Michael J. Lilly Podcast

Among the Five Solas of the Reformation, Solus Christus is the most foundational. Without Him, none of the others hold. To proclaim “Christ alone” is a decisive theological claim: that Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and humanity, the only source of salvation, and the rightful head of His Church. Yet, this declaration, which seems like such an obvious statement, was one of the Reform...

Among all the great themes of the Christian faith, few words are more frequently used than grace. We sing it in our songs, hear it in sermons, and it saturates conversations about salvation. Protestants love to quote Ephesians 2: “We are saved by grace.” The Reformation’s doctrine of Sola Gratia , “grace alone,” was a corrective to centuries of theology that had entangled God’s mercy with human me...

If you were to ask the average Protestant to explain how someone is saved, many would instinctively spout the phrase “by faith alone.” Those words echo through centuries of preaching, confessions, and evangelical language. It was, after all, a defining emphasis of the Reformation. In contrast to the elaborate system of penance and merit taught by the medieval church, the Reformers insisted that sa...

Outside of blatantly heretical groups, you could walk into nearly any church today across the denominational spectrum, and they would all affirm the authority of the Bible. Yet it seems believing in the authority of the Bible isn’t always enough. Plenty of debates exist over plenty of topics, such as baptism, church leadership, spiritual gifts, or salvation itself. The question then isn’t whether...

For many Christians today, the “Five Solas” of the Reformation are treated like sacred slogans, often repeated but rarely examined. For others, they’ve become targets of suspicion or dismissal, as if they were mere relics of a theological battle long past. But before we can critique or defend them, we need to understand what they meant in their original context. That’s the goal of this series: not...

For many within the Churches of Christ, the “five steps of salvation” are among the first things taught and memorized. Hear. Believe. Repent. Confess. Be baptized. This sequence has been repeated in sermons, printed in tracts, illustrated on charts, and drilled into Bible class curricula for generations. The intent behind it is clear: to help people understand how to respond to the gospel simply a...

“Call Bible things by Bible names. Do Bible things in Bible ways.” These phrases have been repeated in Churches of Christ for decades. They often affirm a commitment to biblical language and practice, especially in contrast to denominational traditions or religious innovations. Like many Restoration slogans, they express a deep desire to return to the New Testament pattern and honor Scripture as t...

“Book, chapter, and verse” has become one of the most familiar phrases in the heritage of the Churches of Christ, even if it’s not unique to us. It represents a commitment to biblical authority, a conviction that doctrine and practice must be grounded in Scripture rather than tradition, emotion, or popular opinion. For generations, this phrase has served as a challenge: show the passage that autho...

Few claims capture the confidence of Churches of Christ like the phrase “we are the first-century church.” It’s meant to express a commitment to biblical authority, apostolic teaching, and continuity with the church described in the New Testament. The intent is to reject denominational innovation and restore the simple, Spirit-led community that Christ established through His apostles. This convic...

It’s a phrase that has been repeated in Churches of Christ for generations, sometimes proudly, sometimes defensively, and often without much contemplation. On the surface, it speaks to one of the defining convictions of the Restoration Movement: that the church should not be divided by man-made labels, creeds, or hierarchies. The goal was to return to the unity of the New Testament church, not to...

Few phrases reflect the spirit of the Restoration Movement more than this: “The Bible is our only creed.” Or its close cousin: “No creed but Christ.” These slogans express a deep conviction—that the Word of God, not the words of men, must be the foundation for the church’s doctrine, worship, and identity. It was a bold and necessary protest. In an era when denominations were defined by their confe...

“We are Christians only.” This phrase has echoed across pulpits, lectureships, and church bulletins throughout the history of the Churches of Christ. Short, simple, and powerful, it expresses the desire to strip away all human traditions and stand solely on the foundation of Christ. No denominations or man-made labels, just disciples trying to follow Jesus as faithfully as possible. The heart behi...

If you grew up in the Churches of Christ, you are probably familiar with the sayings the church has passed down through generations. These phrases have shaped our preaching, our theology, and our collective identity. Some have been around for nearly 200 years, while others are more recent innovations. They were meant to clarify, protect, and simplify. But some of them, despite their good intention...

The Restoration Movement began with a simple but powerful conviction: that the church should return to the teachings and practices of the New Testament, setting aside human creeds and traditions in favor of the Word of God. That vision still matters. It’s why many of us were drawn to the Churches of Christ in the first place. We believe that Scripture is sufficient and that the unity Jesus prayed...

One of the most common critiques of the Restoration Movement is that it’s an attempt to recreate a romanticized version of the early church—an effort to reconstruct a world that no longer exists. Detractors often accuse Churches of Christ of chasing an idealized past, as if we’re trying to relive the first century through sheer force of will. But this criticism misunderstands both our history and...

Few practices are as central to the Christian faith as the Eucharist. Yet, almost every tradition interprets it differently. In some traditions, it’s been layered with rituals and philosophical explanations so elaborate that the simplicity and power of the moment seem lost. In others, it’s been reduced to a casual afterthought, treated simply as a sentimental reminder rather than a sacred particip...

Baptism might be among the most misunderstood teachings that divide the Christian world today. In many modern churches, baptism has been reduced to a symbolic ritual—something optional that has little to nothing to do with salvation itself. In Scripture, baptism is never treated as a casual ceremony or a public expression of a private decision. It’s consistently tied to faith, repentance, forgiven...

It’s no secret that the religious landscape in the West—especially in the United States—is shifting. Young Christians are leaving Evangelical churches in large numbers, and many of them aren’t becoming atheists or agnostics. Instead, they’re moving backward , so to speak—turning toward ancient traditions like Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. They’re not just searching for a new worship sty...