Salvation Belongs to the LORD, Sermon from Jonah 2 by Ps George Skariah

Salvation Belongs to the Lord

Jonah 2:1-10

How a person is saved? This has been a struggle for people all through the ages, for the wise and the unwise, for the rich and poor, for the white and the black.

·         First it is spiritual salvation.

·         Then it is physical salvation.

Spiritually, we must very clearly understand What and How of the salvation. Then, that would result in our physical salvation as well.

Jonah experienced both in his life, but it did not happen that easy for him. Finally Jonah could very confidently say, “Salvation is of the LORD” (v 9).

·         Jonah could first and foremost experience salvation of his soul in the LORD.

·         Then, when he was in the most desperate situation, he could come to God and express his faith and confidence in Him. This is the true faith, and this is the faith victorious.

·         This is the story of our forefathers, and this must be our story today as well.

How could Jonah express that Salvation is of the LORD?

In His Desperateness, He Could Pray to God (vv 1-2)

·         Prayer of Repentance >> Prayer of repentance was the sign that Jonah was truly born again and a child of God. On the contrary, those who are not truly born again, in desperateness, they would resolve to their destiny, and silently suffer or take away their lives.

In Hell-like Situation, His Hope was in the LORD (vv 2b-7)

·         Situation at the Fish’s Belly >> In the belly of the fish, Jonah was going through a hell-like situation. The word “hell” in verse 2 is “sheol” in Hebrew, and it means “grave” or a place of the dead ones. According to the Hebrew understanding sheol is the place where the souls of the dead ones will end up, especially the souls of the unrighteous ones. In the biblical understanding, it is the place called hell.

·         Life without God is a hell-like situation (vv 3-7) >> A complete hopelessness

·         Prayer of Restfulness >> For Jonah, since he was a child of God, and since he did not give up his faith and dependency upon God, he could respond to the situation differently >> “I will look again toward thy holy temple” (vv 4, 7), “thou hast brought up my life from corruption” (v 6), and “I remembered the LORD” (v 7).

When All those who are Around Him Forsake God, He Could Worship the LORD (vv 8-9)

·         Idol worshipers forsake the loving kindness of God, and choose their own path (v 8).

·         Prayer of Resolution (v 9): There are three “I Will” in this entire passage (vv 4, 9). Those who trust in God, would commit their lives for godly service. They are again and again affirmed that salvation comes only from God.

He Could Experience True Deliverance in His Life (v 10)

The faith that Jonah had shown throughout this prayer was not disappointed. God performed an act in which the deliverance prayed for was realized.

·         True faith is a victorious faith.

·         True deliverance is the calling and portion of God’s children.

·         When we run toward God, God would take control of our lives, and God’s will for our lives would be realized.

Conclusion/Application

True salvation comes to us only through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Jonah is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 12:38-41 >> Jesus here uses Jonah’s experience of being in the fish belly as a type for His suffering, crucifixion, death, and burial, and specifically being in the grave for three days and three nights. The sign of Jonah is this: Jesus swallowed our sin by His Cross. Sin may belong to us, but salvation belongs to the Lord. Jesus suffered all the punishment on the Cross, and died as the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). He went through the agony of even being in the grave.

Remember, Jesus did not say “another Jonah is here,” but He said, “One Greater then Jonah is here!”

When Jesus as our Savior, for a true believer it means:

1. Prayer of Repentance
2. Prayer of Restfulness
3. Prayer of Resolution

Salvation Is of the Lord, article by Ps George Skariah

Salvation Is of the LORD!

Salvation of a sinner is completely the work of the Triune God, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. No sinner can ever become a child of God by anything that he has done. But he simply cling on to the work Jesus Christ has done on his behalf. The Apostle Paul succinctly states this truth in Romans 11:36, For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. Someone explains this in the following way, “salvation is God determined, God purchased, God applied, and God secured.”

Ephesians 1:1-14

The Apostle Paul explains this in Ephesians 1:1-14. Paul here states that God the Father has elected us unto salvation before the foundation of the world. In verses 3-5 he says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. Then, God the Son has redeemed us by His blood. In verse 7 Paul says, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. And finally, the Holy Spirit has applied the salvation unto us. In verse 13 he says, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. In other words, the Father God is the Author of our salvation, the Son God is the Accomplisher of our salvation, and finally the Spirit God is the Applier of our salvation. The chief purpose of all these is the glory of God. In this passage Paul mentions this three times: in verse 6, “to the praise of the glory of his grace;” in verse 12, “to the praise of his glory;” and finally in verse 14, “unto the praise of his glory.”

