Saturday, July 7, 2012
The Definite Atonement of Christ
Atonement of Christ (Definition by Theopedia) - "The sacrificial work of Jesus
for sinners. In His death on the cross, Christ atoned for the sins of humanity such
that God is satisfied and reconciliation is accomplished for all who will be redeemed.
"Though Christ's death is of infinite value and is sufficient to redeem every man
(had this been God's intention), the true intention of Christ's death was to accomplish
effectively the full salvation of His people, and His people only (a definite or limited
atonement)."
**********
John Owen (1616-1683) was a church leader, theologian, and academic admini-
strator at the University of Oxford.
The following are his comments on "Limited or Definite Atonement."
"If Jesus atoned for the sins of ALL men, then why are not all free from the pun-
ishment due because of their sins? You answer, 'Because of their unbelief.'
I ask, 'Is this unbelief a sin, or is it not? If it is, then Christ suffered the punish-
ment due unto it, or He did not. If He did, why must that hinder them more than
their other sins for which He died?
'If He did not, He did not die for all their sins.' "
**********
Unbelief is a sin.
" ... everything that does not come from
faith is sin."
Romans 14:23b
Refusal to believe is a sin.
"And this is His command: to believe in
the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and
to love one another as He commanded us."
1 John 3:23
"See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks."
Hebrews 12:25
**********
Possible options for the effect of Christ's atonement.
1. Christ died for some of the sins of all men.
If this is true, then all men are still in their sin, and have not been reconciled to God.
None has been saved.
2. Christ died for all of the sins of all men.
If this is true, then all men have been reconciled to God and are saved.
Neither of these options can be true because the Bible consistently teaches that some
will be saved, while some will die and spend eternity in hell.
3. Christ died for all of the sins of some men. This is the only biblical option.
" ... and with your blood you (Jesus)
purchased men for God from every
tribe and language and people and
nation."
Revelation 5:9b
Christ paid the ransom and is the mediator for those who are called to salvation by God.
" ... Christ is the mediator of a new covenant,
that those who are called may receive the
promised eternal inheritance - now that He
has died as a ransom to set them free from
the sins committed under the first covenant."
Hebrews 9:15
Jesus purified a certain group of people with His death on the cross, and calls them
His own.
" ... while we wait for the blessed hope - the
glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for
us to redeem us from all wickedness and to
purify for Himself a people that are His very
own, eager to do what is good."
Titus 2:13-14
His people are sanctified through Jesus' death.
"And by that will (God's) we have been
sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Hebrews 10:10
His people are perfected through Jesus' death.
"For by a single offering He has perfected
for all time those who are being sanctified."
Hebrews 10:14
Jesus' death was an actual, definite, limited atonement, that saves, sanctifies,
redeems, purifies, and perfects His people.
Friday, July 6, 2012
The Battle for Holiness
Here are some of the highlights from chapter six of The Pursuit
of Holiness, by Jerry Bridges.
The Battle for Holiness
Through our union with Christ in His death, we are delivered from
the dominion of sin, but we still find sin struggling to gain mastery over
us.
But though believers still have this indwelling propensity to sin, the
Holy Spirit maintains within us a prevailing desire for holiness.
"No one born of God makes a practice
of sinning, for God's seed abides in him,
and he cannot keep on sinning because he
has been born of God."
1 John 3:9
The believer struggles with the sin God enables him to see in himself.
Scripture indicates that the seat of indwelling sin is the heart.
The Bible tells us that the heart is deceitful and unsearchable to any but
God alone.
"The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure. Who can understand
it?
"I the LORD search the heart and examine
the mind, to reward a man according to his
conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."
Jeremiah 17:9-10
Even as believers we do not know our own hearts.
"I care very little if I am judged by you
or by any human court; indeed I do not
even judge myself. My conscience is clear,
but that does not make me innocent.
"It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore
judge nothing before the appointed time;
wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to
light what is hidden in darkness and will
expose the motives of men's hearts. At
that time each will receive his praise from
God."
1 Corinthians 4:3-5
**********
We need to ask God daily to search our hearts for sin that we cannot
or will not see. This was David's prayer:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 139:23-24
God's primary means of searching our hearts this way is through His
Word, as we read it under the power of the Holy Spirit.
"The word of God is living and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and
spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the
thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12
Indwelling sin works largely through our desires. Our desires are
often more powerful than reason.
