In this article I will answer a book titled "My Answer to Calvinism" by Mr. Lightmire I read just recently who spoke out very strongly against Calvinism and those who believe in these doctrines. I want to say right off that I could not even finish it because of the absolute unfair, sometimes outright lies he made against the believers in the five Doctrines of Grace, or Calvinism for those who do not know these doctrines by this term. Notice, I went as far as to say this Mr. Lightmire made some out and out lies in his commentary, so much so, some of his statements just made me plain sick to think this was being written by a man claiming to be a born again Christians. For instance, on page 49, and then again on page 124-125, he says that - "Calvinists do not believe faith is needed in salvation, or at best give lip service to the need but the actual teachings if looked  closely at contradict it in actual practice."    MY GOODNESS, WHERE DOES HE GET HIS INFORMATION FROM? If the cannot give a fairer statements of what others say or teach he should not be in the preaching business. But what he states is NOT the teaching of Calvinism, and certainly not the scriptural five doctrines of Grace. Any one who has been a Christians any length of time knows that there are those who go out on a limb on certain doctrines. There is no doctrine exempt from this heresy of going too far, or not teaching what the Bible is truly saying. That's what these "hard shells" have done with the doctrines of grace, (Calvinism), gone too far with it, but to imply that is the general belief of all doctrines of gracer's, the original meaning behind these doctrines, is just not being at all truthful. 

The fact of the matter is that we who know what we are talking about on these five doctrines of grace, including limited atonement, believe very strongly in faith. We do believe in Total Depravity, and Unconditional Election. Sure we are elected to be saved, but that does not mean we are automatically saved at birth, or any time through out life without going through a God ordained series of events, or as soon as we hear the Gospel. After all most people are not saved until they are in their twenties even when brought up in a good Christian home and hear the Gospel preached all their lives. There are exceptions of course, some are saved very young, and others when they are much older, even into old age. Really, the difference that separates Mr. Lightmire's kind and my kind is where the faith to believe comes from.
 

FAITH IS A GIFT THAT COMES FROM GOD:

Before getting into this, I must say that God has predestinated and elected us to salvation, but He has also predestinated how we are saved, and that is by the hearing of the Gospel through preaching. See the following scripture: 

He has also ordained the events in our life leading us to the hearing and believing. (something Mr. Lightmire mocks and makes fun of, but is still very true) When we are born, we are all in the same condition spiritually - lost - through the sin of Adam. However - some people - some time in their life - develop a faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and are born again - saved. Now, this is where the big difference between Mr. Lightmire and his kind and 'Calvinists' comes in. That difference is - just where does that faith come from? Is it something we stir up in ourselves, or is it a grace bestowed upon us by God? Mr. Lightmire also states that faith is not considered a work. WOW!!! Isn't it amazing how far one will go to cover his tracks when he knows very well his teaching is not consistent with scripture!! And he mocks our explanations!! Any thinking person would have to agree that stirring up ones own faith is a work, or action we could boast about before God or man. When we boast about our own actions, or say we do good in our life, we take the glory from God who actually did the work in us and makes our profession null and void. So it certainly is an action or work on our part if we could stir up our own faith. Let's look at a couple of scriptures to see if this agrees with the Bible.

Be your own judge to who is being consistent with God's word. If we want to be obedient to God we must accept His word. Mr. Lightmire also says that there is no scripture that says it is God working in us that causes faith. Well the scripture just above makes it plain we don't stir up our own faith. So who does? Let's go to God's word again.

Notice the faith OF CHRIST in us - not our own faith stirred up by ourselves.

Remember the first work of the law was to believe in God with all your heart, soul and mind. If language means anything, then we have to accept the fact faith is as much a work of Grace as any other part of our salvation, and that is why some believe while others do not. The ones that do not, do not have an instruction that is mixed with God given faith. See more scripture.

Again, let's look at a few more scripture along the same line.

REGENERATION BEFORE FAITH:

I think it is plain enough here for any honest person that the Holy Spirit must dwell within one as a new nature before he can see (understand, or later enter heaven) the things of God. And if a person has the Holy spirit nature in him he has been born again - since being born again means the activating of the spiritual nature in us, or quickened - is the word used in scripture. Now again - does God mean what He says, can we trust God to be saying what He means here or do we the created have to straighten the mess the creator made of things here, give Him a few pointers? I for one do not believe there is any mess to straighten out, that God is saying exactly what He wants to say, and expects us to accept it. The theme here is that it is not man's mind that believes - or accepts spiritual things - it is the Holy Spirit/nature in us believing for us - and coming out on our tongue in verbal acceptance and Godly living. Note other scriptures that indicate the Holy Spirit must do the thinking, or causes a lost person to start thinking spiritual things - resulting in salvation of that person.

We have already looked at Philippians 2:13, so lets go on to the next scripture:

It is clear here the implication that He does not call everyone. Let's look at an even clearer passage:

I don't think it's hard to see it is what He said in verse 44 He refers back to. Now lets take a close look at: 

Yes, God has to give the person the ability to accept, and when God gives a person the ability to accept, he does - every one of them, no ifs, ands or buts. Lets look at a few more scripture for confirmation:

And again: 

So yes, faith is very important, and in fact absolutely necessary in ones salvation, it's just a matter of where that faith comes from. I think the scriptures make it very clear where faith comes from and why some believe and some do not - simply because the Holy Spirit/nature does not dwell in the one, but He does in the other. We will discuss that a little further on.
 

THE TWO CALLS:

I think it is obvious that in God's eternal purpose the call of the Spirit is confined to the ones God elected to be saved before the foundation of the world. The term we use for that is 'Limited Atonement", and it is only God who knows who those elected ones are. You will notice I said the call of the Spirit. It would help a lot if you understood that there are two calls. It would end a lot of confusion on the one side demanding that God died for all and yet the spirit calls only the elect - as believed by others. I will call the one call - "The General Call" (or maybe stated better as a presentation rather than a call.)

Oh, yes - I can just hear someone saying: "Here we go again, what is he going to say now to get around scriptures to prove his point"? But hold on, before you throw away this article in disgust. The Bible does not mention "Limited Atonement" in those words or the term "general call" either, but neither does it a lot of terms used by theologians. However, there is actually such a call. The general call would be any presentation (or preaching) about God, or especially Christ and His work for us whether it is done on a one to one witness, or a preacher preaching to a congregation, or one preaching to a very large audience via radio or TV. It could also be something the person read, and even nature itself displays God. I do not believe there is any saving power in the display of nature. Observing nature tells us there is a God, but in no way teaches us of Christ and His work for us (the Gospel), and it is trusting in Christ and what He has done for us that saves, is it not? So I suppose nature could be considered in the general call. The general call alone saves no one. Remember, the call must be mixed with faith in the one who hears the preaching (or call). The general call is only the sound of a man's voice, or the seeing by a person's eyes if read or viewing nature - striking the physical ears or eyes of it's hearer and entering the physical (natural) brain of the hearer - a natural brain of man that  cannot understand spiritual things by itself - unless given the ability to by God through the work of the Holy Spirit/ nature. (remember: 1 Corinthians 2:4). Why cannot one see that simple truth? Could it be that one just doesn't want to see this because it goes against what one wants to believe, or, could it be that the activating of the new spiritual nature, giving one the ability to accept these very clear truths has not taken place yet? It is so elementary I do not see any other reason for not understanding such clear teaching. How one can sit under the best preaching for years on end with no response is just beyond me until I understand that the Holy Spirit/nature must dwell in us and it is He that is actually believing within that one, but coming out in that one's mind in faith, and godly physical actions. Then the response is certain. That activation of the new nature within a person is the second call. When that Holy nature is activated that one will answer God's call because that new holy nature in s will respond to Himself (God). It is an absolute certainty. The general call saves no one in itself, but when the Holy Spirit dwells within, believing in us, comes to our mind as faith, then there is no doubt that the new birth has taken place. If that happens the general call has become the call of God, and there is no doubt salvation of that one is the result. Again, the general call saves no one, but when it becomes the call of God, a call God has mixed with His implanted faith, saves everyone the call goes out to. Does this agree with scriptures? Lets take a look at a few places to see what the scriptures have to say about this. First, lets look at:

ONLY SHEEP CAN BELIEVE:

Note closely here what Jesus said. Most people claim He says - "ye are not my sheep because you do not believe in me." When in fact He said - "you believe not because you are not my sheep." In other words you have to be a sheep first before one can believe. It is the presence of God's Holy nature in us that causes us to believe. And to be a sheep we had to be one from before the foundation of the world - "lost"- until "found" by the Holy Spirit during life. This is the complete reverse to what is taught in most churches. Who is right?

