Reformed Doctrine of Salvation

Introduction to Calvinism and the Synod of Dort

0:02 The following message was delivered on Sunday, April 5th, 1992, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. This is lecture number eight in the pre-membership class.

0:16 Now this morning we continue with our pre-membership class. For the sake of those who are visiting with us, we have been conducting the Sunday school in recent days as though everyone who is here this morning were applying for membership in the church. And we are currently engaged in studying the doctrinal stand of the church. And we have considered the fact that we stand committed to orthodox Christianity and also that we stand committed to covenant theology.

0:49 And this morning we will take up the fact that our church stands confessionally committed to what has historically been called Calvinism. And as we study this this morning, let us pray. Let us pray for the blessing of the Lord upon us as we consider the way of salvation which God has planned for his people. Let us seek the Lord.

1:18 Our Father, as again we enter your holy presence this morning, we thank you for your grace and mercy toward us, that we are saved not because of ourselves but because of you, because of your love and kindness, your mercy when we were lost and bound, and dead in our sins. We pray, Father, that as we draw near unto you this morning, that you would pour out upon us your Holy Spirit, that you would teach us from the Scriptures, that you would get to your name all of the praise and glory, that you would come by your Holy Spirit and write your word upon our hearts. And when we leave this morning, that we may have a greater appreciation for who you are, for what you have done to save sinners, and to deliver us from wrath, and to present us to yourself in the last day, united to Jesus Christ. Father, as we study these things this morning, get to your name glory and praise from our hearts. For we ask it through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

2:29 Now I brought this with me to the pulpit this morning, so I wouldn't forget it and then manage to almost lose it in the pulpit. This is the Psalter. Hymnal of the Christian Reformed Church, which stands committed to the doctrinal standard of Calvinism. Now I would like to just say some things about Calvinism, because we are a Calvinistic church.

3:07 Calvinism focuses upon the whole subject of the salvation of sinners. The salvation of sinners is not a subject which has its beginning in the Middle Ages, but from the very beginning when God announced his plan to save sinners through the work of the coming Redeemer, the seed of the woman. The name Calvinism is derived from, or the five points of Calvinism, is derived from events which took place in Holland in the 1600s. And I would like to say some things about that so that you understand the basis for the time.

3:51 In the early 1600s, in Holland, there was a man named Jacob Arminius, who was a theological professor. Now, you have to understand the difference between Arminius and Arminian.

4:12 Now I didn't leave myself much room on the board, but I think I have enough up in the corner to do this. You see the difference between those two words? The one is Arminian, and the other is Arminian. Now, Armenia is one of the places in Russia that people come from when they immigrate to this country.

4:51 And if someone is from Armenia, he is called an Arminian, spelled with an E.

5:00 Arminius was a theological professor. And if someone follows the teachings of Jacobus Arminius, he is called an Arminian, spelled with an I. Now, there is a difference. There is also a little story about that difference, which I wrestled back and forth.

5:20 Should I tell this story this morning? Shouldn't I tell this story this morning? I think I'll tell this story this morning.

5:28 The story goes back about 15 years, while I was in the academy. And while I was in the academy, I was working in the summer with a mason, who will remain nameless, though if you look at the red face in the congregation, you'll know who he is. We were...

5:44 We were working together. It came to be around the end of the summer. We had just done a patio in the ladies' backyard. I forget what town we were in, just as well.

5:54 And I was very tan at the end of the summer. And my face becomes dark when I get very tan. And we were out. We had just finished the job.

6:05 We were standing out by the truck afterwards. And this woman whose patio we had just built came up to me. And she said to me, Are you an Arminian? And I said, No, I'm a Calvinist.

6:26 And you see the difference between an Arminian and a Calvinist. I hope that silly little...

6:34 So that is a true event, by the way, that actually happened. And I hope that that will illustrate in your mind once and for all the difference between these two words. And you know the difference between being an Arminian and being an Arminian. Now, historically, this fellow by the name of Jacobus Arminius had some problems with the Reformed teaching concerning the doctrine of salvation.

7:05 And he registered complaints about the Reformed doctrine. These were called remonstrance. And there were several points of his complaints. And these complaints were answered in the year 1619 in a document called, The Canons of the Synod of Dort.

