graceTALK, May 2009
Sunday, May 24th, 2009 : By Leadership Team
The Leadership Team answers your questions.
Q1 (1:29). In light of recent elections, I have heard Christian-radio citing a verse that we need to claim during these tough times: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14
Q2 (9:46). Why are Catholics persecuted when for the most part we believe the same things that any normal protestant church believes?
Q3 (18:06). The problem of evil… (A) Why does God allow evil to exist? Why does God give …
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Faith Alone or Faith Plus Works?
Sunday, May 17th, 2009 : By Ken Rutherford
Are we justified by faith alone (SOLA FIDE), or are we justified by faith plus our works? That issue divided the Reformers from the Roman Catholic Church and it is still the major issue between Roman Catholicism (along with other groups) and the evangelical Protestant church today. We consider this issue as it is presented in James 2:20-26. MP3 download.
View the “Apostolic Grudge Match: Faith Alone vs. Faith Plus Works” video.
View the “You Do The Math” video.
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Money for Forgiveness
Monday, November 3rd, 2008 : By Ken Rutherford
A number of questions regarding the current teaching was submitted last week. I’d like to address one here:
Does the Roman Catholic church today believe in taking money to in exchange for forgiveness of sins?
In my understanding, this is not an overt doctrine of the RCC. However, given their system of salvation (process justification—as Dan has pointed out), almsgiving is seen as one of many “bricks” in one’s road toward justification. Whereas we believe that the Bible teaches that one’s forgiveness of sins is a one-time event (forensic justification), we would hold that giving money to the church or to the poor would be as a RESPONSE to forgiveness. Not as a means of forgiveness.
To make it more simple, the …
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Reformation, Part 2
Sunday, November 2nd, 2008 : By Dan Miller
Today we continue focus on understanding the reasons for the Reformation by answering questions which were posed after Part 1 of this series. What is the difference between the way Roman Catholics and Protestants view salvation (justification), santification, sacraments, and Matthew 16:13-20? How do I talk with a Roman Catholic about these differences? How did the Roman Catholic church grow out of the early church to wield the level of authority that it did in the day of Martin Luther? How did Rome become a religious center and where did the name “Roman Catholicism” come from? Was Martin Luther the only one to uncover the problems of the Roman Catholic Church? …
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Creation, Part 4
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 : By Ken Rutherford
The Doctrine of God: Week 22
Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem.
Chapter 14, Creation: Why, how, and when did God create the universe?
This week we conclude our discussion on why, how, and when God created the universe. The topics which are more controversial among believers are discussed including interpretations of Genesis 1 and the debate of young earth or old earth.
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The God Questions, Part 3
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 : By Leadership Team
God is a big topic and people have tons of questions so we asked people what were some “God Questions” they would like to see discussed. Today, we talk about
Are you saying that over 3 billion people in this world are wrong since they don’t believe in your way to get to heaven? Also, what happens to those people living on an island in the middle of the Pacific who will never hear about Jesus Christ?
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Tradition
Sunday, March 16th, 2008 : By Tom Holbrook
Today we discuss the topic of tradition. How does tradition in a people of faith come about and what priority is tradition given in relation to Scripture?
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God in Three Persons: The Trinity, Part 2
Sunday, February 24th, 2008 : By Ken Rutherford
The Doctrine of God: Week 17
Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem.
Chapter 14, God in Three Persons: The Trinity (How can God be three persons, yet one God?)
This week we continue to discuss the doctrine of the Trinity: God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.
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God’s Mercy, Grace, and Patience
Sunday, December 9th, 2007 : By Ken Rutherford
The Doctrine of God: Week 11
Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem.
Chapter 12, The Character of God: “Communicable” Attributes (Part 1)
This week we continue to examine the “communicable” attributes of God (those which He has shared in part with us) as we continue to discuss His ‘moral’ attributes as we discuss His Mercy, Grace, and Patience.
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Freedom, Part 2
Sunday, November 4th, 2007 : By Dan Miller
Trusting in Jesus is meant to result in your freedom. Today we continue to discuss how false teaching can instead burden us down by making us think that we must add something to our trust of Christ in order to be truly accepted by God.
Throughout this series we will try to help you understand the freedom that God offers us through Christ and the dire responsibility we have to defend this truth from those who would seek to add or take away the central and exclusive role that Jesus has is Salvation.
Today’s teaching will flow from Galatians 5:7-12.
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