The Bondage of the Will. (by Martin Luther)
Sola Gratia(Grace Alone) with Servo Di Dio and Aris Dela Cruz ... Bologna Italy
Sola Fide (Faith Alone) with Servo Di Dio and Aris Dela Cruz
Reflections on the book "The Bruised Reed" by Richard Sibbes.
The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes
Please finish the video to understand the outline of the book "The Bruised Reed" by Richard Sibbes.
----PROFITABLE REFLECTIONS----
➢ Christ must be the center of our life.
➢ When faced with infirmities, we should look at the suffering and sacrifices Christ endured on the cross.
➢ We should draw near to God through Christ through meditation, reading of the Scriptures, prayers.
➢ When discourage, bear in mind that discouragement is from ourselves and Satan and not from God, not
from Christ and not from the Spirit.
➢ We should love and have mercy towards weak Christians. Praying for them. Being careful not to offend
them but humbly correct them in love.
➢ Let us be strong in the Lord. #everyone #reformed @followers
THE REFORMED PASTOR/ Richard Baxter
To understand the content, finish the video.
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THE NATURE OF THE OVERSIGHT OF THE MINISTER - ACTS 20:28
1. See that the work of saving grace be thoroughly wrought in your own souls. Be a justified, a sanctified man.
Who is faithful to his Master’s work. Who fully understand, believe and cherish the Savior whom you offer
to the sinners. IT SHOULD BE ONE OF OUR FIRST CARES THAT WE OURSELVES BE SAVED MEN.
(Spurgeon, 2020, Chapter 1)
2. Do not be content with being in a state of grace. Your divine virtues and talents must be actively and lively
exercise, preaching your sermons to yourselves first before preaching them to others.
3. Take heed to yourselves, lest your example contradict your doctrine. Don’t be a stumbling block before the
blind. Maintain your innocence, and walk without offense. Mortify sin and live a holy life.
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THE MOTIVES OF THE OVERSIGHT - 1 Corinthians 9:27
1. You have a heaven to win or lose. You are responsible for the souls that will be save or be in hell forever.
2. You have a deprived nature and sinful tendencies as well as others. Be careful and in the oversight of your
own souls for you are also a sinner.
3. You are exposed to greater temptations than other men. The enemy is at work to destroy you.
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THE NATURE OF THIS OVERSIGHT Of THE FLOCK - 1 Peter 5:2
1. Each church should have a pastor to watch over their souls and duties owe to each other.
2. Pastoring in a church that you are capable of overseeing. (Matthew 9:38) Work with all you might. Be
acquainted not only with the person but with the state of all people.
3. Be ready to disciple those who are truly converted. Study building them up.
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THE MOTIVES OF THE OVERSIGHT OF THE FLOCK - Hebrews 13:17
1. The pastors or bishop are overseers. Be a guide for the flock and not an idol.
2. Consider your work as voluntary.
3. Consider that you have the honor of serving God. @followers #everyone #reformedth
This is My Father's World
Psalms 19:1
The heavens tell of the glory of God; And their expanse declares the work of His hands.
WHY JESUS IS LORD?
Romans 10:9
“Swear,” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” “86 years have I have served him,” Polycarp declared, “and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”
The early church endured waves of persecution from the society and government of the Roman Empire. They were demanded to deny their faith or be killed. The earliest chronicle of martyrdom outside the New Testament was that of Polycarp, the second century bishop of Smyrna. When arrested and being brought to the arena he was asked and persuaded to deny Christ and to confess that Caesar is lord. In doing so, he could have saved his life but he refused and was murdered.
Caesar to be referred to as kurios is not uncommon in those times. In the original Greek, kurios simply means “sir” (a polite and slightly exalted way of referring to another person). But it is different when Rome applied it to the emperor. When kurios is applied to the emperor or Caesar, it signified divinity. Polycarp was a faithful Christian and he could not accept violating the most basic principle of faith. (Deuteronomy 6:14; Exodos 20:3).
The Old Greek version of the Old Testament (Septuagint)
• Septuagint translates the Hebrew Yahweh and Adonai as kurios.
