Tag: Faith

Reflecting on the Five Solas

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous

fivesolas

Sola Gratia & Sola Fide – By Grace Alone Through Faith Alone

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.  For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. – Romans 3:21-24 (ESV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

Questions for Reflection
Do we receive the righteousness of God through faith or works?
Are we justified (declared righteous) by grace or by works?
Are you looking to Christ and resting in his grace?
In what ways are you tempted to try to earn your salvation?

 

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Using Self-Examination for Spiritual Formation – Joe Carter (TGC)
The Christian life requires frequent self-examination to ensure we are overcoming sin and growing in obedience.

Fears and Fleeting Faith – Tim Challies
…there is no situation beyond God’s knowledge, no condition beyond God’s control, no circumstance beyond God’s power. The one who holds us in the storm is the very same one who holds the storm.

3 Mistakes to Avoid When Helping the Hurting– Dave Furman (TGC)
No one wants to be like Job’s friends. We have hurting people in our lives, and we want to help them, but how do we manage to not make fools of ourselves? And how can we actually help hurting people without discouraging them even more?

The Best Day of the Week…for Your Kids – Nick Kennicott (TCC)
Here are eight ways we can help our children view Sunday as being the best day of the week…

Hope you have a great best day of the week!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

How Do I Know I’m a Christian? – Kevin DeYoung
Whenever counseling Christians looking for assurance of salvation, I take them to 1 John. This brief epistle is full of help for determining whether we are in the faith or not. In particular, there are three signs in 1 John given to us so we can answer the question “Do I have confidence or condemnation?”

It’s Not a Blind Faith – Tim Challies
Faith is trusting in someone who has the answers we lack. Faith is trusting in the goodness, in the character, of God.

The Heresy of Indifference – Burk Parsons (Ligonier)
When people tell me they are into Jesus but not into doctrine, I tell them that if they are not into doctrine, they are, in fact, not into Jesus. We cannot know Jesus without knowing doctrine, and we cannot love God without knowing God, and the way we know God is by studying His Word. Doctrine comes from God, it teaches us about God, and by faith it leads us back to God in worship, service, and love. Indifference to doctrine is indifference to God, and indifference to God is indifference to our own eternity. 

Four Ways To Fight the Fear of Missing Out – Jon Bloom
The Thing. It’s a strange thing, because it’s there and not there at the same time. What I’m talking about is The Thing that you don’t have that you think you need in order to be happy. And you know when The Thing is there because you begin to feel a low-grade panic that you don’t have it. The Thing makes you afraid that by not having The Thing you’re missing out.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!

That We Might Believe

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

In Isaiah 44-48, God predicts the coming of a king named Cyrus who will defeat the Babylonian empire and allow the people of Israel to return to their land.

And around 200 years later, Cyrus comes, defeats the Babylonians, and allows Israel to return to their land.

God predicts and brings it to pass – that we might believe.

In Isaiah 49, God predicts the coming of His Servant whose words will be like a sharp sword, who will glorify God, and who will labor in vain. This Servant will gather the people of Israel and be a light to the nations. He will be both despised and honored. He will be a covenant for the people.

And around 600 years later, Jesus comes. His words are like a sword that pierce the heart. He lived for God’s glory. He labored among the people, but many didn’t understand or accept him. He gathered many in Israel, and his gospel has spread to the nations. He was despised by rulers, and yet will one day be honored by all. He is a new covenant through whom we can have a relationship with God.

God predicts and brings it to pass – that we might believe.

Cyrus and Jesus came just like God said they would, and they did just what God said they would do. And because God predicts and brings it to pass, our faith is strengthened. We have reason to believe in the one true God. We need not doubt. We need not chase after idols. We can trust Him with our lives. We can trust Him with our future.

God predicts and brings it to pass – that we might believe.

