"The Protestant religion is built upon the command of God, upon the Word of God; upon the prophets and apostles of Scripture, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. There it rests - unshaken upon the Rock of Ages, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Rev. Dr. Henry Cooke
“Protestantism, intellectual and spiritual, the Protestantism of the Reformation, of the Puritans,
the genuine Protestantism of the Covenant, is the only thing under Heaven that can save us from
a return to the days of Charles I or James II.” Rev. Dr. Henry Cooke, speaking in June 1835.
Our Protestant Faith
During a conference that was hosted in the early 20th century, experts gathered from all over the world to investigate exactly what it was that made Christianity unique.
Various possibilities were suggested and eliminated. The investigation went on until C.S. Lewis (the famous author and Professor of English at Oxford University) announced, “I have it, I know what it is! It’s grace! Grace makes the difference!”
Suddenly, the experts realised that they had found what they’d been looking for - the Biblical concept of grace is the thing that makes Christianity unique from all of the other world religions.
The great Protestant Reformer of Germany, Martin Luther, made the exact same discovery a number of centuries earlier.
A lack of grace on the part of a worldview will inevitably impact upon the behaviour of its followers and its general influence upon society. See 2nd Corinthians 3:3 & Luke 7:41-43.
What is 'grace'? In its Christian and Biblical context, 'grace' is the term that is used to explain how God shows you kindness, even though you don't deserve it. So, 'grace' is 'undeserved kindness'. God only ever shows His kindness to people who do NOT deserve it (see Romans 4:5). In fact, never once in the whole Bible does God ever show kindness to people who do deserve it - it is only ever shown to those who don't deserve it.
Various possibilities were suggested and eliminated. The investigation went on until C.S. Lewis (the famous author and Professor of English at Oxford University) announced, “I have it, I know what it is! It’s grace! Grace makes the difference!”
Suddenly, the experts realised that they had found what they’d been looking for - the Biblical concept of grace is the thing that makes Christianity unique from all of the other world religions.
The great Protestant Reformer of Germany, Martin Luther, made the exact same discovery a number of centuries earlier.
A lack of grace on the part of a worldview will inevitably impact upon the behaviour of its followers and its general influence upon society. See 2nd Corinthians 3:3 & Luke 7:41-43.
What is 'grace'? In its Christian and Biblical context, 'grace' is the term that is used to explain how God shows you kindness, even though you don't deserve it. So, 'grace' is 'undeserved kindness'. God only ever shows His kindness to people who do NOT deserve it (see Romans 4:5). In fact, never once in the whole Bible does God ever show kindness to people who do deserve it - it is only ever shown to those who don't deserve it.
World Religions: Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, etc
The notion of grace (i.e. God’s love coming to us undeserved, free of charge and without strings attached), goes against every instinct of religious and non-religious humanity. The Hindu doctrine of Karma, the soteriology of contemporary Judaism, the Eightfold Path of Buddhism and the religious law of Islam all attempt to provide a way whereby the devotee can EARN spiritual progress by improving themselves. In such a situation, you become your own saviour. In Christianity however, you cannot be your own saviour because there is only one Saviour, and His name is the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, if you cannot be your own saviour, then that means that you cannot earn spiritual progress or improve your standing before God. Only in Christianity can spiritual progress be obtained by simply receiving it - as a free gift from God to someone who doesn't deserve it in the first place.
Pseudo-Christianity: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, the Cults, etc
Consider also those religions that profess to be ‘Christian’, yet are centred around 'an insufficient Christ’ - i.e. a 'Christ' who cannot unconditionally save you without your participation / good works. Within these religious communities, pseudo-salvation trends (similar to those of avowedly non-Christian faiths) emerge. The devotee is required to add his own works-based contribution (or cooperation) to Christ’s in order to merit divine approval.
The kind of 'Christ' presented by these pseudo-Christian religions needs your help in order to get the job done - therefore he cannot be the Christ of the Bible. The Christ of the Bible saves people, without their help. If you are following a 'Christ' that cannot save you without your help, then you are not following the Christ of the Bible. Jesus Himself warned us that 'false Christs' would arise (see Matthew 24:5 and Matthew 7:15).
