Created And Redeemed

The Redeemed Image of God examines the classical development of imago Dei, the image of God, in Christian theology, and reconstructs the doctrine in order to recover the role of the image in redemption and the importance of human embodiment in salvific relationships. The author argues that the imago Dei is the point of contact that enables a rich web of relationships to others, but most importantly the redemptive relationship to the Other, God

Genesis...the story of beginnings...sets the stage for everything we know about God, the natural universe, humanity, and good and evil. It lays the foundation for all the questions asked by philosophy about knowledge, meaning, free will, the soul, ethics, happiness, and success. It forms the basis for all biblical teachings.A scientist and a scholar team up to look at the scientific and theological issues addressed in the book of Genesis. A must-have for all Sabbath school teachers or for anyone wanting to understand the science, history, and theology packed into Genesis.

If I were to ask you about the history of redemption, you would most likely begin by thinking back to the cross and what was accomplished there by Christ From there, you would then move forward. However, in God's mind or from His perspective it began before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4 says, "...even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love..." Before Genesis 1, God had the plan of redemption already formulated. This means that God planned this in eternity past. Before "in the beginning," God existed and planned our redemption. So when God was all that there was, the history of redemption began. That may be hard for us to fathom because we cannot think in terms of eternity. Unlike God, we are constrained by time. The fact remains that God planned our redemption through His Son Jesus Christ before the world was even created. It was not a second option; it was the original plan from the start. We may not understand it all, but we can gain glimpses of it throughout the revealed Word of God, which is itself a "story of redemption that spans from creation to re-creation" (i.e., Genesis 1-2 to Revelation 21-22). Some of you may already be jumping ahead of me and asking, "Why would God create the world if He knew that one day He would have to redeem it? Could He not foresee what would go wrong and prevent that from happening so that creation would remain 'good' and not need to be redeemed?" Those questions are very important. In our study of the history of redemption, these questions will only be dealt with briefly, and they will have to wait until later. There is no need to get ahead of ourselves just yet. But to satisfy the question for the time being, I will give you the main reason, which will be the only reason addressed in this particular study, that God chose to create a world that He knew would fall into sin and need to be redeemed from it. It is for His glory, and I hope as we progress in our study that you will see how that statement is definitely true. The study of the history of redemption has interested me for a long time now. I have preached on the subject as an overview and taught on it in detail. But I wanted more. I wanted to go even more in depth on this subject, and that is what I intend to do here. Before we begin, I want to explain what we will be doing. We are not going to cover every aspect of redemption in Scripture, because that would cover the whole Bible. For instance, the Book of Hosea is full of rich illustrations of redemption, but we will not cover it in this study. So this is not an all-inclusive look at redemption; it is a study of the highlights. It would take a volume much larger than this, probably multiple volumes, to truly give the history of redemption the study it deserves. We will start with the creation account. Since God's plan came to fruition before the foundation of the world, then it makes sense that we start at the creation event in our study of the history of redemption. We will end with Christ, who is the completion of God's plan for redemption. I hope you enjoy this study, and I pray that God uses it to draw you closer to Him.

with a Postcript coauthored by Michael W. Goheen In print for two decades and translated into eight languages, Albert Wolters's classic formulation of an integrated Christian worldview has been revised and expanded to reach new readers beyond the generation that has already benefited from this clear, concise proposal for transcending the false dichotomy between sacred and secular. Wolters begins by defining the nature and scope of a worldview, distinguishing it from philosophy and theology. He then outlines a Reformed analysis of the three basic categories in human history -- creation, fall, and redemption -- arguing that while the fall reaches into every corner of the world, Christians are called to participate in Christ's redemption of all creation. This Twentieth Anniversary edition features a new concluding chapter, coauthored with Michael Goheen, that helpfully places the discussion of worldview in a broader narrative and missional context.

“Why God?” Everyday this question is uttered in sorrow, bewilderment, or anger. This cry is the problem of suffering. It is also known as the problem of evil. It asks why a good, all-powerful God allows evil and pain. Theodicy is the name of the theological responses that seek to defend God against charges of unfairness. Traditional theodicies have been accused of intensifying the problem by claiming that God is justified in allowing evil because he uses it to bring about a greater good. This greater-good approach has been criticized in more recent times. It seems to uncomfortably align God and evil too closely together. Does God need evil in order to bring good? This study explores an alternative stream of theodicy found in the idea of cosmic warfare. In this theodicy God fights evil in its moral, physical, spiritual, and supernatural forms. This book explores the world of theodicy and its cosmic warfare forms. It navigates the theological and ethical minefields involved. Building on the idea that God is in the midst of a great cosmic controversy, it seeks to further the conversation and articulates a new alternative “redeemed good defense.”

What the devil intended for harm, God can use for good. Your bruises, wounds, and scars are not wasted. He has a plan for you. A plan to bless and prosper you. The only hang-up is you! What would you say if I told you that today could be the day of your redemption? Regardless what you have been through. Regardless what you have done. Regardless how far you have drifted, or how long you have been gone. Take heart! God still loves you. He isn't angry with you-he loves you! Would you like to know the best part? He wants you back! The Bible tells us that God misses you. He grieves over you. And he is willing to do whatever it takes to get you back. He simply waits for your reply. I Am Redeemed is a six-week study into the heart of God. Whether you use this book for individual or group study, I applaud you for simply reaching out by faith. Your redemption is within your grasp. God has already taken the first step. While we were still sinners, God sent his only son, Jesus, to be a sacrifice for your sins. In doing this, he showed all of creation the full extent of his love for us. It is your turn now. What will it be?