[15] You Must be Born Again: The nature of true saving faith Part IV

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Natural man is hostile to God. He cannot please God and will never seek him on his own. He is completely unable to accept God’s offer of salvation because of his hostility toward God. Paul says that he is dead in his transgressions and sins (Eph 2:1). He must be born again to be saved. Therefore, if Christ only died to make salvation possible, but our salvation depended on our accepting this offer, we would be utterly without hope. But, we have hope because God causes those whom he has chosen in eternity to be born again, and those who are born again will respond in repentance and faith. If you cry out to God for mercy, it may be that he is drawing you to himself, don’t resist, but seek God! God then grants to us all the grace necessary to live out the Christian life.

[16] Claiming to be a Christian Doesn’t Count: The nature of true saving faith Part V

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Why does the Bible say we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling? This week Dr. Spencer discusses what this means, and why we cannot give ourselves an easy pass when it comes to being certain about our salvation. But, if we find evidence that we are born again, this brings about great assurance and confidence. We can have joy even in trials because our confidence is in God’s eternal promises, not in ourselves.

[20] Why we should believe the Bible, Part XII: Evidence for the fall of Jerusalem and prophecies about Christ

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The Black Obelisk tells us about Jehu, a king of Israel, a carved mural from Sennacherib’s palace in Nineveh tells us about the siege of Lachish, and the Taylor prism gives us an extra-biblical account of his failed siege of Jerusalem. The Babylonian Chronicles corroborate the biblical account of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Biblical prophecies made about Christ were in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are known to have existed well before the time of Christ, came true.

[21] Why we should believe the Bible, Part XIII: Evidence for the New Testament

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The fact that Jesus of Nazareth really lived, was crucified, and raised from the dead is critical to the Christian faith. There are multiple extra-biblical references to Jesus Christ within 100 years of his crucifixion. The Roman historians Josephus, Tacitus and Suetonius all mention him, as does Justin Martyr. The first century letter from Mara Bar-Serapion to his son also contains an almost certain reference to Christ. His life and death are solidly attested historical facts.

[22] The Doctrine of the Word of God

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God reveals himself both in creation (general revelation) and in the Bible (special revelation). The Bible is a Christians ultimate standard and is our only infallible, objective guide salvation and living the Christian life. It is sufficient, necessary, authoritative and perspicuous (i.e., clear) for teaching us what we must believe to be saved and how we must live to please God. General revelation is sufficient to leave men without excuse.

[23] The Sufficiency of the Bible

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The Bible provides sufficient knowledge for salvation and Christian life, but a person must be born again to respond in repentance and faith. The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture tells us that we don’t need any additional revelation, so, for example, the Book of Mormon is false. Dr. Spencer makes a number of recommendations for reading.

[25] The Clarity of the Bible

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[Download PDF Transcript] Marc Roby: We are resuming our study of systematic theology today by continuing to examine the four characteristics of the Bible represented by the acrostic SNAC, which stands for sufficiency, necessity, authority…

[26] A Christmas Message – Christ’s Astounding Love to Us

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The message of the Bible is theocentric, not anthropocentric, so the true meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with social activism or being kind to our neighbors. The true meaning is that God glorifies himself by displaying his unimaginable love in saving sinners. Christ was, and is, the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Creator, Sovereign Lord, Redeemer and Judge of all mankind. But, he loved us enough to humble himself, become a man, live an obedient life, and give himself as a sacrifice to pay for our sins on the cross.

[27] The Authority of the Bible

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[Download PDF Transcript] Marc Roby: We are resuming our study of systematic theology today by continuing to examine the characteristics of Scripture. We introduced the acrostic SNAC, which stands for sufficiency, necessity, authority and clarity….

[28] Delegated Authority in the State and Family

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There is order and submission within the godhead (called the Economic Trinity) even though all three persons of the godhead are the same in essence, dignity and authority (ontological equality). God also delegates authority in three spheres of human interaction; the family, the church, and the state. Authority is given for the benefit of those who are under it. The state is given the power of the sword.

[29] Delegated Authority in the Family

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Husbands are to lead their wives, while fathers and mothers together are to rule their children. Authority is good and is always to be used to benefit those who are under authority. The family is the most fundamental sphere of authority. Husbands and parents are accountable to God. We will be blessed if we willingly submit to proper authority in the family.