SF163 - What I Believe The Bible Teaches About Salvation (1 Peter 1 1-11)
1 Peter 1:1-11
Introduction
In recent weeks, our beloved church has found itself in the midst of a swirling controversy concerning what is commonly called Calvinism. Specifically, we have been faced with questions concerning the nature of salvation. Unfortunately, many of the questions have been centered on what I do or do not believe. This morning I would like to begin the process of clearing up those questions.
This will only be a beginning because of the complexity of these questions therefore I have set aside the next six Sunday evening to examine in more detail these matters.
In our text for today Simon Peter encourages his readers by the fact of the greatness of their salvation. He declares the majesty and mystery of salvation. He reminds them that salvation has been the subject and concern of saints throughout the ages. Indeed it is worthy of our examination.
Later in this same letter (3:15) he urges his readers to be prepared to give a clear defense for what they believe, “an account for the hope” they had in Christ. My purpose today and in this process is not to promote or defend a system of theology. I do however intend to proclaim what I see Scripture clearly teaching. My purpose is to submit to the truth of Scripture. To do so will require that from time to time I use theological terms. I will endeavor to clearly define those terms when I use them.
For some of you what I am about to share will not go far enough, to you I plead for patience realizing that I am still a student of God and His Word. Perhaps for some I will go too far, to you a plead for patience and believe me when I say that my deepest desire is to honor God’s Word and bring glory to God. I humbly request your prayerful attention as I seek to share my heart. My prayer is that I will obey the plea of Jude 3 and “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”
1A. I Believe All Men are Lost and doomed for Hell and that A Personal Relationship with Christ is the only means of Salvation.
1B. I believe all men without Christ are sinners and are lost.
I believe all men are born with a sin nature and as soon as they are capable of choosing, choose to sin. Paul sets forth this truth in Romans 3:9-12.
Romans 3:9-12 (NASB) 9What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”
Clearly, Scripture portrays lost persons as those who are unrighteous, without understanding of the things of God, who are not seeking God, whose entire life has turn away and have become useless in reference to God, and who do not doe good, indeed they are opposed to God. Sin is the dominant factor in their lives. Before we are born-again, we are enemies of God (Ephesians 2:1-3).
2B. I believe that the only way of salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 (NKJV) 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
All men need Christ for without Him they have no hope of salvation. No matter how moral or sincere they may be without Christ, men are lost. The Bible truth is that men without Christ die lost. Those who die lost receive holy justice for their sins (Romans 6:23).
2A. I Believe that Salvation is by Grace Alone through Faith Alone in Christ Alone
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.
1B. Salvation is a result of God’s Grace.
The Holman Bible Dictionary defines grace as the “undeserved acceptance and love received from another, especially the characteristic attitude of God in providing salvation for sinners.” Therefore, grace is God giving to sinful man what he does not, will not, and cannot deserve. It is God’s unmerited favor. Grace by its very definition is a gift. Therefore, God is not obligated to save us. It is to the glory of His grace that any are saved. The sole motivation for salvation is God not man. He graciously chooses to save lost men.
Therefore, for you or I to try to determine or control God’s exercise of His grace is pointless. It would be like trying to control the wind. Jesus told Nicodemus,
John 3:5-8 (NASB) 5“…Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
There are at least two things we can learn from this passage. First, we learn that new birth is mandated, “you must be born again.” Second, we learn that the new birth is mysterious; men can neither control nor predict it. It is controlled completely and only by God.
2B. Salvation is a result of God’s work in our lives.
I believe that only God by His Spirit and power can change the heart of sinful man. I do not believe that any level of knowledge or moral goodness can effectively change man. I believe therefore that God both initiates and completes salvation. I believe as John wrote…
John 6:44 (NASB) 44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:64-65 (NASB) 64“But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. 65And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
The Bible teaches that salvation involves a basic and fundamental change in man. Paul speaking in the context of Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world tells us that this reconciliation involves a fundamental change in those who are truly saved.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
In short, salvation is a work of God from start to finish. God determines whom He will save and He saves those individuals by His own power, for His own glory, in His own time. God is not dependant on sinful man in anyway; He saves us by His grace and grants to us the faith to trust Him. Repentance and faith are the result of God’s work of new birth (regeneration) in our lives, he changes our hearts so that we willingly repent of our sins and place our faith in Him.