Do you see how the natural man understands everything backward when it concerns spiritual things using his own intellect - not being mixed with God given faith? Jesus said one must be a sheep(elect) first and only the sheep/elect will believe, when God activates faith in the individual in God's own time and purpose. Using God's word as our textbook again lets look at more scripture:

If that is how God handled Paul, why not everyone, except all are not called to the same office in salvation. Lets continue with John 10:

There is quite a lot to this portion of scripture I would say. First we note that the call goes out and must have been heard by all the sheep in the fold, whatever the number was. Which ones heeded the shepherds call? Only the ones that belonged to that particular shepherd. Ones that the shepherd had owned before and were known by the sheep. It is only God's sheep (the ones elected before the foundation of the world for this purpose) that will respond to the Gospel because "God knew them from eternity past." Let's go to another scripture that is as blunt as this last scripture - if not more so:

Lets stop here for a while and examine what we have up to this point. First thing to note is that God Hated Esau before he was born, before he had done good or bad. God did not hate him because of his badness, since he had done nothing bad to be hated for. Again this is completely backward to the teaching of most modern day 'Christians'. The second thing we note is that God's mercy does not depend on anything we do - and that includes stirring up our own faith - but entirely on God's sovereign will. He shows mercy to whom He pleases, why He pleases, when he pleases and for the purpose He pleases.

Now to get back to Paul's question. How can God still blame us for our errors when in fact He is in control all the time any way? It is a very demanding question which I think every one asks at one time or another - including me. The question again is: how can God blame us for our life - for rejecting Christ when we are not of the elect and cannot believe without that new nature creating faith within us. How can a person be still held accountable for the natural result of rejecting Christ when left to his natural self. Does Paul answer that by making a bunch of excuses? No he does not, and I am sure he wants the answer as much as anybody. What does he do? He is honest and implies he cannot answer that so just humbly bows to the sovereignty of God - God has a right to - and does - as He wishes to man kind and all His creation, whether we like it, or believe it - or not. King Nebuchadnezzar learned the same truth the hard way, and if you read his statement in Daniel 4 you will read the statement of a truly born again man.

Lets read it.

Are you willing to accept God's sovereignty and accept the fact He does as He pleases - He saves whom He will and lets the remainder carry on letting their human nature take them on their natural course of destruction not being able to have faith in God and the resulting death without Christ? One does not have to be predestinated to hell - he just isn't predestinated to be saved - one's own sinful nature does the rest. Lets go back to Romans 9 and look at the answer Paul gave to the question put to him. 

It is quite clear here that Paul has learned the same lesson on God's sovereignty, he just uses a different way of expressing that truth. Let's have a look at another scripture, this time from the Old Testament: Let's look at: 

What more needs to be said when the Bible makes it as clear as words can make it, just believe what it says. There is one more scripture I would especially like to take note of, there are many more but these I hope will suffice.

Let's start at:

What could be plainer than that? The whole plan - or sequence of events ordained by God for each believer to go through is laid out in full order. God knew from eternity past - as long as He Himself has existed what He was going to do, and how. This knowledge of what He was going to do is His foreknowledge - NOT God looking into the future and seeing all those who would believe and electing those who were going to believe. This is what the opponents of the five doctrines of Grace would have us believe. If we elected our Prime Minister (or President) on such grounds, I think any honest person would not accept that as electing him, but simply accepting the inevitable, and voting for that one just to be on the winning side not caring whether he is a good man or a devil. I certainly cannot believe God would 'elect' on such a premise. He made the plans (from His foreknowledge) in eternity past into a "blue print" form and puts that plan into practice in time. And what is a plan if it is not ordaining something that will happen in the future, arranging before it gets started how events within the plan will take place? So, in time, and in future eternity He carries out that plan, step by step. Notice - He predestinates the ones to be saved - only the ones He predestinated are called - and the ones He called are justified - no if, ands or buts. God makes a strictly matter of fact statement of what He would do - and does it - and certainly there is no condition on whether that person predestinated and called would accept that call of the Spirit. That call of the Spirit or the second call I mentioned at the beginning of this article is called God's effectual call.

Let's look at: 

As we have seen from the scriptures we have looked up, when God effectually calls a person, that person comes - PERIOD. That effectual call is God's nature being born in us which causes our mind to accept the things concerning Jesus. How can anyone refute such plain teaching coming from God's own word? One thing I note is that not once does Mr. Lightmire even mention these last scriptures in his so called "My answer to Calvinism" book. Why? I would say because it is just too plain even for him to answer. So he ignores them depending on the ignorance of the reader of these scriptures - hoping they don't know about them, so he can tell them anything he wants, and they will believe him, trusting his education and honesty as a Christian. Nice guy eh? I would say he is being anything but nice or honest, and there are many out there like him, whether teaching in a book or preached from the pulpit. There is just too much of this teaching what the teacher wants to believe, and have his audience to believe, ignoring pain teaching of the Bible.

There are all kinds of scriptures to support these ones put before you here, just read them the way they are meant to be read, like any other writings - word following word to put forward a definite meaning. That is what language is all about. Do not try to put some hidden meaning, or "reading between the line" meaning to them. Let's read a few more scripture to show what I mean:

Once again - a flat statement of His intentions and it's fulfillment in God's own time, and man's will or desires is not even considered. Why? Because man's natural mind would reject anything to do with God so God forms man's will to fit His eternal purpose - making man willing to do God's will. God does not wait for man to express his will (accept or reject Jesus) then act upon that. God knows what man's human nature (will) will want unless the Holy Spirit intervenes and causes him to do God's will. Read this: 

Note again - He uses His word to give light - but as we have read before there will be no light unless mixed with God given faith - in fact - "light" is that God given faith which comes as a result of God's Holy nature implanted in us. Let's go to another scripture:

As we will see here the work of he Holy Spirit/nature on the mind of the spiritually dead person is what makes all the difference. We can do nothing in the spiritual realm until God gives us that ability by activating a spiritual nature in us, it does all the rest:

 And let's take a look at: 

Note: 1st chosen - then caused - to come to Him for a reason - to dwell in the heavenly courts with God. Just as plain as can be!

Lets take a look at what saves people and then how God goes about bringing one of His elect into the fold. Just what is saving knowledge? We hear a lot of these kinds of statements - "believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior", or - "believe in the name of Jesus because you are a sinner and Jesus died to pay for your sin debt so you can be saved." Very good as far as it goes, but it is very, very seldom it is heard how sinful man is, why he needs a savior, why he needs someone to keep the law for him and then die for the sins he does commit, and what we are being saved from. Men in their natural nature just does not understand the depth of their sinfulness before God, that they are so sinful that there is no way they can please God. By nature, man's perception of God is that He is looked upon as a superior being to man all right, but just a little, and as long as we are pretty good, the good outweighs the bad in his life he has a fairly good chance of beating the rap so to speak. Man accepts the superiority of God as long as God doesn't infringe on man's will, that the natural man will not accept at all. When a person witnesses to another person, before the other person would be interested in a substitute - (some one else to carry out the demands of God for us and be punished for his sins) for himself he first must understand his hopeless position before God, and to understand why he needs a substitute in the first place. He will not understand the need unless he compares his life with some one better than his fellow man. In fact we have to compare our way of life with the demands of God's law and holiness, the responsibilities He lays on us for living a righteous life. Only then will he realize how hopeless his own efforts are, that all he has to do is break one law (sin) and his chances of meeting his responsibilities and getting to heaven on his own merit is lost forever. If this is so - and it is - then any chance of getting plucked from the plunge to hell and set on the road to heaven must come from an outside source, other than himself - and of course that other source is Jesus Christ. let's look up this scripture to show that what I just said is so:

We see from this verse that all we have to do is fail to meet one of our responsibilities laid upon us by God, in our life time, then as far as God is concerned we have broken all His requirements and continue to break them all the time. (sin is the falling short of meeting the demands of any of God's laws and holiness) Can you dear reader claim honestly that you keep - or have kept - every jot & tittle of God's laws and requirements for holiness? If not then you had better start looking for a substitute to do it for you, for either you must live this sinless life God demands of us or a substitute must do it for you and impute his righteousness (the keeping of all right) to you. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one qualified to do this since He lived on this world for 33 years as a man keeping the law, every last tittle of it, so there is no sin against Him, therefore He is righteous, and God will accept His righteousness in our place.

Read the following for confirmation of this: 

Who had just promised to fulfill the law? Christ Himself - for whom - Himself? Hardly - since He was already perfect - He was and is God!! See again: 

I cannot keep the law, but Christ kept it for me and my sins are laid on him and his righteousness is laid on me. His righteousness, not His holiness. Jesus brought His Holiness with Him since He was God. But He lived a perfect, righteous life for those 33 years He lived on earth - earning His righteousness by His right-living. That earned righteousness is what is imputed to us and is what makes us righteous in God's eyes. All this boils down to this - one must be humbled, he must have his own arrogant, proud, independent self spirit destroyed - Then, and only then will God raise that one up a born again, saved person - dependent totally on what Jesus has already done for us. Until a person sees that simple but VERY important point he is only a religious person that has not got God's holy nature dwelling in him teaching him spiritual matters. If he cannot see this plain truth then he certainly is not going to be seeking God's substitute in letting Jesus bear the punishment for his sins because he still can't see the need for it. He can't under stand yet that he can't be good enough himself to satisfy God's demands - why trust in Jesus when I can do it myself? is their attitude. I have known people who have claimed adamantly to believe in the depravity of man - which means man is totally helpless, totally incapable of meeting any of the responsibilities laid out in God's word - then turns right around and says God has left us with certain responsibilities that we must meet, and if we don't - what?

