I made the mistake of watching television today. It’s a show called, you guessed it, Girlfriends.

Involved during the show were several typical factors that are nearly always present in Hollywood. Illicit and premarital sex. Drunkenness. Debauchery. The usual. BIG SURPRISE. Ok, no big surprise, nonetheless it’s not the subject upon which I want to rant.

In the show, one of the godless ladies blames on of the other godless ladies for the demise of her current godless relationship. Truth is, godless lady number 1 was cheating on her live-in godless boyfriend and godless lady number 2 told him about her “infidelity” (when the fact is, adultery and fornication were at the very heart of their…ahem…relationship). Anyway, no reason to go through the whole godless show. I changed the channel, but as I was mindlessly flipping back through I saw an “evangelical” gospel (little g) singer performing in a church scene on this same show.

Donnie McClurkin was singing a song called “We Fall Down”. The words go something like this:

We fall down, we get up/We fall down, we get up/We fall down, we get up/And a saint’s just a sinner who falls down…and gets up

Is there a shaking head icon? Anyway, incredulously this was on the same show as the godless girfriends. As it were, godless lady number 2 is pictured in church listening to McClurkin, bobbing her head, as if to show her spirituality and acknowledgement of the “truth” of the song. Next, godless lady number 1 enters the church sitting beside godless lady number 2. She pleads with her godless friend to forgive her insolence, but is quickly rejected by godless lady number 2 who proceeds to move into another pew.

Upon this, Donnie McClurkin then acts as preacher quoting Proverbs 24:16 completely out of context (Yes, that’s possible even in Proverbs):

…for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

He basically purports the idea that a man/woman may sin as much as possible, but as long as they “get back up”, God is waiting to forgive them and receive them with open arms.

Alright, it’s not just that this is bad theology, but what was even worse was the response of the godless ladies. The godless lady number 1 is “touched” by the music and proceeds to walk the aisle and stand in front of Donnie McClurkin as if he were granting penance. On this, godless lady number 2 is overwhelmed with pity and rushes down the aisle to be with her friend where they cry together, wronging rights, etc.

What was their repentance of? Not their debaucherous lifestyles. Not their adulteries and fornications. Not their godless acts of wickedness. No, their repentance was not unto God, but unto one another. They were worshipping at the almighty thrones of self and friends. They couldn’t care any less of their rebellion to God, but they were so upset about the break in their friendship.

No, I’m not surprised, but we need these sobering reminders lest we forget the grace God has shown us in opening our eyes to His truth. BLAH.

It is true. 27 years ago this day, I was born into this sinful world, a fallen, sinful boy. God, in His graciousness, saw fit to draw my wretched worm of a self unto Him, despite my inherent inclination toward evil. Blessed be the Name of the Lord on this His day of provision given weekly, that the His elect my collectively honor and praise His Name!

So, as the cliché states “a new chapter begins” in my life today. I pray that my biblical masculinity will be matured and that I will, with each passing moment, be more and more conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ, to the glory of His Name. That I would be a godly, biblical father to Chloë, not taking the “easy” route. That I would be a godly, biblical employee, not “sticking it to the man”. That I would be a godly, biblical son, honoring my father and mother. That I would be a godly, biblical friend, sticking loyally and closely to those whom I have had the benefit of being blessed by their presence(s) in my life.

God sanctify your son, wretched man that I am.

Limited Atonement

L- Limited Atonement

Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, came to earth to “save His people from their sins.” His death was a vicarious sacrifice, actually purchasing the Church of God with His own blood, securing their justification before God and satisfying His demand of perfect obedience to His Law. His death was for the elect, and the elect alone. This limits the Atonement in its extent, whereas the damnable heresy of Arminianism limits the Atonement of the Lamb of God in its efficacy (but praise God only in their defective theory!) (Matthew 1:21, Acts 20:28, etc.)

