This once again brings the reader back to the tight framework that Calvin wants the reader to remember. Calvin does not want to voice an opinion as to the state of man's fall from Eden. In other words, he does not want to impose a pessimistic view in an optimistic world of man. The real question posed by Chapter Five is what man is in the presence of God and whether or not man is able to stand before God. Calvin believes such questions can only be answered by God on an individual basis.
The ideas expressed in Chapter Five continue to resonate with Calvin's views of Christ within Us. Chapter Nine establishes again the role of Calvin as he is doing his work for Jesus Christ. Calvin's work suggests the importance of Jesus as a form in the flesh as it pertains to everyone's salvation. This is not meant to elevate us to the higher world but to save us from this one. It is here that Calvin deviates from his usual style and focuses deeply on understanding Christ and His work as part of the Holy Trinity. He created a special section to explore this. At this point, Niesel finds it important to remind the reader that there is no way we can understand all of Calvin's ideas or doctrines but that we can only "investigate the tendency of his teaching as a whole" (120). With this in respect, it is a good idea to forego this section as it may confuse the reader. At the same time Niesel asks his own questions of Christ and the reader must also take this with a grain of salt. On one hand, this questioning may also motivate the reader to explore deeper issues of Christ but to the same token may cause conflict, confusion and difficulty understanding the subject matter.
In Chapter 10 Niesel reflects upon how Calvin defines man's relationship with God in everyday life. He reflects that...
Sanctification The process of sanctification can also be termed loosely of becoming like God, as we were all created to be like him and in sanctification we are restored to the full human potential designed by god. This has three parts or levels and includes the work done by the Holy Spirit, done by ourselves and through society. All three are required to achieve sanctification and that is the full development
" (Romans 12:1). Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide is when one person aids another person in ending their life, because the person ending their life chooses to do so. This act is alternatively termed voluntary euthanasia, though the semantic difference between the two terms lays in the intent of self-destruction (suicide) versus death with moral forethought and dignity (Downie 2004). It is a fine line, fraught with great moral dilemma. Christian teachings are the
Calvin graphically expresses this in the following excerpt: Why, then, are we justified by faith? Because by faith we grasp Christ's righteousness, by which alone we are reconciled to God. Yet you could not grasp this without at the same time grasping sanctification also. For he "is given unto us for righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption" [1 Cor. 1:30]. Therefore, Christ justifies no one whom he does not at the
Spenser's Epithalamion How does Edmund Spenser reconcile holiness with passionate love in his "Epithalamion"? For a start, we must acknowledge precisely what "holiness" means to Spenser. Spenser is the pre-eminent English Protestant poet, and supported the religious reforms of the Church of England against the Catholic church. This is precisely relevant to Spenser's imagining of marital love in the "Epithalamion" for one salient reason -- the Catholic church holds marriage to
Epistle to the Romans Paul's Epistle to the Romans is one of the most extensive statements of theology in the entire Bible, because in it he attempts to outline and describe the entire process by which mankind is initially condemned for its sinful nature, and thus doomed for a final judgment according to the actions taken in life, but is offered the chance for redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul
There is no judgment from God on the believer, nor annoyance with God in respect to the believer -- neither in the last day nor today. From a familial aspect, God is significantly displeased with our behavior and punishment is sure -- either from God or from our own consequences of that sin. One could look at David's prayer of repentance in Psalm 51 to see the devastating effects of
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