Romans 8:28-39

God’s people are the ones who are “the called according to His purpose” (v 28). Our responsibility is to “love God,” that is to respond to Him in faith and a committed life. God has predestinated certain people whom He foreknew. The word “predestinate” means “marked out in advance,” or “determined or appointed beforehand.” This means, prior to creation, God appointed those who would respond to the gospel preached. The word “foreknowledge” means is not simple prescience or advance knowledge, but “bringing into a special relation with,” as “Adam knew Eve his wife” (Gen 4:1). In Amos 3:2, YHWH says of Israel, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.” Jesus says in John 10:14, “I . . . know my sheep,” and in Matt 7:23, “I never knew you.” “Foreknowledge is” therefore, “God’s determination from eternity to bring certain ones into a special relationship with Himself.” God has an active delight toward certain people whom He wants to show His divine mercy. Jacob was such a person, but his brother Esau never found such a divine mercy (Malachi 1:2-3; Romans 9:10-18).

Then Paul goes on to say in Romans 8:30, Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. This is called the salvation chain. Those whom God predestinated to be His children because of His active delight toward them, He then effectually called them. God, by His divine sovereignty, called (pretemporal, means it occurred before the creation of the world, verse 28, Eph 1:4) some to be His chosen ones. The calling in verse 30 is temporal and effectual calling, means to those whom God called pretemporal, now He effectually communicates the gospel, and they respond to it, resulting in their salvation. To those whom He effectually called, them He justifies, and to them He justifies, He glorifies them. Hence, our salvation is a chain, and it begins with God and ends with God. This chain cannot be broken. In verse 31, Paul therefore asks, What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

The Doctrines of Grace

This doctrine of salvation is known in the Reformed theology as the doctrines of grace and succinctly summarized with the word TULIP:

T – Total Depravity of Man

U – Unconditional Election

L – Limited Atonement

I – Irresistible Grace

P – Perseverance of the Saints

Total Depravity of Man

Man in his natural state is dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1). Because of the fall in Adam, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the gospel. The sinner is spiritually dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is deceitful and desperately corrupt (Rom 5:12-20; 1 Cor 15:21-22). Therefore he will not and cannot choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. As a result it takes the assistance of the Spirit of God through regeneration to bring a sinner to Christ. The Shorter Catechism Q 16 asks: Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression? The answer is: The covenant being made with Adam not only for himself, but for his posterity, all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression.

Unconditional Election

God the Father has sovereignly chosen those who will be saved (Eph 1:4-7; Titus 3:4-7). God’s choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation of the world rested solely on His own sovereign will. His choice of particular sinners was not based on any foreseen response or obedience on their part, such as faith, repentance, etc. On the contrary, God gives faith and repentance to each individual whom He selected. These acts are the result, not the cause, of God’s choice. Election therefore was not determined by or conditioned upon any virtuous quality or act foreseen in man. Those whom God sovereignly elected He brings through the power of the Holy Spirit to a willing acceptance of Christ. Thus God’s choice of the sinner, and not the sinner’s choice of Christ, is the ultimate cause of salvation. The Shorter Catechism Q 20 asks: Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? The answer is: God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation, by a Redeemer.

Limited Atonement

The Lord Jesus Christ died for all whom the Father had given to Him, and for them only. His death, in its effect, was substitutionary. He died for the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners, although in its sufficiency, it was offered to the whole sinful mankind. In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ’s redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith which unites them to Him. Some of the passages that deal with this truth are: 2 Cor 5:14; John 11:50; Rom 5:8; 1 Thess 5:10; 1 Pet 2:21; 1 John 3:16; Matt 1:21; John 10:11; Rom 8:33-34).

Irresistible Grace

The Holy Spirit sovereignly and effectually applies salvation to the elect of God. If men were left to depend upon their own strength and ability at any point in the process of salvation, none could be saved. But such is not the case. The Reformed faith teaches that which Jesus prayed, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37), and that which Jesus affirmed, No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44). It is here that we see the saving work of the Holy Spirit. We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us by His Holy Spirit (Shorter Catechism Q 29). The Spirit does so by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling (Q 30). The Scripture passages that teach this doctrine are: John 1:12-13; 3:5-6; Tit 3:5-6; Eph 2:8; John 15:5; 1 Cor 1:9; 1 Pet 5:10, etc.

Perseverance of the Saints

This doctrine teaches that those who are truly saved will never be lost. All who are chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and given faith by the Spirit of God are eternally saved. They are kept in faith by the power of Almighty God and thus persevere to the end. The Shorter Catechism teaches, The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are: assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end (Q 36). Following are the passages that deal with this doctrine: John 6:39; 10:28; Phil 1:6; Rom 5:1, 2, 5; Col 1:10-11; 1 Pet 1:5; Jude 1; Rev 14:12.

