Passion Defined

Well, it has been quite some time since I’ve posted in continuation of this theological series and I’m sorry it’s taken me so long. I’ve been extremely busy with school, teaching guitar lessons, and so much more, and checking the forecast predicts busyness, busyness, and more busyness, so I thought I ought to go ahead and bring this thing to a close! Given the time, I could probably go for another few posts and there is much more that could be said on these remaining topics, but this final post will have to suffice. Here is the last post in this series for now, and I pray that God has used this in a mighty way to encourage, strengthen, challenge, and sharpen my friends and fellow believers.


Introduction

The primary extent of this discussion thus far has concerned man and God before salvation and regeneration takes place (man’s spiritual deadness, God’s election and drawing, etc.). We’ve seen how man is spiritually dead and incapable of choosing Christ on his own, and how it is through God’s initiation and drawing that man can come to a saving faith in Him. Having seen this, we will now turn our focus to the radical change that Christ does when He saves an individual, and what that radical change implies for the future of the believer.

Regeneration

The theological term that we use to describe what Jesus called being “born again” is regeneration, which essentially means to be re-birthed, made new, or completely changed. It is regeneration that we use to describe the work that Christ does in the hearts of men when He saves them. The words of Scripture in John 3 confirm this when Jesus likened salvation to being birthed. John 3:3 says, “Jesus answered him, Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.” This is a very neat comparison for two reasons: it confirms what we have seen previously in the total and sovereign work of God, and it describes the nature of the salvation that Christ gives.

The first observation we can make is one of confirmation. The way regeneration is compared to birth further shows how salvation is not in any way dependent upon man. From the moment a child is conceived to the moment it comes into the world, each and every part of that natural process is initiated by something or someone other than the child. When a baby is born, the pain and effort for bringing that child into the world is dependent upon someone other than the child. Under normal conditions it is the mother, unless there are complications and other procedures must be followed to ensure that the child arrives safely. But either way, it is not at all by the baby’s effort that he or she is brought into the world. In the same way, when Christ saves people, it is totally and entirely by His doing. Being dead sinners, there is no part of us capable of giving ourselves new life. That would be just as impossible as a baby conceiving itself and giving birth to itself. If any part could be attributed to man, then that would imply that some part of mankind is good and righteous enough to do what it takes to be saved according to his own works or ability. But, the language of regeneration further solidifies the fact that salvation is only and entirely through the work of the Savior. (For Scriptural support and further explanation, see previous parts of this series.)

The second observation we can make from John 3 is one of description and further clarification. Jesus clarified, as best as could be done, what it meant for someone to be born again. He first showed how the work is not dependent on the one being born, how the result is something totally new, but there’s also another analogy used in verses 7 and 8. Jesus goes on to say, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” The wind is one of the most amazing and mysterious natural phenomenon in the natural world. We can’t see the wind or know where it comes from, and regeneration is just as mysterious! But, a neat thing about the wind is that even though we may not be able to see it, we can certainly see it working and see the effect that it has. Likewise, we can’t see regeneration happen, but we certainly can see the results of it and how the transforming power of the Spirit creates spiritual life.

As Ezekiel prophetically spoke, “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” When God saves, He gives hearts of flesh for hearts of stone so that His people can walk in His ways and follow His commands. No longer are we dead in our trespasses, but alive in Christ Jesus, but not just alive to God, but also dead to the life that we used to live. Romans 6 asks us how we, who are dead to sin, can live in it any longer? We are made alive to God, dead to our former lives. 1st Peter 2:24 tells us that, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live in righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

The Eternal Implications of Salvation

The work of God in salvation is totally and completely by Him and through Him, from the beginning work of His Spirit to bring men to Himself to the final glorification of His saints when they are raised up with Christ (Romans 8:29-30). In these final thoughts, I will be sharing the Biblical evidence of the security that believers have in Christ and how none of His sheep can be lost. The remainder of this post will primarily be a list of Scriptures. I believe that God’s Word is more powerful than any of my words or arguments. I will include a few additional comments towards the end, and I will also spend some time talking about some of the passages commonly used by those who believe that salvation can be lost, as well as some of the problems that this belief poses to Christianity.

Scriptures

Isaiah 54:10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Jeremiah 32:40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts that they may not turn from me.

Matthew 18:12-14 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:47 Truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

John 10:28-29 I give them eternal life, 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.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1st Corinthians 1:8-9 [our Lord Jesus Christ] who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

2nd Corinthians 4:14 Knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

2nd Corinthians 5:5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. (Context talking about our heavenly dwelling)

Ephesians 1:13-14 In him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Colossians 3:3-4, For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is you life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

1st Thessalonians 5:23-24 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

2nd Timothy 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 9:12 He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

1st Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1st John 5:11-13 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

Additional Comments

The life of a believer is not his own. His own former life is dead and his life is now hidden with Christ. Because Christ is our life, He has promised that when He appears, we also will appear with him in glory. Our future glorification is also talked about in Romans 8, and from God’s Word we see that our eternal security is based solely on the life that is given to us when we are saved. The finality of our salvation rests on God and the life (His life) that He has placed inside of us. Because our life is now Christ’s, to say that we can return to the spiritually dead state of an unsaved person is in effect saying that the life of Christ can be put to death. If the life we now live truly is Christ’s (as Colossians 3:3 clearly states), then that life would have to die if salvation could be lost.

Other Scriptures

There are some passages that are used to try and support the belief that salvation can be lost and I’m going to take some time to address a couple of the major ones. I realize that there are many more that we won’t have time for today, but my purpose here is to show how they fit into Biblical entirety and consistency.

Hebrews 6:1-6 “Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.”

