CALVINISM
VS.
THE BIBLE
October
2004
I attended a Presbyterian Church for over 10 years.
This was the first Church we were actively involved with. A friend of mine
who is in preaching school, Jason Hilburn, furnished an outline of
Scripture for me to study which refutes the Presbyterian doctrine of
Calvinism. You may
be familiar with the five points of Calvinism and/or the Westminster
Confession of Faith. I
briefly studied the passages but did not understand most of what I
read, or was unsure of the meaning.
I decided to have a member of the Presbyterian Church
review the outline and advise me what he thought.
I will refer to him as Mr. Calvin.
I told him that it was furnished to me for study and that
it appeared the Presbyterian doctrine might have some problems. Basically we swapped a few
e-mails and several weeks later he provided me with a lengthy response. During this time of
waiting on him to respond, I had the opportunity to do some in depth
study of my own. I
studied like I have never studied before.
After I received his response, I started responding back,
as I was responding I was also studying more and more.
Below is the discussion between us.
So that you can understand who wrote what below…
The
initial outline is in this font, dark blue.
There was very little commentary.
Jason simply gave me the book, chapter, and verse, and
suggested I study it.
Mr.
Calvin’s response is in this type font, black. He added the passages for
the outline himself and then made a comment in most cases. You will have to read past
the passages to see his comments.
He also added more scripture on several occasions, in an
attempt to support his belief’s.
My response is in
this type font. All
the passages I quote are from my e-sword Bible
software…example…
Psa
118:8
It
is better to
trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Now
we begin…
I
know I have thanked you a couple of times already but I want to thank
you again for taking the time to look over and respond to the outline
that was provided. As
I mentioned previously in my immediate e-mail reply to your response to
the outline, I have been studying day and night to try and better
understand what God’s way is, and what it will take for me to
glorify Him. I have
quickly learned there is no way for me to know it all in a matter of
days or even a few weeks, but I have definitely been on a mission to
know God’s way. I
briefly studied the Scripture outline before I presented it to you and
I have studied it in depth since then, not to even begin to mention the
other Scripture that I have studied in depth.
I have reviewed and studied your responses with eagerness
and with a desire to hopefully better understand the Scriptures. My days and nights have
been quite occupied in studying Scripture and writing responses to your
comments. I have
not stopped since I received it back from you.
Every time that I thought I was ready to send you my
response, I had studied more Scripture and wanted to go back and write
more. I know I
could go on and on and on… but I think I have said plenty
for now. I will say
that I have some serious doubts concerning your opinion of most of the
Scripture that you discussed. I
am not going to say that my understanding is perfect, yet I know that I
have raised some good questions and made some valid points in response
to what you have written. On
a few Scriptures that I had trouble with I did inquire to a few others
to seek their thoughts on those, just like I have done so with you. I have also read some
commentary, although as I stated previously to you, it is hard to find
two commentaries that totally agree as they are subjective for the most
part. For the
majority though, I stuck with referencing my Interlinear Bible and
e-sword program with several translations.
I have also reviewed the Westminster Confession of Faith
and a few lectureships, and even studied some secular history material tobetter understand
denominational history and the meaning of the word
“baptism” during the early church days.
Although
I may be quite blunt with a sarcastic tone occasionally, please
understand it is not my intentions to create a hostile relationship
with you. I truly
hope you believe this. My
comments and questions will be inserted after various sections and will
be in this light brown color. Bold emphasis and underlining is by me
on several passages that I have copied and pasted from my e-sword
program. I hope
that we can continue to discuss these points and come to a mutual
understanding. I
trust you will read this in its entirety.
It may be wise to do so then comment afterwards if you so
desire. By the
way… you might want to turn off your spelling and grammar
check while reading to avoid the numerous underlined errors…
if you find this distracting. I
did my best on grammar and spellchecked but much of the Scripture has
words not in the dictionary and grammar errors itself, especially the
King James Version passages.
You
are obviously biased towards the Presbyterian doctrine which is
reasoned by the fact you have studied this doctrine for many years. I suppose this is to be
expected… just as Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, etc., are
biased towards their own man-made, unauthorized, and uninspired
doctrines. I prefer
not to be bias towards any doctrine other than what has been written,
authorized, and inspired by God… the doctrine which was
delivered by Jesus, His apostles, and through God’s Word. I pray that we will both
have an open mind (heart) and put doctrines of men aside and focus
solely on the Scriptures. I
pray that the following passages will be applied to both
of us as we continue this discussion…
Eph
1:17 That the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph
1:18 The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of
his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints,
Eph
1:19 And what is the
exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to
the working of his mighty power,
The
center of God’s Word:
Psa
118:8 It is
better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Hopefully
we can keep these verses in prayer and at heart.
God is no
respecter of persons
I Pet. 1:17 And
if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth
according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in
fear: KJV
1PE 1:17 ¶ If you address as Father the One who
impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in
fear during the time of your stay on earth; NASB-u
This verse seems to indicate that God judges each person
without regard to their station or position in life, that He views each
person on the same basis whether they are Jews, Gentiles, males,
females, Old Testament, New Testament, etc.
Each person is judged on whether they are righteous before
God based on His standard of perfection.
The same principle is mentioned in GAL 2:6 “But
from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no
difference to me; God shows no partiality) -- well, those who were of
reputation contributed nothing to me.” And also 1TI 5:21 I
solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of
His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing
nothing in a spirit of partiality.
ROM 10:11-13 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in
Him will not be disappointed." For
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is
Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "Whoever
will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."
God does not judge on the basis of who we are, but rather
on the basis of who we are depending on to save us.
If we depend on our own works or the works of another
person, we are held to the standard of perfection and will necessarily
fall short. The
only way anyone can be saved is by depending on Christ for salvation,
the only One who lived a perfectly sinful life, the only One who
measured up to the standard of perfection.
Notice that it says that they will be saved if they
“call on the name of the Lord” and
“believe in Him,” without reference to baptism.
The
point of God not being a respecter
of persons in connection with 1 Peter
1:17 and similarly in Galatians 2:6, is to point out that God does not
show partiality and has not already chosen us as individuals to be
saved. God knows
who will be saved but allows us to choose our own path. He indeed already knows the
choice we will make, but He does not miraculously cause us to make that
choice nor does He compel us to make a choice.
I believe God searches our hearts and minds and He test us
and gives to us according to our own ways…
Jer
17:10 I the LORD search the
heart, I
try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and
according to the fruit of his doings.
If
we seek Him, He will let us find Him…
1Ch
28:9 And thou, Solomon my son,
know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and
with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and
understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him,
he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee
off for ever.
It
would not make much sense if He had already elected us individually
that we would need to seek Him. God
also tells Solomon to serve Him with a “willing
mind.” This
tells us that we must be “willing”
to serve God and this would require effort on our part.
You
wrote, "He
views each person on the same basis whether they are Jews, Gentiles,
males, females, Old Testament, New Testament, etc." and quoted Romans 10:11,
"Whoever
believes in Him will not be disappointed." If He views each person on
the same basis then why would He choose one over the other? Considering
“whoever believes”… would that not
include everyone that believes? It
does not say “whoever I choose to force to
believe”. You
will need a “license” to change those words. If God compels us to
believe then He basically believes for us and we really are not doing
anything. Why would
He do that and what Scripture says that He does?
He does not do this and no Scripture says He
does… in fact the Scriptures say the opposite. Now… you say there is no “reference
to baptism” in Romans 10:11-13… neither is there
any reference to
God already having chose individuals who will believe.
If we consider the context of Romans chapter 10 we learn
that there actually is a reference to baptism connected to those verses
which is more than you can say for God choosing us or forcing us to
believe. Let’s
read the connection for baptism…
Rom
10:16 But they have not all
obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our
report?
Paul
references the need for preachers but the bottom line is they have not
all obeyed the gospel. Consider…
2Th
1:8 In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ:
1Pe
1:22 Seeing ye have purified
your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love
of the brethren, see that ye
love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe
4:17 For the time is
come that judgment must begin at the
house of God: and if it
first begin
at us, what shall the end be of
them that obey not the gospel of God?
The
gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we
learn how to obey the death, burial, and resurrection (baptism), in
Romans chapter 6…
Rom
6:3 Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom
6:4 Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.
Rom
6:5 For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in
the likeness of his
resurrection:
Of
course I know towards the end you reference this as obedience after we
are saved. I will
discuss this later in much greater detail.
I
would gather from your comments above that you believe that whoever
believes and calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Wouldn’t this
require us to do something… of course it would. Later on you will say that
we can not contribute anything other than the
“need”, or “sin”. Yet here it appears you
believe we must at least believe and call on the name of the Lord. Either way… I
believe that we must believe and call on the name of the Lord. However, I do not believe
that this is all it takes to be saved, and it is apparent we do not
have the same understanding of what believing and calling on the name
of the Lord mean. Let’s
go back to Romans 10:9-10 again…
Rom
10:9 That if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom
10:10 For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation.
No
doubt here that confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord would be
included for salvation as well. This
confession is referenced by Jesus in Matthew 10, by Paul in his 2nd
letter to Timothy, and in 1 John we also read that we must confess the
Son and what that confession is…
Mat
10:32 Whosoever therefore shall
confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which
is in heaven.
2Ti
2:19 Nevertheless the
foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth
them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity.
1Jo
2:23 Whoever denies the Son
does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father
also.
1Jo
4:15 Whoever confesses that
Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
I
believe a good example of confession is when the eunuch confessed in
Acts 8:37…
Act
8:35 Then Philip opened his
mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
Act
8:36 And as they went on their
way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is
water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
Act
8:37 And Philip said, If thou
believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God.
Act
8:38 And he commanded the
chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both
Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
Act
8:39 And when they were come up
out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the
eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
The
eunuch believed and confessed. I
also see that for some reason the eunuch appeared to be more concerned
with water baptism than anything else.
Of course Phillip explained that there would be nothing
stopping him as long as he believed as we must believe before we can be
baptized. Obviously
the eunuch had been taught by someone that he must have a repentant
heart (as I will discuss next) and that confession must be made as well
because he clearly confesses. Now
think about your doctrine’s theory of the Holy Spirit having
a miraculous direct influence on us thereby forcing us to be saved. Why would the Holy Spirit
miraculously force the Eunuch to think about water and baptism? From your assumptions I
would gather that believing and calling on the name of the Lord is what
the Holy Spirit compels us to do… not think about baptism. But then again, we would
be doing something and we can not do anything according to your
doctrine. Would
Phillip, who we know was under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not
have taught the Eunuch that baptism was not necessary?
Your doctrine would have the Holy Spirit being
inconsistent. I can
see how most that follow your doctrine would say that it is hard to
fully understand.
Going
back to Romans 10:9-13, something else was left out as well…
this would be “repentance”.
So do you believe that someone can be saved without
repenting? We are
commanded to repent… and unless we repent we will
“perish”, as we can clearly read in the
Scriptures…
Luk
13:3, 5 I tell you, Nay: but,
except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Mar
1:15 And saying, The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Act
17:30 And the times of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to
repent:
I
know you will say that God forces us repent.
Although Jesus clearly tells us to do something and God
commands everyone everywhere to repent, you still think He compels us
to repent? Hmmm…
that is very interesting although it is a false doctrine. I will discuss this later. Continuing on…
let’s look at Romans 10:10
again… “believeth unto righteousness”
and “confession is made unto salvation”. We see that both phrases
include the word “unto”.
It is apparent that “unto” means
“resulting in”, and this is a very important word
throughout the Scriptures… here is the NASB
translation…
Rom
10:9 that if you confess with
your mouth Jesus as
Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved;
Rom
10:10 for with the heart a
person believes, resulting in
righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting
in salvation.
It
is clear that believing with the heart and confessing with the mouth results in salvation.
To be absolutely sure on the word
“unto”, I looked to Strong’s and
Thayer’s…
eis
A
primary preposition; to or into
(indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or
(figuratively) purpose (result, towards, for, etc.)
So
we can conclude that “calling on the name of the
Lord” would include believing and
confessing… but is that all it includes?
Nope! Not
according to Scripture. Let’s
look at that Scripture… Looking at verse 13 we agree that it
says, “For1063 whosoever3956, 3739, 302
shall call upon1941
the3588
name3686
of the Lord2962
shall be saved.4982”, and as you claim,
“without reference to baptism”.
Note that “call upon” has a
Strong’s definition reference #1941 in verse 13. With this verse in mind
let’s look at a couple of examples of what calling on the
name of the Lord is. Peter
referenced this right before he preached the first gospel message on
the day of Pentecost…
Act
2:21 And2532 it shall
come to pass,2071
that
whosoever3956,
3739, 302 shall call on1941 the3588 name3686 of the
Lord2962
shall be saved.4982
On
that same day, right after he preached this first gospel message, the
people who had just crucified Jesus ask Peter
what they must do. Peter
instructed these people how they were to call on the name of the
Lord…
Act
2:37 Now when they heard this,
they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter
and to the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do?
Act
2:38 Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost.
Well,
there certainly is a reference to baptism with Peter’s
explanation of calling on the name of the Lord.
Peter
did not tell them specifically to call on the name of the Lord, or to
pray to receive Christ, or to simply believe.
He did not even mention confessing here.
Now let’s look at the how Paul was saved. I am sure you are familiar
with the story that starts back in Acts 9 and Paul recaps it in chapter
22… and it concludes with his salvation…
Act
22:6 And it came to pass, that,
as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon,
suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
Act
22:7 And I fell unto the
ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me?
Act
22:8 And I answered, Who art
thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou
persecutest.
Act
22:9 And they that were with me
saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of
him that spake to me.
Act
22:10 And I said, What shall I
do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus;
and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for
thee to do.
Act
22:11 And when I could not see
for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were
with me, I came into Damascus.
Act
22:12 And one Ananias, a devout
man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which
dwelt there,
Act
22:13 Came unto me, and stood,
and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I
looked up upon him.
Act
22:14 And he said, The God of
our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and
see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
Act
22:15 For thou shalt be his
witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Act
22:16 And now why tarriest thou?
arise, and be baptized, and wash away
thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Act
22:16 'Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your
sins, calling on His name.'
Paul
asked the question here, “What shall I do, Lord?” The Lord told him to go to
Damascus
and he would be told what he needed to do.
There was obviously something he
had to do. He
did not tell Paul to pray to Him, or confess Him, or even believe on
Him, nor did He tell Paul to call on His name.
However, I believe it is obvious that Paul believed (had
faith) or he would not have done what the Lord commanded him to do,
just like Noah or Abraham would not have obeyed what God commanded them
to do if they had not believed. Still
we do not read (previously or in this recap) that he must believe,
confess, or repent; we can only assume he obviously did because we have
already read Scripture that clearly states we must believe, confess,
and repent, to be saved. One
point to be made here is that every example or instruction we read
pertaining to salvation in the Scriptures may not include every
necessary element. Clearly,
even though Paul believed, he was not yet saved because his sins had
not been forgiven nor had he completely called on the name of the Lord,
as you have indicated we would need to do.
Ananias asked Paul, “Now why do you
delay?” and told him what he needed
to do… “Get up and be baptized, wash
away your sins, calling on the His name.”
Therefore we learn that washing away our sins by baptism
is part of calling on the name of the Lord.
To further prove the point...
Act
22:16 And2532 now3568 why5101 tarriest3195 thou?
arise,450
and be baptized,907
and2532
wash away628
thy4675
sins,266
calling on1941
the3588
name3686
of the3588
Lord.2962
The
phrase “calling on” in Acts 2:38 and 22:16 has the
same Strong’s reference #1941 as Romans 10:13. All have the same
definition, yet reference different responses.
And again, we see that baptism is
referenced.
From
these passages it is clear that calling on the name of the Lord would
include hearing, believing, repenting, confessing, and even washing
away our sins by baptism. The
language, “calling on the name of the Lord”
wherever used, implies coming to the Lord and calling on Him in His
appointed way. I
think we can conclude that we are not saved by “grace
only” but by our work of calling on the Lord.
With your own words you have pretty much tossed out the
possibility of your so-called “election” theory too. Unless of course you were
simply trying to point out that baptism is not necessary and did not
mean to prove that “irresistible grace” and “unconditional
election” are false doctrines.
I
want to go back to the point I made about every example or instruction
of salvation we read of in the Scriptures not including every element
required of us to be saved. We
should recognize a basic understanding of scriptural
interpretation… just because one particular verse or passage
does not address a particular element (i.e., baptism), does not negate
those passages that do address those elements.
Consider these verses…
Phi
2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as
ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in
my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Act
2:40 And with many other words
did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward
generation.
Would
it be fair to conclude from these passages that I can save myself or
that my works save me? Think
about it… “grace” is not mentioned in
either of these two verses. I
would not assume that these verses teach us that we can simply save
ourselves or that they teach salvation by meritorious works simply
because neither mention grace. We
must consider all of the Scripture that relates to salvation in order
to learn God’s plan of salvation… including these. We can not simply throw
out a verse just because it does not address a particular subject or
element of salvation. If
we use the tactic of quoting a verse and saying that it does not
mention baptism, therefore it is not necessary, we violate the nature
of Scripture and God’s revelation to all mankind. I will be discussing much
more on works from time to time, but let’s clear it up right
now… no matter what you think I believe, I do
not believe I can earn my way into heaven by my own
merit.
You
should also understand that in Romans 10:9-10, Paul is explaining why Israel
had failed to be justified by faith.
This passage identifies those specific elements of
“the faith” that were preventing Israel
from responding with faith. Israel
did not accept or depend on Jesus and refused to believe and confess
Him. Since
salvation is available to all who
will call upon the Lord, to all who
will trust in Him, even the Israelites would be saved if
they would overcome these obstacles and respond to Jesus with their
heart and their lips. Consider
where Paul got this passage from…
Deu
30:11 For this commandment which
I command thee this day, it is not
hidden from thee, neither is it
far off.
Deu
30:12 It is not
in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven,
and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Deu
30:13 Neither is it
beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for
us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Deu
30:14 But the word is
very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest
do it.
Paul
knew Israel
would recognize what he was preaching to them by using these passages. He wanted them to
understand the necessity that the righteousness that comes through
“the faith” requires them to believe the gospel in
their hearts and confess Jesus with their lips.
They had failed to respond to the gospel in faith. Paul’s purpose
here was not to teach all the necessary elements of obeying the gospel
but rather to point out specifically what their particular hang up was.
1PE
1:22-25 ¶
Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a
sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the
heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but
imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All flesh is like
grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers,
And the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever."
And this is the word which was preached to you.
I’m not sure how this relates to the subject of
God is no respecter of persons. Bear
in mind what is said between these two selections, i.e.,
1PE 1:18-21 knowing that you were not redeemed
with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile
way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with
precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the
blood of Christ. For
He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared
in these last times for the sake of you who through
Him are believers in God, who raised Him
from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in
God. {my emphasis)
There
are a couple of points here. In
order to purify our souls we must obey the truth: “you
have in obedience to the truth purified your souls”.
The Word of God is what was preached to them and
“through” it, which is the
“seed”, they obeyed the truth and were born again. If they had not obeyed the
truth, would they have purified their souls?
We can learn from this Scripture how they purified their
souls and also how the Word of God was delivered to them. I agree that we are bought
with the blood of Christ and that believing (faith) is essential for
salvation. I will
discuss this in more detail later.
Consider these next three passages…
1Jo
3:1 Behold, what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him
not.
1Jo
3:2 Beloved, now are we the
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him
as he is.
1Jo
3:3 And every
man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself,
even as he is pure.
1Pe
1:22 Seeing ye
have purified your souls in obeying the truth
through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye
love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe
1:23 Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which
liveth and abideth for ever.
Rom
8:24 For we
are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not
hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom
8:25 But if we hope for that we
see not, then
do we with patience wait for it.
Now
consider the relationship between salvation, self-purification, and
hope, which we see in these passages.
Imagine the theology we could
“develop” based on treating Romans 8:24 in the same
manner as “saved by faith (alone)” and
“saved by grace (alone)”.
The Scriptures reveal the way in which we purify ourselves
in obedience to the truth, yet it is God who purifies us by His grace.
EPH
6:9 ¶ And
masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing
that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no
partiality with Him. This
seems to say the same thing as the previous verse.
Eph
6:5 Slaves, be obedient to
those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and
trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;
Eph
6:6 not by way of eyeservice,
as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from
the heart.
Eph
6:7 With good will render
service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
Eph
6:8 knowing that whatever good
thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether
slave or free.
Eph
6:9 And masters, do the same
things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master
and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
In
context this Scripture shows us that there is mutual good will and
mutual service between God and men.
God is going to treat us all the same, according to what
we do while here on earth.
ACT
10:34 ¶ Opening
his mouth, Peter
said: ¶ "I most certainly understand now that God is not one
to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does
what is right is welcome to Him.”
Remember the context of this statement.
Peter
had been called to the home of a Gentile, Cornelius, and to go was
considered a sin by Jews. A
Jew could not enter the home of a Gentile (which is why the
representatives of the Sanhedrin met Pontius Pilate outside on the
“pavement” to accuse Jesus rather than going
inside.) When he
arrived and proclaimed the gospel the assembled Gentiles not only
believed, but they began speaking in tongues.
Peter
immediately recognized this as a sign that the Holy Spirit had baptized
and filled these people since he had seen and experienced the same
thing on Pentecost. In
essence he is saying in this verse that now he understands that God
saves not only Jews, but Gentiles also.
This verse is similar to two other passages, ROM 2:9-11
There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does
evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and
peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality
with God.” And ROM 3:21-24 ¶ But now apart from the
Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by
the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith
in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified
as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ
Jesus;” and COL 3:11 a renewal in which there is no
distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
I
am familiar with the story or Cornelius and his family and the fact
they were Gentiles, not Jews. I
recall the story of how Peter
saw the vision of the unclean animals and the voice spoke to him. This was to point out that
Peter
would be sent to preach to the Gentiles, and that God was not partial
to the Jews only, and he should indeed preach to the Gentiles. I will be discussing this
again in much greater detail when you bring it up the second time. I believe here and in the
verses in Ephesians, Romans, and in Colossians above and below, all
point out how God does not show partiality, that anyone
can be
saved. If
he does not show partiality then why would He have already chosen us as
individuals to be saved? Ultimately,
these verses would not agree with your doctrine in several ways, of
which I will discuss as I continue.
Let’s
take a closer look at Romans 2 that you mentioned and add verse 8 (that
you seem to have conveniently omitted) to verses 9-11…
Rom
2:8 But unto them that are
contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
indignation and wrath,
Rom
2:9 Tribulation and anguish,
upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of
the Gentile;
Rom
2:10 But glory, honour, and
peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to
the Gentile:
Rom
2:11 For there is no respect of
persons with God.
Those
that “do not obey the
truth” will receive God’s wrath.
However “to every man that worketh
good”, he will receive “glory, honour, and
peace”. Does
God make us “not obey the truth” even if we want to
or is it that if we are not of the so-called
“elect” then we will not want to obey the truth? Why would we receive
“glory, honour, and peace” for doing something God
forces us to do? I
know… it does not make much sense does it.
It is in our obedience that we glorify God and honor the
sacrifice of Christ, thus we enjoy peace with God.
You
also quoted Romans 3:21-24 above...
Rom
3:21 But now apart from the Law
the
righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law
and the Prophets,
Rom
3:22 even the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who
believe; for there is no distinction;
Rom
3:23 for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God,
Rom
3:24 being justified as a gift
by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
This
clearly says we receive “grace through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus:”. Now
how do we get “in Christ Jesus”?
I believe we can find the answer to this question easily
with the following Scripture…
Rom
6:3 Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom
6:4 Therefore we
are buried with him by baptism into death: that
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom
6:5 For if we
have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be
also in the likeness
of his
resurrection:
1Co
12:13 For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body,
whether we
be Jews or Gentiles, whether we
be bond or free; and have been all
made to drink into one Spirit.
Gal
3:27 For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ
have put on Christ.
Col
2:12 Buried
with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with
him
through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the
dead.
This
Scripture leaves us with no doubt that we are baptized into Christ. Of course, as I stated
earlier, I know later you will say that Paul is simply talking about
obedience after we are saved in Romans chapter 6.
It already does not look so good for your assumption, but
I will discuss that in detail when I get to that point and a little
before then. As a
side note on Romans 3:22… the Manuscripts actually say
“faith of Jesus Christ” not “faith in
Jesus Christ”. There
is an important difference which I will discuss later as
well… and I suspect you already agree with me.
COL 3:25
For
he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he
has done, and that without partiality.”
The same standard applies to every person, i.e.,
perfection.
If
God has predestined us as individuals then it would appear to me that
He has shown partiality. If
we are rewarded in heaven or receive the consequences for the things we
have done here on earth, yet God has forced us to do all these things,
(as Mr. Presbyterian preahcer
suggested that because of God’s sovereignty He causes all
things to happen), how is it that it matters what we do? We can just sit back and
relax, waiting until He makes us do something?
It sounds like to me you are suggesting we are mere robots
or puppets. Either
way, your doctrine is saying that it is God’s choice to make
us do what we do… we have no control over it. God sure has wasted a lot
of inspiration on the Scriptures if your doctrine is true.
Consider
that love is active, not passive, and it must be displayed in order to
be realized. The
love of God is so profound that He had to create us with the absolute
free will to choose to love Him in return.
Consider the following passages and the necessity of
mankind acting freely to “complete” or
“perfect” the love of God by returning that love in
loving obedience to Him…
Joh
3:16 For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh
14:15 If ye love me, keep my
commandments.
Joh
14:23 Jesus answered and said
unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will
love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
1Jo
2:3 And hereby we do know that
we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jo
2:4 He that saith, I know him,
and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in
him.
1Jo
2:5 But whoso keepeth his
word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that
we are in him.
JAM
2:2-9 “For
if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine
clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you
pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and
say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You
stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made
distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved
brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith
and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored
the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag
you into court? Do
they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? If, however, you are
fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love
your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are
convicted by the law as transgressors.”
The sin rebuked in this passage is the sin of treating one
believer as if her were better than another, something that is
reiterated in a different application in 1PE 3:7 “You
husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way,
as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her
honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your
prayers will not be hindered.”
The same principle is found in 1TI 5:21 I solemnly charge
you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen
angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a
spirit of partiality.” I
believe that this indicates that we are to recognize that God wants us
to recognize that every person who is saved has been saved on the basis
of the righteousness of Christ, not on the basis of personal effort. As a result we should not
treat any believer as a second class citizen of the kingdom.
It
is also instructive to note the next verse in James:
JAM
2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one
point, he has become guilty of all.”
If we are talking about salvation requiring some sort of
work or merit on our part, this verse says that the standard is perfect
obedience. Keeping
some or even most of the commandments is not enough.
If I have violated one commandment, then I am just as
guilty as if I had violated all of them.
Just
as God does not want us to judge others with evil motives, He does not
judge us with evil motives… whether saved or not. I do not see that any of
this Scripture would indicate that there is no personal effort on our
part to be saved. I
do not believe that we can earn our way into heaven and I discussed
this briefly earlier but will discuss it in more detail later. Ultimately I believe you
are confusing works of God (works of faith) which are part of obeying
the gospel and is
not mentioned in James
2:10, with works of the Law, which is referenced in James 2:10. The principle is in regard
to the Law of Moses, not the “perfect law of
liberty”…
Jam
2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as
they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Jam
1:21 Wherefore lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness
the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jam
1:22 But be ye doers of the
word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jam
1:23 For if any be a hearer of
the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural
face in a glass:
Jam
1:24 For he beholdeth himself,
and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he
was.
Jam
1:25 But whoso looketh into the
perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein,
he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall
be blessed in his deed.
The
“engrafted word” is “able to
save” our souls… and will do so for those who
“hear” and “do”. Why would James tell us to
“do” and then render the
“doing’ irrelevant and ultimately condemning? James is not teaching that
if we are baptized and then subsequently sin, as we all do, then we are
condemned by our failure to keep all the commandments flawlessly. What you are saying is
that if we are not baptized then we
are not trying to keep the Law and
therefore we will be “in grace”.
You are distorting the Scriptures in an attempt to claim
they teach against something that we are not even addressing. After we are saved we try
not to sin but we will definitely sin periodically.
We both understand that John deals with this in the
following verses…
1Jo
1:6 If we say that we have
fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the
truth:
1Jo
1:7 But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1Jo
1:8 If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jo
1:9 If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jo
1:10 If we say that we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
If grace
only, then what about:
ACT 11:18 When
they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well
then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to
life." I am
confused about this reference as it relates the topic, because it says
that God grants repentance.
We don’t generate it ourselves.
That is the central point of Grace.
These Jewish believers realized that God had extended the
gospel to those who did not know and had made no effort to keep the law
that God Himself had given to Moses for Israel.” This is very similar to Peter’s
realization when he was visiting Cornelius in Acts 10:34 above.
Act
11:18 When they heard these
things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God
also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Luke
was recording Peter’s
defense to the Jewish Christians about why it was okay for Cornelius
and his family, who were Gentiles, to be saved.
Peter
and the Jews did not believe the Gentiles could be saved even if they
repented because they believed salvation was for the Jews only, a
select few, just like those who believe in
your doctrine suggest. God
convinced Peter
and the Jews that the Gentiles could indeed also receive salvation, just like anyone else has an opportunity to do so. God just hasn’t
convinced people following your doctrine of this yet.
Sad indeed. God
gave His only begotten Son for “every man” and the
“whole world”…
Heb
2:9 But we see Jesus, who was
made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned
with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
1Jo
2:1 My little children, these
things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jo
2:2 And he is the propitiation
for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of
the whole world.
Peter explaining that God had
also granted repentance to the Gentiles was Peter’s
realization that God had fulfilled His promise to Abraham to bless all
people through Abraham’s descendant (Jesus).
The point would include that not only is repentance and
salvation for the Jews and not just for the so-called individual elect,
or a limited number,
and not unconditionally, but for everyone who “does the will
of the father” and “obeys the gospel”, as
I will discuss shortly. I
do not suggest that salvation is not according to God’s
grace, but, like “faith” or even
“baptism”, we can not insert the word
“only” or “alone” after it. Repentance is required for
grace to abound in me or you, or anyone else, and we could not repent
unless we believe in God or His promises.
Consider also the fact that the Jews said,
…”Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted
repentance unto life.” Focusing
on the “repentance unto life” and “also
to the Gentiles”, we learn that from this point in history,
the gospel would be preached to all people and forgiveness granted to
those who obey the gospel. We
must repent (obey) but it is no good unless it is recognized by God
(grace).
2CO
7:10 For
the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance
without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world
produces death.” Once
again the sorrow that leads to salvation is according to the will of
God, not the will of man.
The
NASB
version adds “the will of”
(which is really a thought of mere man and not inspired of
God) and their placement of the phrase might lead us to a
misunderstanding of this verse, especially if we only consider the one
verse out of context and read only that one translation. I do not see it quite the
same as you do, although similarly, there is a difference. If we study the
Manuscripts on this passage it will make much more sense to us. I prefer the KJV which in
my opinion more accurately reflects the Manuscripts with this verse,
although not perfectly…
2Co
7:8 For though I made you
sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I
perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were
but for a season.
2Co
7:9 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.
2Co
7:10 For godly sorrow worketh
repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the
world worketh death.
In
these verses we see two kinds of sorrow, godly sorrow and worldly
sorrow. Godly
sorrow is realizing we have sinned against God; we love God and are
sorry for our sins. This
type of sorrow will cause us to repent.
God is not causing us to repent; our sorrow according to
God is causing us to repent. God
did not make the Corinthians repent; the epistle that Paul wrote caused
them to grieve, as we learn in verse 8, however it did not force them
to grieve. Paul
states that he almost regrets sending the letter but even if he did
regret it, he is rejoicing because it grieved them to repentance (after
all it is the inspired Word of God which is able to “save our
souls”). In the Manuscripts “grieved according to
God” is what is literally translated in verses 8 and 9, and
“according to God grief” is literally translated in
verse 10. Godly
sorrow is what we should have and it “worketh” or
accomplishes repentance that leads to salvation.
Worldly sorrow is uh-oh, I wish I had not got in trouble,
or I wish I had not done that, or too bad I got caught.
This kind of sorrow will not cause us to repent but rather
regret. In verse 9
it is clear that Paul is saying “you sorrowed in keeping with
God’s will.” God
wants everyone to have godly sorrow; this is His will as we can see in
2 Peter…
2Pe
3:9 The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that
all should come to repentance.
So,
when we repent, we are doing what God’s will is…
what He so desires… what He wants us to do… we
are repenting according to the will of
God, or because of sorrow according to God, and not because He makes us. It would not make sense
that God would want “all” men to repent and then
compel only a select group to repent, in light of what the Scriptures
tell us. The truth
is that if I choose to repent I will then be doing the
will of God, or a work of God.
This is part of doing the will of
God and obeying the gospel. Think
about what you are saying Mr. Calvin, in consideration of the above
verses. If God
wants “all” men to repent, which He clearly does
according to 2 Peter
3:9 (I do not see how you could understand it any differently), and He
does not give us a choice (as your doctrine suggest) then He is going
to cause “all” men to repent.
We know this cannot be so because very clearly we know
that the majority will not be saved, but rather only a
“few”, as you will mention later and I will discuss
later as well. I
think your partiality to your doctrine and the NASB
translation is influencing your misunderstanding of this Scripture.
See
ROM 9:14-18 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is
there? May it never be! For
He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will
have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it does not depend
on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to
Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My
power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole
earth." So then He
has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
Before
I discuss Romans… consider these two verses…
Mat
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.
Heb
5:9 And being made perfect, he
became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
vs.
this verse…
2Th
1:8 In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ:
Does
God contradict Himself when He says He will have mercy on those that do His will and obey Him in the first two
verses and then He says He will have vengeance on those who do not obey Him in the latter verse? He will have mercy on
those that do His will and obey Him, but if someone questions His
judgment on this (as Paul is raising the possible objection), then He
will have mercy on whom He will have mercy.
Furthermore, I do not believe we can simply pick up at
Romans 9:14 and use a couple of verses to support and proclaim
“irresistible grace” and “unconditional
election”. We
should consider these verses within the context of several other
passages of Romans as well as other passages in the Bible. Let’s consider
the 2 verses prior to the ones you quoted…
Rom
9:12 It was said unto her, The
elder shall serve the younger.
Rom
9:13 As it is written, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
We
know these are two nations He is referencing not individual
babies… Jacob’s descendants who obeyed God, and
Esau’s descendants, (the Edomites), who left God. We learn about them from
Genesis…
Gen
25:23 And the LORD said unto
her, Two nations are in
thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;
and the
one people shall be stronger than the
other people; and the elder shall
serve the younger.
Even
though God knew how each nation would be and what each nation would do,
He did not make them be the way they were.
God said He loved Jacob and hated Esau, but when did He
say it? It was not
until after the Edomites had shown that they were disobedient and some
1400 years later that God stated He hated Esau.
We find God’s statement concerning this in
Malachi…
Mal
1:1 The burden of the word of
the LORD to Israel
by Malachi.
Mal
1:2 I have loved you, saith
the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was
not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
Mal
1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid
his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
Esau
lived his life profane and a fornicator and this along with the
Edomites rebellion towards God is why He loved them less…
Heb
12:16 Lest there be any
fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold
his birthright.
The
same word “hate” is found in Luke that is found in
Romans 9…
Luk
14:26 If any man
come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and
children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he
cannot be my disciple.
Is
Jesus teaching that a true disciple of Christ will hate his parents? Of course not! The definition for the
Greek word “hated” means “esteem
less” or “love less”.
A true disciple will love Jesus above his parents or above
his family, or any material possession.
In the same way, God loved Jacob more than Esau and
blessed the world with Jesus through Jacob instead of Esau, in spite of
Esau’s birthright. God
did this because of His omniscience.
His foreknowledge allowed Him to see the life of Jacob and
Esau, thus He chose to use Jacob because of “things to
come”…
Heb
11:20 By faith Isaac blessed
Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
God
further chose to reveal a portion of what He foreknew to Rebekah when
He foretold of the two nations in her womb (Genesis 25:23 above). Esau’s life
followed the path that God had foreseen and Esau despised his
birthright (Hebrews 12:16 above).
Then the Edomites followed the path that God had foreseen. God’s
“election” of Jacob was not pre-determined destiny,
but rather points to Paul’s statement that factors other than
fleshly descent had always been God’s way of determining who
would be the descendants of Abraham.
God’s election was a factor that entered into
the determination as a consequence of other factors, which He foreknew. If Esau had been chosen
instead of Jacob, the generations of people would not have lasted until
the Messiah was delivered at the fullness of time, and God foreknew
this. That is why
God spoke of the “nations” and “manner of
people” in Rebekah’s womb.
The providence of our all-knowing God intervened in the
affairs of men, not in determining the destinies of these two men, but
rather which of the two would be patriarch of the “children
of Abraham”. So,
in Romans 9:14, Paul turns to God’s righteousness (justice)
in dealing with mankind. This
is the major focus of the entire letter to the Romans.
Your doctrine of “unconditional
election” and “irresistible grace”
actually argue against God’s justice and righteousness. They leave no room for
justification by faith, which Paul clearly asserts…
Rom
5:1 Therefore being justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
God’s
justice and mercy are shown in that He displays His mercy upon those
who come to Him in simple, trusting, obedient faith.
In the same way, He withholds mercy from the profane
people of the earth. God’s
statement to Moses (Exodus 33:19) quoted by Paul in Romans 9 asserts
the truth that there is just and rational foundation for everything God
does. This does not
teach that God is unpredictable in extending mercy and grace. God knows the heart, and
His “election” is based on what is within us, as we
can learn from the following…
Gen
18:19 For I know him, that he
will command his children and his household after him, and they shall
keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may
bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Joh
12:47 And if any man hear my
words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the
world, but to save the world.
Joh
12:48 He that rejecteth me, and
receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Joh
12:49 For I have not spoken of
myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I
should say, and what I should speak.
Joh
12:50 And I know that his
commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as
the Father said unto me, so I speak.
Heb
4:11 Let us labour therefore to
enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief.
Heb
4:12 For the word of God is
quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Heb
4:13 Neither is there any
creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are
naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Heb
4:14 Seeing then that we have a
great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God, let us hold fast our
profession.
This
applies to the “elect in Christ” just as it did to
Abraham and Jacob. Today,
God saves those who hear His Word and do
as He says. It is
still grace, but it is justice in love, as well as God allows whosoever
will come, to receive His free gift.
Romans 9:16 teaches us that Jews are not
entitled to salvation just because they were born Jews, just as we are
not saved because we “will it” or because
meritorious work (“he that runs”) forces God to
save us. We are
saved because God is just, merciful, gracious, honorable, trustworthy,
and He will do as He has promised.
I plan to explain this in a little different way later. God said what He did to
Moses because Moses asked to see His glory.
God let him see it but it was not because He was obligated
by the request, but rather He chose to do so.
Moses glimpse of glory was not by merit, but by grace. Now… concerning
Pharaoh…
Rom
9:17 For the Scripture saith
unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth.
Rom
9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on
whom he will have mercy,
and whom he will he hardeneth.
Notice
first of all that God did not raise up Pharaoh to destroy him, He
raised him up to show His power through him.
Exactly how this was done was up to the free will of
Pharaoh. It could
have been by submission to God or by rebellion to God…
either way, God’s power and glory was going to be displayed
all over the world through Pharaoh.
As far as Pharaoh’s heart, God hardened it by
commanding him to do things that he did not want to do, thus Pharaoh
actually hardened his own heart to begin with.. Jesus
says that the same thing happens to us when we realize that God
commands us to do something through His word and we lack a desire to do
them. We harden our
hearts against Him. We
can see this in Luke 8…
Luk
8:11 Now the parable is this:
The seed is the word of God.
Luk
8:12 Those by the way side are
they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of
their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
Luk
8:13 They on the rock are
they, which, when they hear, receive
the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe,
and in time of temptation fall away.
Luk
8:14 And that which fell among
thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked
with cares and riches and pleasures of this
life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Luk
8:15 But that on the good
ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the
word, keep it,
and bring forth fruit with patience.
God
could have snapped His fingers and forced Pharaoh to surrender, but He
didn’t. With
the very first plague God could have continued it indefinitely and
Pharaoh would have had to surrender, but God only made it last seven
days because He did not want to force His will on Pharaoh. God wanted Pharaoh to
release the Israelites on his own free will.
Pharaoh ruled the land and a bunch of people (couple
million?) and stood to lose a lot if he gave in easily.
I just watched the movie “The Ten
Commandments” on a re-mastered DVD…
pretty cool on a 97” screen.
I haven’t seen that movie since I was a kid. Anyway… Pharaoh
obviously had a lot of pride and covetousness, and God foreknew this,
but was still willing to give him a chance.
God knew it would not work though, and He also knew that
it would harden his heart even more.
This is why God said He would harden his heart. In other words…
God said “I will harden his heart” because He knew
that what He was doing was going to force Pharaoh’s heart to
harden… not that God intentionally hardened it (not to start
with anyway - He did later). Every
time Moses came to Pharaoh it would harden Pharaoh’s heart
more. God gave
Pharaoh plenty of chances to do this on his own and he rejected God. God saw that Pharaoh was
spiritually blind and he was going to be a tough cookie and not give up
on his own. This is
when God began to actually harden Pharaoh’s heart
intentionally. In
the same way if we continue to harden our hearts ourselves, God will
eventually harden them for us even more.
There is no doubt that Pharaoh was an evil and cruel man
and God used him to show His power, regardless of what choices Pharaoh
made… and God did not take his free will away from him. God has used rulers and
governments to carry out His will (Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus the Great,
Alexander the Great, etc.), but that does not mean that he has ever
predestined anyone to hell. While
God might let evil people rule, He is still sovereign over the rulers
of the world. We
learn this from Daniel…
Dan
4:17 This matter is by
the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy
ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth
in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth
up over it the basest of men.
I
do not see how Romans 9:14-18 could be saying that God has elected some
to be saved and some to be condemned in light of the mere fact that it
would cause contradiction in Hebrews 5:9 and 2 Thessalonians 1:8, which
are very clear as to what they say as we will learn next.
There
is another story in the OT that I recently read that shows how God
gives us a choice and makes a promise based on obedience. When this obedience is not
met then God will keep another promise He made.
Consider Solomon’s sins and the
consequences…
1Ki
11:9 And the LORD was angry
with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel,
which had appeared unto him twice,
1Ki
11:10 And had commanded him
concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he
kept not that which the LORD commanded.
1Ki
11:11 Wherefore the LORD said
unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept
my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely
rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
1Ki
11:12 Notwithstanding in thy
days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I
will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
Then
consider the promise to Jeroboam…
1Ki
11:31 And he said to Jeroboam,
Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel,
Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will
give ten tribes to thee:
1Ki
11:32 (But he shall have one
tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's
sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)
1Ki
11:33 Because that they have
forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the
Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the
children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which
is right in
mine eyes, and to keep
my statutes and my judgments, as did
David his father.
1Ki 11:34 Howbeit I will not take
the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the
days of his life for David my servant is sake, whom I chose, because he
kept my commandments and my statutes:
1Ki
11:35 But I will take the
kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even
ten tribes.
1Ki
11:36 And unto his son will I
give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light always before me
in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
1Ki
11:37 And I will take thee, and
thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be
king over Israel.
1Ki
11:38 And it shall be, if thou
wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways,
and do that is
right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my
servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as
I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.
There
are several points to be made here.
Solomon would have his kingdom taken from him because he
chose not to obey God and chose not to keep His commandments. God chose David because
David kept His commandments. Jeroboam
was the beneficiary of Solomon’s disobedience and was given
ten tribes and the opportunity to reign as long as he so desired, BUT,
God put conditions on His promise.
God said, “And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken
unto all that I command thee”.
Jeroboam would have to keep God’s commandments
as David did. God
was willing to give Israel
to Jeroboam… he stood to be very wealthy in the Lord. Jeroboam eventually became
king and ruled as God promised but he chose to keep his people from
going up to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem to
make sacrifices…
1Ki
12:27 If this people go up to do
sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart
of this people turn again unto their lord, even
unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to
Rehoboam king of Judah.
1Ki
12:28 Whereupon the king took
counsel, and made two calves of
gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem:
behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of
Egypt.
1Ki
12:29 And he set the one in Bethel,
and the other put he in Dan.
1Ki
12:30 And this thing became a
sin: for the people went to worship
before the one, even
unto Dan.
1Ki
12:31 And he made an house of
high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were
not of the sons of Levi.
Jeroboam
chose to make idols and have his people worship them in fear that they
would follow Rehoboam and end up killing him.
Jeroboam continued in his sinful ways until eventually the
Lord used him and his people to keep a promise he made to
Solomon…
1Ki
13:34 And this thing became sin
unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it
off, and to destroy it
from off the face of the earth.
God
gave Jeroboam a choice… Jeroboam could have “saved
himself” and his people if he would have only kept
God’s commandments, but he made bad choices and suffered the
consequences, just like Solomon.
HEB 5:9
And
having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the
source of eternal salvation,” Once again, our dependence must
be on Christ and His work on the cross, not on what we can do. He is the
source of salvation.
In
between “He” and “the”, which
you highlighted, are the words “to
all those who obey Him”.
Six very important words.
He is the source of eternal salvation to “all
those who obey Him”. We
can not take away any words from the Scripture without corrupting the
Scriptures. It
clearly says that “He became to all
those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation”. This would clearly
indicate to me that if we do not
obey Him then He does not become
the source of eternal salvation.
Consider
the following verses again…
2Th
1:7 And to you who are
troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels,
2Th
1:8 In flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Th
1:9 Who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the
glory of his power;
As
mentioned earlier, clearly we see what will happen to those
“that obey not the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ:”.
Considering you brought up Romans 2 earlier…
did you see all those verses in Romans that talk about obedience? These do not indicate
obedience after we are saved but rather before we are saved or
resulting in salvation...
Rom
1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship,
for obedience to the faith
among all nations, for his name:
Rom
2:8 But unto them that are
contentious, and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Rom
6:3 Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom
6:4 Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.
Rom
6:5 For if
we have been planted together in the likeness of his death,
we shall be also in
the likeness of his
resurrection:
Rom
6:16 Know ye not, that to whom
ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye
obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience
unto righteousness?
Rom
6:17 But God be thanked, that
ye were the servants of sin, but ye
have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine
which was delivered you.
Rom
6:18 Being then made free from
sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness.
Rom
10:16 But they have
not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord,
who hath believed our report?
