Plan of Human Salvation - Term Paper Example

?Demetrias A Page Ron Hodge Rel-201 27 July Salvation The Bible, the Holy book of the Christianity, is a widely read and learned book,which is also the principal textbook of theology around the globe. The Bible is often regarded as a source of wisdom, peace, and inspiration by millions of people. The controversies regarding the Bible are also not new, for many portions of the bible have been a bone of contention for several centuries. Evidently, the Bible is a standard parameter whenever there is debate or discussion on faith and science. The Bible is written in two parts; the Old Testament, which describes the very foundations of Judaism, and the New Testament which was composed later, and became the foundation for Christianity as a whole. The Old Testament depicts the events from the time of creation to the times before Jesus Christ, whereas The New Testament is the commentary of the life of Jesus Christ. Salvation is a topic that often comes up in discussions about the Bible, and, of course, the core element of the entire New Testament. Theologians are deeply at odds regarding the extent to which the concept of salvation is used in the Old Testament. James Barr (Scottish Old Testament scholar) points out that Salvation has not been given ‘central prominence’ in the Old Testament. Salvation in religion refers to the saving of the soul from sins and its aftermaths. Biblical Salvation rarely refers to Salvation from hell. Absolution from hindrances in life is the common meaning given to Salvation in the Old Testament. The Israeli people were subjected to a number of natural calamities, epidemics, captivity etc. As in the Old Testament, Salvation is seen iterated as temporal deliverance. Coming to the New Testament, its meaning develops as saving mankind from death or the second death. This development happens progressively from the Old to New Testament. A new concept that comes in the New Testament is that of the judgment day. Thus, the Bible is actually a progressive revelation and one can find various developments with regard to concepts like Salvation from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The aim of all religions is Salvation, and in Christianity, the Bible is the guide for believers to Salvation. Bible pundit Taylor points out that God through the Bible is: Telling mankind that every effort to save them will continue until they themselves find that they are lost and require Salvation. The Bible starts with the perception on how the universe was created. Then it comes to the creation of the first human, Adam, and later his spouse, Eve. It was both of them who did the first sin of the mankind, and that was the reason why God pulled them out of the paradise. From then on, man was forced to earn his livelihood by himself, and there started the diversion of man from God. All these things happened in the Old Testament, and man became a subject to the rage of God as an outcome of his sins. He longed for peace, and that’s when man’s run for Salvation commenced. The Old Testament cites the laws or commandments that man had to follow to take the road to Salvation. At this juncture, it is important to understand the Greek, Hebrew meanings of the word Salvation. In Greek, the word that refers to salvation is ‘Sozo’, which is very comprehensive in meaning like ‘to save, to make whole’ etc. In King James Version of the Bible, from Gen 49:18 to Psa 18:46, the term Salvation occurs 164 times in 158 verses (Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon). At the same time, in Hebrew, the word for Salvation found in the Bible is ‘Yeshuwah’ which indicates "deliverance" or ‘something saved’. Since man continued to sin, in the Old Testament, God made a promise to lead the mankind to Salvation, which paved the way for the advent of Jesus Christ, the son of God to the Earth to save the mankind. It is mentioned in the New Testament that God gave the commandments to make mankind aware that they crave Salvation; they were never intended to be the means of salvation. As Hebrews 10: 4-10 says, this system was a shadow of the sacrifice of Christ through whom alone Salvation is found (New International Version). However, most Bible pundits agree that the plan of Salvation was formed even before the creation. The letter of Peter is usually quoted to support this argument. 1 Peter 1:20 says that “he [Christ] was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake”. Again, the question why Salvation was proposed even before the creation is a matter of theological dispute. The prescript, meaning and virtue of the plan of Salvation are clearly visible in the Old Testament. The Ten Commandments and promises made to the Israelites were all glimpses of this. The coming of Jesus Christ was foresaid by prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah. It is, therefore, obvious that God’s decision to send his son to the Earth to bring Salvation to the mankind was not instantaneous. As Christians believe, in the Old Testament, the term ‘the saviour king’ is often used to denote Jesus Christ. The arrival of such a saviour was repeatedly mentioned throughout the books of the Old Testament. For instance, Micah 5:2 tells about his birthplace, whereas Psalm 22 is a prophecy about his death, which is believed to have brought Salvation to the mankind. Psalm 16:10 says about his resurrection, and there were many accounts of prophecy of the deeds of Jesus Christ who was then yet to come. It is said that the Old Testament is the clarification for the coming of