This is one of the most misunderstood passages in the entire eternal security dispute. Many point to the phrase “…have fallen away…” to say that this passage implies that salvation can be lost. There is much to this passage and it will take a few minutes to explain, so stick with me! Basically what we have in this passage is a statement containing four phrases to describe salvation in the midst of a declarative statement. The statement begins in verse 4 with, “For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened…” and ends in verse 6 saying, “…and then have fallen away to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying cone again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” In the midst of this statement we have a description of the “them” in the end of verse 6, clearly describing the results of those who are truly saved. These are those who have been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come. So, this is what we have: We have a description of a truly regenerate person in the midst of the statement, “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, and then have fallen away to restore them again to repentance…” In other words, if it were possible for a Christian to lose his salvation, then it would be absolutely impossible for him to regain that salvation because it would in effect be crucifying Christ a second time so that the person could be saved all over again. If this passage can be used to say a believer can be lost, then we must be consistent with the text and say that basically you have one chance and if you blow it, too bad. Once you’re lost, you’re lost. But, there’s another aspect of this passage that we must also consider. In the original Greek text, the author used a philosophical argument called “reducio ad absurdum” which means “reduction to an absurdity.” This essentially means that the reasoning tactic employed by the author was one to show the absurdity of the notion that salvation can be lost. The author reduces this idea to an absurdity in two ways: First, through the evidences of a regenerate person by describing the life of a soundly saved person in verses 4 through 6, and second, through the argument that Christ died one time and one time only for sin (also seen in Hebrews 9 and 10). So the conclusion we can draw form this passage first and foremost is that it truly is impossible for a truly saved person to lose that salvation, and also that if it were possible, then there would be no possibility for that person to be saved again.

Matthew 13:3-9 “And he told them many things in parables, saying: A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds feel on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

The argument used here is that we have four examples of those who were exposed to the seeds of truth, three of whom showed visible signs of life at one point or another. Some will say that the signs of life indicate a saved person who lost salvation, because the plants later died due to the scorching sun or choking weeds, but in Scripture, the idea of “showing life” is not what is given to indicate a saved person. It is fruit. Anyone can appear to have “spiritual life,” and 1st John 2:19 talks about those who seem to show life but truly aren’t saved. It says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” Yes, there can and will be those who profess Christ, but deny Him by their works and fruits. Titus 1:16 describes it this way: “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” Only one of the four examples in the parable of the sower was truly saved because it was the only one that bore fruit. John 15 also talks about how a true believer bears fruit. Galatians 5 likewise describes the fruits of a saved person.

One last argument often used comes from Galatians 5:19-21, which says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” People will say that this verse says that those who practice these things will not inherit the kingdom of heaven and guess what? That’s entirely true! It is true because based upon the context of this passage this list of sins is describing an unsaved person, or someone who follows the deeds of the flesh. These are the works of the flesh, not the works of the Spirit and as Christians we are told to live by the Spirit. Yes, we will always struggle with sin since we live in a body of flesh, but we should not be characterized by the fruits of the flesh. Our lives ought to bear the fruits of the Spirit, which Paul goes on to list in verses 22-23, and a John 15 tells us that we were chosen and appointed to bear fruit. True believers will bear spiritual fruit because that’s what we were made to do. Yet, some still say that if believers commit one of these sins, then they will lose their salvation and not have part of the kingdom of God unless they repent and get saved again. The problem that comes with that is we then have to account for thoughts, and here’s what I mean by that. In Matthew 5:21-30, Jesus said that anger is the exact same as murder and lust is the same as adultery. Since the thought is the same as the action, then I can without much doubt say that every single professing Christian today and throughout history has lost their salvation at some point. Jesus equated the thought with the action, so if this passage is saying that anyone who commits one of these things will result in lost salvation, then anytime a man has a wrong thought about woman, he loses his salvation.

Conclusion

In Philippians 2:12-13, Paul wrote, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” The fact that a true Christian can’t lose his salvation doesn’t give a person an excuse to abdicate his responsibility to live according to the Bible. Neither does it allow a believer to live any way he wants to and still go to heaven. Romans 6 tells us that God forbids that we should live in sin because we died to sin. Philippians 2 tells us that we do work out our salvation, but how are we able to do that? Through God, who works in us both to will and to do his good pleasure. We do work out our salvation, but only because God has given us both the desire and the ability to work out His will. We can be confident and rest in the assurance that once we are saved, Christ will keep us until the day that He will raise us up with Himself in glory. He is faithful and will never let us go. Philippians 1:6 assures us, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, the Founder and the Perfecter, and we are promised that the work that He has begun will be finished. What a glorious assurance! I pray that as you serve the Lord that you would rest in the promise that the Lord will sustain you and that you can never be snatched from His hand.

To an Audience of One,

Joshua

Where We Have Been


Before we jump into this next section of the series, let’s briefly review what we have covered thus far. In the first part of this series, we talked about having a high view of God. Having a high view of God means that we acknowledge that God is in total control of all things, that His will cannot be thwarted, and that His deeds, works, ways and plans are prepared for His own glory (1st Chronicles 29:11-12; Isaiah 14:24-27; Isaiah 48:11). Having a high view of God also means that we recognize that God does what He wills (Psalm 135:5-6; Daniel 4:35). Lastly, having a high view of God means that we realize that there may be times when we might not always fully or even partially understand the way God is or the reason He does what He does (Isaiah 55:8-9). In the second part of the series (the last post) we examined what it means to have an appropriate view of man and his spiritual condition and abilities. We saw how man before salvation is spiritually dead, how he does not and cannot seek God on his own, and how it is through God’s drawing and His gift of faith that man can respond to God. This is what we have studied thus far.

Where We Are Now

Simply put, we are at a fork in the road. It is here that beliefs seem to stop, shake hands and go their separate directions. The path that we have traversed in this series really began separating into its two divergent ways when we began the discussion on man’s spiritual condition and abilities. The primary point of differentiation comes concerning man’s ability. One path sees man as totally depraved and God as the only way anyone can come to Him or even have the ability to choose Him. The other sees man as sinful, but in a position to choose God, whoever may so desire. As you have already most likely begun to see, I am on the former of these two paths and it is that line of thought that I will follow through the remainder of this series.