• Yahweh is the revealed name of God in Hebrew and Adonai is one of His titles.
• The most important title for God in the Septuagint is kurios or “Lord”. (which is also quoted in the New Testament)
• When kurios is used in this sense:
- It conveys the idea of “one who is absolutely sovereign”.
- It is an exalted title, conveying God’s sovereignty and divine power.
- It is an exceptional proof of Jesus’ divinity when it is applied to Him.
- “Lord” is the name above all names that is given to our Savior when the Father exalts Him. Lord indicates Jesus as sovereign God. (Romans 10:9; 1 Peter 3:15
The early Christians like Polycarp who refused to confess Caes
Free Will in Reformed View
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John Calvin and Jonathan Edward says our will is in bondage of sin, we have no moral ability to choose God (bondage of the will). Apart from Jesus Christ, we are all dead in sin (Eph. 2:1), we don’t want God in our thinking, and wholly disposed to hate God. We only want darkness, and so we freely choose to reject Him.
We freely choose to love and to serve Jesus only if the Spirit changes our hearts, divine initiative theological term Regeneration (rebirth) (John 3:1-8). Otherwise, we remain lost. Paul explains in Romans 7:9 passage that even those regenerated by the Spirit face a conflict of desires.
If we believe in God’s promises, we have a new disposition, but sometimes our old sinful nature raises its ugly head. Sometimes we do not rely on God’s grace but let evil desires become stronger than our desire to love Jesus; thus, we sin. Yet by the Spirit we may strengthen our desire for the Lord and so choose righteousness. Pray that you would long to serve Him above all else.
Those who are not reformed, their argument is the never ending story of robot. (Just what RC said, "We are in trouble in the sight of a Holy and Just God because of our will.")
Yes we are volitional creatures. We can make decision. We can choose whatever we want. But after the fall, our will is corrupted and tainted by sin. We did not lose our will, but we do and think what God hates. In other words, we don't want God in our thinking. Beginning, Genesis 6:5 NASB1995
[5] Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And after two chapters,
Genesis 8:21 NASB1995
[21] The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.
Jeremiah 17:9 NASB1995
[9] “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
In the New Testament,
Mark 7:21 NASB1995
[21] For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,
Ephesians 2:1-3 NASB1995
[1] And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, [2] in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. [3] Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
And many more passages in the Scripture.
That's why we need the Divine Grace of a Holy and Just God.
Jonah 2:9 NASB1995
[9] But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord.”
Salvation in the Bible
In the Bible, the question of being saved is the supreme question. The subject matter of the Sacred
Scriptures is the subject of Salvation. Jesus as the Savior. It is the role of the Savior to save. The question is, saved
from what?
The term salvation in the Bible is broad and wide. It does not necessarily mean the doctrine of salvation. In
its simplest form the verb to save means “to be rescued from a dangerous threatening situation.” It can be recovering
from a fatal illness, you experience salvation. We read that when Israel wins against their enemy, she is said to be
saved. when their crops are protected; when they are warned about famine or plague- that is salvation. Salvation
means to be rescued from some calamity. Nonetheless, in a certain way, the Bible uses the term salvation to refer to
our ultimate redemption from sin and reconciliation to God.
Salvation is from the ultimate calamity — the judgment of God. Ultimate salvation is accomplished by
Christ who “delivers us from the wrath to come. “(1 Thes. 1:10)
➢ It is very clear in the Bible that there will be a day of judgment
➢ All humans will be held accountable before the tribunal of God.
➢ It will be the day when God will pour out His wrath against the wicked and impenitent.
➢ It will be the ultimate holocaust, the darkest hour, the worst calamity in human history.
Ultimate salvation is to be delivered from God’s wrath, which will certainly come upon the world.
➢ Is the rescue operation Christ performs for His people as their Savior.
The term salvation is used not only in many senses but in many tenses. In virtually every possible tense of
the Greek language, the verb to be save appears. The Bible says that we have been saved from the foundation of the
world (past sense is used for salvation). But it also uses the imperfect tense and says, we were being saved (by the
work of God in history). We are saved (by being in a justified state).
