Soteriology- the doctrines of salvation

Status
Not open for further replies.

Defender of the Faith 777

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,121
4
Visit site
✟2,076.00
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Please apply the same rules here, starting now:

Soteriology- the doctrines of salvation


Many people are experts in other distinguished fields, such as theology proper, or eschatology, or perhaps even ecclesiology. Out of all the doctrines and studies, I find no preferment other than the many Biblical details and theological and philosophical logistics of our salvation. Soteriology is my personal major, and my personal favorite- this chapter, my magnum opus among the others here. Hamartiology and soteriology (the study of salvation) must be studied together. They are interdependent studies, for without one of them, the other would not exist in a complete sense. In order to completely understand what is being said about salvation, it must be studied in a context of what we are saved from, why we are saved, how we are saved, and who saves us. From what we saw in the previous chapter, man fell from a pure state into a totally depraved state of vile corruption. This is passed down from generation to generation to all that are born of parents who are sinners, as Jesus said, “Flesh gives birth to flesh.” (That is why He said you must be “born again.”). This sin completely dominates us in spiritual chains that we enjoy, to do evil and nothing that we do will ever please God. Since we do not wish to, and we do not possess the ability to embrace God without Him convicting us, we are totally depraved. And, due to the inherent evil and unavoidable corruption of man, all men deserve to be condemned just as equally as they ask for it. The mathematics of our sin and depravity point to one final result and end: we all, guilty of sin, deserve to burn in hell for eternity.

These doctrines we’ll later discuss were developed at the Synod of Dort, in 1618. A man named James Hermann (better known as Jacob Arminius), had recently died, and his followers decided to boldly present their radical new theology. Their five points included the doctrines of free will, conditional election, universal redemption, obstructable grace, and falling from grace. A meeting was held, in which for 154 days a council met, studied the claims, and examined the Scriptures. Later, after literally months of collectively studying God’s Word, the five points of Arminianism were rejected as heretical. The Synod then proceeded to establish a list of doctrines in context, that would define our salvation in amazing, unprecedented detail. They were modeled in exact contrast after the five points that the Arminians presented. Thus, the five points of Calvinism were born. These points include Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints (the word TULIP serves as a fine acronym). We’re going to study the Reformed doctrines of salvation, and go through all the details of our salvation. Though a leading majority mainstream Christianity is now Arminian, that doesn’t make it Biblical. Remember, that a majority of Christians that follow mainstream Christianity would also probably not even recognize the difference between orthodoxy and heresy if they took an elementary level test on doctrine. Not following the Scriptures on this issue either is not a result of intentional ignorance, but of never having been taught better. Generally, as with the case for me, and for everyone I have ever talked to on the matter, people don’t convert as Calvinists. When we first become Christians, we merely observe our salvation, and from an uneducated perspective without Scriptural research, it seems that God works in an Arminian manner. We developed this new doctrinal understanding of Christ’s work in our lives and the Scriptures as a result of taking our Christian education to the next level, and progressing in our walk. When children, we are taught salvation from an Arminian perspective of salvation, not because it’s the Scriptural message, but because that’s the only way we could have understood it and accepted Christ. Rather than preaching our salvation as a seven point process- ordination, atonement, orchestration/regeneration, imputation, justification, propitiation, and glorification- we are taught that Jesus loves us and by praying to accept Him we’re saved. As a result, the Christians who do not take time to study more are left with their junior high understanding of the majesty of God, and act as if that is the sovereign working of the infinite God. The people who never advance their understanding of salvation, are left to dwell on the best and only theological systemt that they understand. Please take no offense, but this is what has been observed since the very first days of this conflict- that while a majority of Christians are Arminian, it is those who study the Scriptures and doctrines of theology earnestly that are mainly Calvinist. Let there be no misunderstanding: there indeed is a correlation.

Being a Calvinist is nothing to be ashamed of. A great illustration was given by Warburton, in that Biblical soteriology can no more appropriately, and with just as equal reason, be called “Calvinism” than the law of gravity can be called “Newtonism;” because though these age old processes had been around since the beginning of time, they were first defined and taught explicitly and exhaustively by these scholars. John Calvin did not invent this system of theology, but rather God. It was merely Calvin that understood it to a great degree, and first explained the details of what everyone had observed since the first dispensations of God’s grace. It has however, over the years, become a word that may seem to have a derogatory meaning by its contenders. Usually, when an attack is made against Calvinism, it merely serves the purpose of causing division, by targeting a small doctrine and peeling its outer layers, exaggerating a minute detail, and then not explaining it correctly. I ask that in this chapter, you abandon all preconceived barriers, and listen to the Spirit of God work through His Word. The controversies that arise can be shown to be truth or heresy by one means of appeal only that we must mutually accept if we are to make any progress: the Holy Scriptures. Usually the problem with Arminians- not always, but usually- is that while the Scriptures make it so painfully obvious how we are saved and there is little question among scholars of what the Bible teaches, it will all boil down to whether or not the person accepts the Holy Bible to be the inerrant Word of God, and is willing to conform to His message. If then, a person feels confident enough to rise to this challenge, then please, without further adieu, hear what God Himself made manifest to us about this through His revelation to us.
 

Defender of the Faith 777

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,121
4
Visit site
✟2,076.00
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Article I: Unconditional Election

The very core, central point of Calvinism in my humble opinion, is unconditional election, or predestination. The doctrine of unconditional election needs to be taught within a context of total depravity. And flowing from the orthodox understanding of sin itself, is the obvious fact of the Scriptures that if man is not only unable to save himself from sin but is the very source from which he needs to be saved, then the remedy for sin cannot come from himself. There must be external help.

What election (or predestination) teaches is that God, as a result of man’s falling into corruption and condemnation, predestined some men to salvation. Within this doctrine, we understand that God chose us; we didn’t choose Him. And understandably; man cannot choose Him in the first place. We are dead in our sins, and justly throwing ourselves into the pit of hell, and through grace, God gives us sight, saves us, and we embrace Him, wherein our worship never ceases.