The true Christ of Scripture did ALL of the work (not merely 'some of it' or 'most of it') that was required in order to get you to Heaven. That was why He was able to say from Calvary, "It is finished" (see John 19:30); and that is why He was able to rise from the dead (see 1st Corinthians 15:13-17).
The kind of 'Christ' presented by these pseudo-Christian religions needs your help in order to get the job done - therefore he cannot be the Christ of the Bible. The Christ of the Bible saves people, without their help. If you are following a 'Christ' that cannot save you without your help, then you are not following the Christ of the Bible. Jesus Himself warned us that 'false Christs' would arise (see Matthew 24:5 and Matthew 7:15).
The true Christ of Scripture did ALL of the work (not merely 'some of it' or 'most of it') that was required in order to get you to Heaven. That was why He was able to say from Calvary, "It is finished" (see John 19:30); and that is why He was able to rise from the dead (see 1st Corinthians 15:13-17).
True Biblical Christianity
Only true, real, Biblical Christianity can dare to offer hope to a sinner – someone who is lost, hopeless, and has no chance of ever being able to please God, earn His approval or remove the sin that is burdening him and dragging his soul to Hell. The Bible teaches us that every single person in the whole world is in this 'spiritually dangerous' condition - and the reason for this is because we are all sinners from birth (see Romans 3:23 & Psalm 51:5).
How does God offer help to someone in this condition? How does He rescue the sinner? The sinner can't do it themselves. They are completely dependent upon God coming to their rescue. So, how does God do it?
He does it via a miracle - 'the miracle of salvation'.
Why is it called a "miracle" ? It is called a "miracle" because God does it, and you don't. In fact, you play no part in it whatsoever. God does all of the work, and you do nothing.
Why is it called "salvation" ? The root word of the term "salvation" is the verb "to salvage", or "to save". Therefore "salvation" is what happens when God "salvages" (or "saves") someone. That is why you will probably, from time to time, hear someone who is already a Christian describe themselves as 'saved'.
What does God save them from? He saves them from going to Hell - and He does this by taking away their sin.
How can He do that? He can do it because the Lord Jesus Christ died on Calvary, shedding His own blood in order to take away all of the sins of the whole world, and that includes your sins too (see John 3:16). By rising from the dead, Jesus proved that He had taken away every single one of your sins (see 1st Corinthians 15:13-17). In salvation, Jesus takes your place and the punishment for your sins - and as a result of that, all of your sins are taken away (along with the punishment that they deserved - i.e. an eternity of suffering in Hell).
In this miracle of salvation, God offers his love to you, the sinner. And He offers it to you freely and unconditionally, even though you don't deserve it. How can you receive this gift of salvation? You receive it - by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. Good works - whether yours or someone else's (religious or otherwise) - play no part in this whatsoever.
Therefore, in light of what you have read in this article, have you received the Lord Jesus Christ yet?
A missionary once explained the way of salvation to Rambhau, a pearl expert and devout Hindu, preparing to crawl 900 miles on his knees to Delhi in a pilgrimage to “purchase heaven”. He would purposely travel over the sharpest stones and kiss the road every few yards.
Noticing his friend admiring a pearl, Rambhau said “this is good as far as pearls go, but has many imperfections. It is just like what you say of your God. To themselves, people look perfect, but God sees them as they really are.” Encouraged by this astute spiritual observation, the missionary asked him if he accepted the Bible view that salvation is a free gift that cannot be earned. Rambhau replied, “no, it’s too easy, I cannot accept that, I must work for my place in heaven”.
Just before he was to depart on the pilgrimage, Rambhau offered the missionary a present – a large, perfect, priceless pearl, the finest he’d ever seen. It was all the more precious because it had cost him the life of his son, a pearl diver. Awestruck, the missionary said, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t possibly accept such a precious gift free of charge, especially one that cost you the death of your son, please let me pay for it”. Rambhau responded, “You can never earn this pearl, it is beyond all price, it cost me the blood of my son. Trying to pay for something like this is an insult, you can only receive it as a token of my love.” After a brief pause, their eyes met, the missionary said in a low voice, “don’t you see? That is exactly what you have been saying to God”. Rambhau, broken and with tears in his eyes, replied, “I see it now”.
