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Ok Great.
I'll just open the verses.......as that will be more helpful..
It'll have to be a 2 part post.
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1.) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
The first thing to realize, is that Paul is addressing/teaching born again Christians.. so, he's reflecting on their Status as "in Christ".
So, the term "quickened" is a beautiful KJV word that is speaking about the initial birth of the spirit, within a Believer.
To be "quickened" can also mean, to be enlightened... so in that case, the HS will enlighten an unbeliever, so that they have the revelation that they are a sinner, needing a Savior.
Also, when a Teacher like me teaches, the HS will "quicken" a student of the word......like this..
They will have a realization while im them showing them something........"oh i SEE THAT".., and what is more common is that inside them, its as if they "always understood that", yet the never did before...
And that is the HS "quickening" by revelation... a Truth, a Doctrine, inside the Student.
And of course ... this eternal quickening.... = which is when the unbeliever takes a step of faith, now that they have the revelation of the "knowledge of the Truth", after hearing the Gospel, and now they are "quickened"... enlightened.....by the HS.... and then if they place their FAITH in Christ... And then the HS will eternally quicken them spiritually, which is to birth them into God "who is A Spirit"., as born again.
So, the quickening is both the initial revelation of the Gospel as TRUE,, or its the sudden revelation of something in the word of God that is made alive in you..... and then most importantly... its the actual birthing of the spirit in the BELIEVER, is the "quickening".
And Paul is explaining that before all this happens.. all of us were dead in our sins..
This "dead" means we were not joined to GOD, as that is spiritual death, as you find it initially with Adam.. .when God told Him that he would DIE, if he ate that fruit.
And that "DEATH", is 2 fold.......and one of the understandings is symbolic but real,..... and the other is literal.
So, to "DIE", or to be dead in your sins, means that there is a separation from God, who is LIFE. So when we are born again, we are made ALIVE... having now received Eternal Life, which is God's Life.. .and when we are not born again, we dont have that, so the Bible defines this as "death".
This means that when we are born again, we are restored into that spiritual union with God that is our Eternal Life., and if this never happens then the person remains in that separation from God's LIFE, and that is "death".. and that is why the never born again who die, are referred to as being in the 2nd Death.....and that means that their eternal separation that was their first death.. has now been sealed for all eternity, because you can't be born again, after you die... = 2nd Death.
See, God is Eternal, and that means His LIFE is Eternal, and that very life, that very spiritual union with God that is Eternal Life, was lost by Adam, and that is a DEATH, symbolically tho Literal., .. it the disconnect between Adam's spirit and God's, and that is "death", which is the absence of God's Eternal Life, and that is ALL OF US in that situation, until we are BORN... Again, now having Eternal Life, now being restored to Spiritual Union with God.
So, when Adam rebelled... Adam's body died, and that is the LITERAL death, of the body.. , and his Spiritual Death happened and that is also a "death", which is to become separated from God's Spirit, WHO is our Eternal LIFE...
So there are 2 deaths, that Adam achieved for us all....... Spiritual, and Literal., and Christ went to The Cross to UNDO that, for us.. so that By Jesus Stripes we were healed....both Spiritually NOW< and later, we get a NEW Body that will never die, that is designed for our born again Spirit.
Reader,
When we are born again, the Spiritual Death that we existed within, that is to have no spiritual union with God, who is Eternal Life, is RESTORED.. and that is what it means to be BORN AGAIN.
However, our "body is dead because of sin", right now.... and isn't restored at new birth.. But later, we get a NEW BODY, AS THIS is a part of "The Gift of Salvation".
2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
So, here... Paul is just expanding the understanding of what we were doing when we were in our Sin, not born again.
And notice He says.."the Spirit that works in the children of Disobedience'.
That is the Devil's nature, as the Devil's nature is the SIN Nature.
Those are the unbelievers.......WE were once those children.. and that "spirit" is the adamic nature that is literally the nature of the Devil.. and before we became God's, we were this....>>"" YOU are of YOUR FATHER, the DEVIL, and the LUSTS of your FATHER you shall do".. See that? That is the : "children of disobedience".. that is an unbeliever, never born again. That was us ALL, before we trusted in Christ and were born again.
When we are born again, we become a "new creation in Christ" and we now have a NEW Spiritual Father, who is "Our Father who art in Heaven".
The father of all unbelievers, never born again, is the Devil.
So, when we are born again, we have changed Spiritual Fathers.
See that?
And that is why Jesus told you, that you "MUST be born again"........ or you will remain a child of the Devil.
3.) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
This is more of the same, as ive just explained....so, no need to be redundant. Paul is just expanding the same previous concept.
4.) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Two of the attributes of God's heart and personality is "mercy" and "love".
God is Love.
Salvation is Mercy
Grace is Mercy
5.) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
This is explained by another verse Paul wrote... so lets compare "scripture with scripture"..
"God commendeth His Love toward us, in that while we were STILL (Yet) sinners, Christ died for us"..
Another verse by Paul that defines it is....>"To Those who worketh not ...but believe in God who JUSTIFIES THE UNGODLY, our/their FAITH.....is counted (by God), as (Christ's) Righteousness", = that is imputed unto them...
6.) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
This is explaining that the born again Spirit, that is the REAL YOU, (not your body), is now "in Christ" and "one with God"... and that is why the born again are defined as "seated in Heavenly Places"... With THEM.
This is another way of explaining that the born again are "translated from DARKNESS... to LIGHT".
Its simply telling us that our born again Spirit is now Joined to God and Christ and exists in the KOG., as they are the KOG and all the born again are "in Christ" and "one with God".
Part 2.
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7) . That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
The bible is a book of progressive revelation..
its this..... "God is doing this with Mankind, and its being Revealed" in the bible,.... as well as what is happening to man, and will happen next"..
And part of that revelation is that God foreknew that Man would fall, and he had already prepared in his Foreknowledge the solution for that "lost" situation.
= This is The Cross of Christ, as this is where God meets Man, through the redemption that is found as the Sacrifice of Christ that is the Eternal resolution of the sin of the world, one believer at a time, by FAITH.
See, The Cross of Christ has paid for man's fall, man's sin..all of it..2000 yrs ago......but, its conditioned on "FAITH in Christ" which releases God's plan of Salvation upon each believer.
SALVATION through Christ is an OFFER from God, to the World... John 3;16, and to have it, is to RECEIVE it by Faith.
When you Take Christ by Faith, .. God take you for eternity.
He wont force you to believe, and He will never let you go, once you do give Him YOUR Faith, in Christ.
8.) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
This verse trips a lot of weak Bible students right into a Theological ditch, because they read it, not understanding God's Grace.
So, the verse is saying that the gift of God, is= ... the GRACE that saved you... by Faith..
Thats the Gift...Its God's Grace that accepts you based on your faith.
YOUR "faith is counted by God, as (Christ's) Righteousness.
God is not looking for His faith, He's looking for YOURS as you are the BELIEVER< or not.