The Impact of Reformation upon Missions, by Ps George Skariah, Bangalore Reformed Church (Covenant BPC), Bangalore

Reformation and Missions: The Impact of Reformation upon Missions

Were the Protestant Reformers against missions and evangelism? Was their theology in conflict with the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ, which calls upon the Church to go to all nations and preach the gospel? What were their impacts toward the spreading of the gospel to Europe and to other parts of the world? Should the Reformed churches have a missions mandate? Significantly, by looking into the geographical advancement of the gospel during the last 500 years of the history of the Church, one is able to identify that the 16^th Century Protestant Reformation movement was greatly instrumental for the spread of the gospel from one end of the world to the other end. The Reformation era is understood as one of the greatest spiritual awakenings that happened in the Church, ever since the revival experienced by the Early Church during the Day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2. This revival not only impacted the doctrinal and ethical purity of the Church, but also the mission endeavors of the Church. It began with the spread of the gospel to various cities and villages of the European continent, transforming the lives of nominal Christians to a genuine spiritual experience with the Lord Jesus Christ, as the liberating and the transforming power of the gospel penetrated the hearts of the people. From there, the gospel missions advanced to America, Africa, Asia, and to the uttermost parts of the world. Truly, the Reformation movement was not only a doctrinal movement, but also a missions movement!

Criticism Against the Reformers

It has been said that the Reformers were against missions because, firstly, they thought that missions mandate of the Church was already fulfilled by the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Early Church as they had taken the gospel to the ends of the earth during their lifetime itself. Secondly, according to the critics, the Reformers were very busy fighting with the Catholics to establish the right doctrinal understanding on the doctrine of justification, and as a result, they neglected missions or sharing the gospel with others. They engaged in a theological war with the Catholics, and therefore they overlooked the mission concerns of the Church. Thirdly, the criticism was that the Reformers were predestinarians (the doctrine of God electing people to salvation), believing in the sovereignty of God in salvation, and therefore precluded the responsibility of man in coming to Christ. The accusation was that the Reformers thought that if God wanted to save the heathen, they would be saved without the instrumentality of man. In this regard, they even quoted John Calvin as he wrote, “we are taught that the kingdom of Christ is neither to be advanced nor maintained by the industry of men, but this is the work of God alone.”

Theological Evaluation

Was the theology of the Reformers against evangelism and missions, as the critics observed? An observation of the theology of the Reformers and their understanding on missions helps us to realize that the critics had wrongly judged the Reformers on this matter.

It was true that the Reformers’ theology was different from the Catholics in many sense. Especially that in the doctrine of salvation, there was a paradigm shift between the Catholics and the Reformers. In fact, it was the theology that shaped the missions approach of the Reformers. The Catholics’ doctrine of salvation was a man-centered, humanistic, approach. They taught that there was some moral goodness in man, and that he could by himself come to God for salvation. On the contrary, the Reformers understood the doctrine of salvation as centered around God. According to Apostle Paul’s exposition of the doctrine of salvation in the Epistles of Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians, the Reformers taught that salvation is the work of God, and God alone, and a sinner receives it as God grants it unto him as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8). A sinner has no ability whatsoever within him to come to God for salvation. Our salvation is not through man’s freewill as our will is flawed by sin, and of our own, we will never turn to God and to His righteousness (read Romans 3:9-18). The Bible clearly says that there is none righteous (Romans 3:10), “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Even, our faith that we place upon God to believe in Him is His gift to us. Therefore, the Scripture teaches that a sinner is saved solely by the sovereign will and mercy of God.

One will not miss this truth if he objectively studies Romans 8-9 along with Ephesians 1-2. God is sovereign over a sinner’s salvation. Paul writes in Romans 8:28-31, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” This is known as the chain of salvation that from the election of a sinner to salvation, all the way to his glorification, salvation is the work of God, by His most sovereign will, and for His glory. No one can be brought into God’s salvation plan, but only those whom He did predestinate, them He called, them He justified, and them He glorified. God, in His great plan of salvation, chooses some into His saving grace, but many are left out. In Romans 9 Paul explains this difficult truth through the case of Jacob and Esau in the Old Testament, saying, “. . . that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth” (verse 11). Paul then asks this question, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?” (verse 14), and the answer is, “God forbid,” means “certainly not.” And the reason that some sinners are left out of God’s salvation plan is that they are condemned by God in their lost sinful estate as they deserve nothing but condemnation. On the contrary, for those whom God has chosen to salvation, it is nothing but the sheer mercies of God. Paul continues, “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. . . . Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth” (Romans 9:15-18). Later in verses 21-23 Paul adds that God has complete authority over man as he is just like a clay in the porter’s hand, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory” (Romans 9:21-23). Take note the last phrase that says, “which he had afore prepared unto glory.” This is God’s sovereign election that before the foundation of the world, God chose some to eternal salvation, out of His pure mercy.

Again, the Apostle Paul expounds this truth clearly in Ephesians 1-2. In Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul explains that the Triune God—Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit—is the Author, Accomplisher, and Applier of salvation. According to Paul, salvation is by the Will of God, through the Work of God, and for the Worship of God. He says in verses 3-6, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” God has done this, Paul says, “according to the riches of his grace” (verse 7), and out of His rich mercy, and for His great love toward us (2:4). Paul concludes, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:7-9). The point, therefore, is that man is not saved by his own freewill as some people say, but by the sovereign will of God, and man receives it as God’s pure gift as man responds to God through faith, that is placing his trust in God. Thank God that He has taken the initiative to save us and reached out unto us through His Son Jesus Christ!

