Martin Luther's Definition of Faith

"Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they speak and hear much about faith. “Faith is not enough,” they say, “You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved.” They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, “I believe.” That is what they think true faith is. But, because this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn’t come from this `faith,’ either."

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CALVIN ON REGENRATION FROM HIS COMMENTARY ON JOHN

The will of the flesh and the will of man appear to me to mean the same thing; for I see no reason why flesh should be supposed to signify woman, as Augustine and many others explain it. On the contrary, the Evangelist repeats the same thing in a variety of words, in order to explain it more fully, and impress it more deeply on the minds of men. Though he refers directly to the Jews, who gloried in the flesh, yet from this passage a general doctrine may be obtained: that our being reckoned the sons of God does not belong to our nature, and does not proceed from us, but because God begat us willingly, (James 1:18,) that is, from undeserved love. Hence it follows, first, that faith does not proceed from ourselves, but is the fruit of spiritual regeneration; for the Evangelist affirms that no man can believe, unless he be begotten of God; and therefore faith is a heavenly gift. It follows, secondly, that faith is not bare or cold knowledge, since no man can believe who has not been renewed by the Spirit of God.

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JOHN CALVIN & THE GREAT ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE

Question From Listener: “A particular bibllical worldview curriculum states that John Calvin called God the ‘Great Architect’ and ‘the Architect of the Universe’. Is this pre-freemasonry? Did the masons use this phrase before or after Calvin? To be honest with you, I don't know a lot about Calvin. Thanks, Marie”

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"PROTESTANTS AREN'T PROPER CHRISTIANS," SAYS POPE BENEDICT XVI

Pope Benedict XVI declared yesterday that Christian denominations other than his own were not true churches and their holy orders have no value. Protestant leaders immediately responded by saying the claims were offensive and would hurt efforts to promote ecumenism. Roman Catholic- Anglican relations are already strained over the Church of England's plans to ordain homosexuals and women as bishops. The claims came in a document, from a Vatican watchdog which was approved by the Pope. It said the branches of Christianity formed after the split with Rome at the Reformation could not be called churches "in the proper sense" because they broke with a succession of popes who dated back to St Peter. As a result, it went on, Protestant churches have "no sacramental priesthood", effectively reaffirming the controversial Catholic position that Anglican holy orders are worthless. The document claimed the Catholic church was the "one true church of Christ". Pope Benedict's commitment to the hardline teaching comes days after he reinstated the Mass in Latin, which was sidelined in the 1960s in an attempt to modernise.

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UPON THIS ROCK, I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH: PETROS/PETRA DEBATE

Since God delivered man from the Dark Ages, a debate has raged among Catholics and Protestants concerning the one true church, and the foundation upon which it is built. For centuries, the Catholic Church has maintained that Jesus Christ founded His church upon the apostle Peter, and that the papacy represents an “unbroken” line of apostolic succession from Peter to the present day. Supposedly, all those who do not submit to the authority of Peter (i.e. the popes) are in rebellion against Christ and God. Even today, this belief keeps many Catholics bound in the Catholic faith.

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