The next time you face one of your typical temptations, watch for
the struggle between your desires and your reason. If you give in to
temptation, it will be because desire has overcome reason in the struggle
to influence your will. The world recognizes this and makes appeals to
our desires through what the writer of Hebrews calls, "the pleasures of
sin" (Hebrews 11:25).
Of course, not all desire is evil. Paul speaks of his desire to know
Christ (Philippians 3:10), and of his desire for the salvation of his fellow
Jews (Romans 10:1).
God will give us the desires of our heart if we love and obey Him.
"Delight yourself in the LORD and He
will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:4
**********
If we are to win this battle for holiness, we must recognize that the
basic problem lies within us. It is our own evil desires that lead us into
temptation.
Consider the particular temptations to which you are especially vul-
nerable, and note how often you find yourself searching out occasions
to satisfy those evil desires.
Indwelling sin tends to deceive our understanding or reasoning.
Our reason, enlightened by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God,
stands in the way of sin gaining mastery over us through our desires.
Therefore Satans's great strategy is to deceive our minds.
Paul spoke of the "deceitful desires" of the old self.
"You were taught with regard to your
former way of life, to put off your old
self, which is being corrupted by its
deceitful desires;
"to be made new in the attitude of your
minds; and to put on the new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness
and holiness."
Ephesians 4:22-24
Paul said that we were at one time,
"...deceived and enslaved by all kinds of
passions and pleasures."
Titus 3:3a
These passages speak of our old life, but we must realize that this
deceit still wages war against us, though it no longer has mastery over us.
**********
So we see that though sin no longer has dominion over us, it wages its
guerilla warfare against us. If left unchecked, it will defeat us. Our recourse
against this warfare is to deal swiftly and firmly with the first motions of in-
dwelling sin. If temptation finds any lodging place in the soul, it will use
that to lead us into sin.
Furthermore, we must never consider that our fight against sin is at an
end. The heart is unsearchable, our evil desires are insatiable, and our
reason is constantly in danger of being deceived.
Well did Jesus say:
"Watch and pray so that you will not
fall into temptation."
Matthew 26:41
Solomon warned us:
"Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life."
Proverbs 4:23
Thursday, July 5, 2012
A Change of Kingdoms
Here are highlights from chapter five of The Pursuit of Holiness, by Jerry
Bridges.
Chapter Five - A Change of Kingdoms
"For we know that our old self was crucified with
him so that the body of sin might be rendered
powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to
sin because anyone who has died has been freed
from sin."
Romans 6:6-7
**********
God has made provision for us to live a holy life, but He also has given us
definite responsibilities.
In the Bible we read,
"Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal
body so that you obey its evil desires."
Romans 6:12
The first thing we should notice in this passage is that the pursuit of holiness --
this not allowing sin to reign in our mortal bodies -- is something WE have to do.
Paul's statement is one of exhortations. He addressed himself to our wills. He
said. "Do not let sin reign," implying that this is something for which we our-
selves are responsible. The experience of holiness is not a gift we receive like
justification, but something which we are clearly exhorted to work at.
**********
"We died to sin; how can we live in it
any longer?
"If we have been united with Him like this
in His death, we will certainly also be
united with Him in His resurrection. For
we know that our old self was crucified
with Him so that the body of sin might be
done away with, that we should no longer
be slaves to sin -- because anyone who has
died has been freed from sin."
Romans 6:2,5-7
As we read this passage, the first thing we observe is that our dying to sin
is the result of our union with Christ. Because He died to sin, we died to sin.
Therefore, it is apparent that our dying to sin is not something we do, but
something Christ has done, the value of which accrues to all who are united
with Him. Because Christ died to sin, all who are united with Him died to sin.
What does Paul mean by his expression "died to sin?" He means we died
to the dominion of sin, or to the reign of sin. Before we trusted in Jesus Christ
for our salvation, we were in the kingdom of Satan and sin.
We "followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air
[the devil]" (Ephesians 2:2). We were under the power of Satan.
"(Jesus said to Saul/Paul), I am sending you
to them to open their eyes and turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of
sins and a place among those who are sanctified
by faith in me."
Acts 26:17b-18
We were under the dominion of darkness.
"For He has rescued us from the dominion of
darkness and brought us into the kingdom of
the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins."
Colossians 1:13-14
We were slaves of sin.
"You have been set free from sin and have
become slaves to righteousness."
Romans 6:18
We were born into this kingdom of sin, slavery, and death. Every person who
has ever lived since Adam, except for the incarnate Son of God, has been born
a slave in the kingdom of sin and Satan.
