"What is sanctification? What is the definition of Christian sanctification?"

Question: "What is sanctification? What is the definition of Christian sanctification?"

Answer: Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification in the Book of John, chapter 17. In verse 16 the Lord says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world,” and this is before His request: “Sanctify them in the truth: Thy word is truth.” Sanctification is a state of separation unto God; all believers enter into this state when they are born of God: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). This is a once-for-ever separation, eternally unto God. It is an intricate part of our salvation, our connection with Christ (Hebrews 10:10).

Sanctification also refers to the practical experience of this separation unto God, being the effect of obedience to the Word of God in one’s life, and is to be pursued by the believer earnestly (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14). Just as the Lord prayed in John 17, it has in view the setting apart of believers for the purpose for which they are sent into the world: “As Thou didst send Me into the world, even so send I them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth” (v. 18, 19). That He set Himself apart for the purpose for which He was sent is both the basis and the condition of our being set apart for that for which we are sent (John 10:36). His sanctification is the pattern of, and the power for, ours. The sending and the sanctifying are inseparable. On this account they are called saints, hagioi in the Greek; “sanctified ones.” Whereas previously their behavior bore witness to their standing in the world in separation from God, now their behavior should bear witness to their standing before God in separation from the world.

There is one more sense that the word sanctification is referred to in Scripture. Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “The God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul also wrote in Colossians of “the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel” (Colossians 1:5). He later speaks of Christ Himself as “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and then mentions the fact of that hope when he says, “When Christ, who is our Life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with Him be manifested in glory” (Colossians 3:4). This glorified state will be our ultimate separation from sin, total sanctification in every aspect. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

To summarize, sanctification is the same Greek word as holiness, “hagios,” meaning a separation. First, a once-for-all positional separation unto Christ at our salvation. Second, a practical progressive holiness in a believer’s life while awaiting the return of Christ. Third, we will be changed into His perfect likeness—holy, sanctified, and completely separated from the presence of evil.


Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/sanctification.html#ixzz3Syibqc7R

Why did God take Enoch and Elijah to heaven without them dying?

Question: "Why did God take Enoch and Elijah to heaven without them dying?"

Answer: According to the Bible, Enoch and Elijah are the only two people God took to heaven without them dying. Genesis 5:24 tells us, "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." Second Kings 2:11 tells us, "Suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind." Enoch is described as a man who "walked with God for 300 years" (Genesis 5:23). Elijah was perhaps the most powerful of God's prophets in the Old Testament. There are also prophecies of Elijah's return (Malachi 4:5-6).

Why did God take Enoch and Elijah? The Bible does not specifically give us the answer. Some speculate that they were taken in preparation for a role in the end times, possibly as the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3-12. This is possible, but not explicitly taught in the Bible. It may be that God desired to save Enoch and Elijah from experiencing death due to their great faithfulness in serving and obeying Him. Whatever the case, God has His purpose, and while we don’t always understand God’s plans and purposes, we know that “His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30).

The order of God's eternal decrees of salvation

The terms“supralapsarianism,” and “infralapsarianism” (sometimes called “sublapsarianism”) have to do with the logical order of God's eternal decrees of salvation. The question, basically, is this: did God's decree to save a certain people come before (supra) or after (infra) his decree to permit the fall (laps). Infralapsarians argue that, in order not to charge God with injustice or sin, it is necessary that God's election of men to salvation be made from a field of men who are sinners already; hence, the decree to ordain the fall must logically come before the decree to elect men to salvation. Otherwise, in ordaining to destruction men who had not yet fallen, the charge could be made against God that he was responsible for their sin and rebellion, which his eternal plan demanded of them. But no, the supralapsarian responds, God's eternal plan to redeem some and not others from the outset, while requiring sin and the Fall, does not logically make God culpable, and furthermore, it better fits the biblical evidence of God's prerogative to use evil for the accomplishment of his prior designs. God's ultimate purpose for creation and redemptive history is the triumph of the Lamb both in the destruction of his enemies and the salvation of his people; and this plan logically requires the existence of sin, and also of God's triumph over that sin through righteous judgment and sovereign mercy. If God's ultimate purpose in history is the display of his glory in the person and work of Christ; and if the manifold glory of Christ includes righteous wrath against sin; then God's eternal purpose of redemption necessitated the Fall, and did not just respond to it.

The basic schema of infralapsarianism and supralapsarianism may be displayed as follows:

Infralapsarianism
1. the decree to create the world and (all) men
2. the decree that (all) men would fall
3. the election of some fallen men to salvation in Christ (and the reprobation of the others)
4. the decree to redeem the elect by the cross work of Christ
5. the decree to apply Christ's redemptive benefits to the elect

Supralapsarianism (historical)
1. the election of some men to salvation in Christ (and the reprobation of the others)
2. the decree to create the world and both kinds of men
3. the decree that all men would fall
4. the decree to redeem the elect, who are now sinners, by the cross work of Christ
5. the decree to apply Christ's redemptive benefits to these elect sinners

These lists display the traditional understandings of the lapsarian question. However, recent theologians have noted that neither list accurately depicts the logical way in which all reasonable creatures pursue their goals: first, they determine what they ultimately and primarily want, and then they walk backwards, as it were, through all the steps necessary to get there. If God's ultimate goal is the glory of the Lamb in sovereign mercy and righteous judgment, then there is a need for sinners; if there are to be sinners, there must be a fall; if there is a fall, there must be a world created in righteousness; hence, the logical order of God's decrees would be a modified supralapsarianism, as follows:

Supralapsarianism (modified)

1. the election of some men to salvation in Christ (and the reprobation of the rest of sinful
mankind in order to make known the riches of God's gracious mercy to the elect)
2. the decree to apply Christ's redemptive benefits to the elect sinners
3. the decree to redeem the elect sinners by the cross work of Christ
4. the decree that men should fall
5. the decree to create the world and men

In any discussion of the lapsarian debate, it should be emphasized what all the views have in common: and that is, that God decreed all the events of his eternal redemption from before the creation of the world. Logically, perhaps, the last scheme is the most defensible; however, no position should be so heartily embraced as to be made binding upon men's consciences; the scriptures do not address the topic clearly enough for so firm an adherence. Perhaps a story from the life of Martin Luther would be instructive here: when some inquisitive theologian asked him what God was doing before he created the world, Luther quipped, “He was busy creating hell for foolish theologians who pry into such questions”. The response is a little tongue-in-cheek, of course, but perhaps there is some wisdom in it, particularly when we are addressing the lapsarian question.

What is liberal Christian theology?

Question: "What is liberal Christian theology?"

Answer: In liberal Christian teaching, which is not Christian at all, man’s reason is stressed and is treated as the final authority. Liberal theologians seek to reconcile Christianity with secular science and modern thinking. In doing so, they treat science as all-knowing and the Bible as fable-laden and false. Genesis’ early chapters are reduced to poetry or fantasy, having a message, but not to be taken literally (in spite of Jesus’ having spoken of those early chapters in literal terms). Mankind is not seen as totally depraved, and thus liberal theologians have an optimistic view of the future of mankind. The social gospel is also emphasized, while the inability of fallen man to fulfill it is denied. Whether a person is saved from his sin and its penalty in hell is no longer the issue; the main thing is how man treats his fellow man. “Love” of our fellow man becomes the defining issue. As a result of this “reasoning” by liberal theologians, the following doctrines are taught by liberal quasi-Christian theologians:

1) The Bible is not “God-breathed” and has errors. Because of this belief, man (the liberal theologians) must determine which teachings are correct and which are not. Belief that the Bible is “inspired” (in that word’s original meaning) by God is only held by simpletons. This directly contradicts 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2) The virgin birth of Christ is a mythological false teaching. This directly contradicts Isaiah 7:14 and Luke 2.

3) Jesus did not rise again from the grave in bodily form. This contradicts the resurrection accounts in all four Gospels and the entire New Testament.

4) Jesus was a good moral teacher, but His followers and their followers have taken liberties with the history of His life (there were no “supernatural” miracles), with the Gospels having been written many years later and merely ascribed to the early disciples in order to give greater weight to their teachings. This contradicts the 2 Timothy passage and the doctrine of the supernatural preservation of the Scriptures by God.

5) Hell is not real. Man is not lost in sin and is not doomed to some future judgment without a relationship with Christ through faith. Man can help himself; no sacrificial death by Christ is necessary since a loving God would not send people to such a place as hell and since man is not born in sin. This contradicts Jesus Himself, who declared Himself to be the Way to God, through His atoning death (John 14:6).

6) Most of the human authors of the Bible are not who they are traditionally believed to be. For instance, they believe that Moses did not write the first five books of the Bible. The book of Daniel had two authors because there is no way that the detailed “prophecies” of the later chapters could have been known ahead of time; they must have been written after the fact. The same thinking is carried over to the New Testament books. These ideas contradict not only the Scriptures but historical documents which verify the existence of all the people whom the liberals deny.

7) The most important thing for man to do is to “love” his neighbor. What is the loving thing to do in any situation is not what the Bible says is good but what the liberal theologians decide is good. This denies the doctrine of total depravity, which states that man is capable to doing nothing good and loving (Jeremiah 17:9) until He has been redeemed by Christ and given a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17).

There are many pronouncements of Scripture against those who would deny the deity of Christ (2 Peter 2:1)—which liberal Christianity does. Scripture also denounces those who would preach a different gospel from what was preached by the apostles (Galatians 1:8)—which is what the liberal theologians do in denying the necessity of Christ’s atoning death and preaching a social gospel in its place. The Bible condemns those who call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20)—which some liberal churches do by embracing homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle while the Bible repeatedly condemns its practice.

Scripture speaks against those who would cry “peace, peace” when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14)—which liberal theologians do by saying that man can attain peace with God apart from Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and that man need not worry about a future judgment before God. The Word of God speaks of a time when men will have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5)—which is what liberal theology does in that is says that there is some inner goodness in man that does not require a rebirth by the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ. And it speaks against those who would serve idols instead of the one true God (1 Chronicles 16:26)—which liberal Christianity does in that it creates a false god according to its own liking rather than worshiping God as He is described in the whole of the Bible.

Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/liberal-Christian-theology.html#ixzz3SZPLlo00

How can God be sovereign and man still be free?

How can God be sovereign and man still be free?

Responsibility and voluntary choice are not the same thing as free will. We affirm that man is indeed responsible for the choices he makes, yet we deny that the Bible teaches that man has a free will since it is no where taught in the pages of Scripture. The Bible teaches, rather, that God ordains all things that come to pass (Eph 1:11) and it also teaches that man is culpable for his choices (Ezek 18:20, Matt 12:37, John 9:41). Since the Scripture is our ultimate authority and highest presuppsosition, the multitude of clear scriptural declarations on this matter outweigh all unaided human logic. We find that almost always the objections to God's meticulous providence over all things are moral and philosophical rather than exegetical. This means we must strive to consciously affirm what the Scripture declares over all our finite understanding and sinful inner drive for independence.

