Soteriology

Soteriology: theology dealing with salvation especially as effected by Jesus Christ (Merriam-Webster)

I was thinking the other day of how Christians talk about the topic of salvation, and as I was going over various verses in my head I realized that if they were put in the right order then I needed to say nothing. Let the Word speak for itself.

Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. No one is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of the world, following the prince of the power of the air. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. So God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved though faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, and those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross; the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe, so that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

- Word

Pre-blogging

Ok, so here’s the deal. As I hope you’ve already figured out, this is a blog. I have no idea why I have a blog because I don’t even like writing, but I have one nonetheless. Basically the thought behind it is that Christ has called those who follow Him to share their lives with one another for the purpose of support and edification. That being said, with the unbelievable abilities to communicate which we have today, I have often wondered why Christians don’t take advantage of them for the cause of Christ and decided that I had no right to speak out because I have done nothing myself. So, this is my attempt to share the highs and lows, strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures of my journey, hence the title, “Life. Growth. Service.”

Service
This is probably what I will be writing about most. Since the purpose of this blog is to promote the evolution of Christians into the image of Christ, most of its contents will center around my experiences in service to Him.

Growth
Closely tied to the service issue, growth deals with the specific lessons learned during the shaping process. Faults, failures, discoveries, and insights all sculpt the image of Christ in us and thus are included here.

Life
Just what it says, this covers it all. A catchall way to include anything about life. A place to talk about the random, absolutely frivolous nothings of everyday life. Anything’s possible.

So enjoy, give me some feedback, and be active as a member of the body. Here goes nothing…