means of grace

JM

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The preaching of the word is a means of grace, so are the sacraments.

Source: The Means of Grace in General | Monergism

THE IDEA OF THE MEANS OF GRACE.

Fallen man receives all the blessings of salvation out of the eternal fountain of the grace of God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ and through the operation of the Holy Spirit. While the Spirit can and does in some respects operate immediately on the soul of the sinner, He has seen fit to bind Himself largely to the use of certain means in the communication of divine grace. The term “means of grace” is not found in the Bible, but is nevertheless a proper designation of the means that are indicated in the Bible. At the same time the term is not very definite and may have a far more comprehensive meaning than it ordinarily has in theology. The Church may be represented as the great means of grace which Christ, working through the Holy Spirit, uses for the gathering of the elect, the edification of the saints, and the building up of His spiritual body. He qualifies her for this great task by endowing her with all kinds of spiritual gifts, and by the institution of the offices for the administration of the Word and the sacraments, which are all means to lead the elect to their eternal destiny. But the term may have an even wider scope. The whole providential guidance of the saints, through prosperity and adversity, often becomes a means by which the Holy Spirit leads the elect to Christ or to an ever closer communion with Him. It is even possible to include in the means of grace all that is required of men for the reception and the continued enjoyment of the blessings of the covenant, such as faith, conversion, spiritual warfare, and prayer. It is neither customary nor desirable, however, to include all this under the term “means of grace.” The Church is not a means of grace alongside of the Word and the sacraments, because her power in promoting the work of the grace of God consists only in the administration of these. She is not instrumental in communicating grace, except by means of the Word and of the sacraments. Moreover, faith, conversion, and prayer, are first of all fruits of the grace of God, though they may in turn become instrumental in strengthening the spiritual life. They are not objective ordinances, but subjective conditions for the possession and enjoyment of the blessings of the covenant. Consequently, it is better not to follow Hodge when he includes prayer, nor McPherson when he adds to the Word and the sacraments both the Church and prayer. Strictly speaking, only the Word and the sacraments can be regarded as means of grace, that is, as objective channels which Christ has instituted in the Church, and to which He ordinarily binds Himself in the communication of His grace. Of course these may never be dissociated from Christ, nor from the powerful operation of the Holy Spirit, nor from the Church which is the appointed organ for the distribution of the blessings of divine grace. They are in themselves quite ineffective and are productive of spiritual results only through the efficacious operation of the Holy Spirit.
 
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JM

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nice sidetracking..;)

'means of grace' is not in the Bible so it's not a thing.

If you want a debate go to the debate forum. This is "Ask a Calvinist."

JW's: 'the Trinity' is not in the Bible so it's not a thing.

EO: 'saved by faith alone' is not in the Bible so it's not a thing.

RC: 'the Bible alone' is not in the Bible so it's not a thing.

SDA: 'worshiping God on Sunday' is not in the Bible so it's not a thing.​

The point has been demonstrated and the question has been answered.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
 
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twin1954

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The preaching of the word is a means of grace, so are the sacraments.

Source: The Means of Grace in General | Monergism

THE IDEA OF THE MEANS OF GRACE.

Fallen man receives all the blessings of salvation out of the eternal fountain of the grace of God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ and through the operation of the Holy Spirit. While the Spirit can and does in some respects operate immediately on the soul of the sinner, He has seen fit to bind Himself largely to the use of certain means in the communication of divine grace. The term “means of grace” is not found in the Bible, but is nevertheless a proper designation of the means that are indicated in the Bible. At the same time the term is not very definite and may have a far more comprehensive meaning than it ordinarily has in theology. The Church may be represented as the great means of grace which Christ, working through the Holy Spirit, uses for the gathering of the elect, the edification of the saints, and the building up of His spiritual body. He qualifies her for this great task by endowing her with all kinds of spiritual gifts, and by the institution of the offices for the administration of the Word and the sacraments, which are all means to lead the elect to their eternal destiny. But the term may have an even wider scope. The whole providential guidance of the saints, through prosperity and adversity, often becomes a means by which the Holy Spirit leads the elect to Christ or to an ever closer communion with Him. It is even possible to include in the means of grace all that is required of men for the reception and the continued enjoyment of the blessings of the covenant, such as faith, conversion, spiritual warfare, and prayer. It is neither customary nor desirable, however, to include all this under the term “means of grace.” The Church is not a means of grace alongside of the Word and the sacraments, because her power in promoting the work of the grace of God consists only in the administration of these. She is not instrumental in communicating grace, except by means of the Word and of the sacraments. Moreover, faith, conversion, and prayer, are first of all fruits of the grace of God, though they may in turn become instrumental in strengthening the spiritual life. They are not objective ordinances, but subjective conditions for the possession and enjoyment of the blessings of the covenant. Consequently, it is better not to follow Hodge when he includes prayer, nor McPherson when he adds to the Word and the sacraments both the Church and prayer. Strictly speaking, only the Word and the sacraments can be regarded as means of grace, that is, as objective channels which Christ has instituted in the Church, and to which He ordinarily binds Himself in the communication of His grace. Of course these may never be dissociated from Christ, nor from the powerful operation of the Holy Spirit, nor from the Church which is the appointed organ for the distribution of the blessings of divine grace. They are in themselves quite ineffective and are productive of spiritual results only through the efficacious operation of the Holy Spirit.
The fact that God uses means is not in dispute. Whether grace is imparted through those means is. The preaching of the Gospel of the Sovereign Grace of God in Christ Jesus the Lord alone is the power of God unto salvation to them that believe but it isn’t a means of grace. The only “means of grace” is faith. Faith is the conduit through which the grace of God flows. The Scriptures are too numerous to reference that show this. The blessings of God are all in Christ and In Him every believer has them all.