In order to understand this better theologians have come up with the term "compatibilism" to describe the concurrence of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. Compatibilism is a form of determinism and it should be noted that this position is no less deterministic than hard determinism. It simply means that God's predetermination and meticulous providence is "compatible" with voluntary choice. Our choices are not coerced ...i.e. we do not choose against what we want or desire, yet we never make choices contrary to God's sovereign decree. What God determines will always come to pass (Eph 1:11).

In light of Scripture, (according to compatibilism), human choices are exercised voluntarily but the desires and circumstances that bring about these choices about occur through divine determinism. For example, God is said to specifically ordain the crucifixion of His Son, and yet evil men willfully and voluntarily crucify Him (see Acts 2:23 & 4:27-28). This act of evil is not free from God's decree, but it is voluntary, and these men are thus responsible for the act, according to these Texts. Or when Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, Joseph later recounted that what his brothers intended for evil, God intended for good (Gen 50:20). God determines and ordains that these events will take place (that Joseph will be sold into slavery), yet the brothers voluntarily make the evil choice that beings it to pass, which means the sin is imputed to Joseph's brothers for the wicked act, and God remains blameless. In both of these cases, it could be said that God ordains sin, sinlessly. Nothing occurs apart from His sovereign good pleasure.

We should be clear that NEITHER compatibilism nor hard determinism affirms that any man has a free will. Those who believe man has a free will are not compatibilists, but should, rather, be called "inconsistent". Our choices are our choices because they are voluntary, not coerced. We do not make choices contrary to our desires or natures, nor seperately from God's meticulous providence. Furthermore, compatibilism is directly contrary to libertarian free will. Therefore voluntary choice is not the freedom to choose otherwise, that is, a choice without any influence, prior prejudice, inclination, or disposition. Voluntary does mean, however, the ability to choose what we want or desire most according to our disposition and inclinations. The former view (libertarianism) is known as contrary choice, the latter free agency. (the fallen will is never free from the bondage of our corrupt nature, and and not free, in any sense, from God's eternal decree.) The reason I emphasize this is that compatibilists are often misrepresented by hard determinists at this point. They are somehow confused with inconsistent Calvinists. When compatibilists use such phrases as "compatibilistic freedom", they are, more often than not, using it to mean 'voluntary' choice, but are not referring to freedom FROM God's decree or absolute sovereignty (an impossible supposition).

In biblical terminology, fallen man is in bondage to a corruption of nature and that is why the biblical writers considered him not free (see Rom 6). Jesus Himself affirms that the one who sins is a "slave to sin" and only the Son can set him free. Note that even Jesus speaks of a kind of freedom here. He is not speaking of freedom from God but freedom from the bondage of sin, which is the kind of freedom those have who are in Christ. In this sense God is the most free Person since He is holy, set apart from sin... yet He cannot make choices contrary to His essence, i.e. He cannot be unholy. So, we must conclude, according to Jesus in John 8:31-36, that the natural man does not have a free will. The will is in bondage to sin. Any consistent theologian who uses the term "freedom" usually is referring to that fact that while God sovereignly ordains all that comes to pass, yet man's "free choice" (voluntary) is compatible with God's sovereign decree. In other words the will is free from external coercion but not free from necessity. In my reckoning, there is no biblical warrant to use the phrase "free will", since the Bible never affirms or uses this term or concept. So when some theologians use the word "free" they may be misusing or importing philosophical language from outside the Bible, but I think anyone who is consistent with the Text means "voluntary" when they say "free", but NEVER affirm they are free from God in any sense. For to affirm that God sovereignly brings our choices to pass and then also say man is free FROM GOD, is self-contradictory. So I repeat, many of those whom I read seem equate the word freedom with the meaning "voluntary". If any mean "free from God" they are confused. I heard R.C. Sproul say there are "no maverick molecules". Nothing happens by chance, but all falls within God's meticulous providence, no exceptions.

One of the best statements on compatibilism is one I found from John Calvin:

"...we allow that man has choice and that it is self-determined, so that if he does anything evil, it should be imputed to him and to his own voluntary choosing. We do away with coercion and force, because this contradicts the nature of the will and cannot coexist with it. We deny that choice is free, because through man's innate wickedness it is of necessity driven to what is evil and cannot seek anything but evil. And from this it is possible to deduce what a great difference there is between necessity and coercion. For we do not say that man is dragged unwillingly into sinning, but that because his will is corrupt he is held captive under the yoke of sin and therefore of necessity will in an evil way. For where there is bondage, there is necessity. But it makes a great difference whether the bondage is voluntary or coerced. We locate the necessity to sin precisely in corruption of the will, from which follows that it is self-determined.
- John Calvin from Bondage and Liberation of the Will, pg. 69-70
Prior to the fall, Adam's will was not in bondage to sin, thus it was free from sin's bondage and corruption but it was not free from God's decree. His choice to rebel was completely voluntary even though God has ordained with certainty that it would come to pass. He was not yet sealed in righteousness even though his inclination was toward the good. Through Satans devices, that he overcame his own good inclination and chose evil makes original sin all the more heinous.

The Basics of the Christian Walk

The Basics of the Christian Walk

Now that I am saved, what do I do next?

This is a very common question for people who have just recently been saved. Awhile back ago, I read that 50% of people who get saved drop out of their walks with the Lord within the first year or two.
I believe the number one reason why so many new Christians drop out of their walks with the Lord is because they do not know what to really do next. They either do not get the proper teaching and coaching from other Christians they are associated with, or the Church they have joined does not have any kind of good, solid, progressive teaching system in place to lead them on their new journey with the Lord.
The apostle Paul says you have to “work out” your salvation with fear and trembling. Salvation is just the beginning. God has a perfect plan and destiny set up for each person’s life. Once you become saved and become born again, God will now set out an incredible adventure for you to embark on.
You are now being given a brand new life with a brand new fresh start. All old things have now passed away and all things have now been made truly brand new.
Here are what I call the basics of the Christian walk. These are the specific areas that each new Christian has to be gradually led into if they are really going to enter into the real walk with the Lord.
I will first list them out in a numbered, bolded format so you can have all of them right at the top of this article. I will then briefly comment on each one of them under the appropriate captions below.
The Full Surrender
Become Spirit-Filled
Establish Faith and Trust in God
Walk in all of God’s Ways
Develop a Good Personal Relationship with the Lord
Develop a Good, Strong, Prayer Life With the Lord
Enter Into a True Sanctification Process With the Lord
Seek after the Knowledge of God
Establish Good Personal Relationships With Other Christians
Join a Good Spirit-Filled Church
Now here are some brief comments on each one of these specific areas.
1. The Full Surrender

The first thing each Christian has to do after they get saved is to completely surrender their entire life over to God the Father. Jesus has to become LORD over your life, not just your Savior.
If you want to find out what God’s call and plan is going to be for your life, and exactly what He wants to do with your life, then you are going to have to be willing to completely surrender every aspect of your life over to Him.
It’s your all for His all. And when I say to fully surrender your entire life over to God the Father, I mean to fully surrender everything. You can hold absolutely nothing back. If you do not fully surrender everything over to God, then you will handcuff God and prevent Him from working full force in your life.
You have to become both saved and surrendered.
All Christians are obviously saved, but many of them are not fully surrendered to the Lord, and that is why very little happens after they initially get saved.
In our article titled, “The Full Surrender,” we give you all the main verses from Scripture that will show you why God wants this full surrender from each one of us, and the argument as to why each Christian needs to do this with Him.
2. Become Spirit-Filled

The second step after a person makes a full surrender to God the Father is that they need to become Spirit-filled. They need to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
You cannot walk this walk without the power of the Holy Spirit operating in your life. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth and to teach you all things. He cannot properly do all of this unless He is released from your spirit to come up into your soul.
If you would like to learn how to receive this powerful gift from the Lord, please go to our article, “How To Receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit” in the Bible Basics Section of our site.
3. Establish Faith and Trust in God

Once you completely surrender your entire life over to God the Father and receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the next step is to establish faith and trust in God. The only thing that will bring you into God’s realm is faith and belief. Nothing else will!
And the beautiful thing about this is that God is only looking for a small amount of faith to get started. The Bible says that faith the size of a mustard seed will move a mountain. Your faith can grow, but God does not expect it to grow overnight.
All God asks is that you give Him just a little bit to work with, and He will more than prove Himself to you so that you can learn to completely trust Him to guide you on your new journey.
4. Walk in All of God’s Ways

The Bible says we now have to learn how to walk in all the ways of the Lord. The Bible is the number one source where you will learn all of the ways of our Lord. I will be listing what these ways are in other articles. These are the rules of the game.
If you want to play baseball, the first thing you are going to have to learn are the actual rules of the game. You cannot step out onto the playing field unless you know exactly what those rules are going to be.
It is the exact same thing with God’s playing field. If you do not learn what His rules and ways are going to be for you in this life, then the devil and his demons will come in on you for major attacks and try to take you out.
God says in the Bible that His people will perish and go into captivity for having lack of knowledge. It is a matter of life and death to learn what God’s ways are if you want to live out the allotted amount of time that you still have left down here on this earth. People’s lives are shortened on this earth due to stupidity and not knowing the ways of God.
The Bible says that we have to develop a good, healthy fear of the Lord. This means developing a reverent and healthy respect for God, His ways, and His commandments. This healthy fear of the Lord will help keep you out of any serious sins that could end up ruining your life.
5. Develop a Good Personal Relationship With the Lord

The number one reason I believe God created the human race was for intimate fellowship. God wants to establish a deep, intimate, personal relationship with each person He has created.
I believe God actually longs for this. It’s not that God needs the human race to be able to exist, but for some strange reason, and even to the amazement of the angels in heaven, God seems to have some type of special love and longing for the human race and wants more than anything to establish this deep, personal, love relationship with each one of us.
Again, I will go into much more detail on this in additional articles, as this is a whole subject all in itself. I will give you all of the appropriate Scripture verses to prove this point to you, along with showing you how to enter into this kind of good, deep, personal relationship with the Lord.
6. Develop a Good, Strong, Prayer Life with the Lord

Along with seeking to develop a good, strong, personal relationship with the Lord, we also need to seek to develop a good, strong, prayer life with Him.
In the Prayer Secrets Section of our site, we have many good articles showing you how to develop a good, strong, prayer life with the Lord. These articles will also give you many different types of prayer strategies you can use with the Lord depending on exactly what you are praying to Him for.
7. Enter Into a True Sanctification Process With the Lord