YOU Choose that., or not, and God honors your choice all the way to Heaven, or all way to Hell.
Welcome to your Free Will.. use it wisely. .. CHOOSE to believe in Christ, before you die.
So..
the Calvinist and other heretics, read it incorrectly as... "the faith is the gift".
But Faith is not the Gift....The Gift is God's Mercy.. The Gift is God's GRACE.
So, this one verse, has been used by Heretics for a very long time... to create many false Theologies.
Just remember that its the GRACE of God, The Mercy of God that is the Gift, and not the Faith.
9) . Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Here is a verse that destroys any religious persons self righteousness... As a religious person, both lost and born again, who doesn't understand that Salvation is a FREE GIFT........will put themselves under a SELF Righteous yoke of performing for God, to try to STAY SAVED.
That is defined as : LEGALISM.
And there are many ways this SELF Righteousness, manifests as false theology.
The simple way to understand Legalism, is that the person is trying to save themselves, or keep themselves saved.
And they wil have a LIST of Do's and Don't do's, that they are trying to obey, as that is their FAITH.
Its in themselves.. its in their self effort... vs, faith in Christ alone.
So, when you are that one, you have no faith in Christ, you only have faith that you have to work to try to not lose your Salvation.
You are a self saver......and This is Broken Faith, or No Faith at all., in Christ.
10.) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
The born again, are "new Creations".. who have become "the Temple of the Holy Spirit."
That is how we are become "God's Workmanship".
So, God has REMADE you, from the Inside ... by restoring your relationship to Himself, in Spiritual Union.
This means that "God who is A Spirit" has performed a remarkable WORK, that is the BIRTH of the SPIRIT within a BELIEVER, back into Himself, as Salvation... And that WORK....restores the BELIEVER bcak into SONSHIP with God, as Adam had it, before he threw it away in rebellion.
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7) . That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
The bible is a book of progressive revelation..
its this..... "God is doing this with Mankind, and its being Revealed" in the bible,.... as well as what is happening to man, and will happen next"..
And part of that revelation is that God foreknew that Man would fall, and he had already prepared in his Foreknowledge the solution for that "lost" situation.
= This is The Cross of Christ, as this is where God meets Man, through the redemption that is found as the Sacrifice of Christ that is the Eternal resolution of the sin of the world, one believer at a time, by FAITH.
See, The Cross of Christ has paid for man's fall, man's sin..all of it..2000 yrs ago......but, its conditioned on "FAITH in Christ" which releases God's plan of Salvation upon each believer.
SALVATION through Christ is an OFFER from God, to the World... John 3;16, and to have it, is to RECEIVE it by Faith.
When you Take Christ by Faith, .. God take you for eternity.
He wont force you to believe, and He will never let you go, once you do give Him YOUR Faith, in Christ.
8.) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
This verse trips a lot of weak Bible students right into a Theological ditch, because they read it, not understanding God's Grace.
So, the verse is saying that the gift of God, is= ... the GRACE that saved you... by Faith..
Thats the Gift...Its God's Grace that accepts you based on your faith.
YOUR "faith is counted by God, as (Christ's) Righteousness.
God is not looking for His faith, He's looking for YOURS as you are the BELIEVER< or not.
YOU Choose that., or not, and God honors your choice all the way to Heaven, or all way to Hell.
Welcome to your Free Will.. use it wisely. .. CHOOSE to believe in Christ, before you die.
So..
the Calvinist and other heretics, read it incorrectly as... "the faith is the gift".
But Faith is not the Gift....The Gift is God's Mercy.. The Gift is God's GRACE.
So, this one verse, has been used by Heretics for a very long time... to create many false Theologies.
Just remember that its the GRACE of God, The Mercy of God that is the Gift, and not the Faith.
9) . Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Here is a verse that destroys any religious persons self righteousness... As a religious person, both lost and born again, who doesn't understand that Salvation is a FREE GIFT........will put themselves under a SELF Righteous yoke of performing for God, to try to STAY SAVED.
That is defined as : LEGALISM.
And there are many ways this SELF Righteousness, manifests as false theology.
The simple way to understand Legalism, is that the person is trying to save themselves, or keep themselves saved.
And they wil have a LIST of Do's and Don't do's, that they are trying to obey, as that is their FAITH.
Its in themselves.. its in their self effort... vs, faith in Christ alone.
So, when you are that one, you have no faith in Christ, you only have faith that you have to work to try to not lose your Salvation.
You are a self saver......and This is Broken Faith, or No Faith at all., in Christ.
10.) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
The born again, are "new Creations".. who have become "the Temple of the Holy Spirit."
That is how we are become "God's Workmanship".
So, God has REMADE you, from the Inside ... by restoring your relationship to Himself, in Spiritual Union.
This means that "God who is A Spirit" has performed a remarkable WORK, that is the BIRTH of the SPIRIT within a BELIEVER, back into Himself, as Salvation... And that WORK....restores the BELIEVER bcak into SONSHIP with God, as Adam had it, before he threw it away in rebellion.
God does not save all people without exception, but God does offer The Cross of Christ to ALL people, without exception.
Any Theology that denies That Jesus died for us ALL... denies THE Cross......>> because ... "Christ came into the world to save SINNERS" not just the "elect" as demonic heresy teaches..
"Christ came into the WORLD....to seek and save.. that which is LOST">....... and EVERYONE is "Lost"..until they trust in Christ..... So, if a Theology changes that into "pre-destined elect only", then you are dealing with a Demonic "doctrine of devils" that has Theologically FALSELY changed the Way that God offers The Cross of Christ.
Thats a false Gospel.. = Galatians 1:8
This type of Theology, is CROSS DENYING Heresy., and its all over this Forum, as its being Taught, here, all the time.
Its taught on EVERY "christian" forum, nearly..... about 99% of them..
So, The Cross of Christ, is explained in John 3:16, and is offered to us ALL.. to "ALL who will believe".
John 3:16 defines the "All" as "the WORLD"... thats EVERYONE IN IT< since The Cross was Raised.
"Predestined Elect" Theology, denies this TRUTH, regarding THE CROSS...., and that is why its a "doctrine of Devils".... Hebrews 13:9
Any Theology that denies That Jesus died for us ALL... denies THE Cross......>> because ... "Christ came into the world to save SINNERS" not just the "elect" as demonic heresy teaches..
"Christ came into the WORLD....to seek and save.. that which is LOST">....... and EVERYONE is "Lost"..until they trust in Christ..... So, if a Theology changes that into "pre-destined elect only", then you are dealing with a Demonic "doctrine of devils" that has Theologically FALSELY changed the Way that God offers The Cross of Christ.
Thats a false Gospel.. = Galatians 1:8
This type of Theology, is CROSS DENYING Heresy., and its all over this Forum, as its being Taught, here, all the time.
Its taught on EVERY "christian" forum, nearly..... about 99% of them..
So, The Cross of Christ, is explained in John 3:16, and is offered to us ALL.. to "ALL who will believe".
