The Doctrines of Grace

Reposted from Desiring God's blog:

Rebuilding Some Basics of Bethlehem: The Doctrines of Grace
(Otherwise Known as the 5 Points of Calvinism or TULIP)
By John PiperSeptember 25, 2009

We believe that these 5 truths are biblical and therefore true. We believe that they magnify God’s precious grace and give unspeakable joy to sinners who have despaired of saving themselves.

Total Depravity

Our sinful corruption is so deep and so strong as to make us slaves of sin and morally unable to overcome our own rebellion and blindness. This inability to save ourselves from ourselves is total. We are utterly dependent on God’s grace to overcome our rebellion, give us eyes to see, and effectively draw us to the Savior.

We were dead in our trespasses. (Ephesians 2:5)

The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:7-8)

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Unconditional Election

God’s election is an unconditional act of free grace that was given through his Son Jesus before the world began. By this act, God chose, before the foundation of the world, those who would be delivered from bondage to sin and brought to repentance and saving faith in Jesus.

He chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).

As many as were appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48)

"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:15-16)

God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. (1 Corinthians 1:27)

Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened. (Romans 11:7; cf. 9:11-12; John 6:37)

My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me. (Isaiah 43:10)

Irresistible Grace

This means that the resistance that all human beings exert against God every day (Romans 3:10-12; Acts 7:51) is wonderfully overcome at the proper time by God’s saving grace for undeserving rebels whom he chooses freely to save.

Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:5)

No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father. (John 6:65)

God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 2:25)

Limited Atonement

The atonement of Christ is sufficient for all humans and effective for those who trust him. The full, saving effectiveness of the atonement that Jesus accomplished is limited to those for whom that saving effect was prepared. The availability of the total sufficiency of the atonement is for all people. Whosoever will—whoever believes—will be covered by the blood of Christ. And there is a divine design in the death of Christ to accomplish the promises of the new covenant for the chosen bride of Christ. Thus Christ died for all, but not for all in the same way.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16; cf. Revelation 22:17).

This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Luke 22:20)

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25)

I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:15)

I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. . . . And for their sake I consecrate myself [that is, prepare to die], that they also may be sanctified in truth. (John 17:9, 19)

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

Perseverance of the Saints

We believe that all who are justified will win the fight of faith. They will persevere in faith and never surrender to the enemy of their souls. This perseverance is the promise of the new covenant, obtained by the blood of Christ, and worked in us by God himself, yet not so as to diminish, but only to empower and encourage, our vigilance; so that we may say in the end, I have fought the good fight, but it was not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:30)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28)

I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (Philippians 3:12)

AMEN

Where did the miracles go?

Last night at mens group we had a very interesting discussion take place. After weekly updates and before our prayer time, I asked a question to the four guys who regularly attend Tuesday night discipleship.

I asked if anyone in the group had ever seen a bona fide miracle. Something distinctly supernatural and unmistakably the hand of God. It was a question that I had been dealing with for awhile. When I open the Bible I see numerous things which appear to be beyond this realm of existence. Folks being healed by an apostles shadow, the resurrection of a dead man after he falls from a window, the many exorcisms recorded in scripture, etc...And these examples are not even things that Jesus did, they are things his early apostles performed. So, I pondered...why do we see that occurring then and not now? Where are the miracles in 21st century America?

Several of the guys told stories about miracles and supernatural things they had experienced...

- Steve talked about the miracle of his sons birth and he offered a suggestion that medicine is, in itself, a miracle of sorts. He also said that when someone is presupposed to disbelieve in the supernatural, they will explain it away no matter what.

- John spoke about his experience almost drowning in the middle of a lake and his sudden, unassisted, safe arrival at the shore. He admitted it might be that he had a memory block about finding a way to swim back to shore, but I doubt he would have blocked that detail while vividly remembering the rest. Looks like angelic intervention to me.

- Jeremy gave us a interesting story about a young man he took to church one Sunday, a man dealing with lots of demonic oppression, and how the congregation was led by the Spirit to see the very particular spiritual battles the man was dealing with (despite none of them knowing of him prior). A story that concluded well, with the boy leaving free of malevolence that night.

