Student Network Resources, Inc. Introduction Christian Doctrine of the Church from the perspective of a believer hinges on several basic concepts. The concept of Church, the nature of the Church revealed through metaphors, the Church's beginning, government, functions and ordinances are all basic elements of Church Doctrine. Researching these concepts, one can see some commonalities and some widely differing beliefs among Christian sects. Body: Summary of Christian Doctrine of the Church from the Perspective of a Believer The Meaning of the Greek Word "Ekklesia" The term "ekklesia" is Greek for "to call out," historically referring to "the assembly of citizens in a self-governed state" who were summoned from other places such as their homes to convene (Broadus 2012, 358). In the secular historical context, this term means only the assembly itself and not the people who take part in it (Saucy 1972, 12). Therefore, this secular historical interpretation does not rise to the level of ekklesia as understood by the early Christian Church. Nevertheless, the Septuagint contains several references to the Hebrew translation of ekklesia - qahal meaning "assembly, congregation, or convocation" (Baker 1995, 67) and the New Testament refers to this same secular type of ekklesia in Acts19:32, 39 and 41 (Nelson 1999). The Local Church Though there is reference to the secular historical meaning of ekklesia in the New Testament, the overwhelming New Testament Christian meaning of
The first point of Christian thought and practice is to understand the terms: religion, belief, faith, and spirituality. Religion, refers to the collector value experience practices and beliefs of the community. The reading describes belief as a mindset that something is true especially something that could never
Over the centuries, Christianity has organised its beliefs 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 divine and humanity in ‘John 1:14’, principle belief of resurrection in ‘Mark 16:1-8’, principle belief of revelation in ‘1 corinthians14:6’, and beliefs through the Trinity in ‘2 Corinthians 13:14’. This essay will explain the important of the sacred text and the principal beliefs of Christianity.
Christianity is a faith based religious tradition, of which the follower is considered to be a Christian adherent. Thus, being a living tradition, Christianity is continually subject to change in accordance to the needs of the adherent and reaffirming the Christian tradition within a contemporary context. The aspects, which attribute the present existence of Christianity and its dynamism therein, include sacred texts and writings, ritual and ceremonies, beliefs and believers, and ethics. Ultimately, the aforementioned characteristics strive to form and continually validate answers to the enduring questions of life through a process of change, which simultaneously highlights Christianity as a living tradition.
As Christians we often believe certain things simply because it’s what our parents and the people around us believe. We often go about our Christian walk without ever giving thought or reason to why we believe what we do. The world of Christian Theology is a place where Christians can find answer to the ‘what and why’ of Christianity. If we are able to begin comprehending Christian Theology and the rudimental knowledge of it, then we can take it with us into more in depth books and discussions about theology, know the importance of it and how vital it is for Christians
In Romans 1-8 Paul is writing to teach the doctrine of Christ. Although Paul goes into much more depth in these eight chapters, his message ultimately boils down to the following sentence. We have all sinned and deserve death, however, through the redemption and sanctification of Christ we have been saved and should now lead, Christ centered lives of faith.
From what I know, Planet Earth consists of seven continents. Collectively, those seven continents are home to approximately seven billion humans. And each human has their own unique worldview. Defined as, the bias or presumption a person holds as a result of the environment, culture, or faith they live in, worldview influences how everyone responds to life’s pertinent questions. (A Christian Worldview?) Throughout this paper, I intend to give a description of my own worldview, answering what I believe about God, creation, humankind, epistemology, and ethics. Whilst comparing my worldview to that of O. Henry's illustrated in the short story "The Ransom of Red Chief".
Chapter one discusses what a worldview is and more specifically a Christian worldview. A Christian worldview involves believing in God and that he created the universe which has laws. It also includes finding the ultimate truth in the Bible. God has written his truth in the Bible for us to read about. Not only does the Bible tell us truth, it also shows us what ethics we should have. The character of God shows the moral laws we should believing. Lastly, the Christian worldview states that God created humans in his image, but due to sin it has been temporarily ruined. Since Jesus died on the cross, though, humans can be reconciled to God again. Although, this basic break down of a Christian worldview is helpful, it does not give all the answers.
In the New Testament, the church can be referred to as the “local” church or the “universal” church. The local church is a place where assemblies of believers come together at a particular location and time. The universal church refers to the body of Christ. Many churches believe that they are healthy because they have a certain number of people on their
Christianity is a religion that provides adherents with the ability to fulfill their relationship with God every day. However not all Christians exercise this covenantal relationship the same way or act out the principal beliefs to the same extent. Different denominations represent their beliefs - the foundations for their lived expression - in different manners. Some of the Christian principal beliefs include, Revelation, Salvation, the Trinity, and the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It is through environmental ethics and ethical teachings, and the practice of baptism that adherents are able to connect to their one God and attain a healthy relationship with God to a certain extent.
Christians teach that God is almighty in dominion over all that's in heaven and on earth, righteous judgment over sensible and evil. sacrament is that the means that of initiation into Christianity. Another basic part of the Christian religion and follow is its community. The community of religion within the church is that the primary setting for Christian worship, though Christians of all traditions have placed a powerful stress on personal devotion and individual
The table below aims to given an outline of some of the key issues in Christian belief and how the three traditions view these issues. I have tried to state what might be called the 'representative' view of each tradition; though there are obviously differing views within each of them e.g. the diverse range of opinions on the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The links under the More information section should be consulted for the definitive positions.
The Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, is a central figure within both Christian tradition and New Testament thought and writing. With such a crucial place, it is vital that we come to understand more of his life and thinking, as well as the world in which he and, more specifically, his theology were shaped. With this in mind, this essay will seek to explore Paul’s conversion and call experience as understood from Acts, and his personal references to it, drawing from them the ways in which this time was significant for Paul’s theological thinking, as expressed in his letters and work. To achieve this we will begin by addressing the call and/or conversion debate, arguing that the term ‘conversion and call’ best encapsulates
In his hardback titled The Church: Contours of Christian Theology, Edmund P. Clowney writes a systematic presentation about concerning the doctrine of the church. In chapter eight of his book, he describes the Marks of the Church. Clowney writes about the marks of a true church of Christ, which include the true preaching of the Word of God; the proper observation of the sacraments; and the faithful exercise of church discipline.
I now understand that the conflicting beliefs, under the blanket of Christianity can be divided into three categories. The first are the primary beliefs, these are foundational and include events, such as God creating the world and
There are going to be times in our lives when we disagree with what someone says or another person’s opinions on a particular matter. It’s unlikely that we will agree and be content with everything that happens in our lives as we do not live in a utopian world. It is also inevitable at one time or another that we will disagree with what the Church is teaching us especially when it comes to moral issues such as divorce, birth control, and abortion. This is called non-reception. When non-reception ensues in the Church, the teaching in question is ineffectively expressed or judged to be unbelievable by a large population of good, faithful Catholics (Kennedy).