BIBLE STUDY
Dear Reader,
Almost
anyone today who calls himself or herself a Christian will tell you that
they’ve been saved by the grace of God.
Sadly, however, if questioned further on the subject, you will find
many, many times that a great majority of these people do not understand grace
at all. They trust in their baptism,
their “good deeds”, their emotions, a
decision they’ve made, etc. They speak
of God’s grace and sing about it in their churches; yet they try to make some
sort of contribution to their salvation.
Time and time again we hear the “evangelists” say “Christ has done his
part now you must do your part.” This
is not grace!
When
the Bible speaks of grace it is talking about a grace that is quite different
that what is widely being taught today.
Many books have been written for and against the doctrines that we’ll
look at in this study. This book does
not claim to teach anything new. Some
of the words are my own; some have been taken from other books, pastors, and
Bible teachers. All of it, however, I
believe agrees with what the Bible teaches about the grace of God.
The
purpose of his study is to help the reader look for himself at what the Bible
says. By no means is this to be
considered an exhaustive work on the topic.
Rather, it is to help inform and
encourage the reader towards further study. I recommend using the King James Version
when answering the questions.
Daniel
S. McPherson II
I may be reached by e-mail at dmcpherson7@hotmail.com
CONTENTS
1.
THE NEED FOR GRACE ………………………………………………… 3
2. THE CONCEPTION OF GRACE ………………………………………… 10
3. THE SECURING OF GRACE …………………………………………… 16
4.
THE APPLICATION OF
GRACE ………………………………………. 23
5.
THE TRIUMPH OF GRACE ……………………………………………. 29
6.
ANSWERS TO POPULAR
OBJECTIONS ……………………………... 33
7.
SUPPORTING TEXTS ………………………………………………….. 38
8. QUOTES
………………………………………………………………….. 41
LESSON
ONE: THE NEED FOR GRACE
To fully understand the grace of God,
it is of the utmost importance that we study the spiritual condition of
man. Is man a good creature? Is he utterly evil and corrupt? Or, is he somewhere in between? Many false teachings have become popular in
churches today due to a misunderstanding of where man stands in relationship to
God. This is what we shall examine in
lesson one.
I. Part
One: The Fall of Man
1.
Read
Genesis 2: 16,17
a.
What
did God command Adam? (v. 17) _______________________________
____________________________________________________________________
b. What would happen the day
Adam disobeyed? (v. 17) _____________________
____________________________________________________________________
2.
Read
Genesis 3: 6-19
a.
Did
Adam obey God’s command? (v. 6) _______________________________
____________________________________________________________________
b.
After
Adam sinned, did he lose his innocence?
__________________________
____________________________________________________________________
c.
How
do you know? (v. 7)
___________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
d.
Did
he still desire fellowship with God?
________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
e.
How
do you know? (v. 10)
__________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
f. Did Adam die physically that
day?
____________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
g.
In
what way did Adam die?
_________________________________________
1.
Read
Genesis 5: 1-3
a.
In
whose likeness was Adam created? (v.
1) ____________________________
____________________________________________________________________
b.
Seth
was born in whose likeness? (v.
3) _______________________________
____________________________________________________________________
c. In whose image? (v.
3) _____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
d. Did Adam’s offspring inherit his corruption? ____________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2.
Read
Romans 5: 12
a.
Did
spiritual death come to just Adam?
________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
b.
To
whom did spiritual death spread?
__________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3.
Read
Ephesians 2: 1-3
a.
In
what are the unsaved dead? (v. 1) __________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
b.
How
does unsaved man walk? (v. 2) __________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
c.
What
does God say we are by nature? (v.
3) ____________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4.
Read Psalm 58: 3
a.
When
do we go astray?
_____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
b. What do we speak?
________________________________________________
c. Does man have to learn to be sinful, or is he born with
it? __________________
____________________________________________________________________
d.
Is
it biblical to teach that babies are innocent?
___________________________
When God created Adam, He
made him perfect and free from all sin.
Adam was a servant and friend of God, having fellowship with him and
enjoying his presence. When Adam chose to
disobey God by eating of the forbidden fruit, his relationship to God changed
drastically. He was separated from God
and died spiritually (and later physically).
We can see the evidence of his spiritual death by the following:
1.
Adam’s
awareness of evil --- his eyes were opened (Gen. 3: 7)
2.
Adam’s
lost innocence --- he covered himself
(Gen. 3: 7)
3.
Adam’s
broken fellowship with God --- he hid himself
(Gen. 3: 8)
Adam, being the
representative for all mankind, plunged the entire human race into sin.
His sin was imputed to us and therefore, we are born
separated from God and in a spiritually dead
condition.
II. Part
Two: Every Faculty of Man is
Corrupt
A.
The
Heart
1.
Read
Mark 7: 21-23
a. List some things
that come from the heart of man. (vs.
21,22) _____________
___________________________________________________________________
b.
Are
any of these things pleasing to God?
_____________________________
____________________________________________________________________
c.
What
do they do to man? (v. 23) _____________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2.
Read
Ecclesiastes 9: 3
a.
Of
what is the heart of man full?
____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
b. What else is in the heart?
__________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
Read
Jeremiah 17: 9
a.
How
does God describe the heart of man?
_____________________________
b.
Is
there anything that is more deceitful?
_______________________________
___________________________________________________________________
c.
Is
it biblical to teach that man is basically good at heart? _________________
___________________________________________________________________
B.
The
Mind
1.
Read
Romans 8: 7, 8
a.
What
does the carnal mind have towards God? (v.
7) ____________________
___________________________________________________________________
b.
Does
the carnal mind desire to do God’s law?
(v. 7) ____________________
___________________________________________________________________
c.
Is it able? (v. 7)
__________________________________________________
d.
Can
the carnal mind please God in any way?
(v. 8)
_____________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Read
Ephesians 4: 17-18
a.
How
do the unsaved walk? (v. 17) __________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
b.
What
has happened to their understanding?
(v. 18) ______________________
___________________________________________________________________
c.
What
is their relationship to God? (v.
18) _____________________________
___________________________________________________________________
d.
What
is in them? (v. 18)
__________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
e.
Why
is ignorance in them? (v. 18) ___________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
Read 1 Corinthians 2: 14
a.
What
does God say about man receiving spiritual truth? __________________
___________________________________________________________________
b.
