6 Part Entry: My Theology pt. I

Over the course of the last four years, I have had the opportunity to engage my mind with some of the most stimulating ideas about salvation that the Christian religion has to offer.  Through discussing and reading the works of some of the most influential Christians minds in history, I was able to refine my own personal theology and discover my personal views regarding the nature of humanity, the doctrine of sin, the doctrine of salvation, and the second work of grace in a Christian’s life.  All of these things influence the way that I will carry out my ministry and will inform the decisions that I make.  My thinking was largely directed by the three rules of Saint Vincent of Lerins.  When forming my own opinions on these matters, I always considered universality: how these things are viewed across the boards everywhere.  I also took into account antiquity: how the scriptures have been interpreted over the history of the religion (so if I had a thought that was brand new, I immediately dismissed it as false).  The last of the three things I kept in mind was consensus: how these different ideas have been viewed by the majority of Christians.  Seeing many different perspectives has helped me to, so to speak, gather the three blind men so that I can take the perspectives to get a better idea of the elephant as a whole.  This has lead me through the process of thinking through these issues myself to come to the conclusions which will be presented in this post.