Every philosophical and religious tradition has a view on the requirements of membership – what it takes to belong to the community of “salvation.” In early Judaism, for example, membership within “true Israel” belonged to those who were at least: descended from Abraham, circumcised (men), obedient to the food laws and observant of the Sabbath. For...
Tag: biblical understanding of salvation
Understanding the Bible 39: Was Jesus Divine? – The Development of Trinitarian Theology
If confessing the full divinity of Jesus, or God who is simultaneously three Persons in one, strikes you as quite an intellectual stretch, know that you are in excellent company! After all, it is one thing to regard Jesus as a great religious teacher, a political leader or perhaps even some sort of (human) messianic figure....
Understanding the Bible 37: On Spiritual Gifts and the Demystifying Thereof…
What does the mean by spiritual gifts? Are we to believe that Jesus bestows super powers upon his followers – healing people by laying on hands, speaking in tongues, foretelling the future…??? Are spiritual gifts signs of true faith (those who really believe can be distinguished from those who do not by their display of gifts)? Are they...