Rom
16:25 Now to him that is of
power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of
Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was
kept secret since the world began,
Rom
16:26 But now is made manifest,
and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of
the everlasting God, made known to
all nations for the obedience of faith:
1PE
1:22-23 Since
you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere
love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for
you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but
imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of
God.” What
did you have to do with your birth?
Did you make it happen?
Did you decide it was time to be born?
Did you even want to be born?
Most babies don’t seem to even like the idea. But once the process
starts, they want to go ahead and finish, and they adjust to their new
situation nicely if not immediately.
More on this later.
Your
questions have no basis… it is not whether we choose to be
“born”…obviously no one chooses to be
born Mr. Calvin. The
question would be… whether we choose to be “born
again”. All
people are “born” but few are “born
again”. Let’s
take this Scripture a little further since you clearly do not
understand its meaning…
1Pe
1:22 Seeing ye have purified
your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love
of the brethren, see that ye
love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe
1:23 Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which
liveth and abideth for ever.
As
mentioned earlier, because of “obedience to the
truth” believers have “purified” their
“souls”. Something
is required to purify our souls and that is “obedience to the
truth”. The
“seed” is the “Word of God” and
the “Word of God” is
“imperishable”.
This is how we are “born again”,
through the imperishable Word of God we learn how to be obedient to the
truth and purify our souls (receive forgiveness).
Paul, like Peter,
helps us understand that the gospel, through the Word of God, leads us
to salvation by our obedience to the faith…
Rom
1:5 By whom we have received
grace and apostleship, for obedience
to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Rom
16:25 Now to him that is of
power to stablish you according to
my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since
the world began,
Rom
16:26 But now is made manifest,
and by the Scriptures
of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God,
made known to all nations for the
obedience of faith:
Peter is showing us basically
the same thing… he actually shows us the moment that we
purify our souls later in his epistle…
1Pe
3:21 The like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us (not
the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ:
Later
I will explain how Jesus says we must be “born
again” by being “born of water”
(baptized).
MAT 7:21
¶ "Not
everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will
enter.” What
is “the will of My Father?”
Is this going back to the notion of salvation by works? Or is it something
different?
This
verse clearly says, “but he who does the will of My Father
who is in heaven will enter.”
This could mean anything other than what it says and you
offer no scriptural explanation here, although you touch on it later. No… I do not
believe it is salvation by works of ourselves or our own righteousness,
or works of the Law, or works we can boast about, these kinds of works
do not have any merit with God. This
I understand very clearly, but there are works of faith…
works of God. Works
of God are the will of the Father that is referenced here and they are
what we must obey, referenced back in Hebrews 5:9.
Consider John 6:28-29 when the unbelieving crowd was
seeking Jesus and found Him…
Joh
6:27 Labour
not for the meat which perisheth, but for
that meat which endureth unto everlasting life,
which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father
sealed.
Joh
6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the
works of God?
Joh
6:29 Jesus
answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe
on him whom he hath sent.
Clearly
“faith” is a “work of God”. Now… are you
going to argue with Jesus again? Jesus
clearly and indisputably tells us not to “labour”
for that which will perish but to “labour” for
“eternal life” and He further states that
“This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath
sent.” This
is why any works that God commands which results in salvation would not and could
not be a works of ourselves, works of righteousness, or works
of the Law, but rather a works of God.
The first and foremost requirement or “work of
God” is that we must have “faith”. We have to believe, we
have to do this ourselves, it is a work of God that He requires and
commands us to do.
Consider
what comes after Matthew 7:21…
Mat
7:22 Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat
7:23 And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat
7:24 Therefore whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which
built his house upon a rock:
Mat
7:25 And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and
it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat
7:26 And every one that heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man,
which built his house upon the sand:
Mat
7:27 And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and
it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Mat
7:28 And it came to pass, when
Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his
doctrine:
Mat
7:29 For he taught them as one
having authority, and not as the scribes.
Jesus
says “Many” will say to Him Lord, Lord but He will
tell them that he “never knew” them. This tells me many people
will believe they are saved but truly are not.
Jesus goes on to say, “Therefore whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them, I will liken him unto a wise man,”
(wonder who that wise man is), and later He says, “And every
one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish
man,”. This
Scripture is part of His “doctrine” that He
“taught them” (“the people were
astonished at his doctrine”).
Jesus very clearly tells us again that we must
“doeth” and what will happen if we do not
“doeth”. There
is something we have to do. The
reason He will tell them that He never knew them is because they did not “doeth”
the will of the father.
Now go back and consider Hebrews 5:9 again. Consider the warnings to
follow the doctrine that was originally taught… this is
it… the doctrine of Christ… we must “do
the will of the father”.
Your doctrine clearly does not equal the doctrine that
Christ taught because you do not believe we have to do the will of the
father… you believe it means something else…
what, I do not know… I can not imagine why you would want to
ignore this Scripture or try to explain it away to simply make it fit
your own man-made doctrine.
2PE
3:9 The
Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is
patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come
to repentance.”
I
have discussed this already, but again, I simply see this verse meaning
that God is patient and does not want anyone to perish but wants
everyone to come to repentance. It
simply means what it says and we can not take it to mean anything
differently. I
understand this would not agree with your doctrine in several ways but
God did not inspire your doctrine.
Luther, Calvin, and Knox wrote your doctrine and they were
not inspired by God nor authorized to write new doctrine. However sincere they may
have been, they did it for their own selfish desires.
This verse would also support 2 Corinthians 7:10 which I
discussed previously. Not
to mention that if God wishes for no one to perish “but for
all to come to repentance.” how could this mean that God
causes us to repent as you stated earlier?
To support your doctrine it would have to say
“not wishing for some to
perish but for His elect to come to
repentance”. Unfortunately
for you… you can not take a “license” to
change the words without corrupting the Scriptures.
Consider the following Scripture in light of 2 Peter
3:9…
Rev
2:21 And I gave her space to
repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
1PE 4:17 For
it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it
begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not
obey the gospel of God?”
Does this mean that we are judged based
on our own works rather than on the work of Christ?
What about Jesus’ promise in JOH 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to
you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal
life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into
life.” (Note
also that there is no mention of the necessity of works, but only
hearing and believing.) Take
a close look at the context.
I
have already explained this previously but let’s take it a
little further. 1 Peter
4:17
would only go to further the proof that those that do not obey the
gospel of God will receive the vengeance of God mentioned in 2
Thessalonians 1:7-9. Mr.
Calvin, what do these verses mean if they do not mean what they
actually say? You
have offered no explanation for any of the verses that state we must do
the will of the father and obey the gospel.
You have simply quoted one other verse that would appear
to have to contradict three other verses.
We both know that Scripture does not contradict itself. Furthermore, does John
5:24 mention “calling on the name of the Lord” that
you mentioned in the beginning of your response?
No, it does not. Here
are your words: “Notice
that it says that they will be saved if they “call on the
name of the Lord” and “believe in Him,”
without reference to baptism.” I pointed out that you left
out that we must also confess as it stated in Romans 10:9 and I
presented Scripture that clearly tells us we must also repent. So maybe I am confused
again as to what you believe because initially you indicate
“believing” and “calling on the name of
the Lord”… now you indicate
“hearing” and
“believing”… but you also indicate that
we contribute nothing but “need” (sin). Exactly what is it that
you believe? I
understood you really do not believe we have to do anything ourselves,
that God basically does it all for us, or winds us up like robots and
lets us go because we are going to do whatever He wishes anyway. I repeat… just
because every commandment of salvation is not mentioned in every
instruction of salvation, (as in John 5:24 and back in Romans 10:9-13,
Luke 13:3,5, Acts 17:30, Acts 22:16, and I will mention more later),
does not mean that it is not necessary.
It cannot because there is too much Scripture that would
contradict itself if it did. You have just proved this point with your
very own words. I have already provided
Scripture that clearly shows that believing (faith) is a work of God. Who is it that has to hear? Who is it that has to
believe? Who is it that has to have faith?
Who is it that has to repent?
Who is it that has to confess?
WE DO!
Clearly we must do a work of God.
I do not see how that could be any clearer from the
Scriptures I have quoted. Surely
you can only agree with this. We
also have to be baptized and it is the most passive work of God that we
have to do because someone has to actually baptize us… we
obviously cannot baptize ourselves… but it is still
something we have to do and I will cover this briefly next and in great
detail later on.
Consider
the following when Jesus was speaking to the eleven…
Mar
16:15 And he said unto them, Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mar
16:16 He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
This
Scripture parallels the great commission in Matthew 28:19. The actual Greek
Manuscripts for verse 16 read: “He that believes and is baptized shall
be saved, and he that disbelieves shall be condemned.” Jesus himself clearly stated
who would be saved… “He that believes and is baptized”. Whoever disbelieves is
obviously not going to be baptized… which reasons without
having to be said. However,
there is no mention of repentance, confession, or calling on the name
of the Lord, but we know these works of God are also commanded. Let’s continue
on with the great commission…
Mat
28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat
28:20 Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
always, even
unto the end of the world. Amen.
In
the great commission Jesus is commanding the apostles to do something. He is commanding them to
“teach all nations, baptizing them”. Again this parallels Mark
16:15-16 and Jesus spoke the words. Are we to call Jesus a
liar or say that He really did not mean what He said?
Are we to somehow twist this Scripture around to try and
make it mean something other than what it actually says? I surely do not want to be
the one to answer either one of those questions with a
“yes” or even a “maybe” or even
a “let me show you what Jesus really meant to say”. I have no reason to doubt
the very words of Jesus himself. Now,
do I think believing and being baptized is all that is commanded of us
to be saved? No…
I believe we are commanded to obey the gospel and do the will of the
father by hearing, believing, repenting, confessing, and being baptized
for the forgiveness of sins, just as the Scriptures clearly instruct us
to do. Consider too
that Jesus’ mission on earth was to seek and to save that
which was lost…
Luk
19:10 For the Son of man is come
to seek and to save that which was lost.
In
His final instructions to His apostles on earth, why would He have them
go out in the world doing things that have nothing to do with saving
the lost? Think
about it… it takes time to baptize people; if baptism was
not necessary for salvation, the apostles were wasting their time doing
things and teaching others to do things that had nothing to do with
salvation. They
could spent this precious time covering other parts of the world
preaching the gospel to people, having them merely believe, and then
moving on quickly to somewhere else.
NOT TO MENTION… why would He bother to give
instructions if we are already pre-selected for salvation? Jesus
instructed the apostles to baptize because baptism is part of obeying
the gospel and it “doth also now save us” as we
learn in 1 Peter
3:20-21.
1PE 4:12
¶
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes
upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening
to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep
on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may
rejoice with exultation. If
you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the
Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or
thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as
a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this
name. For it is
time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins
with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the
gospel of God? And
if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become
of the godless man and the sinner?
Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of
God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is
right.” The
judgment for “the household of God” is for our
testing (proof). One
way to test a precious metal for impurities is to heat it. When you do, any
impurities present in the metal will separate and rise to the surface. If no impurities appear
when the heat is turned up, the metal is proven under testing to be
pure. Look at what
God allowed to happen to Job in Job 1&2.
He allowed Satan to test him to prove that he was the most
righteous man on earth. Note
also that Job offered sacrifices in faith (before Moses) knowing that
he was depending on God’s grace.
1
Peter
4:12-19… The first part of this is simply explaining that
Christians will be persecuted and we should expect such and should
endure it and will eventually be glorified if we do endure it. We can see this again in
Romans 8…
Rom
8:17 And if children, then
heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we
suffer with him,
that we may be also glorified together.
The
latter part (specifically 1 Peter
4:17
and the context), I discussed previously and stand firm in my
understanding. I will discuss faith later.
A child
growing up under such teaching lives in fear…. The grace of God becomes a
horror rather than a help.
This
is a very broad statement, and not necessarily true.
There is another view of this situation.
If salvation is a gift from God, then it is a blessing
that I cannot lose. God
gave it to me, and no one can take it away from me.
On the other hand, if salvation is something that I must
earn through my obedience, then when I fail (as all of us do from time
to time) then I must earn it again.
However, if the standard is perfection as we have seen
then I cannot earn it back again since I have already failed. Indeed, I cannot earn it
to begin with since I have already sinned and fallen short by the time
I realize that I need it. Salvation
by grace when properly understood is not a source of fear, but a source
of confidence, comfort and freedom.
You
said, “If
salvation is a gift from God, then it is a blessing that I cannot
lose.” What Scripture says this? Yes, salvation is a gift
of God, but where in the Bible does it say that man can not reject a
gift from God? Do
you have to receive a gift? Of
course you don’t. Was
not the garden of Eden a
beautiful, practically perfect environment for Adam and Eve? It was a gift from God,
yet Adam and Eve sinned and God took that gift away from them. Was not the promised land
of Canaan a gift
from God?
Num
13:2 Send thou men, that they
may search the land of Canaan,
which I give unto the children of Israel:
of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler
among them.
When
the children of God kept being disobedient, God allowed foreign rulers
to come in and take the land from his children and haul them off into
captivity. When we
willingly leave God, we reject His gift to us.
While it is true no man can snatch us out of the hand of
God, we can reject the gift ourselves by our continued disobedience or
turning away from God.
If
I had no way of knowing that I was saved or not (chosen by God or not)
then I would be worried to death Mr. Calvin.
It would be like a horror story.
If it is by God’s own choice and I have no say
so in it then how can I be for certain that He chose me? I could simply say it is
not my fault I am not saved, it is God’s fault. I am not responsible for
my going to hell, God is… He has shown partiality towards me. It is apparent that
“grace only” is a false doctrine and
“grace only” is exactly what Satan wants us to
believe. Now…
your misstatement of a believer’s obedience unto salvation
and the forgiveness of subsequent sins is salient.
I do not “earn” salvation through
obedience. Likewise,
when I sin (as a Christian), according to 1 John 1:7-9, I still must
obey the will of God in order to avail myself of the continual
cleansing power of the blood of Jesus.
I am not “re-earning” anything. The
“standard” of perfection that you mention is not in
Scripture. Nowhere
does God call on me to be sinless and perfect.
“Perfection” for me as a Christian is
“completeness” and
“blamelessness” in Christ,
not without sin in myself. Our confidence, comfort,
and freedom, does not come from “unconditional
election” and “irresistible grace”, but
instead, it comes from trusting in our faithful God who longs to
forgive and extend His grace to those who seek Him and walk in His ways. Consider the parallel on
the relationship between grace, mercy, and obedience in the OT and
NT…
Isa
30:18 And therefore will the
LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be
exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a
God of judgment: blessed are
all they that wait for him.
Isa
30:19 For the people shall dwell
in Zion at Jerusalem:
thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the
voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.
Isa
30:20 And though
the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction,
yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine
eyes shall see thy teachers:
Isa
30:21 And thine ears shall hear
a word behind thee, saying, This is the
way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to
the left.
1Jo
1:7 But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1Jo
1:8 If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jo
1:9 If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
“Calvin’s
teachings blame God for everything and leave man unable to contribute
one whit to his salvation.”
This
is an interesting statement, and it brings to mind the sacrificial
system of the Old Testament. When
a person sinned he was to bring an animal to the door of the
tabernacle, offer it to the priest, have the priest kill it and burn
the body on the altar. We
know from Hebrews that the priest is a picture of Christ, the Great
High Priest. The
door is a picture of Christ as the way into God’s sheepfold
according to John 10. The
animal to be sacrificed is a picture of Christ, the Lamb that was slain
before the foundation of the world.
The only thing that is not a picture of Christ is the
sinner. The only
thing we contribute to our salvation is the need, our sin.
The
only thing we contribute to our salvation is the need, our sin? There is no way this
statement will stand up under scriptural analysis Mr. Calvin. This theology would have
sinners floating around helplessly in need of God arbitrarily choosing
to save some. The
need for salvation (forgiveness of sins) is universal among those who
know right from wrong (those who are held accountable).
What we contribute to our salvation is ourselves, not our
sin. In obeying the
gospel we must die to our self and sin… we must be buried
and resurrected in the likeness of Christ (be baptized). God accomplishes
salvation, forgiveness, grace, and mercy, in those who offer themselves
to Him through obedience in faith.
He does not want my “sin” contributed
to Him. According
to your doctrine we can not even contribute our own faith. Previously you seem to
indicate we must believe and call on the name of the Lord. You also indicate that
faith alone saves us as well as grace alone saves us.
I am still not sure what you really believe. Either way… if
I have no choice in salvation, if I can not make a choice of whether I
want to believe or not, then who is at fault?
You would have to say that it is God’s fault
because you say that He has already made the choice for us. You also seem to overlook
the fact that in the OT we had no way to get into Christ…
now we do… through baptism.
I will discuss all this in great detail later on. For now though, you say, “We
know from Hebrews that the priest is a picture of Christ, the Great
High Priest.” and “The
only thing that is not a picture of Christ is the sinner.” Actually, Christians are
priests, and Christ is the High Priest…
1Pe
2:5 Ye also, as lively stones,
are built up a spiritual house, an
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
1Pe
2:6 Wherefore also it is
contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone,
elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
1Pe
2:7 Unto you therefore which
believe he is
precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the
builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
1Pe
2:8 And a stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offence, even to
them which
stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were
appointed.
1Pe
2:9 But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light:
The
entire tabernacle and priesthood was a shadow of things to
come…
Heb
8:4 For if he were on earth,
he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer
gifts according to the law:
Heb
8:5 Who serve unto the example
and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he
was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that
thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the
mount.
God
has always had a pattern, and the pattern of the tabernacle is similar
to the pattern in the New Testament.
In the OT, before one could enter the Holy
Place (which was a shadow of the
church), he had to wash in the layer, which represents baptism as
necessary to enter the church…
1Co
12:13 For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether we be
Jews or Gentiles, whether we be
bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
However,
before washed there had to be a sacrifice, today that sacrifice is
Jesus.
In
the Holy
Place there was the incense,
(prayers of the saints)…
Rev
8:3 And another angel came and
stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto
him much incense, that he should offer it
with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before
the throne.
There
was the table of shewbread, (Lord’s Supper)…
1Co
10:17 For we being
many are one bread, and
one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
There
was the golden candlestick (the Word of God which lights the way of the
church)…
Psa
119:105 Thy word is a
lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
2Pe
1:19 We have also a more sure
word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a
light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day
star arise in your hearts:
The
Most
Holy Place represents heaven
(where the presence of God is)…
1Ki
8:6 And the priests brought in
the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of
the house, to the most holy place, even
under the wings of the cherubims.
The
veil was ripped when Jesus died (the way into the Most
Holy Place is now
open)…
Heb
10:19 Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb
10:20 By a new and living way,
which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his
flesh;
Heb
10:21 And having
an high priest over the house of God;
Heb
10:22 Let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
The
Outer
Court represents the world. Surely you see the pattern
here. We must be
baptized before we can enter into the church… which I will
also discuss in great detail later.
Calvinism rejects:
That God loves all. John
3:16 says that God loved the world….
HEB
2:9 But
we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels,
namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and
honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for
everyone.” This
verse says that Jesus tasted death for everyone.
Is that the same thing?
Either way, this is a hard thing for us to understand,
particularly in light of the seemingly contradictory statement in MAL
1:2-3 "I have loved
you," says the Lord. But you say, "How have You loved us?" "Was not
Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the Lord. "Yet I have loved Jacob; but
I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and
appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness." And in
ROM 9:10-13 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had
conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were
not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's
purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but
because of Him who calls, it was said to her, "The older will serve the
younger." Just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." How can God love the world
and hate Esau (and apparently some others also)?
I don’t know, but we shouldn’t blame
Calvin for what the Bible says.
I
do not blame Calvin for what the Bible says... neither do I exalt
Calvin over what the Bible says. Calvin
is factually irrelevant to what the Bible says.
The love of God compelled the sacrifice for all sin of all
mankind…
1Jo
2:2 And he is the propitiation
for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of
the whole world.
If
we love God in return we will obey Him…
1Jo
2:3 And hereby we do know that
we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jo
2:4 He that saith, I know him,
and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in
him.
1Jo
2:5 But whoso keepeth his
word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that
we are in him.
We
are not forcing God to do anything He does not will, we are accepting
grace by loving obedience in faith…
1Jo
3:1 Behold, what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him
not.
1Jo
3:2 Beloved, now are we the
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him
as he is.
1Jo
3:3 And every man that hath
this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
1Jo
4:9 In this was manifested the
love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into
the world, that we might live through him.
1Jo
4:10 Herein is love, not that
we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be
the propitiation for our sins.
God
did in fact love Esau but simply He loved Esau less.
As I explained earlier, the definition for the Greek work
“hated” is “loved less”. I explained Romans 9:10-13
and Malachi 1:2-3 above. I
do not see how that can be hard to understand.
There is clearly no contradiction in these verses although
you say “seemingly” there is.
There has to be an explanation and understanding here Mr.
Calvin because the Scriptures do not contradict themselves. If you believe the Word of
God to be infallible, and you find Scriptures that are
“seemingly” contradictory, then either the Bible is
in error or your interpretation is in error.
I know we both will conclude the latter is true, not the
former. We can know the truth Mr. Calvin…
there cannot be a “seemingly” contradictory
Scripture that we just can not understand.
Jesus and Paul both state the same truth about
understanding and knowing the truth…
Joh
8:30 As he spake these words,
many believed on him.
Joh
8:31 Then said Jesus to those
Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then
are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh
8:32 And ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free.
Eph
3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge
in the mystery of Christ.
He does not
want anyone to perish
Eze 33 - EZE 33:11
"Say
to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the
death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and
live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die,
O house of Israel?'” A judge does not take
pleasure in sentencing someone to jail, but he knows that it needs to
happen. To say that
someone dies and goes to hell when God didn’t want it to
happen begs the
question, why didn’t God prevent it?
We cannot look into the mind of God to that extent because
of our own limitations. How
can we possibly understand the actions, motives and intentions of a
Being with limitless knowledge, righteousness, insight and wisdom?
A
judge would sentence a criminal to jail because he uses the standard
(criminal code of Alabama) to
judge the actions of the criminal.
A judge would not condemn that criminal; he would simply
announce the condemnation that the criminal brought upon himself by his
actions, based upon the evidence (or deeds).
A judge does not pick people off the street at random and
condemn them to jail and then tell them he feels sorry about it. Likewise, Jesus does not
condemn us, but our failure to obey His word (His criminal code -- so
to speak) condemns us as I explained earlier (John 12:47-50). God has done all He can
possibly do to save us, except remove our free will.
Now… you say you take no pleasure in sentencing
someone to jail but you know it has to happen.
Here is the difference, in your doctrine you teach that “God, from all
eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will,
freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.”
So you teach that God made
the man who raped a 12 year old girl commit that horrible act and
neither one of them had a choice in the matter.
Then you teach that God foreordained that this horrible
rapist (who ultimately was controlled by God) must not only go to jail
for the rest of his life, but also to eternal torment.
This was not for something that he chose to do but
something God made him do. Ouch! This clearly sounds more
like a doctrine from the devil to me.
I am curious to know too, where do the Scriptures say that
God ordained “whatsoever comes to pass”? In your comments you also
asked why God did not prevent it… exactly, why did God not
prevent it? It is
because He allows us to make our own choice.
This is not that complicated to figure out, as He clearly
tells us in His word that we can know the truth.
The Scripture clearly teaches us that we are judged by the
Word of God and our works. Consider
the following verses…
Joh
5:28 Marvel not at this: for
the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear
his voice,
Joh
5:29 And shall come forth; they
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Notice
“they have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. Remember
“unto” means “resulting in”.
Joh
12:48 He that rejecteth me, and
receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Rev
20:12 And I saw the dead, small
and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another
book was opened, which is the book
of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works.
Notice
“according to their works.”
You
further asked: “How
can we possibly understand the actions, motives and intentions of a
Being with limitless knowledge, righteousness, insight and
wisdom?” The Word of God is a
revelation of the mind of God. We can,
most certainly know the truth through what He has revealed to us in His
word… but we must want to know it and we must seek it out. God’s Word is the truth…
Pro
9:10 The fear of the
LORD is
the beginning of wisdom: and the
knowledge of the holy is
understanding.
Pro
28:5 Evil men understand not
judgment: but they that seek the
LORD understand all things.
Joh
8:31 Then said Jesus to those
Jews which believed on him, If ye
continue in my word, then
are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh
8:32 And ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free.
Col
2:2 that their hearts may be
encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the
wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding,
resulting
in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,
1Ti
2:3 This is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior,
1Ti
2:4 who desires
all men to be saved and to
come to the knowledge of the truth.
2Ti
2:7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding
in everything.
However…
there are some that might not understand it… some will try
to distort or contort the Scriptures to lead others away and as a
consequence they will fall… as we learn in the following
passages…
2Pe
3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing
that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him
in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2Pe
3:15 And account that
the longsuffering of our Lord is
salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the
wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
2Pe
3:16 As also in all his
epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some
things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and
unstable wrest, as they do also the
other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2Pe
3:17 Ye therefore, beloved,
seeing ye know these things
before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the
wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2Pe
3:18 But grow in grace, and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be
glory both now and for ever. Amen.
I
do believe there are things that are a mystery and we will not
understand about God but I believe those things are outside of His word. He has given us all things
relating to life and godliness so we can escape the corruption that is
in this world…
2Pe
1:3 According as his divine
power hath given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called
us to glory and virtue:
2Pe
1:4 Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust.
How
can we escape? Through
the knowledge of Him… knowing Jesus is accomplished through
obedience to Him… “we do know that we know him, if
we keep his commandments”…
1Jo
2:3 And hereby we do know that
we know him, if we keep his commandments.
Notice
also in 1 Peter
3:17
we learn Peter
is again warning the beloved to not be led away and fall.
2PE
3:9 The
Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is
patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish
but for all to come to repentance.”
Notice the emphasis I added.
To whom did Peter
write the epistle? 2PE
1:1 Simon Peter,
a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received
a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and
Savior, Jesus Christ:” He
wrote it to believers. Therefore,
God does not want any believers (and I would contend, the elect) to
perish.
So
God is delaying the return of Christ until all Christians repent and
cease to sin? Mr.
Calvin, once again your doctrine will not hold up to Scripture. I suppose all of your
so-called “elect” cease to sin before their death,
and the remaining “elect” who are alive when Christ
returns will be without sin. I
don’t think so… Scripture just will not support
your misunderstanding of this passage.
I agree that the letter is written to Christians but Peter
says, “not wanting any”, and does not add
“of you” (the Christians he is writing to). Is the letter only
intended for Christians? Was
Paul going to address his letters specifically to unsaved sinners that
he probably didn’t know?
You don’t believe that the Christians that did
receive the letters were supposed to share them with the unsaved? Surely you can see how
ridiculous this is beginning to sound.
Does God want “any” Christians to lose
their salvation? Of
course not! Does
God want “any” person to be lost?
Of course not! God
wants “all people everywhere” to repent before
judgment…
Act
17:30 And the times of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to
repent:
Act
17:31 Because he hath appointed
a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that
man whom he hath ordained; whereof
he hath given assurance unto all men,
in that he hath raised him from the dead.
I
discussed this earlier but let’s read this Scripture in
context…
2Pe
3:3 Knowing this first, that
there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own
lusts,
2Pe
3:4 And saying, Where is the
promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from
the beginning of the creation.
2Pe
3:5 For this they willingly
are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and
the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe
3:6 Whereby the world that
then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe
3:7 But the heavens and the
earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto
fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
2Pe
3:8 But, beloved, be not
ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe
3:9 The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that
all should come to repentance.
2Pe
3:10 But the day of the Lord
will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,
the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
We
can clearly see that there are some who will question whether Christ
will come back. Peter
explains that the Lord is patient with us (man) and is giving us time
to repent. He is
giving time for sinners to repent
and when Christ does come it will be like a thief in the night. Now think about what you
are saying… as you contend, God would not be worried about
the “elect” because they are saved and have nothing
to worry about when Christ returns.
If you are the individually so-called chosen
“elect” and believe in your own doctrine, then how
could you possibly perish, and why would Peter
even bring this up? There
would be no need for him to make any such comment intended towards your
doctrine’s so-called “elect” or
“toward you”.
It is clear that Peter
is referring to the lost that do have something to worry about if they
do not repent in the amount of time they have to do so.
God wants all men in the world to repent.
Are all men saved? How
can you really believe he is talking about believers only? Peter
obviously did not address the letter to specific sinners…
but most of the letters written were addressed to saints and they
include appropriate instructions for sinners as well.
I am still dazed that you might somehow believe that the
letters the apostles wrote were intended instructions for strictly the
saved. If that is
the case then only your doctrine’s so-called
“elect” need to pick up the Bible and read
it… but really do they need to even do that…
it’s not going to matter because they are saved regardless of
what they do. I
think I’m getting dizzy.
According to your doctrine, God makes “the
elect” believe in Him and then makes “the
elect” repent and obey Him.
I am dizzy. If
‘believers” are “the elect” and
God makes “the elect” obey Him, then why did many
who believed (those being “the elect”) reject God? See the following
Scripture…
Joh
12:42 Nevertheless among the
chief rulers also many believed on
him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him,
lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
Joh
12:43 For they
loved the praise of men more than the praise of
God.
These
men believed because of the evidence before them but they had a choice
to seek the praise of men or the praise of God.
They chose men over God.
Notice they “did not confess him”. Consider also the
following …
Heb
4:6 Therefore, since it
remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news
preached to them failed to enter
because of disobedience,
Heb
4:7 He again fixes a certain
day, "Today," saying through David after so long a time just as has
been said before, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR
HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS."
ISA 45:22 "Turn
to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there
is no other.”
REV 5:9
And
they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to
break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your
blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” There will be believers
from every people group in heaven.
I
agree. God is also
encouraging everyone from all over to turn to Him and be saved. He is not encouraging only a
select group.
ACT
17:26-27 and
He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of
the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries
of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might
grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of
us;” I
didn’t get this one because it says that He determined that
we would all seek for God. I
know of many people who seek for God in fame, finances, sex, drugs,
etc., but never find Him. Do
these verses indicating a “universal invitation”
mean that everyone will be saved?
I doubt that you believe that since it is clear from other
verses that there will be some people who will not be saved but will be
“thrown into the lake of fire.” Rev 20:15 To say that there is a
universal invitation does not mean that all will be saved or that God
does not choose those who will be saved.
Note what Jesus says at the end of the parable of the
banquet. MAT
22:14 "For many are
called, but few are chosen."
I
believe I can understand this Scripture if we look at it closer in
context…
Act
17:22 Then Paul stood in the
midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men
of Athens,
I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
Act
17:23 For as I passed by, and
beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE
UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto
you.
Act
17:24 God that made the world
and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Act
17:25 Neither is worshipped with
men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all
life, and breath, and all things;
Act
17:26 And hath made of one blood
all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath
determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation;
Act
17:27 That they should seek the
Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be
not far from every one of us:
Act
17:28 For in him we live, and
move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said,
For we are also his offspring.
Act
17:29 Forasmuch then as we are
the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like
unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
Act
17:30 And the times of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to
repent:
Act
17:31 Because he hath appointed
a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that
man whom he hath ordained; whereof
he hath given assurance unto all men,
in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Paul
is explaining to the men of Athens who this
“UNKNOWN GOD” is in verses 24-25 and what God has
done for everyone in verse 26. They
worshiped in ignorance, as noted in verse 23 and verse 30, this was a
time of ignorance and God “winked at” or
“overlooked” it. The “times before
appointed” is referencing the day of judgment that is
mentioned again in verse 31. Paul
explains “That they should seek the Lord” in verse
27. In other words,
men everywhere should seek the Lord, not that they will, but they
should. In verse 27
he continues, “if haply they might feel after him, and find
him, though he be not far from every one of us:”. I understand this to
explain the ignorance. It
was a time when they did not realize who God was but they knew there
had to be some sort of God because of His great creation. This creation, which we
can see, and God being omnipresent, is how He is so near to
us…
Psa
19:1 The heavens declare the
glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
He
was right there and they were too ignorant to realize it. Paul goes on to explain
that God has overlooked this ignorance but now commands men everywhere
to repent (because He has now provided the propitiation for our sins in
Christ Jesus) and on the day of judgment He will judge the world. I referenced Acts 17:30
earlier. You should
see clearly that God wants everyone to seek Him and He commands
everyone to repent. Why
would God command everyone to repent if He has already chosen the
so-called elect? This
would not make sense. This
is what your doctrine does to us if we believe in it… it
compels us to accept that there is just too much Scripture that we will
not understand. This
is not what God’s plan is… He desires everyone to
be saved and wants us to know the truth… He does not want us
to be confused and without understanding.
The focal point here is that all men can seek God and find
Him, however your doctrine teaches that God makes
us believe in Him and obey Him.
You
stated, “I
know of many people who seek for God in fame, finances, sex, drugs,
etc., but never find Him.”
Mr.
Calvin, these people who supposedly “seek God” in
sex and drugs are not really seeking God, but rather they seek to
fulfill their own selfish and sinful desires and motives. Your statement has no
scriptural support. These
people are merely doing what the people did during the time of judges
(you should be familiar with this)…
Jdg
21:25 In those days there
was no king in Israel:
every man did that which was
right in his own eyes.
Consider
this Scripture in 1 John…
1Jo
2:15 Love not the world,
neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jo
2:16 For all that is
in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Diligently
seeking God requires that we lay aside our own understanding (sex,
drugs, fame, fortune… along with Baalism, Paganism,
Calvinism, Methodism, Mormonism, Confucianism, Bhuddism, Hinduism,
Catholicism, New Ageism, etc., etc.), and replace it with trust in God
for proper understanding…
Pro
3:1 My son, forget not my law;
but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Pro
3:2 For length of days, and
long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
Pro
3:3 Let not mercy and truth
forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of
thine heart:
Pro
3:4 So shalt thou find favour
and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Pro
3:5 Trust in the LORD with all
thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro
3:6 In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro
3:7 Be not wise in thine own
eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Pro
8:1 Doth not wisdom cry? and
understanding put forth her voice?
Pro
8:2 She standeth in the top of
high places, by the way in the places of the paths.
Pro
8:3 She crieth at the gates,
at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
Pro
8:4 Unto you, O men, I call;
and my voice is to
the sons of man.
Pro
8:5 O ye simple, understand
wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
Pro
8:6 Hear; for I will speak of
excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be
right things.
Pro
8:7 For my mouth shall speak
truth; and wickedness is an
abomination to my lips.
Pro
8:8 All the words of my mouth are
in righteousness; there is
nothing froward or perverse in them.
Pro
8:9 They are
all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find
knowledge.
Pro
8:10 Receive my instruction,
and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
Pro
8:11 For wisdom is
better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to
be compared to it.
Anyone
can seek God, but calling it “seeking God” does not
necessarily make it so.
You
asked, “Do
these verses indicating a “universal invitation”
mean that everyone will be saved?” I think you know by now that
I do not believe this. You
do (obviously) admit that these
verses in Acts indicate a “universal invitation”
though. If God will
not allow some people the opportunity to be saved, that would eliminate
a universal invitation and it would become an invitation for your
so-called “elect” only.
Hmmm… a universal invitation with no
possibility of a universal acceptance?
How sad, considering the preciousness of the free gift. If God foreordained a
certain individual to be lost, yet invites him to come to salvation,
that can only be seen as cruelty and mockery on the part of God, and
that is not a real universal invitation.
Furthermore it would contradict 1 Timothy 2…
1Ti
2:4 who desires
all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of
the truth.
Now
are you going to tell me again how God really does not mean that He
“desires all men to be saved”… and tell
me how Paul was not really being inspired when he wrote that part of
his letter? Wrestle
with it for a while until you figure out some other meaning. It appears followers of
your doctrine are well trained in this area of interpretation.
You
referenced Matthew 22:14 at the end of your comments.
Let’s consider that parable…
Mat
22:1 And Jesus answered and
spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Mat
22:2 The kingdom of heaven is
like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
Mat
22:3 And sent forth his
servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would
not come.
Mat
22:4 Again, he sent forth other
servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared
my dinner: my oxen and my
fatlings are
killed, and all things are
ready: come unto the marriage.
Mat
22:5 But they made
light of it,
and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Mat
22:6 And the remnant took his
servants, and entreated them
spitefully, and slew them.
Mat
22:7 But when the king heard thereof,
he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those
murderers, and burned up their city.
Mat
22:8 Then saith he to his
servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not
worthy.
Mat
22:9 Go ye therefore into the
highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mat
22:10 So those servants went out
into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found,
both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat
22:11 And when the king came in
to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding
garment:
Mat
22:12 And he saith unto him,
Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he
was speechless.
Mat
22:13 Then said the king to the
servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him
into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat
22:14 For many are called, but
few are
chosen.
This
parable illustrates the purpose of the church (the saved) and the
events surrounding its existence.
The king (God) sends His servants (prophets) to invite
them (the Jews) to His son’s (Christ).
It was always Jesus’ intentions for the
Israelites to be the first to inherit the kingdom and the Law was
intended to bring them to an understanding of the gospel…
Gal
3:23 But before faith came, we
were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards
be revealed.
Gal
3:24 Wherefore the
law was our schoolmaster to
bring us unto Christ, that
we might be justified by faith.
Most
of the invited (Jews) rejected the invitation (they rejected
God’s plan of salvation through Christ) and mistreated and
even killed some of the servants (prophets).
After about 40 years the king (God) got angry and finally
sent his army (the Romans) to destroy them (Jews who rejected), and
their city (Jerusalem),
which brought an end to their nation…
Rom
10:21 But to Israel
he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a
disobedient and gainsaying people.
Since
they (Jews) rejected the invitation, the king (God) then invited as
many as could be found (the church is to search everywhere and offer
the invitation to all), both bad and good (Jews and
Gentiles)…
Rom
9:25 As he saith also in Osee,
I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved,
which was not beloved.
Rom
9:26 And it shall come to pass,
that
in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are
not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living
God.
Again…
the king (God) is now inviting everyone to the wedding feast (into the
kingdom)…
Mar
16:15 And he said unto them, Go
ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature.
Rom
1:16 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.
So
a few came to the feast (became Christians or professed to be
Christians). The
king (God) came in to see the guests (Day of Judgment) and one of them
that was at the feast was not clothed properly with a wedding garment
(he had not been properly clothed in Christ)…
Gal
3:27 For all
of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Rev
3:5 'He
who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and
I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his
name before My Father and before His angels.
Rom
13:13 Let us behave properly as
in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity
and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
Rom
13:14 But put
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for
the flesh in regard to its
lusts.
That
guest was speechless (GULP!)… and thus he was cast out into
darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (hell). So we finally understand
that many will be called (by the gospel), but few are chosen (because
few obey the gospel). This
shows us that many of God’s first chosen people (the Jews),
would not be saved. It
also shows that some who refuse to cloth themselves in Christ by
baptism will not be saved, as well as those that do enter into the
church (into Christ) and do not “overcome” the sin
of the world by continuing to “put on the Lord Jesus
Christ” will be lose their salvation.
We also learn that the church is the means that God is
using to seek and save the lost. This
parable is not good for your doctrine in several ways.
If this parable somehow supported your doctrine we would
have a God of love who not only predestines most people to hell (few
are chosen), but knowing this He still “dangles”
the message of salvation in front of us (as we are
“called” by the gospel), yet He condemns those when
they respond to the gospel. That
would no doubt be inconsistent with His lovingkindness, righteousness,
justice, mercy, and grace.
Now
let me leap back and ahead and grab a few of your statements you made
and bring them back together right here… here are four
statements you made…
1. “Do these verses
indicating a “universal invitation” mean that
everyone will be saved?”
2. “To say that
there is a universal invitation does not mean that all will be saved or
that God does not choose those who will be saved. “
3. “All
others ignore or fail to take advantage of the invitation.”
4. “We do have a
choice, but are there any limitations or restrictions on that
choice?”
Now
you read your four statements and think about what you have written. You admit twice that there
is a universal invitation. One
time you say that it does not mean that God will not choose who will be
saved. Another time
you admit that some made a choice by ignoring the invitation or failing
to take advantage of the invitation.
Yet another time you completely admit we do have a choice
and suggest with no limitations or restrictions.
Now according to your doctrine there can be no universal
invitation. Your
doctrine says God does not allow everyone the opportunity to be saved
because He has chosen certain individuals ahead of time. Your doctrine says we do
not have a choice and that no one can ignore or fail to take advantage
of the invitation because we do not do the choosing.
You outright refute your doctrine with your own words. I may get dizzy before
this is over. Maybe
we should make this a no spin zone.
The
loss of eternal life
Romans 14 –
I’m sorry, but I read this chapter and failed to see where it
says that a believer can lose eternal life.
However, I am familiar with a few other verses which seem
to indicate the opposite. ROM
8:38-39 For I am
convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” JOH 10:26-29 "But you do not believe
because you are not of My sheep. "My
sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give
eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will
snatch them out of My hand. "My
Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is
able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.” Does God give eternal life
and take it away again? How
does one lose their salvation? By
committing a sin? If
so, how does one ever gain salvation?
If it is not a gift from God, then it is unattainable
since “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God” Rom.
3:23 and ROM 3:10-12 “as it is written, "There is none
righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none
who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become
useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one."”
Commenting
on the last part here… with man it is impossible but with
God it is possible. Paul
is teaching the nature of salvation, allowing insight to understand how
all have sinned (Romans 3:23), yet some will be forgiven
and inherit the free gift of God (Romans 6:23). Between those verses Paul
discusses obedient saving faith like Abraham had, justification by
faith through Christ, and the obedient response resulting in salvation. Interestingly, he mentions
baptism as well. Now
let’s consider what verses in chapter 14 you
missed…
Rom
14:14 I know, and am persuaded
by the Lord Jesus, that there is
nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be
unclean, to him it is
unclean.
Rom
14:15 But if thy brother be
grieved with thy
meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat,
for whom Christ died.
No
doubt this one is a little difficult to understand.
The following is from a lectureship study on Romans 14 by
Lester Kamp, he does a better job of explaining it than I can and it is
understandable, reasonable, and in harmony with other Scripture...
"Grieved
with thy meat" suggests that the convictions of others have not been
respected, and as a result the weak have been influenced to sin. The Law of love has not
been applied. Such
individuals are not walking "charitably" -- that is, with any
consideration for the convictions of others.
There is a more important issue than exercising one's
freedom in matters which are not essential, which are not matters of
faith. That more
important issue is the souls who could be lost because some have
insisted on their liberty without regard for the effect that their
exercise of freedom will have on those that are weak.
Paul therefore warns, "Destroy not him with thy meat, for
whom Christ died." When
exercising our freedom in indifferent matters, we must always realize
the value of the souls of others and be willing to forego the freedom
rather than cause a soul to be lost.”
I
do not think we could deny that “brother” in this
verse is referencing a Christian, for whom Christ died.
I do not think we could deny that one of these brothers
could become destroyed (lost and sent to hell).
Consider 14:20 as well, “destroy
not the work of God” refers to one Christian binding
something upon another causing that brother to lose faith with God. We are being warned that
we have power in the tongue to drive others away from God, thus fall
from grace…
Rom
14:20 For meat destroy not the
work of God. All things indeed are
pure; but it is
evil for that man who eateth with offence.
Now
let’s discuss the other verses you mentioned above that you
stated “seemed to indicate the opposite.” In Romans 8, I believe we
have to consider the entire context of that passage to understand what
Paul is talking about in verses 38-39… let’s go
all the way back to at least verse 28…
Rom
8:28 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.
Rom
8:29 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.
Rom
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.
Rom
8:31 What shall we then say to
these things? If God be for
us, who can
be against us?
Rom
8:32 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?
Rom
8:33 Who shall lay any thing to
the charge of God's elect? It is God
that justifieth.
Rom
8:34 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.
Rom
8:35 Who shall separate us from
the love of Christ? shall tribulation,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword?
Rom
8:36 As it is written, For thy
sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter.
Rom
8:37 Nay, in all these things
we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom
8:38 For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom
8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul
starts out by stating that good things will happen “to them that love God”. Called according to His
purpose means we are called by the gospel according to God’s
plan of salvation…
2Th
2:14 Whereunto he called you by
our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore
those who are saved and love God are “the called”. Those who love God and
obey the gospel will be saved (the called) and God works all to their
good. He foreknew
who would and will be “the called” because He
looked into the future and knows who they would and will be. He predestined
“the called” (those who He knew would and will love
Him) “to be conformed to the image of his Son”. He did not predestine them
to love Him, or some to heaven and some to hell, He predestined those
who He foreknew would and will love him (that would the saved who make
up “the church”).
In verse 30 Paul shows how God predestined those who He
foreknew would and will love Him.
He called them as we note in 2 Thessalonians 2:14. Those that accepted or
accept the call are justified and finally glorified.
Remember what gets those called to the point of
glorification though… they love God. Then Paul starts with a
series of questions. If we love God, good
things will happen to us, as Paul stated in verse 28, and God will be
on our side, verse 31. Paul
states we can defeat those against us, that God did not spare Jesus,
and we can have all things that we need. God
has justified us and we should not fear anyone. Christ
will intercede for us in times of uncertainty and we can endure
life’s challenges through Christ who loves us. We can conquer all these
things through Christ. Paul
is “persuaded” (convinced) that God loves His
people, “the church” or “the
saved”. God
will never not
love His people and Paul is more than convinced of this. I agree that this
Scripture shows us that God dearly loves those that are saved and love
Him, and good things will happen to us as
long as we love Him.
However, this Scripture does not teach us that we will
remain saved or that we have eternal security nor that we are
unconditionally elected… it teaches the opposite. The two things missing in
verses 38-39 are “you” and
“God” and “you” can separate
yourself from God. God
will not separate His love from us unless we choose to let Him do so
and then it is not God who condemns us… it is
ourselves…
Joh
12:47 And if any man hear my
words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the
world, but to save the world.
Joh
12:48 He that rejecteth me, and
receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Joh
12:49 For I have not spoken of
myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I
should say, and what I should speak.
Joh
12:50 And I know that his
commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as
the Father said unto me, so I speak.
Now
if we go back and read Romans chapter 14, let’s consider that
weaker brother that allows an
unloving and judgmental brother to drive him away from God. God did not drive him
away, neither did death, life, angels, rulers, the present, the future,
powers, height, depth, nor any other creature (including the unloving,
judgmental brother). “No
one” is able to snatch them away, but they can
walk away. God does
not give eternal life and then take it away, but a Christian can give it away…
2Pe
3:17 Ye therefore, beloved,
seeing ye know these things
before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the
wicked, fall from your own
stedfastness.
