Hebrews 12

Morning, Christ family. I invite you to turn to the book of Hebrews, chapter 12, Hebrews chapter 12, Hebrews chapter 12 with me.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention Hebrews 12 · chapter mention Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

And I see a lot of new faces today, and for those of you who may not know me, my name is Jonathan Hoffman. I do go by John, either or works for me.

I am a member of this church body, and I am also a recent graduate of the apprenticeship program that Nathan leads, which is a program.

It's about a year apprenticeship for those who are interested and have a sense of calling to do ministry vocationally.

And Nathan asked me to preach this morning as he takes the week to do some planning and vision and goal setting.

And he told me I could preach on whatever topic I wanted to, which I told him hopefully he will not regret afterwards.

And so through prayer and conviction, I have decided to preach on a topic of much theological controversy.

And it has been controversial through the history of the church.

For most of you, this won't be anything new, and you have studied God's Word on the topic.

You are well informed and have come to a conclusion of what you believe to be the truth in accordance to Scripture.

For others of you, you have heard the terms, you know the controversies, you know what your parents or your friends have told you of the topic.

But that may be the extent of your knowledge, because you have not searched the Scriptures yourself.

And so you may not be well informed, but you might even be very one-sided on the topic.

And you may even be a little hostile in your thinking towards the opposite view.

And for others of you, you may have never heard of these theological views or terms, and it may be completely new to you.

But ultimately, regardless of where you stand in the spectrum of these three, it is your duty, Christian.

And it should be, hopefully, your joy, believer, to search out the Scriptures for truth concerning the very character of your God.

And so, especially for those of you who may be hostile to or uncomfortable with terms such as Calvinism,

predestination, election, doctrines of grace, total depravity, and the like.

I ask you, and I beg you to please put that aside and just listen to what I have to say this morning.

And weigh out what I have to say against the Scriptures.

And not against what others have told you concerning the matter at hand.

And after the fact, if you have questions or concerns, please ask.

There are many here who are well-educated on the topic.

And who have strong convictions firmly planted from Scriptural foundations.

And if you see me around, please ask.

I love to discuss theology.

I love it.

So please, ask somebody if you have questions.

Search out the Scriptures yourself for truth.

And I pray that in the end, regardless of what your beliefs are,

that we can love one another and serve our Lord side by side.

Because ultimately, this is not about us.

It is not about us.

And so there are two reasons why I want to share with you as to why I decided to preach on this topic this morning.

And first of all, it's because I firmly, firmly believe that the current status of the church in America,

the reason for a watered-down Christianity and the growing number of false converts,

people who call themselves Christian, who believe themselves to be Christian,

but are not Christian, comes from a lack of knowledge.

And yes, specifically from a lack of knowledge of these glorious doctrines.

And secondly, I chose this topic because in my own walk with Christ,

nothing has spearheaded me further into true piety.

Nothing has so inclined my heart towards the pursuit of God.

And nothing has brought me down lower on my knees in dependence, worship, and adoration

than these truths found in these old doctrines.

And this, to me, seems to be a pattern with other Calvinist brothers that I know.

That is the same experience that they have had.

And for me, it began with a little book that a man from my Sunday school class gave me

called Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer.

I was a new convert probably not even a year into my conversion.

I was pretty zealous at the time for street evangelism.

And knowing that, this guy gave me this book.

I was very excited to read the book, and that's why I first encountered the term Calvinism

and these doctrines of election.

And I actually remember stopping, putting the book down, and thinking to myself,

this cannot be right.

This is not true.

Now, before I became a believer, I was an atheist.

Most of my life, up until I was converted at the age of 21.

And in the process of being drawn to Christ, I set out to look for truth.

I knew that logically speaking, there could only be one source of ultimate truth.

And I wanted to be honest and unbiased in the pursuit of it.

And ever since, that has been my mentality when it comes to the things of God, such as theology.

I want nothing but logical, unbiased, scripturally drenched truth.

And so I searched the scriptures on the matter of Calvinism and was convinced of their truths.