John 3:16 defines the "All" as "the WORLD"... thats EVERYONE IN IT< since The Cross was Raised.
"Predestined Elect" Theology, denies this TRUTH, regarding THE CROSS...., and that is why its a "doctrine of Devils".... Hebrews 13:9
Ritajanice
Born-Again
Short commentary ,
What is the difference between human faith and supernatural faith?
In natural faith there is no relationship with God, it is simply given to us to live a normal life in this world. On the other hand, supernatural faith is divine, it comes from the Throne of God and into the hearts of the sincere.
What is the difference between human faith and supernatural faith?
In natural faith there is no relationship with God, it is simply given to us to live a normal life in this world. On the other hand, supernatural faith is divine, it comes from the Throne of God and into the hearts of the sincere.
"Human faith" is what God gives to everyone... Paul defines it as "The measure of Faith".
So, when we take THIS faith that is OURS..., and we place it in Christ, and God accepts OUR Faith, and forgives us, and gives us the new birth
Super Natural faith, is a "Spiritual Gift" of faith that God gives to the born again.
Its one of the 9 "Spiritual gifts", and its only for the Born Again Christian, same as the rest of the Spiritual Gifts.
Ritajanice
Born-Again
Supernatural faith, that makes it special, for me, mind Blowing also.
To be gifted the supernatural gift of faith, to one’s heart, when I was baptised in the Spirit/ Born Again..has been the biggest Honour and privelage,to know God in one’s heart is, as I said earlier, mind Blowing .
Our testimonies should Glorify God and his supernatural powers, which are beyond our comprehension,..not our intellectual knowledge of scripture ...which just puffs us up.
Spiritual Knowledge starts in the heart...there it will grow..it doesn’t get any better than that, a heart that is right before the Lord.imo of course.
2:25), faith is also a supernatural gift of God. Ephesians 2:8–9 affirms this: “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
One imo doesn’t realise how weak human faith is, compared to the gift of supernatural faith... on saying that...we have to come to understanding Gods gift of faith, we also have to exercise our faith...33years it’s taken for me to understand supernatural faith...God is in control of every area of our lives, let him lead us through our life, fully surrender to his will/ways..that was the key for me..forever learning in the spirit..just my thoughts.
To be gifted the supernatural gift of faith, to one’s heart, when I was baptised in the Spirit/ Born Again..has been the biggest Honour and privelage,to know God in one’s heart is, as I said earlier, mind Blowing .
Our testimonies should Glorify God and his supernatural powers, which are beyond our comprehension,..not our intellectual knowledge of scripture ...which just puffs us up.
Spiritual Knowledge starts in the heart...there it will grow..it doesn’t get any better than that, a heart that is right before the Lord.imo of course.
2:25), faith is also a supernatural gift of God. Ephesians 2:8–9 affirms this: “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
One imo doesn’t realise how weak human faith is, compared to the gift of supernatural faith... on saying that...we have to come to understanding Gods gift of faith, we also have to exercise our faith...33years it’s taken for me to understand supernatural faith...God is in control of every area of our lives, let him lead us through our life, fully surrender to his will/ways..that was the key for me..forever learning in the spirit..just my thoughts.
The lie of Calvin + TULIP, is that God caused you to have faith to believe, and in fact, God does not do that at all.
What God does, is reveal that Jesus is the Savior, and that you need to be saved, and then you decided..
So, its a good idea for you to stop teaching that Spiritual Gifts, given to Christians, are given to unbelievers.
As when you teach that, you are not telling the truth.
Its a good idea to stop that behavior.
Ritajanice
Born-Again
The foundation of Christian interaction with people of other religions is rooted in the Great Commandment, where Jesus teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves(Matthew 22:39). This commandment does not come with exceptions or conditions; it is a universal call to love.
People also ask
What does Jesus say about other religions?
Does the Bible say we must respect other religions?
Through rule 2, Lord Jesus has advised all of us to love, respect and show mercy to every human being in this world, which includes members of all religions
People also ask
What does Jesus say about other religions?
Does the Bible say we must respect other religions?
Through rule 2, Lord Jesus has advised all of us to love, respect and show mercy to every human being in this world, which includes members of all religions
This Thread is designed to reveal Calvinism.
So, if you want to discuss "other Religions", then that a Thread you should write., as My Thread is not that discussion.
@Ritajanice ..
My Thread is not the place for you to give us your personal biography, regarding how you view Faith.
Ok?
This is a Thread , whose Subject is Calvin., not you.
So, please write a Thread, and talk about yourself and what you "think" you believe.... there.....all you like.
Ritajanice
Born-Again
Ritajanice
Born-Again
@Bruce-Leiter do you agree with all 5 points?
I think I do...
What are the 5 main points of Calvinism?
With that basic understanding in mind, we can ask, “What does Calvinism actually say?” Many people have heard of the five points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonment, Irresistable Grace and the Perserevence of the Saints (TULIP). These five points essentially sum up Calvin's theology.
I think I do...
What are the 5 main points of Calvinism?
With that basic understanding in mind, we can ask, “What does Calvinism actually say?” Many people have heard of the five points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonment, Irresistable Grace and the Perserevence of the Saints (TULIP). These five points essentially sum up Calvin's theology.
Reader.
Have you begun to notice How deceived Calvinists, have to continually try to teach you Calvinism?
See that OBSESSION?
That is not of God.
Notice.
CHRISTians lead you to CHRIST.
CALVINISTS, lead you to CALVIN., and Calvinism is a "doctrine of Devils'.
So, do you See the problem?
They can't.,.. so be sure they dont lead you into THEIR mental trap that the NT defines as a "stronghold' in the Mind.
Ritajanice
Born-Again
The acronym TULIP..... T..,to start us off...well explained imo, by GOT.
ANSWER
Total depravity is a phrase or name that is used to summarize what the Bible teaches about the spiritual condition of fallen man. It is the “T” in the acronym TULIP, which is commonly used to enumerate what are known as the five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of grace. Because the name “total depravity” can cause people to have wrong ideas about what is meant, some people prefer to use terms like “total inability,” “righteous incapability,” “radical corruption” or even “moral inability.” Yet what is important is not the name assigned to the doctrine but how accurately the doctrine summarizes what the Bible teaches about the spiritual condition of fallen man. No matter which name you use to refer to “total depravity,” the fact remains that when properly understood it is an accurate description of what the Bible does teach on this important subject.
While often misunderstood, the doctrine of total depravity is an acknowledgement that the Bible teaches that as a result of the fall of man (Genesis 3:6) every part of man—his mind, will, emotions and flesh—have been corrupted by sin. In other words, sin affects all areas of our being including who we are and what we do. It penetrates to the very core of our being so that everything is tainted by sin and “…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). It acknowledges that the Bible teaches that we sin because we are sinners by nature. Or, as Jesus says, “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17-18).
