The Gospel Way
We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous
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For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:16-17
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The Doctrines of Grace The following sections define the nature of Grace and it's outworking in the eternal plan of God from election to conversion. Grace begins in the very nature of God Himself, in His sovereignty and in His love, which issues forth in election, and fulfils His plan in the death of Christ as an effectual atonement for those whom He loved, and reaches to the life of the elect when they are converted through faith and repentance. The nature of man's depravity, self-righteousness, assurance, and the relationship between Calvinism and the Gospel are also covered.
The wondrous God of the universe, it's creator and sustainer, who became incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ is sovereign. He is sovereign in all his doings, not only in creation and providence, but in redemption and reconciliation of His people. The issue of the sovereignty of God in all matters especially in the salvation of the elect is fundamental and foundational to biblical faith and life.
God has an infinite and glorious love for His people, a love that is sovereign and particular, a love that is everlasting and is a wondrous comfort to those who are His.
God is a sovereign God and an electing God, a God who chose His bride before the foundation of the world without any regard to man's works, faith, or so called free will. God's choice was based solely in His sovereign purpose, grace, and love.
Does man have a free will? Biblically such a concept is completely foreign to God's economy of grace. Man is both legally and morally depraved. It is this legal and moral guilt that condemns man, that leaves him without any righteousness to commend him to God, that's why he needs the righteousness of Christ imputed in order to stand before a just and holy God.
The atoning work of Christ was a work accomplished on behalf of a particular people. A work of satisfying God's Law and Justice bringing reconciliation to those in Christ. This work is a redemption for God's elect. Any notions of a general or universal atonement is an affront on the work of the Redeemer and is a false gospel.
Responding to Arguments for a General Atonement
Other false views on the Atonement
God, in the outworking of Redemption, not only elects and redeems His people, and calls them through the preaching of the Gospel, He effectually brings them to the knowledge of the Truth through regeneration and conversion.
The vehicle that God uses in bringing His elect to conversion is the preaching of the Gospel. There are those in the world who deny that God uses preaching, they rather believe God will regenerate His elect and bring them to glory whether they hear the gospel and are converted or not. Such ideas are foreign to the Scriptures
The gospel is received in faith. What then is the nature of this faith? True, converting faith, must be carefully understood in order to distinguish it from false notions of faith, and as well, to avoid the error of many of the false gospels that inherently teach faith in faith (trusting) or one's efforts rather than faith in the person and work of Christ. True faith has the biblical Christ as it's only object and not one's own efforts, faith, or righteousness. True faith is in the biblical Gospel, believing the biblical message of the person and work of Christ for the redemption of His elect. Finally true faith was purchased by Christ's blood on the cross and is a gift to the elect at conversion.
Repentance is a change of mind. In religion, more often than not, the idea of repenting from only outward evils of immorality is promoted. While we are to repent of those, the sin of self righteousness is often left out of the picture. The gospel is the only instrument that exposes this deceiving sin and the Holy Spirit works the gift of repentance in the believer. So, the chief end of this God-given repentance is first and foremost a change of mind concerning the ground of salvation.
When one of God's elect children are converted by the Gospel they experience a cleansed conscience which issues forth in full assurance of faith.
Assurance is the essence of faith. Where are the eyes of faith directed, inwardly to our works or outside ourselves to Christ? God does not encourage doubt or call it humility, but rather calls it unbelief and sin. What is the basis for true assurance? Can a person have it? Does it even matter? All these basic questions are answered by the Gospel itself, and these articles should help in giving God's people comfort in this area.
This is a series of editorials on Assurance by Reformed theologian David Engelsma:
Self-righteousness is one of the most deceptive and overlooked sins. It is something that most do not perceive, especially in the religious world, and is revealed by the Gospel. For the Gospel is the revelation of God's righteousness which exposes man's self reliance, self-determination and self righteousness.
The doctrines of grace or the so-call Five Points of Calvinism are fundamental to the Gospel, without the truths of man's legal and moral depravity, Christ's effectual atonement for His elect thus satisfying God's Law and Justice establishing a righteousness that meets God's standard and is imputed and received by faith, and God's electing love in purposing the plan of salvation, there is no Gospel. Unfortunately today these doctrines are separated from the Gospel and are held in intellectual pride. Many of those who profess to be Calvinist tolerate false notions of grace and hold those who hold to a false gospel such as Arminianism as their brothers and sisters in Christ, from such one must repent.
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Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works. Romans 4:6
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