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Theology II, Online
Module 6 Reading Response
1.
How does Grudem define the terms “justification” and “adoption” in this
module’s reading?
Justification: “is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of
our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2)
declares us to be righteous in his sight.”
Adoption: “is an act of God whereby he makes us members of his family.”
2.
In this module’s reading from
One with Christ
, Marcus Johnson highlights how
important the concept of union with Christ is for our understanding of
salvation. One of the things he repeatedly emphasizes is that we must not
separate the
work
of Christ from the
person
of Christ.
As he writes on p. 18, “We have emphasized the work of Christ, but too often
to the exclusion of the saving person of Christ. The impression we give too
often is that salvation is reducible to the work (or gifts) of Christ in isolation
from the fullness of his saving person, as though he were a divine Santa
Claus, showering us with gifts but not including us in his very person and life.”
Think of at least three ways that we sometimes do this very thing. What ways
do we sometimes focus on the gifts of salvation and not on the giver of
salvation? Make sure you give a little bit of explanation of your answers.
1.
We all know that God blesses us with far more than we deserve.
Specifically with earthly possessions. However, when these things are
taken away, we question Him as though we deserve anything at all.
This way of thinking creates a toxicity with our relationship with God
because we neglect the earthly gifts that He gives us, even if others
are taken away.
2.
Another area that we treat God as a divine Santa is through healing.
Ultimately, His will will be done in every situation, yet, we expect Him
to heal in every situation. When physical healing does not happen,
we are quick to anger with Him. In reality, He is doing far better for
the individual for not healing them in regards to death. To be absent
from the body is to be present with Him. What greater gift could be
received.
3.
We also attempt to take advantage of our salvation by remaining
stagnant. To elaborate, we often neglect our relationship with Christ
until we need something. I know that I am guilty of this as well. I
would go long periods of time without really spending time
developing my relationship with Christ, however, as soon as an
inconvenience would arise, I would run to Him. Running to Him with
my problems is not the issue at hand, rather, my running away prior is
the issue. I would presume that I am not the only one who has done
this, yet it takes an effort not to attempt to take advantage of our
salvation in this way.
3.
In his introduction (“Whatever Happened to Union with Christ?”), Johnson
lists four reasons why the concept of union with Christ is often neglected. List
and summarize these reasons.
a.
The texts used in the church for theological instruction do not provide
adequate discussion of this doctrine of unity with Christ. Johnson
explains that the texts used fall into three broad categories: they do not
mention union at all, do not put any importance on the union
specifically, or they recognize the importance but lack explanation of its
centrality to salvation.
b.
Emphasis on the personal categories has been placed at best in second
place. Johnson explains how both Calvin and Luther agreed that
justification “depends on union with Christ”. This is significant because
we see how the union with Christ is essential to our justification. He
explains further that justification receives more emphasis than union, not
to say that justification is not important, rather the union precedes the
justification.
c.
The church overall has neglected the traditional theological traditions
from which it originated. Churches today typically do not preach on
church history or traditional theological doctrines. One of these
doctrines neglected is this one, on our unity with Christ.
d.
The final reason is that we typically disregard theological concepts that
seem “mystical”. The more “mystical” appearing theological ideas are
left to the Roman Catholic or Eastern-orthodox theologies. The idea of
mystery in theology is not well received in this modern church age. In
fact, mystery is often mistaken for mysticism, and this indistinction is
damaging.
4.
According to Johnson, what are the four phases of union with Christ?
a.
Union with Christ in election
b.
Union with Christ in the incarnation
c.
Union with Christ in actual experience
d.
Union with Christ in consummation
5.
In at least two well-written paragraphs, answer this question: In these two
chapters from Johnson, what is something that stood out to you as an
important element of our study of salvation? (This can be a thought, a
particular quotation, or a general theme.)
One thing that struck me this week was the focus that Paul puts on being “In
Christ”. I was surprised at how often he refers to us as being in Christ, over
two hundred times. Today, there is a lack of understanding of what being a
“Christian” is. Paul specifically refers to people in the faith as “in Christ”
symbolizing the union that they have with Christ. To have a union with Christ
means to have an active relationship with Him. However, the term
“Christian” is used as a mere characteristic rather than an identity. These
terms are designed to be synonymous, though I believe our societal
definitions are differing.
Our union with Christ is central to our identity. This union becomes our identity
because our salvation changes our life. When we receive salvation, we are
born again in Christ. To be in Christ empowers us to be more like Him.
Salvation impacts every aspect of our lives. Our thoughts, actions, and
language is continually changing as we pursue our relationship with Him. Our
union with Him reshapes our identity and calls us to be more like Him.
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6.
In the excerpt from Martin Luther (
Freedom of a Christian
), Luther reflects on
three of the benefits of faith. His third “inestimable benefit” relates in
particular to the theme of union with Christ. In one to two well-written
paragraphs, briefly summarize this third benefit and reflect on how this might
be a direct encouragement to your own understanding of salvation.
In Martin Luther’s “Freedom of a Christian”, he expands on three benefits of
faith. The most pressing benefit has unexplainable and “inestimable”
benefits. This benefit of faith is that our soul is united with Christ like the soul of
a bride is united with her groom. He explains that in this perfect marriage, far
from the imperfections of a worldly marriage, our soul can boast in
“whatever Christ has as though it was its own, and whatever the soul has
Christ claims as His own.” We know that our souls are riddled with sin and
death, however, Christ is full of righteousness, grace, and life. Our union with
Christ allows us to also be full of grace, righteousness, and life. Christ takes on
our sin and death, and wipes it completely away because He has already
triumphed over them. Luther states, “for His righteousness is greater than the
sins of all men, His life is stronger than death, His salvation more invincible
than Hell.” How beautiful is the union between our soul and Christ Jesus.
It is easy to see how encouraging this text is in relation to our union with
Christ. We all know that we have nothing good to offer Christ, however, the
marriage between our souls and Him allow us to take on His grace and life
as our own. In return, He takes all of our dirtiness, sin, and death and
completely wipes it clean. Clearly, we have nothing of value to offer Him,
yet He still loves us and He chooses us for righteousness. For me, this text was
very encouraging. I have heard in the past about the analogy of our souls
being married to Christ; however, this text explains this union in a literal way.
The marriage between our soul and Him is what our earthly marriages should
look like. Obviously, we are unable to live up to this example, yet He outlines
what our physical marriages should look like. Luther explains that this union is
quite literal. It is encouraging to hear that my soul is united with Christ, and
because of this union, I have taken on His grace, righteousness, and life.