|
|
|
|
|
Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World (13)
|
|
|
Paul Jang
|
2008-12-03 14:48:14, hit : 3,085 |
|
|
(c) The Structure of Human Existence
① Two dimensions of our existence deserve independent attention: the physical and the nonphysical parameters (essence) of our existence.
② The human body united both the physical and the nonphysical essences is called a human being with personality.
③ If we find in ourselves a desires which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we are made for another world. We have desire to be good person and a desire for immortality.
④ Among the persons many of us aspire to know well, there is the Person to whom we owe our existence. We are, however, estranged from our Creator. As persons, we and God are equipped to experience intersubjective relationship.
⑤ In this situation, God seems to occupy a superior position both to know and to determine the necessary conditions for reconciliation. Therefore our confidence concerning the conditions for reconciliation will depend on God's initiative in revealing them to us.
⑥ This lead us at once to expect that a particular revelation, answering to the specific needs of the human condition, might be provided by God.
(d) The Provision of Special Revelation
① The three criteria for evaluating revelation claims:
(1) a revelation claim must be comparable with what is revealed about God independently of that particular revelation claims.
(2) a revelation claim must embody a message suited to the human needs that prompt the expectation of a particular revelation.
(3) a revelation claim must, when possible, be corroborated by external signs (miracles) in order to distinguish a genuine revelation from spurious revelation claims.
② The Christian revelation claim enjoys the greatest support among the alternatives:
(1) God is represented in the Christian Scriptures as the personal Creator of the universe.
(2) What of the hope that God has good news for human persons? This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
(3) The truth of this good news is confirmed by historically well-attested miracles, especially the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
(4) There is one further point to make about the Christian revelation claim. In the Bible (Old Testament and New Testament), we have a permanent deposit of divine revelation in propositional form.
. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Introduction
Theology 