In other words they tell us to do what they had just said we can't do in our depravity!! Not very consistent are they? That sounds to me like just another way of holding to the law - just substituting the word responsibilities for the word law. Is man depraved or not? If he is then give up the idea of meeting any sort of responsibilities yourself and turn them over to Christ, He has already met them and all you have to do is come to the spiritual enlightenment where you can see you can't meet them yourself and acknowledge this fact and accept the work of Jesus in place of your own efforts.

What scriptures show us the depravity of man? Lets read:

God does not change our human nature - He just changes our mind through this new nature He puts in us - God's Holy nature. What scriptures shows us what we can expect from our own human nature? Lets look at just a few that gives a very graphic picture of what our human nature is like.

That is our nature, and the things we can expect from our nature - NO GOOD - It just cannot think even a spark of good, and if it can't THINK a spark of good it will not cause our bodies to DO a spark of good. That is total depravity. How people can still think we can carry out some form of responsibilities with such a sinful, depraved nature is beyond me. But, some will say, that is before we are born again, God changes our nature so it is good when we are saved. I have read the Bible through and through many times and have never seen such a statement made in it. In fact quite the reverse is said - read:

Sure doesn't sound to me as if our human nature is changed. In fact those two natures live there in our heart and they are at enmity with each other - contrary one to the other. No, our human nature does not change our way of thinking - but that Holy nature we are born again with does -those changes are spelled out in:

Against such there is no law. No law made could give us any of the attributes mentioned as the fruit of the Spirit, and these are the very attributes in our nature that would cause us to keep the moral law (ten commandments), or any other kind of responsibilities.

In fact there is a secondary fruit of the Spirit - we start to love God with all our heart, we start loving our neighbor as ourselves, we will not covet our neighbors goods, we will not steal, we will not lie, etc. through the ten commandments.

So once again - it is not our nature that keeps the demands of the law - but God working in us making us into what He pleases - the kind of pot He pleases - some good, some better than others, some worse - but all the work of the hands of the potter. (Isaiah 64:8)

Lets read scripture for confirmation of this statement. I may have quoted some of these scriptures before, but I think they are appropriate for here too:

Notice in these several scriptures where faith comes from - and any of the goodness that we may possess - where it comes from. The fruit of the Spirit - and yet Mr. Lightmire in his book I am commenting on says no such scripture that says these very things exists!

More scripture to show it is God's Holy nature in us that causes us to do any good we might do:

Very clear scripture that shows us that any good in us and coming from us is that Holy nature God puts in us when we are 'born again' that does the good. I personally will bow to this knowledge and give God the praise for making that difference in me. I hope you too, dear reader, will give God the praise and not try to hog the glory, because if you do, in the end you will receive nothing, not even blessings, because God is very jealous over His works and will not share His glory with anyone. What do we preach to a lost person that will result in that person being born again - or having God's Holy nature activated in us?

Again, as always, let the scriptures answer that question:

It is spelled out quite clear here what we must tell people when we witness or preach to them if we expect the Holy Spirit to work and come in anyone as a new nature - ALL the things CONCERNING JESUS. Teaching a good moral life is good, but it will not save - teaching the proper method of the Lord's supper or baptism and of the Lord's church is good and proper - but it will not save. Those teachings can wait until one is saved and showing an interest in joining the church. The only teaching that will save is teaching ALL things concerning Jesus Christ. Now let's look at what All those things concerning Jesus Christ are that we must teach and have a lost person know in order for the new birth to occur.

What is so special about Jesus - who is He, that so many say believe and trust Him?

Don't ever take for granted people know all the answers to this. In fact no one knows the answers, so they have to be taught. This understanding of all concerning Christ is what comes first when the Holy Spirit/nature opens blind, dead eyes after the entrance of God's Holy Nature, (the quickening of the Spirit). Even if one has heard it a thousand times before, when the Holy Spirit quickens (or activates one's Holy spirit nature in him) then and only then will one believe. Look at:

Lets take a few minutes to get a clear understanding of what the term 'believe in' means. If you look at a dictionary you see it means:

(1) to accept as fact

This is as deep as most people believe about God or Jesus Christ. Sure they have a head belief that assures them that a god exists and a man called Jesus did die on the cross, but not that deeper meaning of the word that better describes the "believe in" that Jesus meant:

(2) to trust fully - to the extent you can stake your very life on what you believe in.

Example: When you board a plane, You, without even thinking about it, climb aboard accepting the fact the pilot has had the training and you trust that he has the required skill and is capable of getting the plane up - to it's destination - and back on the ground. You trust him enough that you are willing to put your life in his hands - because most of us certainly couldn't fly that plane ourselves, so it must be left to the pilot. So with Christ, we trust Him, and all He has done for us pertaining to salvation, we put our spiritual life in His hands leaving nothing for us to do any more than we would try to tell a pilot how to fly his plane or try to help him fly it. Just imagine the reception you would get if you went to the cockpit of a plane you were on and started trying to give the pilot a few pointers. Well, God does not like 'pointers' from His creation any better, so just sit back and enjoy the ride!!

That is "believing in" Christ. What do we believe about Christ?

We believe what He says about Himself in the Bible - that He is the son of God - that He was born of a virgin woman - therefore has a Holy Father - God, which gives Him a Holy nature. With His Holy nature - that cannot, and did not - sin during His 33 years on earth as a man enabled Him to keep every jot & title of the law to satisfy God's law and Holiness that God demands. He did not need to satisfy God's law for Himself - it was for us He did it for. God gives anyone who is trusting in Christ's work the credit for that perfect life Christ lived. His righteousness is transferred to the believer. That is where our perfection (righteousness) comes from, not by trusting in our own effort. The Bible in Romans 4:6 refers that to imputing righteousness to us without works. Whose righteousness? Our own? Let's look at these scriptures:

That was the purpose of Jesus living 33 years on this earth, to live and keep the laws and all the demands of God's holiness - for us. He certainly did not need to keep it for himself, He was already Holy.

God's demands for us requires we have no sin against us. But, as we have read, if we sin once in our lifetime as far as God is concerned we are guilty of committing them all, all the time. Let's read:

If we offend in one point we are guilty of all. Quite clear that we might as well give up trying and just put our trust in someone who can and did - our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. NO ONE can meet the demands of God's Holiness every second of his life.
 

THE LAW AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY:

Does this mean we do not have to keep the law ourselves - That we have no responsibilities? Yes it sure does as far as salvation is concerned. That is exactly the point the Bible everywhere is making, to get you to understand how hopeless your situation is. Then and only then will you understand that Jesus has taken over your responsibilities if you are truly believing in Him. However - you note I said we do not HAVE to keep the law and live a righteous life - BUT WE WILL - Why?? because the Holy nature God put in us will want to and He will influence our minds and make us want to by giving us an understanding of what is right and wrong. Hence we will do by nature - God's nature in us - the things required in the law, and do a much better job of it because it is God's nature working in us causing us to live a more righteous life than a person who just keeps the law because he sees in God's word that is what God wants us to do or not do. That person may be blessed to a certain degree, God does promise to bless anyone who will live the life the Bible displays. An unsaved person can do that to a small extent - seemingly anyway - for they can't without the influence of the Holy Spirit. (An unsaved person is influenced by God from without, A saved person is influenced from within the heart - a new nature.) A person who is made willing by the indwelling of the Holy nature, given understanding of right and wrong is blessed much more. Why? Because if it is God's nature in us causing us to keep to God's demands then what we do we are doing it by nature - it is actually part of our nature - a way of life natural to us - keeping God's decrees rather than just a superficial need of the flesh to please someone - or else. It is God's nature in us causing us to live according to the demands of God, not our own nature.

In fact, we do sin, and they all must be punished. So once more Christ intervenes. He agreed to suffer God's wrath of punishment against believer's sins. Christ satisfied God's wrath against our sins when He died a horrible death on the cross. He spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth - was raised on the third day, then returned to heaven to sit on God's right hand to act as a mediator between us sinful people who are saved by grace and under the protection of Christ - and God's wrath. Now when we stand before God to be judged - because of what Christ has done for us (kept the law and then suffered our punishment) - we stand before God the judge justified (just-as-if-we-had-never-sinned.) We of course, in reality do sin, but since we are covered, or protected by Christ who kept the demands of the law, plus the shedding of His blood on the cross, as far as God's eternal purpose is concerned, we have never sinned once - never. And that is what God demands of us isn't it? Not even one jot f the law can be broken, or we fail to get to heaven. That is what saves us - trusting on all that has been just said about Jesus Christ.

It is clear that Jesus' work is a two part work.

(1) He took over our responsibilities and kept the law for us since we in no way can meet these responsibilities ourselves.

