...The Christian Life Professor L. Swinson BIBL 425 – BO4 LUO Dana R. Peebles May 23, 2015 Introduction For centuries, Christians have looked towards the Bible for insight and guidance on how to live a life of righteousness and be free from the bondage of sin. In looking at The Christian Life and comparing it to what The Book of Romans has to say, we can see that the Spirit is integral to this process. According to Romans 8, this process is part of our sanctification. It is because of God’s grace that we have the ability to decide daily to die to ourselves and accept the opportunity to live as his children. As God’s children, often times we have very different perspectives. In many ways, these different views create debates. The controversy over the issue of God’s grace and gift of salvation, along with our response is one that should not be taken lightly. When looking at what the Apostle Paul says when he stated, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son,” it is obvious that this comment leaves individuals with unanswered questions. [1].What does Paul mean by the expression of “God foreknew?” How do we fathom the election of the “predestined” individuals who are saved and sanctified? And, how are we to understand God and his “foreknowledge” of our eternal security without knowing what it means to be righteous or “conformed to the likeness of his Son?” (Romans 8:29). It...
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...Plan A for a Christian Life Key Passage - Colossians 1:24-29 (HCSB) 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, that is, the church. 25 I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me. No one can live a Christian life and do it with their own strength. It took me many years to realize that it is only Christ that gives me the strength to endure, cope and deal with the chaos of this life. For years I thought that God had saved me but it was up to me to ensure that I lived a peaceful, joyful and successful life. I had read Galatians 5:22-23, heard it preached and studied it in Sunday School but still it did not register. The answer to living a Christian life is allowing Christ to live your life for you. But, that is not as easy as it sound for a selfish, stubborn Gilmer born and bread Turner. When Galatians explained “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control...
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...The Christian Life The only way I felt I could express what living out a Christian Life is through a sermon. I am trying to be creative but I hope this isn’t too out of the box. I hope this is what you are searching for. What is the Christian Life? (Sermon Format) At the end of Apostle Paul’s ministry he looked back on his work and said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4:7). When it comes to the Race of Life and the Christian Life, I think we have a series of choices. Every morning when we wake up you have a choices. * 1st- We can choose not to run, but if we don’t run we can’t win or we won’t succeed and we are surely not going to honor God. * 2nd- , We can choose to run but not run our best; and if we don’t run your best we are sure to lose and again are we truly going to honor God by doing this? * 3rd- , We can choose to run, meaning run our best, and strive for the prize by focusing on the finish, which is what God has asked of us. That’s exactly what the Apostle Paul wanted us to do in this passage of Scripture. If we are going to run the race and win the race, we are going to have to focus on the finish. The Christian Life is starts by knowing Jesus Christ as our one and only Savior which is which delivers what we are saved from. After making that decision I think we then have to find our purpose and determine what we are saved for. GALATIANS 6:7-10 says, 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked;...
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...and Eve sinned, Christians have to work way harder to not try to sin! Christians today and always will have, responsibilities to keep memorizing verses, telling other non-believers, and working hard for God’s happiness! A Christian’s responsibility is more then just reading the bible. It’s actually praying like you mean it, going to church and enjoying it, telling people about God with a whole heart, telling yourself about Him in a joyous manner, and telling the world you love the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in an unembarrassed way! Helping out people is probably the most important job of being a Christian, because through you, God shines in the world. Openly, obediently, and obstinately share His word; it’s your responsibility as a Christian! As a Christian, we still have more verses to memorize, more praying with a whole heart to do, and more telling to be told. When someone memorizes a verse every week, they will have hundreds if not thousands of verses memorized! Triumphantly and thrillingly dash over it the mountain and CAUSE IT TO MOVE! Telling that mountain to glide, and memorizing verses, sure does bring us way closer to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, if... we do it in a pleased, joyous, and respectful heart! Because of the responsibilities, Christian work harder than non-Christian. Cheerfully, briskly, and deliberately people should serve the Lord. He deservers you love! Sometimes non-Christians do not know they...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Suffering and Pain in the Christian Life Submitted to Dr. Albert Letting, In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of SEMI 500 B22 Introduction to Seminary Studies by Philip Mion January 22, 2015 Outline……………………………………………………………………………iii Introduction………………………………………………………………………1 C . S . Lewis’ Influential Experiences with Pain and Suffering………………2 The Weight of Pain and Suffering………………………………..……….2 C. S. Lewis’ Theological Foundations on Why God is God?………………….4 Divine Goodness…………………………………………………………6 Human Pain………………………………………………………………8 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………...
