Gospel e-Letter

On the 27th October 2011, the Vatican organized a ‘Day of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the world’ to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the historic gathering in Assisi, Italy, in 1986. This year’s event was led by Pope Benedict and included representatives from several Christian denominations, non-Christian religions, including Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists, as well as non-religious people. The event included talks, a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Saint Francis and prayers. God’s people are called in Scripture to pray for peace. Moreover, Christians have a message of hope and peace to proclaim to the world, for we are ambassadors of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord. Why should there be so much trouble and injustice in the world? The Bible tells us plainly. Sin is the underlying cause of war and strife between nations, in our communities, in our families and even in our hearts. Sin is the root of all human misery for it separates us from God. T...

Salvation is a gift of grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ. No one can earn it through their own efforts. If we try to secure salvation by our own works, we risk missing the heart of the Gospel—complete reliance on Christ. Yet, true faith is never empty or inactive. A life touched by God’s grace is a life that bears fruit. If someone claims to have faith but their life remains unchanged, they are only deceiving themselves. We are not saved by our good works—we are saved by Christ’s finished work on the cross. However, salvation is never without good works, for when God saves a person, He creates a new heart that longs to obey Him and bring glory to His name. Even in the brief moments before his death, the repentant thief on the cross revealed God’s grace at work in his heart. He rebuked the other thief for mocking Jesus and publicly identified himself with the crucified King. Likewise, the Philippian jailer, upon believing in Christ, immediately began living out his faith—ca...

One of Martin Luther's 95 theses that he posted to the church door at Wittenberg in 1517, read, “The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.” Yet the church at that time was contented with many other treasures! It had wealth, lands, gold, palaces, statues, rituals, churches and cathedrals. The pope, the cardinals and the clergy enjoyed immense power and prestige. The church had spiritual and temporal dominion over the European continent. At her disposal, the church had the treasury of the merits of Christ, Mary and the Saints, and the authority to distribute indulgences to the faithful in their efforts to obtain salvation and to avoid the horrors of purgatory.

I would like to make two observations about the penitential act at the beginning of the Mass when the priest leads the congregation to pray: “I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.”

In whom are you trusting for your salvation? Jesus tells a story about two Jewish men – a Pharisee and a tax-collector (Luke 18:9-14). Both believed in God; one was a religious and moral person; the other had a bad reputation. Both went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee did not ask God for anything; he stood there bragging about his virtues. The other, painfully gripped by a sense of guilt and unworthiness, begged God for mercy. Both returned home. The Pharisee remained unchanged, guilty before God and confirmed in his fatal delusion. The publican was now justified, forgiven, free and at peace with God. For, as the Teacher concludes, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. The Pharisee was blinded by pride to his own sinfulness. He considered himself a righteous person. He saw no need for mercy. He did not get any. On the other hand, the tax collector humbled himself before God. He asked God to spare him the punishment h...

500 years ago Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, nailed a document, known as ‘The 95 Theses’, to the church door at Wittenberg in Germany. It was an invitation to a discussion on the teaching and practice of the church on the subject of indulgences. At that time another monk, Johann Tetzel, was in the area preaching about indulgences. The church, he taught, could grant a remission of the punishment for your sins, because it has the authority to apply to your benefit the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints. The people eagerly bought ‘letters of indulgences’ from the pope, confident that by them they would escape the torment of the fire of purgatory. Luther was worried about this practice. The 95 Theses was a call to the church to come back to the teaching of the Scriptures. One thesis read thus: ‘The right and true treasure of the Church is the most Holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God.’ The church possesses something of unique value. But it is not m...

(Gospel e-Letter - November 2015) There is an infinite space in the human heart. It desires and yearns for more, but it is never filled or satisfied even if it possesses the entire world. My colleague was preparing to go to work. His daughter asked him to stay at home and play with her. He answered that if he doesn’t work they won’t have money to buy her toys. His daughter replied, “I have enough toys, daddy. I prefer to have you stay with me.” Even little ones realize that mere stuff isn’t enough. Human beings live and thrive on love; this is how God made us. We should give priority to our family and loved ones and seek to enjoy them all the more. But even this isn’t sufficient. Our heart yearns for the greatest and infinite love. Augustine of Hippo expressed this truth brilliantly in his prayer: “You have created us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.” People find no lasting and satisfactory repose except in their Maker. “As the dee...

