T
Total Depravity - born with sin (referred
to as original sin) because of the sin of Adam (Romans 5:12-21). It means
we are totally lost without God’s grace, without redemption of Jesus
Christ, without sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. This is our condition
until God chooses us to be saved and we respond by giving our lives to
Jesus Christ – until we commit ourselves to Him as our Savior from sin
and the Lord of our lives. We are dead spiritually until we are regenerated
by the Holy Spirit. Romans 3:10,23; Ephesians. 2:1-2
U
Unconditional Election - God chooses or
elects us to salvation. II Thessalonians 2:13. Acts 13:48 says "all who
were ordained to (appointed to) (destined to) eternal life believed." John
15:16; Ephesians 1:3-6; John 6:37. II Timothy 1:9-10 offers a good explanation
of the doctrine of election – "God has saved us and called us to a holy
life – not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose
and grace." All through the New Testament, believers are referred
to as the elect.
Sanctification
and belief in the truth are two marks of election. Sanctification – striving
and praying for godliness in one’s life. Hebrews 12:14 says that "without
holiness no one will see the Lord."
The elect must
give continual evidence of their election by the lives they live. When
God elects and calls, it is to obedience and holiness. It is precisely
because the Christian has been elected to eternal salvation that he/she
must put forth every effort to live a godly life.
Ephesians 1:4-11
says, "God chose us in Him (Jesus) before the creation of the world to
be holy and blameless in His sight. In Him we were chosen, having been
predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity
with the purpose of His will." In Colossians, Paul wrote that Christ will
"present you holy in His sight without blemish…if you continue in your
faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."
(Colossians 1:22-23)
You can be
sure you are one of God’s elect if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord
and Savior, if you are growing in your Christian life, if you are living
a holy righteous life (at least striving to), if you are submitting to
the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, if you are obeying the Word of
God throughout Scripture (not just the portions you really like!)
Benefits of Election
1. Assurance of salvation.
2. Created for good works (Ephesians 2:10)
3. Energetic in service of God
~to witness
~to serve
~to preach
~to teach
~to learn II Peter 1:10-11
L
Limited Atonement – Definition of Atonement
– Jesus died for the sins of His people. (Matthew 1:21) Limited Atonement
– Jesus died on the cross specifically for His people – those who would
be "elect" – for believers. The Atonement is effective only in the lives
of those who believe in and are obedient followers of Jesus Christ.
John 10 - Jesus lays down His life for His sheep and His sheep alone.
Ephesians 5 - Christ loved the Church (not the world) and gave Himself
up for it.
Romans 8:32 - he "all" of verse 32 refers to all the elect. The entire
passage of Romans 8:28 to the end of the chapter deals only with
Christians.
All things do not work together for good for the whole world, but only
for those who love
God and who are called according to His purpose.
I
Irresistible Grace – This is the teaching
that all those whom God has chosen come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because of irresistible grace, when God calls us to belief in Jesus
Christ, we are awakened to spiritual life from spiritual death and are
thus irresistibly drawn to believe on and follow after Jesus.
For a striking
example of irresistible grace, look at the Apostle Paul when he first met
the Lord. Paul, who had been in the business of having the Christians killed,
was now irresistibly drawn to Jesus and said, "Lord, what do You want me
to do?"
The Westminster
Confession of Faith describes it this way:
"All those whom God has predestined unto life…He is pleased, in His appointed
time, to call by His Word and Spirit…out of that state
of sin and death unto salvation...enlightening their minds to understand…things
of God…renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them
to that which is good ,and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet
so as they come freely, being made willing by His grace."
Grace – God’s unmerited favor to us through Jesus Christ, where by salvation
and all other blessings are freely given to us. Grace is God’s presence
and love through Jesus Christ, given to believers by the Holy Spirit, imparting
mercy, forgiveness, and the desire and power to do God’s will. Grace is
the enabling power of the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s life. The whole
movement of the Christian life from the beginning to the end is
dependent on this grace.
We are saved
by grace and live by grace. Saving grace initiates faith in our hearts.Without
irresistible saving grace, we would all still be dead in our sins, unregenerated,
unsaved. Paul speaks of ‘How very great is – His power at work in us who
believe."(Ephesians 1:9) This is grace.
Ephesians 1:3-14
– Paul is saying that the blessing listed – election, adoption, grace,
redemption, forgiveness of sins, wisdom, understanding, knowing His will,
the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit – come from God as a result of His predestining
us to be the elect of God. It becomes ours in Jesus Christ by His work
of redemption and it is applied to us by the Holy Spirit through irresistible
grace.
The Holy Spirit
works through the preaching of the Word of God to call to faith those whom
God has elected to salvation and for whom Jesus Christ died.
P
Perseverance of the Saints. – Once God
has begun the work of salvation in anyone, He will persevere to the
end and will never let any of His own be lost. (John 10:27-28; John 6:39;
Philippians 1:6; I Corrinthians 1:8-9; I Peter 1:4-5)
The perseverance
of the saints depends on the perseverance of God through His renewing and
sustaining grace. This is also referred to as the security of the believer.
If a born-again believer could lose his/her faith, then Jesus could
not say that the one who believes in Him would have everlasting life.
Some people
express faith in Jesus Christ. They go to Church, read their Bibles, pray
- then something happens and gradually they depart from the faith.
What about these people? Are they saved?
The doctrine
of the perseverance of the saints (believers) does not mean that Christians
are sinless. There are ups and downs in every Christian’s life. Sin will
not have dominion over us if we are really saved.
People who
never really believed – Matthew 7:21-23; II Timothy 3:5. They professed
faith, but did not possess it. They are not born-again as children of God.
Another question posed by this doctrine is: Will the acceptance of this
doctrine cause a person to be less cautious about how he/she lives? We
are predestined to holiness. By our efforts to live an obedient Christian
life, we show that our faith is genuine. Matthew 10:22 – Eternal Security
Predestination
- Rooted in Old Testament theme of God’s choice of Israel. Found
through the New Testament – Romans 8:29-30; Romans 9:6-33; Ephesians 1:3-1;
Colossians 1:22-23; John 17:9; John 6:37, 39; Matthew 1:21; I Timothy 2:4-6;
Titus 2:11.
Predestination gives you the assurance of your salvation. When you know
beyond the shadow of a doubt that you were chosen by God to be His child,
that, His Son Jesus died for your sins, that He has predestined you to
eternal life, that He has given you His grace in abundance so you can respond
to His call on your life – you most certainly will be assured of your salvation.
In John 10 and 17, Jesus stated very clearly that He had come to
lay down His life as redeemer for His people. In the 17th chapter of John
are these words of Jesus: "I am not praying for the world, but for those
You have given Me, for they are Yours. I pray also for those who will believe
in Me through their message." Jesus promised that His people would all
come to Him and would persevere in their faith unto eternal life.
John Calvin
– "The seed of the Word of God takes root and grows fruitful only in those
whom the Lord, by His eternal election, has predestined to be His children
and heirs of the heavenly kingdom."
The Calvinist
is a person who is convinced that God is using his/her life to accomplish
His divine purpose in human history.
Predestination
is not fatalism or determinism or anything with negative overtones. It
is a joyful welcome doctrine of Holy Scripture – saying that God loves
us so much that He wanted us to have everything good – every spiritual
blessing. He lavished His grace upon us. He wants us to lead lives
of holiness and obedience. Just think, He chose us to be a part of His
very own family.
It is precisely because the Christian has been predestined to eternal life
that he/she must put forth every effort to live a godly life. Colossians
1:22-23; John 17:9; John 6:37,39; Matthew 1:21; I Timothy 2:4-6; Titus
2:11