And I stand before you now to proclaim them.

And so my prayer this morning is that you would give all this in unbiased consideration

and determine whether or not it's biblical.

But my ultimate goal this morning is that all of you would walk out of this place with a higher view of Christ.

His person, His work, His love, and His mercy.

As we read of Him and exposit on just the first half of verse 2 in Hebrews chapter 12.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

Where we read,

Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.

Let's pray together.

Father, I just thank You for this time, Lord.

And I just pray that You would be at work in us, Father.

I pray that You would work it in us to desire to search for nothing but truth.

Lord, I just pray that You would work through me.

And Lord, that love would just overflow from this place after the fact.

Lord, that we would be zealous to work for You regardless of where we stand on theological differences.

Lord, we love You because You first loved us.

And we thank You for all that You have done for us.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

It was Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a British pastor of the 1800s,

who's also known as the Prince of Preachers,

who once stated, and I quote,

There is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified

unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism.

It is a nickname to call it Calvinism.

Calvinism is the gospel and nothing else.

I do not believe we can preach the gospel if we do not preach justification by faith without works,

nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace,

nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah,

nor do I think we can preach the gospel unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect

and chosen people with which Christ wrought out upon the cross.

Nor can I comprehend the gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called

and suffers the children of God to be turned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus.

Close quote.

It was Spurgeon's understanding of Calvinistic theology,

also termed the doctrines of grace,

that so magnified and lifted up the gospel in his mind

and so constrained his heart in an unquenchable zeal in the service of his God.

And in the history of the church,

there has been a long line of godly men who have held these truths.

Calvinism did not originate from John Calvin.

Calvin was but a preacher of these doctrinal truths.

Truths which giant contenders of the faith preached hundreds of years even before Calvin.

In his book, Pillars of Grace, A Long Line of Godly Men,

Dr. Stephen Lawson, who is professor of biblical and theological studies at Ligonier Ministries,

or Ligonier Academy,

and also professor of theology, or correction,

professor of preaching at the Master's Seminary

and founder of One Passion Ministries,

sets out to show how some of the most esteemed men of the faith

in the history of the church have upheld the doctrines of grace.

And through the careful study of the writings of the following list of men,

from the early church fathers to the reformers,

Lawson shows that these men would today be called Calvinists.

They being Clement of Rome,

Ignatius of Anioc,

Justin Martyr,

Irenaeus of Lyons,

Tertullian of Catheridge,

Cyprian of Catheridge,

Athanasius of Alexandria,

Basil of Cassaria,

Gregory of Nazianzus,

Ambrose of Milan,

Augustine of Hippo,

Isidore,

Gottschak,

Aslam of Canterbury,

Bernard of Claravaux,

Thomas Bradwaren,

John Wycliffe,

John Huss,

Martin Luther,

Ulrich Zwingli,

William Tyndale,

Heinrich Bullinger,

and John Calvin.

That was his list up to the reformers,

but we could add such names to that list,

such as Charles Spurgeon,

John Knox,

William Bradford,

George Whitefield,

Jonathan Edwards,

Robert Murray McShane.

The list goes on and on and on.

But there has been no greater preacher,

no greater proclaimer of the doctrines of grace,

than the very author of them,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

And this is what we will see this morning

as we look at Jesus

as the founder and perfecter of our faith.

And so I have divided this text

into two main headings

with two subheadings each,

in which we will draw out

the five points of Calvinism.

Those being total depravity,

unconditional election,

limited atonement,

irresistible grace,

and perseverance of the saints.

These are also known by its acronym form,

TULIP,

although we will not be going through them

in that particular order.

So our first heading this morning

is simply,

Founder of Our Faith,

under which we have two subheadings,

the first one being,

He created a way for lost sinners.

So Jesus Christ is the founder of our faith

in that He created a way for lost sinners.

The message of the Bible is that of redemption.

It is the message of a loving, powerful,

just, holy Creator,

who out of love,

from the foundation of the world,

from before the foundation of the world,

creates a plan to redeem lost sinners to Himself.