Where We Are Going

As stated above, the road we will travel from this point on follows the idea that unregenerate man is corrupt and that it is by God’s overwhelming and all-encompassing work alone that man can come to saving faith in Him. We’ve already begun by seeing man’s spiritual deadness and depravity and how it is only by God’s drawing that man can come to Him, and from this point on we will examine God’s all-encompassing work in salvation.

Predestination and Election

This is assuredly one of the most largely debated and controversial topics in all of Christianity and there are a variety of beliefs concerning predestination. Some support this doctrine wholeheartedly while others adamantly oppose it. Still others believe that predestination and man’s free will are equal. The reason for raising the question of predestination and election is twofold: First, this doctrine will be the sole object of today’s discussion, and second (and more importantly), it lays a necessary foundation for the rest of the posts concerning God’s work in salvation.

Predestination and election are often used synonymously and there is certainly a great deal of interrelation between these two words. Each word carries a similar connotation, but one is more specific in its meaning. Election refers to the idea of a choice. For example, in a non-religious application we see this concept in democratic elections. When the people elect a particular person to office, it is by the peoples’ “election,” or choice, that the particular candidate won the office. In Scriptural context, election refers to the concept of what God chooses to do, for instance, the story of the Tower of Babel. God “elected” to confound the language of mankind at the tower of Babel. That is what God chose to do. As we can see from this example, election doesn’t always apply only to a salvation context. It refers to anything God chooses to do, and as God, He can do whatever He wills (Psalm 135:5-6; Daniel 4:35). Predestination, on the other hand, is more specific than election and it refers to what God has ordained, or planned, to occur. Predestination is also election because if God has ordained something to happen, that is what He chose to do. When we talk about predestination, we are talking about the idea that God has, at a particular point, chosen those who will be saved, and the importance of predestination is crucial to the topic of salvation and God’s sovereignty.

In the Old Testament

Today, Christians don’t typically think of predestination as an Old Testament concept, but it is. As a matter of fact, the line of reasoning for predestination that is drawn from the Old Testament is very strong and logically based. The argument comes from the fact that Israel was specifically chosen by God to be His people. In the Old Testament, God elected to make the nation of Israel a people for His own possession. Deuteronomy 7:6-8 tells us, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” (Emphasis mine) Deut. 4:37, Deut. 10:15, 1st Chronicles 16:13 and Isaiah 45:4 also confirm that God specifically chose to make Israel His chosen people. God’s sovereign choice is part of His nature and we see this first shown in His choice to make the children of Israel the people of His own possession. In a moment, we will look at an additional passage (in the New Testament) that affirms that predestination and election occurred in the Old Testament.

In the New Testament

There is a great deal of Scripture in the New Testament devoted to the matter of predestination, but for the sake of time and the length of this post, I will only be discussing a couple major passages and then I will provide a list of additional supporting Scriptures for those who wish to study further.

In Ephesians chapter 1, Paul gives a very succinct summation of God’s work of predestination. Ephesians 1:3-6 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even 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 for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” From this passage, we can see when God predestined, how God predestined and why He predestined. Verse four tells us the when of predestination. According to verse four, we (Christians) were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. Before the universe ever existed, God consciously and purposefully chose those who would be saved. God had a redemptive plan for those whom He would call His own before He even spoke this world into existence. Verse five tells us the how of predestination. “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ…” This is a similar description to that found in Deut. 7 that describes God’s choice of Israel as an act of love. This passage also tells us why God predestined those who would be His own and there are several reasons here. The first reason why God chose us in Him is because He desired a people that should be holy and blameless before him. The second reason is because it was in accordance with the purpose of His will. The last reason is for the praise of His glorious grace. From this Scripture we can see that in love God predestined His people before the world even existed according to His purpose and for the praise of His glorious grace.

We will now examine another passage in the New Testament that also attests to God’s work of predestination, both in the Old and New Testaments. In Romans 9, Paul again writes concerning the work and purpose of God in election to salvation. Recently, my pastor preached from Romans 9 and helped me to better understand this passage, so hopefully I will articulate clearly. There is much, much more in Romans 9 than we will have time for today, but I hope to effectively communicate the essence of these truths. The reason for the importance of this passage is because it not only expounds upon God’s work of predestination, but it also specifically addresses certain objections posed by those who don’t believe that God has chosen those who will be saved. The main verses that we will be discussing are verses 10-25.

Romans 9:10-25 reads, And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, "The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 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 depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.'"

Paul first begins his argument by providing an Old Testament example of God’s work of predestination as seen in the lives of Rebekah’s twins, Jacob and Esau. Paul writes that before Jacob and Esau had even been born and before either had done anything, good or bad, the Lord chose Jacob instead of Esau “…in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls….” God’s freedom to choose was regardless of man’s merit or ability. It was solely in accordance with His purpose of election. Next, Paul answered an objection which is still commonly brought up today, namely, is there injustice on God’s part? In other words, is it unfair for God to choose some people instead of others? Paul’s response in verse 15 emphatically silences the possibility that God is unjust in predestination. He says, “By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’” Thus, God’s election is not unjust, but according to His sovereign right and rule over His creation. Salvation is not based upon human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy (vs. 16). Paul then confirms his statements by using the example of Pharaoh. Verse 17 tells us that God raised up Pharaoh for a specific purpose: “…that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” It was for His glory that He raised up Pharaoh, and it is for His glory that He does anything in the lives of men, for He gives mercy to whomever he wills and he hardens the hearts of whomever He wills (vs. 18, and also Romans 11:7). The last thing that we will look at in this passage is another common objection to predestination and the thought here is that if God has chosen those who will be saved, who can resist His will (vs. 19)? Today, it might sound more like this: If God has elected His own to salvation, then that means that we are merely puppets because God’s pulling all the strings of our lives and just causing us to do whatever He wants us to. Scripture doesn’t call us puppets, but we are called vessels, and vessels that are shaped and formed entirely by the hand of the Potter. In verses 20-24, Paul answers this objection. “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?” Paul’s response is very similar to the response God gave to Job when he questioned God. Simply put, when God’s way was questioned, Paul answered with a question of his own: Who is man compared to God? Yes, man is more than a simple clay pot, but how much infinitely greater is God than man? Unfathomable and beyond the farthest reaches of our imaginations! God is God and has the divine right of the King of all kings to do exactly as how He decrees and this is reflected in God’s sovereign election of His people.