The total depravity of man is seen throughout the Bible. Man’s heart is “deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). The Bible also teaches us that man is born dead in transgression and sin (Psalm 51:5, Psalm 58:3, Ephesians 2:1-5). The Bible teaches that because unregenerate man is “dead in transgressions” (Ephesians 2:5), he is held captive by a love for sin (John 3:19; John 8:34) so that he will not seek God (Romans 3:10-11) because he loves the darkness (John 3:19) and does not understand the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore, men suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18) and continue to willfully live in sin. Because they are totally depraved, this sinful lifestyle seems right to men (Proverbs 14:12) so they reject the gospel of Christ as foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18) and their mind is “hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is unable to do so” (Romans 8:7).
The Apostle Paul summarizes the total depravity of man in Romans 3:9-18. He begins this passage by saying that “both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.” Simply put, this means that man is under the control of sin or is controlled by his sin nature (his natural tendency to sin). The fact that unregenerate people are controlled by their selfish, sinful tendencies should not come as a surprise to any parent. What parent has to teach his or her child to be selfish, to covet what someone else has or to lie? Those actions come naturally from the child’s sin nature. Instead, the parent must devote much time to teaching the child the importance of telling the truth, of sharing instead of being selfish, of obeying instead of rebelling, etc.
Then in the rest of this passage Paul quotes extensively from the Old Testament in explaining how sinful man really is. For example, we see that 1—no one is without sin, 2—no one seeks after God, 3—there is no one who is good, 4—their speech is corrupted by sin, 5—their actions are corrupted by sin, and 6—above all, they have no fear of God. So, when one considers even these few verses, it becomes abundantly clear the Bible does indeed teach that fallen man is “totally depraved,” because sin affects all of him including his mind, will and emotions so that “there is none who does good, no not one” (Romans 3:12).
There is a common misconception regarding total depravity. Total depravity does not mean that man is as wicked or sinful as he could be, nor does it mean that man is without a conscience or any sense of right or wrong. Neither does it mean that man does not or cannot do things that seem to be good when viewed from a human perspective or measured against a human standard. It does not even mean that man cannot do things that seem to conform outwardly to the law of God. What the Bible does teach and what total depravity does recognize is that even the “good” things man does are tainted by sin because they are not done for the glory of God and out of faith in Him (Romans 14:23; Hebrews 11:6). While man looks upon the outward acts and judges them to be good, God looks upon not only the outward acts but also the inward motives that lie behind them, and because they proceed from a heart that is in rebellion against Him and they are not done for His glory, even these good deeds are like “filthy rags” in His sight. In other words, fallen man’s good deeds are motivated not by a desire to please God but by our own self-interest and are thus corrupted to the point where God declares that there is “no one who does good, no not one!”
Since Scripture is very clear that all of man is affected by sin and so much so that “no one seeks after God,” then how can anyone possibly become a Christian? The answer is that God must overcome man’s depravity in such a way that man is able to recognize his spiritual state and his hopeless condition apart from the grace of God. Man’s spiritually blind eyes must be open and the bondage of sin that renders him hopelessly enslaved must be broken so that he can respond in faith to the gospel message and the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Some Christians believe that God accomplishes this through some type of universal grace whereby God brings man to a condition where he has the ability to choose or reject Him. Others believe that for a man who is “dead in trespasses and sins” to be able to understand and respond to the gospel in faith, he must first be born again or regenerated by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3). It is only after God infuses spiritual life into a dead sinner that he can “see the kingdom of God.” Those that hold this view see this as being a sovereign act of God, whereby men are born again “not of the blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).
However, even when the doctrine of total depravity is properly understood, many people will reject the doctrine, but that fact should not surprise us, since the world generally thinks of man as being basically good. Therefore, the idea that man by nature is a depraved sinner runs contrary to most modern religious, psychological and philosophical views of the basic nature of man. But the fact is that the Bible does teach the depravity of the human heart, and the root cause of man’s problem is not the environment he is raised in but his wicked and selfish heart. Properly understood, the doctrine of total depravity will destroy the hopes of those who place their faith in any type of works-based system of salvation and will recognize that God’s sovereign grace is man’s only hope. While the doctrine of total depravity destroys man’s self-righteousness and any misconceptions about man’s ability to be saved through his own free will, it leaves one asking the same question the disciples asked of Jesus in Matthew 19:25-26: “Then who can be saved?” Of course the answer remains the same: “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:25-26).
Total depravity - is it biblical?
ANSWER
Total depravity is a phrase or name that is used to summarize what the Bible teaches about the spiritual condition of fallen man. It is the “T” in the acronym TULIP, which is commonly used to enumerate what are known as the five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of grace. Because the name “total depravity” can cause people to have wrong ideas about what is meant, some people prefer to use terms like “total inability,” “righteous incapability,” “radical corruption” or even “moral inability.” Yet what is important is not the name assigned to the doctrine but how accurately the doctrine summarizes what the Bible teaches about the spiritual condition of fallen man. No matter which name you use to refer to “total depravity,” the fact remains that when properly understood it is an accurate description of what the Bible does teach on this important subject.
While often misunderstood, the doctrine of total depravity is an acknowledgement that the Bible teaches that as a result of the fall of man (Genesis 3:6) every part of man—his mind, will, emotions and flesh—have been corrupted by sin. In other words, sin affects all areas of our being including who we are and what we do. It penetrates to the very core of our being so that everything is tainted by sin and “…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). It acknowledges that the Bible teaches that we sin because we are sinners by nature. Or, as Jesus says, “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17-18).
The total depravity of man is seen throughout the Bible. Man’s heart is “deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). The Bible also teaches us that man is born dead in transgression and sin (Psalm 51:5, Psalm 58:3, Ephesians 2:1-5). The Bible teaches that because unregenerate man is “dead in transgressions” (Ephesians 2:5), he is held captive by a love for sin (John 3:19; John 8:34) so that he will not seek God (Romans 3:10-11) because he loves the darkness (John 3:19) and does not understand the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore, men suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18) and continue to willfully live in sin. Because they are totally depraved, this sinful lifestyle seems right to men (Proverbs 14:12) so they reject the gospel of Christ as foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18) and their mind is “hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is unable to do so” (Romans 8:7).
The Apostle Paul summarizes the total depravity of man in Romans 3:9-18. He begins this passage by saying that “both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.” Simply put, this means that man is under the control of sin or is controlled by his sin nature (his natural tendency to sin). The fact that unregenerate people are controlled by their selfish, sinful tendencies should not come as a surprise to any parent. What parent has to teach his or her child to be selfish, to covet what someone else has or to lie? Those actions come naturally from the child’s sin nature. Instead, the parent must devote much time to teaching the child the importance of telling the truth, of sharing instead of being selfish, of obeying instead of rebelling, etc.
