Here is my “Reformation Day 2022” Sermon giving my thoughts about the glorious blessing of GOD that we recognize on this day!

“5 Doctrines that Saved the Church”

One of the wisest axioms I have ever heard is this, “God made the Church the way HE wanted it; now HE wants it the way that HE made it.”

In Acts 2:42-47, we have a great picture of a New Testament Church – the way God made it:

Acts 2:42-47
⁴² “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

That is the way God made the Church and that’s the way HE wants it!

In February of 313 AD, Roman Emperor Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantine decreed the Edict of Milan, which basically declared Christianity to be the State Religion of Rome.

This certainly was the most harmful thing to ever happen to the Church!

The Romans had no real culture of their own, but, after they conquered Greece at the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC, they simply renamed the Greek gods with Roman names.

“Zeus” The King of the gods was renamed, “Jupiter”

“Hera” The goddess of Marriage was renamed, “Juno”

“Poseidon” the god of the sea was renamed, Neptune

“Eros” the god of love was renamed, “Cupid”

“Artemis” the god of sexuality was renamed, “Diana”

Sadly, when millions of Roman Pagans became so-called “Christians” by the decree of Constantine, they simply renamed their idols again and gave them “Christian” names such as “St Joseph” “St Mary” “Jesus” “St Peter” “St Paul” etc., etc.

After the fall of Rome to Odoacer the Barbarian in 476 AD, The Roman version of the so-called “Church” began to transform into a Theo-political entity called the Holy Roman Empire.

For the next 1,000 years, this was the sad state of the Church. There were always some genuine believers in the Church, and many were killed for trying to make changes.

But, by-and-large, the Roman so-called “Church” continued in its idol-worshipping, demon-empowered, cultic form as it is to this very day.

THEN, LIKE A LIGHTENING BOLT, ON OCTOBER 31^ST, 1517, (506 YEARS AGO TODAY) AN OBSCURE AUGUSTINIAN MONK NAILED A LIST OF 95 COMPLAINTS ON THE DOOR OF THE ROMAN CHURCH AT WITTENBURG UNIVERSITY IN SAXONY-ANHALT, GERMANY.

God raised up Martyn Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, John Knox, Menno Simons, and a host of others to bring about the Protestant Reformation.

The birth of the Lutherans, the Presbyterians, the Anabaptists, the Puritans, the English Separatists, and the Baptists ushered in 500 years of continual reformation and purification of the TRUE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH, which is made up of every born-again believer in Jesus Christ from the upper room to today.

The Reformation gave us true Churches; God’s Word in the language of common people; and, best of all… a fresh understanding of A SOUND, BIBLICAL DOCTRINE OF SALVATION, summarized perfectly in what are called, “the Five Solas”:

Sola Scriptura: Salvation is from the Scriptures Alone!

Sola Gratia: Salvation is by Grace Alone!

Sola Fide: Salvation is by Faith Alone!

Solus Christus: Salvation is in Christ Alone!

Soli Deo Gloria: Salvation is to the Glory of God Alone!

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Sola Scriptura – Salvation is from the Scriptures Alone!

John 5:39
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me…”

2 Timothy 3:15-17
¹⁵ “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.
¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Romans 10:14, 17
¹⁴ “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Luke 16:27-31
²⁷ “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—
²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Romans 1:16-17
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Sola Gratia – Salvation is by Grace Alone!

Ephesians 2:8-9
⁸ “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

THEO NOTE: “Mercy” is where GOD does not give us what we do deserve! “Grace ” is where GOD does give us what we do not deserve!

Sola Fide – Salvation is by Faith Alone!

Habakkuk 2:4
“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.”

Romans 1:16-17
¹⁶ “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Galatians 3:10-11
¹⁰ “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
¹¹ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Romans 4:5
⁵ And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness…”

Romans 5:1-2
¹ “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

HERE IS WHAT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH DECLARES ABOUT ANYONE WHO BELIEVES THAT THEY ARE SAVED BY FAITH ALONE:

Canon 9 of the Council of Trent, December 14, 1563 (and still the official R.C.C. Doctrine today)

QUOTE “If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.”

#4 Solus Christus – Salvation is in Christ Alone!

John 8:23-24
²³ “He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

John 14:6
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Acts 4:11-12
¹¹ “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

#5 Soli Deo Gloria – Salvation is to the Glory of God Alone!

Ephesians 1:3-6
³ “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
⁵ he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”

Ephesians 2:4-7
⁴ “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

AMEN and AMEN!