(2) He died on the cross for our past, present and future sins because as a just God He could not let sin go unpunished, and despite the fact Jesus did keep the law for us, in reality we do still sin, and these sins must be punished.

You can be wrong on many subjects and still be saved, but if you do not understand salvation and how one is saved through faith in what Jesus did - you have nothing - worse than a building without a foundation. The Holy nature from God is not dwelling in you and you are still trying to accomplish the impossible - doing something yourselves to satisfy God. On the other hand as long as you believe correctly how one is saved, and you are trusting in Christ and ALL concerning him, and yet you are in error in some other doctrines, then you are saved even though you would be very weak spiritually, and not much used of God because you are teaching error in these other doctrines. The teacher may be saved, and others may be saved through your teaching despite error in these other doctrines. Of course being saved for both teacher and pupil is the important thing.

Only when a person comes to understand his own helplessness will he seek help from Jesus. Compare all this to a drowning man. A man in his pride will never seek help from others unless he realizes there is no hope in his own effort. A man who is drowning - and he knows it - knows that he can no longer get out of that water alive under his own strength - when he understands that, then he will throw all pride to the wind and scream for help grabbing at anything that might help him out of his predicament. And he will not have to be begged to do so!!

Just like that drowning man, a lost person in his pride will never seek or accept help, but once he realizes all is lost unless he gets help from someone, then and only then will he throw pride to the wind and start screaming for help - only when he sees he cannot meet any of his responsibilities and will 'drown' in his sins will he look to Jesus for His substitute.

The Bible makes it clear we must BELIEVE in the Gospel - and Paul defines the Gospel as the - death burial and resurrection of Jesus - in order to be saved. The second phase of Jesus work on earth SEEMS much more important than the first phase. The trouble is no one will BELIEVE the second phase until he UNDERSTANDS the first phase. So we can't ignore the first phase of Jesus work - the keeping of the law and His imputing His righteousness to us because we can't earn any righteousness ourselves.

Why do some come to see this and others do not? If we study God's word closely, we can get a good picture of just how He does bring this great event in a persons life to fulfillment. The first action God takes in the salvation ladder is to quicken ones spiritual life/nature within him. We have already read Ephesians 2:1-5, but lets read verses 4 and 5 again to refresh our memories:

Note here - do these scriptural terms not all mean the same thing -

being dead spiritually

we cannot come because we are spiritually discerned.

the natural mind cannot understand the things of the spirit.

the natural mind is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be.

the natural mind is hostile to God.

the natural mind is at enmity with God.

These are all terms God uses to get across to us our helplessness (depravity) in doing a thing - physically or mentally to gain enough favor with God for Him to grant salvation to us. If we are spiritually dead we cannot even want to do anything to merit God's favor, and that includes creating faith in ourselves. Lets take a look at the make up of man to help understand why it is the Holy Spirit/nature that does the work within us. As you probably know - the Godhead is made up of three parts:

(1) God the Father

(2) God the Son and

(3) God the Holy Ghost.

Each one has his assignment or part to play in the works of the universe. I will not go into that.  In the same way God is in 3 parts, (or elements) man too is in three elements, called:

(1) body

(2) soul nature and

(3) holy spirit nature.

These also have a definite purpose.

The body - our flesh, blood and bone, our physical part of us. since it is physical and can't function without life it certainly cannot have any part in trusting Christ. 

Soul- our nature, our inward being, the part of us that makes us what we are, our character, what makes us tick, what makes us think the way we do, and we do and say what we think. Called the natural man or the flesh over and over again, and even a corrupt tree, in the Bible. The Bible also over and over states that this element cannot trust in Christ, that it is hostile to God, that they are enmity between each other, etc. And this will never change as long as we are in the flesh. Our human nature cannot respond to God, it takes the third element to do that - the: 

Holy Spirit/Nature - This element is the only element that can communicate with God - since it is God - it is our communication link with God. Only through the Holy spirit/nature do we get understanding about God and how He operates - anything to do with spiritual things - salvation, eternal life- anything good or spiritual.

There is only one problem with this Holy spirit nature in us - it is dead when we are born into this world. You know what dead means - separated from God - no life - right? - no communication with God - just as useless as a physical body with no life in it.

Doesn't all this agree with previous teaching about our inability to accept scriptural truths on our own intellect, or have any kind of communication with God unless God gives us the ability to do just that. We cannot make our own spirit nature alive, so obviously God has to do it, just as God has to give life when pertaining to the flesh. No question there is there? In the King James version that making alive of the Holy spirit nature in us is called quickening. God's first move in the salvation ladder is to make the Holy spirit nature alive, or to quicken us. Every other spiritual activity is based on having that Spiritual life already in us. Just like anywhere else, life comes before any other kind of activity. We believe because of this life in us - NOT - we have life and let Jesus into our heart because we believe - as believed by the majority of religious people. This quickening in fact is giving us the ability to believe - the birth of God's own Holy nature in us - we are born again - saved. All terms meaning the same thing. We have now passed from being a child of the devil to being a child of God - we are now 'found sheep' - not lost sheep as we have been up to this point.

This new spirit nature God has given us has made us a new creature. 

Yes we certainly are a new creature. Another word for it is regenerated. Instead of a person with two active elements - body and soul (the way we were born into this world) - we now have all three elements active - body - soul/human nature and holy spirit nature. (this certainly does make a new creature out of us as God says!!) The way God first made Adam and Eve, but their spirit nature 'died' when they fell and all mankind since them has been born without that Spirit nature in us. Now at the rebirth this spirit nature is restored or reactivated. We now have access to God. We can now respond to God's call because God's own nature in us will cause our mind to respond. With this newly activated nature and the resulting regenerate man, something else now takes place. The spirit nature is our communication link with God - remember? We could not understand the things of God with our natural mind (human nature), it takes this Holy spirit nature, so we just by nature rejected Christ and all things concerning Him. We thought it all foolishness with our natural mind. Remember? But now the spirit nature has been made alive, a change takes place - the communication link has been re-established and suddenly we find we have a whole new outlook on the things of Christ and all things concerning Him. We find ourselves accepting as true what before we thought so foolish. The term for this change of mind toward Christ is REPENTANCE. This is a natural result (or fruit of) an action God took on us, that of making alive our spirit nature. Then after repentance - since we now find ourselves accepting the things of Christ as true, the natural result (fruit of) is faith in what we hear about Christ. The more we learn, the stronger our faith becomes until faith changes our belief in Christ from a shallow, natural mind - 'accept as fact' - stage to a deep rooted 'trust with all ones heart soul and mind' stage - causing us to cast all one can do away and putting our trust absolutely on what Christ has already completed. Only a person who has been born anew with that new Holy nature will ever reach that stage of turning absolutely everything over to God. The natural mind, no matter how religious or zealous for God - seemingly anyway - will want to have some credit for turning to God, or meeting some sort of obligation on his part or doing any good he may do. Oh yes, you can be a good salesman and convince the natural mind that he should believe in a god and please him if you want to be in that god's favor. But all that belief is is a shallow - 'accept the fact there is a god so I better be good' - belief. It is not a saving belief that will take you to heaven. Many just believe they are only sick, or just a bit sinful and need a little help from God that will 'put them over the brim' so to speak, so they never do come to the realization just how sinful they are and are DEAD to God. It is not saving belief until the Holy spirit activates (quickens) a person's spirit nature so one can see he can in no way please God by meeting any kind of responsibilities laid on him - NO WAY. That one cannot make God happy enough for Him to grant one entrance into heaven no matter how 'good' he thinks he is. No, that type of belief must be destroyed and humbly submit, be totally dependent on, the finished work of Christ, all that He has done for us, His life and death on the cross. There are many who 'believe' (accept as true) in Christ that are not saved. Why? Because that belief is not mixed with God given faith, so it is only a natural mind concept of God, and a God painted by the mind of the person the way he wants his god to be, a head belief, and not the BELIEVE IN CHRIST. (trust fully no matter what God does or says, trusting that everything will come out in the end to our good and God's glory)

If one has only the former belief then he will belong to the crowd described in Matthew seven, and there will be a lot more in that crowd than those who get to spend eternity in heaven with Christ. Read: 

Note how all the above also agrees with the following scripture:

Once again look at the type of people to avoid:

What is the power referred to here? I would say the regenerating power of the Holy spirit that transforms a person from a dead, lost person to a saved person, with a new spiritual nature dwelling in him. These people lack this spirit nature despite the fact they have a zeal. THEY ARE NOT SAVED!!!

All these people have is a religion - the kind the natural mind can produce themselves - a god that they must please to appease - and a salvation they can give themselves credit for earning by all their 'goodness.' A small god that cannot do a thing to man unless man allows him to. That's the god of the natural mind. Sound familiar? It should, it's all around us and we all believed that way until God changed our way of thinking. Its in every religion in some form or other from the most primitive religion like the Indian hunting ground to the most advanced religions of the Jew, and into Christianity - so called - because most of the religions calling themselves Christians do not really have Christ at all.

