Stop gossiping

Gossips cause distance

• Proverbs 16:28
  28  A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

Avoid gossips

• Proverbs 20:19
  19  A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.

Gossips cause quarrels

• Proverbs 26:20
  20  Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.

Gossiping accompanies other sins

• 2 Corinthians 12:20
  20  For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.

Remove anger

Don't be angry

• Proverbs 29:8-11
  8  Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.
  9  If a wise man goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.
  10  Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright.
  11  A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

Anger makes you a fool

• Ecclesiastes 7:9
  9  Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

Actively remove anger

• Ephesians 4:31-32
  31  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
  32  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.


• Colossians 3:8 8  But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Anger isn't holy

• James 1:20
  20  for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Contentment

Lean on God

• Philippians 4:11-13
  11  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
  12  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
  13  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Be honest, stop arguing, and be content

• James 4:1-3
  1  What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?
  2  You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
  3  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Budgeting/Planning

Lack of planning leads to ruin

• Luke 14:28-30
  28  "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
  29  For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
  30  saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'


• Proverbs 21:5
  5  The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

Plan ahead

• Proverbs 13:16
  16  Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly.

Comments

• "Trying" doesn't cut it.  You plan for success.

Debt talking points

Debt is evil

• Psalm 37:21a
  21  The wicked borrow and do not repay

Debt isn't normal

• Isaiah 5:20
  20  Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Debt is slavery

• Proverbs 22:7
  7  The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Owe nothing

• Romans 13:7-8
  7  Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
  8  Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

Don't cosign

• Proverbs 22:26-27
  26  Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts;
  27  if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.


• Proverbs 11:15
  15  He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.


• Proverbs 17:18
  18  A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.

Actions, actions, actions ... not words

• Ecclesiastes 5:5-7
  5  It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
  6  Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?
  7  Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.

Don't make excuses,  be honest about the situation

• Galatians 6:7
  7  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Comments

• Debt is evil.  You're a slave to the lender and are responsible for paying things back.  If you are spending money you don't have, you are following the non-righteous (evil) path.

Get out of debt

The debt problem

• Habakkuk 2:7
  7  Will not your debtors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their victim.

Proper method

• Romans 13:7-8
  7  Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
  8  Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

Comments

• Debt causes you to live in a state of fear.  The Bible clearly states that we are to pay people what we owe them.  Don't fool yourself into believing debt is ok.

Things to do and think about

How we are to think

• Philippians 4:8
  8  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

What our life should show

• Galatians 5:22-23
  22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
  23  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Be happy, do good, and enjoy your work

• Ecclesiastes 2:24-26
  24  A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,
  25  for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?
  26  To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Stop worrying

Uselessness of worrying

• Matthew 6:25-27
  25  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
  26  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
  27  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?

One day at a time

• Matthew 6:34
  34  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Don't be anxious

• Philippians 4:6-7
  6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
  7  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Strength against man

• Hebrews 13:6
  6  So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Prayer

Prayer is between just God and you - not for showing off to others

• Matthew 6:5-8
  5  "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
  6  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
  7  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
  8  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

An example of prayer from Christ

• Matthew 6:9-15
  9  "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
  10  your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
  11  Give us today our daily bread.
  12  Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
  13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
  14  For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
  15  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Once saved, the Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers

• Romans 8:26
  26  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

Comments

• Prayer isn't designed for us to "get" what we want from God.  Its main purpose is to bring us into alignment with God's will.  When you pray, you're talking to God.  There are no special words.  It's just you talking to God.

How to get to heaven

We're sinners

• Romans 3:23
  23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Christ died for our sins

• 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
  3  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
  4  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

You must believe Christ died for your sins

• John 3:16
  16  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Christ is the only way into heaven

• John 14:6
  6  Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Comments

• Getting to heaven is a simple matter of believing that you're a sinner and Christ died for your sins.  The key here is belief.  Just saying it does nothing.

Proof Christ was the Jewish Messiah

Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh to refer to its canon, which was later adopted as the Christian Old Testament. In academic circles, the term Hebrew Bible is commonly used to refer to the Tanakh or Old Testament.

With the above in mind, I will use the Old Testament to prove Christ is being spoken of and cross reference the New Testament.  The most notable section of scripture in the Old Testament that speaks of Christ's crucifixion is Psalm 22.

VIRGIN BIRTH
Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:  The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Matthew 1:23 - "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"  - which means, "God with us."

