T.U.L.I.P.
Josh August 3rd, 2008
This is an audio commentary on the acronym of T.U.L.I.P. based on an article I wrote a few years back. Please tell me if it’s unbearable. Thanks!
Archive for the 'The 5 Points' Category
Not-So-Amazing “Grace”
Josh May 19th, 2008
Disclaimer: This song is purely satire and not, in any way, a Biblical representation of the God Who rules and reigns. Rather, any reference to “deity” or “god” of any sort is not to be understood as being the Triune God of Scripture.
Deficient Grace: The Arminian’s Rendition of Amazing Grace
Josh March 10th, 2008
Here’s the new recording of my semi-known “Deficient Grace”
The Arminian Rendition of Amazing Grace (Lyrics Below)
“Deficient Grace”
Verse 1:Total Depravity Terminated
On neutral ground, I’ll make my choice
Detached from death in sin
Able to see iniquity
And will myself to him
Verse 2:Unconditional Election Conditioned
Twas grace that made me savable
But did not make it sure
It took my will to make it real
And it may not endure
Verse 3:Limited Atonement Limited
The blood he shed, he shed for all
A mere symbol of his love
Held no real pow’r in of itself
Just vain hope from above
Verse 4:Irresistible Grace Resisted
This god is but a gentleman
Not wanting to intrude
We have rejected o’er and o’er
While he, for us, has wooed
Verse 5: Perseverance of the Saints Perished
I willed myself to be redeemed
On one of my smarter days
So if I sin badly enough
I’ll probably fall away
or
Alternate Verse 5:
Though he’s big enough to justify
And holds all things in his hand
I’m strong enough to leave his grip
And thwart his pseudo-plan (more)
Deficient Grace: The Arminian’s Rendition of Amazing Grace
Josh February 11th, 2008
“Deficient Grace”
Verse 1:Total Depravity Terminated
On neutral ground, I’ll make my choice
Detached from death in sin
Able to see iniquity
And will myself to him
Verse 2:Unconditional Election Conditioned
Twas grace that made me savable
But did not make it sure
It took my will to make it real
And it may not endure
Verse 3:Limited Atonement Limited
The blood he shed, he shed for all
A mere symbol of his love
Held no real pow’r in of itself
Just vain hope from above
Verse 4:Irresistible Grace Resisted
This god is but a gentleman
Not wanting to intrude
We have rejected o’er and o’er
While he, for us, has wooed
Verse 5: Perseverance of the Saints Perished
I willed myself to be redeemed
On one of my smart days
So if I sin badly enough
I’ll probably fall away
or
Alternate Verse 5:
Though he’s big enough to justify
And hold me in his hand
I’m strong enough to leave his grip
And thwart his pseudo-plan
Question Posed to Me About God’s Sovereignty
Josh March 10th, 2007
A friend asked,
“If God is sovereign, then He can change His mind. Is that right?
To which I respond:
No. Think about it. If this were true in theory, the moment He changed His mind (in a true sense), He would then cease being God because that means there was something He’d actually need to change, which would deny His perfection. If God is perfect (and He is), then He needs to change nothing.
If the Bible says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (and it does), then we may also know that the other 2 persons of the Trinity are unchangeable as well. As has already been touched upon, when we see instances in Scripture where it appears that God has “changed” His mind, we must take into account that the Lord is so lofty and incomprehensible that, at times, the Holy Spirit-inspired writers of Scripture had to use anthropromorphisms to convey a concept to the readers that could not otherwise be conveyed.
The Lord is unsearchable. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God.” His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts, just as the heavens are higher than the earth (Isaiah 55). One thing, though, has been made abundantly clear in Scripture: God is thoroughly, completely, and fully sovereign. He works all things according to the counsel of His will.
Let us look at Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning God” No one else. Nothing else. God alone. We may deduce both logically and scripturally that all creation and its order have thus proceeded from God, Who alone is Creator. He spoke all of it into existence. In Colossians we read that Christ holds all things together and that in Him all things consist. I would say, my friend, that is sovereignty if ever a fellow knew it.
Consider with me, if you will, the hardening of Pharoah’s heart. God hardened it during the plagues, then He’d soften it, but harden it back again. Why? We’re not necessarily privy to that information. But we know God said this to Pharoah in Exodus 9, “For this very purpose, I have raised you up…that my Name may be known.” We have here several things to be noted. God uses the term purpose. Then He points out that He has done the raising of Pharoah to power and prestige, that He might humble Him by using Him, against His own desires, to free Israel from bondage. Then, because Scripure tells us, we’re given a bit of a why. God says, “That my Name may be known!” Wa-la! It is His own glory which with God is concerned.
Consider later, when the Children of Israel are crossing the Red Sea. God says several times that He’s going to pass Israel through, and then throw the Egyptians into the sea, and their horses and chariots, that they would know He is God. Again, it is for His glory.
The considerations could go on and on exhaustively, because every book in Scripture screams of God’s absolute sovereignty over the affairs of men and, PRAISE GOD, especially in light of salvation. If God were not sovereign, no man could ever be saved. I repeat, if God could not sovereignly intervene to save us men from our natural states, we never would nor could be saved.
The book of Job, the book of Isaiah, the book of Lamentations, the book of Amos (literally every book could be mentioned here). If it’s needed to be broken down to remind folks: Matthew 13 (Cross reference Luke for the same parable explanation); John 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 17; Acts 13:48 (Not to mention the work of God in the acts of the Apostles and the Church throughout the whole book therein); Romans 8, 9; 1 Cor 2; Eph 1, 2; so on, so forth. These references are just off the top of my head, but the truth is that all of Scripture is replete with the fact of God’s sovereignty in all things. Man is unable to get around this fact, so they just supress the truth in unrighteousness because of their pride.
Thus, the question ought not be, “If God is sovereign, then He can _______, right?”
Rather, it should be, “Since God is sovereign, then whatsoever He ordains is right and I am commanded to worship Him and believe His Word even when I cannot quite fully grasp it all with human, limited, finite mind. O, Lord I believe, help my unbelief!”