Sola Fide

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.     (Galatians 2:15-16)

     Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
     For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.     (Galatians 3:7-14)

     The Phrase "Sola Fide" literally means, "Faith Alone", or "By Faith Alone". It represents the scriptural truth that God's people are justified by faith in Jesus Christ's merits, and His merits alone.

     As I have been preaching through the book of Galatians over the past two months, God has revealed truths to me about the mechanisms of salvation by faith alone. Paul connects salvation through faith to the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 15. In this covenant, God agreed to bless Abraham (who was then Abram) with a son, a large posterity, an inheritance of land, and an offspring.  God also promised to bless the nations through this offspring (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:8). The Bible says, "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6).

     Paul also says that all who rely on the Old Testament law to save them will be cursed. Why? Because no one is righteous (Romans 3:10) and all have fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Jesus preached during His ministry if a man sinned against God in his heart, he was guilty (Matt. 5:21-30). Because of our sinfulness, God's Holy standard is not reachable by any human being, therefore we can't be saved by moral efforts. We cannot live by the whole law, and the Bible says to fail in one area of the law is to be guilty of all the law (James 2:10). In summary, to strive to save yourself by any moral standard is disobedience to God.

     But Paul tells us, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). Jesus Christ's mission in coming to this world was to fulfill the law (Matt. 5), stand in the place of those that the Father had given Him, and satisfy the debt of God's wrath against them. Christ also gives us His perfect law-fulfilling obedience when we take Him at His Word, just like Abraham did when he, "believed God and it was counted to Him for righteousness." God asked Abraham to believe some illogical things. For example, He told Abraham that his wife Sarah would have a son when she was well passed childbearing age. God told him to sacrifice his son Isaac, but Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness! God also asks us to believe some illogical things: the authority of the Bible, the virgin birth, and the resurrection just to name a few. But by following in Abraham's footsteps of faith, through Christ's substitution for us on the cross, we are justified before God.

     I would like to ask you a question. In whom do you trust? Are you trusting in God's Grace through Christ's perfect righteousness to save you from eternal punishment, or are you hoping your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds enough for you to "make it" to heaven? If you believe the latter, you are deceiving yourself! You might fool others into thinking you believe in Christ, but what do you believe in your heart? Justin Martyr wrote to those who would persecute the church, "You can kill us, but you can't harm us." He knew that there was a life after this one, and while someone could take away his life on earth, no one could change his eternal destination. He trusted that Jesus Christ's merits and sacrifice on the cross were sufficient to give him access into God's presence forever. Do you have the same foundation that Martyr had? Would you be willing to say with him, "Take my life, you can't change my eternity"?

Sola Scriptura

     The Latin Phrase, "Sola Scriptura" means "by the Scriptures alone", and I have decided to discuss this Sola first because it is an integral belief by which the Christian's worldview and understanding of the Gospel stands or falls.

     The Bible as it exists in the Old and New Testaments is the inspired, infallible Word of God without error. The Scripture gives testament to itself in 2 Timothy 3:16, 

     "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,"

(2 Timothy 3:16 ESV)

     If Christians can agree on this, we have a plumb line by which to measure ourselves and the truth. We have an authority and standard for what is true. Without it, all of our convictions decay to merely suggestion and the Christan faith becomes as subjective and impotent as any business leadership or self-help book on the market.

     God has given people (who only deserve His wrath) a book by which to know Him. He has revealed His character, His saving plan, and His way to Holiness in this book. We would do well to give our lives to studying it. There are men, like John Wycliffe and William Tyndale who devoted themselves daily to the translation of the Bible into English, or even had their blood shed for it. 

     I never cease to be surprised and overjoyed that God has revealed in His Word everything we need to know about Him and His plan to save a people. Through the Bible, God has spoken to humanity and given us comfort, wisdom, correction, instruction, knowledge, and salvation.

     

     In conclusion, I challenge you to treasure the Scriptures for what they truly are; God's words. I charge you to spend time reading and contemplating the Word of God. Even if you have been reading the Bible for years, God can reveal something about Himself in His Word by the Holy Spirit. Finally, I ask you to not just be a hearer of the Word, but a doer of the Word (James 1:22). I would be better off as a Christian to know two or three scriptural truths and live them in my life than to know many scriptural truths and do none of them. 

     What amazes you most about "Sola Scriptura"? Please let me know in the comments below.

     Deal bountifully with your servant,
          that I may live and keep your word.
     Open my eyes, that I may behold
          wondrous things out of your law.
(Psalm 119:17-18 ESV)

New Blog Series

I am excited to announce that I will be starting a new blog series over the next 5 to 6 weeks! In my blog series, we will look at the five “Solas”: Latin phrases that summarized the doctrines of the protestant reformation. Each week I will look at each Sola, summarize what it means, and discuss how the phrase anchors and shapes our devotions to Christ. If all goes well, I will post number one of the series tomorrow. Are there any questions you'd like to have answered about the Solas in this blog series? If so, let me know by commenting below.

      If you would like to know more info about what the "Solas" mean, follow this link.

Romans 12:3 and The Church

     For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
(Romans 12:3 ESV)

     In October of 2012, my wife Halley and I received a momentous blessing; our son Solomon was born. As I pen this blog post, Solomon is just three months old which means my parenting experience is new and replete with opportunities to learn. However, I can testify that my love for my wife and son has grown exponentially since his arrival. 