7:28 That's Canons spelled with one N, C-A-N-O-N, of the Synod, S-Y-N-O-D, of Dort, D-O-R-T. Now, that may not make sense to you either, to talk about Canons of the Synod of Dort. What are Canons? What is Synod?

7:42 And what is Dort? Well, Dort is the simplest part, although I really know probably the least about it. Dort is a short form of the name Dortrecht. D-O-R-D-R-E-C-H-T, which is a city in Holland where the Synod met.

8:00 They met in a city called Dortrecht. And they met in the years 1618 to 1619. And in 1619, they published a document called Canons of the Synod of Dort. Now, what is a Synod?

8:14 Well, this Synod is an assembly. It's a gathering of messengers of churches. And these messengers gathered from all of the Reformed churches in Holland. And they also had visitors present from different Reformed churches from various countries who had received the doctrines of the Reformation.

8:38 So it was, in a sense, an international Synod. And this was an assembly of gathered messengers, an official assembly that met over these years. And then they published, in 1619, doctrinal statements. They published official doctrinal pronouncements and articles.

9:00 And those official doctrinal pronouncements are called Canons. So when we talk about the Canons of the Synod of Dort, what we're speaking about is official doctrinal pronouncements, doctrinal articles, which were compiled by the assembled messengers of the Reformed churches who met in a city called Dortrecht in Holland, in the years 1618 and 1619. Now that's what we mean by the Canons of the Synod of Dort. And these Canons of the Synod of Dort have been nicknamed the Five Points of Calvinism.

9:41 And when our own 1689 Confession of Faith was published half a century later, approximately, they were very well aware of the existence of these official doctrinal pronouncements. of the Reformed churches in Holland. And this is what they wrote when they published our own 1689 Confession. They wrote that they were conscious that they agreed with the doctrinal sentiments of those Canons of the Synod of Dort.

10:10 We have this statement. We, the ministers and messengers of and concerned for upwards of 100 baptized churches in England and Wales denying Indianism, being met together in London from the 3rd to the 7th month of the 11th of the same 1689, etc. So they put right in their official pronouncement that they are committed to Calvinism and that they deny Arminianism. And so they were consciously identifying with these statements of the Reformed churches of Holland.

10:53 Now, my presentation this morning will follow the presentation of the Canons of the Synod of Dort.

The Four Focal Points of Calvinism and Opposing Errors

11:03 And what I will attempt to do is I will attempt to show you how our own Confession of Faith is in agreement and where our own Confession of Faith is in agreement with the Canons of the Synod of Dort. Now, basically, in focusing upon the subject of salvation from sin,

11:23 the Synod in Holland had four focal points. They focused first upon the subject of the planning of salvation in eternity. And that was the first chapter of their doctrinal statement. Second, they focused upon the accomplishment of salvation by Jesus Christ at Calvary.

11:47 That was the second chapter of their doctrinal statement. Thirdly, they focused upon the application of salvation in conversion.

11:58 That was the third chapter of their doctrinal statement. And in that third chapter, there's actually a two-fold emphasis. Firstly, in speaking about conversion, they speak about the depravity of man. Man being dead in trespasses and sins and lost and bound and unable to convert himself or to make himself suitable for conversion.

12:27 And then, they speak about God coming into that situation where man is and taking the initiative and drawing man out of death unto life, making him alive, regenerating and converting him. And so, historically, it has been recognized that there are really two points under this third chapter that focuses upon conversion. And the first point that focuses on depravity has been called total depravity or total inability. And the second point in this chapter has been called irresistibility.

13:04 Irresistible grace which focuses upon regeneration. So, in the actual doctrinal statements that the Synod prepared, total depravity and irresistible grace are combined. They're presented together under the third chapter in the Synod's statement. And then, the fourth focal point, again, upon the application of salvation, is upon the application of salvation in the Christian life.

13:36 And it is this, essentially, that God, who began that good work in the heart of His people, will perform it and continue it until the day of Jesus Christ. That if God started a work in you, God certainly will finish that work in you. And that is generally called the doctrine of the preservation or perseverance of the saints. And that is contained in the fourth chapter, of the canons of the Synod of Dort.

14:09 Now, you notice the little handout sheet that I gave you. And assuming, of course, that you've come to this pre-membership class, and if it were a real pre-membership class, everyone would, of course, have brought this. And if you don't have one of these that was handed out last week, they should be available for you at the back after the class this morning. The deacons have extra copies of this.

