Archive for 2017


Feb 25

Session 3 Recap: Greg Gilbert, “Faith”

2017 | by Spencer Brown | Category: Clarus 17

Editor’s Note:  Spencer Brown is the Lead Pastor at Center City Church, Albuquerque, NM. He is a member of the Albuquerque Chapter of The Gospel Coalition. This post is a summary of Greg Gilbert’s message from Saturday morning at Clarus, February 25, “Faith,” from Romans 4:18–22.

•••••

In Session 3, Gilbert explored the source of our faith as found in Romans 4. While our culture may see faith as being weak and childish- an empty belief in the ridiculous—our faith is a strong, confident, trust in God to do everything that He has promised. A strong, confident trust in God does not mean that faith comes easy. God may promise what seems impossible, but our trust must be grounded in the God who makes the promise, not the believability of the promise.

3 Questions About Faith

  • Faith is what? Paul raises the stakes as he adds components to the definition of faith in Romans 4:18-21. The final definition of faith comes at the end of the progression: Abraham was fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised. Paul defines faith as believing in God’s promise in three ways: trusting when everything else around seems impossible, trusting and waiting in that promise for a long time, and believing without wavering.
  • Faith in what? Abraham grounded his faith, not only in the promise of God, but in the kind of God who made that promise. The promise was made by the one God “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” What a Christian needs is not more faith, but stronger faith. It comes through increasing your understanding of who God really is, and ultimately making a decision to rest on that.
  • Faith does what? The faith described in Romans 4 should affect change in our lives. Faith increases our love for God and our desire to obey Him. Our view of God is in direct proportion to our love and corresponding obedience to Him. If we see Him as small, we will have small love and small obedience. If we seem Him as great, then we will have great love and great obedience. Faith also gives us courage to defy the world, it produces joyful endurance, and it unites us to Christ- pointing us to eternity.

Conclusion: Greg concluded by reminding us of the hymn, Abide with Me, that reflects on God’s promise that we will abide with Christ in heaven for eternity. When our eyes our finally closed on this earth, they will be opened in heaven. We will watch as dawn breaks, and God fills all the universe with the knowledge of His Glory.

Feb 25

Clarus ’17 Photo Roundup, Friday, February 24

2017 | by Ben Moore | Category: Clarus 17

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Carissa & Ben Photography

Conference Photography by Ben Moore. Contact Ben at info@CarissaAndBen.com.

Feb 24

Session 2 Recap: Dever, “Hypocrisy”

2017 | by Michael Kelshaw | Category: Clarus 17

Editor’s Note: Michael Kelshaw is the Head Minister at Trinity at the Marketplace, Albuquerque, NM. He is a member of the Albuquerque Chapter of The Gospel Coalition. This post is a summary of Mark Dever’s message from Friday evening at Clarus, February 24, “Hypocrisy,” from Romans 2.

•••••

Tonight Mark Dever showed the great dangers of hypocrisy from Romans 2. In Chapter 1 we see that Paul pursues open depravity—the clearly immoral. In Romans 2, Paul goes on to pursue hidden depravity—those who appear moral but in reality are not. He exposes their hypocrisy all the way through the chapter. This passage reveals our guilt and our need for grace by showing us that hypocrisy is inexcusable, pointless, and blasphemous.

  1. Hypocrisy is inexcusable. Dever explained how Paul goes at self-confidence by addressing those who would condemn others for their sin and then do the very same things themselves. Paul shows how the judgment of God is upon such people. The reality is that hypocrites are just calling for God’s judgment on themselves. Every time they are criticizing someone else they are simply giving God one more piece of evidence that they know full well how they should live and are piling up the evidence against themselves. So the person that does not repent and trust in Jesus alone remains under the right and righteous judgment of God. There is no excuse for hypocrisy because the judgment of God rightly falls on people who practice such things.
  2. Hypocrisy is pointless. Hypocrisy is pointless because God will judge according to deeds anyway. God’s judgment is according to what a person has done, and it will be righteous and seen as such. Ethnicity will not shield anyone from God’s judgment; He does not show favoritism and His judgment is impartial. Hypocrisy is a pointless illusion because God will judge men’s secrets through Christ and all will be revealed in the end. Hypocrisy will not shield anyone from the Lord’s righteous and impartial judgment. Christ is the only hope of salvation for sinners like you and me.
  3. Hypocrisy is blasphemous. Dever explained how the circumcised lawbreaker—the one who is Jewish in name only—stands condemned as breaking the third commandment. Men such as these had taken God’s name publicly upon themselves and then lived contrary to it. So do we, when we bear Christ’s name and then act in contradiction to His commands. Those who do so blaspheme God’s Name. They misrepresent God’s name to the world. Hypocrisy is blasphemous and a misrepresentation of God, and it will not vindicate you on the last day.

