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Devotionals #61-63: Sola Fide

5/27/2024

Opening Prayer
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Song: "There Is A Redeemer"

Scripture

Romans 5:1-2 (ESV)

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God.

Devotional #61: Sola Fide - "Justified By Faith"

Justification by faith considers the work of Christ and the application of that same work. Justification is “an act of God’s free grace wherein He pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousnesss of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, QA33). When Jesus died on the cross, he removed our guilt and shame (expiation) and turned away God’s wrath (propitiation). Our justification has been secured for us by Christ and no other work needs to be added. The question of how this great work is imputed (or applied) to the believer follows. Do we have to buy a ticket? Do we have to show our resume of good works? Is the work of justification dispensed by the church? No. The great work of justification is applied to the believer simply by faith. The Christian only needs to trust in the finished work of Christ.

Questions

What is justification? How is it imputed to the believer?
How does sola fide and solus Christus complement each other?

Scripture

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Devotional #62: Sola Fide - "A Gift From God"

Faith might be our act, but it is not our work. Faith is not something we inherently possess. Faith is a gift from God, bestowed to us without merit. So, when we tell people “just believe!” they are unable to without the gift of faith. Our duty is to pray that the Lord may give them a new heart—that is the Holy Spirit, so that they may possess this saving faith.

Questions

Do all people possess saving faith? What is the only purpose of saving faith?
Because saving faith is a gift from God, can we boast? Can we look down on other who do not believe? What should our attitude be towards God and others?

Scripture

Matthew 17:20 (ESV)

20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”[a]

Devotional #63: Sola Fide - "A Strong Christ"

“It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch.” (Tim Keller, The Reason for God)

The Christian often follows Christ not with assured confidence, but with lingering fears and wobbly knees. But we know that Christ’s way is good for us, so we follow. We do not rely upon the strength of our faith, but on the strength of our Christ.

Questions

Can you recount a time you followed Jesus, even when you were fearful?
Rejoice in your faith! For that small faith has saved you and will continue to deliver you!

Prayer Time
(Closing prayer by head of household)
--
Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Devotionals #58-60: Solus Christus

5/20/2024

Opening Prayer
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Song: "Give Thanks"

Scripture

Romans 5:12-21 (ESV)

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[a] because all sinned-- 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

18 Therefore, as one trespass[b] led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness[c] leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Devotional #58: Solus Christus - "Christ Central"

Reformation theology can be summarized by the Five Solas. Sola Scriptura dictates the source of our theologizing, while Soli Deo Gloria ends with exalting God’s salvific plan. The other three solas serve to expound the nature of salvation. Amongst the three, Solus Christus stands at the center. Christ’s person and work are both necessary and sufficient to accomplish salvation for His people. By being fully human and fully divine (hypostatic union), Christ is both qualified and able to fulfill the law (Romans 5:12-21). Our Savior was under the same law that required perfect obedience but was not rendered helpless by Adam’s sin. In his perfect obedience, Christ attained the perfect righteousness which he then imputed to His people. All the work of salvation and its gifts have been accomplished by Christ alone. If someone ever asks, “How did God save us?” We can truly answer, “Solus Christus.”

Question

How did Jesus save us? How does he still minister to us? Take time to be in awe!

Scripture

Hebrews 7:26-28 (ESV)

26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

Devotional #59: Solus Christus - "Sufficiency of Christ’s Sacrifice"

Did Jesus die more than once? This may seem like a silly question, but this question was at the center of the Reformation. The Catholic Church teaches that baptism cleanses only the sins from the moment of baptism and before. Afterwards, we still need to be cleansed for the sins we commit onwards. Now, you may think that Jesus’ blood at Calvary is enough. But the answer is no. For the Catholic Church, the words of communion turn the bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Christ. In this act, Jesus is being sacrificed all over again and the power of that sacrifice is applied to the believer. In truth, Jesus is being sacrificed over and over again every time the priests perform this eucharistic sacrifice. The Reformers believed that Jesus one death at the cross was sufficient “once for all!” The blood spilled on calvary is more than enough to cover the sins of everyone who believes.

In protestant churches today, we may not sacrifice Jesus over and over again, but we do question whether Jesus’ sacrifice is enough for us. We often ask God for signs and miracles to prove that His love is sufficient. But we must know, whatever is happening in our hearts or our lives, Jesus sacrificial love is “more than enough.”

Question

Pray to the Lord that we may see the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrificial love to all areas of our lives.

