2 Corinthians 5:19-21
“In one of the best paragraphs you’ll ever read, *John Calvin writes, “We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ [Acts 4:12]. We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else.
If we seek salvation we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is ‘of him’ [1 Cor. 1:30].
If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in his anointing.
If we seek strength, it lies in his dominion;
if purity, in his conception;
if gentleness, it appears in his birth. For by his birth he was made like us in all respects [Heb. 2:17] that he might learn to feel our pain [cf. Heb. 5:2].
If we seek redemption, it lies in his passion;
if acquittal, in his condemnation;
if remission of the curse, in his cross [Gal. 3:13];
if satisfaction, in his sacrifice;
if purification, in his blood;
if reconciliation, in his descent into hell;
if mortification of the flesh, in his tomb;
if newness of life, in his resurrection;
if immortality, in the same;
if inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom, in his entrance into heaven;
if protection, if security, if abundant supply of all blessings, in his Kingdom;
if untroubled expectation of judgment, in the power given to him to judge.
In short, since rich store of every kind of good abounds in him, let us drink our fill from this fountain and from no other” (Institutes 2.16.19). *Cited by Stephen Wellum in his book, “Christ Alone.”
If we are to capture the heartbeat of the Reformation confession of solus Christus, we could do no better than to meditate deeply on these words by John Calvin. He not only depicts, notes Wellum, “what is central to Christ alone, namely our Lord’s unique and exclusive identity and his all-sufficient work, but also how Christ alone ought to function in our Christian lives.” I hope you can join us this week as we look at the fourth of the five Reformation Solas, “Solus Christus.”
Don’t forget that this Sunday we will have a luncheon immediately following our morning worship. We hope that you are planning to join us. The church will provide the meat and drinks, and we ask that you bring the sides and desserts.
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Wayne
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