There is a story told about the famous Cardinal Bellarmine, the great Catholic apologist who all his life fought the message of justification by an imputed righteousness alone. As he lay dying, he was brought the crucifixes and the merits of the saints to help give him assurance before death. But Bellarmine said, “Take it … Continue reading –>
The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant. Psalm 25:14 NLT We’ve all heard it said, parents and teachers cannot be friends with their children. They have to be disciplinarians instead. I saw a meme on Facebook where a mother was telling her child, “I am not your … Continue reading –>
Looking again at Genesis 15:6, we can see that various translations have rendered the term counted (Hebrew, chashab) or “reckoned” or “credited” (RSV, NIV) or “accounted.” (NKJV) The same term is employed in other texts in the books of Moses. A person or a thing is “reckoned” or “regarded” as something that person or thing is not. For instance, in Genesis 31:15, … Continue reading –>
“He believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). This verse remains one of the most profound statements in all Scripture. It helps establish the crucial truth of biblical religion, that of justification by faith alone, and it does this long centuries before Paul wrote about it in Romans. All … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: In the covenants, blood was shed for sin. Jesus paid the debt owed to the law, so we can stand righteous in the sight of God. June 19, 2021 1. Have a volunteer read I Peter 1:18,19. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in … Continue reading –>
“You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19, RSV). What does Peter mean here when he says that we were ransomed? When Peter … Continue reading –>
This quarter “The Week at a Glance” shows God’s covenant is spoken of mostly. God has made his promises (covenant) with many people in the Bible and continues to give us promises for today, hence for a theme hymn I find that I wish to keep standing on the Promises that God has given to … Continue reading –>
The Old Testament way of salvation under the Mosaic covenant is no different from the New Testament way of salvation under the new covenant. Whether in the Old or New Testament, old or new covenant, salvation is by faith alone. If it was by anything else, such as works, salvation would be something that was … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Galatians 6:14; Romans 6:23; I John 5:11, I John 5:13; Romans 4:1-7; Leviticus 7:18; Leviticus 17:1-4; Romans 5:1. Memory Verse: “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11). About seven centuries before Christ, the poet Homer wrote the Odyssey, the story … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “The highest angel in heaven had not the power to pay the ransom for one lost soul. Cherubim and seraphim have only the glory with which they are endowed by the Creator as His creatures, and the reconciliation of man to God could be accomplished only through a mediator who was equal with … Continue reading –>
