Prolegomena

 


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Soteriology

What I would like to do here is give some idea of the scriptural foundations for soteriology, and see what that tells us, and what it does not. Then I would like to examine the history of soteriology and see how it has made various attempts to fill in the details. I would like to conclude with my own thoughts. Biblical Foundations Theories of Atonement Final Thoughts  
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Final Thoughts

 E ach of these theories seem right in some ways and wrong in others. Just like trying to flatten a geography of a glob onto a flat map, our attempts to explain the atonement are bound to introduce distortions. Reality is always more complex than our models can capture. Changing the medium always distorts the message. The best strategy is the same one the early church took with the Gospels. Don't put one over the other. Reflect on each of them if you want to give due respect to the reality that inspired each of them. I've been having my own thoughts about the atonement. I'm beginning to see the crucifixion of Jesus as something more than God intervening at a certain point in history. I'm beginning to see it as the expression of an eternal truth. God's timeless willingness to forgive humanity.  Revelation 13:8 refers to Christ as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." When Jesus died on the cross, it wasn't a stand alone event.  It was the v...
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Atonement Theories

C hristians have made several attempts to explain how Jesus's death and resurrection could address the problem of sin. These attempts are called "theories of atonement." Different groups tend to favor one over the other, and sometimes that can cause bitter conflict.   But its important to remember that there is a difference between the actual events referred to in the pages of the Bible, and our human attempts to explain their significance.  Models can teach us valuable insights about the world but they can . We are not saved by having the right theory, but by the actual work of Jesus. Just as you can know enough about cars to drive one without having to understand what's going on under the hood. You can have faith in the work Jesus did to reconcile you to God - even if you don't properly understand how it works. As the British statistician G.E. Box said, "All models are wrong, but some are useful." Here is a brief summary of each of these views. Recapit...
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