What
is mankind’s attitude towards the things of God? ___________________
___________________________________________________________________
c.
Is
he able to understand the things of God?
____________________________
___________________________________________________________________
d. Why not?
_______________________________________________________
C.
The
Will
1.
Read
Romans 3: 9-12
a.
Under
what power is mankind? (v. 9) ________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
b.
Are
any righteous? (v. 10)
_________________________________________
c.
Can
unsaved man understand spiritual things?
(v. 11) ___________________
___________________________________________________________________
d.
Who
seeks after God? (v. 11) _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
e.
Who
does good? (v. 12)
___________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Read
John 8: 44
a. Who is the father of the unsaved? ____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
b.
From
whom are the desires of unsaved man?
___________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
Read
Jeremiah 13: 23
a.
Does
man have the ability to change his skin color?
_____________________
b.
Does
man have the ability to change his evil nature? _____________________
___________________________________________________________________
c.
Does
this imply a freewill or a bound will?
____________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Since
the fall of Adam, mankind has been at total enmity against God. We are born with our minds corrupted, our
hearts hardened and our wills in bondage to sin. We cannot come to God nor do we want to come. The Bible speaks of us as being servants
(slaves) to sin and to the devil. This
does not mean that man is as sinful or as wicked as he could possibly be, but
that he is sinful in all of his
being. Man cannot change his evil
desires.
III. Part
Three: A Picture of Our Dead State
A. Lazarus: Read John 11: 1- 44
1. What was the physical condition of
Lazarus? (v. 14) ______________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. What did
Jesus command him to do? (v. 43) _____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Did Lazarus
come forth? (v. 44) ______________________________________
4. Did Lazarus
contribute in any way to this miracle? ________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
5. Did Lazarus
come forth to receive life or did he receive life so that he could come
forth? ______________________________________________________________
6. What would have happened if
Jesus would have left the decision up to Lazarus? _
____________________________________________________________________
The
historical account of Lazarus in John 11 is teaching us an important spiritual
truth. Lazarus was dead. He was totally and completely unable to help
himself in any way. He did not ask for
life nor did he “accept” an offer for life.
He was made alive by the power of Christ alone. As it was with Lazarus physically, so it is
with mankind spiritually.
“If men were able in the
slightest degree to try to move in God’s direction,
there would be no
need for God to save them. He would
allow them to
save themselves. But no man is able even to attempt it.” --- Martin Luther
LESSON TWO: THE CONCEPTION OF GRACE
If man is to be saved, God must do something for him that
he cannot do for himself. The Bible is
very plain in saying that all men will not be saved. Therefore, it is quite obvious that God gives saving grace to
some and withholds it from others. Does
God have the right to do this? Why does
God choose some? When did He choose
them? Did He make the choice because of
something in man or in Himself? Let us
humbly look to God’s word for the answers.
I.
Part One:
God is Sovereign Over All Things
A.
Read
Isaiah 46: 9- 11
1.
Is
there any like God? (v. 9) ____________________________________
2.
What
does he declare? (v. 10) ___________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3.
Will
his counsel stand? (v. 10) __________________________________
4.
What
does God say he will do? (v. 11) ____________________________
________________________________________________________________
B.
Read 1
Chronicles 29: 10- 13
1.
Name
the five things listed that belong to the Lord. (v. 11)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
2. How much in heaven and earth is His? (v. 11) _______________________
________________________________________________________________
3. Above what is the Lord exalted? (v. 11)
___________________________
4. Over how much does God rule or
reign? (v. 12) _____________________
________________________________________________________________
5.
What
should our attitude be towards our sovereign God? (v. 13) ________
________________________________________________________________
C.
Read
Daniel 4: 35
1.
What
are the inhabitants of the earth counted as compared to God? ______
________________________________________________________________
2.
Can
God’s purpose be thwarted?
_________________________________
God is the almighty,
all-powerful ruler over all things.
Whatever He declares will come to pass and nothing comes to pass without
Him declaring it. The inhabitants of
earth are counted as nothing compared to the sovereign God. We should humbly bow before Him and praise
His holy name.
II. Part
Two: A People Chosen For Salvation
A.
Read
Ephesians 1: 4-5, 11
1.
What
did God do for the believer? (v.
4) _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2.
When
did he choose him? (v. 4)
________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
3.
Why
did God choose him? (v. 4) _______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4.
Believers
were predestinated according to whose will?
(vs. 5 and 11) __________
_______________________________________________________________________
B.
Read
John 6: 37
1.
Who
will come to Christ?
_____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2.
If
it were dependent on man’s will, whom could the Father give? ______________
______________________________________________________________________
3.
Will
the ones given certainly come?
_____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
C.
Read
Romans 9: 11-24
1.
Were
Jacob and Esau born before God had made his choice? (v. 11) ___________
_______________________________________________________________________
2.
Had
they done anything good or evil? (v.
11) _____________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
3.
For
what purpose were they chosen? (v.
11) ______________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
4.
What
does God say about Jacob? (v. 13) _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
5.
What
does God say about Esau? (v. 13) __________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
6.
Is
God unrighteous for making this choice?
(v. 14)
_________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
7. On whom will God have
mercy? (v. 15) __________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
8.
On
whom will God have compassion? (v.
15) _____________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
9.
Is salvation by man’s will? (v. 16)
_____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
10. Is salvation by man’s
work? (v. 16) ____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
11. On whom does salvation depend? (v. 16)
________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
12.
Is
it your place to question your maker?
(v. 20)
___________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
13.
Does
God have power over his creation? (v.
21) __________________________
14. What is shown by God making vessels of
wrath? (v. 22) ____________________
_______________________________________________________________________
15.
What is shown by God making vessels of
mercy? (v. 23) ___________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Before the foundation of the
world God, in his loving mercy, chose (elected) a people for himself. This choice was not made because of any
foreseen faith, belief, or good works in the individual. God was under no obligation to choose
anyone. In fact, God would have been
perfectly just in sending the entire human race to hell. If it were not for God choosing some, then
all would be lost.
III.
Part
Three: Jesus Taught Election
A.
Read
John 15: 16, 19
1. Who makes the
choice? (v. 16) ______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. Why were
certain ones ordained? (v. 16) ______________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. Why does
Christ say that the world will hate believers?
(v. 19) ____________
____________________________________________________________________
B.
Read
Matthew 24: 22, 24, 31
1.
