The Five Solas: A Cry for Truth! (Part 2 of 5)‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back to part two of The Five Solas: A Cry for Truth!

This week we will investigate the second Sola known as SOLA SCRIPTURA…

The Five Solas: #2 – Sola Scriptura

The inerrant Old and New Testament Scripture – The Holy Bible – is the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The sixty-six books of the Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our eternal salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. It is denied that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian's conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of – or contrary to – what is set forth in the Bible. Also, personal, subjective spiritual experience can never be a vehicle of revelation outside of the Holy Scripture. All experiences must be tested and validated by the Scriptures!

Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) is the teaching that Scripture is the Church's – Bride of Christ – only infallible and sufficient rule for deciding issues of faith and practices which involve doctrines. While the Bible does not contain all "general" knowledge, it does contain and is the ONLY source of that which is necessary for eternal salvation of the soul. Indeed, if something is not found in Scripture, it is not binding upon the believer. This view does not deny that any born-again Christian has the authority to teach God's Word. Furthermore, while tradition itself may indeed be valuable, it too must be tested and approved by the higher authority of the Scriptures.

Sola Scriptura:

"does not mean that the Reformers rejected everything that every Christian in earlier ages has said: indeed, they often cited the early Christians as supporters of their own positions. However, they recognized that those earlier believers were not inspired, were not inerrant, and, in fact, quite often made errors in their judgments and beliefs, just as people do today. The only infallible rule of faith, they argued, is found in the pages of Holy Writ." – The Shape of Sola Scriptura, by Keith A. Mathison

In all of this, the role of the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is critically vital. The Word of God can only be received and obeyed by the power Holy Spirit within the believer.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Roman Catholic position on Sola Scriptura differs from Protestantism. Roman Catholicism teaches that their Bible is inspired and the infallible original manuscripts. Official Catholic doctrine does not believe in Sola Scriptura due to the fact that there is no guide to decipher important theological issues without their Church system. The Roman Catholic Church also teaches that it collected and organized the Holy Scriptures via Tradition and has the Papal Office guiding and helping decipher important scripture verses…

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate Sola #3 – SOLA CHRISTUS…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

 

Blessings!

Shane <><

No Sun, Moon or Stars

Do you know what will happen immediately before Jesus returns?

A few weeks ago my sister was admiring the bright sun rays streaming through and around some clouds. She told my 5 year old niece that whenever she sees the bright streams of sun shining like that, it makes her wonder if Jesus is coming back. My niece immediately exclaimed: “No, Mom! Jesus won’t come back until after the sun and moon are darkened and the stars fall from the sky!”

My niece had just been studying Matthew chapter 24 and clearly remembered the following verses! ☺

Matthew 24:29-31         ²⁹ “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

³⁰ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Jesus will return on the clouds, it will be visible to all (as we read a few weeks ago), and it will be glorious! I wonder if God plans to darken the sun and moon first because believers won’t need created light anymore once we are with the Creator at all times. Maybe it will also be a foretaste of Hell for non-believers. They will exist without the presence of God, His light, and His blessings. No wonder they will be mourning (as in verse 30). They will lament the fact that they previously gave no credence to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

When Jesus returns, will you be mourning or rejoicing?

What about those around you and me?

Who might God want you and me to share His truths with this week?

Alice

Beyond the Surface

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.  John 1:17-18

As Christians, we struggle to talk openly about Jesus Christ to nonbelievers.  The question that we tend to fight with is how best do we do this?    Through devotionals, I do my best to promote Him through my writings, but this only supports those who already believe.  If I shout out to the rooftops about what God has done for me, anyone who does not know God would think I might be a little off (some of you might already think that  J).  I understand that if it is what God compelled me to do, seeming a little crazy should not matter.  However, one true way to share Christ with others that tends to never fail is simply by getting to know them.  It is easy from a distance to say someone is following a wrongful and destructive path because that does not require any commitment to our having a relationship with them.  But who truly has the power to change another?  Is it someone who yells from afar ‘repent’ or someone who knows you deep inside and out who says, “This must change?”

Transformative relationships requires a sound relationship with Christ.  Jesus Christ speaks numerous times not only about knowing us (i.e. the shepherd) but also knowing God from the beginning.   Through His relationship with God, He was able to build deep relationships that changed others’ lives.  While we ourselves are certainly not God the Father or Son, we do carry the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.  Through our relationship with Christ, we can share His love, truth, power, and grace to both believers and nonbelievers.  It is through sharing these things that will build a foundation by which any conversation, either faith based or influential, is indeed possible.

God is made known through those who know Him best.  Jesus asked His disciples to follow Him, but did so after giving to others through miracles and acts of kindness and grace.  We are to give of ourselves so as to win others over.  Apostle Paul said, “I became like one not having the law, so as to win those not having the law.” (1 Corinthians 9:21)  He is certainly not condoning lawlessness.  Rather he is saying that because he knows Christ, he can reach out to those without the law in their hearts and connect with them to share the Gospel.  It’s the connection that matters.  Is your relationship with Christ strong enough to reach out to others?  What relationship can you foster toward a mutual understanding of Jesus Christ?  My prayer is that we go beyond the surface to build meaningful relationships with others through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Trust comes first

Psalm 37:3-5 “Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.”(NASB)

Hello,

Ever feel like things just aren’t moving fast enough? You have a plan – and you want it in place now! But “now” doesn’t happen. Instead, you begin to see days, months, years go by….doubt may set in, or you may just give up on the idea.

But look at the order above. We are not to tell Him our way and then He does it, and then we delight ourselves in Him. But rather, we are to first put our trust in God. Then we are to obey Him and make Him our delight – then we are truly able to commit our way to the Lord. This isn’t about do one thing in order to get another – God is not a vending machine – but this is about understanding what pleases Him, and letting the commitment follow that.

Also notice, there is no timeframe here. God’s timing is perfect – even though we may find it perfectly frustrating. But again, once we have trusted Him and made Him our delight first, we will be able to wait more easily on Him timing

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill