Friday, September 28, 2012
The Process of Salvation
For the Christian, salvation is a process that begins before he is born.
In fact, it began before the creation of the world.
1. God the Father chose us in Him (Jesus) from the beginning for salva-
tion. He chose us before we chose Him.
" ... from the beginning God chose you to be saved
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and
through belief in the truth."
2 Thessalonians 2:13b
He chose us in Him before the creation of the world.
"For He chose us in Him before the creation of the
world to be holy and blameless in His sight."
Ephesians 1:4
God the Father gives us to Jesus and Jesus accepts us as a love gift from
Him.
"All that the Father gives me will come to me,
and whoever comes to me I will never drive away."
John 6:37
2. God calls us to Himself.
" ... in all things God works for the good of those who
love Him, who have been called according to His
purpose."
Romans 8:28
God draws us to Jesus through hearing the gospel.
(Jesus said), "No one can come to me unless the Father
who sent me draws him, and I will raise
him up at the last day."
John 6:44
(Jesus said), " ... whoever hears my word and believes Him
who sent me has eternal life and will not be
condemned."
John 5:24
3. Because we are dead in our sins before conversion, God changes our heart
of stone into a heart of flesh so that we will be receptive to Him. We are born
again to new life in Christ.
" ... you were dead in your transgressions and sins."
Ephesians 2:1a
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you your heart of stone and give
you a heart of flesh."
Ezekiel 36:26
"According to his great mercy, He has caused us to be
born again to a living hope, throught the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead."
1 Peter 1:3
4. We are converted.
God makes us willing and able to understand how to know Him.
"And we know that the Son of God has come and
has given us understanding, so that we may know
Him who is true."
1 John 5:20a
God grants us repentance and faith.
" ... in the hope that God will grant them repentance
leading them to a knowledge of the truth."
2 Timothy 2:25b
" ... For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ
not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him."
Philippians 1:29
" ... by grace you have been saved through faith ...
it is the gift of God."
Ephesians 2:8
We repent and trust in Jesus.
"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation..."
2 Corinthians 7:10a
We receive Him as Lord and Savior.
"Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in
His name, He gave the right to become children of God --
children born not of natural descent, nor of human de-
cision, or a husband's will, but born of God."
John 1:12-13
" That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,'
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from
the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart
that you believe and are justified, and it is with your
mouth that you confess and are saved."
John 10:9-10
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The Holy Scriptures - 1689 LBCF
The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith is an important document that
outlined the differences between General and Particular brands of Baptist belief.
General Baptists believed a Christian's salvation was contingent upon his own
choice, while Particular Baptists asserted that a Christian's salvation was ultimate-
ly dependent upon God and His sovereign choice. The document was written by
and for Particular (Reformed) Baptist leaders.
The document begins:
"We the Ministers and Messengers of and concerned for upwards of
100 baptized congregations in England and Wales (denying Arminianism), being
met together in London, from the third of the seventh month to the eleventh of the
same, 1689, to consider of some things that might be for the glory of God, and the
good of these congregations, have thought meet to recommend to their perusal the
confession of our faith, which confession we own, as containing the doctrine of our
faith and practice, and do desire that the members of our churches respectively do
furnish themselves, therewith,"
signed by
(37 Ministers)
Major highlights from Chapter one - Of the Holy Scriptures
* "The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all sav-
ing knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature and the works of
creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God,
as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of
God and his will which is necessary unto salvation.
"Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal
himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterward for the better
preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and com-
fort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of
the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures
to be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people
being now ceased."
(2 Timothy 3:15-17; Romans 1:19-20; Romans 15:4; 2 Peter 1:19-20)
* "The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, dependeth
not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God who is truth it-
self, the author thereof; therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God."
(2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 John 5:9)
* "The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory,
man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in
the Holy Scripture; unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new
revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men.
"Nevertheless, we acknowldege the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be
necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word, and
that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of
the church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the
light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word,
which are always to be observed."
(Galatians 1:8-9; John 6:45)
* "All things in Scripture are not alike, plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all;
yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation,
are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only
the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient
understanding of them."
(Psalm 19:7; Psalm 119:130)
* "The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore
when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture which is not mani-
fold, but one, it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly."
(2 Peter 1:20-21; Acts 15:15-16)
* "The supreme judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and
all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits,
are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy
Scripture delivered by the Spirit, into which Scripture so delivered, our faith is finally
resolved."