Then in the rest of this passage Paul quotes extensively from the Old Testament in explaining how sinful man really is. For example, we see that 1—no one is without sin, 2—no one seeks after God, 3—there is no one who is good, 4—their speech is corrupted by sin, 5—their actions are corrupted by sin, and 6—above all, they have no fear of God. So, when one considers even these few verses, it becomes abundantly clear the Bible does indeed teach that fallen man is “totally depraved,” because sin affects all of him including his mind, will and emotions so that “there is none who does good, no not one” (Romans 3:12).
There is a common misconception regarding total depravity. Total depravity does not mean that man is as wicked or sinful as he could be, nor does it mean that man is without a conscience or any sense of right or wrong. Neither does it mean that man does not or cannot do things that seem to be good when viewed from a human perspective or measured against a human standard. It does not even mean that man cannot do things that seem to conform outwardly to the law of God. What the Bible does teach and what total depravity does recognize is that even the “good” things man does are tainted by sin because they are not done for the glory of God and out of faith in Him (Romans 14:23; Hebrews 11:6). While man looks upon the outward acts and judges them to be good, God looks upon not only the outward acts but also the inward motives that lie behind them, and because they proceed from a heart that is in rebellion against Him and they are not done for His glory, even these good deeds are like “filthy rags” in His sight. In other words, fallen man’s good deeds are motivated not by a desire to please God but by our own self-interest and are thus corrupted to the point where God declares that there is “no one who does good, no not one!”
Since Scripture is very clear that all of man is affected by sin and so much so that “no one seeks after God,” then how can anyone possibly become a Christian? The answer is that God must overcome man’s depravity in such a way that man is able to recognize his spiritual state and his hopeless condition apart from the grace of God. Man’s spiritually blind eyes must be open and the bondage of sin that renders him hopelessly enslaved must be broken so that he can respond in faith to the gospel message and the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Some Christians believe that God accomplishes this through some type of universal grace whereby God brings man to a condition where he has the ability to choose or reject Him. Others believe that for a man who is “dead in trespasses and sins” to be able to understand and respond to the gospel in faith, he must first be born again or regenerated by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3). It is only after God infuses spiritual life into a dead sinner that he can “see the kingdom of God.” Those that hold this view see this as being a sovereign act of God, whereby men are born again “not of the blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).
However, even when the doctrine of total depravity is properly understood, many people will reject the doctrine, but that fact should not surprise us, since the world generally thinks of man as being basically good. Therefore, the idea that man by nature is a depraved sinner runs contrary to most modern religious, psychological and philosophical views of the basic nature of man. But the fact is that the Bible does teach the depravity of the human heart, and the root cause of man’s problem is not the environment he is raised in but his wicked and selfish heart. Properly understood, the doctrine of total depravity will destroy the hopes of those who place their faith in any type of works-based system of salvation and will recognize that God’s sovereign grace is man’s only hope. While the doctrine of total depravity destroys man’s self-righteousness and any misconceptions about man’s ability to be saved through his own free will, it leaves one asking the same question the disciples asked of Jesus in Matthew 19:25-26: “Then who can be saved?” Of course the answer remains the same: “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:25-26).
It is not., as it denies that God holds each of us accountable for Christ Rejection, or for Trusting in Christ.
See, This doctrine of Devils, tries to put the BLAME on GOD, for why a person does not receive Christ.
God does not accept that, as God has given each of you, Free Will and you decided to Believe in Jesus, or not.
So, if you are taught that God caused you to believe, or He didnt cause you to believe,...., = then you have been taught the Lie that you are not responsible for your Christ Rejection, or your Trust in Christ.
Don't believe this lie, as HELL is filled with people who chose to reject Jesus... and God would never cause anyone to not choose to Believe., which is the same as teaching that God didnt choose you to believe.
The fact is.. everyone has the God given FAITH, to trust in Christ, but not all will, and if you dont, you are held accountable for your choice.
So, here is the reality that a Calvinist is prevented from understanding, as Calvin and TULIP, doctrines, will blind your mind, so that you can't understand this....
A.) God can't refuse to Choose you to believe in Christ, and then send you to HELL for not believing in Christ.
Understand?
AA.) God is not a God, who would offer Christ, and then not allow you to be "chosen to believe", and then you end up in Hell because you didnt beleive in Jesus.
Do you see it?
A Calvinist, can't see this,.. A person lost in TULIP< can't see this............as that is the mind blindness that is caused by these doctrines of devils.
Its supernatural... this blinding of their mind., and they will cause you to be the same if you listen to them.. or if you decide to study Calvin's teaching or the teaching of TULIP.
These doctrines of Devils, will take your mind and deceive it......very quickly.
You have to avoid it.
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Ritajanice
Born-Again
U...commentary.
This is the second part of a series I am writing dealing with the doctrines of grace (otherwise known as the five points of Calvinism). I am writing these articles not primarily to rehash the theology of each of the points or to provide an exhaustive apologetic of Calvinism, but to draw some fresh application and to show what these doctrines mean to me as I ponder them and attempt to live in light of them. I hope to show that these doctrines of grace are more than “mere theology,” but can be integral in living out the Christian faith. I am assuming that my readers are, by and large, familiar with the Points of Calvinism. Still, I will provide a brief explanation of the doctrine before drawing application.
Today we will look at the “U” in TULIP. This doctrine is known as unconditional election, though some theologians have begun using other terms that are a little bit more precise. For example, R.C. Sproul and Steve Lawson speak of sovereign election while Michael Horton chooses to speak of grace before time. But of greater importance than the phrase are the definition and the application. We will turn to those now.
Unconditional election is one of the more contentious doctrines and the one that causes the most difficulty, for it deals with the touchy subjects of election and predestination. It is premised on several of the doctrines of God. Most notably, it is premised on God’s omnipotence and omniscience (which is to say that God is all powerful and knows everything). This doctrine teaches that God’s election of some to salvation and some to reprobation is entirely unconditional. God, in His sovereignty, makes the ultimate choice of who will be saved and who will not.
When we say that God’s choice is without conditions, it does not mean that His choice is random or haphazard but rather, to borrow the words of R.C. Sproul, that there are “no conditions attached, either foreseen or otherwise.” It is this word, unconditional, that distinguishes the Calvinistic understanding of election from other theologies. Because election is made clear in Scripture, every system of theology founded on the Bible must have some concept of it. Most teach that there are conditions to election, and most often, that the condition is God’s ability to foresee a person’s faith. In other words, on the basis of God’s knowledge that a particular person will exercise faith, He then sovereignty elects that person as His own. He knows this person will meet the conditions for election and elects him on that basis.
There are two objections to conditional election. The first is simply that by basing election on foresight we are destroying the very meaning of the word “elect.” As James Boice says, “It actually means that men and women elect themselves, and God is reduced to a bystander who responds to their free choice. Logically and causally, even if not chronologically, God’s choice follows man’s choice.” The second objection is that it would be impossible for God to foresee faith in the heart of a person who is spiritually dead. If people are radically depraved (as we discussed under the “T” in TULIP) it is impossible for them to display any kind of faith without the prior work of God. All God would see in the hearts of humans would be deadness and enmity towards Him.
