by
Roger Smalling, D.Min
Based on:
The Bible (ESV)
The Westminster Confession
Unlocking Grace by Roger Smalling
Lesson One: Sovereignty of God
Lesson Three: Justification by faith
Lesson Four: Election and predestination
Lesson Five: Sacrifice of Christ
Lesson Six: Unity and universality of the church
Lesson Seven: Security of the elect
Lesson Eight: Covenant, the golden chain
Appendix: Doctrines of grace in church history
This studentÕs guide is arranged to make an introduction to the doctrines of grace as simple as possible. It is the same as the teacherÕs guide but with answers removed. It works best in a Sunday School or home group setting where discussion of the various points is permitted. The facilitator of a group study should have the teacherÕs guide in hand.
This guide is a translation from a Spanish text that follows an acrostic, Si, Jesœs. It could be arranged according to the famous tulip acrostic in English but that would require extensive rewriting. This arrangement allows for chapters on a couple of key points, namely sovereignty of God and justification that fit poorly into the tulip acrostic.
It also follows the textbook, Unlocking Grace, available in electronic from Smalling's web site. Homework reading follows each lesson.
Define the sovereignty of God, prove it biblically and show why it is the foundation for a strong Christian faith.
This word means total control. As regards God, the Scriptures teach that all of reality is a product of divine decrees made before the creation of the world.
á
Only a sovereign
God can guarantee his promises.
á
The sovereignty
of God is the only grounds for giving him glory.
á
It is the only
grounds for prayer. Why pray to a God who is not sovereign?
Is it possible that sovereignty may have a limit? Yes ______ No ________
á
á
What is the name the apostles called God in this
prayer? ________________
According to Jude 4, what is the a good way to detect false teachers who profess to be Christians? What is it they deny? ____________________
Therefore, the first evidence for the sovereignty of God
is that the term sovereign is part of
________________.
In Acts 4:24, the apostles implied that God is sovereign. What was the reason? ________________________
What does God own according to Job 41:11? ________________________
á
Of what is God the owner according to Psalm
24:1? ________________
á
What does God own according to Ezekiel 18:4? ____________________
Therefore the second evidence for the sovereignty of God
is that ____________________________________
In Acts 4:27-28, what made it possible that the enemies of
Jesus do what they did? For the
answer, compare this text with Psalm 33:11 and Proverbs 19:21. _____________
According to Hebrews 6:17, God wanted to show the heirs of
his promise the ________________________________________.
Immutable means Òunchangeable.Ó Scripture expresses GodÕs unchangeable nature in other ways than the word immutable. Examples are: James 1:17; Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19;
My counsel shall
stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose, Is 46:10
How does the concept of immutable decrees prove the
sovereignty of God? ____________________________________________
Therefore, the third evidence for the sovereignty of God
is that GodÕs decrees are ____________________________________
What did the apostles ask God to do? ____________
Therefore, the fourth evidence for the sovereignty of God is that he has the power to ________________________________
What is the attribute of God described in Revelation 1:8? ____________________
What attribute of God is described in 1John 3:20? ____________________
What attribute of God is described in Psalm 139:8? ____________________
Discussion
á
If anything could happen outside GodÕs control,
what would this indicate about his attributes?
á
Are these
attributes implied in the apostleÕs prayer? If so, in what ways?
Therefore, the fifth evidence for the sovereignty of God is ________________________________________
If God is sovereign, why does he permit evil? This text
shows the righteousness of God in permitting evil and offers to Christians an
answer that can be used to defend their faith relative to this specific issue.
According to Acts 4:27-28, what determined that Pontius
Pilate, the gentiles and the people of Israel were going to do? ________________________
Did God force those people to do anything they did not want to do? Yes _____ No ________
Did God force these people to do anything they did not want to do? Yes _____ No ________
Did the enemies of Jesus act according to their own desires? Yes ______ No _______
Did the actions of those wicked people result in any good? If the answer is yes, what was that result? ________________________________
Was the good that resulted greater than the evil done? Yes ______ No _______
Based on the previous questions, what can we conclude about
the way God uses evil? ________________________________________________________
The meaning of your hand and your plan in verse 28: Optional
The term plan in
Greek is boulŽ and means ÒpurposeÓ or Òintention.Ó It is used as
ÒpurposeÓ in Ephesians 1:11. With what doctrine is it associated in that
text? ________________________
Therefore, the term, your hand and your plan means ____________________
The objection that God is not good if he permits evil can be refuted in this way: The objection assumes that good cannot come out of evil. The cross refutes that. Even events in ordinary life refutes it. We have all experienced circumstance in which some good results from a bad event.
Suggested readings: Sovereignty
and Suffering and How Could a Good God
Permit Evil?
Providence refers to the outworking of GodÕs government and control over all creation. Although the term sovereign covers the fact of total control, the word providence emphasizes the means by which he controls.
God normally expresses his sovereign control indirectly. He works through circumstances and people to
accomplish his decrees. This is sometimes called the doctrine of means, that
is, he uses means to the end rather than acting directly.
