Week 11 Reign of God in Human Hearts 1 PDF

RELB 113
God and Human Life

Spring 2020
Damian Chambers, MAPTh
Assistant Professor
damian.chambers@ncu.edu.jm | (876) 527-4552
School of Religion and Theology | God and Human Life RELB 113
The Reign of God in Human
Hearts
Understanding Salvation
Terms that describe the salvation
experience
• Salvation => • Saved
• Redemption => • Redeemed
• Justification => • Justified
• Reconciliation => • Reconciled
• Propitiation => • Forgiven
Key Terms
• New Birth (“Born again”)
• Justification
• Sanctification
To be born again (John 3:3-6), implies:
1. That total transformation is needed to enter the kingdom
of God. This term corresponds with the idea that salvation
requires death and resurrection. To be “born again” means
that the “old man” needs to die and a “new life” takes over
(Romans 6:1-4).
2. The experience of salvation is the result of divine
activity. Like the creation of the world, salvation is the result
of God’s creation (Ephesians 2:10).
Justification
• This term as a description of salvation is at the centre of discussion
in the New Testament, especially by the Apostle Paul. If you
understand Paul’s use of this term you will get a good grasp of the
meaning of salvation.
• The term is a legal one that describes the act of declaring a “not
guilty” verdict. It is the opposite of “condemnation” (Romans 8:1-3;
33-34). It means to be declared “righteous”.
• The essence of Paul’s argument is that justification or righteousness
is completely the gift of God that we receive by faith (Ephesians 2:8-
9). “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should
boast.”
Salvation as a Gift
• Salvation/justification as a gift implies that the gift is based
entirely on the attitude of the Giver.
• There is nothing that the recipient did to deserve the gift.
Therefore, it is not payment for work done; nor reward for good
effort; it is entirely a gift.
• The Gift is Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us (1
Corinthians 1:30).
• One word that is used to describe this is “grace”. Grace is
sometimes referred to as “unmerited favour”.
What is Faith?
• Faith is the most important word in Christian theology. It
describes the condition that is required from the saints for
salvation. It is the “work” that we need to perform in order to be
saved (John 6:29).
• Faith means to trust in something or someone. Faith is validated
based on the reliability of the one or thing that we trust. Faith is
always based on evidence; it is not blind.
• About salvation, faith means that we trust in God for salvation
based on the evidence given. Therefore, faith leads to total
commitment to and unconditional trust in God.
Legalism: Salvation by works
• A counterfeit or opposing principle to salvation by grace
through faith is legalism. The apostle Paul spent most of His
argument opposing legalism.
• Legalism describes the act of seeking salvation based on merit,
rather than accepting the gift by faith. It involves an attempt to
gain righteousness by merely keeping the law (Romans 10:1-3;
3:27-28; Philippians 3:9).
• Legalism is based on the presumption that fallen human beings
can do something to merit God’s favour or to attain
righteousness.
Discussion
What does Christ’s death teach about the justice of God?
What does Christ’s death teach about the love of God?
What does Christ’s death teach about the sufferings of God?
Salvation and the Law of God
Understanding the Law and Salvation
• The Apostle Paul’s attack on Legalism can be interpreted by
some to mean that the Law of God is not good, and that God
doesn’t care that we keep the Law.
• However, this is not so.
• The Apostle often took time out to clarify this misconception.
• In Romans 7:12, the Apostle Paul declared that the Law is holy
and just and good.
• It is to be understood that while the law is not a means of
salvation (which is the question that Paul dealt with), we still
have a responsibility to keep it.
• I will explain our relation to the Law by explaining the function
of the law in relation to our salvation
Purpose of the Law:
1. The Law expresses God’s unchanging will for human life
(Exodus 20:3-17; Matthew 19:16-18). It provides a permanent
standard for human conduct.
2. The Law is the condition of the covenant between God and
humans (Exodus 19:5, 6; Deuteronomy 4:12, 13). For humans
to enjoy God’s favour, the requirements of the law must be
met.
3. The Law defines and condemns sin (1 John 3:4; Romans 7:7,
13; 3:20).
Salvation and the Law
• So, the Law is not bad, but sin places us in a situation where we
are condemned by the law; and we cannot deliver ourselves by
merely seeking to keep the law. Salvation had to come from
somewhere else—through the righteousness of Christ or “apart
from the law” (Romans 3:21).
