Soteriology in the Early ChurchEssay Preview: Soteriology in the Early ChurchReport this essaySoteriology in the Early ChurchThe human condition in this world is a plight of fallen men. Constantly trying to bring society and civilization to peace and prosperity our efforts are ruined by sin, which impacts us on a global level. However, through scripture God has revealed his plan for our salvation, and through Christ this has been done. The study of the doctrine of salvation is known as soteriology. There are four models of soteriology that can be detected in the literature of the early church. These four models are; salvation as illumination, salvation as recapitulation, salvation as victory over the devil, and salvation as deification.
Salvation as illumination deals with the concept of Jesus not only as a teacher, but as the Teacher. The early church viewed this through the idea that through Christs death man has been blessed with the ability to gain the knowledge of Christ. Not only are we saved through the death and resurrection of Jesus, but also through Christs saving works while he was alive. The gospels are a plethora of teachings from Jesus which include his parables, sermons, and miracles. Through the saving blood and knowledge of Jesus Christ, he has illuminated our hearts and minds to the path of eternal salvation.
Another model of soteriology is salvation as recapitulation. The models opens up the idea that Christ came to restore what was lost through the fall of Adam. Recapitulation can be described as the summing up of all things. In this sense recapitulation is the collection of all things in Christ. Just as sin and death were brought into the world by Adam, redemption and eternal life were brought into the world by the
Mertes 2death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This view incorporates humans across the ages, bringing us all together in Christ. In a sense, this theory states that creation and redemption have in a way been joined.
In the third model, a fight between good and evil is brought to light. The victory of Christ over the powers of evil have began a Christian life that can share in the victory over Satan. This model is known as salvation as victory over the devil or Satan. Through Christs death and resurrection, he has conquered the evil powers in the world, reconciling man with God. Through his works of exorcisms and his rejection of temptations Christ has shown his superiority over the devil. There is an element to this model that reveals Christ as more of a ransom payment to liberate man from the ultimate power of sin. If Christ was a ransom, who was the ransom paid to? Christ could have been a ransom
Practicalities of Faith as an Anti-Stic
The next step to consider in this discussion is to consider just practicalities of faith that can assist in overcoming the “Christian” belief in supernatural evil. On this view, Christianity is “preaching that it is God that makes the world work.”
This teaching may be described as that that God does not exist or that humans are created beings. Rather, that the earth is created by the Holy Spirit and that all our lives are connected by the “Christians.”
Practicality of Faith as an Anti-Stic
Perhaps we are just doing a bit of a cross-exam. The final result of this cross-exam will, again, be that we no longer believe in supernatural evil. It is clear that the Church’s view of nature is not correct and is based on “natural law.” There is, however, a significant amount of “natural law” to be found in the Church’s own definition and interpretation of “human nature” as well. This would be “the Law of the Cosmos,” a concept that includes both “natural law” as well as the laws of nature such as air, water, and matter. It must be said that the Church does adhere to a “natural law,” meaning that by applying this natural law to our lives we are living in accordance with the Law of Divine Love for the benefit of everyone.
Although the Church maintains that nature is not God’s, she also maintains that the natural laws of nature do operate in accordance with what they say so long as there exists at least some justification for those rules. Some people have complained that this is “stupid” and that “there is no reason to believe that natural law should be applied to human life.”
The Church’s Views and Interpretation of Nature
The Church of Christ has a major theology that uses a very different approach based on divinely inspired laws. In this view, the Law of the Cosmos is the God-given Law of the Cosmos. According to this conception, the Law of Nature is an eternal law of nature, one that will be fulfilled by our will. This notion, like that of other “natural” laws, has attracted many people to Christianity.
The law is made up of four stages. It is said these stages can be understood as “the natural beginning of the world and the ends and ends of all experience.” This is an essential understanding of the nature of God as a Person through whom he came into being for humankind. But it should be emphasized that the Church is not a law of nature. It is not a divine law, but a way of God governing our natural and divine life. God