In honor of Reformation Day I’m re-posting a classic article from 2 years ago explaining the importance of this under appreciated holiday.  This is one of my all-time most popular posts so I hope you’ll enjoy!

On October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, nailed his 95 theses on the castle church door in Wittenburg, protesting the sale of indulgences by the Roman Catholic church. Luther eventually went to trial for heresy at the Diet of Worms where he was asked to repent of his teachings upon penalty of excommunication. His teachings opposed many accepted doctrines and practices of the church. He also challenged the authority and infallibility of the Pope. Luther refused to recant, famously stating:

Your Imperial Majesty and Your Lordships demand a simple answer. Here it is, plain and unvarnished. Unless I am convicted of error by the testimony of Scripture or since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of Pope or councils, since it is plain that they have often erred and often contradicted themselves by manifest reasoning, I stand convicted by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God’s word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us.

On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me.

Amen.

The spark of the revolution began with the posting of the 95 Theses. The fires were kindled with his defiant words at Worms. The Protestant Reformation began in earnest in 1521. The word protestant simply means protester. A protestant opposes the false teachings of Roman Catholicism.

All of us who are protestants owe a certain debt of gratitude to Martin Luther. He boldly helped to recover the glorious truths of God’s holy word. The historic Apostolic doctrines were uncovered in those tumultuous times. They centered around the doctrine of Justification. In defiance of Rome, Luther taught our justification comes not by a combination of faith and works but by faith alone. He once said:

This one and firm rock, which we call the doctrine of justification, is the chief article of the whole Christian doctrine, which comprehends the understanding of all godliness.

From this bedrock, sprang what we now call the Five Solas of the Reformation. They are:

• Sola Gratia – Grace Alone
• Sola Fide – Faith Alone
• Solus Christus – Christ Alone
• Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone
• Soli Deo Gloria – Glory of God Alone

Sola Gratia – God’s loving and compassionate grace to lost sinners saves us from his fierce wrath. This grace is not based on any goodness within ourselves. His grace is according to his good pleasure and his purpose. God is not obligated to save one single soul. If he were to send all of humanity to hell he would be just in doing so. However, God in his mercy has bestowed grace upon man, giving every person opportunity to repent of his sin and embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Believers are ‘… justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus’, (Rom 3:24) Only by God’s loving grace is salvation made possible to the human race.

Sola Fide – We are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We trust his sacrificial death on a cross has washed away our sins and redeemed our souls from death, hell and the grave, forever. This faith is a gift of God’s grace. It is not of ourselves, lest any man should boast in his salvation. Faith needs no help to make it complete. Our good works do not alter our standing before God. The Apostle Paul wrote, ‘For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law’. (Rom 3:28) We are saved by faith alone.

Solus Christus – The Son of God clearly named the narrow road that leads to eternal life. it is called Jesus Christ Boulevard and it is clearly marked by his stripes and paved with his blood. He claimed, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) The Apostle Peter proclaimed, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Act 4:12) We are saved by Christ and no other.

Sola Scriptura – The truths we adhere to have been graciously given to us in the form of the holy bible. It is a testament of God’s people throughout the course of human history, detailing the account of man’s fall and redemption through Jesus Christ. No other source is authoritative in establishing Christian doctrine and practice. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2Ti 3:16-17) The revelation of scriptures alone through the illumination of the Holy Spirit shall lead us to all truth.

Soli Deo Gloria -The deeds of the saints, the wicked and all the host of heaven are ultimately accomplished for the glory of God. Believers glorify God by displaying His attributes of love, grace, mercy and compassion. The reprobate glorify God by displaying God’s equally glorious attributes of wrath, righteousness and justice. The contrast between sin and righteousness magnifies the holiness, purity and majesty of Almighty God. Jesus came to glorify the Father and in return the Father glorified him. The author of Hebrews wrote of Christ, ‘He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature’, (Heb 1:3) The chief end of man, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism is to ‘glorify God and enjoy him forever’. Psalms 79 states ‘Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!’ (Psa 79:9) Let nothing we do or say be done for our glory or for the glory of others, but for the glory of God alone.