He created Adam and Eve,

the first humans,

in His image,

in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

They were in perfect contentment

and communion with God

until they willfully disobeyed God

and broke His commandment.

Therefore,

sin entered the world,

condemning the whole human race

and enslaving the freedom of the will

to the depravity of a sinful nature.

Romans 5, verses 18 and 19

Romans 5:18

reveal this truth to us

as it says,

St. Augustine writes,

and I quote,

From the bad use of free will,

there originated the whole train of evil,

which, with its continuation of misery,

convoys the human race

from its depraved origin

as from a corrupt root.

Close quote.

Herein lies the doctrine of total depravity.

And let's get a wider picture of this from Scripture

because I believe this doctrine to be vital

in order for the rest to stand.

So turn with me to Genesis chapter 6,

Genesis 6 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 6,

Genesis 6 · chapter mention

and look at verses 5 through 7.

Genesis chapter 6, verses 5 through 7.

Genesis 6:5–7

We read,

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man

was great in the earth,

and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart

was only evil continually.

And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth,

and it grieved him to his heart.

So the Lord said,

I will blot out man whom I have created

from the face of the land,

man and animals,

and creeping things,

and birds of the heavens,

for I am sorry that I have made them.

Now listen to verse 5 again.

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man

was great in the earth,

and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart

was only evil continually.

Did you get that?

Every intention?

Every single intention.

Man could not even think

without the very inner foundations

of the intent being fundamentally evil.

But look even closer.

It says that they were only evil.

There was no trace whatsoever of goodness or righteousness.

And look even closer yet again.

The word continually,

meaning there was never any turning from this norm.

There was no repentance.

And this describes the entire human race to this day.

And so what did God do about it?

He wiped out the entire human race at that point.

But by grace,

only eight people were the exception.

Noah and his family along with a number of animals.

But were these eight also then

the exception to that description of depravity?

No.

Every one of those who were saved by the ark

was stained by the same sin nature

described in verse 5.

And through them it continued to be passed down to this day.

Now you might be thinking,

but that description in verse 5

is before the flood, not after.

Well then, let's go to chapter 8.

So turn a few pages with me to chapter 8

and see what it says after the flood.

Chapter 8 and verse 20.

The flood has subsided.

And then we read in chapter 8 verse 20.

Do you see that?

It doesn't say that the intentions of man's heart

was evil from his youth.

It says the intention of man's heart

is evil from his youth.

That's in the present tense.

And that's after the flood.

This is God declaring after the flood

the same pronouncement of depravity

in man as it was before the flood.

This is why David says in Psalm 51 5,

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

This is why Psalm 58 3 says,

The wicked are estranged from the womb.

They go astray from birth.

And who are the wicked?

The human race.

That is what Jesus says in Mark 10 18

when he says,

No one is good except God alone.

That's why Romans 3 verses 9 through 12 says,

Romans 3:9–12

Both Jews and Greeks are under sin.

As it is written,

None is righteous.

No, not one.

No one understands.

No one seeks after God.

All have turned aside.

Together they have become worthless.

No one does good.

Not even one.

This is what Ephesians 2 means

when it says in verses 1 through 3,

You were dead in the trespasses and sins

in which you once walked,

following the course of this world,

following the prince of the power of the air,

the spirit that is now at work

and the sons of disobedience,

among whom we all once lived

in the passions of our flesh,

carrying out the desires of the body and the mind,

and were by nature,

by nature,

children of wrath,

like the rest of mankind.

This is why Romans 8 7 and 8 says,

For the mind that is set on the flesh

is hostile to God,

for it does not submit to God's law.

Indeed, it cannot.

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

That's what Romans says.

Do you see that?

And so based on that alone,

let me ask you this.

Is not repenting

and placing your trust in Christ

something that is pleasing to God?

Just that act alone.

Is that not something that is pleasing to God?

Yet how can anyone who is dead

in trespasses and sins,

and therefore with a mind

that is hostile to God,

and unable to please God,

repent and trust in Christ

of their own will,

and thereby pleasing God?