When he acts
directly, without means, we call these creative miracles. These are
rare, such as the resurrection of Jesus, certain miracles of healing or Jesus
turning water into wine.
Examples of God using means to the end:
á
God opened the
Red Sea by a strong east wind that blew all night.
á
God used Esther
to save the Jew from extinction.
á
He used Joshua to
conquer the promised land.
á
Sovereign is
an absolute term meaning total control.
á God is sovereign because the term sovereign is part of certain of his names.
á God is sovereign because he is creator, owner and sustainer of all creation.
á God is sovereign because his decrees are unchangeable.
á God is sovereign because he is able to do miracles.
á God is sovereign because his three incommunicable attributes allow for nothing less.
á God allows evil in order to produce a greater good. He uses even wicked people to accomplish benevolent purposes.
á The apostles understood this principle and expressed it in their prayers.
á Providence refers to GodÕs government over all things. God is active in everything and passive in nothing.
Chapters One and Two in Unlocking Grace; Chapters Three and Five of WCF; Romans 3 in the New Testament. (Note: The reading assignment is a bit heavy for this first lesson only because the student needs to be prepared for the next lesson as well as review Lesson One.)
Define grace more clearly by showing that man is incapable of contributing anything to his salvation, whether by word, will or works.
Our view of saving grace will affect our self-concept, prayer life, ability to trust GodÕs promises of God, the way we evangelize and everything else involved in our theology and walk with God.
In Christianity two concepts about grace are in conflict. Everyone grants that the word grace means unmerited favor. The conflict revolves around the idea of how that favor is obtained.
One viewpoint claims that saving grace is the result of a cooperative work between God and man. The other asserts that saving grace is a sovereign work of God, independent of any foreseen quality or merit that a person may have.
Only one of these viewpoints can be correct. The answer has to do with the question of whether a sinner is able to cooperate with God on his own initiative, without grace.
Answer the following questions about those who are not justified by faith in Christ.
á
How many
righteous exist? ________
á
How many
understand? ________
á
How many seek
after God? ________
á
How many do
good? ________
á
How many fear
God? ____
Discussion: We have all met unbelievers who do good works. Some unbelievers say they have been seeking after God. How do we reconcile this with Romans 3?
Therefore, the first evidence for the inability of man is
his moral condition as described in ____________________.
In Romans 5:12-20, we find four things humanity inherits
from the fall of Adam. What are these and in which verses are they found?
á
á
á
á
Read Romans 5:17. Does this appear just?
In Romans 5:15, what is meant by the phrase, the grace of God and the free gift by the
grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
Adam was innocent before the fall. What do believers in
Christ inherit, according to verse 19? How does this relate to 2Corinthians
5:21? For our sake he made him to be sin
who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Therefore, the second evidence for the inability of man is the fall of Adam (original sin) and the corruption we inherit.
What does Jesus say about the
innate ability of man to come to him? ____________________________________________________
What is
the result when a person is drawn to Christ? ______________________________________________________
In verse 65, what is the origin of
saving faith? ________________________
Therefore, the third evidence for the inability of man is
that sinners cannot put their faith in Christ without ________________________________.
á Rom 8:7 ____________________________________
á 1Cor 2:14 ___________________________________
á
2Cor 4:4 ___________________________________
á
Eph 4:18
___________________________________
á
2Tim 2:25 ___________________________________
Therefore, the fourth evidence for the inability of man
is that the mind of sinners is blinded by __________ is hostile to God and unable to repent without
special divine assistance.
á Because of the fall of Adam, we inherit a sinful nature incapable of commending itself to God.
á Romans Chapter Three is a good description of the more inability of man.
á Jesus taught that a person cannot come to Christ without a special drawing of the Father.
á Numerous Bible texts show that the mind of sinners is enslaved by Satan and sin to the point that he cannot free himself without GodÕs intervention.
Put T for True or F for False.
1. ______ Saving grace is granted when a sinner does enough good works to show his sincerity.
2. ______ The word grace means Òunmerited favor.Ó
3. ______ Saving grace is the result of a cooperative effort between God and man.
4. ______ Jesus taught that God the Father waits patiently until the elect decide to come to Christ by their own wills.
5. ______ Repentance is a gift of the grace of God.
Chapter Three in Unlocking Grace; Chapters Eleven and Fourteen in the WFC; Romans 5 in the New Testament
Show that justification by faith alone in Christ alone is the gospel and nothing else is.
Justification: The legal declaration from God that a person is righteous relative to the divine law. The basis of that declaration is the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to the person by faith alone.
á It is a _____ declaration from God.
á It is according to GodÕs _______________.
á Its basis is the perfect _______________of Christ.
á This righteousness is _______________to the believer as his own.
á The means is by __________alone.
Does the term justification
mean Òmade righteousÓ or Òdeclared righteous?Ó See Luke 7:29; 16:15; 1Timothy 3:16.
Justification means
_________________________.
Justification does
not mean _________________________.