In summary, the Reformation sparked by Martin Luther taught us that God justifies the guilty by Grace Alone through Faith Alone in Christ Alone according to the Scriptures Alone for the Glory of God Alone.

Paul Proctor has an outstanding on-point article regarding the sandy foundation upon which the Church Growth Movement (CGM) is built.

Here is an excerpt:

Well, another Leadership Summit has come and gone at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois – a yearly conference led by its senior pastor and Willow Creek Association’s Chairman of the Board, Bill Hybels. They reportedly drew over 6000 attendees this year with some 60,000 watching a live broadcast of the event. They’ve been holding these annual gatherings for 13 years.

In a recent Christian Post article, Hybels once again revealed the humanist nature of the infamous seeker-sensitive church growth movement by posing the question:

“Do we still believe the local church is the hope of the world?”

You see, many Christians might look at that and not realize they’ve been subjected to a dialectic question designed to alter their spiritual priorities and get them onboard an alternative agenda. This is what trained facilitators do under the radar in many churches today.

But I would ask: Is that where your hope lies – in the local church?

Do you believe your church can save the world?

Did it save you?

Read the entire article by clicking on the link below:

Are You a Church Worshipper?

“The nature of Christ’s salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist.   He announces a savior from hell rather than a savior from sin.  And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness.” – Originally from article Saving Faith: Part 1 Signs of the Times. Cited in the DVD Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism

I believe this quote from Pink is essential in developing a biblical approach to evangelism.  It’s all too easy to gain ‘converts’ by scaring the ‘hell’ right out of people by conjuring horrific imagery of an eternal state of suffering and misery. Who in their right mind would choose this fate over one of eternal bliss?  Heaven and hell are not the primary issues we are faced with everyday; righteousness and wickedness are.    The bottom line is that we don’t choose heaven and hell.  We choose between righteousness and unrighteousness.  Heaven and hell are simply the eternal consequence of our choices between the two.

We must never use the idea of heaven as a dangling carrot God uses to lure people to salvation.  God has lifted his Son up that all men may be drawn to him.  Conversely,  we must not use the fear of hell as our primary motivating force to get people to repent.

Sin is the central issue that must be dealt with in our evangelism efforts.

God hates sin and condemns it.  Man loves sin and relishes it.   This tension between God and man must be resolved.  Our evangelism must start with God’s holy law, to show people that they have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.  The Holy Spirit must convict them of their sin and their response must be to turn from sin unto righteousness – the righteousness that is only through Jesus Christ.  Salvation revolves around our relationship with sin.  My brother in Christ Paul Washer has said on several occasions that a person can’t have a relationship with Christ unless he has a new relationship with sin.  In other words, unless we view the sin within us with disgust and loathing we don’t yet know Christ.

I must take a moment to balance this post out a bit.  Talking about heaven and hell in evangelism is not taboo.  After all, Christ spoke extensively on hell in the gospels.  My point is, a fear of hell won’t save you, but fearing God who can destroy both body and soul in hell can.  A holy fear of God is the result of hating that which he hates and turning away from the things he detests.  If you don’t hate your sin enough to turn away from it, then no matter how much you dread the idea of spending forever in a lake of burning sulfur you will not be able to escape it.

Christian, don’t be afraid to talk about sin.  You must talk about sin.  It is the central issue of every single person’s salvation.  I fear for the pastors of today who preach the modern gospel of coming to Christ for peace, prosperity, health and every other carnal reason but never confronts people with their sin.  Any person who comes to Christ by any other way than the narrow gate of repentance from sin is a false convert.

I am suspicious of professing Christians who speak of their faith only in terms of the reward they will receive.  If someone talks of going to heaven more than about reigning with Christ I wonder about their spiritual state.  I’ve heard people say on more than one occasion that they are just hanging on, hoping to just make it into heaven by the skin of their teeth.  People like this don’t usually speak of how precious Christ is to them or how much they love him because he has freed them from the power and penalty of their sins.  All they see is the reward and not the rewarder.  I fear for people like this and believe they are likely products of easy-believism ‘I said a prayer when I was eight and I’m forever saved’  kind of shallow theology that is so prevalent these days.