2Pe
3:18 But grow in grace, and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be
glory both now and for ever. Amen.
If
we “grow in grace, and in the
knowledge”… we will be able to persevere even if
an unloving and judgmental brother attempts to lead us
“away”. Notice
though we are “being led away with the error of the
wicked” but we “fall from” our
“own steadfastness.”
Christian’s lose their own salvation by
wandering from the truth. Consider
the OT figure, the children of Israel. They passed through the Red Sea (water) into the
wilderness (walked in newness of life)… but because of
subsequent unbelief they did not enter God’s rest…
Heb
3:8 Harden not your hearts, as
in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Heb
3:9 When your fathers tempted
me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Heb
3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with
that generation, and said, They do alway err in their
heart; and they have not known my ways.
Heb
3:11 So I sware in my wrath,
They shall not enter into my rest.)
Heb
3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest
there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the
living God.
Were
they saved from Egypt? Yep.
Did they lose that salvation by a later rebellion? Yep. The ten spies
“led them away” by their false report, but each
individual chose to believe the falsehood instead of the truth (Joshua
and Caleb). They did not grow in the
wilderness, they tested God and rebelled (Massah and Meribah).
The
next Scripture you mentioned…
Joh
10:27 My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh
10:28 And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand.
Joh
10:29 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
will discuss “pluck” later, but for now consider
that we must “follow” Him, not just once, but
continually. If we
follow Him, He will give us eternal life.
Let’s look at John 8…
Joh
8:12 Then spake Jesus again
unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Jesus
said, “he that followeth me shall not walk in
darkness,”. What
does it mean to “walk in darkness”?
It is to continually practice sin.
So if we are saved we are obviously following Christ and
you say we can never lose our salvation.
If we fall into a habit of sin and continue in this sin,
are we still following Christ? Would
you say that there are zero saved
people that have fallen into a sinful pattern and continued
in that sin? Consider
the repented sin of 1 John with the willful sin in Hebrews…
1Jo
1:7 But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1Jo
1:8 If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jo
1:9 If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Heb
10:26 For if we sin wilfully
after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth
no more sacrifice for sins,
Now
back to John 10:29 to discus “pluck”…
“and no man is able to pluck them out of my
Father’s hand.”
The Greek word for “pluck” or
“snatch” has a definition which means “to
seize” or “carry off by force”. This can only refer to
anyone other than your own self. There
is that possibility that we could turn away from God ourselves. If you lose something or
give it away, are you plucking or snatching it from yourself? Are you carrying it off by
force? Plucking or
snatching requires force by someone other than yourself. You or no other person
could take my salvation away but I could fall away or walk away from
God by my own choosing. God
can easily pluck our salvation away from us if we continue to be
disobedient and turn away from Him.
In
response to your questions in that segment, there is no doubt that
salvation is a gift of God. How
do we obtain a gift? We
must receive it… or… we can refuse it…
it is our choice… is it not?
You even admit later that we do have a choice.
Let’s
consider several more verses…
Joh
6:70 Jesus answered them, Have
not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
Joh
6:71 He spake of Judas Iscariot
the
son of Simon: for he it was that
should betray him, being one of the twelve.
Act
1:17 "For he was counted among
us and received his share in this ministry."
So
what does your definition of “chosen” mean now? Judas was
“chosen” by Jesus.
Your definition of chosen in the context of
“many are called but few are chosen” a couple of
sections back, could not be right, could it? Anyway,
we see what happened later…
Joh
13:26 Jesus answered, He it is,
to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.
And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to
Judas Iscariot, the son
of Simon.
Joh
13:27 And after the sop Satan entered into him.
Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly
Satan
did not have reign over Judas from the beginning… the devil
did not enter into Judas until after he was chosen by Jesus, then what
does Jesus say later…
Joh
15:2 Every branch in me that
beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch
that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Judas
was cut off from Christ. He
was chosen by Christ, he was in Christ, but he was later severed from
Christ. We know he
was lost and it was because of his transgressions…
Joh
17:12 While I was with them in
the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have
kept, and none of them is lost, but
the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be
fulfilled.
Act
1:24 And they prayed, and said,
Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men,
shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
Act
1:25 That he may take part of
this ministry and apostleship, from
which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go
to his own place.
We
have a choice to receive the gift when we hear the Word of God (which
is able to save our souls), but sometimes we simply can not grasp it or
understand it, or for whatever reasons, we reject it.
Sometimes we hear it, believe it, and obey it for a short
time and then discard it. Consider
the following Scripture…
Mat
13:19 When any
one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then
cometh the wicked one,
and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.
This is he which received seed by the way side.
Mat
13:20 But he that received the
seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon
with joy receiveth it;
Mat
13:21 Yet hath he not root in
himself, but dureth for a while: for
when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by
he is offended.
Mat
13:22 He also that received seed
among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the
care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word,
and he becometh unfruitful.
Mat
13:23 But he that received seed
into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it;
which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some
sixty, some thirty.
1Co
15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I
preached unto you, which also ye have received, and
wherein ye stand;
1Co
15:2 By
which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed in vain.
Col
1:22 In the body of his flesh
through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in
his sight:
Col
1:23 If
ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved
away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard,
and
which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;
whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Heb
6:4 For it is impossible
for those who were once enlightened,
and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the
Holy Ghost,
Heb
6:5 And have
tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb
6:6 If
they shall fall away, to renew them again unto
repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh,
and put him
to an open shame.
Heb
10:26 For if we
sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb
10:27 But a certain fearful
looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries.
Heb
10:28 He that despised Moses'
law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb
10:29 Of how much sorer
punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden
under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant,
wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite
unto the Spirit of grace?
2Pe
2:1 But there were false
prophets also among the people, even as there
shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even
denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon
themselves swift destruction.
2Pe
2:2 And
many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason
of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pe
2:3 And through covetousness
shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment
now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
2Pe
2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the
world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, they are again
entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than
the beginning.
2Pe
2:21 For it had been better for
them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have
known it,
to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
In
these verses above and others previously mentioned, we learn there are
some who choose not to accept the truth (God’s Word). We also have people who do choose to accept the truth. Some of these were chosen
by Christ… attached to the vine…
believed… received the gospel and stood firm in
it… had been reconciled through Christ’s
body… had been enlightened and tasted the heavenly
gift… as well as had received the Holy Spirit…
had been sanctified by the blood of the covenant… been
bought by Jesus… and/or had escaped the corruption of the
world by knowing our Lord and Savior.
However, these people did not or will not persevere. They have either lost, or
will lose, their salvation. Your
doctrine would say that these people were never saved to begin
with… that they were merely superficial Christians. Your doctrine would say
that the only way they could be true Christians is if they had
persevered or do persevere to the end, or kept their faith or keep
their faith, to the end. Now
I ask you Mr. Calvin… how do you know you are not a
superficial Christian yourself? How
do you know you will or will not persevere or keep your faith until the
end? Your
doctrine’s reasoning of perseverance of the saints would
indicate to me that the only way we could ever know if we are truly
saved is to actually persevere to the end… thus we could
really never know if we are saved right now.
If I turn away from God as the numerous examples of
Scripture above suggest, then your doctrine is going to tell me that I
was really never saved to begin with.
Whew! What
assurance I have. So
tell me, how do you distinguish between a real Christian and a
superficial one? I
do not think there is anyway you can because a superficial Christian
bares all the resemblance of a true Christian.
According to your doctrine’s reasoning there is
really no way you could know for sure if your own conversion was real
until your end comes. If
I believe by God’s reasoning then I know I am saved. Yes it is possible that I
may harden my heart and turn away from God thereby giving up what I
have, but at least I know it is mine to lose.
My perseverance will depend on God, no doubt, and I have
assurance that He will give me the grace to persevere, but,
I must receive it and remain faithful to His word.
In your situation you cannot really know if you are even
among your so-called “elect”.
Your being a real Christian is contingent upon your
perseverance to the end, which you will not know whether you have such
faith until the very end because it
could be superficial. Mr.
Calvin, your doctrine’s reasoning just would not give me much
assurance because it would cause me to wonder if I ever had true faith
to begin with. This
is the horror and worry I mentioned earlier.
The
Bible teaches that anyone can respond to God and that God desires all
men to be saved.
This
statement was not supported by specific Scripture, so I was unable to
examine its foundation.
Surely
you are familiar with this Scripture… I will support the
statement with Scripture for you…
here is the evidence…
1Ti
2:1 First of all, then, I urge
that entreaties and
prayers, petitions and
thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
1Ti
2:2 for kings and all who are
in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all
godliness and dignity.
1Ti
2:3 This is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1Ti
2:4 who desires all men to be
saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti
2:5 For there is one God, and
one mediator also between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus,
1Ti
2:6 who gave Himself as a
ransom for all, the testimony given
at the proper time.
1Ti
2:7 For this I was appointed a
preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
God
“desires all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of
the truth.” Jesus
Christ is the “ransom for all”.
So if God wants all men to be saved why wouldn’t
he force everyone to be saved? Your
doctrine of sovereignty would have to say that God is contradicting
Himself if He is all-powerful and He unchangeably ordained all events. He wants all men to be
saved, yet refuses to cause all men to be saved.
Mr. Calvin, the truth is that we have a choice, free will,
and we choose our eternal destination.
Surely you do not think Paul is lying do you? Here’s more
support for the initial statement…
Mat
11:28 Come
unto me, all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat
11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and
learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls.
Mat
11:30 For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light.
2Pe
3:9 The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Rev
22:17 And the Spirit
and the bride say, Come. And let
him that heareth say, Come. And let
him that is athirst come. And
whosoever will, let him take the
water of life freely.
Mat
23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent
unto thee, how often would I have
gathered thy children together, even as a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not!
Notice
in the last passage that even though God wanted Jerusalem to be
saved, they chose not to be saved.
It was God’s desire for them to be saved, but
they had the choice to reject what God desired and did.
If God is controlling every event without us having any
choice, and God wanted them to be saved, how could this happen to Jerusalem? Exactly, it would not make
sense. Again your
doctrine fails the test of scriptural support.
Total
hereditary depravity
EZE 18:20
"The
person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the
father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the
son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon
himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon
himself.” I’m
not sure about the point here, but looking at the other verses under
this heading it looks like this is an effort to refute the doctrine of
“total depravity.”
More later as I go through the other verses.
This
clearly shows sin is not inherited.
Your doctrine teaches that the son shall bear the iniquity
of the father but Ezekiel teaches that the son does
not bear the iniquity of the father.
I will believe the inspired Ezekiel over the uninspired
John Calvin any day. Let’s
consider this entire chapter because there are several interesting
points to be made here…
Eze
18:1 Then the word of the LORD
came to me, saying,
Eze
18:2 "What do you mean by using
this proverb concerning the land of Israel,
saying, 'The fathers eat the sour grapes, But the children's teeth are
set on edge'?
Eze
18:3 "As I live," declares the
Lord GOD, "you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel
anymore.
Eze
18:4 "Behold, all souls are
Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine.
The soul who sins will die.
Eze
18:5 "But if a man is righteous
and practices justice and righteousness,
Eze
18:6 and does not eat at the
mountain shrines
or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his
neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period--
Eze
18:7 if a man does not oppress
anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery,
but
gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing,
Eze
18:8 if he does not lend money
on interest or take increase, if he
keeps his hand from iniquity and
executes true justice between man and man,
Eze
18:9 if he
walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully--he is
righteous and
will surely live," declares the Lord GOD.
Eze
18:10 "Then he may have a
violent son who sheds blood and who does any of these things to a
brother
Eze
18:11 (though he himself did not
do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines, and defiles
his neighbor's wife,
Eze
18:12 oppresses the poor and
needy, commits robbery, does not restore a pledge, but lifts up his
eyes to the idols and
commits abomination,
Eze
18:13 he lends money
on interest and takes increase; will he live? He will not live! He has
committed all these abominations, he will surely be put to death; his
blood will be on his own head.
Eze
18:14 "Now behold, he has a son
who has observed all his father's sins which he committed, and
observing does not do likewise.
Eze
18:15 "He does not eat at the
mountain shrines
or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
or defile his neighbor's wife,
Eze
18:16 or oppress anyone, or
retain a pledge, or commit robbery, but he
gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing,
Eze
18:17 he keeps his hand from the
poor, does not take interest or increase, but
executes My ordinances, and walks in My statutes; he will not die for
his father's iniquity, he will surely live.
Eze
18:18 "As for his father,
because he practiced extortion, robbed his
brother and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die
for his iniquity.
Eze
18:19 "Yet you say, 'Why should
the son not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity?' When the
son has practiced justice and righteousness and has observed all My
statutes and done them, he shall surely live.
Eze
18:20 "The person who sins will
die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity,
nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the
righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness
of the wicked will be upon himself.
Eze
18:21 "But if the wicked man
turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My
statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live;
he shall not die.
Eze
18:22 "All his transgressions
which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of
his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live.
Eze
18:23 "Do
I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD,
"rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?
Eze
18:24 "But
when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits
iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man
does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not
be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin
which he has committed; for them he will die.
Eze
18:25 "Yet you say, 'The way of
the Lord is not right.' Hear now, O house of Israel!
Is My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right?
Eze
18:26 "When
a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and
dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will
die.
Eze
18:27 "Again, when a wicked man
turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices
justice and righteousness, he will save his life.
Eze
18:28 "Because he considered and
turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he
shall surely live; he shall not die.
Eze
18:29 "But the house of Israel
says, 'The way of the Lord is not right.' Are My ways not right, O
house of Israel?
Is it not your ways that are not right?
Eze
18:30 "Therefore I will judge
you, O house of Israel,
each according to his conduct," declares the Lord GOD. "Repent and turn
away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a
stumbling block to you.
Eze
18:31 "Cast away from you all
your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new
heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?
Eze
18:32 "For
I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord
GOD. "Therefore, repent and live."
We
see this chapter destroys total hereditary depravity and unconditional
election. I am not
sure how it could be much clearer than this.
EZE
28:15 "You
were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until
unrighteousness was found in you.”
This is a lament against the king of Tyre,
a city in the Middle East (Lebanon?)
but is believed by some to be a veiled reference to Satan in view of
some of the other statements in the passage. EZE 28:13-14 "You were in Eden, the garden
of God;
Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the
diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the
turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your
settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They
were prepared. "You
were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You
were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.” The principle is that God
rejects the proud, clearly stated in several other passages, especially
in the Proverbs. If
I can save myself by my own works or even “contribute one
whit to [my] salvation” wouldn’t I be proud of that? ROM 4:4-5 Now to the one
who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does
not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is
credited as righteousness,”
Eze
28:11 Again the word of the LORD
came to me saying,
Eze
28:12 "Son of man, take up a
lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to
him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection, Full of
wisdom and perfect in beauty.
Eze
28:13 "You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every
precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond;
The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and
the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and
sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were
prepared.
Eze
28:14 "You were the anointed
cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on
the holy mountain
of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze
28:15 "You were blameless in
your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found
in you.
Eze
28:16 "By the abundance of your
trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned;
Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I
have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of
fire.
Eze
28:17 "Your heart was lifted up
because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your
splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they
may see you.
Eze
28:18 "By the multitude of your
iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your
sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It
has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the
eyes of all who see you.
Eze
28:19 "All who know you among
the peoples Are appalled at you; You have become terrified And you will
cease to be forever."'"
It
is very clear that this Scripture is comparing the king of Tyre to Adam in Paradise.
The king of Tyre was
created sinless, just like Adam was, but he sinned because of the
abundance of his trade and therefore was found unrighteous. Now… put
yourself in Abraham’s shoes and look to heaven and
exclaim… “Yes, God, you have chosen me and I
believe, therefore I will not obey
you and go to the place (Mt.
Moriah) that you will show me and offer Isaac because I believe that
you will save us anyway, and neither of us can contribute one
whit.” Is
this the faith that is credited to Abraham as righteousness? Abraham could not save
himself by meritorious works, but he had to obey God in faith in order
to receive the gift (Isaac being spared).
Abraham had already sacrificed Isaac to God (in his
heart), and God credited this work of faith as righteousness. Abraham had obedient faith. You cannot take
Paul’s discussion of this and interpret it apart from
James’ discussion and the original account in Genesis. Abraham believed God, not believed in God.
I believe God when He says I am dead in sin but can be
saved by His grace through “the faith”, so I did
what He commanded for salvation, and I want to continue do what He
commanded so that I will not lose my salvation.
I believe God when He says that I must repent of my sins
in order for Him to remember them no more, so I obey.
I believe God when He says that I must not be ashamed of
Jesus, but confess Him before men, so I obey.
I believe God when He says that I must be immersed in
water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, for the
forgiveness of sins, so I obeyed.
I believe God when He says I must remain faithful until
death in order to receive the crown of life, so I will continue to obey. That is not
pride, it is my humble response because I desire to receive that which
I cannot obtain on my own. It
is prideful when we dictate to God the terms upon which He will save us.
MAT 18:3
and
said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like
children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” MAT 19:14
But
Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming
to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." I assume that
the conclusion here is that children who have not reached a certain age
(popularly the “age of accountability”) are sinless. I have raised four
children, and experience has given me far more support for the doctrine
of total depravity than for the notion that children are sinless. What about you? More on this under II Sam.
12:23 below.
Mat
18:1 At the same time came the
disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven?
Mat
18:2 And Jesus called a little
child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
Mat
18:3 And said, Verily I say
unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat
18:4 Whosoever therefore shall
humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the
kingdom of heaven.
So
in other words your experience with your children overrides
God’s Word? That
is a pretty bold supposition. You
believe all children are born evil, depraved and lost.
Now tell me… where is there love, goodness,
mercy, justice, righteousness, in a God who would allow a child to be
born and die one day later to be condemned to hell for sin because He
arbitrarily did not elect him? There
must be consistency in the attributes of God or else He cannot be
righteous. Actually
the “age of accountability” is not considered
popular because it is believed among the “few” that
will find the way. I
am curious to know, how did you know the mind of your children when
they were infants or very young? Were
they aware of right and wrong, choosing wrong and therefore acting in
rebellion against God? Maybe
according to your extra sensory perception but not according to the
Scriptures. Children
may not be born perfect but they are born innocent.
When we reach the age that we know right from wrong we
must be “converted”… this parallels
being “born again”.
Of course I cannot turn back time any more than I can
re-enter my mother’s womb.
Both terms however, are figures for a new life in
Christ… returning to pristine… justified. Jesus told Nicodemus that
we must be “born again” and here He tells us we
must be “converted” or “born
again”. Indeed
this Scripture shows us that children are not totally
depraved… otherwise why would the kingdom of heaven belong
to such as these? Consider
how Jesus sums up the discussion with the latter part of the
verse… “ye shall not enter the kingdom of
heaven.” Instead
of questioning who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, we
had better be questioning whether we will get in at all.
ECC 7:29 "Behold,
I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought
out many devices." God
did make man upright, sinless. That
would be Adam.
God
made men (plural) upright which means “straight or right and innocent before
God”. Adam
is only one man. But
“they” (again plural) sought out many devices
(things to make us happier or things that are sinful).
Men are initially made right but at some point in time
becoming sinful, however, not born sinful.
“Men” and “they”
equals “mankind”… not
Adam. (OOPS!)
2SA
12:23 "But
now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will
go to him, but he will not return to me."
David does not say how he knows this to be true, but
perhaps he was aware of the principle behind 1CO 7:14 For the
unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving
wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your
children are unclean, but now they are holy.”
When you put these two verses together it seems that young
children are saved or unsaved in some fashion based on the faith of
their parent(s). How
can I square this with the need for faith in Christ?
I cannot say I fully understand this concept. Perhaps God does not allow
non-elect children of believers to die at an early age and the same for
elect children of unbelievers. Regardless,
I am unwilling to take this one statement by David and use it to paper
over a large number of verses which support the doctrine of total
depravity. I will
try to give you some of those verses in a section below entitled BEFORE
SALVATION.
You
sure do seem to go to extreme philosophical lengths to avoid an obvious
conclusion. David
knew his infant son was with God because his infant son had no sin to
separate him from God. Isaiah
shows us that we arrive at a point where we know to refuse evil and
choose good…
Isa
7:16 For before
the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good,
the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Isa
7:17 The LORD shall bring upon
thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have
not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even
the king of Assyria.
What
about these “little ones” and “your
children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and
evil”?
Deu
1:39 Moreover your
little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had
no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go
in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
Everyone
that lives long enough will arrive at a point in age where they do know
good from evil and at such time will choose evil (sin).
David knew these things from God’s Word and he
relied on this in his statement. There
is no room for “perhaps” when understanding
Scripture… especially Scripture that deals with our
salvation. There is
truth and we can know the truth and we do know the truth in this
Scripture. Now
let’s consider 1 Corinthians 7:14 in context and see if I can
help you understand the false concept you have…
1Co
7:10 And unto the married I
command, yet
not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her
husband:
1Co
7:11 But and if she depart, let
her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her
husband: and let not the husband put away his
wife.
1Co
7:12 But to the rest speak I,
not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be
pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
1Co
7:13 And the woman which hath
an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her,
let her not leave him.
1Co
7:14 For the unbelieving
husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is
sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are
they holy.
1Co
7:15 But if the unbelieving
depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in
such cases:
but God hath called us to peace.
1Co
7:16 For what knowest thou, O
wife, whether thou shalt save thy
husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy
wife?
Paul
is answering a possible thought of some that might suggest that because
the husband or wife is unbelieving that it not sufficient enough reason
for the believing one to leave the other.
To sanctify is to “set apart” or to
“separate to a sacred use or relation” and I cannot
see in anyway that this means internal sanctification or salvation,
because it would contradict what Paul later says in verse 16. Paul is using this term to
explain that the believing husband or wife might have a sanctifying
influence (by example) on the unbelieving other.
It is extremely clear that there is no way to know if the
believing will save the unbelieving.
In reference to “else were your children
unclean;” would indicate to me that if their marriage was not
legitimate then the children would be unclean or illegitimate. Consider the following
Scripture…
Neh
13:22 And I commanded the
Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they
should come and keep
the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning
this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy
mercy.
Neh
13:23 In those days also saw I
Jews that
had married wives of Ashdod,
of Ammon, and of
Moab:
Neh
13:24 And their children spake
half in the speech of Ashdod, and
could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of
each people.
Neh
13:25 And I contended with them,
and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair,
and made them swear by God, saying,
Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their
daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.
Nehemiah
commanded the Jewish men to separate from their wives because they were
unclean. Notice he
also commanded them to sanctify the Sabbath day.
Consider what else Paul says…
1Ti
4:4 For every creature of God is
good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
1Ti
4:5 For it is sanctified by
the word of God and prayer.
Even
food is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer.
Now maybe you can understand
why you did not understand your
concept, since it was not a true concept to begin with.
So in light of your false concept, maybe you can put this
statement by David on paper now. Furthermore,
you will not be able to square this with “faith in
Christ” because what you really need is “the faith
of Christ”.
You
did skip a few verses on the outline in this section on
“total depravity”…
Jam
1:12 Blessed is a man who
perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive
the crown of life which the Lord
has promised to those who love Him.
Jam
1:13 Let no one say when he is
tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by
evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
Jam
1:14 But each one is tempted
when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Jam
1:15 Then when lust has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it
brings forth death.
I
think this Scripture shows us a couple of things that would not agree
with your doctrine. Notice
“for once he has been approved” in verse
12… if we are individually chosen before time then are we
not already approved? Next
we notice clearly that we bring sin on ourselves rather than being born
in sin. It is when
“lust” (better understood as the principle of a
corrupt nature) is conceived, sin enters into us.
If
we inherit sins, then whose sins did Adam inherit?
Now
this sounds like a flippant question.
All you have to do is look at Genesis 3 to see that Adam
created his own sin. God
placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
They were without sin at that time.
They were under what has long been called the Covenant of
Works. The concept
is simple. God told
them what they should not do. As
long as they obeyed, everything was OK.
When they disobeyed, they were marked for death. Satan deceived Eve,
tricked her into eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil. Nowhere
does it say that Adam was deceived.
Rather, he made the conscious, knowing decision to sin. This is later referred to
in Romans 5 as sinning “in the likeness of Adam.” Now, if there is a problem
with the doctrine of original sin, you need to read Romans 5 carefully.
Why
is this question “flippant”… because it
nails the point intended? God
is no respecter of persons Mr. Calvin, and Adam was just like all men
are today. Where
does the term “covenant of works” appear in Genesis? It may have been called
this by men for a long time, but it
was not called this by God in His word.
Adam and Eve were under the same circumstances as we are,
the Word of God. How
did they know what to do and from what to abstain?
How did Cain and Abel know about sacrifices… by
faith…
Heb
11:4 By faith Abel offered unto
God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness
that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being
dead yet speaketh.
And
we know that faith comes by hearing God’s Word…
Rom
10:17 So then faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
God
told them, just as He always has and
always will. You
defeat your own argument by acknowledging that “sinning in
the likeness of Adam” is deliberately choosing to sin. By Adam’s free
will, he gained knowledge of good and evil and the consequences come
down to us. What
was the forbidden tree? It
was the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. Prior to a
person’s knowledge of good and evil, there can be no sin.
I
have pulled out a few verses here:
ROM 5:12 Therefore,
just as through one man sin entered into the world,
and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all
sinned….
ROM
5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those
who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a
type of Him who was to come. ROM 5:15
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by
the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the
grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ,
abound to the many.
ROM
5:17 For if by
the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one,
much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
ROM
5:18 ¶ So then as through one transgression there
resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of
righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
ROM
5:19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were
made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the
many will be made righteous.
There
is an interesting clue here about what is going one, and it introduces
a doctrine known as federalism. It
is in Rom. 5:14 “Adam,
who is a type of Him who was to come”
As you can see from the contrast between the
sin/transgression of the one and the righteousness of the One, the fact
that Adam was acting as our federal head when he sinned thereby
visiting his sin on his offspring, so Jesus was acting as our federal
head when He lived righteously, thereby giving His offspring an
inheritance of righteousness before God.
In similar fashion children benefit from or suffer for (in
an earthly sense) the righteousness or sins of their earthly fathers. This Scriptural principle
applies in all authority relationships, marriage, government, even
employment (the modern day equivalent of master/slave.)
I might not like or even fully understand this doctrine of
original sin, but the Bible says it pretty clearly.
Adam
is the “firstborn of creation” and Christ is the
“firstborn of re-creation”…
Col
1:18 And he is the head of the
body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things
he might have the preeminence.
Adam
is the progenitor of the human race, Christ is the progenitor of the
saved. Adam brought
sin and death, Christ brought forgiveness and eternal life. Adam’s bride was
taken from his side as he slept while Christ’s bride (the
church) was figuratively taken from His side (from where His blood
flowed) during His sleep in the tomb.
Satan deceived and seduced the bride of Adam, and Satan
deceives and seduces the bride of Christ into apostasy.
Adam is unto death, Christ is unto life.
Thus Adam is a “type” of Christ. The righteousness of God
is revealed not in the fall of mankind into sin and death, but in the remedy God has provided in Christ. We can not find this
righteousness in original sin, inherited sin, or total depravity. Paul is not teaching that
we inherited sin but rather that sin and death came through Adam, just
as God promised it would. Paul
is showing us that God is not unfair to allow sin and death through
Adam when we factor in Christ. Paul
summarized this Scripture in Romans when he made the following
statement to the Corinthians…
1Co
15:22 For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
So
can you tell me now whose sins did Adam inherit, and the
angels… and Jesus… and what about the Virgin Mary? That’s
right… no one’s… neither do we. Yes, we sin “in
the likeness of Adam” but he was not born of sin; he created
his own sin and was made aware of sin by his conscious, so are we,
“in the likeness of Adam”.
We are not born of sin but rather create our own sin and
are made conscious of it by the Word of God.
I agree that because Adam sinned we also will sin, but
only when we understand what sin is.
Death reigned because this was the consequence of
Adam’s sin… and you should note clearly that
“even over those who had not
sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam”
would indicate that there were some who had not sinned, thus they could
not have been born in sin. These people would suffer
death but some had not sinned. Children
may suffer physical
death, whether they sin or not, just as we all will suffer physical
death regardless, but those not responsible (infants, children not
reaching the age of accountability, mentally incapable, etc.) will not
suffer spiritual death. Nowhere
in the above Scripture does it say that we are born sinful. The condemnation is death,
not sin, to ALL
Adam’s race. In
the same way as Adam condemned us to death, we have someone who can
bring us to life, and that is Jesus Christ.
The atonement of Christ provides conditions for the
forgiveness of ALL
sins. Furthermore…
in verse 19 we can clearly see that “many” were
made sinners… not all, but “many”, which
would indicate that those that are able to sin will indeed sin. We will sin once we are
responsible enough to sin because of Adam’s sin and we will
all physically die as a result of Adam’s sin, but we are
righteous because of the obedience of Christ until we do sin, and then
if we meet the conditions set forth by God to die to those sins we can
receive forgiveness of those sin.
Now I am very curious, how can the Bible say this
“pretty clearly”, yet you not “fully
understand” it? That
is an oxymoron isn’t it?
Your comment reminds me of the beginning of an ole
oxymoron saying I memorized when I was a kid that has stayed with me
ever since… “I come before you and stand behind
you to tell you a story I know nothing about.” Obviously if you do not
fully understand it then the Bible is not all that clear to you. I think what might
actually be the problem with your not liking or understanding the
doctrine of original sin is because the Scriptures do not support it. In order to use these
verses you are using to support “total depravity”,
you will have to be consistent and follow through, but you cannot do
this for obvious reasons. If
we inherited “sin” from Adam, then by the same
reasoning and interpretation method that you use, we inherit
“sinlessness” from Christ.
I believe both of us will agree this cannot be true.
BEFORE
SALVATION
ROM
5:6-10 For while we
were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die
for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare
even to die. But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. Much
more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from the wrath of God through Him.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we
shall be saved by His life.”
Before we were saved we were
“helpless,” “sinners,” and
“enemies.” We
could not move from that point to children of God on our own initiative
or effort because:
EPH
2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,” and a
dead person cannot help himself.
Surely
you do not expect me to believe that “dead” in this
verse means physically dead. This
is spiritual death which means being separated from God. These verses do not
support that we are born sinful. I
have already agreed that we will all sin at some point of
responsibility, but I not any of the Scripture you have presented
proves we are born sinful. When
we do become dead in our sin we can be made alive by dying to sin and
the instructions are laid out for us in Romans chapter 6…
where we learn all about dying to sin and being baptized to a new life
in the likeness of Christ. There
is no doubt we are totally helpless in sin and we cannot accomplish
salvation on our own merit or power.
We must have Christ.
Scripture that teaches us we are
“dead” in sin (and again this obviously means
spiritually dead), does not negate the overwhelming call of the Lord to
obedience in faith. By
your same logic… your dead person would be incapable of
“hearing”, incapable of formulating a thought,
therefore incapable of “faith”.
Jesus
did not want his followers to be totally depraved.
Little babies are pure and innocent… as
discussed previously…
Mat
18:3 And said, Verily I say
unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
How
can we be born and immediately our mind does wicked works? The following would not
make sense…
Isa
7:14 Therefore the Lord himself
shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa
7:15 Butter and honey shall he
eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa
7:16 For before the child shall
know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou
abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Col
1:21 And you, that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
God
said that “the imagination of a man’s heart is evil
from his youth”. If
a man’s heart becomes evil in youth, then it must be pure
before youth… God did not say “evil from his
birth”…
Gen
8:21 And the LORD smelled a
sweet saviour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse
the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is
evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing
living, as I have done.
I
believe John Calvin relied too heavily on Augustine and other church
fathers for his doctrine of total depravity than he did the Scriptures. You have only given me
verses that show we are sinners before we are saved, not when we are
born. I have given
you verses that show we are not born sinful.
Hopefully you will agree that we are indeed NOT born
sinful. I believe
you will have to call Jesus a liar to believe anything differently or
claim that we can not understand the Scripture, as is a popular belief
among many Calvinists followers.
Unconditional
Election
1PE 1:2 according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ
and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in
fullest measure. These
words are used by opponents of the doctrine of election to negate other
Scripture and the obvious meaning of the words.
In order to see this it is important to see what other
passages say about foreknowledge, or more particularly, knowledge.
God
foreknew who the chosen would be, who would obey Jesus Christ (the
gospel). They were
sanctified (set apart) by the Spirit (through God’s Word)
because they obeyed the gospel. This
is not unconditional. I
have already discussed this “chosen” meaning that
your doctrine claims. I
hope you are past this by now, but in case you are not I will reply to
your comments unless I have already addressed them previously.
MAT
7:21-23 "Not
everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. "Many will say to Me on
that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your
name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And
then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'” Clearly Jesus is not
saying that God did not know who they were.
He was saying that God did not know them on a different
level, a level that equates with the Old Testament concept of
“yada,”
a special intimate knowledge often used in terms of the marriage
relationship where a husband “knows” his wife in
the most intimate way.
I
am not reading this verse in that Jesus is saying God does not know
them… obviously God’s knows them.
I explained it previously but again, there is no
unconditional election here. Those
who do the will of the father
will enter the kingdom of heaven.
The will of the father is to obey the gospel…
as explained previously with several passages.
To reiterate in the same way Jesus does in the later
verses… they did not “doeth”
the will of the father,
therefore they will not enter heaven.
There is something we have to do
to enter the kingdom of heaven, therefore there are
conditions we must meet. It
says it right there in the Scripture… you should consider
accepting what it really says. Consider
again who will be lost…
2Th
1:8 In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ:
2Th
1:9 Who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the
glory of his power;
Clearly
it is those that “know not God, and that obey not the
gospel”. Now
why do they not know God…
1Jo
2:3 And hereby we do know that
we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jo
2:4 He that saith, I know him,
and keepeth not his commandments,
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
How
is this intimate relationship formed…
Joh
14:23 Jesus answered and said
unto him, If a man love me, he will
keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode
with him.
When
I love Jesus enough to obey His word He and God will make Their
“abode” with me.
Those who are condemned may know enough to call Jesus
“Lord, Lord”, but they never entered the covenant
relationship through loving obedience in faith.
You are going to have to contort, distort, and ignore
Scripture, which is what you are doing with your doctrine, to rely upon
this Scripture to teach unconditional election.
Let me ask you… who is the “wise
builder”? The
one God predestined as the so-called “elect”? Nope!
It is the one who hears and does what Jesus says. The way is open, yet
“strait”. Jesus
did not teach that the gate is narrow and God excludes most…
but rather few choose to enter (“few there be that find
it”). We
have to “find it” Mr. Calvin.
Similarly
Jesus used the same concept of knowledge in an exchange with His
critics in JOH 8:19 And so they were saying to Him, "Where is Your
Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me,
nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father
also."” He
said that they did not know Him,
even though they knew who He was, who His parents were, where He was
from, what He was teaching, etc. Nevertheless,
they did not know Him in this special, intimate way that they would if
they were saved. God
knew His people that way before the world was created, and we come to
know Him in that way after we have been saved.
So to say that God foreknew
His people before the world was created does not at all mean that He
knew what they were going to choose and acquiesced in their choice. More later.
Mr.
Calvin… this passage does not say anywhere nor does it
indicate anywhere that God does not foreknow what choice we will make. I know you do not doubt
His omniscience, so you must be saying that He knows what we will
choose but simply does not have to consent or submit to our choice. So you admit that we do
have a choice… and you admit it again later.
Anyway… this passage has nothing to do with
unconditional election… you are really wrestling with this
Scripture. Jesus is
simply answering the scribes and Pharisees here.
Jesus said they did
not know Him or God… He did not say He
did not know them, and surely they were not casting out demons in His
name, prophesying in His name, or performing miracles.
We cannot arrive at your conclusion from the context of
this Scripture and it has nothing to do with Matthew 7:21. We do learn something
later though after Jesus continued with His teaching…
Joh
8:30 As he spake these words,
many believed on him.
Joh
8:31 Then said Jesus to those
Jews which believed on him, If ye
continue in my word, then
are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh
8:32 And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you
free.
They
believed but they had to do something to truly be His
disciples… they had to “continue” in His
word. I also
believe we can not make the point any clearer on how we know that we
know Him…
1Jo
2:3 And hereby we
do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jo
2:4 He that saith, I know him,
and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in
him.
1Jo
2:5 But whoso keepeth his
word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that
we are in him.
Otherwise…
I could not know God and He not know me (your doctrines
“elect”). This
theology would directly contradict several verses, but
mainly…
Joh
14:23 Jesus answered and said
unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will
love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
The
standard for judgment is that I know God, which is eternal
life…
2Th
1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Joh
17:3 And this
is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Consider
the Greek word “meno”… which means
“abide”, “remain”, “dwell”,
“continue”. We
see it in the noun form in “rooms”,
“dwelling places”, “abiding
places”, and poorly translated as
“mansions”. Now
consider John 14:2 in various translations…
Joh
14:2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not
so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
Joh
14:2 In my Father's house are
many mansions:
if it
were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh
14:2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it
were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
Now
verse 23 again…
Joh
14:23 Jesus answered and said
unto him, If a man love me, he will
keep my words: and my
Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Jesus
clearly said He and God will make Their “abode”
with the one who “continue” to love Them and obey
God’s Word. Continue
in this thought as you read the following passages…
Joh
15:4 Abide
in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, except it abide
in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide
in me.
Joh
15:5 I am the vine, ye are
the branches: He that abideth in me,
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:
for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh
15:6 If
a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch,
and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them
into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh
15:7 If
ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall
ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Joh
15:10 If
ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love;
even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
1Jo
2:6 He
that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he
walked.
1Jo
2:14 I have written unto you,
fathers, because ye have known him that is
from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are
strong, and the word of God abideth
in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
1Jo
2:17 And the world passeth
away, and the lust thereof: but he
that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1Jo
2:24 Let
that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If
that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye
also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
1Jo
2:27 But
the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need
not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of
all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught
you, ye shall abide in him.
1Jo
3:6 Whosoever
abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him,
neither known him.
1Jo
3:24 And
he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And
hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given
us.
2Jo
1:9 Whosoever
transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.
He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and
the Son.
Also
consider the combination verb “hupomeno” which
means literally “to remain under” and is translated
“perseverance”…
Rom
5:3 And not only this, but we
also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about
perseverance;
You
see… the faithful Christian will remain (abide) in Christ
and remain even under trial and tribulation… he will persevere.
Where is the trial if you can not possibly fail to remain
under? Consider all
the above Scripture Mr. Calvin…it absolutely nails the lid
shut on “once saved always saved” or should I say
“perseverance of the saints” per your
doctrine’s definition of the same.
JOH
17:17 "Sanctify
them in the truth; Thy word is truth.
I’m not sure how this verse advances the
argument against election or shows that God only
“chooses” us after He knows ahead of time that we
will choose Him. This
verse indicates that Gods in the process of conforming believers to the
likeness of Christ by the use of His word.
I
am not sure where you get the idea that anyone has indicated that God
only “chooses” us after He knows ahead of time that
we will choose Him. God
is all-knowing, therefore, He must know what choices we will make in
our life. God plan
of salvation is that those who “doeth” His will and
obey the gospel will be saved. He
knows who will “doeth” His will because He is
all-knowing. Anyway,
this passage is referring to the apostles… which He sent
into the world to preach the gospel… and there is more to be
learned here as well…
Joh
17:1 These words spake Jesus,
and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come;
glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
Joh
17:2 As thou hast given him
power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as
thou hast given him.
Joh
17:3 And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent.
Joh
17:4 I have glorified thee on
the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Joh
17:5 And now, O Father, glorify
thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before
the world was.
Joh
17:6 I have manifested thy name
unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were,
and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
Joh
17:7 Now they have known that
all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
Joh
17:8 For I have given unto them
the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them,
and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed
that thou didst send me.
Joh
17:9 I pray for them: I pray
not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are
thine.
Joh
17:10 And all mine are thine,
and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
Joh
17:11 And now I am no more in
the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father,
keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they
may be one, as we are.
Joh
17:12 While I was with them in
the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have
kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the
Scripture might be fulfilled.
Joh
17:13 And now come I to thee;
and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy
fulfilled in themselves.
Joh
17:14 I have given them thy
word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world.
Joh
17:15 I pray not that thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them
from the evil.
Joh
17:16 They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world.
Joh
17:17 Sanctify them through thy
truth: thy word is truth.
Joh
17:18 As thou hast sent me into
the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Joh
17:19 And for their sakes I
sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
God
gave Jesus power or authority over “all flesh” (all
mankind). He
therefore has the authority to give eternal life.
Jesus explains what eternal life is… “that they might know thee
the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” By the authority given to
Him, Jesus chose the apostles and presented the truth (God’s
Word) to them and they kept it… “and they have
kept thy word”… as well as they
“believed”. Jesus
kept hold of all of apostles that God granted Him, except of course,
“the son of perdition” (Judas), who lost his
salvation because of his sin. He
is asking God to set them apart through the truth.
In the same way, by the Word of God (the
truth) we can be set apart, and it is not because He has
already elected to set us apart, but because we believe (obey the
gospel) and keep His word, this is how we “know”
Him… we have kept His commandments.
I
think your interpretation method actually violates the
“truth”. Considering
John 17:17… also consider…
Psa
119:160 Thy word
is
true from
the beginning: and every one of thy righteous
judgments endureth
for ever.
Psa
119:160 The
sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your
righteous ordinances is everlasting.
The
“sum of Your word is truth” and consider
also…
Act
20:27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Act
20:27 "For I did not shrink from
declaring to you the whole purpose of
God.
You
cannot be dismissive of complimentary and supplementary Scripture any
more that you can accept “seemingly contradictory”
Scripture.
Follow
me through this thread if you will…
We
are set apart by God’s Word...
Joh
17:17 Sanctify them through thy
truth: thy word is truth.
…which
we can know, and that “word” which is
“truth”, can make us free…
Joh
8:32 And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Faith
comes by hearing that “word”…
Rom
10:17 So then faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
…and
we purify ourselves and are born again by obeying that
“word”…
1Pe
1:22 Seeing ye have purified
your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love
of the brethren, see that ye
love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe
1:23 Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which
liveth and abideth for ever.
Mat
7:24 Therefore whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
If
we love God and continue in His “word” we are
indeed His…
Joh
8:31 Then said Jesus to those
Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then
are ye my disciples indeed;
If
we love Jesus we will keep His “words” and He and
God will make Their “abode” with us…
Joh
14:23 Jesus answered and said
unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will
love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
We
can be certain that we know God by obedience to His
“word”…
1Jo
2:3 And hereby we do know that
we know him, if we keep his commandments.
…but
we are liars and the “truth” is not in us if we
claim to know Him without obedience to Him…
1Jo
2:4 He that saith, I know him,
and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in
him.
We
may do “religious things” and have an outward
appearance of religion and speak “religious
words”…
Mat
7:22 Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
…but
if we do not do His will then He
will not claim us…
Mat
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.
Mat
7:23 And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat
7:26 And every one that heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a
foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
…because
we have denied Him by being ashamed of His
“words”…
Luk
9:23 And he said to them
all, If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow me.
Luk
9:24 For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake,
the same shall save it.
Luk
9:25 For what is a man
advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast
away?
Luk
9:26 For whosoever shall be
ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when he shall come in his own glory, and in his
Father's, and of the holy angels.
When
Christ returns, flaming fire of judgment will come upon all who do not
know Him and who have not obeyed the gospel…
2Th
1:8 In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Th
1:9 Who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the
glory of his power;
Because
of His foreknowledge and omniscience, God knew that the sacrifice of
Jesus would not be in vain for the few who would be sanctified by the
truth…
Eph
1:3 Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ:
Eph
1:4 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:
Eph
1:5 Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to
the good pleasure of his will,
Eph
1:6 To the praise of the glory
of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph
1:7 In whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of
his grace;
Eph
1:8 Wherein he hath abounded
toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph
1:9 Having made known unto us
the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath
purposed in himself:
Eph
1:10 That in the dispensation
of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even
in him:
Eph
1:11 In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose
of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph
1:12 That we should be to the
praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph
1:13 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,
1Pe
1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that
ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as
silver and gold, from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe
1:19 But with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe
1:20 Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in
these last times for you,
1Pe
1:21 Who by him do believe in
God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your
faith and hope might be in God.
1Pe
1:22 Seeing ye have purified
your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love
of the brethren, see that ye
love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe
1:23 Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which
liveth and abideth for ever.
Now
you can wrestle with Scripture all day long but you will not find any
Scripture that will contradict this “thread” if you
properly take them into context and view them in light of ALL
Scripture.
HEB 5:8-10
Although
He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
And having been made perfect, He became to
all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being
designated by God as a high priest according to the order of
Melchizedek.” The
idea advanced by this verse is that only those who obey Jesus by
obeying all the things He has said are saved.
However, this reading causes the statement to be
self-contradictory. How
is He the source of their salvation
if it is their obedience which saves them?
The only reading which makes sense is that their obedience
is believing in Him and
trusting in Him for their salvation.
You can’t have it both ways.
Either salvation is through obedience or it is by grace. Scripture is clear on this
point as well. Consider
what it says in ROM 10:1-5 Brethren, my heart is desire and my prayer
to God for them is for their salvation. For I bear them witness that
they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not
knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own,
they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For
Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is
based on law shall live by that righteousness.” The implication is clear
and clearly stated in other Scripture already cited that one who seeks
to be saved by his own works and fails is doomed by that practice. This passage in Romans
goes on to say in ROM 10:8-13 But what does it say? "The word is near
you, in your mouth and in your heart"-- that is, the word of faith
which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as
Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you
shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in
righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be
disappointed." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for
the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon
Him; for "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." Belief is the key to
salvation according to this verse.
I
discussed these verses in the beginning of this discussion and I
believe it is clear how I explained it.
I also explained how you missed on this point. You are choosing to ignore
that we must “confess”, which you seem to indicate
earlier is necessary. Then
later you said all we have is the “need”. Now you say we need to
believe. Are you
really sure what we need to do Mr. Calvin?
We receive grace through obeying the gospel. Part of obeying is
faith… faith is from us… grace is from God. Christ is the
“author” (from Manuscripts) of salvation and the
fact that we have to obey the gospel does not eliminate Him being the
“author”. Now,
you say that the only way to read this verse is that “their
obedience is believing in Him and trusting in Him for their
salvation.” I
thought you said we could not have it both ways.
Believing is part of our obedience, you just stated so. Does God save those who do
not obey the gospel?
