Augustine Comments on "Because of His Call" in Romans 9:11

Augustine wrote,

"No one believes who is not called.  God calls in his mercy and not as rewarding the merits of faith.  The merits of faith follow his calling; they do not precede it...Unless the mercy of God in calling precedes faith, no one can even believe and thus begin to be justified and to receive the power to do good works.  So grace comes before all merit.   Christ died for the ungodly.  The younger received the promise that the elder should serve him from God who called him and not from any meritorious works of his own."  (Bary and Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture, New Testament VI, Romans, pg. 251).

We see the truth of the gospel of grace in what Augustine wrote.  May we cherish it as precious in the sight of God in and through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!   We are not saved by any meritorious works but we are called to live godly, upright and holy lives in a pure morality unto faithful repentance.  If we have grace we will be able to do good works because we were preordained to do them (Ephesians 2:10).  The basis for our standing before God is Jesus Christ and His unified merit.  Praise God for His sovereign grace!  Amen.

There Is One Mediator: The Man Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

1. We cannot purchase God's favor through ceremony because we are undeserving.  We cannot purchase God's favor by anything we think, do or say.  All of us should have been cast off and utterly condemned but we have the sacrificial atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ that appeases the wrath of God the Father and removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. 

2. The world is far from God; that is, all of us have deserved banishment from His kingdom.  God chose a particular people to Himself and left the rest of the world into confusion.  We are all separated from God in our original sin and totally depravity.  He governs and maintains them by His virtue and power and goodness.  People are headed to destruction because of sin.  God does not join them to the gospel because He has not chosen too.  However, people respond in faith to the gospel because of God's kindness.  We must pity those who do not know God and call them to repentance.

3. The Bible says there is but one God.  God has made all men and put them under His protection.  There is no brotherhood among the damned.  Those who do not agree with the gospel are far away from us.  God unites us in the gospel.  The image of God is imprinted on everyone; however, that which has caused us division is the gospel but it should bring us together but Jesus brings a sword of division.

4. There is one mediator between God and man and He is Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer.  Unbelievers are poor because they do not have Christ who is rich.  Unbelievers wander and go astray.  We ought to have pity on unbelievers so they may be persuaded to come to a saving knowledge of Christ.  God did not save a few individuals only but seeks to save the whole world.  The world in the Bible has different usages but it may refer here to the Gentiles.  Christ suffered according to the Scriptures for the all the sins of the elect, but He did not merely suffer for the sins in Israel but also for the entire world.

5. He made an atonement for the sins of the whole world.  And He is the mediator between God and man.  He took upon our flesh in the incarnation; that is, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  We ought to submit ourselves to the Lord in all that He requires of us.  Jesus was made like unto us but not unto sin.  He was like us in every respect yet apart from sin.  Jesus has become are advocate and mediator between God and us.  He has provided a way for us to go to God.

6. We ought to have great regard to God's honor and bring our unbelieving neighbors to Him.  They set boundaries for Him so He does not govern the whole world.  To some extent they obscure the extent of the effectiveness of the passion and death of our Lord Christ and seek to lesson the mission given to Jesus by the Father.  We ought to proclaim the Savior's message to the ends of the earth.

7. The mediator is Jesus Christ.   He is a man but not a mere man, but God Incarnate.  Jesus was made like unto us, His brethren.  However, He did not give up His deity but gave up His glory.  He was a merciful and faithful High Priest. He made propitiation for the sins of God’s people.  He was tempted but He is able to help us in our temptation.  We ought to understand the adversity we suffer but if we did not understand it we would not understand those who suffer.  Jesus partook of all of our miseries and He tasted all our affections; however, He did not sin in all of His life.  He did this that when we call on Him He may help us.  He experienced everything we have touching temptation and He is able to go to God for us in our afflictions and temptation.

8. We surely have nothing to fear because He stands as our mediator.  There is nothing in the entire world to fear because He is with us and intercedes for us.  We can call on God as our Heavenly Father with uplifted hands to His glory and worship.  He receives us as children of God in and through Jesus Christ; that is, it is through the merits of Christ alone.  He makes understand the fruits of our adoption.  We have Christ as our awesome mediator and we can come to God on His terms.  He can made known our griefs, pains, sufferings and torments to Him.  He will relieve us of our pain.  The Romanists want us to believe that the saints are our patrons; that is, that they intercede for us.  They wish us to believe that we are unworthy to appear before our Heavenly Father.  But Jesus makes us able to approach the throne of grace because He is our mediator.  There is only one mediator and there is none else.