Our evangelism of the lost must also include re-evangelism of those who have been victimized by unbiblical outreach efforts of modern Christianity.

Here is a brief (and belated) response to a comment on my post on the justice of God.

Morsec0de wrote:  “You have two people who live identical lives. The one and only difference is that one is a believer, and the other is not. Do you view it as just that one of those be tortured for all eternity and the other not? I’m sorry, but that is an absolutely revolting concept, and the being who instituted it would be despicable. I’m quite glad there is no good evidence to support such a being actually existing.”

My response:

I quoted from Romans chapter 9 in my last post concerning God’s choice of Jacob over Esau and I think that shedding further light on this will answer Morsec0de’s question.  Readers be warned, this answer will probably not be a popular one, but it is a biblical one.

The bible tells a story of two people who led identical lives.  Jacob and Esau were twin brothers born to Isaac and Rebekah.  Isaac was the son of Abraham. God made a covenant with Abraham, declaring that his offspring would be made into a great nation and that the nations of the earth would be blessed through him.  God would choose one of Isaac’s sons to carry on this blessing.  According to ancient middle eastern culture the firstborn was accorded the greatest honor in the household.  Esau was born first, and Isaac planned to grant him the blessing of Abraham, but God saw fit to choose Jacob. He did so that his purpose in election might stand.  God did not honor the culture, but his own desire to exalt Jacob instead of Esau. Both were sinners because they were descendants of the original sinner, Adam. Neither deserved God’s blessing, but neither did Isaac nor Abraham. They were chosen in order to fulfill God’s plan of redemption for the human race. The Messiah would be born from this tribe of people that God had called out for his very own. The apostle Paul in Romans chapter 9 makes it abundantly clear that God did not choose Jacob because he was better than his brother. After all, he deceived his father in order to receive his blessing!  No, Paul states, “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

God elected Jacob for reasons that lie outside of Jacob himself. The Lord chose him before he had done either good or evil.  God did it for his own purposes, for his own glory.  We should not marvel that God hated Esau.  He was a God-hating rebel by nature.  The true marvel is in the love God showed toward Jacob, who was equally a God-hating rebel by nature.  Yet the Lord chose him and renewed his mind and transformed his heart to be the Father of  the nation of Israel. Neither brother deserved grace but Jacob received it.

Don’t make the mistake of crying out to God for justice and fairness.  If we demand justice be done then all of mankind would perish.  Thank God for his mercy.  The Creator and sustainer of all things has the absolute sovereign right to  have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and to have compassion on whom he will have compassion. This mercy and compassion is man’s only hope.

From the Sacred Sandwich:

Is it the duty of pastors to make God and His Holy Word more palatable to the masses? This satirical ad demostrates the inanity of the concept.

In my last post, Are We Justified by Actions or by Beliefs? which was in response to the post prior to it, Will Atheists go to Hell? I received further comments from a couple of atheists questioning the goodness and justice of God in sending people away to eternal punishment.  I will attempt to answer their objections here.

I wrote, “If my justification depended on my actions I (and everyone else) would be doomed to damnation.”

Morsec0de wrote, “Doesn’t that suggest too high of a standard?”

My response:

Yes! That’s the whole point of the biblical tension between  law and grace.  Logically, one leads to the other.  Here are a few biblical facts about the law of God:

• It reflects the holiness and perfection of God.  To fall short of God’s glory is the very definition of sin.
• God’s intent in revealing the law to man is threefold:
  • To show us how we ought to live.
  • To show us what sin is and that we are sinners.
  • To show us that we cannot hope to justify ourselves; we need mercy and grace.
  • In summary, the law is a teacher to bring us to Christ for forgiveness of sin and for salvation.
• By not living up to the law of God man ensures the continued existence of pain, suffering and death.  Sin brings all manner of corruption to the perfection and order of God’s creation.  “The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 6:23). This eternal life will be spent in a new heaven and a new earth, free of the curse of sin and death.  It will be the dwelling place of righteousness.

Morsec0de continues, “It also seems, at least to me, to be the strangest combination of arrogance and masochism rolled into one.  (Not you personally, but the doctrine itself.)”

