The Five Solas: By Faith Alone Part 2
In this series of the Five Solas, we are going to be forced to touch on some sensitive topics that are taught in some churches. We are in no way trying to alienate ourselves. We have good friends that follow some of these teachings. All we are trying to do is break down the truths of the Word of God, and let the chips fall where they may. We love you guys, and appreciate deep friendships from people that disagree with us.
By Faith Alone Part 2
Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?
A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.
Q. 3. What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.
Our purpose, is to glorify God. The spiritual gifts are designed to draw people to a closer walk with God. They are designed to point people to Christ, not us. This means that everything we do should be to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. With this foundation, we will begin a part two abbreviated argument for: By Faith Alone.
In the New Testament Gospels, most of the Old Testament manuscripts were written in Hebrew. Jesus is raising up disciples to go share about Him to the rest of the world. The problem is that the Bible was not written in every language. This means that the Holy Spirit had to ordain some spiritual gifts that would operate on an as needed basis, all for the purpose of reaching a lost world.
Speaking in tongues have been distorted from their original purpose to be used as a measurement of a person's salvation. They are being used to measure how much of the Holy Spirit a person has inside of them. The problem with this line of thinking is that we cannot have less of the Holy Spirit based on what we have or haven't done. This goes against "By Faith Alone."
Acts 2 gives us a great definition of this. There were many different nationalities and languages represented. They did not have the Bible in their language. The Holy Spirit came down on them in a way that everyone heard the Good News of the entire Bible in their own language. This also follows the correction that Paul lays out in 1 Corinthians. Their is to be a translator whenever someone speaks in an unknown tongue. Let me explain. If I take a team on a mission trip to the countryside of Mongolia. God allows me to begin speaking to the Mongolian people in their language. At the same time, I would need a translator to let my team know what is going on, otherwise there would be some confusion. Tongues is to be used as a legitimate language for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission to the uttermost parts of the world. Due to the fact that the Bible has been translated into so many different languages, the Bible is on so many different phone apps, etc. the need for tongues is not as prevalent. This does not mean that God no longer uses tongues to glorify Himself. It simply means that it is not as needed.
In no way shape or form was tongues ever to be used as a faith plus tongues equals salvation, baptism of the spirit, fullness of the spirit, etc. Once a person has been adopted by the God, then they have every part of the Holy Spirit. It is unbiblical to think that a person only receives a percentage of God until they speak in tongues. Martin Luther said, “God’s approval isn’t based on what a person does. Rather, he accepts what a person does because he already approves of the person. The person hasn’t earned God’s approval through any good that he or she does." Sinclair Ferguson said, “The weakest faith gets the same strong Christ as does the strongest faith.”
Salvation can only be based on the righteousness of God, not by our decisions, choices, etc. Holiness and righteousness cannot be based on a three strikes guideline. This is the foundational teaching of a postmodern worldview. Allowing this type of thinking to infiltrate our theology is humanizing Jesus. Faith plus anything else is a lie that mirrors the Catholic Church of the 1500's.
Ephesians 2: 1-10
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Comments
Post a Comment