14:30 Now, what I've attempted to do here, look under point number three. You see that, our 1689 confession is Calvinistic. That is, it follows the canons of the Synod of Dort, as opposed to Arminian, and in parenthesis, as also opposed to hyper-Calvinist.

14:51 Now, what I want you to notice here is that what I've given is, first, I've shown you the four basic focal points under 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4 on the left. The planning of salvation, the doctrine of unconditional, election, the accomplishment of salvation, the doctrine of definite atonement, the doctrine of conversion, first, total inability and depravity, the free offer of the gospel, and irresistible grace, all of which are taught in that third chapter of the canons. And then, fourthly, the Christian life, the perseverance of the saints. Then I've shown you, in the second column, the opposing errors, the doctrine of unconditional election as opposed to the Arminian doctrine of foreseen merit, that God chose people in eternity because He foresaw what they would do.

15:45 He foresaw that they would believe, and that's why He chose them. So it wasn't actually God's decision in the ultimate analysis that made the difference, it was man's decision, and God in eternity ratified what He saw man's decision would be. Then, the accomplishment of salvation, the definite atonement, as opposed, as opposed to the universal atonement, which states, and wrongly, that everything that Christ did with a view to salvation on the cross, He did for everyone alike without exception. For those who eventually wind up in heaven and also for those who eventually wind up in hell.

16:28 Everything that Christ did on the cross, He did exactly the same thing for those who go to heaven, and He did exactly the same thing for those who go to hell. That's the doctrine of the universal atonement. He didn't do anything different for the ones who are damned than He did for the ones who are saved. The third doctrine is the doctrine of conversion, and now here we have what I've called the doctrine of conversion as opposed to the Arminian doctrines of prevenient grace, and also the free offer of the cross, and also the free offer of the cross, as opposed to the Arminian doctrines of prevenient grace, and also the free offer of the gospel as opposed to hyper-Calvinism, and irresistible grace as opposed to decisionism. Now there's a lot bound up in those words. The prevenient grace, the doctrine of prevenient grace, there are many different forms of this doctrine, but the basic idea is this. It is that God takes away from every human being on the basis of Christ's death, the liability and guilt that was associated with Adam's sin.

17:50 And God also gives to every human being the ability to repent and to believe the gospel. He takes away from every single human being alike the restraints and chains of total depravity and total inability so that everyone, everyone in prevenient grace has the God-given ability to repent and to believe to embrace the gospel. So then why do some repent and believe and some not repent and believe? Because some improve the prevenient grace out of their own free choice and will, and others do not improve this prevenient grace, but rather reject this prevenient grace out of their own free choice and will. And continue in their sins. But everyone has the ability to believe given to him by God as a matter of prevenient grace. And then, of course, there is decisionism as opposed to irresistible grace.

19:04 And the decisionism then takes this a step further. If everyone then has the God-given ability to repent and to believe given to him by God to every man alike, then why do some come to Christ and some don't? Well, the answer is it is all of man's decision. It is up to you.

19:27 God has done everything he can do now. Now, it's up to you. In the final analysis, your free will is the ultimate cause of whether you are saved or whether you are lost. It is a matter of your decision.

19:50 That's the ultimate determining factor.

19:54 Your will decides. That's decisionism.

20:01 Then, you have on the other side of the coin hyper-Calvinism. Hyper-Calvinism is a reaction to the free offer of the gospel and I'll say a little bit more about this later. But basically the idea is this. If indeed God decides who will be saved, then who will be lost?

20:23 And he decided that in eternity. And if indeed Christ's death is a success and if Christ died for you, you will never be damned. And if indeed man is totally unable to repent and to believe and if anyone comes to Christ, it is all of God's supernatural, almighty grace that works upon man's will and changes man's will sovereignly and graciously. Then, if that's true, says the hyper-Calvinist, then it is inconsistent that God should freely and sincerely offer Christ and offer salvation to those for whom Christ did not die and whom he does not effectually draw to himself and whom he did not choose to save in eternity. If God didn't choose to save them in eternity and Christ didn't die for them and God doesn't effectually draw them, how can it be logically consistent, says the hyper-Calvinist, that salvation would be sincerely and freely offered to them? Therefore, there cannot be a sincere, free, well-meant offer of Christ to sinners. It cannot be because it is a logical contradiction.