God’s ultimate and highest aim for all us after we have been saved through the blood of His Son Jesus, is to be sanctified through the power of His Holy Spirit. God wants to consecrate us and set us apart unto Himself.
He wants to transform us by the renewing of our minds. He wants to transform us into the express image of His Son Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that God is the Potter and we are the clay. As such, God wants to mold and shape us into the kinds of saints He wants us to become in Him.
In the Sanctification Section of our site, we have many good articles that will help lead you down this road if you would like to have God do this kind of deeper work in your walk with Him. If you would like to see exactly what this type of sanctifying work will entail with the Lord, please go to our very first article in our Sanctification Section.
The title of this first article is, “Sanctification.” In this article, we give you many of the main verses showing you that this is something that God really wants to do with each one of us, along with showing you how to enter into this holy process with the Lord.
8. Seek After the Knowledge of God

God places an extremely high value on the pursuit of knowledge. Once you get saved and become born again, God will expect you to grow in the knowledge of Him, His Son, His Holy Spirit and all of His ways. The main sources of God-knowledge in this life are the following:
A. The Bible - This is absolutely the number one source of spiritual knowledge available to man down here on this earth. Each Christian thus has to spend some type of regular, quality time in the Bible in order to learn more about the Lord and all of His ways.
B. Other Books – God has anointed many of His teachers to be able to teach from His Word. There are many good, quality books in the Christian bookstores that Christians can feed from in addition to the Bible.
C. Tapes and CD’s – There are also many good teaching cassette tapes and CD’s from anointed teachers that Christians can also feed from.
D. TV/Radio – Many of God’s anointed teachers also have TV and/or radio ministries where you can either watch or hear them teach from God’s Word.
If you will notice on the above 4 sources of knowledge, God does give you a wide variety of options to choose from in order to grow from the knowledge that He wants you to have about Him.
Our main article on this topic is titled, “Seeking After the Knowledge of God.”
This article is in our Bible Basics Section and it will give you many of the main verses on this topic. This particular article is very thorough and very in-depth due to the extreme importance of this area in our walk with the Lord. You cannot properly grow in the Lord unless you are first seeking after the knowledge that will cause this kind of spiritual growth to occur in the first place.
9. Establish Good Personal Relationships With Other Christians

Once you enter in on this real walk with the Lord, you will need to develop good, healthy relationships with other Christians. God will start to do some real incredible things in your life and you will need others to share your walk with. God will lead you to the people that He will want you to connect with. You will have to have other Christians to feed with and to share your walk with.
If you would like to see our main article on this topic, go to our article titled, “Choose Your Friends Carefully.” This article is in the Bible Basics section of our site. In this article will be many of the main verses on this topic, along with some major verses warning us to be very careful when choosing who our friends should be in this life.
10. Join a Good Spirit-Filled Church

I would personally recommend that each new, born-again Christian ask God which church He would like for them to join. There are different levels of the anointing in all of the different churches, and God knows which one would be best suited for your own spiritual development and growth in Him. God will make sure that He gets through to each person as to which church He would really like for them to join.
Conclusion
I will go into much more detail on each of these specific areas in other articles, as they are all complete subjects in themselves. I just wanted to make a short list of what I feel the basics are after you have received your eternal salvation from the Lord.
All of these main basic areas will show you what you will need to really key in on with the Lord as you move forward in your new life with Him. Our website has been purposely set up to lead you into all of the main basic areas of the Christian walk so you will know exactly what areas you are to focus and concentrate on with the Lord.
The goal of our website is to give you a good, solid, progressive teaching system leading you into all of the main areas of a true walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What is Heaven like?

Question: "What is Heaven like?"

Answer: Heaven is a real place described in the Bible. The word “heaven” is found 276 times in the New Testament alone. Scripture refers to three heavens. The apostle Paul was “caught up to the third heaven,” but he was prohibited from revealing what he experienced there (2 Corinthians 12:1-9).

If a third heaven exists, there must also be two other heavens. The first is most frequently referred to in the Old Testament as the “sky” or the “firmament.” This is the heaven that contains clouds, the area that birds fly through. The second heaven is interstellar/outer space, which is the abode of the stars, planets, and other celestial objects (Genesis 1:14-18).

The third heaven, the location of which is not revealed, is the dwelling place of God. Jesus promised to prepare a place for true Christians in heaven (John 14:2). Heaven is also the destination of Old Testament saints who died trusting God's promise of the Redeemer (Ephesians 4:8). Whoever believes in Christ shall never perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

The apostle John was privileged to see and report on the heavenly city (Revelation 21:10-27). John witnessed that heaven (the new earth) possesses the “glory of God” (Revelation 21:11), the very presence of God. Because heaven has no night and the Lord Himself is the light, the sun and moon are no longer needed (Revelation 22:5).

The city is filled with the brilliance of costly stones and crystal clear jasper. Heaven has twelve gates (Revelation 21:12) and twelve foundations (Revelation 21:14). The paradise of the Garden of Eden is restored: the river of the water of life flows freely and the tree of life is available once again, yielding fruit monthly with leaves that “heal the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2). However eloquent John was in his description of heaven, the reality of heaven is beyond the ability of finite man to describe (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Heaven is a place of “no mores.” There will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more sorrow (Revelation 21:4). There will be no more separation, because death will be conquered (Revelation 20:6). The best thing about heaven is the presence of our Lord and Savior (1 John 3:2). We will be face to face with the Lamb of God who loved us and sacrificed Himself so that we can enjoy His presence in heaven for eternity.

Recommended Resources: Heaven by Randy Alcorn a

Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/heaven-like.html#ixzz3S0GTlTlh

Can prayer change things?

Can prayer change things? Does talking to God have any effect whatsoever on what happens? If we are sick, does asking God to heal us make a difference in whether we get better? If a friend has rejected the Lord, is there any point in pleading for his salvation? These are not just theological questions. Our trust in God is at stake. On one hand, the Bible assures us that the Lord answers prayer. On the other, it teaches that God is the sovereign Lord who knows and rules all things according to his perfect will.

So we ask again: Can prayer really change God's will? Does it really affect what happens in our lives and in the world? Or does it only affect us spiritually as we express our gratitude and dependence on God? Thoughtful Christians wrestle with this issue. Sometimes we conclude that prayer strengthens our souls but doesn't change the world. What's going to happen will happen whether we pray or not. Que sera sera.

Does prayer change things?
At first glance this is either a silly question or theological quicksand that could swallow our faith. Of course prayer is effective. The Bible says so repeatedly and gives plenty of examples. "The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.... The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective" (James 5:15-16). Jesus himself says, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:14). He assures us that our Father in heaven will give good gifts to those who ask him (Matt. 7:11). In Exodus 32 it seems the prayer of Moses even got God to change his mind (v. 14): God threatened to wipe out the Israelites, and Moses asked him not to. The Bible indisputably teaches that prayer can make a difference. So why do we still wonder?

Only if prayer is good enough.
One reason might be the conditions and qualities of prayer that Scripture lists. Apparently God doesn't answer just any prayer. It has to be the right kind of prayer—prayer in Jesus' name, or prayer according to God's will, or the prayer of a righteous person, or prayer that is offered in true faith. If faith can move mountains and my prayers don't even move the air, then perhaps I don't really have faith. If the prayers of the righteous are effective and mine aren't, then maybe I'm not righteous. Maybe I'm totally out of tune with God's will. We fear that our prayers don't matter because they aren't good enough.

But Scripture assures us that God hears our prayers according to his grace and not our merit. Romans 8:26-27 is wonderfully comforting: "The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us... in accordance with God's will." God's love in Jesus Christ is so wonderful that it not only takes away our sins, it also infuses our feeble and fallible prayers with quality and content that please God. Our prayers are perfectly acceptable to the Father through Christ and the Spirit. It does take the right kind of prayers to get through to God, and by his grace we regularly pray them. So self-doubt should not make us wonder whether prayer can change things.

But God's will is sovereign.
A more profound reason to wonder whether our prayers make a difference is the biblical emphasis on God's greatness and the power of his will. Reverence for God's sovereignty in creation and redemption is a deep and pervasive characteristic of the (Reformed) Christian faith. God's will ultimately ordains everything, including our eternal destiny. Ephesians 1 and Romans 8 teach that God has predestined and providentially governs "all things," from before the foundation of the world to their final destiny in Jesus Christ. Theologians call this God's eternal counsel. How can prayer possibly change what God has willed "from before the foundations of the earth" (Eph. 1)?

What's more, Scripture emphasizes prayer according to God's will. Paul repeatedly asked that his "thorn in the flesh" be removed, but God did not remove it (2 Cor. 12:7). Jesus himself, the night before he was crucified, prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Apparently God does not answer our prayers if they are not according to his will. But even if they conform to his will, do they make any difference? If God's will is fixed, how can anything change his mind or alter his plans? And if nothing can alter God's plan, then prayer can't alter God's plan. So we might conclude: "No. Prayer does not change things. Talking to God has no effect on how things turn out."

See the bigger picture.
Is this where Reformed theology brings us? Does it force us to deny one teaching of Scripture (that prayer is effective) to affirm another (that God is sovereign)? Does our doctrine undercut assurance that the Lord hears and answers us? Can we trust that prayer is real communication and not just a pointless ritual? Or must we disbelieve that God would change things because we ask him to?

No human theology can capture, harmonize, and fully explain everything that Scripture teaches. But sound and tenable theology strives to get as close as humanly possible. The best of Reformed theology does provide a way to affirm both God's sovereign will and the genuine communication and effectiveness of his children's prayers. But in joyful reverence we acknowledge we can't explain how: "God works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform."

God's plan for history includes everything that happens from the beginning to the end of the world. He knows and providentially sustains the sequences, connections, causes, and consequences of all things and all events. God wills them in the sense that these are the things that happen in the world he has chosen in Christ to create, redeem, and fulfill. So "not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my heavenly Father," as the Heidelberg Catechism teaches. (God does not will all things in the sense of approving of sin and evil, however; rather, he permits them.) Our prayers and the things about which we pray are part of this history.

But does God really hear and answer prayer? Do we really connect with him? God's providence does not make him a distant impartial observer. In fact, just the opposite is true. God is eternal and omnipresent—"present everywhere." Every creature and every event at all times and places are fully present to God. He is "nearer than hands and feet" throughout our lives, including when we pray. God does not listen merely as an empathetic human would—first learning our needs and then deciding how to help. His knowledge, love, understanding, and response are real long before we whisper our prayers, real while we pray, and real long after we've forgotten them.

