now before the children break? Okay. We’re gonna have a Presbytery preview because Presbytery is scheduled to meet tomorrow and so our clerk can give us a preview at Presbytery and then when we come back next week we’ll tell you what actually happened. The postgame report.
Okay, so our fall presbytery is meeting tomorrow in Berry, Vermont at Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Our commissioner is Barry Johnson this year for this meeting. Chris is a member of presbytery, so he goes, and I will be going to clerk. So, I think it’s important, first of all, to understand that Barry is a commissioner and not a delegate. A delegate is a representative of the body. Barry has been commissioned to this meeting to make decisions for the church, so you can’t You know, you can tell him what you feel about the issues and stuff, but it’s his decision. It’s where we have given him, just like a prophet in a sense has been commissioned, he has been given that authority, if you will, in voting.
So, it’s very important to note that he’s not a delegate. He’s not a representative, you know. I can go to political parties, but I won’t. So anyway, that’s just important to know. I was thinking about that on the way here. I mean, you can certainly talk to Barry about issues, but he’s his own mind on this, and obviously Chris is, too, in his voting. I am not a commissioner, so I will not be able to vote.
I think the big highlight of this presbytery meeting is going to be the examination of Dylan Rowland, who has been called to our, really our sister, sister church up at Emmanuel Chapel in Upton. This is great news. They’ve been looking for a pastor there for a long time. So it’s going to be, that’s going to be one of the biggest joys of the meeting is to hear his testimony. So we’re looking forward to that.
Also, two men will be coming under care in the presbytery, men who are seeking the gospel ministry. And the Lord is very good because we need gospel ministers as we’re all well aware. So this is also an exciting time to take these men under care and as they are helped along in their ministry, their daily lives, their studies towards the gospel ministry. Also at the fall presbytery, we have elections.
We will be electing the moderator and treasurer this year. Moderator is reelected every year. We expect Mr. Jonathan Looney to continue. He wishes to continue to serve. Our treasurer is Peter Bacon. He will continue to serve. The three officers of the presbytery are the moderator, the clerk, and the treasurer. I come up for reelection next year. committees, we will have committee members up for re-election. So that, as well as just the reports from all the committees of our presbytery. So with that, I turn it back over to you.
Any questions? Yes. Any more movement on rebuildment there? No. Maybe we’ll hear something from Jeremiah about this. But no, nothing that I’ve heard. We’ll stand by for the post-game report on that, okay? Other questions? All right, thank you. I almost called him Mr. Moderator. All right, before we’re dismissed to our Sunday school classes, let’s talk about the shorter catechism.
What’s the answer to this question? What is the chief end of man? From somebody under the age of 32. This is the softball. Yes. Yes, please. Excellent. Excellent. Good work. All right. How about this one? What is God? This is the one we studied last week. What is God? It’s a big question, isn’t it? Yes, sir. Wow. Nice work. Thank you. We don’t have time today to talk about that, but how about this one? Are there more gods than one? Very nice. Very nice. There’s only one God in three persons? I like that answer. There’s but one only, the living and true God. What does it mean that God is living?
Is that important? Is it important? Could you have life if he were not living? No. Okay, so it’s kind of important. Is it important that he’s true? Can you believe him? Yes? Okay, that’s important, right? Is it also important that there’s only one? Yes. Here’s the big question, here’s the bonus question for today. Can you give me one scripture verse that tells us there is only one God? Just one. Deuteronomy. Yes, Deuteronomy, what, 6? Deuteronomy 6, maybe? OK, something for us to study. All right.
Elder Johnson, Arne Johnson, would you pray for our Sunday school classes? that they will absorb and read and take into their heart. Bless Grace Ann as she teaches, and bless this lesson too as we consider the five solas and also take them to heart. And with the end being that we live these truths in our lives day to day, guide us through these classes, Lord, and may you glorify in Jesus’ name.
