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ESSENTIAL TRUTHS
FOCUSING ON BIBLE DOCTRINE
Until a doctrine becomes an absolute certainty to a man, he will never know its sweetness: truth has little influence upon the soul till it is fully believed. (C.H. Spurgeon)
using a question and answer format to summarize Bible truth.
Question: Can a Christian loose his salvation?
Answer: NO in capital letters. The bible clearly teaches that a "true" Christian cannot loose his salvation. [Scriptures you might take a look at if you disagree; Jn.5:24; Jn.6:37-40; Jn.10:27-30; Ro.8:28-39; Ro.11:29; 1Cor.1:8; 2Cor.1:21-22; Eph.1:4-14; Eph.4:30; Phil.1:6; 2Tim.1:12; Heb.7:24-25; Heb.10:14; Jude 24]. ( Note! The security of the Believer is based on the work of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, not the Believer.) The elect are not only redeemed by Christ and renewed by the Spirit; they are also keep in the faith by the almighty power of God. All those who are spiritually united to Christ through regeneration are eternally secure in Him. Nothing can separate them from the eternal and unchangeable love of God. They have been predestined unto eternal glory and are therefore assured of heaven. Next to the Bible the Westminster Confession of Faith says it best. "They whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace: but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved."
Question: What does election mean?
Answer: Election comes from a compound Greek verb eklego meaning "from" (ek) and "to gather, pick out" (lego) and describes God's sovereign act of choosing some individuals for salvation. Note! Scripture teaches that; (#1) Election is based upon God's choice, not the choice of man (unregenerate people have no desire to choose Christ). (#2) God does not elect everybody. He reserves the right to have mercy upon whom He pleases. (#3) God treats no one unjustly. Some of fallen humanity receive the grace and mercy of election, the rest God passes over, leaving them in their sin (the non-elect receive justice, the elect receive mercy. No one receives injustice). God is not obligated to save anyone. Listed here are a few of the many Bible verses that support the doctrine of election. (Prov.16:4, Jn.13:18, Eph.1:3-11, 2Thess.2:13-15, Ro.8:30, Ro.9:10-16.
Question: Did God predestine some to hell?
Answer: No; not everyone will be saved but it is God's desire that none should perish [2Pet.3:9]. Note this is God's desire not His decree. Election looks back to God's choice of certain individuals for salvation [Eph.1:4]. Predestination looks forward to the destiny He has planned for them. Neither word; election nor predestination is ever used in scripture of unsaved persons. Believers are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, to be adopted as sons, and to receive an eternal inheritance [Rom.8:15-30; Eph.1:5,11]. All people saved and unsaved deserve hell. Only because of God's grace demonstrated at Calvary are some saved and predestined for glory.
Question: What is the meaning of imputation?
Answer: Imputation means "to place on one's account" whether as a charge or a credit. The three biblical concepts of imputation are; the sin of Adam is charged to all humanity; the sin of all humanity is charged to Christ; Christ's righteousness is credited to all who believe on Him.
Question: What does justification mean?
Answer: Justification means "to declare righteous". It is a legal act wherein God pronounces that the believing sinner has been credited with the righteousness of Christ. Whereas forgiveness is the negative aspect of salvation meaning the subtraction of human sin, justification is the positive aspect meaning the addition of divine righteousness.
Question: What does total depravity mean?
Answer: Total depravity does not mean that all persons are as bad as they could possibly be. It means rather that all human beings are affected by sin in every area of thought and conduct; so that nothing that comes out of anyone apart from the regenerating grace of God can please God. We are so ruined by sin that no one seeks after God; understands God or His ways. We would never submit to God unless He is first at work within us to lead us to do so.
Question: What is the meaning of propitiation?
Answer: The satisfaction of God's holy wrath against sin; rebellion against God results in the wrath of God and must be met with judgment. By dying in our place and taking our sins upon Himself, Jesus satisfies God's righteous anger against all who believe.
Question: What is the difference between common grace and efficacious or special grace?
Answer: Common grace is God's unmerited favor to all mankind; providing sunshine, rain, food, and the like. It may also include God withholding judgment and restraining sin. Efficacious or special grace is God's sovereign work in effectively calling the elect to salvation.
Question: Will believers be judged for their works?
Answer: Yes; Believers will be evaluated for their faithfulness to Christ and their motivation for service; resulting in the giving or withholding of rewards. This evaluation occurs in the heavenlies while the tribulation is taking place on earth and is referred to in the bible as the judgment seat of Christ [2Cor.5:10]. Believers will not be judged for salvation as their sin debt was paid for at Calvary.
Question: What is the extent of the atonement?
Answer: Some suggest that Christ died only for the elect [limited atonement]. Others say He died for everyone; though not everyone will be saved [unlimited atonement]. My view is that Christ came into the world to represent and save only those given to Him by the Father. Thus Christ's saving work was limited in design and purpose, but it was not limited in value for it was of infinite worth and would have secured salvation for everyone if this had been God's intention. [Scriptures you might take a look at if you disagree. Jn.6:35-40; 10:24-29; 17:1-11, 20, 24-26; Eph.1:3-12; Rom.8:32-34; Heb.9:15].
Question: What does the word regeneration mean?
Answer: The word regeneration is used only twice in the New Testament [Matt.19:28; Titus 3:5] and means to be born again. It is the work of God which gives new life to the one who believes. God regenerates [John 1:13] according to His will [James 1:18] through the Holy Spirit [John 3:5] when a person believes the gospel as revealed in His word [1 Peter 1:23].
Question: Does being adopted into the family of God mean the same thing as being born again?
