Mission of God
When one comes across the question “Who is God for them?” they could present a lot of definitions on what they think God is. To some, they would revere God as the Supreme Being that has created the whole universe in seven days. Some would note that He is the Loving, Caring, Sympathetic and Ever-Forgiving God that watches over us and guides us away from the darkness of our hearts. Many would state that He is the only Divine Being that everyone must obey and worship. This answer many vary if one comes from another religion, but all would agree that this God is a very special being that connects each and every one of us. But if one is asked the question “What do you think is God’s Personal Mission to us and to the world?” the answers may be unclear and even not be answered at all. This paper would try to answer this particular question by identifying and discussing the Mission of God through the passages in the Old and New Testament and the themes corresponding to this Mission. This paper would also discuss the implications of the Mission of God to the contemporary Australian Church as an example of discussing the effects it has on the teachings of the Church.
According to Jennings (2003), the mission of God can be traced from the first book of the Old Testament; the Book of Genesis. In summary, the first book tells readers how God began to create the world and the lives of the first humans He has watched, tested and protected. But looking closely in the first few chapters of the book, God presented his plans and mission for the world he has created in the first eleven chapters of this particular book. Jennings cited that God’s love is concentrated to His creations, especially in man; specifying his mission that He...
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...rst travels after the time of Christ and how he came across the will of God and His mission. Most leaders in Jerusalem question the Gentiles and why they are accepted in the Church. But James, another disciple of Christ, remembered Jesus’s teachings from the books of Law, Prophets and Psalms from the Old Testament and prevented a massive argument from brewing between the Jews and Gentiles. Both authors speculate on how James got to remember this particular teaching of Christ but they both agree that James noted that the Word of God in form of the Gospel is not meant just for Jews but also for the Gentiles and other races that flock God’s church. (Wills, 1979) ; (Peters, 1972)
Now that the mission of God is properly outlined in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, what are its implications upon the different churches that studied and valued its teachings?
It would be naïve at best and blasphemous at worse to say that any theological construct could fully capture the full purpose and workings of God, especially concerning His redemptive plan for humanity. Clearly, there is eschatological construct that is without flaws. However, the further one goes away from the plain sense of the Scriptures the more error it accrues. Since no human can know the purposes of God apart from divine revelation, it is essential to center all endeavors of understanding God’s Word, the Bible. By allowing the Bible to speak for itself and thereby constructing a theological schema according to it, one can reduce the risk of misinterpretation. Likewise, Progressive Dispensationalism is not without flaws and imperfections, but it allows the Scriptures to speak for itself.
Christianity falls under the category of Theism, which is the belief in only one personal god. Christian worldview believes that God sent humanity His only son so that we can learn about God and how He wants us to act. Jesus is crucified later in His life on a cross, which relieved us from losing a relationship with God due to our sins. When analyzing the Christian worldview, we learn that God came to earth in human form as Jesus Christ to experience life with humanity and restore earth back to harmony. In this paper I will discuss God, Jesus, and humanity individually, how restoration will occur, and finally, analyze and reflect on the Christian worldview.
This paper is written to discuss the many different ideas that have been discussed over the first half of Theology 104. This class went over many topics which gave me a much better understanding of Christianity, Jesus, and the Bible. I will be addressing two topics of which I feel are very important to Christianity. First, I will be focusing on the question did Jesus claim to be God? This is one of the biggest challenges of the Bibles that come up quite often. Secondly, I will focus on character development.
call the nations of the world to repentance and lead them to an understanding of God’s purpose”
The Christian worldview is centered on the Gospel and places their beliefs in the essential teachings of the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (DiVincenzo, 2015). This paper will explain who God is and what he created, what our purpose and nature is as humans, who Jesus was and what he did while on earth, how God plans to bring his people back into the right relationship with himself, and as a Christian how one is to live their life with an analysis of the Christian worldview.
