Sunday, February 06, 2011

How Are We Saved?

(I wrote this in a Catholic Answers forum--I'm using my blog to keep track of things I wrote)

In Genesis 3, when Adam (and Eve) disobeyed God, they were deprived of the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22). Without the access to the fruit from the Tree of Life, man dies. God placed a fiery sword and a cherubim to guard the Tree (v.24). T

Christ restores the Tree of Life. Through Christ, we have eternal life. His Cross becomes the new Tree of Life and His Body is the fruit. We eat of His Body and we gain eternal life. Through obedience (and Baptism), we are united to Christ and through Christ and His Body, we gain eternal life.

Sin is disobedience to God. If we disobey God, we die. Christ pays for the penalty of our disobedience through His death. So, through His new covenant, we are baptized into Him and with obedience, we remain in Him (per John 15). Our sins are nailed to the cross and we are born anew so that we can rise with Him in the Resurrection.

1 comment:

John Lollard said...

Hey Dennis, just noticed that you've started posting your thoughts. Figured I'd comment.

"Our sins are nailed to the cross and we are born anew so that we can rise with Him in the Resurrection."

Amen.

But Christ was nailed to the cross 2,000 years ago. That places forgiveness in the past. Christ paying the penalty for the things we do now is a past-tense sort of thing. He already did 'cuz he already died.

If I am made clean before God by a sacrifice that happened thousands of years before I was even born, then I am also made clean before God by a sacrifice that happened thousands of years before the sins I'm going to do tomorrow.

That places my salvation and forgiveness in a past-tense action done by Jesus, not in my present-tense actions or my future tense actions.

What are your thoughts on that?

Love in Christ,
JL