But through our union with Christ we have died to this realm of sin. We have
been set free from sin, rescued from the dominion of darkness, and turned from
the power of Satan to God. Before our salvation we were in bondage to sin, under
the reign and rule of sin. Regardless of how decent and moral we were, we lived in
the kingdom of sin.
But now through our union with Christ in His death to sin, we have been delivered
out of the realm of sin and placed in the kingdom and realm of righteousness.
It is because we were in this realm of sin, under its reign and rule, that we began to
sin from infancy. But if we have been delivered from this realm, why do we still sin?
Though God has delivered us from the reign of sin, our sinful natures still reside
within us. Even though sin's dominion and rule are broken, the remaining sin that
dwells in believers exerts a tremendous power, constantly working toward evil.
**********
We are at war with Satan. Satan has been defeated, but he has not stopped fighting.
Our sinful natures resort to a sort of guerilla warfare to lead us into sin. This results in
the struggle between the Spirit and our sinful natures which Paul wrote about:
"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary
to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary
to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with
each other, so that you do not do what you want."
Galatians 5:17
Further, because we are born as sinners, we have from birth developed habits of sin.
It is our habit to live for ourselves and not for God. When we become Christians, we do
not drop all this overnight. In fact, we will spend the rest of our lives putting off these
habits and putting on habits of holiness.
Now that we are in fact dead to sin -- to its rule and reign -- we are to count on that
as being true. We are to keep before us this fact that we are no longer slaves. We can
now stand up to sin and say no to it. Before we had no choice; now we have one.
When we sin as Christians, we do not sin as slaves, but as individuals with the free-
dom of choice. We sin because we choose to sin.
To summarize then, we have been set free from the reign and rule of sin, the king-
dom of unrighteousness. Our deliverance is through our union with Christ in His death.
When Christ entered this world He voluntarily entered the realm of sin, though He never
sinned.
When He died, He died to this realm of sin (Romans 6:10), and through our union
with Him we died to this realm also. We are to count on this fact that we are dead to
sin's rule, that we can stand up to it and say no. Therefore we are to guard our bodies
so that sin does not reign in us.
**********
So we see that God has made provision for our holiness. Through Christ He has
delivered us from sin's reign so that we now can resist sin, but the responsiblilty for
resisting is ours.
God does not do that for us. To confuse the potential for resisting (which God
provided) with the responsibility for resisting (which is ours) is to court disaster in
our pursuit of holiness.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
What Will America Do?
America is the greatest country in the world, and I would rather live here than
anywhere else.
We have some of the most intelligent, industrious, and patriotic people right here
in the USA.
We also have some of the most faithful Christians, who seek God's will each
day, for themselves and their country.
It's good to celebrate Independence Day on the 4th, because we are truly a blessed
nation.
**********
Unfortunately, America seems to be on the wrong track, financially, morally,
and spiritually.
Our national debt is almost $16 trillion and continues to spiral out of control, as
politicians from both parties irresponsibly spend our money.
We have a president who has mocked the Bible, supported ungodly lifestyles,
and tell falsehoods to the people without batting an eye.
Anyone who stands up for traditional Christian values is branded a bigot and
intolerant.
Pornography, drugs and alcohol abuse, and all kinds of immorality are considered to
be a normal part of life for many Americans. These sins have become idols for many.
**********
I fear America is going the way Israel went so many times, disobeying God and
worshipping idols of our own making, instead of following Him.
Many times the people of Israel "did what was evil in the sight of the LORD", and
received God's punishment for their disobedience. They abandoned Him even though
He had been so faithful to them and brought them out of slavery in the land of Egypt.
When they continued to disobey God and worship other gods, the LORD became
angry with them and "gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them." He "sold
them into the hands" of others. He used other people to defeat the Israelites militarily,
causing them to lose their freedom time and time again.
**********
While America has many fine people who faithfully serve God with their lives,
most do not.
God must be angry with the immorality and sinfulness He sees here in our country.
How long will He hold this anger? Will he eventually turn His back on a people who
who don't serve Him, just as He did to Israel?
God did punish Israel for its continued unfaithfulness, but He also promised to
forgive them and heal their land if they would come back to Him.
When Solomon prayed and asked God to forgive His people for their sins, the LORD
replied to him,
"I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for
myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens
so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the
land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who
are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and
seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will
hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:12-14
However, God added ,
"But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my
commandments that I have set before you, and go and
serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you
up from my land that I have given you, and this house that
I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my
sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among
all peoples.
"And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing
by will be astonished and say, 'Why has the LORD done
thus to this land and to this house?' Then they will say,
'Because they abandoned the LORD, the God of their
fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt and
laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served
them. Therefore He has brought all this disaster on them."