2Th
1:8 In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ:
I
think I might understand now why you state we can not fully understand
some things. It
would have to be true that we could not understand a lot of Scripture
if your doctrine was accurate. No
doubt we would have to ignore a lot of Scripture.
HEB 10:19-22
Since
therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the
blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us
through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest
over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” This verse stops short of
saying that baptism is necessary for salvation.
Many Christians hold to the doctrine of believer baptism
or as Charles Stanley has stated it, that baptism is the first act of
obedience for someone who has been saved.
That does not say that we are saved if we are baptized.
I
would believe that this clearly indicates that our heart is cleansed by
the blood of Christ and our body is sanctified by water baptism and is
further supported by the following Scripture…
Heb
10:10 By the which will we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for
all.
Heb
10:22 Let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
We
are set apart through the blood of Christ and our sins are forgiven by
the washing of our bodies. We
must be washed (baptized) with water…
Act
22:16 And now why tarriest thou?
arise, and be baptized, and wash
away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Tit
3:5 Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved
us, by the washing of regeneration,
and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
We
believe and repent because of the preaching of the gospel. The Holy Spirit works
through the Word of God and renews us, but does not compel us to
believe and repent. Salvation
is then promised after being baptized by water…
Rom
6:1 What shall we say then?
Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom
6:2 God forbid. How shall we,
that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom
6:3 Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom
6:4 Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.
Rom
6:5 For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in
the likeness of his
resurrection:
We
are baptized into death with Him by being immersed into water, then we
are raised (emersed) into a newness of life by being raised up out of
the water. We are
planted together in the likeness of his death and will also be in the
likeness of His resurrection, both through water baptism. I will discuss this in
much greater detail later. However,
I would like for you to show me where in Scripture that baptism is the
first act of obedience for someone who has been saved.
You cannot show me because it is not
found anywhere in the Bible. The
ole saying that was created by man… “Baptism is an
outward sign of an inward change.” (or something to that
affect) is of human philosophy and unscriptural.
You cannot find it in the Bible.
You would have to wrestle with the Scriptures to get any
Scripture to mean this.
1CO
2:7 but
we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God
predestined before the ages to our glory;
The
gospel of Christ was ordained by God before the beginning.
ACT
4:26-28 'The
kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered
together against the Lord, and against His Christ.' "For truly in this
city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom
Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the
Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy
purpose predestined to occur.”
These verses indicate that God had the purpose of
delivering up Jesus for our sins before the world was created, a truth
that is made clear in many other verses.
It is important to note that God
predestined and He did whatever His hand and His
purpose predestined.
I
agree that He has a perfect plan and that plan included sending His
only begotten Son for those that would accept and obey the gospel,
which is offered to everyone. His
plan is for everyone that will be in Christ… to
“the called” or the “church”. To be in the body of
Christ (the church) we must obey the gospel.
The church is predestined… not individuals.
ROM
8:28-30 And
we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For
whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and
whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He
also justified; and whom He justified, these He also
glorified.”
The promise of Rom. 8:28 is for those who love God, (1JO
4:19 We love, because He first loved us.) those who are called
according to His purpose. Does this sound in any way
that God is simply sitting back and reacting, leaving everything to His
flawed creatures? Does
His eternal and supreme glory really depend on people like this? GEN
6:5 Then the Lord
saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every
intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually.”
I
explained Romans 8:28-39 in context previously… if you read
it then you should be questioning your own comments here. Consider what
“His purpose” is and what happened when He saw that
the wickedness of man was great on the earth.
It should come together for you by now… if not,
it definitely should as you keep reading.
EPH
1:3-12 Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as
He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before
Him. In love He predestined us to
adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
grace, which He freely bestowed on
us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according
to the riches of His grace, which He
lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight He
made known to us the mystery of His
will, according to His kind
intention which He purposed
in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is,
the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and
things upon the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according
to His purpose who works all things
after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were
the first to hope in Christ should be to the
praise of His glory.”
Now can you really read this passage and come away with
the idea that it was really our idea to be saved and that God was just
responding to our choice? All
of the actions mentioned in this passage are God’s. When he writes about us it
is in the passive voice – “we obtained an
inheritance, having been predestined….” Read it again. It was His
purpose, His will, His
intention. He blessed us, He
chose us, He bestowed grace on us, He made it known to us, He
predestined us, He
works all things after His will. The praise goes to Him.
The glory is His.” If He was simply reacting
to our choice, the Scripture would lie when it says that He chose us. It would not then be His
will, but ours. It
would Not be His will, His intention, His purpose, but ours. Instead of saying what it
actually says, it would have to say this, “He works all
things after the counsel of OUR
will. But it
doesn’t say that. That
reading is a misrepresentation and a distortion of what Scripture says.
Do
you even realize what “the counsel of God’s
will” is? I
don’t think you do… let’s consider this
Scripture closely so we can understand what Paul is saying…
Eph
1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus
Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus,
and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Eph
1:2 Grace be to
you, and peace, from God our Father, and from
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph
1:3 Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ:
Eph
1:4 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:
Eph
1:5 Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to
the good pleasure of his will,
Eph
1:6 To the praise of the glory
of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph
1:7 In whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of
his grace;
Eph
1:8 Wherein he hath abounded
toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph
1:9 Having made known unto us
the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath
purposed in himself:
Eph
1:10 That in the dispensation
of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even
in him:
Eph
1:11 In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose
of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph
1:12 to the end that we who were
the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
Paul
is clearly speaking to all those who are in the body of the
church… who are “in Christ”. Is not
“us” the “church” which God has
done all these things for? In
verse 4 we read that “he hath chosen us in
him before the foundation of the world”. The key words are
“in him”…
he has “chosen us in him”. Clearly we have to be
“in him” (in Christ) to be
“chosen” and again I ask… how do get
“in Christ”. That’s
right… ultimately through baptism.
In verses 5 we read He “predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself”. Clearly
He predestined “us” who are
“chosen” and the “chosen” are
“in Christ”. This
does not prove God chose some individuals and rejected others, but that
before the world was created, before there was Jew or Gentile, God
chose to have a people for Himself.
This is the whole church of Christ
(the church belonging to Christ), a covenant of people confined to no
one earthly race. Notice
also that we are “holy and without
blame”… holiness is the proof that a church is a
chosen church. This
whole line of argument is general instead of particular Mr. Calvin. God foreordained a church
which should be composed of those adopted as His children. The act of predestination
is because of God’s sovereign will.
The end is that His grace in adopting us as children may
return to His praise and glory. Notice
in verse 11 Paul clarifies what we as Christians have, “we
have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according
to the purpose of him that worketh all things”. What would God’s
“purpose” be in verse 11?
Consider…
Rom
6:17 But God be thanked, that
ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine which was delivered you.
God
has designated that all who will conform to His plan of redeeming man
of his sin, can have the spiritual blessings that come in Christ Jesus
(Ephesians 1:3). Keep
in mind here that Paul is speaking to Christians about the very nature
of salvation.
The
Scriptures teach us that before the foundation of the world, God
purposed that a particular group would constitute the
“saved” of His people.
Anyone that comes to Christ on His terms is
“foreordained” before the foundation of the world
because God placed salvation in this distinctive group.
God predestined or predetermined that in order to be saved
you must be “in Christ”.
Those of us who are “in Christ” make
up the body of Christ which is “the
church”…
Eph
1:22 And hath put all things
under his feet, and gave him to be
the head over all things
to the church,
Eph
1:23 Which
is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in
all.
Christ
is the Savior and head of the church…
Eph
5:23 For the husband is the
head of the wife, even as Christ is
the head of the church: and he
is the saviour of the body.
Eph
5:24 Therefore as the church is
subject unto Christ, so let
the wives be to
their own husbands in every thing.
Eph
5:25 Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it;
Eph
5:26 That he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph
5:27 That he might present it
to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
If
God just arbitrarily chooses to save some that may be even more wicked
than you or me, but he does not save me, how could that be showing the
love of God? With
your doctrine the ones that God chooses to be saved will be saved
regardless of what they want. Scripture
teaches us that in order to be saved we must come to Christ on our own
free will. Consider
this very gracious invitation…
Mat
11:28 Come unto me, all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat
11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and
learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls.
Mat
11:30 For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light.
God
does have an influence on us, but it is through His word, through the
Scriptures, that He influences us.
He does not force us have faith in what we hear, He gives
us the opportunity to have faith.
Some do not obey the gospel after hearing, but clearly
faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God…
Rom
10:16 But they have not all
obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our
report?
Rom
10:17 So then faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
We
have a choice to listen to what the Scriptures tell us or we can ignore
them… thus, we can reject God and His Spirit, if we choose
to do so. Consider
also that Jesus said that His words will give us life…
Joh
6:63 It is the spirit that
quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto
you, they
are spirit, and they
are life.
James
said the word is able to save our souls…
Jam
1:21 Wherefore lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness
the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
My
obedience to God and His commandments does not eliminate giving Him all
the praise and glory… quite the contrary… by not
obeying His commandments and His will we dishonor Him.
The Word of God says that your doctrine dishonors Him and
takes away His praise and glory because it does not follow that form of
doctrine that was delivered by Jesus and the apostles.
Your doctrine dishonors Him because it does not teach that
we must do the will of God and obey the gospel.
Who is it that is not giving God the praise and glory He
deserves? I am
following the Word of God… you are following John
Calvin’s doctrine (or part of it anyway).
God wants
all men to be saved
2PE 3:9 The
Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is
patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come
to repentance.” Notice
that Peter
says that God is patient toward you. It is certainly a fair
inference that He does not want any [of you] to perish, but for all [of
you] to come to repentance.
I
discussed this in detail above… your reasoning here would
not make sense for your own doctrine.
You might scroll back up and read what I wrote again. You probably remember
though (why would Peter
be worried about your so-called “elect” perishing??? Now that would be
impossible, right?)… remember now???
We should not come to a conclusion on Scripture based on
fairness… we come to a conclusion based on truth, and on
faith, which involves evidence, and we should consider the harmony of
the Scriptures as well.
MAT 11:28-30 "Come
to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and
learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. "For
My yoke is easy and My burden is light."”
This verse reports a wonderful promise, but it does not
say that it is God’s desire, plan, purpose or will for all
men to be saved. What
Jesus says in the verse before these is interesting.
MAT
11:27 "All things
have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son
except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and
anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
If all things had been handed over to Jesus by God, what
about one of the most important things, salvation of the elect?
It
is a gracious invitation to “all who are weary and
heavy-laden” and it clearly shows the willingness of the
Lord, you would have to agree… and we already know that God
“desires all men to be saved”…
1Ti
2:3 This is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1Ti
2:4 who desires all men to be
saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti
2:5 For there is one God, and
one mediator also between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus,
1Ti
2:6 who gave Himself as a
ransom for all, the testimony given
at the proper time.
Scripture
consistently represents that it is God’s divine will that all
men should be saved but He will not save those that are ignorant to His
conditions of salvation. We
must come to the knowledge of the truth by hearing, receiving, and
obeying the gospel. Clearly
Jesus is the ransom for “all”.
There is no such thing as your so-called
“elect”… not by your definition, so your
question cannot be answered scripturally.
"All things" were handed over to Jesus…the
gospel, salvation, judgment, the rule of heaven and earth…
they are all under His feet. I
have shown other verses supporting this.
Those who “know” Christ by humble
obedience learn to know God as well.
If we obey then Christ will reveal us to the Father. What about those important
things?
REV 22:17
¶ The
Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say,
"Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes
take the water of life without cost.
Same comment as the passage above.
Rev
22:17 And the Spirit and the
bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that
is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely.
I
believe this is another gracious invitation…
“whosoever will”.
We obviously have the free will to do so and it is offered
to whoever will come, not whosoever God forces to come.
1TI
2:3-4 This
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all
men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” One possible meaning of
this verse is that God does not desire (or enjoy) the fact that some
men are condemned, but it is necessary.
The judge does not enjoy sending people to jail, but that
is just how it is.
I
covered this pretty well previously and you left out verses
5-6… verse 6 is important.
Besides… the passage does not say what you want
it say, although to support your doctrine it would almost have to say
what you state… but the fact remains, it does not say what
you state. It says
what it says. God
clearly wants us “to come to the knowledge of the
truth” so let’s try not to have
“possible” meanings, but instead,
“true” meanings.
Now that I notice it… it’s ironic how
the verse ends and your very first words are “One possible
meaning of this verse…”
Now that’s amusing.
Another
possible reading is that it means that God desires all [kinds of] men
to be saved. The
reason I believe that is because otherwise it would contradict with
other verses including 1PE 2:7-8 This precious value, then, is for you
who believe; but for those who disbelieve, "The stone which the
builders rejected, This became the very corner stone," and, "A stone of
stumbling and a rock of offense"; for they stumble because they are
disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also
appointed.”
I
am not sure what you are assuming here.
That some are chosen to be doomed maybe?
This is not what the Scripture says.
You are trying to get two different meanings and neither
is right. You also
attempt to contradict that it actually says what it says with another
passage that no where says anything evenly remotely close to the
opposite. Why not
just accept what it says instead of trying to explain it away? Clearly in 1 Peter
2:7-8, doom is the result of their disobedience to the word. Clearly doom is
God’s appointment to the disobedient.
Stumbling is their condition… when they reject
Christ they stumble and God has made a place for those that disobey the
gospel. In a sense
I suppose you could say that “some” are destined
for damnation… those “some” being the
ones who choose to disobey the gospel.
Furthermore, “[kinds of]” is simply
not in the Manuscripts. It
clearly reads “all men”.
You cannot explain this one away… I have shown
too many other supporting Scripture.
It is also clear what happens to those “that
obey not the gospel”…
2Th
1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on
them that know not God, and that
obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
How
is it that you have so many possible meanings for Scripture that is so
blatantly clear? I
have quoted two different Scriptures so far that clearly show how God
desires all men to be saved and wants all to come to Him and yet you
have all these “possible” meanings other that what
the Scripture actually says. Now
this is what we call distortion and miss-understanding.
MAT 23:37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who
kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I
wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” Once again this does not
say that God wants all men to be saved.
God does not only send His word to save, but also to
harden. ROM 9:17
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you
up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be
proclaimed throughout the whole earth." So then He has mercy on whom He
desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
In specific reference to the prophets, consider
God’s charge to Isaiah in ISA
6:9-10 He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do
not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.'
"Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears
dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be
healed."
I
discussed Matthew 23:37 earlier as well as Romans 9:17.
In short, God still wanted Jerusalem to be
saved but they rejected. I
think it is clear from my earlier Scripture that God desires all men to
be saved, that Christ died for all men, that God so loved the world,
and God wants all men to repent, etc., etc.
I do not know how you could otherwise explain this
Scripture. In
Isaiah 6:9-10 God is simply telling him to go ahead and preach to the
people even though he knew they would not accept the truth. Sometimes the gospel will
affect people in the way He describes here.
We have a
choice
JOS 24:15
"If
it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for
yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your
fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites
in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord."
How
much clearer can it be, “choose for yourselves today whom you
will serve”.
DEU
30:19 "I
call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set
before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life
in order that you may live, you and your descendants, We do have a
choice, but are there any limitations or restrictions on that choice?
GREAT!… you
finally fully acknowledge that we have a choice. Now let’s
consider this Scripture in context so you can learn the conditions that
God gave them…
Deu
30:14 "But the word is very near
you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
Deu
30:15 "See, I have set before
you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;
Deu
30:16 in that I
command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to
keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments,
that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless
you in the land where you are entering to possess it.
Deu
30:17 "But
if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but
are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,
Deu
30:18 I
declare to you today that you shall surely perish.
You will not prolong your
days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan
to enter and possess it.
Deu
30:19 "I call heaven and earth
to witness against you today, that I
have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So
choose life in order that you may live, you and
your descendants,
Deu
30:20 by
loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to
Him; for this is your life and the length of your
days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your
fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."
They
are commanded “to love the LORD”, “walk
in His ways”, and “to keep His
commandments”, and are warned that if they “will
not obey” that they “shall surely perish.” He urges them to
“choose life” by “obeying His
voice”. Here
we have the evidence of choice and
of conditions they must meet. How much clearer could it
be to understand this? So
to answer your question… YES!
They do indeed have limitations and restrictions.
Consider
2TI 2:24-26 The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be
kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness
correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them
repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to
their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held
captive by him to do his will.”
Before we are saved, whose will are we really doing? Are we really making the
choices? This verse
seems to indicate otherwise (along with a number of others.) And by the way, who
delivers us from the snare of Satan?
Do we do it by our own choice? Or does God grant
repentance as this verse says?
2Ti
2:24 And the servant of the
Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men,
apt to teach, patient,
2Ti
2:25 In meekness instructing
those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2Ti
2:26 And that
they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are
taken captive by him at his will.
Now
wait a minute… you just got through fully admitting that we
do have a choice… now you are changing your mind again? Paul is explaining that we
should be patient and gentle towards those who might not believe while
trying to instruct or teach them the truth.
He is saying perhaps God will allow them the privilege of
repentance. I
believe God often grants repentance by providences that lead to
repentance. Maybe
if I continue to teach or instruct someone that has a hard heart, they
will eventually come around and accept the truth and repent (hint). Here these people are in
the hands of the devil and their only hope is that by the providence of
God they might accept the truth and repent.
God’s Word and truth can cause them to repent,
although it will not force them to.
Just like God granted the gentiles the privilege of
repentance in Acts 11:18, He may “grant” (remember
2 Peter
3:9?) these people the opportunity to repent through the teaching of
His word, instead of simply letting the devil keep them (which I surely
hope does not happen). I
think the whole hang up here is you think that God grants repentance
without any effort on our part. The
problem with this is that we have numerous verses that command us to
repent and tell us that if we do not repent we will perish. You would absolutely be
getting into Scripture contradiction if this were true.
I have quoted most all of these to you.
Yes… God does grant or give us repentance but
it because we choose to obey His command.
If He determines that our heart is truly repentant then He
will grant us that repentance. Think
about it Mr. Calvin… it would not make sense here that these
people would need to be instructed with meekness if there had to be no
effort on our part.
JOH
3:18 "He
who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been
judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God.” Yes,
those who reject salvation through faith in Christ have been judged
already. Without
other Scripture this statement is circular.
If someone doesn’t believe, he is judged. He is judged because he
did not believe. The
only way out of this logical revolving door which is consistent with
Scripture is to add God’s election.
No
one is born believing, thus we are judged from the beginning. If we continue in
disbelief and disobedience to the gospel then we will continue to be
judged and condemned. Yet,
if we believe and obey the gospel, as other Scripture has clearly
supported, we will not be condemned.
The revolving door is of human philosophy and un-Biblical. Did Calvin come up with
that one or did you? We
really do not need other Scripture to figure out what this passage
says, however, there is clear and
plainly understood Scripture that will support this Scripture just in
case someone might have trouble understanding it…
Mar
16:16 He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
You
said, “If
an individual is predetermined to be saved before they believed, they
are predestined to be saved and in a state of condemnation.” If
I understand what that means, my answer would be yes, that is true. I would go even farther
and say that they “are dead in [their] trespasses and
sins.” [Eph
2:1] Their only
hope is the hope of Lazarus, to have someone step in and make them
alive again. EPH
2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with
which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made
us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”
I
discussed the dead man earlier when you asked how a dead man could help
himself, but let’s take it a little further.
Again, your reasoning would appeal to human philosophy
rather than what the Scriptures teach…
Isa
59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is
not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it
cannot hear:
Isa
59:2 But your iniquities have
separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his
face from you, that he will not hear.
Sin
causes us to be separated from God, thus causing spiritual death. However we have a way to
overcome this spiritual death by being made alive in Christ. How are we made alive in
Christ?...
Rom
6:16 Know ye not, that to whom
ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye
obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Rom
6:17 But God be thanked, that
ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom
6:18 Being then made free from
sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
They
“were the servants of sin”, dead in their sins,
spiritually dead. They
could have been like you suggested and claimed “well we are
dead and we can not do anything”… but instead they
“obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine” and
were “made free from sin” and “became
servants of righteousness.”
They were made alive in Christ.
What form of doctrine did they obey?
We can see this in the earlier verses…
Rom
6:3 Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom
6:4 Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.
Rom
6:5 For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in
the likeness of his
resurrection:
Rom
6:6 Knowing this, that our old
man is crucified with him,
that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve sin.
We
are set free from the old life dominated by sin and given a new life in
service to God. We
obey the death, burial, and resurrection by doing what is found in
these verses… we obey the gospel.
We know what the gospel is and Paul clarifies it for us in
the following verses…
1Co
15:1 Moreover, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye
have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co
15:2 By which also ye are
saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have
believed in vain.
1Co
15:3 For I delivered unto you
first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures;
1Co
15:4 And that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:
It
is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Thus we obey the gospel when we are baptized into Christ
and it is necessary to avoid God’s vengeance on us as I
pointed out before…
2Th
1:8 In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ:
In
Romans 6:17, Paul said that God is to be thanked for them obeying that
form of doctrine because it made them free of sin through the blood of
Christ… which we read below…
Joh
1:29 The next day John seeth
Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world.
Now
let’s go back to Ephesians chapter 2.
I think you somehow believe that I believe that we must
work our way into heaven by our own merits... or that I believe
salvation by works. So,
let’s see what I believe…
Eph
2:1 And you hath he quickened,
who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph
2:2 Wherein in time past ye
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience:
Eph
2:3 Among whom also we all had
our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the
children of wrath, even as others.
Eph
2:4 But God, who is rich in
mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph
2:5 Even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph
2:6 And hath raised us
up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus:
Eph
2:7 That in the ages to come
he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his
kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph
2:8 For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God:
Eph
2:9 Not of works, lest any man
should boast.
Eph
2:10 For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them.
Paul
is speaking to Christians here and is explaining the nature of
salvation in Christ. In
this Scripture he is not teaching sinners how to be saved, nor is he
teaching grace alone. Grace
alone teaches that we have no role in our salvation and this would
clearly contradict John 3:16 which says that we must believe, and it
would contradict Romans 10:9 which says we must believe and confess,
and it would contradict Mark 16:16 when Jesus said that those who
believe and are baptized will be saved.
It would contradict a lot of Scripture that I have already
explained. Not to
mention not once in the Bible does it say we are saved by
“grace alone”.
Grace alone would even cause verse 8 to contradict
itself… are we saved by grace alone or faith? However we could not say
that we are saved by faith alone either because this would be basing
salvation on our own merit. We
know that faith is from us and grace is from God.
When a gift is given to us we must receive it and open it
up to enjoy it. Salvation
is God’s free gift that obviously cannot be earned by our own
merit or meritorious works since the wages of sin is death. Anyone old enough to know
right from wrong has sinned.
By
God’s grace we as sinners can be saved “through
faith” or “through the faith”. Yes,
“the” actually comes before
“faith” in verse 8 in the oldest Manuscripts. Scriptural faith is the
means by which God’s gift is received and opened by the
sinner. As we study
the Scriptures we can determine what “saving faith”
is. The Scriptures
fully explain the concepts of “by faith”,
“in faith”, and “through
faith”, to determine whether we are acting in accordance with
God’s will.
God
has chosen to offer the free gift of salvation (His grace) because of
His mercy. Mercy is
not what we really deserve but rather justice is what we deserve. Grace is getting what we
do not deserve. God
loves everyone he created and does not want any of us to perish. Christians are those who
were dead in sin, but whom God has made alive in Christ.
As
I stated above, Paul is teaching Christians the nature of salvation (by
grace, through “the faith”). He
is not teaching the necessity of baptism nor is he dismissing baptism
in God’s plan of salvation. It makes sense that he assumes
baptism of these saints in Ephesus because
these are people that Paul himself taught and baptized (or witnessed
their baptism) as we know from Acts chapter 19.
Paul is teaching that God saved us by His amazing grace,
“raised us together” in Christ (verse 6). So what are we raised from? Paul teaches us in Romans
6:1-18 (as referenced earlier) that we are raised in Christ as a union
of grace and obedience in faith, including baptism, which results in
the forgiveness of sins. Similarly,
Paul teaches in Colossians the nature of baptism as being
“raised through the faith”…
Col
2:6 As ye have therefore
received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk ye in him:
Col
2:7 Rooted and built up in
him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding
therein with thanksgiving.
Col
2:8 Beware lest any man spoil
you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,
after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Col
2:9 For in him dwelleth all
the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Col
2:10 And ye are complete in
him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Col
2:11 In whom also ye are
circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off
the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Col
2:12 Buried with him in
baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him
through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the
dead.
This
result is spiritual and we are born again as a new creature…
2Co
5:17 Therefore if any man be
in Christ, he is
a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new.
Thus
we walk in a newness of life…
Rom
6:4 Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.
Eph
2:10 For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them.
Baptism
is not a meritorious work resulting in salvation, neither is
repentance, nor faith. I
am not earning anything. However
faith is a work of God, just as these other conditions are and we must
obey them…
Joh
6:29 Jesus answered and said
unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath
sent.
Repentance
is a work of God that we must obey…
Luk
3:8 Bring forth therefore
fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We
have Abraham to our
father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise
up children unto Abraham.
It
is the changing of my mind that bears fruit in my actions. While it is not a
meritorious work, it is necessary for salvation…
Luk
13:3 I tell you, Nay: but,
except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
As
I mentioned earlier, Jesus clearly made a statement and condition
concerning salvation…
Mar
16:16 He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Peter commands the people during
the first message of the gospel to call on the name of the
Lord…
Act
2:38 Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost.
Peter confirms that baptism
gives us a good conscience towards God…
1Pe
3:20 Which sometime were
disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls
were saved by water.
1Pe
3:21 The like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us
(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a
good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
It
is the work of an obedient believer who desires God to wash away his
sins…
Act
22:16 And now why tarriest thou?
arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of
the Lord.
Clearly
Jesus taught us in the gospel of John that we must be born again which
includes being born of water (water baptism) and having our spirit
inwardly renewed by the Holy Spirit…
Joh
3:3 Jesus answered and said
unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh
3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him,
How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into
his mother's womb, and be born?
Joh
3:5 Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus
did not understand what Jesus meant
when He said “born again” but Nicodemus did understand Him when He said
“born of water” because all of the people during
those times understood that John the Baptizer was baptizing with water. Clearly Jesus says we
cannot enter the kingdom if we are not “born of
water” (baptized by water) and “of the
Spirit”, which will happen as a result of water baptism. I will explain this in
detail later on.
Is
baptism a meritorious work, no it is not.
Am I earning forgiveness of sins, no I am not. I am simply receiving the
promised forgiveness of God’s grace through obedient
faith…
Heb
5:9 And being made perfect, he
became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
I
believe what the Scriptures teach us.
Man
does have a choice…
Joh
5:39 Search the Scriptures; for
in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify
of me.
Joh
5:40 And ye will not come to
me, that ye might have life.
Limited
atonement
I
realize that this is a traditional reformed doctrine, but I am
personally persuaded solely on the basis of Scripture that it is not
true. In fact I am
persuaded that Christ died for the sins of all men.
In addition I believe that this view does no harm to the
doctrine of election and the doctrine of salvation by grace alone. As a result, I will not
spend the time to review this doctrine.
I
do not know that I would have realized this based on some of your
earlier comments. I
do not see how you could have one part of your doctrine without the
other, but none the less you say you do not believe it is true. If I remember correctly,
back when I first became a deacon at First Presbyterian, you gave me
the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Longer and Shorter Catechisms
and Jim gave me the Book of Church Order, or vice-versa. I believe I was told by
both of you that I needed to study this material, which I did. When I was recently
reviewing the Westminster Confession I remembered studying some of it
back then too, and it supports limited atonement.
Now, maybe it has been since then that you changed your
mind. At least at
this point we are in solid agreement concerning one area of your
doctrine. I have
questions though… why would you support a congregation that
preaches and teaches this false doctrine?
If nothing else you agree that this part of the doctrine
is scripturally false, thus it renders the reformed doctrine false. Would not those preachers
in the Presbyterian Church that teach this be teaching false doctrine? According to your own
admission that it is false, they would have to be teaching false
doctrine. Therefore
they would be false teachers. This
is one reason why I am finding it difficult to support a congregation
that is divided, or a denomination.
When they start teaching doctrine that was written by men,
uninspired men, doctrine that does not follow that form of doctrine
which has been delivered to us through the Scriptures, they become
false teachers and divide the one and only true church.
Irresistible
grace
ACT 7:51
"You
men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always
resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers
did.” Can
a person actually resist the Holy Spirit?
If so, how can there be such a thing as
“irresistible grace?”
You
are gonna have to several “licenses” to make this
passage say the following… “You men who are
stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always trying to resist the Holy Spirit, but you cannot
because your fathers could not resist it.” No doubt you will have to
do some major overhauling to the Manuscripts to get this verse to mean
what you say. On
the other hand I can simply read the verse and see that it says that
they resisted the Holy Spirit just like there fathers did. They resisted the will of
God… they would not obey God’s
commands… they resisted God’s Word and what the
apostles were teaching, particularly Stephen in this case. Are we sure there is such
a doctrine as “irresistible grace” and that is it
is not merely a man-made doctrine that is not scriptural? I personally do not see
the Scripture to support it, thus I would agree that it is indeed
merely man-made.
I
believe the answer to this conundrum lies in the fact that God invites
many people to be saved, but He only effectually calls some. The elect are the
beneficiaries of irresistible grace.
All others ignore or fail to take advantage of the
invitation. I
arrived at this conclusion through several passages including the
parable of the wedding feast. MAT
22:1-14 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,
"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave
a wedding feast for his son. "And
he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the
wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
"Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who
have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my
fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to
the wedding feast."' "But
they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another
to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and
killed them. "But
the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those
murderers and set their city on fire.
"Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but
those who were invited were not worthy. 'Go therefore to the main
highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.' "Those slaves went out
into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and
good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. "But when the
king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was
not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did
you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. "Then the king said to the
servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer
darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "For
many are called, but few are chosen."” God only effectually calls
those who are chosen by Him to be saved.
Others are invited, even if only through the general
revelation of the creation (Rom. 1), but they are not saved. Who does the man who
appeared dressed in his own clothes rather than in wedding clothes? Could that not be a
picture of one who tries to stand before God dressed in his own works
rather than in the “robes of righteousness” of the
Lord Jesus? You see
what happened to him.
I
discussed this earlier. You
might want to re-read how I explained it… I think I have
understood this right… and this parable would definitely not
be good support for your doctrine.
Not to mention your own words… “All
others ignore or fail to take advantage of the invitation.” You are admitting that
everyone is invited and that we in fact have a choice.
If they ignored it or failed to take advantage of it, then
they made a choice.
Also
there is the parable of the soils, and especially the explanation by
Jesus in MAR
4:14-20 "The sower
sows the word. "These
are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when
they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has
been sown in them. "In
a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky
places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then,
when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately
they fall away. "And
others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are
the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the
deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and
choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
"And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good
soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty,
sixty, and a hundredfold."”
Many people think they are saved and appear to be saved to
others, but the proof of our salvation is that we bear fruit. That means that the fact
of our salvation is demonstrated through what we do.
It is easy to get confused and to think that our works
after salvation save us, but they are simply the normal, natural by
products of the salvation that has already occurred.
Consider JAM 2:18 But
someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your
faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my
works."”
I
explained above that I do not believe that we work out our salvation. I do not believe that I
have indicated in any of the Scripture that I have discussed that we
have to do some sort of meritorious works and earn our salvation. I believe some people will
choose to obey the gospel and some will choose to not obey the gospel. Some might harden their
hearts because of the Word of God, as well as some will be saved and
end up losing their salvation. Sure,
there will be those who think they are saved and really are not. There will be those who
think they are saved because they have done some sort of meritorious
works, but they will be rejected.
Now I think this is another parable that would not be good
to support your doctrine. How
could this Scripture support “irresistible grace”? It appears better suited
to refute it in my opinion. Notice
what is causing these people to be influenced initially…
what is being sown? It
is the Word of God… the gospel.
You say that proof of our salvation is that we bear fruit
and claim that this means our salvation is demonstrated through what we
do. I am assuming
that you think if we are baptized that it would be considered
demonstrating that we are saved. I
do not believe that is what Jesus is saying… let’s
consider what He said again…
Mat
13:8 But other fell into good
ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold,
some thirtyfold.
Mar
4:8 And other fell on good
ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought
forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
Mar
4:20 And these are they which
are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring
forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred
Luk
8:8 And other fell on good
ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had
said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
I
think the only good deed or work after salvation that we can prove in
this passage is winning other souls to Christ.
There are four different types of ground explained. The good ground would be
the person who hears the Word of God (the seed is planted in them) and
they respond with obedience that results in their salvation. The obedience is what
makes them “good” ground.
In continued obedience they continue to grow. As they mature they then
bear fruit. A fruit
plant or tree cannot bear fruit until it is mature.
Once it matures it multiplies and bears more fruit. Now consider what God made
the fruit tree do…
Gen
1:12 And the earth brought
forth grass, and
herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose
seed was
in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was
good.
It
yielded fruit of its own kind. In
the same way we yield fruit of our own kind.
In other words, we yield more Christians and some
Christians will yield more Christians than others.
Consider God’s law of reproduction…
the plant kingdom that has herb and fruit yielding seed of after its
own kind, the fleshly kingdom with mankind yielding seed of its own
kind, and the spiritual kingdom which started with the apostles at
Pentecost and it must yield seed of its own kind as well. Seed that is sewn must
yield fruit of its own kind. The
seed (Word of God) was planted in the apostles and the apostles planted
that seed in their day, and they plant it in us today by the Word of
God, which they were inspired by God to write.
If we receive that seed (the Word of God) and obey it we
will grow to mature and thus plant more seed into more good ground,
thereby we bear fruit (more Christians).
Let’s look at a few supporting passages which
show us that bearing fruit is winning souls for Christ…
Pro
11:30 The fruit of the righteous
is
a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is
wise.
Joh
4:36 And he that reapeth
receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he
that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
Rom
1:13 Now I would not have you
ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but
was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as
among other Gentiles.
Eze
34:27 And the tree of the field
shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they
shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the
LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them
out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
Earlier
in the parable He is explaining how some will hear but because they do
not understand it or give it very little attention they choose to
ignore it and/or reject it. Satan
will do anything to trick and distract men from the being saved. He
knows that when people are ignorant they are much easier to deceive.
Therefore, he works meticulously to remove all knowledge of God and of
His word from our minds before it can take root in us.
Obviously there is no irresistible grace in these people
because they clearly resisted the opportunity to be saved. Then there are those that
hear the Word of God, accept it with joy, and actually obey the gospel. They walk with the Lord
for a short time and when temptation or persecution comes they fall
away and lose their salvation. As
long as everything is easy and going good they hang right in there, but
when problems start to arise, they can no longer hang. These may be
faced with different kinds of problems which cause them to fall. Their work schedule
changes and it makes it difficult for them to attend worship services.
Maybe they have family troubles that distract them from serving God.
Maybe there is some kind of illness or sickness that they blame on God
and walk away from Him. We must realize that Satan is out to get us and
he will do everything in his power to lead us astray. We must hold on
to our salvation regardless of our problems.
Again, we do not see irresistible grace.
Then there are those who receive the Word of God, obey the
gospel, and make a real effort to live for Christ.
But, they get wrapped up in things of the
world… covetousness and deceitfulness of riches. These
people want to straddle the fence that lies between Christ and the
world. They lack the full commitment that Jesus expects of those who
follow Him. They become so captivated with the opportunities for wealth
and material things that they lose sight of the only true possession
that is worth anything… their soul.
They become unfruitful, indicating they may have been
fruitful at one time. They
stand to lose their salvation as well unless they repent and turn from
the ways of the world. Satan will not give up easily on these and he
will pull out all of the stops when it comes to the person who is
striving to live a godly life. The world is attractive, but it is only
temporary…
1Jo
2:17 And the world passeth
away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth
for ever.
Then
of course we have those that are considered the good ground that we
discussed above. These
hear the Word of God, receive it, obey the gospel, and keep
God’s commandments with patience and perseverance. These are steadfast in
their service to God and unwavering in their commitment. They share the Word of God
and bear more souls for Christ (the church).
Of course their life is not without temptations from
Satan, as well as other problems, but they are able to overcome and not
let affairs of this life discourage their efforts to enter to the
kingdom of heaven. They
will definitely show their fruits of the Spirit, good deeds and works,
but these types of fruits are not mentioned in this parable.
Let’s
look at those fruits of the Spirit, good deeds and works and when they
are mentioned, and even some in conjunction with winning
souls…
Gal
5:22 But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal
5:23 Meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law.
Eph
5:8 For ye were sometimes
darkness, but now are ye
light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Eph
5:9 (For the fruit of the
Spirit is
in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph
5:10 Proving what is acceptable
unto the Lord.
Here
we see the fruit of the Spirit that is within us.
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, and temperance. I
think this would be easier to see in someone than how many people they
had brought to Christ. I
believe this is how we know people by their fruits.
But I also believe we know them by their system of
teaching, their doctrine. Let’s
consider that passage that tells me this…
Mat
7:13 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:
Mat
7:14 Because strait is
the gate, and narrow is the
way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Mat
7:15 Beware of false prophets,
which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves.
Mat
7:16 Ye shall know them by
their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat
7:17 Even so every good tree
bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil
fruit.
Mat
7:18 A good tree cannot bring
forth evil fruit, neither can a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat
7:19 Every tree that bringeth
not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat
7:20 Wherefore by their fruits
ye shall know them.
Mat
12:33 Either make the tree good,
and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit
corrupt: for the tree is known by his
fruit.
Jer
32:19 Great in counsel, and
mighty in work: for thine eyes are
open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according
to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
Jer
21:14 But I will punish you
according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will
kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things
round about it.
Here
we see that many will find the way to destruction and few will find the
way of the Lord. I
have discussed that part previously.
But I believe Jesus tells why this is so and it is because
of the false teachers who appear to many to be teaching the truth,
while really they are not. Their
false doctrine and false system of faith will be evident and those they
convince of their false system will be their bad fruit.
They will eventually be destroyed.
We will know people by what type of fruit they bear. Not only in their deeds
but by their system of faith. God
will give everyone according to our ways and according to the fruit of
our doings.
Then
we have the fruit of the vine…
Joh
15:1 I am the true vine, and my
Father is the husbandman.
Joh
15:2 Every branch in me that
beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch
that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Joh
15:3 Now ye are clean through
the word which I have spoken unto you.
Joh
15:4 Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine;
no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh
15:5 I am the vine, ye are
the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh
15:6 If a man abide not in me,
he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and
cast them
into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh
15:7 If ye abide in me, and my
words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done
unto you.
Joh
15:8 Herein is my Father
glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Joh
15:9 As the Father hath loved
me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Joh
15:10 If ye keep my
commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my
Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Joh
15:11 These things have I spoken
unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that
your joy might be full.
Jesus
is the vine and the saved are the branches in Him (“Every
branch in me…”).
We are “in Christ” and in order to be
“in Christ” we must be saved.
We are “clean” by the Word of God
which is spoken to us. Clearly
every branch (Christian) that does not bear fruit will be taken away
from the vine. The
branch cannot bear fruit unless it stays on the vine, so we should
abide in Christ and He will abide in us and help us bring forth more
fruit. “If” we keep His commandments we
can continue to abide in Him.
Now
let’s consider James 2:18 that you mentioned, but
let’s consider it in context…
Jam
2:17 Even so faith, if it hath
not works, is dead, being alone.
Jam
2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou
hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and
I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jam
2:19 Thou believest that there
is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Jam
2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain
man, that faith without works is dead?
Jam
2:21 Was not Abraham our father
justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jam
2:22 Seest thou how faith
wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Jam
2:23 And the Scripture was
fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto
him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Jam
2:24 Ye see then how that by
works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Jam
2:25 Likewise also was not
Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the
messengers, and had sent them
out another way?
Jam
2:26 For as the body without
the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Faith
that does not bring us to obedience and sway our life is not much good
to us. Faith alone
is not worth a hill of beans. Faith
and works go hand and hand. If
we live in obedience to Christ then we prove that we have the faith of
Christ. So you
believe faith alone will save us?
The devils believe and the evil spirits believed and even
confessed that Jesus was the Son of God, but it did not save them. What is faith without
works of God? Does
not works make faith perfect (verse 22)?
So what happens if our faith is not perfected?
Mat
8:29 And, behold, they cried
out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art
thou come hither to torment us before the time?
Abraham
was justified by works before and after God credited him with
righteousness…
Heb
11:8 By faith Abraham, when he
was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an
inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb
11:9 By faith he sojourned in
the land of promise, as in a
strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the
heirs with him of the same promise:
I
wonder what would have happened to Abraham if he had not obeyed God. I believe God would have
seen that he did not have faith, that he did not believe what God was
promising him, and God would not have credited him with righteousness. After he was credited with
righteousness he then was tested by God again with the offering of his
son, Isaac. But had
he not offered Isaac, what would have happened?
By works Abraham was made perfect.
Did Abraham earn his righteousness?
No, he did what God commanded of him… he did a
work of God, not a work of his own.
In
James 2:24
we read the only time that “faith” and
“only” are mentioned together in the
Bible… verse 24… “by
works a man is justified, and not
by faith only.”
Let’s
consider the following Scripture…
Heb
11:1 Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb
11:2 For by it the elders
obtained a good report.
Heb
11:3 Through faith we
understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that
things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Heb
11:4 By faith Abel offered unto
God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness
that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being
dead yet speaketh.
Heb
11:5 By faith Enoch was
translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God
had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony,
that he pleased God.
Heb
11:6 But without faith it is
impossible to please him:
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that
he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Heb
11:7 By faith Noah, being
warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an
ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world,
and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Heb
11:8 By faith Abraham, when he
was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an
inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb
11:9 By faith he sojourned in
the land of promise, as in a
strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the
heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb
11:10 For he looked for a city
which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is
God.
Heb
11:11 Through faith also Sara
herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a
child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had
promised.
Heb
11:12 Therefore sprang there
even of one, and him as good as dead, so many
as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the
sea shore innumerable.
Heb
11:13 These all died in faith,
not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and
were persuaded of them,
and embraced them,
and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb
11:14 For they that say such
things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb
11:15 And truly, if they had
been mindful of that country
from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have
returned.
Heb
11:16 But now they desire a
better country,
that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their
God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Heb
11:17 By faith Abraham, when he
was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises
offered up his only begotten son,
Heb
11:18 Of whom it was said, That
in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
Heb
11:19 Accounting that God was
able to raise him
up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Heb
11:20 By faith Isaac blessed
Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
Heb
11:21 By faith Jacob, when he
was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning
upon the top of his staff.
Heb
11:22 By faith Joseph, when he
died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel;
and gave commandment concerning his bones.
Heb
11:23 By faith Moses, when he
was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was
a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
Heb
11:24 By faith Moses, when he
was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Heb
11:25 Choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season;
Heb
11:26 Esteeming the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt:
for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Heb
11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt,
not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is
invisible.
Heb
11:28 Through faith he kept the
passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the
firstborn should touch them.
Heb
11:29 By faith they passed
through the Red sea
as by dry land:
which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
Heb
11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho
fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
Heb
11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab
perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the
spies with peace.
Heb
11:32 And what shall I more say?
for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of
Barak, and of
Samson, and of
Jephthae; of
David also, and Samuel, and of the
prophets:
Heb
11:33 Who through faith subdued
kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths
of lions,
Heb
11:34 Quenched the violence of
fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong,
waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Had
any of these people not obeyed God’s command would they have
been saved? If Noah
had not built the ark as God commanded him to do… would he
have been saved? Noah
had faith but he had to do something to be saved.
He had to build this huge boat out of a particular wood
and in particular way… the way God commanded him to build it. How much work did that
involve? It was
work but not of his own merit, it was a work of God.
There were not doubt limits and restrictions (conditions)
placed on Noah in order for he and his family to be saved. Noah believed God and
built the ark, thus he was saved while a multitude was condemned. In Hebrews 11 we read of
countless examples of how a work of God was required in order for
someone to be saved. As
you say… we cannot work our way into heaven… I
agree… not by our own works… but there is a
different kind of work that we must do.
We must obey the gospel and do the works of God. Are we not saved in the
same way that the people of the OT were saved?
While
I am on the subject of Noah… how was Noah saved?
1Pe
3:20 Which sometime were
disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
Clearly
Peter
indicates that Noah was “saved by water.” The Manuscripts read
“saved through water.”
The water separated Noah from the sins of the world by
covering up the sinful people and lifting the ark above sin. Those eight souls were
saved by water because they got in the boat.
Had they not got in the boat they would not have been
saved… they had faith and believed God and thus they did
what God commanded them to do to be saved.
Peter
goes on to say more…
1Pe
3:21 The
like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away
of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward
God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
In
the same way that the element of water was a part of saving Noah and
his family, it also saves us through baptism.
The water separates us from sin as it is for the
forgiveness of sin. In
a similar fashion as those eight souls getting in the ark to be saved,
we must get in the church to be saved.
I know you later question that we must get in the church
to be saved and I will explain it in more detail then.
To sum it up though… we are baptized into
Christ and become a member of His body, the church.
It is so clear how the Scriptures tell us the truth.
MAT 23:37 "Jerusalem,
Jerusalem,
who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often
I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
This verse was discussed above, and is explained in the
same way as Acts 7:51.
Nudged by the Holy Spirit?
2TH
2:13 But
we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the
Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation
through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
JOH 17:17
"Sanctify
them in the truth; Your word is truth.
2TI
3:16-17 All
Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof,
for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God
may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
I must be missing something in these verses, because I
don’t see exactly how they relate to irresistible grace
except in the 2 Thess.
verse which reiterates that “God has chosen you from
the beginning for salvation.”
How can God effect
the salvation of someone whom He has chosen from the beginning for
salvation except by irresistible grace?
I
think I explained all of this Scripture previously… but I
will answer your question. You
left out part of the quote in 2 Thessalonians: “through
sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”
This verse explains how God
has chosen them to be saved. He
did not choose them individually.
God made the decision to choose from the beginning all
those that would believe and accept the truth according to His plan. He chose those that will
be “in Christ”.
