Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast
When the term Reformed theology is used, it often refers to something less historical. Often it refers to a theology that acknowledges the doctrine of predestination and holds to a high view of the Bible as God’s inerrant Word. Sometimes it is also identified with the so-called five points of Calvinism: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. These are all important teachings of the Reformed tradition, but they do not fully encapsulate or describe Reformed theology.
A better starting place is five statements that have been called the five solas of the Reformation. These five solas (sola is the Latin word for “only” or “alone”) are sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), and soli Deo gloria (God’s glory alone). Put together, these solas clearly express the central concerns of the Protestant Reformation, which was about worship and authority within the church as much as it was about individual salvation. The “alone” in each is vital, and they emphasize the sufficiency of God’s Word and the gracious nature of salvation, received by faith alone, in Christ alone. The last of the five solas, soli Deo gloria, is the natural outworking of the first four. It reminds us that Reformed theology understands all of life in terms of the glory of God. To be Reformed in our thinking is to be God-centered. Salvation is from the Lord from beginning to end, and even our existence is a gift from Him.
Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast
A Spotlight on the Scriptures: Mark 4:10-12: Unveiling the Purpose of Parables and Spiritual Enlightenment
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a spotlight on the Scripture, Mark 4:10-12 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.
Some people didn't understand the parable, so they asked Jesus about it. He used parables more often after His enemies rejected His teachings and the crowds became apathetic to spiritual truths. People were interested in His miracles, but not in their deeper meaning.
Jesus used parables to spark their interest. Due to the aggression of His enemies and the indifference of the crowds, parables became necessary. This way, those truly seeking righteousness would understand, and those desiring spiritual truth would have their eyes opened.
Paul explains in 1 Corinthians that God's spiritual truths are revealed by His Spirit, not understood through human wisdom alone. We can help people understand spiritual truths, but they must be open to them first. If someone's heart and eyes are open and they want to know, God's Spirit will make these truths real to them.
We sometimes say people will be lost if they don't accept Christ as their Savior. They are already lost; they will remain lost if God doesn’t draw them to believe in the forgiveness of their sins. Your reaction to God's Word determines if you are saved.
Here's an illustration: 1 Peter tells us to long for the pure milk of the Word. Many of us want the Word but mix it with other information. As a child at the Alabama State Fair, I loved candied apples. Apples are healthy, but once dipped in sugar, they lose their nutritional value, even though they taste good. A candied apple is sweet but diluted because something with no value was added. Many of us read, hear, and talk about the Word, but then dilute its value by adding human viewpoints. May we long for the pure milk of the Word.
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this is a spotlight on the scriptures mark 4, 10 through 12. And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables and he said to them To you has been given the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven. Some people don't understand the parables, so they ask Jesus about it. He used parables more often after his enemy rejected his teaching and the crowd became apathetic to spiritual truths. People were interested in his miracles, but not in their deeper meaning truths. People were interested in his miracles, but not in their deeper meaning. Jesus used parables to spark their interest. Due to the aggression of his enemies and the indifference of the crowd, parables became necessary. This way, those truly seeking righteousness will understand and those desiring spiritual truth will have their eyes open. Paul explained in 1 Corinthians that God's spiritual truths are revealed by His Spirit, not understood through human wisdom alone. We can help people understand spiritual truth, but they must be open to them first. If someone's hearts and eyes are open and they want to know, god's Spirit will make these truths real to them.
Speaker 1:We sometimes say people would be lost if they don't accept Christ as their savior. The reality is they are already lost and they remain lost if God doesn't draw them to believe in the forgiveness of their sins. Your reaction to God's word determines if you are saved. Here's an illustration. Peter tells us to long for the pure milk of the Word. Many of us want the Word but mix it with other information. As a child I used to love going to the Alabama State Fair. I love candy apples. Apples are healthy, but once you dip them in sugar they lose their nutritious value, even though they taste good. A can of apple is sweet but diluted because something with no value was added. Many of us we read, we hear and we talk about the word, but then dilute it with values by adding human viewpoints. May we long for the pure milk of the Word. This is a spotlight on the scriptures.