I think out of the “5 Points”, it seems that the “L” is both the most misunderstood and the hardest received by most in the whole system. Many theologians and laymen alike prefer to call it something like “definite atonement” or “particular redemption”, so as to avoid the possibility of its subject matter being misconstrued. It is indeed a favorite tactic for the objectors of this biblical doctrine to point out and emphasize the term limited in the phraseology as if it somehow discredits the doctrine altogether. We’ll address this more momentarily. Having been steeped in the Arminian tradition for most all of my life, when I was introduced to the strawman version of limited atonement I was greatly appalled. All my life I’d heard about how Jesus had died upon the Cross so that I could be saved. I’d learned that He’d given His life to make salvation possible for all men. He was the sacrifice for every man’s sins. He was the ultimate martyr.

Of course, all these erroneous views stem from not having a correct definition of justification. In what I was mostly taught, the Cross had been emptied of any real power and left subject, ultimately, to the choice of man. Now, I didn’t see it in such a light, but those are indeed the implications of what I was taught and what is most taught in evangelicalism today. The Atonement, according to the Calvinism and the Scriptures, was limited in its scope, intent, and extent. The Atonement of the Arminians is limited in its efficacy, power, and accomplishment. In fact, it’s not just limited, it is defeated, emptied, and worthless. Allow me to quote from another of my articles:

Man (Adam & Eve) was created perfect. Man was given a “test”, if you will, to either pass or fail. Man failed by disobeying God’s clear command, and Adam, being the representative for all mankind, plunged all mankind into sin. In doing so, all persons born of man are born dead in their sins, unable to please God and unwilling to do so as well. Therefore, all men (and women and children, etc.) are born naturally and radically separated from God, in darkness. Man can only be right with God by fulfilling/obeying every aspect of God’s holy law. God will accept only perfection. Thus, we have the problem. Since man is born dead in his sin, only gratifying the desires of flesh, and under its dominion, he can never do that which is pleasing to God (i.e. obey all of God’s law and never disobey it). All of this is very bad news, yet a part of the gospel.

In His great mercy, God gives salvation to men by providing One Who would, as did Adam, work on behalf of all His people. But this couldn’t be a mere man. Rather, it was God’s Son Who became a man, in order to purchase men. God is righteous and just, so He requires holiness and perfection to His divine standard. So Christ, the 2nd Adam, comes to earth and is born of the virgin Mary. He does not live as merely a good example or a great teacher. He lives with one aim in mind: the will of His Father. In being representative of all God’s people, He lived, actively fulfilling and obeying all aspects of the law both ceremonial and moral), thus being perfect and holy in every way, as a man (versus Adam, the man who failed). For God’s justice to be satisfied a man would have to obey the law in its fullness, then die as a sacrifice on behalf of the people who were in rebellion to His law. Man failed legally, and man was redeemed legally.

The question is, then, on whose behalf did Christ die? His people. His sheep. Who are these? Those whom he unconditionally elected, who were given to Him before the foundation of the world (John 6, Eph 1). His death was vicarious. His death actually secured the salvation of the elect. It was a payment for their sins so that they would not have to face the just punishment that God will exact on the wicked. Why? Because Christ paid for it. Thus, the Atonement is not limited in its efficacy, but in its extent. Those who die and go to hell do so as an eternal payment for their sin against God. Those who go to heaven do so because Christ paid their price and, because of His passive and active obedience, His righteousness has been imputed into the elect at the moment of their conversion. This is a succinct definition of justification.

That being understood, in what ways should a Christian practically apply this lovely teaching? Well, they overlap quite a bit. Briefly:

Having a Proper View of Justification, We Have the Strong Foundation for Pursuing Sanctification and Good Works.

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

Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

If we have been justified by God, then it follows that those whom He has saved and set His seal upon will continue in good works while being “conformed to the likeness of the Son.” Knowing that Christ has secured our salvation should bring a great resolve on the true Christian to pursue good works, love mercy and justice, and hate evil. This should be true even to the point that “if anyone knows the good he ought to do and does not do it, sins.” Such are the marks of a genuine Christian.

Understanding the Infinite Value of Christ’s Blood, and Both the Physical and Spiritual Torment of His Passion, We Ought be Moved to Fervent, Biblical Worship and Gratitude

I believe this heading speaks for itself and, obviously, each of the “5 Points” should move us to fervent worship of the Almighty. However, the truth of the Atonement brings us to the actual truth the Christ, the Son of God, willingly took upon His shoulders all the sins of His people! The Holy God, untainted by sin and wickedness, having always done nothing but the will of His Father…the only Son purposefully took our sin and subjected Himself to the wrath of God’s fury against sin, that we would (not could) bring glory to His Name in a life marked with holiness, devotion, and obedience to His Word with eternity following.