9. We ought to understand what is in the law.  People prayed unto God in the Old Testament.  The people stood afar off regarding the court of the temple.   Only the priest was allowed to approach the sanctuary.  And this priest is a figure of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He is indeed our High Priest.  He was clothed in new garments and consecrated to God our Heavenly Father.  The high priest entered the sanctuary, but he carried with him the blood of the sacrifice (as John Calvin says).  We understand through this that no one can find favor with God in and of themselves.  We can only find favor with God through the blood of Jesus Christ our great High Priest who shed His eternal blood on the Cross to save His people.

10. We could not call upon God except this that ceremony unless there was an advocate.  That advocate would make intercession for the whole congregation.  The intercession was based on the sacrifice offered.  Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all of the elect so that everyone of His people would be saved.  We cannot separate the shed blood and the advocate.  Indeed, Jesus was the advocate of His people.  Jesus took upon Himself the death of the Cross and we have access to His name to God the Father.

11. We must understand that Christ is our only mediator.  Jesus came to reveal the truth.  He came as the substance and perfection of the things prefigured by the law (as Calvin says).  But Satan comes to confuse our minds that Jesus is not the only mediator.  Heretics believe that angels can be advocates.  We ought not to let anyone cheat us out of knowing Christ as our one true Mediator.  We must give honor to Jesus Christ as our one mediator and not the worship of angels.  The worship of angels is false humility.  Jesus intercedes for us as our one true intercessor (besides the Holy Ghost) and must be received as our only Savior.  It is said by the Romanists that Jesus is our only Savior in the context that there is one male Savior but they add Mary as co-redeemerix.  I think this is a violation of the writings of Paul.  Surely, they have gone beyond what is written.

12. We ought to know that Mohammed, Buddha and Confucius are not the Saviors of the world.  Calvin thought that the Romanist would call Mohammed the Savior of the world.  He was not far off because in Catechism 841 of Rome it says they worship the same God.  Somehow Calvin knew then the far off unity that would come in apostasy.  Jesus surely is our mediator and advocate, but people would argue against it.  People who argue with us would call us wrong to argue that Jesus is our only advocate.  We must maintain the certainty that Jesus is our only advocate (as opposed to other advocates besides the Spirit of God), and we must understand He is the only mediator because God designed it this way.  We can only come near to God except through Jesus’ mediatorship.  

I shall write more on this for next week and continue the next part of this sermon.  I hope and pray my notes were of use to you.  Grace and peace.

A Church Father on Justification by Faith Alone

Ambrosiaster wrote on Romans 1:17 the following,

"Paul says this because the righteousness of God is revealed in the one who believes, whether Jew or Greek.  He calls it the righteousness of God because God freely justifies the ungodly by faith, without the works of the law, just as he says elsewhere: That I may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.  He says that this same righteousness is revealed in the gospel when God grants faith to man, through which he may be justified...The truth and righteousness of God are revealed in this, when a man believes and confesses.  The righteousness is of God because what he promised, he gave.  Therefore, whoever believes that he has received what God promised through his prophets proves that God is just and is a witness of his righteousness...Through faith for faith.  What does this mean, except that the faith of God is in him because he promised, and the faith of man is in him because he believes the one who promises, so that through faith of the God who promises the righteousness of God might be revealed in the faith of the man who believes?  For to the believer God appears to be just, but to the unbeliever he appears to be unjust.  Anyone who does not believe that God has given what he promised denies that God is truthful.  This is said against the Jews, who deny that Christ is the one whom God promised...As it is written: "he who through faith is righteous shall live."  Paul now moves over to the example of the prophet Habakkuk in order to declare that in the past it was revealed that a just man lives by faith and not by the law, i.e., that a man is not justified before God by the law but by faith."  (Bray and Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture, New Testament VI, Romans, pg. 31).

A Short Teaching on the Dogma of the Holy Trinity

How do we explain the Blessed Trinity?  The name is ‘Trinity’ is very important in explaining the Trinity.  I suggest to you that the Trinity is one eternal being of God and it is indivisible and infinite.   The one true being of God is shared by three persons, the Father, Son and Spirit.  The three persons are co-equal and co-eternal.  We must understand the distinction between “being” and “person.”  God is surely not one person, but He is three distinct persons in one essence, being or unity. 

We must understand that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the basis for the Christian faith.  It consists of redemption, predestination, creation.  We must understand what God is like and how He speaks about Himself.  We must understand how we ought to obey Him.  We must understand how to explain the ‘Trinity’ and a basic definition has been given.  God is one and yet three.  How is that possible?  We describe God as one ‘what’ and three ‘whose.’  I learned this at Liberty University when I attended their class on the Trinity through distance education.  But we must ask if the Trinity is a contradiction.  It can only be a contradiction if it is said there was three persons in one person, or that there was one essence with three essences.  We, therefore, say that there is one God revealed in three persons.  The Father is God, the Son is God and the Spirit is God.  However, there are not three Gods but one God.   This is because there is one essence of God, or being of God, or unity of God that share the three persons in the Triune Godhead.  We could wonder if Jesus prayed to the Father, how can He be God?  We must understand that Jesus was fully man because this is one of His natures.  We must make a distinction between the two natures of Christ but not separate them.  Jesus prayed to God touching His humanity and the economic distinction within the Godhead.  That is, the Father is the First Person, the Son is the Second Person and the Spirit is the Third Person.  Each member of the Trinity is fully divine and self-existent.  That is, the Trinity is from everlasting to everlasting and it means He always existed as God.  Moreover, we must understand that the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father, nor the Father and Son the Spirit.