Amen. Amen. Thank you. All right, you are dismissed. All right, so what are we studying? Five Solas, very good. This is not Knox School of Theology, but as I said, this is where I’m taking this. So you have a preview of, Lord willing, what will happen at Knox in the beginning of November. So let’s turn to Let’s give attention to the very Word of God, 1 Corinthians 15, beginning at verse 12.
Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ. who we did not raise, if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you’re still in your sins.
And those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. And if in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But, in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive, but each in his own order. Christ, the first fruits, then it is coming, those who belong to Christ.
Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he’s put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when it says, all things are put in subjection, it is plain that he has accepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, the son himself. we can find these doctrines.
Five Solas are not exactly Reformation slogans, but they serve as a good summary of the Reformed faith. Neither Martin Luther nor John Calvin nor any other Protestant reformer summarizes teaching in a tidy list, including scripture alone, Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone, to the glory of God alone. Taking flight in the 19th and 20th centuries, this five-fold summary became the shorthand version of what is known as Reformed theology. That’s from Ligonier. So as we think of Reformed theology, the five solas are just a summary, just a touching upon them, in a sense, in response to the false teachings of the Church of the time.
So the five solas. Sola Scriptura, that’s what we did last week. Solus Christus, by Christ alone. Sola Fide, by faith alone. Sola Gratia, by grace alone. Salideo gloria, glory to God alone. Those are the five solas. Anybody remember anything we did from last week? Sola Scriptura. Anything. Just encourage your teacher. One thing. Okay. That’s okay. We’ll touch on it. So, a definition.
The Reformation Prison Bill of Sola Scriptura has to do with the sufficiency of scripture as our supreme authority in all spiritual matters. Sola Scriptura simply means that all truth necessary for our salvation in spiritual life is taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture. So that’s Sola Scriptura, Scripture alone.
We don’t go to the Encyclopedia Britannica to learn about faith. We don’t go to the Encyclopedia Britannica to learn about our Savior. Everything with regard to spiritual matters, our supreme authority, is in Scripture. We don’t go to traditions. We don’t go to the pronouncements of the Pope. You don’t say, well, Chris Cashin said this.
No, it’s scripture, scripture alone, all truth necessary for salvation and spiritual life taught explicitly or implicitly. Can you think of one thing that’s taught implicitly in scripture with regard to spiritual matters? Trinity, thank you. Exactly what I was thinking of. Is the word trinity in scripture? Can we find the trinity in scripture?
Yes. OK. Implicit. All right. Sola Scriptura proclaims that God’s word is sufficient for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that you may be equipped for every good work, for everything you need to come to faith in Christ, justification, and sanctification in his sight. From Mr. Van Dorn. Again, a definition of Sola Scriptura. Questions on that? OK. We’ve got this under our belt, right? Next time we come to the class, I’ve got it. I’ve got Solus Scriptura. All right. Solus Christus.
When we discuss the Reformation slogans, Solus Christus, it is important, this is from Ligonier, to understand the precise point of dispute. I had a comment last time, and it was a good comment. Well, let’s talk about… the charismatic movement and how this speaks against the charismatic movement, or let’s talk about how this speaks against it as well. And those are good things, and we should.
But Solus Christus and the five solas are, in a sense, a very broad-brush summary of what the reformers were teaching in response to the Church of Rome. because the Church of Rome had gone off the rails, and so they were seeking to bring the Church back on the rails. And so, not that they had this tidy list, we know that, but they were teaching these things, Christ alone, Christ alone. So that’s why we were constantly referring back to the Church of Rome or the Roman Catholic Church. When we discuss the Reformation slogan, Solus Christus, it is important to understand the precise point of dispute The Reformers did not reject the Roman Catholic Church’s doctrine of the person of Christ.
Important. Not rejecting their doctrine on the person. Nicene Trinitarianism and Chaldean Christology, which address the person and identity of Christ, were not the issues of debate and disagreement. The theologians of the Reformed churches readily used the biblical and theological arguments of patristic and medieval theologians to defend traditional Trinitarianism and Christology.