A Common Objection

Before ending this topic, I want to take a few moments to address a common objection posed by those who do not believe that God predestines. Often, those that do not believe in election commonly will say that the belief that God predestines to salvation thus eradicates God’s command for evangelism. After all, if God has chosen those who will be saved, then why do we have to go out and witness if God is going to bring them to Himself anyway? I believe there are several verses that can help us understand this question, starting with Romans 10:14 which says, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” The context of this verse is dealing with Christ’s message of salvation and how God uses His people to preach the message of the Gospel to men. We also know that Christ commanded believers to go and preach to all the world to make disciples of every nation (Matt. 28:19). The last verse that I’d like to point out is 2nd Timothy 2:10. The context of this passage concerns all that Paul has endured as a soldier of Jesus Christ. In this verse, Paul gives the reason for his perseverance and sufferings for the gospel. “Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” Predestination does not pose any problem to evangelism; according to the 2nd Timothy passage, Paul’s belief that God predestined was actually what motivated Paul to endure much hardship for the sake of those who had not yet been saved (as described in the rest of the Timothy passage). The same applies to Christians today. Ultimately, we do not and cannot know who will be saved because we are not omniscient. 2nd Corinthians 5:20 says that we are ambassadors for Christ, and that He makes His appeal to men through us. Our responsibility in evangelism is to preach the Gospel, make disciples, and leave the results up to God. It is the Holy Spirit that works in the hearts of men and as it says in John 6:44, no man can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. Our job as ambassadors is to present the message and let the Holy Spirit work in the hearts of men. This was also the driving thought behind many of the great missionaries and preachers of church history. Many of the great heroes of the faith believed that God predestined His people to salvation. These people include George Whitefield, Jonathon Edwards, Corrie Ten Boom, Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, David Livingstone, Eric Liddell, Charles Spurgeon, John Bunyan, William Carey, David Brainerd and Adoniram Judson to name a few, and even modern theologians such as R.C. Sproul, John Piper, John MacArthur and Paul Washer believe in the sovereignty of God in salvation.

Conclusion

This is what the Lord has led me to believe concerning the doctrine of predestination and election. The two passages in Ephesians and Romans have tremendously shaped my convictions in the power of God’s sovereignty in salvation. If I were to tell you that I had everything completely figured out and understood all this clearly, I’d be lying, because truth be told, there is still so much that I do not know. I’m finite and God and His ways are infinite. My goal is to continue studying and pursuing God and the knowledge of the Holy One to better understand His ways. To finish this post, I’ve provided a list of references of additional Scripture passages that have helped to shape my convictions. I pray that you will find them helpful if you want to further examine God’s Word as it concerns this topic. At the end of the Scripture list, I’ve included some internet resources that you may find helpful as well. Also, as I promised in my last post, I will be specifically using the next post in this series to address some of the major passages that seem to contradict this viewpoint. But for now, here are the passages that support the belief that God has chosen those who will be saved.

Matthew 11:27
Matthew 22:14
Matthew 24:31
Mark 13:20
Luke 10:21-22
Luke 18:7
John 6:44
John 15:16
John 17:1-2
Acts 13:48
Romans 8:28-30, 33
Romans 9
Romans 10:20
Romans 11:5-8
1st Corinthians 1:2, 27-29
Galatians 1:11-17
Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
Ephesians 2:10
Philippians 1:29
Colossians 3:12
1st Thessalonians 1:4-5
1st Thessalonians 5:9
2nd Thessalonians 2:13-14
2nd Timothy 2:10
Titus 1:1
James 2:5
1st Peter 1:1-2
1st Peter 2:8-9
2nd John 1:1
Jude 1:1
Revelation 17:14

For those of you who may desire to study this further, I have included a couple links here to John Piper’s website that has wonderful expositions on Romans 9 and Ephesians 1. John Piper is much wiser than I’m sure I’ll ever be and I believe his writings on the subject to be in accordance with the truths of Scripture. He very coherently expresses the truths of Romans 9 and I would highly recommend it for those seeking further explanation on God’s work of predestination.

www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2002/110_The_Absolute_Sovereignty_of_God_What_Is_Romans_Nine_About/

www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ScriptureIndex/3/791_God_Has_Chosen_Us_in_Him_Before_the_Foundation_of_the_Earth/

www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ScriptureIndex/3/792_God_Predestined_Us_unto_Sonship_Through_Jesus_Christ/

In Need of Help


Sharon lay in the hospital bed, beads of sweat forming on her face, streaming down her neck. Her breaths came in short, painful gasps and her brain spun as a cyclone of thoughts and emotions dizzied her senses. She was dying. She knew it. Not only did she know it, but the doctors knew it, her parents and family knew it, her friends knew it. But, this traumatic circumstance was not without hope. See, Sharon knew she was dying, but she also knew that there was a cure, a miraculous cure to her seeming chronic condition. Her doctors had begged her to accept the treatment. Her family and friends also had desperately cried to her and implored her to accept the cure and be healed. Just about every argument and plea had been used in an attempt to try and convince her to just accept the medicine and be saved from inevitable death. There was still hope! All she had to do was accept it…