Free Abounding Grace, Pt 3

25. The love with which God loves is fit for the most extreme case.  It is the power of Christ and the Spirit’s power.  Sin is no barrier because God forgives all kinds of men their sins who come to Him with their whole hearts and ask for forgiveness through the blood of Jesus which cleanses from all defilement.  The blood of Christ can take away every possible sin in anyway whatsoever.  We shall be made as wool and washed whiter than snow.  Does man’s hard-heartedness stand in the way of God’s grace?  We ought not to limit God’s favor among men.  There is nothing too hard for the Holy One of Israel.  Unbelief is not a bar because God the Spirit can make the unbelieving believe!  We must believe because this is the answer Paul gives to the jailor who asked, “What must I do to be saved?”  Man is not that master over God but God is the master over man.  There is nothing stopping God to make the blackest and foulest of people saints.  No one can stay His hand.  If necessary He can work against man and above man to save souls.  In Arab lands people have reported Jesus in their dreams.  He summons them to believe.  There is omnipotent love which no human hand or demonic foe can stop.  The means is the blood of Christ for cleansing and it has the power to take away sin as far as the east is from the west.  The Spirit has the power to renew the inner man.  Again, there is nothing in man that can conquer divine and sacred love.

26. The practical understanding of this is that the mercy gate is wide open for sinners.  God can forgive if he comes to Him on His terms.  I mean to say that God saves the worst of sinners and he can save that man as well.  He is able to save any who come to Him with a contrite heart.  There is no bar for God’s love to man. God does not love us because of something good in us.   If God wills it He cannot stop loving you.  Come just as you are and rid your soul of the darkness, because His blood can cleanse the foulest rebel.  The Lamb of God is able to forgive and cleanse the evilest of sinners. 

27. If you can trust the love of God in Christ Jesus, there is no doubt that you are saved.  All your past is blotted out and forgotten and forgiven if you trust Christ.  He casts our sin in the depths of the sea and forgives us as far as the east is from the west.  If we hear this sermon this morning, we would dance for joy because Jesus forgives people.  It is my joy to preach this sermon because it is the opening for the prisoner to be set free.  Jesus did not die so righteous people can be born again but He died for sinners. He gives us His unified righteousness and gives us a new heart.  Born again righteous!  The doctrine of righteousness shook Rome to her knees.  It is in this doctrine that sinner’s prosper unto holiness under Christ.  None but the sick see the value in the medicine.  The Spirit of God convicts sin and makes us willing to believe.  He will convince us of our deadness in sin.  I believe when I first was under construction by the Spirit of God, He showed me my deadness in sin.  I could sense it and feel it.  I had no ability to believe because I was totally unable.  But God gives us the medicine of His grace to make us whole. 

28. There are people in this world that are lost and have no hope, but Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost.  If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are saved.  We ought to come as we are.  God will accept you as you are.  God loves us freely without anything we can do.  There is no preparation worthy enough to come.  There is no ability of man that can make us come.  We can’t prepare to come to Christ because we are dead in sins and transgressions and iniquities.  You ought to receive this grace that God willingly and freely gives.  May our great and good Lord love you freely unto abundant graciousness and mercy and love!  Amen.

This is the completion of my sermon “Free Abounding Grace.”  I hope you enjoyed the study and now I hope to write on the dogma of the Trinity.  Grace and peace.

A Basic and Historical Presentation on Mormon Doctrine on the Doctrine of God

Let us pay close attention to what Mormons profess to believe.  If we learn what they teach, we can effectively evangelize them for the glorious gospel of grace and peace.  May we learn what they teach so we can proclaim the good news to them in love.  Amen.

The Mormons teach that there are many gods,

"How many Gods there are, I do not know.  But there never was a time when there were not Gods" (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 7:333).

The Mormons teach that the Trinity is three separate gods,

"Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are only one God!  I say that is a strange God anyhow--three in one and one in three...It would make the biggest God in all the world.  He would be a wonderfully big God--he would be a giant or a monster" (Joseph Smith Jr., History of the Church, 6:476).

"I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods"  (Joseph Smith Jr., History of the Church, 6:474).

The Mormons teach that the Father is an exalted man,

"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man...I say, if you were to him today, you would see him like a man in a form--like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1973 ed., p. 345).

