In and of itself, personal faith consists of beliefs, confidence, and trust that comes from within, rather than societal norms. Personal faith roots from beliefs within oneself and God. Belief in God requires knowledge in an individual’s personal faith. John Wheelwright states, “I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice - not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother’s death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany” (Irving 1). This quotation indicates John’s beliefs towards religion.
Every man, woman, and child has a purpose. Some find their purpose early in life and others spend their life searching endlessly to never find it. With a specific individual, however, God personally reshaped their life for the good and made an example of how He can do glorious work to even the most questionable people. After years of rebelling, God saved the man who became the Apostle Paul and his purpose was simple, he was to proclaim the Good News of Jesus to the Gentiles. Paul than did just that, he set out and spent years bringing the news of Jesus and the Glory of God to the Gentiles.
We all have failed and falling short of god’s expectation however, he is forgiving and ultimately the judge of who will go where after death. In heaven, you are said to be in the presence of god and your loved ones for eternity. Hell is for sinners or non believers are punished.. Some may wonder how is any of this possible to know. As a believer, it is very vital as the Word of God says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of god so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
This means that Scripture gives us everything that we need in order to be obedient to God. It teaches us truths about God, salvation, and everything of eternal significance. DeYoung claims that one reason this doctrine is so important is because Jesus is often identified as the Logos or Word (John 1). God speaks though Jesus because he is “God’s full and final revelation of himself (50).” This is a truth that is deeply woven into Scripture and shows us the importance of Scripture in pointing man to God. The doctrine of sufficiency also means that no one should take away or add to scripture.
Throughout Scriptures this has been commanded and to be practiced. Let go of hurts, abandon grudges and forgive others, forgive like God forgave you and not like how man never forgets and forgives. Let’s see how God forgives. Forgiving like God -The Prodigal son - Luke15:18-20. The parable of the Prodigal son is well known among Christians.
As we know Jonah was commanded to go and preach to the Ninevites, Israel's worst enemies, so that they’ll be saved from destruction. But it almost seems like Jonah wanted to see the Ninevites destroyed, but God was compassionate towards them when they repented. The book ends with a theme that Salvation can be given to anyone who accepts God and repents. We should understand that God is not just a Creator but he is still creating and everyone in this world is part of his creation and they play their own unique role in the kingdom of God. Johannes Verkuyl says "If a person draws his lifeblood from the one greater than Jonah and yet declines to spread the Good News among others, he in effect is sabotaging the aims of God himself.
Being public and doing Public Theology is thus vital because it is obedient and a living witness to the goodness and loving-kindness of our Lord who became flesh for us and for our salvation. Conclusion: Christian faith is very personal but not private. It is both individual and communal. It transforms both human beings and humanly created structures and systems (culture is a man-made system). I think it is very important that a Christian should first read his/her culture in the light of the Bible.
Since the rise of Christianity among nations, people have been asking the question: why does evil exist when there is a God who is sovereign, powerful, and loving? Is he not able to fight the evil surrounding us? Or does God want to see us suffer which makes him an unloving Father after all? Saint Ignatius 's life explains a probable reason as to why evil exists and how one can flee from the temptations of this world. He was once a soldier who enjoyed the pleasures the world has always been offering, but he was soon reunited with God in the latter part of his life.
Reformed theologians learned, from Romans 8:29, that Christ-likeness is the purpose of choosing people; and it is not merely one of the suggestions to be Christ likeness people, but it is command to become like one. Furthermore, they have found that sanctification, which is ascribed to all three persons of the Trinity, is both the work of God and the responsibility of His people. What is important is that sanctification is not something that people can get by human efforts, but it is God’s divine gift. Moreover, based on Philippians 2:12-13, reformed theologians believed that sanctification is continual
An anonymous person once said that “we aren’t called to shine our own lights; we are called to reflect His.” A born again Christian, once fully understanding the gospel and putting his or hers trust in Jesus, will desire to want to grow and obey God in order to honor and glorify Him, and since the only one who kept God’s law perfectly was Jesus, then one will want manifest and imitate Christ in everything he or she does. Not only does reflecting Christ’s image glorify God, it stands out to others as well. All true believers experience radical change because of the Spirit, and that change shines like a bright light towards other people leading them to ask, wonder, and desire that change and growth in their own lives as