(Matthew 22:29,31,32; Ephesians 2:20)
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The World is Full of Normaphobes
"You really do kid yourselves if you think you can be
an orthodox Christian, and be cool, at the same time
cool enough and hip enough to cut it in the wider
world.
"Frankly, in a couple of years it will not matter how
much urban ink you sport, how much fair trade coffee
you drink, how many craft brews you can name, how
much urban gibberish you spout, how many art house
movies you can find that redeemer figure in, and how
much money you divert from gospel preaching to
social justice: maintaining biblical sexual ethics will
be the equivalent in our culture of being a white su-
premacist."
Carl Trueman
Reformation 21 Blog
Have you noticed that almost everything that used to be "normal" is now
considered to be wrong by the world, and almost everything that used to be
"abnormal" is now considered to be right.
God has a warning for people who oppose His word.
"Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil, who put darkness
for light and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet and
sweet for bitter.
"Woe to those who are wise in their
own eyes and clever in their own
sight."
Isaiah 5:20-21
If you oppose abortion then the world says you oppose women's "reproductive
rights" and are engaging in a "war on women."
If you support traditional marriage and believe that homosexual behavior is
sinful, then the world calls you an "intolerant, bigoted homophobe."
Carl Trueman calls these worldly people "normaphobes" because they oppose
anything that is godly, and replace God's word with their own worldly, unbiblical
views.
He writes (with a strong hint of sarcasm), "The sooner normaphobes are cate-
gorized as hate criminals, the better it will be for those of us who belong to the
despised minority of the once but clearly no longer normal."
**********
If you're like me, you are tired of being called a bigot because you believe in
traditional, biblical principles, but that's what Bible believing Christians face in
today's world.
The world hates us because our beliefs remind them that there is a God and there
is right and wrong.
The Bible tells us that the world hated Jesus and will hate his people. Jesus even
predicted that the world would hate His people.
"Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the
world hates you."
1 John 3:13
"If the world hates you, keep in mind
that it hated me first. If you belonged
to the world, it would love you as its
own. As it is, you do not belong to the
world, but I have chosen you out of the
world. That is why the world hates you."
John 15:18-19
"I have given them your (God's) word and
the world has hated them, for they are
not of the world, any more than I am of
the world."
John 17:14
The word "world" here refers to the human system that opposes God's purpose.
Christians are no longer of this world, but belong to the kingdom of God.
"The believer's essential being, his new life, comes
specially from God, and therefore he is not the same
as those who oppose God."
NIV Commentary
The world hates God, His word, and His people, but those who are faithful
to Him will overcome the world.
" ... everyone born of God overcomes the world.
This is the victory that has overcome the world,
even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world?
Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
1 John 5:4-5
Monday, September 24, 2012
Does God Ordain (Decree) Sin?
From the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith
Chapter 3, Section 1
"God hath decreed in Himself, from all eternity, by
the most wise and holy counsel of his own will,
freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever
comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the
author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein;
nor is violence offered to the will of the creature,
nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second
causes taken away, but rather established; in which
appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and
power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree."
(Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 6:17;
Romans 9:15; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5; Acts 4:27-28;
John 19:11; Numbers 23:19; Ephesians 1:3-5)
"God is free to do with His creation as He sees fit (He is sovereign). God uses
secondary means to accomplish His purposes. His purposes are always holy and
just and good, but when He uses People as His means, they can still be judged when
they are used by Him in that fashion.
"When God created, He knew everything that would happen. God has a pur-
pose for everything, but not everything has a redemptive purpose. Some things are
only for His glory. God works everything after the counsel of His own will"
(Ephesians 1:10-12).
James R. White
The Bible shows us that God decreed all things, and that people are still held ac-
countable for their actions, especially their sinful actions. This is called "compatibilism."
God's decree is compatible with a person's will. They don't contradict each other.
"Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord
has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of
the Most High that both calamities and good
things come? Why should any man complain
when punished for his sins?"
Lamentations 3:37-39
"Nothing can happen apart from the sovereign plan and permission of God.
Jeremiah strongly affirms that nothing can happen, good or evil, that God has
not 'decreed,' literally 'commanded.' "
Steve Lawson
"God is not the author of evil, although nothing happens without His permission,
for His purposes are quite different from ours."
John Calvin
SO, DOES GOD FOREORDAIN CERTAIN SPECIFIC SINS?
Three examples from Scripture make the answer clear.
1. The crucifixion, the murder of God's Son, was foreordained. It was a providen-
tial decree. Certainly the murder of God's Son was a sin.