Sounds pretty heart-wrenching, doesn’t it? A young woman, sick and dying, for whatever reason unconvinced to accept a life-saving cure. And yet, doesn’t this sound vaguely familiar? Couldn’t this be reflective of something more important than just a story about a girl’s medical condition? Yes, it is. The short anecdote is really an analogy, an analogy that depicts the seeming spiritual condition of man. Many circles in evangelical Christianity view mankind as spiritually sick and in need of healing. The sickness is sin and the cure is the Gospel. Thus, the thrust of evangelism is then to persuade people to accept the “medicine” and be saved from death. However, by much reading, prayer, and study of the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit has led me to different conclusions and a much different perspective concerning man’s spiritual condition than what is depicted above. Therefore, this post will hopefully provide a basis for two, interrelated issues which seem to be at the very core of contrasting views concerning unregenerate man: (1) A Biblical perspective on the spiritual condition of man before salvation and (2) a Biblical perspective on the spiritual abilities of man before salvation. My convictions, based upon my study of God’s Word, mankind’s spiritual state before salvation is much worse than sickness, and because of his true, unregenerate nature, man’s ability in regards to spiritual matters (apart from Christ) is similarly bleak. But don’t take my word for it! Let’s look at the Scriptures and see what God has to say about man’s spiritual condition and ability.

The Spiritual Condition of Man

When investigating the biblical account of man’s spiritual condition, it is always best to begin where it all started, and to do that we must look at the book of Genesis. By incorporating the Genesis account of Adam and Eve, I hope to briefly and concisely establish a starting point and set Scripture as the context for reasoning. As we know, God’s creation was originally perfect, without sin or blemish, physically and spiritually. Man was in perfect harmony with the Creator God and because there was no sin, there was nothing to hinder the God-man relationship. God could truly say that His creation was “very good.” However, sin destroyed that perfect fellowship. God’s warning to man, found in Genesis 2:16-17 was that man should not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in that day, man would surely die. The Hebrew word for “die” in this context is “muth” and it can carry the connotation of physical death, spiritual death, or a combination of the two. The spiritual death was immediate and the physical death was inevitable, and here is what I mean by that. We know that when man sinned, he did not physically keel over dead on the spot, but after all, God did say “…for in the day that you eat of it [“it” being the fruit] you shall surely die.” (vs. 17) Thus, the death was two-fold: spiritually immediate and physically inevitable. Why spiritually immediate? Because some kind of death occurred immediately (“…in that day…”). Otherwise, God is a liar, and the immediate death wasn’t physical, so according to the Hebrew allowance for physical death, spiritual death or both, we can conclude that the spiritual death was the immediate death. This spiritual death brought by sin is not just an Old Testament concept however; New Testament Scripture also speaks of man’s spiritual death and how this death was passed on to the entire world through Adam. According to Romans 5:12, sin came into the world through one man (Adam) and through sin, death came to all the world. According to Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death. According to 1st Corinthians 15:21-22, death came to all men through Adam. Ephesians 2:1 also states that before salvation, man is dead in trespasses and sins. These passages have led me to believe that mankind is not spiritually sick, but spiritually dead.

The Spiritual Ability of Man

This next portion of the discussion is a commonly disputed topic amongst evangelical circles. Many affirm the spiritual deadness of man as I do and believe that it is evident from the Scripture. However, when it comes to beliefs about man’s spiritual ability, the disagreements are many and can be quite intense.

Note: I know that this is an extremely sensitive topic so I will prayerfully tread with caution in how I use my words. My goal is to present truth, not cause division; however, since this issue is such a hot button in Christianity, I realize that there will most likely be disagreement. My prayer is that you would examine the Scriptures and be willing to allow God to work in your heart and mind. I have much to learn myself and I don’t propose in the least to be any better than anyone else because I believe a certain way because that would be nothing more than gross pride, but this is a topic that I love to discuss and a topic that the Lord has laid heavily on my heart to proclaim boldly.

The Will

So, we will now delve into man’s spiritual ability in regard to salvation and in doing so, we must address man’s free will. With any discussion, the first and one of the most important steps is to define your terms. When we talk about the will, we are referring to the will as a concept of desire combined with determination to achieve the desire. Another way to understand the will is to view it as the vehicle by which one obtains his desires. So let’s use a hypothetical situation. Let’s say that I want a cheeseburger. Really, REALLY want a cheeseburger! If I were to take certain steps of action to obtain the desired cheeseburger, my will would go into action. Because of my desire for a cheeseburger, my will would enable me to do what I must to get that cheeseburger. Notice that there is a dependency. What is first necessary for my willing to obtain the cheeseburger? What is required before I can act? I must have desire. If I didn’t first have the desire for the cheeseburger, I wouldn’t have willed to get the cheeseburger. The point is simply this: Man’s will is determined by his desires. This applies to any circumstance, not just whether or not someone wants something particular for lunch. If you obtained something you wanted, your will enabled you to take the necessary steps of action to get what you wanted. Will is determined by desire.

Knowing this, when we talk about free will in regards to salvation, we can conclude that in order for one to will and to make the choice to be saved, one must also have the desire to be saved. Now at this point you might be saying, “Okay, hello duh!!! Of course you have to desire to be saved before you can choose to be saved!” Yes, you do have to want to, but can you “want to” by yourself? I believe that based upon Scripture, the answer to this question is, no. The following are a list of Scriptures which I believe support this conclusion and demonstrate that (1) Man cannot choose God, (2) it is God who draws men to Himself, and (3) it is God who gives men the ability to believe in Him.



Man Cannot & Does Not Choose God

Psalm 14:2-3 “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

Psalm 53:1-3 “The fool says in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

Romans 3:10-12 “As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”



God Draws Man

Matthew 11:27 “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

John 3:27 “John answered, A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”

John 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.”