Dever concluded that hypocrisy will not save us. Paul assaults shallow self-righteousness and shows us that our hypocrisy actually exposes our need for Christ. Everything that we would trust in other than Jesus has been burnt to the ground, and it calls us to repent of our sin and trust in the sinless Savior. The good news is that a person is only ever justified by faith in Jesus, so rely on Him alone!

Feb 24

Session 1 Recap: Gilbert, “Unashamed”

2017 | by Grant Blankenship | Category: Clarus 17

Editor’s Note: Grant Blankenship is the Preaching Elder at Cedar Springs Church, Cedar Crest, NM. He is a member of the Albuquerque Chapter of The Gospel Coalition. This post is a summary of Greg Gilbert’s message from Friday evening at Clarus, February 24, “Unashamed,” from Romans 1:16–17.

••••

Greg Gilbert opened our conference with three reasons we can have unshakeable confidence in the gospel:

  1. Because it has massive power. Paul does not say, “I am not ashamed of the gospel because its message is very powerful,” but rather because it is the power that saves! The same power that resurrected Jesus from the grave is the same power that brought dead souls to life and is at work in others to bring them to life as well. Gilbert challenged us to, “Stand back for a minute in a little bit of amazement that you are a believer at all… The same word of God that was powerful enough to bring the universe into existence, brought you from death to life.” You don’t have to be ashamed to talk to others about this Good News because this message is backed up by the massive power of the God of the universe. We don’t find confidence to share the gospel because of our ability to persuade and convince people, but rather in the Spirit’s power to bring about life.
  2. Because it offers an awesome gift. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith. The gift of salvation is a gift based entirely on faith. It “begins and ends with faith; it is faith from top to bottom.” Martin Luther called this an “alien righteousness” because it comes from outside of us. The problem for humans is not just the absence of good works, but the presence of sin. We cannot blot out those sins no matter how hard we try to cover them with good works. The heart of the gospel is that we cannot save ourselves, and yet we need to be declared righteous by the Holy Judge of the universe. It is only through “The Great Exchange,” as Luther called it, that we can be saved. Jesus’ righteousness is given to us, and in exchange the wrath we deserved was poured out on the Son, satisfying the requirements of our Holy Judge.
  3. Because it is a wide open invitation. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most universal invitation in the world. But it’s an invitation, so it must be accepted. You must come to the source of living water if you want it. This awesome gift is not found with any other god. It is only available in Jesus Christ.

Feb 22

Clarus ’17 Conference Schedule and Talk Titles

2017 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Clarus 17

Clarus ’17 is this weekend!

From February 24–26 we’ll be joined by Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert who will address our conference theme, Romans and the Reformation. Click here to read about this year’s speakers and conference theme.

We’ve been working with the speakers over the last few months to give shape to the conference. Here’s an outline of talk titles and texts we’ll soak in together.

Friday Night, February 24

  • Session 1: Greg Gilbert, “Unashamed” —Romans 1:16–17
  • Session 2: Mark Dever, “Hypocrisy” —Romans 2

Saturday Morning, February 25

  • Session 3: Greg Gilbert, “Faith” —Romans 4:18-22
  • Session 4: Mark Dever, “Conflict” —Romans 6

Saturday Afternoon, February 25

  • Session 5: Greg Gilbert, “Salvation” —Romans 8:31-39
  • Session 6: Mark Dever, “Election” —Romans 9
  • Session 7: Panel Discussion with Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert

Sunday Morning, February 26

  • Session 8: Corporate Worship with Mark Dever, “Worship” —Romans 12

For specific session times, see the Conference Schedule.

If you haven’t watched it yet, here’s the invitation video for Clarus ’17.