Knowing That the Cross Actually Secured our Salvation, We are Rightly Reminded of Salvation by Grace Alone Through Faith Alone

Another practical benefit is being rightfully put in our place of lowliness, never being able to boast in ourselves, but only in our weaknesses. Humility and contrition, to some measure and degree, ought to be evident in the life of all Christians everywhere. If the Holy God that is revealed in Scripture humbled Himself to come as a babe to this earth, live a perfect life of obedience to God’s law, suffer ridicule at the hands of wicked men, and die a humiliating, painful, and horrid death, how much more should we, the Redeemed Sinners of God, display a humility that confounds the world?

U- Unconditional Election

God, in the mere good pleasure of His own will, not constrained by anything other than His Own good purpose did, before the foundation of the World, elect a people unto and for Himself, to the “praise of His glorious grace.” He did so and gave a people unto His Son, Jesus Christ, to believe on His Name and to escape the wrath that was to come through the transgression of Adam. In eternity, this is the Covenant of Redemption. The historical outworking of this Covenant is known as the Covenant of Grace. (Ephesians 1, John 6:37, 44 (etc.), John 17, etc.)

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

And so we have that great doctrine of election before us. Many cringe when it’s heard, and immediately tense up, though it is both inherently beautiful and biblical. Several will not only put up their guards, but also greatly protest when one uses the term unconditional as an adjective of the glorious doctrine of God’s saving decree, objecting that the term is not found in Scripture. Not in so many words, maybe, but God’s election is clearly not based on any condition, other than the mere good pleasure of His will (Eph 1:5). The bad taste that is left in the mouth of the objectors is due to the subject previously discussed: man’s totally depraved nature, which has wrought man spiritually dead, spiritually captive, and foolishly subject to his own pride. Therein lies the culprit of man’s objection to the clear Word of God. The pride which tells him God would not go against man’s “free will”, but would only hope a man would come to salvation, despite the fact that the man is born incapable of doing so. Logically, this is tantamount to saying man is sovereign, God is not. Man has free will, God does not. Such a notion is both unbiblical and irrational.

Again, this will not be a defense of the doctrine, but a proclamation of how it can and should practically apply in the life of the believer. I believe the doctrine is clearly and unmistakably taught throughout the entire Word of God. However, it is important to address something. Many try to gloss over the truth of unconditional election by saying God looked down through the corridor of time and saw who would choose Him, thus He elected those particular people whom He saw choosing Him. That’s just illogical, and there would not even be a point in mentioning such in Scripture if it were the case. It also cannot be extrapolated from anywhere in the Bible. Even looking at the first chapter of Ephesians should do away with such nonsensical drivel.

The next objection from this same ilk typically confuses election and salvation, as if they were one in the same event. Thus, they argue that if God has elected (in their understanding actually saved) people before time began then there’s no need to evangelize. We should just sit on our duffs and do nothing. This is of course a strawman argument and a common caricature of Calvinistic thought, albeit a very shallow and illegitimate characterization in light of both history and Scripture. The problem with this is borne out of their ignorance of what the doctrine of election is. It is not actual conversion, but God’s decree in eternity past that He elected them unto salvation. In other words, election is his decree that He will save such and such a person. How does He actualize His decree? By saving them? How are people saved? By faith? How do they have faith? By hearing. How do they hear? By preaching. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”-Romans 10:17. We evangelize NOT because God needs our help, but because God commands we carry out the means by which he brings His election to fruition: evangelism.

Having briefly and grossly covered that, we now come to how the doctrine of unconditional election can and should be applied in the life of a believer. We’ll see, as we go through the “5 Points”, that many of the practical applications overlap throughout the system of Calvinism.