For
whose sake shall the days be shortened?
(v. 22) _____________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. False christ’s and false prophets would deceive whom, if
possible? (v. 24) ___
___________________________________________________________________
3. Who will angels gather
together? (v. 31) ______________________________
___________________________________________________________________
C.
Read
Luke 4: 25-30
1.
To
whom was Elias sent during the famine?
(v. 26) _____________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
How
many lepers were cleansed by Eliseus? (v. 27)
_____________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
What
was the reaction of the people to this doctrine? (vs. 28- 29) __________
___________________________________________________________________
4.
What’s
your reaction?
_____________________________________________
Many people in our day have
the same reaction to the doctrine of election that the people
had in Jesus’s day.
Man, in his natural state, hates this doctrine because it puts God on
the throne and man at his mercy. When
the Bible speaks of salvation by grace, that is exactly what it means! It is by nothing at all in man. God does the saving.
We
must remember, however, that election is not salvation. It is God’s sovereign decree that marks out
his chosen. All of the elect must hear
the gospel and come to faith in Christ.
They must be born again. We will
look at this later on in our study.
“The ultimate destiny of
every individual is decided by the will of God, and
blessed it is that such be
the case. If it were left to our wills,
the ultimate
destination of us all would
be the lake of fire.” --- A. W. Pink
LESSON THREE:
THE SECURING OF GRACE
God,
in order to have a people for himself, had to deal with the problem of
sin. He did this by sending the Lord
Jesus Christ to live a perfect life and die on the cross in the place of
sinners. But what did Christ’s death
accomplish? Did it make it possible for
God to pardon all sinners on the condition that they would believe? Or, did it secure salvation for certain
sinners so that they would believe?
Let’s see how the Bible describes this doctrine.
I.
Part
One: What Does Christ’s Death Do?
A.
It
Justifies
1.
Read
Romans 5: 8, 9
a.
What
did Christ’s death do for sinners? (v.
9) _______________________
________________________________________________________________
b.
Much
more then, what are they now? (v.
9) ________________________
________________________________________________________________
c. By what are they justified?
(v. 9)
_________________________________
________________________________________________________________
d. Shall those for
whom he shed his blood be saved? (v.
9) _______________
________________________________________________________________
2.
Read
Isaiah 53:10- 12
a.
For
what was Christ’s soul made an offering?
(v. 10) _________________
________________________________________________________________
b.
Was
the offering satisfactory? (v. 11) _____________________________
________________________________________________________________
c.
Does
Christ justify those whose iniquities he bore?
(v. 11) _____________
________________________________________________________________
d. Is everyone justified?
___________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
B.
It
Reconciles: Read Romans 5: 10
1.
What
did the death of the son do for those who were once enemies? _________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Will
these be saved?
______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
By
what will they be saved?
________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4.
Is
it possible that God is, through Christ’s death, reconciled to all men, but
that
only some men are reconciled
to Him?
___________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
C.
It
Cleanses: Read 1 John 1: 7
1.
By
what are sinners cleansed?
_______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Does
Christ’s blood cleanse from all sin, or some sin? ____________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
If
Christ’s blood cleanses an individual of all sin, what then could send him to
hell?
_______________________________________________________________
D.
It
Purchases: Read Acts 20: 28
1.
What
did Christ do for the church?
___________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
With
what did he purchase it?
_______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
Does
every individual in the world belong to Christ’s church? _____________
___________________________________________________________________
4.
Did
Christ purchase every human being?
______________________________
___________________________________________________________________
E.
It
Redeems
1.
Read
Colossians 1: 13, 14
a.
Because
of Christ’s death, what has God done?
(v. 13) _______________
________________________________________________________________
b.
Name
the two things in verse 14 that we (believers) have. _____________
________________________________________________________________
c.
Through
what have these two things been obtained?
(v. 14) ___________
________________________________________________________________
2.
Read
Hebrews 9: 12
a.
What
did Christ’s death obtain?
__________________________________
________________________________________________________________
b.
Is
every individual redeemed? ___________________________________
________________________________________________________________
c.
Did
Jesus make salvation possible for every man,
or did he obtain it for
some?
_________________________________________________________
The
Bible describes the death of Christ as an actual atonement for sin, not a
potential atonement. It is nonsense to
think that Christ paid a ransom for every individual and yet some are not set
free. The Bible calls the blood of
Christ a price or a ransom (Matthew 20: 28).
The purpose of a ransom is to obtain the deliverance of those for
whom the price was paid. Nowhere does
it speak of Christ’s death as making salvation a possibility. The shed blood of Jesus actually secured the
salvation of the ones for whom he died.
II.
Part
Two: Payment for Whom?
A.
His
People: Read Matthew 1: 21
1. What was Mary to call her son?
______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. Who will Jesus save?
______________________________________________
3.
From
what will he save them?
_______________________________________
4.
Does
this verse suggest that Jesus will provide an opportunity for salvation; or
that he will actually save
his people?
_____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
B.
His
Church: Read Ephesians 5: 25- 27 *
1.
Husbands
are love their wives as Christ loved whom?
(v. 25) ______________
____________________________________________________________________
2.
For
whom did Christ give himself up? (v.
25) __________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3.
Why
did Christ give himself up? (v.
26) _______________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4.
Are
men permitted to love other women besides their wives? ______________
____________________________________________________________________
5.
Would
Christ then, loving the church as an example of how a man should love
his wife, love others as
well as the church as to die for them?
__________________
____________________________________________________________________
C.
His
Elect: Read Romans 8: 32-34
1.
In
these verses, to whom do the words “us” and “all” refer? (v. 33)
_________
____________________________________________________________________
2.
Can
anything be laid to the charge of those for whom Christ has been delivered
up? (v. 33)
_________________________________________________________
3. What is Christ doing at the right hand of God for those whom he
died. (v. 34) _
____________________________________________________________________
D.
His
Sheep: Read John 10: 11, 14-18, 24-29
1.
Who
is the good shepherd?
_________________________________________
2.
For
whom did he lay down his life? (v.
15) ____________________________
3.
Will
Christ bring in all the sheep for whom he laid down his life? (v. 16)
____
___________________________________________________________________
4.
Will
they heed his voice? (v. 16) ____________________________________
5.
Why
didn’t the Jews to whom Christ was speaking believe on him? (v. 26)
___
___________________________________________________________________
6.
