The Good News of the Gospel of the Grace of God

I am endeavoring to lead my church in evangelism and outreach ministries. I have been hesitant to employ some of the popular evangelism models and programs that many of us are familiar with. I desire a simple, learnable, and duplicatable gospel presentation that can be easily understood by lay people as well as easily understood by the unchurched when they hear it.

I've taken a stab at it with the gospel message below. I would like some feedback and input from anyone who can provide assistance to me in polishing it up and making it better. It is not long now but still a little longer than I wanted. Is there any help out there?

Please, no one take this as an opportunity to critique the doctrines of grace or blast my theological convictions. This is a sincere attempt to articulate a simple gospel message that is accurate and represents the truth of scripture. I purposely wanted to deal explicitly with sin, the result of sin, and the centerpiece to be Christ crucified for sinners. Thank you in advance for your grace and assistance.

The Testimony of the Good News of the Grace of God – Acts 20:24

Evaluation:
Have you come to a place in your spiritual life where you know that you will go to heaven when you die?

If you were to die today and stand before God and God were to say, “Why should I let you into My heaven?” what would you say?

The Old Covenant: The Covenant of Works
The Bible is divided into two major sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is known as the “Old Covenant”. The old covenant was established by God in which He commanded man to keep His commandments. The reward for obedience was life and the penalty for disobedience was death and because man was created in God’s image, the death is eternal and the life is eternal.

Genesis 2:16-17 “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”

As we read through the text, we find that man has in fact broken God’s commandments and sinned. The result of that sin has left all of mankind in a fallen, sinful condition; a condition of spiritual death.

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

Even though man has sinned against God and fallen into a state of spiritual death, God has not abolished His original covenant with man. God still commands all men to obey His commandments perfectly and failure to do so is what the Bible calls sin. God’s commandments to man are summarized in the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:1-17 (Paraphrased) “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not worship idols. You shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not lie. You shall not covet.”

God’s nature is such that if we break any commandment, we are no longer able to relate to God or have spiritual life until our sin has been satisfied. (The biblical word is atonement)

James 2:10 “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

There are two ways for our sins to be atoned for and satisfy the perfect obedience that God commands.

1) Personal Atonement – You can live perfectly from birth to death without ever making a mistake, ever thinking a sinful thought, uttering a sinful word, or disobeying God’s law at any point. Now, if you choose this path, you need to know that one mistake is all it takes to fall from your perfect state and after that one mistake has been made, there are no amount of good works that you can perform for the rest of your life to make up for that one sin. The result of even one sin requires atonement or satisfaction. If you have taken the personal atonement route, you will spend an eternity satisfying God’s wrath and judgment against your sin in a place called hell.

How do you feel about your chances?
What about your past sins?
Has anyone ever lived a perfect life from birth to death?

2) Substitutionary Atonement – This second option brings us to the subject of the…

New Covenant: the covenant of grace
Jesus Christ came into the world, not to abolish the old covenant but rather to fulfill the old covenant. In doing so, He gave His life to save sinners thus creating a new covenant with His blood. The New Testament reveals for us the New Covenant of grace.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”

Matthew 26:28 “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

No one in the history of the human race has ever kept God’s commandments, the old covenant, perfectly except one, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was the only one who perfectly obeyed every commandment. He is the only begotten Son of God, Immanuel which means: God with us. Because He is God and came from God and took upon Himself flesh and blood and lived among us so that we would behold His glory, He was perfect.

In this perfect state, Jesus Christ offered up His life in substitution for sinners, to pay the penalty of sin, which is death, for all who believe on Him and confess Him as Lord and Savior. His perfection fulfilled the covenant of works perfectly and as a result, Jesus Christ has purchased the new covenant of grace with His own blood.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

God’s Purpose of Grace
It is no longer about how good you are or how good we can become, the old covenant. It is now all about the new covenant of grace. So, regardless of how deep into the black pit of sin you are, God’s grace is deeper than your pit of sin! Your solution to sin is not personal atonement but rather substitutionary atonement provided by Christ when He died on the cross for sinners, was buried, and rose from the dead.

This is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is the power of God to save all who believe in Him. God’s grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve, which is eternal life through faith in His Son.

