The Early Days of the Christian Church Sin and Salvation

Introduction In the early days of the Christian Church, the focus was on defining what it meant to be a Christian. At the same time, the church was plagued with controversies on the nature of God and Christ. While the church worked to establish doctrine on the nature of God and, Christ a controversy arose concerning human nature. The controversy started in the 5th century when Pelagius a British spiritual director heard a bishop quote from Augustine’s Confessions. The quote stated, â€Å"Grant what you command and command what you will†. Pelagius believed the quote allowed humans to avoid taking responsibility for choosing to sin. Pelagius’ views on the nature of sin and grace not only conflicted with Augustine’s views but they conflicted with the church’s views. Prior to the controversy, the church’s main concern had been for Christians to resist evil thoughts and desires. Moreover, like Augustine the early fathers believed that Adam’ s fall was the reason for human sin and death. As a result, the controversy required a response from the church on the nature of sin and grace. Sin - Pelagian View Although, Pelagius and Augustine agreed that evil is a product of human will they disagreed on the nature of sin and grace. Pelagius believed evil thoughts originate from the devil, which cause us to sin. In addition, he did not believe sin resulted from the fall in the Garden of Eden. In his debate with Augustine, Pelagius argued that, â€Å"Evil is not born withShow MoreRelatedBaptism Is A Sacred Rite1715 Words   |  7 Pages1. A. What is baptism? Baptism is a sacred rite that admits a candidate into the Christian community. Baptism is used by most Christian variants to signify the person’s initiation into the beliefs and practices of the Christian community. Baptism is a purifying ritual generally involving water, and welcomes one into the Christian community. Most Christian variants recognise baptism as necessary for redemption of the soul. Baptism is a ceremonial act undertaken after a person accepts Jesus ChristRead MoreIntroduction. Historically, Baptism Has Not Been Understood1659 Words   |  7 Pagesdebate has divided Christians over the years, and it is mainly focused on what the purpose and merits of Baptism are; of whether baptism should be only for adults or infants as well; or on the correct mode of baptism. As any debate, there are two sides to each area. We will analyze all of them to gain a wider perspective on what it means to get baptized. Purpose and Merits of Baptism As stated before, one thing Christians agree on is that baptism is not an optional practice. Christians have recognizedRead MoreThe Bible : Finding God Essay1134 Words   |  5 PagesGod in History The Bible provides Christian readers with an array of different themes and motifs within each book, but the main theme that encompasses the whole collection of works is the story of salvation history. Salvation history is the foundation and glue that holds together the wide compilation of books within the Bible. After the Fall of Adam and Eve, salvation history refers to God’s promise of salvation for human kind. The Bible is described as salvation history because the Bible tells theRead MoreThe Sacred Text And The Principal Beliefs Of Christianity1738 Words   |  7 Pagesbeliefs into a systematic theology that draws from its sacred writing and tradition. While the main beliefs of Christianity are shared by all Christian variants, there are degrees of different in the interpretation of these beliefs and how they are lived out in everyday life. This can be seen in the important of sacred text, principle belief of the concept of salvation in John 3:16, principle belief of divi ne and humanity in ‘John 1:14’, principle belief of resurrection in ‘Mark 16:1-8’, principle beliefRead MoreAn Analysis of Christianity1094 Words   |  5 Pages1.Beliefs 1.1Jesus Christ Christians believe that, as the Messiah, Jesus was anointed as ruler and savior of humanity, and hold that Jesus coming was the fulfilment of messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. The Christian concept of the Messiah differs significantly from the contemporary Jewish concept. The core Christian belief is that, through the death and resurrection of Jesus,sinful humans are reconciled to God and thereby attain salvation and the promise of eternal life. While thereRead MorePaul of Tarsus Essay - Significant Teachings1419 Words   |  6 PagesSaul of Tarsus) is widely considered to be central to the early development and adoption of Christianity. Many Christians view him as an important interpreter of the teachings of Jesus. Little is known of the birth and early childhood of Paul, then known as Saul. It is known in the scriptures that he was born in the city of Tarsus (Acts 22:3) located in the Roman province of Cilicia around the year 5 A.D. Saul left his home during his early a dolescence and was taken to Jerusalem for his formal educationRead MoreThe Sacred Rituals Of Christianity Essay1616 Words   |  7 Pagesof Christianity, called sacraments, vary greatly between Christian denominations. Yet other practices are common to virtually all forms of Christianity. Most Christians attend worship services at church on Sundays where worshipers generally sing and pray and a sermon is brought forth. Most churches have a special ritual for ordination, or designating a person fit for a leadership position in the church. At home, most practicing Christians pray regularly and many read the Bible. Although there areRead MoreThe Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Essay1709 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Christian faith is essential foundation of it faith. In the trinity Jesus Christ is the second person. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead physically, and because of his sacrifice all people are under the righteous judgment of God because all people have sinned against God. However, through his death it gave man an opportunity to obtain salvation and to live a righteous life. It teaches that Jesus is the only way to be saved from the coming judgment of God and that salvation is receivedRead MoreJesus Relationship On The Law And The Christian Believer s Relationship1328 Words   |  6 Pages1. Explain Jesus relationship to the law and the Christian believer s relationship to the law. Jesus is the fulfiller of the law, meaning that he came to carry out God’s promises in the covenant as well as the prophet’s prediction of the coming messiah. Jesus fulfilled the law of the Ten Commandments by never sinning even when tempted forty days and forty nights. It is important to note that he did not discipline himself in all of the Jewish laws like working on the Sabbath or eating certainRead MoreThe Religious Law Of Judaism1492 Words   |  6 PagesSynagogue and they worship mostly on Saturday. The church and state are separate. Judaism was founded to be unknown, but the founder is Moses or Abraham. Also Judaism was founded in Palestine. The original language is Hebrew. Judaism had little early expansion. It was mostly in Palestine. Judaism’s major splits were reform / orthodox, in the 1800’s.Jews vary their views on the scared text. They have one good and one bad human nature. The means of salvation is that the belief in god, also the good dee ds