Theology / Salvation

  • The Content of Belief

    1 Timothy 3:16

    The portion of the medieval church that evolved into modern Roman Catholicism is actually the church that departed from the Apostles’ Creed. The Protestant Reformers who sought to uphold the ancient faith in the controversy over justification did not depart ...Read More

  • The Curse of the Law

    Galatians 3:10

    Martin Luther comments on Galatians 2:17 that God’s law “requires perfect obedience unto God, and condemns all those who do not accomplish the same,” and on 3:10 he says that to follow God’s commandments is not ...Read More

  • The Desire for Ordination

    1 Timothy 3:1

    John Chrysostom notes that in wanting the office of elder “what is terrible is to desire the absolute authority and power of the bishop but not the work itself” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT vol. 9, p. 168; hereafter ...Read More

  • The Divine Initiative

    Ephesians 2:1–10

    If we use the doctrine of election as an excuse to do no evangelizing in the world, we have perverted the Word of God. No one but Paul more clearly explained the Lord’s gracious election, and no one was ...Read More

  • The Doctrine of Reprobation

    Romans 9:14-24

    Many people are put off by the things we have discussed today. Read Romans 9:19–21. Notice how Paul deals with those who objected. The bottom line of Paul’s reply is this: We must bow the knee to ...Read More

  • The Effective Sharing of Faith

    Philemon 6

    That too many believers rarely consult other believers and elders in the church before making a decision reflects the degree to which a non-biblical individualism has corrupted even the thinking of Christians. While the church is not to legalistically bind ...Read More

  • The Effects of Leaven

    Galatians 5:7–9

    John Calvin comments, “Satan’s stratagem is, that he does not attempt an avowed destruction of the whole gospel, but he taints its purity by introducing false and corrupt opinions.” The blatant heresy endorsed in many churches today did not ...Read More

  • The Fear of the Lord

    Proverbs 1:1–7

    In our casual culture we must take care that we always have a reverent fear of the Lord. While Jesus has made us His friends (John 15:15), we need to remember that His friendship is like none other, for ...Read More

  • The First Gospel

    Genesis 3:15

    The protevangelium, or first gospel, of Genesis 3:15 declares that God’s kingdom will once more be present in its fullness when Satan is destroyed. Christ came and dealt the crushing blow to the Devil, triumphing over him and ...Read More

  • The Gift of Perseverance

    Ephesians 1:13-14

    We know that the Holy Spirit will work within us to keep us in Christ; thus, we respond to this good news in two ways. First, we are never complacent in our pursuit of holiness, for our following of Jesus ...Read More

  • The Gift of the Spirit

    Galatians 3:1–5

    Good works are not wholly absent from the Christian life. They do not earn God’s favor, but they do prove that we have faith (James 2:14–26). Martin Luther says good works “ought to be done not as ...Read More

  • The Golden Chain

    Romans 8

    That God decided to save His people gives us confidence that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be ...Read More

  • The Good News of God’s Reign

    Isaiah 52:1–12

    Restoration requires faith in the Lord, but we are not able to muster up in ourselves faith that will persevere to the end. We need an atonement that covers even our unbelief, and God must create in us new hearts ...Read More

  • The Gospel Revealed in Paradise

    Genesis 3:15

    The gospel is often called the “gospel of the kingdom” (Matt. 4:23) because it is about the King who crushed Satan and his realm in order that we might enjoy the kingdom of God forever. We who trust in ...Read More

  • The “Innocent Native”

    Matthew 9:9–13

    All people are without excuse before God. The knowledge that apart from Jesus Christ there can be no salvation ought to motivate us strongly in support of missions. Purpose this day to support missionaries at home and abroad. Pray regularly ...Read More