However, the doctrine of the sovereignty of God in salvation never negates the importance of gospel preaching and missions endeavors of the church. The Reformed theology, in accordance with Paul’s teaching on this matter in Romans 10, teaches that an elect sinner comes to know the truth of salvation through the preaching of the gospel. The Apostle, having expounded God’s eternal and sovereign election for salvation in Romans 9, expounds in chapter 10 that preaching is the means by which a lost sinner is brought to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says, “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:12-17). Like the chain of salvation we earlier discussed (Romans 8:28-31), in these verses there is the chain of logic in sharing the gospel and salvation: the only way to be saved is to call on Christ’s name; the only way to call on Christ’s name is to believe the gospel; the only way to believe the gospel is to hear the gospel; and the only way to hear the gospel is to be told the gospel. This calls on us the urgency of reaching out to the ends of the earth with the gospel as without the glorious gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, there is no hope of salvation and eternal life for this hopeless and perishing world.

In other words, the Reformed theology stands against any inclusivism, which teaches that though salvation is only through Jesus Christ, there may be persons who are saved without knowing it. Inclusivism simply put, Jesus may save some who never hear of Him. The argument comes from the understanding of the so called “innocent people” around, who may never get the opportunity to hear the gospel. The argument is based on Romans 1:19-20, which talks about God revealing Himself through the nature which He created, and Romans 2:14-15, which talks about the moral law written within human hearts, which would provide sufficient knowledge for salvation. Those who argue this way wrongly understood the logic behind Paul’s arguments in Romans 1-2. The point the Apostle is making in these two passages is the inexcusability and the inability of man—he is “without excuse” before God’s wrath on the Day of Judgment. Paul’s argument is that God’s revelation in nature is sufficient only to condemn a sinner, not to save, as he suppresses the truth (verse 18). His own conscience will bear witness against him, testifying against him, that he is a lawbreaker as there is no inborn ability in him to come to God of his own or to do that which is good to merit salvation before God. Hence Paul’s conclusion in Romans 3, “let God be true, but every man a liar” (verse 4); “there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” (verses 10-11); and “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (verse 23). That means there is no “innocent man” in the first place.

In contrast to inclusivism, the Reformed theology teaches exclusivism, which is the view that salvation of a lost sinner is possible only through faith in the gospel of Christ. Having explained the totally depraved, sinful, state of human condition, Paul moves on in Romans 3 to explain God’s glorious gospel for man, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:24-28). There is only one way of salvation all through the Bible, for everyone, everywhere, and in any period of time. Jesus categorically stated this truth as He mentioned in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Interestingly, the saints of the Old Testament were also saved through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. To a doubting and rebellious Jews, Jesus reminded that their father Abraham placed his faith in Him (John 8:56). Paul says in Galatians 3:8 that the gospel was preached unto Abraham, and Abraham believed it and counted it unto him for righteousness (cf. Hebrews 4:2).

Having understood the importance of the gospel for salvation, Paul himself said, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:14-17). Later he adds, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16; cf 2 Corinthians 4:1-7).

It is the Reformed theology that understands this truth correctly. Hence, the Reformers emphasized the need for preaching the gospel and the people with a Reformed persuasion have been in the forefront of missions expansions of the Church.

Historical Evaluation

A historical evaluation of the Reformation period and the subsequent centuries helps us to understand that the Magisterial Reformers, namely, Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and Knox, and their followers worked earnestly not only for the purity of the doctrines of the gospel but also for the spreading of the gospel message to the near and far. For the Reformers, their priority was setting the doctrines of salvation right, and for that they fought with the established Catholic system. Along with that, they did their part in the faithful proclamation of the gospel.

It was observed that in the early period of the Reformation, the Reformers concentrated more on “regional” missions rather than “foreign” missions. During that period, the Reformation cities such as Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich, and Basel were like hubs and from these cities, many returned to their home regions, having received pastoral training to be pastors and evangelists. In the 16^th century, missions nearer home involved much challenges as the opposition was fierce. It was told that from Geneva alone, more than 200 preachers were sent out during the period of 1555-70. Of whom many were imprisoned and executed before they could reach their destinations. Those who survived, could establish Protestant congregations.

The Reformers played a crucial role of spreading the gospel in and around Europe through the Bible translations. The Renaissance and the invention of the printing press opened a great opportunity to print the Bible in vernacular languages. People like William Tyndale, Erasmus of Rotterdam, Theodore Beza, and many others published the Greek and English Bibles, in the languages of the common people. Bible translations were also done into German, French, and Dutch languages so that ploughboys and milkmaids could read God’s Word in their own languages.

In the 17^th century, the Reformation impact on missions was seen as many movements, such as, Puritanism (in England), Pietism (Lutherans in Germany), and Moravianism (Unity of Brethren) committed to gospel outreaches to their own homes, societies, and to the neighborhoods. Significantly, the Anabaptists and the Pietist movement were greatly influenced by the Reformed theology, especially for their missionary zeal. Later, the Pietist movement led the way to the Wesleyan revival and Baptist Missionary Society. By the middle of the 17^th century, three missionary societies were in function, namely, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG).