21:51 The canons of the Synod of Dort, however, didn't think that was so. In fact, in those very canons, in that third chapter, in between the statement that they have made concerning the depravity of man and the regenerating grace of God, they make a statement as well concerning the free offer of the gospel, which I would just briefly here read to you.

22:35 After speaking about man's depravity, they make the following statement in the third head of doctrine, the third chapter, and in article number eight. And this is what they said. As many as are called by the gospel are unfeignedly called. For God has most earnestly and truly declared in his word what is true and true.

23:03 What is acceptable to him, mainly that those who are called should come unto him. And he also seriously promises rest of soul and eternal life to all who come to him and believe. Now listen. It is not the fault of the gospel, nor of Christ offered therein, nor of God who calls men by the gospel and confers on them various gifts that those who are called by the ministry of the word refuse to come and be converted. The fault lies in themselves.

23:47 And so there's a very clear commitment in the statements of the canons of the Synod of Dort, not only to total inability and the irresistible grace, but also to the free and sincere offer of Jesus Christ in the gospel. Now we've referenced to the Christian life the errors to which Calvinism are opposed. In the Christian life there is the teaching of the perseverance of the saints. And this is opposed to the doctrine of falling from grace.

24:22 It's opposed to the idea that you can be saved, really saved, and then be lost and go to hell. That it's possible for you truly to be regenerated, for God to have performed a work in you, have started a good work, and still you don't make it. And the reason for that teaching is that if the whole of your salvation at the beginning hinged around your free will, then at any time your free will which got you in can also get you out.

25:03 And you can be saved and then you can fall away and be lost. Now, it's interesting and perhaps a bit inconsistent, but in many of the places today where people believe in foreseen merit and they believe in the universal atonement, they believe in decisionism and prevenient grace, they also believe a doctrine called eternal security, which is once you've decided you are saved for sure and certain no matter what you do and no matter how you live. It's really a kind of a backdoor teaching of a Calvinistic doctrine of security. However, it's not the Calvinistic doctrine of security at all. For the Calvinistic doctrine of security is not that once you've decided you will be saved no matter what you do and how you live. It's not a doctrine of preservation without perseverance in holiness and faith. But the Calvinistic doctrine of security is a doctrine of preservation in the way of holiness and faith firm unto the end. It's not a

26:18 preservation without holiness, but a preservation in holiness that the old writers taught. And it is to that preservation, preservation in holiness, not preservation without it, that we stand confessionally committed. Now in the third column you'll see that what I've attempted to do is to show you how our 1689 confession of faith is in agreement, as the writer said it was, with the teaching of the Reformed churches in Holland as set forth in the canons of the Synod of Dort. The teaching of unconditional election is found in the 1689 chapter 3. The definite atonement and the accomplishment of salvation is found in chapter 8 in paragraph 5, which indicates the design, of the atonement, what Christ intended to do. And in paragraph 8, which indicates the success of the atonement, that exactly what Jesus Christ tried to do, that He actually did. His atonement is not a failure, but it is indeed a success.

27:32 Then, the doctrine of conversion is in chapter 6, I put in parenthesis, because there you have the doctrine of depravity, you see on the left, the doctrine of depravity in the first column is in parenthesis, that's why on the right, in the third column, chapter 6 is in parenthesis. The Reformed doctrine of depravity is taught in chapter 6, and the Reformed doctrine of inability is taught in chapter 9. With reference to the free offer of the gospel as found in the canons of the Synod of Dort, we already saw last week that in our confession of faith, we're committed to this with reference to its teaching on the covenant of grace in chapter 7, and also in the chapter on the gospel and the extent thereof in chapter 20, paragraph 3, there is a commitment to this offer of Christ. With reference to the subject of conversion being a work of the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, ultimately determined by the will of God and initiated by God's will, this is clearly taught in the chapter on effectual calling in chapter 10, and again underscored in chapter 20. With reference to the subject of the perseverance of the saints in the Christian life, this is taught in the 1689 Confession in chapter 17. Now, as I wrestled with what to do this morning, it seemed to me that there would really not be time, and it wouldn't really be appropriate for me to take you to all these various places in the canons

The Crucial Issues of Calvinism: God Decides, Christ Succeeds, God Starts and Finishes

29:00 of the Synod of Dort and the 1689 Confession, read you all these statements in this pre-membership class, and show you how they fit together. But rather, what I thought to do is this, and I've written this on the board, it is, I've attempted to isolate what is the crucial issue under each one of these various focal points. What's the crucial issue with reference to salvation from sin? What's the crucial issue with reference to the accomplishment of salvation?