Verse 6 — so quickly deserting
Verse 7 — Only
one gospel
Verses 8,9 — accursed
Read Romans 1:16-20, 2:5,8; 4:15
According to these verses, from what is the gospel designed to save us? __________________________________________________
The problem to resolve in the gospel is how to get the _______________
necessary to escape the _______________.
What is the frame of reference as to the meaning of the word
righteousness? Deut 4:8; Rom 2:13
What is the frame of reference as to the meaning of the word
sin? 1John 3:4
What is the frame of reference as to the meaning of the word
judgment? Romans 2:12 _________________________
According to Romans 8:4, does God require that the
righteousness of the law be fulfilled in Christians? Yes _____ No ______
Does the moral law apply to the entire world or only to believers? Romans 3:19 _____________________________________________
What does the law reveal about God in Romans 3:1-4 ____________________
What does the law reveal about man in Romans 3:19,20 ____________________
What is revealed to us by the law, according to Romans 3:20
and 7:7? __________
According to Romans 3:22, what is the source of
righteousness? __________
By means of what does righteousness come? __________
To whom does it come? _________________________
According to Philippians 3:9, how is this same concept
expressed as in Romans 3:22? _____________________________________________
(The theological term for this is imputation. It means Òattribute to the account of a person that which belongs to another.Ó See Unlocking Grace, chapter three for a fuller explanation.)
Look throughout Romans 4
and find uses of the word counted.
________________________________________
Éjust as David also
speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from
works: Rom 4:6
blessed is the man
against whom the Lord will not count his sin.Ó Rom 4:8
(This doctrine is called commutation. It means the exchange of one thing for another between two parties. The result of commutation is called reconciliation. A further discussion of reconciliation by Paul is found in Romans Chapter 5 and Colossians Chapter 2.)
What was attributed to Christ
according to 2Corinthians 5:21? _______________
What was attributed to our account? ______________________________
á Forgiveness of sins
á Imputation of the righteousness of Christ
For whom is reserved the gift of justification? _______________
What is the final result? ____________________
What precedes justification? ____________________
According to Romans 8:33,34É
What is GodÕs attitude toward those who are justified? ____________________
Who does God justify according to these verses? _________________________
What does Christ continue doing on behalf of those
justified? _______________
What other doctrines are associated with these verse on justification?
What is the definition of faith according to Romans 4:21? ____________________________________________________________
According to verse 11, what is it that brings salvation? ____________________
According to verse 12, what does grace produce in us after we are saved? _____________________________________________
According to verse 14, for what do those who are saved have zeal? _______________
According to verse 18,
how does genuine saving faith manifest itself? _____________
Do demons have a kind of faith? ______________________________
How is faith made perfect according verse 22? _________________________
The fundamental difference between Catholicism and the Bible as to salvation and its relationship to works:
Catholic: Faith + works= salvation
Biblical: Faith= salvation + works
What is the central problem in the lives of these supposed believers? ________________________________________
Do these verses say that
Jesus takes away their salvation?
________________________________________
If justification is the gospel, how does regeneration fit in? Is it included in justification?
Regeneration is a theological term used in the Titus text and expressed elsewhere in the New Testament as born again[1] or born of the spirit. [2]
On which doctrine does Paul base our possession of eternal life? ____________________
Which comes first: Regeneration or justification? _________________________
Important: Justification is always associate with faith in the New Testament. Regeneration is never associated with faith.
From the above considerations, reformed theologians hold that regeneration is a sovereign and preparatory work of the Holy Spirit to make justification by faith possible.
Therefore, contrary to the belief of many, the message Òyou must be born again,Ó is not the gospel. Justification by faith is the gospel. Likewise, it is an error to say, Òif you have faith, you will be born again.Ó Faith will get you justified but at that point, regeneration will have already taken place.
Regeneration is therefore not included in justification but
simply precedes it. The correct order of events is regenerationˆfaithˆjustification.
á The problem to resolve in the gospel is how to obtain the righteousness necessary to escape divine justice.
á The moral law is the only frame of reference for defining what is the righteousness we need.
á God requires that the perfect righteousness of the law be fulfilled in us.
á God counts the righteousness of Christ to believers as their own.
á God has reconciled us to himself by counting the guilt of our sins to Christ and the righteousness of Christ to us.
á Faith is the conviction that God is able to fulfill his promises. It is not a mystical or emotional experience.
á Nay all that is called faith is saving faith.
á Obedience, manifested by good works, is the inevitable result of biblical faith.
á Regeneration, born again, is a sovereign preparatory work of the Spirit preceding justification by faith.
1. ______ God accepts as legally righteous those who trust in Christ.
2. ______ God sometimes accepts accusations against justified people.
3. ______ In PaulÕs mind, justification and salvation are synonyms.
4. ______ The apostle Paul was tolerant toward those who had another perspective of the gospel message that his.
5. ______ Human conscience is an appropriate frame of reference for defining moral terms.
6. ______ Jesus intercedes for all, the elect and the non elect equally.