The eighteenth century had witnessed an explosion in missions endeavors. This was the period England and North America witnessed the First Great Awakening through the Calvinistic preacher George Whitefield. The Wesley brothers, John and Charles Wesley, though with a different theological persuasion, contributed toward the Great Awakening. This century was known as the modern missionary movement as this period witnessed the birth of many missionary organizations in different parts of the world, especially in England and in Northern America. To name a few: the Baptist Missionary Society in 1792, the London Missionary Society in 1795, the Church Missionary Society in 1799, and the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in 1813. For the Northern America, in 1810, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was born, which was the first missions society in the US.

In the light of these developments of the Post-Reformation missions initiatives, it was observed that, “It seemed so obvious at the end of the nineteenth century that Calvinism and missions had been good partners that few felt pressed to document the full extent of it. One who did (from within the Presbyterian and Reformed constituency) claimed at the century’s end that of the world’s Protestant missionary force, a full 25% were recruited from that family of churches. His figure took no account of the many Congregationalists, Anglicans, and Baptists whose convictions substantially overlapped. It is good to be reminded just how many “household names” from that great era of missionary expansion were both sent out by agencies upholding and served within a Calvinistic framework. A dictionary of biography would rapidly make this plain regarding Robert Morrison (1782–1834) who translated the Bible into Chinese by 1818; Robert Moffat (1795–1883) and his son-in-law David Livingstone (1813–73), who gave themselves to South and Central Africa; and a host of others.” (Kenneth J Stewart, “Calvinism and Missions: the Contested Relationship Revisited”). Following are the names of some great missionaries from the Reformed persuasion took the gospel to the different parts of the world in the 19^th century: Alexander Duff, Donald Fraser, John Geddie, Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth, Adoniram Judson, David Livingstone, Robert Moffat, Samuel A. Moffett, Robert Morrison, John L. Nevius, John G. Paton, John Philip, A. T. Pierson, John Scudder, Mary Slessor, Johannes Van der Kemp, John Williams. (Ibid.)

India Specific Impact of Post-Reformation Missions

The impact of Post-Reformation missions on India is clearly seen as early as 1706. The King Frederick IV of Denmark, a Lutheran, was instrumental in sending Protestant missionaries to India. Though there were no right candidates from Denmark available for this task, there were two young theological students from the University of Halle, namely, Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Henry Pluetschu, from the German Pietism movement, who took on the challenge of coming to India as missionaries. They arrived in Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu, in 1706, where Denmark’s colony was situated. Having learned the Tamil language, they were able to produce a Tamil New Testament in 1714, and later in 1796, their successors produced an entire Tamil Bible.

The remarkable impact of Post-Reformation missions effort on India continued with William Carey’s missions to India. Carey, an English Calvinistic Baptist, who was instrumental in promoting the foundation of the Baptist Missionary Society (1792), later volunteered himself to go as a missionary to India. It was not an easy decision for Carey as he was encountered opposition from his own quarter by some saying that God could save the heathens without him. But, Carey, having convinced that God uses instruments in saving people to salvation, took the challenge upon himself, and arrived in India in 1793. Carey’s arrival to India marked a major milestone in the history of Christian missions because the Serampore Missions he established in Calcutta was known as the first modern Protestant missions in the non-English speaking world.

Carey brought in not only a spiritual transformation for the people of India, but also a social revolution to improve the moral and social standards of the Indians. For the social and educational benefits, he established the first newspaper, ever printed in an Oriental language. For the spiritual liberation of the Indians, he translated the Bible into over 40 different Indian languages. With all his contributions for India missions, he was regarded as a pioneer of the modern Christian missionary movement.

Conclusion

When the Reformers stood for the doctrines of salvation, and for God’s faithful Word, the result was that the glorious gospel truth of salvation spread from one place to another in Europe and other parts of the world like wildfire. Church history in post-Reformation era says that it was the people who were impacted by the Protestant Reformation who took the gospel to the ends of the earth. What more to say, even William Carey, the Father of Modern Missions, who gave his all to the Indian subcontinent to save Indian heathens from idol worship to serve a living and true God, was a Calvinistic Baptist.

We, therefore being the sons and daughters of the Reformation, need to be committed not only for the doctrinal purity of the Church, but also to the gospel missions legacy of the Reformers as well. As we know that no sinner will ever be saved, from eternal condemnation to everlasting life, without the faithful preaching and hearing of the gospel of salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to accelerate the gospel proclamation, that those who are appointed unto salvation by the sheer mercies of the Lord, would come to know the way of salvation for them. The Apostle Paul says, we are debtors to the heathens around, both to the wise and the unwise; we must be ready to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth; and we must not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith (Romans 1:14-17). Christians of the 21^st century should never be turned aside from fulfilling the heart-cry of the Apostle, “. . . necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). May the Lord help us!

