Soteriology (part 2)

We have learned that sinners are utterly lost, and that there is absolutely nothing they can do to fix their problem, nor to they want to fix their problem. We have also learned that a just and holy God cannot simply overlook their sin. God has graciously and lovingly given His Son to be their savior.

Matthew 1:21 NKJV

21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

1 John 4:9–10 NKJV

9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The question: How can a holy God deliver sinners from what they rightly deserve and bring them into a right relationship with Himself?

His holiness required Him to condemn sin.

His justice required Him to deal with them as they deserve.

Contrary to popular thinking, God could not in love could not ignore his holiness and justice. So how can God rightly justify sinners?

The answer: While He could not change His holy demands against sinners, as their substitute He could satisfy those demand on their behalf.

“In a deliberate act of love and grace...

Romans 9:15 NKJV

15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”

Ephesians 2:4–5 NKJV

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

… God the Father gave His Son to atone for humanity’s sins...

Isaiah 53:10 ESV

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

… and God the Son gave His life to pay provisionally the debt of sins...

1 Peter 2:24 NKJV

24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

His atoning work required His bearing these sins and being made sin, as well as His experiencing spiritual and physical death, the shedding of His blood, and His rising physically from the dead. On the basis of this finished, substitutionary work, God can feely and justly save everyone who exercises salvational faith in the savior and His atoning work.” - Floyd Barackman, Practical Christian Theology

John 3:16–18 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

The most loving thing to do is preach the cross when witnessing!

1 Corinthians 1:20–25 NKJV

20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

“Biblical Christianity is unpopular. Popular Christianity is unbiblical.” - Unknown

The application of salvation.

This includes both God’s and man’s activities that are involved in a sinner being saved.

Calvinism and Arminianism

These are the two common schools of thought or camps that Christians fall into.

If you are not familiar with them, and want to know more about them - GO STUDY THEM.

PASTOR WHY ARE WE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT THESE?

They are mad made “Systems” of belief.

With the theology we have given you, you should be able to study those and know what you agree with.

Also - I don’t want you to say that you are one or the other - I want you to be biblical.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV

13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,

God’s part: “God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit”

Man’s part: “belief in the truth”

God’s part in the application of salvation.

Before the beginning of time.

God elected.

Ephesians 1:4 NKJV

4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

2 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV

1 John 4:19 NKJV

19 We love Him because He first loved us.

John 6:44 NKJV

44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Colossians 3:12 NKJV

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

We also need to take a minute and remind ourselves of what we should know well by now… the helplessness of the sinner.

Romans 6:23 NKJV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:1 NKJV

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

Colossians 2:13 NKJV

13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

Romans 3:11 NKJV

11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.

Isaiah 53:6 NKJV

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Does a sinner have any ability or inclination to seek God for forgiveness?

Tim Keller (Romans 8-16 For You) points out the three most common questions raised by the doctrine of election.

1. If you believe in election, doesn’t that leave you with the problem of why God doesn’t choose to save everyone?

Yes, it seems to be a problem or we could say that it is a problem, but the doctrine of election does not create this problem.

This is a question that all Christians have.

If God didn’t choose some - why does he let some not be saved?

Here is an answer I have heard: “God doesn’t want sinners to go to hell, but He will not infringe on their will to choose.”

That sounds good. Do you as a parent try to give your children a freedom to make the right choice as the grow up?

Even if you know it is going to kill them?

There can be a struggle with the idea of God’s drawing soul to Himself.

One man said he could not be ok with the doctrine of election because he can’t believe God would bring someone kicking and screaming to salvation while another desperately wants to be saved and cannot because he was not chosen.

So why doesn’t God save everyone?

Keller reminds us that He is perfectly loving and perfectly righteous and neither can be preferred over the other.

Also, we cannot see the whole picture.

2. If everything is fixed and certain, why pray, evangelize, or do anything at all?

Election is not mechanistic or robotic.

This presents the idea of an impersonal universe in which all things that happen have already been determined by an impersonal force.

The New Testament presents the outworking of salvation as something brought to us by a personal God in relationship with personal creatures.

When talking about man’s response to the gift of the gospel scripture always views us as personal creatures not machines or robots.

Matthew 11:28 NKJV

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Revelation 22:17 NKJV

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

This objection to election has a problem immediately.

If everything was not planned by a holy and loving God, we’d be terrified.

Why is it that we claim his sovereignty with temporal things but we are not willing to trust His sovereignty when it comes to eternal things that God has an unfathomable amount of investment in?

Would want that kind of pressure when evangelizing?

What if the everything is completely up to chance or choice?

Then I witness to someone and I blow it?

That could seal their eternity.

What if I wasn’t a good enough salesmen?

What if I didn’t seal the deal or put enough pressure on them?

We pray and evangelize because of privilege and command.

We have an incredible privilege to serve with our God.

For some crazy reason He has gives us blessing and reward for that.

He has commanded us to do both - it is his design.

Remember Cornelius - why didn’t the angel give him the gospel?

Romans 10:14–15 NKJV

14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Should it not make us bolder and much more confident in Him when we know that He already has everything figured out?

Almost like easy money or easy reward.

Kind of like fishing in a stocked pond.

We saw the fruit of it with Cornelius - simply obey and God will do the rest!

3. I believe the Bible and I see all the teaching about election, but why do I still dislike it.

The biblical gospel is so miraculous and so far above human reason that there are things we are going to struggle to come to grips with.

There are many other aspects or perspectives that are a part of salvation.

It combines both law and love - we are saved apart from the law.

any other view either becomes legalistic or lawless.

Now we are faced with the doctrine of election and it combines the sovereignty of God with human responsibility. - our minds cannot comprehend that.

Can I remind you of two things? (by asking you two questions?)

What does God owe us?

Is He unjust or unloving for not choosing everyone?

Isaiah 55:8–9 NKJV

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

We have no choice but to acknowledge that the Bible teaches divine election.

God predestined.

The sovereign act of God that determined beforehand what He would do with the elect.

1. Predestined to adoption.

Ephesians 1:5 NKJV

5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

While new birth brought us into the family of God , adoption gives us the status of adult sons.

This means we have all the privileges and duties that belong to this position.

2. Predestined to conformity to christ.

Romans 8:29 NKJV

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

This determines what kind of adult sons we will be!

3. Predestined to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:11–12 NKJV

11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

This determines what the ultimate purpose for our existence is.

How does the New Testament view election and predestination? (Grudem)

1. As a comfort!

Romans 8:28–30 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

2. As a reason to praise God!

Ephesians 1:5–6 NKJV

5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.