7. ______ Justification by faith alone in Christ alone is the gospel.
8. ______ Crediting the righteousness of Christ to the believer is the basis of our security of salvation.
9. ______ The biblical evidence that a person has saving faith is the ability to manifest spiritual gifts.
10. ______ Biblical faith results in salvation plus good works.
Chapter Four in Unlocking Grace;
Chapter Three in the WCF; Romans 9 in the New
Testament
Show that God is sovereign in salvation as in everything else. This grants a solid sense of security to those know they have been saved by grace.
These two words, election and predestination are similar and overlap in parts of the New Testament.
Election refers to GodÕs eternal decree to save certain people by grace, without regard to any foreseen virtues in them.
Predestination refers to the GodÕs providence over circumstances to guarantee the fulfillment of his eternal decrees regarding his elect.
Éwho saved us and called
us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose
and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 2Tim. 1:9
Three chapters in particular in the New Testament mention election and predestination with great clarity: Romans 9; Ephesians 1; John 17.
In choosing between Jacob and Esau, did God take into consideration their respective good or bad works? Yes _____ No _______
According to verse 13, does GodÕs love extend equally to the elect and the non elect? Yes _____ No _______
Does Paul recognize any unfairness in GodÕs sovereign election? Yes _____ No _______
What explanation does God offer in verse 15 as to why he has
mercy on some and not others? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
According to verse 16, what does God NOT take into account in choosing his
elect?
____________________________________________________________
According to verse 17, why did God arrange for Pharaoh to
come to power?
____________________________________________________________
What is the conclusion Paul draws from the two previous illustrations, according to verse 18? __________________________________________________
People frequently complain about the doctrine of election by saying, ÒThat does not seem fair!Ó In verses 19 and 20, does Paul anticipate that objection? Yes _____ No _______
How does the above objection actually confirm what Paul is
teaching?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What are the two reasons
for which God created humanity?
____________________________________________________________
According to verse 4, when did God choose us and what was
the purpose behind his choice? ______________________________________________________
In the light of verse 4, which of the two statements is correct? Mark the correct one:
_____ God chose some because he foresaw they would be holy and without blame
_____ God chose some to make them holy and without blame.
According to verse 5, what is the immediate benefit for
believers of predestination? ______________________________
According to verse 6, what benefit does God himself receive
from predestinating us?
___________________________________
According to verse 7, what are the results of GodÕs decree
of predestination? __________________________________________________
According to verse 11, does God predestine people arbitrarily? Yes ____ No ______
In this chapter, John does not use the words predestination or election. Instead, he uses the phrase those you have given me.
According to verse 6, to whom does Jesus manifest the name
of the Father?
_____________________________________________
In verse 9, for whom does Jesus pray and for what does he
not pray?
_______________________________________________________
In verses 11, 12 and 15, what does Jesus pray to the Father to do with those who the Father has given to him? ___________________________________
Based on verse 26, describe the kind of love the Father has
toward those he has given to Jesus. __________________________________________________
Is faith the cause of election or is election the cause of faith? See Acts 13:48; Titus 1:1 ___________________________________
What was the cause of the faith of believers in Achaia, Acts 18:27? _____________
According to John 6:44, 64 what or who is the cause of
saving faith? ____________
Irresistible grace or effectual call are terms theologians use for the work of the Holy Spirit in drawing the elect to Christ through the gospel.
General is the gospel preached to everyone, without regard to who may be elect.
Special is the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in the elect to produce regeneration, faith and justification, in that order.
We see the differences between general and special call in verses like Mathew 22:13; Acts 2:39; 1Corinthians 1:22-24.
How many of the predestined are called? _____
How many of the called are justified? _____
How many of the justified are glorified? _____
What does not count relative to our election? __________
What two things does this verse mention as the basis of our
election?
___________________________________
According to these verses, what does God promise to those
who are called? ____________________
á Election is the eternal decree of God to save certain people. Predestination is the GodÕs sovereign control over everything to guarantee that his decree of election is accomplished.
á God gives faith to elect that they might be saved.
á With the three illustrations in Romans 9, Paul demonstrates that the decree of election has nothing to do with foreseen good works or good will in the elect.
á God promises final sanctification to the elect.
á According to John 17, God the Father sent Jesus to save out of the world those he had given him. Jesus intercedes for those only, not for the world. The Father loves them with the love with which he loves Jesus.
á Although the gospel should be preached to all, only the elect receive a special call from God.
á
In theology, this special call is called effectual call or irresistible grace.
1. ______ God grants saving faith to the elect.
2. ______ God choses those who he knows beforehand have good will.
3. ______ The word election refers to the GodÕs sovereign decree to save by grace certain chosen people.
4. ______ God chose us because he foresaw that we would be holy and blameless.
5. ______ The term general call refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in calling the elect.
6. ______ The term special call refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing the elect to faith in Christ through the gospel.
7. ______ The immediate result of the work of the Holy Spirit in effectual call is justification.