Defending the True Gospel of Christ, Ps George Skariah, Covenant Reformed Church (Covenant BPC), Bangalore

In the Defense of the Truth of the Gospel

Every true church and every true believer, who confesses that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world, has a solemn responsibility of defending the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:17 that he is “set for the defense of the gospel.” The reason for Paul to defend the gospel is that many people in his days preached the gospel for “selfish ambitions” or for personal glory (verse 16). They have preached Christ with envy and strife (verse 15). Many in Paul’s day preached a different gospel which Paul explains in Galatians 1-2. Their gospel was a man-centered gospel, which Paul exposed with much concern in his heart, and, at the same time, with much passion and conviction. He, then in Galatians 3-4, presents the true gospel, which is Christ-centered. In doing this, Paul’s burden for the Galatians was that “the truth of the gospel might continue with you” (Galatians 2:5).

The False Gospel of the Judaizers

The Apostle Paul in Galatians 1:6-7 explains the false gospel which he had to oppose and expose, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” The Apostle was exposing the Judaizers, who were from the Jewish religious community, wanting to give more prominence to the legalistic observance of the Mosaic Law, rather than fulfilling the spiritual requirement of the Law of God. Paul was accusing them of “perverting the gospel of God.” The word “pervert” means “to turn about, to change into an opposite character.” The word could mean “to reverse.” In other words, the Judaizers had reversed the gospel in such a way that they have taken it back to a work-centered righteousness rather than Christ-centered righteousness. They taught that the Mosaic Law was binding upon Christians and that justification must be attained by the works of the law as well, and not by believing in Jesus alone. For them, the Law and the gospel went together, “Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). Therefore, they urged the Gentile Christians to be circumcised, without which, according to them, they would not be saved.

Paul calls this, not another gospel (another of a same kind), but a different kind of gospel altogether. In other words, Paul is saying that Galatians are turning to a different gospel, which is not to be put alongside of the gospel that has been already preached by him (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The aforementioned gospel is not really a gospel at all.

The False Gospel of Carnal Christianity Today

Like Paul’s day, the true gospel is under vicious attack today. There is a man-centered gospel, a false gospel of carnal Christianity, rampant today in the Christian churches. This gospel says you can be a Christian, a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, without surrendering your life absolutely to Him. According to this gospel, what you need to do is just to pray a prayer of confession of your sins, led by an evangelist or preacher, and receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart, and thereafter, live a life without bowing yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This false gospel has deceived many souls today.

The false gospel of carnal Christianity is characterized by the following things:

(1) Easy-believism, no understanding about the cost of Christian discipleship. This is the attitude of saying, “a little sin won’t hurt, I am just a ‘carnal Christian’, and besides, doesn’t grace cover it all?” On the contrary, true Christian discipleship requires a surrendered life, following the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:21; Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

(2) Power Evangelism or Power Preaching Today. It is focusing on the power manifestation of the Holy Spirit externally! The church need to be rather concentrating on Conversion and Transformation of human lives internally. Therefore, it is not Power Evangelism, but Personal Evangelism, that is, bringing people’s lives under the Power of the Gospel that their lives will be converted, and transformed.

(3) Health and wealth gospel, no willingness to suffer for Christ. This false gospel says that Jesus will forgive all your sins, heal all your diseases, bless and prosper you materially, and solve all your earthly problems etc. Contrary to this, Jesus reminded His disciples, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Similarly, the Apostle Paul reminds the Philippian church, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29).

(4) Man-centered gospel, no glory to God. According to this, there is some goodness in man that enables him to choose that which is right and to come to God for salvation. On the other hand, the Bible says, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Man’s will is depraved, completely under the bondage of sin, and he has no ability whatsoever to choose that which is good (Romans 3:9-18). Again, the Bible says in Genesis 6:5, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

(5) Mere traditionalism, no willingness to obey the Word of God. It says traditional rituals and practices will open the door of heaven for a man if he faithfully practices them. In contrast, Jesus says of the traditionalists Pharisees and Scribes, “except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). And

(6) Moral decay, no repentance, no holiness, just following the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life. Quite opposite, Jesus says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your heavenly Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

The Bible clearly warns concerning the false gospel of carnal Christianity, saying that walking in the way of the false gospel is the way of destruction. Jesus warns in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” The false gospel of the carnal Christianity leads one into the broad way, which leads to destruction. The path of the true gospel is the narrow way, and it leads to life everlasting. The Apostle Paul warns the Galatian Christians, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:7-8).

Sadly, the vast majority of Christendom today is deceived by this false gospel. What is preached from most of the pulpits today is the justification in Christ, without giving adequate emphasis on holy living. As a result, the hearers of this one-sided gospel are left in the dark as to God’s requirement of the necessity of a holy life. And, consequently, God’s grace has been turned into lasciviousness.

