Narrative that accompanied the following video at Christian Sermons and Audio Books:
“There is no area of life which is not under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is to God and His law which all people, including governments and civil rulers, will answer. The Word of God embraces and informs the way we view marriage, the family, children, education, politics, worship, law, government, war, the church, missions, evangelism, and worship. In the world today there is a battle of opposing worldviews.
There are basically only two positions: God’s Word and man’s ideas. We stand positively for Biblical truth and negatively against man’s ideas which are opposed to Biblical truth.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope for mankind.
Because all men fall short of obeying God’s law, all men everywhere are in need of divine grace and salvation from God. This salvation is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
[The following two words are defined to enable a more accurate comprehension of the scripture below and of Pastor Hines comments:
JUSTIFICATION means to be made righteous by God; a forensic term from the courtroom. In Romans 4, the apostle Paul speaks of how God did that to Abraham because he believed God’s words.
IMPUTATION: God justifies a believer by imputation; He applies the righteous merit of Christ’s perfectly righteous life to the believer and cancels out the sinner’s debt of sin that has accrued. As thought God withdrew merit from Christ’s bank account and applied it to the believing sinner’s bank account.
Underscored words and phrases are discussed / explained by Pastor Hines]
The following points are an overview of the contents of Pastor Hines message [emboldening, underscoring and bracketed statements are mine]:
- 1 Minute mark: Pastor Hines explained ‘fencing’ the table for the practice of the Lords’ Supper
- 2M following: He began speaking of the following scripture; he focused on underscored portions
- Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
- 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
- 3M: Saul of Tarsus; Steven, the first martyr, Acts 7
- 4M: Saul and self-righteousness (s-r); s-r explained in terms of the text above; s-r, the undoing of many professed Christians
- 6M: Nominal Christianity is everywhere in the USA
- 7M: When Saul understood the gospel [the Damascus road experience of the risen Christ]
- 5M: The epistle of Romans is a systematic theology: it describes the state of the world, of sinful man; of God; what it is to be right with God; it helps Christians understand the various promises and the covenants of scripture; the role of the law [those are the sorts of things systematic theologies do]
- Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. [He explains that the purpose of the law is not to be a way of salvation; but it is to show us our sin. It makes sin stand out clearly.]
- 5M: Pastor Hines speaks openly about some of the sin in his life [Those who are truly born again will be shown their sins and their idolatry by the Holy Spirit…]
- 5M: murmuring is briefly discussed – the complaining about, rejection of God’s Providences [meant to conform us to the image of Christ]
- The Law, fencing the table: loving God and neighbor; inward conformity of thoughts, desires and motives
- 13M: The law would have sent Paul to hell except for his regeneration by the risen Lord Jesus Christ
- A commentator who called Romans 3:21-31 the greatest lines of writing on earth
- The gift of divine righteousness [he didn’t mention Ephesians 2, as he was speaking from memory and trying to keep it short: Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.]
- 15M: What the biblical law requires of a person – the reason why Romans 1:1 to 3:20 is such great news [for those who know their Bibles and don’t get their Christianity from common myths about Christianity in churches and on the streets]
- Jews and Gentiles are all under sin
- 16M: Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
- Jeremiah 23:6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’
- Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. [underlined text is in reference to the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the believing sinner]
- The righteousness of Christ’s earthly life is imputed to the believer by FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ
- Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
- That is why we need a righteousness from outside ourselves [as Martin Luther discovered afresh, St. Augustine had come to that from scriptures then it lapsed into obscurity for 500 years]
- [There is a new movie on Amazon Prime [free to members] about Luther, titled Martin Luther, a Return to Grace: https://www.amazon.com/Martin-Luther-Return-Padraic-Delaney/dp/B0B7GVSHDZ/ref=sr_1_6?crid=374YT4JU0NPK3&keywords=martin+luther&qid=1697599916&s=instant-video&sprefix=martin+luther%2Cinstant-video%2C258&sr=1-6
- [The above movie about Luther provides more history than the other versions.]
- Hines discussed underlined portions: Rom 3:24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
- At the cross, God demonstrated His love for His people and His justice
- How the cross demonstrated the above and DIVINE SATISFACTION of the sin debt of those who believe in Jesus by faith
- Some fatal erroneous spiritual thinking explained
- 22M: Christ + nothing = heaven
- Rom 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law
- Our obedience, mortification of sin… does not contribute to our salvation [if he had time to go into this matter he would have noted that the true born-again believer cares to honor God by seeking obedience…]
- He closed out his discussion on ‘fencing the table’ via the above
- He made some statements about erroneous common Christian thinking that assumes that repentance of sin and baptism puts one on the path that he has to walk obediently in via his own strength [paraphrase of his words]
The following links and narrative are from the YouTube site, Christian Sermons and Audio Books:
Video-page link: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristisLord/videos
1,197 views Oct 12, 2022
These two books are now available on Amazon. All proceeds go directly to Pastor Hines.
▶️Am I Right With God?: The Gospel, Justification, Saving Faith, Repentance, Assurance, & The New Birth https://www.amazon.com/Right-God-Just…
▶️Redrawing the Battle Lines: 23 Sermons on Critical Issues Facing the Church https://www.amazon.com/Redrawing-Batt… Gospel Meditation Romans 3:20-28 – Pastor Patrick Hines Sermon
▶️The Gospel of God’s Free Grace: An Overview of Romans Chapters 1 through 8 eBook: Pastor Patrick Hines https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN6S4MPQ
▶️Reformed Presbyterian Pulpit Supplemental (Pastor Hines’ YouTube Channel): / @reformedpresbyterianpulpit6745
▶️Bridwell Heights Presbyterian Church http://www.bridwellheightschurch.org/
▶️Pastor Patrick Hines (PLAYLIST): • Pastor Patrick Hines From church website:
We subscribe to the Westminster Standards as our doctrinal statement. It consists of the following documents:
The Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Larger Catechism
The Westminster Shorter Catechism
We also believe that Christian Worship is to be regulated and defined by God’s Word, the Bible.
Our worship services are designed to please and honor the Triune God of the Bible. We place Scripture reading and the preaching of the word of God at the center of worship along with Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These are God’s gifts to His church and ought to always be at the center of Christian worship.
We are a congregation that loves to sing God’s praises, recite His Word back to Him, and actively engage in hearing and learning from God’s Word.
We embrace and promote a comprehensive Christian world and life view.