"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also" (D & C 130:22).

 Mormons teach that no one is omnipresent in the Godhead,

"The Holy Ghost as a personage of Spirit can no more be omnipresent in person than can the Father or the Son" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 752).

Mormons teach that God the Father also had a father,

 "The Prophet also taught...that there is 'a god above the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ'...if Jesus had a Father, can we not believe that he had a Father also?"  (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 577).

The Father became God in learning truth, entering the pursuit of Godhead and being faithful to the gospel,

 "God undoubtedly took advantage of every opportunity to learn the laws of truth and as He became acquainted with each new verity He righteously obeyed it...As He gained more knowledge through persistent effort and continuous industry, as well as through absolute obedience, His understanding of the universal laws continued to become more complete...until He attained the status of Godhood...He became God by absolute obedience to all the eternal laws of the Gospel" (The Gospel Through the Ages, pp. 114-15).

Mormons teach that God the Father has a wife and has spirit children,

"Implicit in the Christian verity that all men are the spirit children of an Eternal Father  is the usually unspoken truth that they are also the offspring of an Eternal Mother.  An exalted and glorified Man of Holiness (Moses 6:57) could not be a Father unless a Woman of like glory, perfection and holiness was associated with him as a Mother" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 516).

Mormon teach God is not an eternal being, the spirit are self-existent and matter became organized.  Then the spirit is born to human parents on earth.  God took this way and became God.

 "...spirit element has always existed: it is co-eternal with God...It is also called intelligence...portions of the self-existent spirit element are born as spirit children, or in others...is organized into intelligences" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 751).

 "Abraham used the name intelligences to apply to the spirit children of the Eternal Father...Use of this name designates both the primal element from which the spirit offspring were created and also their inherited capacity to grow in grace...until such intelligences...become like their Father, the Supreme Intelligence" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 387; see additionally also D & C 93:29, 33; Abraham 3:18-23).

Mormons teach that if His support stopped He would stop being God,

 "...the universe is filled with vast numbers of intelligences...Elohim is God simply because all of these intelligences honor and sustain Him as such...if He [God] should ever do anything to violate the confidence or 'sense of justice' of these intelligences, they would promptly withdraw their support, and the 'power' of God would disintegrate" (Former BYU Prof. W. Cleon Skousen, The First 2000 Years, p. 355).

Now we see what Mormons teach on the doctrine of God.  Oh! how essential it is for us to get this doctrine right before God and man.  I suggest to you that the doctrine of God issue is of the utmost and eternal importance, for if someone is wrong on this doctrine they are wrong in eternity.  Let us pray for the Mormons that they may change this doctrine and embrace the one true God of the Bible. 

Free Abounding Grace, Pt 2

13. The love of God and the fruit of love is a gift from God.  The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.  God does not bargain with us and say "if" because it would not be free.   It is a free gift of God in Christ.  There is no recompense afterwards to be given.  If this is the case, the gift is pure and free and so we can rightly say "I will love them freely."  There is no doubt that the pure gift of God is eternal life or life eternal.  If we get this gift, it is a free gift of God.  It is by no means wages which we have earned but it is truly and simply free.  The poor earnings bring death and are not free.  We must know that only God's gift can bring us life.

14. The Bible speaks everywhere about God's true love and it is wonderfully stated.  Our ways are not His ways and it is like saying as high as the heavens are above the earth so is His ways and our ways.  God does not love men because of loveliness in them.  There would be nothing wonderful about it if God loved us because we were good.  We hope we can love someone who is moral.  We easily love so-called "good people" but it is hard to love "bad people."  If we do not love a good man it is a fault of ourselves.  If there was something good in man it would be no wonder that God should love him.  It would be unjust of God not to love a good man.  Jesus was the only good Man that ever walked the earth.  This is why the Father said "This is my well-beloved Son; listen to Him."  He could not say that about anyone else.  God loves us when there is no trace of goodness in man.  There is only cause to hate such a man because in man is radical corruption.  Rocks break their silence and hills break forth into music.

15. Let us understand the practical use of these things.  We ought not to trust in establishing our own righteousness because it is not at the level of righteousness of Christ alone and His unified merit.  No one should trust there works or carnal trustings.  No, no!  God will not love you according to personal merit.  He loves in and through the merit of Christ alone.  "God will love you freely."  Do not labor for the food that perishes but that which endures to eternal life.  God accepts the worst of men that come by faith.  He never casts any out but He receives them into His heavenly kingdom.  It is His promise.  He welcomes the foulest sinners and accepts both small and great alike.  We must rely on Jesus and His righteousness!  Come to Him as you are without works or satisfaction!  God will love you freely and no other way.  Self-righteousness will only take you to hell but the unified righteousness of Christ will take you to heaven.