What
does Christ give his sheep? (v.
28) ______________________________
___________________________________________________________________
7.
Will
they ever perish? (v. 28) _______________________________________
8.
Who
gave the sheep to Christ? (v. 29) ________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
9.
Since
the men to whom Jesus was speaking were not of his sheep, did he lay
down his life for them? (v. 11)
_________________________________________
God
declares that the wages (payment) of sin is death but his gift is eternal life through
the death of Christ (Rom. 6: 23). Jesus
Christ paid these wages and obtained eternal life for those whom the Father had given him. Christ did not come to try to save every
individual. If so, he has failed in his
purpose. He did not come to enable men
to save themselves. If this were so,
then salvation would be of works, not grace.
Christ went to the cross to save his people, his eternal church, his
elect, and his sheep, who were predestinated before the foundation of the
world.
III.
Part
Three: The High Priestly Prayer
A.
Read
John 17
1.
For
whom did Christ pray for eternal life?
(vs. 2, 6, 9, 11, 24)
_____________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
What
did he pray they might do? (v. 3) _______________________________
3.
For
what doesn’t Christ pray? (v. 9)
_________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4.
For
whose sakes did Christ sanctify himself?
(v. 19) _____________________
5.
Christ
not only prays for the disciples, but also for whom else? (v. 20)
_____
___________________________________________________________________
6.
Does
Christ pray for the ones who won’t believe?
_______________________
___________________________________________________________________
7.
If
the great high priest, Jesus Christ, was unwilling to pray for those who were
not his own, would he then
offer himself up for them?
_______________________
___________________________________________________________________
In
John 17, Jesus, in his prayer, refers to his giving himself in death and his
praying for his own whom the Father had given him. It is clear that his intercession must be for the same people as
those for whom he died. These are God’s
elect.
“We
can put the matter like this: Christ
suffered for either,
all the
sins of all men, or
all the sins of some men, or
some of the sins of all men.
If the last statement is true, then all men are still left with some sins, and so no one can be redeemed.
If
the first statement is true, then why are not all men freed from sin? You may say, Because of their unbelief.
But I ask, is unbelief a sin? If
it is not, why are men punished for it?
If it is a sin, then it must be among the sins for which Christ
died. So the first statement cannot be
true!
So
it is clear that the only possibility remaining is that Christ had laid upon
him all the sins of some men, the elect, only.
It is this that I believe is the teaching of the Bible.” –John Owen
* In the Bible, God talks about “His church” in two ways. One way that he presents the church is as a corporate body. The corporate body of believers or the external church consists of all those from every denomination that have joined up with Christ by making a profession or becoming a member in a local church. Within this corporate visible church there are those who have not become saved. Corporately they may enjoy many privileges and blessings but personally they have not yet become born again. These are the ones that passages like II Peter 2:20 and Hebrews 10:26, 27 are referring to.
At other times in scripture, when God talks about the body of Christ or the church, He is referring to individuals who have personally become born again. These individuals are members of the eternal church. Theses are the ones who have had their sins paid. These are the ones for whom Christ prays for in John 17. These are the ones who have truly trusted in the Lord and have become new creatures in Christ Jesus. On the last day the tares (unbelievers) will be separated from the wheat (believers) and we will know those who belong to the eternal church (Matthew 13).
NOTES
LESSON FOUR:
THE APPLICATION OF GRACE
In
Romans 10: 17, we are told that faith comes by hearing God’s word (the
bible). Jesus commands us to take God’s
word into all the world (Mark 16: 15).
As we are obedient to Christ’s command, we are giving a general or
external call to men to believe the gospel message. To most of the ones that hear this message it is
foolishness. But we also see that there
are those who do come to Christ for salvation.
Why? Were these people
smarter? Were they somehow less sinful
than those who rejected the gospel?
Obviously, from what we learned in lesson one, the answer is no. We know that men reject the gospel because
of their total depravity (Rom. 3:
11). The miraculous thing is that any
believe. Let us now look further into
why this is so.
I.
Part
One: The Internal Effectual Call
A.
Read
John 6: 44, 45, 63- 65
1.
Is
man able to come to Christ of himself?
(v. 44) _______________________
____________________________________________________________________
2.
What
is the only way that man can come? (v.
44) _______________________
____________________________________________________________________
3.
What
will God do to those he draws? (v.
44) ___________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4. Of whom shall the ones who are drawn be taught? (v. 45)
_________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Who is it that quickens
(makes alive)? (v. 63) ___________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. What does the flesh
profit? (v. 63) ___________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
7. Who gives man the ability to come to Christ? (v. 65)
____________________
___________________________________________________________________
B.
Read 2 Timothy 1: 9
1.
With
what have we (believers) been called?
____________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2.
Were
we called because of something we did?
__________________________
3.
According
to what was the call?
_____________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
C.
Read 1 Peter 2: 9
1.
What
four things does God call believers in this verse?
a.
_____________________________________________________________
b.
_____________________________________________________________
c.
_____________________________________________________________
d.
_____________________________________________________________
2.
What
were we chosen to show forth?
__________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3.
What
has God done to get us out of darkness and into his light? _____________
____________________________________________________________________
D.
Read
John 10: 3,4
1.
Who
hears the shepherd’s (Christ’s) voice?
(v. 3) _______________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. By what does he call them?
(v. 3) ____________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. What else does the shepherd do? (v. 3)
________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4.
Do
the sheep, whom the shepherd has called by name, follow him? (v. 4)
____
____________________________________________________________________
5.
Why
do they follow him? (v. 4) _____________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
When
the natural unregenerate man hears the external call of the gospel, he is
unwilling and unable to forsake his evil ways and humbly submit to it. He is a spiritual corpse that is dead in his
sin (see lesson 1). The only way he
will answer the call is if God the Holy Spirit draws him. Therefore, God, in order to bring his sheep
(the elect) to himself, extends to them a special
inward call in addition to the outward call
contained in the gospel message. This
call becomes effectual in the hearts of God’s elect. These are the ones the shepherd calls by name. They will heed his voice and follow him.
II.
Part
Two: God Gives Faith
A.
Read
Ephesians 2: 8
1.
By
what are we saved? ____________________________________________
2.
Through
what are we saved by grace?
________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
Is
faith something that we have in ourselves?
___________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4.
Of
whom is the gift of faith?