29:28 With reference to the planning of salvation from sin? What's the crucial issue with reference to the accomplishment of salvation? And with reference to conversion in the Christian life? What is the crucial issue that really distinguishes where we stand.

29:45 And then, having set out that crucial issue, rather than attempt to show it to you from the words of men, I want to attempt to show it to you from the Word of God. I want to go to the various portions of Scripture which address these crucial issues and show you clearly from the Word of God why we stand where we stand on these crucial points. So, the first thing is that God makes the decision. Ultimately, in eternity, election is rooted and caused by the sovereign will of God.

30:26 Christ's work is a success with reference to the application of salvation. It's very simple. God starts it and God finishes it.

30:37 That's basically what it is. Who makes the decision? God decides. Is Christ's work a success or a failure?

30:46 It is a resounding success. He has succeeded. With reference to the application of salvation, very simple. God starts it and God finishes it.

31:01 That's really what Calvinism is all about.

31:05 God decided. Christ succeeded. God starts it. God finishes it.

31:12 If you've got those basic ideas about salvation, it was planned in eternity and who decided? God did. It was accomplished by Jesus. And did He succeed?

31:26 He certainly did.

31:30 Christian life is application, conversion and all the way along. God starts it. God finishes it. Now, what I want to do is to turn to the Scriptures and attempt to show this to you from the Word of God.

God Decides: Unconditional Election from Ephesians 1

31:44 You notice in the fourth column you see the major scriptural support. And first you see two passages listed here under the subject of the planning of salvation. I'd like you to turn with me first to Ephesians chapter 1.

32:12 Ephesians chapter 1.

32:17 And here you have the positive statement of the doctrine of election.

32:24 Ephesians chapter 1. Beginning in verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love having foreordained or predestined us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself according to according to not what He saw we would do according to the good pleasure of His will to the praise of the glory of His grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Verse 11. In whom also we were made a heritage having been foreordained or predestined according to the purpose of His who works all things after the counsel of His will.

33:51 Now what this text teaches is that the destiny of the people of God was decided in eternity. The name for that is predestination. Destiny is not decided when you were born. Your destiny was certainly not decided when you believed.

34:13 Your destiny was not decided when your parents were born. Your destiny was not decided in the days of Jesus. Your destiny was not even decided when Adam was created or when Adam fell or at the time of the flood. Your destiny was decided in eternity.

34:35 It was decided long before God ever made anything. Your destiny was decided by God Himself. See how it's put. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ verse 4 even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.

35:02 The salvation of Gentile Christians was not an afterthought.

35:08 It was something which God decided not when Israel rejected the gospel but it was something which God planned and which God decided from all eternity.

35:26 And notice that He chose these Gentile Christians in Christ before the foundation of the world because He had made up His mind about their destiny. Having foreordained us He chose us in Christ because He foreordained us unto what? Adoption of sons through Jesus Christ. Christ unto Himself.

35:53 Adoption of sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself. What does that mean? It means that God decided that your fate would be that you would be completely conformed to Jesus Christ that you would be His children. That when the end of the day arrives you will be like Jesus in body and in soul.

36:15 That's the destiny which God has prepared for you. Now what move God to make that decision?

36:24 It wasn't anything in you. It was something in God. It says according see how it's put what was the determining factor in that decision? According to the good pleasure of His will.

36:43 That's why He decided. What was the determining factor? It was His own will. He chose to do it.

36:53 It was God's free will. Not man's free will. Which determined your destiny. According to His own will.

