Gospel Living

Absolutely Necessary? by Keith Essex The Doctrinal Importance of the Virgin Birth 2017 Shepherds' Conference Evangelicals today question the historicity of the virgin birth.  Is it important for Christians to believe that Jesus was born miraculously into this world?  And what Roman Catholic views develop concerning Mary? MEDIA LINKS:   MP3 Keith Essex MORE SERMONS

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed" (Gal 1:6–9). Video: General Session 2 - Phil Johnson - Shepherds’ Conference 2017 from Grace Community Church on Vimeo . Audio: ( MP3 ) For more information, visit  shepherdsconference.org

Uh, hello there.  Huh.  Well, this is awkward: Let's consider one quick point with Catholicism.  Official documentation of the Roman Catholic Church repeatedly refers to the sacrifice Christ in the mass ( consider this source ). In doing this, they must deny the once-for-all sufficiency of the atonement of Christ (Hb 7:26), a key tenant to the gospel (1 Cor 15:1-4).  Hebrews 10:12-14 says,  "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." Know the danger of trusting in a false gospel!  The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 1:8-9, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching t...

Steven Lawson preached in the twelfth session of the 2017 G3 Conference.  His topic was, "The Reformation Was a Recovery of the Gospel." NOTE:  All content of the G3 Conference is protected under copyright law.  You can share content, but we ask that you place a link back to the G3Conference.com website or YouTube.com channel when you share.

James White preached in the seventh session of the 2017 G3 Conference.  His topic was, "The Atonement: The Strongest Refutation of Rome's Eucharistic Errors." NOTE: All content of the G3 Conference is protected under copyright law. You can share content, but we ask that you place a link back to the G3Conference.com website or YouTube.com channel when you share. (For the time being, I'm not posting any more Wednesday night sessions as our church begins our transition process. I'll continue to search for and post good content in its place.)

And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32  And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33  And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34  And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35  For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” By this point, Joseph seems to have died, but not before fathering children with Mary.  Matthew 1:25 suggests that they engaged in marital relations after the birth of Christ, and Luke 2:7 says that Jesus is her firstborn .  Over the years, the Roman Catholic Church developed the false idea that Mary remained a perpetual virgin, a theory never taught in Scripture and disproved by this text.  Jesus had siblings, but there are even more powerful truths here. First, Jesus’s earthly family weren’t His fir...

Because of a very busy week, I'm running a bit behind on the devotions.  So, in lieu of a Psalm devotional today, here is the first video from The Master's University 2017 Truth and Life Conference .  The theme this year was The Solas: The Five Pillars of the Reformation , and here is John MacArthur leading the opening session of the conference:

(In lieu of a Sunday devotional, each week I'll be posting my sermons from the previous Sunday.  May you be blessed in the reading and study of God's Word!) A sermon by Shaun Marksbury at  Cornerstone Church of Savannah , preached November 6, 2016. Video: Audio:

Someone wrote to ask about stigma or stigmata.  Here was my response: Stigma or stigmata, in Catholic tradition, refers to marks on a person's body that allegedly correspond to the marks of Christ's crucifixion.  It's based on apocryphal tradition, not God's Word, and it distracts us from the unique and paramount event that was Christ's crucifixion.  Always be careful when someone comes claiming a sign or wonder.  Jesus warns in Matthew 16:4, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign."  He also warned in Mark 13:22, "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect." The Apostle Paul said, "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8). Always hold fast to the Christ of Scripture, believing in what He taught a...

 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tm 3:14–17). Sometimes people wonder about "full" Bibles, copies of Holy Scripture that contain the apocryphal or deuterocanonical books .  Should we revere as God's Word more than the sixty-six books we commonly read? The 1689 London Baptist Confession speaks briefly and plainly to the matter: 1:3 The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon or rule of the Scripture, and, therefore, are of no authority to the church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved or ma...