________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
B.
Read
Matthew 16: 15-17
1.
Did
Simon Peter believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?
(v. 16) ________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Did
he believe because of anything in or of himself? (v. 17) _______________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
Why
did he believe? (v. 17) ________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4.
Would
he have believed if God had not opened his eyes to the truth? __
___________________________________________________________________
C.
Read
Acts 16: 14*
1.
Did
Lydia respond to the gospel?
____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Did
she respond because she was smarter or somehow better than those who did
not?
_______________________________________________________________
3.
What
did the Lord do to her heart?
___________________________________
4.
Did
God open her heart because she responded to the gospel or did he open her
heart so she would
respond?
___________________________________________
D.
Read
Luke 8: 9, 10
1.
How
does someone come to know the things of God?
(v. 10) _____________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Was
it Christ’s purpose that everyone should understand the gospel message?
(v.
10)______________________________________________________________
3.
Who’s
the one who must give spiritual eyes and ears to understand the gospel?
___________________________________________________________________
When
God calls one of his elect he also gives him the faith to believe. He draws the sinner to himself. He opens his spiritual eyes and ears so that
the sinner will see his helpless condition.
And he gives him a new heart that makes him willing to trust in Christ
as his Saviour. This will result in
salvation. This is the new birth. “….Except a man be born again he cannot see
the kingdom of God.” (John 3: 3) Does
man have control over his physical birth?
Does man make a decision to be born?
Of course not! God creates the
babe in the womb in his own time. The
one being born is totally passive. The
same is true in salvation.
III.
Part
Three: Dry Bones Receive Life
A.
Read
Ezekiel 37: 1- 14
1.
What
did God command Ezekiel to do unto the dry bones in his vision? (v. 4) _
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Did
these dry bones receive life? (v.
10) ______________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
Why
did they live? (v. 5) __________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4.
Could
these bones have lived if not for the power of God? ________________
___________________________________________________________________
Just
as in lesson one, when we looked at the raising of Lazarus, so the vision of
Ezekiel teaches us the same spiritual truth.
Believers are commanded to go out into the world with the word of the
Lord. We preach to spiritually dry dead
sinners. They have absolutely no hope
in themselves. They are unable to make
themselves spiritually alive. But, when
the message is accompanied by the power of God the Holy Spirit, the dead sinner
becomes a new creature. God puts his
spirit in the hearts of his elect.
These are the whole house of Israel (God’s Spiritual Israel, Rom. 9:
6-9). And these will be the ones
brought into the land (heaven) which God had prepared for them.
“The
Bible very clearly teaches that man is powerless, indeed dead, in his sin.
He is entirely unable to
contribute anything towards his spiritual awakening. That
awakening is one hundred
percent the activity of the Holy Spirit. So all the credit,
all the glory and all the
gratitude belong to the Holy Spirit.”
--George Smeaton
* “Lydia…which worshipped God” this means that Lydia
was a Gentile converted to Judaism, not that she was a true believer before she
heard Paul preach.
NOTES
LESSON FIVE:
THE TRIUMPH OF GRACE
So
far in our study, we’ve looked at what God graciously does for poor dead
sinners. The Father chose a people for
himself. The Son died for those whom
the Father had chosen. And the Holy
Spirit applies this to their hearts and brings them to faith. These doctrines logically imply that the
ones who receive these blessings will certainly be saved. Yet, there are those who teach that a true
believer can fall from grace and lose his salvation. Is this the teaching of the Bible?
I.
Part
One: Safe and Secure
A.
Read
John 5: 24
1.
What
does the believer have?
_______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Will
he come into judgement?
_______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
From
what has he passed?
__________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
B.
Read
John 6: 35- 40
1.
What
does Christ say about those who come and believe on him? (v. 35)
____
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Will
they be cast out? (v. 37) _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.
Will
Christ lose any that the Father gave him?
(v. 39) ____________________
___________________________________________________________________
4.
What
kind of life does a person have when he believes? (v. 40) ____________
___________________________________________________________________
C.
Read
Romans 8: 35- 39
1.
What
are believers in all things? (v.
37) _______________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Through
whom are we more than conquerors? (v.
37) ___________________
3.
Can
anything separate a believer from the love of God? (v. 39) ____________
___________________________________________________________________
D.
Read
Philippians 1: 6
1. If God begins the work of salvation, will he complete it? __________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Can
we be confident of this?
________________________________________
E.
Read
Psalm 37: 23, 24, 28
1.
By
whom are the steps of the believer ordered?
(v. 23) ___________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Does
God delight in the believer’s way? (v.
23) ________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. If he falls into sin, will he be cast down? (v. 24)
________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. Who upholds the believer?
(v. 24)
__________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
5.
Will
God forsake his saints? (v. 28) __________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
6. How long will they be preserved? (v. 28)
______________________________
____________________________________________________________________
F.
Read
Romans 8: 28
1.
How
many things work for good to believers?
__________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2.
Would
losing one’s salvation be a good thing?
__________________________
___________________________________________________________________
G.
Read 1 John
2: 19, 25
1. If someone becomes saved, will they continue in the faith? (v. 19)
__________
___________________________________________________________________
2. If someone leaves the faith, were they really saved to begin
with? (v. 19) ____
__________________________________________________________________
3.
What
has God promised true believers? (v.
25) _________________________
___________________________________________________________________
The teaching of scripture is
clear that those who are saved will certainly persevere. They are given ETERNAL life the
moment they believe. True believers are
kept by the power of God and will not be separated from his love. Whatever God purposes, he will surely bring
it to pass. He will complete the work
he has begun. This does not mean that
all who profess to be Christians will be saved. It is the saints, the true believers that are secure. There are many who profess to believe and
then fall away, but the reason they fall away is that they were never in grace.
II.
Part
Two: Five Links in The Chain of Grace
A.
Read
Romans 8: 29, 30
1. What did God do for those He foreknew (foreloved)? (v. 29)
______________
___________________________________________________________________
2. For whom he did predestinate?
(v. 30)
_______________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. Whom he called? (v.
30) ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4.
For
whom he justified? (v. 30) ______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Now, let’s look at the chain
in reverse order.
5. What were those who will be glorified? (v. 30)
________________________
___________________________________________________________________
6.
Those
who were justified? (v. 30) ___________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
7.
Those
who were called? (v. 30) _____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
8.
