Thoughts on Scripture and life
for the glory of Jesus Christ
How To: Read the Bible
God wrote a Book. It is the very Word of God, God's perfect message from His own mouth through His servants for His people. By His Word, God unveils the mystery of the universe, unfolds His plans hidden from before time began, prophecies the end from the beginning, secures His everlasting promises, calls His elect from death unto life, equips His Church for the work of service, damns the unrepentant to their doom, and seals the fate of the world.
Ephesians 2:8-9 — Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Soli Deo Gloria
In the 1500s, God brought about a Reformation of the Christian world: the true gospel was set free from the corrupt Catholic religion and the Word of God was unleashed to save and sanctify once again. As the movement developed, the Reformers came to agree on five central tenets, which we now call the Solas of the Reformation:
- Solus Christus: Christ alone. Jesus Christ is the only mediator of salvation between God and man — not the pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, or kings. Christ alone is the head of His Church, and what He says and does trumps the authority of men.
- Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone. God's Word alone is the final and highest authority, trumping church tradition and ecclesiological decree.
- Sola Gratia: By grace alone. Grace alone is the means of salvation. God is not inclined to save because of anything inherent to man; He saves for His purposes, by His mercy, alone.
- Sola Fide: By faith alone. Salvation is through faith alone — not through the works or merit of man. Good deeds contribute nothing to a sinner's justification, and no amount of indulgences (buying certificates to get less time in purgatory) will change that fact.
- Soli Deo Gloria: To the glory to God alone. God alone deserves glory in all things. He alone deserves reverence and worship — not the pope, not the venerable saints, not icons, not relics.
Ephesians 2:7 — The Glorious Grace of God
If you're a Christian who has tasted the depths of God, the wonders of His love, and the glories of His character in the face of Christ, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Ephesians 2:6 — New Life and True Life
It wouldn't take much to prove Christianity wrong.
Any atheist, any evolutionist, any Jew, any religionist knows it. If I were them, and I were to set out to prove that Jesus, the Bible, Christianity, etc. were all a lie, I would go for the jugular. I would go for the one thing upon which all of Christianity stands, the one thing which validates all other hopes, the one claim of the Bible, about which all other truths orbit.
For if I could show that this one thing, that one doctrine, were not true, it would prove definitively, once and for all, that Jesus Christ and everything associated with Him, was a sham, a myth, a lie.
What is that doctrine? It's not the literal six-day creation. It's not the coming judgment of the world. It's not the existence of miracles. It's not the existence of Satan. It's not hell.
It's the resurrection - the real, literal, bodily, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Throwback: Good Friday
And with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last, bowed His head, and yielded up His spirit.
Words are Always Necessary
"Preach the Gospel at all times; use words if necessary" is a stupid quote. Preach the Gospel at all times; it requires words.
Pleading Evangelism: A Definition From Key Examples
Evangelism needs pleading — words spoken in such a way as to affect the will through the heart. In this post, I want to give a few key examples from the Scriptures of pleading, that we would understand what pleading evangelism is. This post has two sections: an example of pleading with God, and examples of pleading with sinners.
How To: Find a Church Home
Recognize that this is, for now, your home away from Heaven, your spiritual family in Christ.
Pleading Evangelism: The Need
I am afraid that what passes for evangelism today is really, at best, a bleached evangelism, void of the rich colors and hues of full-orbed biblical evangelism. It is cheap, mass-produced, and ineffective. And this bleached evangelism has crept into the church.
Ephesians 2:5 — The Gospel of Life
There is nothing more important than the gospel. People have been killed for believing it. And people are still being killed for it. And yes, people will continue to be killed for it. But why? ...Simple: without the message of the gospel, there is no salvation.
HeartCry Prayer Guide
Born to Die
When Christ came into the world He says, "I did not come to make sacrifices for sin. I came to take on a body, to do God's will. I came to be the sacrifice." Jesus came to be the sacrifice for sin. The once-for-all sacrifice, the sacrifice that all of the animal sacrifices pointed to. Why did He come into the world? Why did He take on a human body? Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because Jesus came to die as the sacrifice for sin.
The Three Offices of Jesus Christ
Echo of Glory?
Ephesians 2:4 — The Love of God
We're not good. We're not cute. We're not lovable. Rather, God is good. God is glorious. And God is love. That is why He loves us.
Ephesians 2:4 — The God-Centered Gospel
God is unrelentingly God-centered. He does all things to the praise of His glory. All things — including the salvation of sinners. It is within this God-centeredness that we find assurance of the gospel of mercy and love.
For the Sake of the Kingdom of Heaven
Ephesians 2:3b The Wrath of God
There is hardly a more uncomfortable doctrine than this: the wrath of God. And yet, it must be taught — and heeded.
Ephesians 2:2b-3a — The Spirit of Disobedience
This time, we're going to learn a little bit more about Satan. There are five basic questions and five basic answers:
- What is the spirit? Satan, the enemy of God.
- What does God think of Satan? He will crush Him.
- How does Satan work? By inciting disobedience.
- What do the lusts of disobedience look like? Rebellion against God
- What does disobedience deserve? The wrath of God.
Ephesians 2:2a — Walking in the Ways of the Dead
Now, I want to remind you again, we learn about sin because if we fail to understand our guilt, grace means nothing to us. If we want to understand the love of God, we must understand just how much we don't deserve it. The glorious truths of grace are coming (verse 4!), but we must first see our plight.