Chapter Five in Unlocking Grace; Chapter Eight in the WCF; Romans 8:32-34 in the New Testament
To show that the benefits of the sacrifice of Christ apply to the elect and those only, thus guaranteeing an infallible salvation.
In theology, this doctrine is call particular redemption because the cross was intended to save certain individuals in particular — the elect — not humanity in general.
Sometimes it is called limited atonement because the sacrifice of Christ is limited to the elect. Some theologians dislike this term because all doctrines of atonement are limited in some way. The term limited fails to express the reformed intent in defining ChristÕs sacrifice in its power and intent.
According to these verses, is it possible for anyone for whom Christ died to perish? Yes ______ No ______
In verse 32, what did God do to ensure the elect would receive all the benefits of salvation? ______________________________
In verse 33, who does God justify? _________________________
In verse 33, what does
God not do against his elect?
__________________________________________________
In verse 34, why are the elect not condemned?
_________________________
Therefore, the first evidence for particular redemption
is that those for whom Christ died cannot be _______________.
According to the Gospel of John, Jesus came to save only those whom the Father had given him. This explains for whom he died.
According to John 6:39, who did Jesus come to save? ____________________
According to John 18:9, did Jesus accomplish that purpose? Yes _______ No _____
For whom did Jesus give his life, according to John 10:15? _______________
For whom did Jesus pray, according to John 17:9 and for whom did he not pray?
________________________________________
Therefore, the second evidence for particular redemption is that Christ came to save ___________________________________.
The priesthood in the Old Testament had two functions: Sacrifice and intercession. The priest intercede only for those for whom the he offered sacrifice and no others. This fore type is fulfilled in the ministry of Christ who is both the sacrifice and the priest who offers it.
According to verse 13, for whom were the Old Testament
sacrifices offered? For Jews alone or for others ____________________
According to verse 15, who receives the promise of an
eternal inheritance and why?
________________________________________
Therefore, the third evidence for particular redemption is that Christ is the ________________________________________
According to Matthew 1:21, Jesus come ____________________.
According to John 10:15 , Jesus laid down is life for _______________.
According to Ephesians 5:25, Jesus give himself for _______________.
According to Hebrews 9:15, ChristÕs death redeems ____________________.
Therefore, the fourth evidence for particular redemption
is that Christ came to save certain specific people, not all.
Does God love everyone equally or does he have a special love for the elect? Compare the following texts:
In John 17:26, what is the relationship between the love of
the Father for Jesus and his love for the elect? _______________
In Titus 3:4, the phrase lovingkindness is a single word in Greek, filantrop’a, and means Òbenevolence.Ó Note that the word is not ‡gape, reserved for only for believers.
What are the two words in Colossians 3:12 associated with the elect? _________________________
Does there exist in Ephesians 1:5,6 any connection between the divine love and predestination? Yes ______ No _____
á The cross guarantees the salvation of the elect and of them only.
á God accepts no accusations against the elect because Christ died for them.
á Christ did two things to ensure the salvation of his elect: He died for them and lives to intercede for them.
á Jesus is the high priest of the elect and intercedes for them that the Father may preserve them.
á The Father loves the elect with the same love with which he loves Jesus.
á Jesus died to save his people, his sheep and his church.
1. ______ The sacrifice of Christ guarantees the salvation of the elect and those only.
2. ______ God accepts accusations against his elect because sometimes they behave badly.
3. ______ The death of Christ makes the justification of the elect inevitable.
4. ______ Christ interceded for the whole world.
5. ______ God loves the elect with the same love with which he loves Jesus.
Chapter Six in Unlocking Grace;
Chapter Twenty-Five in the WCF
This lesson contains ecclesiological elements that relate directly to the doctrines of grace. For a more complete study of biblical ecclesiology, see Smalling's teacherÕs guide, Biblical Church Government.
The reformers realized that Rome taught membership in the Catholic Church is a condition of salvation. According to catholic theology, the church administers salvation through its sacraments to its members.
This caused a challenge to the reformers since the Bible teaches salvation is by grace alone and takes place before becoming a member of a church. Moreover, the Bible indicates that some church members may not be saved. This produced a series of questions: What is the church and what is the work entrusted to it?
Is the concept of a visible local church found in 1Corinthians 1:2? The church is in the city of Corinth and visible to the human eye.
In which part of 1Corinthians 1:2 do we see the universality
of church?
____________________________________________________________
Therefore, the local expression of the church is called _____________________.
The universal existence of the church is called ____________________________.
Who is the head of the church according to Ephesians 1:22,23
and 5:23? __________
According to the church of Rome, the pope replaces Christ and thus has the authority to dispense grace. In biblical theology, the church represents Christ but does not replace him.