Do you see that?

It is against the very nature

of the natural man

to freely and willfully

come to Christ,

as it is against the very nature

of a loving,

pregnant woman

to plunge a steak knife

into her own abdomen.

Now this may sound harsh,

but I believe it to be true

based on what we have just looked at.

This is the true state

of the unregenerate man.

That's what the Bible teaches.

This is the true condition of the heart.

Like sheep,

we have all gone astray

in this condition,

and in this condition

even our greatest works

are but filthy rags.

In this state,

we are all slaves

to the ruler of this world,

the devil,

completely in bondage to sin,

totally depraved,

hostile towards God,

utterly unable

to freely choose

to do anything pleasing to God.

Is that not a scary thought?

Yet,

is this not what

these scriptures teach?

And this is why God

had to be the one to act

to make a way for sinners.

And this is why Jesus

is the founder of our faith

in this sense.

In John 8,

John 8:34

verse 34,

Jesus says,

Truly, truly,

I say to you,

everyone who practices sin

is a slave to sin.

And in verse 36,

He says,

So,

if the Son

sets you free,

you will be free

indeed.

If who sets you free?

The Son.

And who

initiates the freeing?

The Son.

In John 6,

44,

Jesus says,

No one can come to me

unless the Father

who sent me

draws him.

God had to be the one

to make a way

because what would we have here

if He were to have left it

at this?

We would have all of mankind

going to hell

and yes,

originally condemned

by the sin of Adam,

but by no means

just by it.

Every single person

is responsible

for His own sin.

And so here we have

a picture of a God-hating,

self-loving,

depraved humanity

who would rather go to hell

than repent

and turn from their wicked ways.

In John 3, 20,

Jesus says,

Everyone who does

wicked things

hates the light

and does not come

to the light,

lest his works

be exposed.

And so if God

would have stopped there

and not saved anyone

and not have acted at all,

would He be at fault

for allowing

all of humanity

to end up in hell

for all eternity?

No.

And He would be

completely just

and completely

righteous

in that act

because His justice

and His holiness

would be put on display.

But praise be

to God,

brothers and sisters,

that He did not

stop there

and that out of

love and kindness

and pure grace,

He became

the founder,

the author

of our faith

by creating a way

for lost sinners.

Depraved,

God-hating sinners.

And so here we affirm

the next doctrine of grace

called

unconditional election.

Turn with me

to 2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

Verses 13 and 14.

It reads,

But we ought always

to give thanks to God

for you, brothers,

beloved by the Lord,

because God chose you

as the firstfruits

to be saved

through sanctification

by the Spirit

and belief

in the truth.

To this He called you

through our gospel

so that you may obtain

the glory of our Lord

Jesus Christ.

Christ.

Now,

we won't spend

much time on this one

because it's hard

to deny that Scripture

teaches election

and predestination.

That being,

that before the foundation

of the world,

out of a mass

of depraved humanity

to be,

without merit

or condition

or any future doing

on the part

of the sinner,

out of His grace

and love

and for His glory

and for His Son,

He chose a multitude

of them

to snatch them

out of the fire

of their own making

to demonstrate

His mercy

and His glory

and His grace

in them.

That's what Jesus means

when He tells His disciples

in John 15, 16,

You did not choose Me

but I chose you

and appointed you

that you should go

and bear fruit

and that your fruit

should abide.

And it's what He refers to

when He says

in Matthew 11, 27,

No one knows the Son

except the Father.

And no one knows the Father

except the Son

and anyone

whom the Son

chooses

to reveal Him.

This is what Paul

refers to in Romans 11, 5

when he says

that there is a remnant

chosen by grace.

And in Ephesians 1, 4

when he says

He chose us in Him

before the foundation

of the world.

And in verse 5,

He predestined us

for adoption

as sons

through Jesus Christ

according to the purpose

of His will

to the praise

of His glorious grace

with which He

has blessed us

in the Beloved.

