Baptist Faith and Message Part 9

My Own Journey with this Doctrine

Tell testimony

Two people were arguing about this doctrine.

One was emphasizing the sovereignty of God-

The other was emphasizing the freewill of man.

They were both passionate about their position.

I left confused.

The end of the story is that the one arguing for God’s sovereignty came and shared the Gospel and Scripture with me and God used that in my life to draw me to faith.

V. God’s Purpose of Grace

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners.

First we see this word Election-

When people refer to the doctrine or even the doctrines of grace, they are referring to the doctrine of election.

We see this dotrine from passage like the one we covered this morning.

1 Peter 2:9 NASB95

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Also passages of Scripture like

Romans 8, Romans 9, Ephesians 1, John 6 and really, we see this doctrine on every page of the Bible.

Romans 8:28–31 NASB95

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Ephesians 1:3–6 NASB95

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Romans 9:14–16 NASB95

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

John 1:12–13 NASB95

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:8 NASB95

“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.”

Essentially the doctrine of election is God gracious act and choice to redeem sinners

“Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners.”

So essentially, the salvation of people or any person is the result of God’s action. His choice to save. His initiative.

Its not a result of us Or anything we do that makes us more worthy of salvation.

In other words, he doesn’t choose to save you on the basis of your family.

Or Your goodnesss as opposed to someone else’s goodness.

If you are saved it is simply His perogative. He chose to save you.

He chose to save me.

I cannot explain why he chose to save me. Other than His grace.

He graciously Chose to save me.

I think this doctrine is hard for people, and honestly is hard for me, alot of time because we struggle to understand God’s grace, His mercy and His justice.

Lets just answer some questions-

What is Grace?

Grace- the unmerited favor of God. We get what we don’t deserve.

What is Mercy?

Mercy is that God withholds what we do deserve.

Justice-

Is that God does what is right.

Justice is that we get what we deserve.

Grace is the we get what we don’t deserve.

Mercy is the we don’t get what we do deserve.

We fail to understand election when we begin to misunderstand these things.

Grace is not deserved. It is graciously given.

Mercy is not deserved. Mercy is God witholding what we do deserve.

So when when start saying that God must do for all what he does for some misunderstands His grace, His mercy, and His justice.

The right question then is not, why doesn’t God save everybody.

The right question is why does God save anybody?

Its His grace.

If salvation was 99.9% Christ’s work, and 00.1% our work

“...then Christ would not be a Savior, but an instrument of God to make us our own saviors. And to say this is blasphemy.”

Questions Maybe depending on the response so far.

It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end.

So here we have a two way street.

Here we see that man is responsible for His free choices.

Here is where we see the free Will of man. But I want you to notice the language

God’s sovereign and gracious choice is consistent with the free will of man.

Which means, we don’t just throw up our hands and say “Well God is going to save who God is gonna save so we don’t have to do Anything.

No. That’s unbiblical.

Man does have a responsibility to respond to God.

John 3:16–18 NASB95

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Whoever believes shall not perish.

We must Believe.

People are held accountable for their choices.

But these free choices are consistent with the sovereign control of God.

Let me be the first to say.

I cannot explain how these two things work. But I will also be the first to say I believe that it does.

We see both truths in Scripture.

Acts 2:22–23 NASB95

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

There we see the soverignty of God, and the free will of man working side by side.

Jerry Bridges Says this-

“We must not misconstrue God’s sovereignty so as to make people mere puppets, so we must not press man’s freedom to the point of limiting God’s sovereignty.”

Joel Beeke says this

“Just as the rails of a train (track), which run parallel to each other, appear to merge in the distance, so the doctrines of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, which seem separate from each other in this life will merge in eternity. Our task is not to force their merging in this life but to keep them in balance and to live accordingly.”

This is one of those mysteries of the faith.

Here is one way to think about it that I think is helpful.

No one will ever be in hell and be able to say, I wanted to beieve in God but he wouldn’t let me.

I believe the Bible teaches both truths.

Ephesians 1:3–4 NASB95

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

I also believe

Romans 10:13 NASB95

for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

I can’t explain how all these puzzle pieces fit together, but I can tell you it is a beautful picture.

Any questions?

It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

Some things that this doctrine ought to produce.

Praise for God’s goodnes.

Trust in God’s providence.

He is too wise to be mistaken. Too good to be unkind.

This should produce humility. Not pride. Understanding these doctrines ought not to make us proud.

Thye should draw us to our knees in thankfulness.

John macarthur quote > resent GOD when he takes his throne with regard to salvation

Next Week-

All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.

Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.