Zach Uram's Blog

  • Mortification

    If we truly love God
    We’ll keep His commandments
    And we’ll follow all of His Word

    Our flesh we must mortify
    By denying our sinful ways
    Our souls we must sanctify

    Living by the Spirit always
    It’s God’s power in us
    Christ the Living Waters

    It is the Lord who sanctifies us
    It’s a monergistic work
    As we walk in obedience

    We must run the race
    Sometimes we stumble
    We get back up by God’s grace

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

    ,

  • Vi My Eldest Sister

    Her name is Posie
    Her cheeks are rosy

    She makes me so happy
    My heart is full of glee

    Vi gets our food
    She’s never rude

    She takes the bus
    Vi never makes a fuss

    She cleans our home
    She’s written many a poem

    Vi does our laundry
    She’s footloose and fancy-free

    I love chatting with her
    She is so dear

    We’ve been roommates for 21 years
    We’ve laughed and cried many tears

    I thank God for putting Vi in my life
    We get along so well and there’s no strife

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

    ,

  • Ireland

    Oh emerald isle
    With fields of green
    Such beauty
    I had never seen

    Irish food
    It’s delicious to be sure
    From colcannon to
    Irish breakfast and more

    Corned beef and cabbage
    With potatoes too
    And a nice hot bowl of
    Mulligan’s stew

    Irish breakfast tea
    Is always nice
    Drink it hot
    Or over ice

    Saint Patrick brought
    Christianity to Ireland
    The gospel spread extensively
    All across the land

    From Carrickfergus Castle
    In the north
    To Blarney Castle
    In the south

    The home
    Of my ancestors
    What stories they could tell
    And what adventures

    The people of Ireland
    Endured much persecution
    And oppression by the British
    A global superpower against a revolution

    As their ancestors had done
    The people of Ireland fought well
    They were determined
    To make freedom and independence swell

    The potato famine
    Was a terrible crime
    The English refused to help
    Millions of Irish died at the time

    I may never be able
    To visit this fair land
    But I can dream of
    Leprechauns and shamrocks grand

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

    ,

  • My Day in The Ocean

    I swam across the ocean
    It was poetry in motion

    I rode a blue whale
    I lived to tell the tale

    I dove down deep
    The beauty I saw made me weep

    I saw strange creatures
    Some had strange features

    Time seemed to slow
    I saw a fish glow

    I played with dolphins
    And saw some puffins

    The sky was getting dark
    Back home I had to embark

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

    ,

  • My Sweet Sister and Best Friend Vi

    I see love
    In my sister Vi’s eyes
    She is compassionate
    Empathetic and wise

    She cooks
    My meals
    She cleans
    And makes me tea from camomiles

    Vi likes
    To laugh
    I use the iPhone
    To take her photograph

    She looks
    So slim and trim
    She eats healthy
    Not on a whim

    Vi is
    A talented artist
    She paints and draws
    From the most to the least

    She’s also
    A wonderful poet
    She’s written
    Many a sonnet

    Vi and I
    Have many precious
    Shared memories
    She is selfless

    I am so happy
    Vi is born again
    She trusts in Christ alone
    Her language is never profane

    We’ve lived together
    For over 22 years
    Thinking of all our precious moments
    Leaves me reduced to happy tears

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2024

    ,

  • Are Roman Catholic Beliefs Biblical

    The following are various beliefs of Roman Catholicism, contrasted with the teachings of Scripture.

    • RCC: The worship of Mary, the “Saints”, images, and relics.
      BIBLE: The holy Trinity is the one and only true object of worship.
      (Acts 12:23; 17:24-29)
    • RCC: The Catholic pope is the head and foundation of the visible Church.
      BIBLE: Christ is the sole Head and Foundation of the visible Church.
      (Ephesians 5:23)
    • RCC: A universal visible hierarchy.
      BIBLE: Local, autonomous New Testament churches.
      (Acts 13:1-3)
    • RCC: The Apostle Peter is the “Rock” on which the Church was built.
      BIBLE: Christ Himself is the one and only Rock on which the Church is built.
      (1 Corinthians 10:4)
    • RCC: The authority of the decrees and dogmatic assertions and affirmations
      of the popes, the authority of tradition. the so-called infallible
      magisterium (teaching authority), and the voice of the various councils.
      BIBLE: The Bible is the only rule of faith and practice, and the New Testament is the only Law of Christianity.
      (Matthew 15:6-9)
    • RCC: Conferred absolution by a human priest.
      BIBLE: The forgiveness of sins by God only.
      (Psalm 103:3; Mark 2:7-11)
    • RCC: Confession in the ear of a priest.
      BIBLE: Confession of sin to God only.
      (1 John 1:7-9)
    • RCC: Many mediators, namely, the “Saints” in heaven, angels, and Jesus’ mother Mary.
      BIBLE: Only one Mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
      (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
    • RCC: Jesus’ mother Mary is sinless.
      BIBLE: Christ alone is sinless. Everyone else has original sin.
      (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12;
    • RCC: Jesus’ mother Mary is a virgin her whole natural life.
      BIBLE: Scripture explicitly says Mary and Joseph had sex after Jesus was born.
      Further, it mentions Jesus’ half-sisters and half-brothers.
      (Matthew 1:25; Matthew 12:46; Matthew 13:55-56; Mark 3:31-34; Luke 8:19-21; John 2:12; and Acts 1:14)
    • RCC: Mary was assumed to heaven.
      BIBLE: She died because she was a sinner.
      (Nowhere in Scripture does it support the notion that Mary was sinless. Nor does it teach an assumption of Mary.)
    • RCC: Priests must not be married.
      BIBLE: Teaches married pastors.
      (1 Timothy 3:2)

