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Essay on the Gospels and how it relates to the trinity and faith....

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1 Faith Cervantes CWV-101 November 1, 2019 Rick Furmanek Benchmark - Gospel Essentials Within the Christian Worldview exists many topics of beliefs that come together to make up a whole, more commonly known as the Christian faith. The foremost parts of the Christian Worldview involve God himself, humanity at large, the identity of Jesus Christ, and the restoration of humanity. Each of these topics may be debated when regarding a different viewpoint, other than the Christian Worldview, for each person is given the freedom to live out his or her life according to their own standards and beliefs. However, when tying in my chosen worldview and beliefs, my view is similar to that of the Christian Worldview. These topics are essential elements when setting a foundation for the Christian faith. Each intricate part establishes a basis for the understanding of God and all that encompasses Him. As each topic is discussed, an emphasis on the essence of Christianity is reflected upon, to show the true wisdom of the faith. God Since the beginning of time, God has revealed the identity and role of Himself in Scripture. Our Lord God has existed as the Creator of all the abundances of the Earth, living and none living. The characteristics of God are reflected in the life He lived on Earth and the life He reigns in Heaven. God is described as tri-personal, obtaining the characteristics of being omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient (“The Trinity and God’s Omni-Attributes: Reasonable Faith”, n.d.).Omnipotence expresses God’s ability to be all-powerful, it is He who holds supreme

2 power and has no limitations to what can be done. Omniscience means God is all-knowing, He has the future set and the past already known. Omnipresence means that God is in all the surroundings of humanity, at all times. With these three attributes, God expresses who He is to his creation, as well as instills the fact of being present in all times of life until death. God created the Garden of Eden from Adam and Eve, which in its entirety can be viewed as God providing an environment out of love for his children. With creation, God introduces a set of criteria or rules from which his people should live by to rejoice in His abundances, this implements the love Jesus possesses for creation and His loving nature (“The Trinity and God’s Omni-Attributes: Reasonable Faith”, n.d.). Humanity In order to grasp onto the essence of what it means to be a human, humanity first must understand the true meaning of human nature. Human nature is easily defined as, “the general physiological characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits of humankind, regarded by all human and make us distinctly human,” (“Human Nature,”n.d.). In the Book of Genesis, it is illustrated that human nature is derived from one essential provider, that provider being God, the one who created all things. By nature, man lives separated from God. Humanity is given the ability to show human nature through the ability of reason, an ability that no other part of God’s creation is capable of. Paralleling with human nature is the purpose of all of God’s creation. God created all things with a sense of purpose giving humanity the purpose to fulfill and protect, to be stewards of the Earth and be fruitful. To flourish, creation must glorify God both acknowledging His presence and praising Him. The repercussions of Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey the Word of God, created a world where all humans were born with the capability of sinning, being the

3 root cause of human problems (CWV-101 Lecture by Rick Furmanek). The Fall of Humanity showed that it is common for people to be ignorant and try to solve problems on their own. Jesus Jesus is easily identified as a whole within two parts, He is fully God and fully human; simply stating that God has allowed himself to “simultaneously succumb to human limitations and possess God’s omnipotence”(“Jesus Was Fully God and Fully Human” n.d.).Psalms 97:1-6 says, “The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. His lightening lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like was before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.” During His time here on Earth, Jesus lived a sinless life in which humans today use as an example to follow by, as we face temptation in the world today. Jesus Himself gathered numerous amounts of followers to spread the good news and fullness of God. According to Luke 4:18-19, the mission of Jesus was to restore what was lost in humanity and bring salvation to all of God’s holy people. At the end of His time, He endured tremendous amounts of pain, essentially being the ultimate sacrifice for humanity at large. Without Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, Christians would not be given the opportunity to share an intimate relationship with God. The identify of Jesus holds as a foundation for the Christian worldview. Restoration According to the Christian worldview, the true solution to the problems of humanity is by seeking salvation through Jesus Christ, which will enlighten the path to restoration. Salvation is a gift from God’s free grace received by faith (CWV-101 Lecture by Rick Furmanek). Salvation is