And so Calvinism teaches that election is unconditional. God foreknows who will be His elect and his choice is based on His decree, plan and purpose. He chooses people for His good pleasure and does not make known to us why He has chosen some and not others. We do not know why He has set His love on only some. But we do know that God’s act of election brings His chosen people, through the Spirit, to a willing acceptance of Christ. They are not forced to love God against their wills, but have their hearts changed and renewed so that they desire God and willingly embrace Him. Those who are not elect never undergo this change of heart and so never truly desire God (and we will have more to say about this under the “I” in TULIP).
There are many facets to this doctrine that merit discussion. Is God just to elect only some? Is God active in reprobation or does God only choose the elect while those who are not elect choose their own fate? Why would God choose some and not others? But because my purpose in these articles is not to provide a thorough defense of the doctrines of grace, I will stop here and turn now to application.
And, like the two sides of a balance, as we are brought low, God is brought high. As we understand that salvation is all of God, as we understand that we could not possibly meet any conditions for election, we come to see God in His mercy and sovereignty. We see that God is gracious to those whom He loves and we see how and why we are in need of this grace. We see in unconditional election that the doctrines of grace are systematic theology, each depending on the others. When we look back to our radical depravity, depravity that extends to every aspect of our being, we understand why we are incapable of electing ourselves. When we understand how sinful we are and see that our natural hearts are wholly opposed to God, we realize that for anyone to be saved, He must be chosen and regenerated by God.
And so the doctrine of unconditional election is the great humbler. We are humbled when we see that we must rest not in the person who wills to be saved, but in God who elects and who has the power to save. We remove all trace of pride, all trace of self-confidence, and rest in the sovereignty of God. We allow this humility to filter to all areas of our lives, for only by God and through God are we saved. We lower ourselves and lift God high. We are humbled, so God may be magnified and glorified. And we live in service to God out of gratitude that His amazing grace extends even to sinners like us — sinners who would never and could never have chosen Him, but for His gracious and unfathomable choice.
We will continue this series in the future with a discussion of limited atonement, the “L” in TULIP.
This is the second part of a series I am writing dealing with the doctrines of grace (otherwise known as the five points of Calvinism). I am writing these articles not primarily to rehash the theology of each of the points or to provide an exhaustive apologetic of Calvinism, but to draw some fresh application and to show what these doctrines mean to me as I ponder them and attempt to live in light of them. I hope to show that these doctrines of grace are more than “mere theology,” but can be integral in living out the Christian faith. I am assuming that my readers are, by and large, familiar with the Points of Calvinism. Still, I will provide a brief explanation of the doctrine before drawing application.
Today we will look at the “U” in TULIP. This doctrine is known as unconditional election, though some theologians have begun using other terms that are a little bit more precise. For example, R.C. Sproul and Steve Lawson speak of sovereign election while Michael Horton chooses to speak of grace before time. But of greater importance than the phrase are the definition and the application. We will turn to those now.
Unconditional election is one of the more contentious doctrines and the one that causes the most difficulty, for it deals with the touchy subjects of election and predestination. It is premised on several of the doctrines of God. Most notably, it is premised on God’s omnipotence and omniscience (which is to say that God is all powerful and knows everything). This doctrine teaches that God’s election of some to salvation and some to reprobation is entirely unconditional. God, in His sovereignty, makes the ultimate choice of who will be saved and who will not.
When we say that God’s choice is without conditions, it does not mean that His choice is random or haphazard but rather, to borrow the words of R.C. Sproul, that there are “no conditions attached, either foreseen or otherwise.” It is this word, unconditional, that distinguishes the Calvinistic understanding of election from other theologies. Because election is made clear in Scripture, every system of theology founded on the Bible must have some concept of it. Most teach that there are conditions to election, and most often, that the condition is God’s ability to foresee a person’s faith. In other words, on the basis of God’s knowledge that a particular person will exercise faith, He then sovereignty elects that person as His own. He knows this person will meet the conditions for election and elects him on that basis.
There are two objections to conditional election. The first is simply that by basing election on foresight we are destroying the very meaning of the word “elect.” As James Boice says, “It actually means that men and women elect themselves, and God is reduced to a bystander who responds to their free choice. Logically and causally, even if not chronologically, God’s choice follows man’s choice.” The second objection is that it would be impossible for God to foresee faith in the heart of a person who is spiritually dead. If people are radically depraved (as we discussed under the “T” in TULIP) it is impossible for them to display any kind of faith without the prior work of God. All God would see in the hearts of humans would be deadness and enmity towards Him.
And so Calvinism teaches that election is unconditional. God foreknows who will be His elect and his choice is based on His decree, plan and purpose. He chooses people for His good pleasure and does not make known to us why He has chosen some and not others. We do not know why He has set His love on only some. But we do know that God’s act of election brings His chosen people, through the Spirit, to a willing acceptance of Christ. They are not forced to love God against their wills, but have their hearts changed and renewed so that they desire God and willingly embrace Him. Those who are not elect never undergo this change of heart and so never truly desire God (and we will have more to say about this under the “I” in TULIP).
There are many facets to this doctrine that merit discussion. Is God just to elect only some? Is God active in reprobation or does God only choose the elect while those who are not elect choose their own fate? Why would God choose some and not others? But because my purpose in these articles is not to provide a thorough defense of the doctrines of grace, I will stop here and turn now to application.
Unconditional Election: The Great Humbler
When discussing the “T” in TULIP I said that it is the “great equalizer” — the doctrine that makes us all equal before God in our depravity. If total depravity is the great equalizer, unconditional election is the great humbler. Ephesians 2:8-9 cautions Christians against using their privilege of being among God’s elect as a point of pride. In fact, it suggests that if salvation were not all of God, we would be filled with pride. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” When we acknowledge that salvation is all of God — He is the one who chose us, who provided the means of salvation through Christ, and who now gives us faith as a gift — we have no possible reason or cause to boast. We are humbled and brought low. We are undone.And, like the two sides of a balance, as we are brought low, God is brought high. As we understand that salvation is all of God, as we understand that we could not possibly meet any conditions for election, we come to see God in His mercy and sovereignty. We see that God is gracious to those whom He loves and we see how and why we are in need of this grace. We see in unconditional election that the doctrines of grace are systematic theology, each depending on the others. When we look back to our radical depravity, depravity that extends to every aspect of our being, we understand why we are incapable of electing ourselves. When we understand how sinful we are and see that our natural hearts are wholly opposed to God, we realize that for anyone to be saved, He must be chosen and regenerated by God.
And so the doctrine of unconditional election is the great humbler. We are humbled when we see that we must rest not in the person who wills to be saved, but in God who elects and who has the power to save. We remove all trace of pride, all trace of self-confidence, and rest in the sovereignty of God. We allow this humility to filter to all areas of our lives, for only by God and through God are we saved. We lower ourselves and lift God high. We are humbled, so God may be magnified and glorified. And we live in service to God out of gratitude that His amazing grace extends even to sinners like us — sinners who would never and could never have chosen Him, but for His gracious and unfathomable choice.