     This past Sunday during a morning study, our pastor presented Romans 12:3 to the class, and as I read and thought about the verse, I thought to myself, "Are there people in my life I love enough to think of before I think of myself?" Immediately, Halley and Solomon came to mind. My love has grown for them, and I would gladly give up all my pleasures in this life (or my life's blood) for the preservation of their well being and safety.     

     Sadly, I say I that lack this same type of love for the members of my church. Perhaps the problem is I love myself too much. The truth of the matter rests in the following verses:      

     

     So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

  
(Philippians 2:1-11 ESV)

I would like you to ask yourself the same question I asked myself when I read Romans 12:3; Is there anyone in your life you love enough to think of before you think of yourself? Let's ask ourselves another question: What would the church look like if all its members loved each other enough to think more highly of others than themselves? I believe "having this mind" amongst ourselves would produce:

• Humility- The essence of this biblical concept is humility. If we as church members sought to decrease our own name, glory, and desires to see other's needs met, this would ultimately lead to the glorification of Jesus Christ in the church and in the world!
• Accountability- Humility and love are essential to accountability. I would find it more difficult to have my brother in Christ listen to my entreaty, rebuke, or encouragement if his indwelling pride bristled me before he had the chance to consider the truth of the Word. I might also succumb to the dangers of saying a harsh word to my brother out of anger or pride. The most dangerous pitfall of all (which is plaguing many Christians in our area) is not possessing the love required to rebuke a brother or sister in sin and thus leaving them to walk through a season of their life blind to the plank in thier eye. 
• When humility and accountability are thriving in the body of Christ, unity is soon to come. If I am more concerned about my brother's needs than my own, and he is more concerned about my needs than his own, each member of the body is taking care of the other members of the body. What an amazing witness to the world a church like this could be! When we let go of the sin of selfish that eats away at us like a cancer, we are following the biblical mandate established for us by Christ, just as it says in Philippians 2. When people begin to stop scratching for their own itches, drama in the church will all but disappear. 

     I encourage each of us to look to Christ's example and strive to be like Him. I confess to you how often I fail at humbling myself in this way. It's not easy, and the only way we can be successful is by looking to Christ's example and trusting in the Holy Spirit's power to sanctify us. If we rely on our own power, humility will become an idol for us and we will be in danger of placing our trust in our works instead of Christ's finished work on the cross.

     If we look to the Gospel and see Christ's example of humility, we find the proper motivation to be the church God has destined us to be.

Abram's Reward

“God promised not merely to give Abram a reward, but to be Abram’s Reward (Gen. 15:1). There is no greater blessing possible. God would Himself be the inheritance and portion of Abram and his seed.

                The magnificence of the promise seemed lost on Abram, but God did not condemn him. Rather, God called him out under this night sky to kindle his faith. ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them…So shall your offspring be’ (Gen 15:5). The God who spread forth the galaxies would multiply the seed of Abram. God’s promise was sure. Abram looked up at the stars, and with the eye of faith he saw the glory of the Lord: ‘Abram believed in the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).’”            

-          Dr. Ed Clowney, The Unfolding Mystery

Together for The Gospel 2012

There are only two more months left before I attend T4G 2012. I am very excited about this trip! I have posted a trailer video for your enjoyment as well. Standard registration for the event ends on February 29th. For more info, visit t4g.org



T4G 2012 Trailer from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

The Word of God

My dad has always enjoyed word play. He loves to listen to Hotel California by the Eagles because of lines in the song like, “some dance to remember, some dance to forget.” Or “We haven’t had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine.” Phrases such as these hold varied levels of interpretive meaning and being my father’s son, I am intrigued by puns as well.

                The other night my wife and I were sitting in our living room watching a sermon by Alistair Begg—yes, I know that we are two “nerdy” peas in a pod. As Alistair began his sermon with the reading of scripture he said, “Isn’t it good that we have our bibles to turn to.” I began to think about this phrase, and it has varied levels of meaning quite different from the lyrics of the popular Eagles song. Alistair Begg introduced his sermon with a pun of sorts and the paragraphs that follow represent my interpretation of his phrase.

                Isn’t it good that we have our bibles- The Holy Scriptures are God’s Word to His people. This may sound simple and cliché; however, the revelation of God’s Word is a truth of which we constantly need be reminded. Throughout redemptive history, God has spoken to His people through the writings of peasants, prophets, and kings. What an amazing gift these writings are! David said, “The rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.” (Ps. 19:9b-10) May this truth be in our hearts and on our lips continually.

                Not only is it precious to have God’s Word to instruct, encourage, and guide us, but we are blessed to have the Sacred Volumes translated into our own common language. Men like William Tyndale have suffered agonizing torment and death so that we English readers can have the Word of God planted in our laps for personal study.  Isn’t it good that we have our bibles to turn to?

                We have our bibles to turn to- This part of the phrase could mean that it is good for us to have our bibles to turn to a particular passage, but aren’t we also glad we have our bibles to turn to in times of trouble or in times of confusion? When my wife and I lost our son last year, all theological superfluity sank like sand underneath the weight of our devastating grief. As the sand melted away, we were left standing on the pillar of God’s Word for comfort.

                It is good that we have the Bible to turn to. We are doubly blessed that God would mercifully speak to us, and give us His word in our own common language for study. I pray that you and I will not complacently study our bibles, but diligently peruse the bible for what it is, the Words of God (1 Thess. 2: 13). Aren’t you glad you have the Bible to turn to?