2 Chronicles 7:19-22
*********
These words were meant for God's chosen people of Israel, but also apply to
believers everywhere today.
It seems America has a choice -- either turn from its sinfulness and disobedience,
and serve God, or continue on its immoral way and suffer the wrath of God's anger.
God's word has told us what we need to do. Will America do it before it's too late?
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the
LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God."
Micah 6:8
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Godly Quotes
The following are quotes by Godly men, some from the distant past
and some from more modern times, courtesy of Effectual Grace blog
by John Samson.
**********
"Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly:
I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior."
John Newton
"All who are saved are saved as a result of what God does.
All who are lost are lost as a result of what they do."
Don Fortner
"The doctrine of providence teaches Christians that they are never in
the grip of blind forces (fortune, chance, luck, fate); all that happens to
them is divinely planned, and each event comes as a new summons to
trust, obey, and rejoice, knowing that all is for one's spiritual and eternal
good." (Romans 8:28)
J.I. Packer
"When God hardens hearts He gives them their freedom to exercise the
evil of their own desires."
R.C. Sproul
"Salvation is not a reward for the righteous; it is a gift for the guilty."
Steve Lawson
"The reason the church tries so many other things besides preaching
Christ is because it suspects the kingdom can be established some other
way. But there is no other way.
"People will not come into the kingdom because they like the minister,
support the children's program, or enjoy the music. They may come into
a church that way, but not into the kingdom.
"The only way people ever come into God's kingdom is by hearing
His heralds proclaim a crucified King."
Philip Graham Ryken
"We never need shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer
than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts." A.W. Tozer
Monday, July 2, 2012
Judging Others
There may be no scripture that is quoted so often and misused by more people
than Matthew 7:1-5.
(Jesus said)
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
For in the same way you judge others, you
will be judged, and with the measure you
use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in
your brother's eye and pay no attention to the
plank in you own eye? How can you say to
your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of
your eye,' when all the time there is a plank
in your own eye?
"You hypocrite, first take the plank our of your
own eye, and then you will see clearly to re-
move the speck from your brother's eye."
This passage is often quoted by those who never want others to make any kind
of judgment about questionable or even sinful behavior on their part. Of course
we have to make judgments about people almost daily. Is Jesus saying that we
should NEVER judge anyone about anything?
Absolutely not, but as with all scripture, we must look at the context to know
the true meaning of the words we read. The context of this passage is found in
verse five, where Jesus tells Christians not to judge hypocritically, self-righteously,
or use any other unfair judgments against others.
However, in the very next verse, Jesus tells His listeners to assess or judge the
character of the people in their midst to determine if they are "dogs," or false prophets,
or if their life shows fruit.
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not
throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they
may trample them under their feet, and
then turn and tear you to pieces."
Matthew 7:6
"Watch for those dogs, those men who do
evil, those mutilators of the flesh."
Philippians 3:2
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to
you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they
are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will
recognize them."
Matthew 7:15-16b
The Bible consistently tells Christians to watch out for immoral people
who claim to be godly, and those who oppose the clear message of scripture.
(Paul wrote), "But now I am writing you that
you must not associate with anyone who calls
himself a brother but is sexually immoral or
greedy, an idolater, or a slanderer, a drunkard,
or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat."
1 Corinthians 5:11
Certainly, we must make judgments about others to make such decisions.
Paul then urges the Corinthians to exercise church discipline, (which
requires them to judge the character of another), to remove the wicked from
the church. He emphasizes that he is not talking about those who are not
Christians, but only those who calls themselves brothers and sisters in Christ.
"What business is it of mine to judge those
outside the church? Are you not to judge
those inside? God will judge those outside.
Expel the wicked man from among you."
1 Corinthians 5:12-13
**********
We judge other people, Christian and non-christian, to some degree on a daily basis.
Suppose you own a business and have two applicants for the same job opening.
Their qualifications (education, previous work experience, etc) are almost
identical.
However, John came to the interview neatly dressed, was well-spoken, and
eager to go to work. Meanwhile, Bob was disheveled, inarticulate, and appears
uninterested in working hard.
Who would you choose for the job and why? Most people would choose John,
because they judged each by his appearance and eagerness to do the job. It is
not wrong to make a judgment of the two, but one of common sense and making a
wise business decision.
**********
God calls His people to use a judgment of careful discernment, and not one that
is hypocritical or self-righteous, but one that is according to His Word.
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