The last stage of one's salvation is accepting all the things concerning Christ. Again, not the worldly version of 'accept' - Accept a gift offered. Man may offer salvation - that's all he can do - but God gives salvation and does not wait for one's permission. No, I think 'accept Christ' means more like - resigning ones self to what has been done in you by the Holy Spirit nature. You know what I mean?
 

example: we accept (or resign our selves to) death. We certainly can't say we willingly take an offer of a gift when it comes to death. But we do resign our selves to death because there is nothing we can do about it. In the same way, we are called to resign ourselves to God's will because we cannot do anything about it. Death is unpleasant - but we 'accept' it. By the time God has brought us through -

- quickening

- regeneration

- repentance

- built our faith to the point we BELIEVE IN, one is quite happy to 'accept' Christ, or resign oneself to His sovereign will. And by that stage we will say like the prophet of old -  SALVATION IS OF THE LORD!!

Yes, I very strongly believe in the doctrines of grace. This term I prefer over 'Calvinism' because I am not sure of every doctrine Calvin taught. Also, by using the term 'Calvinism' makes it sound that Calvin was the originator of these doctrines. Not only was Jesus the originator of the doctrines we now call the five doctrines of grace, if we look into history we find Calvin was not even the originator of the systematic study that results in coming up with the five points of grace. The Church of Holland responded to a system started by Jacob Arminius (where we get Arminianism) who was responsible for submitting the five points of the remonstrants' also known as the five points of Arminianism'. The Church of Holland answered the Remonstrants with their own five points called the five points of the Church of Holland, which later became what is known as the five points of Calvinism with a few but significant changes in the context. These five points were later regarded as the five points of 'orthodox' Baptist Churches, commonly known today as the 'Sovereign Grace Baptists.' It is important to underscore that the five points of Calvinism were proposed by the church of Holland 65 years after John Calvin's death!

Last but not least, you will find that the famous number of grace, five, stems out of the five points of Calvinism, and not out of the scriptures. Oddly, the five points of Calvinism stem out of the five points of the remonstrants: That is, if the Remonstrants would have submitted seven points, today we would have seven, not five doctrines of Grace! A close scrutiny of scriptures will show that:
 

 (1) humans are incurably evil

(2) God's call is irrevocable

(3) God elected those He wants to save

(4) God preserves those whom He saves

(5) God predestinated His children

But also: he justified us, redeemed us, Reconciled with us and will glorify us. However, none of the last ones are considered 'doctrines of the grace of God' by most ministers. Oddly, and contrary to total depravity', the above (justification, redemption, reconciliation and glorification) can be assumed as being 'sprinkled' with the grace of God.

At the same time I believe in the doctrines of grace, I certainly believe that one needs faith. As I said from the beginning, where we differ is where that faith comes from, is it something we stir up ourselves or is faith another gift of God?

Let's look at the more commonly held doctrines of Grace:
 

(1) Total depravity

(2) Unconditional election

(3) Limited atonement

(4) Irresistible call

(5) Perseverance of the saints
 

The five doctrines of grace. An easy way to remember them is take the first letter of each name and make a word out of them T-U-L-I-P.

Lets go over it in more detail: 

Total depravity: the absolute total, dead, helplessness of man - he can't even want to believe in the things of God - or help himself gain enough merit for God to grant him salvation - or even do any kind of 'good works' that God would recognize to put us in better standing with God.

It must be made clear that in "Total depravity" we do not mean man is as bad as he CAN be or that he is ALWAYS committing some sin and as a result of such terrible sins and so many sins God cannot let man into heaven. The seriousness of sin nor the amount of sin has nothing to do with it. It is the impossibility of changing ones status back to an innocent person from a person guilty of sin once he has committed that first sin. Seriousness of sin and how many count when it comes to handing out degree of punishment but not when it comes to separating us from God in the first place. This may help in understanding why in James 2:10 it makes it clear that only one sin committed in our lifetime will be enough to send us to hell. Why?  Because that one sin changes our status from innocent to Guilty of sin. Once we are guilty of sin that can never be changed.

He can't even pray as he ought with just his own nature.

Unconditional election:
In God's eternal purpose He has elected certain ones to be saved while others were not elected to this end. Since man in his depravity cannot even want to come to God, God puts no strings attached to one's salvation. God does all that is necessary to bring about the elects salvation by providing the substitute and the Holy spirit nature that causes man to believe and do good works pleasing to God. He does this only for those whom he elected to be saved - so, as far as God is concerned in His eternal purpose there is a:

Limited atonement:
This is not man's concern. The commission God gave to man was to preach the Gospel to the whole world, and that is what we should do with every effort, not thinking all the time that God has only a limited number of people He will save. That knowledge is only for our information so we do not get discouraged when only a few people get saved even with our greatest effort. It should not interfere with our effort to reach the lost. God has told us to go out into the world to preach, teach, witness, encourage - make as clear as possible the Gospel to the unsaved of this world, with the intention of teaching that one so he can understand his lost, depraved state and to accept Christ and His work as a substitute for their own works. We do not know how God has ordained an individual to be influenced into coming to Christ. Usually before one is actually saved there are events in his life that will influence his starting to get interested in his spiritual needs. God always uses physical means to accomplish this, although it still takes the work of the Holy Spirit/nature that God has just quickened in us to cause us to understand what God is telling us. Man sees only this physical event that changes a person's direction - but God is there - working secretly behind the scene. It could be the way of life of the person witnessing to him that might so impress that individual that he is directed to Christ. So our way of life is very important. Of course the bottom line is that God's Holy nature He quickened in the new convert must move that person to notice that person's life style and be so impressed by it it influences that person's mind and causes that person to become interested in his spiritual needs, which in the end changes him from a lost person, to a saved person - but he uses man as tools to deliver the message in the first place.

As far as man is concerned the atonement is open to everyone, simply because we do not know who the elect are - BUT GOD DOES - And to God the atonement and call of the Holy spirit is limited to His elect.

Irresistible grace:
We cannot refuse - or reject the effectual call of the Holy Spirit. If we could, God could not state in such indisputable language - I predestinate, I call, I justify, I glorify - without considering the IF of man co-operating by bowing to the Holy Spirit's call. 

Perseverance of the saints:
Since it is God who provided the sacrifice - then the Holy nature in us causes an individual to respond to that call and believe, and in no way waits on man's natural mind to accept or reject God's salvation, it only stands to reason that staying saved is not a result of man's ability to do good works to please God either, or dependent on man not changing his mind after saying yes, we understand we are kept saved by the power of God in us.
 

We must say with the apostles - "SALVATION IS TRULY OF THE LORD, THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH."

(or - Salvation is truly of the Lord, the author, and all the way to the finish of our faith)

Lets look at a couple of scripture to show what I have said here is from the Bible, and as usual use the Bible as our last court of appeal, in other words, believe it rather than our own understanding.

God has X number of people elected to be saved and when this life is over He will have that same X number of people with Him in heaven He had planned in the first place, from before the foundation of the world. He will not end up with W number of people because some of the called refused to co-operate by believing. On the other hand He is not going to end up with Y number of people either, because some preachers were extra persuasive and a few more people were saved than God had originally elected. No - God has His X number of people, the elect, the effectual call of the Holy Spirit goes out to them only, where ever they are. God knows who the elect are and where they are, and the ones the Holy Spirit calls will be saved and will be with God through eternity.

I have tried to make God's plan of Salvation and His grace as plain as I possibly could in my own humble way. Things I have come to see over the years by my own study and reading of God's word, using the Bible as my only textbook and last court of appeal. I learned very early in my Christian life that the words of man, no matter how educated or well known he is could not be trusted. In fact those educated, well known people use that very thing to bulldoze over the common folk who are not so well educated, so these uneducated just simply put their trust in these educated people, believing anything they say without checking the Bible if it is so. I also learned very early in my Christian life scriptural knowledge does not come from the class room, it comes only by revelation, by the Holy spirit nature working in a person's mind. Therefore, I have no respect at all in a person who just uses his education or position - even as a pastor - as an excuse to say whatever he wants and if people don't believe him he gets all upset because they do not accept his highly educated remarks. (Pastors are not infallible any more than the pope is) - they can and do make mistakes and have error in doctrine like any other man. If a pastor was right just because he is a pastor - that God taught him all things just because he is a pastor - then we would not have all the different opinions on certain subjects that exists even among our own churches. Wouldn't that be nice to have that assurance of being taught correctly!!!) But we do have these differences among pastors - So are they all right? or does God - in reality - allow error be mixed in among pastors as well as anybody else? To listen to many of them you'd think they can't be wrong because they are a pastor - that kind of man is a grave danger to the church because he puts himself on a pedestal where nobody dare question him - a position God never intended for a pastor of a New Testament Church - that I have ever read in the Bible anyway. Let's look at what God thinks of worldly wisdom: 

The case with the author of this book I'm making comments on is a case in point. I pointed out in the very beginning that he lied openly to what we people who believe in the doctrines of grace believe. It does not take much study of our beliefs to see how blatantly he lied, but I wonder how many will take the time to expose his lies for themselves.