John 6:65 “And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

Acts 2:39 “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”



Belief (faith) is a Gift from God

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Let me make a quick note here: This passage is often disputed as to the reference of “the gift.” Some say that it refers to grace, but others say that faith is the gift. I believe that the gift is referring to faith, and here is why. The gift is being contrasted with works. Many, many times in Scripture, faith and works are contrasted, showing the futility of works-based salvation and how salvation through faith is the only true salvation (as seen in the books of Romans, Hebrews, and James for example). Based on the many Biblical writings of faith versus works, I believe that we are seeing the same contrast here in Ephesians. This is further confirmed by the preceding phrase, “and this is not your own doing.” The things of your own doing are your works; so based upon these arguments and the rest of God’s Word, I believe this passage indicates that faith is a gift.

So thus far, we can conclude that 1) man is dead in sin; 2) no man by himself seeks after God; 3) no man can come to God unless God draws him; and 4) it is through God’s enabling gift of faith that man respond to Him. Our will is free to choose, but our desires are in bondage to sin. Before salvation, we are spiritually dead beings with no ability or desire for Him. In this state, only God can save us and make us new in Him and it is through His love and mercy and grace alone that we can come to Him. What an amazing and humbling view of the Gospel! Knowing that God, rich in mercy, shed His blood so that dead, sinful, wicked men could come to Him should make us fall to our knees in gratefulness, not get all in a huff because we are told there’s something we can’t do!

In Conclusion

There is so much more that I wish I could say on this topic, and I will be saying much more in the proceeding parts of this series. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way I can say everything in just this one post. The issue of the will reaches into many other areas that I will be covering in the days to come. In the posts to come, I will be furthering examining man’s will and how it plays out in salvation, but in a different context. We’ve established that man in and of himself cannot come to God; Part three will be dealing with how we come to God, God’s work in salvation, what He does to us when He saves us, and how we are made different through that salvation. In a sense it will be finishing this post of how the will plays a role in salvation, and it will also be starting entirely new topics concerning salvation and the sovereignty of God.

Humbly,

Joshua



Post Scriptum

Some may still disagree with me that man can’t choose God by his own free will and may have certain Scripture passages that seem to support that idea. Let me say now that I am very well aware of many of those passages and I will actually be setting aside a specific portion of this series to address those Scriptures. I will most likely even designate a complete post to examine many major passages, in their appropriate contexts, and undertake them in the light of the rest of the Bible. There are no contradictions in God’s Word, and yet there are many different beliefs supposedly based on Scripture. When the time comes, hopefully I will be able to effectively communicate how each passage fits into the entirety of Biblical truths, based upon their contexts and based upon the original linguistic meanings of the Hebrew and Greek. But until that time, search the Scriptures and examine your beliefs. Don’t let your opinions be the final say; let it be God’s Word and that alone. Maybe some of you have a lot to think about. I pray that this would be received with an open heart.

One of the sad trends that I have noticed in the progression of Christian materials, attitudes and beliefs of today is an almost continual decline in the way that God is either portrayed or implied to be. Let me explain. We have so many resources and such a wealth of information available to us that it's almost ridiculous, but much of it falls short in a very vital thing: an appropriate view of God. Somehow, we have lost the importance of making God the prominent focus of what we do and even in what we believe. Our "Christianity" has become so focused on us and how we can "have it all together" that we have essentially robbed God of His deserved recognition and glory by failing to point everything back to Christ and the cross. What good does it do us if we have some wonderful book on God's righteous standard of living if it fails to recognize the righteous God who gave it? Not all things are like that (there is still much that does indeed make Christ the true focus) but mainstream Christianity shows a disturbing decline in the way that God is presented and understood. We must return to making God prominent in the resources we use, in the way we think, and in how we act, but first we must address what has led to this compromised, devalued view of God.

Certainly no Christian will say that he has a "low" or "devalued view" of God, yet there continues to be a pervasive problem in the ways people believe about God. So where is the inconsistency? Why is it that Christianity has come so far from making God the focus? The reason is because we have in many ways made man the focal point and as a result, we have lost the Christocentric (Christ-centered) perspective that the Bible gives. I believe that often it's not the necessarily the level at which people profess to view God that causes difficulty, but it's the level to which we have elevated man. Current beliefs in regard to man hold to a perspective in which many Christians see the spiritual state and abilities of man as much more flattering than a Biblical understanding of his true condition. We profess a high view of God as Lord and Master, but often our inner beliefs place man on a high pedestal, creating conflict between the knows sovereignty of God and the supposed sovereignty of man. My next post will deal specifically with an appropriate, Biblical view of man, but for now we will focus on what it means to have a high view of God and what we must do to return to a high view of God.

It is difficult to "define" a high view of God and I believe the main reason why it is challenging is because we are the finite trying to describe the Infinite. Even our best terminology, descriptions, and expositions couldn't even begin to effectively create a picture of the greatness of God It would probably take years upon years and book after book in an attempt to encompass and communicate the magnitude and fullness of God. God is so vast and indescribable from the amount that we DO know about Him that it would be impossible for us to even come close to successfully describing His grandeur. Realizing that God is immeasurable and we are finite is the key, I believe, to having an understanding of the highness of God. Here is my best attempt to define a high view of God: A high view of God is a deeply established conviction, founded in Scripture, that holds to the undeniable evidence that the infinite God is 1) in total control of all things; 2) that His will cannot be thwarted; and 3) that His deeds, works, ways and plans are prepared for His own glory (1st Chronicles 29:11-12; Isaiah 14:24-27; Isaiah 48:11) There is probably much more that could be incorporated into this simple definition of a high view of God, but from my meager understanding this will have to suffice. I believe that it incorporates the essentials for our purposes though, because the essence of a high view of God is realizing that He is sovereign and that He does all things for His glory. We will be specifically discussing sovereignty as it relates to salvation further down the road, but for now I want us to see that God is great, He is high, and He is in control. This is what I mean when I refer to having a high view of God.

