Friday, June 21, 2013
Is Teaching Election Allowed at L.C.?
I just finished watching an interview of Joe Aguillard, president of Louisiana
College, conducted by John Akin of Baptist 21.
I'm sure Dr. Aguillard is a fine man, and sincere about his Christian faith, but
some of the things he said in the interview have me wondering about his under-
standing of the Bible.
One question he was asked was about (divine) election, God's sovereign act
of choosing some people for salvation, based entirely on His grace and purpose
and not on anything a person chooses or wills or does.
Election is certainly biblical, as Jesus and Paul both taught and believed it.
Simply put, he was asked two times what his definition of election is, and
refused to answer both times. Instead, he insisted the questioner offer HIS
definition of election.
Since he would not say what he thought election is, it is hard to know what he
really believes about the subject. However, some of his answers give us a
clue.
He said that he does not believe that God chooses certain people for salvation,
and others for damnation in hell.
That is not the Reformed definition of election (see above), and God does not
simply choose people for damnation in hell. Anyone who goes to hell, goes
because of his sins and not because God predestined him to go there.
Since God is sovereign, He has the right to do with His creation what He wills
(Romans 9). If He chooses to save some because of His love and grace and
purpose, and to pass over some, leaving them in their sin, He is not unjust in
either case.
JESUS AND PAUL TAUGHT DIVINE ELECTION
In John 6:37, Jesus taught election.
[Jesus said], "All that the Father gives me will
come to me, and whoever comes to me I will
never drive away."
God, the Father gives SOME people to Jesus as His possession
(election), they come to Him (irresistible grace), and He will
never drive them away (preservation of the saints).
God gives SOME people, but not ALL people to Jesus.
Every single one of those people given to Jesus will come to
Him for salvation, and He will never lose one of them.
Jesus taught election in John 13:18 and John 15:16&19.
[Jesus said]. "I am not referring to all of you;
I know those I have chosen."
"You did not choose me, but I chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit -
fruit that will last."
I have chosen you out of the world ..."
Paul taught election in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14.
"But we ought always to thank God for you,
brothers loved by the Lord, because from
the beginning God chose you to be saved
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit
and through belief in the truth.
He called you to this through our gospel,
that you might share in the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ."
I would love to hear Dr. Aguillard's critical interpretation of the above texts,
and others such as John 6:44,65; Ephesians 1; and Romans 9.
*****************
Dr. Aguillard seems to believe that divine election is not biblical.
Apparently, he thinks election is unfair to those not elected.
Surely, he doesn't think Jesus is standing at the gates of heaven, with His
elect angels (1 Timothy 5:21), denying entry to people who are trying to get
into heaven. Of course not! No one, who is outside of Christ, seeks God
(Romans 3:11b). Everyone, who is not in Christ, is in open rebellion against
God.
By the same token, God does not bring people to Himself, kicking and
screaming, against their will. No, He changes their hearts and makes them
willing to come to Him for salvation (regeneration or the new birth).
****************
Dr. Aguillard said that he would not hire anyone who taught that God chooses
some for salvation, and not others.
This seems to me to indicate that he doesn't understand election and doesn't
believe it is biblical, even thought it is found throughout the Bible; Old and New
Testament.
According to Dr. Aguillard's standards, apparently Jesus and Paul would be
automatically disqualified from teaching at L.C. because they believe in divine
election.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
God's Perfect, Eternal plan of Redemption
"The plan of redemption was an eternal plan
of God, and which plan and which design
was perfectly conceived and perfectly executed."
R.C. Sproul
*************
God, being omniscient, knew that man would fall, and would need to be
redeemed to be right with Him again.
This plan of God, to send His Son to pay for the sins of His people, was
conceived before the foundation of the world.
No person or thing could keep it from being accomplished according to
God's purpose.
*************
GOD PREDESTINED THE REDEMPTION, SALVATION, AND ADOPTION
OF HIS CHILDREN, BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD !
"For He chose us in Him (Christ)
before the creation of the world
to be holy and blameless in His
sight.
