Theology og the church - Essay Example

THEOLOGY OF THE CHURCH According to Origen of Alexandria, division is sin. As result of sin that God set out a rescue plan for the world using the nation of Israel. This brought forth a whole new change in the world which eventually resulted in the birth of Jesus Christ, the ultimate sacrifice who died for the sins of all. From a Christian perspective, the church is the body of Christ and the Christians are the members of the body. In the Western view of things, people are free to join organizations and come up with their own rules but in churches, Christians have been summoned by Christ and have the Bible that gives them instructions.

According to John Henry Newman, by giving the Bible to the church, God intended to authorize the church to reach out to the rest of the world by preaching His word1.The text has two quotations that are important to Christians. The first is Jesus’s statement found in Matthew chapter 25 saying “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” The second passage is quoted from Acts 9:4, where Saul heard a voice asking him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

” These points catch my attention as they are a clear indication that Jesus identified himself to his followers2. Both verses explain the fact that Jesus also suffers when Christians suffer during their time on earth as His servants.ReferencesDavid C. Alexander: Augustine’s early Theology of the Church: Emergence and Implications, 386-391: Peter Lang, 2008.