My response:

How can you consider the doctrine of justification by grace through faith as ‘arrogance’ or ‘masochism’?  Boasting in our works as to commend ourselves to God would, in fact, be the height of arrogance, especially in light of the truth that even our best acts of righteousness are ‘filthy rags’ to God.  How could we possibly be so presumptuous as to assume that fallen, sinful man can impress Almighty God in any way?

To us the justice of God may appear to be masochistic but what God does he does out of a sense of justice, not out of a delight to inflict pain.  God plainly declares,”I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Eze 33:11).  Our sense of justice is skewed.  The accused will always manage to see things differently than the impartial judge who is not influenced by emotions or by the personal consequences involved with sentencing.  A good judge seeks justice in every case.  God is the ultimate good judge ‘for the Lord is a God of justice”. (Is 30:18).  If he passes a sentence of hell upon unrepentant sinners then we must believe that God is doing right.

While we are on the subject of eternal punishment I’d like to insert here an answer to a common objection posed by a reader in the comment section.

Sisyphus Fragment states, “Also, from a philosophical standpoint, an infinite punishment for a finite crime doesn’t make any sense.”

My response:

Put in terms of biblical teaching, the question really is, ‘why must people spend an eternity in hell for crimes committed within the comparatively brief human life span?’  King David gives us some insight into the nature of sin’s offense in his confession of his adultery with Bathsheba, the murder of her husband Uriah and his cover up of the whole scandal.  David said this in Psalm 51:4: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”  David sinned against many people but in his confession he knew that it was God he had truly offended.  he had despised the honor and authority the Lord had blessed him with.  All sin is an act of rebellion against a holy God.  Our acts of disobedience despises the life and goodness God has freely granted us.  Sin is a rejection of his loving kindness, a breach of his holy justice and a hostility to his lordship.  Sin in us refuses to acknowledge and worship God for who he is.  It denies him the glory he is due.  This offense can never be undone.  God is immutable by nature; he does not change.  Thus, God will never change his mind concerning sin.  God abhors sin, he is angry at sin and has determined to pour out his wrath against all transgressions.  If sin is an offense to God now it will still be an offense to him in 10,000 years, even in 100 million years!  God’s anger toward sin committed against him will remain as long as he remains.  God is eternal, having no beginning and no end.  He is from everlasting to everlasting and so must his justice toward sin also be everlasting.  At no point in time will God forgive sin that has not been atoned for. So while we humans may be finite, the sins we commit are eternally offensive to an infinite God. We must pay a never ending wage for the sins committed in the flesh.

Morsec0de wrote, “If some being, divine or otherwise, will torture me and others merely because I didn’t believe that it existed or because I wasn’t absolutely perfect in my actions, that’s not a being I would like to spend an eternity with. Let alone worship”.

My response:

Your words truly sum up what all carnally minded men think of God.  Thank you for the honesty!  I once thought this way, too.  None of Adam’s offspring have any desire to spend an eternity with a God who would dare punish them for being themselves.  Unfortunately, there are many ‘religious’ people who feel the same way.  These people go through all the traditions and rituals of weekly church attendance, Sunday school and prayer meetings, yet they have no true love for God.  They simply want to merit the benefits of eternal life in heaven by good deeds while giving lip service to justification by faith. They don’t appear to give much thought to the fact that they desire to dwell forever in the presence of the God they hate.  They want the good life but not the giver of life.  What I like about speaking with non-believers is their transparency.  So, again, I appreciate your bluntness.

Yes, you will be punished for unbelief – and every other sin committed in the flesh.  Admitting that you aren’t ‘absolutely perfect in my actions’ is important.  This is the first step toward salvation.  You are a sinner and can’t stand before God’s perfect moral standard.  This should drive you to accept Jesus Christ, who lived the perfect life you can’t attain.  He died the death you deserve and rose again for the justification of everyone who would believe.  I beg you to please consider these things seriously.  You nourish and care for your body, which will someday perish.  Don’t neglect your soul, that part of you which lives on forever.  Cling to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He will turn away no one who comes to him by faith. “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” ( John 6:37).