Answer: No; adoption is an act of God which places the believer into His family as an adult. In contrast, being born again emphasizes the idea of coming into God's family as a babe with the need for growth [John 3:3]. Adoption means full rights to all the privileges of being in God's family [Rom. 8:15]. Born again means a new creation, a new life, a new beginning. [Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2Cor.5:17)]. One is positional [adoption] the other experiential [new birth].
Question: What will our resurrected body be like?
Answer: The resurrected body of the believer will be like the glorified body of Christ [Phil. 3:21]. What was the nature and likeness of Christ's glorified body which our resurrection body is to resemble? It was a real body [Luke 24:39]; recognizable [Luke 24:31; John 20:16]; and powerful [John 20:19]. Note! the nature and character of the believer's resurrection body can be found in [1 Cor.15;35-54].
Question: What does the word believe mean?
Answer: In the New Testament the Greek word [pisteuo] translated believe; means "to adhere to, cleave to; to trust, to have faith in; to rely on, to rest on. This definition should not be taken as one holding on to God constantly lest he would let go and fall. Rather it means once one truly believes, he continues to believe. To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ means to have an absolute personal reliance upon Him as Lord and Savior. Saving faith believes God's promise of salvation conditioned on Christ alone and receives His righteousness imputed alone as the only ground of salvation. Berkhof defines saving faith as "a certain conviction, wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as to the truth of the gospel, and a hearty reliance [trust] on the promises of God in Christ.
Question: How do you reconcile the doctrine of election with the doctrine of man's free will?
Answer: From the lips of our Lord and Savior and in a single verse of scripture we learn about the doctrines of divine election, effective grace, human responsibility and the eternal security of all true believers. Take note of the transcending, transforming and triumphant truths from Jesus' own lips. [John 6:37 All the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away].
(1) All the Father gives me....In eternity past (and for reasons we will never fully understand), God the Father chose, elected, or selected many undeserving and unworthy rebel human creatures to become His redeemed family. He gave these to His Son, whose sinless (completely perfect) life and substitutionary death at Calvary made possible God's great gift of salvation. All those chosen by the Father and given to the Son are those for whom Christ voluntarily died on the cross providing their full, free and forever salvation. Jesus said so! (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; John 17:2,6,9, and 24; Ephesians 1:3-14)
(2) All the Father gives me will come to me.... All those given to the Son by the Father in eternity past will come to Jesus Christ in genuine faith and true repentance and be converted/saved, sometime during their earthly lives ~ and they'll come to Him very eagerly and most willingly. None is ever forced, against his/her desire, to come to Christ. Some come to Him very young. Others come when they are older, but all those given to the Son by the Father will come to the Savior. Jesus said so! This coming to Christ is continual (unending) on the part of those trusting Him as their personal Lord and Savior. When this is understood, most of the questions people have about the correct identification of true Christians are answered. (John 6:44; John 6:65; Acts 13:48; Acts 16:44; Acts 18:9-11; Philippians 1:3-6; Philippians 2:12-13; I Thessalonians 1:2-10; I Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; I Corinthians 1:18-31)
(3) And whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.... No sinner ~ not a single one ~ who comes to Christ in genuine faith and true repentance will ever be abandoned, disowned, cast out, driven away and perish in hell. Jesus said so! The reason: God preserves and protects His children and they persevere (continue coming to Christ) in faith and repentance. The Bible teaches the eternal security of all true believers, but not all who claim to be Christians are genuine believers.
None will be in heaven for whom Christ did not die ~None will be in hell for whom Christ did die!
Salvation is of (comes only from) the Lord. From start to finish, commencement to completion, beginning to ending, In its entirety ~ its totality ~Therefore, to Him, and Him alone, belongs all the glory, honor and praise, through time and eternity! (Romans 11:33-36)
Question: What is the rapture all about?
Answer: The rapture of the church is that moment in human history when the Lord Jesus Christ appears in the clouds and gathers to Himself all of His followers who are alive and those who have already died. Note what it says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, And so we will be with the Lord forever.
The purpose of the rapture is to save Christians from the coming seven years of judgment that will come upon the earth during the great tribulation. While it will be possible for un-believers to receive Christ during the seven year tribulation, receiving Him now means being with Him in heaven and escaping the coming judgment. That my friend is the good news.
Question: What takes place after the rapture?
Answer: Five major events or scenarios take place after the rapture of the church. (1)- A seven year period prophesied by the prophets Daniel and Jeremiah during which time Israel will be judged at the hand of the nations. Judgment will also fall upon those in the world who have rejected Christ. (2)- A coming world leader, (The Antichrist) inspired by Satan, who will unite the nations of the world in opposition to God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; John 2:18) May I point out, that the same Satan who will deceive many through the Antichrist during the tribulation, works to deceive many today. (2 Corinthians 2:11) (3)- The final battle, the battle of Armageddon in which Christ returns with His heavenly armies to defeat the forces of the Antichrist on the plains of Megiddo in Northern Israel. At this time Israel (the nation) will be saved by the appearance of Christ. (Zechariah 12:10) The bad guys of this world do not win. God's plan calls for the destruction of His enemies and the salvation of those who trust Him. (4)- The thousand year reign of Christ over the earth, referred to as the millennium. Christ will rule with perfect righteousness and justice (Revelation 20:1-6). Satan will be bound during this time so as not to interfere with the rule of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and will be judged at the end of the millennium. Those who belong to Christ will serve and reign with Him during this millennium period. (5)- Following the millennium, all people throughout the ages, who's names are not found in the Lamb's Book of Life, will be judged and cast into the lake of fire. Separated from God for all eternity. Listed above are the major events, a summary if you will, not the complete picture.
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