ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"When we depend upon organizations, we get what organizations can do; when we depend on education, we get what education can do; when we depend on man , we get what man can do; but when we depend upon prayer, we get what God can do."  A.C. Dixon

Justification By Faith Alone

One of the most debated subjects over the history of Christianity is the belief that Christians are justified by their faith in Jesus Christ alone. The debate has run for centuries and continues in many academic circles today. While many have expressed their opinions I believe John Calvin gives a concise statement of why justification is and must remain central to the Christian Faith. Calvin wrote:

"As all mankind are, in the sight of God lost sinners, we hold that Christ is their only righteousness, since, by his obedience, he has wiped off our transgressions; by his sacrifice, appeased the divine anger; by his blood, washed away our stains; by his cross, borne our curse; and by his death, made satisfaction for us. We maintain that in this way man is reconciled in Christ to God the Father, by no merit of his own, by no value of works, but by gratuitous mercy. When we embrace Christ by faith, and come, as it were, into communion with him, this we term, after the manner of Scripture, the righteousness of faith."

The debate may continue but the answer is as clear today as it was hundreds of years ago. We are justified (made right) by our faith in Jesus Christ and there is no other way. It is his righteousness alone, not any we think we have acquired by our own actions, that makes us acceptable to God. For a sinner like me this is and remains the most comforting truth in all of Scripture.

ReformedRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

We can only know God well when we know our own sin. And those who have known God without knowing their wretchedness have not glorified Him but have glorified themselves.- Blaise Pascal

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

You can live opposite of what you profess, but you cannot live opposite of what you believe. - Dallas Willard

Obedience

Obedience is a word often heard in Christian circles today. There is no doubt that obedience is important in the life of a Christian. However, there is nothing as sterile as obedience marked by legalism rather than grace. This kind of obedience is self-serving and inspires self-righteousness rather than dependence.  Obedience characterized by grace is Christ-centered; it is creative yet does not keep a record of its own achievements. It is motivated by love and sees the need of the recipient.

Through our faith in Jesus Christ we receive God’s grace. If we try to find justification in a legalistic adherence to our faith, a holier-than-thou view of ourselves, or anything we have done on our own, we will fall short. The apostle Paul reminds us of this when he writes “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.” Galatians 4:4-5

Grace is a gift ; it cannot be purchased. We do not earn I;, it is not sold. It cannot be bartered for; it is a gift of God. Because grace is a gift, our obedience is motivated out of our love of Christ and our understanding of grace as set forth in the Scriptures.

God’s grace does not demand obedience; rather obedience is willingly given and perfected by grace. So let us resonate with the apostle Paul who spoke of this very subject in his letter to the Ephesians, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9  

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

There are a thousand needs in the world and none of them compares to the global need for the gospel. - John Piper

As We Gather ...

One of my favorite songs as a new Christian was As We Gather. I can remember the first time I sang it and how it resonated in the depths of my new found love for God and for his people.

As we gather may your Spirit work within us... These words set me on a path that was to shape my very being and help me understand that to seek God met to seek the work of his Holy Spirit in the midst of his people. They help me understand that even though I have given my life to Christ and found a personal relationship with God through Jesus, my spiritual life would be continually influenced by his Spirit as I worshiped with his people.

Worship is what we do as God’s people; it is our primary calling. Yes, missions are to be supported, evangelism is commanded, small group ministries are necessary and fellowship important, but worship is vital for our spiritual well being. It is in worship that we, as a community of faith, meet the object of our faith. In we worship, we who are unholy, are deemed holy by our holy God.

This does not happen because we have become holy through some action of our own; we are all aware of our sins and failings. It happens because God the Father views us through our relationship with God the Son, and his sacrifice for us on the cross. Because of that sacrifice, and our relationship with Christ, we are indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit and encouraged to approach our holy God with a confidence that is not human but divine. Worshiping, gathering together, this is the essence of our being as a community of faith.

As we gather may we glorify Your name... We gather to glorify the name and the person of the one, true, living God; not ourselves, our likes, or our desires. It is our time to give thanks, to praise, and to listen as God speaks to his people through his Holy Spirit.

Knowing well that as our hearts begin to worship, we’ll be blessed because we came… Worship is the coming together of all that we are and giving all that we have to God; seeking his presence and his voice by the leading of his Holy Spirit. In worship we find the joy that comes to those who have an intimate relationship with the giver of all things; and we recognize how blessed we are.

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God.” So let us never forget that as we gather, as we come together, we seek to glorify God, and let us always enjoy the blessing that comes from spending time together, as his people, with him.

RefRev