Posts Tagged ‘Calvinism’
The Secret of Christmas
When you hear the word “Christmas”, what is it about Christmas that you think? Maybe it is about a lighted Christmas tree or it could be about a little baby lying quietly in a manger somewhere.
Of course, one could think of Santa, angels on high, wise men from the East, or even shepherds on a hillside with their sheep. And you know, in today’s world none of these would be a wrong answer. However, none of them tells about the real “Secret” of Christmas.
See, if you can see the secret in the following verses taken from the Gospel of John chapter 1:
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
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:
1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Do you see it? The secret of Christmas is that God lowered Himself to become a man, to be among us to show Himself that He is who He says He is. That by Him we can be forgiven for our sins and be given eternal life all because He has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
God became flesh and dwelt among us and to they who would receive Him (Jesus), to believe on Him and to submit to His will, they would find that God first had to give them the power to become one of His children in order to respond. This happened, not because we were born into a Christian family, not because we did something worthy of salvation, nor because we of our own will chose to receive Him. No, none of these can be true. Only because God has willed it is anyone born again into the family of God.
That is the Secret of Christmas; God coming down to earth, and as the God/man Christ Jesus, provided salvation for all who would be forgiven of their sins because of the atoning power of his birth, life, death, burial and resurrection all because we could not provide for ourselves what is needed for salvation.
If you can truthfully say that you have been born again by the Spirit of God, because it was God’s will to do so, then Christmas can be a most wondrous and Merry Christmas. For you truly know the “Secret of Christmas.”
Your Faith Did Not Save You
You’ve heard it and you’ve seen it in print. If you just accept Jesus by faith you will be saved. The plain teaching today is that you can be saved from your sins if you will just have a little faith in Jesus. The problem with all of this is that in your sinful state you are dead in sins and are unable to respond to any calling to having any faith of any kind in Jesus for salvation.
In the following passages we read:
And you hath he quickened, that were dead in trespasses and sins… Ephesians 2: 1
even when we were dead in trespasses… Ephesians 2: 5
And you, being dead in your trespasses… Colossians 2: 13
As you can see, before you are “born again” you are dead, spiritually dead, and are unable to do respond to anything pertaining to Jesus. Just as Lazarus was physically dead in a physical grave, you are spiritually dead in a spiritual grave. When the call comes to “come forth” you must be given to ability to do so, just like Lazarus was given the ability to respond to Jesus’s command to come out of the grave. Before you can come out of the grave you, too, need to be given the ability to do so before you can answer the call to come forth.
Now we know this verse well:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast… Ephesians 2: 8, 9
Here we are told that it is by “grace” that we are saved through faith that is given to us with which we can believe on Jesus. That is very clear in this verse. Any faith that we have is given to us as a gift from God so that we cannot boast about how “our” faith saved us. So, if it isn’t by “our” faith that we are saved, then by whose faith are we saved?
Now here is where the problem arises with today’s modern language translation bibles. Look first at the following verses; you will recognize them all.
1. Romans 3:22
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
2. Romans 3:26
he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
3. Galatians 2:16
know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
4. Galatians 3:22
But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
These all came from the New International Version (NIV) translation of the bible, and many of today’s modern translations say the same thing, in one way or another. The question is this. If we are dead in trespasses, as we have read, how then can we generate any kind of faith in order to believe? The answer is… we can’t. However, the answer to this problem is easy. It is not by “our” faith with which we believe!
Now, read this verses. They are the same four as above, but they are from the 1599 Geneva Bible. All but forgotten in our day, the Geneva Bible was the most widely read and influential English Bible of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A superb translation, it was the product of the best Protestant scholars of the day and became the Bible of choice for many of the greatest writers and thinkers of that time. (from Bible Gateway.com)
1. Romans 3:22
To wit, the righteousness of God by the faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all that believe.
2. Romans 3:26
Through the patience of God, to show at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and a justifier of him which is of the faith of Jesus.
Know that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we, I say, have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law, because that by the works of the Law, no flesh shall be justified.
But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ should be given to them that believe.
Do you see the difference? Today’s translations state that we are saved by “faith in Jesus”. However, as we have seen we are spiritually dead in trespasses and are unable to respond with any faith at all, and what faith it is that we use is given to us by God that we may believe.
You see, the little word “in” is from the Greek word “apo'” which should be translated “of” and not “in”, basically meaning “taken from or off of”. As in “off of” or “from” Jesus, i.e. “faith of Jesus”.
This is where the 1599 Geneva translations comes into its own. The Geneva Bible states clearly that it is by the “FAITH OF JESUS” that we are saved. This is the faith that is given to us as a gift by God so that we can believe. This way we cannot boast about “our” faith, because we have none, and it is by the “FAITH OF JESUS” given to us that we believe.
This may help you to understand this:
For I say through the grace that is given unto me, to everyone that is among you, that no man presume to understand above that which is meet to understand, but that he understand according to sobriety, as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith… Romans 12:3
When we are called to come to Jesus we cannot do so unless God gives us the ability to do so (see John 6: 44 and John 6: 65), and He gives us a measure of faith with which to believe, and the faith that is given to us is the faith of Jesus that He had with the Father when He was here on earth. We have no faith of our own and, even if we did, it would be an imperfect faith that we would have to rely upon for our salvation, However, the faith of Jesus is a perfect faith. A faith which gives us the ability to come to Jesus and to believe on Him.
