Thoughts on Scripture and life
for the glory of Jesus Christ
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.
To Every Man Who Will Die
Let us not have to say in a hesitating way one to another, "I trust he is happy; he talked so nicely one day; and he seemed so pleased with a chapter in the Bible on another occasion; and he liked such a person, who is a good man."
To the Church of God in America
Blessed are you, O Church of God, when you are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for yours is the kingdom of heaven! Blessed are you when people persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you — hypocrite, bigot, homophobe — because of Jesus Christ. Rejoice! Be glad! For your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
"Homosexual Marriage" in America
Today, June 26th, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. You may find these resources helpful.
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.
Where Were You - Ghost Ship
"God, I do not understand this world
Everything is dying and broken
Why do I see nothing but suffering?
"God, I'm asking could this be Your plan?
Sin has taken hold of this whole land
Will You not say anything else to me?"
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.
We Need the Word of God
After showing that the Church, from it's conception in the first century even to the modern day, has always believed that the Bible is the Word of God, B.B. Warfield asks the question, "Why? Why is it that Christians have always believed that the Word says, God says?" ...Of all doctrines that the Bible teaches, why has this truth stood with such fierce tenacity from the very beginning? B.B. Warfield explains.
Heaven's Humility
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.
Do You Love Your Jesus?
…Love to the Lord Jesus Christ is no hidden, secret, impalpable thing. It is like the light — it will be seen. It is like sound — it will be heard. It is like heat — it will be felt. Where it exists it cannot be hid. Where it cannot be seen you may be sure there is none.
How To: Find a Church Home
Recognize that this is, for now, your home away from Heaven, your spiritual family in Christ.
All Glory Be To Christ - Kings Kaleidoscope
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
I Know Thy Works, Hypocrite
Oh! believe me, hypocrisy is a losing game. It will never answer to seem one thing and be another; to have the name of Christian, and not the reality. Be sure, if your conscience smites you and condemns you in this matter — be sure your sin will find you out.
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.