Our Responsibility
We are commanded to respond to God’s message of salvation through His Son. We respond by repentance of sin and by placing our faith in Jesus Christ alone as the one who suffered God’s punishment in our place. Call upon the Lord in faith and He will save you. Listen to these scripture verses and obey them.

Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that you sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Without the Pride of Boasting

The following post is a copy of a paper I wrote dealing with the text of 1 Cor 1:26-31 - 26

"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."

Part of the nature of sin within believers is the propensity toward pride. Pride is very dangerous because it resonates from an ungrateful heart. God is not neutral toward this particular sin but rather seems to withhold mercy and grace from those who persist in pride. As the scriptures state in Proverbs, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Also, Isaiah prophesied in 66:1-2, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,’ says the Lord. ‘But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.’” The Corinthian Christians had become puffed up and arrogant as stated by Paul in chapter 4:18a, “Now some of you are puffed up…”. Anytime believers forget that their position in the body of Christ, their adoption as children of God, their salvation and eternal destiny is a gift of free and sovereign grace alone, pride will come. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Paul reminds them of the grace of God who called them and the source of all boasting is in Christ alone. The purpose of this paper is to explain and interpret 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 giving historical and cultural setting along with major theological and interpretive issues, provide commentary, and to apply the truth of this passage within the context of modern Christian living.
1 Corinthians was written to the church at Corinth, which Paul had founded while preaching the gospel in the city of Corinth. The Corinthian church was located in one of the major economic centers within the first century Roman Empire. Corinth was a city known for immorality and debauchery. In particular, there were a great deal of sexual sins related to temple prostitutes, incest, and a variety of sexual perversions. Corinth was unquestionably pagan in culture and religion. Within this setting, Paul came preaching “Christ and Him crucified.” God, in His amazing grace, reached down and saved many undeserving sinners in Corinth. His work of salvation in Corinth was determined by His sovereign grace alone as the Lord spoke to Paul in Acts 18:9-10, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” This statement of divine ownership was pre-salvation. Only a small number of believers were present at this time. The church at Corinth had not yet been established. From this time forward, Paul spent one year and six months in Corinth preaching and teaching the word of God.
The element of salvation by grace is a major theological theme within this text because Paul is reminding them that they did not choose God nor were they deserving of God’s special favor. Rather, God called them out of darkness, out of sin, out of depravity and into the kingdom of His Son. Therefore, Paul says, “Let him who glories glory in the Lord.” This is a pride shattering revelation that rightly understood promotes humility and thankfulness and gives all the glory for salvation to God where it belongs.
One of the major interpretive issues within this passage has to do with the terms translated “calling” and “called”. To rightly divide the word in this text, we must appropriately discuss what many theologians have termed the “effectual calling” or irresistible grace. The key question to be answered is does God “call” every man, woman, and child universally and equally or does God call individuals effectually and independently? Upon answering this question biblically, how does this affect our pride as Christians?
The scope of this paper deals with verses 26 through 31 of chapter 1. Paul stated in verse 26, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.” John Gill explained the calling in this verse as, “Those that were called by the grace of God among them…so here "calling" designs men called by grace”. Paul previously stated in verse 24, “but to those who are called…” Again Gill comments on this verse, “Effectually (called), by the grace of God, not merely externally, but internally; these have other sentiments of Christ, and the doctrine of salvation by him; for being called out of darkness, and savingly illuminated by the Spirit of God, they see wisdom, beauty, glory, excellency, and suitableness in Christ, and in his Gospel; and having felt the power of it upon their souls, with them…”[1] Craig Blomberg seems to correlate the term “called” as synonymous with being “saved”. Blomberg stated, “1 Corinthians 1:26-31 contrasts the status of most of the Corinthians in their society when they were first saved (“called”)”.[2]
Paul used the terminology of “called” and “calling” not a few times in his writings. On every occasion, the clear application was to the believers whom God had saved sovereignly and effectually. A clear example is Paul’s own testimony in Galatians 1:15, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace.” Again in teaching the sovereignty of God in salvation and the doctrine of election, Paul stated in Romans 8:30, “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called and whom He called these He also justified and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Again Paul stated in Romans 9:11, “(for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls)”. In each of these examples, the clear meaning by Paul is to communicate an “effectual call” resulting in the salvation of sinners. This is opposed to a general call that goes out to all men universally. In this author’s view, Jesus also communicated the same principle of effectual calling in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day.” In accordance with the interpretation of effectual calling (here stated “drawing”), Jesus’ statement does not communicate a general drawing of all men for He said that those drawn by the Father He would raise up in glory. That is eternal salvation.
