Southeast Protestant Reformed Church

06/10/2024

Bring a friend and come study the book of Mark. Hosted by SEPRC Evangelism Commitee - This week Wednesday

04/21/2024

A cobbler, a smith, a peasant—each has the work and office of his trade, and yet they are all alike consecrated priests…Further, everyone must benefit and serve every other by means of his own work or office so that in this way many kinds of work may be done for the bodily and spiritual welfare of the community, just as all the members of the body serve one another [1 Cor. 12:14–26]” (Martin Luther, To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Concerning the Reform of the Christian Estate, Luther’s Works,
vol. 44)

03/28/2024

“In order to lay claim to the honors of royalty, he enters Jerusalem, riding on an ass. A magnificent display, truly! more
especially when the ass was borrowed from some person, and when the want of a saddle and of accoutrements compelled
the disciples to throw their garments on it, which was a mark of mean and disgraceful poverty. He is attended, I admit, by a
large retinue; but of what sort of people? Of those who had hastily assembled from the neighboring villages. Sounds of loud
and joyful welcome are heard; but from whom? From the very poorest, and from those who belong to the despised multitude.
One might think, therefore, that he intentionally exposed himself to the ridicule of all. But as he had two things to do at the
same time,—as he had to exhibit some proof of his kingdom, and to show that it does not resemble earthly kingdoms, and
does not consist of the fading riches of this world, it was altogether necessary for him to take this method” (John Calvin,
commentary on the triumphal entry).

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03/21/2024

“If we had only the first three words [in Latin] of the Creed, ‘I believe in God the Father,’ they would still be far
beyond our understanding and reason” (Martin Luther, Table Talk, Luther’s Works, vol. 54).

03/14/2024

“In the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is contained the whole salvation of men”
(Herman Bavinck, Our Reasonable Faith).

03/07/2024

“This certainty [of faith], which relates both to the objective grace of God in Christ and to the believer's subjective
participation in it, is not an external additive to faith but is in principle integral to it from the start. It is not obtained
by looking at ourselves but by looking away from ourselves to Christ. It is grounded in the promises of God, not in
changing experiences or imperfect good works. Doubts and fears do certainly arise from time to time in the believer's
heart (Matt. 8:25; 14:30; Mark 9:24), and believers must certainly fight against them throughout their lives. However,
they can only wage that struggle and only prevail in that struggle by the power of the faith that holds on to God's
promise, rests in the completed work of Christ, and is thus by nature certain.” (Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol 4,
131-32).

02/24/2024

Romans 8:1-5

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

02/18/2024

“The consciences of believers, while seeking the assurance of their justification before God, must rise above the law, and
think no more of obtaining justification by it. For while the law…leaves not one man righteous, we are either excluded from
all hope of justification, or we must be loosed from the law, and so loosed as that no account at all shall be taken of works. For
he who imagines that in order to obtain justification he must bring any degree of works whatever, cannot fix any mode or
limit, but makes himself debtor to the whole law. Therefore, laying aside all mention of the law, and all idea of works, we
must in the matter of justification have recourse to the mercy of God only; turning away our regard from ourselves, we must
look only to Christ. For the question is, not how we may be righteous, but how, though unworthy and unrighteous, we may be
regarded as righteous. If consciences would obtain any assurance of this, they must give no place to the law. Still it cannot be
rightly inferred from this that believers have no need of the law. It ceases not to teach, exhort, and urge them to good,
although it is not recognized by their consciences before the judgment-seat of God. The two things are very different, and
should be well and carefully distinguished” (John Calvin, Institutes, 3.19.2, on the first part of Christian liberty).

02/01/2024

“We believe that God, who is perfectly merciful and just, sent His Son to assume that nature in which the disobedience was committed, to make satisfaction in the same, and to bear the punishment of sin by His most bitter passion and death. God therefore manifested His justice against His Son when He laid our iniquities upon Him, and poured forth His mercy and goodness on us, who were guilty and worthy of damnation, out of mere
and perfect love, giving His Son unto death for us, and raising Him for our justification, that through Him we might obtain immortality and life eternal” (Belgic Confession Art. 20—“God Hath Manifested His Justice and Mercy in Christ”).

01/17/2024

“‘When thy word goeth forth,’ he saith, ‘it giveth light, and maketh His little ones to understand’ (ver. 130). What is
the little one save the humble and weak? Be not proud therefore, presume not in thine own strength, which is nought;
and thou wilt understand why a good law was given by a good God, though it cannot give life. For it was given for this
end, that it might make thee a little one instead of great, that it might show that thou hadst not strength to do the law
of thine own power: and that thus, wanting aid and destitute, thou mightest fly unto grace, saying, ‘Have mercy upon
me, O Lord, for I am weak.’...Let all be little ones, and let all the world be guilty before Thee: because ‘by the deeds of
the Law there shall no flesh be justified’ in Thy sight; ‘for by the Law is the knowledge of sin’” (Augustine, on Psalm
119:130).

01/11/2024

Lord's Day 1 - Q&A 1
Q - What is thy only comfort in life and death?
A - That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who, with His precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil, and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head, yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him.

01/03/2024

“Now if the sight of Christ, while he was yet a child, had so powerful an effect on Simeon, that he approached death
with cheerfulness and composure; how much more abundant materials of lasting peace are now furnished to us, who
have the opportunity of beholding our salvation altogether completed in Christ? True, Christ no longer dwells on
earth, nor do we carry him in our arms: but his divine majesty shines openly and brightly in the gospel, and there do
‘we all,’ as Paul says, ‘behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord,’ — not as formerly amidst the weakness of flesh, but in
the glorious power of the Spirit, which he displayed in his miracles, in the sacrifice of his death, and in his
resurrection. In a word, his absence from us in body is of such a nature, that we are permitted to behold him sitting at
the right hand of the Father. If such a sight does not bring peace to our minds, and make us go cheerfully to death, we
are highly ungrateful to God, and hold the honor, which he has bestowed upon us, in little estimation” (John Calvin,
commentary on Luke 2:30).