St. Anselm : Meditation On Human Redemption

Jesus tells of how the lord will send a messenger to prepare the way for the second coming. He also explained the importance of tithing and how we will receive blessings.

Anselm of Canterbury, also a twelfth century theologian, had a quite different understanding of sin and redemption. He espoused the theory of Satisfaction that argued “it is not enough for humans to cease from sin. They must offer satisfaction for the sins that they have already committed” . He argued that only Jesus, who was born without sin, could offer his life to God as satisfaction. Humans could not do so because they owe everything to God.

The point that he is trying to make is that God has afforded humanity the opportunity to rectify their sins. This act of restraint has given humanity the chance to fixed their ways and return to Christ.

This paper will address God, Humanity, Jesus, Restoration, Analysis and Reflection. The debate, research, questions, and conclusions of the existence of God has been happening for thousands of years. Great minds have pondered Him and His Word, the Bible. There have been different opinions and worldviews about God, His Son Jesus Christ and Heaven. Not everyone agrees on any particular view. Humanity has never been the same since the Fall in the Garden of Eden. Some love, some hate. Others are kind, others kill. Jesus was sent to restore mankind’s relationship with God. To be the perfect sacrificial lamb in order for humankind to be saved and spend eternity in Heaven with God. The only way to achieve peace in the

When Niclaes was approximately eight years of age he and his father engaged in a discussion about what the Passion of Jesus Christ really meant for Christians. For Niclaes, he could not under stand if Jesus had died to atone for the sins of humanity, why at that point was humanity not sinless. When his father was unable to answer his son’s questions with any degree of satisfaction they consulted a spiritual advisor, who was an Observant Franciscan friar. After the boy, Niclaes, and the friar had a talk the friar was reputedly moved by Niclaes. He was fascinated with the boys solemnity and, much like the boys father, was unsure of how to answer the questions Niclaes still posed. Due to this questioning Niclaes’ parents insisted that he not read at home, yet after much pleading they allowed Niclaes to keep his preferred book, which was about the

These questions rouse the idea of a divine and perfect punishment by the ultimate judge God, and implications of possible imperfections of God’s judgment. Also the way in which the question is answered poses another question, why is Aristotle, a human, and a Pre-Christian is thinker is used to explain God’s divine and perfect judgment?

He died for our sins. He did no wrong but still suffered. Earley also stated,

Man had sinned and was separated from God, and will always be separated from Him unless there was a redeemer. To be able to bring us back to Himself, God had come up with a plan of redemption for mankind, starting with His own involvement, working through His prophets, and then through His one and only Son.

The question as to what it means to be human is often thought of as being the foundational question for almost all religions. Indeed, it can be argued that the religious impulse itself is first and foremost an impulse to understand the nature the meaning of life, and therefore of what it means to be human. Despite the importance of this question, the Bible provides relatively few answers, other than the idea that to be human is to be in some way close to God and to have been created by Him. This closeness and the nature of having been created has a variety of consequences which this paper will explore. These consequences that can be seen to be intensely positive but which also come with a heavy price and with a strict legality. Finally, they may also be shown to be entirely arbitrary and to position their unfathomable nature on the fact of having the 'created ' nature of a person.

Religion and god(s) have been a huge part of all philosophy for as long as humanity has had a functioning society. Many philosophers have had attempted to obtain a better understanding of the religion they practice through reflection , observation or some other method. This essay will compare and contrast the philosophical views of Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, an ancient Roman philosopher, and Meister Eckhart, a medieval European philosopher. Their views are likely to have many contrasts as they both come for different time periods, backgrounds, and educations. It will likely be, in all probability, more interesting to see were there views of the simplicity and eternity of the divine match than where they differ so we will first examine Boethius views.

As Jesus proclaimed of Himself, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). The law that had been implemented was not capable of redeeming the lost souls of man, thus Jesus Christ did what the law could not do by giving Himself as the sacrifice for sin (Rom. 8:3-4). Thereby satisfying the wrath of God which was against the ungodly and justifying all who will by faith receive this pardon (5:9-10).

In the book, The Proslogion, written by Saint Anselm, we find the Ontological Argument. This argument made by Saint Anselm gives us proofs that he believes helps prove the existence of God. Anselm gives many reasons as to why the simple understanding of God can help prove that God himself exists, as well as mentioning how the idea of God cannot be thought not to exist. Though this argument has been looked at by people such as Guanilo, a monk, whose response to Anselm 's proofs was trying to say that there were flaws, there are more reasons as to why Anselm 's proofs work well with his argument. From the understanding of God existing, and the idea behind greatness Anselm 's argument is one that is strong and can work as a proof when trying

Saint Augustine is undoubtedly one, if not, the most important theologian in church history. His writings have greatly influenced Christian theology and understanding of God. Saint Augustine laid out some theological doctrine that has helped shaped Christian’s perceptions of sin, grace and salvation. Ironically, some of his theological postulation emerges from his controversies with different opposing camps on the aforementioned subjects. However, in this paper, the primary focus will be on his controversy with the Pelegians. The Pelagians taught that God’s given grace before the fall, combined with the willingness of man to choose good over evil, is enough to earn man salvation. The Pelagius position places emphasis on man’s ability to work out his own salvation,

Jesus Christ, God incarnate came to earth to save everyone from eternal damnation in hell. As humans, with Adam and Eve as our representatives in the Garden of Eden, they broke God’s one commandment, therefore allowing sin to come into the world. Because of this fall, we all deserve damnation, and because of the sin nature inside of us, everyone deserves to die and be eternally punished. However, because of the loving and gracious nature of God, He sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to be our representative for sin. When he took the cross, not only did he bear the physical pain of the lashes, the dehydration, and the cross itself, but he also drank God’s cup of wrath for us. Everyone on earth deserves to be on that cross, but Jesus, through his great love for us, paid the ultimate price of his own life to save us.

We deserve to pay for our own sin. The problem is, the payment is death. So that we would not have to die separated from God, out of his love for us, Jesus Christ died in our place. On the cross, Jesus took all of our sin on himself and completely, fully paid for it. For Christ also died for sins...the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God....he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, our sin doesn't have to separate us from God any longer. Accepting Jesus means believing that Jesus is the Son of God, who he claimed to be, then inviting him to guide and direct our lives.