 | | Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
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|  | 1 Hour 48 Mins |
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| Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship |
Dr. Theodore Zachariades, PhD | Tullahoma, Tennessee
 | | 931-636-3627 | ... sermonaudio.com/sgbf |
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 It is common to read both Galatians 2:16 and Romans 3:28 to narrowly as if the text was only addressing “works of the law.” On this reading, one could not be justified by works done in obedience to the law, but could conceivably be justified by faith works, and that is wholly acceptable. Throw in a James two and a Romans two to boot, slip in a statement about faith without works being dead, and you have successfully undermined the Protestant Reformation. Justification by faith alone will be an oddity with which we can dispense for a more robust theology of salvation.
That would be a dreaded mistake, however. The problem with “works of the law” is not that they are of the law but that they are works period. When one compares the passage in Ephesians 2:8-9, it is clear that works are considered non-salvific because salvation is a gift. Even the faith, by which we sinners believe in conversion, comes from God, not of ourselves. This is essential to understanding salvation to be, as Charles Spurgeon so elegantly put it, “All of Grace.” Hence, when Paul reminds Titus about how we are saved, it is the doctrine of Justification by grace that has preeminence. Not even a mention of faith is had!
But there is a more subtle danger that lurks within the theological constructs of contemporary evangelicalism. It is the specter of a different type but its heresy is the age-old works salvation model set on a different footing. This time God does not reward the works of the law, works in general, or even works of faith, but God does reward faith. Faith is the new work! People are bombarded with the notion that faith saves. But then, it is explained as a type of deal where God gives his part, Grace, and we give our part, faith. So in this co-operation salvation is achieved, as many believe, in this synergistic effort.
What is implicitly denied in this scheme, however, is the efficaciousness of the Cross. It is no longer Jesus the savior as it is Jesus the helper. The work of Christ is now deemed to be necessary, but not sufficient. Add some twists in the methodology department, and then preaching itself falls by the wayside. We are oblivious to the fact that the church has jettisoned the cross and its proclamation for the program and its entertainment. We have sold our birthright of Salvation by Grace for the pot of lentil soup sprinkled with humanism. Of course, we don’t call it by that name. We hide behind the labels of Christian sounding verbiage: The church of the Nazarene, The Southern Baptist convention, The Methodist church, etc. etc. And so it is understood that as the experts of Christianity we should know, all too well, what the faith actually is. But remember, the Titanic was built by the experts. So, also PhDs in theology have known to be in error. I am one of them! Luther once exclaimed that he was a Doctor in Theology but did not know what remission of sin was. Thankfully, God finally taught him!
Sometimes it takes a layman to see the tree in the woods. Our doctrine of salvation is no longer under attack from without, it is being decimated from within. Let us keep on guard for the ravenous wolves that graduate from our seminaries. Let us beware of the leaders that make the people err. Let us strive once again for the faith of God’s elect. And while we are doing this, let us not forsake the truth that all our striving would be losing if not the right man were on our side. And because He is on our side He grants us the faith to believe Him. |
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This time of the year I am always retrieving insights from the reformation. Today is the anniversary of the so-called beginning of that movement when Luther banged a notice on a church door that served as a bulletin board for the community. That...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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A friendly reminder was all I needed. I called a buddy who had recently been forced to terminate his position as senior pastor of a church to see how he was holding out. Instead of me helping him, however, he was the one who blessed me. In our...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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The suggestion that Christianity is about how one feels is so popular today, that any suggestion to the contrary is met with severe scorn. Christianity is not even about religion as such. Most people think that being a Christian is a matter of...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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There's a place in the darkness that I used to cling toThat presses harsh hope against time.In the absence of martyrs there's a presence of thievesWho only want to rob you blind.They steal away any sense of peace.Tho' I'm a king I'm a king on my...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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<!-- Why is it I constantly find myself enraged at Christian teachers? It is because what they are teaching is anything but true Christianity. I recall being in a bookstore when a young woman came browsing by the section I was in and...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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<!-- Needed: Light and Truth Oh, send out Your light and your truth (Psalm43:3). This is the earnest prayer of a true disciple. Even in the midst of troubled times, which is evident from reading the two Psalms together (Pss. 42-43). They...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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<!-- John Calvin, Institutes, 3.VII.9-10. Lastly, if things do not go according to our wish and hope, we will still be restrained from impatience and loathing of our condition, whatever it may be. For we shall know that this is to murmur...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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<!-- One Preeminent: Its All About Him. The Christian faith centers on Christ. For believers, He is precious above all things. True Christianity is Christ centered, Christ is the alpha and omega. In Paul’s day when he wrote to the...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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<!-- God’s Will: The Starting Point and Guarantee of All. By A.W. Pink From His book, The Satisfaction of Christ. “What follows may be deemed to savor of metaphysics, yet do we feel it to be called for in view of modem...[ abbreviated | read entire ] |
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Today's Quote |
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Faith is the outstretched hand of the soul taking what Christ offers. ... S. M. Zwemer |
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