4 easily achieved through the act of having faith through Christ, to firmly believe that it is He who died for our sins and one day we may spend eternity with God in Heaven. A few of the problems Christians and all of humanity for that matter endure on a daily basis, can be fixed on a spiritual level through salvation in unison with the Trinity: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Grace is the “good-will, loving-kindness, favor of God”(Grubb, n.d.). Grace also plays a role in Christian salvation, through grace Christians receive the faith that permits his or her to truly believe. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight”(Ephesians 1:4-5). Self-transformation and societal transformation are strenuous processes that rarely happens overnight. Self-transformation flows out of an intimate relationship with Jesus. The deeper we develop a relationship with Jesus the great our motivation will be to obey Him and His words and implement it into society. The relationship established with Jesus gives Christians a sense of purpose on life and allows them to transform themselves, as well as those around them. Analysis Along with the Christian belief, comes numerous benefits and strengthens. Christianity gives society a foundation for good morals and laws, in which all people can bring into effect in their daily lives. The Christian community holds all things to be very special, for example, Christians are the only religion to believe that a good and just life can be accomplished from death and obtaining mercy from God. One of the most notable benefits from Christianity is constant forgiveness. It is from human nature that all are equip with sin, however through the grace of God, every individual is granted forgiveness. As stated in the textbook, “Just as there are different views of truth and knowledge, there are different views of ethics and therefore, different understanding about which behaviors are moral”(DiVincenzo, The beginning of wisdom: an

5 introduction to Christian though and life, 2014). Each and every human being encompasses somewhat different opinions and behaviors regarding what is deemed acceptable in the Christian faith. Nonetheless, Christianity does influence a person’s thinking and behavior. From Christianity humanity is given the ability to see personal and world events in light of the hope and message of the Gospel. Some aspects to Christianity can be viewed as confusing or troublesome. For example, determining which life style is deemed acceptable in the eyes of the Church and God is quite confusing. Some Christians view sins on contrasting scales, some believe that all sins are viewed as equal, well the other half believe that some sins are graver than others and can leave a mark on the soul. Another difficult aspect to grasp onto is the Bible, because the world we live in today there is a long debate on whether God exist or not. Many may find it hard to put trust in a book that was written so long ago, also there are vast interpretations of the Bible, each from a different set viewpoint. Reflection I personally am not a Christian, but a branching denomination of Christianity with its accountable differences. I am practicing Roman Catholic who has chosen to adhere to the Christian worldview, more specifically I have chosen to apply the beliefs and teachings to my daily life. Marguerite Shuster once summarized, “God is not a boundary around the edges of our lives, a limit to our abilities that we are always striving to surpass. He belongs in the center and without Him an inner boundlessness, an emptiness at the heart of things exists” (Shuster,2018). I firmly believe that I must keep God at the center of my life, for without Him the world would be viewed from far different perspectives and life would lose its sense of purpose. Without a relationship with God, whom it is He who is in the center, I would roam the earth with no sense of guidance to the right path. I live my life in a practical manner, following a certain criterion

6 based off of the life and views of Jesus Christ, spreading positivity, happiness, knowledge and viability to whom I encounter. To achieve my goals and ensure I am on the right path in life, I put my whole-hearted trust in God, and I trust that if mistakes are made, forgiveness will be granted through the Father (CWV-101 Lecture by Rick Furmanek). Thus, I life out my Christian worldview with the remembrance of forgiveness as well as other aspects. My actions provide support for the Christian worldview, as for I use my best efforts to exemplify a Christ-like life. Jesus suffered a terrible death on the cross to put forgiveness at the peak of all humanity. As a consequence, I choose to make forgiveness a propriety in my life. Conclusion To summarize, the Christian faith is composed of numerous components: God himself, humanity at large, the identity of Jesus Christ, and the restoration of humanity, each providing truth to Christianity. God is the all-powerful Creator of all of humanity, the one whom created all the universe and everything in it, with his grace and love. Humanity was created in the image and likeness of God but is destined to fall to its Christian human nature. Each and every individual holds a purpose in life and flourishes in the acknowledgment and glory of God. Our lives were made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He shows his identity in the fullness of life and all of humanity finds salvation through the identity of Jesus Christ. Each of these topics can be viewed from different perspectives when put into effect regarding worldviews, besides the Christian worldview. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know hum. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as is” (1 John 3:1-2).

7 References Christian Worldview 101 Lecture by Rick Furmanek DiVincenzo, A. (2014). The beginning of wisdom: an introduction to Christian thought and life. Phoenix, AZ: Grand Canyon University. Grubb, Norman. “The Restoration of Humanity.” Zerubabbel Press, https://zerubbabel.org/intercessor-article/vol-18-no-2-the-restoration-of-humanity/. Human Nature and the Purpose of Existence. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.patheos.com/library/christianity/beliefs/human-nature-and-the-purpose-ofexistence. Jesus Was Fully God and Fully Man. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://harvest.org/know-godarticle/jesus-was-fully-god-and-fully-man/. Shuster, Marguerite. “Did God Plan the Fall?” ChristianityToday.com, Christianity Today, 24 Sept. 2018, https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/april/mystery-of-original-sin.html. The Trinity and God's Omni- Attributes: Reasonable Faith. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/the-trinity-and-gods-omniattributes/....