The lectures in this fifth module on the Doctrine of Salvation are, like the others, introductory, not exhaustive, and they’re intended to furnish you with a foundation that you can build upon in your further studies. As you’ll recall from the first module, theology, broadly defined, has to do with the study of the knowledge of God, and all that he has revealed for us to believe and do. We noted that it is the doctrine of living unto God through Christ, thus addressing both our thinking and our living. The Doctrine of Salvation, therefore, is an indispensible component to Systematic Theology.
Imagine a poor, poverty-stricken boy, living in a garbage dump of a major city. He has to fend for himself day by day, picking through trash to find scraps to eat, while wearing nothing but a few rags. He has no shelter, no possessions, no protection, no future, no hope. On top of that, he’s forced into a slavish service of a dangerous criminal, who teaches him to lie and steal on his behalf, but who nevertheless provides him with nothing for his work. The boy knows nothing of love. Then along comes a gentleman who notices and takes interest in the boy. That interest leads to a decision to take him home and to adopt him into his own family.