If we do not accept His plan of redemption then we will
not be in Christ. God
sets us apart by His Spirit which works through His word (John 17:17)
and His word instructs us in righteousness and allows us to be adequate
(2 Timothy 3:16), if we will keep
it in our hearts. Think
about this passage closely…
2Th
2:13 But we are bound to give
thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
2Th
2:14 Whereunto he called you by
our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Clearly,
as I stated, we are saved by being set apart by the Spirit and belief
in the truth. How
were we set apart by the Spirit? Paul
tells us that we were “called” by the gospel. So the Spirit used the
Word of God to set us apart, although it did not force us to be set
apart. Now what
Jesus and Paul say makes more sense huh…
Joh
17:17 Sanctify them through thy
truth: thy word is truth.
Rom
10:17 So then faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
But
we also see evidence that we are not chosen individually in the
beginning… how could we have possibly believed and heard the
gospel in the beginning? It
is impossible. The
Thessalonians were preached the gospel and they believed (obeyed the
gospel), therefore they are among those God has chosen to be saved
according to His plan that He established in the beginning. You can safely scratch
irresistible grace with the understanding of all this Scripture I have
explained.
What
is the one sin which cannot be forgiven?
MAT
12:31-32 "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be
forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. "Whoever speaks a word
against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks
against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this
age or in the age to come.”
And the reason it cannot be forgiven is because the call
of the Holy Spirit to repent and trust in Christ for salvation must be
obeyed for salvation to occur.
Okay…
I agree with this for the most part.
The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God, through the
Scriptures. Faith
cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
The Word of God is the means of the Holy
Spirit’s calling. No
doubt we are commanded to believe and repent or we will perish. You are admitting that we
must be obedient for salvation to occur.
You got it mostly right.
Sounds like you have changed your mind again though. Let’s see, first
it was believe, confess, and call on the name of the Lord. Then it was we could do
nothing. Now we
must believe and repent. You
are about to get them all included if you will just leave out the
nothing part. All
that is left is somehow get you to have faith in baptism, and of course
start teaching the truth. The
evidence is overwhelming but no one can have faith for you. Now… the sin
that will not be forgiven…
Mar
3:30 Because they said, He hath
an unclean spirit.
This
was a sin against the Holy Spirit because Jesus did mighty works in the
power of the Holy Spirit and the scribes attributed these works to
Satan. I think it
would go without saying that anyone who has believed this since
Christ’s death would not choose to believe and repent anyway. They have hardened their
hearts to a point that God would make them even harder.
If anyone attributes the Word of God to Satan then I would
not suggest they would be one that we could never convince otherwise
either. It would be
time to dust our feet off and go about our way to someone who will
listen and have an open heart and open mind.
Preaching
is what pricks the heart - ACT 2:36
"Therefore
let all the house of Israel
know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ -- this
Jesus whom you crucified." ACT 2:27 Because You will not abandon my
soul to Hades, Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” Once again these verses do
not say that preaching (rather than the Holy Spirit)
“pricks” the heart.
Clearly, preaching (proclamation of the gospel, not
necessarily pulpit preaching) is necessary.
If
preaching is necessary then why could it not prick our hearts? Faith comes by hearing and
hearing by the Word of God. How
are we going to hear without a preacher?
I think we both know that Scripture.
Now I would wonder why preaching would be necessary if we
are already individually chosen. Anyway…
I think we left out a few verses here… this could have been
my fault. I may
have added them during my second or third study (or even my fourth
now)...
Act
2:36 Therefore let all the
house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus,
whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Act
2:37 Now when they heard this,
they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter
and to the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do?
Act
2:38 Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost.
Act
2:39 For the promise is unto
you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even
as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Act
2:40 And with many other words
did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward
generation.
Act
2:41 Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them
about three thousand souls.
Act
2:42 And they continued
stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of
bread, and in prayers.
There
are several true points to be made with this Scripture, as previously
noted. We know that
Peter
was preaching the gospel and “they were pricked in their
heart” (Manuscripts). They
asked a very important question here, “what shall we
do?” There
was something they had to do to be saved.
Clear as daylight to me.
Peter
told them what they had to do, “Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins”. Then… what
would happen if they obeyed the gospel… “and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” It is extremely clear that
they would not be saved until they repented and were baptized. Furthermore, they did not
receive the Holy Spirit until AFTER
they did what they were COMMANDED
to do by the apostle Peter,
who was teaching and commanding what Jesus taught the apostles. Their salvation was not
“unconditional”.
Here we see again that famous Greek word,
“eis”, which means “for” or
“resulting in”, and it is between the words
“baptized” and “the remission of
sins”. So
what pricked their hearts? The
Holy Spirit works through the Word of God and Peter
was preaching the Word of God. The
Holy Spirit is what pricked their heart, but not directly by some
magical mystical work… it was through the preaching of the
Word of God, and they were not forced to believe.
No doubt they believed but they did not receive the Holy
Spirit until after they obeyed the gospel.
Again… clear as daylight to me… how
about you? Have you
got a couple of different meanings for all this Scripture too? Now go back to Acts
39… Peter
explains that the promise is to everyone who is called by the gospel,
as this is how the Lord calls us.
We can verify this in verse 40 when Peter
says “Save yourselves”… this verifies
for us again that we must do something ourselves.
Those who believed “were baptized” and
they “continued steadfastly in the apostles’
doctrine”. I
contend that we should do the same… continue steadfastly in
the doctrine that Peter
taught which includes baptism for the forgiveness of sins as well as
the doctrine that Christ taught…
Mat
7:24 Therefore whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat
7:25 And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and
it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat
7:26 And every one
that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house
upon the sand:
Mat
7:27 And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and
it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Mat
7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the
people were astonished at his doctrine:
ROM 10:14
How
then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will
they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear
without a preacher?” But
the Holy Spirit is indispensable and the power behind the proclamation.
Are
you arguing with Paul? The
Holy Spirit works through the Word of God which is preached. No doubt that the apostles
had the power of the Holy Spirit working in them, but we no longer have
apostles, we have God’s Word.
No doubt it is necessary and no doubt it is indispensable. While the Holy Spirit
inspired the apostles to write the New Testament, the Holy Spirit does
force preachers to preach and does not force sinners to hear the Word
of God. It is all
done by man’s free will.
JOH 16:13 "But
when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the
truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He
hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to
come.” The
Holy Spirit reveals the truth to us.
That
is correct but you did not finish the sentence… The Holy
Spirit reveals the truth to us through the Word of God.
Even though this statement is true today (in the way I
explained it above), I have to elaborate on this passage because Jesus
is speaking directly to the apostles in this particular instance. Jesus
is explaining to the apostles that He will no longer be around in human
form to personally teach them because He will soon be departing from
them. However, He
explains that they will have the Holy Spirit to guide them. The power of the Holy
Spirit would be poured out on them so that they would be able to
continue in His teachings until the New Testament could be written. Consider these parallel
passages in Luke and Acts…
Luk
24:49 And, behold, I send the
promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem,
until ye be endued with power from
on high.
Act
1:8 But ye
shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth.
We
also know that this was the promise of the Father spoken to the Jews by
John the Baptizer and spoken to the apostles by Jesus in these parallel
passages...
Mat
3:11 I indeed baptize you with
water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with
fire:
Act
1:4 And, being assembled
together with them,
commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for
the promise of the Father, which, saith he,
ye have heard of me.
Act
1:5 For John truly baptized
with water; but ye shall be baptized
with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Furthermore,
I do not know of any Scripture that supports us today being
miraculously filled with the Holy Spirit like the apostles were and
like Cornelius and his family was.
These were the only two occasions that I am aware of. We do have the Holy Spirit
that works in us through the Word of God though, and it reveals the
truth to us. Then
we have to have faith in the evidence in order to obey what it says. This has to be the only way
the Holy Spirit can work in us, through His word or otherwise
Paul’s argument for the all-sufficiency of the Scriptures in
2 Timothy 3:16-17 would be false.
Consider also what James said…
Jam
1:21 Wherefore lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness
the engrafted word, which is able to
save your souls.
So,
if Paul’s claim in 2 Timothy is true and James statement is
true, then we know that the Word of God is all we need to be saved. Therefore it stands to
reason that the Spirit works through the Word of God.
Again… consider that Jesus also said His words
would give us life…
Joh
6:63 It is the spirit that
quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto
you, they
are spirit, and they
are life.
As
I am reviewing back through what I have written I have decided to
insert a snippet from my webpage here.
I encourage you to read my website as there are some very
good points made there. During
the snippet you will notice that I refer to passages
“above” or “earlier” but I am
obviously referring to what is on the page and not in this discussion
with you. Here is
just a very small snippet from the “WHAT MUST I DO TO BE
SAVED?” page…
There
is no other way to get "in Christ"... in "the church", except through
baptism. Now look at 1 Corinthians 12:13 above once again... notice it
says "...we are all baptized into
one
body..."
and
also look again at Ephesians 4:4-6 above and notice it says "There is
one
body..."
and
that same passage also says "...one Lord, one faith, one
baptism...".
We
can only be baptized into "one
body"
and there can only be "one
baptism".
The reason I point this out so clearly is that some people are mislead
into believing that we are baptized by the Holy Spirit, which is
absolutely false. There is simply no Scripture that anyone can show you
that will support we are baptized by the Holy Spirit. It is clearly a
false doctrine. Consider all the above passages concerning baptism and
see how you can possibly say that we are baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Remember "The like figure..." in 1 Peter
3:21 above (look back at that passage)... the "like figure" is "water",
not the Holy Spirit... and that "like figure" which is "water"... is
referenced when Peter
said "baptism doth also now save us". Scroll back up to what Jesus told
Nicodemus in John 3:1-5... Jesus said "born of water". Consider again
what Ananais was instructed to tell Paul to do...
"And
now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins,
calling on the name of the Lord." There
is simply no way to get around the fact there is only "one baptism" and
that baptism is by "water".
Let
us consider this Holy Spirit baptism a little further so we can nail
the lid shut on this false doctrine. Remember the Great Commission that
I referenced in the very early part of this page... Matthew 28:19-20
and Mark 16:15-16. You may want to scroll back up to the beginning and
read those passages again. Jesus specifically told the apostles to do
something. Jesus told them to go out into all the world and preach the
gospel and to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. Jesus also said those who believe and are baptized
will be saved. Now if baptism was baptism of the Holy Spirit, why would
Jesus tell the apostles to baptize people? Why would Jesus say that
those who believe and are baptized would be saved? Jesus would have had
to say, "those who believe will be baptized by the Holy Spirit"... but
He
did
not
say
that... He said what He said. The "only" time we learn of baptism of
the Holy Spirit is when the power of the Holy Spirit was poured out on
the apostles. There
was one other similar experience with Cornelius and his family which I
will discuss later. Luke records that the apostles were promised the
baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 1 (and it was only promised
to the apostles)...
Acts
1:1-5
The
first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do
and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had
by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To
these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many
convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and
speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem,
but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you
heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Notice
what Jesus tells the apostles about the Holy Spirit... He calls it the
"Spirit of truth"...
John
16:13
"But
when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the
truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He
hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
Jesus
is about to be leaving the apostles and He is explaining to them that
they will no longer have His personal teaching directly from Him in His
human form. However, they will have the Holy Spirit to guide them. They
would all be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit so that they
could continue His teachings until such time as the New Testament could
be documented. Consider the parallel passages referenced below that are
recorded in Luke and in John...
Luke
24:49
And,
behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the
city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
John
14:16-17
And
I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:
but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John
14:25-26 These
things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the
Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John
15:26-27
But
when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall
testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been
with me from the beginning.
Notice
in the above passages how Jesus not only calls the Holy Spirit "...the
Spirit of truth..." but He also calls the Holy Spirit "...the promise
of the Father..." and "...Comforter..." Now pay close attention to the
fact that Jesus said
"These
things have I spoken unto you, being present with you." and
"...because
ye have been with me from the beginning."
This
clearly cannot be directed to us today because Jesus did not speak to
us directly as He was not "present" with us... He was "present" with
the apostles, and we have not been with Him from the beginning as the
apostles were. Also pay close attention to what else Jesus said... "...whom
the world cannot receive..."
There
is no doubt that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was promised only to
the apostles. The apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit so they
could have the words of Jesus to teach with, and so they could do
miraculous signs just as Jesus did. This was to cause people to believe
what they were saying was the truth. I encourage you to read the entire
book of Acts to learn more about how the Holy Spirit worked through the
apostles.
This
only a snippet and I have not finished the entire site on
God’s Way as of yet, but a good bit is almost complete. I still have to do a
little touch up work on the grammar.
It includes some of what I have written to you and there
is much more that we have not talked about as well.
Here
is the URL… http://www.snapbug.ws/GodsWay.htm
ACT 11:15-16 "And
as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon
us at the beginning. "And
I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized
with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'” The Holy Spirit came upon
these Gentiles so that they believed the gospel that was being preached
to them.
Let’s
consider the actual story…
Act
10:34 Then Peter
opened his
mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of
persons:
Act
10:35 But in every nation he
that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Act
10:36 The word which God
sent unto the children of Israel,
preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
Act
10:37 That word, I say,
ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which
John preached;
Act
10:38 How God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good,
and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Act
10:39 And we are witnesses of
all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem;
whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
Act
10:40 Him God raised up the
third day, and shewed him openly;
Act
10:41 Not to all the people, but
unto witnesses chosen before of God, even
to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
Act
10:42 And he commanded us to
preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained
of God to be
the Judge of quick and dead.
Act
10:43 To him give all the
prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him
shall receive remission of sins.
Act
10:44 While Peter
yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the
word.
Act
10:45 And they of the
circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter,
because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy
Ghost.
Act
10:46 For they heard them speak
with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
Act
10:47 Can any man forbid water,
that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost
as well as we?
Act
10:48 And he commanded them to
be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry
certain days.
In
verse 44 we know that before Peter
was completely finished the Holy Spirit fell on them.
My question would be what did they know before the Holy
Spirit fell on them? How
do you actually know that they did not believe based on what Peter
had already said? There
is more evidence that they believed before the Holy Spirit fell on them
than after. In
verse 36 Peter
explains that the “word which God sent” was being
“preached” and in verse 37 he says “That
word, I say, ye know”. Peter
finished the actual gospel message in verse 40 and continued on in
verse 41 explaining how certain ones witnessed Jesus after He had risen. He continued in verse 42
explaining how the apostles were commanded to preach to everyone and he
keeps on talking in verse 43. Now,
how can you prove that Cornelius and his family did not believe
immediately after Peter
was finished with the gospel portion?
There is more evidence that they believed before than
after. As Peter
was preaching God knew Cornelius and the Gentiles would believe or did
believe… after all, consider how Cornelius had been praying
and the memorial went up before God.
There is also no doubt God knew that the Jews were going
to object to the Gentiles being saved.
He obviously used this particular opportunity to show Peter
and the Jews that they could indeed be saved.
There is simply not enough evidence to suggest that we are
baptized by the Holy Spirit based upon this Scripture.
Now let’s consider a verse you left out
above…
Act
11:17 Forasmuch then as God gave
them the like gift as he did
unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I
could withstand God?
Let’s
also go to the Manuscripts on this one to see exactly what it
says… “It then the like
gift gave to them God as also to us, having believed on the Lord Jesus
Christ…”
Now we actually have evidence that they received the like
gift “having believed”.
Who is Luke referencing here?
Was it “them”,
“us”, or both? I believe Cornelius and
the Gentiles believed and then received the “like
gift”. Here
is more evidence…
Act
15:7
And when there had
been much disputing, Peter
rose up, and said unto them, Men and
brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear
the word of the gospel, and believe.
Act
15:8 And God,
which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost,
even as he did
unto us;
Act
15:9 And put no difference
between us and them, purifying their
hearts by faith.
The
Gentiles believed how? Peter
says it was “by my mouth” that they should
“hear the word of the gospel, and believe.” As I stated above, God
knew the Gentiles would believe or did believe… here we
read, “God, which knoweth the hearts” gave them the
Holy Ghost. Then we
read further and learn that their hearts were purified “by
faith.” Very
clearly it was not the Holy Spirit that directly caused them to believe
nor did the gospel preached force them to believe.
It was the Holy Spirit working through Peter
and as a result of their believing and faith, the Holy Spirit was then
poured out on them and they received the like gift.
This method of receiving the Holy Spirit only occurred two
times, at Pentecost with the apostles and in this instance with the
Gentiles. Both
times it was followed by miraculous gifts of some sort.
However the gifts of Cornelius and his family could not
have been the same as the apostles because Cornelius would then have to
be able to claim to be an apostle.
While there is a difference in the actual gifts here,
these two instances were extraordinary and
special. Tell
me this… when did you and I receive miraculous gifts? I know I have not, and if
you have then I am sure it would be well known and you would probably
be worshipping down at the Pentecostal or Holiness Church. The apostles were baptized
with the Holy Spirit so they could have the power of the Spirit to
guide and lead them with the truth.
This happened as a promise that was never even made to
Cornelius and his family, nor was it made to us.
It happened to the apostles so they could know the
absolute truth and do the miraculous signs to convince people to
believe and obey the gospel. It
fell upon Cornelius and his family in a similar manner after they
believed, and in order to give them miraculous gifts to show Peter
and the Jewish Christians that the Gentiles were to be accepted and
saved as well as the Jews. You
know the story here and it was not to cause
the Gentiles to believe… it was to cause the Jews to believe,
and not to believe in the gospel but to believe that the Gentiles could
be saved. There
were other instances when people received some sort of miraculous gift
when hands were laid on them to receive the Holy Spirit, but it was not
via baptism, it was by the laying on of hands.
I cannot even prove that the instance with Cornelius was
actually baptism of the Holy Spirit because clearly it was only
promised to the apostles and not for the world (unsaved sinners). We also know there is only
“one baptism”.
I believe that they received the Holy Spirit, but the
method of receiving it was only similar, not exact, thus not
necessarily baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s
consider Acts 19 to see when some others received the Holy
Spirit…
Act
19:1 And it came to pass, that,
while Apollos was at Corinth,
Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus:
and finding certain disciples,
Act
19:2 He said unto them, Have ye
received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We
have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Act
19:3 And he said unto them,
Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
Act
19:4 Then said Paul, John
verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people,
that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is,
on Christ Jesus.
Act
19:5 When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Act
19:6 And when Paul had laid his
hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with
tongues, and prophesied.
Act
19:7 And all the men were about
twelve.
These
Ephesians had not so much as ever heard of the Holy Ghost when they
believed. We are
told why… because they were baptized by John’s
baptism of repentance. The
baptism of repentance was accepted up and until Christ was crucified,
buried, and resurrected. They
were obviously baptized by some of John’s disciples or
possibly by Apollos before he was instructed in proper obedience to the
Lord…
Act
18:24 And a certain Jew named
Apollos, born at Alexandria,
an eloquent man, and
mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.
Act
18:25 This man was instructed in
the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and
taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of
John.
Act
18:26 And he began to speak
boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila
and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them,
and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
On
the day of Pentecost, Peter
gave the first instructions on the new baptism which is for the
forgiveness of sins. When
these Ephesians heard of the proper baptism they were then re-baptized
for the forgiveness of sins. This
is evidence that we are not baptized by the Holy Spirit when we simply
believe. What I
believe is that after they were baptized properly they would then be
able to receive the Holy Spirit to reside in them as in the manner that
Christ and God make their abode in us when we love Them and obey Their
commandments…
Joh
14:23 Jesus answered and said
unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will
love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Now
for Christ to be in us we must be in Him.
All this harmonizes together when we realize we are
baptized into Christ. At
that time we become in Him and because we love Him and have obeyed His
commandments for salvation, He is then in us…
Act
5:32 And we are his witnesses
of these things; and so is
also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath
given to them that obey him.
I
believe in this way the Holy Spirit is in us… and then
influences us through the Word of God.
When we are saved, Jesus is in us, God is in us, and the
Holy Spirit is in us, they are One in the same.
We do learn that Paul laid his hands upon the twelve
Ephesians and the Holy Ghost came upon them, but this was so they could
have some of the gifts, as we see, tongues and prophecy. The Holy Spirit actually
already dwelled in them because they were saved when they were
re-baptized. We can
read through all of Acts and learn this was common for the apostles to
lay hands on some to receive these gifts and these gifts varied from
person to person…
1Co
12:9 To another faith by the
same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
1Co
12:10 To another the working of
miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to
another divers
kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
Do
not get too excited when Paul states “faith by the same
Spirit” here… this is faith to do miraculous
powers, not faith to obey the gospel.
You
mentioned to me on the phone when we first started discussing all of
this, that when we believe is when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit. I wrote it down when you
told me this. I am
not sure why I really never understood this when I was attending the
Presbyterian Church. Anyway,
several of the passages above would contradict what you suggested to me. It is very clear that the
twelve men in Ephesus
had already believed, but they had not received the Holy Spirit because
they had not been baptized properly for the remission of sins, as Paul
had instructed on the day of Pentecost.
They were never baptized by the Holy Spirit. It is also very clear that
we do not receive the Holy Ghost until we obey God.
The only proof in Scripture that we have of someone
actually receiving the Holy Spirit before water baptism, is in the
incident with Cornelius, which again was special and
extraordinary… and God had a specific purpose for it. And then we cannot
unequivocally say that this was not simply gifts of the Holy Spirit and
not the Holy Spirit which dwells in us.
Peter
did order them to be baptized with water, so it is possible that they
received the Holy Spirit to dwell in them when they were baptized. In my snippet from
my webpage above I mention that Paul clearly teaches us that there is
only “one baptism”. The Scriptures are
absolutely overwhelming that this “one
baptism” is by water. In the incident with
Cornelius, Peter
asks can anyone forbid them water to be baptized.
He later states in his first letter that baptism does also
now save us and references water as the element in his particular
statement. Jesus
said we must be born again by being born of water and the Spirit. The references to water
baptism are numerous and again there can only be “one baptism”…
Eph
4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Understand
that I do not claim that the Holy Spirit does not abide in us or that
we do not receive the Holy Spirit, because we know that Jesus Christ,
God, and the Holy Spirit, are One.
We also know that the “Word was God”
and that God manifests His will through His word.
God’s Word is what influences on us the
opportunity to be saved, and by our obedience to His word we are saved
and the Holy Spirit is given to us.
So the Holy Spirit would indirectly influence us by
God’s Word… again, as stated earlier, not
miraculously. Think
about it, without His word we would not know what to do to be saved. We have to have faith in
it so therefore we would have to have it in our heart and mind and
believe in the evidence. This
begins the renewal process in which we are renewed by the Holy Spirit. Once we obey His
word… obey the gospel… by being water baptized,
we are then renewed by the Holy Spirit…
Tit
3:5 Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved
us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
We
further learn from Paul that being baptized is not a work of ourselves
(works of righteousness) but a work of God’s mercy, because
Paul goes on to tell us the means by which God saved us… the
“washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost.” The
“washing of regeneration” is water baptism. Water baptism is when the
renewing of the Holy Spirit is completed, and the Holy Spirit begins to
dwell in us because we are “in Christ”. The Holy Spirit will
continue to remain in us and us in Him, provided we continue to love
Him and keep His commandments. If
we resist or reject the Holy Spirit by failing to obey the Word of God,
such as failing to be water baptized, then the Holy Spirit will not
abide in us, because God’s Word has no place in our hearts
and minds. We know
that if we are saved and abide in Him, that He will abide in
us… Jesus and God will make their abode in us. So the Holy
Spirit, through His word, dwells in us after we are saved because we
have God’s Word in our heart and mind through our faith. Nowhere can we find
evidence that the Holy Spirit enters us by baptism of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, it cannot be
possible because we know there is only “one
baptism” and that is by water.
This is the evidence I find and it appears this is how it
works or otherwise Scripture would contradict itself.
I
mentioned John 3:5 earlier, but I want to clarify what I believe
concerning the Holy Spirit …
Joh
3:5 Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
I
know I reference water as being the element for baptism and it is in
fact the physical element. There
are obviously two elements to being “born again”
through water baptism that Jesus mentions in this passage, but they
interact in two different ways. We
are physically baptized with water thereby being born of water. Once we have completely
obeyed the gospel (death, burial, resurrection) by being born of water,
we then receive the Holy Spirit to dwell in us thereby being born of
the Spirit. What
has happened is we have perfected our faith, the evidence that is
implanted in our hearts and minds by the Word of God, thus we have the
Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
Follow
with me on a few passages…
First
we have the prophecy of Jesus that we will be born of water and of the
Spirit through water baptism…
Joh
3:5 Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Then
we have the doctrine of being born of water and of the Spirit through
water baptism from Peter…
Act
2:38 Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost.
Then
we have commentary on being born of water and of the Spirit through
water baptism from Paul…
Eph
1:13 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,
Gal
4:6 And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father.
Notice
the progression in each passage. Repenting,
and being born of water and the Spirit, allows us to enter the kingdom
(it saves us). Being
baptized gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit (we receive the Holy
Spirit). Because we
had faith (trusted) that which we heard (the gospel) after we believed
(believing encompasses repentance, confessing and baptism as we note
from the first two passages), we were sealed with the Holy Spirit (born
of the Spirit). Because
we are saved (sons), God has given us the Spirit of His Son (the Holy
Spirit) to abide in our hearts.
Let’s
consider some more verses on preaching and irresistible
grace…
Rom
1:16 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.
Does
the gospel (and the preaching of the gospel) have anything to do with
someone receiving the grace of God?
This verse clearly says that “the gospel of
Christ” is the “power of God unto
salvation” and it is “to everyone that
believeth”. Remember
“unto” means “for” or
“resulting in”.
How do we hear the gospel?
We hear it from the Word of God and it could easily be
from a preacher. Again…
faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
How can we hear without a preacher?
It is also for everyone
who believes, which believing we know includes obeying the gospel as
proven above with numerous Scripture.
So if the gospel results in salvation then how can baptism
of the Holy Spirit result in salvation?
Does the Holy Spirit sprinkle the gospel on our head? The only way the Holy
Spirit can deliver the gospel to us is through the Word of God. We are either going to
have to read it or it has to be preached to us.
In
every conversion example we read of in Acts, the convert responded to
the preaching of the gospel. God
used the Holy Spirit, through the apostles,
to deliver the truth to everyone…
Act
2:4 And they were all filled
with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Col
4:3 Withal praying also for
us, that God would open unto us a
door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ,
for which I am also in bonds:
Col
4:4 That I may make it
manifest, as I ought to speak.
It
is clear that “them” and “us”
are the apostles. Today
we no longer have those apostles walking around so the Holy Spirit is
revealed through the Word of God… the Holy
Scriptures…
Eph
6:17 And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph
6:18 Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Eph
6:19 And for me, that utterance
may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known
the mystery of the gospel,
Eph
6:20 For which I am an
ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to
speak.
Rom
10:17 So then faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word
of God.
Rom
12:2 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.
2Ti
3:16 All
Scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness:
2Ti
3:17 That the man of God may be
perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works.
Here
again we have proof that the Holy Spirit influences us today when we
use the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
If the Holy Spirit works and influences us directly then
this would cause the Word of God to be insufficient for the equipping
of the saints. Every
work of the Holy Spirit in conviction, conversion, and sanctification
is attributed to the Word of God… otherwise the Word of God
is a dead letter. However,
I do not question the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit and His ability to
accomplish any work in accordance with His nature.
The Scriptures are fully capable of and sufficient to
fulfill His plan and a direct operation of the Holy Spirit is not
needed. God has
revealed to us that His word is to serve the function of convicting,
converting, and sanctifying the soul.
Perseverance
of the Saints (Can a Christian fall?)
REV 22:18-19
I
testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:
if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are
written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of
life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” I’m not sure
that I understand this verse as it relates to whether a person can lose
their salvation. I
notice that the Masoretic
text renders it: “May God take away his
part….” I
also note that it does not say that this has happened, that is, that
anyone has “taken away from the words of the book of this
prophecy.” In
fact if we assume that this book, the Revelation, has been preserved
complete for us to this day, doesn’t that mean that it
hasn’t happened?
Why
would we be warned of it if it could not happen?
The Textus Receptus says “aphaireo”
which translated is “shall take away”. Also consider the
following Scripture…
Rev
3:5 He
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white
raiment; and I will not blot out his
name out of the book of life, but I will confess
his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Furthermore…
you are assuming it has never happened by assuming that we have the
book preserved complete for us today.
I can not say that it has not happened because of what I
read in the Manuscripts compared to what I read in all these various
translations. This
would not condemn us necessarily unless someone took out words that
directly influenced our decisions and choices but it would certainly
condemn those that made the changes to suit their own doctrines and
beliefs. I will
just leave it at this… I am glad that at this point in my
life I have studied the Manuscripts and compared them to several of the
translations, especially with the Scriptures concerning salvation. I am also glad to know
there are at least some preachers out there that are actually teaching
the truth, the literal Word of God and not some denominational man-made
doctrine contrary to Scripture… otherwise everyone would be
misled. Again…
I think this is a good example of why Jesus said only a few will find
the way. Only a few
will figure out that what is being taught them through the
denominations is false.
GAL
5:4 You
have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by
law; you have fallen from grace.”
This verse doesn’t say that those people He is
addressing were of the elect. Many
may have “fallen from grace” in the sense that they
have heard the gospel and have even seemed to respond favorably, but do
not persevere. It
does not mean that they were elected to salvation.
See the comments regarding the parable of the soils above.
How
can we fall from grace if we do not have grace?
That would be like saying I fell down but I was never
standing up. I do
not believe you have the understanding right on the parable of the
soils… recall my comments as well.
We also learn the initial reasoning for Paul’s
statement here to the Galatians if we consider it in context…
Gal
5:1 Stand fast therefore in
the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage.
Gal
5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto
you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
Gal
5:3 For I testify again to
every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Gal
5:4 Christ is become of no
effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are
fallen from grace.
Christ
made them free, they were saved, and
there is no doubt about it. It
says it right here in the passage, and
Paul is encouraging them to not try and go back to the Law of Moses
again… as they had been under the heathen bondage once and
if they tried to go back to the Jewish Law they would be under another
bondage. He is
telling them that any of them that have went back to try to be
justified by the Law, that Christ has become of no effect to them, they
have fallen from grace. It
is extremely clear.
1CO
9:27 but
I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have
preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” Once again this
doesn’t say that it has happened.
This verse seems to me to demonstrate that Paul takes very
seriously his responsibility to the gospel and to the Lord Jesus to
“walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Col. 1:10) The same writer, moved by
the same Spirit wrote PHI
1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good
work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Although
it is apparent that Paul’s disqualification did not happen,
he warned of it, thus indicating that it indeed could happen. As long as we continue on
the right track God will continue to work in us to make us closer to
being like Christ. In
Philippians 1:6, Paul is confident of God’s work in the
Philippian brothers to help deliver the gospel and his confidence is
based on past experiences. God
will bring this work to an end… He will bring the gospel to
all of the lands and the work will abide and His work will be perfected. This in no way suggest
that they could not lose their salvation, although there was no reason
for them to lose it as long as they continued in obedience and worked
out their salvation as we learn of later in Philippians…
Phi
2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as
ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in
my absence, work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling.
This
Scripture is further supported in Acts…
Act
2:40 And with many other words
did he testify and exhort, saying, Save
yourselves from this untoward generation.
2PE
2:20-22 For
if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the
knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than
the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy
commandment delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the
true proverb, "A dog returns to its own vomit," and, "A sow, after
washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."
I believe that this verse refers to those who appear to
have been saved, but who have not truly been saved, and therefore
return to obvious and open sin. I
believe that the Lord Jesus refers to some of these people in this
passage: MAT
7:22-23 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your
name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never
knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'
2Pe
2:20 For if after they have
escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and
overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
It
is a fairly good conclusion that “they have escaped the
pollutions (defilements/corruptions) of the world” would
indicate they were converted. Notice
“they are again entangled therein” which would also
indicate they were once untangled.
I have discussed Matthew 7:21-23 several times already. I do not believe those
that Jesus is referring to in Matthew 7:22-23 ever escaped the
defilements of the world. They
just simply thought they were saved but failed to do the will of the
father mentioned in verse 21, which you left out of your comments. The purpose of
Jesus’ comments in verses 22-23 was because of what He said
in verse 21. You
cannot take verses 22-23 out of context to fit your doctrine. You should keep it in
context all the way through verse 29.
Then you will see further evidence as to why they did not
do the will of the Father. They
listened to false teachers for one thing.
Also those who “heareth” the words of
Jesus and do not “doeth them” are not doing the
“will of the Father” so that they can
“enter the kingdom of heaven”.
You are distorting the meaning and taking it out of
context. That is a
no-no.
1TI
1:19-20 keeping
faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered
shipwreck in regard to their faith.
Among these are Hymenaeus
and Alexander, whom I have delivered over to Satan, so that they may be
taught not to blaspheme.”
This verse doesn’t say that these two lost their
salvation, but it is elucidated by another similar verse: 1CO 5:5 I have decided to
deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” The point was not the loss
of his salvation, but rather the preservation of it.
In
1 Timothy 1:19-20, I believe that being “delivered”
to Satan would indicate that they were
“surrendered” or “given
up”… which would further indicate to me that they
were no longer saved. As
far as 1 Corinthians 5:5, I do not believe this verse is meant to
support 1 Timothy 1:19-20 in the way that you suggest…
especially if we consider it in context…
1Co
5:1 It is reported commonly that there
is
fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named
among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
1Co
5:2 And ye are puffed up, and
have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be
taken away from among you.
1Co
5:3 For I verily, as absent in
body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were
present, concerning
him that hath so done this deed,
1Co
5:4 In the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the
power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co
5:5 To deliver such an one
unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be
saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Co
5:6 Your glorying is
not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co
5:7 Purge out therefore the
old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co
5:8 Therefore let us keep the
feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness; but with the unleavened bread
of sincerity and truth.
1Co
5:9 I wrote unto you in an
epistle not to company with fornicators:
1Co
5:10 Yet not altogether with
the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners,
or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
1Co
5:11 But now I have written
unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a
fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or
an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
1Co
5:12 For what have I to do to
judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
1Co
5:13 But them that are without
God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked
person.
I
believe that Paul is teaching that those in the church (in Christ) who
are doing evil things should be disciplined and we should not allow
them to continue to worship with the congregation and furthermore we
should not associate with them on a personal level.
He is explaining to let them go on with their sinful ways
(letting Satan have them) and if we do not associate with them, maybe
they will understand that we are trying to show them their wrong and
perhaps they will repent. I
believe that if they continue on in their sinful ways forever, they
would lose their salvation, by rejecting God and by rejecting His
Spirit through His word, which commands them that they must repent and
ask for forgiveness. Yes,
we want to preserve our brothers salvation if possible, but there is no
guarantee… they must choose on their own will to repent.
HEB 6:4-6
For
in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of
the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and
have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and
then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to
repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and
put Him to open shame.”
I view this verse in the same light as 2 Pet. 2:20-22.
I
probably studied this passage more than any of the others. I know I spent more time
on it. I read every
commentary I could find but I think everyone had some different meaning
and they all ended up causing contradiction in the Scriptures. I am not fond of
commentary. I
finally studied a lectureship on it and found the evidence I needed to
understand it. The
lectureship provided the supporting Scripture for my study and I was
able to put it all together. I
read lectureships on a couple of passages and they do not elaborate
very much with commentary, but instead, point out a lot of supporting
reference Scripture for study. Similarly
to other passages, in order to understand this passage completely, we
must go back and look at the preceding passages, even back into the
previous chapters, which I will reference as I explain this passage of
Scripture. Let’s
start with the preceding passages…
Heb
6:1 Therefore leaving the
principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith
toward God,
Heb
6:2 Of the doctrine of
baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead,
and of eternal judgment.
Heb
6:3 And this will we do, if
God permit.
To
begin with, verse 1 starts out with “Therefore”, so
this is referring back to a conclusion in the previous Scripture before
chapter 6. If we
look at Hebrews chapter 2 and 5 we see what this was…
Heb
2:10 For it became him, for
whom are
all things, and by whom are
all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of
their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Heb
5:9 And being made perfect, he
became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Heb
5:10 Called of God an high
priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Jesus
was qualified to be a high priest; He was made perfect, and the author
of eternal salvation. Next…
Heb
5:11 Of whom we have many
things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
Heb
5:12 For when for the time ye
ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be
the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have
need of milk, and not of strong meat.
We
learn these Hebrew Christians were “dull of
hearing”… they were not understanding the
Scriptures very well. They
needed someone to go back and teach them the “first
principles of the oracles of God’ so they could see that
Jesus was now qualified to be their Savior and High Priest. These people were trying
to go back to the old Jewish system and did not understand it to begin
with or at best they were trying to use a little of both the Jewish and
Christian systems. You
might want to read Hebrews again unless you remember it well. We should understand that
“the first principles of the oracles of God” in 5:12
are the same as “the principles of the doctrine of
Christ” in 6:1 as they both point back to the OT. In 6:1 we read
“Therefore leaving” which means they needed to
“leave behind” the doctrines of the first
principles of Christ or they needed to leave behind the instruction
concerning Christ that was in the beginning so that they could move on
to “perfection”.
We learn what “perfection” was, and
was not, from the following Scripture…
Heb
7:11 If therefore perfection
were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the
law,) what further need was there
that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not
be called after the order of Aaron?
Heb
7:19 For the law made nothing
perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did;
by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Heb
9:9 Which was a
figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and
sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as
pertaining to the conscience;
Heb
10:1 For the law having a
shadow of good things to come, and
not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which
they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto
perfect.
Heb
10:14 For by one offering he
hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Heb
12:2 Looking unto Jesus the
author and finisher of our
faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God.
Christ
was the “perfection” and this is what the writer of
this book is more concerned with than anything else.
As stated above, these Christians were at best straddling
the fence between the old Jewish system and the new Christian system. They could not seem to let
go of the old system completely. They
are encouraged to completely get rid of the old system and start
following the new system. This
obviously would not seem to make sense in light of what the latter half
of 6:1 and the first part of 6:2 says… “not laying
again the foundation of”, and then there are six different
elements listed. All
of these elements at first appear to be related to the Christian system
but are in fact referring to Judaism.
This being the case, now getting rid of the old system
makes more sense. While
some of these elements are still appropriate to Christians, in this
Scripture the writer is not relating them to the Christian system. There is quite a bit of
Scripture that deals with how these six elements are related to Judaism
but I will simply make a comment about each one and maybe provide a few
passages for each one. If
you would like me to furnish all of the Scripture later, I
will… but I will warn you… I referenced a file
cabinet full of Scripture studying these elements.
Okay… maybe that is a slight exaggeration.
The
“repentance from dead works” would not be referring
to Christian repentance because Christian repentance is more
appropriately labeled as simply “repentance” as in
Luke…
Luk
24:47 And that repentance and
remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem.
We
also know from James that dead works in the New Testament times
reference disobedience to God’s will and commandments, not
repentance from dead works. Now
consider Hebrews 9:12 and 10:2…
Heb
9:14 How much more shall the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God?
Heb
10:2 For then would they not
have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged
should have had no more conscience of sins.
The
blood of Christ is “perfect”, He was the
propitiation for our sins, but during the Levitical ceremonies the
cleansing from animal blood was not “perfect” as
this washing left behind “dead works” or
“consciousness of sins”.
The
“faith toward God” refers to OT Jews as they
believed in God. The
Jews after Christ’s death believed in God, but they did not
completely believe in Christ… while the Gentiles struggled
and most of them were ignorant of our one true God.
These Christians were being encouraged not to simply
“believe in God” in the same way their OT fathers
did, but to believe in Christ as well.
They needed to understand that Christ was now the
“perfection” and that they could not just simply
have faith in God alone… verified by what Jesus
said…
Joh
14:1 Let not your heart be
troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
The
“doctrine of baptisms” is referring to the Jewish
cleansing rites which included Levitical rituals or ceremonial washings. The Greek word for
baptisms (plural) is “baptismon” a form of
“baptismos” which is defined as
“washings”. All
Christian baptisms are referred to by the Greek word
“baptisma” or “baptizo”. I am sure you are familiar
with these Greek words. In
the Manuscripts verse 2 actually has the word
“washings” instead of
“baptisms”. The
definition for “baptismos”…
baptismos
Thayer
Definition:
1)
a washing, purification effected by means of water
1a)
of washing prescribed by the Mosaic law (Heb_9:10)
which seems to mean an exposition of the difference between the
washings prescribed by the Mosaic law and Christian baptism
The
word “baptismos” is used only to refer to
“washings” in this sense, as we can learn from the
following Scripture…
Mar
7:4 And when they
come from the
market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be,
which they have received to hold, as the
washing of cups,
and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
Mar
7:8 For laying aside the
commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the
washing of pots
and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Heb
9:10 Which stood
only in meats and drinks, and divers washings,
and carnal ordinances, imposed on them
until the time of reformation.
We
can also differentiate from ceremonial washings and water baptism that
saves, in the following verse…
1Pe
3:20 Which sometime were
disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1Pe
3:21 The like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also
now save us (not the putting away of
the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
The
“putting away of the filth of the flesh” refers to
Jewish ceremonial washings which was only a purification of the flesh. Whereas water
“baptism” that “doth also now save
us” is referring to “the answer of a good
conscience toward God”… water baptism is our new
way of purifying our souls in obedience to the truth (remember 1 Peter
1:22).
By
the way… on a side note…
“washing” is always by
“immersion”… “of sunken
vessels”. If
we study the Greek word for “tables” in Mark 7:4,
we learn that in the Greek days, cloth roll up beds were considered
tables and were immersed for cleaning.
So to say that tables cannot be immersed, which is
suggested by the Confession, claiming baptism or washing would not
always mean immersion, is not accurate.
Baptism is immersion… not sprinkling. If we study secular
history that covered approximately 500 years in the early first
century, we learn that the word “baptizo” was used
to describe ships that sank at sea.
It never had a meaning of sprinkling.
The apostles would have been perplexed had someone
suggested sprinkling for baptism in their day.
This change in the method was first brought about by the
Roman Catholic Church and has been carried forward as traditions of men. The change was never
authorized by God, but some men do not seem to care what God desires. Furthermore there are a
few literal translations (ESB and ISB) that use the word
“immerse” instead of “baptize”. The Confession’s
verses to support sprinkling are misapplied horrendously. I am literally shocked that
you ever bought into this. I
can understand someone like me stumbling into the false teaching, but
you?
The
“laying on of hands” refers again to Levitical
rituals when those offering sacrifices laid hands on their animals. We see many examples of
this in the following Scripture…
Lev
1:4 And he shall put his hand
upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him
to make atonement for him.
Lev
3:2 And he shall lay his hand
upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the
priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Lev
4:4 And he shall bring the
bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the
LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the
bullock before the LORD.
Lev
4:15 And the elders of the
congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before
the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.
Lev
4:24 And he shall lay his hand
upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the
burnt offering before the LORD: it is a
sin offering.
Laying
on of hands was also part of the consecration of the priests…
Exo
29:10 And thou shalt cause a
bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and
Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.
Lev
8:14 And he brought the bullock
for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the
head of the bullock for the sin offering.
It
was even a ritual on the annual Day of Atonement which followed the
sacrifice that was made for all of God’s people and involved
the laying on of hands with all Jews…
Lev
16:15 Then shall he kill the
goat of the sin offering, that is for
the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood
as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy
seat, and before the mercy seat:
Lev
16:16 And he shall make an
atonement for the holy place,
because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel,
and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he
do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in
the midst of their uncleanness.
Lev
16:17 And there shall be no man
in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an
atonement in the holy place,
until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his
household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
Lev
16:18 And he shall go out unto
the altar that is
before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the
blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it
upon the horns of the altar round about.
Lev
16:19 And he shall sprinkle of
the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and
hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Lev
16:20 And when he hath made an
end of reconciling the holy place,
and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring
the live goat:
Lev
16:21 And Aaron shall lay both
his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the
iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in
all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him
away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
These
offerings are alluded to in Hebrews 5:3 but we learn in 7:27
that Christ only had to offer himself…
Heb
5:3 And by reason hereof he
ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
Heb
7:27 Who needeth not daily, as
those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and
then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
The
“resurrection of the dead” was also revealed in the
OT and was nothing new to these people…
Job
19:25 For I know that
my redeemer liveth, and that
he shall stand at the latter day
upon the earth:
Job
19:26 And though
after my skin worms
destroy this body,
yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Job
19:27 Whom I shall see for
myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though
my reins be consumed within me.
Isa
26:19 Thy dead men
shall live, together with
my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust:
for thy dew is as
the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Dan
12:2 And many of them that
sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and
everlasting contempt.
It
was a common belief of the Jews in the NT as well…
Act
24:14 But this I confess unto
thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God
of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in
the prophets:
Act
24:15 And have hope toward God,
which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of
the dead, both of the just and unjust.
Act
26:6 And now I stand and am
judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:
Act
26:7 Unto which promise
our twelve tribes, instantly serving God
day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am
accused of the Jews.
Act
26:8 Why should it be thought a
thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?
Jesus
quoted Exodus concerning the resurrection of the dead…
Luk
20:37 Now that the dead are
raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God
of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Luk
20:38 For he is not a God of the
dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.
Luk
20:39 Then certain of the
scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.
Luk
20:40 And after that they durst
not ask him any question at all.
Finally,
“eternal judgment” was again another doctrine that
was well known in the OT days…
Jud
1:14 And Enoch also, the
seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh
with ten thousands of his saints,
Jud
1:15 To execute judgment upon
all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their
ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches
which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Ecc
11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in
thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and
walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but
know thou, that for all these things
God will bring thee into judgment.
Isa
26:21 For, behold, the LORD
cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for
their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no
more cover her slain.
It
is not necessarily any one of these elements that the writer of the
Hebrews letter is trying to get them to eliminate but rather these
elements are central to Judaism and the OT system.
The writer is trying to convince them that there is no
perfection in the Levitical priesthood.
The entire letter of Hebrews is focusing on turning these
Jewish Christians away from their old system and to completely follow
the “perfect” Christian system.
Understanding
those first few verses of Hebrews 6 allows us to better understand
verses 4-6…
Heb
6:4 For it is
impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb
6:5 And have tasted the good
word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb
6:6 If they shall fall away,
to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves
the Son of God afresh, and put him to
an open shame.
Your
understanding of this Scripture is that these were not true Christians
to begin with, they were superficial Christians.
The five elements that I just discussed and the initial
state of repentance mentioned in verse 6 could only be referring to
true Christians… the Hebrew Christians… and in
fact would prove that we could indeed fall from a full state of grace. We should note that the
word “If” that begins verse 6 is not in any
Manuscripts. While
it is scripturally evident that some Christians can fall to a point of
no return, verse 4 is not referring to this point with the word
“impossible”.