Such is the natural man!!

Dear reader -- do you really believe the Bible? Do you really believe salvation to be a free gift of God given with no merit on your part? If you do then beyond doubt you are saved. If you do not believe this, and you are still depending on something you do, and that includes stirring up your own faith or holding onto some kind of responsibilities you deem God to have for you, and it is something you can boast about doing, then, in fact, you do not believe in God's word or His grace no matter how much you insist you do, you are traveling down that wide road to destruction with the greater part of mankind. Read Galatians 3:1-5 again carefully and prayerfully. If you get to heaven you will be thanking God throughout eternity for that grace that brought you there, not strutting around boasting how good, or smart you were in accepting that offer, and claiming God owed you so much for all you did for him!!!

You can see dear reader that the popular beliefs believed by the world are completely reversed to the Bible teaching. In fact if any particular doctrine is popular with the world in general you can be certain it is in error, not in harmony with the Bible. That goes for all Bible doctrines. They have been mutilated by man, and that's why we have so many denominations today, because so many men go it on their own and drag so many into the ditch with them. Remember the saying 'the blind leading the blind'? Well that's from the Bible, and it is still true, especially when spiritually blind people try to lead other spiritually blind people - they both end up in the 'big ditch.'

The natural mind just cannot understand, and be in unity with God. The most important doctrine is salvation of course. Man teaches we must accept the gift offered (making 'ACCEPT CHRIST' as the first step in salvation when in fact it is the last) - we must let Him into our heart - we must repent of our sins (changing the meaning of repent to something we can do) THEN God will save us - that God cannot do anything unless one lets Him. All this completely opposite to the teaching of scripture - which teaches man cannot understand unless God makes the first move by mixing hearing with faith by making us alive (quickening - the activating of a new Holy nature in us) which causes regeneration and repentance - which brings about faith and BELIEF, and that finishes in ACCEPTING (or resigning oneself to God's will, or what His Holy nature is doing in us.)

Where do you stand dear reader? You do not learn all this in the class room, it only comes by revelation from God's Holy nature working in you, after prayerful study of the Bible. Because of this I cannot respect any degree man may have even if from a Bible school. As we have read, spiritual knowledge comes only from the Holy spirit nature working in us, not from man's teaching no matter how good a Christian he may be, he may be teaching the truth, but still it takes that Holy nature in us to reveal those truths to us. I do not mean to say school learning is completely wasted, things like leadership, administration, etc., training might come in handy. Even then, if God has called a person to a certain position He will make sure that person has the gifts (or qualifications) needed to fill that position, and it will be God's gift, not man's education God will provide. If you rely on your schooling to teach you spiritual things you will be way off the mark, like so many others are. Will you pass these things I have pointed out off because they do not conform to what you learned in class taught by men with lots of degrees, and yet here I am with a totally different outlook, and me with no degree at all and yet I expect you to listen to me and not all these learned men - seemingly anyway.

NO I DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO LISTEN TO ME, BUT I DO EXPECT YOU TO LISTEN TO WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN AS YOU CLAIM, BE CAUSE THE BIBLE SAYS THE SAME THING TO RICH AND POOR, IGNORANT OR EDUCATED.
 

All I ask you to do is consider all that has been said, very seriously - taking into account the consequence of error. 
 
 

APPENDAGES

I would like here to clarify certain words and doctrines I have covered here.
 

Appendage one:

First on the list is 'Grace'. Just what does Grace mean. Oh yes, I know the basic meaning of Grace, the accepted meaning - "unmerited favor." But what does that really mean? Every denomination has it's own idea of what it means - they all say they believe in Grace - but in actual fact they believe anything but, they don't have a clue what Grace really is. Most people don't.

Let's take a look at a couple of explanations given by different people that might help clarify the deepest meaning of Grace. I will quote an explanation from Arthur W. Pink's book - "The Sovereignty of God." Quote -

"An esteemed friend who kindly read this book in it's manuscript form, and to whom we are indebted for a number of excellent suggestions, has pointed out that, grace is something more than "unmerited favor". To feed a tramp who calls on me is "unmerited favor," but it is scarcely grace. But suppose that after robbing me I should feed this starving tramp -- that would be "grace". Grace, then, is favor shown where there is positive de-merit in the one shown it. "Unquote.

Grace is something more than unmerited favor - my sentiments exactly.

I think that is a very good explanation of the deepest meaning of grace. To do one a favor or some good when that person fights against you tooth and nail every step of the way - like our human nature does against the Holy Spirit nature in us. That is Grace - that takes love!!! I also like my own version taken from a verse right out of the Bible and paraphrased to be used as an explanation.

Quote - "Grace is: God working out His will in our life according to His purpose which He ordained for us before the world began." unquote.

That is taken from Ephesians 2:10. If you look at verse 8&9 of that chapter you will find he is talking of Grace. I really do believe, after all other things have been said and done, that the bottom line is - God's grace is merely God working out in our lives the things He planned for us all along, all the events - good and bad - He ordained for our lives long before world events ever got started. Or in other words the way things happen is the way it Pleased the Lord to ordain (planned) things to happen.

But how accurate are these definitions according to the original Greek or Hebrew text of the original language they were written in. Let's look at Strong's concordance for his interpretation of the original words. 

Grace - as defined by Strong's Concordance.

There are four words in the Hebrew used for grace. They are:

1. 2580 - Chên (pronounced khane): from 2603 = Graciousness. i.e. Subj.(kindness, favor) or objective (beauty) favor, gracious) pleasant, precious, (well)favored.

2. 2143 - Zêker (zag'-ker) from 2142. A memento. Amstar. recollection. (Rarely if ever used); by implication - commemoration. memorial, memory, remembrance, scent. Additional from 2142 - mark, as to be recognized.

3. 8467 - TeChinnâh (tekh-in-naw) from 2603. graciousness. caus. entreaty, favor, grace, supplication.

4. 5485 Cûwcîy (soo-see') No definition is given under this number. We must look under several numbers(words) to get its true meaning. It refers us to:

5483: Cûwc(soos) talks about horses & birds - does not apply, but refers us to:

5. 6571: Pârâsh (par-rash) refers back to 5483 - but also adds: by implication: driver (in a chariot) or i.e. (collect) cavalry - horsemen. It refers us to:

6. 6567: Pârâsh (paw-rash); prime root: to separate. Literally to disperse or fig; to specify. Also by imply: to wound: scatter, declare, distinctly, shew, string.

7. 5485: in Greek.

Charis (khar'-ece) graciousness,(as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, or concrete; literal, figuratively or spiritual: especially the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life; including gratitude: acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, gracious), joy liberality, pleasure, thank(s), thank (worthy). refer to 5483 - pardon or rescue, deliver, frankly forgive, (freely) give, grant.

Especially the divine influence upon the heart and it's reflection in the life:

This is the meaning that is used most often in scripture - the meaning we should make special note of:

Here are a few examples where each number(word) is used:

2580: (Show kindness, favor. Used about 76 times. Never used where salvation is referred to.

En 6:8 Noah found grace in the eyes of God.

Ex 33:12 hats also found grace in my sight.

Ruth 2:10 Why have I found grace in thine eyes.

Prov 1:9 an ornament of grace unto thy head.

1 Sam 1:18 handmaid find grace in thy sight.

1 Sam 16:4 that I may find grace in thy sight.

2143: (Mark, as to be recognized.) Used only once: James 1:11.

8467: (Show favor, supplication.) Used only once:Ezra 9:8.

5485: (To separate specify, distinguish, guide as a horseman a horse or a chariot driver guiding his horse. Used about 127 times. Used only where talking about salvation.

Luke 2:40 and the grace of God was upon him.

Romans 1:5 by whom we have received grace and

Romans 3:24 being justified freely by His grace.

Romans 11:5 according to election grace.

Romans 11:6 if by grace, then it is no more works.

Romans 11:6 if by grace, then it is no more works.

Romans 11:6 otherwise grace is no more grace.

Romans 11:6 of works, then it is no more grace.

Ephesians 2:8 by grace are ye saved through faith.

Ephesians 3:2 the dispensation of the grace of God.

Ephesians 3:7 according to the gift of the grace of God.

Titus 3:7 that being justified by His grace, we

2 Peter 3:18 grow in grace, and in the knowledge

Rev 22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be

5485 - in the Greek. God's influence in us, etc. Used about 127 times.

Since the New Testament was written mostly in Greek this is the meanings we should really be concerned with.

The above examples used with the Hebrew meanings are also good for the Greek meanings. It is used only where salvation is concerned.

You can see that even the definition for grace accepted by the world's religions - including Baptists - cannot be relied on. That is: "Grace is unmerited favor." Although it does mean that, that certainly is not its deepest meaning and does not convey the truest meaning the author intends to put across to us. I, for many years have not accepted that as the deepest meaning of grace. If you look back to my own definition of grace it comes much closer to the meaning Strong gives the words used for salvation - found under 5485 and several other numbers it refers to, in his concordance.