37:07 And that salvation is not based on the foreseen merit of what God foresees men will do. I don't have time to turn here but I'm just going to say you'll notice in the handout that I've also mentioned Matthew chapter 11 verses 20 to 28 and I'm going to briefly summarize what that passage teaches because it's important. Remember Jesus is saying to those who rejected the gospel He's saying to them that it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah and Tyre and Sidon people who died in their sins than for you, Capernaum. And the reason is that if Sodom and Gomorrah the men of Sodom and Gomorrah had seen and heard what you at Capernaum see and hear there would still be a Sodom and Gomorrah. What would have happened? If Christ had gone to Sodom and had done His miracles and had preached they would have repented and believed. At least enough of them would have that they would have come within the scope of Abraham's prayer and the city would have been spared.

38:19 Now Christ with inspired hindsight looked back and said if I had gone there the city would have been spared. Now surely God knew that. God didn't miss that from eternity. He means that God said oh that's too bad.

38:37 And I'm being sarcastic. Oh I overlooked that. I missed that. Is that what happened?

38:42 God missed it? That's blasphemy. God didn't miss it. God knew very well that if He had sent Christ to do the miracles in Tyre and Sidon and Sodom and Gomorrah they would have repented and believed.

38:55 God didn't foresee that they wouldn't repent. God foresaw that they would have and He didn't send Christ.

39:07 Foreseen merit foreseen merit is not the basis of God's eternal decisions. The basis of God's eternal decisions is God's own free will. Nobody deserves salvation and God gives it and decides it for whom He will. But I must move on.

Christ Succeeds: Definite Atonement from Romans 8

39:32 Come to the second point. I want to establish this from Scripture.

39:37 Turn with me please to Romans chapter 8. Romans 8.

39:48 And I have selected as you can see only one or two texts here under each one of these headings because I know if I started getting into all the various scriptural evidence we'd never get it finished this morning. I want you to turn with me briefly to Romans chapter 8 verse 32.

40:04 Now here's the point.

40:07 If Christ died for you you will never be damned. I said where do you get that? Here's where I get it.

40:16 Verse 31. What shall we say to these things? If God is for us who is against us? He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

40:31 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who's He that condemns? It is Christ that died.

40:41 Yea, that was raised from the dead. Why did Jesus die? According to Peter Jesus died in order to bring us to God. In order to Paul according to Paul it was in order to deliver us out of this present evil world.

40:58 It wasn't in order to make some iffy salvation possible for people. It was actually in order to bring us to God. Verse Peter 3.18 In order to deliver us out of this present evil world.

41:13 Galatians 1 and verse 4. That was His intention. That was His design. It wasn't to make salvation possible.

41:22 It was to accomplish it and make it real and factual. Did Christ accomplish that? He most certainly did. So that the Apostle Paul says He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

41:44 My dear brethren if Christ died for you that's all you need. You don't need anything. You don't need anything other than Christ. Christ's righteousness and blood is all you need.

41:56 If Christ died for you God will give you everything else you need to get to heaven. Nothing else will lack. He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

42:17 If He loved us so much that He was willing to send His Son to endure His own wrath for us what will He withhold the gift of repentance? What will He withhold the gift of faith? What will He withhold anything else? If He loved us so much when we're enemies will He not love us and apply the very salvation to us which He accomplished for us?

42:46 How can that be?

42:48 The Apostle says it cannot be. If He was willing to do that He will not be. He will not be stingy about doing less.

42:59 If Christ died for you it is certain that you will go to heaven. Christ is not a failure. His death is not a failure. It is a resounding success.

43:15 Christ did not die for people who are in hell trying to save them and failing.

43:23 It's not true. You see it may sound nice to say well Christ died for everybody and everything He did He did for everybody but then Christ failed.

43:33 And it may be that that will make men pleased with you but I doubt it will make God pleased with you.

43:41 Well, I leave it there. Come to the third point. But here's the word of encouragement. The word of encouragement is you can have a solid hope based upon the death of Christ.

43:53 You don't have to add something to the death of Christ as one of the solid grounds of your assurance. If Christ died for me then you can say Jesus, by blood and righteousness my beauty are my glorious dress midst flaming worlds indeed arrayed with joy shall I lift up my head. I don't need anything else. I need no other righteousness.

44:19 I have no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that He died.

44:28 It is enough. I need nothing else. I must...