The actual doctrine of unconditional election is a majestic study that could fill volumes of encyclopedias with information. I will specifically not spend much time discussing infant salvation, infralapsarianism, etc. I think that most Calvinists uniformly agree that infants are guaranteed a place in God’s kingdom. And also, I personally am infralapsarian, but I don’t think that is absolutely necessary to discuss. Most of the space will be dedicated to disarming arguments against election and reprobation.

Since we know that man cannot choose God, God must choose man if there is to be any salvation whatsoever.

 

Objection 1: There are occasions where “elect” and “chose” and “predestined” appear, but they are merely a way of glorifying His omniscience. In other words, when the Bible uses these words, it is merely a way of saying that He “foreknew” who would reject Him or accept Him.

Objection 2: And if God were to elect some, then it would have to be based on who is the best person and who performs the greatest amount of good deeds.

Objection 3: Yet, God has no reason for people to be sent to hell. He could easily use Christ’s blood on everyone. Perhaps the Bible implies more than foreknowledge. But God only elects. He doesn’t reprobate.

Objection 4: Believing in election is also like a double-edged sword. Are we saved by faith to all that accept Jesus, or are some who accept Jesus going to be condemned for eternity because they‘re not the elect?

Objection 5: It does not seem plausible that God could create those vessels of destruction, yet say that He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” [2 Tim. 2:4]

Objection 6: Lastly, God elects though who would choose Him anyways. He is omniscient, and knew who would come to faith, and so He elected those.


                                                                                                                     

 

Response to Objection 1: First of all, if “predestined” merely is a way of saying “foreknew,” then it must be quite a fun task given to Arminians alone who dig themselves into a hole when it comes to interpreting Romans 8:29, saying, “Whom He foreknew, He also predestined....” The great Catholic apologist of the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas, believed in support of election, when he wrote: “It must, however, be observed that the number of the predestined is said to be certain to God not only by reason of His knowledge, because, that is to say, He knows how many will be saved (for in this way the number of drops of the rain and the sands of the sea are certain to God), but by reason of His deliberate choice and determination. (Aquinas, 139)”

It’s funny, because actually in the English text we read nowadays, it says God “chose” and “predestined.” Consequently, the Greek word for predestined actually, in English, always means “predestined.” And, the word for “chose”, will 10 times out of 10 really mean “chose.” With all the Scriptures provided teaching God’s unconditional election, I don’t see how any sound exegesis could render “foreknowledge” as an appropriate hermeneutic in the verses we use to prove God’s sovereign salvation. Especially Romans 8:29-30. In my humble opinion, I think that the real issue at heart is whether they actually sincerely believe the Holy Bible to be God’s Word. Usually, when I’m discussing Calvinism, a rule of thumb is that I don’t care if a person has the most ridiculous interpretations in the world for the verses I give. As long as they can explain them. This shows me that at least they have dealt with them and have given them thought, no matter how unsatisfactory in my opinion. I do mind a person who will simply ignore Bible passages, and attempt to prove their point by using circular reasoning. Unfortunately, never have I met an Arminian who dealt with all the verses I shared. The zealous aggression against our theology was rooted, every time as far as I could see, as a result of an elementary understanding of the themes of the Bible, and purposeful ignorance of the Scriptures.

Response to Objection 2: I’ve heard it rarely argued that God predestines in accordance with His foreknowledge and omniscience, choosing those who will do the most merits or good deeds. This isn’t consistent with what we’re told in the Bible. God has not fore-determined His elect based on who would be the most profitable and the best of mankind, as if heaven is some pi alpha beta of the best of the best. Any devout Christian that thinks they were chosen over the rest of the reprobate mankind because they’re prettier than everyone else, or smarter and more talented than their next door neighbor has some serious Biblical reconciliation problems. By saying that God predestines men for no revealed reason, this is what we mean by unconditional election. It is not influenced on any merits of ours. God could merely choose to save the most handsome, talented, moral people; and yet He more often than not seeks out and finds the very lowest Davids and Sauls, and brings them up to positions where He is glorified through their actions, one the king of Israel, the other the author of 2/3 of our New Testament. For this reason, Calvinist’s say that God’s grace is not just grace, but the most amazing grace! I think somebody should write a song about that.

Response to Objection 3: The thing most often forgotten that Arminians have no problem forgetting to mention in their attacks on Calvinism, is that people who are sent to hell, are sent there in synchrony with their decisions and choices. It ends up that God does choose to send them there, and they chose it, choose it, and will continue to choose it; God’s grace has been manifested to both the reprobate and elect alike, yet they persistently refuse and reject Him. It is the elect that God works through to respond to the calling. Both however, hear the message of Christ’s atonement. And in their rejection, no one is sent to hell unjustly. As I quote once again from the Catholic apologist Thomas Aquinas: “I answer that, God does reprobate some... Thus, as predestination is a part of providence, in regard to those divinely ordained to eternal salvation, so reprobation is a part of providence in regard to those who turn aside from that end. Hence reprobation implies not only foreknowledge, but also something more.... (Aquinas, 134)”

It is my understanding that if one is not included in the elect, and it is impossible to choose God independent of His efficacious grace, then by process of elimination, those who are not elect are reprobate. The vehicle by which God sends people to hell is their very own unbelief and refusal to repent. In reality, all deserve to go to hell, but God chooses to enlighten and convict the elect, so that by seeing and understanding the death of His Son, they are led to faith unto salvation; while the reprobate, are merely given what they want- God to stay out of their life. An unregenerate person does not repent of his sins without God’s convicting him. This is the method by which God can justly reprobate. Professor F. E. Hamilton wrote:

All God does is to let him (the unregenerate) alone and allow him to go his own way without interference. It is his nature to be evil, and God simply has foreordained to leave that nature unchanged. The picture often painted by opponents of Calvinism, of a cruel God refusing to save those who long to be saved, is a gross caricature. God saves all who want to be saved, but no one whose nature is unchanged wants to be saved. (Bondage, 252)


Lorraine Boettner is the king of metaphoric theological illustrations. There are two of his illustrations that I found particularly fitting in explaining the justice behind reprobation: First, he explained that the absence of a physician is not the efficient cause of a sick man’s death. He later told us to consider that there are three men that all have committed a crime worthy of capital punishment by hanging. If a kind-hearted man were to pay the price required for two of the men to go free, would that render the execution of the third unjust? If all mankind deserves to be punished, how can God be accused of being unjust by voluntarily paying the dear price to free some, and sentencing the rest? Of all the ways that people could possibly respond to the grace of God, who would have thought that the most prevalent would be ungratefulness?