CRUCIFIXION
Psalm 22:1 - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.
Matthew 27:46 - About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" - which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Psalm 22:7 - All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads
Matthew 27:39 - Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads

Psalm 22:8 - "He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him.  Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."
Matthew 27:43 - He trusts in God.  Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, "I am the Son of God."

Psalm 22:16 - Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
John 20:27 - Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it into my side.  Stop doubting and believe."

Psalm 22:18 - They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
Mark 15:24 - And they crucified him.  Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

SACRIFICIAL DEATH
Isaiah 53:5 - But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Romans 4:25 - He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Luke 23:33 - When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals - one on his right, the other on his left.

RESURRECTION
Psalm 16:10 - because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay
Matthew 28:5-6 - The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.

Religious Links

Believers Chapel

This is a church in Dallas, Texas dedicated to teaching the Word of God as presented by the Bible. It’s site has some booklets online discussing various subjects as well as sermons in MP3 format. The church is based upon a belief in the five points of Calvinism.

End Times

This site was created by someone who's done a lot of research about how he see's the end times. I don't vouch for all of its accuracy, but it will make you think.

Proclaiming The Gospel

This site is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting the Gospel. They have a unique slant specifically towards Roman Catholics.

Definitions

Glorification

To give glory, honor, and high praise to; exalt

Justification

To free man to the guilt and penalty attached to sin

Regeneration

Spiritual rebirth; God imparting eternal life to us

Salvation

The deliverance of man from the power and penalty of sin

Santification

To make holy; purify

Premarital Sex

Most of the time when I read the Bible, I read the New International Version (NIV).  Unfortunately, the NIV doesn’t do justice to the subject of premarital sex.  I believe the main problem to be the “loosening” of terminology.  In the King James Version, the word fornication is used 36 times in 32 different verses.  In the New International Version, the word fornication doesn’t appear.  Instead it has been replaced by the phrase “sexual immorality.”  My personal belief is that the phrase sexual immorality is vague and the word fornication should have been used instead.  For anyone that doesn’t know, the definition for the word fornication is sexual intercourse between a man and woman not married to each other.  The verses I go to most often when talking about premarital sex are 1 Corinthians 6:15-20.  I’ve given them below in both the KJV and the NIV so that you could see and read the distinctions between the two versions.  Please note that the Lord makes a distinction that “All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.”  Because the body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, this sin should be guarded against vigilantly.

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1 Corinthians 6:15-20 (KJV)
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.  What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.  But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.  Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Corinthians 6:15-20 (NIV)
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!  Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."  But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.  Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Matthew 19:9 (KJV)
And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Jude 1:7 (KJV)
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Homosexuality

Today, we live in a world where right and wrong seem to be defined in relative terms.  We’re debating whether homosexual couples have equal rights with heterosexual couples.  And, we have homosexuals that are pushing to be recognized as a minority in the eyes of the government.  This debate of morality has even spread to our churches where these same issues are being discussed.  I have even heard so-called preachers teach that the Bible doesn’t say anything about homosexuality.  Nonsense.  You just have to go to Genesis 19:1-14 to see that the Lord destroyed Sodom for the wicked stench of homosexuality.  How about Romans 1:24-32 where God speaks of such things being deserving of death or 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 where God says that those who commit these indecent acts will not enter the kingdom of heaven?  Homosexuality is wrong – plain and simple.

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Genesis 19:1-14 (NIV)
The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.  "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square."  But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.  Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded the house.  They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."  Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing.  Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." "Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them."  They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.  But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door.  Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.  The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here--sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."

Romans 1:24-32 (NIV)
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised.  Amen.  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.  Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.  They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.  They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.  They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NIV)
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Calvinism

God's Attributes

• Omnipotence
• Omniscience
• Omnipresence

History of Calvinism

Biblical Basis for the Five Points of Calvinism

• Total Depravity
• Unconditional Election
• Limited Atonement
• Irresistable Grace
• Perseverance of the Saints
• Synopsis

Logical Discussion of Calvinism & Arminianism

Questions & Objections

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GOD'S ATTRIBUTES

To understand exactly what I believe, first one must understand precisely what I believe about the Lord. God has many attributes, but the three which summarize his entire being are as follows:

1. Omnipotence
2. Omniscience
3. Omnipresence

The backing for these three attributes of God are written into the Bible time and time again; therefore, I will only show a couple of verses to support each attribute.

Omnipotence

Psalm 147:4-5
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

Job 42:2
I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.