In love He predestined us to be
adopted as His sons through Jesus
Christ, in accordance with His
pleasure and will - to the praise of
His glorious grace, which He has
freely given us in the One He loved.
In Him, we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
In Him we were also chosen, having
been predestined according to the plan
of Him who works out everything in
conformity with the purpose of His will,
in order that we, who were the first to
hope in Christ, might be for the praise of
His glory.
And you were also were included in Christ
when you heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation.
Having believed, you were marked in Him
with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is
a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until
the redemption of those who are God's
possession - to the praise of His glory."
Ephesians 1:3-8,11-14
****************
PROPHETS FORETOLD THE PLAN
"But this is how God fulfilled what He had
foretold through all the prophets, saying that
His Christ would suffer.
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your
sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing
may come from the Lord, and that He may send
the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even
Jesus.
He must remain in heaven until the time comes for
God to restore everything, as He promised long ago
through His holy prophets."
Acts 3:18-21
GOD SENT HIS SON INTO THE WORLD AS A HUMAN
The angel explained to Joseph how Mary had conceived through the power
of the Holy Spirit, and that she would give birth to a son, whose name would be
Jesus,
"because He will save His people from their sins."
Matthew 1:21
That is what Jesus came to do - save His people.
People from around the world would be redeemed because of Jesus'
death and resurrection.
GOD USED WICKED MEN TO FULFILL HIS PLAN
[Jesus said], 'I tell you the truth,
one of you is going to betray me."
John 13:21b
Judas, who betrayed Him, was "doomed to destruction,
so that Scripture would be fulfilled."
John 17:12
"This man (Jesus) was handed over to you
by God's set purpose and foreknowledge;
and you, with the help of wicked men,
put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross."
Acts 2:23
"Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together
with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this
city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus,
whom you (God) anointed.
They did what your power and will had decided
beforehand should happen."
Acts 4:27-28
GOD'S PLAN WAS TO BE FULFILLED AT AN APPOINTED TIME
(and not one minute earlier or later). Jesus would sacrifice Himself to save
His people.
Jesus warned His mother that His time had not yet come
during the wedding they attended.
"My time has not yet come."
John 2:4b
Jesus told His brothers that His time had not yet come for Him
to reveal who He really was to the world. The time to deliver a prophetic
message from God had not arrived.
"The right time for me has not yet come;
for you any time is right."
" ... for me the right time has not yet come."
John 7:6,8b
Jesus' enemies could not harm Him until the appointed time.
"At this they tried to seize Him, but no one
laid a hand on Him, because His time had
not yet come."
John 7:30
JESUS KNEW WHEN THE APPOINTED TIME HAD COME FOR HIM
TO DIE
"The time has come for the Son of Man
to be glorified.
"It was for this very reason (to die for sinners)
I came to this hour."
John 12:23,27b
"It was just before the Passover Feast.
Jesus knew that the time had come for
Him to leave this world and go to the
Father.
Having loved His own who were in the world,
He now showed them the full extent of His love."
John 13:1
JESUS AND THE FATHER WOULD BOTH BE GLORIFIED BY HIS DEATH
(and Jesus would give eternal life to those given to Him by the Father).
"Father, the time has come.
Glorify your Son, that your
Son may glorify you.
For you have granted Him authority
over all people that He might give
eternal life to all those you have
given Him."
John 17:1-2
JESUS REVEALED THE FATHER TO THOSE GIVEN TO HIM
(and they believed in Him), ACCORDING TO GOD'S PLAN.
"I have revealed you to those whom
you gave me out of the world.
They were yours; you gave them
to me and they have obeyed your word."
John 17:6
"I have made you known to them,
and will continue to make you
known in order that the love you
have for me may be in them and
that I myself may be in them."
John 17:26
JESUS CAME TO DELIVER THE GOSPEL
He told Pilate,
"for this reason I was born,
and for this I came into the
world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone on the side of truth
listens to me."
John 18:37b
JESUS DIED FOR THE SCATTERED CHILDREN OF GOD
(to make them one).
