“In Scripture, faith and belief are not exactly the same. Faith always comes from God and involves His revelation therefore faith is beyond belief! Faith is God’s work; faith is never the work of people. We cannot produce faith ourselves, nor can we “drum it up at will.” Rather, faith comes as Christ speaks His rhçma-word within (see Ro 10:17, Gk text). In all of Scripture, only the term faith is ever used in the...
Luther and Baker on the Nature of Sin (Extra reading for “Repentance in High Definition” sermon)…
“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. This verse is differently expounded by different persons, and it has ever been considered, that this one little point is the greatest difficulty that is met with in the whole Psalm. Although, therefore, I leave it to others to go according to their own interpretations, yet I have a good hope that I shall be enabled to give the true and genuine meaning of the text....
Flavel On Reason (Extra reading for “All In One” sermon)…
“I know there is nothing in the Word, or in the works of God that is repugnant to sound reason. But there are some things in both, which are opposite to carnal reason; as well as above right reason. Therefore our reason never shows itself more unreasonable than in summoning those things to its bar which transcends its sphere and capacity. There are hard texts in the works, as well as in the word of God. It becomes us modestly and humbly...
Word Study on ‘Parousia’ (Extra reading for “On That Day” sermon)…
“(“Parousia” is a Greek word meaning “personal presence” and relates to the Second Coming) Its Greek To Me! Parousia is a Greek word used 24 times in the New Testament to mean “coming, arrival, personal presence”. It is most often used to indicate the second coming and the arrival of the Son of Man though it can also indicate a visit by a Christian worker, apostle or even the “man of...
Application Essay on Hebrews 4:12-16 (extra reading for “High Priestly Grip” Sermon)…
Let us consider the exclusive merits of Christianity espoused in the closing verses of Hebrews 4 in contradistinction with other religions. Let us take Islam for an example. Dr. James White was recently quoted as saying: “Islamic soteriology disassociates the holy nature of God from his law.” This is certainly the case as Islam maintains a capricious, arbitrary concept of ultimacy. Forgiveness and damnation are not applied...