A bible Martin Luther read... dating back to 1534.....
"Sola Scriptura"....the bible itself is the supreme authority!
When the Protestant Reformation began in England and Europe, accompanied by some of its great founders such as England's own John Wycliffe...aka..."The Morning Star", and of course the beloved Martin Luther, the German Augustinian monk who "turned the world upside down upon discovery of 6 words written in the New Testament: "The just shall live by faith."; these along with others became part of a battle cry during that moment in time that declared: "Sola Scriptura!" or "the Scriptures Alone!
The Church in the Middle Ages spoke...about Jesus. The problem was, the Church had been adding and identifying human achievements as a very needful addition to receive the Salvation message, which the Message had already been clearly defined and made abundantly clear by the Master Himself. In other words, the church of the Middle Ages was declaring the Work of the Cross was not enough to guarantee one entrance through the Gates of Heaven!
The Reformation brought about a much needed and refreshing change to the Christian community! The basic concept of the whole movement was this: "There is no human achievement that can be added to our need for Salvation. Salvation is entirely complete in itself...accepting the Work of the Cross and the Marvelous Resurrection is all we would ever need in our lives to enter the Gates of Heaven.
Furthermore, there is no human being alive or dead that can override this Way He has already made for us....and the Sacred Scriptures alone is our reference point between our own hearts...and God the Father. The Scriptures is our only source and our only reliance...to understanding Him....in knowing Him...as He truly is.
Many died...who uttered these words from their lips, "Sola Scriptura", including being burned at a stake, hung at a gallow, or brutally tortured...some having their own tongues ripped out from them for uttering this very phrase: "Sola Scriptura".
Why?...because they believed it! They knew in their own hearts Christ and Christ alone is our completeness!....They sacrificed their very lives...to get this "Living Message" to each of us today.....almost 500 years later....in 2012!
May we carry on..with honor, this very battle cry, echoed through the centuries: "Sola Scriptura!"
Gleanings of "Sola Scriptura"....
"The just shall live by faith"... at least 3 times the Sacred Scriptures declares this to all people.
The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk makes this announcement in chapter 2:4:
"Look at man!...bloated with his own self-importance...and full of himself. Yet, you will find his very heart and soul are empty. Why?
The only one who can ever stand before God the Father...are those who believe in their hearts, and that by his own faith, clinging to this very Truth: "It is He...who has accepted me!"
In Romans 1:17, Paul the apostle makes this declaration: "This is the Good News! This is the very heart of our Message: God has put each of us in right standing with Himself!
How? By Faith! It has been solely accomplished...from start to finish...we put our faith in the Living Christ!..and the work He has already done! As the Scriptures say: "It is through faith that we are now able to stand...before the Father!"
And again, Paul reaffirms this statement of belief, writing in Galatians 3:11: "So, the Scriptures are perfectly clear...you can not be made right with God by the "Keeping of a set of Laws". Rather, being made right before God is something God initiated...through the death of His very own Son...what we are to do is to believe this, and accept the Work that Christ Jesus has already done for us...we receive this by our own faith."
In 2 Timothy 3:16, the "Sola Scriptura" is confirmed in this writing: " Every Scripture has its origin from God's very breath...and by passing these sayings through His own lips give us the inspiration needed to carry on and receive His instruction, to teach the real meaning of God's Truth, to convict and redirect our lives where there is wrongdoing, to welcome discipline as a tool that leads us to obedience, and for our overall training on how we can really know Him...a life that is Worthy of Him!"
And David, the Beloved King of Israel, depended on the "Sola Scriptura", as he wrote in Psalm 62:7: " My very salvation and all my honor rests alone on this very fact: "I trust in Him...my rest is in God Himself...and His Way of looking at life.
For He is my "Granite-Rock, He is my Rock that never loses strength, nor can anything penetrate the hardness...where I am always protected.
God alone...is my place of safety!...He is my Safe-Harbor!....no enemy can reach me here!"
Sola Scriptura!...will live forever in the hearts of those that believe!
Our King Lives...both Now...and Forever!
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