The point this author is making is Paul instructed the Corinthian Christians to consider their calling. God had not called many wise, many mighty, or many noble. Therefore, the Corinthians have no room to boast. He could have chosen not to call them either. The fact He did call them only glorifies His grace and completely demolishes the arrogance of the Corinthian believers.
Paul stated in verse 27 and 28, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are”. Namely, those in the Corinthian church who were called were in fact chosen by God to shame the wisdom and might of the world. The world boasts in worldly wisdom, worldly philosophy, and worldly might. However, all of those things are absolute foolishness to God. God does not esteem what man esteems. God’s passion is focused on that which is ultimate, that which is eternal, that which is infinitely majestic and wise, namely His own glory. The fact that God freely bestows saving grace upon whom He wills both confounds the wisdom of the world and magnifies His own glorious grace.
Rather than focus on the sovereignty of God, many commentators and readers place emphasis on the examples of who the called were not; namely God had not called many wise, many mighty, many noble, nor “the things that are.” Page Patterson summarized this passage, “Paul’s conclusion was that the Lord has used the very insights which man views condescendingly to render useless the pride of men.”[3] It is in fact humbling to know that many of us, perhaps most of us, are not noble, wealthy, powerful, or wise according to the world. I confess this fact is humbling. However, the believer’s pride is still not quelled unless he knows the depths of his own sinfulness and the free grace granted to him in the effectual calling of God. The reality that God could have left us in our sins, was under no obligation to save us, and was not moved to save based on anything good within us is a reality too often unheralded from many pulpits today. This type of humility is the central message of Paul in this text.
Paul stated further in verse 29, “that no flesh should glory in His presence.” Not one saved sinner will be able to stand in the presence of God and look over at the wicked under judgment and say, “I’m glad that I did the right thing. I’m glad that I was soft and pliable. I’m glad that I was smarter or wiser or more spiritually sensitive than that guy. I’m glad I made the right decision.” Rather, just as Jesus contrasted the repentful publican who begged for mercy and the Pharisee thinking himself more highly than other sinners, all who stand before the throne of God justified will proclaim, “Only by the grace of God am I here today.” No flesh will glory in His presence! How can this be unless we understand that salvation is wholly a work of God’s free and sovereign grace alone? We became active in our salvation only after God first chose us, sought us, drew us, and called us out of our pit of sin. Our faith was granted as a gift through the hearing of the word of God. Our repentance was granted to us by God’s good leading. Our response was certain from God’s perspective because He worked all things together for the good of those who are “the called according to His purpose.” Matthew Henry commented the following, “…that there might be no pretence for boasting. Divine wisdom alone had the contrivance of the method of redemption; divine grace alone revealed it, and made it known. It lay, in both respects, out of human reach. And the doctrine and discovery prevailed, in spite of all the opposition it met with from human art or authority: so effectually did God veil the glory and disgrace the pride of man in all. The gospel dispensation is a contrivance to humble man.”[4]
Paul continued in verse 30, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus…” What more telling statement could Paul make to take the Corinthian’s position in Christ, the salvation of their souls completely within the hand of a sovereign and gracious God? Verse 30 continues, “…who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” As though God’s calling were insufficient to humble their boasting, Paul reminded them they had no boast outside of Christ Himself. Christ is the wisdom of God not the objects of mercy. Christ is the righteousness of God being perfect, spotless, and holy not the fallen sons of Adam. Christ is the sanctification of the Corinthian believers not their own might, nobility, or wisdom. Christ alone is our redemption, not our goodness, our works, our spiritual sensitivity, or pliability to the Spirit. It’s all in Christ and for the glory of God’s grace.
So Paul concluded this section in verse 30, “that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’” The final blow to the sinful pride of the Corinthian believers is given. Only in Christ do we have any standing before God. Only Jesus paid the price of our sinful rebellion against the Almighty. Therefore, we glory in Christ and Christ alone.
The application of this text within modern Christian living can be found in both the pulpit and the pew. Our pulpits must be revived with God called, God centered, God glorifying preachers who understand not only their own sinful depravity but also the sinful depravity of their hearers. Preachers must again, like the preachers of old, dash to pieces every boast, every crutch, and every prideful claim of sinners thinking themselves more highly than the ought. Preachers in our day must recapture the glorious gospel of the grace of God, which in short boldly proclaims sinners incapable of saving themselves and being completely dependant on the mercy of God. The fear of God must be revived in our preaching today in order to drive men and women to despair and, as a result, to the Savior.
The application within the pew is for believers to understand their sinful rebellion against God. Believers must understand that God was under no obligation to save them. Only by grace were they called. Only by grace were they saved through faith. Therefore, we are without the pride of boasting and without the ability to glory in ourselves.
[1] Gill Online
[2] Blomberg
[3] Patterson
[4] Matthew Henry