Who is Christ? So that wasn’t the disagreement. They weren’t saying that the Roman Catholic Church had gone off the rails with regard to who Jesus is. It’s not the person of Christ. The problem was the work of Christ. So you may have to divide those two things. Theology is much about making divisions, neat lines. And so they’re making a neat line and saying, well, you know, you got the person right. Your problem is the work of Christ. and your sin atoned for. Because if it’s not, what remains?
The wrath of God. And that’s exactly what Adam was told in the garden. Lord God, man of man, you may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for the day you eat of it you shall surely die. Did Adam die that day? Spiritually. Did he die physically? No. He continued to live. He had children. But he died spiritually. And here we see he drove the man out. It’s just impossible for Adam to get back on his own. And then we see the reality of eternity, don’t we?
From Mark chapter nine, your eye causes you to sin. Tear it out. It’s better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than two eyes to be thrown into hell. where their worm does not die, and the fire’s not quenched. This is just a picture of hell. It’s forever, and it’s forever torment. It’s the wrath of God poured out upon a unrepentant sinner without stop. I’m curious, what is this thing about the worm, worm not dying? What does that mean? I get the fire. I get the unquenchable fire. But the worm, not dying, what does that mean? What do worms do to a cadaver, a dead body in the ground? They continue to eat.
And this is an eternal death, where the worms never stop consuming you. That’s the idea. That’s the wrath of God. That’s the reality of eternity. Okay, so, questions about the need for salvation? Anyone? All right, we’re convinced? We need to be saved. All right.
Who’s the only Savior? The only Savior is Jesus. How can the gap between sinners and the Holy God be bridged, reconciled? How can the wrath of God be satisfied? How can the unrighteous, the sinful be made righteous? How can one pass from eternal death to eternal life? Okay, so those are the things you should be thinking about as we go through this and identify the Savior. So how can the gap be bridged? Psalm 136, give thanks to the Lord for he’s good, for his steadfast love endures forever. His steadfast love endures forever. What’s salvation based on? What’s the sending of the Savior founded in? Why was he even sent? The steadfast love of God.
That’s how this gap can be bridged. It’s only by and through the steadfast love of God. We have to remember that and keep that before us. for God so loved the world. Interesting that John would include this little word here in our English versions, I get it.
But it’s this deep, eternal, everlasting, unchangeable love. That’s the basis, that’s the foundation of the bridge that’s going to be built to gap that The void that we have, the inability of us to get to God. Everlasting and deep. Steadfast love of God. The purpose. Well, why would the gap be bridged at all?
1 John 4. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. It’s the purpose of sending the Son, at least on its face. In John 6, for this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. It’s his decree. And it’s also that his love would be shown forth. That’s what manifest means, to show forth the love of God. in the sending of his son to save sinners from eternal misery and death.
Reconciled, Romans 5, for if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by his life. The gap can be bridged by and through what we call reconciliation, this bringing two parties who are at war together. And he does that through his son. And you who once alienated and hostile in mind doing evil deeds, he’s now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death. In order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. That’s how the gap can be bridged. as Jesus reconciles and makes you holy and blameless so that now He can present you to that holy, holy, holy God.
So how can the wrath of God be satisfied? It must be satisfied, right? Canons of Dort, second main point, article two, since however we ourselves cannot give this satisfaction or deliver ourselves from God’s anger, God in his boundless mercy has given us as a guarantee his only begotten son who is made to be sin and a curse for us in our place on the cross in order that he might give satisfaction for us. Why does the wrath of God need to be satisfied?
Can’t he just kind of look the other way? Why not? He’s a just God. Yes. His justice, because he’s a righteous God, his justice must be satisfied. His words are true. We studied that, right? He’s living in true God. He told Adam, the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. And that’s got to come to pass. Adam must die or someone must die in his place.