As written by Dr. Warfield, “And it is in this universalism of ruin rather than this universalism of salvation that St. Paul really roots his theodicy. When all deserve death, it is a marvel of pure grace that any receive life. (Biblical Doctrines, 54)” Arminians like to portray the God we worship as heartless and vengeful, predestining some to heaven, and pouncing on others, holding them in the lake of fire for amusement. Rather, a better illustration is trying to imagine all mankind wandering in a given direction in the midst of a deep fog. Soon, no one knows when, but soon we will all come to the end of the cliff and fall down into the Abyss. Election is that God clears the fog and quickens us, and when we see the truth of His message, we turn from our imminent destruction to embrace Him. Reprobation is God merely letting the given person continue down that path he chooses to blindly walk.
 
Upvote 0

Defender of the Faith 777

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,121
4
Visit site
✟2,076.00
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
(Continued from Article I)

Response to Objection 4: Biblically, and theologically, the scenario of a person coming to Christ outside of His election is impossible. A person who comes to know Christ and accepts Him as Savior for his sins, and who recognizes their sin, guilt, and need for repentance, does so solely and only as a result of God’s calling. Men are evil and corrupt by nature; the natural man deduces that they don’t need a Savior, and they don’t need Jesus, because they do not feel divine convicting guilt; if they do feel guilt, it will be temporarily brought upon by one action. But generally, mankind thinks of himself as pretty good, moral people, and sees no need for a Savior. The most common excuse I have ever received in door-to-door evangelism is the person claiming that Jesus works out great for me, but that they don’t need Him. This is because they feel no guilt, they do not recognize sin, and they receive no call to repentance. To be brief, God does not call everyone. In matters such as these I do not question His will, His purposes, or His Word. I simply listen, believe, and obey.

Mainstream Christians on a very large scale are deceived into thinking that God is obligated to save us all; like salvation is our birthright or something. Thinking that just proves that we are truly the epitome of arrogance! He incarnated Himself across time and space, laid aside His glory and divine rights to live as a man, solely for the purpose of dying rejected and alone as a criminal nailed alive to the cross. Can you believe He did that for us? How dare we! If He had chosen to do that for just one man, then how great a God of glory and grace He is! But “He has chosen to save a multitude; our response is that He is heartless, for not saving all. (Nelson, tape 2)”

Response to Objection 5: We don’t deny that God is partial. We just claim that He is not unjustly partial. Good isn’t promised to all. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28).

We cannot make the assumption that just because God is sovereign, He is cut off from feeling grief or love. The sovereignty of God does not make Him absolutely insensitive. When you discipline a child, it is not something any healthy parent enjoys. It is not something that you want to do, nor is it something that you have to do by necessity. Both the father and the child are hurt when he is disciplined. It works the same way on an even greater cosmic scale with our Heavenly Father.

Even though God is sovereign, it doesn’t mean that He can’t feel hurt when someone has to suffer such an eternity of agony because he ignorantly willed it upon himself. Since we are His fallen creations, and He the Creator, God can choose to give some His election and salvation according to the good pleasure of His will, and to others, give what they justly sow. As any loving Father, He still desires to see none of His children suffer; as Ezekiel says, “God does not delight in the death of the wicked.” His desire will differ from His decree. Perhaps the best summary of this phenomenon can be found here: “He grieves for the wicked, though He gives them to their wickedness. He rejoices over the saved, though He purposed their salvation. (Nelson, Tape 4)”

Response to Objection 6: The entire purpose of our Creation, was to glorify God. In reviewing the rough draft of my writing, one of my friends mentioned an interesting way of looking at this. By both election and reprobation God will be glorified. Through the salvation of depraved sinful men from the death of His Son, God’s grace is glorified. Through the reprobation the other men who receive the consequences of their actions, His justice is glorified. Either way, His entire collection of attributes is glorified.

And yes, as odd as it may sound, it is only Biblically taught that God does “favor” some over others. Not based upon our merits, but by His amazing grace, He does save some and not others. By this we also mean to say that God doesn’t pick out the best fruit of the crop and leave the rest. In fact, He is the one responsible for whether or not we “blossom.”

Arminians and Calvinists alike both acknowledge that the Jews were God’s chosen people. Why did God choose the Jewish peoples of all others? Why did He make a covenant with the Jews, give the Jews His Word, give the Jews the prophets, give the Jews the Law, give the Jews His blessings, and give the Jews His very own Son? Mormonism could not answer that question, and so justified it by adding Christ's appearing to the Native Americans ("Nephites"), in order to attempt to explain why God would only appear to one tribe of the world.  It is written, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. (Deut. 7:6)” The incomprehensible grace of God is the message of Biblical Christianity: grace- take it or leave it.

Scriptural Support


“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit....” -John 15:16

“...And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed -Acts 13:48

"What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’ So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose have I raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name might be declared in all the earth.’"
Romans 9:14-18

"Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory?" -Romans 9:21-23

"Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will... In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." -Ephesians 1:4-5,11

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them -Ephesians 2:8-10

“But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption.” -2 Peter 2:12
 
Upvote 0

Defender of the Faith 777

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,121
4
Visit site
✟2,076.00
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Article II: Limited Atonement

There are those who call themselves “four point Calvinists”, accepting the doctrines of total depravity, unconditional election, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints (discussed later). For the sake of confusion I’ll confess to being a five point Calvinist, but actually if you insist on the details, I personally am a 4.75 point Calvinist- this rounds up to five. :) Though I do believe in a limited atonement, I do acknowledge also that it has universal effects as well.