Meaningful Theological Dialogue - At Least from My Perspective

I've been interacting with Dr. Brad Reynolds' blog. The subject of Calvinism came up because of Southeastern's abstract of principles and Dr. Reynolds prior comments regarding election and so forth. I've posted several comments to Dr. Reynolds on the subject and thought it appropriate to repost them here for the edification of those who read here.

By the way, the Southern Baptist's Abstract of Principles article on Election reads: Election is God's eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life, not because of foreseen merit in them, but of His mere mercy in Christ, in consequence of which choice they are called, justified, and glorified.

The following has been copied from the comments at Dr. Reynolds' blog:

Chris Redman said:
Can someone please explain how Jesus' gospel message in John 6, especially verses 37-40, 44, 65-70 is in any way a gospel message of "man's free will".While you are at it, please help us poor and misguided Calvinists to understand John 10:26, "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep."If everything hinges on man's free will, why didn't the Jews in John 10 have the chance to choose to be one of His sheep?Come on guys. We all stand in wonder and awe. We all recognize the profound implications of God's election of "some unto everlasting life". Nevertheless, it is clearly revealed. Why not preach it faithfully?

Tim said:
Brother Christopher,While I am not the blog owner, it does appear that your question does not relate to the post. However, I will make only one statement concerning your question. No one has said salvation "hinges on man's free will". I do believe that salvation hinges on God's Grace. "For by Grace are ye saved"... Also, "We are His workmanship"... GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY. Do not forget though; "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved". And do not forget; "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." MAN'S FREE WILL. I do believe that God draws one to him, but I also believe that somewhere there needs to be a reciprocation on behalf of human. God is not going to take us into heaven kicking and screaming.


Chris Redman said:
Brother Tim,A couple of statements in reply...1) "Whosoverwill" does not form the doctrine of free will. I believe John 3:16 and all of the invitation passages. But, what they say is "whoseover shall...not perish, shall be saved, etc." It does not say that man has the natural capacity to choose spiritual good or evil without any inclination toward one or the other. That was Adam's condition, not ours.Whosoever will believe shall not perish. Amen! But, who will? God's elect will.2) I reject free will as a reality for man after the fall. After the fall, man is still a free agent but he has a fallen nature. He can do anything he wants to do except go against his own nature. The essence of freedom is the ability to do what you want to do. I believe that every man does what he ultimately wants to do. The problem is that naturally all man wants to do is sin and rebel against God.3) As far as God drawing men kicking and screeming into heaven, we all know that's a straw man. No reasonable Calvinist believes that. But, we will say that when God's will and man's will collide, God wins.Phil 2:13 "It is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."At the moment of conversion, the sinner's will and God's will are the same. However, the event that made this possible was God's effectual grace, or His effectual calling. (Irresistable Grace)I am convinced that most people reject the doctrine of Irresistible Grace because of the title of the doctrine itself, not the merits of the doctrine.Romans 8:30 "Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called and those whom He called, these He also justified and whom He justified, these He also glorified."This is a divine order of the process of salvation for the sinner. Predestination is first. In time, God calls effectually releasing the bondage of sin and spiritually enabling the elect sinner to see the kingdom of God and repent and come to Christ in faith. Thirdly and immediately, God justifies the sinner based on faith in Christ's atoning work, and in time God glorifies them in eternal bliss.The term "called", "calls", "Calling" is used throughout the NT and especially in Paul's writings to refer the the conversion of sinners. This is the foundation of "Irresistible Grace".

