Women of Promise

  Amazing grace! how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. The Lord has promised good to me His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures. ~ John Newton      We all recognize these words to the beautiful hymn, "Amazing Grace," which has been sung for hundreds of years in churches around the world.  John Newton, the author, celebrates the 4th "Sola" that we come to in our study of the "5 Solas,"  Sola Gratia,   or Grace Alone. Mr. Newton knew that his soul's eternal security was a gift that he could never be worthy of receiving.      We have discussed that Scripture is our only authority.  Then we have seen that salvation from an eternal hell (justification) is recieved by faith alone, in Christ alone.   The doctrine of Grace Alone teaches us that our justification is offered on the basis of GOD's grace only. ...

     As part of our sinful nature, we humans tend to like to think that we are involved in everything, don't we? We often inflate our part in the retelling for it to seem as if we are just a little bit more important than we are.       As we look into the "5 Solas,"  we are going to take a brief look at Solus Christus today.  "Christ Alone."  We often apply this primarily to salvation. Justification --salvation from hell, or eternal separation from God, is made possible ONLY by the work of Christ on the cross. However, this applies to all areas of our life as we experience the sanctifying work of Christ in our lives -- transforming us into His image.  In both justification and sanctification, it is Christ alone who accomplishes this beautiful work in and through us.       Looking back at the time of Martin Luther, salvation was taught by the Roman Catholic church, who controlled what and how Scripture was accessi...