Although it is close to the meaning Strong gives for grace I will still revise my definition of grace to:

"Grace is: God's influence in our lives, separating us from the world and making a distinction between us and the world, then proceeding to guide us through life according to the plan He ordained for us before the foundation of the world."

(A paraphrase of Ephesians 2:8-10)

Yes He does guide us through this life like a horseman his horse or a chariot driver his team, through whatever the master requires of him, whether it is through a terrible battle or to a welcome water hole.

The only difference, God leads us from within - the heart - by that new nature He has "seeded" in a Christian.

If you cannot accept the above definitions because all your life you have been taught differently about what grace means your quarrel is not with me but Strong' s concordance. Is his interpretation of the Greek/Hebrew words correct?

Appendage two:

Another thing I would like to go over is my use of God's Holy nature at work in us. Is it really God's own nature that God puts in us when we are born again, it seems there are some that do not believe this. Well obviously we are born with something as the term implies. Lets look at a few verses of scripture to answer this question. The Holy Spirit in inspiring the writing of scripture uses different terms to describe what that was that was "born in us".

They are: "the divine nature" as mentioned in: 

Another term used by the Holy spirit is "Seed" - as used in: 

Why can't we live a life of sin? Because of that Holy seed in us not letting us. That seed works in our minds and we do by nature (just naturally, without being told) the things God requires of us which we could never do with our sinful, depraved nature. And now because of this Holy seed in us causing us to do by nature God's demands we will do a much more thorough job of it than we ever could with that full-of-sin human nature. We still will not be perfect because God still permits the old nature to show it's ugly head from time to time - sin in some form or other. Another term the Holy Spirit uses is - "the Holy Spirit" - or just - "Spirit." These last terms are used in the vast majority of cases. Lets read: 

I think it is made quite clear here that if you don't have God's Holy nature/Holy seed/ Holy Spirit dwelling in you then you are not saved. Any effort to do good works would be futile even if you did want to. If you are born again then you do have God's Holy nature/seed/ Spirit in you and it is that Holy dweller in you that will prompt your mind to believe and do good, even your prayers will be different prompted by this new nature. No good can come from our sinful depraved nature as described by God in the Bible in several different places. Does the Bible ever say it is this new Holy - Nature/Seed/ Spirit that works in us making us think and act different, not our own nature? It sure does in many places. lets read: 

Here we run across another term used to refer to that Holy dweller in our heart - "the faith of the Son of God." Lets go on to more scripture saying the same thing. This next scripture describes the conflict between our depraved sinful human nature which still is there in us and that new Holy - Nature/seed /Spirit that has been born in us: 

This describes very clearly the constant conflict inside of a saved person between our own human nature and the new Holy Nature God gave us at our rebirth. It explains why we can be so Godlike (or spiritual) one minute and the next be so ungodlike - human like.

Are there other scriptures that refer to this new nature that works out God's will in us and not our own nature being "good"? There sure are - let's look at a few: 

Against such there is no law. We could follow no law or decrees that would create the attributes mentioned here, they are strictly the fruits of (or result of) the new Holy nature in us. Let's look at: 

It is God working in us - another term to indicate a Holy dweller in us, that puts the will to do His will in us by prompting our mind then leading us each step of the way till His work is complete.

 Another scripture: 

Working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight. Whatever we are we are just the pot made by the potter to fit into His master plan as He sees fit - some to a high and glorious station in life or like most of us just an "average Joe", and a few others who don't grow much at all spiritually. It's all God's doing, making a variety in life so that any outsider (unsaved person) looking on would think it is all taking place just - by chance - we as individuals that make the decisions. But a person saying he is saved strutting around boasting about how good he is and how much he has done for God - I really don't know about him - the Bible plainly says we have nothing to boast about - all good that comes from us is the work of the Holy-Nature/seed/Spirit in us that causes the change in thinking and of course when our thinking changes our activities will change to reflect the change in thinking. When a person can't see that and boasts that the change was his doing - I really don't know about him?? I must just leave that to God, only He knows.

To understand the two natures at work in us I liken them to a pig and a sheep. We all know that the pig and sheep have two distinct natures completely opposite each other. The pig likes to root around in the mud and get covered from head to tail in mud. Even his body is made for this kind of life. His body has no fur, just bare skin with a few stubble you might call hair. Even his snout is made for rooting around in the mud. So we know God made the nature of pig to enjoy this kind of life in all ways. You can take a pig out of this environment and clean it's body up, but as soon as you release him where would he head for? The nearest mud puddle - and if there was none handy he would root around in the ground to make one of his own. That's a pig's nature. A sheep on the other hand is a different story. It is not made for rooting in mud. For one, it has a heavy coat of wool which would soak up several pounds of water and mud if it did get into the mud making it so heavy it could hardly move. So a sheep stays away from the mud and frolics around in the grass on dry ground, the drier the ground the better. That's a sheep's nature. But what would happen if for some reason God gave a pig another nature - he adds a sheep's nature alongside the pig's own nature in this pig. Then we would have a whole new creature wouldn't we? What would we call it - a pi sheep or something like that? Anyway, think how confused that animal would be and how it would look in the eyes of it's peers in both the pig family and the sheep family. It could not be accepted in either one. It has both natures so some times you will see it rooting around in the mud having a joyful time. Seemingly anyway. The pig nature in it would be enjoying itself, but the sheep nature would be VERY unhappy because it cannot be happy rooting around in the mud despite it has the pig's body to do so. The sheep nature does not understand the difference in body so it fights against that rooting around in the mud. Other pigs might even accept it as long as he is rooting around in the mud. But when the sheep's nature is dominant and getting it's way and that pig is running around and frolicking in the grass and eating grass like a sheep - then the sheep nature would be happy as can be and the pig would be unhappy - and it would not be accepted by either animal family. It would be totally out of place.

This may sound foolish - why would God put a sheep's nature in a pigs body? Literally He probably wouldn't. But figuratively He does exactly that with us humans. Just exchange the name pig for human nature and sheep for God's Holy nature. We Christians are the "pigs" God has put the "sheep" nature in. And just like the "pisheep" we are not accepted in this world in either family. We are outcasts and persecuted by our fellow man, and yet we can not go to heaven as long as we are in the flesh - God cannot look upon us and we cannot go into His presence, we need a mediator - Jesus Christ - to do that for us. I think the verses I quoted some distance back describes this nature and it's conflict between the "pig" nature and our "sheep" nature to a tee. This conflict will exist in our being as long as we are in the flesh - when we get to heaven we will fight the Holy nature in us no more. Give God the praise!!!

Amen.

Appendage three:

One more question that comes up. Is all that is mentioned in this article some kind of new revelation? I thought there would be no new knowledge revealed after the times of the apostles? You are exactly right. But surely, surely you can see from the scriptures I have given that the knowledge I have talked about here comes from just that source - the writings of the apostles - and especially from Jesus' own words as well as His hand chosen apostle - Paul. The Bible also says that all scripture is inspired by the Holy spirit so it does not matter who made the statement in the Bible - if it's there - then it is God breathed - it is there by God's approval. Jesus, with all his disciples taught what I do here - as well as His church down through history to our day. Good Baptist churches (true churches of Jesus Christ) still teach these doctrines today - so if you have not heard of them before you are going to the wrong church - even if called Baptist. The doctrines I put forward here was also taught by all the leaders of the Protestant reformation. The Catholic church suppressed these truths, but the leaders of the reformation returned them to their rightful position in Christian teaching throughout Christianity, they were not just taught in the Lord's true churches as they had been for many years. It was not until the end of the 1800s that these doctrines were once again begun to be ignored and lost to the general Christian populace, slowly at first, first by the big churches like the Church of England (the Catholic Church never did restore them) then since then has filtered down through all churches even to the Evangelical churches and even Baptist Churches.

So - one must be very careful what church he joins himself to. No these are not new doctrines I teach but the doctrines of the Bible, of Jesus and the apostles, of the disciples and of the early churches, so it is best you listen to them. If you do not belong to a church that teaches all, or at least most of these doctrines you belong to the wrong church.

May God bless you for reading this article - and may he teach you the precious truths contained herein!!
 
 
 

ISAIAH 55:11
"SO SHALL MY WORD BE THAT GOETH FORTH OUT OF MY MOUTH: IT SHALL NOT RETURN UNTO ME VOID, BUT IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE, AND IT SHALL PROSPER IN THE THING WERE TO I SENT IT."
 
 

*** EXAMINATION FOR ***

FOR MY STAND ON
THE DOCTRINES OF
GRACE

1. Please complete examination and mail to address at end.
2. Please write legibly - it is to your advantage that we can read your answer.
3.  Use KJV Bible to look up required scriptures to answer questions.

=========================

1) What is there about the teachings behind the Doctrines of Grace (also called Calvinism)  that make it so hated by the general world population - even among so many calling themselves Christians?

