The hypostatic union – the foundation of the theandry of the Church

God being love, He decided from ages the incarnation of Christ for the salvation of the whole mankind, which was subject to sin and death. In the Person of Christ, through the act of incarnation, performed at ”the fulness of time” (Galatians IV,4), the divine and the human nature are harmoniously completed, the latter becoming entirely obedient to the Father. If Christ had not been incarnated and if He had not lifted our own nature towards complete obedience to the Father, humanity would have never been able to obtain divine forgiveness and would not have known how to exist in the love of the Holy Trinity.

Healing our Brokenness: A pastoral care approach

Pastors, priests and ministers of congregations and all people of faith, are called to communicate the faithfulness and care of the Creator to the adherents of the faith. This needs to be carried out in the contexts in which communities live and through the ways people experience challenges in life and seek healing. This research paper sought to acknowledge the healing of our brokenness using a pastoral care approach as the lenses through which to explore the issues. The paper revealed some themes such as a definition of what pastoral care includes, what the researcher thinks about pastoral care and the methodology that the researcher has used. Furthermore, this paper sought to give an impact of the pastoral care in the lives of church members who are experiencing a sense of brokenness. Community pastoral care is required to integrate the revelation of the Kingdom of God and His grace and blessings, as well as the prospect of a solid association with Him when it comes to being whole. Such a linkage will serve to transform the life of the people in a community under duress. For healing to take its course, forgiveness has to be effected and then a reconciliation can then be the enhancer of healing. Grounds therefore need to open for people to speak openly with no biases being the stumbling blocks for them in revealing their feelings and frustrations. The predominant theological understanding of interpersonal forgiveness, as it is portrayed in Christian Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus, is that interpersonal and divine forgiveness are inextricably related. Theologically, one cannot consider the forgiveness of another person outside the context of God’s forgiveness. Brokenness is part of our lives because we are born into sin. This paper also reveals to a limited extent the impacts of the spiritual discipline of prayer, pastoral care in a process of healing, preaching as counseling tool for healing, and healing of total depravity.

Does religiosity inhibit the proclivity to self-forgive?

This mixed methods study explored factors associated with self-forgiveness as previous research predominantly focused on the forgiveness of others from a quantitative perspective. A convenience sample of 102 participants (35 males, 67 females; 72% Christian) was recruited using a combination of advertisements within religious buildings and social media appeals. Participants responded to self-report scales comprising the Heartland Forgiveness Scale, Religious Commitment Inventory, Divine Forgiveness Scale, and the Perceptions of Forgiveness Scale. Additionally, participants completed four further open questions pertaining to their own implicit, experiential interpretations of forgiveness. We used multiple linear regression for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data. The results of the regression analysis found that the model accounted for 46.5% of the variance in self-forgiveness. Each predictor variable was statistically significant where divine forgiveness was a positive predictor of self-forgiveness, while religious commitment and perceived transgressions were negative predictors. Thematic analysis identified three themes: cognitive dissonance; which identified inconsistencies between self-identity and one’s behaviour; conciliatory behaviour; which explored actions taken to earn forgiveness, and God image; as either compassionate or punitive. The findings suggest that subjective interpretations of religion may have an inhibiting role on an individuals’ propensity to self-forgive. Self-forgiveness appears dependent upon other inhibiting factors including God image, adherence to doctrines of implicitly held virtues, and one’s understanding of what it means to forgive.

Through Him and With Him? A Longitudinal Study of How God-Mediated Control Beliefs Shape the Relationship between Divine Forgiveness and Physical Health in Later Life

Objectives: While there has been a recent surge in research on forgiveness and health, much less is known about the relationship between divine forgiveness and health. Methods: Using longitudinal data from the 2001–2004 Religion, Aging, and Health Survey from the United States, the current study assesses how changes in beliefs in God-mediated control, a perceived collaborative relationship with a divine power, affect the association between divine forgiveness and physical health among Christian older adults. Results: Older adults with consistently high beliefs in God-mediated control over the study period received stronger health benefits of divine forgiveness. Forgiveness by God also had a stronger relationship with health compared to forgiveness of self and others. Discussion: The findings underscore the importance of subjective beliefs about God. Future research directions are proposed to advance the study of religion and health in later life by conceiving of a more salient role for divine forgiveness.