But does prayer make a difference—affect outcomes? Of course. If God knows and wills all things, then he knows and wills the prayers of his people and the circumstances in which we pray them. In God's plan, our prayers can be crucial links in the chain of events. If I get sick, pray for healing, and then get better—this sequence is part of God's plan. Why can't it be his plan to heal me because I pray? God can decide that my prayer is the reason he heals me just as God can will that medical treatment is the cause he uses. God could have healed me if I didn't pray or not healed me if I did. But it is God's eternal will that I become sick, that I pray, and that I am healed because I prayed. My prayer did not heal me; God did—a real answer to prayer. God's will and effective prayer are not contradictory. They go together. Our prayers really do matter!

But do they change anything? Can we change God's mind? Not in one sense, but yes in another. God's eternal counsel—his providential plan for history—is not altered. If God's plan does not include my healing, then he will not heal me. If Christ's return is scheduled for 2020, no amount of prayer will make it sooner. But from our human point of view, things can take unexpected turns because we pray. If my doctor says my illness is terminal, I might not expect healing. But God might heal me miraculously because of prayer. God told Moses that he intended to destroy the Israelites, Moses interceded, and the Lord did not punish them. The interaction was real. Moses' plea is the reason God relented. But the Lord always knew and willed that this would happen. God is not a human we can talk into improving his strategy.

Our prayers and deeds can make a difference! We can even pray for the salvation of someone who does not love the Lord. God might answer by giving that person a new heart—spiritual rebirth. He might even use our words and deeds as means of change! Salvation is due to God's sovereign grace alone, not our prayers, words, or deeds. But surely God wills to use them to build his church and bring his kingdom. Predestination does not render our prayers and actions pointless. If God wills the end, he also wills the means.

Our prayers and our deeds do make a difference! May the Lord teach us to pray effectively, according to his will.

Can a saved person ever be lost?

Can a saved person ever be lost? Can a Christian, a person who has received Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, sin to such a degree that he will lose his salvation, go to hell or Hades at death, and eventually be consigned to the lake of fire at the great white throne judgment?” [1]

That question takes on clearer focus if we first answer two other questions: (1) What does it mean to be lost? (2) What does it mean to be saved?

What does it mean to be lost?

Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost (Luke 19:10). What does it mean to be a lost and guilty sinner in the eyes of God? Why is it that the non-Christian is under the wrath of God? (John 3:36)

The essential reason that we all were once lost and guilty sinners under the wrath of God was our relationship to sin—any lack of conformity to the character and will of God.

Are we sinners because we sin, or do we sin because we are sinners? Both are true. The Bible says that we are all guilty of personal acts and attitudes of sin (Romans 3:23; cf. 3:10-18; Mark. 7:20-23). It also indicates that we are guilty because we are born with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5), ultimately inherited from our ancestral father, Adam. The Bible even shows that all humankind is viewed by God as having sinned in Adam's initial sin (Romans 5:12).

The penalty that is the result of our sin is death…

Physical death (the separation of the soul from the body), which affects humankind as the result of Adam's sin charged to our account (Romans 5:12-14)

Spiritual death (the separation of the soul from God), a condition transmitted to us from Adam through our ancestors (Ephesians 2:1,5)

Eternal death (the culmination and extension of spiritual death), the eternal separation of the soul from God in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14)

Scripture describes our condition before believing in Jesus Christ as being under the wrath of God:

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
-John 3:36

What does it mean to be saved?

“Salvation is from the LORD” (Jonah 2:9). It is both negative and positive (Colossians 1:13), for we are saved from a lost condition (our sins are forgiven), and we are brought into a saved condition that provides the believer with several dozen positive blessings the moment we trust Christ.

These blessings are very comprehensive, for our "salvation includes every divine undertaking for the believer from his deliverance out of the lost estate to his final presentation in glory conformed to the image of Christ." [2] Paul declares that God has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

Some of the principal blessings of salvation include:

Regeneration, which is an instantaneous work of the Holy Spirit in originating a new nature in the believing sinner so as to transform the believer from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life (cf. John 3:5, 10:10,28; 1 John 5:11-12)

Justification, by which God declares the believer righteous since clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Romans 3:21-26)

Freed from the domain and dominion of sin (Romans 6:2-14)

Given as a gift from the Father to the Son (John 17:2-24)

Placed as a member in the spiritual body of Christ, the church (1 Corinthians 12:13)

and many, many more positive acts of God that would have to be reversed if a saved person could ever again be lost.

Can a saved person ever again be lost?

Can a Christian lose his salvation? Can a person once saved, having received God's free gift of eternal life and having been born into the family of God, again return exactly and completely to the position of being a lost and guilty sinner in the eyes of God? Of course not! The very nature of the spiritual life that has been received—eternal—and the Divine Source and Agent of that life—God—forbid drawing the conclusion that a saved person can ever again be lost.

"And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."
-John 10:28 (NKJV)

This Biblical doctrine that a person who has received Jesus Christ, been born into the family of God, and justified by faith, can never again be lost is sometimes called eternal security. Others speak of it as the perseverance of the saints. The latter expression might better be termed the perseverance of God in behalf of the saints, because the security of our salvation does not rest on us but on God—it is based on the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Copyrighted.
What is the work of the Father in securing eternally our salvation?

The eternal security of believers rests on the Father's purpose in choosing us to salvation in eternity past and predestinating us to sonship in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:4-5).

Further, God's power is promised to keep us secure in salvation (Romans 8:28-30), for the ones that the Father foreknew, predestined, called (effectually to salvation, cf. 1 Corinthians 1:21-24), and justified are the very same ones he “glorified”. (Paul uses the past tense since in God's sight it is “good as done” that we will one day be conformed to the image of Christ in heaven).

Further, Jesus Christ guaranteed that we are secure in His and the Father's hand, and so He will keep safe each one who has received the gift of eternal life (John 10:28-29).

What is the work of the Son in securing eternally our salvation?

Our security further rests on the death and the prayers of Jesus Christ. He has redeemed us (Ephesians 1:7) and removed the wrath of God from us (Romans 3:25) so that we may be justified (Romans 5:1), forgiven (Colossians 2:13), and sanctified (1 Corinthians 1:2).

Further, "Christ's present ministry in heaven of praying for His own consists of two aspects: a preventive ministry (intercession) and a curative ministry (advocacy). His prayer in [John] chapter 17 illustrates the preventive aspect. There He prayed that we might be kept from the evil one (v. 15), that we would be sanctified (v. 17), that we would be united (v. 21), that we would be in heaven with Him (v. 24), and that we might behold His glory (v. 24). Because of His unceasing intercession for us He is able to save us completely and eternally (Hebrews 7:25)". [3]
-Charles Ryrie

The “curative” aspect of Christ's present ministry is indicated in 1 John 2:1. When we do sin as believers, He acts as our Advocate before the Father, forgiveness and cleansing of all our sins.

What is the work of the Holy Spirit in securing eternally our salvation?

By the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, we have received eternal life (Titus 3:5). When we trusted Christ, the Holy Spirit began an eternal indwelling ministry in us (John 14:17). Also He was the seal placed on us by the Father to guarantee our future inheritance (Ephesians 4:30). And He baptized us into union with Christ and into the body of believers (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Can a saved person ever be lost?

"For a believer to lose his salvation would demand a reversal and an undoing of all the preceding works of the Father, Son, and Spirit. The key issue in the discussion of the believer's security concerns the issue of who does the saving. If man is responsible for securing his salvation, then he can be lost; if God secures the person's salvation, then the person is forever secure." [4]
-Paul Enns

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"
-Romans 8:31; cf. vv. 32-39

Endurance

The Christian life is not a 100-yard dash; it’s a marathon. It’s easy to begin a marathon well and it’s not too difficult to run a few miles. The test comes over the long haul. Will you endure to the finish? In the Christian race, will you be faithful through all of the hardships, even unto death?

Every Christian wants to be able to say with the apostle Paul, as he thought about his own death (2 Tim. 4:7), “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” While God promises that He will keep all that He saves, the process is not automatic. We must endure hardship as good soldiers, disciplined athletes, and hard working farmers (2:3-7).

Paul is exhorting Timothy to embrace hardship for the sake of the gospel (1:8; 2:3). Timothy was under pressure to compromise the gospel. His timid personality shied away from conflict and controversy. Many were turning against the imprisoned apostle and at the same time, abandoning the gospel that he preached (1:15; 2:17-18). So Paul is exhorting Timothy to persevere. He is showing him how to endure when he feels tempted to drop out.

In our text, he adds three more illustrations of how suffering hardship for the gospel now results in eternal glory. Jesus Christ died, but He is risen forever (2:8). Paul himself is imprisoned and facing death, but he endures for the sake of God’s elect, so that they may obtain salvation and eternal glory (2:9-10). Third, Paul cites a hymn from the early church (2:11-13), which makes the point that faithfulness now results in future glory with Jesus Christ, because God’s promises are trustworthy. In these verses, Paul reveals four strategies for enduring to the end of the marathon:

To endure hardship, remember:
Jesus Christ the risen Savior;
that His Word is powerful;
that God’s sovereign purpose in saving His elect will succeed;
and that His promises are trustworthy.

1. To endure hardship, remember Jesus Christ, our risen Savior (2:8).

It seems odd for the apostle to write to his younger pastor friend (2:8): “Remember Jesus Christ….” Was Timothy in danger of forgetting Him? This sounds like something you might write to a new believer, but not to a man who has some years under his belt as a pastor! Why would Paul say this to Timothy?

Keep in mind Paul’s counsel in 2:7, “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” We have to think about these matters, leaning on the Lord for understanding. Verse 8 gives us some clues as to why Paul tells Timothy to remember Jesus Christ.

First, notice the word order, Jesus Christ. So far, Paul has referred to the Lord as Christ Jesus six times (1:1, 2, 9, 13; 2:1, 3). He will go on to refer to Him as Christ Jesus four more times (2:10; 3:12, 15; 4:1). But in 2:8 alone, he reverses it to Jesus Christ. Surely there must be a reason. I believe that he is calling attention to the humanity of our Lord, born as the man Jesus, who suffered and died on the cross for our sins. As Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:36), “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

So Paul is making the point that because Jesus in His humanity suffered shame and death on a cross for our sins, God highly exalted Him (Phil. 2:8-11). His point is the same as Hebrews 12:3, “For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

A second clue that helps us understand why Paul tells Timothy to remember Jesus Christ is, “risen from the dead.” The verb tense means, “He was raised from the dead in the past and He continues now as the risen One.” Jesus’ resurrection is the main support of the gospel. Paul says that if Christ is not risen, our faith is worthless (1 Cor. 15:14, 17). Everything hangs on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. As the risen Savior, He also promises to give us the victory over the grave. So even if we suffer and die for the sake of the gospel, “Jesus Christ, risen from the dead,” is the grounds for our hope. Be steadfast!