[The high priest prophesied],
"that Jesus would die for the Jewish
nation, and not only for that nation
but also for the scattered children of God,
to bring them together and make them one."
John 11:51b-52
WITH HIS DEATH, JESUS ACCOMPLISHED HIS MISSION TO ATONE
FOR HIS PEOPLE.
" ... Jesus said, 'It is finished.'
With that, He bowed His head
and gave up His spirit."
John 19:30
THEN, THE RESURRECTION
(Because He lives, we too will live - Romans 6:4).
" ... God raised Him from the dead,
freeing Him from the agony of death,
because it was impossible for death
to keep its hold on Him."
Acts 2:24
*****************
ACCORDING TO HIS PLAN, GOD PRESENTED HIS SON AS A SACRIFICE
OF ATONEMENT TO REDEEM HIS PEOPLE, AND RECONCILE THEM TO
HIMSELF.
"God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement,
through faith in His blood. He did this to
demonstrate His justice, because in His
forbearance he had left the sins committed
beforehand unpunished - He did it to demonstrate
His justice at the present time, so as to be just
and the one who justifies those who have faith
in Jesus."
Romans 3:25-26
JESUS, AS THE ANGEL SAID, HAD COME TO SAVE HIS PEOPLE!
" ... you are to give Him the name Jesus,
because He will save His people from their sins."
Matthew 1:21b
ALL THIS WAS DONE ACCORDING TO GOD'S PERFECT, ETERNAL
PLAN OF REDEMPTION!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Our Greatest Need - A Savior
"If God had perceived our greatest need was economic,
He would have sent us an economist.
If He had perceived our greatest need was entertainment,
He would have sent us a comedian or an artist.
If God had perceived our greatest need was political
stability, He would have sent us a politician.
If He had perceived that our greatest need was health,
He would have sent us a doctor.
But He perceived that our greatest need involved our sin,
our alienation from Him, our profound rebellion, our death,
and He sent us a Savior."
D.A. Carson
***************
" ... but God shows His love for us in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since, therefore, we have now been justified by
His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him
from the wrath of God.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled
to God by the death of His Son, much more, now
that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.
More than that, we also rejoice in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received reconciliation."
Romans 5:8-11
"Christ died specifically 'for us' who now believe and are justified through
our faith, and His death actually achieved for us the reconciliation that we
have now received." **
*******************
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous
will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived:
neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor men who practice
homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers
will inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you. But you were
washed, you were sanctified, you were justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the
Spirit of our God."
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
(Notice that the Trinity is at work in the process of salvation).
Some of us used to be like this - terrible sinners, before God
cleansed us, set us apart, and justified us through the blood
of Jesus.
*******************
"But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we await a Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ."
Philippians 3:20
Jesus is the only Savior for sinful men.
******************
"But when the kindness of God
our Savior and His love for
mankind appeared, He saved us-
not by works of righteousness
that we had done, but according
to His mercy, through the washing
of regeneration and renewal by the
Holy Spirit.
He poured out this Spirit on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ
our Savior, so that having been
justified by His grace, we may
become heirs with the hope of
eternal life."
Titus 3:4-7
(Notice that God the Father and Jesus Christ are both
called our Savior, signifying that they are one Being,
but two Persons).
"Salvation is by grace, not works.
The word 'washing' refers to spiritual cleansing,
of which baptism is the sign and seal.
Both 'regeneration' and 'renewal' characterize the 'washing.'
Regeneration is the new life that begins when a person
comes to faith in Christ.
Renewal is closely related to rebirth; it signifies the
complete transformation of a person's life that begins
when one is regenerated.
'Justified' means to be declared righteous by God.
Left to ourselves, we could never stand righteous
before God. Righteousness comes through God's
grace alone.
God's purpose in extending His grace to sinners is not
only to save them from eternal judgment, but to make
them part of His family through adoption and thus
heirs of His promises." **
***************
Jesus is the perfect Savior!
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of
our faith."
Hebrews 12:2
** Reformation Study Bible Commentary
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