are deeds or actions that reportedly transgress the law of God (Powell, 2008, p. 1836). These are actions that are known to be in violation of the rules, laws and teachings of God; but despite knowing them, deliberate transgressions are undertaken. 4. The student should read the statements of faith or visit the website of their denomination or local place of worship. Write a summary of the “Statement of Faith” of their denomination, along with the scriptural basis. Subjects to consider would be: core doctrines; doctrinal distinctives; sacraments; church membership; social issues; and other items which the student thinks may be pertinent and representative of their denomination. The answer should be 500-1,000 words in length. (15%) One belongs to the Sunbury United Methodist Church (SUMC), which is a Christian community organization, whose members believed in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Its core values focus in a commitment to be of assistance to others through reaching out to community members and working beyond the ministries to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. As such, the core values of SUMC include: (1) establishment of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; (2) to pray daily; (3) to be comprehensively oriented with the teachings in the Bible so it could be taught to others; (4) to invite other people and welcome them cordially; (5) to worship God and Jesus Christ together; (6) to exhibit a celebration of joy and fellowship; (7) to share a communion in the bread and blood of Jesus Christ; (8) to be of service domestically and internationally; and (9) to exhibit the love of Jesus Christ to others as He has loved us (Sunbury United Methodist Church (UMC), 2013). As learned and imbibed internally, the vision statement of SUMC states that we should “Worship God, Grow in faith as disciples of Jesus, and Share Christ's love in the world” (Sunbury United Methodist Church (UMC), 2013, p. 1). This vision would be fulfilled through various ministries: children, teenagers, men, women, music, prayer, bible studies, varied missions, care partners, community, sports and even photography (Sunbury United Methodist Church (UMC), 2013). The children’s ministry, for instance, it is the objective of SUMC to inculcate Christian values and beliefs to young children so that it could be ensured that they would be guided in the correct path of life; and eventually become spiritual leaders in the future. For this particular ministry, there are varied programs being offered including education, sports, music and worship, as well as bible studies for children (Sunbury United Methodist Church (UMC), 2013). Concurrently, the Care Partners ministry select gifted and those people with special calling to provide spiritual guidance and care to members of SUMC who need this kind of assistance the most. There is also the sports ministry which offers indoor soccer to children and the golfing club, which is open for men and women who are interested to play golf and to share camaraderie with others. Likewise, worship is observed and adhered to every Sunday where a contemporary worship gathering with upbeat Christian music and multi-media are held every 8:30 in the morning to about 9:45 a.m. (Sunbury United Methodist Church (UMC), 2013). After which, at 11:00 a.m. another spirited traditional service is held complete with choirs, hymns, and messages from selected members of the SUMC community. The regular Sunday worship services provides members with the opportunity to learn more about the words and teachings of Jesus Christ, as affirmed from bible readings of the scriptures. As such, it proves to be a day where family members bond and unite together to honor and adore God and give glory to Him for all the blessings and graces that were received. Sharing the songs and music in spirited service is always a rejuvenating spiritual experience which affirmed the members’ testimonies to follow and adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ and eventually share in his resurrection through His promise of salvation and eternal life. One therefore affirms that through being actively involved in the SUMC community and congregation, one’s spirituality is significantly enhanced through the programs offered by various ministries and by living the core values and beliefs which were above noted. In addition, through attending Sunday services, members get to be apprised of the word of God through messages and readings of the scriptures. One’s spiritual life is immensely enriched as one affirms following the path that Jesus Christ lived to attest to the truth of His promise of salvation. Finally, by being an active member, one gets to share the various graces and blessings being received to those members and community residents who need assistance in words and actions the most. References Powell, S. (2008). Discovering Our Christian Faith: An Introduction to Theology. Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. Sunbury United Methodist Church (UMC). (2013). Home. Retrieved from sunburyumc.org: http://www.sunburyumc.org/ Sunbury United Methodist Church (UMC). (2013). Ministries. Retrieved from sunburyumc.org: http://www.sunburyumc.org/ministries Sunbury United Methodist Church (UMC). (2013). What We Believe. Retrieved from sunburyumc.org: http://www.sunburyumc.org/what-we-believe Read More