16.  This dogma offers comfort to everyone who feels unfit to come to Christ.  The text "I will love them freely" is a death-blow to the works of satisfaction towards men.  If we rely on our performance to get saved it will fail us but if we rely on Christ's life to merit and earn heaven it will be faithful and true.  Do not add anything to the freeness of God's grace.  God's grace is free, "I will love them freely."  We may cry out to God that our hearts are so hard but He loves us freely.  We may not feel the need of Christ as we would like to because we have sinful hearts that would take us away from God.  We do not feel the softening grace of Christ in our hearts and it would seem to take Jesus away from us.  The covenant of grace has no conditionality whatsoever.  The covenant of grace is unconditional touching the sure mercies of David.  We have the promise of Christ without the meritorious works of this wicked world.  God does not want our works like He told David He did not want sacrifice of bulls and goats in Psalm 51ff.  He love us freely!  This is truly an awesome truth of Christ and there are blind people who do not see it.  There is a lot of rubbish in our world that would say we need to add to the free love of Christ.  The good news is free.  It requires no preparation, money or price!

17. The practical use of our doctrine does not end here.  We wonder how we can be saved or that God will bless us when we feel so unworthy.  But God says I love them freely.  Doesn't this meet your case?  If you had become the foulest of all sinners, God would still say "I love them freely."  If there is no reason for the love of God in you there is no need for the love of God in anyone.  The grace of God can come to the best of men or any man, because God will save the small and great.  God is found of them that did not seek Him.

18. This doctrine calls backsliders to return to Christ and His family.  The text, "I will love them freely" is meant for backsliders.  Someone goes on a rebellious run in their lives.  They abuse all privileges and destroy their lives.   But God invites them back saying "Return to me.  I will forgive you all.  I will love you freely."  The summons back had no condition; that is, if you promise or behave then I will love you.  "I love them freely" means that He will love without condition or promise or behaving.  This kindness makes us melt.   If Jesus loved us He still does.  If you were a child of God you are still a child of God.  The backslider will return through free grace and mercy and kindness.  The awakened sinner is loved no matter what He does.  This may appear like an Antinomian doctrine but while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

19. God loves us freely, but it is nothing in man that makes Him love us.  There is nothing in man that can cause God to love us.  There is nothing in man that can harm God’s love or prevent God’s love to us.  There is no bar to God’s grace or effectual hindrance to any of the human race.  We all were in the lions of Adam.   There was no bar in Adam.  There was no block to the human race in Adam.  There is no hindrance of God’s grace coming to man because there was no hindrance in grace coming to Adam.  There is nothing in man that God should not show man His awesome and sovereign grace.

20. There was no block or bar of God’s grace to us because He has saved the worst of sinners and they were undoubtedly saved.  There are many evil and low sins that men have committed but yet they were saved.  David was guilty of adultery and murder, but God did not delay His love to David.  God’s love cannot be prevented in coming to you.  God does not love because there is excellence.  He does not refuse to show love to those who are in sin.   Manasseh was guilty of murder, idolatry, and sacrifice of children to a false god but God’s love laid hold upon him.  We were as vile as the lost in hell but God showed His mercy upon us in Christ. 

21. It is impossible that anything can be in you that God cannot love.  The sins of the chief of sinners cannot stop God’s forgiveness.   Paul was the chief of sinners and he truly was a great sinner.  The greatest and the greatest sinners have been saved.  That leaves room for me and for you.  For if the chief of sinners were saved, how much more us?  If we exceeded Paul in being the greatest sinners, how that would not prevent God’s love!  God’s act of love is an act of infinite goodness.  We should not say sins are small but every sin is a great offense against God.  Sins are loathsome and hellish.  Spurgeon said of God’s grace “but the grace, the love, and the pity of God, Oh! these are infinite, eternal, everlasting, boundless, matchless, quenchless, unconquerable, and therefore the grace of God can overcome and prove itself mightier than your guilt and sin” (CH Spurgeon, Abounding Grace).  There is no bar that can prevent God’s grace or we would have seen it in others.  Nothing can take us away from God’s grace. 

22. Do you suppose there is a sinner out there that is too great of a sinner for God to reach?  Would the devils parade around with a trophy of hell that God could not reach?  Is there more than a match for God no matter what sin it is?  Would God say this sin was too great for God’s grace?  Would someone dare to say it?  Doesn’t the Apostle say that where sin abounds grace much more abounds?  Does condemnation abound?  No, no!  Does hopeless despair abound?  No, no!  But where sin abounds graces did much more abound.   Man makes a mountain of sin but God matches it.  God tops it with hundred times more grace to overtop the sin in our lives.  If there are mountains of sin, it is no match for the abundant grace of God. 