A third clue is, “descendant of David.” Why does Paul use this unusual phrase here (used elsewhere only in Rom. 1:3)? This validates Jesus historically as the Messiah or Christ, who was promised to be of the seed of David. And it shows that He will return as the conquering King who will reign on David’s throne, ruling the nations with a rod of iron (Ps. 2:9). So the application for Timothy and us is, when you go through suffering now as a Christian, remember Jesus Christ, descendant of David in fulfillment of God’s promise, who is coming back to reign as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Endure hardship for the gospel now so that you will be on His side when He returns.

The final clue is in the last phrase, “according to my gospel.” That does not mean that Paul invented the gospel, but rather that the gospel was revealed directly to Paul from the risen Lord Jesus and entrusted to him as the treasure (“good deposit,” 1:14), which he had to guard. The crucified, risen Lord Jesus Christ is at the heart of the gospel. Note also that Paul viewed the gospel as his personal treasure. He was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent aggressor (1 Tim. 1:13), but God in His great mercy laid hold of Paul through the good news that “Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (1 Tim. 1:15).

If you want to endure to the end of the marathon, to stand firm for the truth through hardship and even persecution, you must be able to say with Paul, “my gospel.” God saved me from my sins by His abundant grace. To endure hardship, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel” (2:8).

2. To endure hardship, remember that God’s Word is powerful (2:9).

Paul’s gospel was the reason that he suffered “hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal.” Then he adds the triumphant note, “But the word of God is not imprisoned.” The word “criminal” is used elsewhere only of the two thieves on the cross (Luke 23:32, 33). Paul didn’t deserve to be treated that way. He had been arrested on trumped up charges, made no doubt by enemies of the gospel. He was being held in a filthy dungeon, chained to a guard day and night. It wasn’t fair. But, rather than complain, Paul rejoiced in the fact that no one can imprison the power of God’s Word. With Luther, Paul could have sung, “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still; His kingdom is forever.”

Often God puts us in difficult trials for the very reason that He wants the power of the gospel to shine through our joy in Him in circumstances where the world can only complain. Maybe you are imprisoned in a hospital or in a body that is sick and dying. If you grumble and complain, you’re missing the opportunity for the power of the gospel to shine through your life. But if, through the pain and the tears, the joy of the Lord shines forth, the same powerful gospel that saved you may transform others. So to endure hardship, remember the power of God’s word!

3. To endure hardship, remember that God’s sovereign purpose in saving His elect will surely succeed (2:10).

Paul explains (2:10), “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” Paul means that through his sufferings in preaching the gospel, God’s elect would come to salvation and inherit the eternal glory that is in Christ Jesus.

Many Christians get nervous when they hear the word “elect” and try to minimize or explain away its plain meaning. If you do that, you will miss a key truth in understanding your salvation and a key component that you need to endure hardship for the sake of the gospel. Don’t dodge the doctrine of election by saying, “That’s just Calvinism!” What you need to ask is, “Is it taught in the Bible?” Paul easily could have said here, “I do all things for the sake of those who will believe,” but he did not. If you believe that the very words of Scripture are inspired, you’ve got to grapple with why he said “the elect.” As believers, we have to submit to what Scripture says. Let’s look at just a few texts (there are many more):

John 3:27: “John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.’”

John is asserting what all Scripture teaches, that the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14; see also, Matt. 13:11). God grants spiritual understanding to some and He withholds it from others. That is His sovereign right.

John 6:37, 39: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out…. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.

Jesus says that there are some whom the Father has given to Him (He elsewhere calls these “the elect,” Matt. 24:22, 31). Clearly, the Father does not give all to the Son, because all do not come to Jesus. Jesus says that everyone the Father gives to Him will in fact come to Him and He will not lose any of those. Their eternal destiny is secure.

John 6:44, 65: No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day…. For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

Jesus repeats the truth that no one is able of his own ability or “free will” to come to Christ, unless the Father has granted it.

John 8:43: “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My Word.”

Jesus again makes the same point, that the natural man is incapable of understanding spiritual truth.

John 10:26-28: “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Jesus’ sheep are identical with those whom the Father gave to the Son or, the elect. If someone is not of that group, he does not believe. If someone is of that group, Jesus gives them eternal life.

John 17:2, 9: “even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life…. I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours.”

Jesus claims to have authority to give eternal life to all whom the Father has given Him. The emphasis is not that He gives eternal life to all who will believe of their own free will, but rather that He gives eternal life to all whom the Father has given Him. He prays on their behalf, not on behalf of the whole world.

If we had time, we could go to many other texts that clearly spell out the same truth, that before the foundation of the world, apart from anything that God foresaw in us, by His grace alone, He chose to give a people to His Son (Eph. 1:4-5). If He had not done so, none of us would have believed. You must believe in Christ to be saved. But, no one can believe unless God first opens their blind eyes (2 Cor. 4:4). The reason that you believed in Jesus Christ is that God first chose you for salvation. That way He gets all the glory (1 Cor. 1:26-31).

People react against this by saying, “If God has already chosen everyone who will be saved, then why witness? If they’re ordained to be saved, then they be saved apart from anything that we can do.” Not so! God, who ordained the salvation of His elect, also ordained that they would be saved through the preaching of the gospel. Paul had to suffer hardship and preach so that the elect would obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus.

Paul was in Corinth and was afraid that he was going to be harmed. Jesus appeared to him and said (Acts 18:9-10), “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” Paul didn’t know yet who God’s people in that city were, but God knew. Paul was to go on preaching so that those in that city whom the Father had given to the Son would come to salvation. That is exactly what Paul is saying in 2 Timothy 2:10.

Our only hope that our efforts to evangelize will result in the salvation of any is that Jesus has purchased with His blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). He did not purchase every person in the whole world, but some from every people. None that He purchased will be lost. All whom God predestined to salvation will be glorified (Rom. 8:30): “and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” In other words, those whom God saves, He keeps. They persevere unto eternal glory.

If you have not embraced this great biblical truth, you are missing the basis for assurance of your own salvation. Salvation rests in God’s sovereign purpose and might, not in your feeble, fallen will or efforts. And, you are missing the main motivation to proclaim the gospel in the face of hardship and rejection, namely, that God will save His chosen ones through the gospel.

To endure hardship, remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead; that God’s Word is powerful; and, that God’s sovereign purpose in saving His elect will surely succeed. Finally,

4. To endure hardship, remember that God’s promises are trustworthy (2:11-13).

Paul cites the words of a familiar hymn to remind Timothy that God’s promises are trustworthy and will not fail. He introduces it as a trustworthy statement (there are four others in the Pastoral Epistles: 1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Titus 3:8). He probably breaks into the middle of the hymn, so that the opening word (“for”) refers back to earlier words that we do not know. It consists of four “if” clauses, followed by their consequences. The first two refer to those who are faithful. They attain to life and reigning with Christ. The last two refer to those who deny Christ or are faithless, and the consequences. The overall point reinforces what Paul has been saying, that if we endure hardship with Christ now, we will experience glory with Him in eternity.

There are a couple of interpretive difficulties in the hymn. Some take “if we died with Him, we also will live with Him” to refer to the truth of our identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, as Paul sets forth in Romans 6. The language is similar, but it seems foreign to the context. The verb (Greek aorist) may also be translated, “if we die with Him,” meaning, “if we die a martyr’s death, we will also live with Him eternally.” If that is the meaning, the hymn would have been an encouragement to those who were suffering persecution for the gospel.

The other interpretive problem is in the last line. Some understand verses 12 & 13 to be parallel, thus taking verse 13 to mean, “if we are faithless, He remains faithful to His threat to punish all unbelief.” In favor of that view is the parallelism and the present tense of the verb, “are faithless.” But, it seems to me to go against the concept of God’s faithfulness. His faithfulness is always mentioned to give encouragement to discouraged saints, not to warn unbelievers of His judgments.

Thus I prefer to understand the first line of the hymn to be connected by way of contrast to the third line, and the second line to contrast with the fourth line. The first and third lines then mean, “If we hold fast our confession faithfully unto death, we will live eternally in heaven with Him, but if we deny Him, He will deny us before the Father” (as Jesus warned, Matt. 10:33). The second and fourth lines contrast to mean, “If we endure hardship with Him now, we will be rewarded by reigning with Him in heaven. But if we are faithless by not enduring hardship, we will lose rewards, but because of His faithfulness to His covenant, we will still be saved, for He cannot deny Himself.”

Thus I would fit Judas Iscariot under line 3, as one who finally denied Christ and was lost. I would fit Peter under line 4, as one of God’s elect who momentarily was faithless, but he repented and was restored. So when we fail, we should confess our sins, knowing that He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our salvation ultimately rests on God’s faithfulness and grace, not on our perfect record.

Conclusion

Several years ago, Bible translators Bruce and Jan Benson and their 14-year-old son were driving down a mountainside in the Peruvian Andes. As they came around a switchback, they came bumper to bumper with a truckload of terrorist rebels known as The Shining Path. Men jumped out of the truck brandishing automatic rifles, surrounded the Benson’s car, and ordered them to get out. Jan thought, “This is it! This is the end of our lives.”

The terrorists took them to a nearby town. On the way, fearful and bewildered, Jan felt the need to pray and then to sing. She said, “It began as a trickle, a presence that said, ‘The Lord inhabits the praises of His people.’” She protested, “But Lord, I don’t know how to praise You right now.” “Sing,” came the answer. “At least you can sing.” So she began to sing, “You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance. Whenever I am afraid I will trust in You.” Other songs also flowed.

Suddenly, she felt as though she was the only person alive on earth, just her and God. She felt His all-encompassing love and His assurance that He was in control. Nothing, not even death, could remove her from His presence.

That night the rebels unexpectedly released the Bensons, but they confiscated their car, their portable projection equipment and film reels of the “New Media Bible” from Luke, the same film material that makes up the Jesus film.

One year later, the Bensons were living in the capital for safety. Jan received a phone call. One of their captors had become a Christian and wanted to meet with them. When they met, he told them that he was an experienced killer and that he and the others had planned to kill them that night. But, for some reason they just could not do it and released them instead. Then, the rebels set up the projector and watched the film, eventually many times. At one viewing, several hundred rebels were watching and listening to God’s Word in their own language. Many were so moved that they wanted to lay down their weapons right there and leave The Shining Path. Standing before them as a fellow believer, their former enemy said to them, “Please forgive me for my part in what we did to you that day.” The Bensons were able to go back to that village and finish the translation of the New Testament into that language.

God’s witnesses may be imprisoned, but His Word cannot be imprisoned. The gospel “is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). To endure hardship, remember Jesus Christ, the risen Savior. Remember that His Word is powerful, that His sovereign purpose in saving His elect will succeed, and that His promises are trustworthy.

