Here is the now completed series of B.R.I.D.G.E. Ministries (Laredo, Texas) podcasts covering the doctrines of grace (the so called TULIP acrostic). I was very privileged to be a part. I believe the series will be a great blessing and richly informative to those who listen to it. – Pastor John
The Sovereignty of God – Dr. John Frame
Total Depravity – Pastor Jeff Durbin, Apologia Church, Tempe, AZ
Unconditional Election – Pastor John Samson, King’s Church, Peoria, AZ
Limited Atonement – Dr. James White, Alpha & Omega Ministries
Irresistible Grace – Dr. Tim Trumper, former professor at Westminster Theological Seminary and the founder of From His Fullness Ministries
Perseverance of the Saints – Dr. Joel Beeke, President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and founder/editor of Reformation Heritage Books
Pastor John’s book “The Five Solas – Standing Together Alone” is available in paperback at this link and in audio and eBook form here. In this short (2 minute, 24 second) video he explains the reason for writing the book:
THE FIVE SOLAS
Sola Scriptura: The Bible is the sole written divine revelation and alone can bind the conscience of believers absolutely.
Sola Gratia: Our salvation rests solely on the work of God’s grace for us.
Sola Fide: Justification is by faith alone. The merit of Christ, imputed to us by faith, is the sole ground of our acceptance by God, by which our sins are remitted, and imputed to Christ.
Solus Christus: Christ is the only mediator through Whose work we are redeemed.
Soli Deo Gloria: To God alone belongs the glory.
FUTURE SPANISH TRANSLATION
Please join with us in prayer as we seek to have the book published in Spanish.
This recording is a project I have been working on for quite some time, seeking to answer the question, “How can we know the Bible is the word of God?”
Transcript of The Dividing Line. March 6, 2018 at the 9:00 minute mark, Dr. James White.
“I believe very, very strongly that the central act of worship of the Church is the full and careful and balanced ministry of the word of God to the people of God, gathered together to hear what God has to say. So meaningful, sound, solid exegesis – everything we do before and after – if there is anything after – is simply meant to heighten and to prepare us, to put us in the proper frame of mind to be obedient and to have hearing ears. Anything that we put into that worship service that closes our ears, distracts us, in any way shuts down our ability to hear the word is wrong – it is going the wrong direction. And the most important thing that a shepherd of the sheep can do is to faithfully communicate not just the part of the message you think is all fire important but if you really believe that all scripture (not just some) but all scripture is theopneustos (God breathed) then you need to deliver all of it… all of it. And that means covering some stuff that ain’t going to make people see gold-dust coming out of the ceiling. I mean there is some tough stuff to handle – there is some difficult stuff in there. And that means there are going to be services that are highly instructional, there are going to be services that are incredibly uplifting, there are going to be services that do bring you into the very presence of God in heaven and there are others that absolutely smack you down into the dirt, when you realize how much of God’s grace you take for granted, and how few of the duties are ours we actually pursue with the proper zeal of redeemed people. In other words, it is going to be balanced. And the balance is determined not by us but by what is found in the Scriptures given to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – that canon of Scripture God has given to us – that… that is where our balance is to be found.”
Here at King’s Church the English Standard Version of the Bible is the translation most frequently used in our services. I mention this for two main reasons; the first being that it can be very confusing if we have the different words in front of us in our Bibles as the sermon is being preached. This can be very alarming for new Christians who are not aware of the issues and see a text in front of them that is sometimes quite different from what the preacher is using.
Decades ago, there was only one real Bible version of choice, the King James Version. History tells us that it was actually the Geneva Bible, with its Reformation based explanatory study notes, that was the very first Bible to come over to the shores of America on the Mayflower. However, the growing popularity of the KJV eventually made seeing the Geneva Bible a rare event in church services and homes.
The King James Version is certainly an excellent translation which has served the church for many generations. However, the meaning of words have changed a great deal in the centuries since the first printing of the KJV in 1611. Many preachers (me included) found that when using it, much time was required in a sermon to update and explain the archaic language used. A newer translation removes the need for this.
In addition to the archaic language of the KJV, what we know of the original text and languages has improved significantly in the last 400 years or so. The Church in our day has needed a Bible translation which reflects this great advancement in scholarship.
In some church services, there can be as many as 10 to 15 different versions in use. Of course, people can use any translation they like. They are definitely free to do so! Yet I think it is very helpful for pastors and elders to recommend one main translation to eliminate any potential confusion for a congregation.
With this as a foundation, the next question we need to ask is “which is the best Bible to use?”
This leads me to talk about the second reason for choosing the ESV. It stems from the desire to have an essentially literal translation (a “word for word” translation) in use rather than a dynamic equivalent, or “thought for thought” one. The primary advantage in choosing a “word for word” translation is that it gives us confidence that what we read in our Bibles are the equivalent English words for what the authors actually wrote. There is no need to wonder at every point where translation ends and subjective, personal commentary begins or if important material might be omitted from the original. The ESV is highly regarded for both its accuracy of translation and readability.
Certainly, there are other excellent translations out there. For years I have used the New American Standard Bible (NASB) which is a wonderful and accurate translation. However, a choice needed to be made and it is the ESV that is our Bible of choice here at King’s Church.
STUDY BIBLE: For those interested in a study Bible, the King’s Church Elders highly recommend the Reformation Study Bible in the ESV, available in a number of formats at ligonier.org. Along with sound and helpful study notes and articles written by trusted scholars, it also contains the main historic ecumenical Creeds and Confessions of the Church, including the one we affirm, the London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689).