God Starts It: Irresistible Grace and Total Depravity from Romans 9 and James 1

44:32 Let's move quickly to conversion. Romans 9 verses 14 to 16 and James 1.18 Now in the book of Romans chapter 9 we read again speaking about the outworking of the electing purpose of God in the life of Jacob and Esau says the children being not yet born neither having done anything good or bad that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of God. But of him that calls it was said to her the elder shall serve the younger even as it is written Jacob I loved but Esau I hated.

45:18 He says this is the principle. He's talking about why Israelites rejected the gospel and Gentiles received it. Why some people are saved and other people are lost. The gospel comes to the Jews.

45:31 The gospel comes to the Gentiles. The Jews reject it largely. The Gentiles receive it. Why?

45:37 What's the determining factor and principle that makes it so? What's the difference? He says the principle of election.

45:45 Then someone's going to complain and say wait this is not fair. This isn't right. The apostle anticipates such an objection. In any interpretation of the former verses which doesn't lead you to that objection can't be right.

45:57 Verse 14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?

46:02 No. God forbid. For he says I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. Mercy and compassion in the gospel apply to sinners as a matter of the sovereign will of God.

46:16 It's God's decision. So then, verse 16 It is not of him that willeth or of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy. It's not of the will of man. That's not the deciding factor.

46:36 It's not a matter of decisionism. It's not a matter of man's free will. It's not a matter of man's works or man's improving something that other men don't. So that ultimately he gets the credit because he improved it and the other guy doesn't get the credit because he didn't.

46:50 It's not of man's will. But it's of God that shows mercy. Verse 18 So then, he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth. He has mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth.

47:10 Some sinners he hardens. Other sinners he has mercy. Nobody deserves salvation. It's all of God.

47:20 Will people object to this? Yes, they will. How will they object? Verse 19 Thou wilt then say to me why does he still find fault for who withstands his will?

47:29 Well, if the application of salvation is all a matter of God's will that God's will is really the determining factor and if he has mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardens then God can't blame people if they reject the gospel. God can't blame anybody. It's not the Jews' fault that reject the gospel. Those that submit sit under the sound of the gospel here and you reject the gospel.

47:48 It's not your fault. It's all a matter of God's will anyway so it can't be your fault then unless you have free will unless the ultimate decision is yours then it can't be your fault and God can't blame you. So it's all God's fault.

48:03 You see, if this is true if Calvinism is true then if people are lost it's all God's fault because it's all God's decision. Right? That's the objection. That's exactly right.

48:17 That shows you that that's exactly what Paul was teaching. Here's the objection. Thou wilt then say to me why does he still find fault for who withstands his will? If your teaching would never give rise to that objection you're not teaching what Paul's teaching.

48:31 But here's what it says then. Here's how he answers it. Nay, but O man who art thou that replyest against God? Paul says you got something twisted around here.

48:42 You got it all twisted. It's all twisted around. And here's where you got it all twisted around. You think that God is accountable and answerable to you.

48:51 But you're wrong. Truth of the matter is you are accountable and answerable to God. Now that's what we believe as a church. We believe not that God is answerable to us but we believe that we are answerable to God.

49:08 And we believe that if you reject the gospel it's not God's fault it's your fault.

49:16 And yet if you believe the gospel it's not your credit it's God's credit.

49:22 So you can't win. Amen. You cannot you cannot get the glory. The glory goes to God.

49:32 All you can get is the blame if you reject the gospel. That's right. That's the way God designed it. You can get no glory and credit for yourself.

49:41 All the credit and glory goes to God. And all the blame of rejecting the gospel goes to you. Now sinners don't like that.

49:52 Not by nature. The only way you come to like that is when God worked a work of grace in your heart so that you love Him. And you know that if anything ever happened to you to make you a Christian you don't deserve the credit for it. All the credit and glory for that goes to one alone and that is God.

50:09 But I turn to one text in closing because our time is rapidly going. I move to the fourth point. I'll just quote James 1.18 alright.

50:19 It's talking about regeneration and conversion. This is what it says. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. He brought us forth from death to life.

50:33 He regenerated us. What caused it? His own will. How did He do it?

50:37 By the gospel preached by the word of truth. Why did He do it? So we would live a new and holy life. I move on.

God Finishes It: Perseverance of the Saints from Philippians 1

50:43 Philippians chapter 1.

50:48 We saw God decided it. Who was going to be saved? Christ accomplished it. He succeeded.