2 Timothy 2:24-25 (NASB) 24The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
1 John 5:1 (NASB) 1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
It must be remembered that the new birth (regeneration), repentance, and faith are so closely connected that in experience we cannot distinguish them. The 1963 Baptist Faith and Message states in Article IV section A, “Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.”
3B. God by the Holy Spirit and through His Word calls men to Himself and into saving faith.
Romans 10:8-17 (NKJV) 8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14How 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? 15And 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!” 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The emphasis in Scripture is not on the manner, process, or order in which God calls and saves men, but on the means by which He does so. The means is by the preaching of the gospel. God’s Spirit takes God’s Word and so applies it to the heart of lost men in such a way that those who once opposed God now desire Him and willfully turn from their sins and place their faith in Christ. I believe only God can accomplish this work and He has chosen the means of the proclaimed gospel to do so.
3A. I Believe that Christ’s Death on the Cross was Substitutionary and Satisfactory, and that it Accomplishes the Purpose of God in Salvation.
1B. Jesus died for sinners.
I believe that Jesus died for sinners. He took our place; He bore the just penalty for our sins, cancelled the debt of our sins, appeased God’s holy wrath against us and won for us all the benefits of salvation. Paul writes…
Romans 3:25-26 (NASB) 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 5:6-8 (NKJV) 6For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJV) 3For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
2B. Jesus death is all that is needed for salvation.
1 Peter 3:18 (NASB) 18For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (NASB) 9For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
The death of Christ guarantees or insures our salvation. He died “to bring us to God.” Some ask, for whom did Christ die? Jesus provides the answer.
John 10:14-16 (NASB) 14“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
Christ died for His sheep. What does that mean? It means He died for those who be saved throughout history. This includes all kinds of people, people from every nation.
John 11:51-52 (NASB) 51Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
Revelation 5:9 (NASB) 9And they sang* a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Bible students speak of the atonement. Holman’s Bible Dictionary defines atonement as, “meaning reconciliation, (it) was associated with sacrificial offerings to remove the effects of sin and in the New Testament, refers specifically to the reconciliation between God and humanity effected by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.”
The question is asked, is the atonement limited? I would answer yes, at least in practical terms. That is if Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection satisfies God’s holy justice and effects reconciliation between humanity and God, and it is evident that all men have not and will not be reconciled to God, then the atonement is limited in its ultimate effect on mankind. In short the fact that not all humanity has or will be saved is a testimony to the fact that the reconciliation of man to God, accomplished by Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection is not enjoyed by every individual.
4A. I Believe that God Chooses Whom He will Save not according to our Worth or ability but according to His Grace
Titus 3:5-7 (NASB) 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
5A. I Believe that any person who has truly been Saved is Kept by God’s Spirit and therefore cannot and indeed will not be Eternally Lost.
John 10:25-30 (NASB) 25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26“But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30“I and the Father are one.”
The nature of salvation demands that the saved be secure. If we could be lost, Christ death would be of no avail and His Word would be untrue. I believe that true believers have eternal security and I believe that true believers cannot and will not fully and finally abandon their faith. Christians can and do backslide but God always calls His own back in repentance.
Hebrews 12:6 (NASB) 6For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
1 John 1:9 (NKJV) 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
6A. I Believe that All Believers are Called, Commanded, and Compelled to Witness and Seek to Win Unbelievers to Faith in Christ.
Mark 16:15 (NKJV) 15And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) 18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
We cannot hope to be obedient Christians and neglect God’s command to witness and call men to faith in Him. As Paul said the love of Christ compels us. We are called to carry the good news. I am convinced we need to spend less time and energy trying to prove one another wrong about the mysterious details of the gospel and spend more time proclaiming the marvelous good news that Christ died for sinners!
Application
Some may feel it is necessary to closely examine each word and phrase of this message to see if it has some sort of hidden meaning. I ask you to resist that temptation; my purpose today has not been to hide what I believe but to reveal it. I am sure that I have erred in my language but my heart’s desire is to honor and glorify God and to be true to His Word. This message, like everything else I do is fallible because I am fallible so I ask you and my God to forgive me when I have not clearly communicated His truth. I have much to learn and sincerely hope God will continue to grant me the opportunity to seek to know Him.
