What About Calvinism Part 2
God’s Plan and Purpose
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29
Review of Two Words
We must understand the meaning of two words in this verse to understand what God is saying here.
First of all, we need to understand what foreknowledge is. Foreknowledge is translated from the Greek word προέγνω.The English spelling of the root word would be proegno which is related to “prognosis.” It is simply an attribute. It has nothing to do with an action. For example, I know that Jesus is coming back to earth, but I had no part or plan in that.
However, based upon His foreknowledge, God can predestinate. The pronunciation of the English word gives the idea of a predetermined destination like an airplane. We can accurately describe Biblical predestination as an airplane whose destination is heaven. Once you are on the plane your predetermined destination is heaven. However, it is your choice whether or not you board that plane.
In actuality the Greek word for predestination indicates that the destination is more of a position than a place. It would be like a crown prince or president elect. Once born or elected into that position, they are bound to fulfill that office.
Biblically, when we trust Christ as our Savior, we are born again, and will, eventually, be conformed to the image of His Son.
While God knew who would believe in Him even before the foundation of the world, He did not act upon that knowledge for the individual. He predetermined an “airplane” or group to go to heaven and be conformed to the image of His Son, but it is our choice whether we become part of that group or not. How do we become part of that group? When we trust Christ to get us to heaven, then we are placed in that group all of which will go to heaven as brothers and sisters of Christ.
What must you believe? You must simply believe that Jesus is the Almighty God who came to earth to die and pay for our sins, and that His death, burial, and resurrection completed everything needed for us to go to heaven. Pastor Jerry
Romans 8:28-30
God’s Plan and Purpose Outline
I-Review terms
A-Foreknowledge-Know beforehand-Attribute of God (Not an act)
B-Predestination-Predetermined destination (Position not place)
C-Called-Invitation
1-Luke 14:16-24-Like being called to a supper
2-Matthew 20:16-Calling requires a response
D-Elect-A chosen position (Like president elect or crown prince)
E-Justified-Declared righteous (Comes at salvation)
F-Glorified-Honored position
II-God’s plan
A-Chose the father-passed down to firstborn (Usually)
B-Chose Jews to reach the Gentiles through Levites
C-Chose the church (All believers), because Levites failed
D-His choice was conditional upon faith and obedience
III-Truth
A-God in His sovereignty has chosen to make His will conditional upon man’s response.
B-Satanic ploy (Tulip)
1-Total depravity of man-Romans 3:10-18 cf. John 6:44-47
a-Sin blinds
b-Sin hardens
c-Righteousness reveals
d-Righteousness softens
2-Unconditional election-Romans 1:16
a-Without man’s merit
b-Not without man’s responsive choice of faith
3-Limited atonement-I John 2:2 cf. Acts 13:39
a-Christ paid for all sin
b-Christ offers salvation to all
4-Irresisitible grace
5-Perseverance of the saints-John 6:39 cf. I Peter 1:4-5
III-God’s purpose-That we might glorify Him
A-Isaiah 43:7-Purpose is to glorify God
B-Ephesians 1:12-All set in motion when we trust Christ
Conclusion:
God in His sovereignty has chosen to provide salvation for all men. All we must do is choose to believe
God’s Plan and Purpose in
Foreknowledge, Predestination, and Election
Chapter Two
Review
The words “elect” and “chosen” are translations of the same Greek word. Consequently, the English words in the Bible are synonyms. So being chosen or being one of the elect refers to the same thing in Scripture. Those two words can be used interchangeably.
In Romans 8: there are several words that are not well known in our everyday language, so we need to know what these words mean in the Bible.
We Can Know Things
Romans 8:28 begins: “And we know.” God wants us to know things. The most important thing for us that He wants us to known is that we have eternal life, and what we have to do to get it. I John 5:13 tells us the answer to both: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.”