The one most disputed doctrine out of these five is that of the atonement. Who did Christ die for: everyone or just the elect? We should understand, that Biblically, and also as a natural progression from this domino theology, Christ died in order to save the elect. The greatest explanation that I have ever read in regards to explaining limited atonement was written by the great Calvinist apologist Loraine Boettner:

Let there be no misunderstanding at this point. The Arminian limits the atonement as certainly does the Calvinist. The Calvinist limits the extent of it in that he says it does not apply to all persons... while the Arminian limits the power of it, for he says that in itself it does not actually save anybody. The Calvinist limits it quantitatively, but not qualitatively; the Arminian limits it qualitatively, but not quantitatively... As a matter of fact, the Arminian places more severe limitations on the work of Christ than does the Calvinist. (153)

An extremely important fact to point out is that whether you believe that Christ died intending to save the world, or just the elect, you’re going to believe in a limitation on the atonement. I’m sorry, but that is fact. The classic question is why would Christ have died for all, if He didn’t intend to save all? If Christ made an atonement for the sins of all, then all are saved. If Christ attempted to make salvation available to all by atoning for everyone’s sins, and yet some souls are still lost in condemnation for eternity despite the decree of God, then His plan to save all failed, and the atonement was vetoed by our will, under the dominion of Satan. This would mean that it was canceled out by Satan’s will then. If Christ died for someone’s sins, atoned for them, took the penalty, and bore the curse for them, how can their sins condemn them? Are they condemned because they didn’t believe? Is our belief and our permission a prerequisite for God to orchestrate His power? Does God’s plan and sovereignty depend on the efficacy of man’s cooperative faith? God forbid! If we could do such, our wills would have power over His. Not believing in limited atonement almost seems blasphemous when seen in perspective.

The objection against limited atonement is not an unnecessary squabble over minute details. It is the question, “What saves?” Christ’s atonement or faith? If Christ’s atonement saves, then those whom He died for, all of them, are saved. If faith saves, then Christ is not the issue, nor is He the determining factor- He is merely an important figure of our past who makes salvation available; we are the gods of our salvation! I stand adamant that our salvation is in the atonement of Christ, and He died for those whom the Father intended to save. Limited atonement or unlimited atonement is by no means unnecessary; it outlines our Christian view of Christology and soteriology!

Thus we ought to conclude safely, that Christ’s death and atonement justifies all those to whom it was directed. “The atonement, we believe, was a real, actual, substitutionary one, not a possible [atonement] that is dependent for its efficacy upon the actions of man. (White, Was Anyone Saved at the Cross?)” The purpose of Christ’s death was to give salvation to those for whom the atonement was made. It only follows Scripture and common sense (which is becoming increasingly uncommon): God isn’t obligated to send His Son to die for anybody. It is well within His justice to save some, all, one, or none- all salvation must be rooted in grace. If He died in the place of, atoned for the sins of, and paid the penalty for no one’s sins, then no one is saved. If He died in the place of, atoned for the sins of, and paid the penalty for some men’s sins, then some are saved. If Christ died in the place of, atoned for the sins of, and paid the penalty for everyone’s sins, then everyone is saved. God does not impute the penalty of our sins to the substitution, and then to the sinner themselves. It would be absolutely unjust for God to punish twice for the same sins. If Christ died and atoned for every man and woman’s sins, then, they are all saved. That is why we maintain a limited atonement. Ponder this.

There is a universal aspect to the atonement.  Don't stone me with rocks, or tomatoes for not believing this minor detail of limited atonement.  While Christ did not die to attempt to save every man and woman that ever lived, I believe that He did die to alleviate the penalty of original sin, and cancel out the penalty that Adam’s sin would otherwise have. In this, the sin of the first parents is not imputed to the entire human race. Rather, now that this universal aspect has been given to all men, the elect can be saved from the trap of the devil, and the reprobate can be sentenced justly, in that they are condemned and rendered due to the consequences of their own actions, and not Adam’s. In this small aspect, you could say that Christ died, in a collective sense, to make the human race save-able, but only the only elect will benefit because of the grace of God. He has opened the doors to His courts to all, but only those whom He causes to come forth will be saved. The penalty of Adam’s sin is lifted from the souls of all men and women, but that doesn’t mean that all will benefit or possess the ability to will themselves to eternal life. Thus the effect is a two way glorification of God: now, through the salvation of the elect, God’s grace is glorified, and through the condemnation of the reprobate, God’s justice is glorified! Salvation is, in any view of Calvinism, sola gratis, by sola fide, through sola Christi- grace alone, by faith alone, through Christ alone.

Objection 1: The Holy Bible says repeatedly that Christ died for the “world.” This is the most blatant butchery of the Bible I have seen in apologetics.

Objection 2: Why would Christ die only for the elect? That’s so unfair!

Objection 3: If Christ died only for the elect, and the rest are unfairly reprobate, why bother evangelize? If they are going to be saved, then does my evangelism ultimately matter?

                                                                         

Response to Objection 1: It is clear from the Scriptures, that the work Christ wished to accomplish was finished and completed at Calvary (John 19:30). The question is merely what the work was. Again, if Christ’s goal was to bear the world’s burdens and sins so as to save all, and only such a relatively small percentage have had a regenerate conversion, then the death of Christ is a miserable failure and you would have to argue that for the most part Satan won the battle for souls and triumphed over Christ in the salvation of mankind. Now in perspective, which is more Biblical?

Now, when the Scriptures speak of the “world” that Christ died for, it is a way of saying that the group of people whom Christ died for, is a diverse group of people from every nation, tongue, and tribe of the world. The word “world” is used in the description that a Jew gives, to Jewish people (Nicodemus, the Pharisees, etc.) in prophesying that the Jewish Messiah is not intended to save only Jews. We see the word “world” less often than we might see, for example, the word “many” and “church” and “His people” (Isaiah 53:11, Matthew 20:28; Acts 20:28; Matthew 1:21).

Another point is that if “world” in the gospel of John is to be taken literally, then all are Christian- see John 12:19. It says: “The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, ‘You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!’ ” How should we then interpret this verse? It can’t be said under Arminian logic in the gospel of John, that the “world” speaks of every man and woman in the world, for not all followed Him. Those speaking didn’t even follow Him! It must be concluded, by Arminian and Calvinist alike, that “world” in this section at least, refers to only the Christians. On some occasions, the world is not speaking of every man and woman in the world, it is rather a hyperbolic figure of speech, added for effect when understood in the proper context.

