OAIM Christian Essentials Course Essential 4

In this lesson we will be learning about the entire concept of salvation. First we need to understand what the word salvation means. Salvation means to be saved or to be delivered from something. The very idea of salvation indicates that there is a need for a person to be saved and that they cannot fulfill this need on their own. At least two people must be involved. After all, if we could save or deliver ourselves from anything, then there would be no need to be saved or delivered.

To illustrate this further, let us say that someone is suddenly found being swept away in an unexpected torrent of water. Unless another person is present that can save them, their doom is certain. The only hope they have is for someone to come along with a life line and the only requirement for them to be saved is to grab that life line.

In such a situation, it would seem silly to refuse to grab that line, but there might be those who do so. There would be only two main reasons why someone might refuse to reach out to the life line offered to them. The first would be that they refuse to believe they are going to drown, and so they blissfully and ignorantly pass it by only to find out they were wrong after it was too late.

A second reason they might decide not to grab hold of that life line would be that they do not trust in the strength of the person holding the life line. Instead they choose to trust in their own strength to save themselves, finding out they are wrong only as their strength gives out and they go down for the last time.

In both of the above cases, one fact is the same: the life line was there and all they had to do was to take hold of it to be saved.

Applying this illustration in the spiritual sense, we can see that salvation is not something that we can obtain but is something that is offered. In both of the possibilities as to why the life line would have been refused, we see a similar application in the spiritual sense and for the same reasons.

Salvation is not something we can obtain but is something that is offered. It has nothing to do with ourselves. The one being swept away in the water did not do anything to deserve salvation; salvation was offered because he was going to drown. The person who offered the life line had nothing to gain. The one to whom the life line was offered was the one who had everything to gain. This applies in the spiritual sense as well.

What would be the motive of the person offering the life line? The only motive would have been compassion for a person who was about to drown.

In order to understand salvation, we need to understand what it is we need to be saved from and this is what the first portion of the study will be on.

Your assignment:

You need to read the information in each lesson and research the answers to the included questions so you can write up a summary of your conclusions for each. We suggest 300 words to answer each question, but we are much more interested in seeing quality than quantity. Write enough to completely express what you believe on the topic. When you finish writing your first conclusion, you can submit it to us at the address below, and we will send you back our comments.

Lesson 1: What the Fall Was Not

Before we cover the fall of man, let us first explain what the fall of man was not. Some teach that mankind were created as gods and that the fall was the fall from godhood. It is then taught that God's plan of redemption was for man to be restored back to godhood. This, they say, was the purpose for the death and resurrection of Jesus. This teaching not only reinforces the fact that the original lie in the garden was effective then but that it is still effective today in continuing the rebellion towards God. This teaching distorts the very meaning of salvation and the purpose of the death and resurrection of Christ that not only devalues God's sovereignty but it exalts man to the position of his own sovereign godhood.

We suggest you print out this Lesson 4a.txt file so you can read the lesson at your own leisure. The assignment for this lesson is located at the bottom of the text file. When you finish, submit your assignment to Christian Essentials and label it in the subject line as Lesson 4a. Then continue on with Lesson 2.

Lesson 2: What the Fall Was

Now that you have covered what the fall of man was not, it is time to discover what exactly it was. There are many false teachings out there about what exactly caused the fall of man and what the result was. In this lesson, we will explore these teachings and find out the answers to the questions that may arise in discussions about the fall.

You will need to print out Lesson4b.txt for this lesson. It is rather lengthy and you will need time to study it and discuss it with other Christians. If you find a question too difficult to answer, read back over the text to see if there might be something you missed to help you answer it. Feel free to talk to other Christians and to use commentaries to formulate your answers. When you have completed your answers to the assignment, submit your assignment to Christian Essentials and label it in the subject line as Lesson 4b. Then continue on to Lesson 3.

Lesson 3: The Consequences of the Fall

As with all of our decisions, there are consequences. The same was true of Adam and Eve's decision in the garden. What were those consequences and how has this effected us throughout the ages?

