Month: July 2025
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The Evolution of Soteriology (Part 5): How the Adventist Church Grew/Is Growing into Grace
The Seventh-day Adventist Church officially teaches that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. This is clearly stated in Fundamental Belief #10, which affirms that “God pardons the repentant believer and imputes to him the righteousness of Christ.” On paper, our theology closely mirrors the classic Wesleyan-Arminian model, which is that salvation…
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The Evolution of Soteriology (Part 4): Responsible Grace (Wesley’s Answer to a Sleeping Church)
Last week, we explored two very different understandings of grace. In the Calvinist view, grace is irresistible and particular, whereas the Arminian view sees grace as universal and resistible. Both views agreed that salvation is by grace and rejected salvation by works, piety, or sacraments, as Luther did earlier. However, they disagreed on how grace…
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Evolution of Soteriology (Part 3): A Tale of Two Graces
Irresistible, Particular Grace vs. Resistible, Universal Grace Over the past two weeks, we’ve been laying the groundwork for today’s important theological conversation: the Tale of Two Graces. This discussion, in my view, is important because the version of the grace we believe shapes how we see God, salvation, and even each other. Disclaimer: As we…
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The Evolution of Soteriology (Part 2): From the Medieval Period to the Reformation
Last week, we started exploring the evolution of soteriology from the apostolic period to the early medieval period. Here’s a quick summary of the medieval period where we left off. Medieval Soteriology (11th to 13th Centuries) Review In the 11th to 13th centuries, Europe’s feudal society was structured around land ownership and rigid social hierarchies….
