Christianity in a New Era

Copyright © 2011 by Vernon E. Grosvenor.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011960457

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4653-9653-2

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                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-9654-9

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CONTENTS

PART ONE  The Story of Man

SECTION ONE  The Nature of Man

SECTION TWO  The Story of Creation

PART TWO  Fall and Redemption of Man

SECTION ONE  Understanding The Reality of the Fall

SECTION TWO  The Redemption Story

PART THREE  Man’s Response to God’s Call

SECTION ONE  In Obedience

SECTION TWO  Following The Commandments

SECTION THREE  In Faith

PART FOUR  God and His Church

SECTION ONE  The Church as Separate from the World

SECTION TWO  The Revelation of God

SECTION THREE  Events in the Life of Christ

SECTION FOUR  Sacraments and Sacramentals

SECTION FIVE  Last Things

PART FIVE  The Christian Life and Practice

SECTION ONE  Prayer

SECTION TWO  Establishing Our Faith

SECTION THREE  Understanding Names and Colours

SECTION FOUR  The Church In The World

REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION

Christianity In A New Era is structured around the concept of the relationship between God and man, and the Church and society.

The first important position to be established is that life begins in and with God. This idea is illustrated in the story of the Creation as recorded in the Book of Genesis in which God created all things including man. But it is also the story of the new creation, an event in which through the death of Christ, God has made a new people; a people who are not only redeemed from their past way of life and their subjugation to sin, but who live no longer for themselves but for Christ (2 Cor. 5:15-17).

The second argument presented in the text is that a Saviour is a necessary element in human history. The freedom of choice that is given to human beings was abused in the creation story, and nations and peoples continue to misuse this gift. The lengthy history of Israel tells a realistic story of man’s honest and deliberate effort to live a good life according to the law that was given to him by Moses at Mt. Sinai. Israel’s efforts were directed towards obedience to the laws. The results were discouraging to them and to the Prophets who proclaimed to the people again and again their need to return to God.

The third part of the triangle is that God calls man to be a part of the new Body of Christ. God calls men and women and justifies them; so that they no longer stand condemned by the law. He calls them out of the world to be united with his Body the Church so that He may feed them with the heavenly food and bless them with his graces. Finally, the redeemed have a story to tell, a message of hope to proclaim that God does not cease to love His creation.

This volume tries to describe these relationships. It speaks of the Old Covenant made between God and his people Israel, but it emphasizes the New Covenant which is a new relationship in which man is united with Christ in the fellowship of the Church.

The text, Christianity In A New Era finds its strength in the application of both history and scripture in establishing the fundamentals of the Christian Faith. It also examines emerging moral issues in the light of the principle of love. Therefore it can serve as a quick reference and also as a tool to illuminate our understanding of moral issues in the modern world.

It is hoped that the book will be used extensively in Christian communities to assist in strengthening the faith in the Apostolic teachings.

PREFACE

It needs to be said that there are many individuals who contributed in one way or another to the completion of this volume. In giving thanks I do recognize my brothers from the Knights of Columbus. Several of them provided helpful advice concerning publication. The Xlibris contingent stood firm behind me, especially in helping me to meet publication deadline.

I have also received tips on composition from several individuals to whom I owe my gratitude.

I have decided to dedicate this volume to two precious individuals in my life. The first is the Blessed Virgin Mary, my spiritual mother, who no doubt encouraged me in both the preparation and writing of the text. It is also dedicated to my biological mother, Irene, who I know is praying along with the saints for me in this spiritual undertaking.

Vernon E. Grosvenor

PART ONE

The Story of Man

SECTION ONE

The Nature of Man

Then God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’. (Gen. 1:26)

Man was created by God. He was made from the dust of the ground and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. So then, man is a creature by definition. But he had a unique creation, a creation different from the rest of all God’s creatures. He was created in the image and likeness of God Himself. However man is not a divine being, he is a human being.

1. Man is a Human Being

Let us explore the meaning of the terminology human being.

One Species,

One race

Man is not a spirit being as angels are. Instead, man is a species of creation with flesh and blood. Individuals are generally identified today by some physical characteristic or description. Some people are tall; others are short; some are light skin in complexion, others are dark; some are yellow, some are brown, and so we are led to believe that we are from different stocks. From the history of evolution however, one learns that people were separated into different and distinct geographical regions, resulting in the development of races and nationalities with distinct characteristics depending on where they were born. But with respect to the superficial physical differences that we observe, all people are off-springs of one race, that is the human race. We read one of St. Paul’s famous statements:

God made from one blood the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth. (Acts 17:24)

Man as a

Composite

of body, mind

and spirit.

What does it mean to be a human being? This question could be answered in several different ways. One way to answer it is to say that man has body, mind and spirit. But from a psychological viewpoint, a human being does possess the following essential element. He possesses the ability of reasoning, and thought process. What this means is that one can arrive at the conclusion of what is good and what is bad by deduction and analysis, with few exemptions. Man is further helped by God’s Holy Law. This instructor in morality is written on his heart. The Holy Spirit also comes to man’s help as a guide to his conscience.