"The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together against
the Lord and against His Anointed One.
"Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met to-
gether with the Gentiles and the people
of Israel in this city to conspire against
your holy servant Jesus, whom you
anointed. THEY DID WHAT YOUR
POWER AND WILL HAD DECIDED
BEFOREHAND SHOULD HAPPEN."
Acts 4:26-28
(Peter said to the people of Israel),
"This man was handed over to you BY
GOD'S SET PURPOSE AND FORE-
KNOWLEDGE; and you, with the
help of wicked men, put him to death
by nailing him to the cross."
Acts 2:23
Godless men did the work of God.
"From eternity past (2 Timothy 1:9; Revelation 13:8) God pre-
determined that Jesus would die an atoning death as part of His pre-ordained
plan (Acts 13:27-29). That the crucifixion was predetermined by God does
not absolve the guilt of those who caused it."
John MacArthur ESV Commentary
2. God ordained that Joseph's brothers throw him into a pit and then sell him to
the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. The Pharaoh of Egypt eventually gave
Joseph great power which he used to help his family, along with the people of Israel,
survive the great famine.
"But Joseph said to them (his brothers),
'Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?
As for you, you meant evil against me,
but God meant it for good, to bring it
about that many people should be kept
alive, as they are today.' "
Genesis 50:19-20
"The two statements in Hebrew are parallel. Joseph's brothers meant evil
by their actions, but God intended the same action for good. The text shows
one action with two intentions."
James Swan
3. "God used Assyria as his instrument of judgment against the rebellious
people of Israel, and then holds Assyria responsible for her sinful attitude and
desires against Israel. The text shows one action with two intentions, a sinful
intention and a holy intention."
James Swan
"Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger,
in whose hand is the club of my wrath!
I send him against a godless nation (Israel),
I dispatch him against a people who anger me,
to seize and loot and snatch plunder and to
trample them down like mud in the streets.
"But this is not what He (Assyria) intends,
this is not what he has in mind; his purpose
is to destroy, to put an end to many nations."
Isaiah 10:5-8
Eventually, the remnant of faithful people in Israel returned to God and His
anger turned away from them and toward Assyria for its sins.
"Very soon my anger against you (Israel) will
end and my wrath will be directed to their
(Assyria) destruction."
Isaiah 10:25
"It is, I think, a profound truth that God, sovereign over all things is able to
turn even sin into an instrument of grace."
The Thirsty Theologian
**********
Men are sinful and therefore responsible for their sins. God DOES ordain
or decree sin, but doesn't "force" a person to do anything that would violate his
will because of his sinful nature.
Everything God does is according to His plan, in conformity with the purpose of
His will, to the praise of His glory.
Friday, September 21, 2012
The Right Words
"No foul language is to come from your mouth,
but only what is good for building up someone
in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear."
Ephesians 4:29
We Christians know that we should watch what we say and how we say it,
but sometimes we speak without thinking, or let a word slip that we shouldn't.
(I need to remember this while watching LSU or the Saints playing football).
"Let your conversation be always full of grace,
seasoned with salt, so that you may know how
to answer everyone."
Colossians 4:6
Our conversation should be wholesome.
*****
"When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise."
Proverbs 10:19
Sometimes it's better to say nothing than to say too much.
*****
"Gold there is, and rubles in abundance,
but lips that speak knowledge are a rare
jewel."
Proverbs 20:15
Sharing the truth of God with others pleases Him.
*****
"A gossip betrays confidence;
so avoid a man who talks too much."
Proverbs 20:19
Gossiping may be hard to resist, but it can be hurtful to the gossiper and the
one being gossiped about.
*****
"He who guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself from calamity."
Proverbs 21:23
The wrong words can be embarrassing and damaging to the speaker.
*****
"The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment."
Proverbs 10:21
The truth of the gospel builds up the faith of those who will listen,
but it is foolishness to those who won't.
*****
"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body,
but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great
forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue
also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of
the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the
whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set
on fire by hell.
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father,
and with it we curse men, who have been made
in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come
praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be."
James 3:5-6; 9-10
God is not pleased if we praise Him on Sunday, but curse men during the week.
*****
"Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk
or coarse joking, which are out of place,
but rather thanksgiving.
"For of this you can be sure: No immoral,
impure, or greedy person -- such a man is
an idolater -- has any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God."
Ephesians 5:4-5
Dirty jokes and coarse language are not signs of a regenerate person.
Expressing our thankfulness for what we have is what God desires.
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