Now that we have looked at what it means to have a high view of God, we will now look at what it requires to have a high view of God. To have a high view of God, we must keep two things in mind. First, we must be willing to accept what God's Word says, even if we can't fully comprehend it. Second, we must be willing to release and reform our conceptions of God if our previous understandings are wrong, and here is what I mean by that: If there are truths we find in Scripture that add to our understanding, we must reform our beliefs to incorporate a more developed view of God; if there is something that we believe that doesn't line up with Scripture, we must be willing to release that and accept what the Bible says. Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." Being wiling to change our beliefs about God isn't a change to be viewed negatively, it is a thing of joy! When we see something we have never seen before or part of God's character comes alive to us in a way that we've never realized it is a thing of rich fulfillment. I pray that as we search the Scriptures through this series that we would look for ways to learn more about God and that we would strive to conform our ideas to the most Biblical understanding of God that we possibly can, realizing that Gods ways are not our ways and that we may not be able to understand them with our finite minds.

Now we can talk all we want about what we need to do to have a high view of God, but I think we would all agree that it is much easier said than done! Having a high view of God doesn't mean that we can simply try and understand Him by our human reasoning. To try and make an infinite God fit into a finite mind just won't work. Trust me, I've tried it! If you don't know what I'm talking about, try logically wrapping your mind around the concept that God has always existed, He had no beginning, and He will never have an end. Because we are stuck with finite minds in a world trapped by time, we simply cannot comprehend what it must mean for anything, let alone God, to not have had a beginning. In this physical world, all things have an origin. My point is this: If we simply rely on our human abilities to understand God, we will fail, and fail miserably. A high view of God doesn't come from anything we, in and of ourselves, can understand. Some aspects of God's nature are easier to comprehend than others, but there are some things that we simply can't understand fully and we will just have to accept by faith.

Before we go further, please let me assure you that I'm not here to tell everyone that they have a low view of God! Not at all! I know there are probably areas in my own life in which my view of God isn't strong or high enough and as I seek Him and study His Word, He reveals much to me that I need to change to conform to the image of His Son. My prayer is that each of us would examine our hearts to see if the way we view God doesn't line up with the Scriptures and then change it accordingly for a better understanding of the God we serve.

At this point you may be wondering, "Why in the world is he saying all this about having a high view of God? I thought this post had to do with salvation." Well, it does! Earlier I mentioned the progressive absence of an appropriate view of God in "modern" Christians materials and ideas. Well let me assure you right now that I have in every way attempted to ensure that this post/series will not follow that trend. All things start with God and end with God; He is the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning and the End. What He begins, He finishes (Philippians 1:6). This is why I have included this part in the series. This series will start with a high view of God and it is from this foundation that the rest of the series will be built. The following are the underlying principles that will be used as the fundamental pillars for this series:

God is all-powerful. If there were one minuscule particle outside of the power and might of God, He would not be the omnipotent God He claims to be. All things are under the complete power, control and rule of God. 1st Chronicles 29:11-12 says, "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for ALL that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you , and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. " (emphasis mine) Psalms 66:5-7, "Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; theypassed through the rive foot. There did we rejoice in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations - let not the rebellious exalt themselves." These are only two passages that describe the awesome and complete power and control of God. The Scriptures are full of verses that tell of the omnipotence of the God of all, and the book of Job also attests to undeniable evidence that God truly is the Almighty.

God is all-knowing. Just as all things are under the power and rule of God, all knowledge and wisdom is held within His hand. There is nothing (past, present or future) that Gd does not know. Psalm 139:2 says, "You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar." Isaiah 46:9-10 says, "I am God and there is no other, I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning." 1st John 3:20 also testifies to the fact that he knows everything, as well as Matthew 10:29-30 which says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all numbered." There is absolutely nothing that God does not know. He even knows the number of hairs on our heads!

There are many other attributes that I wish I could take the time to further expound upon, but for now I will simply list the others that also seem foundational to this discussion.

God is faithful.
God is loving.
God is merciful.
God is gracious.
God is just.
God is holy.
God is patient.

It is from this understanding and this position on the highness of God that the following parts of the series will be built upon. God has all the power, all the knowledge, all the love, grace, faithfulness, and so on. Our view of Him and His ways must reflect the Words of Scripture, not the words or ideals of man. We must constantly be evaluating the way we view God to make sure that what we think doesn't contradict His Word. It's not what we know about God that is the final authority; it's what the Scripture says about God. We know that because of our finite minds we will never grasp the fullness of God's greatness, but we are told to strive for perfection and to know as much as we can about Him and make Him known. Let us plumb the depths of God's greatness and seek to see Him as the truly amazing, powerful God that He is!

In a way, this is still laying the groundwork for this series. I'm "defining my terms" so to speak. My goal is to create a Christ-centered paradigm so that the following principles are consistent with God's Word. The next post will also be foundational in a sense. As Part One has given a foundation for a high view of God, Part Two will give a foundation for an appropriate view of man. We will look at Scripture to see exactly what it says about what man is capable of and what his true nature is like. But until then, may the Lord bless and keep you and may His face shine upon you!

To an audience of One,

Joshua

The purpose of this post is to serve as a more specific introduction to the series that I am starting. As I mentioned in my last post, this series will deal with salvation, theology, and doctrine, and the importance of knowing what God says in His Word.

Before I go further in this post, let me mention one thing that I forgot in the previous, general introduction. My purpose for this series is not a response to any person or idea, nor is it because I want to be divisive or contentious. This is something that I have been studying for quite a while now and I have a strong desire to share what I have seen in the Holy Scriptures. Nothing I say is directed to specific people or to attack others for their beliefs. The things that I will mention are the culmination of my studies, conversations, Biblical understandings, and other things that I felt were relevant to address as they pertain to this discussion. As I said, nothing is directed to or against any person. My purpose for this post is to portray truth and glorify Christ Jesus. Now, for the rest of the intro...

