Research Question: Compare and contrast the Christian views of salvation versus the Islam views of salvation. With much candour and respect given to religion and the study of religion, over the years, humankind has searched for the need to belong and be a part of something big. Salvation is that which has brought the commencement of such an activity. The word salvation is one taken from the Latin word salvatio; the Greek word sōtēria and the Hebrew yeshu'ah. The significant connection in all three words is in its meaning, which the Oxford Dictionary has defined thoroughly, “preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss; deliverance from sin and its consequences.” The essence therefore is to be saved, salvaged, or redeemed.
“Messiah” is a Hebrew term that means “anointed one,” that is, the anointed king. We believe that Jesus Christ is that Messiah. The New Testament word “Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” This Messianic Prophecy, then, holds out hope for peace and righteousness through the reign of Jesus the Messiah. The text can be divided into two sections: the Dawn of the Messianic Age (verses 1-5) and the Righteous Reign of the Messiah (verses 6 and 7). While the entire passage is instructive for the message, the verses that focus on the nature of the Messiah are critical, for therein lies our hope for everlasting peace.
During the time of Paul, Jews were so preoccupied with upholding the Law that their lives where devoted to a strict regimented life. Paul would assert that freedom from sin (or rather the punishment of sin) comes only through Jesus Christ since he was sent from God as fulfillment of the Law1. Jews in the first century saw this as an attempt to throw away that Law, to make it void. It is easy see how the Jews would assume that this radical new idea, being free from sin purely by faith rather than austere adherence to the Law, but that is not entirely what Paul’s message is. In Galatians 3:15-18, Paul argues that a new covenant does not void previously made promises of God.
201-209). Step two: deception verses truth begins with a prayer from Psalms 139:23, 24. This prayer should be spoken out aloud (pp. 209-221). In step three, bitterness verses forgiveness, one needs to forgive others so not to allow Satan advantages on us (pp.
When talking about the roots of the Christian Zionist movement, Anderson places a great emphasis on the Bible. He says that the territory of Palestine (now Israel) is thought (by Jews and many Christians) to be a “promised land”. According to the Bible, Jews inhabited the land a long time ago, and God in a certain way “granted” that land to them; somehow, as time passed, many other peoples, including the Palestinians, were occupying the territory. Anderson even provides paragraphs from the Genesis, in which God promises the land to Abraham and his descendents. Biblical critics argue that the story, told in the Bible, should not be taken literally.
For Dr. Wright the Old Testament is not about the foretelling of the coming of Christ, but where Jesus discovers His own identity and mission. Specifically, “the deeper you go into understanding the Old Testament, the closer you come to the heart of Jesus” . This journey that Dr. Wright leads the reader on addresses the Old Testament story as it relates to Jesus, the promise of the Old Testament and its fulfillment in Jesus, the identity of Jesus as seen in the Old Testament, the mission of Jesus discovered in the Old Testament and the values of Jesus via the Old Testament. In addressing the five overarching topics and providing correlation in with verses from the New Testament Dr. Wright make a cogent and reasonable argument for his premise that one of the keys to understanding Jesus is seeing who He is in relation to the Old Testament. To begin with Dr. Wight lays the foundation by highlighting how for many people it appears that the story of Jesus Christ begins in Matthew 1:18.
Religious beliefs on the afterlife Christianity Whilst there are different orthodox Christian beliefs, Catholics, Protestants, the Baptists and other Christians, the core of Christian belief about the afterlife is that there is an afterlife. How we behave will determine where in the afterlife you will eventually end up. That there is a hell for the wicked ones, especially the Catholic Church still teaches that hellfire is for eternity and there is heaven for those who behaved well. Also, the Catholic Church claims there is an afterlife state which is between heaven and hell the Catholic Church calls ‘purgatory.’ The theological teaching is that after a time of purgation, the spirit will eventually be progress and will go to heaven. There are other Christians, the Protestants, who do not accept purgatory.
Although the word almah can connote either of these meanings, scholars believe that Matthew used the translation of “virgin” to support his notion of the virgin birth of Jesus. It is likely that Matthew favored the use of “virgin” to suit his own belief of Jesus being the Emmanuel that Isaiah speaks about. Furthermore, in the JANT, the author explains that the word “betulah,” used throughout the Hebrew bible, is usually the word that carries the meaning of “virgin.” If Isaiah was really prophesizing a virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), it is likely that he would have used the word betulah over almah. Matthew certainly believes that Jesus is the Messiah who fulfills many of the prophecies foretold in the Jewish Scriptures. In Isaiah 40:3, the prophet speaks about a voice preparing “the way of the Lord.” In Matthew 3:3, the prophet writes that this voice that Isaiah foreshadowed is John the Baptist, the messenger who was preparing the way for Jesus.
Leviticus and Deuteronomy: Laws, Guidelines and Commandments In the times before Jesus Christ, things in the life were very different as far as how one could be forgiven for sins and being unholy. You were considered holy or unholy, pure or impure, clean or unclean, etc., depending on many different factors. The main points and main ideas of Leviticus are concerned with priestly worship and guidelines set in place by God through Moses. The ideas I have found to characterize Deuteronomy is laws written by Moses, the explanation of the Ten Commandments, and that one should obey God and God will bless you. The author of these books is Moses, and he is to provide instruction and laws to guide his people and if they fail to do so, show them how they may be redeemed.
According to Elmer Towns, “The Bible is unique in its call to repentance, in its convicting power to unsettle those who sin, and in its power to convert and transform those who accept its message. (p. 6) The transformation in the life of those who receive the message of the Bible is another proof that it is a message of God.” Without this ability, the Bible would be just another book that sits on a dusty bookshelf; and like all others, there would be the absence of a redemptive message. Towns states that, “There is the changed life that proves to the person whose life is changed, and to those outside who see the transformed life, that what the Bible promises it delivers.” (p.7) A truly converted and changed life can only come from the power of Christ. Paul’s message in Romans gives a reminder that the Jews have the form of knowledge and truth in the law, yet are blind and in darkness (Rom. 2:19-20).