The Bible answers the vital question:  How can I be right with God? The apostle Paul makes this incredible statement in the epistle to the Romans: "To him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5). God justifies the ungodly! He does not say, "God justifies the righteous." That would have been perfectly understandable and just - and it would have spelled despair to all of us sinners. He does not even say, "God justifies the ungodly when he converts and starts doing good works." Paul insists that it is to him "who does not work" but "believes" that God accounts as righteous. God justifies the ungodly by faith alone. Now that is the good news that we need to hear! Click here to download a free copy of the e-book.

Dear friends, Christmas is all about gifts. When I was a young boy my parents used to tell me that Baby Jesus will give me a toy if I was a good boy. Christmas morning was fantastic, waking up to find a toy and sweets on my bed. But then someone at school told me that it was not Jesus but my parents who brought me the gifts. The magic of Christmas was gone! Later on, I learned from the Scriptures that Jesus gives us life, our daily bread and everything we have. It was Jesus after all who gave me the gifts on Christmas morn! Moreover, I discovered that the greatest Gift is Jesus Christ Himself. God so loved the world that he gave his Son. “The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Christmas day is too short to celebrate the grace and goodness of God. If we have received Jesus by faith, we have all life and eternity to enjoy and praise God for his amazing Gift. May the peace and joy of Christ be with you and your loved ones. Joe and Joanne, an...

God does not promise health, wealth, and prosperity to his children in this world. On the contrary, God’s Word warns us Christians that we will have our share of trouble, disease and hardship during our brief pilgrimage towards the eternal City. As Christians we readily admit that “our outer self is wasting away” yet we do not lose heart since we know that our sufferings are only temporary. “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17). The glory in heaven comes only after the affliction during this brief life on earth. Prosperity teachers are very popular. Their audience seeks Christ for the wrong reasons – to get rid of their troubles and to become rich and prosperous. This isn’t anything new. As in the early church, there are people today who imagine “that godliness is a means of gain.” However, the Bible warns that “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many sensele...

Is a person saved by faith, or by faith and works? Are good works necessary in salvation? These crucial questions are most clearly answered in Ephesians 2:8-10: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. There are three important truths to note in this passage.

It is not hard to see why John 3:16 is the best known and most cherished verse in the Holy Scriptures. It is packed with truths about God’s kindness and his provision for our joy and life. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Is it not amazing that God loves the world that has rebelled against him? Our first parents disobeyed their Maker, and we, their children, continue to do the same to this day. Every sin that we commit is, in effect, an act of disobedience and defiance against our Creator. Even so, the Bible tells us that ‘God so loved the world!’ Even more amazing is the measure of God’s love. God is good to us; he gives us breath, health, food, family and so many good gifts. But all of that is nothing when compared to the ultimate expression of his love. He ‘gave his only Son!’ God could not have loved the world more than that! God gave his Son in three ways: The Father gave his Son ...

The church rightly calls Mary by the title ‘Mother of God’. The term is rather ambiguous, though, and it can be easily misunderstood. Some Protestants may need a little explanation, whereas some Catholics may benefit from a gentle admonition against its misuse. The Creed of Chalcedon, A.D. 451, includes the Greek term ‘theotokos’ to define the identity of Christ. ‘Theotokos’ literally means ‘God-bearer’, which is loosely translated into Latin ‘Mater Dei’ - Mother of God. The term was used to underline the fact that the child born of Mary was truly God, and thus to guard against the error that Christ was two persons in one body, rather than one person. This heresy, ‘Nestorianism’, was condemned at the First Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431. The Creed states, in part, that Christ was “begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood.” The creed d...