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
As we have looked in to the Christian worldview of God, our humanity, the Son of God, and the restoration of our lives back into God’s purpose. Now we have a better understanding of what it means to be a member of the Christian community. God wants believers to dwell in union and in community having the same mind that is in Jesus Christ (Phil 2:1-11). This paper showed how God and Jesus Christ are at the fundamental core of all Christian beliefs regardless of the countless differences many Christians may
The goal of this book review on Engaging God’s World written by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. is to examine his ideas on redemption, vocation in the Kingdom of God, and to explore his thoughts on Christian education as described in the book’s epilogue. Cornelius Plantinga Jr. discusses several key notes regarding redemption, such as salvation. Vocation in the Kingdom of God is another subject he touches on in relation to the way God works within His Kingdom connecting us to the ‘King of Kings’ as his ambassadors on earth. Lastly, Plantinga explains his view on how Christian education is important to sustain ourselves, earth now, and the New Earth.
...s distributed in Theology 101 at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle on 22 April 2008.
God populated the earth through mankind for several purpose, mainly, salvation. Thomas Hale writes. “All Christian believe that salvation comes by God’s grace and mercy alone, and that we cannot work to earn our salvation.” The Apostle Paul writes, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom. 8:29-30, EVS). In other word, as men and women of God, it is a pleasure to know God considered one as his choice to represent Him, (Jn. 15:16, EVS). God does not make mistake, therefore, a person should not live as a mistake by practicing other religions and beliefs that has no true reflection of
In the days of Christ’s life on this earth, believers did not have access to the Bible in its entirety as we know and are familiar with today. Believers in this ancient time period only had access to the Old Testament. However, through their access to the Old Testament, believers were provided a foundation for New Testament times. This foundation provided New Testament believers with the Lord’s established principles of right and wrong they were expected to follow. In addition, the Old Testament is overflowing with accounts of people whose lives exemplified the future life of Christ on this earth. These pictures allowed the Israelite nation to begin to have an understanding of why Christ needed to come as their Messiah and the work He needed to do on earth. Finally, there are common themes that are interwoven throughout the entire Old Testament. Three of these themes: transgression, redemption, and consummation point to the purpose of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. These themes portray God’s work both in the lives of Old Testament believers, but they also foreshadow God’s desire and plan for believers in New Testament times and beyond.
“The Mission” is a motion picture, directed by Roland Joffe in 1986, about a Jesuit mission that is threatened by greed and imperialism in the late 18th century in the Brazilian jungle. Father Gabriel, played by Jeremy Irons, climbs the mountains of Brazil to bring Christianity to the natives. He is successful and brings about a golden age among them. Mendoza, played by Robert De Niro, a slave trader, kills his brother, Felipe played by Aidan Quinn, in a fit of rage over a woman named Carlotta, played by Cherie Lunghi. Only Fr. Gabriel's leadership prevents his suicide. Gabriel brings Mendoza to work at his mission with the natives, and Mendoza finds peace and asks to become a priest. The Church, under pressure, gives the land up to the Portuguese who will allow slave traders in again. Mendoza breaks his vows and organizes the natives to fight against the Portuguese while Gabriel warns him not to fight and instead to help them as a priest. At the end of the movie Fr. Gabriel courageously leads a procession with the Host through the battle. He is martyred along with almost everyone else. Only a few young natives are left, whom because they have been touched by God, to rebuild the community.
When Jesus asked his disciples about what people thought about him, they answered that some considered Jesus to be e prophet, some - John the Baptist. But Jesus wanted his disciples to understand his mission, the reason why God brought him to Earth. That is why it was important for him to make sure that people realize who he is and that his sayings are vital for the whole mankind. Jesus was the Messiah, the anointed one, above all other prophets. He was sent to suffer for the all human beings and the reasons why his suffering was necessary are described in Mark's Gospel 8:27-9:1.
The experiences of Jesuit priests in Latin America is a formable topic to take on but Roland Joffe accepts the challenge in his movie The Mission. The film, which is based on true events, is set in northeastern Argentina and the western Paraguayan jungle during the 1740s. Fr. Gabriel (Jeremy Irons), is a Jesuit priest who starts a mission with the goal of converting Guarani Indians to Christianity. In the process of building the mission, he meets Roderigo Mendoza, a mercenary and slave trader who is in jail for killing his brother. Eventually, Roderigo reluctantly agrees to carry out a penance and accompany the priest back to help with the mission. Once he arrives, Roderigo not only forms strong relationships with the Indians, but converts