For the first time in his life, Rambhau understood, discovered and experienced – grace, the very thing that makes true, Bible-based Christianity unique from all other worldviews, philosophies and religions. Do you want this grace in your life? This is the kind of grace that God offers to you in Jesus Christ – it is the kind of grace that takes you to Heaven. In order to receive this grace, you MUST receive the Lord Jesus Christ.
How does God offer help to someone in this condition? How does He rescue the sinner? The sinner can't do it themselves. They are completely dependent upon God coming to their rescue. So, how does God do it?
He does it via a miracle - 'the miracle of salvation'.
Why is it called a "miracle" ? It is called a "miracle" because God does it, and you don't. In fact, you play no part in it whatsoever. God does all of the work, and you do nothing.
Why is it called "salvation" ? The root word of the term "salvation" is the verb "to salvage", or "to save". Therefore "salvation" is what happens when God "salvages" (or "saves") someone. That is why you will probably, from time to time, hear someone who is already a Christian describe themselves as 'saved'.
What does God save them from? He saves them from going to Hell - and He does this by taking away their sin.
How can He do that? He can do it because the Lord Jesus Christ died on Calvary, shedding His own blood in order to take away all of the sins of the whole world, and that includes your sins too (see John 3:16). By rising from the dead, Jesus proved that He had taken away every single one of your sins (see 1st Corinthians 15:13-17). In salvation, Jesus takes your place and the punishment for your sins - and as a result of that, all of your sins are taken away (along with the punishment that they deserved - i.e. an eternity of suffering in Hell).
In this miracle of salvation, God offers his love to you, the sinner. And He offers it to you freely and unconditionally, even though you don't deserve it. How can you receive this gift of salvation? You receive it - by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. Good works - whether yours or someone else's (religious or otherwise) - play no part in this whatsoever.
Therefore, in light of what you have read in this article, have you received the Lord Jesus Christ yet?
A missionary once explained the way of salvation to Rambhau, a pearl expert and devout Hindu, preparing to crawl 900 miles on his knees to Delhi in a pilgrimage to “purchase heaven”. He would purposely travel over the sharpest stones and kiss the road every few yards.
Noticing his friend admiring a pearl, Rambhau said “this is good as far as pearls go, but has many imperfections. It is just like what you say of your God. To themselves, people look perfect, but God sees them as they really are.” Encouraged by this astute spiritual observation, the missionary asked him if he accepted the Bible view that salvation is a free gift that cannot be earned. Rambhau replied, “no, it’s too easy, I cannot accept that, I must work for my place in heaven”.
Just before he was to depart on the pilgrimage, Rambhau offered the missionary a present – a large, perfect, priceless pearl, the finest he’d ever seen. It was all the more precious because it had cost him the life of his son, a pearl diver. Awestruck, the missionary said, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t possibly accept such a precious gift free of charge, especially one that cost you the death of your son, please let me pay for it”. Rambhau responded, “You can never earn this pearl, it is beyond all price, it cost me the blood of my son. Trying to pay for something like this is an insult, you can only receive it as a token of my love.” After a brief pause, their eyes met, the missionary said in a low voice, “don’t you see? That is exactly what you have been saying to God”. Rambhau, broken and with tears in his eyes, replied, “I see it now”.
For the first time in his life, Rambhau understood, discovered and experienced – grace, the very thing that makes true, Bible-based Christianity unique from all other worldviews, philosophies and religions. Do you want this grace in your life? This is the kind of grace that God offers to you in Jesus Christ – it is the kind of grace that takes you to Heaven. In order to receive this grace, you MUST receive the Lord Jesus Christ.
Please CLICK HERE if you would like to receive the Lord Jesus Christ, get saved
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"The Reformers rejected the Pope, and they rejected his priests, and they rejected the mediatorship of Mary, the saints and the angels. They proclaimed with one voice: Christ the only Saviour; Christ alone the Great High Priest; Christ alone the one Mediator between God and men; Christ alone the Head of the Church, Christ alone the Judge of the whole earth; Christ alone who offered that one perfect and complete sacrifice for sin forever; Christ only, and only Christ." Bishop J.C. Ryle