Heroes and Heretics Part 9 – John Calvin and “Calvinism”

PART A – THE HISTORY OF JOHN CALVIN AND “CALVINISM”

I apologize for taking so long to get this one posted. You will find that I have not gotten all of the audio posted yet as well. This was an unusually long lesson due to the fact that I wanted to be complete in the cultural and historical presentation of the doctrines of “Calvinism” better stated, “The Doctrines of the Reformed Faith.”

John Calvin is a pivotal character in history. His contribution to the Church and to Western culture is immeasurable and though he is often vilified no one with any knowledge of history and culture can deny his positive influence on both. Rather than ramble on teaching what I have already taught at the meeting I would encourage you to listen to the audio from the first part and I will get the rest up as I have time to edit the audio.

Audio from the Lesson is available here;

1in1000 website on the Sermons Page
John Calvin and Calvinism – PART A

In Christ!
Kevin

Heroes and Heretics Part 8 – Martin Luther and the Doctrine of Free Will

Our most recent Got Doctrine Meeting was for me very interesting. As I studied the history of the Reformation again I came to realize that the whole idea of Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone), one of the Five Solas of the Reformation is at stake in our understanding not only of salvation by Grace alone, through Faith alone in Christ alone (Three of the other solas) But that as we understand these concepts aright, we must must affirm the depravity of man and the bondage of his will in that depravity for this final sola to to be true. God is Glorified and God alone when He is the instrument of our slavation and not human will.

As the doctrines of the Reformation came to light through the study of the first sola, Sola Scriptura, this discussion between Erasmus and Luther took the center stage. Erasmus worte a work called The Freedom of the Will in which he took a muddled position that at times sounded fully Pelagian and at others stated that the will of man was impotent without the grace of God. Luther took him to task as a logician, a gramarian and as a theologian and defended the postion that men are corrupt in every area due to Adam’s fall and that God must do a supernatural work in the lives of men before they can reform their lives in service to God.

Following the formal legalism of Rome was not what God required for righteousness. Men need more than help, they need God to give them life because they are dead in sin.

This debate was far from over in the 16th century. It rages on to this day as men try to claim some of the Glory which belongs to God Alone by claiming that they affected their own salvation by chosing God. It is a worthwhile study to examine these truths that were brought to light in the Reformation and to realize that it is good to be in the company of Jesus who proclaimed, “The world hates Me because I testify of that its deeds are evil.” John 7:7 We are all corrupt in our very nature and slaves to sin and the flesh unless and until God gives us life. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. Let he who boasts, boast in the Lord!

I would encourage you to listen to the audio from this lesson on the 1 in 1000 website on the Sermons page.
Got Doctrine? Luther

In Christ!
Kevin

Heroes and Heretics Part 7 – Wycliff to Luther

Well, our January meeting was a good one. Looking over the religious and political environment toward the close of the Middle Ages. In this lesson we learned about the separation of powers from the Papal authority over both church and state as the papacy is actually subjugated to Philip the Fair of France. Then the division in papal power with the Great Schism and how this changed the political landscape of Europe preparing the way for the Reformation.

In all of this we see God’s providential hand preparing the way for men who began to understand the Bible and to confront the powers that were and rescue the Gospel from nearly a thousand years of obscurity as it was held by the Roman Church in a language that even most of the priests did not know. It had been obscured in a sacramental system by a religious monster built upon greed and a lust for power and it came to a rather abrupt and startling end as God brought the Gospel back to center stage in the Church through men like John Wycliff, John Huss, Martin Luther and others.

Listen to the lesson and I pray that you are able to reflect on these historical events and then to see God’s hand moving in the same way in your own life!

Got Doctrine? – Wycliff to Luther

In Christ!
Kevin

Heroes and Heretics Part 6 – Scholasticism to Humanism

In November we discussed the later half of the Dark Ages and how once local control of the churches was removed to Rome how it took the Scripture captive and established other means for men to be right with God. What was really being done was to make men right with the Roman church and its tyrannical  machine for the propagation of itself.

Here we examine the movements with the Roman church and the move toward the Reformation.

Scholasticism to Humanism

In Christ!
Kevin

Heroes and Heretics Part 5 – The Rise of the Papacy

Well, It has been quite a while since I have made the time to post on
the blog. I apologize for the delay. We have been pretty busy. Though I
was in the running for a pastoral position in a local church I was not
the man that they chose. Currently I am just looking for opportunities
to preach in churches, etc.

Anyway, here is the audio from the
September Got Doctrine? Meeting where we talked about the Rise of the
Papacy and the Church in the Dark Ages.

Rise of the Papacy

In Christ!
Kevin