That's why Peter

calls us

a chosen race,

a royal priesthood,

a people

for His own possession.

That is why Acts 13, 48,

as the gospel

is being preached,

it says,

And when the Gentiles

heard this,

they began rejoicing

and glorifying

the word of the Lord.

and as many

as were appointed

to eternal life

believed.

They believed

because they were

appointed

to eternal life.

They were unconditionally

elected

by a gracious

and merciful God.

And I want to,

once again,

just reiterate

that in electing,

God is merely,

by grace,

to give you

an illustration,

snatching people

out of a burning building

who actually

want to stay

in that burning building.

And when He does so

and snatches

the select few out,

He opens their eyes

and shows them

their foolishness.

And the ones

that stay

in the burning building

and were not

pulled out by God

do so

because they would

rather stay

in that building

than to come

to God.

Election

is unconditional.

Do you recall

the story

in Exodus

of the crossing

of the Red Sea?

God sends

a strong wind

parts the Red Sea.

The people of Israel

begin to cross

on dry land.

Pharaoh

and his Egyptian army

follow after,

pursue after Israel.

And if you could

just imagine

imagine

a bird's eye view

of this scene,

you have

both

the Egyptians

and Israel

on this dry land

and they are

perfectly paralleled

by massive

walls

of ocean

being held back

only

by the power

of God.

And let me ask

you this,

out of

all those

people

on that stretch

of land,

could any

one of them

stand

before

a holy God

and be considered

spotless

and righteous

out of their

own doing?

Of course not.

None of them.

Not one.

And so,

in this case,

God would have

been

just

in

even wiping

all of them

out.

But instead,

out of His grace,

He chose

to save the Israelites

not because

anything

that He saw

in them,

not because of

any goodness

in them

or any future

acts

on their behalf.

life.

But as we see

in Exodus 6,

it is God

who

unconditionally

elects.

It is God

who initiated

a covenant

with Israel

of His own

choosing.

And that's

the beauty

of election.

And that's

the beauty

and grace

of our Savior.

That though

we do not

deserve it,

and we cannot

in our own

ability

make the

massive

crushing

waves

of our

sin

part

so that

we may

make our

way to

the other

side,

Jesus,

the founder

of our

faith,

went before

us

and made

a way

so that

not one

drop

of that

ocean

would ever

touch

our heads.

Praise God

for His

electing

grace.

Spurgeon

put it

quite well

when he

says,

it's a good

thing

God chose

me

before I

was born

because He

surely would

not have

chosen me

afterwards.

Close quote.

What a

mighty

Savior,

a leader,

pioneer,

author,

founder of

our faith,

and that He

made a way

for sinners.

And this

leads us to

our second

subheading for

how Christ

is the

founder of

our faith,

that being

that Christ

is the

founder of

our faith

and that He

is the

giver

of the

new

birth.

He is

the

giver

of the

new

birth.

It is

the

emphatic

affirmation

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ in

John 3,

3,

that unless

one is

born again,

he cannot

see the

kingdom of

God.

And it

is the

unequivocal

teaching of

Scripture

that it

is God

that through

His

sovereign,

unconditional

election,

births within

those elect

repentance and

faith unto

everlasting life.

It is here

that we see

the doctrine

of grace

entitled

Irresistible

Grace.

Irresistible

Grace.

In John

John 3:3–8

3,

verses 3-8,

Jesus tells

Nicodemus,

a teacher

of the

law,

truly,

truly,

I say to

you,

unless one

is born

again,

he cannot

see the

kingdom

of God.

Nicodemus

said to

him,

how can

a man

be born

when he

is old?

Can he

enter a

second time

in his

mother's

womb and

be born?

Jesus

answered,

truly,

truly,

I say

to you,

unless

one is

born of

water

and the

spirit,

he cannot

enter the

kingdom

of God.

That which

is born

of flesh

is flesh,

and that

which is

born of

the spirit

is spirit.

Do not

marvel that

I said

to you,

you must

be born

again.

the wind

blows where

it wishes,

and you

hear its

sound,

but you

do not

know where

it comes

from or

where it

goes.