However, even with those stories on the table, it was clear that miracles and supernatural activities were not a regular or daily part of life for us. So, I found myself back at the question of why. Why do signs and wonders show up with such frequency in the Gospels and the book of Acts - yet, we are hard pressed to find any today?

The group threw out a few ideas...

- God can't do miracles. He never could or he can't anymore. (obviously, we didn't go with this one)

- God isn't in the miracles business anymore. The church and the canon are established, that's all we need. (aka the cessasionst view, none of us seemed to completely subscribe to this one either)

- God simply decides not to perform many miracles anymore. He could do them, he has just ordained to cut back on them. (as Calvinists, we all acknowledged this view of God's sovereign will, yet it still leaves one wondering why he would cut back on miracles between 200 years ago and today)

- We play some role in "blocking" our own supernatural experiences. Certainly salvation is all God and he is in complete control of all things, knowing the outcome before it occurs - but perhaps...could it be that he gives us some measure of responsibility thru faith and belief to cultivate these supernatural healings and occurrences for ourselves? That might explain the high number of miracles in countries that trust in such things as a reality.

My friend Andrew talked about this years ago...what if the reason Americans don't experience the supernatural is because we are so rational and explanatory. Could that "hinder" the wonders from happening in our midst. Couldn't that theory apply even within Christendom...charismatics have supernatural experiences all the time (or so they claim) and Calvinists rarely talk about the experience of the supernatural. Do reformed people hold a theology that is somewhat closed to the idea of regular miracles thereby blocking their occurrence?

What do you think? I am particularly interested in the opinions of Andrew (the most charismatic of my readers), Adam (the reformed intelligentsia of my readers), and Doc (my Catholic friend).

Why don't we experience miracles and supernatural events in the same way today as they did in the early church?

Discuss!

About this Blog

If you are new to my blog, you may be wondering what its all about.

Essentially, I spend alot of my time thinking about matters of faith.  In a culture so obsessed with materialism, consumerism, voyeurism, and a dozen other unhealthy "isms" - I can't find many people willing to discuss the things that most interest me.

As an exercise to get my thoughts "off of my chest," and in the hope that what I say might be used by God to bring others nearer to Him, I created this blog.  I also use this space to share articles, pics, and videos that I hope will be helpful to my readers.

The title of the blog is aptly based upon the first few verses of Colossians 3:

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life  appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (ESV)

I pray that my writings may be edifying and instructional to you AND glorifying to God.

Thanks for stopping by.
JG

800 million Christians...

Yesterday at work I was doing a manual labor project sorting about 700 boxes. I was working with an atheist and we were talking mostly about MMA. It was around lunch when another fellow employee, a known atheist who likes to start strange conversations that challenge others faith, came along.

When my project buddy (Mike) saw the rabble rouser (Will) coming close, even he said "oh hell." We were about to be surprised.

Will walked up with another co-worker in tow. This other gentleman is a fundamentalist Baptist named Ricky. Ricky and I share a commitment to the essential biblical truths and we both value Christ. Ricky is probably the closest person to me at my job in terms of faith.

Will has rubbed Ricky and me the wrong way many times in the past. We used to engage him pretty often in his questions. When it became apparent that Will is more interested in causing dissension than getting truthful and honest answers, that's when Ricky and I began to slow down on getting caught up in fruitless conversation with Will.

Will walked up and said that he heard there were 800 million Christians on the earth, but Ricky told him that was an inaccurate number and the only true Christians were born again Christians. Will proceeded to ask me if the only real Christians were born again and if so, did that mean that non-pentecostal/ charismatic denominations were going to hell.

First, I tackled the definition and history of born again. I explained the origin of the phrase in John 3 and I cleared up the misunderstanding that only certain denominations were born again (Will thought it was only the emotionally driven groups). I talked about the relatively new use of that term to describe the classical beliefs about regeneration and the inability of any group, especially relatively young groups like the charismatic movement, to lay claim to the term born again.