We will continue this series in the future with a discussion of limited atonement, the “L” in TULIP.
Here is the Calvinistic problem for me:
: What is the point of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross if some are predestined for salvation and others for condemnation from the start?
No reason for the cross.
Makes John 3:16 a lie because it says you need to believe first WHOSOEVER believeth,its not something that comes to you whether you like it or not,
Makes Christ a liar when He says "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Why do the Spirit and the bride say Come? Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
If salvation is determined beforehand, why would Jesus command the preaching of the gospel to all nations if the outcome is already decided?
I think Calvinism is prideful. I had a member here tell another member who was a Calvinist :I think you and I are the only ones born again" and laughing about it (using laugh emoticons)
Ritajanice
Born-Again
L..excellent...commentary.
This is the long-awaited third part of a series I began quite some time ago, a series which I am writing not primarily to rehash the theology of each of the points or to provide an exhaustive apologetic of Calvinism, but to draw some fresh application and to show what these doctrines mean to me as I ponder them and attempt to live in light of them. I hope to show that these doctrines of grace are more than “mere theology,” but can be integral in living out the Christian faith. I am assuming that my readers are, by and large, familiar with the Points of Calvinism. Still, I will provide a brief explanation of the doctrine before drawing application.
The “L” in the TULIP acronym refers to Limited Atonement, though, like many people, I prefer to speak of Particular Redemption (or, with Michael Horton, to speak of “Mission Accomplished”). Just as the “Total” in “Total Depravity” and the “Unconditional” in “Unconditional Election” can cause people to immediately draw wrong conclusions about the theology, so they “Limited” in “Limited Atonement” can make it seem that the work of Christ is somehow limited in a way that is outside of God’s control. This is, of course, impossible and just plain wrong. The doctrine of Particular Redemption says something like this:
Christ took only the sins of the elect upon Himself on the cross, providing a full and effectual (fully adequate) atonement for their sins. He did not provide only the potential for atonement, but actually provided the effectualatonement. His death secured everything necessary for salvation and this includes faith, which the Spirit graciously applies to the lives of the elect. Though Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for the entire human race, it is only imputed (or given) to the elect and hence the atonement is not limited in its power, but in its extent. The reason for this limited or particular nature of the atonement is that were Christ to sacrifice and die for someone and then that person did not choose to be saved, it would make Christ’s work a failure. Thus, by way of short summary, the scope of Christ’s atonement is limited to those who are predestined to salvation and the primary benefits of this work is given only to those who believe.
Here is a way of illustrating the doctrine.
This is a picture of a bridge. To elaborate a little bit, we could say that it is a partial bridge. It doesn’t look broken, as if a piece of it fell away, but rather looks like it was built that far and then work simply ceased. It spans about half of what appears to be a pretty sizable river and then just ends (or begins, depending which direction you approach it from). I have no idea where this bridge is, what the circumstances are surrounding it’s state or if it has a name (though it would be interesting to know, wouldn’t it?).
Consider this river for a moment and let it represent the chasm between God and man – the chasm created by man’s fall into sin. On the bank of the river stands a man who represents humans in their fallen state, living on this earth. He gazes across the gap to the far side where he can glimpse God, and glimpse heaven. Now how will he get to heaven? This bridge can serve as an illustration of a doctrine known as “unlimited atonement” or “conditional universalism.” This is a doctrine that is the very opposite of Particular Redemption and in effect it states that it was never God’s will to save any specific person. Rather, it was God’s will to do all He could to save all men, provided they would do the little bit that He could not. In other words, the death of Christ erected this bridge which extends across part of the chasm. Man need only swim out into the current and hoist himself onto the bridge. From there he can walk safely into heaven. And if you look again you will see that this is a wide bridge, able to carry many people. This bridge is wide enough for anyone, but extends only part of the way.
Now consider a second bridge that looks like this:
This bridge is quite a bit different from the last. Notice that rather than extending only halfway, this one extends from one bank to the other. Notice also that it is narrow, much narrower than the other. This bridge represents the doctrine associated with Calvinism that we know as Limited Atonement or Particular Redemption. This bridge spans the entire gap between God and man, though is not so wide as to carry all men, but only some. Where the first bridge was able to carry all men part of the way, this bridge carries some men the entire way.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus is the “founder and perfecter of our faith.” He not only began but also finished the bridge. With His blood He “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,” (Revelation 5:9) not merely providing the potential for their redemption, but effectually redeeming them when He cried out “It is finished!”
Because Jesus Christ died for those who are His, and from the perspective of eternity, died for those who were already His–who had been chosen from before the foundations of the world–He accomplished what He set out to do. This doctrine gives me confidence that God will always and ever do exactly what He says. It gives me confidence that the promises of the Bible are not dependent on my initiative or my response, but are dependent on the very nature of God. What God says will surely come to pass because He provides the power to accomplish what needs to be done. Jesus Christ did not die for all men and then await my response to His work. Rather, He died for me and waited only for the time that the Spirit would begin to stir my heart and would call me to Himself. This gives me such confidence in God for it speaks so strongly of the way He works. It tells me that God acts sovereignty and depends upon no one but Himself. This stirs my heart, for I know that if He left the choice to me, I would reject Him every time. My heart swells with gratitude when I think that He died specifically and knowingly not for the mass of humanity, all of whom would willingly reject Him, but for the ones He had known from all eternity and the ones that He would draw to Himself.
We’ll continue this series (hopefully without as big a gap between entries) with the “I” from TULIP.
This is the long-awaited third part of a series I began quite some time ago, a series which I am writing not primarily to rehash the theology of each of the points or to provide an exhaustive apologetic of Calvinism, but to draw some fresh application and to show what these doctrines mean to me as I ponder them and attempt to live in light of them. I hope to show that these doctrines of grace are more than “mere theology,” but can be integral in living out the Christian faith. I am assuming that my readers are, by and large, familiar with the Points of Calvinism. Still, I will provide a brief explanation of the doctrine before drawing application.
The “L” in the TULIP acronym refers to Limited Atonement, though, like many people, I prefer to speak of Particular Redemption (or, with Michael Horton, to speak of “Mission Accomplished”). Just as the “Total” in “Total Depravity” and the “Unconditional” in “Unconditional Election” can cause people to immediately draw wrong conclusions about the theology, so they “Limited” in “Limited Atonement” can make it seem that the work of Christ is somehow limited in a way that is outside of God’s control. This is, of course, impossible and just plain wrong. The doctrine of Particular Redemption says something like this:
Christ took only the sins of the elect upon Himself on the cross, providing a full and effectual (fully adequate) atonement for their sins. He did not provide only the potential for atonement, but actually provided the effectualatonement. His death secured everything necessary for salvation and this includes faith, which the Spirit graciously applies to the lives of the elect. Though Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for the entire human race, it is only imputed (or given) to the elect and hence the atonement is not limited in its power, but in its extent. The reason for this limited or particular nature of the atonement is that were Christ to sacrifice and die for someone and then that person did not choose to be saved, it would make Christ’s work a failure. Thus, by way of short summary, the scope of Christ’s atonement is limited to those who are predestined to salvation and the primary benefits of this work is given only to those who believe.
