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 Scripture, Philippians 2:1-4: Unity in Christ Through Love and Shared Purpose
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This is a spotlight on the Scriptures Philippians 2:1-4 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
The word "if" at the beginning of this verse doesn't mean a condition. Paul often uses "if" to make an argument, not a condition. Paul is very logical, so let's be logical. It's clearer to say: "Since there is encouragement in Christ, since there is comfort from love, since there is fellowship with the Spirit, and since there is tenderness and compassion. complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Please listen to me, Paul isn't advocating for harmony and unity no matter the cost.
Truth should not be sacrificed for the sake of harmony, but truth should also be communicated with love. The final goal is still unity, but it should be pursued through truthful and loving means.
Let me give you this example I hear. A football team is unified not because every player plays the same position—that would be uniformity. A football team is unified because they work together to reach the same goal. Each player plays their position with the goal of either helping their team score or stopping the opposing team from scoring.
People should treat each other with respect and kindness. Christians should see and appreciate the good in each other. Love helps us quickly notice others' good qualities. Paul emphasizes the need for unity among Christians, which is closely tied to Christ. A lack of unity shows a weakness in what should unite them—Christ's love. If there's disunity, it means there's not enough love or it's not strong enough for the situation. People have the right to compare Christians' actions to Christ's because there's a moral connection. Everything done in the church reflects on Christ, either honoring or dishonoring him.
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This is a spotlight on the scriptures Philippians 2, verse 1 through 4.
Speaker 1:So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same Spirit, being in full accord of one mind. Do nothing from self-ambition or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. The word if at the beginning of this verse doesn't mean a condition. Paul often used if to make an argument, not a condition. Paul is very logical, so let's be logical. Today it's clear to say since there is encouragement in Christ, since there is comfort from love, since there is fellowship with the Spirit and since there is tenderness and compassion, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord of one mind. Please listen to me today Paul isn't advocating for harmony and unity no matter the cost.
Speaker 1:No, truth should not be sacrificed for the sake of harmony, but truth should also be communicated with love. The final goal is still unity, but it should be pursued through truthful and loving means. Let me give you an example that I heard A football team is united and unified not because every player plays the same position. That would be uniformity. A football team is unified because they work together to reach the same goal. Each player plays their position with the goal of either helping their team score or stopping their opponent's opposing team from scoring. People should treat each other with respect and kindness. Christians should see and appreciate the good in each other. Love helps us quickly notice others' good qualities.
Speaker 1:Paul emphasized the need for unity among Christians, which is closely tied to Christ. Listen, a lack of unity shows a weakness in what should unite them, which is Christ's love. If that is disunity, it means there's not enough love or it's not strong enough for the situation. People have the right to compare Christian action to Christ, because that's a moral connection. Everything done in the church Reflects on Christ. Either honor him or dishonor him. May we choose To honor him. This is a spotlight On the scriptures.
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