Category: Jesus Christ

Top 10 Quotes About the Authority of Scripture

9/8/2017

Frequently you'll hear people talking about the authority of the Bible - but what do they mean? In the quotations below you'll find a number of good answers.

10. “The Word of God is either absolute or obsolete.”
-Vance Havner

9. “The Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible is the religion of Christ’s church.”
-C.H. Spurgeon

8. “The faith will totter if the authority of the Holy Scripture loses its hold on men. We must surrender ourselves to the authority of Holy Scripture, for it can neither mislead nor be misled.
-St. Augustine

7. “The Bible is the scepter by which the heavenly King rules His church.”
-John Calvin

6. “The Bible was the only book Jesus ever quoted, and then never as a basis for discussion but to decide the point at issue.”
-Leon Morris

5. “Ignorance of the Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
-Jerome

4. “The truly wise man is he who always believes the Bible against the opinion of any man.”
-R.A. Torrey

3. “The truth of Scripture demolishes speculation.”
-R.C. Sproul

2. “All experience must be subservient to the discipline of Scripture.”
-Erroll Hulse

1. “The ordinary Christian with the Bible in his hand can say that the majority is wrong.”
-Francis Schaeffer

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I Bet You Didn't Know This About Bethlehem

12/6/2016

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Six Surprising Facts About the Lord's Birthplace
(that You Might Not Have Heard Before)

1. Bethlehem means "House of Bread" in Hebrew. Jesus said, " I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." " (John 6:51, ESV). Even the name of Jesus' birthplace was precisely chosen by God before the first Christmas took place.

2. Bethlehem was not the insignificant isolated village that we often think it to be. The reason why "there was no room for them in the inn," was not only because of the tax registration, but very likely also because Bethlehem was an important stop-over and supply-city on the principal trade route from Jerusalem to Egypt.

3. Far from just spending the night, Bethlehem was where Joseph and Mary lived for more than a year before being warned to flee into Egypt (Matthew 2:13). It is almost certain that they would have taken the same Bethlehem to Egypt trade route being well provisioned by the gifts of the Magi.

4. Bethlehem was the location where the shepherds who "tending their flocks by night" received the glorious news of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:8-20). It has been theorized that these men were no ordinary shepherds. They were very likely employees of the Temple (only about 6 miles away) charged with tending the priest's sacrificial sheep and lambs. Interestingly this means that those who first learned of the birth of "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29, ESV) were the very men whose flocks foretold His coming.

5. Bethlehem and Jerusalem which are about 6 miles apart both rise to approximately the same elevation above sea level (slightly less than 2,500 ft.). Thus, the place of Jesus' birth was/is in sight of the place of His death. Furthermore, the place of His ascension (the Mount of Olives), being somewhat higher than both, looks down on the place of His birth, and crucifixion.

6. Bethlehem is located within eyeshot (nearly three miles southeast) of the Herodian, the highest peak in the Judean Desert. The Herodian was/is a manmade mountain built by King Herod the Great to serve as his burial place. Herod the Great would be buried there only two years after ordering the "slaughter of the innocents" (Matthew 2:16). Interestingly the burial place of King Herod the Great was plainly visible from the birthplace of the infant King of Kings who Herod had attempted to murder.

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The Sermon on the Mount - What's it All About?

7/13/2016

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Here are some great words from Sinclair Ferguson. If you've got two minutes take a look and a listen.

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Remember what Easter is all about...

3/26/2016

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Roman Catholicism's Bearded Lady...

7/31/2015

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in this installment of 100% true history from the annals of the Church....

Are you a married woman?

Is your husband a totally unbearable jerk?

Would you like to get rid of him without violating any international laws?

If so then St. Wilgefortis, the bearded lady armed with power from on high can help!

That’s right! Thanks to the help St. Wilgefortis, all of this can be yours!

meet
Wilgefortis
the bearded lady and saint

Of all of the weird stuff ever produced by the Roman Church (and there’s lots!) little can be considered weirder than its 15th century creation of St. Wilgefortis, the patron saint of ‘women wishing to be liberated from abusive men.’

St. Wilgefortis’ very popular cult began at some point in the 15th century after pictures and sacred artwork from Eastern Europe were brought to the West by traveling traders and merchants. These Eastern pictures "clearly" showed a bearded woman – dress and all - being crucified as a Christian martyr. Unsure about the actual story behind these depictions a handful of people (most likely claiming direct revelation from God) claimed the bearded woman's name was "Wilgefortis" (an obvious choice), and began crafting a legend that would result in her promotion to sainthood.

