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 Justification By Faith Aloneby Steve Weaver Romans 5:1 The great 16th Century German Reformer, Martin Luther, called it “the article upon which the church stands or falls.” The article in question is that of justification by faith alone. To Luther, whether this more… 
What Did the Lord Say to Martin Luther? by Michael McCartney Romans 1:17 Martin Luther is one of the most influential church leaders of the last 550 years. He was a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. He encountered the Lord after years of being trapped in religiousity. His religion more…
Justification: So? What Does it Mean? by Marilyn Murphree Romans 5:1-5:8 Our great plans for our life look so easy to carry out. We might “read the directions” but sometimes things just don’t go as planned. We try one thing after another to solve the problems that life throws at us more…
Justification By Faith Alone! by Freddy Fritz Galatians 2:15-2:21 Charlie Chaplin was a huge movie star in the silent-picture era. One of the by-products of his popularity was the look-alike contests that sprung up around the country. Contestants attempted to imitate more...
 Grace Living Lessons Legalism by Paul Fritz Galatians 2:16 It helps us to understand if we consider His fatherly relationship with us. Leadership magazine tells the story of Rusty Stephens, a Navigators director in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Rusty relates: "As I feverishly more...
Gaining God’s Commendation”No man can, by general busyness or specific good deed, no matter how noble, merit salvation. Activity is never a rival to faith. We cannot gain God’s commendation by presenting to Him- as Cain desired- the works of our hands.” SOURCE: Herbert Stevenson, “James Speaks For Today” Contributed by: Jeff Simms
The Order of GoodnessWe must first be made good before we can do good; we must first be made just, before our works can please God. When we are justified by faith in Christ, then come good works. SOURCE: Hugh Latimer (C. 1485-1555) Contributed by: Bruce Smith
Works for SinIn one of his sermons, A.C. Dixon told of an incident that took place in Brooklyn, N.Y. A detective who had been looking for a local citizen finally tracked him down in a drugstore. As the man began to make his purchase, the officer laid his hand on the citizen’s shoulder and said, "You’re under arrest; come with me!" Stunned, the man demanded, "What did I do?" The detective calmly replied, "You know what you did. You escaped from the Albany penitentiary several years ago. You went west, got married, and then came back here to live. We’ve been watching for you since you returned." Quietly the man admitted, "That’s true, but I was sure you’d never find me. Before you take me in, could we stop by my house so I can talk to my family?" The officer agreed. When they got to his home, the man looked at his wife and asked, "Haven’t I been a kind husband and a good father? Haven’t I worked hard to make a living?" His wife answered, "Of course you have, but why are you asking me these questions?" Her husband then proceeded to explain what had happened and that he was now under arrest. He apparently had hoped that his record as an exemplary husband and father would impress the officer. Even so, he was still an escaped criminal. Though he was "right" with his family, he was all wrong with the state of New York. Contributed by: Paul Fritz Faith Alone“Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone” SOURCE: John Calvin Contributed by: Robert Leroe Finishing in Failure or FaithOne of Track and Field’s more interesting events is the high jump. The high jump and the pole vault are the only events where even the winner finishes in failure. Right after the jumper clears one heighth, the bar is raised. The bar is raised until the jumper can no longer clear the heighth. The world high jump record is 2.45 meters (that’s 8 feet ½ inch). That’s the greatest height anyone has ever cleared with their body. One person did it in 1993, and it hasn’t been done again since. It is the standard by which all great jumps are measured. If a jump doesn’t meet or exceed that height, it falls short of being the best that was ever done. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were almost universally respected for their righteous attention to the laws of God. They were, in a sense, “world record holders at law keeping.” Their righteousness was the standard by which everyone else was judged. But the righteousness of the Pharisees was still not good enough to save them. They might have been close to perfection, but close doesn’t count in horseshoes, the high jump, or getting to heaven. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." That is what we celebrate at communion-- that we are justified by our faith in a perfect man who died as our replacement. Our efforts at clearing the bar are feeble. We can never jump high enough or be perfect enough to enter heaven. Only our faith in Jesus makes it possible for us to finish as winners. SOURCE: Matthew Rogers in "Raising the Righteousness Bar" on www.sermoncentral.com. Contributed by: SermonCentral 
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