Daily Reformation Through the Seminary of SUFFERING

Today is Reformation Day and John Piper’s devotional talks about the seminary of suffering. A mockery I had many years ago was pretty much, “If you believe in God’s will, why can’t you accept it’s God’s will you suffer?” The people would brag about how many people are without God or Jesus in their lives, that such people are indeed living better lives now. That’s why I don’t buy the garbage theology of Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen. Since I used to watch the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) after I got saved, I believe I listened to a good amount of junk from Osteen in my earlier years. I also had my hopes, back then, that Rome could be reformed. I still flip-flopped about Rome because of the majority while also believing that it’s an apostate church. Many times, I was told that I was suffering because I was punished for leaving Rome. Other times, I was told that I was suffering because Christianity is all about suffering. I was told that it’s God’s will I fail and they happily gloat their temporal success. It’s their best life now but will they have their best life in eternity?

If I Became a Catholic Priest Before, I Might’ve Had Become a Luther Too

I reflected on my past and thought, “What if I became a Catholic priest?” It was because I was already obsessed with watching the Family Rosary Crusade with the late Fr. Patrick Peyton. I was told, “If you’re so fond of watching that show, why don’t you become a priest?” The priesthood was something that entertained my mind for some time. Maybe, being a priest would put me in a better position. Maybe not. What I thought was that being a Catholic priest was to be put under mandatory celibacy. I would need to give up marriage so I could serve God better. If I’m not wrong, I actually wanted to become a Jesuit priest. If I did, I would’ve probably become a parish priest in my former Jesuit parish. I’ve had some memories in that parish but it’s time to move forward!

Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Maybe, some readers will find it surprising that I’m using the Jesuit phrase, “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” with the first four Solas of the Reformation. In English, it means, “For the greater glory of God.” The fifth Sola is “Soli Deo Gloria” which means, “Glory to God alone.” It’s very hypocritical for the Jesuits and the other counter-reformers to use the phrase, “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” when they reject the first four Solas. It’s even called the four villains of the Reformation. These Solas are Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, and Solus Christo. In English, they mean Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, and In Christ Alone. All these lead to the fifth Sola namely Glory to God Alone. I have no problem with saying the Jesuit phrase (and no, they have no monopoly over the phrase), “For the greater glory of God.” because that statement is never exclusive to the Ignatian Spirituality movement or Roman Catholicism.

When Parents Lie About FICTIONAL Monsters Being Real to Discipline Their Children

It’s almost Halloween and I forgot to write what I call a “mandatory Halloween post”. It’s so easy to get distracted by church history subjects that I forgot to write this. I intended to write this one since I grew up in a superstitious household. Rather than tell the truth, we as children were told not just about Santa Claus (and I was a fervent believer back then) but also about stuff like the Aswang or other fictional monsters. It was not just the housemaids (who usually came from the province) who were guilty but also the parents themselves. The parents tend to say, “Oh but it’s just a little white lie!” Please, all lies are black and that’s a result of believing in salvation by works. James 2:10-11 says that if somebody tries to keep the whole law yet offends at one point, is guilty of all. A shame really that some psychological websites like Very Well Family even try to justify the practice!

The High Doctrine of Election

As Reformation month is about to end (and I’m going to resume my study on the kings of Israel and Judah), I’m going to give my thoughts on Charles H. Spurgeon’s October 28 morning devotional. The key verse is John 15:19. The doctrine of election can be a cause of division. Many times, I don’t really mind about Calvinism vs. non-Calvinism. The issue is always on the doctrine of regeneration. Spurgeon’s morning devotional today goes like this:

The Great Missionary Hope in the Doctrine of Election

There’s often the accusation that Calvinists or those who adhere to Reformed Theology are too lazy to go soulwinning. It’s really a sad thing some fundamental Baptists have forgotten that they have Calvinist brethren. It can be often said that Calvinism kills missions. It’s not Calvinism per se but hyper-Calvinism. Instead, if these non-Calvinistic pastors do some research, they’ll find out that the KJV is a Calvinist translation. If they do some research they’ll discover some of the hymn writers are Calvinists. Then again, some non-Calvinist pastors are quick to say they accept Calvinists as brothers and sisters, provided such people show signs of being born again and are going out soulwinning. However, they are quick to throw away Calvinism like Charles H. Spurgeon’s cigar. I was once willing to disregard Calvinism like a cigar. Spurgeon is still respected by some non-Calvinist pastors who acknowledge he was a Calvinist.

Continue the Reformation by Upholding Apostolic Doctrine

I was looking for another topic to write about continuing the Reformation. The Reformation wasn’t a split from the true Church. The reformers wanted to be biblical, not become reformers. As I was looking at the Tecarta Bible, today’s verses of the day are Acts 2:42-44. I decided to use the Thru the Bible Commentary to gain some insights. The late J. Vernon McGee wrote a very interesting comment on Acts 2:42 goes like this: