8ISC Proceedings: Theology

Original Sin and Its Relation to Teaching Infant Baptism

2022-03-21T01:25:32+00:00

Adam’s transgression resulted in initial guilt and pollution that is called original sin. The teaching of original sin became prominent for some theologians in the fourth century and, at the same time, became one of the most controversial. However, it was accepted as a part of Christian doctrine for some Christian denominations. One of the prominent theologians who impressed so much with this teaching is Augustine of Hippo. Augustine’s notion of original sin arose from his dilemma and query about the influence of Adam’s sin on his posterity during the fifth century B.C. He thought that all people who participated in Adam’s first transgression and original sin were passed down to their children through their parents automatically without awareness of their children. The understanding of Augustine regarding original sin was not originated from his view on the Bible perspective but was influenced through his exploration of the view of Neo-Platonism on sin. According to Neo-Platonism, the nature of the soul and its relationship to the body as self-isolation is the root of sin. Before entering the body, the soul has a previous existence. The souls become wrapped in the body when they descend. But the point is that even before the soul enters the body, its illogical components have an unruly and terrible disposition. Augustine’s perspective on original sin influenced the church’s stance on infant baptism. The majority of Christian denominations accepted that every child inherited sin from their parents. The newborn baby must be baptized in order to be cleansed of the original sin. As a result, the purpose of this research is to examine the teaching of original sin and its relationship to the teaching of infants.

Keywords: Original Sin, Infant Baptism, Transmission

The Personality and Divinity of the Holy Spirit

2022-03-21T01:26:45+00:00

There are many issues surrounding the doctrine of the Trinity throughout the history of Christianity. Obviously, many church fathers espoused the doctrine of the Trinity. After along struggles with the Arians and other heresies, the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325) officially declared the doctrine of the Trinity. The locus of the controversy in the early years of Christianity was mainly on the divinity of Jesus. When this was finally settled, the controversy shifted on the Holy Spirit. But later on, this was also settled at the Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381). However, in the succeeding centuries, the issue of the Holy Spirit continued, which resulted in the schism between the Western and Eastern Christian Churches. The issue was mainly on the “procession” of the Holy Spirit. But the issue that is prevailing today, which already occurred in ancient times, is about the personality of the Holy Spirit. Some Christian scholars and churches deny the personality and divinity of the Holy, which is adhered to by the majority of Christian churches. It is now obvious that until today, the issue of the person and divinity of the Holy Spirit is still far from settled. Many books and articles have already been published on this issue. The task of this research is to re-investigate the evidence in the Scriptures, especially in the Gospels and Acts. This investigation will employ the historical-grammatical method of exegesis. This research is not an exhaustive exegetical exercise since it will deal with a large scope of materials. The procedure will follow the order found in the New Testament Bible, setting the issue on Synoptic Problem. This study adds more understanding about the exegetical analysis of the passages in the Gospels and Acts that deal with the Holy Spirit, which the author thinks are lacking.

Keywords: Trinity, Holy Spirit, Divinity of the Holy Spirit, Personality of the Holy Spirit

Seventh-Day Adventist Views and Stances on Same-Sex Marriage: Consideration for Its Pastors

2022-03-21T01:33:05+00:00

Marriage is an institution that God established in the garden of Eden on the sixth day of Creation week. Marriage has entered a troubling era of change with the rise of divorces and same-sex marriages. There are religious and political groups that reject it, but some accept it. This is also an issue in both Christianity and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. That is why it is necessary to review the Bible’s principles of marriage so that Christians understand the correct principles of marriage in the Bible. Marriage in the Bible is between one man and one woman according to their nature. Marriage and same-sex intercourse are abominations before God. The researcher found out that there are two models of same-sex marriage emerging at this time. First, same-sex marriage between man and man or woman and woman by nature. Second, same-sex marriage between man and “woman” as a result of genital surgery or woman with “man” as a result of genital surgery. The second type can bring confusion to the church. The researcher suggested that the church and pastors need to take steps medically to ensure that the prospective partners are naturally different, not the result of genital surgery. The Seventh-day Adventist Church rejects same-sex marriage in both the first and second models.

Keywords: Marriage, Same-Sex, Nature

A New Proposal of Hebrews’ Outline

2022-03-21T01:37:33+00:00

Identifying and understanding the outline of a book in the Scripture is important to understand a text. One book in the Scripture that receives attention from scholars in terms of inquiring about the outline or the structure of its book is the Book of Hebrews. This is due to the awareness among scholars in regard to the complexity of this book’s outline or its structure. Because of its complexity, scholars have proposed various outlines of this book. In fact, by careful study, a new approach of even the idea of the outline of Hebrews could be brought to the surface. Therefore, using some aspects of the literary devices proposed by Alberth Vanhoye, this paper task was to analyze the way how the author composes the book of Hebrews and provide a new outline of this book. In turn, this new outline provided help for interpreters to exegete this book.

Keywords: Hebrews, outline, complexity, new approach, literary devices.