According to her legend Wilgefortis had taken a vow of virginity in her youth but her unscrupulous father saw that she was beautiful and, in an attempt to get his hands on some cold hard cash was planning to force her into a marriage with a pagan king, her vow notwithstanding.

Between a rock and a hard place Wilgefortis prayed that she would be made repulsive. In His mercy the Lord responded to her prayer by causing a beard to miraculously sprout on her face. The pagan king, who apparently had always dreamed of having a beardless wife broke off the engagement in short order leaving W’s angry father to crucify her in a fit of blasphemous vengeance.... or so the story goes.

And so for more than 100 years the cult of St. Wilgefortis grew in popularity until someone came along and burst W's bubble by pointing out that the whole thing was one regrettable mistake. There never was any vow of virginity, no unscrupulous father, no pagan king to marry and no crucifixion - why? Because, as the bubble-burster pointed out, Wilgefortis was a myth... she never existed.

To all of this disheartening flood of information, many of the faithful objected, “But what about the pictures? Everybody’s seen them! If that bearded lady is not Wilgefortis, who is she?"

And that’s when the coldest and hardest part of the truth came home to roost… That crucified figure in the pictures was not a bearded woman at all. In fact nowhere at any time has a bearded woman ever been depicted in sacred art.

This being the case, the mystery was quickly solved. Apparently in the 15th century some artists from the East depicted Christ on the cross wearing a long robe instead of the loin cloth that Western artists put Him in. Mistaking the robes for a dress some Western Christians also mistook Christ for a bearded woman…

Thus was born the myth of St. Wilgefortis as here unfolded in this installment of "100% True History from the Annals of the Church."

One final note...

Don’t worry, the cult of this legendary androgynous character was officially suppressed by the Roman Church in 1969 (finally!).... but anyway as Protestant’s we’ve never looked to bearded ladies for spiritual help in the first place...

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Christ, Our Life

6/16/2015

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Take 2 minutes to listen to Stephen Olford's challenge to all Christians.

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John Lennon, Plato, & Jesus

5/8/2015

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Some Thoughts About Truth

John Lennon once sang a song, the chorus of which said:

"All I want is the truth!
Just give me some truth!"

Clearly John Lennon was raising a very important issue, namely, if there is truth where can it be found?

 Allow me to offer a twofold answer that is so simple you might be prone to dismiss it:

1) I believe truth exists
2) I believe that the purest of all truth is to be found in God's Word, The Bible.

Why do I believe these things? I believe them because Jesus Christ believed them. In one of His great prayers for his followers Jesus made the following request of God the Father followed by an objective truth-claim about the nature of the Bible:

"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth"
John 17:17

Perhaps you might respond - but if it's really true then why is the Bible considered so controversial? Why do so many otherwise intelligent and rational people dismiss it as a collection of fairytales from the childhood of our species?

One way to answer this is to make the observation that genuine truth has always been controversial. Even the pagan philosophers of the ancient world realized this - take this quote from Plato for instance:

Did you notice in the above quote how Plato, inadvertently aligns himself with a couple of the constant drumbeats of the Bible? Plato, not only acknowledges that truth exists but that those who believe in the truth and disseminate the truth will encounter mocking opposition.

Let me encourage you to ignore the opposition - whether that opposition comes from outside of you or inside of you. Read the Bible. Pray that the Lord would help you to understand His truth. And as you do so, be encouraged that God's Word declares:

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

3 John 1:4

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The Presence of God - Do You Know Him?

5/7/2015

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Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (December 20, 1899 - March 1, 1981)

Dr. Lloyd-Jones, minister of Westminster Chapel in London, England, was arguably the most influential preacher of the 20th century. A Welsh Protestant who initially trained as a medical doctor, Lloyd-Jones became the leading voice in the Reformed wing of the British evangelical movement of the 20th century. Though he died in 1981 the legacy of his ministry remains very influential among Reformed Evangelicals.

This morning I stumbled upon a brief clip of a Lloyd-Jones sermon on Exodus 33. His words could not be more challenging and his critique of the Church could not be more timely.

Do you have 5 minutes to hear what Lloyd-Jones has to say? I promise you, you'll be challenged, strengthened, and blessed if you do.

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Christ vs. Claus?

12/23/2014

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Or Are Jesus and Santa Closer Than Most People Like to Think?