Man as a

rational

being

However from a rational point of view, man is free to make choices. Adam and Eve, our first parents, were given the gift of choice, to obey or not to obey. From them, every human being has inherited that freedom. One has the freedom to choose one’s associates, the freedom to choose one’s living environment, the freedom to choose one’s goal in life—to be a criminal or a saint, and the freedom to choose whom to serve—God or the devil. That freedom is an integral part of his humanity.

2. Man is Created with Body and Soul

Man was

Given a

Spirit

The human being is more complex than simply flesh and blood, mind and spirit. Man was given a soul. The biological part of man, for need of a better term, is a physical construct that is under the control of the five senses: smell, taste, touch, sight and hearing; and the brain and the endocrine system. Man’s body is that part of him that perishes at death. Dust thou art and to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:19)

Since it is the perishable part, after death, the body decays in the grave and returns to the earth from which it came.

The soul, on the other hand, is the spiritual part of man that we understand will never die for it is eternal. The soul like the body is given to man by God. The writer of the creation story indicates that: God breathed into Adam’s nostrils and he became a living soul or being (Genesis 2:7). The creation of Adam and Eve was not the beginning and the end of the creation story. Creation technically is an on going process. God continues to give not only bodies, but also souls to those that are born. This process of human beings being born with a body and soul is still a mystery to human understanding. The Divine, and all Powerful One, is the only one who is capable of explaining the process because He is God.

"Every spiritual soul is created immediately by God—it is not produced by the parents.[1]

The Prophet Isaiah writes: Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb. (Isaiah 44:2)

3. Man is Created in God’s Image

Man a re-

flection of

God

The soul is not only created by God, it is also created in His image. This means that the soul is immortal and cannot perish at death. The Lord said: Let us make man in our image. (Genesis 1:26)

It also means that man was created to look like his creator: to be just, to be true, to be pure, to be faithful, to love and to be merciful. "Man is the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake, and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love in God’s own life."[2]

4. The Unity of Soul and Body

One Person

not two

It is by the spiritual soul, the body made of matter becomes alive. Spirit and matter in man are not two natures, but are united to form a single nature.

The unity of body and soul is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the form" of the body, i e, it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.[3]

The soul will remain united with the body throughout this earthly life. They began life together, we are told, then they will continue through life together. They will be united until death, and at death, they are separated. The assumption of the saints into heaven will be addressed shortly.

Our bodies will return to the dust of the earth, and the breath of life will go back to God, who gave it to us. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

However, since the soul and the body were made for each other by God, they will be only temporarily separated from each other. They will find each other again at the resurrection of the dead.

For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed. For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal, what will die must be changed into what cannot die. (1 Corinthians 15: 52, 53)

The Catholic Church speaks of the temporary separation of soul and body of the saints in the following terms.

"In death, the human body decays and the soul goes to meet God, while awaiting its reunion with its glorified body. God in his almighty power, will definitively grant incorruptible life to our bodies by reuniting them with our souls, through the power of Jesus’ Resurrection.[4]

The resurrection of the dead precedes the final judgment. All men and women therefore will be brought back to witness God’s justice and mercy, and also to give an account of individual personal deeds, at what is called the final judgment.

Body and

Soul reunited

at the resur-

rection

The judge of the human race will be Jesus himself who God the Father has appointed. It is fitting that the Father has invested him with this authority as judge. He knows everyone by name and deed and therefore is most capable to fulfill such an office. This is what Jesus said about the judgment event:

Do not be surprised at this, the time is coming when all the dead will hear his voice and come out of their graves; those who have done good will rise and live, and those who have done evil will rise and be condemned. (John 5: 28, 29)

It is right and fitting that the body and the soul remain reunited after the resurrection since it is through the body that man succumb to sin as in Adam, and it is through the body that man overcame sin as in Christ. It is not clear what the bodies will be like then, but it is sure that they will be different from the mortal form, for they will be resurrected and spiritual bodies.[5] The unity of the body and soul will be forever then, and they will remain united either in heaven in the presence of God or in hell with Satan and the evil angels.

SECTION TWO

The Story of Creation

1. The Meaning of Creation

The debate should not be on whether or not things were created, but rather who created them. Whether a creation did occur is very evident to all human beings. The earth is full of living and non-living things-various species of plants and animals, both great and small. The sea and steams are teaming with life. Hills and mountains, rocks, sand and dirt are all around us. The earth is enclosed by air with a mixture of gases. Clouds float in this thin air, and beyond that, one sees the starry heavens with solar systems and galaxies. Only the one who was blind from birth and have never seen the light of day, can even begin to make a case against the creation, and even he, will find it difficult to explains the origin of the air he breaths every minute or the water that he is given to consume by his caretakers.

Let the evidence speak for itself. The world we see and enjoy must have had a beginning. It is not likely that it is eternal since, plants and animals die naturally and human beings do die from old age. Was there a point at which life began? Several evolutionary concepts propose a beginning of life. The ultimate question then is, who began the process, and from whence did it come?

There are several human theories that try to explain how the world was brought into