"WARNING: Do not attend a church which prefers science to Scripture, reason to revelation, theories to Truth, culture to conversion, benevolence to Blood, goodness to grace, sociability to spirituality, play to praise, programs to power, reformation to regeneration, speculation to salvation, jubilation to justification, feelings to faith, politics to precepts." (Author unknown)
I realize that my poll questions were too simple (yes/no and true/false). Hopefully I'll become a better pollster. I am going to give a brief explanation to my answers starting with the first one.
Jesus died for everyone? True or False?
I believe the answer to this one is false. Christ did not just make it possible for someone to be saved. His blood actually saved those whom he came to save. Matt 1:21 reveals, "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save HIS people from their sins." Matt 20:28 says that "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for MANY." Jesus said, in John 10:14-15, "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me... and I lay down my life for the sheep." He came for his people, not all people; for many, not all; for his sheep, not goats. Jesus also made it clear that he will not lose any of his sheep (John 10:28). If he died for his sheep and will not lose any of his sheep and not all people receive eternal life (Matt 7:13-14) it is clear that he did not die for all people. Jesus went so far as to say to God in his high priestly prayer, "I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours." We cannot conclude that Jesus died for those whom He would not even pray for.
To put it simply, Christ died only to save the elect and He secured, in no uncertain terms, their salvation. That does not mean that the power of God is lacking as if He is not able to save all men. Rather, God's Word reveals that it was the Father's intention that his Son was to suffer and die only for his chosen people, atoning for their sins alone. Christ's atonement was limited only in extent, not in power, according to the sovereign will of God. Unless you believe in "Universal Atonement" (that Christ died for everyone and everyone will definitely be saved) than you believe that the atonement was limited in one way or another. You either believe that Christ's work on the cross was limited in its power (it was not powerful enough to save everyone - only make it possible) or you believe that it was limited in its extent (it was not intended for everyone - only those whom he predestined)
Greg Bahnsen put it well: "If redemption were indefinite and potential, then none would be saved. For man, who is dead in sin and unable to receive the things of the Spirit of God (cf. Eph. 2:1; I Cor. 2:14), would never be able to appropriate that potential redemption for himself. No man is able to come to Christ except that Father draw him (John 6:44). The sinner drinks iniquity like water and does not seek God (Job 15:16; Rom. 3:11), so he can no more choose to come to Christ and gain for himself the benefits of the atonement than a leopard can change his spots (Jer. 13:23). Praise be to God who did not make only partial atonement for the sins of his people, who did not allow the salvation of His elect to be thwarted by leaving it up to them to respond, who fully saved us by having His Son actually obtain salvation for His sheep!"
"If I had my way, I would declare a moratorium [a suspension of an ongoing or planned activity] on public preaching of 'the plan of salvation' in America for one to two years. Then I would call on everyone who has use of the airways and the pulpits to preach the holiness of God, the righteousness of God and the law of God, until sinners would cry out, 'What must we do to be saved?' Then I would take them off in a corner and whisper the gospel to them. Such drastic action is needed because we have gospel-hardened a generation of sinners by telling them how to be saved before they have any understanding why they need to be saved."
~ Paris Reidhead, Getting Evangelicals Saved
Here's another very short video clip telling the story of the suffering of Adoniram and Ann Judson and God's sovereignty in our own sufferings.
Here's a real short video clip of John Piper exposing the misunderstanding that many, in the church today, have about "receiving Christ."
"If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified."
~ Leonard Ravenhill
Here's a couple more short clips from Paul Washer. Very Good!
Eternal Life Tracking Out God
Saved for Sonship and Worship
Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all. While we are looking at God, we do not see ourselves -- blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One.
~ A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
"Dear friend, whose presence in the house,Katrina just got some presents in the mail from her Mummu (Grandma) and Papa Dean so she got to have another little mini-birthday. Here's a little video of it.
"He who will not learn from anyone except himself has a fool for a teacher."
"If you always go where you have always have gone and always do what you have always done, you will always be what you have always been."
~ Tristan Gylberd
True saints have their minds, in the first place, inexpressibly pleased and delighted with the sweet ideas of the glorious and amiable nature of the things of God. And this is the spring of all their delights, and the cream of all their pleasures...
~ Jonathan Edwards - Religious Affections
Here's my students in the Omnibus class. It has really been a blessing to brainwash, I mean teach them. They are all doing excellent. Its been just a little over a week and we've already read Chosen by God (RC Sproul), Genesis, and we are half way through Exodus. It's awesome seeing their minds grind and smoke as they reason things out and struggle through deep theological questions. For me, its heaven; its hard work but a blast.
"An analogy of God’s work of preservation may be seen in the image of a father holding onto his small child’s hand as they walk together. In the Arminian view the safety of the child rests in the strength of the child’s grip on the father’s hand. If the child lets go he will perish. In the Calvinist view the safety of the child rests in the strength of the father’s grip on the child. If the child’s grip fails, the father’s grip holds firm. The arm of the Lord does not wax short."