(Gospel e-Letter - January 2010) One of two destinies await each one of us - Death or eternal life. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The ultimate payment for sin is death. We earned death by our sinful disobedience to God’s Law. Yet God, who is rich in mercy, does not mete out the punishment deserved by his people, But frees them from guilt for Christ’s sake. He gives them what they do not deserve – eternal life. To them who are united by faith in Christ Jesus, God gives life as a gift, freely, gratis! For Jesus, the sinless one, paid their debt by his own blood, And by his perfect obedience He merited for them eternal life. Death is not a state of non-existence. It is existence without purpose, without meaning, without joy. Death is thirst without water. Hunger without food. Death is to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time And endure the wrath of God forever. Death is the soul in solitude and darkness, Th...

Can God be merciful to sinners and forgive their sins while being absolutely just and upright? Justice demands that sinners should be punished, while mercy allows the guilty to go free. If justice prevails, mercy is refused; but if mercy triumphs, justice is undone. Is there a solution to this dilemma? Praise be to God, the gospel resolves our predicament. The Bible reveals God’s infinite wisdom in finding a way to be both just and the justifier of the ungodly who believes in Christ. The Bible teaches that we were under God’s wrath because we are law-breakers. ‘All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law’ (Galatians 3:10). None of us obeyed God’s Law perfectly; therefore all of us were under divine condemnation, and some of us may be, in fact, still under his wrath. But God intervened. He sent his Son to the world to take away our sins. The sinless One became sin for us;...

(Gospel e-Letter - April 2009) The Lord Jesus tells us, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” He goes on to give us this wonderful promise, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27, 28). More blessed words of comfort and reassurance have never been uttered! The security of the sheep is guaranteed by the faithfulness and omnipotence of our Good Shepherd. Since he promised that they shall never perish, we can be sure that not even one of his sheep will ever be lost. There is no stronger creature in the universe that is able to open the protecting hand of the Lord and steal away one of his own. However some Christians think that a true believer can end up in hell for one reason or another. They reject the assurance of eternal life because they fear that it will encourage presumption and reckless living. Such fears are not groundless. There are indeed many nominal Christians that sha...

(Gospel e-Letter - January 2009) As responsible creatures we are under obligation to keep the Law of God - but we did not; as law-breakers we are under the condemnation of the same law. We have no title to eternal life, but rather we are in danger of death in hell forever. Thanks be to God for he did not leave us in our helpless state. 2 Corinthians 5:21 is a profound statement on the gospel message: God justifies the ungodly through his Son Jesus Christ because he fulfilled the Law for us by obeying all its precepts perfectly and endured its awful penalty. “For He (God) made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” May the Spirit of God help us understand and appreciate God’s work of reconciliation through his Son. Made Sin for Us The Lord Jesus is able to free us from sin because he himself was sinless. The Bible is emphatic on this point. Jesus was tempted in all points yet “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15); in him “the...

(Gospel e-Letter September 2008) The gospel calls everyone to repentance and faith, promising salvation to those who convert to Jesus Christ. It is our duty and privilege to turn away from sin and trust in the Name of Jesus. Yet we, being sinners by nature, would rather continue to wallow in sin and spurn the gracious promises of God. We should turn to God but we simply won’t - unless God changes our hearts. The Lord Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him”, and again, “no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him” (John 6:44, 65). “No one can come” and yet some do come to Christ but only because of God work in them. God enables sinners to come to Christ for salvation by giving them repentance and faith. Repentance is a gift of God. The apostle Paul said that the Lord’s servant should gently instruct unbelievers “in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim 2:25). Similarly, the Apostle Pe...

  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 is perhaps the best-known verse of the Bible. It is a summary of the Gospel and it has brought peace, forgiveness and life to thousands of people, including myself. It is my prayer and desire that God would apply these truths to your heart, that you too may experience his marvellous love. Loving the unloving Who is the God who loved the world? He is the Creator of the universe, our Maker and Master. God created us special, as the bible says, ‘in his own image.’ That implies that we can love and be loved, for God is love. It is only in the experience of love that the purpose of our existence could be fulfilled. However, from the beginning, our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed the Lord. They ate the forbidden fruit and, in effect, they told God: ‘We do not love you; we don’t care about you or your commands; we shall live independ...