[asa] Theological extrapolations 3: sin and salvation

[After I posted my first four "theological extrapolations," Terry Gray questioned whether this material was faith-science related. It was, because it presents a view of God that IMO fits far more naturally with the world as we know it from science than competing views. Remaining "theological extrapolations," I said, could wait until I put them on a web site. I've since changed my mind. The material posted so far lacks a strong tie to Christ, and that's unacceptable. So, with apologies to Terry, here goes the rest:]

     [Continued from Theological extrapolations 2b: sex (cont'd).]
  

                                                 Sin and salvation

     1. Sin is whatever separates persons from God. Sin is also a state of
            separation from God.
          a. Humans at their origin were separated from God and hence born in sin.
          b. If there was ever a time near that origin when humans were not separated
               from God, it was so brief as to have been inconsequential.
     2. The Word of God came into the world from the beginning as God's outreach
          to overcome sin, to close the gap between himself and humans.
          a. Humans generally enjoyed their independence and opposed God's
               advances.
          b. God never stopped trying because 1) failure was not an option and 2) he
               knew human life ultimately would be a waste without him.
          c. The Word of God eventually succeeded in winning a people, the Jews,
               who became God's wife.
          d. This wife bore him a son, Jesus, who is the Word of God made flesh.
     3. Jesus is Lord and Savior because he closed the gap between God and
          humans and thereby overcame sin for all who accept him.
          a. (Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through me" [John 14:6].
               Moses and Elijah came to the Father. Therefore Jesus' statement is not to
               be interpreted narrowly.)
          b. Jesus did not attempt to win people by first getting them to see how sinful
               and needy they were. Instead he put himself on display and invited people
               to follow.
          c. Jesus often equated sin not with violation of laws but with refusal to
               acknowledge him for who he was (John 8:24; 9:41; 15:22-25; 16:7-9).
          d. Jesus obeyed God unto death less to satisfy God's justice (or "pay a
               ransom") than to make God attractive and approachable as lover by
               revealing the degree of his commitment to humans and his power to save.
     4. God is far less interested in making humans perfect than in establishing
          relationships with imperfect humans who attract him.
 
                                                       Laws
 
A child's life is regulated by laws imposed from above. Adults largely regulate their
own behavior.
     1. In early OT times God's chosen nation was a child (Ezekiel 16) in need of
          laws.
     2. In later OT times God's chosen nation grew into adulthood. People of God
         collectively are now adult.

[Continued as Theological extrapolations 4: Life after death.]

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Received on Tue Mar 13 02:18:21 2007