Those
who were predestinated? (v. 29) _______________________________
___________________________________________________________________
In
Romans 8 God shows us the “five links” in his chain of grace. These five links are “foreknowledge”, “predestination”, “calling”,
“justification”, and “glorification”.
Each of these is true of every believer. Not one of these links will fail or break. Here we see that the activity is on the part
of God alone. He does for us what we
cannot do for ourselves. Also, notice
the fifth link in the chain- “glorification”.
This is the destiny of every true believer. Salvation can never be lost because those, whom God has foreknown
(foreloved), predestinated, called, and justified, he will also glorify. The
verbs in these verses are in the past tense because in the mind of God, he sees
his eternal purpose as already complete.
“Believers stand as upon a
stable rock, and they are placed as upon a mountain
of brass, so cannot totally and finally fall; for the Father is
not inconsistent in his
love; he doth not love today and hate tomorrow.” -- Christopher Ness
God
deals with people in two ways. To some
he gives mercy and to others he gives justice.
To nobody does he give injustice.
We must remember that God was under no obligation to save anyone. If God were to give everyone what he or she
deserved, we would all be eternally damned.
Let’s
say there are one hundred men on death row.
You are a powerful judge who has the right and the means to pardon men
on death row. You are also able to take
care of them and turn them into upright citizens. You decide that you’re going
to show mercy. You are going to show an
act of kindness to these death deserving prisoners. So you go and exert your power and authority, releasing
twenty-five of these men. Could I say
to you, “Hey, that’s not fair. These other seventy five men deserve to be
released also.”? The answer is no! That would not be a true statement. The amazing thing would be that the
twenty-five were released from their death penalty, not that the seventy-five
were left to suffer the consequences of justice.
This
is what God does in election. All of us
are on death row. We have all committed
treason. For God to chose some and
leaves the rest to justice is not unfair, it is marvelously merciful! The question is why would he save some in
the first place.
2.
“I
don’t believe in election because God is a gentleman and would not violate my
freewill.”
The Bible does not teach a
neutral will. The Bible speaks of the human will as being enslaved to sin. It is free only in that it can sin
freely. If God were to leave it to our
will, not a single person would come to him (Rom. 3: 11). We should therefore rejoice in the fact that
God intervenes.
3.
“If
a certain number are chosen for salvation, that would mean that there’s no use
in spreading the gospel or praying for the unsaved.”
In order to become saved,
the elect must first hear the gospel message.
This is the job that the church is privileged to have. If God has ordained someone to be saved, he
has also ordained that they should hear the gospel, believe, and repent. Only God knows whom all of his elect
are. This is not our business. Our job is to faithfully spread the gospel
and pray for the unsaved. God through
our witnessing and prayers works to change the hearts of whom he will. God not only foreordains the ends, but also
the means.
4.
“Teaching
people that we cannot lose our salvation will encourage them to live in and
enjoy
the
pleasure of sin.”
A
true child of God will realize how untrue this statement is. When we become saved, we are a new
creature ( 2 Cor. 5: 17, 18). A child of God has been given a new soul
that causes severe conflict within his own personality when he sins. The true believer finds his highest pleasure
in obedience to God. It is therefore
impossible for a born-from-above believer to live as the unsaved person he was
before he became a new creature in Christ.
If we truly love him, we will keep his commandments (John 14: 15, 21).
*5. “I don’t
believe that Christ died for only the elect because the Bible says that God
loves the
“world” and wants “all” to come to repentance.”
The
word “world” in scripture commonly means only some men in the world. Look up the following verses:
Luke 2: 1
- “all the world”. Every human being on the planet was not
under the rule of
Caesar. The word “world” in this verse clearly means the Roman
Empire.
John 1: 10 - “the world knew him not”. If “world” meant every individual in this
verse, we
would have to conclude that there was
nobody on the planet that was a believer.
But we know that some men did believe on
him.
1 John 5: 19 - “the whole world”. This cannot mean every
individual because we know there
are many true believers in the world that are
not under the power of the wicked
one.
John 8: 26 - “I speak to the world”. Was Jesus speaking to every person in the world? No.
Only a few Jews heard him speak.
John 12:19 - “The world is gone after him”. Did the Pharisees mean that every person in
the
world was
following Jesus? No. This can only mean most of the Jewish
nation had gone after him.
Now
let’s look at some passages that are used to teach that Christ died for every
human being.
1 John 2: 1, 2
- “for the sins of the whole
world”.
To
understand this verse, we must remember to whom it was that John was
writing. Yes, the scriptures are for
the whole church, but here John was writing especially to Jews. We know that John was an apostle to the Jews
(the circumcision) from Galatians 2: 9.
We can also see this in 1 John 2:7.
He is writing to those who had previously heard God’s word. We know that God’s word came to the Jew
first (Rom. 1: 16)
The
Jewish nation was under the opinion that their nation alone was God’s
people. John is concerned with
preventing Jewish Christians from falling into the error of supposing that they
were the only Christians. Christ made
atonement for all of his elect which are scattered throughout the world. He did not die for Jews only, but for people
from every nation and tongue (John 11: 52).
This verse does not teach a doctrine of Christ dying for each and every
man.
John 3: 16 - “For God so loved the world”.
This
verse has been used more than any other to try to prove that Jesus died for
everyone in the world. Look at the
verse closely. God loved the world, his
creation; therefore, he gave his only begotten son so that those of this world
who believe on him should not perish.
The declaration, “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,”
automatically excludes the rest! God
did not send his son for those who will not believe. The Bible tells us who will believe. It is all of God’s elect.
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and he that cometh I
will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:
37) The rest shall perish because of
their sins. If we were to conclude that
Christ paid for everyone’s sins we would not be in agreement with the Bible
that a great company of people will pay for their sins in hell.
1
John 4:14 - “Saviour of the world”.
Christ is called the Saviour of the world because there is no other saviour for any in the world (Acts 4: 12) and he alone saves all that are saved, all over the world. Obviously, he cannot be called the Saviour of the world because he has actually saved everyone – for he has not.
There are many other
scripture passages containing the word “world”, but we will stop here. We must remember to see how God uses a word
in the Bible. We must let the Bible be
it’s own dictionary. We cannot assume
that a word means something without comparing it to other scriptures. Now, let’s look at some passages containing
the words “all men” or “every man”.