This passage of Scripture was written to the Hebrew
Christians warning them not to fall away as some had already done. As I have shown, they were
in danger of going back to the OT Levitical system with its high
priesthoods and sacrifices, and this letter was written to try to
prevent them from doing so. The
writer wanted to show them the superiority of Christ and Christianity
over Judaism. The
point of the word “impossible” is to warn them that
if they do happen to fall back into Judaism then it would not be possible
(or it would be impossible) for them to be spiritually renewed through
that old system. We
learn of this similar warning later on in Hebrews…
Heb
10:26 For if we sin wilfully
after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth
no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb
10:27 But a certain fearful
looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries.
Heb
10:28 He that despised Moses'
law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb
10:29 Of how much sorer
punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden
under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant,
wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite
unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb
10:30 For we know him that hath
said, Vengeance belongeth
unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall
judge his people.
Heb
10:31 It is
a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Ultimately,
this Scripture is not about falling away in general, but rather falling
back into Judaism, although it does prove one can lose their salvation. The old system was limited
and has been taken away… it cannot bring perfection like the
New Covenant is able to do. Therefore,
it is “impossible” for the Old Covenant to
“renew them again unto repentance” because under
the old system “there remaineth no more sacrifice for
sins”. It
is not impossible for those that fall away to be brought back to
Christianity, but it is impossible for Judaism to save them. We may not be in danger
ourselves of falling back into Judaism but we can certainly fall in to
a continual state of sin or be led astray by false teachers and false
doctrines causing us to be lost in the end.
We can prevent this by remaining faithful to
God’s Word, which can build us up and help us discern between
good and evil…
Joh
8:51 "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone
keeps My word he will never see death."
Act
20:32 And now, brethren, I
commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to
build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are
sanctified.
Heb
5:14 But strong meat belongeth
to them that are of full age, even
those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both
good and evil.
On
a side note… the encouragement in Acts 20:32
comes after a warning that Judaism teachers will try to mislead and
teach the Gentile Christians that they must follow the old system.
2PE
1:10 Therefore,
brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling
and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will
never stumble;” To me this verse simply exhorts us to uphold
the responsibility to prove our salvation, to demonstrate to the
watchers in heaven and on earth as Job was called to do, to remain
steadfast in our devotion to God.
2Pe
1:4 Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust.
2Pe
1:5 And beside this, giving
all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe
1:6 And to knowledge
temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe
1:7 And to godliness brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2Pe
1:8 For if these things be in
you, and abound, they make you that
ye shall
neither be
barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Pe
1:9 But he that lacketh these
things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he
was purged from his old sins.
2Pe
1:10 Wherefore the rather,
brethren, give diligence to make
your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall
never fall:
2Pe
1:11 For so an entrance shall
be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The
big little word here is “if”…
“if ye do these things” or “for as long
as you practice these things”.
So what if you or I or any other Christian do
not do these things?
Will we still never
fall? Oh, I forgot,
your doctrine would say that if we do not do these things we were never
standing up to begin with. But
then we were “purged”
from our old sins, so that would not make sense in this case. It is interesting how
“purged” is defined…
katharismos
a
washing off, that is,
(ceremonially) ablution,
cleansing, + purge, purification, (-fying).
Very
interesting indeed!
It
is also interesting to see so many other verses that have that big
little word “if”…
Act
8:22 "Therefore repent of this
wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if
possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.
In
this verse the word “if” is definitely in the
Manuscripts, and this sin is so grievous that Peter
doubts whether it can be forgiven even with repentance and prayer. More
“if” passages… and a
“might” one too…
Heb
3:6 But Christ as a son over
his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the
confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Heb
10:36 For ye have need of
patience, that, after ye have done
the will of God, ye might
receive the promise.
Heb
10:37 For yet a little while,
and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Heb
10:38 Now the
just shall live by faith: but if
any man
draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
1Jo
2:3 And hereby we
do know that we know him, if
we keep his commandments.
There
are plenty more… if you have a Bible software
program you can do a search and read all of them.
2JO
1:8 Watch
yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that
you may receive a full reward.”
Is a full reward that which God intends for us as opposed
to a partial reward which is something left after we have deprived
ourselves of some of it through our sin and our lack of faith? I do not believe that this
relates to our salvation, but to the glory or reward, the honor, we
receive in heaven which we enjoy by having done the good works which
God created for us to walk in. Eph.
2:10
2Jo
1:8 Look to yourselves, that
we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a
full reward.
2Jo
1:9 Whosoever transgresseth,
and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jo
1:10 If there come any unto
you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your
house, neither bid him God speed:
The
key here is that we must be careful not to lose what we have
accomplished (salvation), due to transgressions, and failing to abide
in the doctrine of Christ. If
we have learned this doctrine of Christ and have wrought salvation,
then we must not allow someone who is preaching a different doctrine
other than what Christ taught, persuade us to follow that false
doctrine. If we did
follow that false doctrine we would lose what we accomplished. Now what exactly is a
“lack of faith”?
If we lack faith after we are saved then surely we have
fallen. Faith is a
must, if we lose faith, we lose all.
JUD
1:21 keep
yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”
Would you take this as a directive to live in fear lest we
lose our salvation at any moment?
Do you really think that the God who sent His Son to live
and die for us wants us to live like that?
What do you think of I John 5:13?
“These things I have written to you who believe
in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have
eternal life.” Why
would He want us to know it if it
could change on a moments notice?
Does it really only matter what we do last before we die? What kind of a
promise-keeping God would set up such a system?
Besides, did He not do this?
(PSA 139:16) “Thine
eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all
written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not
one of them.” Even
the number of our days was determined by God before we were ever even
created.
Now
look, I cannot help that you interpret a bad translation to mean what
you ask. The answer
to your questions are “no”.
Let’s consider the passage in context…
Jud
1:20 But ye, beloved, building
up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Jud
1:21 Keep yourselves in the
love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life.
Jud
1:22 And of some have
compassion, making a difference:
Jud
1:23 And others save with fear,
pulling them
out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
In
context and from the Manuscripts, I understand this to mean that we
should continue to grow in the faith by loving and praying to God. Jude has just warned of
false teachers. Some
may be trouble by these false teachers.
To those who we know that are troubled, doubting, or
having problems with sin, we should wait for God’s mercy to
work in them. We
should be compassionate to them so that we will make a difference in
them. With some
(including the false teachers) we should snatch them away from their
sins by stern preaching and vigorous effort.
We should mercifully point out their sin and pull them out
of the fire while at the same time detesting their sins. We should try to help keep
Christian brothers and sisters from falling from grace, as well as
attempt to convert the false teachers.
Now I wonder what would make you think that our salvation
could change on a moments notice.
I do not believe that would happen very often, if ever, I
have really not given it much thought (on a moment’s notice
that is). As stated
in my last comments, I believe it would be after a sinful pattern has
developed and I think we would know if we chose to walk away and deny
God. It would be
fairly evident in our life. Again,
I just do not believe losing our salvation is a common thing to happen. What I do not want to do
is live my life not knowing whether I am saved until I just happen to
persevere to the last day… waiting at judgment for God to
tell me whether or not I was one of the pre-selected individually
elected. I believe
I explained this earlier. I
do not believe that just because I commit a sin or sins, and happen to
die before I can ask God for forgiveness, that somehow this sin is
going to cause me to lose my salvation.
God knows our hearts and He is a just and righteous God. Now if I choose to
completely walk away from God, after knowing that I have done what He
has commanded me to do (obey the gospel),
then I could lose my salvation.
If I choose to fall into a disgraceful pattern of sin and
remain in it, and God sees that I am not going to repent of it, I will
lose my salvation. I
fully believe God knows our heart completely and knows what our
intentions are. The
one that loses his salvation is blatantly denying God.
I do not believe it is a matter of a sin here or there or
even a temporary setback into a sinful pattern.
We are not perfect within ourselves and we simply cannot
live a sinless life… I completely understand this. Probably my biggest fear
would be false teachings which are warned of so often in the
Scriptures… more particularly the false teachings of those
who have divided the one true church with false doctrines of men and
traditions of men. Those
are easy to get swallowed up in and I think most people never get saved
to begin with because of these false doctrines.
The Bible warns us over and over and over of the fact
there will be false teachers, yet many refuse to believe it. Let’s consider
some of this Scripture…
Gal
1:6 I marvel that ye are so
soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto
another gospel:
Gal
1:7 Which is not another; but
there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal
1:8 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.
Gal
1:9 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.
Gal
1:10 For do I now persuade men,
or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should
not be the servant of Christ.
1Ti
4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti
4:2 Speaking lies in
hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Jer
14:14 Then the LORD said unto
me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither
have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you
a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of
their heart.
Mat
7:15 Beware of false prophets,
which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves.
Mat
24:11 And many false prophets
shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat
24:24 For there shall arise
false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were
possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
2Co
11:3 But I fear, lest by any
means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds
should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co
11:12 But what I do, that I will
do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that
wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
2Co
11:13 For such are
false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the
apostles of Christ.
2Co
11:14 And no marvel; for Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Pe
2:1 But there were false
prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying
the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
1Jo
4:1 Beloved, believe not every
spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false
prophets are gone out into the world.
2Ti
4:1 I solemnly charge you
in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living
and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
2Ti
4:2 preach the word; be ready
in season and
out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and
instruction.
2Ti
4:3 For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting
to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves
teachers in accordance to their own desires,
2Ti
4:4
and will turn away
their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
Heb
13:9 Do not be carried away by
varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be
strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so
occupied were not benefited.
Paul
commends the Corinthians because they held true to the traditions that
were delivered to them…
1Co
11:2 Now I praise you,
brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances,
as I delivered them
to you.
Now,
what do I think of 1 John 5:13… let’s
see…
1Jo
5:1 Whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that
begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
1Jo
5:2 By this we know that we
love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jo
5:3 For this is the love of
God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not
grievous.
1Jo
5:4 For whatsoever is born of
God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the
world, even
our faith.
1Jo
5:5 Who is he that overcometh
the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1Jo
5:6 This is he that came by
water and blood, even
Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the
Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1Jo
5:7 For there are three that
bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and
these three are one.
1Jo
5:8 And there are three that
bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and
these three agree in one.
1Jo
5:9 If we receive the witness
of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God
which he hath testified of his Son.
1Jo
5:10 He that believeth on the
Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath
made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of
his Son.
1Jo
5:11 And this is the record,
that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jo
5:12 He that hath the Son hath
life; and
he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jo
5:13 These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye
may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name
of the Son of God.
Whoever
chooses to believe (obey the gospel) will become a child of God. Supported also
by…
Rom
1:5 By whom we have received
grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations,
for his name:
You
should note that in Romans 1:5 we see the reason we receive
grace…”for obedience to the faith”. I do not see how you could
argue, based on this one passage alone, that we do not have to obey to
receive grace.
We
must love God’s children, our brothers and sisters in Christ. We know we have this love
if we love God and obey His commandments.
Joh
14:23 Jesus answered and said
unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will
love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Very
interestingly, after confirming that we, the saved, have overcome the
world in verse 5, we read in verse 6 that we came by water and blood,
just like Jesus did…
Joh
1:31 And I knew him not: but
that he should be made manifest to Israel,
therefore am I come baptizing with water.
John
came to baptize so that Christ would be complete.
Christ was manifested and anointed when baptized by John
the Baptizer in the Jordan River. We also read in verse 6
that the Spirit bears witness because the Spirit is the truth (the Word
of God). So we have
three witnesses on earth, the baptism of Jesus, the shed of His blood
on the cross, and the Spirit, which is God’s testimony
written on record in the Scriptures.
While God’s witness is naturally greater, we
also have the witness of men when they are saved.
To sum it all up, it appears that we know we are saved if
we have obeyed the gospel and placed ourselves in Christ. He has written these
things (from verse 1 to verse 12) so that we can know.
All of these verses show us how we know.
This passage supports what John wrote in chapter
2…
1Jo
2:3 And hereby we do know that
we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jo
2:4 He that saith, I know him,
and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in
him.
1Jo
2:5 But whoso keepeth his
word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that
we are in him.
I
wonder what I think about Psalms 139:16 as well…
Psa
139:16 Thine eyes did see my
substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members
were written, which
in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was
none of them.
Let
me help you clear an obvious misunderstanding you have of this passage. Before we were even formed
in the womb, God knew the numbers of our days.
Let’s keep in mind here that “my
members” was added by men of the protestant reformation and
is not in the Lexicon concordance…
“Thine eyes did
see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all were
written, in continuance were fashioned, when none of them.”
He
also knew how our form (bodies) would be complete (moulded or
fashioned) while in the womb. Nowhere
does this verse indicate that God actually chose the number of our
days… He simply foreknew them because He is all-knowing. Now if you would not take
passages out of context you would understand their meaning much better. You have really surprised
me with how much you have done this throughout this discussion. Either you are doing this
or intentionally trying to deceive me, it has to be one or the other. Read all of Psalms 139 and
pay particular attention to how David starts the chapter and how it
flows through verse 18…
Psa
139:1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
Psa
139:2 You
know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my
thought from afar.
Psa
139:3 You
scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted
with all my ways.
Psa
139:4 Even before there is a
word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You
know it all.
Psa
139:5 You have enclosed me
behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.
Psa
139:6 Such
knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I
cannot attain to it.
Psa
139:7 Where can I go from Your
Spirit? Or where can I flee from
Your presence?
Psa
139:8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I
make my bed in Sheol, behold, You
are there.
Psa
139:9 If I take the wings of the
dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Psa
139:10 Even there Your hand will
lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
Psa
139:11 If I say, "Surely the
darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,"
Psa
139:12 Even the darkness is not
dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness
and light are alike to
You.
Psa
139:13 For You formed my inward
parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.
Psa
139:14 I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful
are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.
Psa
139:15 My
frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in
secret, And
skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Psa
139:16 Your
eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for
me, When as yet there was not one of them.
Psa
139:17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O
God! How vast is the sum of them!
Psa
139:18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
Surely
you can see that David is showing the omniscience and omnipresence of
God. This is how He
knows the number of our days, because He is all-knowing… not
because He has decided ahead of time how many they would be.
Let’s
consider some more Scripture in Galatians that I was reading when
studying Galatians 5:4…
Gal
5:13 For, brethren, ye have
been called unto liberty; only use
not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one
another.
Gal
5:14 For all the law is
fulfilled in one word, even
in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Gal
5:15 But if ye bite and devour
one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
Gal
5:16 This I
say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the
flesh.
Gal
5:17 For the flesh lusteth
against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would.
Gal
5:18 But if ye be led of the
Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Gal
5:19 Now the works of the flesh
are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal
5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal
5:21 Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before,
as I have also told you in
time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God.
In
this Scripture Paul is clearly speaking to your doctrine’s
so-called “elect” or the saved brothers. He is advising them to
walk in the Spirit so that they do not fulfill the lust of the flesh
(verse 16). In
verse 21 he warns them that “they which do such
things” as described in verses 19-21, “shall not
inherit the kingdom of God.” So, can your so-called
“elect” do any of these things?
If they can’t then why did Paul waste his ink
and write that they could? If
your elect do these things and continue in them, will they inherit the kingdom
of God? If they will inherit the kingdom
of God…
is Paul a liar? No,
Paul is not the liar here, your doctrine is.
Let’s
also consider James 5…
Jam
5:19
Brethren, if any of you do
err from the truth, and one convert him;
Jam
5:20 Let him know, that he
which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul
from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
It
is very evident that James is writing to Christians.
He warns them that if any of them err from the truth and
become un-converted, and then someone converts them back from the error
of his ways, they would be saving a soul from spiritual death. We know we cannot convert
someone back that has not been un-converted… you know, we
must be standing in order to fall.
I
believe clearly we can fall… unless we endure…
Mat
24:9 "Then they will deliver you to
tribulation, and will kill you, and you
will be hated by all nations because of My name.
Mat
24:10 "At that time many
will fall away and will betray one another and hate
one another.
Mat
24:11 "Many false prophets will arise and
will mislead many.
Mat
24:12 "Because lawlessness is increased,
most people's love will grow cold.
Mat
24:13 "But
the one who endures to the end, he
will be saved.
Mat
24:14 "This
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a
testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Note
also that the gospel will be preached to the whole world…
now why would that be necessary if God was not going to give everyone
an opportunity? Because
He desires everyone to be saved..
Act
20:28 "Be
on guard for yourselves and for all the flock,
among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd
the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
Act
20:29 "I know that after my
departure savage wolves will come in
among you, not sparing the flock;
Act
20:30 and
from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to
draw away the disciples after them.
2Ti
2:5 Also if anyone competes as
an athlete, he does not win the
prize unless he competes according to the rules.
The
Scriptures clearly tell us that some will indeed fall away and what we
must do to prevent it…
1Ti
4:1 Now the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart
from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils;
1Ti
4:2 Speaking lies in
hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1Ti
4:16 Take heed unto thyself,
and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for
in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
“They”
Use:
ROM
9:11-13 for
though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or
bad, in order that God's purpose according to His choice might stand,
not because of works, but because of Him who calls, it was said to her,
"The older will serve the younger."
Just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." Oops, it looks like your
adviser has forgotten something. The
“they” who is using this to support the doctrine of
election is none other than the apostle Paul, and that under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These
verses and their application was divinely inspired.
Are you questioning this application?
I
was advised to study this Scripture and I did.
Paul, nor any of the other apostles ever mentioned the
“doctrine of election”.
The “doctrine of election” is a
man-made doctrine created by none other that John Calvin, who was
uninspired and unauthorized to do such.
If it was inspired and authorized it would have been in
the Scriptures and we would not need a man to create and write it again
for us. I
elaborated on this Scripture previously and commented on it again a
little later, but let’s look at it even a little closer. I think you already agree
with me on this 100%, as you state a little later.
Rom
9:11 (For the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of
him that calleth;)
Rom
9:12 It was said unto her, The
elder shall serve the younger.
Rom
9:13 As it is written, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
In
verse 11 when we read “election”, this is referring
to the fact that God had to choose a family from which the Messiah
would come. The
Messianic line could not come from both children.
The Messiah would come from the family of Jacob. This does not imply that
Jacob and his descendants were elected to go to heaven, and Esau and
his descendants elected to go to hell.
God chose Jacob’s descendants to be the nation
from which the Messiah would come.
Later God changed Jacob’s name to Israel
and that name represented the nation.
Isa
41:8 But thou, Israel,
art
my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
This is also true for
Abraham as well… God chose the Messiah to come through
Abraham who was faithful.
Gen
13:16 And I will make thy seed
as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the
earth, then
shall thy seed also be numbered.
These
men were not “elected” to go to heaven…
they were chosen for certain earthly tasks in the same way Paul was in
Acts 9…
Act
9:15 But the Lord said unto
him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name
before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Noah
was chosen to build the ark because he had shown himself to be obedient
and faithful to God. He
and his household were saved because they chose to obey God and build
and enter the ark. As
explained earlier… those who got on the ark were saved. In the same way, we must
get into the church (in Christ) to be saved.
Those who are in the church will be saved when destruction
comes, just as those in the ark were saved when destruction came. What must we do to get
“in Christ” or in “the church”? We must be baptized into
Christ… which we will discuss in depth next.
This is all supported by what Peter
says in 1 Peter
3:20-21, which I explained earlier and you
advised me on the phone would not be so easy to get around explaining
that it did not mean we must be water baptized…
1Pe
3:20 Which sometime were
disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1Pe
3:21 The
like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away
of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward
God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
1PE
2:9 But
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for
God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who
has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”. I
suppose that the conclusion here is that God chose a group, an
institution, rather than the individuals who make it up. I gather this from the
next statement.
“The
church is predestined for eternal life, not individuals. We must get
into the church where salvation is.” Now
where did you read this in the Bible?
Are you going to tell me that everyone who is
“in the church” is saved and going to heaven? I guess then that all one
must do is get on the [the “right”] church role,
and their salvation is assured. Surely
you can look around you and make some easy and elementary observations
and know that this cannot possibly be true, even if you don’t
read anything else in the Bible.
Where
in the Bible did you read “mankind is totally
depraved”, “mankind is unconditionally
elected”, “mankind is saved by irresistible
grace”, “all saints will persevere and never lose
salvation”? I
suppose this is a good time to elaborate on “the
church” since it is clearly explained in the Scriptures. I have been involved in a
few churches since about 1987 (I am not counting the ones when I was a
kid because I only went because mama made me go).
I have been involved with the Presbyterian Church (2 of
them – Troy
and Prattville) as
you are aware, and the Baptist Church (3
of them), and since the time I was saved I have become a member of the
church body of Christ or “the church” because I was
baptized into Christ. I
was not put on some man’s “role” but
rather joined into Christ’s body, His church…
“the church”.
We learn that the saved are indeed added members of
Christ’s body and become “in Christ”, and
that Christ’s body is “the church”, in
several verses…
Act
2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized:
and the same day there were added unto them
about three thousand souls.
Act
2:47 Praising God, and having
favour with all the people. And the Lord added
to the church daily such as should be saved.
1Co
1:2 Unto the
church of God
which is at Corinth,
to them that are sanctified in
Christ Jesus, called to be
saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ
our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1Co
6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?
shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them
the members of an harlot? God forbid.
1Co
12:12 For as the body is one,
and hath many members, and all the
members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co
12:13 For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body,
whether we be
Jews or Gentiles, whether we be
bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co
12:14 For the body
is not one member, but many.
1Co
12:15 If the foot shall say,
Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of
the body?
1Co
12:16 And if the ear shall say,
Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of
the body?
1Co
12:17 If the whole body were
an eye, where were
the hearing? If the whole were
hearing, where were
the smelling?
1Co
12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in
the body, as it hath pleased him.
1Co
12:27 Now ye
are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Eph
5:29 For no man ever yet hated
his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the
Lord the church:
Eph
5:30 For we
are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his
bones.
Eph
5:31 For this cause shall a man
leave his father and mother, and shall
be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one
flesh.
Eph
5:32 This is a great mystery:
but I speak concerning Christ and
the church.
Eph
1:21 Far above all
principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that
is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Eph
1:22 And hath put all things
under his feet, and gave him to be
the head over all things
to the church,
Eph
1:23 Which
is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in
all.
Clearly
the church is His body and we are added to His body when we are saved.
Col
1:24 Who now rejoice in my
sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions
of Christ in my flesh for his body's
sake, which is the church:
1Pe
5:13 The
church that is
at Babylon,
elected together with
you,
saluteth you; and so doth
Marcus my son.
Who
does the church belong to? Who
is the head of the church? Jesus
said it was “my church” and that He would
“build” it. He
purchased it with His own blood, He is the savior of the body, and He
gave Himself up for the church.. So
what was he going to build it with?
He would build it up with members, the saved, the called
out.
Mat
16:18 And I say also unto thee,
That thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it.
Joh
10:14 I
am the good shepherd, and know my sheep,
and am known of mine.
Joh
10:15 As the Father knoweth me,
even so know I the Father: and I lay
down my life for the sheep.
Act
20:28 Take heed therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath
made you overseers, to feed the church
of God,
which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Eph
5:23 For the husband is the
head of the wife, even as Christ is
the head of the church: and he
is the saviour of the body.
Eph
5:25 Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it;
Col
1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things
he might have the preeminence.
The
church is not simply some building somewhere… it is where
the saved are… which is in Christ.
Look where Paul went to arrest the saved who were in
“the church”.
He persecuted “the church”…
was it a building?
Act
8:3 As for Saul, he made
havock of the church, entering into
every house, and haling men and women committed them
to prison.
1Co
15:9 For I am the least of the
apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
Gal
1:13 For ye have heard of my
conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond
measure I persecuted the church of God, and
wasted it:
“The
church” had to gather together.
Act
14:27 And when they were come,
and had gathered the church together,
they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened
the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
The
saved are referred to as “the church”.
1Co
10:32 Give none offence, neither
to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the
church of God:
What
more is “the church” composed of that would include
the saved? Apostles,
prophets, and teachers, they are all considered part of “the
church”.
1Co
12:28 And God hath
set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly
teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of
healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
Now…
somehow you are going to try to convince me that I do not have to be in
“the church” to be saved?
How in the world could you ever expect me to believe this? Surely… most surely… you jest. How could you possibly
even begin to refute all this Scripture.
The Scriptures very clearly
tell us that we must be in “the church” (in Christ)
to be saved. Now
let’s consider again… how
do we get “in
Christ”… into
“the church”?
Mat
28:19 Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mar
16:16 He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but
he that believeth not shall be damned.
Act
2:38 Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost.
Act
2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the
same day there were added unto
them about three thousand
souls.
Act
8:12 But when they
believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom
of God,
and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized,
both men and women.
Act
8:13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized,
he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding
the miracles and signs which were done.
Act
8:36 And as they went on their
way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water;
what doth hinder me to be baptized?
Act
9:18 And immediately there fell
from his eyes as it had been scales: and he
received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Act
10:48 And he
commanded them to be baptized in the name of the
Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Act
16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes;
and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
Act
18:8 And Crispus, the chief
ruler of the synagogue, believed on
the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing
believed, and were baptized.
Act
19:5 When they heard this,
they were baptized
in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Act
22:16 And now why tarriest thou?
arise, and be baptized, and wash away
thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Rom
6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into
Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
1Co
10:2 And were all
baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co
12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,
whether we be
Jews or Gentiles, whether we be
bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Gal
3:27 For
as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
I
think it is pretty clear! But…
maybe this Scripture does not mean what it says, to you. I
can hardly imagine you would believe this, but still let’s
look at “the church” a little further. When we hear a preacher
speaking of the church during his sermon, he is usually referring to
the particular church he is a pastor of.
A Baptist preacher will read a particular passage with the
word “church” and apply it to the Baptist
Church. A Methodist preacher will
do the same and so will a Presbyterian preacher.
However, the “church” he reads of
cannot refer to or be applied to all of them.
If these passages refer to the Baptist Church
then they cannot refer to the Presbyterian Church, because they are two
different institutions. To
which one does it refer then? The
word “church” is used in the New Testament over 100
times (116 KJV according to my KJC in my e-sword software) and not one
time does it refer to the Baptist, Methodist, or Presbyterian
Churches,
nor any other denomination. I
see where it reads “the church”, “the
church of God”, “the churches of Christ”,
“the church of the first-born”, but most of the
time it just refers to “the church”. What is the definition of
the Greek word for “church”?
ekklēsia
Strong’s
Definition:
A
“calling
out”,
that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially
a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue,
or Christian community of members on
earth or saints in heaven or both): - assembly,
church.”
ekklēsia
Thayer’s
Definition:
1)
a gathering of citizens called out
from their homes into some public place, an assembly
1a)
an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council
for the purpose of deliberating
1b)
the assembly of the Israelites
1c)
any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously
1d)
in a Christian sense
1d1)
an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting
1d2)
a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation
through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own
religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to
regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake
1d3)
those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and
are united into one body
1d4)
the whole body of Christians
scattered throughout the earth
1d5)
the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into
heaven
The
word “ecclesia” translated
“church” is typically referred to as the
“called out”.
I think we both can agree that a good definition for the
scriptural “church” would be the “called
out” or “the saved”.
The meaning and significance of the “called
out” in the Scriptures is considered the body of people that
have been called out of this world, out of sin and into Christ, “in
Christ” or “the
saved”. It
in no way refers to any denomination.
The Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian, all teach that
you can be saved without becoming a member of any church. Does this mean we can be
saved and not be among the “called out”? Let’s consider a
few verses…
Act
2:47 Praising God, and having
favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the
church daily such as
should be saved.
Act
8:1 And Saul was consenting
unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all
scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria,
except the apostles.
Act
20:28 Take heed therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath
made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which
he hath purchased with his own blood.
Is
there anyway that you could substitute the word
“church” with “Baptist”,
“Methodist”, or “Presbyterian”? No…
because we do not have a “license” to do so
(although you do on some verses).
Do I have to be a member of one of these three churches,
or any denomination for that matter, in order to be saved? No denomination could
claim this because if they did then all the others would be condemned. Most denominations will
simply require the supposedly saved person to make a profession of
faith explaining that they have prayed a prayer (typically called the
“sinners prayer”, which is not scriptural) or that
they have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, and then the
congregation votes on whether or not they think they are telling the
truth (I suspect most always voting yes), thus allowing them to become
a member of their church. I
do wonder what would happen though, if a congregation voted
“no”. I
know… I doubt that would happen, but why even vote. Does God take a vote on
whether He allows us into the kingdom?
Does He take a vote on whether He allows us to be baptized
into Christ thereby being added to “the church”? Obviously He does not. Ultimately if someone is
truly saved and joins a denominational church then he has become a
member of two churches. These
are clearly two different churches and only one of them is
scriptural…
Eph
4:4 There is
one body, and one
Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph
4:5 One Lord, one faith, one
baptism,
Eph
4:6 One God and Father of all,
who is
above all, and through all, and in you all.
I
suspect though, from the evidence we have in the Scriptures versus the
evidence we have of the improper way of salvation from denominational
preachers and denominational doctrine books, most people within
denominations are only joining one church anyway, and it is the wrong
one. It is one that
will not get them into heaven. The
Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian, each have their own doctrine. If someone joins one of
these three denominations they become a Baptist, Methodist, or
Presbyterian. What
makes them such? It
is the particular doctrines of that denomination that make them such. If it did not make them
such by not adhering to its doctrine, then that denomination would be
something different than what it calls itself.
So being truly saved (a Christian), thereby being a member
of “the church”, along with being a member of say
the Baptist church, makes one a Baptist, according to the Baptist
Church. What I cannot find is
Scripture that tells us we should be a member of a second church or
some denomination. However,
I can find the following Scripture very easily…
Act
2:47 Praising God, and having
favour with all the people. And the
Lord added to “the church” daily such as should be
saved.
Another
thing I find interesting is there is Scripture that warns against
divisions in “the church”.
The word “denomination” is not in the
Bible anywhere so we have to go to a regular dictionary to see what its
meaning is. “Denomination”
and “denominator” came from the same root word
which means “divide”.
In a religious sense the definition is “a
group
of
religious
congregations
having
its
own
organization
and
a
distinctive
faith”. Now wait just a
minute… what does the Scripture say?
Eph
4:4 There is
one body, and one Spirit, even as ye
are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph
4:5 One
Lord, one faith,
one baptism,
Eph
4:6 One God and Father of all,
who is
above all, and through all, and in you all.
So
how can all these denominations have their own organization and a
distinctive faith which is clearly not scriptural?
I would find it hard to believe you have not given this
any thought Mr. Calvin. Surely
you have, but none the less, refresh yourself with the following
passages…
Mat
12:25 And Jesus knew their
thoughts, and said unto them, Every
kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city
or house divided against itself shall not stand:
Rom
16:17 Now I beseech you,
brethren, mark them which cause
divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned;
and avoid them.
1Co
1:10 Now I beseech you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
ye all speak the same thing, and that
there be no divisions among you; but that ye be
perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Co
1:12 Now this I say, that every
one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and
I of Christ.
1Co
1:13 Is
Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were
ye baptized in the name of Paul?
1Co
3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for
whereas there is
among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and
walk as men?
1Co
11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I
hear that there be divisions among you; and I
partly believe it.
Mat
15:6(b) Thus have ye
made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Mat
15:8 This people draweth nigh
unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their
lips; but their heart is far from me.
Mat
15:9 But in vain they do
worship me, teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men.
Eph
4:11 And He gave some as
apostles, and some as
prophets, and some as
evangelists, and some as
pastors and teachers,
Eph
4:12 for the equipping of the
saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of
Christ;
Eph
4:13 until
we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the
stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Eph
4:14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed
here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by
the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
Eph
4:15 but speaking the truth in
love, we are to grow up in all aspects
into Him who is the head, even
Christ,
Eph
4:16 from whom the whole body,
being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according
to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the
body for the building up of itself in love.
Are
we all speaking the same things Mr. Calvin?
Are the Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and the
Scriptures all teaching and preaching and speaking the same things? Paul clearly says we
should “all speak the same
thing” and “be perfectly joined
together in the same mind”. Paul clearly says that
“evangelists”, “pastors and
teachers” are for the “equipping of the
saints” and “to the building up of the body of
Christ” (the church) and he says “until we all
attain to the unity
of the faith”. He further says that we
should not be “tossed here and there by waves and carried
about by every wind of doctrine”.
Can you not see and understand the denominations are doing
exactly what the Word of God teaches us that we should not be doing? Now look around Mr.
Calvin… look out there and see what is among us. How many different
denominations are there… thousands?
Nearly all of them are preaching and teaching different
doctrines. No
wonder so many honest people are confused and frustrated. Many people simply believe
the Bible is a book of nothing but confusion.
Now we know that God is not the author of
confusion…
1Co
14:33 For God is not the author
of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
So
where does all this confusion come from if it does not come from the
Scriptures? It
comes from men, Mr. Calvin. The
only rationale for confusion and division is because many people have
not learned to distinguish between what the Scriptures actually teach
and the traditions of men.
I
am very curious about your thoughts on something else.
Let’s say that someone is saved, a member in
Christ, a Christian. This
person does not want to join any denomination; after all, he is already
a member of “the church”.
Is this person required to join another church, a second
church, even if it is not scriptural?
Why couldn’t this Christian, along with several
other Christians who feel the same way and do not want to join a
denomination, select a common meeting place on the first day of each
week, worship God, sing, give, partake of the Lord’s Supper,
study the Scriptures, even have a preacher, you know… all
the things required of a worship service in an organized fashion. What would these people
call themselves? Would
it be okay to simply call themselves Christians (what they actually
are) and consider themselves “the church” which
belongs to Christ? Isn’t
this the way it was done back during the apostles’ days? I am curious also to know
who changed it from this way and why?
Who authorized the change?
Who authorized the divisions to begin with? Did the Bishops from the
western regions of the Roman Empire
who gathered at Nicea in 325AD have authorization?
Did the Roman Catholics have authorization in 606AD? Did Martin Luther or John
Calvin have authorization in the 16th century? What about in 1611AD? Did any single one of
these people (or groups of people) have authorization and/or was any
single one of them inspired by God?
Obviously there can be no scriptural proof if they did. I have studied the history
of the church and denominations which is only written on paper at
present. After I
finish this discussion I plan to start typing it out and it is very
interesting in my opinion. It
may be worth your reading if you have not studied it before. It will added to my
website soon… there is already a link for it. Anyway, I hope you see I
have made a very good point here.
God chose
certain people to do certain tasks.” I
agree with this 100%.
We
seem to agree on a few things all along.
“but
God is no respecter of persons as concerning salvation” 1PE 1:17 And
if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to
each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your
stay upon earth;” It
would be a mistake to read this verse without reading a few other
verses which relate to the issues, such as:
ROM 3:21-22 But
now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of
God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there
is no distinction;” and ROM 10:12 For there is no distinction
between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in
riches for all who call upon Him;” and COL 3:11 --a renewal
in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and
uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is
all, and in all.” Paul
went to great lengths to emphasize that all people, whether they are
Jews or Gentile, are saved by the same means.
There is not one type of salvation for people of Jewish
heritage and another for those of Gentile background.
He provides the same means of salvation for each and every
one of His elect.
Exactly…
the same means of salvation is offered to everyone and the elect is
“the church”, as I have shown just previously. I discussed these verses
earlier. If the
same means of salvation is offered to everyone then it would be
impossible to say that God has chosen certain people individually to be
saved. If He has
chosen them to be saved then basically they are saved already and there
would no reason to offer a means of salvation to everyone. Don’t you
understand how incongruous your doctrine is?
MAL
1:1-5 The
oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel
through Malachi. "I
have loved you," says the Lord. But you say, "How hast Thou loved us?"
"Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the Lord. "Yet I have loved
Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a
desolation, and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the
wilderness. " Though Edom
says, "We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the
ruins"; thus says the Lord of hosts, "They may build, but I will tear
down; and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people
toward whom the Lord is indignant forever." And
your eyes will see this and you will say, "The Lord be magnified beyond
the border of Israel!"” In the verses 2-5 God is
making the point that He brought judgment upon Edom,
the descendants of Esau. Israel
saw this judgment, recognized it for what it was and
“magnified” the Lord.
But note what it says in the first verse of the chapter. This is not a condemnation
of Edom,
but of Israel. In spite of what Israel saw and
recognized when God brought His judgment on Edom,
they did not amend their ways or recognize His judgment on them for
their own misdeeds. They
did not recognize that even though God had chosen them as a nation to
bring His message of salvation to the world, their disobedience as a
nation caused them to forfeit the greater honor which could have been
theirs as a nation. To
say that “the Edomites did not follow God, so God loved them
less” seems to misunderstand that verses 6 and following do
not refer to Edom,
but to Israel. Edom
is simply an object lesson in this verse.
The topic is Israel.
I
discussed this in detail a couple of times already.
The whole point is to show that God does not choose us
ahead of time and that He shows no partiality as to who can be saved. You even admit that their
disobedience decided their fate, not God.
2CO
5:10 For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one
may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad.”
This recompense does not necessarily relate to salvation. In fact, I believe that it
relates specifically to whether we have been faithful to do what God
created us to do. But
ultimately, even though we may be recompensed for bad deeds,
“He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there
shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or
crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. "
Rev 21:4
2Co
5:8 We are confident, I
say, and willing rather to be absent
from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
2Co
5:9 Wherefore we labour, that,
whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
2Co
5:10 For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things done
in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be
good or bad.
2Co
5:11 Knowing therefore the
terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God;
and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
Paul
is encouraging the Corinthians to labor for Christ until the time they
are carried home to heaven. The
same goes for us, because if we do not, we will face the
“terror” of the Lord.
I do not believe the saved will suffer the
“terror of the Lord”.
They persuade men because they do not want them to have to
face this terror. I
also do not think that Revelations 21:4 has anything to do with this
Scripture in 2 Corinthians… it is simply showing us what
heaven will be like for the saved.
Even the saved cry and mourn, experience pain, and
physically die.
JOH
5:28-29 "Do
not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the
tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the
good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil
deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
This verse is basically the same as the previous verse,
but it might be instructive to see what Jesus said just before this. JOH 5:24 "Truly, truly, I
say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has
eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but
has passed out of death into life.”
Joh
5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life.
Joh
5:28 Marvel not at this: for
the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear
his voice,
Joh
5:29 And shall come forth; they
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
I
do not see how these passages could mean anything other than what they
say… and they do not say that whoever has life will continue
to have eternal life regardless of what we do.
If we hear the Word of God and “believe on
him” (obey the gospel), we have “everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation”.
There are conditions that we must meet so that we do not
come into condemnation. If
we are saved and do the good deeds then we will be raised into
everlasting life, but if we do evil deeds then we are damned. We have a choice and we
have conditions.
PSA
58:3 The
wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from
birth.” I
think I detect the line of reasoning going back against itself. It seems to me that I was
addressing earlier the argument that a person couldn’t be
totally depraved because some David’s newborn son went to
heaven. But now in
the context of election I am looking at a verse that says that
“the wicked are estranged from the womb.” In fact this verse does
say that they are born estranged.
Psalms
58:3 does not say that we inherited Adams
sin. When is
someone able to speak lies? Can
a little baby speak lies? The
wicked do come from the womb but they go astray when they speak lies.
SOVEREIGNTY
When children disobey, parents are disappointed, but do
not lose their sovereignty (authority.)
Presumably
this means that God is sovereign even though some of His elect sin and
“lose their salvation.”
At least I think that is the point here.
I’m not sure.
By the same token when a child disobeys, he does not stop
being the child of that parent. Therefore,
just because a believer sins does not mean that he loses his salvation.
The
statement was made by several of your Presbyterian friends. One of them actually had
no idea as to why he believed it, other than because he is a
Presbyterian and they believe it. Anyway, they said that if we were not
elected individually before the beginning of time, and if God was not
the causative force behind our believing, then God would not remain
sovereign. The
point I make is that a child still has a choice to obey or disobey but
the parents still remain sovereign.
I think it would be a serious mistake to suggest that the
sovereignty of God somehow negates our free will and personal
responsibility. The
sovereignty of God has to do with His right to act according to His
will and in harmony with His nature.
God is a being of absolute truth and
faithfulness…
Deu
32:4 He is
the Rock, his work is
perfect: for all his ways are
judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is
he.
He
cannot practice that which would violate His own nature…
such as lying. It
is impossible for God to lie…
Num
23:19 God is not
a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should
repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or
hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Tit
1:2 In hope of eternal life,
which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Heb
6:18 That by two immutable
things, in which it was
impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have
fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
God’s
sovereignty is not compromised by his inability to lie, although His
sovereignty is limited by His holy nature.
Similarly, God granting men the ability to exercise free
will and the divine requirement that this free will be exercised
responsibly, such as requiring obedience, is not a violation of
God’s sovereignty, but rather an example of the exercise. Think about it Mr.
Calvin… if to believe or not believe is an act of divine
sovereignty and beyond our own control, then any divine command
requiring belief would be irrelevant.
The NT clearly teaches us that belief is an obligation
requiring us to exercise our own ability.
Jesus at the very beginning of His ministry commanded us
to believe and repent…
Mar
1:15 And saying, The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
We
know of the many times that Jesus and the apostles taught and commanded
to believe. We know
that the Greek word for believe is “pisteuo” which
is in the imperative mood of command.
It just would not be sensible or accurate to suggest that
we are incapable of the act of believing.
It is very clear to me that believing is an action that is
commanded by God which leads us to salvation.
It does not bring us completely to salvation but it is a
vital role in our salvation. The
fact that we submit to this obligation takes nothing away from the
sovereignty of God. I
agree that just because we sin does not mean we lose our salvation, but
if we continue in sin and turn away from God, we are in danger of
losing our salvation. God
gives us the free will to choose, otherwise why would we need to repent
and confess our sins for forgiveness after being saved.
I have shown Scripture that supports that there have been
some and there will be more who lose their salvation.
I
think I have addressed every verse that you sent to me.
There are three particular topics that I would like to
bring to your attention in greater detail.
Thank
you very much for doing so… I think I have raised some
worthwhile objections as well and will raise more that I think we
should continue to discuss.
Falling
from grace or eternal security
JOH 10:27-28 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and
they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never
perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.”
I
previously discussed this in detail.
JOH
6:39 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has
given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
Joh
6:39 And this is the Father's
will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Joh
6:40 And this is the will of
him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on
him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last
day.
Everyone
who believes (obeys the gospel), shall have eternal life and in the
last day Christ will raise him up.
This does not show any election of individuals, the will
of the God applies to everyone who believes (obeys the gospel). The condition of eternal
life is faith that leads to Christ.
ROM
8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I
discussed this previously.
MAR
13:22 for false Christs
and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in
order, if possible, to lead the elect astray.” The Greek indicates that
it is not possible to lead the elect astray.
The
Textus Receptus says
“to deceive if possible even the elect.” It does not say that it is
not possible
and it does not indicate this. Mere
men have indicated it with “it were”
but not the oldest Manuscripts inspired of God.
I would take this to mean that it is possible. They will definitely try,
and may possibly lead some astray.
I am not saying that they will, just that it may be
possible and we do not have eternal security.
Let’s use this “if possible”
in an example. If
possible, I am going to finish this discussion and eventually e-mail it
back to you. Now,
this does not mean that it is not possible that I can do this. It means that it is
possible. I would
like to go to the mountains if possible.
Circumstances have to be met for it to be possible. The same is the case with
losing our salvation with false teachers.
If the false teachers have their way they will deceive the
saved… by whatever means possible.
1JO
2:19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they
had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in
order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.
It
certainly appears that this verse does not support falling away of true
Christians but rather speaks of the Antichrist who will seduce and
deceive many. I do
not doubt there will be some who will believe they are save and truly
not be saved. I
believe there are tons of those in the denominations today, at least
according to what the Scriptures are teaching.
Many will say, “Lord, Lord,” but
because they have not done the “will of the
Father”, He will say “depart from me.” Shortly after the verse
you quoted, we see a condition is mentioned in order to
“continue in the Son, and in the
Father”… the Spirit (God’s Word), which
is what they heard from the beginning, must remain in us…
1Jo
2:24 Let that therefore abide
in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have
heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in
the Son, and in the Father.
Ultimately
the doctrine of eternal security depends primarily on two other
doctrines. The
first I would like to deal with is election.
I must say that I was surprised when you said that there
was “scant evidence” to support the doctrine of
election. I must
say that I believed that myself once upon a time.
I must say that my opinion of that issue has changed over
the years.
You
were right “once upon a time”, but you are wrong
now. This doctrine
of election is not mentioned in the Scriptures and was created by a
mere man. There are
many man-made doctrines. Your
evidence is no different from all the other scant, weak, and
inconsistent evidence, which attempts to support those.
Old
Testament
First, much of the Old Testament focuses on the
descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Israelites, who are very
frequently referred to as God’s chosen people. That choice was first made
evident when God spoke to Abraham when he lived in Ur. What made Abram
significant out of all the other men on the earth at the time? What made his descendants
different in God’s sight?
What made the descendants of Isaac different from the
descendants of Ishmael or the descendants of Abraham’s other
sons? What made
Jacob, the deceiver, different from Esau?
It took Jacob twenty years to reach the point where he was
willing to honor, trust and obey God on God’s terms. He answers these questions
for us in DEU 4:37-38 "Because He loved your fathers, therefore He
chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt
by His great power, driving out from before you nations greater and
mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an
inheritance, as it is today.”
He says it again in DEU 10:15-16 "Yet on your fathers did
the Lord set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants
after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. "Circumcise then your
heart, and stiffen your neck no more.”
It is ludicrous to suggest that God chose Israel
knowing how obedient they would be to Him.
Most of the Old Testament seems to focus on calling the
nation of Israel
back to God. But
Moses made it clear that God chose Israel
quite apart from their future obedience or any other earthly criterion. DEU 7:6-9
"For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord
your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of
all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. "The Lord did not set
His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any
of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the
Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers,
the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the
house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. "Know
therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who
keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness
to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His
commandments;” This
passage makes God’s nature clear.
He chooses whom He will save, and He does not save them on
the basis of their own merit.
I
believe I have already covered all of most of this in one way or
another. We have
already agreed that God chooses people for certain tasks. I have already discussed
that many of these men of the OT had faith in God and obeyed what He
commanded before they were saved.
How do you explain the end of Deuteronomy 7:9…
“with those who love Him and keep His
commandments;”. What
if we do not continue to love Him and keep His commandments…
would He keep His covenant? Not
according to what this ending of the Scripture says.