Some may say Pastor, I still have some questions about these things, Honestly so do I. However, today I invite you to join me in submitting to the Lordship of Christ by placing the questions that tend to divide us at the foot of the cross. I urge you to lay aside those details and mysterious matters that cause us to mistrust and accuse each other and join me as I seek to fulfill God’s calling to proclaim His Word to our community, our city, our country, and our world.
Yes, there will be times when we see things differently, especially in those things that are shrouded in mystery and unclear to our finite minds. Often my view has been clouded by my own presuppositions and sin. Because I am still in the flesh I imagine I will continue to struggle with that. But I believe we can agree on these things and so I call to you to join me in obedience to Christ and lets love each other, be patient with each other, and work together to reach out to our lost world.
There is I believe room for us all in God’s Kingdom and church and I believe that as we seek to become like Him we will be drawn closer together in Him. Will you join me in surrendering to Him, His Word, and His will for this church?
Why I love this teaching of our Lord and why I think believing it is essential to Christian living.
1) First, it gives all glory to God and keeps me humble before him. It prevents me from robbing God of any of His majesty by crediting myself with something that He alone has achieved. It reminds me that I am so corrupt and hostile in mind that never in a million years would I have called upon the name of the Lord except for the sovereign grace that created in me a new heart of faith. It keeps before my mind the truth that all the benefits and rewards of obedience are not earned by me because all obedience comes from faith which is a free gift of God. Therefore, I cannot boast in any virtue or achievement because it is all of God. And therefore, He gets the glory.
2) Secondly, I love the doctrine of the Spirit's sovereign freedom in regeneration because it enables me to pray for the lost who are "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). I do not know what I could ask God to do for a hard-hearted, resistant neighbor or loved one if I did not believe the doctrine of irresistible grace. Any prayer I can think of sounds like a joke: "Dear God, provide my neighbor with some allurements to believe, but don't make them so strong they are irresistible; work in his heart, but not so thoroughly that he feels an overwhelming urge to believe." O, no, I will not pray like that. On the authority of God's work I pray: "Overcome his resistance, dear God! Take out of his flesh that heart of stone and give him a new heart of flesh! Placard your love irresistibly before his face and open the eyes of his heart so that he cannot help believing for joy. Don't keep your distance, ravish him with your glory." I love this doctrine because I cannot pray for the lost without it.
3) Thirdly, I cherish the doctrine of the Spirit's sovereignty because it gives me the encouragement I need to witness to unbelievers. What could be more encouraging in our daily witness, especially among people who seem hard, than the confidence that nothing can stop the Holy Spirit from making a new creature out of anybody He pleases? Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:24-25,
The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance unto a knowledge of the truth.
Ours is to witness by life and word; God's is to give repentance. And therein is great freedom and encouragement for witness.
4) Finally, I love this doctrine because it gives to you who are not yet born again strong encouragement to close in with Christ. You do not need any other witness of the Spirit's work within you than the desire you feel to come to God. If there is one spark of longing in you to trust Christ, it is of God and you may take heart that He is at work in you to draw you to the Son. He has not left you to yourself. Go forward with Him. Confirm His work by your faith. Make your calling and election sure: cleave to Jesus and He will never let you go.
1 Peter 1:1-11
Introduction
In recent weeks, our beloved church has found itself in the midst of a swirling controversy concerning what is commonly called Calvinism.
In our text for today Simon Peter encourages his readers by the fact of the greatness of their salvation. He declares the majesty and mystery of salvation. He reminds them that salvation has been the subject and concern of saints throughout the ages. Indeed it is worthy of our examination.
Later in this same letter (3:15) he urges his readers to be prepared to give a clear defense for what they believe, “an account for the hope” they had in Christ. My purpose today and in this process is not to promote or defend a system of theology. I do however intend to proclaim what I see Scripture clearly teaching. My purpose is to submit to the truth of Scripture.
For some of you what I am about to share will not go far enough, to you I plead for patience realizing that I am still a student of God and His Word. Perhaps for some I will go too far, to you a plead for patience and believe me when I say that my deepest desire is to honor God’s Word and bring glory to God. I humbly request your prayerful attention as I seek to share my heart. My prayer is that I will obey the plea of Jude 3 and “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”
1A. I Believe All Men are Lost and doomed for Hell and that A Personal Relationship with Christ is the only means of Salvation.
1B. I believe all men without Christ are sinners and are lost.
All men are born with a sin nature and as soon as they are capable of choosing, choose to sin.