50:53 God started it. And brethren if God starts it God will certainly finish it. Philippians chapter 1 and verse 6. We share the confidence of the Apostle Paul when he wrote these words.

51:09 Be confident of this very thing that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. God started a work in you and God will not stop it. He started to work in you to will and to work for His good pleasure. He did that when you were converted and God will continue to work in you.

51:38 The one who started it He will finish it. So that the Apostle Peter can say who by the power of God are guarded that is preserved by faith unto His salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Now here's the substance of the Reformed faith. The substance of Calvinism.

52:00 It focuses upon salvation from sin and it is the salvation from sin. It focuses upon salvation from sin. It says, God decided in eternity. Christ secured it at Calvary.

52:10 He succeeded. God started it at your conversion and God will finish it in the Christian life and bring you safe to glory.

The Free Offer of the Gospel and Apparent Inconsistency

52:24 This salvation which God decided, which Christ accomplished, which was initiated at conversion in which we are being kept in by His grace, this salvation is freely and sincerely indiscriminately and with kind intent offered to sinners. In these words, whosoever is willing let him come and take the water of life freely. In these words, Jesus said, these things have I spoken to you that you might be saved.

53:03 Come unto me all ye that labor and are happy and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart and you shall find rest unto your souls. God in this spirit and demeanor pleads with Israel and He says, why will ye die?

53:23 Why will ye die O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Though He decreed it.

53:34 I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but rather that ye turn and live. Now there are always those that will say this is inconsistent. This doesn't make any sense.

53:46 It's contradictory. But brethren, this is what we believe.

53:52 We are not explainers of God. We are simply declarers and proclaimers and adorers of God but proclaimers of what He says in His word. And this is what He says. So we proclaim it.

54:08 And our logic is not the beginning, middle, and end of our religion. Yes, I know there's apparent logical inconsistency but I say, so what?

54:19 If the Bible clearly teaches these things about salvation and clearly teaches the free, sincere offer then let us not quibble about logic. Let us not make logic God but let us even humbly subsume our logic underneath the clear disclosures of the word of God. And that way we do, and so in closing I just want to say this. You know what this moves us to do?

Pastoral Application: Praise, Humility, and Encouragement

54:46 It moves us to praise God. To give glory and praise to God. Paul said, Blessed be the God and Father. We don't want to be nasty.

54:55 We want to be praising Calvinists. Not fighting Calvinists but praising Calvinists. This ought to move us to bless and praise God for what He's done for us. And also brethren, it ought to humble us because no man deserves salvation and no man deserves salvation.

55:10 No man can save himself. And if we're saved it doesn't mean we're any better than other people. It means that God has done it for us therefore let us give all the credit and glory and praise to God. A person who is proud of his religion somehow seems to have missed the point of everything that's been said.

55:34 God decided. Christ did it. It's His merit. God started it, not you.

55:40 God's keeping you, not yourself. What are we? What do we have to be proud of? Who maketh thee to differ?

55:46 Let all the glory and credit be given to God. And that reality ought to color and flavor our whole demeanor in our interactions with one another and with others who don't believe the same things we do. And then it ought to encourage us. All of this is an example of the great love of God to you.

56:05 You didn't earn it. You can never earn it. You never could earn it. God loved you not because you earned it and murdered it but just because He loved you.

56:16 Why me, Lord?

56:19 Nobody knows why. God chose the foolish, weak things of the world, the things that are despised. But the fact that He loved us, that ought to bring us a great encouragement that we did not earn this love but He gave it to us freely. While we were enemies, while we were dead, He loved us and made us alive.

56:40 And dear brethren, that same love which went down into the pit and found us and put us out of the pit, onto the way, that same love will keep us in the way until the end. Be encouraged. The love of God which found you will never lose you. Let us pray.

57:03 Father, we thank you for your holy word. We feel how utterly inadequate has been an effort to set forth your glory this morning. But we pray, O God, that you would be pleased to use even this inadequate treatment that you would get to yourself honor and praise. That you would get the credit and glory that we might be humbled and grateful and comforted all at once.

57:27 We might submit our minds to your word and humbly bow before everything you have disclosed about this marvelous salvation which you have freely given to us in the Beloved. Receive, O Lord, our thanks and our praise and to your name be all the credit and all the glory. For we come through Jesus Christ, your Son, Amen.