In-Depth Notes on Week 3: Salvation and Ecclesiology

Week 3: Saving Souls or Transforming History? AN Church and Salvation

Summary from Week 2

  • Authority Structure of Ancient Israel:
    • Kings, Priests, Prophets
  • Socio-religious Ramifications of Division:
    • Division into two kingdoms and its impact
  • Kingdom of God:
    • Meaning as referenced by Jesus (cf. Matthew 6 and Luke 11)

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of Week 3, students should:

  1. Understand the term ‘ecclesiology’.
  2. Describe basic principles of ecclesiology.

Ecclesiology

  • Definition:
    • The theology of the Church
    • Involves understanding the church as an institution, community, Bride of Christ, body of Christ
    • Different types referring to church: church, churches

Soteriology

  • Definition:
    • The doctrine of salvation, which includes doctrines of atonement and grace, extending back to the doctrine of sin and forward to eschatology (heaven, purgatory, hell).
  • Discrete Branch of Theology
    • Salvation from what? In Christianity, Christ is central to this process
    • Distinction between Protestant (individual focus) and Catholic (communal focus) approaches

The Human Condition

  • Initial State:
    • Blissful existence of first humans in Eden
    • Adam and Eve considered as children (cf. Ramsey, 58 on Clement of Alexandria)
  • Key Concepts:
    • Separation of Adam, role of the body in paradise
    • The Fall and Original Sin (St. Augustine of Hippo)
    • Sin as the cause of human hardship (curses of Genesis 3)
    • Imago Dei:
    • Non-physical aspect reflecting God's image in humanity
    • Free Will:
    • Augustine mentions faculties of the soul (memory, understanding, and will) mirroring Trinity

Sin

  • Definition:
    • Not living in harmony with God
    • Types of sin:
    1. Idolatry: Worshipping false gods or treating something non-divine as divine
    2. Injustice: Selfish living leading to creation of an unjust world
  • Original Sin:
    • Every person born in sin due to Adam and Eve’s fall
    • Understanding of sin in Judaism as transgressing God’s laws

Jesus and Sin

  • Consequences of Sin:
    • Death
  • Jesus’ Role:
    • Jesus dies for humanity's sins
    • Grace: Gift from God, cannot be earned but can be rejected
    • Faith: Human response in belief of Jesus as Saviour
    • Sanctification & Justification:
    • Process of becoming holy and being made right in God’s eyes

Jesus as Redeemer

  • Challenges of Sin:
    • Fallen nature, alienation (from God and others), and the problem of ignorance
  • Jesus’ Saving Act:
    • Demonstrates divine love, delivers from evil
    • Sacrifice expiates sin (cf. Romans 12:1)

Redeemed by Love

  • Elements of Love:
    • Unconditional approval, freedom (not coerced), vulnerability, revelatory & transformative, unifying, joy
  • Eschatological Love:
    • Expressed in NT through concepts of marriage and banquet
    • Beauty as a source of love (cf. St. Augustine on beauty)

Sinlessness of Christ

  • Christ's Obedience:
    • Jesus lived a sinless life, emphasizing radical obedience (cf. Philippians 2:8, Hebrews 5:8)
  • Definition of Evil:
    • Absence of good, broken relationships, and absence of truth
  • Definition of Sin (Hebrew: חטא “hata”):
    • Missing the mark; pertinent to human condition and free will issues

St. Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033-1109)

  • Role:
    • Archbishop of Canterbury; significant in developing Christology
  • Key Concept:
    • Through Jesus’ victory over evil, He destroyed sin, death, and tyranny
    • Concepts of "redemption" and “satisfaction” relating to the necessity of the Incarnation

Vicarious Satisfaction (Soteriology and Anselm)

  • Understanding of Sin:
    • It violates God’s divinity
    • The death of a sinless human (Jesus) serves as satisfaction for sin
    • Jesus’ infinite sacrifice as God-man corrects the problem of sin
    • Ecclesiology:
    • Church practices (e.g., sacraments) help humans partake in Christ’s sacrifice

The German Reformation

  • Key Figure:
    • Martin Luther (1483-1546), an Augustinian monk
  • Main Events:
    • The 95 Theses challenging Church corruption on indulgences and authority of the Pope
    • Consequences including a Papal Bull and the Diet of Worms (1521) leading to exile
    • Return from hiding and The Augsburg Confession (1530)

The Swiss Reformation

  • Key Figures:
    • Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin
  • Zwingli’s Desires:
    • Return to the roots of Christianity, critique of the Eucharist
  • Calvin’s Notions:
    • Calvinism and double predestination; fate of heaven or hell is predetermined

Penal Substitution (Luther and Calvin)

  • Understanding of Sin:
    • Seen as violation of divine law leading to death
  • Jesus’ Role:
    • Takes punishment for humanity; His death spares people from death’s consequences
    • Ecclesiology:
    • The Church’s role in gathering people in faith for salvation

Law of the Cross (Lonergan’s Perspective)

  • Understanding of Sin:
    • Presented as progress or virtue by society
  • Transformation through Love:
    • Accepting death leads to new life; transformation is possible through Gospel
    • Church’s Role:
    • Balances call to conversion with outreach in the world

Discussion

  • Question: How does salvation feature in the life of various Christian communities?

Sources

  • Majority of images sourced from Creative Commons portals (Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons, or Flickr Commons).