Sisyphus Fragment wrote, “I agree with morse here. There are probably millions of people who have died never even hearing the story of Jesus. How is it just for these people to be tortured? If the creator of the universe really is this unjust god, the more noble action is to spend eternity in Hell. I would rather go to Hell knowing I did my best with the evidence provided. I would rather endure everlasting punishment beside Gandhi than sit up in Heaven watching him being punished”.

My response:

I’ve already discussed at length that all men are guilty before God and every single person is condemned by their own sin.  “None is righteous, no, not one… no one does good, not even one.” (Rom 3:10, 12)  No one has any right to claim that God has been unfair. In our natural sinful state we don’t want to be accountable to anyone for our actions.  We desire to throw off our yokes and frolic freely through life doing just as we please.  This does not include obeying his commandments or humbling ourselves, repenting of our sins and taking up our cross and following a crucified Savior.  We don’t want any of that apart from divine grace.

The Apostle Paul addressed the fairness of God’s judgment to his audience in the Epistle to the Romans.  In teaching that God has the right to have mercy on whom he will and to harden whom he will, giving Jacob and Esau as examples, Paul anticipates his readers’ objections.  “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!” (Rom 9: 14)  A couple of verses later Paul anticipates another objection.  “You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles” (Rom 9:19-24).

Every person has sinned against God and deserves eternal punishment.  The Lord has every right to have mercy on whom he will, while leaving the rest to reap what they have sown.  You may think this cruel and heartless, but we must remember that in order to have mercy on those he has chosen, God himself came to the earth in the likeness of human flesh, suffered and died for us. God was under no obligation to save any one person.  He would have been just to allow the whole human race to perish, but in his great love and mercy Christ has ‘ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth’ (Rev 5:9).  I plead with you to run to Christ, that he may have mercy on you.  ‘ But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God’ (John 1:12).

In my last post where I related a conversation with my daughter concerning the eternal fate of atheists who persist in their belief system, I received a few respectful responses from fellow bloggers of the atheistic worldview.  I decided to place my reply in a post because the commenter asked several good questions and I thought my response was a little long for the comment section.  The gentleman takes issue with the concept of God’s judgment being based on belief rather than action.  He asks:

“Are you okay with people being judged on belief rather than actions? Are you comfortable with that? Does it seem just to you?”

My reply follows:

The only way anyone can be comfortable concerning God’s righteous judgment is by belief rather than action.  If my justification depended on my actions I (and everyone else) would be doomed to damnation.  For who has led a perfectly moral, unselfish life free from hatred, jealousy and strife? I would much rather be judged on the basis of belief, if by belief you intend to convey a trust and faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  See, my belief in Christ is based on actions he performed on my behalf for my eternal good.  In a nutshell, here are three important actions Christ performed:

1.  Jesus dwelt on the earth to fulfill the righteousness of the law that I could not live up to.

2.  He died the death I deserved to die so that I never have to experience the pangs of Hell.

3.  He rose from the dead for my justification, that I might be raised to eternal life with him.

I will be judged for my belief in the actions of another.  Christ’s acts of righteousness are imputed to me and my sinful actions were imputed to him on the cross as he made satisfaction for those sins with his shed blood. Our justification can come no other way. The cross of Christ was necessary to both fulfill God’s justice and to extend mercy to his people.
So, my answer to all three of your questions is a resounding ‘Yes!’

Note:  The above concerns the judgment of believers, however, the judgment of unbelievers is very much based upon actions.  Those who don’t trust on the work Christ performed will be forced to account for their own works.  The bible plainly states that men will be judged for every idle word spoken and for every deed done in the flesh, whether good or evil.  Their unbelief is just one of many sins which they will have to give account for on the Day of Judgment.   All the protests of the wicked will forever be silenced when they stand before the majestic glory of a thrice holy God.  They will know the full extent of the wickedness of their own hearts; not one person can decry that God is unfair or unjust.

In summary, God’s judgment is fully based upon belief  – in someone’s actions.  Will we trust in our own actions to please God and fulfill all his righteousness or will we trust in the actions of the Son of God, who did what we are helpless to do in order that we may receive the gift of eternal life that we do not deserve to live?

Sola Fide!