Doctrines of Doubt
A doctrine that makes us doubt whether or not we have salvation is not of God. God does not want us to ever be in doubt about our eternal destiny. He wants you to know that you are going to heaven. By knowing that you can be delivered from fear of death and the bondage to religion to which fear of death leads (Hebrews 2:15). By giving, you the absolute certainty that you are going to heaven, you are freed from the bondage of fear of death on which religion capitalizes.
Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Pay attention to the word “called” and pay attention to the words “His purpose.”
Foreknowledge
Verse 29 says, “For whom He did foreknow…” We are going to review what foreknowledge is. “He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the first-born among many brethren.”
Predestination and the Firstborn
We see the importance of understanding about the first-born as well as predestination.
“Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called: them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.”
Foreknowledge of God
The first word we see in this passage of which we are going to review is the meaning of the word “foreknowledge.” The word “foreknowledge simply means “to know before” or “to have knowledge of something before it happens.” I have foreknowledge of certain things. I know that the Lord is coming back. I know I am going to heaven. The fact that I know these things before they have taken place is foreknowledge. Of course, that is not the same kind of foreknowledge as that which God has. He has foreknowledge of EVERYTHING that is going to take place. In fact He knows what would have happened if they had turned out differently.
I do not know all those things. Eventually, He will reveal all of those things to me and why He allowed certain circumstances to happen in my life when I get to heaven. His foreknowledge goes a lot further than mine.
Even though I know beyond any question that Jesus is coming back, I have nothing to do with that. What am I talking about? I know that the sun is going to come up tomorrow morning, but I have nothing to do with that, either.
That event has nothing to do with my power or will. There is nothing I can do to change that. That is what foreknowledge is. Foreknowledge is simply an attribute of God. Foreknowledge means nothing about His will, or His decrees, or predestination. However, make no mistake about it, He may… in fact He does act in view of His foreknowledge. Since He knows things about the future, He may act in light of what He knows is going to happen. Sometimes He knows what is going to happen, because He knows what He is going to do. However, all things that happen, while they are known of God beforehand, they may not be caused by an act of God. When man sins, God knew it was going to happen, but God did not cause the sin to take place. Logically, you could assume that His foreknowledge is a natural characteristic of His omniscience rather than His omnipotence or even His sovereignty. And both of these attributes are natural results of His eternal nature. How are these related to the eternity of God?
The Eternity of God
The eternal nature of God refers to the fact that God exists outside of time. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The beginning was the beginning of time and at the beginning of time God created the heaven and the earth. Therefore, it becomes evident that God existed before the beginning, hence, God existed before time. Consequently, time is a creation of God. Since time is a creation of God, God is not bound by time nor does He exist solely in time. God exists outside time as well. In other words God is existing at all time at every given moment. That means He is living at the end of time, and at the beginning of time right now. Now we cannot understand that, because there is no way to express that concept with the English language. Every sentence we say must have a verb, and every verb we use must have tense or time. We cannot communicate apart from references to time about anything outside of time.
However, by realizing that God is now existing at all time, it becomes a little more clear how God can know all things. In His existence, everything has already happened or probably more accurately, is happening right now be it eternally in the future or eternally in the past.
So foreknowledge is a natural attribute of His eternal existence, and while He is also omnipotent, His omnipotence is not an outgrowth of His omniscience, although it may be governed by it.
Foreknowledge is an Attribute of God
Bottom line, foreknowledge is simply an attribute of God, but predestination and election are acts of God.
Predestination and Choice
The next word we need to understand is “predestination.” The pronunciation of the word would lead you to think that the meaning of the word is “a predetermined destination.” This meaning makes a pretty good illustration of predestination, as in the case of an airplane. When you go to the airport there are several planes there. One may be going to Dubai, another may be going to Tampa. They all have a predetermined destination, and you make the choice which one you are going to board. Their predetermination is an act of somebody who made the flight plan. That is a good illustration, but predestination has more to do with position than it does destination. While God does predetermine that all who choose to trust Christ as their Savior will, eventually, go to heaven, the Biblical meaning of predestination is really talking about being elect or chosen to have certain promises and positions.