We can not just ignore this part unless we are just going
to be ignorant.
JER
1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were
born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." God chose Jeremiah not
only to be saved, but also to be His prophet to pronounce judgment on Israel.
Jer
1:5 Before I formed thee in
the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I
sanctified thee, and I
ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
This
verse tells me that Jeremiah was known by God before he was born. God knows all of us before
we are born and knows everything we will do and whether or not He might
use us to His good. God
set apart Jeremiah to serve Him. The
Hebrew lexicon uses the Hebrew word meaning sanctified… not
saved. God also
appointed him as a prophet to the nations.
I do not see where this particular verse says he was saved
before he was born, although God obviously knows whether or not he
would be saved. Maybe
because God knew Jeremiah would listen and do His will is why He chose
him to be a prophet. I
admit, I have not studied enough of Jeremiah to fully understand this
book, and I hope to do this soon.
However, I do not see this verse as supporting
unconditional election.
God
also chose to reveal Himself to Isaiah and Ezekiel apart from any merit
on their behalf. Consider
Isaiah’s response to this revelation.
ISA 6:5 Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because
I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."” Apparently Isaiah did not
realize his sin and the sin of Israel
until God revealed Himself to Isaiah.
But to further strengthen the doctrine, God sent Isaiah to
Israel
with the message, not so that they would hear, but so that they would
be hardened according to God’s will. ISA 6:9-10 And He said,
"Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive;
Keep on looking, but do not understand.' "Render the hearts of this
people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Lest they see
with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed."”
Isa
6:5 Then said I, Woe is
me! for I am undone; because I am a
man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean
lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isa
6:6 Then flew one of the
seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which
he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa
6:7 And he laid it
upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine
iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Isa
6:8 Also I heard the voice of
the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said
I, Here am
I; send me.
Isa
6:9 And he said, Go, and tell
this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but
perceive not.
Isa
6:10 Make the heart of this
people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with
their heart, and convert, and be healed.
It
appears when Isaiah saw the Lord he thought maybe he was about to be
doomed because he knew he was a sinner just as these people were
sinners. Isaiah’s
iniquities and sins were hindering him and he went through a
purification ritual as the seraphim brought the fiery coal and touched
his lips. After
this ritual, Isaiah had no problem volunteering to deliver
God’s message. God
told him to go tell these people that they have heard and seen but they
did not understand or perceive and that He was going to destroy them. God wanted Isaiah to go to
them again and deliver more truth to them because it had to be done. However, God knew before
He sent Isaiah that it was not going to do any good, although it had to
be done, they would not be converted.
I think God wanted to make sure they understood they were
about to pay the consequences of being so wicked and not listening to
the truth. Now
consider this… if God had truly not
wanted these people to be saved then He would not have needed Isaiah to
go and make their hearts harder, He could have simply made their hearts
harder on His own, without any help from Isaiah.
I think there may be several reasons behind using Isaiah
and these people in the way God did and I think this is what is to be
learned here. God
knows there are people who are going to reject Him and His message, but
none the less, they must be preached to. This
would also show Isaiah what he might be up against as a prophet and
that even though people might reject the truth, he still had to deliver
the message. God
was showing Isaiah what will happen to people that do not listen and
this would be a good witness for him to convince others of the truth. This would also show us
that we should not necessarily give up on some people after the first
attempt… God loves all people and wants to appeal to
everyone. Furthermore
we have to ask ourselves what the role of a prophet was back then. I think it would be narrow
minded of us to believe that this Scripture somehow teaches us the
doctrine of unconditional election… especially in light of
all the Scripture that teaches us that God loves us and has a wonderful
plan for our life. Now
if we continue in this chapter we learn that what I am saying is
probably correct…
Isa
6:11 Then said I, Lord, how
long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant,
and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
Isa
6:12 And the LORD have removed
men far away, and there be
a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
Isa
6:13 But yet in it shall be
a tenth, and it
shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose
substance is in
them, when they cast their leaves:
so the holy
seed shall be
the substance thereof.
We
notice that ultimately, this message that was delivered to the people
was probably the reason some were saved from death.
Not all of them were destroyed, apparently some listened
and were spared.
New
Testament
The references in the New Testament to election are
numerous. The very
term “elect” [eklektos]
appears twenty-two times as far as I can tell.
Three of those are repetitions in Mark of the same thing
that Jesus said in Matthew. MAT
24:22 "And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have
been saved; but for the sake of the elect
those days shall be cut short.
MAT
24:24 "For false Christs
and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so
as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
MAT
24:31 "And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they
will gather together His elect from
the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
There is one other reference by Jesus to the elect in LUK
18:7-8 “now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night,
and will He delay long over them?
"I tell you that He will bring about justice for them
speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the
earth?"” Who
is He talking about? Why
is He calling the “elect” if there is no such thing? If this were the only
evidence, it should be sufficient because it came from the mouth of
Jesus. But there is
more. MAT 11:25-26 At that time Jesus
answered and said, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and
didst reveal them to babes. "Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing
in Thy sight.” JOH
6:37-40 "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who
comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. "For I have come down from
heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. "And
this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I
lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. "For this is the will of
My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may
have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last
day."”
I
have previously discussed the “elect” and these
verses earlier and will talk about the “elect” even
more below when you bring it up again.
I like this comment you made though… “If
this were the only evidence, it should be sufficient because it came
from the mouth of Jesus.”
Keep in
mind what you just wrote here… and read the following verse
which came from the mouth of Jesus…
Mar
16:16 He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
JOH
6:44 "No one can come to Me, unless the Father
who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
JOH
6:47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. These are excerpts from
one dialogue that Jesus had with the Jews as recorded by John. How do you get around John
6:44? Salvation is
clearly based on God’s initiative, not man’s.
How
do you get around John 6:45? You
skipped right over it.
Joh
6:45 It is written in the
prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every
man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh
unto me.
I
discussed this (in part) earlier but will make the point again. We are not drawn to God by
Him unchangeably pulling us to Him by some mysterious miraculous power. We are drawn to God when
we hear the Word of God, not by some supernatural nudging by God as
your doctrine would have us to believe…
Act
2:37 Now when
they heard this,
they were pricked in their heart, and said unto
Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do?
Rom
1:16 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.
Rom
10:17 So then faith
cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
I
believe this point is clear with supported Scripture.
Furthermore there is another condition named in verse
45… we must learn of the Father before we can come to Him. The Greek word for
“learned” means to “understand”. This would support the
condition that we would have to hear the word because if we do not hear
it then we surely cannot understand it.
It
is pretty obvious that you believe that God makes men believe through a
direct operation of the Holy Spirit.
Do you believe that the Holy Spirit operated directly on
the men in the OT? If
God through a direct operation of the Holy Spirit forces men to believe
today, or if men gain wisdom from a direct operation of the Holy Spirit
today, then how did men gain wisdom in the OT?
I know you do not believe they were not saved. Consider these
passages…
Pro
1:5 A wise man
will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall
attain unto wise counsels:
Pro
1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto
me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Pro
2:6 For the LORD giveth
wisdom: out of his mouth cometh
knowledge and understanding.
Psa
119:11 Thy word have I hid in
mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psa
119:104 Through thy precepts I get
understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Psa
119:105 Thy word is a
lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
We
learn today by the Word of God, just like they did in the OT, not by a
direct operation of the Holy Spirit.
There is power in the gospel…
Joh
6:45 It is written in the
prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that
hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Act
2:37 Now when they heard this,
they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter
and to the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do?
Rom
1:16 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.
Rom
10:17 So then faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1Co
1:18 For the preaching of the
cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved
it is the power of God.
1Co
1:21 For after that in the
wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
2Ti
3:15 And that from a child thou
hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Eph
6:17 And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Maybe
you do believe in the power of the gospel, but Calvinism teaches that
the power is not in the Word, but in the direct operation of God, or
the Holy Spirit, upon the heart of the sinner to convince and convict
him. This is not
what the Scriptures teach us. The
Holy Spirit wields the Sword of the Spirit, which in the Word of God,
to prick the hearts of men; He does not work on us miraculously.
The
word translated “elect” is eklektos,
and is also translated “choice,”
“choice man,” “chosen,” and
“Chosen One.”
In addition two other words which are related, ekloge and eklego, are used a total of
twenty-nine times.
According
to Strong’s this word “elect” also means
“select” or
“favorite”… which is the implication for
it in most of these verses that you believe support your doctrine. I also believe that I have
shown how “elect” and “chosen”
are both referring to those who are “in Christ” or
“the church” and in order to get “in
Christ” or in “the church”, we have to
meet certain conditions (works of God).
Otherwise the “chosen” or
“elect” as you would have them to mean, would
include devils.
EPH
2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and
sins,….” How
can a dead man help himself? He
cannot. Lazarus
needed Jesus to call him back from the dead.
I
talked about the dead man on two occasions already.
In Ephesians “dead” is referring to
being spiritually dead, not physically dead… and a
spiritually dead man can definitely help himself.
Furthermore, Jesus
did a lot of miraculous things while He walked this earth. Even Paul brought Eutychus
back from the dead. Jesus
and the apostles had the gifts of the Holy Spirit to do miraculous
wonders…
Act
20:9 And there sat in a window
a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and
as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from
the third loft, and was taken up dead.
Act
20:10 And Paul went down, and
fell on him, and embracing him
said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
Act
20:11 When he therefore was come
up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while,
even till break of day, so he departed.
Act
20:12 And they brought the young
man alive, and were not a little comforted.
Jesus
made other references to the elect in the “high priestly
prayer” in JOH 17:2 even as Thou gavest Him authority over
all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal
life.
What
exactly are you reading out of this verse anyway?
I explained this in context previously but will elaborate
on this verse particularly. What
has God giving Jesus here? God
has given him “authority over all
mankind”.
This is not indicating that God has only given Jesus the
saved. To
“all”
that He gave Jesus… He has the authority to give them
eternal life. This
passage simply shows the authority of Jesus Christ and that He has the
power to do with us what He wishes.
He will give us eternal life but only after we have obeyed
the gospel as I have proven abundantly with Scripture.
JOH
17:6 "I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the
world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept
Thy word.
JOH
17:9 "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but
of those whom Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine;
Surely
you can see that this prayer from verse 6 all the way to verse 19 is
for the apostles and not for the world, although we know God so-loved
the world. I
explained this previously. Here’s
the part on the apostles again…
Joh
17:6 I have manifested thy name
unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were,
and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
Joh
17:7 Now they have known that
all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
Joh
17:8 For I have given unto them
the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them,
and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed
that thou didst send me.
Joh
17:9 I pray for them: I pray
not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are
thine.
Joh
17:10 And all mine are thine,
and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
Joh
17:11 And now I am no more in
the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father,
keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they
may be one, as we are.
Joh
17:12 While I was with them in
the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have
kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the
Scripture might be fulfilled.
Joh
17:13 And now come I to thee;
and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy
fulfilled in themselves.
Joh
17:14 I have given them thy
word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world.
Joh
17:15 I pray not that thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them
from the evil.
Joh
17:16 They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world.
Joh
17:17 Sanctify them through thy
truth: thy word is truth.
Joh
17:18 As thou hast sent me into
the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Joh
17:19 And for their sakes I
sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Jesus
employed the same principle of election regarding who His disciples
would be as He said in JOH 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose
you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that
your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My
name, He may give to you.”
This statement by Jesus contradicts the notion that God
being no respecter of persons means that He gave everyone an equal
chance to be one of Jesus’ twelve disciples.
This
simply tells us that Jesus chose the apostles to learn His ways and
preach the gospel… remember as He met each one of them and
told them to follow Him, He would make them fishers of men, etc. He could have chosen
anyone if had so desired, otherwise He would not have had
“authority over all mankind” and it would
contradict that passage. We
have also already agreed that God chooses certain men to do certain
things for Him. Just
because God chooses and appoints someone to help Him with His plan does
not necessarily mean they are automatically saved and certainly not for
eternity, as we have seen in the case of Judas.
How could this passage possibly indicate that God is a respecter of persons? There are a host of verses
that cannot mean anything else but the fact that God is NOT a respecter
of persons and in fact does NOT show partiality.
Here are just a couple of those to refresh your
memory…
Act
10:34 Then Peter
opened his
mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God
is no respecter of persons:
Jam
3:17 But the wisdom that is
from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and
easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Mr.
Calvin, if I have to choose between John 15:16 (that in no way says God
respects man or shows partiality) and verses like Acts 10:34, or James
3:17, or any of the several others that actually say God shows no
partiality and is no respecter of persons… to determine
whether God is indeed no respecter of persons or not, I will choose the
ones that literally say that He is no respecter of persons and does not
show partiality. I
would have to say that it is scriptural to accept how verses literally
read rather than try to make another verse, that might appear to
contradict the literal verses, somehow be interpreted to fit a
particular doctrine. It
just does not make logical sense to try and do what you do to Scripture. I do not believe that you
would accept an interpretation method as you yourself are
proposing… not only with this particular Scripture but with
some others we are discussing as well.
MAT
22:14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."
I
discussed this about 3 times previously.
This ending to the parable does not mean what you think it
does. If it did,
then Jesus admitting that He lost Judas after He had chosen Judas,
would clearly be a contradiction.
“Chosen” cannot mean that we are
individually chosen to be saved… if it did then devils would
be saved…
Joh
6:70 Jesus
answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and
one of you is a devil?
Joh
17:12 While I was with them in
the world, I kept them in thy name:
those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but
the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be
fulfilled.
Act
1:24 And they prayed, and said,
Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts
of all men,
shew whether of these two thou hast
chosen,
Act
1:25 That he may take part of
this ministry and apostleship, from
which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go
to his own place.
God
knows our hearts and He chooses us according to whether or not we do
His will. He knows
if we are sincere or if we are faking it.
He knew the hearts of the two men who were to replace
Judas and the apostles prayed for help in choosing one or the other to
continue the job Jesus gave them to do.
COL
3:12 And so, as
those who have been chosen of God,
holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience;
Who
are the chosen, how are we chosen, and who are those that are not
chosen?
1Pe
2:6 Wherefore also it is
contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone,
elect, precious: and he that
believeth on him shall not be confounded.
1Pe
2:7 Unto you
therefore which believe he
is precious: but unto them which be disobedient,
the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of
the corner,
1Pe
2:8 And a stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offence, even to them
which stumble at the word, being disobedient:
whereunto also they were appointed.
1Pe
2:9 But
ye are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praises of
him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe
2:10 Which in
time past were
not a people, but are
now the people of God: which had not obtained
mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
2Th
2:13 But we are bound to give
thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
We
are set apart by the Spirit, which works through the Word of God and
the Scriptures tell us that we must be obedient believers by obeying
the gospel… as I have shown with supporting Scripture
previously. We are
not among the chosen unless we become Christians.
As a chosen and holy church, we (the people –
plural) should put on these graces found in Colossians 3:12.
2TI
2:10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are
chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ
Jesus and with it eternal glory.
Paul
was devoted to the church (the elect), and suffered for them.
TIT
1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for
the faith of those chosen of God
and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,
This
is describing Paul specifically, who was indeed chosen by God to help
Him with His plan. Either
way, we know the who, what, and how, of the chosen.
ACT
13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and
glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to
eternal life believed.”
It is obvious that they did not appoint themselves. God appointed them to
eternal life.
Act
13:48 And when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
The
original Greek word for “appointed” or
“ordained” does not, anywhere in Scripture, mean
any sort of predestination or way of salvation.
What this passage is saying is that those, and those only,
now appointed, now believed. They
did not believe because of their appointment, but rather they were now
appointed and now believed. This
does not mean that God rejected the other Gentiles because we know that
God desires “all” men to be saved, nor does it mean
any of those that believed were forced to believe.
Remember, God invites everyone, but some refuse it and
some accept it. This
passage is referring to those who accepted the gospel.
God may indeed search the heart of some men to determine
if they are sincere and if He knows they are, He may appoint them to a
specific function of His great plan.
The
doctrine of election is further presented in the epistles, especially
those written by Paul. Consider
EPH 1:3-5 “Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In
love He predestined us to adoption as sons
through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to
the kind intention of His will,” and EPH 1:11 also
we have obtained an inheritance, having been
predestined according to His purpose who works all things
after the counsel of His will,”
Notice the passive voice in so many of these passages
which indicates that predestination is something that someone else
(God) did to us, not something we did to ourselves.
I
believe I gave a pretty thorough and accurate explanation of these
passages in Ephesians earlier from verse 1 all the way to verse 11, in
context. I would
never assume that we predestine ourselves but rather I have shown
scriptural proof that God predestined the church and not individuals. You may wish to scroll
back up and reread it. I
believe it is on about page 69 or so.
2TH
2:13-14 But we
should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord,
because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through
sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And
it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I
explained verse 13 already… God chose from the beginning the
plan of salvation and those that are set apart by the Word of God and
have faith in the truth (obey the gospel) will be saved. Verse 14 shows us how we
are called… through God’s Word, the gospel.
ROM
1:6 among whom you also are the called of
Jesus Christ;
You
left out verse 5 here, which is very, very important … I
explained this earlier…
Rom
1:5 By whom we
have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith
among all nations, for his name:
Rom
1:6 Among whom are
ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
I
am not sure why you would want to quote around verse 5 as it clearly
shows the condition for which we were called.
We are obedient to “the
faith”… the “system of
faith”… which I will elaborate on shortly.
ROM
8:28-30 And we know that God causes all things to work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His
purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed
to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many
brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He
called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also
glorified.” Paul
makes it plain that it is all God, every step of the way from sin to
glory.
I
think I did a pretty good job of explaining Romans 8:28-39 in context a
while back. There
is really no sense in me explaining it again.
Peter
also referred to the doctrine. 1PE
1:1-2 Peter,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be
sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest
measure.” The
foreknowledge of God referenced here and in many other places does not
mean that God knew beforehand what we were going to choose and then
chose us on the basis of our choice.
It means that He knew us in an intimate way, as He
mentioned to Jeremiah and as David acknowledged.
If it had not been so, it would not have been
God’s choice. It
would be a lie for God to say that He chose us as He says so many times
in verses cited above.
I
also briefly explained this earlier.
God did not choose us as individuals but rather as a
group, those that are in Christ are the chosen ones.
We have to get into Christ to be chosen and in Christ or
in “the church”.
Here in 1 Peter
their election and salvation is in accordance with God’s
predetermined plan to save men through obedience to the gospel,
therefore it is according to His foreknowledge.
I believe if we get the understanding of
“chosen” and “elect” then we
see then why it is not so hard to understand all the other Scriptures
that you have attempted to explain away or say that you can not fully
understand. It just
all makes sense once we understand this and it makes it much less
complicated, which is what God would rather have, as He is not a God of
confusion.
REV
13:8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose
name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book
of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
The
NASB
just gets this passage all twisted around. You
might want to look at the Manuscripts.
Let’s look at a few supporting verses that lead
up to John’s statement in verse 18…
Rev
2:7 He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To
him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,
which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Rev
3:5 He
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will
not blot out his name out of the book of life, but
I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev
5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in
the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the
elders, stood a Lamb as it had been
slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are
the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Rev
13:8 And all that dwell upon
the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of
life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.
We
must obey the gospel to be added to the book of life.
If we are added to the book of life and continue to
overcome the world, persevere to the end, then our name will not be
blotted out. The
Lamb is what was slain from the foundation of the world. This does not mean that He
was actually put to death in the beginning but rather it was it was
God’s intentions from the beginning to give Him as a
sacrifice. It just
as well had occurred then because there was no doubt it was going to
happen and this quite possibly may be why John stated it the way he did. Consider how Paul shows
that God speaks of things so certain that He may speak of them as
already in existence…
Rom
4:17 (As it is written, I have
made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even
God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as
though they were.
The
purpose of Christ being slain was so certain that it might be said that
he was “slain from the foundation of the world.” Consider all the bloody
sacrifices from the earliest ages, all typifying the future savior. This passage in no way
indicates unconditional election.
Perhaps
the greatest exposition of the doctrine of election is in Romans 9. I would encourage you to
read that entire chapter carefully, but here are some excerpts.
ROM
9:8-9 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of
God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is a word of
promise: "At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son." Sarah thought it laughable
that she would bear a son at her age, but God initiated it, promised it
and delivered it.
Rom
9:6 Not as though the word of
God hath taken none effect. For they are
not all Israel,
which are of Israel:
Rom
9:7 Neither, because they are
the seed of Abraham, are they
all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Rom
9:8 That is, They which are
the children of the flesh, these are
not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted
for the seed.
Rom
9:9 For this is the
word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
This
passage in context will show us that it is an argument for those who
based everything on their fleshly relationship to Abraham. The Jews might raise the
objection that God’s promise was of no effect. Paul throughout the rest
of this chapter is answering this objection.
Children of God are not merely children of the flesh or
fleshly descendants of Abraham. Children
of God are not all of Israel…
they are not all of the “chosen ones” (the Jews). Abraham had other children
other than Isaac but none of them were of the
“chosen”. The
children of God are also the children of the promise, who are of the
seed according to the conditions of the promise.
Your doctrine of unconditional election is again not
proven with this Scripture.
ROM
9:10-13 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had
conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were
not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that
God's purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of
works, but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, "The older
will serve the younger." Just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but
Esau I hated." It
was not Jacob’s actions or Esau’s that determined
God’s choice, but God working out His purpose according to
His choice.
I
have discussed this enough I think… but to recap…
God did not choose Jacob to his eternal salvation. He
chose him to be head of the chosen people (a race), not all those that
would necessarily be saved, as we have previously shown with supporting
Scripture. Again,
your false doctrine is still false.
ROM
9:15-16 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it does not depend on the man
who wills or the man who runs, but on God
who has mercy.” How
can He state it more plainly?
I
explained this earlier… nonetheless I will elaborate on it
more. Paul is
answering a possible objection from some who might not be happy with
God’s conditions of salvation. We
do not deserve God’s favor and we have no right to question
His ways. He chose,
according to His own will and pleasure, the conditions in which we are
saved, thereby pardoning anyone who meets those conditions. Because we have no right
to His mercy, He does not have to give us a reason for His choice of
conditions. He can
do it to any extent He so desires and no one has a right to complain. That it does not depend on
the man who “willeth”, does not mean that we do not
choose to be saved or that we are forced to be saved.
We initially have no desire or wish (we do not
“willeth”) to choose eternal life.
We are influenced by the Word of God, and our faith from
the evidence we have before us enables our heart to be willing. “Runneth”
means “strenuous, intense effort, strive hard, run or walk
hastily”. That
it does not depend on the man who “runneth”, does
not mean that the sinner does not make any effort to be saved (after
hearing the Word of God), or that Christians do not strive to enter
heaven or it would contradict the following…
Luk
16:16 The law and the prophets were
until John: since that time the kingdom
of God
is preached, and every
man presseth into it.
Luk
13:24 Strive
to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say
unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
If
it were left up to the sinner, he would never put forth any effort to
be saved. In
someway the sinner has to hear about God and understand the
consequences of his sin. This
is through the Word of God. The
sinner then has to have faith in that evidence and have Godly sorrow. Therefore the Word of God
is what encourages the sinner to seek salvation.
The sinner does not receive God’s mercy because
of the sinner seeking salvation on his own effort.
There is not merit in anxiety, sinner’s prayers,
and agony, on account of which God would forgive the sinner, but rather
it is still on the dependence of God’s mercy to save or
destroy him according to His will.
The anxiousness, distress, and effort of the sinner does
not obligate God to forgive the sinner anymore that it would obligate a
judge to acquit a condemned criminal who is sorry for his crime or
fearful of his sentence. God
exercises his free choice just as He gives us free choice. Salvation is definitely
from God and it is because of His mercy.
The idea behind Paul’s statement here is that
God is the source of all the blessings of salvation.
Christ is the author and source of salvation to all that
obey Him. Now I
will ask you again, does God contradict Himself when He says He will
have mercy on those that do His will and obey Him…
Mat
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.
Heb
5:9 And being made perfect, he
became the author of eternal salvation unto
all them that obey him;
…and
when He says He will take vengeance on them do not know Him and do not
obey Him?...
2Th
1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ:
How
can He state it more plainly?
ROM
9:17-18 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I
raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might
be proclaimed throughout the whole earth."
So then He has mercy on whom He
desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
He says it again clearly, not man, but God.
I
explained this in great detail earlier as well… I do not
argue with you that these verses say what they say but you are
misapplying them and taking them out of context to try to support your
doctrine… it is not working.
ROM
9:22-23 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to
make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath
prepared for destruction? And
He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory
upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared
beforehand for glory,….”
Rom
9:22 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:
Rom
9:23 And that he might make
known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had
afore prepared unto glory,
Rom
9:24 Even us, whom he hath
called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Again…
you take Scripture out of context to try to prove an unscriptural point. Verse 23 in no way proves
or even references “unconditional election”. The preparation is not
referring to individuals for eternal life… it is referring
to preparation for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
If you will read all the Scripture in context you will
clearly learn this. This
passage is showing us how God tolerated the sins of the Jewish people,
and Gentiles, waiting for many of them to be saved.
He could have destroyed the nation anytime He wanted to,
but He waited because their race was essential to His plan of saving
the world. Now…
this passage would clearly refute your doctrine because God was
“longsuffering” and He waited for many of the Jews,
and Gentiles, to accept Christ. There
would be no reason for God to suffer and wait for them if He had
already elected them individually.
He could have easily made the choice for them and not
waited and suffered their sins, but He did not because He wanted it to
be their choice and free will. You
have once again pointed out Scripture that instead of supporting your
false doctrine, verifies your doctrine is in fact false.
By
now I hope that you see that there is strong evidence in Scripture in
support of the doctrine of election.
But one does not have to accept the doctrine of election
or the doctrine of eternal security as true in order to be saved.
By
now I hope you see that there is strong irrefutable evidence that your
doctrines of unconditional election and eternal security are in fact
man-made and unscriptural doctrines.
If this is the best Scripture you can come up with to
support your doctrine then there is no doubt your doctrine has some
serious problems. Regardless,
it has serious problems. You
should absolutely, positively, see that your doctrines are false. I hope and pray that you
do and that you will make a real stand for God’s Word. Now let’s look
at your so-called linchpin doctrine and clearly see more false doctrine.
The
final doctrine, however, is the linchpin, the crux, the essential point
of all Christian doctrine, but especially of salvation.
No one gets into heaven without accepting the doctrine of
salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as He said Himself in
JOH 14:6 “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth,
and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” What did Jesus mean? The essence of the means
of salvation is that we are separated from God because of sin, whether
you choose to cite original sin or individual sin, and we must be
reconciled to God in order to be saved.
Succinctly put it means that Jesus, not deserving to die
because He had led a perfectly sinless life, died so that we, deserving
to die and be separated from God forever, would not die.
I
agree that the only way of salvation is for us to be in Christ. He is the way, no doubt. I hope as you have read
through all that I have written that you do
not think I have suggested in any way that this is
not the only way we can be saved… rather the opposite. I agree and have shown that
this is in fact the only way we can
be saved. We must
be in Christ. I
have shown Scripture that tells us what we must do to be in Christ. I believe you are
misunderstanding the plan of salvation though.
By grace, through “the faith”, that is
provided by the gospel of Jesus Christ (death, burial, resurrection),
is how we obtain salvation (the free gift of God’s grace). If we study the oldest
Manuscripts we will learn that the definite article
“the” was not translated preceding the word
“faith” in several passages, most probably because
of doctrinal bias. This
could make for a serious misunderstanding of these passages. I plan to elaborate on
“the faith” before I finish.
2CO
5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him.”
In my research I have found too many verses to remember
saying that we are saved apart from our own works but never apart from
Jesus’ work on the cross.
As
I explained in several Scriptures previously… I agree that
we are saved apart from our own meritorious works.
Jesus no doubt died to atone our sins, to satisfy the Law,
and to credit us with righteousness.
However, consider what the verse is literally
saying… “that we might become the righteousness of
God in Him.” Clearly if we are not
“in Him” we will not become the righteousness of
God. How do we get
“in Him” or “in Christ” or in
“the church”?
Rom
6:3 Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom
6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:
that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Col
2:12 Buried
with him in baptism, wherein also ye
are risen with him
through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the
dead.
1Co
12:13 For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body,
whether we be
Jews or Gentiles, whether we be
bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Gal
3:27 For as
many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Clearly
we are baptized into Christ and put on Christ.
Baptism cannot be a meritorious work of our own but rather
a work of God that we must obey. It
is the only way to get “in Him”.
But
here is a fair sample.
MAT
5:20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of
heaven.” How
can our righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, the men
who tried the very hardest to obey the law?
It can only happen if we have the righteousness of Christ
as our own when we stand before God.
Consider the story of Jacob’s deception of Isaac
in Genesis 27. Since
Isaac was blind Jacob pretended to be Esau putting lamb’s
wool on his arms and by wearing Esau’s robe.
What did Isaac say when he pulled Jacob close to him? GEN
27:27 So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of
his garments, he blessed him and said, "See, the smell of my son Is
like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed;” This story is an
illustration of how we can stand before God dressed in Jesus’
righteousness and receive the blessing He earned, not through
deception, but according to God’s plan and purpose.
You
should reconsider your illustration Mr. Calvin.
You are making Esau a type of Christ.
Esau was wicked… profane… and I
cannot see anything in Esau that resembles Christ.
If anything Esau would be likened to the devil with his
deception. Now, I
will agree that we must be clothed in Christ, and the only way to be
clothed in Christ is through baptism which is part of God’s
plan and purpose…
Gal
3:27 For
all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ.
As
explained previously, baptism is not of the Law, but it is of God, and
it is something we must do. I
believe the Scriptures mean what they say and you should take them more
literally yourself, then you would not have to try to wrestle with so
much Scripture. You
should quit trying to argue with it and accept it.
I am not going to try to explain away a comment made by
Jesus such as is in Mark 16:16…
Mar
16:16 He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but
he that believeth not shall be damned.
Now
to say that this verse somehow does not mean what it says would be
trying to deceive someone. There are literally dozens more similar to
this that would have to be explained away in order for your doctrine to
hold true.
EPH
1:4-8 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined
us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to
the kind intention of His will, to the praise
of the glory of His grace, which He
freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to
the riches of His grace, which He lavished
upon us.”
I
previously covered these verses in Ephesians 1, plus several others,
almost the whole chapter. Again
it is at about page 68.
EPH
2:4-9 But God,
being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together
with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly
places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might
show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus. For
by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a
result of works, that no one should boast.
I
previously covered these verses in Ephesians 2, actually verses 1-10. This is a vastly
misunderstood passage because of doctrinal bias and false teachings. Scroll back up to about
page 78.
2TI
1:8-9 Therefore do
not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but
join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us, and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose
and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all
eternity,”
If
we consider this Scripture in context, we understand that Paul is
charging Timothy to join him in his suffering for the gospel. There is no doubt God
saves us through the gospel of Jesus Christ (obeying the gospel). God also called them to
help Him with His plan and it was a Holy calling (the upper room
baptism of the Holy Spirit). God
did not choose them to help Him with His plan because of their works,
but rather according to His own plan that He designed before the world
began. God grants
us grace through Christ when we obey the gospel and are baptized into
Christ. God calls
all believers through the gospel and salvation for the human race was
planned by God before the creation of the world.
I
think I have discussed in good detail every Scripture you mentioned in
your last forte of unconditional election, either during or previously. I will just say that I
believe I gave enough explanation and scriptural support to show that
“the elect” is “the church” and
we must be in “the church” (in Christ) to be saved.
Once
again Romans is a great source on the doctrine of salvation by grace.
ROM
2:4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and
forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads
you to repentance?
Rom
2:4 Or despisest thou the
riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing
that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
I
believe you are missing the understanding of some words here. God is patient, He is
longsuffering… why would He need to be patient if He makes us repent?
Why is He longsuffering for us to repent if He makes us repent?
It would not make sense.
His patience and longsuffering is His kindness. He is kind enough to give
us time to repent. This
leads or brings to us, by way of inducement, to repentance. If you have the thought in
your mind that God makes us repent, then it would be easy to think that
this is what this verse would say, but it does not support grace alone.
ROM
3:25-28 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood
through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in
the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;
for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time,
that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in
Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of
works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is
justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
I
am curious… was “believing” ever a work
of the Law? How
about hearing, repentance, confession, or baptism?
I do not recall the Scriptures ever saying that either of
these elements were actually works of the Law. However
we do know that believing is a work of God because… oh and
do not forget your words from above… “If
this were the only evidence, it should be sufficient because it came
from the mouth of Jesus.” … believing is a
work of God because Jesus said it was… and He also said we had to do something
ourselves…
Joh
6:29 Jesus answered and said
unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath
sent.
I
firmly agree that we cannot do meritorious works and earn our
salvation… but I believe, based on the numerous Scriptures I
have discussed that there are works of God that we must obey in order
to be saved. These
works are not of ourselves but are of God and are part of His plan of
salvation. We have
God’s plan and we have Calvin’s plan… I
believe we will all be better off if we stick with God’s plan.
ROM
4:1-8 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to
the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has
something to boast about; but not before God. For what does the
Scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as
righteousness." Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a
favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but
believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as
righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man
to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those
whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been
covered. "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into
account."” This
passage points out that if Abraham had been justified based on his own
works, it would have been a credit to him; he would have earned it. Another view of this same
position is that if I conclude on my own or do something to save
myself, then the glory belongs to me, not to God.
However, if I contribute nothing to my own salvation, but
depend completely on God to do whatever is necessary to save me, then
God gets all the credit. Faith
is reckoned (counted, credited) as righteousness, even though it is not
actually righteousness. It
depends on righteousness from some other source, the object of the
faith, in this case, Jesus.
God
gives the blessing of salvation to people “apart from
works.”
ROM
4:16 For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance
with grace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the
descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those
who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us
all,….”
I
have discussed Abraham and works already… which relates to
all this. I
understand there are two different kinds of works… works of
our own (which would include works of the Law, works of merit, works of
our own righteousness, all of which one might boast of)… and
the works of God or works of faith as mentioned in John 6:29
and referenced previously.
ROM
4:20-25 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in
unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being
fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.
Therefore also it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Now not for his
sake only was it written, that it was reckoned to him, but for our sake
also, to whom it will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him who
raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered up because of
our transgressions, and was raised because of our
justification.” Just
like Abraham, God promises, we believe, and God counts that faith to be
the same as righteousness. In
other words God provides a perfectly righteous life in Jesus, and then
He gives me credit for that (Jesus’) righteousness if I have
faith in it just as if I had lived that perfectly righteous life myself. That way, I get the
benefit of a righteous life that I did not live and could never have
lived. It is the
only way I can be saved. I
have to give up every “good” thing I could ever do,
[ISA
64:6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our
righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a
leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.] and depend
completely on what Jesus can do for me.
That is what salvation based on faith is.
ROM
5:1-2 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our
introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult
in hope of the glory of God.
It
sure appears to me you are preaching a different gospel here Mr. Calvin. You said you have to have
“faith in it” and refer to
“righteousness”.
I am not sure if that is what you intended but it sure
sounds like it. We
should have faith in the gospel which is clearly laid out for us in
Scripture…
1Co
15:1 Moreover, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye
have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co
15:2 By which also ye are
saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have
believed in vain.
1Co
15:3 For I delivered unto you
first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures;
1Co
15:4 And that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:
We
must believe “that Christ died for our sins”,
“that He was buried”, and “that He rose
again on the third day”.’
Again,
we can see the word “therefore” in Romans 4:22. Because Abraham respected
and believed in the promise of God, he “grew strong in
faith”, “therefore” he was credited with
righteousness. We
also have the promise if we believe in Him…
(“those who believe” have the promise). We have already learned
that we cannot simply take one element and ride on that element for
salvation. Faith is
something we have to have, we have to believe.
Even you said it above “we
believe”. These are your own words. God does not do the
believing for us, we do. You
have also said we must believe and confess, and that we must believe
and repent, and that we must obey.
Furthermore, this Scripture that you are quoting here does
not tell us that “faith alone” is what saves us. It does tell us however,
the most important element of salvation, which is faith. First we hear, then our
believing (faith) gets everything started, it is a very important
element. If we do
not have faith in the evidence then we surely will not repent, confess,
or be baptized. It
cannot be “faith alone” because if it was then we
have a lot of contradiction in Scripture, and again, the devils would
be saved because even they believe.
I have refuted your “faith alone”
issue with so much Scripture that I cannot even begin to believe that
you would not see this by now… I hope you do. Keep in mind also that
Paul is not attempting to define how we are supposed to respond to the
gospel message with faith. Paul’s
usage of Abraham’s faith demonstrates that righteousness is
given upon the principle of faith and not by the principle of the Law
of Moses. Refer
back to Romans 3:27.
ROM
5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for
the ungodly.
ROM
5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us.
ROM
5:10-11 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through
the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be
saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through
our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the
reconciliation.
Yes,
we were helpless, but not anymore because of what Christ did for us. Yes, even though we are
sinners, Christ still died for us and we are saved because of His life
and death. I am not
sure what your point is here, I do not disagree with any of this
Scripture. I do
notice though that “Christ died for the ungodly”
not the “individual elect” or the
“individually chosen”.
“Ungodly” would include
everyone… which I believe you have admitted already.
ROM
5:15-19 But the free gift is not
like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many
died, much more did the grace of God and the
gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the
many. And the gift is not like that
which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment
arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the
other hand the free gift arose from
many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the
transgression of the one, death reigned
through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and
of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus
Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted
condemnation to all men, even so through one
act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners,
even so through the obedience of the One the
many will be made righteous.”
God consistently refers to salvation as a
“gift.” Now
you know that you don’t earn a gift.
You don’t do anything to get it or deserve it. Otherwise, it is not a
gift. All you do is
accept it. Whose
act of righteousness saves men? Jesus’. Whose obedience makes us
righteous? Jesus’. If you read the verses
following (chapter 6) you see that Paul addresses the issue of our
obedience after salvation. It matters, but not as to
salvation. Our
obedience only proves our salvation.
Then he goes into the fact that he is frustrated with his
own failure to be perfectly righteous even after he was saved. What does he conclude? ROM 7:25 Thanks
be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one
hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other,
with my flesh the law of sin.”
He knows that even in spite of his continued failures, his
salvation through grace is sure.
Isn’t
it convenient how you quote Scripture from all these books in Romans
but skip right over chapter 6 with a human philosophical assumption
that it only deals with obedience after salvation.
How fitting for your doctrine this would be, if it were true. I also noticed how you
have conveniently skipped over chapter 1 as well.
Paul opens up the letter to the Romans with a very strong
statement…
Rom
1:5 By whom we have received
grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations,
for his name:
Paul’s
apostleship was given to him to lead all the nations to obedience in
“the faith”. You
should agree that “the faith” is synonymous with
“the gospel”.
This is a “system of faith” or
“system of obedience”… which I will
discuss later. There
were no recognized believers during the apostolic times, there were
only obedient believers. These
verses do not say that we are saved by “faith only”. The atonement of Christ
provides the conditions for forgiveness of all sins.
Now let’s consider verses 18 and 19
again…
Rom
5:18 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.
Rom
5:19 For as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall
many be made righteous.
We
learn “the free gift came upon all
men unto justification of life.” These verses show us that
Christ’s death brought back all that we lost through
Adam’s sin. Adam’s
sin brought us natural death and also spiritual death to everyone who
continued to sin… while Christ’s death brings life
for “all men”, therefore it brings a full pardon of
the sin of our race in Adam. Therefore,
all infants and irresponsible persons are now sinless, because they
have no personal sins of their own.
Christ’s death also brings us the opportunity of
forgiveness of personal sins (once we sin) through obeying the gospel. Just as Adam’s
“disobedience” made us all disobey and become
sinners, the “obedience” of Christ shall make us
all obedient and therefore righteous.
This also shows us that baptism is not for infants because
they have no sin. You
see… we are made righteous, yes… but we end up
sinning when we become responsible and that is why we must be baptized,
to wash away our sins. We
do not automatically get to accept this free gift, we must meet a
condition to accept it. This
is not earning it. Is
not a gift usually wrapped… what do you have to do to get to
the gift? You have
to unwrap it, but that is not earning it.
If I have a nice new car parked in my yard and I say to
you, “Mr. Calvin, I have a free gift for you, a nice new car
is parked in my yard, but you have to come get it.” If you come get it, did
you earn it… certainly not.
Keep reading… I promise all this will make more
sense as you see the light.
You
skipped right over verses 20-21...
Rom
5:20 Moreover the law entered,
that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much
more abound:
Rom
5:21 That as sin hath reigned
unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let’s
consider the Manuscript for these two verses…
“But law came in
by the bye, that might abound the offense; but where abounded sin,
overabounded grace, that as reigned sin in death, so also grace might
reign through righteousness to life eternal, through Jesus Christ our
Lord.”
It
does not say “the Law” but simply
“law” came in.
I believe this would refer to not only the Law of Moses
but to the divine law that was written on the hearts of the Gentiles. This law entered so that
offenses would abound as the law was continually broken. This is not pointing to
Adam’s sin but to the personal sins of each man. So why did grace abound
more? The grace of
the gospel offers us a free pardon if we have broken the law and if we
will come to God through Christ. With
this gracious gospel of mercy for every repenting believer, just as sin
once reigned and caused universal death, so might grace reign. The scope of
God’s plan is wide enough for everyone and we all have the
opportunity to accept the gospel and enjoy the grace of God. If there are any that are
not saved, and there are and will be, it is because they refuse to come
to Christ. I
believe this is pretty clear.
Now…
to clearly show you that your statement concerning chapter 6 somehow
refers to obedience after
salvation, is absolutely 100% false, and you should not have skipped
over it, let’s consider chapter 6.
After all, if Paul were going to indicate that he was
talking about obedience after salvation, wouldn’t this be
where he would tell us this? He
sure did not mention it anywhere in the first five chapters. I am flabbergasted at your
assumption here Mr. Calvin, especially as smart as I know you are, even
I can completely understand this Scripture…
Rom
6:1 What shall we say then?
Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom
6:2 God forbid. How shall we,
that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom
6:3 Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom
6:4 Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.
Rom
6:5 For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in
the likeness of his
resurrection:
Rom
6:6 Knowing this, that our old
man is crucified with him,
that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve sin.
Rom
6:7 For he that is dead is
freed from sin.
Rom
6:8 Now if we be dead with
Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom
6:9 Knowing that Christ being
raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over
him.
Rom
6:10 For in that he died, he
died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom
6:11 Likewise reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Rom
6:12 Let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom
6:13 Neither yield ye your
members as
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God,
as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom
6:14 For sin shall not have
dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Rom
6:15 What then? shall we sin,
because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Rom
6:16 Know ye not, that to whom
ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye
obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Rom
6:17 But God be thanked, that
ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom
6:18 Being then made free from
sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Rom
6:19 I speak after the manner
of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded
your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity;
even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
Rom
6:20 For when ye were the
servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
Rom
6:21 What fruit had ye then in
those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is
death.
Rom
6:22 But now being made free
from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness,
and the end everlasting life.
Rom
6:23 For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
There
is so much important information here that relates to our salvation
that it would be impossible to skip over it or even remotely suggest
that it is obedience after salvation.
Please point out to me where in any one of these verses it
tells us that this is talking about obedience after salvation. It is really funny how you
skip over chapter 6 but then continue on with chapter 8, 9, 10, and 11,
suggesting they are speaking of “faith only” or
“grace only” for salvation.
This is a prime example of how your doctrine overlooks the
harmony of the Scriptures.
In
Romans 6:1, Paul is continuing on from 5:21, where he
has just shown us that the existence of sin called out the grace of God
in forgiveness. In
6:1, he raises the objection that if this is the case (what he has just
discussed in chapter 5), why wouldn’t we just continue in sin
so that grace could abound even more.
Of course he proclaims in verse 2, “God forbid.
How shall we that are dead to sin,
live any longer therein?”
The Manuscripts actually say “we
who died to sin”.
This is past tense
and refers to something that had already
taken place that results in our salvation, not
something that we should do as a result of our salvation. So… we learn
here that the Christian life begins
when we die to sin. Then
in verse 3, Paul irrefutably tells us how we “died to
sin”… “Know ye not” (do you
[and you too Mr. Calvin] not realize), “that
so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death?”
This leaves us no doubt that Paul is referring to the fact
that our dying to sin is a result of our being baptized into Christ. Therefore we wash away our
sins through baptism… just as Paul did himself…
Act
22:16 And now why tarriest thou?
arise, and be baptized, and wash away
thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Water
does also now save us… just as Peter
said…
1Pe
3:20 Which sometime were
disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1Pe
3:21 The
like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away
of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward
God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
We
cannot explain away all this Scripture… it is copiously
clear. Being
baptized into Christ means to enter into a vital union with Christ. We can also understand how
our faith acts to bring us into Christ from other supported Scripture
that Paul teaches…
Gal
3:26 For ye are all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal
3:27 For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ
have put on Christ.
Paul
teaches us again in Colossians…
Col
2:12 Buried
with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him
through the faith
of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
We
learn that baptism is a part of “the faith” (system
of faith) that we are to “contend for” and it is
“of God”… a “work of
God” just like believing is a “work of
God”. Our
faith leads us to obedience and we are therefore baptized into Christ. At that time we become a
member of His body, His “church”.
This is how we become a child of God.
The next verse in Romans 6 (verse 4) says it
again… “Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism into death:”… (the
Manuscripts actually read “We were
buried therefore” again indicating past tense) and just like
“Christ was raised up from the dead”…
“we should also walk in newness of life.” So just like Christ was
buried and raised, we are in the same way buried and raised by going
down into the water and be raised up out of the water.
This is called immersion and emersion, or baptism, and it
enables us to walk in a newness of life (be a child of God) because it
washes away our sins. Then
in verse 5… “for if
(there’s that “if” word again) we have
been planted together in the likeness of his
death”… whereas we are immersed into water and
covered with it and therefore buried with Christ... then “we
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”. Mr. Calvin, if we are not
buried and raised up in baptism in the same He was buried and raised up
through his resurrection, then we cannot be in the likeness of Him and
walk in a newness of life.
We must be baptized.
In verse 6 Paul tells us what has happened to us by being
baptized… “that our old man is crucified with him,
that the body of sin might be destroyed”.
In verse 7… “For he that is dead is
freed from sin.” Verse
8… “If
(the “if” word once again) we be dead with
Christ”. Verses
6-13 connect through and all the way back to what Paul has written at
the end of chapter 5 concerning sin.
