“Only Christ” from I Timothy 2:1-7.  Last week we saw that we access God’s rescuing grace by faith alone, but faith in whom or what?  The fourth essential truth coming out of the Reformation is summarized in the motto, “Christ Alone.”

“Only God’s Glory” from Ephesians 2:1-14.  In the conclusion to our Reformation Anniversary series, we ask a practical question: What is the purpose of our existence?  It turns out that we must first understand the purpose of God’s existence to find our own, and when we do, it filters down into every aspect of our lives.

From Ephesians 6:1-3, Proverbs 1:1-9, and Genesis 2:24, we put together an overall structure for parenting: the first stage of teaching first-time obedience, the second stage of teaching wisdom, and the third stage of independence. In every stage, both our children and we need to rely on God’s grace as the process exposes the bent of our hearts.

“Only Faith” from Romans 4:1-8.  If God by his sheer grace intervened in history to rescue us from all that threatens us, how do we respond in order to receive his grace and enter into a right relationship with him?  The third essential truth that came out of the Reformation is “Sola Fide” or “Only Faith.”

The second essential truth that came to the fore in the Reformation 500 years ago is “Sola Gracia” or “Only Grace.”  While “Only Scripture” answers the question of what is the infallible word of God for us, “Only Grace” answers the question of why God intervened on humanity’s behalf by sending his Son.

Paul reported to the Philippians that his being in prison in Rome had actually produced the positive benefit of encouraging more preaching of the gospel. There were, no doubt, some who preached from bad motives, but Paul rejoiced anyway. In fact, he had a reason to rejoice, not only in prison but also in all circumstances, whether positive or negative, in life and even in death.

As was typical in Paul’s letters, he began this one with a greeting, a thanksgiving, and a prayer. In these, he didn’t waste any words but gave some previews of the major themes of the letter.

“God Has Spoken” from II Timothy 3:16-17 and II Peter 1:19-21.  In recognition of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, during October, we are doing a five-part series that covers the “solas” or the “onlys” that summarize five truths that came to the fore in the life of the church, thanks to the work of ministers who were studying the Bible anew.  We start with sola Scriptura or Scripture Alone to see what the Bible teaches about itself and how it functions in our lives.

We begin with an overview of the history of the church in Philippi, especially in relationship to Paul and his companions. Also, we were able to cover part of the very first verse, which contains some fascinating previews of attractions coming later in the letter.

From Genesis 2:18-25 and Ephesians 5:22-22 we learn why to get married, how to get married, and how to stay married.