declaration - South African Theological Seminary
declaration - South African Theological Seminary
declaration - South African Theological Seminary
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
2.3 PRESENT PRACTICE OF ORDINANCES IN THE PENTECOSTAL<br />
ASSEMBLIES OF GOD IN VIHIGA DISTRICT IN RELATION TO THEIR<br />
UNDERSTANDING OF SALVATION<br />
Through evaluation, the researcher has come out with a question: If man was not<br />
made for God, why is it that he is only happy in God? Conversely, if a man was made<br />
for God, why is he so opposed to God? All the more dangerous is mans error<br />
because each one follows his own truth. The mistake is not following falsehood, but<br />
in failing to follow God’s truth that sets man free. At the starting point, it is found by<br />
the researcher that Christianity is more than a religion, because every religion has<br />
one basic principle and characteristic. Its followers are trying to reach God, please<br />
and attract God through their own desire and efforts. Religion is man trying to reach<br />
up towards God while Christianity is God reaching down to man. The researcher has<br />
also found that Christianity claims that man has not found God but that God has<br />
found man. In true sense, It can be depicted that with form, formalism, rituals,<br />
legalism, rules and formulas, people attempt to reduce Christianity to a religion, a<br />
system of some kind where law take the precedence over grace and religious<br />
ordinances takes the priority of Christianity. For some individuals, it is the central<br />
point of Christianity as a religion, and every thing revolves around, while the term<br />
salvation occurs frequently in much of the lessons, preaching and seminars done<br />
among the Maragoli tribe In Vihiga District, Kenya.<br />
In Vihiga District, surprisingly, little study of salvation has actually been done. This<br />
results into very limited resources for investigation on salvation since the land is still<br />
cultic in its movement. Beside that, salvation is believed, according to the Bible, to be<br />
a transformation into a new creation, or new birth. But many churches have not<br />
understood salvation as a complete turn about. They think it is just a religious system<br />
to be seen from outside or a religious walk for personal gain. That is why Ridenour<br />
(1996:7) contributes that “The gospel is not laws and burdens. It's not a religious list<br />
of you can't do this, you can't do that, hands off mustn't touch, do this or die. Nor is<br />
the gospel manmade idea that many people have a god, but they minimize him. Nor<br />
44
Change language