1 Timothy 2: 4- 6
- “Who will have all men to be
saved”.
We
know that God does whatever he pleases (Psalm 115: 3). So if “all men” means the whole human race,
then everyone is saved. If not, then
God has failed in his purpose. We know
that neither of these conclusions is true.
From other passages in the Bible it is plain that God does not will that
the whole human race should come to knowledge of the truth (Psalm 147: 19, 20);
Matthew 11: 25, 26; Acts 14: 16; Colossians 1: 26; Acts 17: 30). I Timothy 2: 4-6 can only mean some men of
all sorts.
2 Peter 3: 9
- “not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance”.
Here
the apostle is speaking to “us”. Who
are these? In his first letter they are
called the “elect” (1 Peter 1: 2) and
“purchased people” (1 Peter 2: 9). In the second letter they are called “the
beloved” (2 Peter 3: 1), the ones who
received great and precious promises (2
Peter 1: 4) and are
distinguished from scoffers (2 Peter 3:
3). It is clear that this verse means
that it is all and only his elect whom he would not have perish.
Hebrews 2: 9
- “that he by the grace of God
should taste death for every man”.
Let’s
look closely at Hebrews 2 to see who is meant by “every man”. They are many sons (v. 10), the sanctified
(v. 11), his brethren (v. 11), the children God gave him (v. 13), and those who
are delivered (v. 15). Since none of
these descriptions can apply to those who remain in unbelief, “every man” here
cannot mean the whole human race.
When
looking at verses such as these we must look at them in the light of the whole
Bible. In Revelation 5: 9 and
Revelation 7: 9, John uses “world” as a global perspective of people from every
nation and tongue. John 11: 49 speaks
of the elect who are scattered throughout the “whole world”. In John 6: 37 we see the “all” that God does
not wish to perish. They are “all” of
the elect throughout the “whole world”.
6.
“Election simply means that God knew beforehand who would believe on him
and chose these for salvation (Romans 8: 29).
If you have any
understanding of the natural man, as taught in the Bible, you’ll understand
why this
cannot be true. A corpse cannot believe
and we are spiritually dead. There’s
none that seeks after God (Rom. 3: 11).
If God simply looked ahead to see who would believe on him he would have
found no one. We could stop the
argument right there, but we’ll look at some scripture containing the words
“know” and “knew”.
Amos 3: 2 - “You only have I known”. Does this verse mean that God was ignorant of
all other nations except for Israel?
No. It means he knew Israel in a
special way.
2 Timothy
2: 19 - “The Lord knoweth them that are his”.
1
Corinthians 8: 3
- “the same is known of
him”. Do these verses mean that God is
ignorant of all those who are not his?
No. It means he regards those who are his with a special favor or love.
Matthew 7:
23 - “I never knew you”. Will the Lord tell people to depart from him
because he was not aware of their existence?
No. It is because he never
“knew” them intimately, in a saving way.
The
word “foreknow” adds the thought of “beforehand” to the word “know”. Many times in scripture the word “know”
means far more than intellectual awareness.
It often means love, to set regard upon, affection, etc. (Gen. 18: 19; Exodus 2: 25; Psalm 1: 6; 144:
3; Jer. 1: 5; Hosea 13: 5; 1 John 3: 1).
In
Romans 8: 29, it does not say that God knew something about certain individuals
(that they would do this or that), but it says that God knew the individuals
themselves. The word “foreknow” is
equivalent to “foreloved”. Also, in
Acts 13: 48, we read “… as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed.” Nowhere does the Bible teach
that as many as believed were ordained to eternal life! The only reason a person believes on the
Lord Jesus Christ is because he was foreordained.
*Some of the arguments against statement number five
in this section can be found (along with many others) in the book “The Death of
Death in the Death of Christ”, by John Owen.
It is available from the Banner of Truth Trust P.O. Box 621, Carlisle,
PA 17013.
Although
much more could be written on these great biblical truths, I trust that I’ve
set forth enough evidence to show that God alone does the work of salvation
apart from anything in or of man. These
doctrines are of utmost importance because it is a matter of spiritual life or
death. Are you trusting in a work that
you’ve done? Do you believe that Christ
has done ninety nine percent of the work and that one percent is left up to
you? If so, you do not believe in the
salvation plan of the Bible. God gets
no less than one hundred percent of the credit for salvation.
Someone
reading this might be thinking “But I remember a day when I did answer the call
to salvation. I did believe on Christ
and my life did change.” If you’re
truly saved, let me say that, yes, you did believe. God did not believe for you.
But the only reason you did believe was that God changed your heart first. He gets all the glory.
Others
reading this might be saying “I really do want to be saved. I do want Christ as my saviour, but what if
I’m not one of God’s elect?” First of
all there will be absolutely no one on judgement day that will be able to say
to Christ, “I sought you with all my heart, but it was no use. I wasn’t one of the chosen.” This is an impossibility. The promises of the Bible are true. Those who truly seek Christ will
surely find him. Those who believe on
him will be saved. If you are not born
again or are unsure of your salvation, cry to the Lord for mercy like the
publican in Luke 18: 13. If you do this
with a broken and a contrite heart it is evidence that the Lord is at work in
you. “And let him that is athirst
come. And whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22: 17)
Just remember that whosoever comes does so because he is one of God’s
elect.
I
once heard a pastor tell a story about a Methodist woman who was faithfully
reading and studying her Bible. She
kept coming across those passages that deal with election, the elect, and God
choosing. Now, of course, the Methodist
church doesn’t believe much about election so she hadn’t been taught anything
about it. One day she decided she would
go next door and ask her neighbor, the Baptist preacher, to explain election to
her.
“I
think I can help you” said the preacher.
Then he asked the woman if she was saved. “Well, yes, I am” she answered.
“Who saved you?” asked the preacher.
“God did” replied the woman, “God saved me.” “Are you sure?” “Yes, I’m
sure God saved me” answered the woman.
“Well,” said the preacher, “Did
you help him save you or did he save you all by himself?” “Oh no, he saved me all by himself” she
replied. “ Now, I have one more
question for you. Did God do that on purpose
or did he kind of do it by accident?”
“I guess he did it on purpose” exclaimed the woman. The preacher said, “That’s election.”
One
time a man went up to the great English preacher Charles Spurgeon and said,
“Mr. Spurgeon, I’ve read my Bible through twenty times on my knees and I
haven’t found the doctrine of election once.”