We can’t deliver ourselves. We can’t satisfy God’s wrath. Why can’t I satisfy God’s wrath? You ever think about that? Why can’t I satisfy it? but God is an infinite God. And so in a sense, every sin, even the so-called small sins, are infinite sins. So how can infinite be satisfied? Right. You have sinned against God infinitely because he’s infinite. His offense is infinite. And as a result, his wrath or his justice is equally infinite. How can a finite creature satisfy infinite wrath? Impossible. David, did you have something?
I was just going to say, I think because we live in a society today that we try to level everybody out to being the same, this sometimes doesn’t make sense to people. In the past, with positions of authority, if you did things to people of higher statuses, people would recognize this immediately. If you said something to somebody who was just a commoner next to you, you wouldn’t get in trouble necessarily. You do it to a police officer. Very good.
Thank you We just answered that question good It must be satisfied far be it for me to do such a thing to put the righteous this is Abram Abraham speaking now really to a pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fares the wicked. Far be that from you, shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just. Yes, Abram knew it. From Nahum, the Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear guilty.
And from Nehemiah, yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. So how can the wrath be satisfied? Only by Jesus Christ. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Such a powerful verse. Such a powerful verse.
The wrath of God can be satisfied only by your sins being laid upon the sinless one, Jesus Christ, the God-man, who suffered the eternal, and he’s able to suffer the eternal wrath of God, suffered in your place, so that you might become the righteousness of God.
The Savior had to be fully human. Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Why did he have to be human? Because he had to stand in your place. He had to be one who was tempted as you are, and yet pure and innocent and holy. A cow can’t stand in your place. Only one who is just like you, except for sin. Why was it requisite that the meat-eater should be man?
This is a larger catechism. that he might advance our nature, perform obedience to the law, suffer, make intercession for us in our nature, have fellow feelings of our infirmities, that we might receive the adoption of sons and have comfort and access with boldness under the throne of grace. That’s one. He had to be divine. John 1, 1, in the beginning was the word, who’s the word?
Jesus and the word was with God and the word was God and he was in the he was in the beginning with God And the word became flesh Dwelt among us and we have seen his glory glory is of the only son from the father full of grace and truth Why was it requisite the mediator should be God again the larger catechism That he might sustain and keep the human nature from sinking under the infinite wrath of God. You can’t satisfy the wrath of God you’re finite, but Jesus the God-man is sustained and is human nature kept from sinking under the infinite wrath of God and the power of death to give worth and efficacy to his sufferings, his obedience, his intercession, to satisfy God’s justice, procure his favor, purchase a peculiar people, to give spirit to them, conquer all their enemies, and bring them to everlasting salvation. These guys just brought all kinds of stuff together from Scripture, didn’t they? How can the unrighteous be made righteous?
2 Corinthians 5. In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we’re ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
That’s how. It’s imputation. It’s imputation of Christ’s righteousness to you. Not because you’re a good person. Any good people here? No. You only become good in Christ. You only become good as He gives you His righteousness. As He takes your sin upon Himself, and in return, He gives you His righteousness. That’s how the unrighteous can become righteous.
How can one pass from eternal death to eternal life? Romans 8, therefore there’s no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. That’s how, in Christ, it can be brought from death to life.
Isn’t that the picture we have of the empty tomb on the day of resurrection? Christ going from death to life, the first fruits. And in Christ, there is no condemnation. So you’re made alive. As you die with Christ, you’re reborn with Christ. All right, questions on that part of your need for salvation, and your Savior is Christ.
Have I shown that in the scriptures? Okay. Now, can we add to Jesus? Is it okay to say, well, yes, Jesus did a lot, but there’s more that I need to do. I need to do some things. Or maybe somebody else needs to do some things. Is that okay? No additions. Scripture teaches us so very clearly. There can be. If you’re actually going to be saved by Jesus, there can be no additions to him. This is from comingintheclouds.org. It’s about the Catholic doctrine. Mary is readily referred to as holy, the mother of God, official Catholic dogma. With prayers to her proclaimed in 600 AD, it has been dubbed the co-redemptrix. What does co mean? You’re next to this one, right? You’re alongside this one. You’re working with this one, co.
