[Our Redemption] Doctrines of Grace
What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its idea of God. For this reason the gravest question before [us] is always God himself and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at any given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be. A.W. Tozer
The$Knowledge$of$God( A.W.(Tozer The&first&step&down&for&any&church&is&taken&when&it& surrenders&its&high&opinion&of&god.&before&the& Chris@an&Church&goes&into&eclipse&anywhere&there& must&first&be&a&corrup@ng&of&her&simple&basic& theology.&she&simply&gets&a&wrong&answer&to&the& ques@on,& What&is&God&like? &and&goes&on&from&there.& Though&she&may&con@nue&to&cling&to&a&sound&nominal& creed,&her&prac@cal&working&creed&has&become&false.& The&masses&of&her&adherents&come&to&believe&that& God&is&different&from&what&He&actually&is;&and&that&is& heresy&of&the&most&insidious&and&deadly&kind... 10
A.W.(Tozer((cont.)...The&heaviest&obliga@on&lying&upon&the&Chris@an& Church&today&is&to&purify&and&elevate&her&concept&of& God&un@l&it&is&once&more&worthy&of&Him. A.&W.&Tozer,&The'Knowledge'of'the'Holy'[San&Francisco:& HarperSnFrancisco,&1961],&pp.&2(4. 11
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God...
Psalm 33:11 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
Isaiah 45:7 I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.
What about man s freedom? [The bible] insists that a real measure of freedom [and responsibility] has been assigned to man by the Creator. But that freedom is not absolute and is not autonomous. Our freedom is always and everywhere limited by God s sovereignty. God is free and we are free. But God is more free than we are. To say that God s sovereignty is limited by man s freedom is to make man sovereign. And if God is not sovereign, then he is not God.
The(Eternal(Roots(of(Saving(Grace Ephesians(1:3C6( Blessed&be&the&God&and&Father&of&our&Lord&Jesus& Christ,&who&has&blessed&us&in&Christ&with&every&spiritual& blessing&in&the&heavenly&places,& 4 &even&as&he&chose&us& in&him&before&the&founda@on&of&the&world,&that&we& should&be&holy&and&blameless&before&him.&in&love& 5 &he& predes@ned&us&for&adop@on&as&sons&through&jesus& Christ,&according&to&the&purpose&of&his&will,& 6 &to&the& praise&of&his&glorious&grace,&with&which&he&has&blessed& us&in&the&beloved. 5
Eternal(Roots((cont.) 2(Timothy(1:9( He&saved&us&and&called&us&to&a&holy&calling,¬& because&of&our&works&but&because&of&his&own&purpose& and&grace,&which&he&gave&us&in&christ&jesus&before&the& ages&began. Revela9on(13:8 All&who&dwell&on&earth&will&worship&it,&everyone&whose& name&has¬&been&wri\en&before&the&founda@on&of& the&world&in&the&book&of&life&of&the&lamb&who&was& slain. 6
Assump9ons((cont.) 5.&Thinking&is&essen@al&for&grasping&Biblical&truth. 1(Corinthians(14:20( Brethren,&do¬&be&children&in&your&thinking;&yet&in& evil&be&infants,&but&in&your&thinking&be&mature. 2(Timothy(2:7( Think&over&what&I&say,&for&the&Lord&will&grant&you& understanding&in&everything. 13
Assump9ons((cont.) 6.&God&ordains&that&there&be&teachers&in&the&church&&&& to&help&the&body&grasp&and&apply&the&truth&of& Scripture. Ephesians(4:11( And&He&gave&some&as'apostles,&and&some&as'prophets,& and&some&as'evangelists,&and&some&as'pastors&and& teachers,& 12 &for&the&equipping&of&the&saints&for&the& work&of&service,&to&the&building&up&of&the&body&of& Christ. 14
Romans 8:28-30 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 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. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Romans 8:28-30 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 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. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
CHAIN OF REDEMPTION FOREKNEW PRE- DESTINED CALLED JUSTIFIED GLORIFIED
CHAIN OF REDEMPTION FOREKNEW PRE- DESTINED CALLED JUSTIFIED GLORIFIED CONFORMED
DOCTRINES OF GRACE RADICAL GOD S CORRUPTIONSOVEREIGN CHOICE EFFECTUAL CALLING ATONEMENT GOD S PRESERVING
Historical(Background(of(the(Five(Points 1.-John-Calvin,-the-great-Reformer-of-Geneva-and-author--------- of-the-ins:tutes'of'the'chris:an'religion-was-born-in-1509,- converted-at-the-age-of-21-and-died-in-1564.-he-records-hisconversion: God,-by-a-sudden-conversion-subdued-and-brought-my-mind-toa-teachable-frame,-which-was-more-hardened-in-such-ma[ersthan-might-have-been-expected-from-one-at-my-early-period-oflife.-Having-thus-received-some-taste-and-knowledge-of-truegodliness,-I-was-immediately-inflamed-with-so-intense-a-desireto-make-progress-that-although-I-did-not-altogether-leave-offother-studies,-I-yet-pursued-them-with-less-ardor.- Dillenberger,-John'Calvin,'Selec:ons'from'His'Wri:ngs,-Scholars-Press,-1975,--26. 19
Background((cont.) 2.&The&Dutch&theologian,&Jacobus&Arminius,&was&born&&&&&& in&1560&and&died&in&1609.&he&came&to&disagree&with&key& tenets&of&calvinist&doctrine. 3.&In&the&early&1600 s&a&controversy&arose,&especially&in& Holland,&between&the&Arminians&and&Calvinists,&the& groups&who&bore&the&name&of&the&person&who&most& powerfully&expressed&their&understanding&of&scripture. 4.&In&1610&the&Arminians&presented&five&doctrinal& posi@ons,&called&the&remonstrance,&to&the&state& authori@es.&these&expressed&the&key&areas&where&they& disagreed&with&the&calvinists. 20
Background((cont.) 5.&From&November&13,&1618&to&May&9,&1619&Calvinists& met&in&the&synod&of&dort&to&answer&these&five&disputed& points.&their&answers&came&to&be&called&the&canons&of& Dort.&These&are&the&original&expression&of&the&Five&Points& of&calvinism. 6.&Thus&the&five&points&were¬&asserted&by&Calvinists&as& a&summary&of&their&doctrine.&they&were&the&calvinists & response&to&the&arminian&remonstrants&who&chose&these& five&points&with&which&to&disagree. 21
Background((cont.) 7.&Nevertheless&these&five&points&are&at&the&very&heart&&&& of&how&we&understand&god&and&sin&and&grace&and& atonement&and&salva@on&and&all&the&things&that&are& touched&by&these&great&reali@es.&in&short,&the&five&points& are&vital&to&understand,&and&have&a&bearing&on&all&of&life& and&ministry. 22
Good Resources Monergism.com Desiring God - videos and slides What is Reformed Theology? - R.C. Sproul The Doctrines of Grace - Phillips (free Kindle) Freedom of the Will - Edwards The Death of Death in the Death of Jesus Christ - John Owen