WHAT DOES IT MEAN to be "redeemed?" Sure, I could list theological, psychological, and sociological definitions, and there is nothing wrong with that approach. Definitions help define us. They allow us to compare, analyze, ruminate, consider, relate. We quantify and qualify through definitions. Relative to theology, definitions establish parameters; they provide the comfort of knowing …
First Principles Part Two: Salvation from Our Sin Nature
GOD FORMED MAN OUT out of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature (see Gen. 2:7). God put the man (Adam) in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. The name Adam comes from adama, a Hebrew word meaning "earth." …
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Paul on Reconciliation
REGARDLESS OF WHAT OTHERS think of us, we are forgiven, redeemed, restored, set free from the past. Our lives have been turned around through the grace of God and the power of the cross. Lies, deceit, selfish motivation, manipulation, provocation—all are gone. We were not merely "remodeled" or "refurbished." Rather, the old self has passed …
“Story About a Woman Named Rahab.”
AFTER THE DEATH OF Moses, the LORD said to Joshua, "Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them" (see Joshua 1:1-2). This indicates a passing of the mantle from Moses to Joshua. You might recall that Joshua …
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
IT IS DIFFICULT TO image being clothed in the righteousness of God. Exactly how does that happen? How can we possibly be worthy enough and pure enough? Lauren Daigle opens her song You Say with these lyrics: "I keep fighting the voices in my mind that say I'm not enough" (1). This was my dilemma. …
Integrating Christian Theology and Psychology: Part Five
Steven Barto, B.S., Psy, M.A. Theology WE LEARNED IN THE previous installments of this series that psychology is a discipline with a rich history. Plato and Aristotle, for example, created elaborate theories that attempted to account for a myriad of developmental issues: memory, perception, learning. Initial philosophers and theorists took an eclectic approach, exploring matters …
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What Does Spiritual Progress Look Like?
Written by Steven Barto, B.S.,Psy., M.A. Theology Change Requires Growth For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great …
Never Lose Your Desire to be Sanctified
By Steven Barto, B.S. Psy., M.T.S. GOD'S ULTIMATE AIM FOR believers is to be sanctified and grow in holiness. The Hebrew (qdš) and Greek (hagias-) roots are applied to any person, place, occasion, or object "set apart from" common, secular use onto some divine power. Under the Old Covenant, persons and things devoted to God's …
Let’s Go to Theology Class: Apologetics Interview
After some delay, I am able to share my final paper in "Apologetics" as part of my master's in theological studies at Colorado Christian University. Instructions were to interview someone who was an atheist or skeptic regarding Christianity. I hope you will find this paper beneficial. I really enjoyed doing this assignment. Introduction The primary …
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Let’s Go to Theology Class: Creativity, Sub-Creation, Redemption, and Culture
The following summary is from the final week of my new class—Theological Aesthetics—in pursuit of my master’s degree in theology at Colorado Christian University. Can the arts be understood as having any positive place in God’s continuing engagement with nature and history? How do you respond to the suggestion that they might make a “redemptive” …
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