Spurgeon replied, “No wonder, reading in such an uncomfortable position
at such a fast pace, it’s a wonder you’ve noticed anything in the book! May I suggest that you sit down and read
more slowly.”
The
following verses are given to help with further study of each lesson. Some
verses will be repeated since they often teach more than one truth. More scripture
could be given since the whole Bible teaches these doctrines, but I believe the
ones listed are the most clear.
Gen. 6:5 Is. 64:6
Eph. 5:8
Gen. 8:21 Matt. 7:16-18
Col.2:13
Job 14:4 Matt. 12:33
2 Tim. 2:25,26
Job 15:14-16 John 3:5-7,19
Titus 1:15
Ps. 51:5 John 6:44,65 Titus 3:3
Ps. 130:3 John 8:34
1 John 1:8,10
Ps. 143:2 Rom. 6:20 1 John 3:10
Prov. 20:9 Rom. 11:35,36 1
John 5:19
Eccles. 7:20,29 1 Cor. 3:5
Is. 53:6 1 Cor. 4:7
Ex. 33:19 Matt. 19:26
Phil. 2:12,13
Deut. 7:6,7 Matt. 20:15
Col. 3:12
Deut. 10:14,15 Matt. 22:14
1 Thess. 1:4,5
Job 42:1,2 Mark 13:20
1 Thess. 5:9
Ps. 33:12 Luke 18:7
2 Thess. 2:13,14
Ps. 65:4 Acts 13:48
1 Tim. 1:9
Ps. 106:5 Acts 18:27
2 Tim. 2:10
Ps. 115:3 Rom.
8:28-30,33
Titus 1:1
Ps. 135:6 Rom. 10:20
James 2:5
Is. 14:24,27 Rom.
11:4-7,28,33-36
1 Pet. 1:1,2
Is. 55:11 1 Cor.
1:27-29 1 Pet. 2:8,9
Jer. 32:17 Eph. 1:4,12
2 Pet. 1:5-11
Hag. 2:23 Eph. 2:10
Rev. 13:8
Matt. 11:27 Phil. 1:29
Rev. 17:8,14
Matt. 20:28 2 Cor.
5:18,19,21
Titus 2:14
Matt. 26:28 Gal. 1:3,4
Titus 3:5,6
Luke 19:10 Gal. 3:13
Heb. 9:14,15,28
John 6:35-40 Eph. 1:3,4
Heb. 13:12
John 11:50-53 Eph. 2:15,16
1 Pet. 2:24
Acts 5:31 Phil. 1:29
1 Pet. 3:18
Rom. 3:24,25 Col. 1:21,22
Rev. 5:9
1 Cor. 1:30 1 Tim. 1:15
LESSON 4
Deut. 30:6 Rom. 8:14,30
Phil 1:29
Is. 55:11 Rom. 9:16,23,24 Phil. 2:12
Ezek. 36:26,27 1 Cor. 1:1,2,9,23-31 Col. 2:13
Matt. 11:25-27 1 Cor. 2:10-14 2 Tim. 2:25,26
Matt. 13:10,11,16 1 Cor. 3:6,7
Titus 3:5
Luke 10:21 1 Cor. 4:7 Heb. 9:15
John 1:12,13 1 Cor. 6:11
James 1:18
John 3:3-8,27 1 Cor. 12:3 1 Pet. 1:2,3
John 5:21 2 Cor.
3:6,17,18 1 Pet. 1:15,23
John 17:2 2 Cor. 5:17,18 1 Pet. 5:10
Acts 5:31 Gal. 1:15,16
2 Pet. 1:3
Acts 11:18 Gal. 6:15 1 John 5:4,20
Acts 13:48 Eph. 1:17,18
Jude 1
Acts 18:27 Eph. 2:1,5,10 Rev. 17:14
Rom. 1:6,7 Eph. 4:4
LESSON 5
Is. 43:1-3 Rom. 8:1 Heb. 9:12,15
Is. 54:10 1 Cor.1:7-9
Heb. 10:14
Jer. 32:40 1 Cor. 10:13
Heb. 12:28
Matt. 18:12-14 2 Cor. 4:14,17 1
Pet. 1:3-5
John 3:16,36 Eph. 1:5,13,14 1
John 2:19,25
John 6:47 Eph. 4:30
1 John 4,11-
John 10:27-30
Col. 3:3,4 13,20
John 17:11,12,15 1 Thess. 5:23,24
Jude 1,24,25
Rom. 5:8-10
2 Tim. 4:18
NOTES
“Those who reject the
doctrine of election are also doing away with humility, for it takes
real humility to see that
we could not even start to turn ourselves to God.” --- John Calvin
“By “free-will”, not one
person can be saved. But by free grace, many will be saved.” --- Martin Luther
“As for a hazy atonement that
atones for everybody in general and for nobody in particular – an atonement
made equally for Judas and for John – I care nothing for it.” ---
C.H. Spurgeon
“Whether you are elected
or not, I know not, but this I know – if you believe on Christ you will be
saved.” --- Robert Murray M’Cheyne
“Little hope have we, my
friends, if our salvation depends upon ourselves; but the salvation of which
the Bible speaks is rooted in the eternal counsel of God.” --- J. Gresham
Machen
“Since God always does
things the right way, we must say that all who are actually redeemed are all he
intended to redeem.” --- John Owen
“When the Spirit of God
first begins to work in people’s hearts, His tendency is to bring them to a
conviction of their absolute dependence on His sovereign power and grace.” –
Jonathan Edwards
“If the absolute
determination of Christ included all mankind, then all mankind would most
certainly be saved.” --- A.W. Pink
“Christ’s sacrifice is
absolutely infinitely sufficient and
utterly secures the salvation of anyone for whom it was made. To deny that
would be to deny the gospel.” --- John Gerstner
“A man has no more power
to change himself than to create himself.” --- Thomas Watson
“Christ’s death did not
‘create opportunities,’ it established certainties. Everyone for whom the Lord
Jesus died is sure to be reconciled to God.” --- Tom Wells
“An awakening by mere
natural conscience is very different from an awakening by the Spirit of God.”
--- Robert Murray M’Cheyne
“When God saves those who
deserve otherwise, no one complains. But when God condemns them, there is great
protest.” --- Martin Luther
Agape Chapel Ministries