Full of Faith

On By BrianIn Book of Acts1 Comment

In Acts 6, we were told that Stephan was a man full of faith.  And so as Stephen nears the end of his life in Acts 7, it should be no surprise to us that we find him full of faith.  He is full of faith and we too should be full of faith in:

  • The Promise of Heaven – He cries out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (v59).  He is confident that his spirit is going to be with Jesus in heaven.  And his confidence is not found in himself or his good works, but in the one he addresses – in Jesus.  When the stones are flying in our lives, we need this faith in the promise of heaven.  We need to be able to look past the trials to the reward when there will be no more flying stones.  And when the final stone is flying, and it is our time to die, we need that faith in Jesus who promises heaven for his people.
  • The Providence of God – Stephan prays that the Lord will not hold this sin against his attackers (v60).  How can he forgive as the stones are flying?  Because he believes God is in control.  Like in Joseph’s life, what they meant for evil, God would use for good.  He was trusting in God’s plan for him even if it meant his death.  When the stones are flying in our lives, we too need this faith in God’s providence.  We too need to trust God when the situation makes no sense to us.
  • The Priority of Jesus – His approach to Christianity was not tacking Jesus onto his story to make his life better.  If his story was central, he couldn’t stand as the stones are flying because his story was ending.  But he understood the priority of Jesus.  It was all about Jesus – the one Stephen had been proclaiming.  Stephen had been tacked onto Jesus’ story, and that story would continue when Stephen died.  When the stones are flying in our lives, we need this faith in the priority of Jesus – that it is all about him, and our purpose is simply to point to him.
  • The Presence of God – Stephen saw Jesus.  He knew God was with him, and that gave him strength to persevere.  When the stones are flying in our lives, we may not see a vision like Stephen did, but we need that firm faith in God’s presence with us.  And because God is with us, we can be strong and courageous when the stones are flying.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

The week started with a wonderful pastors conference that I hope to blog about next week.  The rest of this week was catch-up.  One of these weeks I’ll get back to blogging daily.  In the meantime, here are some posts for your weekend reading:

Faith

Mark Altrogge (well, actually his wife) asks the important question: “What are you believing about God right now?”

Erik Thoennes discusses the differences between absolute beliefs, convictions, opinions, and questions.

Tim Challies quotes Michael McKinley on ways you can know that you are not of the faith.

Prayer

Trevin Wax shares two helpful prayers:

Have a great Lord’s Day exalting our great God!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Hi all!  A few good reads for the weekend:

First, what do you do when you are struggling with your faith, or trials seem to be shredding your faith?  How do you get your faith back?  How do you press forward in your faith?   Mark Altrogge has some wise words to guide us.

Second, let’s think about worship.  Better yet, let’s prepare for gathering to worship with our church family tomorrow.  Bob Kauflin gives us three good reasons to sing in church.  And Mark Altrogge reminds us that the words matter.

Third, as we prepare for Passion Week, Ray Ortlund gives us a helpful quote from John Stott on one way the cross changes us.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day building your faith, worshipping the Lord, and reflecting on your Savior!

Do We Believe?

On By BrianIn Book of Luke

The angel came to Zechariah with a word from the Lord.  Zechariah would have a son who would prepare the way for the Messiah.  His prayers for a child and the coming Messiah would be answered.

But Zechariah refused to believe.  “I’m too old!  My wife is too old!  How could we have a child?”  And Zechariah is struck dumb because of his unbelief.  He refused to believe God’s word that his prayers were answered and that the Messiah was coming.

What about us?  Do we believe?

When we pray, do we pray believing that God will answer our prayers.  Do we pray believing he can answer our prayers?  He may choose to answer in ways unforseen to us, but do we believe he will and can answer prayer?  Are we surprised when he does?  Are we praying with faith or just mouthing unbelieving words?

When the Word of the Lord comes to us, do we believe what it says?  Do we believe that the commands in Scripture are God’s words to us that we should obey?  Do we believe the many promises of God that we find in his Word?  “I am with you always.”  “God is our refuge and strength.”  “My grace is sufficient for you.”  Do we come to the Word with faith or do we just come?

When the Scriptures promise that Jesus is coming back, do we believe that he is really coming?  Do we believe it could be today?  Do our lives reflect this belief, or do our lives reflect disbelief in his return?

It is easy to put Zechariah down for his unbelief, but don’t we at times struggle in the same way?

Father, help us to grow in our faith!

(From Luke 1)