The Triunity of the Godhead, the Gospel, and His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of…
The Triunity of the Godhead, His Law, the Gospel, and His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of the pro-life movement. Lest ‘the cause’ becomes a social justice gospel, or the fetus becomes idolatry.
The Triunity of the Godhead, the Gospel, and His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of ekklésia (the church). Otherwise, it is not a church.
The Triunity of the Godhead, the Gospel, and His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of the Churches Media Gratiae (means of grace). Otherwise, it is not a Biblical church.
The Triunity of the Godhead, the Gospel, and His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of our evangelism efforts. Otherwise, it is not Biblical evangelism.
The Triunity of the Godhead, the Gospel, and His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of mathēteuō (discipleship). Otherwise, it is not Biblical discipleship.
The Triunity of the Godhead, the Gospel, and His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of koinōnia (fellowship). Otherwise, it is not Biblical fellowship.
The Triunity of the Godhead, the Gospel, and His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of our marriage. Otherwise, it is not a Biblical marriage.
The Triunity of the Godhead, the Gospel, and His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of our family. Otherwise, it is not a Biblical family.
The Triunity of the Godhead, the Gospel, and His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of missions. Otherwise, it is humanitarianism, not missions.
The Triunity of the Godhead, the Gospel, and/or His Scriptures must be the Vanguard of our worship. Otherwise, it is not Biblical worship.
“And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
God – Exodus 20:1-6
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The Means of Grace, better known among Reformers as Media Gratiae, is the essential function of the Lord’s Church. It is the preaching and teaching of His Holy Word. As well as via prayer, and the practice of the ordinances and/or sacraments of His church.
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Below are some more technical definitions.
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“They are the official means of the Church of Jesus Christ. The preaching of the Word (or, the Word preached) and the administration of the sacraments (or, the sacraments administered) are the means officially instituted in the Church, by which the Holy Spirit works and confirms faith in the hearts of men. Some Reformed theologians limit the idea of the means of grace still more by saying that they are administered only within the visible Church, and that they presuppose the existence of the principle of the new life in the soul.”
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[L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co., 1938), 605–606.]
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“Media gratiae: means of grace; i.e., Word and sacraments as the means by which the grace of God is operative in the church. The term is used by both Lutheran and Reformed orthodox, although the Lutherans often substitute a stronger term, organa gratiae et salutis (q.v.), instruments of grace and salvation… …Word and sacraments are thus instrumental both in the inception of salvation and in the continuance of the work of grace in the Christian life. In addition, Word and sacraments are the sole officially ordained or instituted instruments or means of grace. God has promised the presence of his grace to faithful hearers of the Word and faithful participants in the sacraments. Thus the right preaching of the Word and right administration of the sacraments are the marks or identifying features of the true church (notae ecclesiae, q.v.).”
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[Richard A. Muller, Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms : Drawn Principally from Protestant Scholastic Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1985), 187–188.]
#MeansOfGrace #MediaGratiae #ReformedTheology #TheologyMatters #EcclesiologyMatters