Positional Truth
Initially, that position is “in Christ.” When you trust Christ as your Savior, you are placed “in Christ.” Philippians 3:9 explains it this way: “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
The Firstborn
So, when you trust Christ as your Savior, you are predestined to be in Him, eventually. So what position does He hold in which we can take part? He is the firstborn of every creature according to Colossians 1:15. Remember, we talked about the firstborn when we referred to the Old Testament. Since He is the firstborn, and we are found in Him by faith, then we are “in” the firstborn. You are not just a child of God. Becoming a child of God happens the moment you trust Christ as your Savior, but when you trust in Jesus to save you, you are positionally placed into Jesus Christ. So you are not just a child of God, you can be the firstborn of God in Christ. At least some of the aspects of being the firstborn is conditional upon other things in addition to faith in Christ.
The Sole Condition for Salvation
Going to heaven is by faith alone in Christ alone. Becoming born again is conditional upon faith alone in Christ alone. When you have faith, those things are taken care of, and there is nothing in the future that can ever change that.
Obedience Is Required to Be Chosen or Elect
However, some positions are based upon obedience. That is where election and being chosen come in.
Called by Invitation
The next word in our text that we will look at is the word “called.” The word “called” is simply talking about an invitation. There is a parable in Matthew 22 where Jesus talks about a King who invites his neighbors to the marriage feast for his son. If you cannot guess who the Father, the Son and the bride are, then let me explain. The Father is God the Father, and the Son is Jesus Christ. The Father invited all of his neighbors to come to the marriage feast. That is the calling. To be called means that they have been called to a wonderful privileged position at the wedding feast. At the wedding feast the host provides the guests with a white robe. That represents the robe of righteousness.
The Excuse of Possessions
As these people were invited, they all had an excuse of why they would not come. One said, “I have a new parcel of ground that I bought, and I want to go see it.” That may show a little bit about this man’s intellect. What kind of person buys a piece of ground without seeing it? That would almost be like buying a time share or something. Whatever the property was we do not know, but we do know that it got in the way of his being at the marriage supper.
The Excuse of Business
Another fellow said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go prove them. I suppose that that would be like buying a combine without looking at it or testing it. Whatever it was, this man’s business kept him from where the father had called him to be.
The Excuse of Family
The last guy simply said, “I’ve married a wife and, therefore, I can’t come.” Can you imagine allowing your spouse to keep you from being where God wants you to be? Can you imagine your family keeping you from doing what the Father tells you to do?
“I’ve married a wife, and, therefore, I can’t come. You understand, don’t you, father?” You can bet He understands. That is why He gives us such comprehensive and detailed instructions in His Word.
Those God Called Did Not Come
None of those who were originally called came. They all had some kind of excuse. So, the father sent and killed them all, and invited those who were on the highways and had them come in until the feast was full.
At the end of the parable Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” That is what the calling is.
Picture putting your left hand out in front of you and put your right hand in front of you about three feet away from your left hand. Imagine that all that are on the left of your left hand are all that have ever been or will ever be born. According to Scripture, the calling goes out to all flesh. So the calling would be at the point where your left hand is, and that calling goes out to everybody on the left of your left hand…which is everybody. Everybody is called. Those on the right of your right hand are the elect or the glorified. All the people to the right of your right hand were to the left of the left hand out the outset, this group is a much smaller group, because there are some things that have to happen before we get into that group.
The First Things That Must Happen to Be One of the Elect
The first thing that must happen is you must trust Christ as your Savior. In a sense you are called to salvation, but you are not really called to salvation so much as you are called through salvation. Salvation is just the first step to election, and while God is calling all men to get saved, He is calling them through salvation to election. God is calling all men to be a chosen vessel for God. So the call goes out to all men, but not everybody responds. Therein is man’s problem.
Election
The meaning of elect is “a chosen position.”