According to John 14:16 and 26, what replaces Christ in the
earth? __________
Is the invisible church limited only to those currently alive on earth? Hebrews 11:39,40 _______________________________________________________
According to Galatians 1:6-9, what is GodÕs attitude toward
those who preach a different gospel that that which Paul proclaimed? _________________________
According to Mathew 26:26-28 and PaulÕs instructions to the Corinthians in 1Corinthians 11:17-34, is the LordÕs Supper optional or mandatory in the church? ____________________
According to Mathew 28:19,20 is baptism optional or mandatory in the church? _________________________
According to 1Corinthians Chapter 5, what are the limits of
tolerance that Paul imposes inside the church with regard to the conduct of its
members? How should they treat unrepentant members? ________________________________________
á The church is a society of those who have been saved by grace.
á Christ alone is head of the church and the pope is not the head in any sense of the word.
á The visible church is a society of people who meet in a specific locality for worship. The invisible church is made up of those who have been saved in every place and epoch of history.
á The church represents Christ but does not replace him. The Holy Spirit is the replacement of Christ on earth.
á According to the reformers, the characteristics of a true church are: The faithful proclamation of the gospel, the administration of baptism and the LordÕs Supper and church discipline.
1. ______ Membership in a local church that preaches the gospel guarantees salvation.
2. ______ The church replaces Christ on earth.
3. ______ The term body of Christ refers to all those who are members of a local church.
4. ______ The local church may be considered Christian even if it preaches a distorted gospel.
Chapter Seven in Unlocking Grace;
Chapter Eighteen in the WCF; Romans 8, John 17
and Hebrews 7
Show that God preserves his elect from falling away into final apostasy and explain the means by which he does this.
The question as to whether Christians can or cannot lose their salvation has caused controversy. The reformed answer should be abundantly clear from the previous lessons. God is sovereign in salvation and therefore justifies and preserves his elect.
Those who question the security of the believer show a lack of understanding of the gospel in its depths, although they themselves may be saved.
This teaching is commonly called preservation of the elect. The term security is used here because it fits better with the original Spanish acrostic in the manual from which this is translated.
Several questions are involved with this issue:
á Who does the preserving and how?
á Can this teaching be construed in any way to involved a license to sin?
á Does God remove our free will after we are saved?
According to 1Peter 1:5, what keeps us? _________________________
In Jude 1, where does God put the believer to ensure
preservation? __________
In Jude 24 and 25, from what does God preserve us? _______________
In 2Timothy 4:18, Paul is
confident that the Lord will rescue him from one thing and will preserve him
for something else. What are those things?
____________________________________________________________
In Psalm 97:10, what is it the Lord preserves? ____________________
According to Hebrews
7:22,25, what is the guarantee that the believers will be heirs of the covenant
of grace and why?
____________________________________________________________
According to 1John 3:3, what is it that genuine Christians desire? ____________________
According to 1John 3:9, what is impossible for those in whom
Christ dwells? ________________________________________
In 1John 5:17, what characterizes those born of God and why?
_______________________________________________________
According to Galatians 5:13, what is PaulÕs warning to those
who understand their freedom in grace? ________________________________________
What does John conclude about those who leave the Christian
faith and the church, according to 1John 2:19? ________________________________________
According to 2Corinthians 13:5, did Paul believe that every member of the church was saved? _____
What does God do to ensure that the wills of the believers
will be in line with his own will, according to Philippians 2:12,13 ? ______________________________
According to the above verses, does God force Christians against their will? Yes _____ No ______
What is the principle means God uses for the growth of his children according to 1Peter 2:2? ___________________________________
What should Christians do
to receive a greater measure of grace, according to Hebrews 4:16? _______________
What is one of the means
God gives Christians to bless them according to 1Corinthians 10:16,17? _____________________________________________
What is another means of
blessing according to 1John 1:7?
_____________________________________________
What happens to believers who become negligent in their
spiritual growth, according to Hebrews 12:7-11? _________________________
According to 2Timothy 4:2, what is the role of GodÕs
ministers in the life of other Christians?
______________________________
It is important to note that the covenant of grace made with Abraham is part of GodÕs immutable decrees. This, by itself, is a strong reason for believing in the preservation of the elect.
According to Galatians 3:16-17, what is the basis of the
covenant? _______________
What is excluded as a basis for GodÕs faithfulness to the
covenant? _______________
á Sovereignty of God: If God is sovereign over all, then he is sovereign in the question of preserving his people.
á Total inability: If man is incapable of saving himself, then likewise he is unable to preserve himself as well.
á Justification by grace alone: If the righteousness of Christ was imputed to us regardless of our merits, then it cannot be removed because of our faults.
á Election by grace: If GodÕs decree to save us was made in eternity before the time began, then nothing in the current time continuum can change that now.
á Sacrifice of Christ: If the sacrifice of Christ is sufficient to cover all the sins of all the elect, then none of the sins of the elect can be the cause of their loss of salvation. No mortal sins exist for a Christian.
á Effectual call: The special call of God the Father to bring people to Christ invariably results in their eternal salvation.
á It is GodÕs power that preserves the elect by uniting us to Jesus Christ.
á Genuine Christians do not desire a license to sin.
á Jesus Christ himself will undertake to see that his people do not fall into a life of sin.
á God works through the wills of believers to do his own will.
á The inevitable proof of salvation is obedience to God.