The Merrie Theologiane loves the odd bit of art. In this Christmas card for the Skinny Magazine, artist Nick Cocozza imagines the greatest head to head “in all history” – the patron saint of Xmas, who leads his devotees in a pilgrimage of Coca Cola consumerism each ‘winter holiday’, against baby Jesus (now grown up), the one who bangs on about the real meaning of Christmas (virgins, mangers, angels, wise men, asses, etc.). Just do a bit of letter jiggling, and it’s clear that Santa is Jesus’ sworn enemy! Right? Wrong!

If Santa and Jesus met (and most surely they already have!), Santa would be very much on Jesus’ side! The real Santa, is a great Hebrews 11 style witness to help us celebrate the coming of the Saviour of the world at Christmas time. Santa Claus/Sinterklaas/Saint Nicholas was a bishop in south eastern Turkey in the fourth century. Gift-giving, stockings, generosity, chimneys, being nice to children, bags of chocolate coins, all have their origins in the life and legends of old St. Nick.

The stories surrounding St. Nicholas – of selfless generosity and care for the poor (and the odd miracle!) – give us a glimpse of a man who was a great example of love for Jesus producing love for neighbour. So Claus and Christ are no enemies. But there was another occasion on which Santa Nicholas gave evidence of his great love for Jesus – and this one did involve some boxing…

Bishop Nicholas was one of the 318 in attendance at the famous Council of Nicaea in 325AD, from which we get our Nicene Creed. There was great controversy because Arius, a priest from Alexandria, was arguing that, though Jesus was fully human, he was not fully divine. On hearing Arius’ denigrating of Christ, ‘jolly old St. Nick’ got up and gave him a good slap round the chops! The rest of the council agreed with Nicholas, and Arius was condemned a heretic, but Father Christmas found himself behind bars for the night!

So you see Christ vs. Claus is really very far from reality – and we should reclaim this great prize fighter of the faith for the Lord he loved! Gene Edward Veith suggests we need to tweak the Lapland mythology to suit this end: “Santa and his elves live at the North Pole where they compile a list of who is naughty, who is nice, and who is Nicean.” And maybe we need some new songs and TV shows too: "'Santa Claus Is Coming to Slap,' 'Deck the Apollinarian with Bats of Holly,' 'Frosty the Gnostic,' 'How the Arian Stole Christmas,' 'Rudolph the Red Knows Jesus.'"

So when you’re writing your letters to Santa this year, remember that a very very long time ago, he wrote one to you:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father;

By whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth;

Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man;

He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven;

From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

And in the Holy Ghost.

But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable'—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.

(This article reprinted by the generous permission of my friends at www.theologynetwork.org. All suspicious spellings are entirely due to the Merrie Theologiane's country of origin - a place outside of America where "The Language" is not written properly.)

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Top 10 Quotes About the Authority of Scripture

I Bet You Didn't Know This About Bethlehem

Six Surprising Facts About the Lord's Birthplace
(that You Might Not Have Heard Before)

The Sermon on the Mount - What's it All About?

Here are some great words from Sinclair Ferguson. If you've got two minutes take a look and a listen.

Remember what Easter is all about...

Roman Catholicism's Bearded Lady...

in this installment of 100% true history from the annals of the Church....

Christ, Our Life

Take 2 minutes to listen to Stephen Olford's challenge to all Christians.

John Lennon, Plato, & Jesus

Some Thoughts About Truth

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

3 John 1:4

The Presence of God - Do You Know Him?

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (December 20, 1899 - March 1, 1981)

Christ vs. Claus?

Or Are Jesus and Santa Closer Than Most People Like to Think?

Rev. R Crabtree

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ALL SOULS REFORMED CHURCH
228 Main St Green Camp, OH 43322

© 2026 All Souls Reformed Church. All rights reserved.

Six Surprising Facts About the Lord's Birthplace​(that You Might Not Have Heard Before)

Here are some great words from Sinclair Ferguson. If you've got two minutes take a look and a listen.

in this installment of 100% true history from the annals of the Church....

Take 2 minutes to listen to Stephen Olford's challenge to all Christians.

Some Thoughts About Truth

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 1:4

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (December 20, 1899 - March 1, 1981)

Or Are Jesus and Santa Closer Than Most People Like to Think?

Rev. R Crabtree

Archives

Categories

ALL SOULS REFORMED CHURCH​228 Main St Green Camp, OH 43322​© 2026 All Souls Reformed Church. All rights reserved.

Six Surprising Facts About the Lord's Birthplace
(that You Might Not Have Heard Before)

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

3 John 1:4

ALL SOULS REFORMED CHURCH
228 Main St Green Camp, OH 43322

© 2026 All Souls Reformed Church. All rights reserved.