Presidential Election
We are coming up on an election in November. When we vote for the President in November, a particular candidate will be elected, but he will not fulfill that elected position until he is inaugurated. There is a period of time between the election and the inauguration. During that time the president-elect will select his cabinet and such, but there is the possibility that he could be assassinated before he takes office.
The Crown Prince
It is more like a crown prince. The crown prince has been chosen to be the next king, but he is not the king, yet. If he marries a commoner or in some other way proves himself unworthy, the crown can be passed to the next in line.
The Next Step Is Obedience
When we trust Christ as our Savior and we respond to the call that goes out to all men, we have the potential to be one of the elect, but that is also conditional upon other things. There must be something else that takes place. That is obedience by faithfulness to God and His body which is the church. We do not have to obey to become a child of God or get to heaven, but if we want to have the privilege, honor, and position as a chosen elect, it takes obedience.
The Chosen in The Patriarchal Age
During the patriarchal period the elect position was passed down to the first-born. All the siblings would receive their portion of the inheritance when they came of age at their Bar Mitzvah as a living inheritance. They were supposed to invest this living inheritance to build their flocks, business, farm, house, and savings for the day that they would get married. But when his daddy died, the first-born would become the head of the clan, he would become the high priest of the family, and he would inherit twice as much as the other siblings had, because, when his daddy died, he would inherit the home-place as well. That was the elect or chosen position during the patriarchal age.
The Chosen in the Age of Law
Under law God said to set aside the first-born again as they had under previous dispensations. He said, “All the first-born belong to Me.” But the children of Israel did not like having their head also being their high priest, so they reneged. In response God said, “That’s O.K. I’m going to take the Levites instead.” So God chose the Levites to be the priests and workers in the tabernacle. They were given the chosen positions. All the tithes went to them, and a portion of all the sacrifices and offerings went to them. They were given the responsibility, privilege, and blessing as the priests and Levites. That is how the Levites became His chosen elect.
Disobedience of the Levitical Priesthood
Much of the time, however, especially by the time of Christ, the priests and Levites were the predominant leaders in the San Hedron. However, the Levites became unfaithful, and those that held the highest positions were not even believers. They became the enemies of Christ. So Jesus came to take the privilege, blessing and responsibility away from the Levites and give it to the church, which is the body of believers including believing Jews. He said, “I’m going to take the privilege, blessing, and responsibility of My chosen elect as priests and rulers away from Israel and give them to the church,” as is mentioned in Revelation 20:4. As part of the body of Christ, we have that privilege and responsibility.
Not All the Firstborn Were Elect
Just as in the Old Testament Patriarchal Age and under the Levitical priesthood, many were not worthy to hold the privileged position: Cain-the first-born of Adam, Ishmael-the first-born of Abraham, Esau, the first-born of Isaac, and Reuben the first-born of Jacob are examples of those who were removed from the position of the first-born in the Old Testament. The cherished position of the first-born was not always inherited by the chronologically first-born. First of all they were supposed to be believers to be an elect.
There Is More to Election Than Salvation
Now, every one of us as believers has the privilege to be the elect chosen, but not all believers will attain that. Faith will get you to heaven, but that does not mean you are going to rule when you get there. The Bible is extremely clear about that. Most believers would kind of like to forget about that part. If you become unfaithful to God’s ministry, you will lose your right to rule and serve as God’s priest. You will lose your position in the millennium. You will still be happy in heaven, I suppose, but you will miss out on the position and pay that God promises to obedient believers.
Tears in Heaven
Have you ever wondered why God speaks of believers weeping in heaven and God wiping away all tears from their eyes both during the tribulation and after they have been with the Lord for the thousand year Kingdom? Does it not at least peek your interest when God says of the unfaithful servants that they would be weeping an gnashing their teeth? That is kind of a sobering thought. Whatever it means, God must have meant for us to take these things with urgency and seriousness.
Earthly Rewards and Heavenly Rewards
Most of the privileges God mentions are on earth, but at least some of them are eternal in the millennium and thereafter.