I told Will that being born again is an individual thing between a person and the God who gives them new spiritual life. Ultimately, that means that I can't judge if a person in the Orthodox church or the Catholic church or the Anglican communion is born again. I told Will that I could critique denominational doctrines against the plain truth of scripture - but I couldn't lump all catholics or all anglicans into "non-born again status."

I was glad that Mike was listening since I know him to be an atheist as well. And I was glad that Ricky has since told me that he was praying the whole time I was talking.

I went on to answer Wills next question..."how then do you get saved and go to heaven." That one was easy - believe on the Lord Jesus, confess with your mouth and believe with your heart, accept the free gift of grace that comes to you..." I elaborated with passages from James and Matthew to show that mental assent to facts isn't enough - the act of regeneration occurs when one is so moved to trust their life to Christ in whole.

I talked about our inability to do anything truly "good" on our own and I worked to clear up some legalistic thoughts that Will had been taught. I used my own testimony as a drunk, disrespectful, male whore coming to an unexpected and relatively quick 180 in my life to show that it is God who sovereignly changes us (the born again principle) and that no one is too bad for him to make new, just as no one is good enough to earn salvation.

I think we had an overall fruitful conversation. I told him that the 800 million statistic was certainly wrong due to the high numbers of nominal Christians, moral legalists, liberal religionists, etc... However, there was no real way to attain a number of "real" Christians (those who have been regenerated, made alive, born again) since these surveys are usually done too generally, too vaguely, and with an assumption that the participant is truthful.

Finally, Will asked me if that meant that the behavior of Christians wasn't important. I told him it was quite the opposite. Once a person is touched by the Spirit and adopted by God, they will begin to exhibit Christ-like love in their actions - not to earn their way to heaven or to feel better about themselves, but because the Spirit of a perfect God lives in them. They won't be perfect, but they will show steady remarkable improvement in their moral life on the whole over time. Again, I used my own life to give illustration.

I parted ways by encouraging Will to earnestly look for answers like he had that day and to steer clear of his usual attempts to cause controversy and doubt.

As Will and Ricky left, I was asked a question by Mike. Mike wanted to know what a charismatic was. He had heard the term in our conversation and he didn't know it. I went thru a brief sketch of the history of the church from the Apostles to Constantine to the Crusades and the Orthodox Schism to the Reformation to the Puritans to the Great Awakening to Finney then to the Pentecostal Movement to charismatic preachers to modern heresies like the prosperity gospel.

I tried to give Mike a large picture of the development of the faith and I used parts of that sketch to highlight the woes of politicizing the church, the return to Sola Scriptura, the American distortion of biblical truth into libertarian free will faith and the most recent ear tickling done by televangelist. I concluded by noting the newest phenomenon (of which I belong), the return to Protestant principles in the Young, Restless, and Reformed New Calvinists.

Despite attempting to make the short lesson fun and engaging, my audience was flat. It is really clear to me that Mike is simply uninterested in faith of any kind. It is a stark difference from Will, who wants to talk about nothing else.

I pray that God will use our conversation yesterday in the lives of both of these men, in different ways, to (in some small way) bring forth the new birth of their souls.

Quote, Context, and a Video

Quote

"There is no teaching in Christian theology that offends our contemporaries (especially our Christian friends and family), any more then the teaching of sola gratia. Americans hate to be told "no," that they are helpless. Surprisingly, the greatest opposition to the biblical teaching on this point comes not from a secular culture, but from household-name leaders in the American Church. From contemporary figures such as Chuck Smith at Calvary Chapel to Bill Bright and Campus Crusade, to virtually all forms of revivalism and Pentecostalism which spring from the loins of one Charles Grandison Finney ... to Alexander Campbell and the Restorationist movement, to Joseph Smith and what later on became the cult known as Mormonism, to William Miller and the Adventist movement, and we can go on and on; all of these movements are based, at least in part, upon a denial of sola gratia, in direct opposition to Reformation theology, and the biblical teaching on this point. Americans hate to be told that God does not depend upon them and a decision that they make. And it is here, then, that we as Reformation Christians and historic Protestants run smack dab into our culture and to much of American Christianity. This is why our friends and families look at us like we have three heads when we speak of these doctrines. But this is the historic Protestant position, and the wholesale rejection of sola gratia demonstrates how far the "evangelical movement" has departed from the historic and biblical Evangelical faith."
- Dr. Kim Riddlebarger
_________________________________

I was driving near Emory University today and I saw a rally of gay students carrying signs. One sign read "Judge Not - Jesus"

It struck me how people of all kinds (me included) like to take scripture out of both immediate and total context in order to suit their agenda.

