Daily Archives: October 29, 2017

[This is part 3 in a series. Part ONE is HERE]

As I walked up the street in Zagreb on an errand recently, I saw this beautiful monument to the crucifiction of Jesus. It was on the street side of a Roman Catholic Church.

On my way back from my errand an elderly man stood in front of the statue praying.

At the time of the Reformation there was a dominant teaching that salvation comes through the church and that you could earn merit with God or even buy (from the church) the release from punishment for others.

The recaptured Biblical truth that the Reformation emphasized was that it is through Christ alone that we are saved from the wrath of God.

Jesus himself stated it clearly:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

It is Christ alone who saves. Not the Church, not my works…

Jesus + NOTHING = righteousness

Thanks be to God for the work of the Son!

Solus Christus

This is part 2 in a series. Part ONE is HERE

Back in April, I was honored to preach in the pulpit and teach in the ministry classroom at Trinity Church and Ukrainian Theological Seminary.

As I preached, Dr. Luther (in the poster above) was reminding me. I was urging us all to take the Scripture seriously as he did. Don’t remain weak or dull, but to be strong in the Lord and faithful students of His word. One of the hallmarks of the reformation was “by Scripture alone.”

Sola Scriptura!!!
Read it, study it, grow in discernment as you sharpen your mind and soften your heart with it!
Sola Scriptura does not mean we shun biblical theology or Christian history. It does mean that Scripture is the straight edge by which we see the bent-ness of man’s thoughts.

The Enlightenment lifted man’s opinion of himself to the point at which he decided he could judge the Bible. The pre-Reformation church had lifted itself to be God’s voice along with the Bible. We love to lift ourselves up.

When any man lifts his opinions to be the equal of Scripture, stop listening.

Find your truth in the Bible, use faithful writings about it to help you, but avoid those who bring you “something new.”

In this 500th anniversary of the Reformation, follow the reformers back to the Bible and biblical truths.

Ask yourself: who am I spending more time in, the words of man? Or the word of God?