When those who earn it receive that honored position in heaven, that is called glorification.
After You are Called, What Happens?
First you are called, then you have to be justified by faith. Galatians 2:16 says this about how we are justified: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
Faith: The Only Condition for Justification
Romans 3:28 says this: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
We Are Justified Without Works
We are justified by faith without works, but we have to do works to receive the elect position when we receive our glorified body. There will be differences in the brightness or glory in relation to our faithfulness during this short period of time that we are on earth before receiving our glorified body.
What Is the Next Step After Justification?
In Romans 8:30 God says, “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
He is talking about a completed process here. He is looking at the end result. Predestination would be the position of being the firstborn in Christ.
How do we get in Christ? First He called them. “Whom He did predestinate, them He also called.” First of all He called them.
Then after He called them, then what did He do? “Whom He also called, them He also justified.” So they are called, then they respond positively by trusting Christ as their Savior. Now, they are saved. They have the righteousness it takes to get to heaven.
“And whom He justified, them He also glorified.” They, eventually, receive the glory.
The Central Truth
Here is the truth. God is sovereign over everything, and God in His sovereignty has chosen to make His will, which includes the ultimate glorification of man, conditional upon man’s response.
Two Kinds of Inheritances
So it is up to you whether you trust Christ as your Savior. After you trust Christ as your Savior, God does not take away your free will. You can still choose to disobey God and not receive the full glorification that comes by being a joint heir with Christ as the first-born position. You will inherit eternal life. You will inherit heaven, but you will not inherit the riches, the privileges, the position, and the glorification.
Calvinism-The Satanic Perversion
Now listen to the Satanic ploy. It is called Calvinism, and it is summarized by the anachronism: TULIP.
The Truth About Total Depravity
T-stands for: Total depravity of man. The truth is: man can do nothing of himself to gain eternal life. He is hopelessly lost concerning what he does. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Verse 10 says, “As it is written, there is none righteous. No not one.” But Jesus paid for all of our sins, so there is the opportunity for any one of us to trust Christ as our Savior.
How God Works to Soften the Heart of the Lost
What is it that softens the heart so that we can trust Christ as our Savior? It is the righteousness of God working in the life of a believer. So if believers are not living a peculiar or different kind of life than the lost, then it becomes more difficult for conviction of sin to come on the lost. The Holy Spirit does not work inside of a lost person. He works inside of the saved person, because that is where the Holy Spirit is. However, if the believer does not choose to allow the Holy Spirit to work in his life, then the lost person will not see the evidence that should convict him of his sin. In that case the lost person will see the judgment and chastening hand of God working on the disobedient believer, but that is not nearly as effective in convicting the lost as the goodness and righteousness of God as it is worked out in the believer, because that is what brings conviction on the lost. God says in Romans 2:4, “Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance,
5: But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6: Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9: Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10: But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.”
The Loving Patience of God
And in II Peter 3:9 God again speaks of His forebearance or longsuffering with these words, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
God Convicts the Lost Through the Life of The Believer
So man has the opportunity to trust Christ as Savior dependent upon the demonstration of the working of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.
Sin Hardens the Heart
Here is the problem. Sin hardens the heart. The Bible says that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, but God did not harden it until the sixth plague. Up until that time Pharaoh hardened his own heart, and through his hard sinful heart, eventually, God hardened his heart. What did God use to harden Pharaoh’s heart? According to Hebrews 3:13 it was sin that hardened the heart.
Sin Blinds the Minds
Sin also blinds. So Pharaoh became blind to the righteousness of God, but the righteousness of God reveals and softens.
God says in Romans 1:16-17 “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…
17: For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
When the lost sees the righteousness of God working in our life, it begins to soften the heart of the unbeliever so that they can receive the gospel.
Therefore, a lot of responsibility falls on our shoulders as believers, and that is what God’s purpose is for those who are elect. We must demonstrate the power of God in our lives.