Romans 3:9-12 (NASB) 9What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”
Before we are born-again, we are enemies of God (Ephesians 2:1-3).
2B. I believe that the only way of salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 (NKJV) 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
All men need Christ for without Him they have no hope of salvation.
The Bible truth is that men without Christ die lost.
Those who die lost receive holy justice for their sins (Romans 6:23).
2A. I Believe that Salvation is by Grace Alone through Faith Alone in Christ Alone
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.
1B. Salvation is a result of God’s Grace.
The Holman Bible Dictionary defines grace as the “undeserved acceptance and love received from another, especially the characteristic attitude of God in providing salvation for sinners.”
Therefore, grace is God giving to sinful man what he does not, will not, and cannot deserve.
The sole motivation for salvation is God not man. He graciously chooses to save lost men.
Therefore, for you or I to try to determine or control God’s exercise of His grace is pointless.
John 3:5-8 (NASB) 5“…Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Ø First, we learn that new birth is mandated, “you must be born again.”
Ø Second, we learn that the new birth is mysterious; men can neither control nor predict it..
2B. Salvation is a result of God’s work in our lives.
God both initiates and completes salvation.
John 6:44 (NASB) 44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:64-65 (NASB) 64“But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. 65And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
The Bible teaches that salvation involves a basic and fundamental change in man
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Ø In short, salvation is a work of God from start to finish.
God determines whom He will save and He saves those individuals by His own power, for His own glory, in His own time.
2 Timothy 2:24-25 (NASB) 24The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
1 John 5:1 (NASB) 1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
It must be remembered that the new birth (regeneration), repentance, and faith are so closely connected that in experience we cannot distinguish them.
The 1963 Baptist Faith and Message states in Article IV section A, “Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.”
3B. God by the Holy Spirit and through His Word calls men to Himself and into saving faith.
Romans 10:8-17
The emphasis in Scripture is not on the manner, process, or order in which God calls and saves men, but on the means by which He does so.
The means is by the preaching of the gospel. God’s Spirit takes God’s Word and so applies it to the heart of lost men in such a way that those who once opposed God now desire Him and willfully turn from their sins and place their faith in Christ.
Only God can accomplish this work and He has chosen the means of the proclaimed gospel to do so.
3A. I Believe that Christ’s Death on the Cross was Substitutionary and Satisfactory, and that it Accomplishes the Purpose of God in Salvation.
1B. Jesus died for sinners.
He took our place; He bore the just penalty for our sins, cancelled the debt of our sins, appeased God’s holy wrath against us and won for us, all the benefits of salvation. Paul writes…
Romans 3:25-26 (NASB) 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 5:6-8 (NKJV) 6For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJV) 3For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
2B. Jesus death is all that is needed for salvation.
1 Peter 3:18 (NASB) 18For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (NASB) 9For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
The death of Christ guarantees or insures our salvation. He died “to bring us to God.” Some ask, for whom did Christ die? Jesus provides the answer.
John 10:14-16 (NASB) 14“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
Christ died for His sheep. What does that mean? It means He died for those who be saved throughout history.
This includes all kinds of people, people from every nation.
John 11:51-52 (NASB) 51Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
Revelation 5:9 (NASB) 9And they sang* a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Holman’s Bible Dictionary defines atonement as, “meaning reconciliation, (it) was associated with sacrificial offerings to remove the effects of sin and in the New Testament, refers specifically to the reconciliation between God and humanity effected by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.”
The question is asked, is the atonement limited? I would answer yes, at least in practical terms. That is if Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection satisfies God’s holy justice and effects reconciliation between humanity and God, and it is evident that all men have not and will not be reconciled to God, then the atonement is limited in its ultimate effect on mankind. In short, the fact that not all humanity has or will be saved is a testimony to the fact that the reconciliation of man to God, accomplished by Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection is not enjoyed by every individual.
4A. I Believe that God Chooses Whom He will Save not according to our Worth or ability but according to His Grace
Titus 3:5-7 (NASB) 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
5A. I Believe that any person who has truly been Saved is Kept by God’s Spirit and therefore cannot and indeed will not be Eternally Lost.
John 10:25-30
The nature of salvation demands that the saved be secure. If we could be lost, Christ death would be of no avail and His Word would be untrue.
Christians can and do backslide but God always calls His own back in repentance.