Brad Reynolds said:
ChristopherYou have some well thought out ideas but I have some questions concerning your assumptions, especially involving your belief of the substance of God's image in man, what the unpardonable sin is and God's integrity in giving invitations to those who can't respond, but I think it best to save them for another post since I don't want to chase "the eternally long rabbit trail of Calvinism:)"

Chris Redman said:
Brad, Thanks for your comment.Quickly, regarding the unpardonable sin. The unpardonable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. What is this? It is attributing the works of God to the works of the devil which is precisely what the pharisees accused Jesus of being (from the devil). Regarding inviting people who cannot respond, I won't write a book here either. However, I will simply say that the two parallel truths in scripture are not God is sovereign and man is free. The two parallel truths are God is sovereign and man is responsible. Man is fully responsible for rejecting Christ because it is their willful rejection. God does not coerce them to reject Christ. They reject because they want to reject. Therefore, they are responsible and their judgment is just.Comment - 10 men stand before a judge. All 10 are guilty of murder. The judge condemns the first 9 men to execution. He turns to the 10th and says, "You will be pardoned." Is this fair?

"All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'" Dan 4:35

Brad Reynolds said:
Christopher As I said, we would probably not say something that we have not heard before.However, in relation to the unpardonable sin I would be interested to know if lying is a sin that ALL men can be forgiven of (Mark 3:28)?The inviting question was not about their rejection (I certainly agree God is just to pardon whom He will) but about God giving an invitation they can't respond to, ie: Come unto me...just kidding. Further, you didn't address God's image in man.

Chris Redman said:
Brad,I assume, and I am open to correction, that you are focusing on the unpardonable sin in context of general atonement vs. limited atonement.(ie: All sins are atoned for by Christ for all persons except the sin of unbelief. Unbelief being the unpardonable sin)If this is the case, the typical question and answer is: Why does anyone go to hell? The general atonement answer is because of unbelief. The particular atonement answer is because of their sin.My obvious objection to the general atonement answer that people go to hell because of unbelief is: Is unbelief not a sin? What about those who have never heard the gospel and go to hell?Am I warm or am I completely missing your idea in bringing up the unpardonable sin?Comment: I think it is safe to say that not one of the elect have ever committed the unpardonable sin. Also, I think the primary thrust of this verse is within it's context. Jesus was speaking specifically of the unbelieving pharisees. I think it's relevence within a broad discussion of soteriology is very limited unless we are discussing the views of the atonement.

As far as the image of God in man, I again assume that you are interested in some remnant of original righteousness within man. Again, if my assumption is wrong, please correct me.The bottom line is, what does scripture say? Specifically, what does Jesus say about man's ability to choose or believe unto salvation?John 6:44, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day."There is no free will here. There is no general or universal drawing of all men here unless we fall into universalism. Jesus is teaching moral inability.All men have the natural ability to come to Christ. There is nothing naturally keeping anyone from confessing Christ. However, morally, as a result of man's fall and spiritual death, he is incapable of coming to Christ.Does God draw all men equally? The obvious answer is no. Does God call all men equally? NO! Rom 8:30 and especially 1 Cor 1:26-28.

Also, Brad said, "The inviting question was not about their rejection (I certainly agree God is just to pardon whom He will) but about God giving an invitation they can't respond to, ie: "Come unto me...just kidding"I think the best way to address this is to simply ask the question, "Does God command man to do something he cannot do and yet still judge him for failing to do it?"The answer is, yes He does. The Old Covenant, the covenant of works was established in the Garden between God and man. God commanded man to do "this" and you will live. Do "that" and you will die. Man did "that" and he died spiritually.God still holds man accountable to the covenant of works. Man's failure to keep the covenant of works is the foundation for sin and judgment.As a result of the fall, no one can keep the covenant of works perfectly but God still holds man responsible for breaking the covenant.Therefore, God commands man to do something he cannot do and yet judges Him for failure to do it.The new covenant of grace did not erase the old covenant of works, it fulfilled it. Christ kept the covenant of works fully and without sin. Thus His sacrifice merited grace on behalf of his people by fulfilling God's righteous requirements on behalf of all who would believe on Him.I think this concept is pertinent to your question about the sincerety of the invitation passages.