Heresy of the Calvinistic View of Depravity
The total depravity of man is the first of the five points of Calvinism, and the heretical view of that doctrine is that man does not have the ability to seek after God unless God first regenerates man, draws man, and gives man the faith that will save.
Unconditional Election
The second point of five point Calvinism is unconditional election. That point is completely unscriptural, also, because election is conditional upon man’s response. You must first trust Christ as your Savior, then you must choose to be obedient. When you trust Christ to save you, that gives you salvation, and that gives you heaven, then obedience gives you rewards, and gives you a chosen position.
Limited Atonement
The 3rd point of five point Calvinism, or the “L” in TULIP is “limited atonement.” The heresy of the Calvinistic view of this point is they believe that Christ only died for the elect, or that Christ only died for those whom God would choose to become believers.
Christ Died for All Sins
However, according I John 2:2 God says, “He is the propitiation (which means satisfactory payment) for our sins, but not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.” Jesus died for everybody’s sin. There is not a person in hell, today (and there are plenty of people in hell, today) who have not had the payment for their sins completely paid according to Scripture.
Irresistible Grace
The 4th point of the five points of Calvinism or the “I” in TULIP is “I-irresistible grace.”
In Titus 2:11 God tells us, “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” If grace is irresistible, then all men must get saved. Grace has appeared to all men. The grace of God THAT brings salvation has appeared to all men. The word “that” points out that the purpose of grace is to bring salvation, and since grace has come and appeared to all men, and the sovereign God given purpose for grace is to bring salvation, then either God is not sovereign over salvation, or God has chosen to make His sovereignty conditional upon something other than grace. Sure enough, God has chosen in His sovereignty to make His will in salvation conditional upon man’s response. Sounds familiar, does it not?
How Does Grace appear to All Men?
How did the grace of God appear to all men? The grace of God appears to all men by what it teaches us (believers). The grace of God that brings salvation appears to all men by “teaching us.”
How God teaches Us His Lessons on Grace
The word “teaching” is the same word that is translated “chasten” in Hebrews 12: 5-8. So there are two aspects about how the grace of God appears to men. It is most evident by our “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,” and by our living “soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world,” and being, “a peculiar person zealous of good works.”
Either the grace of God will appear to the lost by our peculiar life or by our chastened life.
Many years ago, Dr. M.R. DeHaan wrote a book named Disciplined by Grace. So, the lost will either see that our life has been changed by God’s grace or disciplined by God’s grace, and it is evident that the changed life is far more convincing to the lost than a life that is being disciplined by the Lord in God’s gracious endeavor to prepare us to reach the lost for Christ.
Resisting God’s Grace
We find out that grace can be resisted, and the cause of that, usually, is the lack of obedience of the believer. No amount of trying to remove our responsibility to reach the lost through blaming God for limiting atonement by His sovereign will will excuse us from taking responsibility for reaching the lost by exercising our own will to live a godly life to convict the lost and then sharing the gospel to convince the lost.
It Is God’s Will That All Be Saved
God does not force His salvation on anyone, nor does He force anyone to do His will after we are saved. It is man’s choice to reject the grace of God that brings salvation, so it is, ultimately, men’s choice to go to the Lake of Fire by rejecting Christ as their Savior. It is God’s will that all men be saved.
Perseverance of the Saints
The final point of the “TULIP” is “The perseverance of the saints. What does that mean? Biblically, it means that all who trust Christ as Savior will, eventually, go to heaven. Calvinism turns this wonderfully comforting doctrine of eternal security into blasphemy by making the saints’ perseverance depend on their own works or lack of sin after they are saved rather than depending on the power of God to keep them saved after they trust Christ to save them. The erroneous idea is that we will not sin so badly as to lose salvation and we will work hard enough to maintain our salvation. In other words in the end salvation depends on us. We must finish what Jesus did not.