      As you can see, Roman Catholic beliefs are often negated by the witness of Scripture. Many beliefs in the Roman Catholic faith cannot be supported by Scripture. This illustrates why Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone) is so important.
    , , , ,

  • A Gospel Proclamation

    The Bible is
    God’s infallible and inerrant Word
    When we hear it
    Faith in our hearts is stirred

    We are born
    From above
    This is only possible
    Because of God’s love

    When a soul
    Is born again
    The Holy Spirit quickens them
    No longer are they slaves to sin

    We obtain
    Christ’s perfect righteousness
    We are a new creation
    In earnestness

    I don’t deserve
    God’s grace
    It is given freely
    To the elect of the human race

    Let God be true
    And every man a liar
    For God
    I am on fire

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

    ,

  • Faith Alone: The Cornerstone of The Reformation

    Justification by faith alone (Sola Fide) is the lynchpin of the Protestant Reformation. It will stand or fall on the basis of this doctrine.

    The essence of Sola Fide is the teaching that we are not saved by the merits of any of our good works, but rather we are saved on the merits of Christ alone.

    Sola Fide is necessary to preserve the gospel. Without it, we get a syngergistic model of salvation within the context of works-righteousness (faith is acquired and preserved through good works).

    The true and complete gospel is the monergistic model of salvation, based on the 5 Solas, and affirming Calvinistic soteriology (how we are saved).

    It is entirely true that the one verse in the Bible that contains the exact phrase “faith alone” seems to argue against salvation by faith alone. James 2:24 reads, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (ESV). However, rejecting the doctrine of salvation by faith alone based on this verse has two major problems. First, the context of James 2:24 is not arguing against the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. Second, the Bible does not need to contain the precise phrase “faith alone” in order to clearly teach salvation by faith alone.

    James 2:14–26, as a whole, and especially verse 24, has been the subject of some confused interpretations. The passage definitely seems to cause serious problems for the “salvation by faith alone” concept. First, we need to clear up a misconception, namely, that James means the same thing by “justified” in James 2:24 that Paul means in Romans 3:28. Paul is using the word justified to mean “declared righteous by God.” Paul is speaking of God’s legal declaration of us as righteous as Christ’s righteousness is applied to our account. James is using the word justified to mean “being demonstrated and proved.”

    The 2011 NIV provides an excellent rendering of James 2:24: “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone” (emphasis added). Similarly, the NLT translation of James 2:24 reads, “So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone” (emphasis added). The entire James 2:14–26 passage is about proving the genuineness of your faith by what you do. A genuine salvation experience by faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably result in good works (cf. Ephesians 2:10). The works are the demonstration and proof of faith (James 2:18). A faith without works is useless (James 2:20) and dead (James 2:17); in other words, it is not true faith at all. Salvation is by faith alone, but that faith will never be alone.

    While James 2:24 is the only verse that contains the precise phrase “faith alone,” there are many other verses that do, in fact, teach salvation by faith alone. Any verse that ascribes salvation to faith/belief, with no other requirement mentioned, is a declaration that salvation is by faith alone. John 3:16 declares that salvation is given to “whoever believes in Him.” Acts 16:31 proclaims, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” See also Romans 3:28; 4:5; 5:1; Galatians 2:16; 3:24; Ephesians 1:13; and Philippians 3:9. Many other verses could be referenced in addition to these.

    In summary, James 2:24 does not argue against salvation by faith alone. Rather, it argues against a salvation that is alone, a salvation devoid of good works and obedience to God’s Word. James’s point is that we demonstrate our faith by what we do (James 2:18). Regardless of the absence of the precise phrase “faith alone,” the New Testament definitely teaches that salvation is the product of God’s grace in response to our faith. “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? . . . On that of faith” (Romans 3:27). There is no other requirement.

    https://www.gotquestions.org/faith-alone.html

    , , , ,

  • Mental Struggles

    I’m in extreme mental pain
    It’s because I’m insane

    My thoughts race
    I can’t keep pace

    I’m a few bricks shy of a load
    My mind is in a chaotic mode

    I hear voices all-day
    They cause me dismay

    I have many a delusion
    Also, I have major depression

    I long to be mentally sound
    Hallucinations abound

    One day I’ll be free
    Thanks to the Trinity

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

    ,

  • Summertime of My Youth

    It’s a hot
    Summer day
    My sisters
    And I
    Make tents inside
    Using the fans
    We go outside
    And walk barefoot
    In the cool
    Fresh grass
    The ice cream man
    Pulls up in front
    Of our house
    We get rainbow
    Flavored Italian ice
    And foot long
    Strawberry licorice
    We collect
    Cicada shells
    Off of pine trees
    We run under
    The weeping willow
    Tree
    We play in
    The Big Yard
    Burying treasures
    In the ground
    We swim
    At the Brentwood pool
    We walk home
    We run
    Under the sprinkler
    During the evening
    We collect
    Lightning bugs
    In glass jars
    Finally, we sleep
    And dream
    Of more adventures

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2024

    ,