Here is a way of illustrating the doctrine.
This is a picture of a bridge. To elaborate a little bit, we could say that it is a partial bridge. It doesn’t look broken, as if a piece of it fell away, but rather looks like it was built that far and then work simply ceased. It spans about half of what appears to be a pretty sizable river and then just ends (or begins, depending which direction you approach it from). I have no idea where this bridge is, what the circumstances are surrounding it’s state or if it has a name (though it would be interesting to know, wouldn’t it?).
Consider this river for a moment and let it represent the chasm between God and man – the chasm created by man’s fall into sin. On the bank of the river stands a man who represents humans in their fallen state, living on this earth. He gazes across the gap to the far side where he can glimpse God, and glimpse heaven. Now how will he get to heaven? This bridge can serve as an illustration of a doctrine known as “unlimited atonement” or “conditional universalism.” This is a doctrine that is the very opposite of Particular Redemption and in effect it states that it was never God’s will to save any specific person. Rather, it was God’s will to do all He could to save all men, provided they would do the little bit that He could not. In other words, the death of Christ erected this bridge which extends across part of the chasm. Man need only swim out into the current and hoist himself onto the bridge. From there he can walk safely into heaven. And if you look again you will see that this is a wide bridge, able to carry many people. This bridge is wide enough for anyone, but extends only part of the way.
Now consider a second bridge that looks like this:
This bridge is quite a bit different from the last. Notice that rather than extending only halfway, this one extends from one bank to the other. Notice also that it is narrow, much narrower than the other. This bridge represents the doctrine associated with Calvinism that we know as Limited Atonement or Particular Redemption. This bridge spans the entire gap between God and man, though is not so wide as to carry all men, but only some. Where the first bridge was able to carry all men part of the way, this bridge carries some men the entire way.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus is the “founder and perfecter of our faith.” He not only began but also finished the bridge. With His blood He “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,” (Revelation 5:9) not merely providing the potential for their redemption, but effectually redeeming them when He cried out “It is finished!”
Limited Atonement: Confidence
When I wrote about the “T” in TULIP I said that the doctrine of Total Depravity stands as the great equalizer and when I wrote about the “U” in TULIP I said that it stands as the great humbler. When I ponder the doctrine of Limited Atonement and think about how it must be more than mere doctrine and how it must impact my life, I am continually drawn to the word “confidence.” This is not a confidence in myself, my own ability or even in my own status as a Christian, but a confidence in the Father and in the person and work of Jesus Christ. I like how Michael Horton in his book Putting Amazing Back into Grace describes this doctrine as “Mission Accomplished.” The Arminian understanding of this doctrine presents a Savior who did a great work of redemption but who did it for all men, both those who would be redeemed and those who would not. This is really conditional universalism, as Christ died for all men universally, the condition being that people must use their free will to embrace and accept Him. But the Reformed, biblical understanding of this doctrine presents a Savior who did the work of redemption for those whom the Father had chosen. He did not just do a work that had great potential to save, but a work that effectually saved.Because Jesus Christ died for those who are His, and from the perspective of eternity, died for those who were already His–who had been chosen from before the foundations of the world–He accomplished what He set out to do. This doctrine gives me confidence that God will always and ever do exactly what He says. It gives me confidence that the promises of the Bible are not dependent on my initiative or my response, but are dependent on the very nature of God. What God says will surely come to pass because He provides the power to accomplish what needs to be done. Jesus Christ did not die for all men and then await my response to His work. Rather, He died for me and waited only for the time that the Spirit would begin to stir my heart and would call me to Himself. This gives me such confidence in God for it speaks so strongly of the way He works. It tells me that God acts sovereignty and depends upon no one but Himself. This stirs my heart, for I know that if He left the choice to me, I would reject Him every time. My heart swells with gratitude when I think that He died specifically and knowingly not for the mass of humanity, all of whom would willingly reject Him, but for the ones He had known from all eternity and the ones that He would draw to Himself.
We’ll continue this series (hopefully without as big a gap between entries) with the “I” from TULIP.
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Yes.
See, when you "Pre-destine" only some (the elect) to be "chosen" to have faith, as Rita and Brightfame, and these other Hyper-Calvinist's teach, then you are limiting The Cross.. which denies it.
You are in fact denying God's GRACE.
= Galatians 1:8
This theological psychotic doctrine of devils, refuses to allow The Cross of Christ to be for "the WORLD."
So, just RIP John 3:16 out of the Bible.
Just start rewriting verses like this...
"Jesus came into the world to save SINNERS".... into TULIP and CALVINISM... Like this..>"Jesus came into the world to only save the pre-destined Elect".
Or this one.."Christ came into the WORLD, to seek and save the LOST" or "Save that which was lost">..........So now.., lets Calvinize and TULIP This verse..... "Christ came into the world to only seek and save the Pre-destined Elect"...
READER, isn't everyone "LOST" before you are SAVED? Were you not "LOST"< before you trusted in Christ?
WE WERE ALL "LOST">.. and "Christ came to seek and save THE LOST">......... but not according to Calvinism and TULIP>.. as they teach that unless you are one of the "pre-destined" then you will STAY LOST and can't ever be saved... according to GOD's will for you.
Just find all the verse in the NT, that say """ALL, and WHOSOEVER, and AS MANY"".........where these verses are talking about anyone and everyone can Trust in Christ, and then CALVINIZE them and TULIP them, into... "elect" "pre-destined".. as that is what these 2 doctrine of Devils do to every verse that says "EVERYONE".. and "ALL"....and "WHOSOEVER".
This demonic theology changes the GIFT of The CROSS into...>"only some can have it".. and that makes this Theology so utterly Satanic.
Calvinism and TULIP.... has God choosing some people to be born to go to Hell, and burn in the lake of fire...
This means that some people, according to this Doctrine of Devils, are not allowed to be saved by JESUS
This LIMITING the Grace of God, to Calvin's idea of "pre-destined elect".. and TULIPS idea of "pre-destined" elect, is so insulting to the Truth of God's Mercy.......and that makes this hellish doctrine, ... the Trophy of Satanic FAKE "christian" theology.
This Doctrine has incredible demonic power to take your mind, almost instantly and cause you to "see" it, as if its TRUE.
Its truly a Satanic Masterpiece, and Who but Satan would center this entire Throne of Lies that are Calvinism and TULIP, against the very CROSS of Christ and the Grace of God. !
Its a mind blinding Satanic theology and it'll grab a person's mind, and have them preaching CALVINISM and "TULIP", for life, once it takes control of their mind.
Just remember that CHRISTIANS, lead you to CHRIST.
CALVINISTS, lead you to CALVIN and "TULIP".
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