The True Gospel of Christ

The true gospel is Christ-centered, which proclaims that by grace through faith we are saved. The Apostle Paul explains this in Galatians 2:16, “that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.” This gospel concerns the eternal Son of God who became incarnate in order to become the propitiation for the sin of the whole world (1 John 2:2). His finished work at Calvary enables God to be just and the justifier of him who believes in Christ (Romans 3:26). This is the true gospel that brings salvation to a condemned sinner (Romans 3:23-24; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 3:4-7).

According to the true gospel of Christ, three things are central to Christ’s redemptive (or salvific) work: (1) His perfect life on earth, through which, He fulfilled all the legal requirements of the Law. As He obeyed the Law fully (only He could do it as He was the Son of God), He obtained the righteousness that was required by the Law. As a result, a sinner, who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, is clothed (or imputed, means, “placed in the account of”) with the righteousness of Christ. The Bible says, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Romans 10:4); it adds in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Paul explains this truth beautifully in Romans 5:18-19, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” By Adam’s disobedience (“by the offense of one”) all humanity became sinners, as it was imputed on them, and at the same time, by the perfect obedience of Christ (“by the obedience of one”) many became righteous. (2) His death on the Cross, by which, Christ took upon Himself the punishment of sin which a sinner committed. As Christ shed His blood on the Cross, God the Father was pleased, and His wrath was appeased, and remission, that is, forgiveness of sin was granted to the sinner. Paul explains this in Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” The author of Hebrews adds, “and without shedding of blood is no remission. . . So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:22, 28). And (3) His resurrection from the dead, by which, eternal life was guaranteed to the forgiven sinner. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. . . . But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (verses 17, 20).

At the same time, it is also equally important to know that the gospel journey does not end here, but it only begins here. We, those who are forgiven by the sure mercies of God, need to respond to God with a repentant, holy, life. The Christ-centered gospel calls upon a sinner to repent and live a life that is acceptable and pleasing to God. True repentance is not just feeling sorry for one’s sin, but having felt the burden of sin, forsaking it, and turning to God. Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 7:9-10, “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” In other words, when a person truly repents and turns to God, he will experience a desire from within, by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God, to live a holy life. The Apostle Peter explains this truth to the Jews in Acts 3:19, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

A truly repented life turns from the self as the center of his life, from doing his own will, and from walking his self-chosen way. A truly repented life would withstand the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. Turning to God means loving God with his whole heart, making Him the center of his life, and doing His blessed will in his life. When he draws near to God with a repentant heart, he would receive the power of the Holy Spirit, which would enable him to deny himself daily and live a life that is God-centered. The Spirit of the Lord would help him to walk in the narrow way and skip the broad way.

The Reformers and the Defense of the Gospel

Interestingly, the Protestant Reformers of the 16^th Century were committed to the re-discovery and preservation of the pure gospel of Christ against the false gospel of the Catholic establishment. The gospel of the Catholic Church was a humanistic or work-ritualistic-centric gospel. Their gospel centered around penance, confessions, and Eucharist, rather than the once-for-all, vicarious, redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Reformers, on the other hand, understood the true gospel as Christ-centric. For them, the gospel was all about the glory of God because it was God who reached out to man in his totally depraved condition of utter hopelessness. Since God took the initiative to save man from the ruin of sin, they wanted to live a life of complete gratitude to God, giving all glory to God, for His unmerited favor toward them.

The heart of the Reformed faith, commonly known as the Five Points of Calvinism, is nothing but a succinct, precise, presentation of the true gospel of Christ and His Apostles. The first point, Total Depravity, explains that man by his very own nature is totally incapable of doing any good that would merit him salvation. In fact, this is the first principle of the gospel message. The Apostle Paul explains in Ephesians 2:1 the real spiritual condition of a sinner, prior to the salvation experience, “dead in trespasses and sins.” A sinner is spiritually dead in the sense that “the sinner is lacking all good, any ability for good, and both the power and the inclination to effect a change in this condition” (also read Romans 3:1-23; 8:7-8). The second point, Unconditional Election, explains that a sinner comes to believe in God because God, in eternity past, out of His absolute sovereignty, and unmerited favor toward him, chose him to believe in Him. Jesus said this truth very clearly to the crowd gathered around Him that “no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (John 6:65). This truth is clearly stated again in Acts 13:48, “and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” A sinner is saved by God’s grace alone. Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:9, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (also read Ephesians 2:8-10; John 15:16).