They shouldn't do that, neither should we. A firm understanding of the entire redemptive story which is laid out for us in the Bible is key to seeing the whole picture and drawing close to God for who he is - not for who we want him to be.
________________________________

Must-see video (warning, UFC related - nothing to do with faith)


Meet The Heavyweights

Protecting Abortion

I don't normally write on political things here. I find that there are very few people who can talk about politics and keep a level-enough head in their demeanor to be sure that Christ is seen in the discussion. Most Christians who get excited talking about, or participating in, politics are either nominal in the faith or tend to be overzealous and quarrelsome. I would fall into the latter category, so I refrain most of the time.

However, something struck me yesterday as I read an Esquire magazine article at lunch about one particular abortion doctor and the US Marshalls that are protecting him. Yes, that is correct - a private abortionist has a federal law enforcement protection detail. I was struck enough to do some research.

Apparently, in the wake of the George Tiller murder at the beginning of the summer, Attorney General Eric Holder decided that US Marshalls should be sent "to offer protection to other appropriate people and facilities around the nation."

Let me be clear...

George Tiller was a mass-murderer.

George Tiller should not have been killed by any fellow human being.

Like it or not, he was practicing a legal procedure in his state.

We should respect the law and peacefully try to change it.

God is sovereign and He will take vengence as He deems.

In the wake of the Tiller murder, other abortionists may be likely targets for other fanatics.

That said, I cannot understand why the US Government would be providing security. If these physicians are private industry, shouldn't they hire a private security?

Around the same time as the Tiller murder, 2 soldiers were gunned down by a terrorist sympathizer outside a military recruiting station in Arkansas. To the best of my knowledge, US Marshalls have not been directed to protect the recruiting stations around the country and they ARE government entities.

Sending US Marshalls to protect the most prolific abortionists in America after Tillers murder is nothing more than a political move by the most abortion-friendly White House in history and an unethical use of US taxpayer dollars.

It seems to me that there are plenty of crimes occuring everyday that could use the attention of these highly-qualified LE officers - playing bodyguard to abortionists might offer abit of safety to those abortionists - but doesn't it ultimately leave the rest of us more vulnerable?

Quick Hits

A new format I plan to try out on occasion...

A few quick paragraphs on topics that don't require extensive treatment, yet which I want to get out of my head and "on paper."
___________________

RIGHTEOUS POO

My oldest boy is pretty much potty trained these days. We have a kiddy potty in our house (and one in our car for MBMs - mobile bowel movements). Sometimes the duty (insert pun here) of cleaning a kiddy potty is dumped (is it too much yet) on me. As I was cleaning one out the other day, something struck me...

Everything we do in our own righteousness looks like poo to God in his sight. No matter how much we shine up our turdish works, they are all still smelling offensive to a holy God. Only by the Lord's gracious hand (by way of the cross) can our status before God be ontologically changed from feces to family. By the application of Christ's righteousness we may enter into the presence of a perfect Father without burning his nostrils and him subsequently burning us.

Note: To all of those offended by the tone of this post, I offer no apologies. Sometimes the use of otherwise crass language is completely appropriate to state a necessary point. Paul thought so in Phillippians 3:8 and Isaiah seemed to agree in 64:6 of his own book. In order to understand our own depravity and inability to please God, I felt that a visceral metaphor was appropriate.
___________________

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE CHURCH

My wife recently attended a friend's church to support the young lady being baptized. I didn't go with her, I went to our home church for the morning. As I was heading home, I got a call from my wife. She was expressing how thankful she was for our church. Apparently, the sermon at the church she visited was devoid of any gospel message, any mention of Christ, or any serious contextual look at scripture. Instead, the pastor gave a nice self-help sermon sprinkled with some random bible verses to try and support his "Dr Phil-ish" points. My understanding is that it was so generic a message that a rabbi, an iman, or a Mormon could have delivered the talk.

