A CONCLUDING “THREE POINT SHOT”

Five Points in Five Weeks

WHAT IS THE TULIP?

REVIEW

This from Synod of Dordt, NOT Calvin himself

Really rooted in Paul especially But also Augustine Luther concurred with Calvin on this Clearly the position of the Westminster

Confession on which our church is based

And actually experiencing a revival as weaknesses in generic evangelicalism worsen

CONTRASTS

CALVINISM ARMINIANISM

Total depravity (or inability)

Unconditional election Limited atonement

Or, definite atonement

Irresistible grace Or, effectual calling

Perseverance of the saints

Partial depravity Conditional election Limitless atonement

As regards availability Very limited as regards

effectiveness Resistible grace Reversible salvation

LIMITED ATONEMENT

LIMITED ATONEMENT

The question: What was

accomplished on the Cross?

And whose sins were covered?

Of the five points, the most likely for Calvinists to “hedge” on

Though that is actually inconsistent

Arminian position If people possess

sufficient free will to choose Christ

Salvation must be available to whoever chooses it

Thus, Jesus must have died for everyone’s sin

But not sealed the deal for any

BOTH HAVE PROBLEMS

DEFINITE ATONEMENT UNLIMITED AVAILABILITY

What of Jesus dying for the whole world?

Doesn’t that mean God doesn’t love everyone?

Why evangelize? Everyone deserves a

chance, right? What about “anyone”

being able to come?

Jesus’ death doesn’t effectively save anyone

Some people’s sins are paid for twice (by Jesus, then by themselves)

How is this loving if God might have made it effective rather than just available?

Even on the foreknowledge view of conditional election, why pay for sins of those who reject?

STATING THE POSITION OF DEFINITE ATONEMENT

Saved from all types of people For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that

whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (John 3:16-20 ESV)

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,(Revelation 5:9 ESV)

Atonement is universal in affecting every nation (type of person) But not every individual

THIS SEEN ELSEWHERE

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. (Luke 2:1 ESV)

So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”(John 12:19 ESV)

So, “the world” is used in general sense, NOT meaning every single person Thus when individuals in view: “She will bear a son,

and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”(Matthew 1:21 ESV)

SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT

Jesus said “It is finished”, not “it is available”

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people(Luke 1:68 ESV)

Remember the goal: even as he chose us in him

before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (Ephesians 1:4 ESV)

Jesus’ own words since you have given

him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.(John 17:2 ESV)

I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.(John 17:9 ESV)

FURTHER REASONING

Tough choice: For I have

come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.(John 6:38-39 ESV)

We have either Limited atonement or Universalism

Thus, recent drift to “love wins”

GOD’S LOVE?

As we noted earlier, there is common grace where God shows mercy on all people

But how can God love all people if only some elect/atoned for?

Calvinists reply: How can God be love if

He leaves people to die in their free will even after He paid for their sins??

Tough Scripture I am the good shepherd. I know

my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.(John 10:14-15 ESV)

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.”(Romans 9:10-13 ESV)

The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.(Psalm 5:5 ESV)

CONCLUSION

God is not loving in the way the world pictures Him, though He is perfect love

AND perfectly holy God is free to demonstrate His justice and wrath, owing us nothing

because of our sin Who are we to ask why? Jesus death:

“sufficient for the world; efficient for the elect” He owes no one (total depravity) Lovingly chooses some (unconditional election) And sends His Son for the same Is a means to the end of our being holy (Eph 1:4)

John Owen gets the last word: “I do conceive that Christ hath obtained salvation for me, no upon condition if they

would receive it, but so fully and perfectly that certainly they should receive it” We’ll look at why this matters after the next point

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IRRESISTIBLE (OR “EFFICACIOUS”) GRACE

THE POSITIONS

CALVINISM ARMINIANISM

Horton prefers “intoxicating grace” “When the Holy Spirit descends

and intoxicates us with his new desires and power, we just as naturally turn to God. Both the decision to turn from God and the decision to turn to God are really our decisions. But apart from God’s grace (intoxicating grace) a decision for Christ is never going to happen.”

God applies grace to produce salvation

Regeneration > faith

God can lean on us to accept Christ Preachers, writers, and friends can

pressure us But neither God nor man can violate

our free will to choose for ourselves Flows naturally from the previous

points (not utterly fallen; we choose God)

Thus, the “poor Jesus” techniques where He sadly pleads, unable to overcome our powerful free will

Man produces faith to accept the offer of salvation

Faith > regeneration

EFFICACIOUS GRACE

If dead in sin, then as unresponsive as was Lazarus when Jesus raised him

John 15:16 God chose us Ephesians 2:8 Faith is then

God’s gift once made alive Jesus answered him, “Truly,

truly, I say to you, unless one is born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Footnotes [1] 3:3 Or from above; the

Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7

COMMENTS ON THE SUBJECT

“no man makes himself a sheep, but is created such by divine grace.” Calvin

“We talk too much about faith today and not enough about the object of our faith” Horton

MORE SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT

For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?(1 Corinthians 4:7 ESV)

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.(Acts 16:14 ESV)

Not to mention Paul’s conversion (Acts 9)

and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,(Ephesians 1:19-20 ESV)

For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.(John 5:21 ESV)

WHY BOTHER TO EVANGELIZE?

The proclamation of the Gospel serves four purposes Glorifies God in

general Renders the lost all

the more inexcusable

Primary means God uses to reach the elect

And remember, it is obedience to the Great Commission

IMPORTANT POINT

God does NOT violate the will

We will consistent with our nature

Regeneration changes our nature and thus our will

No one who is saved did not want to be

No one who wants to be saved is turned away

WHY IT MATTERS

Comforting to know our salvation was complete in Christ, not just made available

Actually more reason to pray for the lost Since Arminians believe ultimately God cannot break

their wills Evangelism is out of obedience and love of God,

but success is not our problem Cp. Charles Finney who thought preachers were partly

to blame if the lost not saved Submission to God’s providence when we see the

lost die

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

PERSEVERANCE, NOT PERSISTENCE

COMPARING VIEWS

CALVINISM ARMINIANISM

Since God did all the work anyway, how would he not see it to its end: our glorification?

Traditional view: as creatures of free will, we change our minds to accept Christ and so may change our minds to reject him Uncertainty promotes

obedience Modern distortion

“Best of both worlds” Free will to get saved But then no freedom to get

out of it

JESUS LOSES NO SHEEP

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.(John 10:28 ESV)

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.(1 John 2:19 ESV)

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.(1 John 5:13 ESV)

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.(Romans 5:8-10 ESV)

The tares were never wheat We undergo struggle due to our

new dueling natures (Ro 7:19-25)

MORE ON PERSEVERANCE

Boettner: “The saints in heaven are happier but no more secure than are true believers here in this world.” And we know that for those who love God all things work

together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28-29 ESV)

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.(Romans 8:38-39 ESV)

God’s love will see us all the way home!!

WHY IT MATTERS

We are safe in the arms of a loving Savior

Since we didn’t get ourselves into our life in Christ, we can’t slip out of it either

SUMMING IT UP

We’ve seen two very contrasting views Each holds together as a package, so really hard to

pick and choose points Calvinism, following from Scripture and great church

leaders, offers a God who is over all and loves us Though is awe-some in His unsearchable wisdom and

judgment God saves us, not just makes it possible Let us worship a God who has been so gracious And trust Him to provide for us as we finish our

earthly pilgrimage!