The third point of Calvinism, Limited Atonement, explains that the effect of Christ’s death on the Cross, though sufficient for all people, is efficient only to the elect of God. Although God has offered His gospel to the whole world (John 3:16), in effect, the Bible says, only those whom God has chosen, before the foundation of the world, to salvation, will be saved. Jesus Himself taught this about His own death in John 10:11, saying, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” In John 10:15 He adds, “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” A little later, in the same chapter, Jesus specifically states that some men are not included among “the sheep,” “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you” (John 10:26). This means, the Scripture clearly teaches that the effectiveness of the gospel is not for all men, but only to those whom God wills, and those who respond to Him accordingly, through believing in Him. The fourth point, Irresistible Grace, means when God, according to His sovereign election, effectually calls a sinner to bestow upon him the gracious salvation, that person can never resist God’s gracious offer of salvation. Since the sinner is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), the Apostle Paul goes on to teach irresistible grace in Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).” Jesus explains this aspect of the gospel in John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Salvation takes place in a believing sinner as it takes place by the sovereign drawing-power of God, as Jesus explains in John 6:44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Finally, the fifth point, Perseverance of Saints, explains that God preserves His elect person as he responds to His salvation offer, and enabling him to persevere till the end, enduring temptation, fight the battle of faith, and obtain the final victory in the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s grace and strength, His sovereign and providential protection and guidance, will always be available for a saved sinner to live a holy and victorious life. Again, the Lord Jesus Christ explains this glorious aspect of the gospel, saying in John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” David J Engelsma, a Reformed theologian, explains this point, “It is impossible that anyone could pluck a saint out of God’s hand, that is, cause a regenerated child to fall away to perdition. The reason is not the strength of the saints, but the power of the grace of God (“my Father . . . is greater than all”). These words of Jesus make plain that the comforting truth of perseverance depends upon election and irresistible grace. The saints persevere, because the Father gave them to Jesus and because Jesus gives (not: tries to give, but: gives) them eternal life.”

In summary, a sinner’s response to this gospel of salvation is seeking God in faith, and when he does it, God reaches out unto him, according to His sovereign will toward him. Since the gospel work begins with God’s eternal plan, as it is God-centered, a sinner can only respond to God in faith as the Lord has willed for him. A summary of this glorious truth of the gospel is presented by the Apostle in Romans 8:28-34, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

Truly, this is the pure and the complete gospel of salvation which Christ and His Apostles succinctly taught, the Protestant Reformers earnestly defended, and the 21^st Century Christians providentially inherited through the faithful preservation of the truth of God. This is the biblical gospel both the Old and the New Testaments teach. This is the Christ-centered, and God-honoring, gospel that need to be earnestly contended for today (Jude 3).

The Six-fold Gospel Mission of the Church Today

A true, Bible-believing, church of the Lord Jesus Christ must be committed to, and propelled by, a six-fold gospel mission plan, namely,

1.    Understand the gospel clearly: The message of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is what Paul has mentioned in Romans 1:1-4, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead”, which Paul explains later in Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

2.    Experience its power effectively: This is being influenced by the message of the gospel. Paul says in Romans 1:16 that the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation. It converts sinners into saints, liberating them from the power of darkness, the devil’s empowerment, by giving them a new life in the Lord Jesus Christ.

3.    Live a life, exemplary to the gospel: This is the application of the message, which would result in a transformed life, a life of worship and holiness. The Apostle Paul explains this in Rom 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

4.    Heralders of the gospel: This is sharing the message of the gospel as the Lord called His disciples to do through His great commission, mentioned in Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

5.    Safeguarding the gospel: This is defending the message of the gospel from all the false teachings as Paul has reminded the church in Galatia in Galatians 1:8-9, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

6.    Pass on the gospel torch: This is preserving the purity of the gospel message from one generation to another as Paul has reminded Timothy to do so in 2 Timothy 2:1-2, “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

Conclusion

The battle today is not between personalities, or denominations, but between the truth and the error—the true and the false gospel. This has been the battle all through the centuries of the Christian Church. When the battle wages on, God raises, time after time, faithful men to faithfully declare and defend the gospel truth. As the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ solemnly remembers the 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th Century (1517-2017), our earnest desire is to be part of the great company of men and women who stood in the past for the defense of the true gospel of Christ. That was Paul’s desire for the Philippian Christians as he wrote, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). When we do it, Paul says, we are partakers of his grace, “in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace” (Philippians 1:7).

Our mission through the Reformation Now publications ministry is the gospel mission—faithfully proclaiming and defending the truth of the gospel. We are thankful to the Lord that He has enabled us to do this for the last five years, as we began this initiative in 2013. This year, 2017, we go one more step further in accomplishing the gospel mission through the establishment of a Reformed Bible College in Bangalore, namely, India Reformed Biblical Seminary (IRBS). The motto of IRBS is “striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). This is an initiative of Covenant Reformed Church (Covenant BPC), Bangalore, together with number of Christian brethren in Bangalore, who have the same Reformed convictions. We thank the Lord for Anugraha Reformed Presbyterian Fellowship, Bangalore, (Pastored by Rev Venkatesh Gopalakrishnan), and Calvary Reformed Church, Bangalore, (Pastored by Rev Lazrus M), partnering with us in the establishment of IRBS. We look forward to Rev John Rakshith Prabhakar, who recently graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS, USA), and many other local Pastors, joining us for the same gospel cause. Our desire is to set up a teaching faculty, mainly involved of Indians, with Reformed convictions, so that, we, the Indians, can do lot more in the proclamation and defense of the truth of the gospel in our land. May the Lord help us!