23. Man is a totally depraved worm, but God shows mercy on him.  We ought to repent of our total depravity for everyday of our lives.  We should also repent of our original sin.  We need to find a calendar for all the days of our lives and repent for our depravity for that day and continue on.  You will notice a great load and weight will come off of you.   There is no doubt that God’s grace is enough and more than enough to overtop your sins.  God covers us in the unified merit of His only-beloved Son.

24. Wouldn’t it disprove the goodness of the gospel if a man could be found to make the gospel stop working and to have its way?  If the gospel which is worthy of all acceptation could not meet certain cases, it would be limited to its effectiveness but the gospel is able to conquer any rebel lust.  If this would be the case, we would stop glorifying in the cross.  The Apostle gloried in the cross, but we would have to stop if salvation could not be met for anyone.  The point is, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and it has the power to win anyone over to it.  The gospel is sufficient for every case.  There is no sin so great and no sinner so great as to render the gospel impotent.  We ought to labor for the most hopeless and help the most helpless. 

This week I will finish up with this sermon.  My notes came from Spurgeon’s sermon Abounding Grace and I hope to write a little more on this issue of “free abounding grace.”  You know, there is no Savior like Jesus.  Amen.

Are There Many Gods or One God? A Brief Study of Mormonism

The purpose of this study is to ask, what do Mormons teach on the doctrine of God?  We will look into the doctrine of God in Mormon theology.  Here is a quote on Mormon theology from a Mormon source,

“How many Gods there are, I do not know.  But there never was a time when there were not Gods” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 7:333).

Here is what the Bible teaches on the doctrine of God.  You will notice that it teaches that there is one God and not many gods.

Deuteronomy 6:4 KJV

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

Deuteronomy 33:26-27 KJV

²⁶ There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.

²⁷ The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

Isaiah 43:10 KJV

¹⁰ Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Isaiah 44:6 KJV

⁶ Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Isaiah 45:5 KJV

⁵ I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

Isaiah 45:21 KJV

²¹ Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

Isaiah 46:9 KJV

⁹ Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

1 Timothy 2:5 KJV

⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Matthew 28:19-20 KJV

¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The study of the Bible shows there is one God revealed in three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  There is no god besides Him.  He alone is God.

An Apologetical Rebuttal to Dave Hunt’s “Calvin’s Tyrannical Kingdom” in his July 2012 Newsletter: A Scriptural and Historical Defense of the Reformation

The quotations are from Mr. Hunt’s article are from Calvinism’s Surprising Catholic Connection, pg. 10-11, July 2012 in his anti-Calvinistic newsletter.

“There is no question that Calvin imposed upon the Bible certain erroneous interpretations from his Roman Catholic background.”

What do you mean?  This statement is broad and elusive.   We know that the magisterial took some unbiblical practices with them, but not the essence of spiritual salvation.  I am not referring to spiritual salvation issues.  For example, he held the perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary.  He was a magisterial reformer.  This would be a common thing to expect because he has just come out of Rome.  However, I think Mr. Hunt means that there “erroneous interpretations” in Calvin’s understanding of spiritual salvation.  Let’s look from the written Word of God Calvin’s doctrines and see if the Bible teaches them.

Total Depravity is the doctrine that says mean is radically corrupt and cannot choose the goodness of the Gospel (i.e., total inability) because he is dead in sin.

Romans 3:9-19 KJV

⁹ What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

¹⁰ As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

¹¹ There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

¹² They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

¹³ Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

¹⁴ Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

¹⁵ Their feet are swift to shed blood:

¹⁶ Destruction and misery are in their ways:

¹⁷ And the way of peace have they not known:

¹⁸ There is no fear of God before their eyes.

¹⁹ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Ephesians 2:1-10 KJV

2 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

² Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

³ Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

⁶ And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

⁷ That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Jeremiah 17:9 KJV

⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Unconditional Election is the teaching that says God saves us not because of anything good or bad that we have done but because of His free mercy.

Romans 9:11-24 KJV

¹¹ (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

¹² It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

¹³ As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

¹⁵ For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

¹⁶ So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

¹⁷ For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

¹⁸ Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

¹⁹ Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

²⁰ Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

²¹ Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

²² What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

²³ And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

²⁴ Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

John 15:16 KJV
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

John 15:19 KJV
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

1 Peter 2:9 KJV
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

Limited Atonement says, in brief, that God saves the many and all of the elect of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.

Matthew 1:21 KJV

²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Isaiah 53:1-12 KJV

53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

² For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

⁸ He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

⁹ And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

¹¹ He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

¹² Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Irresistible Grace is the teaching that says God saves us although we cannot cooperate with God and He gives us the spiritual application of His imputed merit and takes out the stony heart and gives us a heart of flesh.