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...Paul's teaching on God's Power for Christian living. In chapters 6-8, Paul discusses a pertinent topic about the effect of the gospel on people's lives, mainly people's sinful nature. In verse 15, he asks a particularly pertinent question concerning sin; “What should we say then? We should not sin because the law does not rule us but rather God's grace” (Romans 6:15). For if it is only faith that justifies us to live a gracious life. What is the incentive for living a holy life? Why do we not just have the best of both worlds? Paul argues that if one were a slave to a bad master, and gets a new master who is guiltless, one would still want to work occasionally for the bad master (Graham, 1978). Paul then maintains that we may still struggle not sin, but we should not be kept in bondage by it. He shows us the difference between abiding by the law and living according to the holy spirit of God. Using marriage law as an example, he shows us that the law does not lose its authority over us by its death, but by people's death. It rules over us as long as we live. In Romans 8:1-10, Paul demonstrates how to live in accordance with the spirit, thereby allowing peace in people's hearts. By the Holy Spirit, we are God’s children and have the assurance before God that nothing shall come between us and his love. This, he refers to as hope because it gives us a bright future in Christ (Alexander & Alexander, 2002). Paul shows us that people's present suffering cannot be compared to...
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...According to the text coaching is getting someone from where they are in life to where they want to be, while counseling deals with problems that a person is facing and tries to fix the problem, mentoring provides modeling and supervision on projects, and discipleship is described as teaching biblical truths and spiritual discipline to new believers (Collins, 2002). What makes coaching stand out from counseling, mentoring, and discipleship is that the coach is not in a lead role, but someone who is a coequal to the client; whereas, with the other three, they are leadership roles that guide the client to focus on a specific problem and teach them how to solve it. The coach comes alongside the person and requires the person to come up with solutions to problems they are facing; problems that are not deep conflicting struggles in their past, but problems that allow them to reach goals in life....
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...These two religions are Christianity and Buddhism. In an idyllic situation, there are definite similarities in the lives of the monks and nuns who dedicate themselves to the monasteries* of both religions. History shows us that the reality of what was practiced in the respective institutions of these two religions was often very different. There are, however, many differences in daily monastic life for Christians and Buddhists, but the greatest differences became manifest in what the ultimate goals of those monks and nuns who practiced monastic life in the name of Christianity and Buddhism. In both Christian and Buddhist tradition monastic life is defined as having a cloistered existence, forsaking normal life and taking religious vows. In both traditions, the vows that are taken are meant to be binding for life. In the case of some types of Buddhism most of these vows are to be kept even if one leaves monastic life, and in Christianity monastic vows are only a more specific reaffirmation of the vows taken by all Christians when they are baptized.[1] More specifically, Christians vow to reject Satan and to accept Christ, and monks do this for a second time when they receive the rite of tonsure, which is why this rite is often called the second baptism. The rite of tonsure is the cutting of hair and shaving of scalp, which has had many reasons over the ages, but is always a sign of submission to God. Buddhists also shave their heads when entering a monastery, but this done...
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...Review of The Christian Calling to Business Life I have dealt with many people in my lifetime. In my opinion, people with religion believes do have better quality than the people don’t have. I came from China, and most Chinese people don’t have religions. They don’t even know wait in line when they are at cashier. When an old Chinese lady fell down on the street, there was nobody even trying to help her out because they were afraid of being framed. After reading “The Christian Calling to Business Life” by Shirley J. Roels, I deeply realize that Christian will bring a better quality of business styles. Church and its leadership structure are actually as same as business. They were both created with the same concepts. In Church organization, the people in ministry consist pastors, worship leaders etc, and they are guided by our GOD. In business, it consists employer, employee, supervisor, manager, and regular workers. In Shirley’s article, she highly recommended that Christian should be called in order to better quality the business, and she also suggested this should be happened in 21st century. This really brings me a bright sight that there are many businesses went to bankrupt or collapse nowadays. But I did not hear a Church falling down so far. The reason been is the Church’s effective leadership and its ethical strategies are more powerful than a regular business. This theory really leads me to imagine if there is a business filled out with all Christians from the leaders...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY C.S. Lewis on Suffering and Pain in the Christian Life Submitted to Dr. Rodney Anderson, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion SEMI 500-B28 LUO Introduction to Seminary Studies by Abigail Strain September 28, 2014 Contents Introduction 1 What were the influential experiences of C. S. Lewis on the topic of pain and suffering? 3 A Heartbreaking foundation 3 C. S. Lewis Atheistic View 4 C. S. Lewis’ Conversion Experience 4 Theodicy 5 C. S. Lewis’ Views on Theodicy and Faith Theology 5 C. S. Lewis Theological views on Pain and Suffering and the Christian Life 6 Evangelizing the lost as seen through eyes of C.S. Lewis 6 Why Evangelize ? 6 Reaching the Lost in the Midst of Pain and Suffering 7 Conclusion 8 Bibliography 10 Introduction This paper will give the readers an understanding of C.S. Lewis’ views on pain and suffering. C.S Lewis’ works emphasize the quandary of theodicy, how pain and suffering originated and how it serves to mold and strengthen our life theology thus creating harmony within our souls (mind), The soul being your mind will and emotions (Deut 6:5), when these arise. C. S. Lewis was a complex individual who demonstrated his courage and shared his faith theology in the midst of his pain and suffering by writing the struggles he went through...
