Sunday, October 29, 2006

Baby Got Book

If you like girls with big Bibles your really going to like this video!
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Saturday, October 28, 2006

Understanding and Defending TULIP

2 John 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

As most of you know I am a 5 point Calvinist. For those of you that don't know what that is it is the system of theological points that John Calvin put together. Now I would like to point out that Calvin wasn't the first to believe these things but the first to put them together into what we have now, the 5 points. The points are 1. Total Depravity 2. Unconditional Election 3. Limited Atonement 4. Irresitable Grace and 5. Perseverance of the Saints (eternal security).
Many people today confuse 5 point Calvinism with so called "hyper"- calvinism (*cough* Ergun Caner). This is not so. "Hyper"-calvinism would say God has fun and thoroughly enjoys the damnation of the wicked. You will see why this is not true in my platform on TULIP (the acronym for the 5 points). Calvinism fully rests on God's sovereign will and His grace.
(Most of you that know me might have already seen this platform before, everything is the same except I have added even more verses than I had before). It would make it easier for you if you read with a Bible in hand for I couldn't write out every verse in there because of length. Enjoy!

Total Depravity:

This point states that man is desperately wicked and we can do nothing to achieve the salvation of Jesus Christ. Except of grace alone.

Man’s heart is evil (Mark 7:21-23)

Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Man is a slave of sin (Rom. 6:20).

Romans 6:20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

He does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12).

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

He cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14).

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

He is at enmity with God (Eph. 2:15).

And, is by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3).

Calvinism also maintains that because of our fallen nature we are born again not by our own will but God’s will (John 1:12-13);

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

God grants that we believe (Phil. 1:29);

faith is the work of God (John 6:28-29);

John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

God appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48);

Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

God predestines (Eph. 1:1-11; Rom. 8:29; 9:9-23).

For with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27)

Unconditional Election:

God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Nor does God look into the future to see who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into salvation, others are not (Rom. 9:15, 21).

God elected Israel before they even knew Him: (Isa. 45:4)

The elect shall be saved in the last days: (Mt. 24:22)

Things determined before hand (Acts 4:28)

Acts 4:28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

Chosen those to salvation (2 Thess. 2:13)

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

The father gives to the Son (John 6:37), (John 6:65)

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.


Limited Atonement:

This is the most controversial and questioned point of TULIP. It states that Christ died only for those He elected. People against this point will use verses like 1 Tim. 2:4, 1 Tim. 4:10, and Tit. 2:11.

Now 1 Tim. 2:4 says that He will have all men, to be saved. If we look into the original Greek used here will have in Greek is thelo which means to be inclined to, desire, or wish.

In 1 Tim. 4:10 where it says Savior of all men, specially of those that believe, we can take this two ways that 1. Savior means deliverer or preserver, as used in Job 7:20 and Psalms 107:28. If we used it this way than it would say that Christ will deliver everyone from their troubles especially those that believe or 2. that Christ is the common Savior of all men and that even those who don’t believe he is still the savior of. Which would mean the only way you could come to Christ was if you were totally willing and you would make the choice out of your own free will. Now the thing here is how can we ever be willing if we cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14) and since we don’t seek God by ourselves (Rom. 3:10-12) than how can we choose Him out of our own free will?

With Tit. 2:11 it says that Salvation through the grace of God has appeared to all men means that salvation has come for everyone, the rich, the poor, the high, the low, etc. but man cannot seek or understand God so therefore cannot make the decision of salvation by himself willingly, because they will be saved by the grace of God according to His sovereign will!

1Tim. 2:4. Christ was given as a ransom for everyone including non- Jews. The Jews at this time were saying that to be a Christian you need to become a Jew but Paul was telling them that Christ was not just for the Jews but for the gentiles, Paul was trying to explain to the Jewish Christians that you can become a Christian without becoming a Jew first!

Now the verses that support Limited Atonement:

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the *purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

*that means God’s elect, Christians are HIS purchased possession! He did not purchase the world.

John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

If Christ died for everyone than why did Christ only pray for His elect here? If Christ was going to die for everyone He would pray for the world!

Proverbs 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Many means many, not all. The Bible also says that many will be deceived and many will be false prophets (Mt. 24:1), and we all know that everyone isn’t deceived or a false prophet. So why is it so hard for a free will person to openly admit that Mt. 24:11 means many, but yet Mt. 20:28, 26:28 must mean all, of course not, it’s the same word and it has the same meaning!

1 Peter 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Irresistible Grace:

When God calls his elect into salvation, they cannot resist. God offers to all people the gospel message. This is called the external call. But to the elect, God extends an internal call and it cannot be resisted. This call is by the Holy Spirit who works in the hearts and minds of the elect to bring them to repentance and regeneration whereby they willingly and freely come to God. Some of the verses used in support of this teaching are Romans 9:16 where it says that "it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy";Philippians 2:12-13 where God is said to be the one working salvation in the individual; John 6:28-29 where faith is declared to be the work of God; Acts 13:48 where God appoints people to believe; and John 1:12-13 where being born again is not by man’s will, but by God’s.

All that the father gives will come to Christ (John 6:37) *see end of Total Depravity section

Now this point is challenged by verses such as Acts 7:51

Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Acts 7:51 is about the Jews who by the will of God are resisting the Holy Spirit. God was allowing the Jews to resist the Holy Spirit because God has a much greater plan in store for the Jews. God himself hardened the Jews hearts. We see that today as the Jews are some of the hardest people to witness to just as their forefathers were.


Perseverance of the Saints:

You cannot lose your salvation. Because the Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied salvation, those thus saved are eternally secure. They are eternally secure in Christ. Some of the verses for this position are John 10:27-28 where Jesus said His sheep will never perish; John 6:47 where salvation is described as everlasting life; Romans 8:1 where it is said we have passed out of judgment; 1 Corinthians 10:13 where God promises to never let us be tempted beyond what we can handle; and Phil. 1:6 where God is the one being faithful to perfect us until the day of Jesus’ return.

John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

2 Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

All praise and glory go to the almighty God!

Sola Fide,
Big Jimmy


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