Application Questions

Why does the entire gospel hang on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead? How does this apply to witnessing?
Why does God allow His faithful servants to be imprisoned and suffer hardship and even death?
Why do so many Christians have difficulty with the doctrine of election? How can these difficulties be overcome?
How would you interpret verse 13? Why?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2006, All Rights Reserved.

A reformed dispensationalist?

A reformed dispensationalist?

No two words have seemingly been more contradictory within evangelicalism than “reformed” and “dispensational”. Most recently, Dr. R.C. Sproul revised his book Grace Unknown under the new title What Is Reformed Theology? In it, he has entitled one chapter, “Nicknamed Covenant Theology”. I think that the problem is right there. Reformed theology is deemed synonymous with covenant theology. If that is true, “dispensational” and “reformed” cannot coincide. I want to pose a challenge to that premise, however, with the intent to show that it is possible to be dispensational and reformed.

Reformed theology typically refers to the doctrines of grace, or Calvinism. Calvinism is a soteriological system built upon the absolute sovereignty of God to fulfill with certainty the purpose of God for the glory of God. Calvinism shows that because of the total depravity of mankind, God takes the initiative by electing some whom He will save by the definite work of Christ on the cross and the effectual work of His grace. As a result, those who have received God’s favor will be saved for eternity. This way of salvation brings total glory to God.

Covenant theology, however, is not a soteriological system, but a framework of biblical theology. Biblical theology seeks to find unity within the Scriptures. Covenant theology sees Scripture through the lens of two covenants, the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. With these two covenants, covenant theology unifies the Scriptures under the progressive work of redemption. The Bible becomes the story of God’s redeeming for Himself a special people (covenant theology either holds to a replacement theology, where the church replaces Israel, or a view that unifies Israel and the church as one entity). For a more detailed summary, see Dr. J. Ligon Duncan’s explanation

Dispensationalism is also a framework of biblical theology. It sees God’s rule established and broken in Gen. 1-3. In Gen. 3:15, God promises a seed who will conquer the evil one and, by implication, restore deliver the earth from the curse. All of Scripture, then, is an outworking of God’s plan to re-establish His rule over and through mankind (cf. Elliott Johnson, Expository Hermeneutics: an Introduction). While His purposes remain the same, the way He administers His purposes change over the progress of revelation. The Scriptures anticipate a day when God’s purposes will be fulfilled in His restored rule on earth over and through His Son and those whom He has redeemed.

Without making a judgment on covenant theology, I just want to show that a dispensationalist can be reformed. Dispensationalism must acknowledge the total sovereignty of God in order for the system to make any sense. Dispensationalism acknowledges God’s purpose to save, and, if He is sovereign to re-establish His rule, He can also be sovereign in saving whom He wills. And seeing that He is sovereign over history and over the salvation of souls gives Him all the glory.

Are Roman Catholics Christian?

Are Roman Catholics Christian?


by Matt Slick

Are Roman Catholics Christians? They are if they have trusted in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of their sins. However, if they believe they are saved by God's grace and their works, then they are not saved--even if they believe their works are done by God's grace--since they then deny the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice.

Being a Christian does not mean being a member of the Roman Catholic Church. It means being a member of the body of Christ, which is accomplished by faith and trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins. It means you do not add your works to His work. Sincerity doesn't forgive sins. Membership in a church doesn't forgive sins. Doing works of penance doesn't forgive sins. Praying to Mary doesn't forgive sins. Forgiveness is received in the faithful trust and acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. You must trust Jesus, God in flesh, for the forgiveness of sins--not a man-made ritual and certainly not the catholic saints. Even though the Roman Catholic Church affirms the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and His physical resurrection, it greatly errors in its doctrine of salvation by adding works to salvation.

The official Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation is that the grace of God is infused into a baby at baptism--making him/her justified before God.1 This justification can be lost through sin and must be regained by repeated participation in the many sacraments found in the Roman Catholic Church. These sacraments increase the measure of grace in the person by which he or she is enabled to do good works, which are in turn rewarded with the joy of heaven:

"We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will. In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere 'to the end' and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ," (CCC, par. 1821).
"Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification," (CCC, par. 2010).
No one can say whether a Roman Catholic is truly a Christian or not since we cannot know people's hearts. However, if anyone, Catholic included, openly denies essential doctrines2, then he is not saved; and this is the problem. It appears that the Roman Catholic Church is denying the essential doctrine of justification by faith. It says . . .

"If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema," (Canon 9, Council of Trent).
"If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema," (Canon 14, Council of Trent).
For more on this, please see Council of Trent. Canons on Justification.
Notice that justification by faith alone is denied, and heaven is the reward for doing good works. This is the problem. The RCC does not teach the biblical doctrine of justification by faith. It teaches justification by faith and works. If you want to see more on this, go to The Roman Catholic view on justification.

What is the CARM position on Roman Catholics?
CARM's position is simple. If a Roman Catholic believes in the official Roman Catholic teaching on salvation, then he is not a Christian since the official RCC position is contrary to Scripture. Therefore, as a whole, Roman Catholics need to be evangelized. They need to hear the true Gospel. They need to hear that they are not made right before God by being in a church or by being baptized but by receiving Christ (John 1:12), believing that Jesus has risen from the dead (Rom. 10:9); and that justification is by faith (Rom. 5:1) and not by our deeds (Rom. 4:5). It is only true faith that results in true works (James 2)--not the other way around. Roman Catholics, like anyone else, need to trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of their sins and not the Catholic sacraments, not the words of the priest, not the Pope, not Mary, not the saints, not penance, not indulgences, not the rosary, etc. Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Finally, I believe there are truly regenerate Christians in the Roman Catholic Church--truly Christians in spite of official RCC theology and in spite of the ritualistic offerings of this ancient church which has had too many hands meddling in it through the centuries--gradually moving it away from orthodoxy and into apostasy. Yes, apostasy. The Roman Catholic Church is no longer representing true Christianity.

Jesus alone saves. Jesus alone is Lord. Only Jesus' sacrifice can cleanse us. Only by faith are we made right before God. Justification is by faith--not by anything we do.


1. "Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ. It is granted us through Baptism. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who justifies us. It has for its goal the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life. It is the most excellent work of God's mercy," (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 2020).
2. In short, the essentials are the deity of Christ, His physical resurrection, and justification by grace through faith. Related to these are the Trinity, the virgin birth, and, of course, the gospel itself. For more information on essentials, please see the Doctrine Grid.

Divine Sovereignty vs. Human Responsibility

Kenneth Boa

I. Introduction

Mysteries are forced upon us by the facts of God’s Word; we are not inventing them ourselves. Since His written revelation teaches concepts that appear to be mutually exclusive, we must realize that with God both truths are friends, not enemies. In God’s higher rationality, things that we think must be either-or can in reality be both-and.

Thus, when the biblical facts warrant them, we can embrace incomprehensibles in the Bible and relate them to the omniscience and omnipotence of God. There is no need to abandon rationality for nonsense as the White Queen does in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass:

“I can’t believe that!” said Alice.

“Can’t you?” the Queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.”

Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said, “one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”1

Neither do we need to adopt Tertullian’s position: “I believe it because it is absurd.” Christians should say instead: “I believe it because God says it in the Bible.”

II. The General Problem

God has revealed to us in the Bible that He not only created all things but He also preplanned everything that would happen in His creation. He both knows everything that has happened and everything that is yet future. He actively decreed every detail of this reality, and He is sovereign over all. But here is where the mystery comes in: even though God is sovereign, man still has real responsibility and freedom in the choices he makes. These choices are his; he cannot blame God for them. And they will genuinely affect and modify the rest of his life.

Because this mystery more intimately affects us than most of the others, it is one of the most difficult to accept. When people face it, they tend to overemphasize one truth (God’s sovereignty) or the other (human responsibility). This produces a lack of balance.

This mystery manifests itself in different ways. For instance, it relates to the issue of election and faith in the doctrine of salvation, as we will see later in this chapter. It also relates to the problem of evil, that is, how evil could enter the creation without God being responsible for it. We will examine this age-old problem in chapter 5.

But first we need to demonstrate from the Word of God the truth of the two basic propositions in this mystery. Do the Scriptures really say that man is completely responsible for what he does even though God planned everything that would come to pass?

III. Divine Sovereignty

God is able to do anything He desires. “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2 NET Bible). “He does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the ocean depths” (Ps. 135:6). The Lord carries out everything exactly as planned.

“Certainly you must have heard! Long ago I worked it out, in ancient times I planned it; and now I am bringing it to pass” (2 Kings 19:25). “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not establish it?” (Num. 23:19). All that God has preplanned is as good as done. Nothing can change it, for there is no authority above God. As He says through Isaiah, “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?" (40:25).

Because of His complete uniqueness and sovereignty, God is able to declare, “Truly I am God, I have no peer; I am God, and there is none like me, who announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred, who says, 'My plan will be realized; I will accomplish what I desire ….'’’ (Isa. 46:9-10; see also Isa. 14:24; 43:13).

God directs the history of the universe along the course of His foreordained plan. This involves His ability to choose individuals and groups for special purposes in the outworking of this plan. For instance, Jeremiah and Paul were chosen by God to have special missions even before they were formed in their mother’s wombs (Jer. 1:5; Gal. 1:15).

God also elects individuals for salvation. Christ speaks of those elected for salvation (Matt. 24:22, 24, 31; Luke 18:7), and Paul clearly endorses this concept (Rom. 8:29-33; Col. 3:12; 2 Tim. 2:10; Titus 1:1; see also 1 Peter 1:1-2; John 1).

Ephesians 1:4-5, 11 is particularly striking. God’s election of those who would be saved is pretemporal, “before the foundation of the world,” according to verse 4. This choice involved love and it was based on God’s kindness. He predestined us "to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will” (v. 5).

God’s sovereignty is self-determined, and this fact is emphasized three times (v. 5, 9, 11). In God’s loving purpose, all things have been designed to lead “to the praise of the glory of his grace” (v. 6, 12, 14). It is best that God works in all things, for only in this way will all things ultimately glorify God. This glorification is consistent with God’s love and kindness because He alone is worthy of ultimate glorification. (Nevertheless, God will also glorify all believers at the resurrection when He finally conforms us to the image of His Son. But even God’s act of glorifying others will bring greater glory to Himself).

God’s sovereign purpose extends to all things in His creation and is not limited by space or time. This plan is so complete that Scripture declares, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Prov. 16:33). Consider the implications of a statement like this! Ultimately there is no chance in this universe because even the workings of probability and statistics are controlled by God. There are no real accidents and God is surprised by nothing.

