shadmans Musings  

(15) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (16) For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. (17) He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (18) He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. (1:15-18) This passage should remove any doubt or confusion about the true identity of Jesus. As John MacArthur points out, The Bible is supremely the book about the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament records the preparation for His coming. The gospels present Him as God in human flesh, come into the world to save sinners. In Acts, the message of salvation in Christ begins to be spread throughout the world. The epistle...

This blog is going to be a bit technical, but it has to be for the reader to really understand what is meant by the term ‘material sufficiency’ and whether it has any merit in a discussion of the sufficiency of Scripture. I maintain that Scripture is sufficient, and anyone that disagrees with that does not understand what Scripture clearly says, or what church history clearly recorded. But to make that bold statement, I have to prove my point, by demonstrating why other views are not true, and that is what my Sola Scriptura series is all about. So to address this topic properly, I have to look at the arguments for and against Sola Scriptura so that the case is understandable as well as complete. And that is the case for the concept of ‘material sufficiency,’ which is also why this blog entry is part 16 of my Sola Scriptura series. If you were looking for a ‘one line’ statement for Sola Scriptura , you will have to find that somewhere else. It would be so nice if I could just use Scr...

(12) giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. (13) For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, (14) in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:12-14) What we see in these three verses of Colossians is the final part of the prayer that started off the book of Colossians, and is another example for believers to follow in their prayers. As with many of Paul’s epistles, Paul begins with prayer, but also instructs on the importance of prayer, as we see in these examples, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Phil 4:6) First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, (1 Tim 2:1) First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. (Rom ...

As Christians, our only reliable rule of faith, our standard, our ‘norm’ in matters of our Christian faith and practice is Scripture, the Old and New Testaments. If we find that standard in someone (other than Jesus) or something other than the Scriptures, then we will quickly run into trouble in our faith and practice. As has been said several times in this series already, Roman Catholic apologists try to undermine that standard in their attempt to prop up their concept of ‘tradition’, but when they do that, they are undermining the integrity of Scripture in the minds of, not just faithful Christians, but those that might be struggling in their faith or are new believers. This might ‘help’ Catholic evangelism in some small way, but it ultimately hurts the cause of Christ that we are all charged with upholding. So, as I move on in our Sola Scriptura series to part 15, I start the second part of Scripture as our only certain standard with a defense of the integrity of Scripture and the...