Luke 1:37
For nothing is impossible with God.

Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Omniscience

Matthew 6:4,6,8
so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you ... But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you ... Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Psalm 139:1-6
O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

Omnipresence

Psalm 139:7-8
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

Jeremiah 23:23-24
“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.

As one can see, the above verses often speak of more than just one of God’s three attributes. This intermingling of the attributes shows the totality of God’s power, knowledge, and presence.

HISTORY OF CALVINISM

Now that I have explained God and His attributes, a little more in depth study of the plan of salvation is in order. To put it simply, I believe in predestination. Predestination is God’s work in ordaining salvation for people without their prior knowledge. The basis for my belief in predestination is most succinctly stated within the Biblical backing of the five points of Calvinism. The five points of Calvinism were until 1610 the unquestioned view of the Bible taken by the church.

In 1610, the followers of James Arminius came up with the five points of Arminianism. These five points stated as follows directly oppose my beliefs in the five points of Calvinism. The five points of Arminianism are as follows:

1. Each sinner possesses a free will, and his eternal destiny depends on how he uses it.
2. God's choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation of the world was based upon His foreseeing that they would respond to His call.
3. Christ's redeeming work made it possible for everyone to be saved but did not actually secure the salvation of anyone.
4. The call to salvation made specifically by the Holy Spirit can be resisted.
5. Once saved, man can fall from grace and lose his salvation.

In 1618, a national Synod (a council or assembly of churches or church officials) met in Dort for the purpose of examining the views of Arminius in the light of Scripture. There were 84 member and 18 secular commissioners. Included were 27 delegates from Germany, the Palatinate, Switzerland and England. There were 154 sessions held during the seven months that the Synod met to consider these matters, the last of which was on May 9, 1619. These meetings resulted in a total denunciation of the views of Arminianism.

Out of these meetings came the five points of Calvinism (named after John Calvin). These five points are the most succinct way of stating what I believe. I will give the five points and then proceed to provide Biblical backing for each. As above in describing God’s attributes, I am not going to bring in every passage in the Scripture that backs these points, but I will try to capture the Scriptures which most vividly express the proof for each point. The five points and their definitions are as follows:

1. Total Depravity
2. Unconditional Election
3. Limited Atonement
4. Irresistible Grace
5. Perseverance Of The Saints

BIBLICAL BASIS FOR THE FIVE POINTS OF CALVINISM

Total Depravity - Because of the fall, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the gospel. The sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is deceitful and desperately corrupt. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature; therefore, he will not - indeed cannot - choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. Consequently, it takes much more than the Spirit’s assistance to bring a sinner to Christ - it takes regeneration (Spiritual rebirth) by which the Spirit makes the sinner alive and gives him a new nature. Faith is not something man contributes to salvation but is itself a part of God’s gift of salvation - it is God’s gift to the sinner, not the sinner’s gift to God.

Romans 3:9-12
What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Romans 8:6-8
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

1 Corinthians 2:14
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Job 14:4
Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!

John 6:44
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.

1 Corinthians 4:7
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Unconditional Election - God’s choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation of the world rested solely in His own sovereign will. His choice of particular sinners was not based on any foreseen response or obedience on their part, such as faith, repentance, etc. On the contrary, God gives faith and repentance to each individual whom He selected. These acts are the result, not the cause of God’s choice. Election therefore was not determined by or conditioned upon any virtuous quality or act foreseen in man. Those whom God sovereignly elected He brings through the power of the Spirit to a willing acceptance of Christ. Thus God’s choice of the sinner, not the sinner’s choice of Christ, is the ultimate cause of salvation.

2 Timothy 1:9
who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time

Romans 9:11-13,16
Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad - in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls - she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated ... It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

Matthew 11:27
All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Ephesians 1:4-5
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will

2 Thes. 2:13-14
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.

Limited Atonement - Christ’s redeeming work was intended to save the elect only and actually secured salvation for them. His death was a substitutionary endurance of the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners. In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ’s redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith which unites them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, thereby guaranteeing their salvation.

Matthew 22:14
For many are invited, but few are chosen.

Ephesians 1:4-5
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will

Romans 8:28-30
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Titus 2:13-14
while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Colossians 1:21-22
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation

John 6:35-40
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 17:6-10
“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.”

