PvFW: Tertullian and the need of a Savior

One of the first individuals mentioned Saturday night was Tertullian. Tertullian lived about 160-220 AD. He was from Carthage in North Africa, which is now a suburb of present day Tunis, Tunisia.

Tertullian wrote treatises in defense of the Christian faith. Thirty-one of his writings are extant. They cover topics regarding the defense of the Christian faith, orthodoxy of the church and Christian life. Within the orthodoxy of the church, one of the subjects Tertullian wrote about was the original condition of the human soul.

In his treatise on the origin, nature and destiny of the soul, De Censu Anima, Tertullian described the inherent attributes of the soul as being "immortality, rationality, sensibility, intelligence, and freedom of the will." In the very next section of his treatise Tertullian proclaimed, "All these endowments of the soul which are bestowed on it at birth are still obscured and depraved by the malignant being who, in the beginning, regarded them with envious eye, so that they are never seen in their spontaneous action, nor are they administered as they ought to be." Though he places the blame on "the malignant being," or the devil, Tertullian clearly believed that each human was sinful from birth. He underscored that reality by quoting the words of Jesus, "'Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God;' in other words, he cannot be holy." Again in the following chapter he stated "Every soul, then, by reason of its birth, has its nature in Adam until it is born again in Christ; moreover, it is unclean all the while that it remains without this regeneration; and because unclean, it is actively sinful, and suffuses even the flesh (by reason of their conjunction) with its own shame."

It was clear to Tertullian that the human soul was sinful from birth and was in need of a savior. The only way the human soul could change from an inclination toward evil was the divine act of being born again in Christ.

Predestination Vs. Free Will

Great group time on Saturday night! Sorry Paul and I went so long over time.

Some of you commented that you would like to spend more time on this subject than just one night. However, our next Bible Answer Night wouldn't be until May 7th at the earliest. So in the meantime, I will post further information here on this blog. I'll give you some of the information that Paul and I covered on Saturday night, as well as some new information as I come across it.

What is the point of this study of Predestination and Free Will? I think I will start by saying I do NOT want to tell you which theological view point is the correct one. I also do NOT want to pigeon hole you, your previous church or pastor into one group or the other. I do NOT want to give you a biased view on any one of the theological views.

I DO want to give you digestible information on both sides of this theological argument. Not only do I want to provide you with the extremes, but I also intend to give you the information on the stances which are more in the middle of the debate.

I DO want to help you intelligently work through the foundation, reasoning and implications of each view. To that end, I ask that as we delve into this subject that you try to understand your emotional responses to each viewpoint. Ask yourself why you are responding in such a manner. As we seek to understand each position we can also seek to understand our own position.

If you are ready, willing and able, let's jump into the Predestination and Free Will debate!