Brad Reynolds said:
Christopher,You make some good points and I appreciate your spirit. Again, I really don't think we are going anywhere but on we go.I believe people go to hell because of their sin but do not go to heaven because of their unbelief...there is a difference.Thus concerning the unpardonable sin: can the nonelect be forgiven of lying and if not then isn't lying an unpardonable sin for the non-elect and if so then what are we to do with Jesus' statement in Mark 3:28-29?In other words if the elect can be and are forgiven of everything and the non-elect cannot be and are not forgiven of anything then what meaning has this passage?Thus, my position: only the elect WILL be saved, but anyone CAN be saved. Otherwise, the passage on the unpardonable sin makes no sense. I don't understand election and choice but I am satisfied to affirm some things about God are simply above me and are supra-rational. May I further assume that you believe God's image in man is no longer, as a result of Adam's sin?Finally, you changed my question. The question is not does God command man to do something he can not do but does God extend an invitation to man that is not a real invitation.

Chris Redman said:
Brad, my text in John 6:44 is much more specific and relevent than the passage in Mark on the unpardonable sin. The obvious reference there is to the pharisees.

Brad Reynolds said:
To all:I do not deny the Scriptures that you have referenced concerning God's election and Sovriegnty. I am not convinced His Omnipotence was exercised at the exclusion of His Omniscience - ie - I am not sure His Sovreignty in election was exercised in exclusion of His knowledge of those who would accept and yet I am not convinced that His Omnipotence was dependent on His Omniscience either. Thus, while I don't deny the Scriptures you have referenced...nor do I deny the text of the unpardonable sin or I Tim 2:4 or I John 2:2 or the fact that God gave invitations to all (which either implies all can respond or God is insinsere in giving an invitation which He made impossible for some to respond to). Therefore, I arrive at the same point Paul did (Romans 11:33-36) when he was amazed at Israel's ELECTION, their REJECTION of Christ through unbelief, and their ability to no longer abide in unbelief. With out any further questions to you...I wanted to state where I stand and hopefully we can bring this to a close.

Brad Reynolds said: (comment directed to another blogger's statement)
JimGood point, however, I think it is one thing to say God invites everyone to come knowing only some will come (sounds like a parable:) and something totally different to say God invites everyone to come but makes it impossible for some. The latter in my mind causes irrational and ethical issues - ie - It's not really an invitation since God causes some to come and makes it impossible for others to respond.

Chris Redman said:
Brad,Are you suggesting that God "causes people to sin" seeing that He "makes it impossible for others to respond"?God does not make it impossible for the non-elect to respond, sin does.Genesis 2:16-17, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'"But of course, God does blind and harden hearts so that they won't see and won't respond. But even this is a result of sin.John 12:39-40 "Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: 'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'"I guess God's invitation really is insincere at least to those whom Isaiah spoke?!?! So who can resist His will? But who are... (you know the rest).

Summary: I appreciate Dr. Reynolds engaging in some rather serious theological dialogue. I think such dialogue is healthy and needful. Even if Dr. Reynolds remains wrong :-), at least some of us have been able to learn and grow through dialogue.

Is that Fair?

Ten men stand before a judge. All ten men are guilty of murder. The judge pronounces the judgment of death by execution to the first nine men. To the tenth man, he turns and says, "You are pardoned."

Is that fair? (Friends, that is grace!)

Teaching Leadership has it's Time and Place

I've attended classes at the Baptist College of Florida now for two years. I am amazed at how many classes have been taught dedicated to the subject of leadership. We've studied conflict management, leading change, and now visionary leadership. One thing I've noticed from the Professors teaching these courses is that they are sold out on the concepts. I mean they are enthusiastic and whole heartedly believe that the subject of "Leadership" is the solution to the churches problems and the lack of understanding these issues is why so many churches have failed, become stagnant, and largely lost their influence in their communities and the culture at large.