2) There are many prominent men who oppose this system called Calvinism - what does this force those of us who do believe in this system into or God's truth would disappear from the face of the earth.

3)  A man in his opposition to Calvinism writes in his book this statement - "Calvinists do not believe faith is needed in salvation, or at best give lip service to the need but the actual teachings if looked closely at contradict it in actual practice".  Is that a fair and accurate statement of Calvinists belief?

4) What do we call the system of those who oppose Calvinism adhere to?

5) In fact - what is the big difference in what Calvinism believes and what Arminianism teaches concerning faith?

6) What problem arises from human nature and the extremes they  tend to fall into on both sides of Calvinism/Arminianism issue

7) Where is it that the faith to believe comes from:
A - oneself                   B - it's a gift from God.

8) Can faith be considered a work of our own if this was something we had to stir up within ourselves?

9) Can faith be stirred up by oneself?

10) What is God's demand of us toward Him?

11) Can we meet that demand ourselves?

12) Can we want to believe in God in and of ourselves?

13) Can we want to or and are we capable of following God's precepts in and of ourselves?

14) If the answer to question 11-12-13 is no - where does the "want to" and the capability to come from?

15) Is your answer to 14 consistent with Isaiah 64:7?

16) Give at least one other scripture consistent with the scripture in 14.

17) In life and salvation there are 2 kinds of calls - name them.

18) Are both calls a call of grace unto salvation?

19) Name the call that is only an intellectual call but not of God therefore will not save.

20) Name the call that is irresistible and will result in salvation of the person called without a shadow of doubt.

21) In John 10:25-29 what error does the Arminian make in quoting this statement - "but ye do not believe because you are not of my sheep.?"

22) What is another word for sheep that would help clarify the meaning of these verses?

23) According to John 10:25-29 what is the qualification in being saved:
A- be saved first then one becomes a sheep?
B- be a sheep first then one is saved at some point in life.

24) When did we become sheep?

25) What does this demonstrate about the natural man and his beliefs verses what the Bible teaches? (they are in what order to truth)

26) How is mankind brought to a saving knowledge of God?

27) We noted a while ago that the call of the Spirit is that call that saves - brings us to Christ - give another word that is used for that work.

28) Name at least 3 different names given that which is put in us at our being born of God.

29) How many sins does it take to separate us from God and send us on our way to hell?

30) Why? What does even one sin do?

31) Because of our human depravity at what stage in life can we expect to start sinning?

32) When we have been born again with God's Holy Spirit in us - does that change our own nature?

33) Does our own nature:
A. Change and want to please God?
B. stay the same rebellious spirit against God working in us, liking the same old ways?

34) Is this rebellious nature pretty obvious to ourselves and or others?

35) Is the idea that a new nature has been born in us scriptural?  - give scripture.

36) In John 3:3 - is this new nature what Jesus is talking about in this verse that must be born in us to enable us to "see" (understand or comprehend)  the kingdom of God?

37) Would it be correct to state that it is the influence of that new Nature that causes one to believe and obey God's precepts?

38) Would it be correct to state it is this influence of the Holy nature that is now in a saved person that is irresistible to the person that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (born again)?

39) Would it be reasonable to understand that since all this work is started and carried out by God without  any input of one's ow, that it will be God that carries it through to completion - without any input by the individual concerned?

40) We refer to the influence of God's Holy nature causing us to do the things pleasing to God - is this consistent with Strong's Bible Concordance definition of Grace?

41) So can we safely say that grace means more than a simple - "God's unmerited favor?"

42) What must we preach if we wish to get any results of people getting saved as a result of our preaching?

43) Will preaching a good moral life save?

44) Will preaching about the true church save?

45) Will preaching the proper method of The Lord's Supper save?

46) Will preaching proper Baptism be saved?

47) Is there anything wrong with teaching any of the above mentioned doctrines?

48) What are some important facts about Jesus we should teach about Jesus?

49) "Believe" means to "accept as fact" - but is there a deeper meaning to this word?

50) Give a deeper meaning of  "believe-in in".

51) Do we have the responsibility of keeping any of the law to earn our salvation?

52) Why?

53) If the Lord Jesus took over our responsibility and kept the law for us - does this mean we can live as we like?

54) In considering question 53 - what must we remember about who is dwelling in us?

55) Will that who is living in us let us live in sin as if He wasn't there?

56) So even if we were to say "yes" to question 53 (we CAN live as we like) -
A. Is our likes and dislikes the same as they were as an unsaved person?
B. changed under the influence of the new -   Holy nature at work in us?

57) What is the Gospel as defined by Paul?

58) What 2 purposes did Jesus come to this life for concerning our salvation?

59) A. being dead spiritually    B. being spiritually discerned
C. Cannot understand the things of the Spirit       D. Mind is not subject to God's law
E. natural mind is hostile to God.

What point of The Doctrines of Grace does those statements support?

60) What 3 elements did Adam and Eve consist when they were created?

61) Which of these elements did Adam and Eve lose when they fell?

62) As a result of Adam and Eve's sin and fall and loss of this one element - what does this mean referring to every descendent of theirs since then?

63) In John 3:3 Jesus says we must be born again - is He referring to this Holy Spirit Element Adam and Eve lost and is He saying one must have this Holy Spirit  restored in us in order for us to have the ability to "see" God's Kingdom?

64) Does just being religious guarantee that one is on the way to heaven?

65) What well known New Testament figure is a good illustration that being religious and zealous is not necessarily a sign of being born of the new nature God demands of us?

66) What change came about the person of question 65 when God revealed Himself to that person?

67) What other New Testament scripture proved true seeing what happened to this man as a result of his conversion?

68) Was this man seeking God when converted?

69) In fact what had this man been doing before God revealed Himself to him?

70) Where was this man on His way to and what for when God stopped him and on his journey and revealed Himself to this man?

71) This man was definitely not seeking God so who was it doing the seeking, revealing and saving of this man?

72) Why did God seek out this man and save him?

73) When were the plans made for this man's conversion and work appointed for him to carry out laid out?

74) By the "Total depravity of man" - we understand this to mean
A. Man is as bad as he can be?
B. Man can not do the least bit of good
C. The impossibility of man changing his "guilty of sin" status back to "innocent of any guilt" status once he has committed his first sin?

75) Because of our sinful nature at how early in life does one commit his first sin?

76) Does God give any conditions that man must meet before God will save him?

77) What point of the The doctrines of grace does the answer to question 76 deal with?

78) Does God call:
A. Everyone without exception?
B. People from around the whole world out of every tongue, tribe and nation - but not everyone every single individual of those groups?

79) What point of the doctrines of Grace does the answer to question 78 deal with?

80) What is another name for God's sheep?

81) Give a scripture that states plainly Jesus died specifically for His sheep?

82) How dos God bring a person to Christ:
A.  by steamroling over one's own will forcing His own will on man even against his screaming and struggles in protest of being saved?
B. By gently entering that person's heart and quietly revealing Himself to the individual's heart and mind which the end result will be a person made willing to have Christ as their lord and Savior.

83) Can anyone refuse salvation - refuse God entering their heart and say - "No, I don't want you coming into my heart"?

84) Since we are elected, ordained, sought out and called out and God is born in us all at God's initiative - who is it that completes the process by preserving us for life and eternity. A. Man           B. God

85) What must we conclude With Paul about who is in control of our salvation?

86) In salvation as taught in the Bible and believed by teachers of the doctrines of Grace - what is the order of progress:
A. Man accepts God and lets God into his heart and then we are born again of the Holy Spirit?
B. Entrance of Holy spirit (which is the rebirth) who causes man to accept  Christ as Savior.

87) If we love the things of God and love each other (other Christians) what is that a sign of that has taken place?

88) What 2 things should we look for in a professing Christian to evaluate whether that profession is valid - true?

89) When we live a life of good works are those good works:
A. "of " our own nature
B. are they "of" God?

90) If "of God" would that mean the faith that stirred us to do them actually belong to God?

91) If the above question is yes - than we can say that the faith that stirred us up to do the good works was in fact the influence of the Holy Spirit of God working in us causing us to do those good works?

92) What is the word that we use to describe the work involved in question 91?

93) In Ephesians 2:8-9 it states that it is by Grace we are saved through faith - Can we say from out understanding of Grace that it is the work of God's Holy spirit that causes us to come to Christ in the first place - It is the influence of God's Holy Spirit working within us that upholds us throughout our physical lives - and it is the influence of God's Holy Spirit that working in us that sees to it that we enter God's Holy Heaven for all eternity at the end of our lives.

94) When did God's Grace toward us actually start:
A. when we were saved?
B. At God's determinate counsel?
C. Back in eternity in the mind and purpose of God?

95) Sanctify means to "SET APART" - from what we have learned in this course can you determine the stages of our being "set apart"?

END EXAMINATION

Please mail completed exam to:

Pastor  D. Paul Tuck
48 Cobbler Cr
North York
Ontario, Canada
M3N 2Y7

Phone/Fax -- 416-739-1895
E-mail -- bpulpit@attcanada.at