In Lesson 3, you will examine these consequences for mankind after the fall. Print out Lesson 4c.txt so you can use it to study. When you have completed the assignment included in the lesson, submit them to Christian Essentials and label it in the subject line as Lesson 4c. Then continue on to Lesson 4.

Lesson 4: God's Plan of Salvation

Although we could not avoid the consequences of the fall, God, in keeping with His character, provided a way to bring us back to Him. In the final lesson of this essential, we take a close look at how God's plan was set in motion from the beginning.

You will need a printed copy of Lesson 4d.txt as an aid to your study of this topic. Upon completion of the assignment given in the lesson, submit it to Christian Essentials and label it in the subject line as Lesson 4d. This is the final lesson of this essential. At this point you can move on to Essential 5.

Procedure:

For those who are new to researching a topic, here are some ideas of a procedure to follow. Examine the above questions. Do these questions lead you to even more questions you personally might have? What information will you need to gather in order to answer these questions? Where can you go for more information on this? Are there friends you can talk to? Are there books you want to read on the subject? Have you seen any articles that might help you make your conclusions?

Once you have asked yourself questions, you are ready to plan out your search. What search engines would you like to use? How are you going to determine the accuracy and reliability of a site? What are the steps you will take to research this topic? Would a book give better information on this topic? Find some good commentaries to give you insights to various passages.

Next you need to gather material together. Find the websites that seem to be most appealing to you and bookmark them. Talk to friends who are knowledgeable about this topic. Perhaps go to chat and discuss the issue with people in there.

After gathering the material, you need to sift through the material and find what is most important to you and the answers you are looking for. Analyze what you have, revise the questions you might need to ask yourself to find better information, and then search and sift again.

When you are satisfied with the material you have gathered, spend time thinking through your own conclusions on the matter before you begin writing. Organize your thoughts in a logical fashion. Perhaps even make a short outline to give yourself a roadmap to where you want to go with your conclusion. With clearly organized thoughts, put down your own conclusions on paper and let someone else read them to see if they understand what you are trying to say. If you do this before you submit them to us, we will see only your best quality work.

Research TIPS:

Include at least one good commentary in your personal library. A study Bible with good foot notes can also be very useful. Please remember that these are not inspired by God so the writers can be fallible on some points. They are good resources, however, to help you gain different points of view.

Gather your information from several sources. Read both sides of the issue before you make your final decision. Examine the reliability of the source you are using.

Include a bibliography. It doesn't have to be college-perfect, but for your own sake, you may want to go back and refer to those resources again. Also, we'd like to see where you are getting your information. Who knows, maybe you've found a really good site we'd like to refer to?

Research Helps:

You can find various commentaries at http://bible.crosswalk.com/. Remember to compare them so you can see any specific biases the author may have. If you prefer to use regular books for this portion of your research, check with your local public library or with your pastor (he might lend you one of his).

Final Product:

When you are ready to turn in your conclusions, remember these basic things.

Please use a spell-checker and use good grammar. It is difficult to read communication that is grammatically lax. Chat spellings are fine for chat, but cul8r is just not as easy to read as "See you later." :o)
Instead of attaching your writing to an e-mail, it is much easier to read if it is inline text. This can easily be done by cutting and pasting your writing into the body of the e-mail.
Remember that we cannot read your minds. Don't assume we will know what you mean. Explain it to us as if we disagreed with you on the issue.
Be patient with turnaround time since we are just starting this and do not know what kind of volume we will have. If you believe it has taken too long and your work might have been lost in cyberspace, send a short follow-up e-mail asking us if we received it.
Keep a copy of your writing for yourself.Include a bibliography (a listing of where you obtained your information for your conclusion). Remember, this does not have to be in college-type bibliographic form, but we should be able to find the same sources you found.

Send to:

Your final conclusions on the above questions should be sent to:

Christian Essentials Course

Click here to continue on to Essentials 5, Graceful Fundamentalism.