Thursday morning I was shaken out of my mundane weekday routine by a surprising question from my teenage daughter on the way to school.  It surprised me for a couple of reasons:

1. In the past my daughter has not been open to conversing about spiritual matters.

2.  None of us are morning people.  No one is usually talkative, much less thinking about deep theological issues at 7:30ish.  I’m certain my children’s morning moods are genetically assigned by their dear old dad.  I am not conversant or even pleasant company until around 10:00  most days.

So, imagine my surprise when my daughter blurts out of the blue, “Mom got mad at me the other day.”

I only offered a muffled “Mmmph” as a reply: an indication for her to continue the thought.

“I told mom I didn’t believe atheists would ‘go down there’”, she pointed her finger downward ominously.  “She got really mad at me for saying that. What do you think?” 

I blinked hard a couple of times and opened my mouth but no words immediately tumbled out.  She had taken me completely offguard.  I didn’t expect this kind of question from her, but I knew it was a wonderful opportunity to present gospel truth.  I tried to dissipate the morning mental fog that usually blankets my mind for the better part of the morning hours and form a cognizant reply.  Thankfully, the Holy Spirit brought a scripture immediately to mind.  “Well, to be honest, the bible clearly states that atheists will most certainly go to hell.  Are you familiar with the famous John 3:16 passage?”

She shrugged, “I think so… “

“it starts out, ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’.  Belief in Christ gives us eternal life.  A couple of verses later the bible tells us what happens to those who don’t believe.  It says that those who don’t believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  Atheists don’t believe that God exists.  It logically follows that they would not believe that God sent his Son into the world to save them, thus they will will not trust on him to save them from their sins.  Any atheist who persists in his belief will perish.”

My daughter didn’t say anything for a few moments.  I glanced over and could tell that she was pondering this profound truth.  At last she replied, “But I have friends who are atheists.  I’m sure God wouldn’t send them ‘down there’.  Jenny’s an atheist, but she’s really nice!”

I had to be careful here because this was no longer a mere intellectual exercise; her emotions were now involved.  “God looks at things much differently than you and I do.  What we may judge to be nice may be judged as sin to God, who knows our every thought and deed.  People sometimes mistakenly believe since God so loves the world that he would not punish anyone for a few little sins, but the truth is, little sins to us are a very serious matter to God.  Every sin we commit is an act of open rebellion to the God who created us.  Yes, God is loving, merciful and compassionate but he is also a just God and justice must be served.  Do you think a judge who lets a murderer go free simply because he had compassion for him is a good judge?”

She shook her head.  I continued.  “Well, neither can God be good or just if lets sin go unpunished.  To God every sin committed against him is as offensive to him as murder is to us.”

All this information appeared to burden her mind so I decided to stop at that point.  I wanted her to seriously consider the holy justice and wrath aspects of God’s character before plunging into his infinite grace and mercy through Jesus Christ.  I allowed the severity of God’s law to plow the untilled soil of her heart: to remove the thorns, thistles and rocks contained therein.  When the Holy Spirit brings a strong conviction of her deep sinfulness, the gospel will suddenly become very precious to her.

Interestingly, my daughter attended adult church with me this Sunday as pastor wrapped up his series on Examples Worth Imitating with a message on the humility of Jesus. The very truths I had driven home with my daughter were reaffirmed by my pastor’s point concerning Christ humbling himself purposely so as to absorb God’s wrath and to secure God’s grace.  He boldly preached the gospel and punctuated it by reiterating what I had said concerning atheists not being saved.  My pastor said that faith in Christ is the only way of salvation and if you miss him you’ve just plain missed it!  I believe the events of this week were divinely ordained and by God’s providence my daughter has both received the law that shows her need of Christ and the gospel call which commands her to repent and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of her sins.  Saints, keep her in your prayers!

I remember going through a similar spell of angst for my unsaved friends when I was seventeen.  Unfortunately for me I didn’t have anybody to give sound answers to my questions.  I began to form my own ideas about God and his judgment.  In the process I erected my own personal idol.  My God had similar traits to the God of the bible but I threw out all the characteristics which made me uncomfortable.  My god was not the one true God.  I lived for several years clinging to my idol until the glory of the living God overshadowed me and changed my heart.  Hopefully, by standing up for God’s truth, no matter how hard it may be to accept, I can help my daughter to resist the natural human tendency to manufacture idols instead of worshiping the God of the bible.