I know that many people today question the relevance of doctrinal discussions. After all, if we are all Christians serving the same God and striving to live holy lives, then what difference does it make whether we believe differently about theology? It makes a tremendous difference. The way that we live, act, and think is directly impacted by the way we believe about God and His Word. Think about it. The decisions that we as Christians make are determined by what we believe about God and what He requires of man. At the end of the day, if theological differences can't be resolved between brothers and sisters who believe differently, the best thing to do is agree to disagree and not let the issue cause contention in the body of Christ. Satan likes to use those kinds of things to hinder believers in their walk with Christ. We must constantly be on our guard and strive to live at peace with all men. However, that does not and will not change the fact that theology is vitally important to the believer. We must be firmly grounded in Biblical truth, rooted in the doctrines of Scripture.

The topics of this series certainly are "hot buttons" in Christianity today. When believers begin to discuss things such as salvation, election, atonement, eternal security, and things of that nature, they seem to automatically draw swords and begin to duel in an earnest attempt to disprove the opposing view by their knowledge of the Scriptures. I know this all too well; I have engaged in many a "duel" such as this and some have had desirable results, others not so desirable. This series will address these controversial topics. I have decided to call this series, "Salvation and the Sovereignty of God." We will examine appropriate views of God and man as it pertains to salvation, the nature of salvation, the work of salvation, and what it implies for those who have received salvation and those who will receive salvation. We will also examine what these beliefs imply as far as evangelism. I also hope to examine some of the common arguments made against the doctrines I will be presenting and how they are based on misconceptions of the doctrines I believe.

As I go through the series, don't just take anything just because I say it. Search the Scriptures and examine what I have to say. God's Word is clear and there are no contradictions. When topics such as these are discussed, people automatically go to certain Scriptures that seem to indicate otherwise than what someone else may be saying. There may be those who would disagree with what I have to say, and if you do, that's fine by me! It's not my goal to change your heart; my goal is to present truth. As I said in my previous post, I won't ignore comments from those who disagree, but before we revert to those favorite verses we all have, might we consider something? If there is something wrong with what I say about the verses I use for these posts, search God's Word and show me how the verses I use are wrong. Examine the contexts, study the Greek/Hebrew, and show me, from God's Word, how what I say is in contradiction to the Scriptures used. If you do that and I am found to be in error, I will be the first to admit that I am wrong. If you disagree and want explanations to certain passages, I will be more than glad to explain them. We all must be faithful to diligently search out that which is being taught to ensure that it is sound. I pray that you will find much truth in this series.

God bless,

Joshua

Hello readers and brothers and sisters in Christ!

I will be beginning another series of posts about a very, very important issue: the issue of salvation. This will be unlike my other series, a big reason being the great importance of this topic. This series will deal with doctrine and the truths of the Bible.

I’m now going to lay down some groundwork for this series. Let me say first of all that I realize that I probably won’t please everybody by the stipulations I give for this series. Some of the precautions I will be taking are for the protection of those that will be involved in this discussion. That having been said, I will be moderating each comment that comes through before it can be seen on my blog. In previous years I have personally witnessed how these issues can quickly get out of hand and how our argumentative natures can quickly get the better of us in a negative way. I want to avoid that at all costs. I will not disregard comments that I disagree with, but they must be spoken in a manner that brings glory and honor to the name of Christ. Feel free to express your opinions, but remember to do so in a humble way. If there is a particular issue that is being discussed and things begin to get a little too heated, I will stop that discussion and not allow further comments. I may be coming across as way too strict, but let me explain a couple of the reasons why I’m taking these precautions. The first is because many of us are friends on this blog, and I don’t want anything to come between any of us that would damage or hinder friendships. The second reason is because this blog can be seen by anyone (Christian and unbeliever) and we have a responsibility to bring glory to Christ and to be careful in the way we act. We want our lights to shine for Christ and to walk and talk in a way that points others to Christ. If we come across as just a bunch of bickering, religious people, we may turn others away from Jesus, and that is the opposite of one of the reasons I have this blog.

Let me also say that I will strive to be humble in the way that I present these doctrinal truths. I realize that I am not perfect and that I don’t know everything (and I never will because I am not omniscient), but there are certain things that by much study and meditation, I have come to believe. My beliefs are my own; I don’t hold to them because my parents told me to, some other instruction of man told me to, or because any other books or materials told me to. I believe what I believe because of the undeniable evidence for these truths that is in the Holy Bible. I am aware of those who would oppose my doctrinal stance, but differing views do not shake my faith. As I said before, I don’t propose in the least to know everything, and if someone says something that I don’t have an answer to, I can guarantee you that I will study diligently for an answer! Whether or not that answer is accepted, I can’t control. It’s not my responsibility to change your mind; God is the one Who works in the hearts of men.

And, on a less important note, I will be posting the parts of this series as I have time. As a full-time college student, worship leader, guitar instructor, piano accompanist, etc., my schedule is quite full and there may be times when I am unable to post for several weeks. Just know that I will be continuing as I have time! ;-)

Here is some additional instruction about the way I will be handling comments and questions. If you have a comment about a specific verse or have a specific question, I will be holding onto those and when things seem to quiet down as far as commenting, I will compose a question-and-answer follow-up post. If you would like to ask a question but wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing that others will see that you asked it, please know that I won’t be revealing names. I will simply answer the questions. If you would still feel more comfortable leaving an anonymous question/comment, that is fine as well. Please know that comments and additional insights are welcome!

By the way, this post is just to serve as an introduction for the overall series, but hopefully soon I will be able to give a more specific “intro” to the actual information of this series.

My prayer is that God alone would be glorified and that each of you will be blessed in the weeks to come!

Joshua