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...Conclusion……………………………………………………………………..9 Bibliography………………………………………………………………….10 Introduction It is evident that many believers lack significant spiritual growth in their Christian faith. This paper will first discuss the history of Andrew Murray and how he established his theology for Christian life. Next, the theological principles that encouraged his views as he sought to commit his life to Christ, will be examined. Finally, it will investigate how he used theology to encourage spiritual growth in the church. The goal of this paper is to examine Andrew Murray’s view on the concept of practical theology as it relates to Christian life and the lack of spiritual growth in the church. Andrew Murray Andrew Murray illustrates his experiences from his youth to adulthood and his steadfast dedication to God. Born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1828, Andrew was reared by parents who were in the ministry. His father, Andrew Murray, Sr., was a minister. Andrew knew at an early age that he wanted to be a minister, but that was originally a career choice and not an act of faith. It was not until he completed his master’s degree and went on to study theology that he discovered he wanted much more than that. The information he and his brother received from their Father Andrew Murray Sr. was a stepping stone to the spiritual values he went on to develop later in life. Andrew studied in the Netherlands at the University of Utrecht. He continued on an enduring quest for God and his ministry. Andrew...
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...UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Andrew Murray on Practical Theology in the Christian Life Part IV Submitted to Doug Taylor, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of SEMI 500-B33 Introduction to Seminary Studies by February 22, 2015 Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………...… 1 Thesis…………………………………………………………………………………….. 1 A Brief History of Andrew Murray……………………………………………………… 1 Section 1: The Influential Experiences of Andrew Murray…………………………….…..... 2 The Influence of His Family……………...……………………………………………… 3 The Influence of His Travel...………...……….…………………………………………. 3 Section 2: The Theological Foundations of Andrew Murray………………………………... 5 The Basis of His Character………………………………………………………………. 5 The Basis of His Position on Practical Theology…………………….………………….. 6 Section 3: The Personal Applications Found in the Life of Andrew Murray…….………… 6 The Impact of Practical Theology in His Life…………………………………………… 7 The Impact of Practical Theology in His Writings...…………………………………….. 8 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………..... 9 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………….... 10 Introduction “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Jesus spoke those words to the disciples the night before his crucifixion. Genesis 6:22 tells us, “Thus did Noah; according to all [emphasis added] that God commanded him, so did he.” When a Christian learns how to obey Jesus, his love for the Savior increases. In turn, when he...
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...Therefore, we go through life putting in effort here or there to insure a constant Christian appearance without inconveniencing ourselves. There are many verses that deal with what a Christian must face in order to reach heaven. Matthew 7:13-14 expresses that Christian life is not easy but filled with hardship. This verse eventually evolves into the name and definition of Early Christians which...
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...THE CHRISTIAN LIFE Presented to Dr. Timothy Swinson for BIBL 425 – Romans by J.W. Cullen L23879492 11 Aug 12 Introduction The believer putting to death the corrupted deeds of the body by the Spirit and the renewing of the believer’s mind to discern the things of God characterizes the Christian life, according to Paul’s teaching depicted in Romans 8:13 and 12:2. A Christian must continually put to the death sin, by the work of the Holy Spirit, which originates within their hearts and within their bodies, that is the expression of the sin within the heart. Christians are set apart for God’s use and according to Romans 8:29, God conforms believers to the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The life of every Christian is a continual renewal or development to the likeness of Christ, who is the perfect image of man. Romans 8 depicts a transformation of a life dominated by the flesh to a life led by the Spirit of God. A Christian’s mindset is reshaped by the Spirit and is focused on to the things of God and not on the world. The motive for Christian living is intellectual in which it begins with the mind. What a Christian has been already made in Christ is now what they are called to do. Ultimately, the end result of the Christian life is to bring glory to God. Thus God is glorified when man response to Him by placing his trust in Jesus Christ and turns from a lifestyle of sin, which is characterized by obedience and devotion to Him. Corrupted Deeds...
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...to Be a Christian I. Introduction There are three concepts that have helped reshape the perception I have of Christianity: the Christian’s way of life, the Christian’s testimony, and the Church, or the Body of Christ, as it relates to the community. Each of these concepts is very important as independent ideas, but together they strengthen and enhance the life of a Christian. My own life has been strengthened by these ideas, and that is why I believe they are all essential to the growth and maturity of every Christian’s spiritual walk. They assist in defining what it means to be a true Christian. II. Section One: The Life of a Christian The first of these important concepts deals with the lifestyle of a Christian. Every aspect of a person’s physical life is directly involved with their spiritual health whether they realize it or not. It is not only crucial for a Christian to be aware of what they are doing in the presence of others, it is important for them to be aware of the decisions they make without an accountable audience. Choosing to live a lifestyle according to the teachings of Jesus Christ is the best way to genuinely show God and others that His lifestyle is, in fact, the best way. It also shows others, believers and non-believers alike, what a Christian really is and what one represents. For a Christian to truly be capable of living a Christian lifestyle, they must first begin their journey with a sincere, voluntary choice to turn their life around...
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