My issue had been accepting the Old Testament as the true word of God unadulterated by human inaccuracy, political and historical agendas, and the misconstruction of centuries of translation. My concerns on this front were answered by two elements from the readings. First, as I mentioned before, I found the correspondence of the prophecies of Christ in the Old Testament and the fulfillment of those prophecies in the New Testament to be very powerful proof of the connection between the two books, and I knew that if I accepted the New Testament as the revelation of God, I must accept the Old Testament as well to be consistent within my own faith. The fact that other prophecies were also borne out by history, like the prophecies concerning Cyrus and Josiah, and the prophecies concerning Babylon, only furthered my conviction of the divine source of the Bible.

I was also deeply impressed by the acknowledgement of dual authorship and the argument of the unity of the message of the Bible. I used to consider the variety of authors, voices, conventions, and dictates in the Old Testament to be a weakness and a sign of its human origins, but I see now that the unity of God's message in the Old Testament is even more compelling precisely because of the difference in these authors. The chances that they would have told the same message over thousands of years without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit seem slim.

The Life of a Christian

This last topic was the one whose deep consideration has had the most impact on the way I view and live my faith. It has been tempting on many occasions to think of myself as saved simply by virtue of my acceptance of Christ as my savior, and to downplay the role of my own actions in my salvation....

But a profound pondering of what it means to accept Christ as a result of some of the questions that have been asked and answered in this course has prompted me to reconsider exactly what is involved in accepting Christ as my savior.
While I believe that I was saved entirely when I accepted Christ in my heart, I have come to know that I must make Christ a home in my heart with every thought and action, not just with one moment of acceptance. Every choice that I make in my daily life is ultimately a choice for or against Christ, and every day I risk rejecting the salvation I have been offered -- either through complacency, self-righteousness, or sheer inattention. While I do not think that I must work to deserve God's grace -- I believe that is offered to all of us through his divine will -- I do know that the acceptance of Christ as my savior is an acceptance of Christ as, literally, my soul mate, one who informs all of my actions and enriches all of my thoughts. Therefore, my daily thoughts and actions are always an indication of the state of my intimacy with Christ.

Conclusion

While I found some of the topics and readings in this course richer in implications for my faith than others, overall the lessons of the course broadened my understanding of my faith, especially in its relationship to the Scriptures. While I had always used the Bible as a guide in my journey as a Christian, I now have a much deeper appreciation for the central role that it must play in my faith as the one true revelation of God and the source of an ever-deeper understanding of His nature. I also understand to a much greater extent the vital importance of learning, thinking, and seeking understanding as an integral part of my existence as a Christian.