Sola Christus (Christ Alone)
Sola Christus was another one of the Solas of the Reformation. This reminds the faithful that Christ’s works alone accomplished human redemption. Only by his cross work, his resurrection and ascension were it possible for human sin to be forgiven. Luther, in...
Sola Scriptura
“All Scripture is God-breathed” (II Timothy 3:16). The end of this month marks the five hundredth year since the Reformation began when a German monk nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenburg Church. That started a revelation that changed medieval Europe, not...
Bad Thinking Can Cost You Your Life
Did you ever stop to analyze the continual conversation going on in your head? We should because, as it has been said before, no one speaks to you more than yourself. That is, each of us has a running conversation going on inside of us, and we rarely stop long...
Jesus Still Does What He Does
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 I have a dear friend who loves Jesus who is a Cessationist. That is the technical term for the belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit recorded in the New Testament have ceased to exist...
Reformation Day Is Approaching: How Will You Celebrate?
In a little more than a month we will be celebrating 500 years since Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses, thus splintering Catholicism and giving birth to the Protestant Church. Why is that event so important in history? The Reformation rescued the...
Truth + Experience = Kisses of God
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in...
What Does the Presence of Goodness Prove?
As we all watched Hurricane Irma strike the western Florida coast, pounding it with high winds, rain, and storm surge, it brought to mind the question many ask in the face of such a disaster: “How can a good God allow such destruction and devastation?” For the...
Whatever Happened to ‘Wretch’
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Tim. 1:15). Randy Alcorn tells the story in his book If God is Good of going to speak at a certain place where a woman...
The Blessings of Common Grace
“Who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.” I Timothy 4:10 We all watched with horror and sadness as Hurricane Harvey devastated the Texas coast. Thousands of people were displaced by the power of this storm, and the damage is widespread. Let...
Whatever Happened to Transcendence?
Recently, I preached a sermon at my local church entitled: Why Do I Need the Church. I dealt with the looming crisis facing the Church because Millennials (those 18-30) are leaving the church in record numbers. According to a recent Barna survey, only 2 in 10...
Why Do I Need the Church?
“And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 The results are in and...