So it

is with

everyone who

is born

of the

spirit.

This shows

the utter

inability of

man to do

anything in

order to

enter the

kingdom of

God

on his

own.

Obviously,

you cannot

be born

when you

are old,

and you

cannot

enter your

mother's

womb again

and be

reborn.

There is

nothing in

your power

or ability

that you

can do

to be

born again.

There is

a reason

why Jesus

uses these

specific

words and

these specific

illustrations in

talking about

regeneration.

You had

nothing to do

with your

first birth,

and you

cannot have

anything to

do with

your second

birth from

above.

On this

effectual

calling,

which must

be initiated

by God,

Philip

Ryken,

the current

president of

Wheaton

College,

writes,

What makes

this illustration

especially

effective is

the fact

that in

the Greek

language,

wind and

breath and

spirit are

all the same

word,

pneuma.

The spirit

is the breath

of God,

whose influence

is like the

wind.

No one can

control the

wind or even

see it,

yet its

effects are

obvious wherever

it blows.

So it is

with the

Holy Spirit.

No one can

control his

gracious influences.

No one can

see when he

first slips

into a

sinner's

heart.

The

regenerating,

life-giving

work of the

spirit is

up to

the sovereignty

of God.

Close quote.

God

This

effectual

calling,

this

irresistible

grace,

is what

Acts 16,

14 alludes

to when it

tells of

Lydia's

conversion.

For it

says God

opened her

heart as

the gospel

was being

preached by

Paul.

Lydia didn't

open her

own heart.

It clearly

says God

opened her

heart.

She couldn't

have opened

her own

heart.

She was

dead in her

trespasses and

sins.

God

effectually

through the

gospel called

her, opened

her heart, and

gave her new

birth.

And it is

this that

John 1, 13

refers to when

speaking of the

children of God

where it says

they were born

not of blood

nor of the

will of man

or the

flesh but

of God.

Christ is

the founder

of our faith

because He

alone is

the giver

of the

new birth.

Now we

have reached

our second

main heading

for this

morning and

that is

perfecter of

our faith.

And for the

sake of time

I will give

you the two

subheadings and

try to move

quickly.

So Christ

is the

perfecter of

our faith in

that He has

perfectly

accomplished

His work.

He has

perfectly

accomplished

His work

and the

second

subheading

that He

will

complete

the work

He began

in us.

He will

complete the

work that

He began

in us.

Jesus came

to this

world with

a purpose.

He did

so to

accomplish

a work.

He came

to give

His life

a ransom

for many.

And it is

here that we

encounter the

doctrine of

grace called

limited

atonement

or particular

redemption.

It is the

belief of

some that

Christ died

to pay for

the sins of

every single

person who

has ever

and will

ever live.

That He has

bore the

wrath for

the sins of

Judas who

is now

spending

eternity in

hell as

He has

bore the

wrath for

the sins

of Peter

who is

now in

glory in

the presence

of the

Lord.

And though

I don't

have time

to get

into detail

about it,

I will

just say

this quickly

because some

of you may

be thinking,

well,

what about

those texts

that say

that He took

away the

sins of

the world,

of the

whole world?

Well,

those are

to be

understood

under their

particular

and respective

contexts,

which we

don't have

time to

examine this

morning.

So let me

just give you

quickly some

texts that I

believe help

repudiate those

notions.

Mark 10

45 says,

For even the

Son of Man

came not to

be served,

but to serve,

and to give

His life a

ransom for

many.

You see

that?

For many.

Not for all,

for many.

Matthew 22

14.

For many

are called,

but few

are chosen.

Hebrews 9

27 to 28.

And just

as it is

appointed for

men to

die once,

and after

that the

judgment,

so Christ,

having been

offered once

to bear the

sins of

many,

will appear

a second

time.

Once again,

many,

not all.

And one

last one.

Revelation 5

9 says,

Worthy are

you to

take the

scroll and

to open

its seals,

for you

were slain,

and by your

blood you

ransomed

people for

God from

every tribe

and language

and people

and nation.

