Theology of the Church, Mentor's Guide, MG03

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T H E O L O G Y O F T H E C H U R C H

understanding of God, and correspondingly, our understanding of other peoples. Simply being spiritual does not in any way protect us from being ethnocentric, bigoted, or prejudiced against peoples who are different than us. One of the most practical ethical implications of this teaching is for leaders and congregations to imitate their God by coming to love (and not caricature) other peoples and groups which are different from us. The sin of Israel of thinking itself to be more significant than other peoples is easily transferred and reproduced in us believers who may mistakenly think that we are loved more because we believe in Christ. This is not the case; God’s intent is that all people come to a knowledge of the truth, and the more we can feel the heart of God, the more we will work to see that all peoples, regardless of their background, gain an opportunity to believe in Christ for salvation. This video segment concentrates on understanding the meaning of salvation. Theologically it is important that students be able to describe why we need to be saved (sin has separated us from God), the objective means by which we are saved (by being united to Christ in his death and resurrection), and the biblical meaning of salvation (being joined to the people of God who inherit his Kingdom and its promises). It is critical for a correct understanding of salvation to grasp that union with Christ cannot be separated from incorporation into the Church. The scriptural teaching is quite clear on this point. [See the Appendix to this Lesson titled “Salvation as Joining the People of God]. To be saved by Christ is to be joined to a church body of which he is the head (Col. 1.18) and to participate in his plan to call and redeem a people out of the earth (2 Cor. 6.15-16; Titus 2.14; Heb. 8.8-10) and which will literally constitute a new form of the human race (1 Cor. 15.45-49). Christ’s parting words to his disciples were not only to preach the Good News to every creature but also to baptize them (Matt. 28.19) which is the clear outward sign by which individuals are identified with the people of God. Salvation always means incorporation into the Church.

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