We have seen that God’s eternal plan is all-inclusive, extending even to His election of those who will be saved.2

But what about those not elected for salvation? Most theologians would naturally prefer to limit the bounds of God’s sovereign plan at this point. The word preterition is often used here, meaning that God “passes by” the nonelect.

However, several passages in Scripture seem to support a more active role on God’s part. If this is so, reprobation may be a more appropriate word than preterition.

Romans 9:10-24 is one passage that should be carefully studied. God has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires--both verbs are active (v. 18). God’s choice is not based on human merit, but on His mercy and inscrutable purposes. But if God hardens some, how can human responsibility be real? How can He blame the non-elect for not doing His will (v. 19)? God answers that the question is out of order (v. 20). We know that there is no injustice with God (v. 14), and therefore, as vessels we must trust the Potter. For man this issue is a mystery.

Another passage along this line is 1 Peter 2:8. Speaking of those who reject Jesus Christ, Peter says that “They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” Scripture also says, “The Lord works everything for its own ends--even the wicked for the day of disaster” (Prov. 16:4; also compare Ps. 92:6-7). Other verses also reveal how God hardens hearts (Is. 6:10; 44:18; John 12:40; Rom. 11:7-8, 25).

IV. Human Responsibility

Just as biblical a doctrine as divine sovereignty is human responsibility. For instance, Romans 9 (God’s sovereignty) is not complete without Romans 10 (human responsibility): “For the scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:11-13).

King Saul furnishes a good example of the reality of human responsibility. His disobedience cost him a kingdom that would have been everlasting: “the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever” (1 Sam. 13:13). God later said of Saul, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I said” (1 Sam. 15:11).

The Bible makes it clear that we are not pawns in the hands of a deterministic and fatalistic universe. Every command in the Old and New Testaments is proof of the reality of human responsibility from God’s perspective.

A number of passages neatly juxtapose the truths of God’s complete sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Consider, for instance, the Crucifixion of the Son of God. Men were responsible for putting Jesus to death even though He was “handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). Those who were gathered together against Jesus simply did what God’s hand and God’s purpose predestined to occur, according to Acts 4:27-28. This mystery also relates directly to Judas Iscariot and his betrayal of Christ: “For the Son of Man is to go just as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed” (Luke 22:22)!

God is the divine Potter who has “right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use” according to His own purpose (Rom. 9:21). Yet this “clay” has a will and is responsible for the choices it freely makes. (Read Jer. 18:1-12 to see how the prophet subtly intertwines both of these concepts.)

God is omniscient. Even when He “changes His mind” (as in Jer. 18:8, 10), it is because He had planned to do so from eternity. In His omniscience He also knew the Jews would not turn back from their sins (indeed, He had even hardened their hearts; Isa. 63:17). Yet His appeal to Judah was no sham (Jer. 18:11); it was a valid offer. Another Old Testament passage that combines the two themes of God’s control and man’s responsibility is Isaiah 63:15-64:12 with 65:1-2.

Philippians 2:12-13 is a very practical passage in which we may observe a perfect balance of these two truths. Paul is talking about the outworking of the Christian life. He emphasizes the aspect of human responsibility in this process (v. 12), and he also emphasizes God’s sovereign control (v. 13). God is controlling and man is responsible. Neither of these two verses should be quoted without the other because the Bible keeps both truths in perfect balance.

V. Synthesis of Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility

God is the supreme Ruler over this universe He created. His plan affects every detail of this creation. This plan is eternal, and there never was another plan. Thus, terms like purpose, foreknowledge, predestination, and election are logically related, and they are equally timeless.

God’s complete control over His creation is based on His omniscience and omnipotence. Since God has knowledge of all things actual and possible, His eternal plan is not based upon blind choice. Instead, God has wisely chosen a plan in which all details will finally work together to bring about the greatest good (the glorification of God). Since God is the absolute of truth, goodness, and love, His plan is a reflection of His own being and nature.

Not only has God chosen the best possible plan; He also has the power and authority to bring it about (omnipotence). When God promises to do something, there is no question that it will be done. This is why every biblical prophecy will be perfectly fulfilled.

Nevertheless, God carries out his all-inclusive plan by a variety of means. God may directly intervene or He may achieve His purpose by an indirect agency (e.g., the laws of nature). He may even fulfill His plan by taking His hands off in a given situation (the phrase “God gave them over” appears three times in Rom. 1:24-28). But God is in control regardless of what means He chooses to use.

The Bible makes it clear that God’s work in predestination and election is loving (Eph. 1:4-5; 1 John 4:7), wise (Rom. 11:33; 16:27), and just (Gen. 18:25; Rom. 3:4-6). “The Lord is just in all his actions, and exhibits love in all he does” (Ps. 145:17).

In some inexplicable way God has seen fit to incorporate human freedom and responsibility into His all-inclusive plan. Even though the Lord is in sovereign control of the details in His creation, He never forces any man to do anything against his will. The fact that He judges sin means that He is not responsible for the commission of the sins He judges. When a person sins it is because he has freely chosen to do so. Similarly, when someone is confronted with the terms of the gospel, he can freely choose to accept or reject Christ’s offer of forgiveness of sins. Because it is free choice, he will be held responsible for the decision he makes (see John 12:48).

In my view, personal and moral responsibility require free will. While I disagree with those who say that our wills are in total bondage, I am not implying in my use of the terms “freedom” and “free will” that humans are autonomous. We do not control the fundamental realities of our lives (e.g., our time on earth and our abilities), and yet our choices are ours.

In biblical terms this whole mystery can be summed up by saying that God is both King and Judge. “Scripture teaches that, as King, He orders and controls all things, human action among them, in accordance with his own eternal purpose. Scripture also teaches that, as Judge, He holds every man responsible for the choices he makes and the courses of action he pursues.”3

Finally, God’s plan is not always the same as His desires. Although His plan controls what men will be, the product often is not what He desires. This is partly because God has chosen to allow human will to operate. For instance, God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4; see also 2 Peter 3:9). Yet He has not elected all men: "… The elect obtained it. The rest were hardened” Rom. 11:7).

Thus, God’s plan and desires are two different aspects of His will. He has revealed His desire (what men ought to do), but His plan for what specific men will do has for the most part been hidden. This is almost a mystery within a mystery, because there is no way we can conceive of how these two aspects of God’s will relate together in His mind.

VI. Illustrations

J. I. Packer captures the essence of this mystery when he writes, “Man is a responsible moral agent, though he is also divinely controlled; man is divinely controlled, though he is also a responsible moral agent.”4 Many have attempted to illustrate the interrelation of these two truths, but because this is a mystery, their attempts have proved inadequate.

All too often, people try to apply illustrations of foreknowledge to predestination and election. For instance, they may compare God with a man standing on top of a mountain, looking down at a road that curves around the base of the mountain. The man can see into the future because he knows which cars will pass by one another before they become visible to each other. But God’s plan involves more than foreknowledge. Foreknowledge is passive, but divine control is active.

Another illustration involves a person engineering a situation in such a way that it creates a desire in another person to make a certain decision. Courtship is an example. When a man wants a woman to become his wife, he designs his courtship in such a way that she will respond with a willing "yes" when he proposes. He plans the situation and perhaps knows she will accept his proposal; yet she has a free choice to accept or reject. But even this illustration breaks down. It implies that when we sin, God seduced us in this direction. But that simply is not so (see chap. 5).

VII. The Alternatives and the Extremes

As with other biblical mysteries, three alternatives are possible. One can accept the mystery, reject it as untrue, or rationalize it. To rationalize it, one must overemphasize one truth and minimize the other, and this leads to the two extremes.

The correct approach is to learn to live with the mystery by accepting both truths involved and holding them in tension because of the authority of God’s Word. This means that the principles should be regarded as apparent contradictions and not ultimate contradictions. God’s revelation in the Bible is always self-consistent. The only problem is that human understanding is sometimes deficient. If we could raise our thoughts to the level of God’s thoughts, there would be no mysteries.

But because so many people refuse to let God be wiser than men, they insist on rationalizing the principles of the divine sovereignty/human responsibility mystery. Some are exclusively concerned with the former, others with the latter. Either error can lead to very practical problems. Those hung up on human responsibility may overemphasize methods and develop guilt feelings about not witnessing to everyone they meet. Their counterparts may minimize missions and evangelism, saying, “Why bother? The elect are going to get saved anyway.”

Prayer also depends on balancing both principles. If God is not sovereign, there is no point in praying because He is unable to answer most prayers. And if men have no responsibility, there is no point in praying because nothing we ask or do will affect God’s plan in the least.

From a practical standpoint, it seems more objectionable for a Christian to overemphasize the divine sovereignty and minimize human responsibility than vice versa. Since human responsibility relates to our role, we need to attend to it. God will take care of His own sovereignty! Yet, either error is harmful, and neither error needs to be embraced.

Some confuse divine sovereignty with fatalism. Christianity is not fatalistic, however, because it teaches that human responsibility is just as real as divine sovereignty. Furthermore, what is behind fatalism (fate) is not what is behind divine sovereignty (a living, wise, sinless God).

Another objection that keeps people from accepting this mystery is the problem of evil. Many feel that it is an insult to our intelligence to assert that all things occur for the best as the result of a human providence. If God is sovereign, is He not the author of the evil all about us? This objection is important, and we will deal with it in the next chapter.

It comes as no surprise that this mystery has precipitated heated controversies and extreme viewpoints throughout the course of church history. One notable example was Augustine’s controversy with the Pelagians. Pelagianism emphasized human freedom to the exclusion of divine sovereignty, and this led to a concept of self-salvation without the need of divine grace.

In recent centuries, the two extreme viewpoints have been ultra-Calvinism (divine sovereignty carried to pure determinism) and certain extreme forms of Arminianism (human responsibility overemphasized).

As mentioned, people often have more problems with this mystery than with others because it is close to where we live. But we should remember that it is really no more mysterious than the God-man or the Trinity mysteries, which Christians are more likely to accept.

VIII. Emphases of Historic Arminianism and Calvinism

Arminianism

Man’s Responsibility in Salvation

Calvinism

God’s Sovereignty in Salvation

1. Man is a sinner, but able to do good and to respond to God.

1. Total Depravity – Man is unable of himself to respond to God.

2. God elects on the basis of foreseen faith.

2. Unconditional Election – God elects according to His own good pleasure.

3. Christ died for all men.

3. Limited Atonement – Christ died for the elect only.

4. Man can, because of stubborness and rebellion, resist God’s call to salvation.

4. Irresistible Grace – The elect are irresistibly drawn to Christ.

5. The believer may, through persistent sin, fall from grace and be lost.

5. Perseverance of the Saints – The elect can never perish; they will surely persevere.

IX. The Specific Problem of Salvation

The general divine sovereignty/human responsibility mystery can be applied in a specific way to the nature of salvation. From the standpoint of God’s sovereignty, a person is saved because he is elected by God (chosen for salvation). But from the standpoint of our responsible freedom, a person is elected because he receives Christ.