In verse 14 we learn that because we have been obedient to
the faith (verses 3-5) and as Paul proclaimed in Romans 1:5, that sin
no longer has dominion over us (it can no longer
“reign” in us), because as Paul states we no longer
serve sin and we are now dead to sin due to the fact we were buried
with Christ through baptism.
2Ti
2:11 It is
a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him,
we shall also live with him:
2Ti
2:12 If we suffer, we shall
also reign with him:
if we deny him,
he also will deny us:
2Ti
2:13 If we believe not, yet
he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
If
we be dead with him… (if we are buried with him through
baptism).
Paul
further states in Romans 6:14 that we “are not under the Law,
but under grace.” Now
this tells me that baptism cannot be part of the Law (or meritorious
works of the Law, Jewish Law, Law
of Moses) and baptism is what ultimately brings us to be
“under grace”.
We can learn from this
Scripture alone that baptism and grace are not to be separated. In verse 15 we see the
same question as was presented in verse 1 and the answer is the same. Now comes verse 16, very
important… we should realize that whoever we choose
to obey we are servants of. If
we choose to
obey sin then our wages are death, if we choose
obey Christ then our obedience results in righteousness. This leaves no room to
doubt that we must choose to obey one or the other.
In verse 17 Paul is now thankful that they chose
to obey the gospel, which is “that form of doctrine which was
delivered” to them, and now to us.
Paul has just explained what “that form of
doctrine” was… “the faith” and
“obeying the gospel” which includes personal
“faith” and “baptism”. Paul’s argument
here is founded on the significance of baptism and not the significance
of obedience after we are saved. Verse
18 refers back to verse 3. In
verse 19, Paul is explaining that he is using the human terms of
master, slave, and servant, so that they can understand what he is
saying. Just as
they served sin, they should now serve righteousness resulting in
holiness. In verse
20, when they served sin they could not serve righteousness. In verse 21-22, Paul
simply explains that when they were all wrapped up in sin, they could
not bear fruit, and sin only leads to spiritual death… but
now that they are saved, they can bear fruit resulting in holiness. The end result of serving
God is eternal life. Then
the master verse is concluded in verse 23… now we understand
what Paul is referring to when he says the wages of sin is death
because he just got through explaining this to us.
Even more importantly we learn what “the gift of
God is”… “eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.” It
is important to note the Manuscripts read…”life
eternal in Christ
Jesus our Lord.” So
Paul has just explained to us how we become “in
Christ” throughout the entire chapter of Romans 6. Yes, we are baptized
into Christ. Oh how
important it is to NOT skip over
this chapter. Mr.
Calvin, you can argue with me on this all you want, but you can not
argue with Paul because his defense is the inspired Word of God. You should see that the
evidence stacks up pretty high and in favor of faith and
baptism being an integral part of God’s plan of salvation and
grace.
ROM
8:6-7 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the
Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile
toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so;” We are not able to please
God apart from salvation.
If
we are under the dominion of sin, carnally minded, in the flesh,
obviously we will not be able to please God.
As Paul explained in chapter 6, we are released from the
dominion of sin when we die with Christ by being baptized into Christ.
ROM
9:30-32 What shall
we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained
righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel,
pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why?
Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by
works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,….” Just as Israel
tried to save themselves by keeping the law perfectly (pursuing it as
though it were by works) and failed, people today who try to save
themselves by their own obedience will certainly fail.” Conversely, the Gentiles
who did not even try to be righteous on the basis of their own efforts,
are viewed by God as righteous because they have faith in the One who
is perfectly righteous.
Rom
9:30 What shall we say then?
That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have
attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
Rom
9:31 But Israel, which followed
after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of
righteousness.
Rom
9:32 Wherefore? Because they
sought it
not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled
at that stumblingstone;
Rom
9:33 As it is written, Behold,
I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
The
Gentiles believed and Israel
did not. The
Israelites wanted to keep the Law of Moses which could not save them. Works of the Law cannot
save us… I understand this completely and will not dispute
it. Christ was
foretold of as a stumblingstone back in Isaiah…
Isa
8:14 And he shall be for a
sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to
both the houses of Israel,
for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Although
He will be a stumbling block for some, those who believe on Him
“shall not be ashamed.”
We must believe, no doubt this is important. If we try to save
ourselves by works of the Law then we will fail… we should
do the works of God instead and then we can succeed.
ROM
10:3-4 For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to
establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the
righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes.”
One who seeks to earn his own righteousness is refusing to
subject himself to the righteousness of God.
ROM
10:16-17 However,
they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has
believed our report?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the
word of Christ.” [Not
by our works.]
I
think you know by now I do not claim to have earned my salvation. The Law of Moses does not
say we must believe, repent, confess, or be baptized… Jesus
and the apostles taught us these elements of salvation, not Moses.
Rom
10:16 But they have not all
obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our
report?
Rom
10:17 So then faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
They
did not “obey the gospel” did they?
They had a choice… God did not force them not
to believe. The
gospel must be preached in order for people to have the opportunity
(the universal invitation) to obey the gospel.
So when we hear, believe, and are baptized we have obeyed
the gospel…
Act
18:8 And Crispus, the chief
ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and
many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
Of
course repentance and confession must be a part of this too as I have
noted already. It
appears here you have a different opinion of preaching than earlier. I get the impression you
believe “faith” comes from
“hearing” (preaching) which comes from the word of
Christ. I agree
with this too! The
Holy Spirit works through the Word of God and the Word of God is
preached, therefore preaching can prick the heart.
ROM
11:5-7 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present
time a remnant according to God's gracious choice. But
if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise
grace is no longer grace.
What then? That which Israel
is seeking for, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained
it, and the rest were hardened;”
Rom
11:5 Even so then at this
present time also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace.
Rom
11:6 And if by grace, then is it
no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be
of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Rom
11:7 What then? Israel
hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath
obtained it, and the rest were blinded
We
know this remnant are those Jews of Israel that remain because of their
faith and they received the grace of God because of their faith. They obviously did not
earn it by keeping the Jewish Law, otherwise it would not be grace. Refer back to Romans 1:5
for clarification on obedient faith resulting in grace.
As far as the “election”, this is
speaking of the race of people, not individual election. As far as the rest being
blinded… this was a result of them closing their
eyes… an act of their own.
I talked about this earlier.
Are
you convinced yet?
I
am pretty much convinced… that we must obey the gospel by
hearing, believing, repenting, confessing, and being baptized into
Christ for the forgiveness of sins (so that we can die to
sin)… as it appears the Scriptures totally support. Are you convinced of the
same or are you going to continue to deny what Jesus and the apostles
taught?
Perhaps
you are thinking about this possibility:
“I depend on Jesus to save me, but I believe
that I must add something to what He did in order to complete or
appropriate that salvation for myself.”
Paul addressed that very issue in Galatians. The church in Galatia
was particularly troubled by Judaizers who said that a person is saved
through faith in Christ, but only if he completes or appropriates that
salvation by some further act of obedience, i.e., be circumcised. If I can only be saved by
believing in Jesus and by being
baptized, then the same Scriptural truth applies.
That is a different gospel from the one the Bible presents
to us. In fact I am
going to take a little license with the clarification in advance. I am going to lift some
passages from Galatians and substitute “baptism” in
place of “circumcision.”
I
am going to comment on the verses below but I want to be sure I
understand what you are saying above first.
It appears you are saying that loving obedience in faith
resulting in salvation (which the Scriptures teach us and by the way,
does not include circumcision) is a “different gospel from
the one the Bible presents to us.”
Yet, you are “going to take a little
license” with the Scriptures yourself.
Very interesting. Let’s
definitely see how this pans out.
GAL
1:6-7 I am amazed
that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of
Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there
are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of
Christ.
GAL
1:11-12 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was
preached by me is not according to man.
For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it,
but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
GAL
2:16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of
the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in
Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by
the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be
justified.
GAL
2:21 "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes
through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
GAL
3:11-14 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident;
for, "The righteous man shall live by faith." However, the Law is not
of faith; on the contrary, "He who practices them shall live by them."
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for
us-- for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"-- in
order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the
Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith.”
GAL
3:18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a
promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.
GAL
3:22 But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise
by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
GAL
4:9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by
God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless
elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?
GAL
5:5-8 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of
righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither baptism
nor unbaptism
means anything, but faith working through love. You were running well;
who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come
from Him who calls you.
GAL
6:12-15 Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to
compel you to be baptized, simply
that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For those who
are baptized do not even keep the
Law themselves, but they desire to have you baptized,
that they may boast in your flesh. But may it never be that I should
boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the
world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is
circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creation.”
I
will discuss all of this Scripture but you should understand that Paul
is not talking about baptism in these passages.
Paul is talking about “the faith” and
the false teachings that were instructing people that in order to
become a Christian they had to first become a Jew and be circumcised. So to clear up an
incorrect and unscriptural assumption you made…. the
Judaizers were not trying to suggest that salvation had to be completed
with simply some further act of obedience, i.e., be baptized, (which
would not in any way be similar to circumcision)... rather it was
specifically “works of the Law” they were trying to
compel, and baptism has never been a work of the Law.
It appears what you are doing is wrestling with Scripture
again…
2Pe
3:16 As also in all his
epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things
hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable
wrest, as they do
also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2Pe
3:17 Ye therefore, beloved,
seeing ye know these things
before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the
wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
Why
don’t I take a “little license” and
substitute the word “baptism” for
“grace” in Ephesians 2:5 and 2:8…
“by baptism ye are
saved” and “for by baptism
are ye saved through faith”.
Although this license would agree completely with the
teachings of 1 Peter
3:21…
“baptism doth also now save us”… I am
not at liberty to contort, distort, or even rearrange the words of any
inspired writer, and neither are you… especially to support
a doctrine that is unauthorized and uninspired of God.
You are trying to change the meaning of the entire book of
Galatians by taking your “license”.
These passages that you so conveniently
“lift” from Galatians, address circumcision, not baptism, except in chapter 3, verse
27… which again, you conveniently skip
right over. What if
I took a license and substituted “baptism” for
“circumcision” in 3:27…
“For as many of you as have been circumcised
into Christ have put on Christ.”
This is funny… we are “circumcised
into Christ”.
Do you see now how absurd your reasoning is? Mr. Calvin, we can not
take a “license” to construct and teach a different
gospel. I am not
the one teaching a different gospel, you are, and you have proven it
with your “little license”.
Now
I will address the Scripture you have “lifted” from
Galatians, but I am going to do what I have done frequently throughout
this discussion and “lift” these passages from the
KJV.
GAL
1:6-7… GAL 1:11-12…
Gal
1:6 I marvel that ye are so
soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto
another gospel:
Gal
1:7 Which is not another; but
there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal
1:8 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.
Gal
1:9 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.
Gal
1:10 For do I now persuade men,
or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should
not be the servant of Christ.
Gal
1:11 But I certify you,
brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
Gal
1:12 For I neither received it
of man, neither was I taught it,
but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
I
thought it would be good to add in those verses in between. Paul is marveled by those
who are substituting the Law of Moses for the doctrine of Christ. Similarly I am marveled at
you substituting circumcision (Law of Moses) for baptism (doctrine of
Christ). Paul is in
no way warning against those who teach repentance and baptism as
referenced in Acts… otherwise he would be judging Peter and
calling him a false teacher…
Act
2:38 Then Peter said unto them,
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost.
We
should adhere to “all the counsel of
God”…
Act
20:27 For I have not shunned to
declare unto you all the counsel of God.
…which
is “truth”…
Joh
17:17 Sanctify them through thy
truth: thy word is truth.
Psa
119:160 Thy word is
true from
the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth
for ever.
…we
should rightly divide the truth…
2Ti
2:15 Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.
…and
as previously discussed, the truth is the gospel preached by
Paul…
1Co
15:1 Moreover, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye
have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co
15:2 By which also ye are
saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have
believed in vain.
1Co
15:3 For I delivered unto you
first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures;
1Co
15:4 And that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:
Think
about it Mr. Calvin… Paul was not a poor teacher or preacher. He did not go to Galatia
and preach election and salvation by grace only.
If he did then why did these
“ignorant” people still want to be baptized?
Gal
3:27 For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
You
should consider Paul’s warnings yourself.
GAL
2:16…
Gal
2:16 Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by
the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works
of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Paul
is discussing “the faith” and the Law of Moses. As discussed previously,
these Galatians were being swayed by Judaizers, teachers who were
trying to bring them back into Judaism and the Law of Moses with
ceremonial practices from the OT, which we know had been nailed to the
cross.
Col
2:14 Blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to
us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
If
they went back into the old Law they would have to start sacrificing
animals again, therefore rejecting the sacrifice of Christ.
Gal
3:23 But before faith came, we
were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards
be revealed.
I
think this would be a good place to discuss “of
Christ” and “in Christ”.
It is common for those that do not support the necessity
of baptism to improperly translate the Greek word
“Xristou” which means “of
Christ” and not “in Christ”. The NASB
just gets it wrong here. I
can almost see why you were encouraging me to get the NASB
translation… it is definitely slanted towards faith alone. Anyway… Paul
does not teach that a sinner is justified by or through
“faith in Christ” but rather by or through
“the faith of Christ”.
We must translate the Scriptures according to the inspired
Manuscript and not our own opinions.
“The faith of Christ” includes His
faith in the Heavenly Father and His obedience and faithfulness in the
fulfillment of His redemptive work.
It is “the faith of Christ” that a
sinner has any hope of redemption.
He obtained that “perfection” I
discussed earlier that a sinner cannot obtain.
God’s plan of making a sinner be justified
(obtain perfection) is by baptizing him into Christ and therefore this
identifies him with Christ. This
is what Paul was saying in Colossians…
Col
1:28 Whom we preach, warning
every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present
every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
GAL
2:21…
Gal
2:21 I do not frustrate the
grace of God: for if righteousness come
by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Again,
Paul is referring to the Law of Moses and “the
faith”, not baptism. Don’t
you see Mr. Calvin… if righteousness comes through election
by the grace of God alone, then Christ died in vain.
Christ had to die because the justice of God demands my
death to pay for sin. Christ
had to die because the mercy of God demands that I be spared death for
my sins. He had to
die because the grace of God demands that I have the free gift of
eternal life, even though I do not deserve it, nor can I earn it. Christ had to die because
the love of God compelled Him to send someone to die in my place as a
sacrifice to atone for my sins. For
all of these to be fulfilled and in harmony, there was no other way. God would violate His own
justice, mercy, righteousness, and love, if He elected us by grace (not getting what I deserve) only.
He would violate His justice (getting what I do deserve)
because the wages of sin is death.
He would violate His righteousness in that His mercy (not
getting what I deserved) would be subjective.
He would violate His love in that Jesus is the substitute
sacrifice for ALL
sins, and yet He would refuse to forgive those who are not of the elect. Surely you can see this.
GAL 3:11-14
…
Gal
3:11 But that no man is
justified by the law in the sight of God, it is
evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal
3:12 And the law is not of
faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Gal
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:
Gal
3:14 That the blessing of
Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might
receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Paul
is once again discussing the Law of Moses and in verse 14 is referring
to “the faith” not “faith”. The Manuscripts contain
the Greek words “tas pisteos” which is
“the faith”. I
do not receive the promise through my personal faith but through
“the faith”, the doctrine of Christ, which includes
baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
GAL 3:18-29
Gal
3:18 For if the inheritance be
of the law, it is
no more of promise: but God gave it to
Abraham by promise.
Gal
3:19 Wherefore then serveth
the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should
come to whom the promise was made; and it
was ordained
by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Gal
3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator
of one, but God is one.
Gal
3:21 Is the
law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been
a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should
have been by the law.
Gal
3:22 But the Scripture hath
concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ
might be given to them that believe.
Gal
3:23 But before faith came, we
were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards
be revealed.
Gal
3:24 Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring
us unto
Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal
3:25 But after that faith is
come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal
3:26 For ye are all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal
3:27 For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal
3:28 There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor
female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal
3:29 And if ye be
Christ is, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise.
There
is just too much Scripture here to skip over every verse except verses
18 and 22… so I “lifted” the remainder. I would really like to
hear your comments on these other verses too, but anyway, here are my
thoughts. The
promise to Abraham is to those who are “of Christ”
(“Xristou” in verse 29).
As I have previously shown and as Paul shows us in verse
27 we become “of Christ” by being baptized into
Christ. You took
the verses you quoted right out of context, as you have done
previously. Even if we took the translation your way (faith in Christ)
there would still be a problem. What
would happen to those who really believed in Christ but are not of your
so-called “elect”.
How cruel and merciless is that kind of God?
GAL
4:9…
Gal
4:9 But now, after that ye
have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the
weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
As
mentioned several times already… Paul is addressing those
who would require that people become Jews before becoming Christians. If going back to
“baptism” is meant here then what would be wrong
with going back to that which renders us “in
Christ” and is clearly taught by Jesus and the apostles? Paul did not enslave the
jailor by baptizing him after teaching him the gospel.
In this passage here in verse 9, Paul is warning against
enslavement of Christians who return to the Law of Moses looking for
salvation. He is
not warning them of returning to the doctrine of Christ (the faith)
which includes baptism for forgiveness of sins.
GAL
5:1-8…
Gal
5:1 Stand fast therefore in
the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage.
Gal
5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto
you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
Gal
5:3 For I testify again to
every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Gal
5:4 Christ is become of no
effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are
fallen from grace.
Gal
5:5 For we through the Spirit
wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Gal
5:6 For in Jesus Christ
neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith
which worketh by love.
Gal
5:7 Ye did run well; who did
hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
Gal
5:8 This persuasion cometh
not of him that calleth you.
Again,
you skipped over some Scripture, although I have discussed some of it
previously, I felt like it should be included.
I want to go back and consider your
“license” you employed previously.
Consider verse 2… “You see that I
Paul am saying to you, that if you are baptized
then Christ is of no value to you.” Now I am not sure if you
were immersed or sprinkled, but I know you claim you are baptized. Using your license, you,
me, Jerry, Billy Graham, Martin Luther, and everyone else that has ever
been baptized is in hell or going to hell, because as the Scriptures
teach us, without Christ there is no salvation.
So, if you do not mind substituting words, this is your
verse, and it clearly states if we are baptized then Christ is of no
value to us. I
would then be fully convinced that not only is baptism not necessary
but it should be prohibited. However,
thankfully, that is not what the verse says and this is why we cannot
have such a “license”.
With your “license” I can prove that
faith, grace, forgiveness, and Christ, are all not necessary to be
saved. Again, I
hope you see the absurdity of your reasoning with your
“license”. Paul
is telling us that circumcision under the Law of Moses was nailed to
the cross and we cannot bind circumcision on those who would come to
salvation in Christ Jesus through the faith.
GAL
6:12-15…
Gal
6:12 As many as desire to make
a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only
lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
Gal
6:13 For neither they
themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you
circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
Gal
6:14 But God forbid that I
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Gal
6:15 For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creature.
I
think I have covered what Paul is talking about here.
I know that you would like for it to mean something other
that what it says, but it does not.
Maybe by now you do not want it to mean anything other
that what it truly teaches. No
one that I know of is boasting about being baptized nor would I think
that we could boast if we baptized anyone.
There is also other Scripture that says “in
Christ” we are “a new
creature.”…
2Co
5:17 Therefore if any man be
in Christ, he is
a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new.
We
would no doubt have a contradiction in Scripture if Galatians 6:15
meant what you think it meant, since the only instructions we have in
the Scriptures on how to get “in Christ” is through
baptism…
Gal
3:27 For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Rom
6:3 Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
1Co
12:13 For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether we be
Jews or Gentiles, whether we be
bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Throughout
these passages you have basically compared circumcision of the old Law
to baptism. I do
not recall any Scripture that says that circumcision was ever a
criterion for being saved to begin with.
However, the Scriptures clearly teach us that
“baptism doth also now save us” and that we are
“baptized into Christ”, etc., etc., as I have shown
in numerous passages previously. If
circumcision was ever necessary for salvation, then what were the women
to do? This goes
back to confusion about what Paul is saying when he was protesting
against people wanting to mix the OT Law with Christianity. It is the same thing that
the Judaizers were trying to get the Hebrew Christians to do in Hebrews. We are now under the NT
covenant and we are told that we must believe and obey the gospel to be
saved as shown in numerous passages previously.
Perhaps
the clincher is in this passage:
GAL
3:1-3 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes
Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only
thing I want to find out from you: did you
receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Are you so foolish? Having begun by the
Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” The point is that we
cannot add anything to the salvation that God has given to us. It is arrogant to think
that even our obedience to Scripture adds to what God has done for us. He does not need our help
to save us. He can
do it Himself. In
fact if we had to depend on any of
our own works to complete the salvation that God has offered, then no one would be saved.
Gal
3:1 O foolish Galatians, who
hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose
eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Gal
3:2 This only would I learn of
you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing
of faith?
Gal
3:3 Are ye so foolish? having
begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
The
“clincher” passage huh… if it said what
you wanted it to say, it might very well be the
“clincher”… the problem is, it does not
say what you want it to. But
again… maybe by now you do not want it say what you
previously wanted it to. Paul
did not ask “did
you receive the Spirit by obeying the gospel of Christ or by
election?”
Paul
asked a completely different question… “Received
ye the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of
faith?” Question
asked, question answered… I was saved by grace through the
faith, not by meritorious works of the Law of Moses.
I heard the gospel through the Word of God, and through
the faith of Christ, I have faith, and have repented, confessed, and
was baptized for the forgiveness of sins.
You cannot address the question you really want to ask
because baptism for the forgiveness of sins is not part of the Law of
Moses. The
principle behind these teachings of Paul to the Galatians is that any
teaching that we must accomplish works of merit to earn salvation is
“another gospel”, be it the Law or any other
doctrine. Likewise,
anyone teaching salvation by any other doctrine other than the doctrine
of Christ, is teaching “another gospel”. You should see now that
your clincher is not really a clincher after all.
As
mentioned earlier we are saved by “the faith of
Christ” and our personal faith is an important role in
“the faith”. The
KJV translates properly the definite article “the”
in Galatians 3:23 but misses in some other passages, even though it is
in the Manuscripts. It
is in Ephesians 2:8 “by grace through the
faith” but is not translated except in a few translations of
the Bible. When
Paul said “the faith”, he was referring to the
“system of faith” found in the NT, which is much
different than the OT Law. This
is obvious when he says “before faith came, we were kept
under the Law”. He
was obviously not referring to a personal faith.
When they were kept under the Law they were shut up unto
“the faith” which would later be revealed. Abraham had faith before
the Law ever came about so when Paul is referring to “the
faith”, he is referring to a “system of
faith”. Let’s
consider “the faith” in some verses…
Act
6:7 And the word of God
increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem
greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient
to the faith.
Act
14:22 Confirming the souls of
the disciples, and
exhorting them to continue in the
faith, and that we must through much tribulation
enter into the kingdom of God.
Act
16:5 And so were the churches
established in the faith,
and increased in number daily.
Rom
1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for
obedience to the faith among all nations, for his
name:
Eph
4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Phi
1:27 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;
1Ti
3:9 Holding the mystery
of the faith in a pure conscience.
Jud
1:3 Beloved, when I gave all
diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for
me to write unto you, and exhort you
that ye should earnestly contend for
the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
We
can clearly see there is a difference between
“faith” (personal faith) and “the
faith” (system of faith).
Let’s look at this “system of
faith” yet a little closer because there are a couple of
points to be made…
Rom
1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh;
Rom
1:4 And declared to
be the Son of God with power,
according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Rom
1:5 By whom we have received
grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations,
for his name:
Rom
1:6 Among whom are ye also the
called of Jesus Christ:
In
verse 5 they “received grace” because of
what… “obedience to the
faith”.
From all the Scripture I have discussed previously I think
we can agree that “obedience to the faith” would
the synonymous with “obeying the gospel”. These believers in Romans
1 would be considered “obedient” believers, not
mere “recognized” believers.
I would rather be an “obedient”
believer myself, and I believe that I am because I obeyed the gospel. They received grace
because they were obedient to “the faith” or they
“obeyed the gospel” and then in verse 6, because of
what they did, they became “the called” of Christ. They became “in
Christ” and a member of Christ’s body which puts
them in “the church”.
Consider what these Christians that Paul referenced were
“called” out of and into…
Col
1:13 Who hath delivered us from
the power of darkness, and hath translated us
into the kingdom of his dear Son:
1Pe
2:9 But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Romans
1:6 pinpoints Paul’s readers as members of “the
church” in the universal sense.
Paul
also taught “the faith” in Ephesians…
Eph
4:5 One Lord, one faith, one
baptism,
I
touched on this a little earlier… it makes sense that if it
is “the faith” that saves us then it could not be
our personal faith or “faith alone” as most
Protestant denominations teach. “Faith”
is our individual faith and is of us.
If faith alone saves us then it is not “by
grace” as Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:8.
Again, faith is from us and grace is from God. Our personal faith is only
one part of “the faith” mentioned in Ephesians
2:8… it is only one ingredient in our obedient faith or our
obedient response. Furthermore,
we must continue in “the faith”…
Col
1:21 And you, that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
Col
1:22 In the body of his flesh
through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in
his sight:
Col
1:23 If
ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be
not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and
which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I
Paul am made a minister;
This
should be enough Scriptural evidence to convince you, but if you are
still unconvinced or wavering, consider these things.
If you accept as true the position that a person can only
be saved if he believes in Jesus and is baptized…and when he
is baptized the preacher says the magic words, “I baptize you
for the remission of sins,” then think of all the giants of
the faith who are now in hell, Luther, Wycliffe, Calvin, Wesley, Knox,
Whitefield, Albert Schwietzer, David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor, Bill
Sunday, D.L. Moody, Billy Graham, and many others.
Think of the people you know who you have always respected
as men of God, Bill Dever, Jerry Beverly, and me (?).
Are we on the fast track to hell?
More importantly, think about yourself and your own
experience in light of the passages above.
People who knew you before Bill Dever visited you and you
“prayed the prayer,” testify that after that visit,
you changed dramatically. You
became interested in pleasing God.
You gave up old and evil habits, practices and attitudes. You became interested in
the Scriptures, reading, studying and praying.
You gave time and money to the Lord’s work. You have sent your
daughter to a Christian school. You
became a different man, just as the Scriptures promise.
I understand that your friend Jason baptized you by
immersion for the remission of sins.
Was there a greater change in your life after that event? Look at the evidence, in
Scripture and in your own experience, both of them together, the
promise given and the promise fulfilled.
When were you really saved?
When you were recently baptized or years ago when you
received the gift of salvation offered to you by God through His
servant, Bill Dever? You
decide for yourself. The
answer is crystal clear to me.
While
I appreciate your efforts in preparing all of this, I do not believe
you have shown me as much scriptural evidence to support your doctrine
as I have shown scriptural evidence to support that form of doctrine
which was originally taught by Jesus and the apostles, which is clearly
not the same as your doctrine. I
believe I have also shown where you have taken quite a bit of Scripture
out of context in an attempt to support your false doctrine, yet your
Scripture still failed the test. I
stated in the beginning, I can not say that I am absolutely right on
everything I have discussed, however I have read and studied and
commented from a non-denominational viewpoint and without any bias
toward denominational doctrine. I
am continuing to study with eagerness to know the truth. I truly hope that you will
consider the additional Scripture and what I have written.
Concerning
your baptism remark in these closing comments of yours… I
believe the Scriptures tell us we must hear, believe, repent, confess,
and be baptized, in order to be saved.
This is where I stand firm. I do not accept that we simply
have to believe and be baptized. Jesus
said “He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.”
These were His own words from His own mouth as recorded by
Mark. I do not
understand why He would make such a statement if He did not mean it. We can not rearrange His
words to make them fit man-made doctrines without defiling the
Scriptures. Jesus
also taught us that we must repent and confess.
Jesus and the apostles told us everything we needed to do
which includes believing and being baptized, all of which I have
discussed in detail. Ultimately
we are to be baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost, and it is
for the forgiveness of sins. It
truly puzzles me why you disregard the words that Jesus clearly spoke
with His own mouth.
I
recognize some of those so-called “giants” of the
faith, but I tell you Mr. Calvin, they do not impress me near as much
as the truth in the Word of God which includes what Jesus and the
apostles taught. As
a matter of fact, I am somewhat disappointed with these
“giants” that did not, and have not, done a better
job of holding to that form of doctrine which Jesus and the apostles
taught. Instead of
trying to reform the church, Luther, Calvin, and Knox, should have been
more focused on restoring and maintaining the original church. We did not need division
in the church, which we have so abundantly right now.
There is only one true church and it belongs to Christ and
consists of all the saved. It
is very evident that every time one of these denominations popped up or
pop up, and someone else was not or is not happy with their man made
doctrines, another would or will pop up with doctrines to suit there
own desires and needs rather than to glorify God.
It is no wonder God knows only a few will be saved. I am curious about how you
have already judged these “giants” to be
saved… especially being that you do not personally know most
of them. Are you
sure they are of the so-called “elect”…
what if they are not? Are
you judging them based on what they have done… their
meritorious works… is this why you call them
“giants”? I
have a verse for you to consider concerning some of the
“giants”…
Luk
6:26 Woe unto you, when all men
shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false
prophets.
Is
Billy Graham accursed since he teaches a different plan of salvation, a
different gospel, than that of the Presbyterian or Calvinist doctrine?
Gal
1:7 Which is not another; but
there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal
1:8 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.
Either
your doctrine is right or Billy Graham’s is right, or both
are wrong. No
matter how you approach it, Billy Graham departs from election (all may
come) and grace (believe unto salvation) to one degree or another. Are you condemning Billy
Graham to hell in light of Galatians 1:8?
What about all the Baptists, Methodists, and all those
people who have desired a relationship with God, are you now condemning
them to hell if they are not of the so-called
“elect”? Are
you condemning me, Angie, Chelsea, Jason, (and I could mention others)
and all those who believe in the doctrine of Christ, if we are not of
the so-called “elect”?
You see… your insinuating questions are better
suited to your own self.
I
cannot search or judge the hearts of the people that you have
mentioned… including you or any of the other people you
mentioned above. No
man, woman, or child, can condemn any other person’s soul to
hell. All I can do
is read and study the Scriptures and share what I understand them to
say. If you or any
of these others are condemned, it is by the Word of God, and not by me. When I first started
really and truly studying the Scriptures and Manuscripts, I knew that
if the Scriptures were saying what I thought they were, it would no
doubt be a hard pill to swallow. I
have a lot of family and friends that have followed the traditions of
men. However, it is
clear that there will only be a few in heaven, which is sad to
me… but it is a painful truth… not because I say
it, but because Jesus Christ said it.
What I hope to accomplish is to learn the truth and maybe
I can help God carry out His plan by explaining to people what the
truth is and lead them away from unscriptural and unauthorized
doctrines of man..
Concerning
my salvation… I believe that I have had a repentant heart in
some ways for a long time, which contributed to some changes in my
life, although there have been some ups and downs.
I have seriously doubted my salvation on several
occasions, including the most severe doubt recently.
I do not believe that I was saved until I obeyed the
gospel and the will of God concerning salvation.
You have only known me on the surface Mr. Calvin, because
I have covered up very well in the past.
I will confess to you now that deep down inside I still
carried around what I would consider to be some serious problems, even
up until recently. I
was never before able to let go of my own selfish desires. I prayed for God to help
me fix my problems and truly follow Him, although it was apparent He
was not answering any of my prayers and I would sometimes wonder if He
was really listening. I
thought maybe He was holding back because I was not being faithful in
my worship to Him, so I felt like what I needed to do was get back in
church, and maybe eventually He would hear my prayers and answer them. I, as well as Angie and
Chelsea, started attending faithfully and I continued to pray regularly
for God to help me in my life. During
this time I wanted to grow closer to God than I had ever been and was
seeking to truly know Him in an intimate way… that intimate
way you mentioned earlier, that I had never experienced. I prayed and
prayed for God to show me His way and what He would have me to do,
still never getting any answers… everything always seemed so
confusing. It has
basically been the same prayer for years and years, but this time I was
sincere, and to a point of begging.
Eventually, I started questioning and testing the
preaching that I was receiving and I doubted some of what was being
taught. I started
studying the Scriptures a little closer and began to wonder if I really
knew the truth. There
appeared to be something that did not seem right.
A few weeks before Jason offered to present me with some
Scripture to study, Scripture that I had previously skimmed over, I
earnestly begged God to please show me His truth.
Mr. Calvin, I repeatedly begged Him like I never have
before. Similar to
Cornelius, I believe God knew I was praying and by His providence, sent
someone to me with this Scripture and someone to truly present the
gospel of Jesus Christ to me… as well as show me the
Scripture I needed to study to find out what I needed to do to obey the
gospel. Maybe He
searched my heart and knew that I really wanted to know Him and know
the truth. Jason
only shared Scripture with me… he did not try to coerce me
with his own words. He
simply showed me the Scripture and suggested I study it a little
closer, which I did. It
became clear to me that I needed to obey the gospel as taught in the
Scriptures and I did. I
later called Jason and asked him if he would mind baptizing me and he
did. Since that
time I have truly had prayers answered.
Prayers that have went unanswered for years. With God’s help
I have been able to rid most of my problems, not that I am perfect, but
my conscience is clearer than ever before.
I also realize more of the smaller sins in my life that I
have overlooked in the past. The
Scriptures seem to be easier to understand or at least I believe they
are anyway. I have
a deeper desire than I have ever had, to study God’s Word. I can definitely recognize
a greater change in my heart than ever before, not that this change is
how I recognize my salvation. I
know I am saved because I have obeyed what God has commanded me to do
to be saved and I know I love Him and want to live for Him. I have not done anything
that I feel like I can brag or boast of… it is
God’s command to do what I did. I
am thankful that he gave His son for me and gave me a way to enter the
kingdom of heaven. I
am thankful that He has a great plan of salvation so that I could have
an opportunity to participate and become a child of His. Mr. Calvin, I do not
believe all these events are coincidence but rather the providence of
God. The praise
definitely all goes to God.
I
do not believe a “dramatic change” is sufficient
evidence to prove someone is saved.
The Scriptures do not teach us this.
Buddhism, New Age, Jehovah Witness, all require
“dramatic change” in their respective
religions… do we see evidence of their salvation? I think is it easy for a
person to change dramatically and still be lost.
What about the so-called
“elect”… can they be saved without a
dramatic change? I
am not sure if you remember my old so-called testimony, but I use to
tell the story about how I prayed the sinner’s prayer for
several nights in a row, waiting for that special feeling, that special
moment, but really never had it. I
was later told that I only had to ask one time and God would grant me
salvation, yet I hear and read stories regularly of people that
“feel” like they are saved.
It is really sad this is happening.
I truly realize now that I did not ever have to
“feel” something to be saved nor does anyone else. I think this is
unscriptural and comes from a false teaching called emotionalism. It attempts to replace
reason with emotions. Jacob
was overcome with intense grief (emotions) when he was told that his
beloved son Joseph died. However,
those emotions were based on a lie.
Dramatic changes, emotions, and feelings, are all
insufficient to know we are saved.
The Scriptures clearly tell us that what we believe is to
be built upon reason and that we should “prove all
things”, and “reason together”, just as
Paul “reasoned with them out of the Scriptures”. We can indeed know that we
are saved when we believe and follow what God’s Word
says…
1Jo
2:1 My little children, these
things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jo
2:2 And he is the propitiation
for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins
of the whole
world.
1Jo
2:3 And
hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jo
2:4
He that saith, I
know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is
not in him.
1Jo
2:5 But whoso keepeth his
word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that
we are in him.
1Jo
2:6 He that saith he abideth
in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Mr.
Calvin, God does not lie, and through His word He said that He is no
respecter of persons… that those who reject Christ and His
words will go to hell… that those who do not obey the Gospel
will be damned… that Christians can fall from
grace… that children are not born totally depraved because
“such is the kingdom of heaven”… that
those in the church are those who are saved… that Christ
died once for all men… that Christ is the only way to
heaven… that we must be in Christ to be saved…
that baptism puts us into Christ… and that baptism does also
now save us. Yet
most people that support your doctrine would say that the Scriptures do
not mean what they say or try to convince someone that God’s
Word is not understandable enough to know these things.
Denominationalism and men’s doctrines have
spoiled too many people and God knew this would happen.
I firmly believe this is why Jesus said narrow is the way
and few will find it and in the very next verses He warns us of false
teachers. Yes
indeed, it is very understandable why only a few will be in heaven. Jude warned of false
teachers who would turn the grace of God into lasciviousness thus
making a mockery of moral standards and accountability…
Jud
1:3 Beloved, when I gave all
diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for
me to write unto you, and exhort you
that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered
unto the saints.
Jud
1:4 For there are certain men
crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this
condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Jud
1:17 But, beloved, remember ye
the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ;
Jud
1:18 How that they told you
there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their
own ungodly lusts.
Ironically
they justify their departures from Christ’s teaching by
appealing to the nature of God. Those
who might take exception are usually said to be ignorant or
narrow-minded. They
are usually dismissed as small-minded, loveless souls unable to grasp
the goodness of God. Mockery
is one of the favorite tools of false teachers.
Because what they wish to promote cannot be sustained on
the basis of reasoned evidence, they must resort to a lower means of
persuasion. It is
clearly an admission that their man-made doctrines lack an accurate
scriptural basis. It
is apparently common for false teachers to use broad religious themes
such as love, forgiveness, and grace,
to hide the fact that there is no scriptural support for what they
promote. Although
false teachers claim to be led the Holy Spirit, Jude points to their
divisive conduct as evidence to the contrary…
Jud
1:19 These be they who separate
themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
Their
strategy is to divide and conquer the church by creating confusion over
scriptural values such as grace and
obedience.
Near the end of Jude’s letter, he instructs his
readers (which includes all Christians) to pray in the Spirit. I also discussed how Jude
encourages us to wait for God’s mercy in dealing with some of
these who might be discouraged as well as the false teachers. This is his way of reminding
Christians that we are the ones in fellowship with God, rather than the
cynics who ridicule our faith. I
know I must continue to trust God, live a holy life, and refuse to be
discouraged by religious charlatans.
Satan has mastered the art of psychological warfare, but
Christians can defeat discouragement by remembering Jesus’
and the apostles’ teachings.
There will always be mockers who will attempt to
dishearten the faithful by sneering at sound doctrine.
I refuse to let an erudite, or mockery of men, diminish my
will to stand firm against false doctrines.
It is truth that sets us free.
Honest and careful study of God’s Word liberates
us not only from sin, but also from falsehoods taught by popular
preachers who deal in misrepresentation and emotional manipulation. God knew these types of
false teachers would be prevalent, and He inspired Jude to write his
letter warning us of them. I
praise God for inspiring Jude. You
should heed Jude’s warning Mr. Calvin.
There
is one last issue I want to address with you that concerns me. I saved it for last
because I wanted to give it some real thought before I made any
comments. You
should recall when I first spoke with you on the phone concerning
several passages referencing baptism.
These passages are still written down on that same sheet
of paper I was using when I called you.
They included Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38,
Romans 6:3, Galatians 3:27, 1 Peter
3:20-21
and Titus 3:5. You
advised me that all of these passages, except maybe a couple of them,
referenced baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We did not discuss in detail all of them but you or I read
them aloud, or I referenced them and we silently read them together. You made a statement about
how we could explain Galatians 3:27 better than we could explain 1 Peter
3:20-21… later indicating to me that there might be an issue
with 1 Peter
3:20-21. I asked
you Mr. Calvin, “You mean these verses are referring to
baptism of the Holy Spirit?” and your reply was in the
affirmative… I cannot recall the exact words but maybe
“yeah” or “of
course”… or something to that affect. I am totally bamboozled as
to why you would tell me such a thing.
You either intentionally tried to deceive me or you are
ignorant to the element of baptism in these passages.
I would like to think it is the latter but I know you are
smarter than that. If
in fact you do have some rationale behind believing these baptisms are
not of water then you are not only going to have to argue with me and a
host of Biblical scholars and theologians, but you are going to have to
rewrite the Confession’s section “Of
Baptism” and eliminate all of these passages referring solely
to water baptism (except 1 Peter
3 which I do not think it includes).
Not just one or two of these, but all of these passages
are referring to water baptism Mr. Calvin.
You should know that I have always trusted you and
respected you to the fullest but your advisement on these passages has
definitely cast doubt on my trust and respect in you.
Nonetheless… I at least owe you the opportunity
to defend yourself as to why you would advise me of such misinformation. I will leave it at that
for now.
I
leave you with some final Scripture for thought…
Jam
1:18 Of his own will begat he
us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of
his creatures.
Jam
1:19 Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Jam
1:20 For the wrath of man
worketh not the righteousness of God.
Jam
1:21 Wherefore lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness
the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jam
1:22 But be ye doers of the
word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jam
1:23 For if any be a hearer of
the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural
face in a glass:
Jam
1:24 For he beholdeth himself,
and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he
was.
Jam
1:25 But whoso looketh into the
perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein,
he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall
be blessed in his deed.
Jer
6:16(a) Thus saith the LORD, Stand
ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is
the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.
This
is the end of my response to him, after he responded to the outline
which I furnished to him. Here
is his response to me, after I sent him my response…
Your response
to me was certainly interesting. You went from thanking me at
the beginning to basically calling me a fool and a liar at the
end. Obviously my response to you did not have the effect I
intended. I regret having responded at all
now, because I never meant to cause you
offense. I confess that my "word-swap" was a very inept
attempt to make what I believe to be a valid point. The point
is this: that it is a mistake for a person to rely on
circumcision or baptism or any other fleshly act to impart or effect salvation. I
believe that is what Paul meant when he wrote in Gal.3:3, "Having begun
by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" I
wish now that I had not used such a clumsy argument
to try to make the point. It is my earnest hope that
you will accept my apology for having caused you offense and
know that I never meant to offend. Please forgive me.
Of
course I responded to him again…
My thanking you was more so
for helping me to realize that your doctrine is not Scriptural, and I
know it took time for you to respond, so I was thanking you for your
time as well. After careful study of the Scriptures
pertaining to our discussion, I certainly feel like you are wrong in so
many areas of understanding them. This certainly surprised
me. Most of these passages are easy to interpret in my
opinion, while a few are a little more wavering and take reasoning to
understand. I guess I expected much more Scriptural proof
from you to support why I should believe in your doctrine, and I do not
believe you provided it. I indeed think you are foolish to
follow a doctrine that has no solid Biblical foundation Mr. Calvin, and
you did mislead me, whether intentional or unintentional.
However, you have asked for forgiveness and I forgive you. As
I also stated in the beginning of my response, I intended no animosity
towards you. Forgive me also if I have offended you.
I hope we can get past this
because there is much more at stake here than who is causing who
offense. It certainly appears one of our souls may possibly
be at stake. I care about you and I hope you care about me,
or we would not be having this discussion. Somehow, we should
be able to come to a reasoning of the Scriptures if we are going to
claim to be brothers in Christ. God tells us to show
ourselves approved and rightly divide the word, and always be ready to
make a defense to everyone who asks us to give an account for the hope
that we have. My question to you would be do you really
believe you defended your faith with Scriptural support? I
certainly believe I defended what I now believe. You said
that your response did not have the affect on me that you
intended. I think I am glad it did not. You say
that my response was certainly interesting. Do you believe I
am wrong? If so, show me where I am wrong; do not let me rot
in hell if I am so wrong. I have shown you where I believe
you are wrong. I remember talking with you on the phone about
Jason. I asked you would you sit down with us and
talk. Your reply was that if you thought there was any chance
of converting him you would. Is this how God wants us to
respond Mr. Calvin? If we think there is no hope of
converting someone, do we not even talk to that person at all, not even
once? I do not believe that is what the Scriptures teach
us. Now if we sit down with someone and they adamantly deny
God, then yes we should dust off our feet and move on.
However, for someone who wants to know God and the way of salvation,
and we are having problems coming to a mutual understanding of the
Scriptures, we should reason, we should be able to defend our faith.
Let us consider the point
you were trying to make concerning circumcision and baptism.
I really do not see how you claim this is a valid point.
Gal
3:1
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey
the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set
forth, crucified among you?
Gal
3:2
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of
the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Gal
3:3
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect
by the flesh?
Gal
3:4
Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be
yet in vain.
Gal
3:5
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles
among you, doeth
he it by the works of the law, or by
the hearing of faith?
It is very clear that Paul
is comparing works of the Law with faith. How do you get
baptism to be a work of the Law? Some of the Galatians were
trying to be justified by the Law, the Jewish Law. He was not
referring to baptism, he was not calling Peter a liar when Peter
preached repentance and baptism on the day of Pentecost. Paul
even said that we are baptized into Christ thereby being baptized into
His death (Romans 6:3). If we have not been baptized, are we
in Christ? If we are not in Christ is Christ still in
us? Was Paul contradicting himself between the Romans and the
Galatians? Paul asked the Galatians a question here in verse
2. He wants to know how they received the Holy Spirit, was it
by works of the Law, or hearing of faith? They had heard the
word of God, Paul had taught them Christ crucified, they believed it,
obeyed it, they had been baptized and received the Holy
Spirit. They were trying to claim they needed to be made
perfect by fleshly ordinances of the Law (i.e. circumcision), not
baptism, because they had already been baptized. The Law was
before Christ was crucified, buried, and resurrected. Baptism
for the forgiveness of sins was after Christ was crucified, buried, and
resurrected. Baptism for the forgiveness of sins came after
the Law. Jesus commanded baptism in the Great Commission and
Paul even supports this commission in his letter to the Romans when he
said the apostles had received grace and apostleship to bring about the
obedience of the faith to all nations (Romans 1:5). This
obedience to the faith is the Great Commission. It requires
obedience to what was commanded by Jesus, and baptism was
commanded. Even Paul goes on to say in this same letter to
the Galatians that they had been baptized into Christ and clothed
themselves with Christ. I thought I was solid in pointing
this out to you in my response.
Please tell me Mr. Calvin,
what is so hard to understand about this? Where am I
wrong? I am begging you to show me, because if I am wrong I
pray to God, right now this very minute and I will pray all day long,
just as I have been praying for weeks now, that He will use someone to
show me I am wrong, if in fact I am wrong. I want to know the
truth Mr. Calvin, I am begging, pleading, and praying, with all my
heart and soul. Where am I wrong? God have mercy on
my soul and show me if I am wrong.
In Christ,
Sonnie
I
have not heard back from Mr. Calvin as of yet… although I
hope he is studying what I have provided him and will eventually
understand the truth. If he does respond again I will add his response
to this page.
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