I’m not picking on atheists in particular in this post.  I’m simply responding to a question posed by my daughter.  In her mind, atheists are obviously anti-God so she earnestly wonders about their fate.  Truth be told, agnostics, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, and Secular Humanists all share the same dilemna with atheists.  Yes, even professing Christians can share the same fate as atheists.  The question is, ‘Who has called upon the name of the Lord?  Who has believed our report that the forgiveness of sins lies only upon God’s grace through the spilled blood of Jesus,  who loved us and gave himself up for us? All men, regardless of the belief system they have either been raised with or adopted as their own, are responsible to God for either rejecting or accepting the salvation that is only available by looking unto Jesus.

Title: Truth For All Time: A Brief Outline of the Christian Faith

Author: John Calvin (Translated by Stuart Olyott)

Page Count: 77

Publisher: Banner of Truth

Readability: Easy

Genre: Systematic Theology

Synopsis: This little treasure found its way into my hands via a recommendation from my good friend and blogging buddy over at Spice Mines of Kessel.  After finishing the book he lamented that he had not read it immediately following his conversion.  He commented that he would have been much more well established in the foundations of the Christian faith from the get-go and wouldn’t have struggled nearly as much to attain the doctrinal understanding he has achieved today.  Curious, I ordered a copy immediately.  I must admit, I couldn’t agree more with his assertion.  Truth For All Time is a concise outline of the essential Christian doctrines that no believer should be deficient in. I’ll let Stuart Olyott, who translated the text from French to English, explain Calvin’s motivation for sketching an outline of the Christian faith.  This is from the book’s preface:

John Calvin knew that if the biblical truths rediscovered at the Reformation were to spread throughout the world, they would have to be presented in a form which ordinary people could understand. So, during the winter of 1536-1537, the 29-year-old Calvin wrote in French, his Brief Outline of the Christian Faith [Bre've Instruction chre'tienne]. This short book is, in fact, a resume’ of the first edition of his Institutes of the Christian Religion and many passages in it are taken word for word from that earlier work.

Calvin packed volumes of wisdom in a mere 77 pages.  Here are the major topics he covers:

• Knowing God
• Knowing Ourselves
• The Law
• Faith
• Prayer
• The Sacraments
• Church Order

In addition, Calvin touches upon these other important doctrines:

• Free Will
• Function of the Law
• Sin & Death
• Justification in Christ by Faith
• Election & Predestination
• Sanctification
• Repentance & the New Birth

A few other features of this little volume include:

• A concise, accurate summary of each of the Ten Commandments and the importance they play in the everyday life of the Christian
• Exposition upon every point of the Apostle’s Creed
• A verse-by-verse study through the Lord’s Prayer

Kudos:  Truth For All Time may quite simply be the best, most concise summary of the Christian faith ever written.  If you’ve never read Calvin you may be surprised to find how easily digestible his writings are.  He is no dry, musty old theologian who will bore you to tears with technical dissections of the Greek and Hebrew language.  John Calvin was both a theologian and a pastor. His writings reflect the love and passion he has for God and for his people.

Knocks: How much can one learn from only 77 pages?  A lot, frankly.  However, if you want more then I highly recommend Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion.  As Olyatt wrote in the above quote, the Institutes is a greatly expanded version of this book, taking the form of a thoroughly comprehensive systematic theology. Its influence on Christian thinking throughout the centuries should not be under-estimated.

Recommendations:  Whether you are a new convert or a seasoned believer, Truth For All Time will never fail to bless.  It is a beautiful reminder of both the simplicity and majesty of the redemption we have in Christ Jesus our Lord.  This book would make a wonderful tract to hand out to people we witness to in our evangelism efforts.  Monergism Books sells a paperback edition for only $1.50.  Order 10 or 20 at a time and hand out to friends, loved ones, co-workers or strangers you meet on the streets. Catechize your children with it or study it alongside your spouse.

I also recommend you check out my gold-plated friend’s take on the book at Spice Mines of Kessel.