á God uses a variety of means to preserve his people: The Scriptures, prayer and the church with its admonitions and discipline.
1. ______ It is the power of God that preserves us from falling.
2. ______ The proof of genuine salvation is obedience to the Lord.
3. ______ The doctrine of the security of the elect means that they are free to sin because they cannot lose their salvation.
4. ______ The doctrine of preservation stimulates genuine Christians to purify themselves.
5. ______ Christ preserves those who are truly born again from returning to a life of sin.
6. ______ The evidence of genuine salvation is when a person does miracles and prophecies.
7. ______ Although we are incapable of saving ourselves, we are indeed capable of preserving ourselves.
8. ______ The proof that a professing Christian is not, in fact, regenerate is when he leaves the church and returns to a life of sin.
9. ______ God is sovereign in salvation as he is in everything else.
10. ______ The covenant with Abraham is part of the divine immutable decrees and therefore constitutes a strong comfort for Christians.
Chapter Eight in Unlocking Grace; Chapter Seven in the WCF; Genesis 17 and Galatians 3
Show that the doctrines of grace are a result of a covenant God made with Abraham and fulfilled in Christ.
Why are these doctrines of grace arranged as they are and not in some other way? Do they have something in common?
These doctrines are joined like keys on a chain. The chain that holds them in common is called a covenant, which in turn is consequence of the character of God. Once we understand this, we how they are intimately interconnected.
A covenant is an agreement between two parties. A business contract is a kind of covenant. Normally contracts are agreements between equals with a view to mutual benefits.
Not so with the covenant of grace. God and man are not equals and man is in a morally helpless state incapable of contributing anything. This kind of covenant is more like the adoption of child in which the benefactor provides for the beneficiary who in turn has nothing to give in return. This is the Christian covenant.
Christians use the term covenant instead of contract, to make the distinction that God and man are not equal partners.
á Identification of the participants
á The benefits
á The conditions to fulfill
á The time limit
á How the agreement is validated.
In theology, this is called the covenant with Abraham or the Abrahamic Covenant. This was inaugurated in Genesis 17 and fulfilled in Christ in Galatians 3.
á
Who are the participants? V.1 ____________________________
á
What are the conditions? V.1 ____________________________
á What are the benefits? V.7 ______________________________
á
The time limit V.7 _______________
á
Validation V.10,11 _________________________
Find in this chapter the same Abrahamic covenant elements as in Genesis 17 above.
á
Who are the participants? V.1,7 _________________________
á
What are the conditions? V.9 ___________________________
á What are the benefits? V.8,14 _________________________
á
The time limit V.15 _______________
á
Validation V.23,24 ______________________________
á What did Paul call the covenant with Abraham in verse 8? _______________
Based on this comparison between Genesis 17 and Galatians 3, can we say that the covenant with Abraham is the Christian covenant of grace? Yes ______ No _____
End of group exercise
***
LetÕs examine each of the doctrines studied so far to see how they relate to the covenant.
According to Hebrews 6:13,14,17, how does the covenant
reflect the sovereignty of God? _____________________________________________
According to Galatians
3:13,13; 4:7, what is the moral state of man and how does the covenant meet
that need?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
According to Genesis 15:6 and Galatians 3, what is the
connection between the covenant and justification? _____________________________________________
Does there exist any connection between election and grace
in Romans 11:5?
Yes _____ No _____
What took place in Hebrews 9:13-15 to make the covenant an effective means for obtaining eternal life? ____________________________________________________________
According to Hebrews 6:13-20, why do we have security of
salvation in the covenant?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
1. The doctrines of grace are the consequence of the divine a divine covenant established with Abraham and fulfilled in Christ.
2. This covenant requires perfection as a condition for receiving the benefits.
3. Christ fulfilled the condition of perfection in his life and by his sacrifice. For this reason he is guarantor for those who trust him and they remain participants in the covenant forever.
1. _____ The covenant of grace is an agreement between God and man as equals
2. _____ The covenant of Abraham is the Christian covenant
3. _____ God is faithful to his covenant with us because he know that we will be good.
4. _____ God is faithful to his covenant with us because he is faithful to his own immutable oath.
5. _____ We are in the covenant partly by faith in Christ and partly by our obedience to the divine law.
6. _____ Another term for the covenant of grace is the gospel.
á God is sovereign in salvation just as he is in everything else.
á Fallen man is unable to will or do anything to contribute to his own salvation or to prepare himself to be saved.
á God chose from fallen humanity individuals from all ethnic groups to be recipients of his saving grace. He did this without regard to foreseen supposed good will or good works in them.
á The sacrifice of Christ on the cross guarantees the salvation of all the elect and of those only.
á The church universal consists in all the elect from everywhere and all ages of history.
á God preserves the elect from falling away from the Christian faith. He does this by various means, including paternal discipline, exhortations, the word of God, prayer and the teachings and admonitions of the church.
The following is an outline of the influence and existence of the doctrines of grace throughout church history. This serves to counter the falsehood that these doctrines are merely inventions of sixteenth century reformers.