So you can see that, if you are saved, if you are born again by the Spirit of God that is was not by the result of any faith of your own, but by the “FAITH OF JESUS” that you are saved. This way you cannot boast of anything as it is a gift of God, given to you so that you could believe with a perfect faith. A faith that would be offered, accepted and held by God for eternity. For it is by the “FAITH OF JESUS” that you are justified and saved.
Think of this. By whose faith would you like to base your eternal salvation upon? Your faith or the “FAITH OF JESUS” given to you with which to believe? To me the answer is clear and I hope you will agree, for only by the “FAITH OF JESUS” are we justified and saved…..
The 5 Points Of Calvinism
Part 4: Irresistible Grace
This post could very well be the shortest of all the post on the 5 points of Calvinism. Why? Because of this saying of Jesus, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” John 6:37
Notice, Jesus said that ALL whom the Father gives to me WILL come. There are no conditions put on this. He doesn’t say “all whom the Father gives to me will come, if they choose to do so.” He just simply says ALL, who are drawn, WILL, come to Me. That basically settles it.
If you remember from verses 44 and 65 of John 6, Jesus said that NO ONE CAN come to me unless the Father gives them the ability to do so; read them for yourself. So, if no one can come of their own will, unless they are drawn by the Father, they will never come to Jesus, and ALL whom the Father draws, or gives, to Him WILL come to Him.
In short, only those whom the Father draws to Jesus are the only ones who will have the ability to come to Jesus and ALL whom the Father draws WILL come. That is what Irresistible Grace is all about. Man of his own will would never choose to come to Jesus, and only those whom the Father draws, or applies grace, will come and submit to Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Basically Irresistible Grace is the act of God calling those who will be saved and in receiving that call they cannot resist, because it is God’s will for the elect to be saved. Yes, there is an external call given to all mankind but there is also an inner call given only to the elect and this call cannot be resisted. Other verses you can look at are:
- Romans 9:16
- Philippians 2:12-13
- John 6:28-29
- Acts 13:48
- John 1:12-13
In conclusion, no one can come to Jesus unless they are inwardly drawn by the Father and ALL whom the Father draws will come and be saved. Since it is God’s will for the elect to be saved they cannot resist His calling. It is not that He draws them against their will but He does make them willing to respond, and they do.
In the next and final post we will look at the P of T.U.L.I.P. which stand for Perseverance of the Saints. And, as we have seen from the previous 4 posts, we will stay in John 6 to see how this is possible and what Jesus has to say about it. Should be an interesting read.
The 5 Points Of Calvinism
Total Depravity
Many people do not like to talk about the 5 points of Calvinism. Yet, they are essential to the Gospel and can be found throughout the Bible. So, we are going to take a look at each of these points, one post at a time. The basis for this study will be found in the teachings of Jesus, specifically those found in John 6. Then, as needed, other verses will be looked at as well.
The 5 points can be summed up in the acronym: T.U.L.I.P.
- Total Depravity (Total Inability)
- Unconditional Election
- Limited Atonement
- Irresistible Grace
- Perseverance of the Saints
Now these 5 points do not comprise the totality of Calvinism but they are the basis for it. As mentioned, you can find these 5 points throughout the Bible and they are found in particular in the teachings of Paul, John, Peter and, most notably, Jesus; upon Whom this study is based. So, sit back, grab some coffee and let’s take a look at the first of these points.
Total Depravity: also known as Total Inability.
In John 6: 44 Jesus says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;…”
Note the Jesus said “no one CAN” not “no one WILL”. There is a difference. Jesus says that no one CAN come to Him unless the Father draws them. If the Father does not draw them they cannot come to Jesus, and they will never want to. It’s also interesting to note that this is not the only time Jesus says this. In the same chapter at verse 65 Jesus says, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
Again, He says “no one CAN come to me”. Now think about this. Can is different than will. Can is specific and it is an action that someone has the ability to do. Will is a choice, not an action, and it insinuates that someone has the ability to do something and all they have to do is to Will or Not Will to do so. But if no one CAN do something unless they are given the ability to do so they never will do it. In fact they will never Will to choose to do it because they cannot do so.
So, as for coming to Jesus, no one CAN come to Jesus unless they are first drawn by the Father to do so. If they are never drawn they will never be able to come and they will never choose to come.
Basically, then, man has Total Inability to come to Jesus on their own. The fact is they cannot come to Jesus unless they are drawn by the Father. One reason for this is found in Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.
Man, in his sinfulness, is dead spiritually and unless he is first made alive and shown his sinfulness, and the fact that he is going to Hell because of it, he will never see a need for salvation. Through being born again man is given the ability to come to Jesus.
Just like Lazarus being dead and in the grave. When Jesus came to the graveside He first specifically called out the name of Lazarus, and when He said “come forth” did Lazarus have the ability at the point to obey the command of Jesus and rise up and come forth? Or did Lazarus first have to be made alive in order to be able to obey the command to come forth? It wasn’t until after being given life was Lazarus able to hear and obey the command to come forth.
Unless Jesus first gave him the ability to come to Him, by making him alive in the flesh, Lazarus was unable to do so. And we are the same, unless we are first called by name, and given life to have the ability to obey the command to come to Jesus, we will never be able to do so and we never will.
Man is in a Totally Depraved state of sinfulness, dead in trespasses and sins, and has a Total Inability to come to Jesus unless he is first given the ability to do so. And by being born again is he given this ability.
In our next post we will take a look at the second in the list of T.U.L.I.P. and that is Unconditional Election. And we will see in the teachings of Jesus how this works. So, if you want to get a head start read John 6 several times, and think of Lazarus and how this might all fit together. You might even figure out for yourself what is meant by – Unconditional Election.
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