Irresistible Grace - In addition to the outward general call to salvation which is made to everyone who hears the gospel, the Holy Spirit extends to the elect a special inward call that inevitably brings them to salvation. The external call (which is made to all without distinction) can be, and often is, rejected; whereas, the internal call (which is made only to the elect) cannot be rejected; it always results in conversion. By means of this special call the Spirit irresistibly draws sinners to Christ. He is not limited in His work of applying salvation by man’s will, nor is He dependent upon man’s cooperation for success. The Spirit graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ. God’s grace, therefore, is invincible; it never fails to result in the salvation of those to whom it is extended.

Romans 9:18-21
Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

1 Corinthians 12:3
Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:4-7
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

John 3:27
To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.”

1 Corinthians 4:7
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Ephesians 2:4-5
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.

John 1:12-13
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Perseverance Of The Saints - All who were chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and given faith by the Spirit are eternally saved. They are kept in faith by the power of Almighty God and thus persevere to the end.

John 10:27-30
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Jude 1:24-25
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Synopsis Of The Five Points Of Calvinism - Salvation is accomplished by the almighty power of the Triune God. The Father chose a people, the Son died for them, the Holy Spirit makes Christ’s death effective by bringing the elect to faith and repentance, thereby causing them to willingly obey the Gospel. The entire process (election, redemption, regeneration) is the work of God and is by grace alone. Thus God, not man determines who will be the recipients of the gift of salvation.

LOGICAL DISCUSSION OF CALVINISM & ARMINIANISM

The five points of Calvinism and the five points of Arminianism can both stand up to logical reasoning because they are both diametrically opposed to each other on each and every point. Logically, only Calvinism and Arminianism are capable of supporting themselves. Any mixing of the five points between these two beliefs opens inconsistencies in one’s views. Arminianism is based entirely on man. Calvinism is based entirely on God.

Biblically, only the five points of Calvinism can stand. Arminianism can only stand logically if you remove the attributes of God (omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence). First, the concept of being able to reject God’s call goes against Biblical principles. If man was able to reject God, then for that instant of time on that particular subject, man becomes more powerful than God. This concept removes God’s omnipotence. Second, to put it simply, if salvation depended upon man, no one would have assurance of his salvation. Man has neither the knowledge nor the power to guarantee his own salvation. Our assurance of salvation (once saved always saved) can only be there if that assurance comes from the Lord. Third, let’s talk about man’s total depravity. If man is not totally depraved, why exactly did Jesus die on the Cross? If there was any amount of good in man, Jesus would not have had to become the perfect and total substitution on the Cross. Jesus’ death and resurrection did not then nor does it now require any action upon man’s part. God’s master plan is perfect in every regard. The only way God’s master plan could fail is if man with his limited knowledge had anything to do with it. God is omniscient - man is not. Fourth, man’s salvation depends upon nothing but the Lord (unconditional election). Everything from doing good works to being a member of a specific group or denomination is in some way man earning his own way to heaven. Once again, if man is the deciding factor in whether or not he goes to heaven, man becomes more powerful than God on that particular subject. Let’s jump in a little deeper here. If God is waiting for us to choose Him, He is essentially waiting for our answer to the message of the Gospel. God already knows our answer not because he looked down some mystical tunnel and saw how we would decide but because he is omniscient. If God saw our answer by looking down a tunnel and then worked it into his master plan, God would have had to of learned our answer. God does not learn anything - he is already omniscient. Finally, does everyone go to heaven? If your answer happens to be yes, why does the Scripture reference hell more than it does heaven? Christ’s death on the Cross was complete in its purpose. His death secured the salvation of those He came to save (the elect). God has full knowledge of who the elect are through His omniscience, and He has the power to bring the elect to Himself at their individually appointed times because He is omnipotent.

QUESTIONS & OBJECTIONS

If God is in control of everything, doesn’t that mean that we are no more than puppets on strings?

O.K. I can live with this particular analogy. Let me see if I can get you to look at this question from a different perspective. Who is better off - a man who has free will and limited knowledge trying to outguess the next event on the horizon or the puppet who has as its puppetmaster God who is omniscient. Personally, I would much rather see life as God’s master plan which God is guiding me through than a series of random events which God doesn’t have control over. With God in control, I do not have the stress of having to worry about things like what will tomorrow hold, can I provide for myself (& others), and where will I be in the future. God has already taken care of all things. If I thought that I was in control of things, I’d be a basketcase. To simplify things, God is in control as seen by His attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence.