Kierkegaard and forgiveness

This chapter introduces Kierkegaard’s contribution to the debate about forgiveness. The first part gives an overview of his explicit accounts of forgiveness, focusing upon the divine forgiveness of sins and its implications for interpersonal (human) forgiveness and self-forgiveness. This incorporates discussion of some key New Testament passages on forgiveness. The second part explores what difference is made by understanding interpersonal forgiveness as a ‘work of love’. Against the objection that ‘love’s vision’ involves wilful blindness, it is argued (drawing on both Kierkegaard and Troy Jollimore) that love has its own epistemic standards and that Jollimore’s claims about romantic love and friendship can in the relevant respects be extended to the case of agapic neighbour-love. In developing this view—which is seen as echoing important themes in Kierkegaard’s Works of Love—the importance of understanding ‘love’s forgiveness’ in the light of other virtues, especially hope and humility, begins to be shown.

Konsep Pengampunan Menurut Matius 18:21-35 dan Implikasinya bagi Gereja Masa Kini

Forgiveness is a crucial problem for human safety. Because divine forgiveness is a very fundamental part of the salvation of humanity. Therefore a true understanding of God's forgiveness is needed. In Matthew 18: 21-35 Jesus teaches forgiveness without limits through a parable. Through qualitative methods with the type of textual research or pure literary research found that understanding that forgiving without limits is God's demand for every believer. Forgiveness given by God in Jesus Christ is based on God's grace without demanding compensation. God forgives without conditions, without demands, no hidden feelings. Every human being who violates all the commands of God must confront God himself, as the indebted servant is demanded to pay off his debt. By the king's gift, the indebted servant was freed. This illustrates to the believer that God's grace can deliver man completely from all his sins, no matter how heavy and the magnitude of the sin. God demands that believers forgive the guilty just as Christ has forgiven. His whole life is an example, model or lifestyle of every believer. This is the attitude the modern church needs to take to show the nature of Christ's forgiveness as a follower of Christ.Pengampunan merupakan masalah yang sangat menentukan bagi keselamatan manusia. Sebab pengampunan secara ilahi merupakan bagian yang sangat fundamental bagi keselamatan umat manusia. Oleh sebab itu diperlukan pemahaman yang benar tentang pengampunan Allah. Dalam Matius 18:21-35 Yesus mengajarkan pengampunan tanpa batas melalui suatu perumpamaan. Melalui metode kualitatif dengan jenis penelitian tekstual atau penelitian literatur murni ditemukan pemahaman bahwa mengampuni tanpa batas merupakan tuntutan Allah bagi setiap orang percaya. Pengampunan yang diberikan Allah di dalam Yesus Kristus didasarkan pada anugerah Allah tanpa menuntut ganti rugi. Allah mengampuni tanpa syarat, tanpa tuntutan, tidak ada rasa yang terpendam. Setiap manusia yang melanggar segala perintah Tuhan pasti berhadapan langsung dengan Allah sendiri, sebagaimana hamba yang berhutang itu dituntut agar melunasi hutangnya. Oleh anugerah raja itu, hamba yang berhutang banyak itu dibebaskan. Hal ini menggambarkan kepada orang percaya bahwa anugerah Tuhan itu dapat membebaskan manusia dengan sempurna dari segala dosanya, bagaimanapun berat dan besarnya dosa itu. Allah menuntut supaya orang percaya mengampuni orang yang bersalah sama seperti Kristus telah mengampuni. Keseluruhan hidup-Nya adalah contoh, model atau gaya hidup setiap orang percaya. Inilah sikap yang perlu diambil oleh gereja masa kini yakni menunjukkan sifat pengampunan Kristus sebagai pengikut Kristus.