The black-and-white elements of 1 John will help us in spiritually confusing times.  According to John, we must test to know the difference between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.  As such, I have two simple main points from the text: 1) we must test the spirits, and 2) we can know the difference.  Pastor Shaun Marksbury | Cornerstone Church of Savannah |  http://cornerstonesavannah.org/

Read  John 1:1-5 . Now read those same verses from The Voice "Bible translation." Can you hear the hiss of the serpent? This episode of Equipping Eve takes The Voice to task and examines what this passage actually says. Plus, happiness according to Pope Francis. Click here to listen to this latest episode of Equipping Eve. Click here for a list of resources for this episode of Equipping Eve. (HT: Don't Be Surprised ) Erin Benziger Erin Benziger is the host of Equipping Eve (A  No Compromise Radio Production ).  Equipping Eve episodes are posted every other Saturday.

When you don't trust  completely  on the life and death of Christ for salvation, you'll have to add something to pay your way.  What's more, you'll leave heavy burdens on others, not lifting a finger to help.  Consider:  Mother Teresa Was No Saint Says Study .  (HT:  Worldview Weekend ) Theology matters.  Find a church that teaches the Bible this weekend.

Baptism introduces us into the life of the triune God, and incorporates us into Christ’s body, the Church, which gives us a share in his dying and rising. Justified and sanctified by baptism , we are able to give praise and worship to God. Through the Holy Spirit received in baptism , the Christian is able to recognize and receive the teaching of the apostles and, through the means of grace (the sacraments), strive to obey all Jesus commanded, especially to serve him in the poor. Emphasis added.  The Very Rev. Thomas A. Baima, S.T.D., Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Dean of the Graduate School of Theology, University of Saint Mary of the Lake, Mundelein Seminary.  "From the Horse's Mouth: What is the Meaning and Purpose of Baptism?" Creedo Magazine . Volume 4, Issue 2, April 2014, 8.  Available online at  http://www.credomag.com/issues/Churchy%20Gimmicks.pdf . By way of the best contrast presented in the article, consider the Anglican position: For Anglica...

TurretinFan posted the following to the glory of God .  I second his call for support to Alpha and Omega Ministries if you find these helpful and can do so. I was reluctant to post this list, because I'm concerned that people who might otherwise support Dr. White's ministry by buying copies of the debates will just watch them for free.  However, I trust that people who would support Dr. White's ministry by buying his debates will consider doing so in some other way, since his ministry is reliant on support of Christians who support what he's doing. Moreover, keep in mind that the debates below represent less than a quarter of the debates Dr. White has done.  ( see here for a list of debates you can get at store.aomin.org - that list may need to be updated at some point ) David Bernard vs. James White, "Are Tongues Necessary?" (informal radio debate on WMCA radio in New York , circa August 18, 2003) ( mp3 ) (Audio-only on Youtube part 1/5 )( part...

The more I learn about LDS teaching, the more I am struck with the similarities between it and Rome.  No, I am not implying that they are linked either sequentially or causally, except possibly at that Ecclesiastes 1:9 juncture. As I've been reflecting on my  déjà vu  while probing LDS beliefs, I thought about cataloging what I am seeing and posting it here. That is, until I was reading through older items in my RSS reader and found someone who had already done exactly that. I wish I had come across it sooner.   Fourpointer  at DefCon did an excellent job documenting his evidence, so I am going to just give you the quick bullet-points here and ask you to head over there for more info or to comment. Part One : They both teach that after you die, someone else can come along and perform rituals that will help improve the state you are in. Catholicism has indulgences. Mormonism has baptism for the dead. They both have one man whom they claim to be...

Phil Johnson, Speaker Evangelicalism is a “ mixed multitude .” Each time that term is used in the Old Testament of the KJV, it is used despairingly. We are living in a time of apostasy that is not too diff erent than some of the times described in the book of Judges. We have reached a time where everyone does what is right in his own eyes. He says he is tempted to stop calling himself Evangelical to distance himself from those who claim the label, from Joel Osteen to Tony Campolo to some Catholics and now, even some Mormons! However, he affirms the historical definition of Evangelicalism, and his spiritual fathers are Evangelicals. A lot of Evangelicals are fed up with the superficiality of the movement, and are following the path of Francis Beckwith, and run to Rome. Others, like Frankie Schaeffer, have gone to Eastern Orthodox churches. Still others are turning to the Emergent Churches. Has the movement gone astray because our parents and grandparents f...