Scripture

Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Devotional #60: Solus Christus - "Only One Mediator"

In our last devotional, we saw that Christ needed to be sacrifice constantly for our sins to be forgiven. The Catholic church not only distorted the nature of Christ’s unique sacrifice but had usurped how Christ’s finished work was dispensed. The only source for Christ’s forgiveness was through the Catholic priests and the powers they possessed in the sacraments of penance and communion. You could not cry out to God alone! The Reformers saw the unbiblical nature of the teaching and returned the work and dispensation of salvation to where it belonged—the Holy Spirit. The church does not have the power to mediate and dispense forgiveness. Only God and His mysterious work can convict the sinner and bring forgiveness.

Questions

Who else does the Catholic Church consider as mediators? In other words, who else do they pray to?
Why is it important to pray “In Jesus’ Name?”

Prayer Time
(Closing prayer by head of household)
--
Lord's Prayer

Devotionals #55-57: Sola Scriptura

5/13/2024

Opening Prayer
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Song: "Jesus, Strong and Kind"

Devotional #55: Sola Scriptura - "The Supremacy of Scripture"

Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Devotional #55: Sola Scriptura - "The Supremacy of Scripture"

It is impossible to live a life without some standards, norms, or criterion for truth and morality. How do we decide what is just, fair, or morally upright? Today, many people look to podcasters or other gurus for guidance. Although, some may discover slivers of truths, God’s people have always affirmed Scripture as the supreme standard for knowledge.

During the Reformation, “Sola Scriptura” (Scripture Alone), became a rallying cry. The Catholic Church insisted that Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium were the three pillars of knowledge and interpretation. Notably, the Magisterium power was two-fold. First, it consisted of a Pope’s ‘ex cathedra’ declarations that became a part of tradition. Second, this tradition, or fixed interpretation, became just as authoritative as Scripture. This is how the Catholic church arrived at their traditions of Mary’s mediatorial role, and with their doctrine of purgatory.

Martin Luther spear-headed the reformation and declared that only Scripture has supreme authority. For the Christian, we believe that only God’s Word has final authority in all matters of spirituality. Or as the Westminster Confession states:

“The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.”

Questions

What other authorities compete with Scripture today in society?
Does this mean Scripture speaks about everything (how to learn Spanish, how to grill a steak) authoritatively?

Devotional #56: Sola Scriptura - "The Sufficiency of Scripture"

Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

Devotional #56: Sola Scriptura - "The Sufficiency of Scripture"

The Bible, of course, does not speak exhaustively about every subject. We do not have a passage about how to swing a golf club like Tiger Woods. But what 2 Timothy 3:16 teaches us is that Scripture is sufficient in communicating everything we need to know about God, salvation, faith, and life! The Bible tells us how we are saved and how we must live to bring God glory. Perhaps the Bible can’t tell us how to swing a 5 iron, but it does contain what we need to know to swing it for the glory of God!

Secondly, the sufficiency of Scripture teaches us that we do not need an external criteria or guide to understand Scripture. Scripture alone is sufficient to interpret Scripture. We are to be careful to bring in alien constructs that does harm to the integrity of the story of salvation.

Question

Since Scripture is sufficient for all Godly living, which area of your life do you find it most difficult to apply? Pray for God’s help.

Devotional #57: Sola Scriptura - "The Clarity of Scripture"

Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

Devotional #57: Sola Scriptura - "The Clarity of Scripture"

The doctrine of the clarity (perspicuity) of Scripture affirms that the Word of God is understandable to all people. We know that some parts of Scripture are more easily understood than others, but we often conflate these difficulties into thinking all of Scripture must be incomprehensible. We believe that God is not inept as a communicator but has spoken to us clearly concerning everything we to know about God, humanity, and salvation.

This doctrine is important because it tells us that any ordinary person can understand the basic message of the gospel, whether they choose to believe it is another matter. It also speaks to the fact that no priest, preacher, or teacher is needed to reveal some hidden truths. Indeed, any church leader’s role is to expound the plain truths that any lay person can clearly comprehend in their own reading.

*Did you know that before public education, Sunday Schools were created in Britain (1780’s) to teach kids how to read. The core motivation was the belief that every person should be able read the clear truths of Scripture for themselves.

Questions

What is the basic, clear message of Scripture?
What are some ways that people have obscured the doctrine of the clarity of Scripture?

Prayer Time
(Closing prayer by head of household)
--
Lord's Prayer

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