John 3:1-15 KJV

3 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Ezekiel 11:19 KJV
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
 Ezekiel 36:26 KJV
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Romans 3:21-31 KJV

²¹ But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

²² Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

²⁷ Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

²⁸ Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

²⁹ Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

³⁰ Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

³¹ Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Acts 7:51 KJV
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Preservation of the Saints means simply that we are kept by Christ through the Spirit from the will of the Father to the very end.

Jude 1:1 KJV

¹ Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

Philippians 1:6 KJV

⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

We now get a sense of what the Bible teaches.  Calvin taught these doctrines of grace and we find no reason why Mr. Hunt would call them “erroneous.”  Calvin spoke of the difficulty of Scripture in some parts but he said we are to blame it on “the dullness and slowness of our senses” (Bouwsma, John Calvin: A Sixteenth Century Portrait, pg. 100).  We must realize that our depravity gets into everything we do; however, we need the deep influence of the Spirit and to allow Him to instruct from His Word.  This means that we call men to repentance and faith (Mark 1:15).  Calvin believed in the self-attesting of the Scripture and to compare Scripture with Scripture,

“The Reformers were dissatisfied, not with the quantity but the quality of the Bible study that was taking place.  And this on the grounds of the theological principles that governed the interpretations of Scripture.  The sovereign authority of Scripture over the church had been relativized by an unclear conception of the authority of tradition.  The effect was that Scripture was no longer regarded as self-authenticating and therefore as self-explanatory” (Parker, John Calvin: A Biography, pg. 100).

I think Calvin wanted the truth of Scripture seen. We do not see Calvin holding Augustine up over the self-authenticatingness of the Divine Word.  Calvin would use Augustine as a tool to guide him but not over the Divine Word.  Calvin would compare what the fathers taught in light of the Scriptures; however, he would not set precedence over the fathers against the divine authority of the Scriptures.  Let’s see what Mr. Hunt says next,

“Many leading Calvinists agree that the writings of Augustine were the actual source of most of what is known as Calvinism today.  Calvinists David Steele and Curtis Thomas point out that “The basic doctrine of the Calvinistic position had been vigorously defended by Augustine against Pelagius during the fifth century…”

This cannot be taken as an offense to Calvin.  This is a compliment to Augustine and Calvin.  Calvin should be complimented that he looks at someone who defended against Pelagius.  Pelagius believed in works salvation but Augustine spoke of the sovereign grace of God.  Would Dave Hunt side with Pelagius because he wishes to ignore Augustine?  Calvin did the right thing in siding with Augustine over Pelagius.  I suggest to you that what is being said is bunk.  Calvin argued for the free grace of God,

“We call predestination God’s eternal decree, by which he determined with himself what he willed to become of each man.  For all are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is foreordained for some, eternal damnation for others.  Therefore, as any man has been created to one or the other of these ends, we speak of him as predestined to life or death.”   (Parker, John Calvin: A Biography, pg. 142).

Augustine and Calvin taught the same doctrine, but surely with Calvin’s position on the supreme authority of Scripture we can see how Calvin came to this theological view.  Calvin does not choose Augustine over Scripture but Scripture and this happened to be what his mentor taught.  Surely, no one would doubt that Calvin and Luther were mentored by Augustine in his writings, but to say that he choose them over the sense of Scripture is unreasonable!  For Calvin to mention that Augustine was with him was more of a reason to believe Calvin; that is, Augustine was an authority on the theology.  There are subordinate authorities to the Divine Word.  The elders of the church are subordinate to the Scriptures and everything must be tested in light of it.  We must hold fast to that which is good. 

I think concerning the Donatists Augustine and Calvin made the right move.  The error of the Donatists is the no one is “morally pure.”  To rebaptize someone because the minister is involved in sin is unpractical.  God works through the sacraments and no one can stop His grace from coming through.  I suggest to you that no one is morally pure enough to handle the Word of God; however, God appoints sinner’s to preach and teach His Word.  I think Augustine was right to help put an end to the Donatists.  The only moral virtue that we have is the unified virtue of Christ alone.  There is no other virtue!  If Calvin gained greater insight from Augustine to run Geneva, I think it is a good thing. 

I think it is right to seek a church that is filled with believers; that is, everyone ought to be regenerated by the Spirit and Word through preordained good works (Ephesians 2:10); however, the reality of it is that the church is a mixed body like Augustine said.  With those who claim certainty for things Augustine says,

“There are humble religious, and there are proud religious.  The proud ones should not promise themselves the kingdom of God.  The place to which dedicated chastity leads is certainly higher, but the one who exalts himself will be humbled.  Why seek the higher place with an appetite for the heights, when you can make it simply by holding on to lowliness?  If you exalt yourself, God throws you down.  If you cast yourself down, God lifts you up.  One may not add to or subtract from the Lord’s pronouncement.”  (Just, Jr., and Oben, Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture, New Testament III, Luke, pg. 236).