Thereby making her an object of idolatrous worship. The Rosary has 10 prayers to Mary, for each one directed to God. In 1923, Pope Pius XI sanctioned Pope Benedict XV’s pronouncement that Mary suffered with Christ, and that with him she redeemed the human race. And Pope Pius XII officially designated Mary the Queen of Heaven and Queen of the World. Okay, that’s the problem, right?
One of them. Adding to Christ. Alongside Christ. Suffering with Christ. But the scriptures tell us so very clearly you can’t add to Jesus and still be saved. Acts 15. Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, unless you’re circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you can’t be saved. What’s that? Is that adding to the work of Jesus? Oh, yes. Yes.
Yes, you need to believe in Jesus, but you’ve got to be circumcised as well. No circumcision, no salvation. Circumcision is a work, isn’t it? for circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law. But if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.
So what’s Paul saying? Well, yes, he’s saying that. He’s certainly saying that. Great, get circumcised if you’re gonna keep the whole law, because then it will be of value. But if you break a portion of the law, then it’s of no value. So he’s saying, if you are a perfect, innocent law keeper, praise God. But if not, you have a problem. So circumcision is of no value if you break any part of the law. Who keeps the law? Only one.
For freedom, oh this is such a powerful verse from Galatians as Paul’s writing to that church. For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm therefore, do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. What’s he talking about? What’s the yoke of slavery? It’s the law, the law for salvation. Look, I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. So he’s speaking against those who are proclaiming.
You need to be circumcised. Yeah, believe in Jesus, but you also need to be circumcised. Believe in Jesus, but you also need to do this. Believe in Jesus, you need to do that. Paul’s saying. No, if you accept circumcision, if you think, if you believe that you’ve gotta work in addition to what Jesus did, Jesus is gonna be of no advantage to you, you’re not gonna be saved. That’s what he’s saying. No additions. And he continues, I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
You’re severed from Christ. That’s powerful language. You’re severed from Christ. you who’d be justified by the law. You’ve fallen away from grace. This is a powerful four verses to take your friends to who are in the Roman Catholic Church and who proclaim that you need to work for your salvation in addition to trusting in Jesus.
For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, and much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through that one man, Jesus Christ. There’s nothing in here about adding something to Jesus or that there are two men or there’s one man and his mother or just one man. No additions. 1 Corinthians 15, and if Christ is not me, we read this.
Your faith is futile if he hasn’t been raised. You’re still in your sins. Again, that’s a powerful verse. If Jesus hasn’t been raised, you’re still in your sin. You can’t work him off. It’s impossible. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we’re of all people most to be pitied. but Christ has been raised, the first fruits of those who fall asleep.
All right. Have I convinced you that you cannot add to Jesus? Okay. All right, questions? We got about a minute. Exactly, yes? I wanna go back to the beginning, sacramental, but to the Roman Catholic. Yes. When I first became a Presbyterian, I had a real hard time with the word sacrament. The only time I heard it was with the Catholic Church. That ain’t true. OK. Yeah, I understand. Good.
A lot of Roman Catholic theologians will tell you that there’s no requirements for Christians to pray to Mary or anything. Any of the saints, you don’t need to do that. It’s like an additional thing to ask for more help. But then priests will require you in doing penance to give Hail Marys, which is a requirement for your salvation. So there’s a lot of back and forth they play to get Protestants to get convinced Not always easy to follow the Catholic doctrine or the proclamations of it. All right, let’s pray.
Father, we thank you for Christ. What a joy it is just to be reminded of who he is and what he’s done. Lord, I pray that you’d help us never to seek to add to what our Savior has done in his perfection, in his perfect atonement, in his powerful resurrection, in his ascension, and certainly now as he mediates and intercedes for us. We thank you for our King and our priest, our prophet, and we look forward to his return. Help us now, Lord, as we consider entering into worship. Prepare our hearts for that. We praise you and ask