the Messiah or the saviour king. In other words, the Old Testament tells us why Christ was coming to the Earth. There are a number of verses throughout the Old Testament that envisage the plan of Salvation. The bond between the mankind and the sovereign, almighty God is to be considered while examining the plan of Salvation. The Old Testament importantly consists of books of many prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Hosea, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Malachi, Haggai, Zephaniah, Micah etc. Sofield states that man should possess righteousness in the concept that God is righteousness, and this righteousness must be attained through one’s deeds while on the Earth. This is the determining factor to one’s Salvation. “For the lord is righteous; He loves righteousness; the upright shall behold his face” (Psalms, 11:7). The Old Testament has clearly shown what the result of sin is. It is said in the Old Testament that the city of Nineveh was destroyed for its great sins, and the Lord says if there was a single man who was righteous, God would save the land from his wrath. All these instances are aiming towards a single point – the need of Salvation of the mankind. Right from the first sin in paradise, man continued to commit sins, and never refrained from doing sins. Man was always subject to worldly attractions, which perverted him from the path of God. In the course of time, the gap between God and man increased. These transitions are being sketched in the Old Testament, and thereby God wanted to take mankind back to the right path. The promise about the Messiah, the saviour king, symbolizes God’s plan for Salvation. The Old Testament opens for the New Testament with the coming of the saviour, Messiah, who is known to the world as Jesus Christ. At this juncture, it is important to note that Jews are still expecting their messiah, for they did not believe that Jesus was the saviour they had been waiting for. The New Testament is the account of life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the acts of his apostles. It also contains several letters of his apostles that convince the world that Jesus was the true Son of God, the messiah. Gospels, especially of Mathew, were written for Jews to assert that Jesus was the fulfilment of the Old Testament. As per the Christian doctrine, Jesus was sent to attain the Salvation for mankind by sacrificing his life. Sacrifices to God were prominent in the Old Testament, and Jesus’ sacrifice at the Calvary is a symbolization of the concept of sacrifices in the Old Testament. Jesus was born to Mary and was brought up in Nazareth. He led a public life only after the age of 30. During his public life, he became very popular in Judah for his preaching and miracles. Jesus was crucified at the age of 33, and he resurrected after three days of his death, by which mankind attained Salvation. This belief forms the foundation of Christianity. But modern sceptical scholars question the authenticity of many accounts about Jesus, especially the one about the resurrection. However, in Christian belief, crucifixion and resurrection of Messiah formed the road to Salvation (New Advent). To be more specific, as noted by one scholar, “in the New Testament, Salvation means to be rescued from the gilt and power of sin” (Mears 813). In the Old Testament, it was reasonable for the term ‘Salvation’ to have the meaning of independence. As Christians maintain, Salvation did not simply refer to the end of Israel’s incessant captivity, but it is the happiness that surpasses the heights of all worldly prosperity. In the Old Testament, the concept of salvation is not highlighted and we can observe some subtle variation in the meaning. The meaning of Salvation that comes in the New Testament is underlying in the Old Testament too. It must be inferred that the meaning of Salvation is not uniform throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, it is often termed with worldly concerns, while concepts like the second death is highlighted only in the New Testament. To sum up, human Salvation was foreseen by God even before creation in time immemorial. Post creation, God executed the plan of Salvation, which he intended to implement through his Son. He promised the coming of the Messiah, a saviour, to attain mankind’s Salvation. The Old Testament is thus an account of God trying to make mankind realize the need of Salvation and the coming of the Messiah. The New Testament is the account of life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah by which Salvation was attained in its real sense. In culmination, the Old Testament is the substratum of the New Testament; it is the materialization of the plan of Salvation that is depicted from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Works Cited Barr, James. “An Aspect of Salvation in the Old Testament”. Man and His Salvation: Studies in Memory of S. G. F. Brandon. Eds. Eric John Sharpe and John R. Hinnells (Eds.). Manchester University Press ND, 1973. Print. Mears, Henrietta C. What the Bible Is All About Handbook-Revised-KJV Edition: Bible Handbooks - An Inspired Commentary on the Entire Bible. Gospel Light Publications, 2011. Print. New Advent. “Salvation.” Catholic Encyclopedia. (n.d): Web. 25 July 2012. Sofield, Jack C. “Old Testament Salvation.” Bible.org. (n.d). Web. 25 July 2012. Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon. Web. 25 July 2012 Taylor, Gene. “Why God Gave Man the Bible.” n.d. Web. 25 July 2012. PDF file. The Holy Bible. New International Version. Read More