When my wife got home I looked at the bulletin that she had received. It was a joke. The main paragraph on the handout was entitled "What to expect at________" and it listed these qualities..."a message relevant to your life, fun and exciting worship, and the best day of your kids life." Nowhere on the paper did I see mention of anything that even resembled the name of Jesus. Additionally, the church service included a solo secular song performance (baby you're all that I need, when I'm lying here in your arms,...we're in heaven) and my wife was told that she could not keep our boy in the service with her because the pastor had ADD and children distracted him.

I know that different people do church differently and I am not suggesting that all believers follow a specific method of doing things. However, when a church works so hard to become relevant to the "cool culture" around them that they turn man-centered instead of Christ-centered - thats a real problem! I believe that American Christianity can largely be summed up in Paul's words to Timothy:

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." (2 Tim 4:3-4)
___________________

FALL HAPPENINGS AT SOUTHPOINT

As the weather cools and the leaves fall, our home church begins a new season of ministry. This fall I am very excited about a number of things:
- I am back in my mens discipleship group, we are probably gonna do a Tim Keller study of James.
- Tiffany is now in a women's discipleship group with some awesome ladies.
- Tiff and I will be teaching Children's Church several times this fall.
- I have committed to work with the new Student Ministry at every other meeting they hold!
- We will be attending a membership class and subsequently, we shall become official members of Southpoint and the PCA.
- Both our boys will be getting baptized as a sign of the covenant promise that God has given them as the children of believers!

Thanks to God for leading us to a wonderful family of believers who embrace sound doctrine, who love and care for each other, and who labor to spread the message of the Gospel daily thru incarnational ministry.
____________________

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"forcing tactics can only do damage, perhaps incalculable damage, to men's souls . . . Evangelism must rather be conceived as a long-term enterprise of patient teaching and instruction, in which God's servants seek simply to be faithful in delivering the gospel message and applying it to human lives, and leave it to God's Spirit to draw men to faith through this message in his own way and at his own speed"
(Packer, A Quest For Godliness , 164).
___________________

CANCER UPDATE

Someone close to me was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. They didn't tell many people and they still don't want it to be a fuss. Shortly after they found out, I asked them to come to my house for dinner and prayer. We had a group prayer meeting where we acknowledged the sovereignty and wisdom of God while crying out for his healing hand. Apparently, God has seen fit to grant his healing powers. I received an e-mail today that gave me an update. It seems that the main tumor has shrunk by 50% and all the other spots are gone! The doctor said that it was more than he ever hoped for...

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26
____________________

PASTOR PRAYS FOR OBAMA'S DEATH

This kind of stuff is horrific. Whats wrong with this guy - he needs some prayer. We also need to pray that God would steer some media coverage to all of the intelligent, loving Christians out there who are demonstrating and proclaiming the gospel.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/31/phoenix-pastor-draws-protests-telling-church-prays-obamas-death/
______________________

DEEPER

Just around the corner is the Deeper Conference. Its here in ATL. I wanted to go this year but medical bills from earlier this year surfaced and cut into our budget. It is put on by the Way of the Master folks and it will feature Ravi Z. and Greg Koukl as well. It looks like a good way to spend a weekend if you are free with extra cash. Just wanted to mention it.

http://www.deeperconference.com/
______________________

SPELUNKING

I am doing a caving trip to PettyJohns in NW Georgia all day on Sept 26th. Its a cheap, challenging, and fun way to explore part of creation that most folks don't see. Come join me! Contact for details.
______________________

Thats it gang. I think I caught caught up on my thoughts as quick as possible. Hope you enjoyed - hit me up with questions or comments.