OUTLINE:

Simply Worshipping God Almighty
"Choose life in order that you may live"...by:
• loving the LORD your God
• obeying His voice
• holding fast to Him

"the LORD is one!"
"one" is from echad (Hebrew) - refers to unity, not singleness (same word used to describe "one flesh" between husband/wife - Gen 2:24); it not only implies monotheism, but the Trinity as well; God IS unity.

"the testimony given at the proper time"
A "testimony" to what? Answer: to God's undeniable will to bless mankind, to show him mercy, to love him, to reconcile him to Himself. The Cross proves all of this, and did so "at the proper time".

The Gospel
Is an invitation from the eternal God of the Universe to spend eternity with Him, in perfect, blissful, loving fellowship. We were born disunited from Him, but through Jesus, we are unified with the "unity" that is God. The Gospel is THE most intimate invitation ever given.

Jesus Christ
He is the most accessible human being to ever live, yet multitudes live their whole lives estranged from Him, His friendship, His love. This is the great tragedy throughout the ages.

Simplicity
The simplest people are often the ones who bring the most glory to God. The greatest compliment that we can ever give a person is that they are "simple and pure" in their "devotion to Christ" (ala 2Co 11:3).

Mk 10:45a
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve...

Simplicity
The simplest people are often the ones who bring the most glory to God. The greatest compliment that we can ever give a person is that they are "simple and pure" in their "devotion to Christ" (ala 2Co 11:3).

Grace and Works
Grace is not a complicated subject. Neither is works. Holy doctrines only become complicated when we lose sight of the big-picture, our "compass".

Perspective On Justification and Salvation
12/17/16

SIDE-NOTE:
So much of my work, and the reason for any complexity in my teaching, is NOT because the Bible makes things complex, it's because in order to defend the Truth, I often must address the error, which is typically complex.

Justification
If the doctrine of justification were equivalent to the doctrine of salvation, we wouldn't call them out differently. Salvation is a much larger subject than just the judicial/forensic aspects of what happens when God saves us.

Justification
Justification is the declaration from the Judge, Himself, that you have been found righteous in His eyes, based on the merits of Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross. As a judicial concept, justification primarily deals with the "penalty" of sin.

Justification
Justification opens the door to reconciliation, which implies a real relationship between a new creature, come alive in Christ, and a living God. This is not merely a judicial reality, but a very personal one.

Justification
Justification is not the close of salvation. It is how God can righteously adopt His children into His holy family. The penalty is no longer an issue for a saved person. Eternal life is much more than simply being justified, it is a gift, in and of itself!

Justification and Salvation
A person is never justified if they are not saved. A person is never saved that is not justified. This does not make justification and salvation the same thing, only simultaneous grace. Some make the mistake of placing an "equal to" sign between the two concepts.

Salvation Is a Miracle
While the Bible reveals that many things occur at salvation simultaneously (we accept this by faith), there are co-dependencies on certain concepts, like justification and adoption, or adoption and blessings, or baptism and indwelling, etc.

The Gospel Is Offensive
The true Gospel will make and arrogant person stumble because it is offensive to them. However, a humble person will accept the same Gospel as truth, and be saved.

The Gospel Is Offensive
It's much better to make a person stumble over the true Gospel than to skate over a false one.
- signed, The Sovereign God of the Universe