I think to say that “everyone is born again” in my church is a Pharisaic thing to say.  We do not know who all the elect are; however, we are called to make our calling and election sure.  We ought to listen to Ambrose, who taught Augustine on calling people from the highways,

“He turned to the Gentiles from the careless scorn of the rich.  He invites both good and evil to enter in order to strengthen the good and change the disposition of the wicked for the better.  The saying that was read today is fulfilled, “Then wolves and lambs will feed together.”  He summons the poor, the maimed and the blind.  By this, he shows us either that handicaps do not exclude us from, the kingdom of heaven and whoever lacks the enticements of sinning rarely offends, or that the Lord’s mercy forgives the weakness of sinners.  Whoever glories in the Lord glories as one redeemed from reproach not by works but by faith.  He sends them into the highways, because wisdom sings aloud in passages. He sends them to the streets, because he sent them to sinners, so that they should come from the board paths to the narrow way that leads to life.  He sends them to the highways and hedges.  They, who are not busied with any desires for present things, hurry to the future on the path of good will.  Like a hedge that separates the wild from the cultivated and wards off the attacks of wild beasts, they can distinguish between good and evil and extend a rampart of faith against the temptations of spiritual wickedness” (Just, Jr., and Oben, Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture, New Testament III, Luke, pg. 239).

The allegation is made on pg. 10 that Calvin takes Augustine’s word over Scripture or somewhat equal to Scripture.  Again, Augustine’s ecclesiastical authority is subordinate to Scripture.  Calvin is quoting him as merely a church authority that held to Scripture.  Calvin does not read Scripture in light of Augustine but Augustine in light of Scripture.  Parker says in referring to the Reformers “it must not be thought that they deny authority to the church” (pg. 81).  That is, the Reformers believed the church as subordinate authority to the Divine Word.  That is why Calvin is quoting Augustine in a favorable manner.   Calvin held to the doctrine of sola scripture; that is, the Bible has supreme authority in matters of faith, morals and practice. 

Augustine taught predestination and Calvin taught the same; however, one cannot assume it’s just because of the precedence of the teacher alone but it is proved by the Divine Word alone (see above Scripture references).

The catholic church is the true, universal church; that is, Augustine did not mean the Roman Catholic church; however, it is said in the Creeds of the Church by Protestants today, but we do not say “its Rome” but “universal.”  The Institutes do not argue for Rome but the clear testimony of Sacred Scripture!  Augustine did not believe that saving grace came through the sacraments.  Here is a quote by Augustine on the free grace of God in spiritual salvation,

“Are all those who are called justified?  Many are called, but few are chosen.  But since the elect have certainly been called, it is obvious that they have not been justified without being called.  But not everyone is called to justification; only those who are called according to his purpose.”  (Bary and Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture, New Testament VI, Romans, pg. 237).

“If God elected works, why does the apostle say that election is not according to works?...God calls in his mercy and not as rewarding the merits of faith…”  (Bary and Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture, New Testament VI, Romans, pg. 251).

It is said that Rome is formed by Augustine.  The Scriptures warn us not to take things in it unto our self-destruction.  That is, people interpret Scripture wrongly and it leads them down to destruction.  There is no doubt that sinner’s merit hell and not heaven; however, it is the same way with Augustine.  Although the Scriptures and Augustine have no equal authority, it should be reasoned that men interpret them into their own destruction.  We must be extremely cautious in interpreting the words of Scripture and the early church fathers.  No one is infallible but through the Spirit of God we can interpret wisely. 

It is true that no one has salvation outside the invisible church.  The true church is the catholic church because it is universal; however, Rome is not the church of Christ and Augustine did not believe this.  How can you explain Augustine’s view on Matthew 16:18 where he interprets the “rock” as Christ Himself if he believed the authority of Peter as Pope? 

“We know what rock is; and yet a hard and obstinate person is called a rock, and a solid, immovable person is called rock. In praise you take the rock's solidity, in blame you take its hardness. We know the solidity of the rock, and we accept Christ as the rock: Now the rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4).”  (John Rotelle, Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (Brooklyn: New City, 1990), Sermons, Volume III/1, Sermon 4.22, p. 197).

In other words, it is a different meaning altogether that Augustine is driving at.  Augustine was not perfect but it does not mean his writing is invalid.  He wrote many good things on the written Word of God.  Augustine was not the founder of Romanism but I would say the spirit of Diotrephes is the founder of Romanism in Third John in the New Testament. 

I suggest to you that Mr. Dave Hunt sides with Romanism in advocating semi-Pelagianism in his understanding of spiritual salvation.  We should understand spiritual salvation in His free mercy and grace.  If free will is added to spiritual salvation, there is room to boast.  If its God’s free Spirit and His Word that changes the heart, all boasting goes to the Holy Trinity alone.  This is the true message of grace.