We Are Kept by the Power of God Through Faith unto Salvation
Biblically, in no way does our security depend on us. When we trust Christ as our Savior, we are not kept by our power, our works, or our will, but by the power of God. According to what God states in I Peter 1:5 we “Are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.”
We are not kept by our good works. We are not kept by our faithfulness. We are not kept by our lack of sin. God says in verse 4 that we are kept “To an inheritance…” We are kept to the inheritance of the first-born in Christ Jesus. “We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
The Blasphemy of Calvinism
Though none of the teachings of Calvinism are true, all of them shift the glory of God to man, and the failed responsibility to God. That is why Calvinism is a blasphemous heresy.
Why Did God Create Man?
What is God’s purpose for man? In Isaiah 43:7 God tells us: “Every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”
“Called by My name…” Are you a “Christian?” Are you called by God’s name? Are you a “Christ one?”
“For I have created him…”
In Ephesians 2:8-10 God says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
The Condition to Have New Creation
How are we created in Christ Jesus? He tells us that it is by grace through faith. What must we do? We must believe it.
So we are saved by grace through faith, but when you are saved you are created in Christ Jesus.
We Were Created for God’s Glory
In Isaiah 43:7 God said that those who are called by His name…I have created him…” Why? “For My glory.” He said.
Bearing Fruit Glorifies God
In John 15:8 Jesus said, “Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.”
The Prime Directive
What was God’s first words to man? God said, “Be fruitful and multiply,” and we have found that bearing fruit means to lead people to Christ.
John 15:8 goes on to say, “And so shall ye be My disciples.”
What Is a Disciple?
What is a disciple? A disciple is a follower. What did Jesus say we had to do to become His disciple? He said “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” By leading people to Jesus Christ we glorify God.
The call to this task has gone out to all men. Many are called, but few are chosen. If we want to become a chosen one, first of all, we must respond by faith. At that time we become justified because of our faith. Then we need to become obedient so we can receive the glorification so we can give glory to God.
Let’s Start at the Very Beginning-A Very Good Place to Start.
Where does all this start? Ephesians 1:11-12 tells us, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who FIRST trusted in Christ.”
Worketh all what things? In verse 4 God says, “According as He hath chosen us…” Verse five tells us “Having predestinated us…”
Those things God has been talking about are the redemption, and justification, and all of these things.
What is the purpose of them all?
Verse 12: “That we should be to the praise of His glory.”
How do we glorify God? In John 15:8 God tells us the answer: “Herein is My Father glorified that ye bear much fruit.”
The First Thing Is Trusting Christ
“That we should be to the praise of His glory who first trusted in Christ.” The first thing we must do to be predestined, chosen, justified, redeemed, and glorified is we must first trust Christ. If you trust Christ you will gain salvation, gain justification, gain redemption, gain predestination, gain the potential to be elect and chosen, and gain glorification and the ability to glorify God, gain eternal life, and gain citizenship in heaven. All this comes through faith alone in Christ alone.
There is a lot to obedience, but salvation is completed the moment you trust Christ as your Savior.
How Jesus Saved Us
Remember, what did Jesus do to save us?
The Problem
Well, we have all done things wrong. That is what sin is, and no sin can be allowed into heaven. So our sin must be removed and dealt with. The Payment for sin is death.
The Solution
That is why Jesus came to earth, and took all of our sin off of us onto Himself, then He died and paid for sin. When He died, the sin was destroyed. Then He was buried, and He came back from the dead finishing the payment for sin and the sentence of sin.
The Proof
Then He came back from the dead proving that it had all been finished.
The Condition
If you understand that and trust Jesus that way to get you to heaven, He will take you to heaven. He will not betray your trust. He is trustworthy. If you trust Jesus to get you to heaven, then you can know that you are going to heaven.
Maybe you could pray something like this, “God I don’t understand it all, but the best I know how, I trust you to get me to heaven.”
The Results
If you will do that right now, then on the authority of God’s Word you can know that you are going to heaven.
Dr. Jerry Lloyd