Of course the heroes of the new Leadership craze include Rick Warren, Andy Stanley, Bill Hybels, and other "mega church" leaders who have broken the mold of traditional churches. Now, it doesn't take a theology PhD to recognize that these guys are light on theology. I would dare say that they rely almost exclusively on paradigms and leadership models to accomplish their goals. When I read their material and analyze their methods, I can't help but relate some of their philosophies to the late Charles Finney.

Charles Finney was a visionary in his day. He broke the mold of traditional church methodology. He practically invented the public altar call. He rationalized the Christian message to appeal to the emotions and the will of the hearers. He employed psychological techniques to illicit a response to the message. For a time, Finney saw huge responses to his methods. There were large numbers of "decisions" in his revival meetings. However, the end result left many spiritually burnt out people and churches. Why? Because Finney utilized man's power and potential to get the results he wanted and in doing so, he perverted the glorious gospel of the grace of God.

Now, let me clarify so that I am not misunderstood. I don't think that everything that Warren, Stanley, and Hybels do is detrimental to the gospel. I don't think that they are killing the church through their techniques and philosophies or anything like that. In fact, I think some of their ideas are fresh and useful. Why? Because in some ways the traditional church has placed extrabiblical obstacles that keep people from hearing the message. I think that leadership principles help invigorate churches that have become stagnant and lifeless. I think the concepts are helpful in the practical areas of ministry and church organization. I have begun utilizing some of the concepts myself. You can see some of it at my church's leadership blog. However, I believe there is a time and a place for these principles.

When is the time and place for teaching leadership principles in the local church? I believe the time and place is primarily in dedicated meetings and groups organized for that purpose. The time and place is NOT in the pulpit week in and week out. Why? Because it's not by human methods or psychological principles that people are saved and built up in the faith. Only the gospel truth, powerfully and passionately proclaimed, will produce the eternal fruit that we all seek. The reformation message of scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, and all to the glory of God alone is powerful in invigorating the faith of God's people. The sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man are key biblical realities that must be proclaimed again today. The gospel message that Jesus preached is a foreign concept to much of the man centered theology permeating our pulpits today.

What was the gospel message that Jesus preached? The heart of the gospel, the faith once for all delivered to the saints, the message Jesus proclaimed to the masses was clearly portrayed in John 6 and John 10.

In John 6, Jesus had 5,000 eager followers and yet Jesus said that the Father's will was that He save all that the Father had given Him and that He should lose not one of them. He also said that no one can believe in Christ unless the Father drew them and even clarified by stating that no one could believe in Him unless it has been granted to him by the Father. These eager 5,000 all left and "followed Him no more". Yet, the disciples remained and Jesus said, "Have I not chosen you."

Again in John 10, Jesus had a wide audience. What gospel did Jesus preach? He said that He came to lay down His life for His sheep. He said to the pharisees, "You do not believe because you do not belong to Me." Yes, Jesus proclaimed the doctrines of grace. Paul articulated the gospel of the grace of God. Jude exhorted all believers to contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

This is the primary message that is always appropriate in the church. Teaching leadership principles is helpful but it has its time and place.

"Not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts." Zech 4:6

Blessings,
Pastor Chris

Feedback on Leadership

Question: "How would you describe the general condition of leadership in our society and in many churches?"

Do you have a working definition of genuine leadership from a Christian perspective?


(I am taking four classes at the Baptist College of Florida. This question was discussed in one of the classes. I would like feedback from some commenters here. Thank you.)

Shall We Gather at the River

A minister was completing a Temperance sermon. With great emphasis he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river." With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river." And then finally,
shaking his fist in the air, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."

Sermon complete, he sat down.

The song leader stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365, "Shall We Gather at the River."

Hollywood Does it Again! Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Hollywood does it again. The brand new movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby has undermined the family, promoted homosexuality, and blasphemed Jesus Christ.

Don't waste your money to see this movie.