Response to Objection 2: I’m sorry if I’m the first one you may hear this from, but what you think is fair and what you want, may not fit with what God thinks is fair or what God wants in His plan. Really, if we demand that God be fair to all equally, then rightly a man named Jesus should not have died, and we should all, fairly, burn in hell for eternity. In all honesty, I think we should be grateful that God isn’t perfectly fair.  We praise the Lord for His “unfairness!”

One question I ask is, if Christ died in the place of, atoned for the sins of, and forgave the sins of the lost and the saved, then what assurance is there that anyone is saved? Our faith? If by faith we can be sure we’re saved, then assuredly, we have all lost our salvation, and there is a constant tug-of-war of us losing our salvation and re-gaining it! How would we even know if we are saved if Christ forgave the lost in the same way he forgave the forgiven?

Response to Objection 3: As Calvinists, we don’t believe in personal evangelism. We don’t believe that we lead people to Christ (because we do not cause their regeneration or calling). I used to make that mistake of asking someone whether they’ve led someone to Christ before. Personal evangelism is something I call an “imminent, automatic failure.” We do not believe in evangelizing personally. We rely on the Holy Spirit to do all the work of salvation, while we are there merely as His chosen instruments for physical communication.  In theory, all denominations claim to believe this.  But in practice, I have noticed the complete opposite belief.  Being an instrument used for communicating doesn’t mean that we are the ones responsible for their salvation. Any person that brags the claim of having led someone to Christ has no ground to boast on. Actually, let me rephrase that- the person who brags about having led several people to Christ is someone who does have ground to tread on: thin ice.

Evangelism does matter, not because we are trying to save people (I shudder to remember when I use to think that as an Arminian), but because we are, in a sense, here to fulfill the work of the Holy Spirit and give Him room to work. If we are criticized so harshly by our Arminian brethren on this issue, then it should be exposed that for the percentage of Arminians to Calvinists, it is the Calvinists that strive harder for evangelism. We don’t have to evangelize.  Our actions are done out of obedience and love, and apparently, that appears to be good enough.
 
Upvote 0

Defender of the Faith 777

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,121
4
Visit site
✟2,076.00
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
(Continued from Article II)

Scriptural Support

“By His knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities -Isaiah 53:11

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you will shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins -Matthew 1:21

“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many -Matthew 20:28

“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins -Matthew 26:28

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep -John 10:11

“Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of the Lord and God which He purchased with His own blood -Acts 20:28

“So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many -Hebrews 9:28
 
Upvote 0

Defender of the Faith 777

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,121
4
Visit site
✟2,076.00
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Article III: Irresistible Grace


Irresistible grace is one of the most fundamental and least understood points in Calvinism. When I was studying the five points for the first time, this is the one I could not grasp as firmly as the others. I now comprehend that irresistible grace is the understanding that when God calls certain people, convicts them of their sin, enlightens them to the death of Christ, and regenerates them giving them a choice to choose life or death, then the elect will come to Him and have faith unto salvation. With God there is a 100% accuracy rate and no margin of error. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. [John 10:29]” and “All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. [John 6:37]” W. J. Seaton points out:

Arminians believe that men and women can and do resist the call of God’s gospel, and, therefore, they contend, there can be no doctrine as that of irresistible grace. We believe that not only can men and women resist God’s gospel, but that they do, and must by their very natures, resist it. Therefore, there must be such a doctrine of irresistible grace.

There must be irresistible grace, or else, if grace is resistible, and man must resist salvation because of our natures, then none will be saved. No irresistible grace = no conversion and salvation.

We are all God’s creations. That is entailed in understanding His sovereignty. Being our maker, Creator of the heavens and the earth and the very Creator of man himself, He has the power and exercises His ability and authority to regenerate men. This same God who changed water into wine, and changed the shape of the formless earth can certainly change men. The idea that God’s regeneration is obstructable, as if we possess some area of power over our Creator to veto His decree and stalemate His purposes can be justly seen as sacrilege! If not for the regeneration and conviction through the Holy Spirit, there would be no such thing as salvation whatsoever.

Let me give an illustration: We, before the fall of man, were comets in space. We were not more inclined to good or evil, morally neutral if you will. We chose to love God because we wanted to. When we made that first step towards sin, our entire nature was caught in the pull of gravity towards evil, and man’s will was stuck plummeting towards evil; partly because of our natures, and partly because we enjoy it. We are caught in the gravity of a planet called “Evil,” pulling us in harder and harder the closer we get to it. Occasionally, we can resist the pull temporarily, and make futile efforts towards another planet called “Good” with help from God’s grace that is granted to us all by God so that our actions aren’t uncontrollably evil. But we all are doomed to collide with this planet, and be stuck there for all eternity (hell).

Then God’s irresistible grace intervenes. What this does is reverse our polarity. Instead of being pulled in by Evil, or the will of Satan, we are naturally attracted to Good, the will of God. God’s saving grace is absolutely irresistible; it pulls us in and we cannot resist the gravitational pull of it. And when we are enlightened, nor do we want to resist it. Rather we make efforts to strive towards the goal during our sanctification, and end up colliding with Good (heaven). Yes I realize it is a juvenile illustration, but it serves its purpose in explaining our totally depraved state and the grace of God that efficaciously calls us to His purpose.

If there is free agency, and God has “foreknowledge” of who will accept and reject Him, then why would God bother trying to convert people, that He foresees will reject Him? Why does He send the Holy Spirit to convert a person that He foreknows will reject His offer, and thus commission the Holy Spirit to accomplish that which He foresees will fail? I wouldn’t believe in “obstructable grace” even if the argument in favor did make sense.  

Objection 1: Listen to all this stuff you’re writing; how can you believe in this ‘predestination?’ It implies that I have no control or free will! Why, if God is in control, should I even worry if He is pleased with me, or why should I worry if He cares about me after I do something wrong? Why should I worry if I’m going to heaven or not? Why should we even worry at all?!   

