False Christian teachings, trends….
The music video of this post is a great portrayal of the spiritual struggle that the apostle Paul describes in Romans 7. The artist, Ren, portrays the internal spiritual warfare; he even portrays the voice of the Tempter about half way through the video. A couple of reviews of the song are linked.
In the Mp3 lesson of this post, R C Sproul teaches about the making of the Mosaic covenant, the 10 Commandments and the ceremonial law. He made the topics understandable and interesting. His closing definitions about symbols and types were very interesting, particularly explanations about how the tabernacle symbolized Christ….
The Got Questions’ article of this post explains how Old Testaments events can prefigure NT events, and how that is a kind of prophecy. I wanted readers to see that because it will aid in understanding R C Sproul’s discussion of the Mosaic covenant, part 2, which is my post for tomorrow. He closed his discussion on the law by explaining symbols and types.
In this post, R C Sproul provided an explanation of God’s plan of redemption via covenants. He explained how the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants are related and many significant facts about the formation of the nation of Israel. If you are trying to understand the plot of the Bible and God’s plan of redemption, then you must understand the covenants. Part 2 of the Mosaic covenant will explain the role of the decalogue…. [My purposes in presenting this material, are to help readers discover that the Old and New Testaments are intimately connected via covenants; and that the way of salvation since Genesis 3, has been by God’s grace through Christ; and that there has only ever been ONE people of God, as is stated in Ephesians. Many believe there are two people of God: Israel and the church, because of erroneous dispensationalist dogma that have thoroughly permeated this culture for the past 190 years.]
This post contains a message by R C Sproul about the covenant God made with Adam and Eve, from his series, Promise Keeper. I already used some of Sproul’s material to show how the Abrahamic covenant was foundational to the incarnation; but I want to emphasize that more by considering the creation covenant God made with Adam and Eve and also the Mosaic covenant. The overall goal of this series is to show that the biblical account of God’s plan of redemption is addressed to His one people; furthermore, that since Genesis 3, there has only been one way of salvation, by grace via the atoning work and imputed righteousness of Christ. That is, the idea that Israel could earn salvation by any other way is biblically wrong; the idea that Israel and the church are two people of God is biblically wrong.
If you’re not familiar with Side “B” ministries let me sum them up in a nutshell. Side “B” ministries are deceptive parachurch organizations that purport to help the church minister more effectively to those who identify as LBGTQ+ and provide guidance for Christian families who have kids identifying as such. They claim to do this without ever compromising Christian orthodoxy, but this notion is untenable because these ministries promote the idea that same-sex attraction is not a morally culpable sin. Therefore it is perfectly acceptable to be a Gay-Christian as long as you stay celibate, ostensibly. …Any shepherd of the flock ought to be ready to use the rod and chase off these wolves in sheep’s clothing so that the sheep might be protected and brought to better pastures, where God’s Word is faithfully preached and the sheep faithfully discipled.
“You can’t be a Christian without being aware of the fact that God is dealing with you, is concerned about you, is doing something to you. God’s got his hands upon you.” ―Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. …”To be a Christian means that we have had an experience of the grace of God; that is essential Christianity.” Diving into Mary’s Magnificat, we see the recounting of her response to God’s work; in a sense this was the first Christian experience. More than an amazement that she would have a child was the realization of what God was doing on a larger scale. Christianity is, “the life of God in the souls of men.” It is about what God does to us, not what we have done. The mark of a Christian is the experience of God’s grace, but this does not look exactly the same for everyone.
The purpose of this post is to present videos of Luke 1-3 and text, because therein listeners can hear about the covenant with Abraham (to be posted soon) and how it was the basis of the promises that Mary and Zacharias (the father of John the Baptist) spoke of when they praised the Lord. Luke 1-3 are included in this post because those chapters emphasize the fulfillment of this covenant and they also provide a genealogy of Jesus, which connects Him to Adam, Abraham and King David.
“Are we as Christians saved by works, or by faith alone? The key to understanding what part works and faith play in the drama of redemption is to understand the biblical structure and role of covenants. Without a proper understanding of covenants we fail to grasp the grandeur of Christ’s life and work. In this message, Dr. Sproul gives us the covenantal framework of redemption that finds full resolution in the work of Christ.”
Because of Adam’s sin, the whole world became subject to sin and the rule of Satan. The devil, also called the prince of the world, blinds people from seeing and believing in the truth of the gospel. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “The Strong Man Disarmed,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes the way Christ has broken the grip that the evil one has on the world. For Jesus has bound the strong man and by the proclamation of the gospel, the works of Satan and all who follow him are destroyed.