The fathers of the first four centuries taught these doctrines. In his book The Cause of God and Truth, John Gill proves this. In this classic of reformed theology, Gill quotes extensively from those early writers, proving the would be classified as reformed if they were alive today.
Pelagius, a British monk, invented new doctrines emphasizing the will of man as the cause of salvation. Augustine took him to task in a series of treatises on grace. These include Grace and Free Will and Predestination of the Saints.
This council in Orange, France, met to decide on the validity of AugustineÕs teachings. The Canons of Orange clearly support AugustineÕs theology of grace and rejects Plagiarism, although the Catholic Church in practice still follows the line of thinking proposed by Pelagius.
Theologians during the middle ages who held to what we call today reformed theology were often labeled as Augustinians or sometimes Johannine scholars because John was one of the Bible writers who taught these doctrines.
In his monumental work Summa teol—gica (Summary of Theology), Aquinas describes and defends predestination and associated doctrines.
Converted through reading Augustine, Calvin wrote the first protestant systematic theology text, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, the most thorough exposition of the reformed faith ever written.
Martin Luther: 1484-1546
Considered the father of the reformation. Luther eventually evolved to a Calvinist position theologically. This is clear from what he himself designated as his opus magnum, The Bondage of the Will.
Jacobus Arminius was a Dutch theologian, died 1609, who invented a system of theology similar to Pelagius, challenging the teachings of the reformation. His followers expressed his views in five points called the Remonstrances (theological errors.) These five points are:
1. Freedom of the will: ManÕs will is sovereign in salvation
2. Conditional election: Election is based on foreseen faith and good works
3. Universal atonement: Christ died with the intention of saving everybody.
4. Resistible grace: Man has the power to successfully resist GodÕs saving grace.
5. Loss of salvation: Christians can lose their salvation through mortal sin.
This synod was convened in Holland to consider whether Arminianism is a legitimate alternative to reformed theology. After fifteen months of debate, the Synod declared Arminianism to be unscriptural.
The Canons of Dort were written by the reformed delegates later and are known today as the five points of Calvinism. Calvin himself is not the author of the tulip acrostic below. This acrostic was invented later by a British theology student.
1. Total depravity: ManÕs will and nature is bound in sin and unable prepare himself for salvation.
2. Unconditional election: Election is based on GodÕs sovereign choice.
3. Irresistible grace: God works in the elect so that they come to Christ willingly despite previous resistance.
4. Limited atonement: Christ died to save the elect and those only.
5. Perseverance of the elect: God sees to it that the elect will persevere.
An assembly of 151 theologians of the British isles convened to formulate the doctrinal standards of the reformation. This resulted in the Standards of Westminster, used today by Presbyterians and by the principle Baptist denominations, with some revisions. This includes the Westminster Confession and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
British Baptists adopted the Westminster
Confession in 1689 but changed the chapters on baptism and church
government, calling it The London Confession.
American Baptists accepted it in 1742 and labeled it the Philadelphia Confession.
The dynamic British evangelist John Wesley, founder of Methodism, boasted that he had never read a theology textbook. This is obvious from his ignorance of theology as expressed in his resurrection of Arminianism. He committed the typical logic errors of Arminianism previously refuted at Dort in 1618.
From WesleyÕs movement were born others such as the Nazarene denomination and from them, Pentecostals and Charismatics.
Arminians who take the time to study these issues objectively often become Calvinists. It is rare to hear of a Calvinist becoming Arminian. Arminians rarely debate Calvinists today because they come up short.
100-400 A.D. Comments by early church
fathers in their writings express these doctrines. Iraeneus, Polycarp, Chrysostom,
etc. Puritan writer John Gill writes Cause of
God and Truth, 1735, documenting this.
C.400 A.D.- Pelagius-Augustinian controversy. Augustine
writes dissertations n grace Against Pelagius and Enchiridion manual of doctrine.
529 A.D.- Council of Orange. Augustinian theology vindicated. Strong statements
favoring sovereign grace.
Dark Ages- 500-1500 A.D. Scholars holding to doctrines of
grace sometimes called Augustinians, or Johannines.
Thomas Aquinas, C.1300, Summa
Teologica
contains elements of sovereign grace doctrines.
1517- Luther begins reformation. Erasmus-Luther dispute over
free will. His Opus Magnum The Bondage of the
Will
refutes Erasmus.
1559-Calvin publishes Institutes
of the Christian Religion
1560-1609 James Arminius and the Arminian controversy
1618- Synod of Dort/ Arminianism refuted/ Five Points of
Calvinism established. Canons of Dort.
1643-1648- Westminster Assembly writes Westminster Standards. End of Reformation period.
1689- Baptists adopt Westminster Confession, with changes, London Baptist Confession
1703-1791- John Wesley and the resurgence of Arminianism.
Leads to Methodism, Nazarene, Pentecostalism and others.
1823- Southern Baptist Convention adopts the Westminster Confession at Philadelphia, with changes, the Philadelphia
Confession.