                                                                                                            


Response to Objection 1: You  shouldn’t  worry.   ? :scratch:  ?
                  

          

                                                   Scriptural Support

“Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.” -Psalm 65:4

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” -John 6:39


“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” -John 6:44

“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 -John 10:26-27

“...And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed -Acts 13:48

“Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul -Acts 16:14

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” -Romans 8:14

“For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” -Romans 11:29
 
Upvote 0

Defender of the Faith 777

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,121
4
Visit site
✟2,076.00
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Article IV: Imputed Justification


So at what point are we actually “saved?” And how does some guy from 2,000 years ago help us out? How do I get viewed righteous from some other person’s death? All these are related to justification. The common cliche for justification is defining it as “just as if I’ve never sinned.” But whenever justification is taught, it is a terrible thing to not teach imputation along with it. I recently attended a Bible study at a Baptist church, absolutely thrilled that the study topic was salvation. We started with justification. We mentioned faith, and free will. Then we moved on to sanctification and glorification. The whole thing lasted about 30 minutes. I could hardly conceal how appalled I was at their view of justification; no mention of Christ’s death at all. When I think of justification being taught without the mention of Christ in a Christian church, the one word that flashes in my brain like a big neon sign is the word: sacrilege. Justification is about being cleansed; imputation is about the death of Christ and the grace of God. If you teach justification without a mention of Christ’s atonement, it seems as if we earn heaven by our own effort to exercise our free will and have faith unto salvation. That’s about as bad as a “works” system of theology. Without the imputation of Christ’s righteousness there would be no justification.

To clear up any confusion, this is the order and chronology of a believer’s salvation:

1) Predestination to salvation as a result of man’s falling into condemnation
2) Christ is sent to the earth and receives the due imputed penalty for our sins
3) We are born enslaved to Satan, enjoying our sin until we’re convicted
*4) When confronted with our need for Christ and regenerated, we accept Him
5) True repentance and conversion leads to sanctification
6) Perseverance in the truth as a true Christian
7) Glorification


At number four, our names are written in the Book of Life (in permanent ink) and we become a regenerate Christian by accepting Him. We are considered saved and at this point, justified, and receive the Holy Spirit.

Christ said, “If anyone desires to come after Me (“be saved” in other versions), then let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (works)”

He also said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. (faith)”

Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (faith and baptism)”

Paul wrote, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (faith and verbal repentance)”

He is also the one who later wrote “Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control. (works and childbearing

All churches hold differing viewpoints from the ones listed above, with the general exception of the last one. The question left for each of us to decipher, is which one is right?

If there is any confusion, then let’s settle it here: Justification is purely by faith in Christ. There are no works added to that- no communion, no tithing, no baptism- that we must add to the work of Christ’s death on the cross. I do not intend to discredit the importance of the sacraments listed above, but rather to credit Christ on the sufficiency of His atonement. Salvation was, is, and always will be solely a decree and sovereign act of God. We often say that our salvation is free. But is it? For us, yes it is. But God didn’t ignore our sin and look the other way- He dealt with it! It is by Christ that we are justified, and since He died in our place and rose from the grave, His very own righteousness is given to us. When Christ shouted, “It is finished!”, our salvation was, for lack of a better adjective, finished.

 Objection 1: We believe that our salvation is not dependent on grace alone, but grace and faith plus works.

Objection 2: The Holy Bible tells us that “faith without works is dead” and that we are to “work out [our] salvation in fear and trembling.” It is implied that more than grace is required if heaven is our goal.

                                                                                                                                    

Response to Objection 1: In case it’s not understood now, man does not assist God in the process of salvation. This whole “faith and works” thing is oxymoronic. Faith is reliance on God; works is reliance on self. We have seen what happens when man tries to handle these situations of holiness and divinity; he fell. To say that we’re saved by “faith and works” is not only oxymoronic, but is an attack on the Scriptures and an insult to the death of Christ, in my humble opinion. Can anyone pretend to imagine how insulted God must feel when someone preaches, that man must complete the insufficient work that Christ was powerless to complete with His death?

Robert L. Reymond states our role in salvation:

But in accordance with the gracious elective purpose God is pleased to save His elect and to save them forever by Christ’s atoning death in their behalf and in their stead and by the Holy Spirit’s application of the benefits of Christ’s redeeming virtues to them. And though the elect do assuredly believe in Christ to the saving of their souls, yet they contribute nothing ultimately determinative of that salvation. All that they bring into their salvation is the sin and moral pollution from which we need to be saved. (345-346)

Response to Objection 2: On the contrary, the verses provided merely strengthen our arguments for what we believe in about the perseverance of the saints. James 2:17 is the verse quoted, and if you check the very verse following that, we are told, “You show me your faith without works, and I’ll show you my faith by my works.” It is not about justification or about salvation. It is about showing others through our works, our love for Christ and the joy a sincere relationship brings. Works are outward manifestations of faith. They are the out-workings and the natural fruits of our faith in Christ. But by no means are they the saving factor. Whether or not another person sees your faith is not what saves you. It is Christ.

And the verse in Philippians that tells us to “work out your salvation in fear and trembling” is just as I said earlier: proof that our relationship is made manifest to others best by the works we do. Thus we are not to “work for” our salvation, but “work out” our salvation. We are to show others what it means to be a Christian. We do not do good works to acquire something; they are done out of genuine love because we already possess. If salvation were obtained by us and our “good works,” heaven would have an official population of 1 Person, in accordance to the teachings of the apostle Paul. The man who desires to earn his salvation by his own efforts and good works, “expects very high wages for very sorry work. (Boettner, 201)”


                                                  Scriptural Support


“And [Abraham] believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” -Genesis 15:6

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life -John 3:16

“Most assuredly, I say unto you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life -John 6:47

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes -Romans 1:16

“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law if revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus -Romans 3:21-24

"He who knew so sin, became sin, so that through Him we might become the righteousness of God." -2 Cor. 5:21

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” -Galatians 2:16

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:8-10
 
Upvote 0

Defender of the Faith 777

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,121
4
Visit site
✟2,076.00
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Article V: Eternal Security