The idea of a means of grace necessarily requires your attendance to them in order to receive grace by them. I do not find that in the New Testament at all. The only thing required is faith and that is a gift from God. Once more it is an attempt by man to drive goats to do something. It satisfies man’s natural desire to do something in order to receive something.
 
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JM

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The fact that God uses means is not in dispute. Whether grace is imparted through those means is. The preaching of the Gospel of the Sovereign Grace of God in Christ Jesus the Lord alone is the power of God unto salvation to them that believe but it isn’t a means of grace. The only “means of grace” is faith. Faith is the conduit through which the grace of God flows. The Scriptures are too numerous to reference that show this. The blessings of God are all in Christ and In Him every believer has them all.

The idea of a means of grace necessarily requires your attendance to them in order to receive grace by them. I do not find that in the New Testament at all. The only thing required is faith and that is a gift from God. Once more it is an attempt by man to drive goats to do something. It satisfies man’s natural desire to do something in order to receive something.

It has not really been a disputed issue in church history, the means of grace are the word and sacraments.

If the sermon is awful we still have the reading of God's word and His ordained sacraments.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
 
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twin1954

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It has not really been a disputed issue in church history, the means of grace are the word and sacraments.

If the sermon is awful we still have the reading of God's word and His ordained sacraments.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
Just because it hasn’t been a hotly disputed issue doesn’t mean that the accepted side is correct. Of course it is accepted in the “Protestant” circles as their roots are in a very works based religion. Not being a Protestant but a Baptist I do not have that problem.
 
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StillGods

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Not really. What it does is give man something he can do to earn grace.

do you mean like baptism means if you get baptized you earn some grace, if you have communion you earn some grace, etc etc...

interesting, I can see how that would appeal to the works crowd.

how do you know if you've earned enough grace
 
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JM

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Just because it hasn’t been a hotly disputed issue doesn’t mean that the accepted side is correct. Of course it is accepted in the “Protestant” circles as their roots are in a very works based religion. Not being a Protestant but a Baptist I do not have that problem.

It does count for something. If Christians for almost 1,500 years believed something sacramental happened during baptism and the Lord's Supper it would be individualistic pride that prevents us from at least considering, "we may be wrong."

Historically, you my Brother Twin are a Protestant. True, Baptists were not apart of the magisterial Reformation, but Baptists are still Protestant. Baptists emerged from the non-conformist and Puritan movement in England, these are just facts and cannot be disputed.

But lets say what you claim is true, the first Calvinistic Baptists (not Arminian), believed in the Lord's Supper as a means of grace. Either way...what you currently believe is more Zwingli and Arminian than Baptist and Calvinistic.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
 
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JM

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do you mean like baptism means if you get baptized you earn some grace, if you have communion you earn some grace, etc etc...

interesting, I can see how that would appeal to the works crowd.

how do you know if you've earned enough grace

Means of grace have nothing to do with earning grace. Please see my posts above.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
 
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twin1954

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It does count for something. If Christians for almost 1,500 years believed something sacramental happened during baptism and the Lord's Supper it would be individualistic pride that prevents us from at least considering, "we may be wrong."

Historically, you my Brother Twin are a Protestant. True, Baptists were not apart of the magisterial Reformation, but Baptists are still Protestant. Baptists emerged from the non-conformist and Puritan movement in England, these are just facts and cannot be disputed.

But lets say what you claim is true, the first Calvinistic Baptists (not Arminian), believed in the Lord's Supper as a means of grace. Either way...what you currently believe is more Zwingli and Arminian than Baptist and Calvinistic.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
Of course I respect those who have gone before and we’re used of God. But they were still men. I simply rest my case on the Scriptures.

Am I biased? Certainly I am, being raised a Baptist and having remained a Baptist all of my life. But be that as it may I still cannot find it in the New Testament.

Is there spiritual food in those rites? It depends on if faith accompanies them. Is there a special grace imparted by them? No there isn’t. Faith is clearly the only means of grace found in the whole of Scripture. I just can’t accept a long held belief just because many of our brothers before us held to it. The Scriptures are my only rule of faith and practice.

As far as Baptist history goes you know my view among the three different views. Protestants all have come out of the Reformation but Baptists didn’t. We have existed in one form or another linked by certain truths held by Baptists, under different names, since the Apostles. As much as they could the RCC has sought to destroy our history. But enough has survived, in the Providence of God, that we can trace, through beliefs and spiritual kinship, our lineage. True the name Baptist started as a cursed name but it has stuck and we do not deny it.

I recognize that I am closer to Zwingli than Calvin and never claimed any different. What I find as Scriptural in any man I accept and what isn’t I reject. That is why I cannot accept any rite, ceremony or ritual as a means of grace or a sacrament.

I am as always your loving brother in the Lord, twin.
 
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twin1954

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do you mean like baptism means if you get baptized you earn some grace, if you have communion you earn some grace, etc etc...

interesting, I can see how that would appeal to the works crowd.

how do you know if you've earned enough grace
You can never earn grace, that is my whole point. Those who hold to sacraments as a means of grace do not, for the most part in the Protestant world, see it as earning grace they simply believe that a certain grace is imparted by those means. But if you boil it down it necessarily concludes that if you do this grace is given. Grace then becomes a reward for duty which destroys grace.
 
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JM

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As far as Baptist history goes you know my view among the three different views. Protestants all have come out of the Reformation but Baptists didn’t. We have existed in one form or another linked by certain truths held by Baptists, under different names, since the Apostles. As much as they could the RCC has sought to destroy our history. But enough has survived, in the Providence of God, that we can trace, through beliefs and spiritual kinship, our lineage. True the name Baptist started as a cursed name but it has stuck and we do not deny it.

If this is true I've never seen proof.
 
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