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - Charles Finney

Charles Finney was a revival leader in the northeastern United States during the Second Great Awakening in America. This revival transpired during the first half of the 19th century, however, the results of this revival have not proven fruitful for the kingdom over the test of time. The north east is now called the burned out district. Religion is strictly held as a private matter. The liberalism that permeates the area started in the churches and now can be readily observed by the political leanings of those in public office throughout this region. The churches, the universities, and the public arena all show signs of something that went terribly wrong within the churches during the last 200 years.

Much of the error can be traced back to Charles Finney. Finney was popular, influential, and controversial. Unfortuneatly, his mishandling of scripture has caused much harm. Much of Finney's ideas and methodology are employed as the "traditional" model of doing church today. Yet, some can't seem to understand why the church is struggling and failing to impact the culture.

The following article is very insightful into the theological errors associated with Finney's ministry and heretical doctrines. What I am interested in here is pointing out the lingering results of bad theology within the church and within Christianity in general.

Exerpt from the article: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: How Charles Finney's Theology Ravaged the Evangelical Movement.

The Fallout from Finney's Doctrines

Predictably, most of Finney's spiritual heirs lapsed into apostasy, Socinianism, mere moralism, cultlike perfectionism, and other related errors. In short, Finney's chief legacy was confusion and doctrinal compromise. Evangelical Christianity virtually disappeared from western New York in Finney's own lifetime. Despite Finney's accounts of glorious "revivals," most of the vast region of New England where he held his revival campaigns fell into a permanent spiritual coldness during Finney's lifetime and more than a hundred years later still has not emerged from that malaise. This is directly owing to the influence of Finney and others who were simultaneously promoting similar ideas.The Western half of New York became known as "the burnt-over district," because of the negative effects of the revivalist movement that culminated in Finney's work there. These facts are often obscured in the popular lore about Finney. But even Finney himself spoke of "a burnt district" [Memoirs, 78], and he lamented the absence of any lasting fruit from his evangelistic efforts. He wrote,
I was often instrumental in bringing Christians under great conviction, and into a state of temporary repentance and faith . . . . [But] falling short of urging them up to a point, where they would become so acquainted with Christ as to abide in Him, they would of course soon relapse into their former state [cited in B. B. Warfield, Studies in Perfectionism, 2 vols. (New York: Oxford, 1932), 2:24].One of Finney's contemporaries registered a similar assessment, but more bluntly:
During ten years, hundreds, and perhaps thousands, were annually reported to be converted on all hands; but now it is admitted, that real converts are comparatively few. It is declared, even by [Finney] himself, that "the great body of them are a disgrace to religion" [cited in Warfield, 2:23].B. B. Warfield cited the testimony of Asa Mahan, one of Finney's close associates,
. . . who tells us—to put it briefly—that everyone who was concerned in these revivals suffered a sad subsequent lapse: the people were left like a dead coal which could not be reignited; the pastors were shorn of all their spiritual power; and the evangelists—"among them all," he says, "and I was personally acquainted with nearly every one of them—I cannot recall a single man, brother Finney and father Nash excepted, who did not after a few years lose his unction, and become equally disqualified for the office of evangelist and that of pastor."Thus the great "Western Revivals" ran out into disaster. . . . Over and over again, when he proposed to revisit one of the churches, delegations were sent him or other means used, to prevent what was thought of as an affliction. . . . Even after a generation had passed by, these burnt children had no liking for the fire [Warfield, 2:26-28].Finney grew discouraged with the revival campaigns and tried his hand at pastoring in New York City before accepting the presidency of Oberlin College. During those post-revivalist years, he turned his attention to devising a doctrine of Christian perfectionism. Perfectionist ideas, in vogue at the time, were a whole new playground for serious heresy on the fringes of evangelicalism—and Finney became one of the best-known advocates of perfectionism. The evil legacy of the perfectionism touted by Finney and friends in the mid-nineteenth century has been thoroughly critiqued by B. B. Warfield in his important work Studies in Perfectionism. Perfectionism was the logical consequence of Finney's Pelagianism, and its predictable result was spiritual disaster.

Read the entire article (here)
Read Part 2 found (here)

The point: Right theology makes right churches which lead to life changing power through the gospel truth. Bad theology just makes a spiritual mess!