The joy and peace we can have in our life rests in the one thing we can be assured of: His love endures forever. No matter how terrible we are, we can be certain that there is no sin that neglected to hammer in the nails. The only way, logically thinking we can lose our salvation, is if our determining factor in salvation changes. If someone believes that they are saved by grace, plus their actions, then they indeed can lose their salvation, all depending on how they may act. If the determining factor of our salvation rests upon our faith, then I promise, we would all have lost our salvation. I can imagine that our salvation would then be the equivalent to a tug-of-war, our relationship and faith in God fluctuating as we encounter periods of doubt and periods of faith. Some men may go through occasional fits of doubt in God, and some may even deny Christ altogether. If that were the case, it would be the most logical thing to make an effort to die at a moment when you have faith. To ensure everyone’s salvation then, it would probably be the safest practice during baptism, as my pastor says, to “hold them under and send them on to glory.” Doesn’t it make sense to try to lose your life at a moment when your salvation is assured?

Let’s come back to Biblical theology for a moment. God isn’t going to break His covenant of salvation with us, just because we broke our part of the deal to Him. We’re going to break ours, promised. But how demoting is that to God, to believe that He’ll back out because we will? Here’s a question to our Arminian brethren: Why would He bother making a covenant and promising salvation to a particular man who will later fall into apostacy, knowing full well that He was later going to break it? Why would He make the promise of salvation to someone, having perfect “foreknowledge” that later you would have to break it? Does God make promises that He later intends to break? I don’t serve the kind of God. If the determining factor of our salvation is God, then the only way we can lose our salvation, is if God fails to come through. The security of the believer rests easy in God’s immutability, in His grace and covenant.

Objection 1: If we’re “saved” then why not sin all we want to?

Objection 2: If everything has been foreordained, why bother do anything at all? Our decisions, choices, and efforts make no difference ultimately, so why put forth any effort in anything at all?


                                                                                                                    



Response to Objection 1: First off, I want to stress that that view of sin bothers me. You ask, “Why not sin all we want then?” We shouldn’t want to sin. This hints that sin is something we enjoy, and that God’s commands are there to hold us back. If we were to randomly gather a group of people, and they were all told that they could sin, or obey God without any consequences or recompense for their actions, what would happen? The true Christians would be distinguished from the others. The person who asks this question on the other hand (“If we’re already saved, why not sin all we want to?”) obviously obeys God for motives other than love and obedience. In being a true Christian, it is understood that you don’t want to continually fall into egregious sin. You don’t love the dirt you used to wallow in.

A true regenerate Christian that is a new creation, and is given a new heart and a new mind with the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, will find sinning and breaking God’s heart not only difficult, but undesirable. Since we can choose good and evil as being free from our depraved nature [2 Cor. 3:17], then most assuredly, good is an effort we strive for, and now since evil is not as natural for us, we must make an effort also to strive towards evil. A regenerate Christian does not continually want to make such an effort. He does not, as your objection states, “sin all [he] wants” because he does not want to break God’s heart in such a manner. He doesn’t view sin as something fun and enjoyable and he doesn’t view Christianity as something that holds him back from enjoying himself. Thus, the tendency towards evil is gone until Satan and his angels come to tempt us with the old desires and lusts of the flesh. The main point of perseverance of the saints, is that if someone is a new creation, a Christian with the indwelling Holy Spirit, falling from grace completely is utterly impossible.

Even though sin is not as natural for the regenerate man (morally neutral) it is still pretty easy. It is very easy to be tempted because after all, we still are in this world given dominion by Satan. We must strive for purity and run the race with endurance as we are sanctified. It is not hard to disappoint God and break His heart by sinning. However, we will never drive Him away completely, or stalemate His decree. We should want to make an effort to strive for virtue and bear fruit of the Spirit.

Response to Objection 2: The greatest men that have ever lived all had one thing in common: they believed in fate, foreordination, destiny, Providence. It is true that the future has been determined, but the key is that we don’t know it. Our actions are determined by what we perceive as the future goals that will be accomplished.

For example, let’s use my current situation. If I believed that it was God’s will for me to be unemployed and live with my mom until I’m 56, then you can bet that that is the goal that I will strive for. I’ll end up dropping out of high school and giving up on life. But, if I believe that my God has predestined great things from me, then I will make an effort to do the will of God, and strive towards great things.

Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte were great men, that believed they were destined by fate to change the world. In believing this, they acted out on their convictions, and in turn, actually did change the world. Attila the Hun believed that he was the appointed “Scourge of God.” His actions reflected his beliefs in fate, and in turn, we would agree that he certainly lived up to his goals. Had he not have believed in this Providential appointing, his name would have been forever lost from the books of history; but his belief in God’s appointing doubled his vigor and zeal in all his efforts, and in turn, he too did great things. Terrible, but great. Caesar, Napoleon, the Puritans and Baptists that came to America, etc. all believed that God was empowering them to perform the actions they did, and that they were superhuman. And, by exercising their beliefs in Providence, they did superhuman things. Believing in fate potentially may lead to fatalism; if you believe nothing you do matters because you weren’t created for anything, then you will do things that lead to no ultimate beneficial consequence. But in Christian men and women, the belief in divine Providence gives us the most amazing power and supernatural vigor to accomplish God’s will. Because of this, I will tell myself that God’s will for me is to a great latter day Defender of the Faith. Probably four years ago I wanted to be an architect. But now, I’m Calvinist. Things have changed.



                                                      Scriptural Support


“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us -Psalm 103:12

“And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they do not depart from me.” -Jeremiah 32:40

“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” -John 10:28

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus -Romans 8:1

“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies -Romans 8:33

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 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.” -Romans 8:38-39
 
Upvote 0

Defender of the Faith 777

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,121
4
Visit site
✟2,076.00
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Article VI: Perseverance of the Saints


When a person is regenerated, something amazing happens. He is given a new heart, a new mind, a new will. The apostle Paul says that we are a new creation. And so, a person who is a Christian and has truly tasted of the mercies of God, will not be able to deny Him completely and fall away from the faith, or from His grace. In short, someone once told me, “I believe that when you experience God, you cannot un-experience Him.” Since salvation was ultimately determinative of God and of the atonement of Christ, a person cannot have the power to force away the decree of God. This is the message of Scripture, as uncomfortable as it may be saying this, because it is impossible for someone whom God regenerates and quickens with the Holy Spirit to want to reject Him and suffer eternal torment. But theoretically, if someone wanted to reject Christ’s gift (which I again stress is impossible), it cannot be done. Man simply does not have the power to do away with what God decrees, as foreign as it may sound in today’s society.