The first truth finds support in a number of biblical passages. For instance, the apostle Paul writes of the power of God “… who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not based on our works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began …” (2 Tim. 1:9).

Paul also wrote, “… because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.” (Rom 8:29-30).5

It is clear that in His sovereign grace, God took the initiative.

We are not to think of Jesus Christ as a Third Party wrestling salvation for us from a God unwilling to save. No. The initiative was with God Himself. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.” Precisely how He can have been in Christ while He made Christ to be sin for us, I cannot explain, but the same apostle states both truths in the same paragraph. And we must accept this paradox along with the equally baffling paradox that Jesus of Nazareth was both God and Man, and yet One Person. If there was a paradox in His person, it is not surprising that we find one in His work as well.6

Because God is sovereign in salvation, none of us can say that we saved ourselves; this is God’s work (see Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).

Nevertheless, the second truth still holds; we are elected because we receive Christ (remember that we are speaking of election as an eternal or timeless event). No one can be saved without willingly trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

‘“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved …'” (Acts 16:30-31).

“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).

The words believe and faith are active, not passive terms in the Bible. Believing in Christ is equivalent to receiving Him: “But to all who have received him – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children …” (John 1:12).7

The two truths of this mystery (one believes because he is elect and he is elect because he believes) are sometimes side by side in the same passage. John 6 is an example. Divine sovereignty is emphasized in verses 37, 44, and 65: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him …” (v. 44). Human responsibility is emphasized in verses 29, 35, 40, and 47: “For this is the will of my Father – for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life …” (v. 40).




Thus the biblical doctrine of salvation perfectly combines divine sovereignty and human responsibility. God must call and men must respond willingly. This is a unique picture, for only in Christianity is God declared to be the initiator and author of salvation. The only thing we can do is respond by receiving Christ’s free offer.

A person standing outside the “gate of heaven” sees the inscription “Whosoever will may come!” Passing through and looking back he sees written on the other side, “Chosen before the foundation of the world!”

Because of the sovereignty of God in salvation, everyone who has trusted Christ for the forgiveness of sins can have assurance of salvation. This certainty comes from the fact that salvation is neither obtained nor maintained by human effort. Since no one deserves it or earns it, eternal life must come by grace through faith. Nevertheless, God will never force anyone to believe in His Son. Free will is still a reality, and all of us are responsible for accepting or rejecting the revelation we have received. As wonderful as the gift of salvation is, if God forced it upon everyone, He would eliminate human freedom.

X. The Special Case of History

History itself is completely bound up in the divine sovereignty/human responsibility mystery. Because of it the Christian view of history is unique, since it allows for both determinism and free will. “Both apply, but always in such a way that the evil of history is man’s work and the good of history, God’s.”8 History itself is both a divine and a human product.

From the divine perspective, “History is not just what happens, but what the living God does”9 God’s relation to history is more than a sequence of interventions; He is always active in usual and unusual ways. God is active in the affairs of all nations and men to bring about His sovereign purpose (see Ps. 33:10-11; Isa. 10:5-15; Dan. 2:21; 4:17; Hab. 1:6).

History, therefore, has a clear goal, and it is moving toward a definite consummation in the Second Coming and glorious reign of Jesus Christ. Yet at the same time, God has seen fit to give us genuine freedom of choice.

The biblical picture of history offers two crucial elements: the goal of the historical process and the reality of free will. No historian who works from an unbiblical base can logically arrive at either of these elements. Without a revelation from the God who created history, no one could uncover the goal of history. We are all minute parts of the process, and it would be presumptuous for any part to think he could step out of the process and objectively comprehend the whole.

Neither can the secular historian avoid the problem of determinism. Apart from a personal God, man is left with a deterministic universe driven by forces and laws beyond his control. Only the Bible offers a genuine purpose for history without sacrificing human freedom.

XI. Some Practical Implications of This Mystery

THE DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY/HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY MYSTERY HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

A. EVANGELISM

THE FACT THAT GOD SOVEREIGNLY ELECTS THOSE WHO WILL BE SAVED IN NO WAY ELIMINATES THE CHRISTIAN’S RESPONSIBILITY TO SHARE THE GOSPEL WITH THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW CHRIST. GOD HAS TOLD US TO PRAY FOR AND WITNESS TO NON-CHRISTIANS. IT IS NOT OUR BUSINESS TO GUESS WHO ARE ELECTED, AND THEY ARE NOT WALKING AROUND WITH SPECIAL SIGNS.

A realization that God is on the throne can give us a confidence in evangelism and should make us bold, patient, and prayerful. Our job is simply to build friendships with unbelievers, share the gospel with them, and pray for them. The results must be entrusted into God’s sovereign hands.

B. PRAYER

If God controls all things, why pray? The answer, of course, is that God commands us to pray, and we are responsible to be obedient to this command. We are also responsible to meet the conditions for answered prayer (some of these conditions are found in John 15:7; 16:23-24; 1 Peter 3:7, 12; 1 John 5:14). Otherwise, our prayers will be hindered.

Though God is sovereign, the prayers of His children contribute significantly to the outworking of His program. This does not mean that we are pushing buttons or forcing God to answer, for He does not grant all requests. Prayer should instead remind a believer of his complete dependence upon God for all things. When great things happen, God is the One who should be glorified, not the person who prayed. So at the same time that God is in control of all things, our prayers can and do profoundly shape reality.

C. THE WILL OF GOD

God has a plan for every life, but the details of this plan are carried out by the free choices of each person involved. As we said before, however, God’s plan is not always the same as His desires. The degree to which God’s desires are carried out in His plan for our lives is our responsibility. God, for instance, desires that we come to love Him for who He is and what He has done for us. But we are not robots programmed to say, “Praise you! Praise you!” No one can truly love God (or anyone else) without the power to choose.

The diagram pictured next shows a portion of an individual’s life. As time moves in the direction indicated, he makes many choices (represented by the dots) that affect other choices. At any given decision point (point C), there is a varying number of options or contingencies. The range of options is always limited as indicated by the two lines of x’s in the figure. For example, a person who does not wish to be seen has no option to become suddenly invisible or walk through a wall. These possibilities would only be open to someone in a resurrection body (chap. 6).



Our person has just come to point C. He can freely choose among five genuine options. Here is where the wonder comes in: the five contingencies are real, and yet whatever is done is God’s plan. This is true for all of us. Because the contingencies are real, we remain responsible for the choices we make.

God sees the whole line at once because He is not limited as we are to the temporal sequence of events (chap. 7). Since we cannot see our lines of life as God sees them, no one can live his life as though there were a blueprint in front of him. A Christian should instead place his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the decisions of each day. One can be quite sure about what lies in that past (in the diagram, whether a day or twenty years), but there is a reasonable doubt about what lies ahead.

In general, a non-Christian has fewer options at each decision point because without the indwelling Holy Spirit he is not free to choose those things that would be consistent with God’s desires for his life (see Rom. 8:8). Until he allows Christ to liberate him, he is a slave to sin (Rom. 6:17-22; 2 Peter 2:19).

D. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

The Christian’s walk with God is a divine-human process. God is always at work in the believer to produce the fruit of righteousness and Christlikeness, but the believer is also responsible for acting. It is not a matter of “let go and let God” on the one hand, or of living in the power of the flesh on the other hand.

Paul communicates this balance clearly, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20; also compare Phil. 2:12-13). God is at work in us, but we are also to act in obedience.

E. SECURITY AND COMFORT

God is on the throne. He is in complete control of all creation. Even though all things are in constant flux, nothing escapes God’s constant notice. “Even all the hairs on your head are numbered” (Matt.10:30). Every time a hair falls out, every time you comb your hair, the Lord takes it into account! Here is Christ’s application of this truth: “So do not be afraid …” (Matt. 10:31). The fact that God knows you through and through should be a source of great security and comfort. Here is where human responsibility comes in - we respond with trust.

When inexplicable things happen - the untimely death of a loved one, a serious accident - a Christian can find great peace and comfort in the knowledge that a loving God is sovereign in all things.

Next time you are in an airplane try an experiment. Look down at a city and watch all the tiny cars and houses below. Then meditate on the fact that God intimately knows and cares for all of those people. He is concerned and active in the complex web of their decisions, hopes, and trials.

Each of us is significant because the living God places us in high esteem. “By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him” (1 John 4:9).

E. "FATE" AND "LUCK"

"The dice are thrown into the lap, but their every decision is from the Lord” (Prov. 16:33). In view of the overwhelming scriptural evidence for divine sovereignty, terms like fate and luck lose their significance. In an ultimate sense, nothing happens by pure chance.

Nevertheless, the biblical doctrine of human responsibility is just as clear, and the lives of all people bear this out. No one can live as though he were a machine programmed by the forces of fate. He must make choices.

F. THE AVOIDANCE OF RESPONSIBILITY

We have an ability to contemplate the future and a desire to affect it. The problem is that we want to exercise free will, but we do not want the responsibility that goes with it. People try to avoid responsibility in a number of ways.

One effort has been to set up a random universe in which the casual agents are time and chance. Atheistic evolutionism is an attempt to kick out the Owner of the universe. If we don’t have to answer to a personal Creator, there is no need to worry about responsibility for our sinful actions and thoughts.

Another effort in some psychiatric schools of thought is the idea that determinism plays an important role. For instance, “Freudian psychoanalysis turns out to be an archeological expedition back into the past in which a search is made for others on whom to pin the blame for the patients’ behavior. The fundamental idea is to find out how others have wronged him.”10 A person’s behavior is determined by factors beyond his control (God, religion, parents). But the Bible makes it clear that regardless of the past, no one can blame another for his own bad behavior.

The fatalism of astrology is another deterministic escape hatch. Enthusiasts of astrology desire the power to control their destiny in spite of the fatalism of the system. In a practical sense the fatalism is useful to the extent that it offers an escape from moral responsibility.

XII. Conclusion

In this last section we have considered only a few of the implications of the divine sovereignty/human responsibility mystery. The biblical truths involved in God’s sovereign purpose and control of His universe should lead us to a greater appreciation of God Himself. The more we meditate on these things, the more we can picture His loving concern, wisdom, holiness, and greatness.

Make me understand your ways, O Lord!

Teach me your paths!

Guide me into your truth and teach me.

For you are the God who delivers me;

on you I rely all day long.

Remember your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,

for you have always acted in this manner.

(Ps. 25:4-6).

"My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Father’s hand. The Father and I are one" (John 10:27-30).

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38-39).