Romans 3:28 (Protestants & Catholics)

 (Romans 3:28)"For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law."  (ESV)

To justify means to declare righteous.  This verse plainly teaches that justification is by faith alone.  In fact Martin Luther in his German translation of the Bible translated this phrase in Romans 3:28 as justified by faith alone.  We stand righteous before God by faith alone in Christ alone.  This is the Protestant position.  

But the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church declares that if anyone holds that justification is by faith alone let him be anathema (cursed, condemned).  Roman Catholicism holds that justification is by faith plus works.  God and man work together to accomplish salvation.  

Roman Catholic teaching is in clear contradiction of Romans 3:28.  The Roman Catholic Church has condemned the true gospel and is proclaiming a different gospel.  The Catholic gospel has God and man sharing the glory.  Salvation is the work of God alone and all the glory belongs to him.  Justification is by faith alone in Christ alone.  

(Romans 4:5)"And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness," (ESV)

Parts Of God?

 In recent days we have seen the Trinity defined as one God comprised of three co-equal parts.  At best this is sloppy theology, at worst this is heresy.  

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not parts of God.  The Father is not 1/3 God, the Son is not 1/3 God, and the Spirit is not 1/3 God.  The members of the Trinity are persons, not parts.  There is one God in three persons.  There is one essence or being and three persons.   Each member of the Trinity is a distinct person who is fully and completely God.  Each person of the Trinity is co-equal and co-eternal.  

Theology should never be done in a sloppy way.  The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to Christianity.  Christians and especially Christian leaders should take great care to get things precise and right because theology matters. 

ESV vs NIV (Matthew 4:19)

 (Matthew 4:19) "And he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (ESV)

(Matthew 4:19) "Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for people." (NIV) 

In this verse the ESV has "fishers of men" while the NIV has "fish for people."  The ESV rendering is more literal and traditional.  The Greek word "anthropoi" is masculine in the original language so the ESV translates it as "men."  

On the other hand the NIV 2011 edition regularly uses gender neutral language.  So it translates the Greek word "anthropoi" as "people."  The NIV is less literal and traditional than the ESV.  It is interesting to note that the NIV 1984 edition had "fishers of men."  

ESV, NASB 1995, NKJV, KJV, all have "fishers of men."  

NIV, CSB, NLT, NASB 2020, NRSV, all have "fish for people" or something similar. 

Pride Month

 In case you did not know June is Pride Month.  The purpose of Pride Month is to celebrate the LGBTQ community.  The LGBTQ movement is being promoted by government, corporations, the education system, the entertainment industry, the news media, the sports media, and even some inside the church.  There seems to be a lot of confusion in our society.  So to clear things up we turn to the Lord Jesus himself.  

(Matthew 19:4-5)"He answered, Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?"  (ESV) 

In this passage Jesus quotes from Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24.  Here we have the Son of God affirming the authority of Scripture because it is the Word of God.  

"He who created them from the beginning made them male and female", just think about that.  This one verse alone refutes the whole notion of transgenderism.  God made you male or female, man or woman.  You are who God created you to be and have no authority to try and change that.  Transgenderism is a sin, it is rebellion against God's creative design.  

God created them male and female, Adam and Eve.  A man is to marry a woman and have sexual relations with her.  People of the same sex cannot get married or become one flesh.  Homosexuality is a violation of God's design for marriage and sexuality.  It is a sin, rebellion against God's creative design.  

Pride Month is simply a celebration of sin and rebellion against God.  All those in the LGBTQ community and all those who give their approval to such things need to repent of their sin and trust Christ alone for salvation. 

Understanding The Trinity

 The doctrine of the Trinity is very important and foundational to Christianity, but many people do not understand it.  God is totally unique so he cannot be compared to anything else.  

Christian apologist James R. White provides the following definition of the Trinity in his book The Forgotten Trinity, "Within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal and co-eternal persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."  

There is one God that exists in three persons.  There are not three Gods, there is one God.  The Trinity is not composed of one person, it is composed of three persons.    Each person of the Trinity is distinct while having the same divine nature.  The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Holy Spirit.  The members of the Trinity have different roles but the same unified purpose.  

Each person of the Trinity has always existed, none of them were created.  All three members of the Trinity are also equal.  One person of the Trinity is not less God than another person of the Trinity.  The persons of the Trinity are not parts of God.  Each person of the Trinity is fully and completely God.  

While the term "Trinity" is not found in the Bible it is plainly and clearly taught.  The doctrine of the Trinity is also not a contradiction.  If we were saying there are three persons and one person or one essence and three essences that would be a contradiction.  There are three persons of one essence or being. 

The Chinese Communist Party Bible

 The Voice Of The Martyrs has reported that the Chinese Communist Party plans to "update" the Bible.  This Bible version will be made to reflect Communist values and beliefs.  It will also include notes from Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist sources.  

An example from the Chinese Communist Party Bible version comes from John 7:53-8:11 (the story of the woman caught in adultery).  In the CCP Bible the passage ends with Jesus stoning the woman himself and saying I am also a sinner.  

It is disputed as to whether John 7:53-8:11 is part of the original Gospel of John, but it does serve to show what the Chinese Communist Party is willing to do.  They are actually willing to change the very Word of God.  I would hate to be a Chinese Communist Party member on judgment day. 

Knowledge And Foolishness

 (Proverbs 1:7)"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."  (ESV)  

This verse provides the central teaching of the book of Proverbs.  In Proverbs we have the constant contrast between wisdom and folly.  

God is sovereign and omniscient.  He is in control of all things and he knows all things. Therefore God is the foundation of all knowledge.  

If one does not presuppose the God of the Bible then he cannot even have knowledge.  Without God it would be impossible to know anything.  Sinful man tries to set himself up as the ultimate standard and authority but this is an impossibility.  

Unbelievers must leave their own worldview and borrow from the Christian worldview in order to have a basis for knowledge.  They cannot live consistently within their own worldview. 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom.  The rejection of God and the exaltation of the self is the height of foolishness.