From here, sanctification continues until we die and enter into glory with God. The thrust of the message of this article is that true disciples will not turn away. Many scholars would claim that a better name for this would be “preservation of the saints” because it is God who keeps us in His watch as a shepherd does His sheep.

Objection 1: What about those who lost their faith; who were once Christians, but now have simply turned their backs on Christ?

Objection 2: Then also, what about Judas Iscariot? Surely he was a Christian, he was a disciple; yet he lost his salvation (faith) and committed suicide.


                                                                                                                      

Response to Objection 1: A regenerate Christian with the Holy Spirit indwelling in them, will not fall back to the sinful lifestyle and deny Christ. A true Christian would never find themselves to the point where, due to any circumstances, their faith is lost. There are some that are deceived and happen to be taken up during a time where they wandered. Were they Christians? Maybe- in which case the blood of Christ forgives them, or maybe not- in which case they were never saved. We cannot lose by a work, what we did not gain by a work. If you could lose your salvation in such a way, I promise, we’ve all lost it and Christ died in vain. One thing that bothers me about people who examine other people’s relationship to figure for themselves whether they were apostates, is that it really has nothing to do with us.

Response to Objection 2: Judas Iscariot was, as I believe, not a Christian. Many make the assumption that he was, because there is one piece of evidence. He was a disciple. We assume that since he rubbed shoulders with the Godly men, he himself must have loved God greatly. This is quite a very grievous error. According to the Biblical doctrine of salvation, and the sanctifying change of our lives through the relationship with God, we should have seen something different. Yet we see Judas is the one who appeared pious and externally sincere by appearing with them, but many often overlook one small factor: He killed Christ! We are even told he robbed from their treasury! One of my friends brought up an interesting point, that Judas wanted to serve the Messiah who would establish a kingdom, and hoped to establish some sort of cabinet position. He was interested in gaining power by the Messiah who would rise up Israel, not in the Messiah who would forgive and save men. Once it was obvious that He was not the powerful ruler that he was expecting, he backed away and showed his true colors. If Judas were Christian, and had a genuine love for Christ, would he have killed him?



                                                        Scriptural Support


“Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” -Psalm 37:24

“You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.” -Psalm 97:10

“And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they do not depart from me -Jeremiah 32:40

“If you abide in My word (logos), you are My disciples indeed.” -John 8:31

“[He] who will conform you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” -1 Corinthians 1:7

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption-Ephesians 4:30

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ -Philippians 1:6

“For by one offering, He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” -Hebrews 10:14

“...who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” -1 Peter 1:5

“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come... They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if the had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us -1 John 2:18-19

W. J. Seaton summarized the five points of Reformed soteriology very astutely when he wrote:

Man is totally unable to save himself on account of the Fall in the Garden of Eden being a total fall. If unable to save himself, then God must save. If God must save, then God must be free to save whom He will. If God has decreed to save whom He will, then it is for those that Christ made the atonement on the cross. If Christ died for them, then the Holy Spirit effectually calls them into that salvation. If salvation then from the beginning has been of God, the end will also be of God and the saints will persevere to eternal joy.

Soteriology, the study of salvation, is my personal favorite branch of theology within the sea of Christian doctrines. Pardon my frequent reference to my personal experiences, but this embracing of the Reformation theology has changed my very relationship with God; I can’t describe it, but I just feel twice as reverent when talking to Him, in awe of His sovereignty and grace. When we see God face to face, we are in no place to force our entrance into heaven by giving God our resume of merits glorifying how good we are. Nor do we have any ground to look God straight in the eyes as if we deserve to be there because we were smart enough to exercise faith in our free agency. Rather, when we see God in glory we will fall to the ground as dead like the Apostle John, and lie there face first on the ground, weeping as a criminal pleading guilty of murdering the Son of God. To God be the glory!

“Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s commands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone-
Thou must save, and Thou alone.”
 
Upvote 0

Defender of the Faith 777

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2002
1,121
4
Visit site
✟2,076.00
Faith
United Ch. of Christ
Thank you for reading.  (My book should be out in Christian book stores after it has been thoroughly re-written two more times.  That'll take about 9 years; I mean this literally.  The author's last name will be Drotar if you would still be interested down the road)


...oh! And, as always, any Arminian is welcome to offer a complete rebuttal of my paper. LOL! :D
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

dadof10

Shameless Papist
Mar 31, 2003
20
1
63
Pacific NW
Visit site
✟145.00
Faith
Catholic
(My book should be out in Christian book stores after it has been thoroughly re-written two more times. That'll take about 9 years; I mean this literally. The author's last name will be Drotar if you would still be interested down the road)

Why should we pay for it when we have an entire book above? :wave:  
 
Upvote 0

Bernie02

Regular Member
Jan 10, 2003
443
7
US midwest
Visit site
✟15,624.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Defender,

I'm curious..two things...

1) Is what you've above posted from your book?

2) What's your point in posting it here?  Are you looking for debate?

Also, I skimmed it and frankly, you appear to be basically parroting the writings of past Calvinists and presenting it in the style of Aquinas.  What do you feel you have to say on these subjects that is new and justifiies publishing it?  Just curious.  [I've written a non-traditional soteriological piece which is in its final stages of editing, after some eight years of work, so am interested in where you're going with this...]

I can relate to your zeal for the doctrines of grace, by the way...though I don't agree with much of Calvinism, per se, I consider myself a sovereign grace believer, having more in common in my personal theology with sovereign grace than free will.

God bless you in your walk.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums
Status
Not open for further replies.