On the Preaching of the Gospel Indiscriminately

Practically speaking, unconditional election indeed demands that we consider an extremely broad venue of Gospel preaching. If God’s election of people unto salvation is without condition, then such teaches us that God is not bound to a certain skin color, ethnic group, social status, or culture. On the contrary, we are told that God wants all* people to be saved. Romans 1:16 says that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation for those who believe, for the Jew and the Gentile. Thus, we should preach the gospel to all without discrimination of race, skin, culture, etc. One exception, of course, being those who know the Truth (in an intellectual sense), but openly defy and trample upon it, making opportunity of your evangelism to blatantly blaspheme Christ and His Church (i.e. Do not cast your pearls before swine). May the Christian ever be zealous to preach God’s Word indiscriminately to the poor, the rich, the proud, the humble alike to the praise of God’s glorious grace

(*1 Tim 2:3-4 says, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” This is not saying that God wants every person without exception to be saved, but every person without distinction, i.e. all kinds of men. Paul starts these verses with “This”, pointing to the previous verses which provide the context for the passage being discussed. If you look at Paul’s description of “all people”, he talks about different people, thus demanding that the following verses talk about distinction, not exception.)

On the Surety and Confidence of Evangelism
Another practical application of unconditional election is the confidence it should give the believer in his or her evangelistic efforts. Since, no doubt, God has chosen a people for Himself, before the foundation of the world; and since, no doubt, God has ordained that evangelism be the means by which He brings the elect unto salvation, then it follows that the believer should be relieved of all pressure or possible pride that he or she somehow persuades, in a saving sense, others to be Christians. No doubt we should be passionate in our witness, but ultimately, rest in knowing that God will bring His elect unto Himself by the proclamation of His Word, not by the intellectual or spiritual prowess of the vessel through whom it is proclaimed. The Christian can boldly and confidently be faithful in his/her witness of the Word of God, knowing that God shall move the hearts of the elect, raise their dead hearts to life, and certainly bring them to conversion. What a relief this brings to many who have felt the need to go knocking on doors, not out of genuine concern for their neighbor, but out of the fear that someone may go to hell because of their lack of so-called evangelism. May we be faithful in our witness of both God’s Word and godly actions knowing that people are watching, but also be relieved of the pressure that someone’s conversion somehow depends on us. Thank God for His saving power and unconditional election!
——————————————————————————–
As noted, some practical applications of the system will overlap in each point. One of these is gratitude. The doctrine of God’s electing decree should make us face up the absolute goodness of God, in that He graciously and sovereignly chose a people for Himself, of which none were worthy. That’s truly humbling. There are many applications that can be made, and these are just a few. Think on these things, Brothers and Sisters. Let us show the world that our Calvinism is no cold, intellectual, lifeless theory, but a warm, fervent, vibrant, and biblical command carried out with joy, passion and devotion to the God of the Scriptures! Blessed be the Name of the Lord Who is to forever be praised!

May God’s people remember as we gather this morning to thank God for His mercies which are new everyday. He has given us “The Lord’s Day” to collectively give Him praise as His Church, purchased by His blood, saved by order of His decree, and loved before the foundation of the world.

We will assemble together this morning as a broken, sinful, needy people. Were it not for Christ’s righteous covering given us, all that we offer would be a detestable aroma in the nose of God, incurring His wrath. The praise which proceeds from our mouth is unfit for the Lord Almighty. Even His perfect word, when sung, because of the fallen vessels through which it proceeds would be unacceptable, if not for God’s covering grace.

“And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.”-Exodus 28:38

“What a veil is lifted up by these words, and what a disclosure is made! It will be humbling and profitable for us to pause awhile and see this sad sight. The iniquities of our public worship, its hypocrisy, formality, lukewarmness, irreverence, wandering of heart and forgetfulness of God, what a full measure have we there! Our work for the Lord, its emulation, selfishness, carelessness, slackness, unbelief, what a mass of defilement is there! Our private devotions, their laxity, coldness, neglect, sleepiness, and vanity, what a mountain of dead earth is there! If we looked more carefully we should find this iniquity to be far greater than appears at first sight.” — Charles H. Spurgeon

A broken heart and contrite spirit our Lord has yet to deny. Let us approach His throne with great humility and brokenness, confessing our destitution and ineptitude to the glory of His Name.

Grace and Peace to each of God’s elect this Lord’s Day!

Soli Deo Gloria