• The “saved” person still needs to keep the law; not as a means
of salvation, but as an expression of their saved status. The
principles of the law are now written in their hearts and is the
rule of life (Ezekiel 36:26, 27; Psalm 40:8; Hebrews 8:6).
Laws in the Bible
• The Law that we have been referring to, is the 10
commandments (Exodus 20:1-17).
• However, the Bible uses the term Law in reference to other
things, some of which we will outline at this time.
Civil Laws
• As an independent nation, Israel were given laws by God through
Moses that would govern their operations as a society (e.g Exodus
21).
• These laws are like the constitution of a country. They govern how
disputes are to be resolved, what happens when an accident happens,
rape, abuse, incest, murder, damage to property.
• They are scattered through out the books of Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers and Deuteronomy. This is one reason the Five books of
Moses are referred to as the Law of Moses.
• While the 10 commandments were written on stone, these laws were
written in a book; referred t as the “book of the Law” (Deuteronomy
31:26).
Health Laws
1. Diet (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14)
2. Sanitation (Leviticus 12:1-8; Numbers 4:1-4; Deuteronomy
23:12-13)
3. Curing of diseases (Leviticus 14:33-57).
Health Laws
Israel was told the purpose of these laws.
“And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord
thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give
ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none
of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the
Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
Exodus 15:26
Ceremonial Laws
• Besides the 10 commandments, and the health laws, God also
gave regulations regarding the sacrificial system that dominated
the worship services of the Israelites before the coming of the
Messiah.
• These sacrificial services typified the work of salvation that
Jesus, who is the real “Lamb of God” would accomplish on our
behalf.
Ceremonial Laws
• Most of these regulations are found the book of Leviticus.
• They contained regulations regarding the type and method of
sacrifices, the operations of the priests, the services of the
sanctuary, feast days, and sabbath days.
• These regulations came to an end, when Jesus died on the cross
(Matthew 27:51; Colossians 2:13, 14; John 19:30).
Sanctification
Set apart
Sanctification
• The word “sanctification” is from the Latin word, “sanctus”,
meaning “holy” or from the Greek, “hagios”, meaning, “to set
apart”, or “to make holy”.
• Therefore, it is used in relation to God’s people who have been
justified—these have been “set apart” for holy use.
• Like the holy vessels of the sanctuary in the Old Testament.
Saints
• This is the basis on which God’s people are referred to as
“saints”. It identifies that condition that they are in and the life
they live after being justified. Hence the two terms complement
each other.
•
Sanctification
• Sanctification is just as important to our salvation as Justification
(2 Peter 1:1-8; Philippians 2:10-12).
• It refers to our growth in grace and development of character.
However, sanctification is just as dependent on the grace of
God as justification.
• The role of human effort is also just the same—by grace
through faith.
The Journey of the Saved
Sanctification
Justification Glorification
2 Peter 1:1-8
• Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
• To those who have obtained like precious faith with us
by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus
Christ:
2 Peter 1:1-8
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His
divine power has given to us all things that pertain
to life and godliness, through the knowledge of
Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which
have been given to us exceedingly great and
precious promises, that through these you may be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
2 Peter 1:1-8
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence,
add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to
knowledge self-control, to self-control
perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to
godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly
kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and
abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:1-8
Philippians 2:12-14
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always
obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works
in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
Discussion

Week 11 Reign of God in Human Hearts 1 PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Week 11 Reign of God in Human Hearts 1 PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

RELB 113

God and Human Life

You might also like