This is

talking

particularly

about the

redemptive

work.

And it

speaks and

it says

that he

ransomed

people

from

every

tribe and

language and

people and

nation.

It does not

say that he

ransomed every

tribe and

people and

language and

nation.

We see that

the extent of

the atonement

here is

explicitly

limited.

Right here in

the pages of

Scripture.

Now those

who do not

hold to the

Calvinistic view

would have to

say and

believe that

Christ paid

the full

price for

the sense of

humanity

without actually

securing

anyone's

salvation

definitively.

Only a

possibility of

salvation.

salvation.

So you

see friends,

while Calvinism

limits the

extent of

the atonement

by saying

that Christ

died for a

specific people

only, those

being the

elect, and

paid an

actual price

for an

actual people,

the non-Calvinist

view limits the

effect of the

atonement.

Because they

cannot say that

Christ died to

perfectly secure

the salvation of

anybody.

But to the

Calvinist, in

regards to the

effect of the

atonement, the

accomplished work

of Christ on the

cross, we

believe this, as

John Flavel, a

1600s Puritan,

puts it, and I

quote, he

finished it

completely and

fully.

All that was to

be done by way

of meritorious

redemption is

fully done.

No hand can

come after

this.

His angels can

add nothing to

it.

That is

perfectly to

which nothing is

wanting and to

which nothing can

be added.

Such is the

work which

our Lord

Jesus Christ

finished.

finished.

Whatever the

law demanded is

perfectly paid.

Whatever a

sinner needs is

perfectly obtained

and purchased.

Nothing can be

added to what

he had done.

He put the

last hand to

it when he

said, it

is finished.

Close quote.

Which arrives

us at the

final and

glorious doctrine

of grace

called the

perseverance of

the saints.

The perseverance

of the saints.

Otherwise known

as preserving

grace.

The Calvinist

affirms that

once saved,

always saved.

Because he who

began a good

work in you

will bring it

to completion

at the day of

Jesus Christ.

As we are told

in Philippians

1, chapter 1,

verse 6.

And the Lord

tells us in

John 6, 39,

And this is the

will of him

who sent me,

that I should

lose nothing

of all that

he has given

me, but

raise it up

on the last

day.

We cannot

be plucked

out of his

hands, for

God is a

good father,

and our

Lord is a

good shepherd,

who will not

let one of

his sheep

go astray.

And because

Christ is

almighty,

who lives

to intercede

for us,

and as

Hebrews 7, 25

so powerfully

puts it,

he is able

to save to

the uttermost

those who

draw near to

God through

him, since

he always

lives to

make intercession

for them.

And my dear

friends,

Christ will

not and

cannot fail

at his

intercessory

prayer.

And as

J.I.

Packer

puts it,

your faith

will not

fail while

God sustains

it.

You are not

strong enough

to fall

away while

God is

resolved to

hold you.

Close quote.

And as to

the importance

of this

doctrine of

preserving

grace,

Spurgeon

so

determinedly

writes,

and this

should be

on the

front of

your

bulletin,

quote,

if one

dear saint

of God

had perished,

so might

all.

If one

of the

covenant

ones be

lost,

so may

all be.

And then

there is

no gospel

promise

true,

but the

Bible

is a

lie,

and there

is nothing

in it

worth

my

acceptance.

I will

be an

infidel

at once

when I

can believe

that a

saint of

God

can ever

finally

fall.

Close quote.

Jesus

Christ

is

preeminent.

He is

all and

in all.

He is

founder and

perfecter of

our faith.

Therefore,

let us lay

aside every

weight and

sin which

clings so

closely,

and let us

run with

endurance the

race that

is set

before us,

looking to

Jesus,

the founder

and perfecter

of our

faith.

Salvation

and glory

and power

belong to

our God.

And if you

have not yet

trusted in

him,

repent and

believe the

gospel of

our Lord and

Savior Jesus

Christ today.

Let's pray.

Amen.