Hebrews 12:6 (NASB) 6For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
1 John 1:9 (NKJV) 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
6A. I Believe that All Believers are Called, Commanded, and Compelled to Witness and Seek to Win Unbelievers to Faith in Christ.
Mark 16:15 (NKJV) 15And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) 18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
We cannot hope to be obedient Christians and neglect God’s command to witness and call men to faith in Him. As Paul said the love of Christ compels us. We are called to carry the good news. I am convinced we need to spend less time and energy trying to prove one another wrong about the mysterious details of the gospel and spend more time proclaiming the marvelous good news that Christ died for sinners!
Application
Some may feel it is necessary to closely examine each word and phrase of this message to see if it has some sort of hidden meaning. I ask you to resist that temptation; my purpose today has not been to hide what I believe but to reveal it. I am sure that I have erred in my language but my heart’s desire is to honor and glorify God and to be true to His Word. This message, like everything else I do is fallible because I am fallible so I ask you and my God to forgive me when I have not clearly communicated His truth. I have much to learn and sincerely hope God will continue to grant me the opportunity to seek to know Him.
Some may say Pastor, I still have some questions about these things, Honestly so do I. However, today I invite you to join me in submitting to the Lordship of Christ by placing the questions that tend to divide us at the foot of the cross. I urge you to lay aside those details and mysterious matters that cause us to mistrust and accuse each other and join me as I seek to fulfill God’s calling to proclaim His Word to our community, our city, our country, and our world.
Yes, there will be times when we see things differently, especially in those things that are shrouded in mystery and unclear to our finite minds. Often my view has been clouded by my own presuppositions and sin. Because I am still in the flesh I imagine I will continue to struggle with that. But I believe we can agree on these things and so I call to you to join me in obedience to Christ and lets love each other, be patient with each other, and work together to reach out to our lost world.
There is I believe room for us all in God’s Kingdom and church and I believe that as we seek to become like Him we will be drawn closer together in Him. Will you join me in surrendering to Him, His Word, and His will for this church?
Why I love this teaching of our Lord and why I think believing it is essential to Christian living.
1) First, it gives all glory to God and keeps me humble before him.
2) Secondly, I love the doctrine of the Spirit's sovereign freedom in regeneration because it enables me to pray for the lost who are "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).
3) Thirdly, I cherish the doctrine of the Spirit's sovereignty because it gives me the encouragement I need to witness to unbelievers.
4) Finally, I love this doctrine because it gives to you who are not yet born again strong encouragement to close in with Christ. You do not need any other witness of the Spirit's work within you than the desire you feel to come to God. If there is one spark of longing in you to trust Christ, it is of God and you may take heart that He is at work in you to draw you to the Son. He has not left you to yourself. Go forward with Him. Confirm His work by your faith. Make your calling and election sure: cleave to Jesus and He will never let you go.
WHAT I BELIEVE THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT SALVATION
1 Peter 1:1-11
1A. I Believe _____________ Men are Lost and doomed for Hell and that A Personal Relationship with Christ is the only means of Salvation.
1B. I believe all men without Christ are sinners and are lost. (Romans 3:9-12)
2B. I believe that the __________ way of salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ. (John 14:6)
2A. I Believe that Salvation is by Grace Alone through Faith Alone in Christ Alone
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.
1B. Salvation is a _____________ of God’s Grace. (John 3:5-8)
2B. Salvation is a result of _______________ work in our lives. (John 6:44, 64-65)
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
2 Timothy 2:24-25; 1 John 5:1
3B. God by the Holy Spirit and through His Word calls men to Himself and into saving faith. (Romans 10:8-17)
3A. I Believe that Christ’s Death on the Cross was Substitutionary and Satisfactory, and that it Accomplishes the Purpose of God in Salvation.
1B. Jesus died for sinners. (Romans 3:25-26; 5:6-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
2B. Jesus death is ____________ that is needed for salvation. (1 Peter 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11; John 10:14-16; 11:51-52; Revelation 5:9)
4A. I Believe that God _______________________ Whom He will Save not according to our Worth or ability but according to His Grace
Titus 3:5-7
5A. I Believe that any person who has truly been Saved is Kept by God’s Spirit and therefore cannot and indeed will not be Eternally ______________________________.
John 10:25-30; Hebrews 12:6; 1 John 1:9
6A. I Believe that All Believers are Called, Commanded, and Compelled to __________________________ and Seek to Win Unbelievers to Faith in Christ.
Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8