The Five Points of Calvinism destroy my belief in free-will.

Good. Free-will is not a friend, but an enemy; for the will of man, being corrupt, leads to his condemnation; man’s true friend is the free-grace of God, which comes to his rescue, delivering him from the relentless tyranny of his own nature, from which he would otherwise be powerless to escape. With the downfall of free-will, all grounds for human pride and boasting are gone. With everything being a gift from God, man cannot rightly say “I accomplished this or look what I did.” The concept of having the Almighty God be in total and absolute control of my life does not bother me personally. I would challenge anyone who believes that he is in control of his own life to ask himself the question, “Do I believe in free-will because it is Biblically sound or because I am unwilling to give up the power and status that free-will appears to provide?”

If the salvation of individuals depends on God’s decree of election, why do we have missionaries?

If for no other reason, the preaching of the Gospel is justified, at the most basic level, by the express command of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Great Commission as stated in Matthew 28:16-20. God is a God that works through means and the appointed means by which man comes to faith is the preaching of the Gospel. While all things are known to God, I or anyone for that matter does not know whom God has chosen. I may be the means through which God brings the Gospel to one of His elect.

Why do we need to pray?

The simplest answer is to say that God commands us to pray in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and Luke 18:1. One modern view of prayer is to believe that we pray to acquire what we want or need. To this concept, I say nonsense. Prayer is taking an attitude of dependency upon God, spreading our need before him, and asking for those things which are in accordance with His will. God has a master plan for each and every one of us - He does not modify that plan with each new whim that we come to Him with in prayer (this concept would deny His omniscience). Prayer is an act of worship - an acknowledgment of God’s goodness, power, and grace, and a submission to His will. Prayer involves coming into the presence of God and realizing our total unworthiness. Our attitude in prayer should be one of “Not my will, but yours be done” as evidenced in Luke 22:42.

If God only saves certain people, isn’t God being unfair since the others never have an opportunity to believe?

If God is to be charged with dealing unjustly with men, it will have to be shown that men in some way deserve what God has chosen to bestow upon some and deny to others - the eternal salvation of their souls. In the total depravity section in the earlier part of this paper, all men were proven to be sinners and therefore all men justly deserve to go to hell. Take a moment to ponder the concept that all men justly deserve to go to hell. Puts things in a little different perspective now doesn’t it. God’s mercy is great and His wisdom is eternal. Why did God choose me to be one of the elect? I don’t know, but I am grateful for the mercy that He has chosen to show me. Let me now remind you of Romans 9:18 which states, “Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens who he wants to harden.”

Does our salvation depend on things like baptism & partaking of the Lord’s Supper?

Absolutely not. If our salvation was dependent on items such as these, we would once again be working our way to heaven. Let’s look at Ephesians 2:8-9. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” Items such as baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and good works are evidence of our walk with Christ, but they are in no way required for our entrance into heaven.

Come To Christ

In all of the Biblical discussions of the day, we often forget that there is one overriding truth, the Gospel.  Believing the Gospel is the ONLY way into heaven.

The Gospel is:

• We are sinners deserving eternal damnation (Romans 3:9-12)


• Christ died for our sins, He was buried, He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures
  (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

A simple prayer to come to Christ:


Dear Lord,

I am a sinner deserving of death.  I ask for your forgiveness and pray that you will come into my life to rescue me from my sinful nature.  Please Lord, grant me entrance to the kingdom of heaven.

In Jesus name, Amen

Comment on the above prayer:
There is nothing special about the wording of the above prayer.  In order to come to Christ, you have to believe you’re a sinner and you have to ask for forgiveness.  Period.  That’s it.  The key here is your belief in the above facts.  No special wording, no additional manmade action, not even being a member of a specific denomination, just belief.

Common Misconceptions:
I have often heard people say that they believe everyone goes to heaven or that there are so many religions in the world that they can't be sure that Christianity is the right one. Since so many of the religions today believe everyone goes to heaven, I have to bring up John 14:6 where Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." OK, let's say that you've read all this and still don't believe, I urge you to take time to read the below chapters and books of the Bible. The Bible is God's word to us. Teach yourself the truth, His answers lie within.

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Proverb 3:5-6 (NIV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path.

John 3:16 (KJV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.



John 14:6 (NIV)
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.



Romans 3:9-12 (NIV)
What shall we conclude then?  Are we any better?  Not at all!  We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.  As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NIV)
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:  that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures