A MANIFESTO

OF GRACE
Presented
by the acronym

T.U.L.I.P.

T- Total Depravity
U- Unconditional Election
L- Limited Atonement
I- Irresistible Grace
P- Preservation of the Saints

-SECOND EDITION-

Neil Phelan, JR.

Copyright © 2018 Neil M. Phelan, JR
All scripture taken from the King James Bible
Copies of this book may be purchased from Amazon.com

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  
(John 8:32)

BOOKS BY NEIL M. PHELAN, JR

The Support of God’s Ministry

Family Devotions With Helpful Hints for Parents
The Daily Record (Devotional)
Birthmarks of the Infant Church

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 DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this book to my dear brother, Paul Bollen, who is now with Jesus.
Brother Paul transposed countless sermons from word to paper and passed them out to
anyone who would lend him an ear. His work encouraged me to make a book out of
these five messages on the doctrines of God’s amazing grace. Paul loved the Lord and
the truth, a very rare commodity in this day. This is really Paul’s book. Hey, Brother
Paul, if you can hear me, here it is!

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 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PART 1: TOTAL DEPRAVITY

The doctrine of original sin

The doctrine of imputation
The scope of Adam’s transgression
Paradise Lost
The evidence of the fall
God’s autopsy of man in his fallen condition
More pathology reports
The Holy war
The living dead
What total depravity does not mean
Objections to total depravity
Man’s free will or volition
Man’s free moral agency
Accepting Jesus
Conclusion to total depravity
The progressive thought

PART 2: UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION

Election finds it roots in God’s everlasting covenant

Dial 911
What “Unconditional Election” means
The Ephesian Church believed in Election
The Apostle Peter taught election
Jesus preached the doctrine of election
God’s elect are depicted by other terms
My Sheep
His Sheep
His People
My People
Love is the motivating cause of God’s election
Evidences of our election
Eight Objections to unconditional election
Conclusion to unconditional election
The progressive thought

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 PART 3: LIMITED ATONEMENT

What atonement means

The atonement was limited
The modern view of Jesus’ death
The blood of sprinkling
What limited does not mean
Other terms used to express the doctrine of limited atonement
Objections to limited atonement
Conclusion to limited atonement
The progressive thought

PART 4: IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

The many calls in scripture

God’s irresistible call to life
Other biblical terms used to express God’s irresistible call
What irresistible means
Life
Creation
The new birth – According to Jesus
The Resurrection
Irresistible grace finds its roots in God’s everlasting covenant
Four biblical examples of people born again by God’s irresistible grace
The thief on the cross
Saul of Tarsus – The apostle Paul
John the Baptist
Helen Keller
The Psalmist, David
Evidences of God’s irresistible grace
Belief
Love
Spiritual Fruit
A spiritual appetite
Objections to God’s irresistible grace
Conclusion to God’s irresistible grace
The progressive thought

PART 5: PRESERVATION OF THE SAINTS

Jesus promised our preservation

Jesus promises again!
Jesus promised: “It is finished.”
The Apostle Peter taught preservation
The Apostle Paul taught preservation
Jude taught preservation

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Preservation is found in an unchanging God
The everlasting covenant
David rejoiced in his preservation
Some may walk in darkness…
Solomon’s bad example
What about Lot?
The difference between preservation and perseverance
Perseverance in grace – not works
The difference between temporal and eternal salvation
Preservation doesn’t mean we will not suffer trials
Two testimonials
Conclusion to the preservation of the saints
Where are you today?

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

As a pastor I have realized the importance of helpers in the ministry. Moses had his, as
did most every prophet and priest. Without them, the scope of our ministry would be
greatly diminished.

As previously noted, I appreciate Brother Paul Bollen who is now with the Lord. He
transferred all of these messages from word to paper which engaged my attention to this
work.

I want to thank my associate pastor, Elder Dan Samons, for his encouragement and
suggestions.

A special thanks goes out to thank his mom, Yvonne Samons, for editing the entire
manuscript.

I thank my precious wife, Marilyn, for proofreading and making suggestions for me.

I want to thank my son, Ryan, for his work with the copyright and publishing.

I have prayed for helpers over the years and the Lord has been gracious to grant my
petition by sending these and many others. May their tribe increase!

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 FORWARD FOR THE SECOND EDITION

Some may be wondering, “Why a second edition so soon?” There are three reasons.
The first reason has to do with my publishing skills using Amazon for the first time. In
the first edition the page breaks and the chapter titles were all over the page. Hopefully,
this has been repaired.

The second reason is very similar. I forgot to put in the table of contents! I was so
excited to get the work in print I overlooked that little matter.

The third and final reason is theological. It concerns some terms I used in the first edition
that could be confusing. In the first edition I used the terms, “Spiritually dead,” and
“Died spiritually” synonymously with the biblical term, “Dead in trespasses and in
sins,” found in 1 Corinthians 2:1,5 and Colossians 2:13. The first two terms seem to
suggest that a person has a dead spirit or that the spirit died within them. Of course, this
is an impossibility. The Holy Spirit cannot die. Any person who has been born from
above, in possession of the Holy Spirit, will never die spiritually. They are heaven
bound. That terminology has been repaired in this edition to prevent any possible
confusion of what happened in the fall of Adam.

For all that has been said I encourage every person to read this book with Bible in hand. I
am not an infallible writer as those men that God used to pen the Holy Scriptures. I have
done my best to explain the doctrines of grace. Yet, as one great preacher said, “No man
can stand up under a magnifying glass.” All I can say is this, “If the reader finds
something at variance with God’s word in this book forgive me and believe God’s
word.”

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 INTRODUCTION

This book is about salvation by God’s grace. If you were to ask the average Christian if
he believed in salvation by grace, most would respond with an emphatic, “Yes.” I know
because I have asked people from many Christian faiths and each response has been in
the affirmative. Why wouldn’t it be? It would be an insult to God to suggest otherwise –
“Yes, I believe that salvation is by grace.”

But when you ask them to explain grace, things get a little fuzzy. Their answers are very
different. In other words, there are various attachments to their concept of what salvation
by grace really is – how they, personally, were saved by grace.

These attachments include reading the sinner’s prayer, the waters of baptism, accepting
Jesus, reciting some words, going down the Roman road, or participating in a church
ritual. Yes, something is usually attached to the concept of what most Christians refer to
as, “salvation by grace.”

But let’s be honest. Grace has no attachments. As the apostle wrote in Romans 11:6:

And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it
be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Thank you, Paul. Grace has no attachments. When it does, it is no longer grace.

What many fail to see is the simple fact that doing anything at all is a work. Yes, from
reading the sinner’s prayer, to accepting Jesus, to being baptized, or any of the other
things mentioned above, is a work. For what one person did do, the other person didn’t
do. Doing is a work. They all did different things. They all had their works.

Let me give you an example. Several years ago, I asked a young lady how she was
saved. She said, “By grace.” I asked her to explain it. She emphatically responded,
“When the invitation was given at our church, I walked down the aisle and read the
sinners prayer.” That is all she said. But when I asked her what Jesus did, she said,
“Oh, He did die for my sins.”

That is the average answer we get today when we ask people how they were saved, “I
heard the preacher and I did this or that.” Jesus is seldom mentioned. Today, Jesus has
become the secondary part of the equation. Shouldn’t He be the only part of the
equation? If it is grace, He will be.

I am not saying that this person was not saved. Nor am I saying that any person who has
done the other things mentioned above are not saved. Quite the opposite. I have met
people from many faiths, from various ethnic backgrounds, and from churches who hold

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opinions different from my own about salvation, who are wonderful people, exhibiting
the fruits of God’s Holy Spirit in their lives. Yes, they love Jesus just as I do.

But what I am saying is that there is a misunderstanding of what grace really is, as well as
how and why that grace is manifested in their lives.

When someone asks us how we were saved, I believe our answer should go something
like this: “I was saved by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ upon the cross about two-
thousand years ago. It was there that He paid for my sins and suffered in my place. I am
secure. It was by the gospel that I heard about Jesus and what He did for me.”

That answer has no attachments. It is all about Jesus.

That is essentially the way that the Apostle Paul expressed his salvation:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and
the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Paul didn’t claim his salvation to be the result of a testimony, the sinner’s prayer,
baptism, or accepting Jesus. He never mentions any of those things. His answer was
always about Jesus: Jesus loved me and gave Himself for me. His testimony was void of
any kind of work. Salvation is by grace.

Many Christians have realized that there are glaring differences among Christian
churches concerning what is required for salvation, and the different explanations to
salvation by grace. They realize that those who read the sinner’s prayer didn’t accept
Jesus as the others did. The ones that accepted Jesus did not read the sinner’s prayer.
Those who relied on their baptism put no confidence in the other two. Yet, they all say
they were saved by grace.

Most of us have heard some very humorous stories about these glaring differences and
which group is really going to heaven: “The Baptists are in one room and they think they
are the only ones up here. Don’t tell them the Methodists are down the hall.” So, what
I am saying is nothing new for most believers. They realize there are many different
concepts concerning salvation by grace. Is anyone right, or is everyone right?

In my personal experience I was in that category. I came to the same conclusion as many
others have: it really doesn’t matter which thing you did, as long as a person is sincere
and did something, heaven is yours. No one is really right. We won’t know who is right
till we get to heaven and look in all the rooms. Yet, there was a tinge of unrest in my
own soul – am I in the right room down here?

But we don’t have to wait till we get to heaven and look in all the rooms. Nor do we
have to live with unrest in our own soul. There is a lens through which we may look and
see how people from various Christian faiths, who have done different things to be saved,

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are really saved in exactly the same way. That lens is something we all know. It is
God’s amazing grace and it is manifested all over the Bible. This brings peace.

That is the purpose of this book, to look at grace in the face of a loving Savior, Jesus
Christ. He is a successful Savior. He saved His people and …they are saved. I hope to
expose God’s grace in its original manifestation. I also hope to expose God’s everlasting
covenant, made between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – a much neglected topic
in our modern Christian arena. I want you to see grace in the same way that Paul and the
other apostles believed it…and preached it. But more importantly, I want you to
experience it. That is my prayer for you.

Through the years ‘The Doctrines of Grace’ have been set forth by the acronym
T.U.L.I.P.

T The “T” stands for Total Depravity, which means that man is a fallen sinner-
unable to save himself from his fallen condition.

U The “U” stands for Unconditional Election, which means that God chose a people
before the foundation of the world to live with Him in glory not based upon any
foreseen merit on their part.

L The “L” stands for Limited Atonement, which means that the benefits of Christ’s
death are limited to the elect only.

I The “I” stands for Irresistible Grace, which means that God’s work in both calling
and election cannot be resisted or hindered.

P The “P” stands for The Preservation of The Saints, which means that all for whom
Christ died, referred to in scripture as the elect, my sheep, and my people, are
preserved in Christ and can never be lost eternally to Satan and hell.

The TULIP acronym is sometimes used to define the theology of John Calvin. Yet, the
doctrines that this acronym represent have scriptural truths, apart from John Calvins’
interpretation of them. Therefore, the biblical explanation of these doctrines will be at
variance with Calvinism.

Jesus preached on these subjects, and the apostles wrote about them long before John
Calvin was born. Therefore, this book is not about Calvinism. It is about the doctrines of
the ancient church.

Since the days that Jesus preached His own gospel, these keys to the kingdom have
opened doors of learning for His people to understand their salvation which, I believe, is
the greatest theme any sinner will ever know or enjoy.

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The doctrines of grace should be cherished by God’s people in every age because they
exalt Jesus Christ as the only Savior of sinners and reveal man as a hopeless, ruined
creature apart from God’s grace.

In our modern world of hedonism, these doctrines are offensive. That, in itself, is a
testimony to their veracity.

The TULIP acronym presents a logical progression of thought. I will refer to it

throughout the manuscript. It begins with the fall of Adam and ends with the Saints
preserved in glory – a glorious theme.

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 TOTAL DEPRAVITY
The “T” stands for Total Depravity, which means that man is a fallen sinner, unable
to save himself from his fallen condition.

The debate among Christians is not, “Did all of humanity fall in Adam?” Every
knowledgeable Christian believes that. The debate lies in a more defined proposition:
“How far did man fall?”

It has been said that an understanding of the doctrine of depravity necessitates the belief
of all the other letters in the acronym. I agree. If we understand our depravity we will
rejoice in all the others.

Webster’s Dictionary defines depravity as corruption; perversion. Oxford defines it as

moral perversion with a theological footnote attached: the innate corruption of human
nature due to original sin.

There you have it – man became morally corrupt do to the original sin of Adam. He
became a hopeless, ruined creature and continues to pass it on to his heritage. Without
grace, every person would forever remain in that condition. That is the description of
depravity.

Every Christian church that I have ever known holds the doctrinal position that Adam fell
in the morning of time, and that Adam’s sin affected all of humanity. As stated, the
debate among Christians is not, “Did all of humanity fall in Adam?” The debate is more
defined…and complicated: “How far did man fall?”

You may be saying, “I’m not in that debate.” Perhaps you are not. Yet, if you have any
attachments to grace, you really are. Allow me to explain.

If a person claims that Adam’s sin affected all of humanity, that all fell in Adam, but the
sinner’s prayer gets them out of it, they are stating how far they fell. They fell to a level
that the sinner’s prayer could get them out of it.

We could cite the same example with baptism, speaking in an unknown tongue, going
down the Roman road (orally reciting parts of Romans 10), accepting Jesus, and etc.

But Adam’s fall was so far that none of these things could get any person out of it. None
of these things could possibly have any affect upon it whatsoever. Man can’t fix it. That
is how far Adam fell. He fell so far that there was no hope apart from Christ. There is

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nothing the sinner may do to affect their fallen condition in any way. Without an outside
source, the situation was hopeless. Are you beginning to see what depravity is?
Allow me to illustrate. Suppose you were sucked down a whirlpool one-hundred miles to
the bottom of the ocean. Do you think you would have a chance of survival? Suppose
you jumped off the Sear’s Tower. Do you think you would get up and walk away?

Everyone knows the answer to both of these questions. The resulting consequence to
both scenerios are death. There is no hope of the person regaining life by any work or
decision they might do. They are dead. Concerning ragaining life, they are helpless,
depraved.

While everyone understands these examples of natural death due to consequences, many
Christians struggle with the biblical concept of a person who is “… dead in trespasses
and sins;"  (Ephesians 2:1b). They place a person who is dead in sin on a different
platform than what the term “death” really means. This platform allows a dead person
doing things to obtain spiritual life.

They have the natural man, who is alive naturally, making a spiritual decision, or going
through some process, imparting spiritual life to the dead. But the natural man, alive as
he may be, cannot impart spiritual life to his own dead self. He doesn’t possess the
power. Though he is alive naturally, he is dead in sin. That means that he is void of the
Holy Spirit. The natural man does not possess the power to place the Holy Spirit with its
own self. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to give spiritual life to those who are dead
in trespasses and in sins.

No one has ever made a decision to be alive naturally. All life, both natural and spiritual,
comes from a sovereign God. Life, both natural and spiritual, comes from the sovereign
command of God without the creature’s help. Just as our natural life, spiritual life must
come from an outside source. It must come from a spiritually alive person who has
power over death. This person can only be God.

I hope I am not being too repetitive. But I am trying to use as many examples as I can for
the reader to grasp the simple fact that a dead thing, or an unborn thing, cannot give itself
life, not by a decision, an ordinance, or any other thing.

If a person can make a decision to be alive spiritually, they would also have the ability to
make a decision to be alive naturally after their natural death. This is an absolute
impossibility. It falls under the category of salvation by works as opposed to life given
by grace from God alone.

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Adam was not injured or placed in a coma when he sinned in the morning of time. He
was in no position to respond to any personal stimuli to regain his spiritual life. Adam
became dead in sin. His only hope was for a merciful and loving God to impart spiritual
life to him by grace.

So, how far did man fall in the morning of time? Was there a spark of life left in man
that would enable him to do something to ragain spiritual life? No! Adam fell so far that
it rendered it impossible to regain his original position. That is the biblical picture of
total depravity. Sounds pretty hopeless doesn’t it. Hang on. Jesus is coming!

THE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN

As we have noticed, Total Depravity finds its roots in what is commonly referred to as
the doctrine of original sin. As noted, Webster’s Dictionary defines depravity as:
corruption; perversion.

Oxford defines it as, moral perversion, with a theological footnote attached: the innate
corruption of human nature due to original sin. Of course, the ‘original sin’ was the first
sin. It was Adam’s.

This doctrine has been neglected in our modern world, and for this reason many
possibilities of obtaining spiritual life have been introduced into the modern day Christian
arena. I have already mentioned many of them.

But the doctrine of original sin is one of the most fundamental and historical doctrines of
the Christian Church. It has been written about and expounded by the church since its
very awakening. Yet, the fulness of this doctrine is becoming extinct and is seldom
taught or understood by many professing Christians today. Why? Because man has
exalted himself – he is not all that bad. He fell, but not that far. He can save himself and
others. Jesus has become the second part of the equation.

The doctrine of original sin is a buildingblock for understanding the rest of scripture.
Why would God send His Son into this cursed place to suffer and die if man had the
ability to fix himself?

The doctrine of original sin undergirds our reality. By understanding the fall of man,
how sin entered into the world, we have a grasp on why the world is so sinful. We
understand why the world has never been, nor will ever be, at peace till Jesus returns.
We also understand why it is getting worse, and why some men never get any better
spiritually.

If we do not understand the doctrine of original sin and it’s impact upon all of humanity
we can no more measure what Christ has done for us than a carpenter could measure a
board with a blank ruler. Nor can we possibly understand how, and why, God will

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ultimately judge the world, why we are sinners, and why people do the horrible things
they do. Death is the mark on the ruler.

The doctrine of original sin is taught in many places in God’s word. Genesis gives us the
details of the event. But theologically, the most fundamental passage is found in Romans
5:12:

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

To grasp the utter helplessness of the creature to recover himself from his fallen
condition, I ask you to once again consider the biblical term used to describe the fall.
The word is death: “death passed upon all men.” Remember the Sear’s tower and the
whirlpool. Life is impossible for the dead person unless an outside source who has power
over death steps in.

Adam’s sin not only brought natural death into the world, it also infected all of humanity
with another malady. It placed all of Adam’s offspring in the condemnation of being
dead in trespasses and in sins (See Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13.

When Adam sinned in the garden he became dead in sin. He also began to decay and age
at that moment and ultimately died a natural death due to his sin. Adam passed his
condition down to his offspring. That is why people die – sin entered into the world.

The biblical term, “dead in trespasses and in sins,” means that a person is void of God’s
Holy Spirit. They are sinners without the spirit. Therefore, they cannot commune or
have fellowship with God who is a Spirit. God dwells in a spiritual dimension that they
cannot reach or see. Though God can touch them, they cannot touch Him. They do not
have a spark of spirit in them to get more spirit. Therefore, all who are dead in sin have
no spiritual capacity to know spiritual things. Thus we see the necessity of the new birth.
We must be born again to fellowship with our Lord. More will be said about this.

Death is final. As we noticed, a dead person cannot make a decision to be alive again.
They cannot think at all to even make a decision. Therefore, a person who is dead in sin
is trapped. They cannot escape their spiritual death-trap.

Therefore, when God uses the term “death,” it is final. No one asks the question, “How
dead is dead?” When someone is told that a person has died they don’t ask, “How dead
is is he?” They accept the deadness. If you read in the newspaper that someone died
would you be waiting for tomorrow’s paper to find out if he was alive again? Death in
sin is the same.

In light of all of this deadness, there are those who insist that dead people, those dead in
sin, can make a decision, or do something in the church, to be spiritually alive. Do
doctors watch dead patients to see if the dead corpse will make a decision to be alive
again?

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Of course the answer to all of those questions is no! The only hope for a dead person to
live again is Christ. He is our only hope to live with God in glory. God must perform a
miracle on the dead man. The dead man will be passive in the transaction. He cannot ask
Jesus into his heart or do any other thing because he is dead.

Therefore, our depravity is the result of the fall of Adam. The fact that all people die
only proves God’s word to be true – we are all sinners. To attribute anything to the dead
person for their salvation is to take away from the majesty and beauty of Jesus Christ. It
robs Jesus of His Glory and gives it to a dead corpse.

Adam became dead in trespasses and in sins and all of his posterity would be conceived
in just that way: “death passed upon all men.” If there are those that insist that they have
no part in Adam’s transgression they will one day be convinced as liars because they will
die. None will escape the consequences of the fall. They will all prove God to be true in
the end.

Yes, total depravity is a sad and doleful doctrine. It should be. It is about a death
sentence pronounced upon all of humanity. We are all imlicated. But there is good
news. Jesus Christ has overcome death. He rose from the grave.

THE DOCTRINE OF IMPUTATION

When we speak of Adam being the federal head of humanity, and our becoming sinners
in Adam, we are also referring to another historical doctrine of the Christian Church: the
doctrine of “imputation.” Because Adam sinned in the morning of time his sin was
imputed to all of his offspring.

For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no
law.  (Romans 5:13)

The word, “imputed,” means that something is attributed to, or put on, another’s account.
For instance, if a teenager wrecks their parent’s car, the damages are put on the account
of the parents. The damages are imputed to them for payment.

At first glance it seems that Paul is saying that sin wasn’t imputed to anyone because
there was no law – the law had not yet been given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. But he is
actually stating the opposite. He is saying that God was already imputing sin to mankind
because there was a law given to Adam and Eve that was already broken. It was the law
of sin and death. Therefore, there was sin and death in the world before the law was
given to Moses on Sinai. Notice his next statement:

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned
after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to
come.  (Romans 5:14)

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Paul is stating that there was a law infacto, before Sinai. The consequences of Adam’s
transgresion were imputed to everyone living prior to the law given on Mt. Sinai – they
all died.

So, people didn’t become sinnners by breaking the law given to Moses. They were born
sinners because of Adam. The law given to Moses enlightened the understanding of what
sin is, and made it more apparent to the conscience of His people.

Therefore, Romans 5:12 gives the horrible consequences of the fall (death) and verse
thirteen gives the legal consequences – sin was imputed to the entire human race by
Adam’s transgression.

THE SCOPE OF ADAM’S TRANSGRESSON

The consequences of Adam’s transgression were not his alone. Because Adam was the
federal head of all of humanity his trangression would be imputed to all of humanity. I
am the federal head of all of my children. In a natural way, I pass my genetics down to
them – both good and bad. Adam not only passed his naural genetics down to all of
humanity, but also his spiritual condition. Adam transgressed God’s law and became a
sinner. All of his offspring would be concieved in sin (See Psalms 51:5).
Since all of humanity sprang from the loins of Adam, his fallen condition was passed
down to every member of the human race. That is all of the human race. There are no
other races springing from outer space or angelic beings. All of humanity came from
Adam.

Paul makes this clear with his one lump of clay:

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto
honour, and another unto dishonour? (Romans 9:21)

God formed Adam from the dust of the ground. We are all the offspring of that “same
lump” of clay that God molded Adam from. Eve came from that lump as well. She was
formed from Adam’s rib. She sinned as well. But Adam was the federal head of
humanity.

The passing on of sin to subsequent generations can be illustrated in many ways. For
example, there are some drugs that people use that may affect their offspring. Drugs like
L.S.D. not only cause birth defects but can send the offspring on the same hallucinatic
trip that the parent experienced. This is a very vivid illustration of the poison of sin. Satan
poisoned the original parent with sin. As a result, all of Adam’s children are conceived in
sin, all are sinners.

I have also heard it explained with a fountian of water that flows through the countryside.
If you pour the poison in at the fountainhead of the stream everyone downstream is
poisoned that drinks from the stream. Adam was our fountainhead and he was poisoned.
Thus everyone downstream is poisoned.

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If we understand the fall of Adam, every person, left to himself, would forever remain in
just that way – a fallen creature, dead in trespasses and in sins. Are you beginning to see
just how far man fell?

PARADISE LOST

Romans 5:12 is a direct reference to the events that unfolded in Genesis 3. It is the
morning of time and Adam and Eve were in paradise. They had everything they needed:
food, water, a perfect climate, no disease, no taxes, fellowship with their Creator, and
their intimate love for one other. They were not sinners. But they were capable of sin. It
was then that the devil tempted them.

It was the devil’s intent when he tempted Adam in the morning of time to destroy Adam
and his posterity by sin, to ruin his relationship with his loving Creator. Some have
suggested that Satan was jealous – God actually loves those weak, mortal creatures!

In Genesis 2:15-17, we read the simple commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve
which they ultimately broke:

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it
and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the
Garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

There was probably more dialogue between Adam and God than that, but we are given
the basics. Adam understood it very well. We all know what happened. Eve was
deceived by the serpent, who was Satan, and partook of the fruit in disobedience to God.
Then, “she gave to Adam and he did eat,” of the fruit himself with his eyes wide open.

There you have it. As noted, Adam partook of the fruit, broke God’s commandment and
became dead in sin. He later died a natural death. That was the original sin that plunged
the whole human race into sin.

Romans 5:12 is legal language. It show us how and why God judged Adam. Some may
question all of this. They may ask, “Why did God allow it?” But the fact is that Adam
did and we are what we are because of it – sinners.

Apart from Christ, there would be no way of escape. Hell would be the final abode for
every member of the human race. Therefore, man left to self, was unsavable. Immigine
what the world would be like today had God not intervened with His mercy and grace?

This brings us to a simple platform in which we can understand grace in its purest
theological terms. Because the more hopeless we see man in the fall the more amazing
grace becomes. Yes, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like
me.”

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 THE EVIDENCE OF THE FALL

In Romans 5:12, Paul not only declares the doctrine of original sin, he also gives us the
evidence of it: “for that all have sinned.”

The evidence is all around us. It is all in us. We all have sinned! I have known of some
who claimed they lived above sin. But in reality, their claim was their greatest sin.

If we were to argue the truthfulness of this doctrine, the evidence of its truth is all around
us, and all in us. It is observed all over the world. We see it in our own lives, and in our
families. Let’s be honest, we battle sin every day in our personal warfare agains the
flesh and the devil. This adds veracity to the truth of God’s word – Adam fell and we fell
in him.

The psalmist, David confesses:

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.  (Psalms
51:5)

David was not saying that his mother was involved in a sinful act when he was
conceived. He is noting the doctrine of original sin. When he was conceived, his life
began as a depraved sinner in need of God’s resotration to spiritual life.

We do not have to teach children to lie or misbehave. But we spend a lot of time trying
to teach them to do what is right. Why? Because they are born into this world as sinners.

Everyone has been affected by the fall of Adam. Everyone sins. Every person is born
into the world as a sinner. No one who has ever been born has ever escaped the fall of
Adam. Only Christ, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born from above, was born into this
world as the spotless lamb of God. Neither sin, nor death, could touch Him!

After Adam’s sin, we begin to witness the result of the fall. Their eldest son, Cain,
murdered his brother Abel. Sadness, heartache, grief, depression and everything that
goes along with sin entered into the world.

But the Bible has more to say about the depravity of man, much more. All of which will
support everything that I have already said.

GOD’S AUTOPSY OF MAN IN HIS FALLEN CONDITION

In Romans 3:10-18, God tells us just how far man fell. It reads like the autopsy report of
a dead corpse.

The word “none,” is used over and over in this report. God wants us to know that all of
humanity is included – “none,” escaped the fall of Adam. As you read this autopsy

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consider yourself on a jury in a courtroom listening to an autopsy report from a forensic
pathologist. You must hand down a verdict. Is this person dead in sins or are they
somewhat alive? Do they have the ability to make a decision or do something to become
alive again? Here it is:

…There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is
none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together
become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an
open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is
under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift
to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have
they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:10-18)

The word, “none” is used four times for emphasis. The first four words should be
conclusive evidence: “There is none righteous.” That means that without Christ, there
never has been, nor ever will be, a good, moral, righteous person. That means that there
will never be one single person in heaven if man is left to himself to regain his original
position.

Yet for some, that evidence is insufficient. They will say, “I believe better about
humanity than that. After all, man was created in God’s image. And I believe that there
is some good in every person.”

It is true, there is some good in many people. But there is not good in every person.
Why? Because some are dead in sins. If a person has any good in them at all it is
because God has imparted spiritual life to that person and they are in possession of the
fruit of the Spirit. They didn’t get it as a result of being a part of the fallen human race.
They received it as being in Christ. It came from their spiritual birth.

It is true, God did create man in His own image. But many forget, that image is marred.
Man fell. Whatever good we see in humanity is the result of God’s mercy and grace since
the fall.

The next three words are for those still clinging to the idea that man is not all that bad:
“no not one.” That puts everyone in the same category. Without grace no person has any
good in him.

“No not one,” includes everyone: me, you, preachers, the pope and everyone in between.
If you have done some good things, it is because God changed you and enabled you do to
some good things. Left to yourself, you neither could, nor would, do righteousness.

Yet even in light of this verse some continue to say: “There is a spark of good in every
man.” But even a child in the third grade can understand, “there is none righteous, no
not one.”

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After this all-inclusive statement the autopsy continues and remember, we are discussing
just how far man fell, we are talking about total depravity. The autopsy also says that:

There is none that understandeth…

Notice the word “none” is used again. Whatever God is saying about man understanding,
it includes everyone. So, what is the Lord saying in this verse about human
understanding that is so conclusive?

He is saying that man, in his natural state, cannot understand spiritual things. This
statement makes salvation by works become an utter impossibility. Why? Because man
cannot become righteous by understanding preaching, reading his Bible or going to
church. He cannot understand the spiritual import of the Bible or the preacher. He may
understand them cognitively, but he cannot understand the spiritual implications of them.

A person may be very intelligent. He may understand mathmatics, quantum physics, the
pythagorean theorum, the theory of relativity, and other knowedge known to the human
race. But those things are about the natural world, not the spiritual world. There is a
difference between knowledge, science, mathmatics and wisdom. Spiritual knowledge is
about spiritual wisdom. It excells the natural, and may only be perceived by a spiritual,
born again, mind and spirit.

This is a huge blow to the pride of man. It is equally a huge blow to free-willism, man’s
volition, or anything the creature may do to obtain spiritual life by some work or will.
But that is what God is telling us: “If you have spiritual life, I gave it to you. If you love
me, I loved you first. If you want to go to heaven, I gave you that desire. If you want to
be elected and live with me in glory, I have already elected you. If you want to do
something, anything, to be my child, you already are. I came first in the arrangement.
You can’t desire me unless you are spiritually alive, and I alone give life without
anyone’s help.”

Now we are beginning to understand the necessity of grace.

Yes, God comes first. He gives the will and the desire. This will and desire comes from a
person who is alive. A dead person does not have a will to do anything. Nor do they
desire anything. They are depraved, hopeless sinners. Yet, there is a positive in this
observation. If you have a will to please God, and a desire for Him, you must be alive
spiritually.

Yes, God must change the heart. He must take the stony heart out and replace it with a
soft heart of feeling. He must give the sinner spiritul life before there is any spiritual
understanding and feelings toward God and sin. This is done in regeneration, when we
are born from above. That work is the sovereign work of God without any cooperation
from the dead corpse.

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A second eyewitness stands up in the courtroom. He agrees with Romans 3:11. His
name is 1 Corinthians 2:14. They are both saying the same thing: a person who is dead in
sin cannot understand spiritual things:

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned.

If a person cannot understand spiritual things they are helpless to do a spiritual work,
respond to a spiritual message, or make a spiritual decision. All spiritual things are dead
to that person.

Not only are spiritual things dead to this person, beyond their capability to understand,
they are also “foolishness unto him.”

This word, “foolishness,” means silly or absurd. How could a person that thinks the
word of God is silly an absurd gain spiritual life from it? If they did it would be by
accident. Surely, no one is born again by an accident.

To those who are dead in sin, preaching is like telling your dog your funeral arangements.
He heard you cognitively, but he didn’t understand what you meant. It was foolishness to
him.

So, in the book of Romans, Paul wrote that there are, “none that understandeth,” and in
the book of 1 Corinthians, he is saying the same thing: they are, “foolishness unto him.”
Both witnesses agree. This is conclusive evidence.

But the depravity of man is worse than that. Not only can those dead in sin not
understand spiritual things, not only are they foolishness to that person, it also offends
that person. Why? He doesn’t want to hear about sin or that there is any such thing as
sin in the first place. If the gospel comes with power it is because the person is already
born again!

That is what Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica:

Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not
unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much
assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your
sake.  (1 Thessalonians 1:4, 5)

Paul knew these were elected and born from above by the evidence of their spiritual life:
the gospel was not foolishness to them. It didn’t come in word only as a cognitive
message. It came in power and in the Holy Ghost. Their spirit heard it, understood it,
and received comfort and power from it.

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Returning to Paul’s autopsy report we also find that: “there is none that seeketh after
God”. (Romans 3:11b)

It is often said that people should seek God, and He will give them life. It is true, all of
God’s people that can understand that message should seek the Lord. But a dead person
will not seek after a righteous God that he doesn’t like. God must change him. God finds
His elect, changes their heart, and gives them a desire to seek Him.

If you find a person seeking after God, like the Ethiopian Eunuch, or Cornelius, you
know that God has already quickened that person and changed his heart. Since they have
spiritual life, they seek. They want to know more about Jesus.

Until God changes the heart, the evangelist will be turned down every time. None will
seek. Pretty plain, isn’t it.

The autopsy report in Romans 3 continues:

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is
none that doeth good, no, not one.

Again, this is all-inclusive. All are gone out of the way. All are unprofitable. There are
none that “doeth good.” Are you beginning to see where all of humanity would have
been had God not intervened with His Son, Jesus Christ? All would be doomed for hell.

Someone might say, “I think that mankind is better than that. I think there are some
people that would do some good, even left to themselves, without God’s regenerating
grace.” But God says there would be, “none.” That’s a big fat 0!

The autopsy report gets worse. The Lord does not paint quite as good of a picture of man
as he paints of himself when he says, “Man has a little spark of goodness in him. All we
have to do is fan the flame a little bit, and he will become a very moral and righteous
person.”

Paul is like the forensic pathologist who examines a dead body. From the head to the
foot, he looks it over. Paul finds no spark of life anywhere. He opens the man’s mouth,
takes his tongue depressor, mashes his tongue down and looks deep down into his throat.
What does he see? He sees an open grave with a stinking dead corpse within: “Their
throat is an open sepulcher”

A sepulcher is a grave. What is in a grave? A dead corpse. That is what every person is
without Christ. Graves and death are mentioned over and over but some seem to miss the
point of depravity.

The forensic pathologist makes another discovery. He finds that this man has poison
under his lips like a snake: “with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps
is under their lips”

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Oh my gosh! Was that in there? Yes. It has always been there. Yet, until God gave his
report, no one knew. Even with the report, some deny it. But it is true, man left to
himself is a miserable, hateful snake – just like the snake in the garden.

Once again, the evidence is all around us. People say things that hurt other people.
Everyone has a problem controlling their tongue.

So, the report continues: “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” We find this
evidence not only among enemies, but also in families, even on the golf course.

Yes, the evidence of this autopsy report is all around us, revealing just how depraved man
is. Man, left to himself, in his own depravity, is worse than a beast. He aborts his own
offspring for money: “Their feet are swift to shed blood.”

Depraved man is bent upon destruction and war. Depraved man wants someone else’s
property, all the land, all the gold, and he is willing to lie, steal and murder to get it:
“Destruction and misery are in their ways.” We see it in politics, in rulers, among the
rich and the poor.

The pathology report also states that unregenerate man doesn’t know what genuine peace
really is: “And the way of peace have they not known.”

Until the Prince of Peace enters the heart of the dead man, he will never know what
God’s peace really is.

We hear so much about peace in every generation. In the sixties, we constantly heard,
“Give peace a chance.” It was the common slogan. But it didn’t mean peace like the
spiritual peace that Christ gives. It really meant, “Leave us all alone with our sex and
drugs.” Many of those defied civil authority and the government that protected them.
Once again, the report is evidenced in our culture: God’s peace they have not known.

Paul’s autopsy report was not a new revelation. Psalms 14:1-3, gives the same
conclusive evidence:

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done
abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from
heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and
seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none
that doeth good, no, not one.

Again, the words “none,” and “no, not one,” are used by the psalmist to emphasize the
total depravity of man. Man, left to himself, will not seek God. He cannot do good. He
cannot understand.

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When we consider the evidence, is there any person who is going to do any good until
God’s changes them? Obviously not.

The psalmist gives additional forensic evidence of man left to self. A person dead in
trespasses and sin says, “There is no God.”

That shouldn’t surprise us. Those dead in sin do not like the God of the Bible. They
prefer to believe that He really doesn’t exist. A dead person is not even in the same
spiritual world or dimension as God. They cannot know about spiritual things like God.
When someone says there is no God it only vindicates the scriptures. It is conclusive
evidence that they are dead in sin, and depraved. That is as bad as it gets.

God calls this person a “fool.” So, according to God, a fool will say, “There is no God.”

A person who says there is no God is really a fool. They have been fooled by Satan and
don’t even know it. They have no answers about life as Christians do. They do not know
where they came from, how they got here, where they are going at death, nor what their
purpose is in life. They assume to be intelligent by delving into big questions like the
purpose of man, why he is here, if he is really here at all and many other absurdities.

My cat is not asking these big questions. My cat is not even worried why it exists. In this
respect, my cat is not so foolish as a person dead in trespasses and sins. My cat is not mad
at God. You see, depravity places man at a baser position than even the animals. We do
not find animals doing to one another what human beings do to other humans. There is no
such thing as animal genocide. The first cat didn’t murder his brother. They are not
aborting their kittens.

Depraved man wants to believe that he is the offspring of a monkey. Fallen man is so
foolish and debased that he prefers to be the child of a dirty monkey than a child of a
Holy God. He will argue the point. We will give any shred of evidence he thinks he has
to claim kindred to the beast. But in reality, that is what he is – a beast that murders his
own and hates a Holy God. Again, that is the pathology report of man in his base
condition before God changes him:

But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the
things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption. (2
Peter 2:12)

“Brute beasts!” Those are the words that God uses to describe man in his depraved,
fallen, spiritless condition. He can sit at the Oscars in a tuxedo and look impressive to his
friends. He can be on the stage at a rock concert and thrill the crowd. He may command
the kingdom from his throne. For a moment in time he can seem to be all important. But
inside he is a brute beast, foaming in his hatred for God, made to be taken and destroyed.

It is certain, God will take and destroy these. They will not escape His all-seeing eye or
His judgment when Jesus returns and divides His sheep from the goats. The unregenerate

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that hate God are made to be taken and destroyed by Him. The potter has power over the
clay and some are vessels of mercy made for His honor. But some are vessels of wrath
fitted to destruction (See Romans 9:21-23).

Jude also speaks of these as brute beasts:

But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know
naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. (Jude v.10)

Man, in his depravity, speaks great swelling words of things he knows nothing about. He
is so brutish that he murdered the most innocent and Holy thing that has ever walked this
planet, who did nothing but good: Jesus Christ. These make great speeches about saving
the white rhino, and the whales, but murder innocent babies and sell their bodies for
profit. Sick, depraved mankind in his original sin is disgusting.

They murdered the prophets and the apostles because they told the truth about sin and
righteousness. It angered them when the apostles said that there was only one God and
the Caesars were mortals, sinners like everyone else. It made them furious when Paul
cited sodomy as sin in Romans 1, and other places in God’s holy word. When their
fornication and adultery were exposed as sin they hated God, all of the apostles and
preachers, and especially Jesus Christ. Why is it that all other gods in Rome would be
tolerated and Jesus hated? Because Jesus stood for righteousness.

Consider the apostle Paul before his change on the Damascus road. He would enter the
house of families and drag mothers and fathers to judgment for being a Christian. He had
righteous Stephen stoned by his lynch mob and didn’t shed a tear. There was nothing
wrong with burning these people at the stake. Murdering children and families that
believed in Christ was a joke to them. Christ, the apostles and Christians were evil
people for having an opinion different from their own. Are you beginning to see what
total depravity really is? Until God changes the heart by His regenerating grace, man is
baser than an animal. There is no hope for him. There is no good in him.

But in their depravity, the world believes that the most intelligent people are the ones
saying, “There is no God.” Just ask them. They will tell you they are the most intelligent
people. But they were saying that before Socrates and Plato. Fallen man is no wiser today
than he was when Peter and Jude wrote those words.

God’s autopsy of man ends like this:

There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:18)

If you can show me a man that fears God, I can show you a man that God has regenerated
and changed. Man left to himself, in his depraved condition, does not fear God. Why
should he? He doesn’t believe that God exists in the first place. He will prove it by his
actions. He will sin without fear of hell or God’s chastisement. He will murder without
fear of God. Can you believe that there are people out there that do not fear God? But

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there are people like that in the world. God’s word confirms what we witness every day
in the news.

The psalmist echoes the same truth:

The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God
before His eyes. (Psalm 36:1)

The autopsy of man without Christ is really depressing. But I am just telling you what
the Bible says about the depravity of man. When we understand this truth, it makes God’s
grace and mercy towards us even more amazing. But it equally proves that man cannot
regenerate himself, he cannot confer spiritual life upon his own dead heart.

So, I ask you, with all of this evidence, what is your verdict? What sentence will you
pass down? Does man have any hope apart from Christ and sovereign grace? Is there a
spark of life in unregenerate man? Can man change his own destiny left to self? If you
read the report, you know there is no hope for the sinner without Jesus.

MORE PATHOLOGY REPORTS

We find God’s autopsy of unregenerate man in other places in the Bible. It comments on
the heart, the mind, the sight – it is all bad!

According to God, fallen man has a deceitful and wicked heart:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
(Jeremiah 17:9)

This forensic pathologist looks upon the heart and finds it to be, “deceitful and wicked.”
That is a mark of depravity. Deceit comes from Satan. It comes from the fall.

The heart of unregenerate man is not just wicked, it is, “desperately,” wicked.

Jesus agrees:

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil
eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile
the man. (Mark 7:21-23)

Those are Jesus’ words. Unregenerate man has a heart problem. He needs radical
surgery. A total transplant is the only thing that can save him. The hard, cold, stony
heart must be removed and a living, loving, caring heart must be replaced. Only God is
qualified and skilled to perform that kind of surgery. It is beyond the skill of man.

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Fallen man has no ability to know his own heart: “Who can know it?” The dead man has
no way to monitor what is right or wrong. Social law may intimidate the dead man, but
God’s laws are unimportant to him.

If a person has a good heart as we hear people say, it is because God changed it.

Man’s spiritual vision is also depraved. Jesus told Nicodemus:

Verily, Verily I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

That statement agrees with 1 Corinthians 2 14, and Romans 3:11, the other two witnesses
who have already testified. This is the same truth, the same evidence. How many
witnesses do we need to pronounce the man dead?

Until a person is born again, he is spiritually blind. It is impossible for him to see God’s
kingdom. This is in harmony with the other verses we have already considered.
Depraved man cannot understand spiritual things.

Man’s spiritual hearing is also depraved. In John 8:42 Jesus said,

Why do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my word.

Those are red letters, plain enough for a child to understand it. Until a man is born again,
he can’t hear the words of God. Jesus was talking to them and they didn’t understand
Him.

This fact is evidenced all through the Bible: the dead man cannot respond to kingdom
knowledge or the gospel. He cannot comprehend preaching. God’s truth means nothing
to him. It has no effect upon him. He is depraved, dead in trespasses and in sin. God
must first impart spiritual life to the dead man before he can hear and respond.

This is a very sad, but conclusive autopsy report. From head to foot, every part of man is
dead. Cause of death? Sin!

As I said in the beginning, when you read the autopsy report and learn about Total
Depravity, you will rejoice in the doctrines the other letters represent.

THE HOLY WAR

The Bible has more to say about the depravity of man, much more. The Bible states that
man, in his carnal, natural state, does not just abide in unbelief of God’s existence, he is
really at war with God:

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be. (Romans 8:7)

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“Enmity,” means opposition and hatred. It carries the thought of being at war.
Therefore, the carnal mind, the mind of a person that has not been born again by God’s
Spirit, is at war with God. It isn’t subject to the law of God because it cannot understand
God’s law – neither indeed can it be, because it is dead. It doesn’t care about them.

The word, carnal,” is translated from the Greek word sarx which means flesh, as
opposed to spirit. The carnal mind is the mind that has been left to itself, unregenerated
by God, dead in sins, unable to fathom or feel the wisdom of God’s laws.

Yet, how can the carnal mind be at war with a God that it does not believe in? It is not at
war with a God that it belives in, it is at war with the principles of the God that others
believe in. It is at war with every Holy principle that God and the children of light stand
for. From creation, to sexual purity, the carnal mind hates the idea that a perfect,
righteous God not only has laws that are holy, it defies the idea that it should be subject
to them, and judged by them. It cannot perceive the wisdom and holiness of those laws,
nor can it feel the condemnation of them. The carnal mind defies the idea that God has
any authority over it at all.

Thus the carnal mind cannot become subject to God’s laws because it doesn’t believe in
God nor can it understand the law of that God. Therefore, the carnal mind hates God and
is at opposition to God. That is the mind of a person who is dead in sin.

I have heard some say that everyone has some light of God in nature, that even the
unregenerate person has some spiritual light. If that is so, every person is a believer, even
before they are born from above. This cannot be so. That person is at war with God.

Consider this war. How can puny man be at war with God? He can’t drop a bomb on
God. He may kill Christians but he can’t kill God. He cannot shoot God with a gun.
Nor can he physically attack God in any way. Yet, he is at war with God. How?

Man, in his natural state, with his carnal mind, is at war with God’s principles, with
God’s laws, and with God’s judgment. He is at war with God in his thoughts, and by his
actions. By these he uses his public opinion, his influence, his sinful lifestyle and every
device he can invent to make sin look like it is worth it. He uses music, movies, books,
magazines, politics, movie stars, the public school system and any other forum to
promote the propaganda of the devil and supress the truth of God’s word. In a nutshell, it
is by false doctrine. There is a war going on that started a long time ago in the garden
when Satan said, “Yea, hath God said?”

Depraved man does not like for anyone or anything to tell him what is right and what is
wrong. He wants to be God and make his own rules. That is Satan in a nutshell.

He especially doesn’t like to be told what sin is or that there is anything such as sin in the
first place. Depraved man says, “I am my own god and I get to decide what is right and

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what is wrong. I will live my life according to what I think is right.” For this reason we
see attrocities in the world with no remorse.

The natural man can commit any sin without any feelings of guilt or remorse. The natural
man has no care for innocent babies that are aborted in their mother’s womb. They can
walk into a class-room and murder innocent children without any feelings of sin against
God or man. They will laugh at it. They can rape innocent women with no regret. They
can molest their own children with pleasure. Why? Because they are dead in sin.

The Bible refers to these as filthy dreamers that defile the flesh, who despise dominion
and speak evil of dignities, sensual, having not the Spirit. (See the book of Jude 8-19).
Jude states that these are spots in our feasts of charity. Yes, you many find some of these
in the public assembly from time to time. Yet, for the wrong reasons. Politicians want
the votes of professing Christians. Others want their approval…carnal reasons.

Sin has no impact upon their soul. They are unrepentant. You can preach the gospel to
them all day long without any degree of remorse or repentance. Why? They are dead in
sin.

In all of these illustrations, all of these truths, God is revealing to mankind what death in
sin is, how far man fell in Adam, and how it has affected all of humanity. This testimony
is found all through the scriptures and is very harmonious. If it was never taught in the
Bible, we see it all over the world – man is a depraved sinner.

THE LIVING DEAD

BIBLICAL EXAMPLES REAL PEOPLE WHO WERE DEAD IN TRESPASSES
AND IN SINS

There is yet more evidence of the fall in God’s word and how it affected humanity, much
more.

In case we didn’t understand depravity as represented by the scriptures we have already

noted, God introduces us to some real people in the Bible who were dead in sin. These
are, in one sense, the living dead. They were alive naturally, but they were dead in sin.
By these introductions, God wants us to understand some things about them.

Much can be gleaned from these people in the way that they treated Jesus, and the way
that Jesus treated them. Their demeanor towards Christ agrees with everything we have
already learned about total depravity. They were at war with Jesus in their mind, and in
their heart. They were at war with His truths. They couldn’t hear spiritual things. They
didn’t like spiritual things. They didn’t like Jesus, and they sure didn’t love Him. Let me
introduce you to them.

Some of these people are found in the fifth chapter of the gospel of John. Jesus’
conversation with them takes place after He had healed a man who had been crippled for
thirty-eight years. The poor man spent his days beside the pool called Bethesda where an

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angel would visit from time to time with healing. The first person who stepped down
into the water was healed immediately. But this man was crippled. Before he could step
in, someone else would go before him. His case was essentially, hopeless.

But Jesus chose this particular man out of the entire crowd of afflicted people – a
beautiful picture of God’s sovereign choice in election. Jesus healed the man on the spot,
out of the water. You would think everyone would rejoice. But some of the Jews, who
hated Him, found fault.

For this good work, and Jesus’ claim that He was God, they determined to kill Him. Yes,
kill Him! He didn’t threaten them, nor did He do them any personal harm. Yet, murder
was in their eyes. That, my friends, is depravity.

These people went to the synagogue every Sabbath, and in their depraved mind, felt they
were keeping the law. They were very religious people. But there is a big difference
between a religious person, and a born-again person. Religion has caused many wars,
deaths, and breeds hatred. Christianity, God’s religion, promotes righteousness and
peace.

I realize there have been those in history who have promoted violence in the name of
Christianity. Even Peter cut a man’s ear off in his zeal for Christ. Yet, Jesus commanded
him to put his sword aside and healed the man whose ear had been severed. Just because
there have been those who promoted violence in the name of Christ doesn’t mean that it
was what Christ wanted them to do. The apostles, nor Christ, ever used violence to
promote the kingdom of God. Genuine Christianity has always promoted righteousness
and peace.

Over half of this chapter, John 10, is red letters, the words of Jesus. In this chapter, He
will give a personal commentary on these very people. This is His opinion, not mine.
For brevity I will give a portion of His dialogue, but you can read the entire chapter for a
full observation:

The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had
done these things on the sabbath day. (John 5:15- 16)

Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the
sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.  (John
5:18)

That was their charge against Him. Since they were religious, and not born from above,
their understanding of God’s law, the purpose of it, and who was with them was
convoluted.

This is Jesus response:

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 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son
quickeneth whom he will.  (John 5:21)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life.  (John 5:24)

And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have
neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his
word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the
scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which
testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (John 5:37-40)

But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. (John 5:42)

All that we have learned so far about total depravity is contained in this dialogue, and the
events that surround it. They obviously couldn’t understand Jesus’ words, and they hated
Him. I will be brief.

1) These men persecuted Jesus. They were at war with Him and His principles. V.16
2) They sought to kill Him. V.18
3) Jesus quickens, imparts spiritual life only to those He chooses, those given to Him by
the Father in the everlasting covenant. V. 21
4) Those that hear Jesus’ words and believe them are already born again and these were
obviously not. V. 24.
5) Why they were not born again: Because they did not believe the witness of Jesus, John
or the Father. V. 32-37
6) They had never heard God’s voice in regeneration. V. 37
7) They did not have Christ dwelling in their heart. V. 38
8) They did not believe the preaching of Jesus or John Baptist. V. 38
9) They, like many today, thought they received eternal life by hearing or reading the
scriptures, going down the Roman road, and etc. – not by Jesus’ lifegiving voice. V. 39
10) They would not come to Jesus for life because they were dead. V. 40
11) Jesus knew their hearts: they did not love Him or God. V. 42

All of this agrees with 1 Corinthians 2:14 and Romans 3:9-18, as well as other scriptures
we have cited.

These few verses testify to the utter depravity of man. They agree with every witness
that we have already heard. They were real people who were dead in sins. They hated
Jesus. They couldn’t hear the gospel. They couldn’t believe the gospel. They thought
they could obtain eternal life by their own merits. They did not love God. They were
really the walking dead, depraved, dead in trespasses and in sins.

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Jesus makes it very clear as He speaks to them. He is the giver of life. Not the
scriptures… not the Bible…not the preacher…not the gospel. It comes from Him, and He
gives it sovereignly to the objects of His grace who are, and always have been, the elect
family of God.

God has given us many other examples of the walking dead in the Bible which include
Cain, Balaam, Jannes, Jambres, and many others who demonstrate the various attributes
of depravity. (See 2 Timothy 3:8; 2 Peter 2:12-17; Jude 10-19. I will not comment on all
of these, but I will give you one more. Actually, it is a group of people whose names are
not given.

It is found in John, chapter 8. In this chapter we find believers and unbelievers, some
who believed what Jesus said, and some who didn’t. That is what the gospel does. It
separates the believers from the unbelievers, the mockers from the hungry, the wheat
from the chaff, and the dead from the living. Among the unbelievers were some of the
Pharisees, the religious teachers of that day. It was to them that Jesus spoke these words:

I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word
hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do
that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him,
Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children,
ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath
told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the
deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we
have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye
would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of
myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye
cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of
his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:37-44)

Then Jesus’ conclusion:

He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye
are not of God.  (John 8:47)

That’s pretty plain. I think the first-grader could understand it. These people were not of
God. They were not of His elect. They were not His sheep. They were not His!

The scriptural evidence of the depravity of man is all in red letters.

1) They sought to kill Jesus because He told them the truth. They were at war with God.
V. 37, 40
2) God’s word had no place in them because they were dead. V. 37
3) Jesus said that they had a father who was not God. V. 38,41,42,44

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4) They did not love God even though they claimed that they did (think about the impact
of that in modern day Christianity). V. 42
5) They couldn’t hear the spiritual implications of the things that Jesus preached. V. 43
6) Jesus tells them plainly that their father was the devil. V. 44
7) Jesus lets everyone who reads the Bible know that these were not God’s children. V.
47

The depravity of man is written in bold letters all over the Bible. Man left to himself, in
his fallen, dead condition, hates God and is at war with Him.

WHAT TOTAL DEPRAVITY DOES NOT MEAN

Before I end this section on total depravity, I would like to comment a little bit about
what total depravity does not mean.

Remember, total depravity is the description of fallen man, left to himself, apart from the
grace of God. He is dead in trespasses and in sin, unable to recover himself from his
fallen condition.

But all of mankind has not been left to self. God’s grace has changed the hearts of
millions of people in the past, and He continues to do so. These have been quickened,
born again and display the fruits of God’s Holy Spirit in their lives. When we see
righteousness in people, we know that God has changed them.

Therefore, those who are born again are no longer totally depraved. Though they remain
to be sinners, though the struggle with sin continues, these display Christ in their lives by
Holy thoughts and actions.

Therefore, total depravity does not mean that every person remains totally depraved.
Only those that God has not called and quickened. More will be said about God’s holy
calling in the section on irresistible grace.

Another thing that total depravity does not mean is that a person who is dead in sins will
sin to the worst degree. In other words, a depraved person may not live up their fullest
potential of depravity any more than a born-again person will live up to his fullest
potential of righteousness. Therefore, a person who is dead in sin may not be the worst
of the worst. We see that in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man
ended up in hell. But we don’t read of him as a murderer or a menace to society.

Nor is every depraved person corrupted in the same way. Depravity turns the heart in
many directions. The categories of sin are numerous.

We must remember that it is God alone who knows the hearts of men. Eternal judgment
is His. The divine commandment is for us to preach the gospel to the whole world. But
only the world of God’s elect will respond to it favorably. This is observed all through

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the New Testament by the actions of those who were spiritually alive… and those who
were dead in sin.

OBJECTIONS TO TOTAL DEPRAVITY

I have presented the doctrine of total depravity according to God’s word. Yet for all I
have written, there may still be those that have some problems with it. Therefore, I will
try to address the most common objections.

MAN’S FREE WILL OR VOLITION

The reason that some Christians have a problem with the biblical concept of depravity is
because they feel that man has free a will of his own and is capable of making his own
decision concerning his eternal destiny. I have even heard some say that God will not
violate a man’s conscience by determining his eternal destiny for him.

Man’s free will and volition are, of course, one in the same argument. Webster’s
dictionary defines volition as 1. Act or power of willing. 2. Settlement of deliberation by
a decision. So, they are both tied to a person’s free will.

This idea is not new. Nor is it a concept that we should be surprised about. Knowing
that this doctrine would enter the minds of men, Jesus dealt with it in some of His own
sermons. When He spoke about the new birth, Jesus made it very clear – it is not the
result of man’s free will:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God.  (Jesus in John 1:13)

That is pretty plain. The new birth is not the process of man’s free will or volition. It is
not brought about by the will of his own flesh, or the will of another man, like a priest or
pope.

Jesus’ doctrine is also very logical. What decision can a dead man make? Jesus must
first impart life before a person can make any spiritual decision to follow Him.

The apostle Paul also dealt with this illusion as well:

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that
sheweth mercy.  (Romans 9:16)

The eternal destiny of man is not determined by the person who wills it to be so. Nor is it
the result of works or running. Until the Lord shows mercy to the helpless creature and
changes the heart, man is helpless.

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The dead man is not only helpless, this holy life is an offense to him. But it comes down
to this: what kind of decision can a dead man make? Dead people have no volition.

In the midst of this argument are, what I would call, sub-arguments. For instance, there is
the ‘gospel rope theology.’ It goes like this: “Fallen man is in a pit. The gospel is a
rope that preachers throw down into the pit to get the dead out. If the dead person will
lay hold on the rope, the preacher can pull him out of the pit and he will have eternal
life.”

There are many problems with this illustration as noble as it may sound.

But the first problem is that it is not in the Bible. Jesus never referred to the gospel as a
rope to be thrown. Nor did any of the apostles.

The second problem is obvious – a dead man can’t lay hold on a rope. Would you throw
a rope into a grave and ask a dead person to lay hold on it so that you could pull them
out?

The third problem is equally obvious from what we read in scripture about those dead in
sin, as well as what we observe in life about them: the gospel rope is offensive to a
person who is dead in trespasses and in sins. The dead hate the rope, the Christ that it
represents, and every truth that it contains. They even hate the person who is kind enough
to toss him the rope in the first place. That is why we read of so many Christian martyrs.

The fourth problem is their love of the pit and everything in it which includes,
fornication, adultery, sodomy, lies, and everything else that contradicts the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ. They don’t want out. Until the Lord gives them spiritual life, changes
their heart, and opens their eyes to sin, they love the pit and everything in it. If you don’t
believe me, or the scriptures, just ask them.

There is yet another problem with that illustration. How did the first person get out of the
pit to throw the gospel rope down to others? If he got out by himself, then everyone else
can get out the same way. But no one has ever gotten out of the pit by his own free will
to throw a rope to anyone. Every heir of grace gets out of the pit in the same way. Jesus
comes down into the pit and carries them out. That is a manifestation of His mercy and
grace.

MAN’S FREE MORAL AGENCY

Another objection concerns the idea that man is a free moral agent. In this objection we
have the dead man proped up like a travel agent. He is booking his own ticket to glory.
He is free, and he is capable, of making a moral decision concerning his eternal destiny.

There are several problems with this modern termimology that exalts the sinner.

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The first is simple: man is no longer free. He is in bondage to the law of sin and death
(Romans 5:12). Adam’s fall brought sin into the world. Every human born into this
world is born as a sinner. As a result of this law all will die. None can escape that law.
Apart from Christ, all are hellbound because they are fallen sinners. None can escape
that law. Therefore, man is not free. He is trapped in sin and death until One who has
power over sin and death sets him free.

The second problem is that man is not moral. Until the Lord changes the heart, man is
immoral. Remember the autopsy report?

The third problem is that man is not his own agent in the courtroom of God’s justice. He
does not have the credentials to represent himself. He is a dirty sinner and the Father will
not allow him in the courtroom. Christ is the only person qualified, and educated, for
such a hopeless case. He is the only mediator between God and man:

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus.  (1 Timothy 2:5)

If there is only one, there cannot possibly be two. Therefore man is nor an agent of any
kind regarding God’s justice.

Adam and Eve were the only two free moral agents that have ever lived. They were
created sinless with the ability to sin. They could choose life…or death. By
disobedience they became sinners. All fell in Adam. Man is no longer free nor a moral
agent. His only hope is Christ.

ACCEPTING JESUS

I have saved the most popular for last, which is the modern concept of accepting Jesus to
be born again, saved, or whatever is supposed to happen in the transaction. I say, modern
concept, because you never read of anyone in the Bible accepting Jesus to be saved. Nor
will you find any apostle or preacher asking people to do so.

You may read the New Testament from cover to cover, and you will not find a preacher,
apostle or evangelist asking anyone to accept Jesus as their personal savior to be born
again, saved or go to heaven. If that is the way that people get to heaven don’t you think
that God would have spelled it out in no uncertain terms? Sure, He would! After all,
heaven or hell is depending upon it.

I am not saying that a person who has done so is not saved. In all honesty, they were
probably born again before they did anything, or they wouldn’t have done it in the first
place. Let’s examine this theology.

So, what really happens, or is supposed to happen, when a person accepts Jesus? Is this
person born again at that moment? Is the blood of Christ suddenly made available to, and
for them? Are they, at that moment, suddenly placed among the members of the

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everlasting covenant? Does God begin to love them when they accept? Are they, at that
moment, transformed from a goat to a sheep? Is that the moment of their election? Is
that when God chose them?

The answer to all of those questions is obviously, “No!” None of those things happen
when a person accepts Jesus. It may be the time that a person hears the message that
brings them to repentance. It may be the moment when they make a firm decision to
identify their love for the Lord and follow Him. But none of the things listed above
happen when the sinner responds to the gospel and “accepts Jesus.”

Allow me to expose some obvious problems with this modern-day evangelical method of
usurping the salvation that solely belongs to Jesus and giving it to man. Yes, that is what
this modern idea actually does. It takes the glory from Christ and gives it to the sinner
and the preacher. Jesus Christ saved His people from their sins without the help of either.
That is what the scripture means when the prophet wrote:

I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I
will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be
sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance
is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was
none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm
brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.
(Isaiah 63:3-5)

It seems that some people have a misunderstanding of what the words, “Alone,” and
“None,” mean in our modern Christian arena. That “Arm,” that brought salvation, was
not the church or the preacher. It was certainly not the sinner. It was Jesus Christ.

If someone does something alone, another person’s acceptance has no bearing on the
transaction. The gospel is not an offer for a person to accept to make it effective. It is the
message of a successful Savior for God’s chosen people to rejoice in. The preacher
announces the victory, the sinner rejoices in their salvation, and Jesus receives the glory
for it. If you rejoice in it, you must be one of His chosen.

Those are three obvious problems: none of those things happen when a person accepts
Jesus, it is not found in the Bible, and it robs Christ of His glory.

But there are other problems with this modern concept. One is the very idea of placing
man in the position of accepting Jesus. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

Webster’s dictionary gives this as one of the definitions of ‘accept’: “to receive
favorably; to approve.”

If I accept something, I am approving it. For instance, if I accept a dollar as payment of a

debt, I approve its value as worthy payment. If I accept your apology, I judge your
apology worthy of my forgiveness.

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If we say that we accept Jesus for our salvation, we have the dead sinner favorably
receiving Jesus and placing his approval upon King of kings and Lord of lords. In this
scenario, man has elevated himself above Jesus. Who or what is man to judge Jesus as
worthy?

In reality, Jesus never offered Himself for man to accept in the first place. The only
person that Jesus ever offered Himself to for acceptance was to His Father as a sweet-
smelling sacrifice for our sins. The Father accepted the offering of Christ as a full and
perfect payment for the sin of the elect family of God. The transaction was completed at
His death:

For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.  
(Hebrews 10:14)

If there was only one offering to be accepted, there can’t be a second. To offer Jesus
again and again is to say that the Father didn’t accept His offering for our sin the first
time, and His death didn’t accomplish anything.

This is in harmony with all the types and shadows in the Old Testament. Every legal
offering made by the High Priest was offered to God for acceptance, not for the sinner to
accept. There is no blood offering ever made for a man to accept in all the types and
shadows of the law.

The main problem in all of this is that modern day Christians have forgotten that Jesus
has saved His people, the elect, from their sins (Matthew 1:21). They believe that the
salvation of God’s people is an ongoing process yet to be fulfilled by sinners and
preachers. Yes, saving God’s people from this ungodly world and its influences is an
ongoing process by the ministry of God’s word. But the eternal destiny of the elect has
been accomplished by our successful Savior, Jesus Christ.

In all candor, I believe that is why most modern-day Christian churches no longer teach
the doctrine of election. If they do, they must identify the security of these people by the
finished works of Jesus Christ. More will be said about this glorious doctrine of security
in the section on the preservation of the saints.

Nowhere, in all of scripture, do we find the terms accept, or accepting, in regard to

sinners gaining their own salvation. Get your concordance out and inspect the scriptures
for yourself. But we do find that there are some people who have already been made
accepted by His offering:

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the
beloved.  (Ephesians 1:6)

Jesus made the elect, those given to Him by the Father, accepted in Him. He MADE
them so by His death. This means that the elect family of God was accepted in Jesus

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when He offered Himself upon the cross. That is totally opposite to the sinner accepting
Jesus.

The next problem comes down to the basics which is simply this: how can a dead person
accept anything? They can’t. They won’t. Why? Because they are dead!

The final problem I will address with this modern concept has to do with the doctrine of
representation. It is the death knell concerning people accepting Jesus to be saved. It
goes like this: “Did anyone accept Adam as their personal sinner to become a sinner?”

The answer to this simple question is, “Of course not.” Adam was the federal head and
representative of the entire human race whether they accept that fact or not. A person
doesn’t accept Adam’s transaction to become dead in trespasses and in sins. Therefore, a
person doesn’t accept Jesus to be their personal Savior to be made alive spiritually. It
comes as a result of Jesus being their federal head and representative.

That is a simple explanation of the doctrine of representation. Adam represented all of

humanity in the morning of time. What he did affected everyone he represented.

But there is a second Adam who represented the elect and chosen family of God. His
name is Jesus. What Jesus did for those He represented reversed what Adam did to those
he represented. It delivered those He represented from the consequences of Adam’s
transaction. That is why He is referred to as the “second Adam.” He was, in that sense,
the second representor of a particular people. Though Adam represented the entire
human race, all that would spring from his seed, Christ represented the entire family of
God, those that would spring from His seed, those that would be born from above – not
by works, not by accepting Jesus, but by grace.

Therefore, Jesus is like the first Adam in that regard. He represented a people whether
they accept Him or not. What He did affected all of His family, those given to Him by
the Father to represent. This is a truth that can be found in the Bible. Consider these
verses:

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22)

The term “all,” concerning Adam, refers to all that Adam represented. The term, “all,”
concerning Christ refers to all that He represented, the elect, those chosen by the Father
and given to Christ in the everlasting covenant.

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was
made a quickening spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45)

The first Adam was the first man that God created. He fell. The second Adam was
Jesus. He rose.

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Both of these Adams were the federal head and representative of a family. One was the
entire family of man. The second was the entire family of God, His elect.

Paul taught this to the Romans as well:

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one
shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)

That is the doctrine of representation. All that Adam represented were made sinners. All
that Christ represented were made righteous.

If Christ represented the entire human race, then the entire human race was made
righteous whether they accept it or not. But Christ only represented a world given to Him
in the covenant of grace.

In neither of these transactions do we find anyone accepting Adam to become dead in sin
nor Jesus for their spiritual life.

Every human being has a representative. Some people have only one representative who
is Adam. But the elect have two: Adam first, then Christ.

I realize that there are many children of God that love, honor and serve our Lord who
accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. I do not want to take anything away from them,
or their sincerity. Yet, it seems to me that the Lord wants them to know that the reason
they wanted to accept Him in the first place is because He had already loved them,
accepted them, changed them and gave them a love for Him. Jesus wants us to know
how we are saved – by His amazing grace.

CONCLUSION TO TOTAL DEPRAVITRY

At the beginning of this section I asked the question that seems to be at variance among
many Christians: “How far did man fall?” Hopefully, that question has been answered.
He fell so far that there was no hope apart from God’s amazing grace!

I also noted that a belief in total depravity necessitates the belief in the other letters of the
acronym. In other words, if we come to grips with the hopeless and depraved condition
of fallen man, we will rejoice in the truths contained in the other letters of the acronym.

Total Depravity is the doctrine of death and sin. Adam lost his spiritual innocence in the
morning of time, he became dead in sin. Without grace, Adam and all of his posterity
would remain dead in sins forever, alienated from God, and hell would be their eternal
abode.

We might overlook the blessings of Adam, after his fall, communing with his Creator,
God. Yes, God called Adam by His grace and imparted spiritual life to the fallen
creature. Yet, Adam was now a sinner and his fall would affect all of his offspring.

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It is my opinion that the depraved and hopeless condition of man without Christ has been
all but forgotten by modern day Christianity. They now have the dead man walking
around and making decisions to regain his original position. Adam didn’t do anything to
receive spiritual life. God called him by His amazing grace.

Let’s put the dead man back in his coffin where he rightly belongs and rejoice in what
Christ has done for His people. Let’s give Jesus all the glory!

THE PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT

In the beginning of this book I told you there was a progression of thought in the TULIP
acronym. We began with man in his helpless condition. Since man is totally depraved
someone must step in and do what he cannot possibly do. Though God was not obligated
to save any, He chose to save a multitude. Without His choice, all of humanity would
suffer in hell, for all fell in Adam.

So, we come to the next step that gives us hope. God chose or elected a people that He
loved before the world began, not based upon any foreseen merit or righteousness on
their part. If they were all depraved how could there be any merit? We have now come to
the second letter in the acronym that stands for unconditional election.

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 UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
The “U” stands for Unconditional Election, which means that God chose a people in
Christ before the foundation of the world to live with Him in glory, not based upon
any foreseen merit on their part.

Most Christians will agree that God chose the nation of Israel to represent Him in the
days of the Old Testament. They believe that God chose Abraham to be the father of that
nation. They will agree that God chose the apostles. They will agree that God chose
Mary to be the mother of our Lord. They will believe that God chose all the prophets.
They even believe that, today, God chooses His preachers to proclaim the gospel. They
see God sovereign in all of these choices. But many stumble at the word election when it
comes to God choosing certain people to salvation.

The above statement is true. Most Christians will allow God to be sovereign in all of the
choices mentioned above. But when it comes to God being sovereign concerning who
He will save, His sovereignty is questioned…even denounced.

This is very inconsistent, especially in light of the many times election is taught in the
Bible. It robs God of His sovereignty and places His judgement in subjection to man.

God’s sovereign and unconditional election contradicts many of the modern-day concepts
of how sinners are saved, which include, accepting Jesus, reading the sinner’s prayer,
speaking in tongues, baptism, going down the Roman road, and etc. For this reason, it
frightens some people and makes others angry when it is mentioned. Therefore, many
have placed election in Pandora’s box and never open it.

So, let’s open Pandora’s box. Jesus gave the keys to the kingdom to the apostles to
unlock many kingdom secrets. The key to this box is an understanding of God’s
Everlasting Covenant. Until we know and understand God’s everlasting covenant we
will be at odds with terms like election, predestination and other covenantal terms in the
Bible.

ELECTION FINDS IT ROOTS IN

GOD’S EVERLASTING COVENANT

Just as total depravity finds its roots in the doctrine of original sin, unconditional election
finds its roots in God’s Everlasting Covenant.

You may be as I was. You may have attended a Christian church for years and never
heard a sermon on God’s everlasting covenant. In my opinion, it is one of the most
important topics in the New Testament. Why? Because the blood of Jesus Christ, which
paid for our sin, was the blood of the everlasting covenant:

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 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. (Hebrews 13:20)

If you have an interest in the blood of Christ, and what it accomplished on your behalf,
you should also have an interest in the everlasting covenant.

The everlasting covenant is beautifully expressed by the song written by Lowell Mason
long ago when the Christian church rejoiced in these truths.

LONG ERE THE SUN

(1792-1872)

“Long ere the sun began his days, Or moon shot forth her silver rays,
Salvation’s scheme was fixed, ‘twas done In cov’-nant by the Three in One.

The Father spake, the Son replied, The Spirit with them both complied,
Grace moved the cause for saving man, And wisdom drew the noble plan.

The Father chose His only Son To die for sins that man had done;
Emmanuel to the choice agreed, And thus secured a numerous seed.

He sends His spirit from above, To call the objects of His love;
Not one shall perish or be lost, His blood has bo’t them, dear they cost.

What high displays of sovereign grace! What love to save a ruined race;
My soul, adore His lovely name, By whom thy free salvation came.”

That is a beautiful depiction of God’s everlasting covenant in just a few stanzas. If you
will notice, this song is over two hundred years old. It is very scriptural. It displays the
original and primitive doctrine of the church when God’s people were knowledgeable of
the everlasting covenant. They taught it, sang about it and rejoiced in it.

As the song beautifully expresses, the everlasting covenant began before the sun or moon
were created, before the foundation of the world. That is when the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit entered into a covenant to save the elect from the fall of Adam.

Each Person in the God-Head had a particular part or work. The Father chose His only
Son to suffer for His chosen people. The Son agreed to do so. The Father gave the
objects of His grace, the elect, to the Son to redeem. The Holy Spirit agreed to impart
spiritual life to the very same people. Notice how election fits into the grand scheme of
redemption.

God, the Father, chose His only begotten Son to suffer for those He loved:

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Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased:
I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. (Matthew
12:18)

Not only did the Father choose His Son to suffer, He also chose a particular people in
Christ before the foundation of the world and gave them to Jesus to redeem:

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Ephesians 1:4)

This choice was not based on any foreseen merit on the part of the sinner.

Concerning the Holy Spirit, He agreed to impart spiritual life to all that Christ would die
for and write God’s law upon their hearts in regeneration. (See Hebrews 10:15-17).

Therefore, each person in the Holy Trinity had a special part in the everlasting covenant.

Concerning unconditional election, it was the Father that chose the objects of His grace
before the world began. That is how election fits into the everlasting covenant – the
Father chose.

This opens Pandora’s Box and helps us to understand the doctrine of election and many
other things that Jesus said.

We can now understand John 6:38-39, where we read:

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given
me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

That’s covenant language. Jesus came down from heaven to fulfill the Father’s will. The
Father gave a special people, the elect, to His care and keeping. Jesus would lose none.
What great security is found in the everlasting covenant and what amazing grace is
displayed in the doctrine of election.

Election is where our salvation began long ago in the mind and heart of God. Simply put,
the Father chose a special people to live with Him in glory not based upon any foreseen
merit on their part – it was unconditional.

The understanding of God’s everlasting covenant destroys many false doctrines. For
instance, some have believed that God’s people that died prior to the cross were held in
que and couldn’t go to heaven because their sin debt had not yet been paid. So, they were
just hanging out somewhere, like Abraham’s bosom, till Jesus paid their debt and make it
legal. Yet, if we understand what a covenant is, we know they did, and the legal right
they had to do so. Let me explain.

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As we noticed, a covenant is a legal contract that one or more parties enter into. When
we buy a car, we enter into a covenant if we finance it. Because the seller assumes we
are good for the debt, we take immediate possession of the car, drive it, and enjoy it. The
covenant is not completely ratified until the final payment is made. But the blessings and
favors in the contract are being presently enjoyed by both parties.

In like manner, all the benefits of the everlasting covenant were enjoyed by God’s people
prior to the death and blood shedding of Christ. This included going to heaven, the new
birth, fellowship with the Lord and the blessings of His kingdom here below. It was legal
based upon the fact that Jesus Christ was good for the debt. The covenant was ratified
when the last payment was made. That payment was the blood of the everlasting
covenant (Hebrews 13:20) that ratified the contractual agreement that the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit entered into. When that last payment was made, all the debtors were
free.

The everlasting covenant explains how the doctrine of election fits into the grand scheme
of our salvation. It was the Father’s part in the covenant. Jesus Christ was the surety for
the debt and He fulfilled all the provisions therein. Now that we have the key to
Pandora’s box, let’s look at the many places that the doctrine of election is taught in the
Bible.

DIAL 911

One of my preacher friends used to say, “If you want to find out about election, dial
911.” So, let’s look at Romans 9:11.

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that
the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him
that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is
written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is
there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. (Romans 9:11-14)

That is a remarkable passage. If we don’t understand God’s eternal covenant we may

have placed this passage in Pandora’s box as well.

The birth of Jacob and Esau teach the doctrine of election with a very simple allegory. It
all hinges upon the eternal covenant wherein God loved Jacob before he was born:
“Jacob have I loved.” That is past tense…before the foundation of the world.

“Have I loved,” is a past, eternal love declared by God before Jacob’s birth.

The difficult part of the allegory to some is the fact that Esau was not included in God’s
love. For this reason, many Christians have placed this passage in Pandora’s Box along
with election or explained it away.

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But it means what it says. As we hear many say, “The Bible is not hard to understand, it
is just hard to accept.” – especially if we do not understand God’s everlasting covenant
and His sovereign election.

The allegory expresses the foreknowledge of God because it begins with, “the children
being not yet born.” That is precisely where our election began – in the mind and heart of
God before we were ever born. Since it was before anyone did anything it had to be
unconditional.

As previously noted, Ephesians 1:4 plainly declares:

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Ephesians 1:4 is covenant language. It is very important because most people start
somewhere in time with their salvation. But the salvation of the elect began with God’s
everlasting covenant – “before the foundation of the world.”

If you believe that you chose or accepted Jesus for your salvation, it was too late. He had
already chosen you and made you accepted in the beloved! That is why you had a heart
to choose Him. You chose Him because He first chose you. Or to say it another way,
“We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

WHAT “UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION” MEANS

Romans 9:11 tells us that God’s choice of Jacob was unconditional: “Neither having
done any good or evil.”

God’s choice had nothing to do with Jacob having done any good. It had nothing
whatsoever to do with Jacob accepting Him or doing anything. That is grace.

His very name tells us that God’s love for him had to be unconditional. Jacob means
heel grabber, even deceiver. He was always trying to get another person’s position.
Jacob lived up to his name. He lied to his father. He stole his brother’s birthright. He is
an example of us all: he didn’t merit God’s election.

Yet, before his birth, God foresaw all of that. God’s love for Jacob was not based upon
his performance of any good or evil.

This teaches us something else about God’s election. God’s election is not like a political
election. People don’t run for office. That would be works. This takes human merit out
of the equation. Election is the product of God’s love and grace.

Conversely, the rejection of Esau was not hinged upon his performance either. God didn’t
say: “I am going to choose Jacob based upon the fact that I foresaw him doing
something good.” Nor did He say, “I am going to reject Esau because I foresaw him

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doing something evil.” God’s choice was not based upon any foreseen merits or works.
It was based upon His unconditional love. Isn’t grace amazing!

Isn’t love what God is all about? Our heavenly Father knows we are all imperfect sinners
and He loves us anyway. That’s radically different than a stern Father looking down
from heaven waiting for us to mess up so that He can punish us. Or even a Jesus in
heaven, shedding tears, hoping we will do enough good to get there. He knows we are
going to mess up and He loves us anyway.

Love is an amazing thing. Who can really explain it? Even our love, is many times,
unconditional. A mother loves her child unconditionally. Though she may be very
heartbroken and disappointed with her child, her love for that child will never cease. Nor
does she love the child that lives the better life more than the one that makes the most
mistakes. Her heart may go out to the one that messed up the most.

Yes, love is an amazing thing. We will never comprehend the depth of this Holy fruit
while we sojourn here below. Nor will we appreciate it as much as we should.

The expression, “Jacob have I loved,” is an ongoing, eternal, past, present and future
tense statement – I loved him before the world began, I love him now, and I will love him
throughout eternity. This is a maxim for every one of God’s elect.

Jacob and Esau represent, “the purpose of God, according to election.” Not, the purpose
or God according to our works.

THE EPHESIAN CHURCH BELIEVED IN ELECTION

The doctrine of election was one of the fundamental doctrines of the infant church. It
should be the same in every Christian church today. Paul didn’t avoid the subject. He
didn’t write about it obscurely, or comment about it in some type or shadow. He taught it
with clarity as did the other apostles. He actually began his epistle to the church of
Ephesus confirming God’s unconditional election. I have already referred to this verse,
but let me give it to you again:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his
grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.  (Ephesians 1:3-6)

That is covenant language. The Father chose, elected, a particular people before the
world began and there is no mention of any foreseen merit on their part. That would
include accepting Jesus, reading the sinner’s prayer, baptism or any other thing.

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But Paul does give a better reason for His sovereign choice. It was,“love.” God wanted
to make “us,” “holy and without blame before him in love.” (V4). It was love that moved
the God-Head to enter into a covenant and make the objects of His love holy and without
blame before the throne of judgment.

“Us” didn’t choose Him. It is good for the elect, God’s people, to make a choice to
follow Jesus in baptism and gospel obedience. But His choice came first. “Us” were not
around before the world began.

From this passage we learn many other things. One thing we learn is that God’s election
is not an ongoing process. God is not electing people through time based upon decisions
and performances. There was only one election. It occurred before the world began.

It also teaches us that God knew every one of His people personally before creation. Just
like Jacob and Esau. He knew all about them and their personal characteristics before
they were born. Therefore, God is not being introduced to the objects of His love in time
by men. How could God choose people He never knew?

Nor were the objects of God’s love candidates like we have in our elections. They were
chosen by love, not merit.

It also tells us that God’s elect comprise an exact number. None can be added to that
number and thankfully none can be taken from it.

Yes, the Ephesian Church believed in election. Does yours?

THE APOSTLE PETER TAUGHT ELECTION

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus,

Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be
multiplied.  (1 Peter 1:1,2)

Just as the apostle Paul, the apostle Peter also began his epistle with the doctrine of
election. Just as Paul, Peter rejoiced in God’s election. He did not teach it as an obscure
or ambiguous doctrine. It is actually the focal point of this epistle. Therefore, we have
two apostles who both began their epistles with God’s unconditional election.

It is without equivocation, God’s unconditional election was of utmost importance to

them. The apostles wanted every future New Testament preacher to understand and teach
it. They wanted the saints in every age to rejoice in it. They wanted all Christian
churches to stand for this truth.

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As we have already noticed, 1 Peter 1:1-2, defines the doctrine of election in covenant
language. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all mentioned in this passage as
well as their individual parts in the covenant.

They were elected according to the, “foreknowledge of God the Father.”

They were set apart, changed, born from above, by the Holy Spirit – “Through
sanctification of the Spirit.”

They were redeemed by the blood of Christ Jesus – “unto obedience and sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ…”

This is the blood of the everlasting covenant that Paul wrote about in Hebrews 13:20:
“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.”

What beautiful harmony we have in the word of God. These manifestations of God’s
grace should cause our hearts to rejoice in our salvation.

JESUS PREACHED THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION

The doctrine of unconditional election was one of Jesus’ favorite subjects. He preached
about it on several occasions. Though it was truth, many still rejected the idea of God’s
sovereign choice. I have wondered how His people would receive His words were He
with us today.

One of those occasions is found in Luke, chapter four, where we find Jesus in the pulpit
standing before His people. His message? The doctrine of God’s sovereignty and
election. Their response to truth was not favorable. Here are His words:

But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the
heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all
the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon,
unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus
the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they
in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up,
and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city
was built, that they might cast him down headlong.  (Luke 4:25-29)

Both of these stories were in their Bibles and they knew them – just like many Christians
know the word “election” is in their Bibles today. But they never considered what the
stories meant. They never connected the dots. They either ignored the passages, or they
put them in the category of “we will understand it in heaven.”

The learned Pharisees and Sadducees didn’t understand them either. It is apparent that
they had not taught the people the meaning behind God’s dealings with the widow and

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the leper. That is why Jesus made stinging remarks about them like: “Let them alone:
they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the
ditch.” (Matthew 15:14)

But the meaning was simple. God made a sovereign choice concerning who He would
save. There were many starving widows in Israel in the days of Elias (who was Elijah in
1 Kings 17). But God sent the prophet to a widow who was not an Israelite to save her
and her household overlooking all the starving widows in Israel. She was not a member
of the church nor had she kept their law. Though this was a glaring truth in their Bible, it
offended them. So, they didn’t teach it. They would understand it in heaven.

To make the point even more succinct, Jesus also reminded them of Naaman the Syrian.
God miraculously cleansed him. The story is the same. He did not go to their church nor
had he kept their law. His deliverance was in their Bibles and it offended them that Jesus
would point it out.

With both the widow, and the Syrian, we have undeserving sinners receiving mercy and
grace from God who were not members of the church nor had kept the law. Both
instances are beautiful pictures of God’s grace manifested in the most inspiring pictures
of election and sovereignty.

Yet, for God to save people of another race, without merit, who had done nothing, was an
offense to them. They became very angry in their church. They would have killed Jesus
on that day had He allowed it. But His time had not yet come.

Why did Jesus preach this message? He could have said some things to make the people
feel good. He could have avoided God’s unconditional election, His sovereignty, and the
church members would have walked away thinking he was a wonderful preacher. He
may have even gotten a sizeable contribution. But Jesus preached on election and
sovereignty because it was a truth that they were ignorant of and He wanted them to
know about it.

The doctrine of unconditional election and God’s sovereignty was for His people in that
day as well as His people today. Every heir of grace should rejoice in these truths. Why?
Because God didn’t have to choose anyone. Christ didn’t have to die for anyone. We are
all, “… gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that
doeth good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:12). We are all bankrupt, guilty sinners who
deserve nothing. But God loved us, chose us, Christ died for us in spite of our sin. Just
like the example of salvation concerning the widow and the leper.

The response to His preaching displays the natural, human response to God’s sovereignty
and His electing love – it’s not fair. That is correct. It is not fair. If God were fair He
would burn us all up. Mercy has interceded for fairness. Grace has painted the
courtrooms of glory with Jesus’ blood. Sinners go free!

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I believe if Jesus were to go to many churches today and preach on the doctrine of God’s
sovereignty and election the response would be quite the same. Jesus would be rejected.
There are many who say they have accepted Jesus. Yet, how can a person really say they
have accepted Jesus who reject His preaching. Those who have a problem with the
doctrine of unconditional election really don’t have a problem with unconditional
election. They have a problem with God’s sovereignty.

If Jesus had preached on the doctrine of election but once, it should be enough for every
confessing Christian to believe it, confess it, and search out the meaning of it. But Jesus
preached on election many times. The apostles understood it, embraced it, and passed it
on to the early Christian Church as we have already noticed with Paul and Peter. But
Jesus preached on the doctrine of unconditional election many times. We find another
occasion in Matthew 24. This sermon is also recorded in Mark 13.

This is one of His longest and most noted sermons that we refer to as the Olivet
Discourse. In this sermon alone, Jesus refers to His elect family not once, but three
times.

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the
elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (v22)

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (v24)

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather
together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (v31)

In this discourse Jesus refers to His family as the elect, the very elect, and His elect. Jesus
didn’t avoid the subject of election, He rejoiced in it.

There has been a lot of discussion about the Olivet Discourse as to its exact meaning.
Some believe that Jesus is talking about the present world and the destruction of
Jerusalem. Others believe it is apocalyptic, and Jesus is referring to the end of the
physical universe. Others believe it is a little of both.

It is not within the scope of this book to go into the various discussions or my personal
opinion of the entire sermon. I want to notice Jesus’ special love and care for His family
that He marks out so specifically in this message.

The first mention of His people concerns His saving them from the horrible tribulation
that was coming their way. He is promising that He will shorten the days of the
tribulation for the sake of His elect family. They will not be destroyed. He will have a
light in this world and the enemies of Christ will not extinguish it.

The second mention of His elect family concerns their knowledge. They will know who
the false prophets are and will not be deceived by them. Their light will continue in the

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midst of great darkness, false prophets, and false doctrines. The perpetuity of the church
is guaranteed by the watchful eye of the Great Shepherd.

The third mention of His beloved people concerns their home in heaven. He will gather
all of them together one day wherever they happen to be in this world and carry them
home to glory with Him.

All three mentions of election in Jesus’ sermon have to do with His love, care and
protection of a special people that He loved before the world began. If you are one of His
elect, these are words of comfort and security. All of God’s redeemed family should
rejoice in the doctrine of unconditional election. It is a manifestation of His amazing
grace.

Jesus gives us additional light upon the doctrine of election in Luke 18. This is the
parable that many refer to as the parable of the unjust judge. In this parable Jesus is
encouraging His elect to pray and not to faint. In other words, don’t give up, don’t let
your cares and troubles destroy you. Keep praying because Jesus hears you and cares for
you. Here is the parable:

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not
to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded
man:  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me
of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself,
Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will
avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what
the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and
night unto him, though he bear long with them?   I tell you that he will avenge them
speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
(v1-8)

It would be impossible to fully perceive the power and comfort of this sermon apart from
a personal knowledge of unconditional election.

Yes, the Lord bears long with us in our sin, our unfaithfulness and our imperfections…
even in our shallow prayer life. But He hears and answers anyway. In other words, He
does not answer our prayers based upon our merits. Nor did He choose His people based
upon their merits. Both are unconditional.

This is of great comfort to us. The bondage of legalism is laid in the dust. I have
personally struggled with this as I believe many others have – if I can just get good
enough Jesus will hear. Yet, how could any one of us become good enough to move God
to answer our prayer. We can’t! It must be by mercy. Because we are His, His elect, He
will avenge speedily.

That tells me that I have access to the Lord of glory not based upon my personal merits,
not if I can get good enough, but because I am His. I belong to Jesus because His Father

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chose me, Jesus loves me, He died for me and I am His brother. That is how I am to
approach the throne of grace. Election is glorious!

But the parable tells us much more. It tells us His elect are the only ones that will call
upon Him in the first place and they are the only ones He will hear.

GOD’S ELECT ARE DEPICTED BY OTHER TERMS

The doctrine of election is depicted in God’s word with terms other than the word,
election. When the Bible uses term like “My sheep “His sheep,” “His people,” and “My
people” it is referring to God’s family, the elect family of God. The use of these
possessive pronouns, “my,” and “his,” indicate that whoever is under consideration,
belong to someone. That someone is God.

By this possessive language, it becomes obvious that there are some who are not, and
never will be, “My sheep,” “His sheep,” and “His people.” If we were reading any
other book that assumption would be made.

MY SHEEP = THE ELECT

The subject of sheep is an ongoing theme in the Bible. It is not without significance.
Sheep always refer to God’s people, the elect. Jesus spoke about His sheep many times.
His sheep were the ones He came to save. They were given to Him by His Father to
redeem. Jesus is the Great Shepherd of the sheep. He laid down His life for the sheep.
When Jesus referred to His sheep in John 10, He was referring to the elect family of God:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto
them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is
able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:27-29)

The sheep were given to His care and keeping in the everlasting covenant. None can be
plucked from the hand of the Great Shepherd. He knew every single sheep that He died
for.

Obviously, there were some that would not hear His voice, that were not given to Him.
These would not follow Him. As I said, we would assume that if we were reading any
other book. But Jesus makes it very clear in verse 26:

But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

The sheep refer to the elect family of God.

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 HIS SHEEP = THE ELECT

Every time Jesus spoke about His sheep, His voice was always endearing, filled with love
and compassion. When He preached about His return He spoke of the elect as, “his
sheep,” that He would gather together and carry home with Him.

The sheep belonged to Him for many reasons. They were given to Him by the Father
before the world began to redeem and protect. They were His at the cross as He suffered
for them and paid their sin debt in full. Yes, the sheep belong to Jesus, the Great
Shepherd of the sheep. When time is no more He will return for them because they are
His:

And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: (Matthew 25:32)

Notice the possessive pronoun: “His sheep” compared to “the goats.” The goats are not
His. Again, if we were reading any other book this assumption would be made.

Compare that to Matthew 24:31 where we read:

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather
together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

and Mark 13:27 that says:

And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four
winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

These three passages are parallel passages, containing the exact same language. His
sheep are His elect and the Great Shepherd is coming to carry them home to be with Him
forever. A division will be made between the sheep, the elect, and the non-elect. His
sheep always refers to the elect family of God.

HIS PEOPLE = THE ELECT

The elect family of God are also referred to as, “His people,” many times in the Bible. I
will give you one verse that should be sufficient for our present argument:

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save
his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

This was the angel’s message to Joseph concerning his espoused wife, Mary. Every
Christian agrees that she brought forth a Son. They agree that she named Him Jesus. But
concerning who He saved, or who He will save, is yet to be determined in the minds of
many people. But the angel’s message is clear. Jesus will save “His people,” the elect,
from their sins. He did exactly that. That is what Jesus meant when He said, “It is

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finished.” He finished the work of the covenant with His blood. Jesus is a successful
Savior.

If Jesus came to save an unknown mass of people the passage would read, “for he shall
save people from their sins.” But it does not say people. It says, “His people.” They
were already His.

If we do not understand election, we cannot understand the significance of the

expression, “His people.” “His people” becomes a mass of unknown characters yet to
be discovered in time. Something undiscovered cannot be owned. “His people,” always
refers to the elect family of God.

MY PEOPLE = THE ELECT

The elect family of God are also referred to by God as, “my people.” Again, this term is
used many times in the Bible. I will give you a reference from the Old Testament, but
you will find many others in the New.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation?
for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was
he stricken. (Isaiah 53:8)

Even in the days of the prophets, the elect belonged to Jesus. Every time the Bible
speaks about the death of Jesus Christ it always refers to a people that belong to Him.
Even in the Old Testament those people are referred to as, “my people.”

This is a prophetic reference to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. It is a parallel

passage to Matthew 1:21, because it specifies who Jesus will die for. In Isaiah 53 they
are referred to as “my people.” In Matthew they are referred to as “His people.” They
are the same people. They are the elect family of God. They are His because the Father
gave them to Him.

Jesus was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgressions of “my people” only.
Not for anyone else. Language could not be clearer. “My people,” always refer to the
elect family of God.

LOVE IS THE MOTIVATING CAUSE OF GOD’S ELECTION

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love: (Ephesians 1:3,4)  

Paul begins this epistle blessing God and praising Him for all of the spiritual blessings
that are found in Christ Jesus who is the fount of every blessing. The first blessing he
mentions is God’s election: “According as he hath chosen us.”

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Yes, election is a spiritual blessing that every Christian should rejoice in. Undeserving
sinners were chosen in Jesus before the world began. That make it unconditional. We
should rejoice in that truth.

Then Paul cites the motivating cause of God’s election: “before him in love.” God’s
people have always stood before Him in love. Love is the motivating cause of God’s
election and Christ’s suffering.

Love is the greatest thing in the universe. What better ticket would you want in your
hand when you land in glory and come face to face with the Lord? If Peter were standing
at the pearly gates collecting tickets for admittance would you rather hand him one that
stated, “I am loved eternally by my heavenly Father and Jesus died for my sins,” or one
that listed all the things you had said and done?

This love that Paul is writing about in Ephesians 1 is the same love that brought our Lord
down from glory. It is the same love that moved Him to suffer for His elect:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John
15:13)

There is no greater love in the universe than a love that would compel someone to suffer
and die for another. Jesus loved His sheep before the world began in just that way. He
promised, covenanted with the Father, to die for their sins and save them from the wrath
to come.

This same love is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible. It is the theme of the Bible:
God loved His people and delivered them by the death of His only begotten Son. Jesus
suffered for those He loved.

Space will not permit me to fully explore all the passages in the Bible that refer to Jesus
loving His elect family. I will give you a few for your consideration.

Ephesians 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself
for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”

Titus 3:4,5 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man
appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew
him not.”

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1 Timothy 1:14,15 “And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and
love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

Love is the motivating cause of God’s election, and Christ’s suffering.

EVIDENCES OF OUR ELECTION

The most intriguing thing about God’s election is the absence of how a person is to attain
it. In other words, the Bible never states how a person can get elected by God. The
reason is, of course, that election is by grace, not something a person does. It occurred
before the world began.

Yet, because of this silence, those who do not understand election come up with
unbiblical theories to explain it. Theories like, “God looked down through time and saw
those who would choose Him and elected them.”

If our heart is right, rather than inventing ways to get elected, we should be wondering if
we are elected…am I one of God’s chosen family? That is how God wants us to respond
to His amazing grace. Then He wants us to search the scriptures for evidence.

For this reason, God has given His people many wonderful evidences of their calling and
election. One of the most powerful evidences is how the gospel of Jesus Christ affects
us. I have already mentioned this verse, but here it is again:

Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto
you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much
assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
(I Thessalonians 1:4,5)

Jesus died for His people and paid their sin debt on the cross. Does that message come in
power or are they mere words that have no effect upon your heart?

If the message of a suffering Savior moves your heart with compassion, when you see
your sins removed by His precious suffering, you must know you are elected of God. It
is time to be baptized and follow Him.

When the apostle preached at Thessalonica, people rejoiced in the message of Jesus
Christ, and Him crucified. According to Paul, it was an affirmation of their calling and
election.

In verse nine of the same chapter, the apostle gives another evidence of election: a change
in person’s life, and their desire to serve the true and living God.

For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how
ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. (v9)

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Prior to the gospel, many of the members at Thessalonica were idol worshipers. But
when they heard the gospel, they repented, turned from their idol worship, and began to
serve the true and living God.

The first evidence, how the gospel affects the heart, is an inward evidence. But the
change in a person’s life, and the righteous fruit produced by that effect, are outward
evidences.

There are many other evidences of a person’s calling and election found in the Bible. I
will give you several others at the close of the section on Irresistible Grace.

OBJECTIONS TO UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION

There are those who object to the doctrine of unconditional election, even in the face of
abundant scriptural evidence. I will try to address the 5 most common.

Objection #1 – It isn’t fair that God would choose some and not others.

The reason that many say that election is not fair is because they have a false concept of
how God saved His people in the first place. If we believe salvation is by some kind of
work, election would seem unfair because some never had a chance to do that work. I
believe that is the most common reason that many reject the doctrine of election. They
don’t understand grace.

This objection is also couched within the terms of human reasoning concerning what is
fair. It is based upon the assumption that every person is good and deserves to be saved.
If everyone deserves to be saved, then it isn’t fair for God to choose some and leave
others completely out of the picture. Yet, according to the Bible, no one deserves
anything. Every man at his best state is altogether vanity: "As it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not one:" (Romans 3:10)

This objection is fully explained in Romans 9:17-23, with the illustration of the potter
and the clay. The potter has power over His own clay that He created. He can make a
vessel unto honor as well as a vessel to dishonor. But for arguments sake let’s consider
this objection further.

I understand the objection. It is the first thought that comes to our minds. Why some and
not others? It does sound a little Pharisaical – God chose me and not them.

So, let’s be fair. Let’s go back to the total depravity of man. We all became unworthy
sinners in Adam. If we are unworthy, why would anyone want us? In our fallen
condition we hate God and everything He stands for. So, what would obligate God to do
anything for us?

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In all fairness the Lord didn’t have to conceive a plan to save anyone. Jesus didn’t have
to agree to any terms of suffering, bleeding or dying. The Holy Spirit didn’t have to
involve Himself in any person’s life. Isn’t that fair?

It is also fair that fallen sinners have no rights. We don’t deserve anything. If God were
going to be fair, without mercy and grace, every sinner would be cast into hell forever.
Sinners don’t want God to be fair. They want mercy.

Concerning fairness, there is another truth: God would have been very fair to save only
one or two. But He was pleased to save a multitude as numerous as the sand of the sea
and the stars in the sky. That goes way beyond fairness.

In all fairness, this argument has no grounds. Thankfully, God’s love broke the bands of
fairness.

Objection #2 – God is a God of love. A God of love must love everyone.

This objection has already been dealt with when we considered Jacob and Esau. God is
sovereign concerning who He loves. It is also dealt with in the section on the motivating
cause of God’s election and the fact that God’s love is distinguishing.

The fact that God is a God of love doesn’t mean that God must love everyone. That is
two entirely different concepts. When the Bible states that God is a God of love it means
that all love that is found anywhere emanates from this God of love. But it doesn’t mean
that God loves everyone. God is sovereign concerning who He loves, and He is righteous
in doing so.

Objection #3 – What if someone wanted to go to heaven but wasn’t elected?

This objection is very common. It is predicated upon the idea that everyone wants to be
there, and some who want to be there can’t, because they weren’t elected.

The answer to this objection is simple – there aren’t any people like that. Any person that
loves God, and His Son Jesus Christ, and wants to live with God in heaven, is already
elected, born again, and glory bound. Why would anyone want to be with God in heaven
eternally if they were not His child?

The fact is, everyone does not want to be elected by the God of glory. The Muslim wants
to be with Allah, not Jesus Christ. Consider all the pagan religions, the cults, and the god
that they want to be with. There are many who do not want to be elected by God the
Father.

Objection #4 – Election keeps people out of heaven because fewer people will get to
heaven if election is true.

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There are several problems with this objection. Once again, it is the result of a false
concept of salvation. This objection places election as an act of God that would diminish
the number of people who would make it to heaven.

First, election is a biblical doctrine and God doesn’t do anything to keep people out of
heaven. So, that argument doesn’t make any sense.

But for the sake of argument, we will pose this question: “Will more people make it to
heaven if God elected them, sent His Son to die for them, and finished His work, or will
more people make it to heaven if God sent His Son to die for all of humanity and only
those that hear about it will make it?”

It is without question, election keeps people in heaven not out of heaven.

Election doesn’t diminish the number of people that will be with the Lord in glory. It
secures every person that God elected whether they hear about it or not. It really raises
the number because there are many of the elect that die in infancy, in poverty-stricken
nations that will never hear the gospel. Election is better than any works system man has
ever invented because God will reach His elect with His voice and call them from places
where there are no Bibles, preachers or churches.

Objection #5 – Another objection I have heard is really a criticism. It goes like this: “I
don’t believe that God saves people against their will.”

But that is exactly what God does! Consider, once again, the doctrine of original sin. If
we understand what the Bible says about man in his original state, without Christ, he
hates God, His Holy word, and any person who proclaims it. He is at enmity with God.
He is dead in trespasses and in sin. He will never have a will to be saved. God must
change the poor creature and make him willing. Therefore, he does not have a will to be
saved in the first place.

I have never heard any person complain about being saved. I have never heard anyone
say, “Boy, I really wish that Jesus hadn’t died for me. That was against my will.”

But the truth of the matter is that God really does save people against their will. He saves
them when they are dead in trespasses and in sin, without hope, without love and at
enmity with God. Every saved person should rejoice in the fact that God saved them
against their stubborn, sinful will.

People only become willing in the day of God’s power, when He regenerates them. God
saves us against our will and then makes us willing.

The psalmist has declared:

Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness
from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. (Psalm 110:3)

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Objection #6 – Another false concept concerning the doctrine of election goes like this:
“I believe in the doctrine of election, but I believe it only has to do with national Israel.”

Paul addressed that misconception in his epistle to the Romans.

Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the
Gentiles?  (Romans 9:24)

God’s calling and election of a people to live with Him in glory includes Jews and
Gentiles. It includes a people from every kindred, tribe and nation on earth.

Objection #7 – I am a preacher but if I preach the doctrine of election, as it is found in

the Bible, I will be ejected from my position as a pastor. But if I avoid it, I will save
more people to heaven. Therefore, I object to it.

As ridiculous as it may sound, this objection is more prevalent than many people realize.
Again, it is based upon a false concept of how people are saved…even by many
preachers. There are many pastors who will not preach it because they say it is anti-
evangelical.

How could anything that God has declared in His Holy word be anti-evangelical? Paul
didn’t think so because he wrote about it many times. Peter didn’t think so because he
wrote about it as well. Jesus preached it. Would they preach and write on a subject if it
were anti-evangelical and would keep people from heaven?

The problem is that those who avoid this doctrine do not understand how God saved His
people from their sins in the first place. God chose (elected) His people from a fallen
race. Christ died for them. The Holy Spirit regenerates them. It is the evangelist’s job to
herald that message to every person and in every place he has the opportunity to do so.

Objection #8 – I believe that God looked down through time and elected those that
accepted Jesus as their personal Savior.

This is not an objection to election but rather a false concept concerning the doctrine. It
ties works, something the creature must do, with election. It is true that God sees what
we do in advance. His foreknowledge is perfect. Yet, the question remains: “Is that the
cause of God’s election?”

Of course, the answer is no – accepting Jesus is not the motivating cause of God’s
election. First of all, that is nowhere to be found in the Bible. It is a presupposition
derived by men to somehow tie the biblical doctrine of election to an altar call.

Secondly, the Bible declares that love is the motivating cause of God’s election, not
accepting Jesus.

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The reality of this argument is obvious: a person that loves the Lord and is moved to
accept Him is already elected and born from above. Their acceptance didn’t cinch the
deal.

CONCLUSION TO UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION

In conclusion, we see the doctrine of election is a biblical doctrine. It is an act of God’s

mercy and love. It is taught all through the Bible. Election was taught by Christ and the
apostles. It must be unconditional because it occurred in the mind and heart of God
before the world began.

THE PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT

As we have already noticed, the acronym presents a logical progression of thought. Let’s
look at it again. It began with total depravity – man was helpless, depraved, unable to
save himself from his fallen condition. Somebody, or something, must lift him out of that
fallen condition or he would remain there forever.

So the thought progresses. God did not leave everyone in that condition. God elected a
people from the fallen race of Adam unconditionally. That was unconditional election.

Suppose the Lord had done no more. Suppose He had loved His people and elected them,
but left them in their fallen, sinful condition? Though elected and loved, they are yet in
their sins. If no more were done for them they would be chosen, but they must remain in
their fallen, sinful estate forever.

Therefore, something more must be done for the elect if they are to live with God in glory
one day. So, the logical progression of thought in the acronym continues as we come to
the next doctrine – God must take away their sin. This was done by the atoning blood of
Jesus Christ, and this atonement will be limited to, and for, the elect.

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 LIMITED ATONEMENT
The “L” stands for Limited Atonement, which means that the benefits of Christ’s
death are limited to the elect only.

Most Christians will agree that everyone is not going to heaven. But there are many
opinions among them as to who or what limits that number. Shouldn’t Jesus be the one
who decides? After all, they are His bride.

The above statement is true. Everyone is not going to heaven. It is also true that
Christians are at odds as to what really limits the blessings and benefits of Christ’s death.

For some, the ones going to heaven are those that heard and responded to their particular
message. For others, it has to do with who has gone through a particular ceremony or
ordinance. Some believe that being a member of their particular church is the key. Most
of these do not question the salvation of the others even though they did different things
for their salvation. They did something, so they must be O.K.

But the limiting factor comes down to those who did something and those who did
nothing…even though they did different things for the same salvation. Those who did
nothing aren’t going.

I am saying all of this to bring the argument of what limits heaven to a logical conclusion.
What does limit heaven? Or to look at the other side of the argument, what qualifies a
person to make it to heaven?

The answer is simple. It is not based upon how someone responded to a message, what
ordinance or ceremony a person has gone through, or which church a person is a member
of. All of these notions make salvation the result of some work. Salvation is not by
works, it is by God’s grace. It is based upon a sovereign God who loved His people
before the world began and sent His Son to make an atonement for their sins. The

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atoning blood of Jesus Christ was shed for a particular people, referred to in the Bible as
His people, His sheep, My people, My sheep… the elect family of God. Therefore, it is
the blood of Christ and who He suffered for that brings salvation. The blood of the
everlasting covenant is the limiting factor.

WHAT ATONEMENT MEANS

The term, atonement, can be confusing because it is not a word we use in our every-day
conversation. It means to cover, expiate or appease. It is used in the Old Testament over
fifty times. It always involves an offering, made to God for the purpose of cleansing.
Sometimes, it was to sanctify and cleanse the priest for his service in the temple. The
priest also made sacrifices for the people to atone for their sin. Other offerings were
made by the people to atone for their own personal sin.

Here are a few examples:

And they (the priests) shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to
consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are
holy. (Exodus 29:33)

And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace
offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it
shall be forgiven him. (Leviticus 4:26)

The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when
they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. (Exodus
30:15)

Of course, these offerings to God didn’t expiate or cancel anyone’s sin debt eternally.
Only the blood of Christ and His suffering could do that. These offerings were an
admission of their sin and their need for a perfect sacrifice that would eternally cancel
their sin debt. It was a way of worship. They were to be continually offered until the
perfect sacrifice came.

Today, when we sin, when our hearts are convicted, and we go to the throne of grace we
ask for forgiveness. That doesn’t pay for the sin we committed. It is an admission of it
and peace is restored with our heavenly Father. That is much the same as their offerings
to God in that day for their trespasses and sins. Our confession and repentance look back
to the cross seeing the death of our sin. Theirs looked forward to the cross anticipating
the death of their sin.

But ceremonies and ordinances do not make any demand upon the conscience. In other
words, a person could go through all the ceremonial services of the law and never feel the
weight of their sin. Therefore, it was required by all to do them whether they felt it or
not.

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Why am I saying all of this? Because I want you to see that those ceremonies never put
away a single sin. They were worshipful ceremonies to reveal that all were sinners and a
perfect sacrifice was yet to come. Paul makes this very clear:

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of
the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year
continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have
ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have
had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance
again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and
of goats should take away sins. (Hebrews 10:1-4)

Yes, a perfect sacrifice was yet to come, and come He did! At the appointed time, in the
fulness of time, Jesus Christ came into the world and offered Himself for His people. By
His perfect sacrifice the sins of the elect were atoned, covered, cancelled, put away
forever. As the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:11, we have now received the atonement
of Jesus Christ:

And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we
have now received the atonement. (Romans 5:11)

I love his use of the word, “now.” It is done, it is finished. At the cross, the atonement
was completed for the elect family of God.

By the use of the word, “atonement”, the apostle attaches the type or figure in the Old
Testament to the antitype who is Christ. The meaning is clear – we have now received
the benefits and blessings of the atonement that was prefigured all through the ceremonial
law service by many offerings. The shadow has become a reality. They all pointed to
Christ and His cross. The perfect sacrifice has come and the sins of the elect family of
God are put away eternally.

THE ATONEMENT WAS LIMITED

Now that we understand the atonement, we must ask the question: “Who was the
atonement of Jesus Christ made for, who has received the benefits of it, and why should
we think of it as limited?”

The answer found in the types and figures of the Old Testament. Every year, at a set
time, Israel observed the “day of atonement.” (Leviticus 23:27). Though the Jews had
many feasts and offerings, this was the most important day of the year for them. It was
the day that the High Priest offered sacrifices for the sins of their entire nation.

Many miss the point. The Day of Atonement was a national sacrifice for Israel only. It
was not for the Syrians, the Moabites, the Canaanites, the Philistines or any other people.
The benefits and blessings of that day, and that atonement, was limited to Israel alone.

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That was, and is, a perfect type of Jesus’ death. The benefits and blessings of His death
were for a particular people as well. It was made for those chosen in Christ before the
world began. These were people from every nation.

This is at odds with the modern idea that Jesus died for everyone. If Jesus died for
everyone then the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement was shed for every nation and every
person in the world at that time. But it wasn’t.

If Jesus died for everyone then everyone has received the atonement, everyone is
cleansed, and everyone is going to heaven.

That is an impossibility. The atonement of Jesus Christ was limited to God’s chosen
family, the elect family of God.

THE MODERN VIEW OF JESUS’ DEATH

Let’s logically compare the modern view, Jesus died for everyone, with the biblical
account of the atonement.

The modern-day view goes like this: Jesus died for everyone, but no one was really saved
at His death – they were just made savable. The blood of Christ didn’t redeem anyone.
It didn’t atone for sin, it was only a down payment. Everyone was placed in queue at the
cross with a possibility of salvation. The blood only becomes effective when people hear
about it and do their part. Some say it like this: His blood was applied to all but effective
for none.

The biblical view is this: Jesus died for the elect, those given to Him by the Father before
the world began. His blood redeemed His entire family and cancelled all of their sins
eternally. No one is in queue. His blood was limited to the elect and was immediately
effective for all He died for. Therefore, His blood was applied to some and effective for
all of them.

These are the four possibilities concerning the blood of Christ:

1. His blood was applied to some and effective for none of them
2. His blood was applied to some and effective for all of them
3. His blood was applied to all and effective for all of them
4. His blood was applied to all and effective for none of them

Those are the only four possibilities concerning the benefits and blessings of Christ’s
death. Number 2 agrees with the Bible. His blood was applied to some, those chosen by
the Father, and it was effective for all of them. No more, no less.

The sufficiency of Christ’s death and atoning blood is expressed in many Christian songs.
I will give you a portion of two of them and they both agree with number 2.

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 JESUS PAID IT ALL
Elvina M. Hall, 1820-1889

“I hear the Savior say, ‘They strength indeed is small,

Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.’

Chorus:
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

Do people really understand what they are singing when they confess, “Jesus Paid It
All?” In your mind and heart do you believe that Jesus paid it all? Or did He just make a
down payment?

I will mention one more song. In this song the word, “Atone,” is actually used as well as
an emphasis upon the fact that there is nothing a person can do to add to the benefits of
Christ’s death.

NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD

Robert Lowry, 1826-1899

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus,

O, precious is the flow, That makes me white as snow,

No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon this is see, Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

For my cleansing, this my plea, Nothing but he blood of Jesus,

Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus,

This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but he blood of Jesus;

This is all my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Though many Christians sing these songs, their theology is at odds with the biblical
sentiment expressed in them. They will sing “Nothing but the blood” but they confess
“The blood and my part.” If we understand the English language, nothing means
nothing!

THE BLOOD OF SPRINLKING

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There is more truth to be discovered about the atonement in the blood sacrifices offered
under the law. If the Day of Atonement is not sufficient evidence to convince us that the
atonement of Christ was limited to the elect, consider the, “blood of sprinkling.”

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling,
that speaketh better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24)

Abel offered a worthy sacrifice to God. But his worthy sacrifice could never put away
sin eternally. God’s everlasting covenant, and the blood of the everlasting covenant,
declares a much better sacrifice for sin – an eternal sacrifice.

In this verse, the apostle declares Jesus to be the mediator of the everlasting (New)
covenant as well as the offering for it. The blood of sprinkling is a direct reference to the
blood of Jesus Christ. That blood was prefigured by the blood that was sprinkled on the
priest and the altar in the inner chamber of the most holy place:

Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring
his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the
bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:  And he
shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the
children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so
shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them
in the midst of their uncleanness. (Leviticus 16:15,16)

You will find this word, “Sprinkled,” mentioned over and over in the book of Leviticus.
It is a term used to express how the priest was to apply the blood to himself, the altar, and
any consecrated vessel. Sometimes a hyssop branch was dipped in blood and used to
sprinkle blood upon a designated object.

Sprinkling is much different than splattering, spilling or throwing. If something is

sprinkled, there is a specified object that it is sprinkled upon.

All of the blood sprinkled in the tabernacle was sprinkled upon a specified object. It was
never splashed haphazardly around the room. The blood that was sprinkled sanctified the
object and purified it for use. Therefore, blood, every time it is mentioned under the
types and shadows of the law, always had a specified object. It was nevered offered or
sprinkled in general for the whole world or some unknown thing.

These are all beautiful types of the blood of Christ. He was offered at the fulness of time.
His blood was sprinkled upon the chosen objects of God’s grace. It sanctified them, set
them apart, consecrated and cleansed them.

By inspirtion, Peter wrote about the sprinkling of the blood of Christ with a direct
reference to the elect as the beneficiaries of its merit:

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 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the
Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and
peace, be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:2)

This is God’s intent with the types and shadows. He wants all of His children to know
that the blood of His Son was precious – that it was spefically intended for them – that He
loves them personally – and the blood redeemed them.

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as

silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that
raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope
might be in God. (1 Peter 1:21)

The word “precious” means rare, valuable, costly, dear and honorable. The blood of
Christ was rare – there was never blood like this blood. It was the blood of man, yet the
blood of God. It was valuable in that it cost the Father His only begotten Son.

Just consider how precious the blood of the sacrificial animal was. There was a limited
quantity of the blood being sprinkled that could be collected and used. Care must be
taken by the priest that it not be wasted or spilled. Before coagulation, it must be applied
to the specified object. Timing was important. The sacrificial animal must be slain at the
right time for the blood to be sprinkled at the appointed time of the sacrifice.

The precious blood of Christ was sufficient to pay for the sins of all of God’s elect.

WHAT LIMITED DOES NOT MEAN

When we use the term, Limited Atonement, it is understood that the efficacy of Christ’s
death and His power to save is not limited in any way. Jesus is King of kings, and Lord
of lords. He had the ability to save all He wanted to save. But He saved all He intended
to save. Jesus made that very clear in His priestly prayer to the Father:

As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him.  (John 17:2)

These words are very clear. Jesus had power over all flesh. But His intent was carried
out. He would give eternal life only to those given to Him by the Father in the
everlasting covenant. The blood was sprinkled, not thrown out over the mass of
humanity.

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 OTHER TERMS USED TO EXPRESS THE DOCTRINE OF
LIMITED ATONEMENT

The doctrine of limited atonement is expressed with other terms. One that we have
already learned is election. Election is, by definition, a limiting word. It implies that
there are those who will not be elected.

Another term used describe the benefits of Christ’s death is particular redemption. The
definition is obvious – the redemption of Christ was for a particular people, those chosen
by the Father. This term does not confuse people with the idea that God is “limited.” It
just doesn’t fit the TULIP acronym. But the truth is the same.

I have already metioned other limiting terms and phrases in the Bible that God uses to
define the objects of His grace. “My people,” “My sheep,” “His people,” and “His
sheep,” are all limiting words and phrases. When these words are used it is inferred that
there are those who are not, “My people,” ect. Though the language is clear, many miss
the inferred blessing.

OBJECTIONS TO LIMITED ATONEMENT

As with the doctrine of election, there are objections to limited atonement. Most of these
objections are very similar to the objections concerning election.

Objection #1: The Bible says that Jesus died for everyone.

This objection was addressed when we considerd the Day of Atonement. But let’s look
at some specific scriptures that seem to suggest that Christ died for everyone. One of
those is Hebrews 2:9:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering
of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should
taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9)

At first glance this verse seems to say that Jesus died for everyone: “every man.” But
when we read the entire passage we discover who, “every man,” really is:

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in
bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect
through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified
are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. Saying,
I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing
praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, behold I and
the children which God hath given me. (Hebrews 2:10-13)

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We must read the entire passage to understand who “every man” really is. It is for every
man given to Jesus Christ in the everlasting covenant before the world began: “Which
God hath given me.” This is limiting language.

Another verse that Universalists might claim is Titus 2:11:

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men…
  
This verse does not say that Jesus died for all men. It states that the knowledge of
salvation has appeared to all men, all kinds of men, from all nations. Jesus died for
people from all races – not just the Jews. Therefore, He gave that knowledge to all kinds
of men.

Many other verses could be considered where the terms “all men” and “every man” are
used. But when considered in their proper context they never deny the doctrine of limited
atonement – they declare it with authority!

Objection #2: If Jesus didn’t die for everyone, then some men do not have a chance.

This objection has already been considered in the objections on unconditional election.
Salvation was never a chance. It is a done deal, it is finished.

Objection #3: What if Jesus didn’t die for someone I love: my child, my grandchild, my
parent or spouse.

This is an emotional response not grounded in scripture. Here we find ourselves

objecting to the sovereignty of God concerning His eternal decrees. It places human
emotions over the Holy scriptures. God is not obligated to save people we love. We
must trust Him and His infinite wisdom to do what is right.

When the Lord informed Abraham that He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because
of their wickedness, Abraham interceeded for his family to be saved from the destruction.
Abraham’s conclusion to God’s final judgement concerning his family was that God
would do what was right:

That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the
wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee:
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?  (Genesis 18:25)

Not only that, the psalmist reminds us that we will all be satisfied when we get to heaven:

As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I
awake, with thy likeness  (Psalms 17:15)

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We have that promise. Whoever is there, or whoever is not there, will not altar our
perfect satisfaction in heaven. It is far better to leave salvation to the hands of an all-wise
God. He will make it right.

CONCLUSION TO LIMITED ATONEMENT

There are those who do not believe in a literal, eternal hell, nor that there will be anyone
who will spend eternity in it. For those people, this section has no relevance. Yet for
those who understand salvation, and what the elect were saved from, a distinction must
be made as to what limits the benefits of Christ’s death. It is either made by some system
of works that qualifies a person for heaven or it is made by the blood of the everlasting
covenant shed on the objects of God’s mercy and love. It can’t be both.

THE PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT

Let’s consider the progressive thought expressed in the acronym as we did with the other
letters. Let’s go back to the place where we began. Man is a fallen sinner, unable to save
himself from his fallen condition. That is what total depravity means. But God didn’t
leave His people in that condition. He chose a people that He loved out of the fallen
family of Adam, not based upon their works. That is unconditional election. But they
were still in their sin, unfit for heaven. So, God sent Jesus Christ to die for the elect and
make atonement for their sins. That is what limited atonement means. Their sins have
been cancelled by the death and sufferings of Jesus Christ.

Suppose God did no more for His people. Where would they be? They would be loved
and chosen. Their sins would be paid for. But unless they were changed in this life,
unless they were born from above, they would not have the ability to commune and
fellowship with the Lord in their fleshly pilgrimage down here. They would remain dead
in trespasses and in sins in this present world until their resurrection and change.
Something must be done to and for them while they are in this world to bring them into a
living relationship with God. They must be born again. This sovereign work of God must
be done before anyone can love God, understand spiritual things, exercise faith, serve
God and fellowship with Him. A person must be given spiritual life to enjoy all of these
blessings.

So, we come to the doctrine of irresistible grace whereby God calls His people,
irresistibly, into a living, vital relationship with Him. They must be born again. Of
course, this work of grace will be completely successful for all of the elect. None can
turn this act of God’s grace down because it will be irresistible.

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 IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
The “I” stands for Irresistible Grace, which means that God’s work both in calling, and
election, cannot be resisted or hindered.

Every Christian that I have ever met agrees with Jesus when He said: “Marvel not that I
said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7) They all agree – you must be born
again to go to heaven. But how this new birth takes place varies among Christians.
Thankfully, God is faithful to regenerate all of His elect…even those who are at odds
with Him on how it is done.

God’s grace is a wonderful thing. Simply put, grace is blessings bestowed upon the
undeserving. In light of the fall, any blessing any person receives must be by God’s
grace. If you are one of God’s elect, you are a recipient of His amazing grace.

It is manifested in many ways throughout the scriptures. From the calling of Abraham to
the miracles of Jesus, these are all examples of His amazing grace.

His creation of the universe, life, light, love, joy are all irresistible decrees of His grace.
God’s calling, and election, are also among these sovereign decrees.

God’s calling and His election are two separate events. As we have learned, His election
occurred before the world began. But God’s calling occurs in time, during our lifetime.

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God’s calling is when He calls His people by the Holy Spirit and imparts spiritual life. It
is when we are born from above.

Though these are separate events, they are both guaranteed through the promises of the
everlasting covenant. The Holy Spirit covenanted to impart spiritual life to all that the
Father chose before the world began. Therefore, every one of God’s elect will be born
from above without fail. They will be brought into a vital, living relationship with their
creator, God. This work is irresistible.

We have already learned that election is irresistible, that it was made before the world
began. So, in this section we will consider the irresistible call of God – when we are born
from above.

THE MANY CALLS IN SCRIPTURE

The Bible speaks of many different calls. Some of these calls are from God. Others are
from man. Some are irresistible. Some are not. They are all significant and it is
important for us to distinguish the source and purpose of each call if we want to
understand how we are born again.

For instance, there was God’s call to the office of an apostle (Romans 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1).
There was the call in the Old Testament to the office of High Priest (Hebrews 5:1). God
called Abraham to be the father of a nation (Hebrews 11:8). There was God’s call to His
prophets (Jeremiah 1:4-9). There was God’s call to the Judges of Israel (1 Samuel 3:3-
10).

Today, God calls men to be ministers of the gospel (Luke 10:1-2). Of course, there is the
gospel call for sinners to repent, be baptized and follow Jesus (2 Thes.2:12-14). There is a
future call when Jesus returns to call His people from the grave (John 5:28; Job 14:13-
15).

But there is yet another call that we find in God’s word. It is that special call that comes
from God that imparts spiritual life to the individual who is dead in trespasses and in sin.
This call to spiritual life is irresistible. It cannot be turned down. It always has been, and
always will be, successful.

GOD’S IRRESISTIBLE CALL TO LIFE

There are many scriptures that tell us about the irresistible call of God that imparts
spiritual life to those who are dead in sin. I have to admit that I have read these passages
many times and never associated them with spiritual life. It was during a study on the
words, “call”, “called” and “calling” that I realized just how many times God is telling
us how we are born again. Here are a few examples:

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 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called,
them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans
8:30)

Here, the apostle steps us through the phases of the everlasting covenant. God
predetermined (predestinated), before the foundation of the world, to save His people
from their sins. These people are referred to as, “them” three times in this passage alone.
These are the very same people from start to finish – the elect of God.

Couched within the determination to save His people are additional covenant promises.
One of those promises is their call to spiritual life. Those that God predestinated to save
would also be “called,” born again, and brought into a vital relationship with the Father.
This would be accomplished somewhere between their conception and death. That
promise of life was the Holy Spirit’s work in the everlasting covenant.

This Holy Calling is from God alone. Notice, it is “He” that predestinated, called,
justified and glorified. “He,” cannot refer to any man, preacher or church. Man can no
more claim a part in the call than he can in the predestination, justification, or
glorification. It is God’s irresistible call that imparts spiritual life.

Here is another verse that speaks of our calling:

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and
election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (2 Peter 1:10)  

Notice how the Holy Spirit links our calling and election together in God’s Holy Word.
They cannot be separated. All who are elected will be called. God’s call to life is vitally
connected to our election. In other words, if the Father chose us in Christ before the
world began, the Holy Spirit must call us into eternal life in time. The Holy Spirit would
be a failure if one single person was elected and never called to life in Christ Jesus.

Here is another verse that speaks of our calling:

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the

Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; (Hebrews 3:1)  

All of God’s people are partakers of the new birth. Paul refers to it as a, “heavenly
calling.” This cannot be the gospel call which comes from the mouth of man. Someone
from heaven made this call. It is a direct reference to God.

This truth agrees with 2 Timothy 1:9:

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began,

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Here, we find God’s call referred to as, “an holy calling.” Again, this is not the gospel
call from a preacher. This call came from the holy One.

It is God and His power that saved us and called us. Man can no more claim a part in
God’s holy calling than he can claim a part of Christ’s cross.

Many Christians tie the gospel call and God’s holy call together as one event. Yet, the
Bible makes a distinction. The language in this verse makes this point very clear by
several statements.

First, God’s holy call is “not according to our works.” When a person responds to the
gospel call it is a work. Whether they walk down an aisle, are baptized, recite a prayer or
catechism, make a mental acceptance, they are all involved in something – something
that they must do. If we do anything it must be a work.

Secondly, this call originated, “before the world began.” The verse makes it very plain –
it was given to us before the world began by promise in the everlasting covenant.

Then, in verse ten, Paul makes a clear distinction between God’s call and the gospel call:

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who
hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel: (2 Timothy 1:10)

Our holy calling, our spiritual life and our immortality, are brought to “light” through the
gospel. God’s call gave life – the gospel gave light upon that life.

I am not diminishing the importance or the power of the gospel. I just want to give God
glory for what He alone can, and does, accomplish for helpless sinners. Let’s give Him
glory for our salvation and our spiritual life.

The gospel is not an offer to be born again. It is a declaration of good news: The King
has come. He has saved His people from their sins (See Matthew 1:21). Follow Him!

Making the gospel an offer to be born-again dethrones the King and sets man up as the
giver of life.

Here is another verse that speaks of our calling:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is
the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints, (Ephesians 1:18)

One again, it is “His” calling, not the preachers. The gospel enlightens us concerning our
salvation and gives us hope. But the new birth is the result of His calling.

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Those are just a few of the verses that refer to our heavenly calling, our new birth. There
are many more. Consider these as well:

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are
sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: (Jude
1:1)

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ
Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish,
strengthen, settle you.  (1 Peter 5:10)

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving
us an example, that ye should follow his steps:  (1 Peter 2:21)

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of
death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first
testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance.  (Hebrews 9:15)

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also
called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.  (1
Timothy 6:12)

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your
calling; (Ephesians 4:4)

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and
called me by his grace, (Galatians 1:15)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose.   (Romans 8:28)

Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: (Romans 1:6)

The Bible is pregnant with life, God’s life-giving call. God wants us to know and
understand who gives His people spiritual life. He wants full credit for it. Let us not rob
Him of His glory!

OTHER BIBLICAL TERMS USED TO EXPRESS

GOD’S IRRESISTIBLE CALL

There are other terms used in the Bible to describe God’s irresistible call to life. These
include many terms that most Christians are familiar with. The first I will mention is
“born again.”

Born Again

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 John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:7 “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

Quickened

Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins”

Ephesians 2:5 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved)”

Colossians 2:13 “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses”

Born of the Spirit

John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit.”

John 3:8 “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but
canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the
Spirit.”

Born of God

1 John 3:9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in
him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that
loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”

1 John 5:1 “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one
that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.”

New Creature

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 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Created

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Colossians 3:10 “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the
image of him that created him:”

Every one of these passages refer to the same event. They refer to a person being called
of God, when they are born again. In every passage you will find the same truths that we
found in the verses referring to God’s call to life. They are void of preachers and any
human merit. They are all irresistible. They are all by God’s grace.

WHAT IRRESISTIBLE MEANS

God’s call to spiritual life is irresistible. Irresistible means that it cannot be resisted or
hindered by the sinner. It is not the result of God and the sinner working together. The
sinner has no part in the obtaining of it. It is the sovereign, creative work of God. In this
work God is active – the sinner is passive. Since the sinner is passive in this work it is by
grace. If the sinner has any part in it grace becomes void.

For this reason, God’s irresistible call to life is sometimes referred to as, “God’s effectual
calling.” The reason is obvious: God’s holy calling is always effectual, it always
achieves its intended purpose.

The scriptures I gave you are filled with beautiful illustrations concerning God’s
irresistible call to spiritual life. In each one, God uses illustrations of things that we are
all familiar with to help our understanding. Let’s consider some of them. They are very
simple, and they all exalt God as the sovereign creator of life.

LIFE

Life, both natural and spiritual, are gifts of God’s grace. Paul preached this truth at Mars’
Hill to a crowd of superstitious idol worshippers who were ignorant of God’s creative
work in the universe:

Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing,

seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; (Acts 17:25)

It is God who gives life and breath to all living things. Life is irresistible. It is given
sovereignly. No one has ever asked for life nor has any ever turned life down.

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While most Christians will give this passage a nod, many will change the definition of
life when it comes to spiritual life. They will agree that natural life is a gift. They will
agree that they were passive in the obtaining of their natural life. They will agree that
their life came from an outside source. They will agree that left to self, they would never
have had natural life or even existed. But when it comes to their spiritual life many
change all the rules. Definitions change. The laws of nature change. They exalt the
creature and debase God by making the sinner the instrument in his own spiritual life.
They go from grace to works.

But God doesn’t change any rules when it comes to natural life or spiritual life. That is
why He uses words everyone is familiar with. Life is life. It is something that a person
cannot obtain by self. It must come from an outside source who has power to give it. All
of the same laws apply to the obtaining of life, both natural and spiritual. There are no
exceptions. If you are alive naturally, God gave you that life. If you are born again, God
gave you that life. You had nothing to do with it. It was irresistible, and it was by grace.

That is what God is telling us in Ephesian 2:1:

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (Ephesians
2:1)

That is pretty plain. We were dead in trespasses and in sins. He, God, quickened us, and
made us alive.

The word, “quickened,” means to make alive. If you are born again, spiritually alive,
God did it. You were as passive in that transaction as you were when He gave you
natural life at conception. It was irresistible.

Here it is again in Paul’s charge to Timothy:

I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before
Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; (1
Timothy 6:13)

It is God that quickens, gives life, to all living things. Man never has, and never will
have, the ability to create life.

Life is exactly that, a creation. It is not the fabrication of something out of existing
materials. It is making something out of nothing that never was. It is always a product of
God’s irresistible grace.

CREATION

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  (Genesis 1:1)

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We have already alluded to creation but let’s be more specific. Genesis 1:1 defines God
as the sovereign creator of all things. Since that is the very first statement in the Bible
that God made about Himself, we can assume that is the first thing that God wants His
people to know about Him…He makes things out of nothing!

That statement alone sets God far above any other creature.

All of creation was passive in that work. When God said, “Let there be light,” there was
light. Light didn’t cooperate. Light didn’t have a volition. Light didn’t have a free will.
Light didn’t evolve over millions of years. Light was immediately created out of nothing.
There was darkness, then there was light.

When God created Adam, it was not a product of God and Adam working together. God
created Adam out of dust. By the way, God also made the dust. When God breathed the
breath of life into Adam’s nostrils it was not because Adam asked for Him to do so.
Adam’s natural creation and His natural life came sovereignly by God’s grace. They
were both irresistible. They were both immediate.

While most Christians believe all of these maxims concerning creation, many abandon
them when it comes to God creating the spiritual man, when we are born from above.
But the Bible declares that the new birth is a as much a creative work of God as the
physical universe. Man has nothing whatsoever to do with either of them. Consider
these passages.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The term, “new creature,” means a new creation. If a man or woman is in Christ they
were created in Him. They did not evolve into Him by going to church, reading their
Bibles or doing spiritual things. They had absolutely nothing to do with it. Someone
who was dead in sin has now been made spiritually alive. Spiritual life is now present
where there was death and darkness. If man has a part in it then it is not a creation. It is a
process of evolution. That could not be grace. All of grace is free.

This new creation changes the person. Where there was once darkness, there is now light.
Where there was once a conscience void of spiritual discernment, of right and wrong, sin
and righteousness, there is now a quickened conscience that can feel the pain of sin.
There is a desire for the things of God and the people of God. Now, there is a hunger for
spiritual things. Old things begin to pass away and new things arise in the heart as the
scriptures indicate.

Of course, the new birth doesn’t make a person a full blown Christian. But it does give
them all of the tools they need to grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.

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Ephesians 2:10 not only echos the same truth, but it also tells us how we should walk
after our creation…using our tools.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The spirit born person is God’s workmanship. Not the preacher’s, not the church’s, not
even their own. The clay pot didn’t make itself. The potter did. The pot was just dirt,
like Adam before God created him.

This also means that God makes a new creation every time an object of His grace is born
again. They are like the snowflakes. No two people are alike. No two souls are exactly
the same. They are all special creations possessing their own particlar gifts and graces.

The Psalmist agrees:

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we
ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (Psalm 100:3)

That’s pretty plain. The Lord made us, we didn’t make ourselves. We didn’t have any
part in it any more than we had any part in the creation of the universe or our natural
birth. No one chooses to be conceived or born into this world. Nor do they choose to be
born spiritually.

Spiritual life is always a special creation of God. It is given to us by God’s grace. It is

free. Creation is irresistible.

THE NEW BIRTH – ACCORDING TO JESUS

Jesus preached about the new birth on several occasions. He used simple illustrations of
things we are all familiar with to teach us about it. He wanted His disciples to understand
how His people are born from above so they could teach others. We can be safe in
saying that Jesus knows more about the new birth than anyone. After all, He is the one
who gives it through the operation of the Holy Spirit.

One of those occasions is found in the gospel of John, chapter 3. Jesus, the One who
imparts spiritual life, tells us about it. He compared the new birth to the wind. Again, a
very simple illustration that many miss.

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not
tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit 
 (John 3:8)

That’s pretty simple. Everyone knows what the wind is. It is invisible, yet powerful.
We feel it, but we can’t see it. But more importantly, no one and no thing can control the

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wind. It is not commanded by a person’s decision or by their volition. It is sovereign as
to where it blows, when it blows, who and what it blows upon…so is every one that is
born of the spirit.

That is quite different than what we hear in many Christian circles today. There are no
ordinances, such as baptism attached. No one is eating any bread or drinking any wine.
No one is reciting the sinner’s prayer or walking down an aisle. No one is accepting Him
or reciting a catechism. No one is lifting a finger at a revival while soft music is being
played. I love the simplicity of Jesus’ words. When the Spirit pleases, it just blows upon
a chosen person and imarts spirital life.

The word “listeth” means exactly that. It means pleases – the wind blows where it
pleases. It blows at its own will and discretion. No one asks for it or turns it down.

No one has power over the wind. They can’t order a tornado or a hurricane nor can they
send one away. That’s a sobering thought when compared to the Holy Spirit. Though we
can pray for a revival, we can’t command one. We have no power over the Holy Spirit.

When a person is born again by the Holy Spirit it is as sovereign as the wind. It blows
upon who it wants to and imparts spiritual life when it wants to.

According to Jesus, everyone is born this way: “So is everyone who is born of the
Spirit.” No one is born any other way. Not the preacher, the pope, the infant, the
mentally challenged, the aged, the saints in the Old Testament, Adam, Abraham – they
were all born exactly the same way. If they are born from above, the Holy Spirit blew
upon them and imparted Spiritual life.

This destroys the man-made idea of special grace for those who never hear the gospel.
All grace is special to every one of God’s elect. They are all born the same way.

Jesus’ sermon removes the gospel completely from the new birth. While it is true, the
gospel is a call, it does not impart spiritual life nor create anything. It comes from the
mouth of a created being. Created beings cannot create something out of nothing. Only
God can do that.

The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (See Romans1:16). That means that it
tells us how we were saved, who saved us and where we are going. But the gospel
cannot command the spirit unto regeneration any more than man can command the wind.
The gospel gives light upon the spiritual life that the Creator gave us.

Another intriguing thing about Jesus’ sermon is the fact that it was made before He
suffered upon the cross. Even as Jesus spoke those words, His people were being born
again in exactly the same way as they are born again today – by the immediate work of
the Holy Spirit: “So is every one that is born of the spirit,” not, “Every one who will one
day be born of the spirit.”

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I am making this point because there are some who believe that God’s people in the days
of the Old Testament, before the cross, even before Pentecost, were born again by
another method or were not of the same spiritual capacity as New Testament saints. But
the new birth is the new birth whether it occurred before the cross or after the cross.

God gives it sovereignly by the immediate work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus makes this
point very clear in no uncertain terms:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead
shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.  (John
5:25)

The hour was occuring at that very moment: people who were dead in sin were hearing
the voice of the Son of God and He was imparting spiritual life. I must also add – that
was not the preachers voice.

In this sermon, Jesus crosses all denominational barriers and takes full credit for the birth
of all of His children. He takes away all works and puts the new birth on the platform of
grace alone. He demonstrates the sovereinty of God. He also reveals the creatures
depravity, his inability to have any power whatsoever to attain his own birth. This is a
very simple illustration, deep with theological wisdom.

The new birth is like the wind: it is irresistible.

THE RESURRECTION

For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son
quickeneth whom he will.  (Jesus in John 5:21)

Jesus was, without a doubt, the greatest preacher who ever proclaimed the gospel. The
subject of the new birth was the central theme of many of His sermons. He not only was
the absolute authority on the subject, He was also the first One to preach about the new
birth.

The Old Testament is virtually silent on the concept of the new birth except for some
prophetic references. Therefore, the subject needed light. Jesus was, and is, the light of
the world. He gave light on the subject. He taught the doctrine to the apostles and they
gave it to the church.

In John chapter 3, Jesus compared the new birth to the wind. Here, in John 5:21, Jesus
compares the new birth to the resurrection of the dead.

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The resurrection is something that every Christian has an interest in. They all hope to be
resurrected from the grave and live eternally with Jesus and His redeemed family.
According to Jesus, these two doctrines, the new birth and the resurrection, have many
similarities.

One is obvious. Just as the Father raises the dead, Jesus quickens (gives life) to those He
chooses. Therefore, both the resurrection and the new birth are sovereign works of God.

God is sovereign in who He will raise from the dead and who He will quicken. It says,
“Whom he will.” It does not say, “Whoever is willing.”

Another similarity is that the creature is passive in both events. Man will not be
cooperative on resurrection morning, he will be passive. He will not be raised by his
volition, his choice, by accepting, by reading the sinner’s prayer or any other thing. God
will speak, the dead will come forth. Just like Lazarus, when Jesus said, “Lazarus, come
forth.” Lazarus was passive in the work. He was wound up like a mummy in grave-
clothes. He just floated out.

That is what Jesus is preaching. Resurrection life and spiritual life come in exactly the
same way: by the sovereign, irresistible, call of God.

In case we didn’t get it the first time Jesus repeats the doctrine for us in more detail four
verses later where we read in John 5:25:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

There you have it again, the same truth. The hour is not only coming to future heirs of
grace, but now is going on all around us – those dead in sin who belong to God are
hearing the voice of Jesus and are being made spiritually alive.

There you have four simple illustrations that God gives us to undestand the new birth and
how it is irresistible:

1. Life
2. Creation
3. The wind
4. The resurrection

All four are irresistible!

There are many famous preachers and theologeans who have written and preached on the
subject of the new birth. Some of them have impressive degrees and many followers.
Some are even on the television and the radio. But I will take the words of Jesus. The
new birth is by God’s irresistible grace!

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 IRRESISTIBLE GRACE FINDS ITS ROOTS
IN GOD’S EVERLASTING COVENANT

Once again, the everlasting covenant becomes the motivating force behind the sovereign
decrees of God. We should not be surprised. God’s plan of salvation was ordered in all
things and sure before the world began. Therefore, irresistible grace finds its roots in
God’s everlasting covenant.

As the song by Lowell Mason expressed:

“The Father spake, the Son replied, The Spirit with them both complied,
Grace moved the cause for saving man, And wisdom drew the noble plan.

The Father chose His only Son To die for sins that man had done;
Emmanuel to the choice agreed, And thus secured a numerous seed.

He sends His spirit from above, To call the objects of His love;
Not one shall perish or be lost, His blood has bo’t them, dear they cost.”

As previously noted, this song is very scriptural. The Holy Spirit complied with the will
of the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit would be sent into the hearts of the objects of
God’s love to call them to life in Christ Jesus.

This truth is, of course, grounded in scripture. We find it in Hebrews 10:16:

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will
put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.

When the scriptures speak about God putting His laws in a person’s heart it is describing
the new birth. When we are born from above God writes His laws in our hearts. The
gospel gives light upon what He has written there. Therefore, this verse proclaims the
Holy Spirit’s promise to carry out His work in the everlasting covenant.

Irresistible grace finds it roots in the everlasting covenant. Nothing can hinder or
frustrate this work.

FOUR BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE BORN AGAIN

BY GOD’S IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

God has given us several examples of His irresistible call in the Bible. These are real
people that we all know and rejoice in. Though each person is different, God’s sovereign
call is the same for each. The sinner is passive. The call is irresisitble.

As we consider each person, something seems to be missing. There is never a preacher

asking people to accept Jesus as their personal savior to be born again. We never find
anyone in the Bible reading the sinner’s prayer to be born again. No one is going down

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the Roman Road because it wasn’t written yet. Nor are there any baptisms preceeding
these new birth experiences. Each example is an act of God’s amazing grace! Let me
introduce you to a thief who once was lost, but now is found.

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

One of the clearst examples of God’s irresistible grace is found in the closing hours of the
life of one of the theives crucified next to Jesus. He was never baptized. Nor was he a
member of a church. He didn’t read the sinner’s prayer or accept Jesus as his personal
savior. He was just changed miraculously.

As the scene unfolds, both theives are reviling Jesus along with the crowd:

And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,  (Matthew 27:39)

He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I
am the Son of God.  (Matthew 27:43)

The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his
teeth.  (Matthew 27:44)

The theives agreed with the chief priests, the scribes and the elders. They were casting
the same at Christ – we don’t believe you are who you say you are.

I don’t think we could put that in the category of a believer.

Here is Mark’s testimony:

When the people said,

Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and
believe. (Mark 15:32a)

The theives responded:

And they that were crucified with him reviled him. (Mark 15:32b)

Revile means to defame and reproach. The testimony of Mark agrees with Matthew.

But Luke takes us further into the event. In the midst of the pain and chaos something
happens to one of the theives. While one of the malefactors continues to rail upon Christ,
the heart of the other theif has been changed. Listen to his final testimony:

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou
be Christ, save thyself and us.  (Luke 23:39)

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No change in that thief.

But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing
thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the
due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said
unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. (Luke
23:40-42)

What a remarkable change! This man was initially railing upon Jesus and calling Him a
liar, and an imposter. He didn’t believe that Jesus was who He claimed to be.

But now he calls Jesus Lord! He even takes up for Jesus and testifies of His holiness.
Finally, he asks for Jesus to remember him when He returns.

There were no preachers present. He was not in church. He didn’t read the sinner’s
prayer or recite a catechism. Nor was he baptized. Out of nowhere, he rebukes his
friend, admits to his sin and begs for Jesus to remember Him.

What brought about this miraculous change? There was nothing at the cross to compell
anyone to change their mind about Jesus. At the cross, no one was hailing Him as King
of kings and Lord of Lords. He was not being evangelized as the Savior. He is being
condemned as a liar and an imposter – and He is dying.

But there was God. Yes, there was a God that loved a bankrupt guilty theif before the
world began and called him with a holy calling before he took his last breath. That is
grace. Isn’t it amazing! At the beginning of his crucifixion he saw Jesus as just another
man. But after his change, he was looking upon Jesus with spiritual eyes, he saw his
Lord and his Savior. Any time a person sees Jesus in that way a miracle of God’s
amazing grace has transpired.

If we didn’t have Luke’s account of that theif, many people would say, “That man has no
hope.” He just called Jesus a liar and died. But Luke records his request – and Jesus’
graceful response:

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me
in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

If you want an example of irresistible grace, there it is! No one at the cross was saying
and doing the things we hear of today in modern Christianity to give the thief spiritual
life. But we see God’s grace.

Where do you think that thief is today? There is no question about it – he is with Jesus!

These two theives are placed in the sacred testimony of God’s book for people to see that
salvation is not according to our works. It is not according to a doctrine. It is not

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according to reciting words. It is by His grace. He calls his people in spite of their works
and changes them immediately.

Someone might say, “But the thief did call on Jesus.” That is true. But that was after his
change, not before it.

Someone might also say, “That was a special circumstance. Jesus was there
personally.” But it wasn’t a special circumstance. Jesus is there every time a sinner is
changed with His life giving voice.

Consider what happed on that day in comparison to Matthew 25:32-34.

And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on
his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right
hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world.  (Matthew 25:32-34)

At the cross we have a miniature of the resurrection. Jesus is between two sinners. One
is on His right hand. The other is on His left hand. I believe the theif that worshipped
Him that day was on His right hand. Jesus turned to him and promised that he would be
in paradise with Him that very day.

If you will notice, Jesus didn’t speak to the other thief. Just to the one He had already
changed. Surely, this is an evidence of His limited atonement as well as His irresistible
grace.

It is also a testimony of God’s unconditional election. Though they were both

undeserving sinners, He chose one and not the other. It was certainly not according to the
theif’s works.

Jesus made that man a wonderful promise that instilled hope in his suffering heart: “To
day you will be in paradise with me.”

This tells us that there will be no soul sleeping, no intermediate time when the sinner’s
soul is in the grave or purgatory. The soul and spirit immediately go to Jesus at death.

Let’s consider another unworthy culprit.

SAUL OF TARSUS - THE APOSTLE PAUL

We have another striking example of God’s irresistible grace displayed in the life of Saul
of Tarsus who we later know as the apostle Paul. This man was responsible for the death
of Stephen. He was a hater of Jesus Christ and everything He stood for. In Acts chapter 9,
we find him there on the road to Damascus, with papers in his hand to apprehend
Christians and put them to death.

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Verse 1 describes him as a hungry wolf, breathing out threatenings and slaughter. Need
we say more concerning his lack of spiritual life? Suddenly, the Lord appeared to Him in
a bright light that the Bible describes as brighter than the noonday sun. Then Jesus spoke
to him:

Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9:4b)

At first, Saul was uncertain as to His exact identity.

Who art thou, Lord? (Acts 9:5a)

I read Paul’s response like this: “Who are you, …are you the Lord Jesus I crucified?”

Jesus replies – I am!

I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
(Acts 9:5b)

Imagine how Saul must have felt. The man he thought he had helped to murder was alive
and speaking to him. Jesus was the Christ! He was everything He claimed to be.

Fear, sorrow, guilt, wonderment, and many other emotions must have filled his heart.

Here is Saul’s response:

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?

Here is a changed man. One moment he is determned to put Christians to death. Now
He is asking Christ what he can do for Him. His heart was immediately changed.

What brought about this change? Someone might say, “Well, Jesus appeared to Him
and proved He was alive and that turned him around.”

But Jesus appeared to many people after His resurrection, over five-hundred at the sea of
Galilee, and not all of them believed Him or asked Him what they might do for Him.

I can say that with authority because Jesus said the same thing of the Jews:

And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will
repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will
they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (Luke 16:30,31)

There were no preachers present on that day when the great Saul of Tarsus was changed.
He had not been baptized. He didn’t recite the sinners prayer. He hadn’t partaken of the
sacraments or been sprinkled. He didn’t recite anything from Romans 10. He hadn’t

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written it yet. Yet, the effect was immediate. He couldn’t resisit it. Saul was a changed
man.

Like the theif, Jesus was there. He made a special appearance, just for Saul. Not for the
others. Though they heard a voice, they saw no person. Nor did they understand the
conversation.

Yes, Jesus is there every time. If you love Him, He was there for you. He changed your
sinful heart and gave you life. It is His work from start to finish because. Why?
Because He loved you.

After his change, it was time for Saul to be baptized. Jesus responds again:

And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee
what thou must do.  (Acts 9:6)

Saul endered into the city and was baptized. He was a changed man before he got to the
preacher.

Someone might say, “I believe that Saul of Tarsus had heard the gospel before that day
and it was the gospel that brought about the change.”

You can be sure that he had. He was a Pharisee and probably one of those present when
Jesus healed people. He was probably one of the protesters who accused Jesus of healing
on the sabbath. We know he was there when Stephen preached. He could have been one
of those that wanted to stone the woman taken in adultery. Yes, he was very present
during Jesus’ ministry and heard Him speak.

But that is the point. Until that day, nothing that anyone did or said had any effect upon
him. If the gospel gives life on the spot, he never received it. Until that moment in time
Saul hated Jesus and Christians. Saul was a depraved sinner, dead in trespasses and in
sin, until the immediate call of the Holy Spirit transformed him and made him a new
creature. Saul is another example in the Bible of a person who was born again by God’s
amazing grace.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

Another wonderful example of God’s irresistible grace is diplayed in the life of John the
Baptist. John the Baptist was born again by God’s irresistible grace in his mother’s
womb:

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the
babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.  (Luke
1:41)

In case we might think the child was not affected by the Holy Spirit Luke adds this:

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 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe
leaped in my womb for joy. (Luke 1:44)

According to the testimony of God’s word, John experienced joy in his mother’s womb.
His spirit and soul rejoiced at the voice of Mary who was carrying his Lord.

According to Galatians 5:22, the joy that John experienced, yet in his mother’s womb, is
a fruit of the Holy Spirit. A person must be born of God to experience that fruit.

Before John came forth from the womb, he was an object of God’s irresistible grace. The
same is true for many others as well. They are born again before they see the light of day.

HELEN KELLER

I love the story of Helen Keller. Helen was blind and deaf from the age of two. It was
Anne Sullivan that broke through her darkness and enabled her to communicate with the
outside world. Many wonderful miracles that occurred in her life are published. But one
thing that many people don’t know about her is her response when the gospel was first
presented to her. When Jesus was presented to the blind and deaf girl her response went
something like this: “I already know Him, I just didn’t know His name.”

Jesus had already visited her just like He did the theif on the cross, and Saul of Tarsus.
The hour is coming and, “now is,” that people are hearing the voice of the Son of God
and those that hear are made alive. The gospel didn’t give Helen spiritual life. It shed
the light upon the life she was in possession of – it told her who was in her heart. Helen
Keller is a beautiful example of this truth.

THE PSALMIST DAVID

Here, we have another example, similar to John the Baptist’s. It also demonstrates that
God calls some of His people when they are very young. Here is David’s testimony:

But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I
was upon my mother's breasts. (Psalm 22:9)

John the Baptist experienced joy in his mother’s womb. David experienced hope while
on his mother’s breast. Spiritual hope may only be experienced by a born again person.
The reason I say that is because of Hebrews 11:1:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is the substance of our hope and faith is like joy, it is listed in Galatians 5 as a fruit
of the spirit. David must have been spiritually alive as a baby to experience hope.

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The work of the Holy Spirit is an amazing thing. If people are honest, they will recall
many times in their life that they hoped of heaven before they entered the church doors.
They hoped in God to bless them and help them. They will recall times that they felt the
presence of God at a very young age.

This was experienced by David as the smallest of infants. Though this may be difficult
for us to understand, the Bible declares it to be a fact.

Those are four beautiful illustrations of people in the Bible who were born again by
God’s irresistible grace.

EVIDENCES OF GOD’S IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

Just like election, there are many evidences in the word of God to delcare the new birth
experience. The book of 1 John has been referred to by many as a book of evidences. In
this short epistle, John gives us several evidences of our calling to increase our joy. He
tells us so in verse 4:

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

EVIDENCE #1 - BELIEF

One of the simplest evidences of our calling and election concerns our belief in Jesus
Christ. It is found in 1 John 5:1:

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.

That is very simple. Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ? If you do, you are born
again.

Of course, this belief that John writes about goes beyond a cognitive knowledge of Jesus.
It is a belief of His Godliness, His person in the Holy Trinity, His part in the creation of
all things, eternal, dwelling with the Father in a light that no man can approach.

The word, “Christ,” means anointed Messiah, the one prophesied to come and save His
people form their sins. Jesus was that Messiah. He was verily God manifested in the
flesh. It is to believe that He came down from glory and became flesh (without sin). It is
to believe that He is Holy, harmless, undefiled and the Savior of His people. It is to
believe in everything He said about Himself. That is an inkling of His matchless glory
and a portion of the things that true believers embrace concerning our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ.

Only a born-again person can believe these things because it takes faith, which is a fruit
of the Holy Spirit. Only a born-again person experiences the guilt of their sin and feels
the need of a Savior.

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Therefore, John is declaring, “If you believe in these things concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ, you are already born from above. His death was for you. You belong to Him.
You are redeemed.”

Concerning a cognitive knowledge, many believe in a historical person, a man that went
by the name of Jesus…but He was not God. Others believe He was an angel, a created
being, but not the Creator. Many believe He was a prophet, equal to Mohammed. But
the belief demanded in 1 John 5:1 excels all of these speculations.

Therefore, a person has great evidence of their calling and election if they believe that
Jesus was the anointed Messiah, God manifested in the flesh.

This belief was the evidence the apostles looked for before they would baptize any person
into the church of Jesus Christ. When the Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip to baptize him,
Philip wanted some evidence of his calling and election. So, he asked the eunuch:

…If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. (Acts 8:37a)

And the eunuch’s response was:

… I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 8:37b)

Philip had his evidence. The Ethiopian was chosen and born from above. He baptized
him. That is why the Christian church as always practiced believer’s baptism.

It goes without saying that they did not baptize or sprinkle babies because they were not
mature enough to confirm their belief.

Belief is one of the greatest evidences of a person’s calling and election. It is not a
condition or a work to perform to gain spiritual life. It is something within a person’s
spirit that comes with the new birth. It doesn’t produce it.

As simple as this evidence is, there are those who complicate it by reversing the order:
“If you will believe in Jesus you will suddenly be born again.” When the passage is
reversed it becomes works, not grace. Security and peace are forfeited.

EVIDENCE #2 – LOVE FOR GOD

Another evidence of our calling and election is our love for God. Again, this is a very
simple evidence found in the heart.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is
born of God, and knoweth God.  (1 John 4:7)

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Love is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). A person must have the Holy Spirit
indwelling them to love God. They must be born from above, from the God of love, to
experience genuine agape love. If we love God and His people, we are already born of
God. This is great evidence!

Our love for God is an outflowing of the everlasting covenant. He loved us first,
imparted unto us spiritual life, and from that life we love Him back. That is why we read:

We love him, because he first loved us.   (1 John 4:19)

If the Father never loved us, we would never love Him. But if you love God, it is an
evidence that He loved you and gave you the ability to love Him back. God always
comes first in the equation of love.

EVIDENCE #3 – SPIRITUAL FRUIT

The next evidence is something that we have already mentioned, something we witness
every day. It is all around us. We rejoice when we see it. It is not an inward belief or
conviction. It is an outward manifestation of the new birth. It is referred to as fruit
bearing.

The fruit of God’s Spirit is listed in Galatians 5:22,23:  

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

If we see apples on a tree we know what kind of tree it is. When we see the fruit of the
Holy Spirit in a person’s life we know what kind of person they are. They are loved of
God, chosen, elected and born from above.

EVIDENCE #4 – A SPIRITUAL APPETITE

Another evidence of our holy calling is when we hunger and thirst after spiritual things.
According to Jesus, these are blessed people:

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall
be filled. (Matthew 5:5)

Only those who are alive can be hungry and thirsty. This is true both in the natural life
and the spiritual life.

According to Jesus, this is truly a blessed condition. A person who isn’t hungry or thirsty
is either dead or sick. If they hunger for spiritual things, we know they are spiritually
alive.

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This hunger is satisfied by reading the word of God, hearing the word of God expounded
and learning more about Jesus.

The amazing thing about all of these evidences it that they are simple. Any person can
read them and identify with them from the heart. I believe this is the only way that we
can truly know we are saved and have our joy filled. When we rest upon these promises
we can sing with the prophet: “I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine….” (Song of
Solomon 6:3a)

OBJECTIONS TO GOD’S IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

Most of the objections to God’s irresistible grace are couched within the terms already
refuted in a previous section which include: Man’s Free Will – Man’s Volition – Man’s
Free Moral Agency – Accepting Jesus.

Those have been covered in a previous section, therefore I will not consider them again.
Here is another misconception that refutes the biblical doctrine of God’s irresistible
grace.

JESUS KNOCKING ON THE SINNER’S HEART

We have all heard the story of Jesus knocking on the sinner’s heart, trying to get in so
that He can inpart spiritual life. This idea comes from a misinterpretation of Revelation
3:20:

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

There are several problems with this interpretation. The most obvious problem is a
misinterpretaion of who Jesus is speaking to. He is speaking to the pastor (the angel) of
the church at Laodicea and the pastor is to convey the message to the members who are
baptized believers:

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith
the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of
God;  (Revelation 3:14)

Jesus isn’t knocking on the heart of a sinner trying to get in. Jesus is knocking on the
door of the Laodicean church. The church has become so cold it has shut the Lord out.
His invitation is to, “any man,” to have fellowship with Him, not life in Him. Therefore,
He is not pleading for a person to let Him in their heart.

The second problem has already been mentioned. Jesus is speaking to a church of
baptized believers. They were already born from above. But like many, they had
become cold.

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Another problem is how Jesus is represented. Jesus, the king of Kings and Lord of lords
can’t get into the sinners heart unless they let Him!! In this illustration the sinner is more
powerful than Jesus.

Surely, that was not the case with the theif on the cross, Saul of Tarsus, John the Baptist
or the Psalmist, David. Jesus is depicted in the book of Revelation as the conquorer not
the conquored.

The story of Jesus knowcking on the sinner’s heart is a fable that Paul warned us about in
2 Timothy 4:3,4. Jesus goes where He wants to go. The new birth is a product of God’s
irresistible grace.

CONCLUSION TO GOD’S IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

In this section I have pointed to many scriptures that teach us that the new birth is an
immediate and irresistible work of the Holy Spirit, that it is not connected to the gospel,
and it is sure for all of the elect. I have also given several examples of God’s children in
the Bible that received this call and how it affected them. Can anyone or anything resist
God’s sovereign will? Of course they can’t! Simply put, the new birth is just another
manifestation of God’s amazing grace.

THE PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT

We started with total depravity where we learned that man is a fallen sinner, unable to
save himself from his fallen condition. If God had done nothing for any person, all of
humanity would have suffered eternal damnation.

But God didn’t leave His people there. The Father chose a particular people that He
loved from the fallen mass of humanity not based upon any forseen merit. That is
unconditional election.

But more had to be done for those the Father chose. Their sins had to be removed for
them to live with Him in glory. Though they were chosen, they had to be cleansed.
Therefore, the Father sent His own Son to atone for the sins of those very same people
and remove the curse of the law from them. This atonement was limited to those the
Father loved and chose. That is limited atonement.

For those very same people to enjoy fellowship with the Father and the Son in their flesh,
before the resurrection, they must be changed. Spiritual life must be imparted to them.
They must be born again. This is the covenental work of the third person in the Holy
Trinity, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit must call the elect and change them. They
must be born again. That is irresistible grace.

The progressive thought ends with this glorious promise – the elect, are preserved
eternally in Christ and nothing can alter their eternal destiny. All of the above work, the

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election, the calling, the atonement is permanent, it is eternal. That is the preservation of
the saints.

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 THE PRESERVATION
OF THE SAINTS
The “P” stands for The Preservation of The Saints, which means that all for whom Christ
died, referred to in scripture as the elect, my sheep, and my people, are preserved in
Christ and can never be lost eternally to Satan and hell. Of course, these people are those
given to Christ in the everlasting covenant of grace.

There are many Christians who spend countless hours worrying about their salvation. It
seems they cannot find the peace that Paul and the other saints in the New Testament
experienced. Could the reason be they never really understood how they were saved in
the first place?

The preservation of the saints is a glorious doctrine. It brings great security and peace to
those who understand it. I say, those who understand it, because a person may be saved
and not know how secure they really are.

It is true, many Christians spend countless hours worrying about their own salvation or
the salvation of others. It seems they cannot find the peace that Paul and the other saints
in the New Testament experienced. Could the reason be they never really understood
how they were saved in the first place?

I believe it is. If a person’s salvation is based upon a works system, and if they are
honest, there would be no end to the amont of works they must achieve to merit glory.
This presents an endless task of duty and fear. The Bible refers to this as “bondage.”

This bondage is mentioned several times in the New Testament. Consider the langage of
Romans 8:15:

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Before Christ and the gospel, Israel was in bondage under the law. That law was an
endless task of rituals and sacrifices. Since Christ came, we understand those things to be
figures of the perfect sacrifice that was to come. We have light upon the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. We need not fear because we have been
adopted into the spiritual family of Christ from the fallen family of Adam. Therefore, the
gospel should be a message that removes our fear.

When the gospel is presented as an offer as a chance to be saved rather than a

proclamation that Jesus has saved His people from their sins, the recipients of the
message can experience doubts and fears. This is “another gospel” that Paul was
referring to in Galatians 1:6.

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But Jesus wants all of His redeemed family to know the work of salvation is finished and
all for whom Christ died are safe in His loving arms.

Why am I saying all of this? Because the preservation of the saints is tied directly to how
God saved His people. If they are saved by the works of the flesh, then preservation
becomes nil.

Every place the gospel is presented in the Bible it is always a message of success by the
conquoring King, not an offer. This ‘two gospel’ controversy started in the very
awakening of the New Testament Church. In Acts 15 the apostles came together with
other church leaders to settle the controversy. Here is their final judgment in the matter:

Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which
neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?   But we believe that through the grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. (Acts 15:10,11)

The final judgment was simply the fact that Jesus had saved His people from their sins,
salvation is by grace, and there are no attachments which include circumcision,
accepting, reading the sinners prayer and etc.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a proclamation of salvation achieved for the elect family of
God. It is a message of a successful Savior who suffered for a particular people and paid
the price of their redemption by His blood. It is not a message of a Savior who wants to
save everyone and some will be lost in the end. When I hear someone say that everyone
has a chance to be saved it sounds like a lottery. People have a chance to win but many
will not. Salvation is not a lottery ticket. It is a wealthy inheritance obtained by a
suffering Savior who loves His people and redeemed them from the fall.

The gospel is a message of preservation, of safety and security. It is a message of victory

accomplished which means salvation attained.

This security language is found all through the New Testament. It was the primary theme
of Jesus’ harbinger, John the Baptist. When John the Baptist was born, his father
prophesied of his ministry and his evangelical theme:

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins. (Luke
1:77)

The true evangelist gives knowledge of salvation, how it came, who it came by, why it
came, who it belongs to, the evidences of it and everything else revealed in the scriptures
concerning the work of a successful Savior. In short, the true evangelist annnounces the
salvation and the security of God’s people by the remission of their sins by Jesus. This
brings peace, not confusion, doubts and fears.

Jesus wanted all of His people to experience peace in their salvation, to know they are
preserved in Him, and not be afraid.

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He said,

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I
unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  (John 14:27)

This peace may only be experience by the knowledge of secruity, preservation, and
salvation in Christ alone.

This is why Jesus is referred to as the “Son of peace” and the “Prince of peace.” He is
not the Son of terror or the Prince of doubts and fears. If there was any truth that Jesus
wanted His people to understand and rejoice in, it is their security in Him by His finished
works.

As we begin this section I would like to give you the red letters concerning the
preservation of the saints. Yes, like the other truths we have considered, Jesus preached
the security and the preservation of the elect on many occasions. It was from His
preaching that the apostles received and taught the same doctrines. We will look at their
writings as well on this subject that mirror the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ
concerning this glorious subject.

JESUS PROMISED OUR PRESERVATION

All through the Bible we find God making promises…and keeping them. God is a
promise maker and a promise keeper. Paul wrote, in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the
promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”

God never had to make any promises to anyone. Nevertheless, because He is full of
mercy and grace, He has made some wonderful promises to, and for, His people. Many
of these promises concern the security of His people. In John 6:37-39, we find Jesus
making four promises that speak of the preservation of the elect, those given to Him in
the everlasting covenant. Listen to His words. Rejoice in them. Let them remove all
doubt and fear:

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I
will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will,
but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent
me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day.

First, let us notice the recipients of these promises. In red letters Jesus tells us twice for
our knowledge. These promises belong only to those that were given to Him in the
everlasting covenant: “all which he hath given me.” That is restrictive language. It is
assumed that some were not given to Him. But all that were given to Him were saved.

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Notice, these words of Jesus are past tense. They were already given to Jesus before He
came, before His suffering, before His cross. Those are the elect, chosen before the
world began.

Jesus makes four promises in these verses that speak of the preservation of those given to
Him. First, He promises that all of those given to Him would come to Him. They will
come to Him when they are born again. They will stand before Him in living glory.

Secondly, He promised that they will never be cast out, “I will in no wise cast them out.”
This is a promise of preservation. Even when we falter, He will not cast us out. That is
security, that is preservation.

Jesus also promises that none of the elect can possibly be lost, left behind or left out as
depicted in the modern fantasy films and books. That is security. Jesus promised – “I
should lose nothing.”

Then Jesus promises that He will, “raise it up again at the last day.” He will raise up
every single person given to Him by the Father on resurrection morning. That is security.
That is preservation.

Those are four promises from Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. One
promise of security would be enough. But four promises are exceeding great and
precious from the mouth of the Great Shepherd of the sheep. All that the Father gave Him
will be raised up at the last day. They are secure, washed and preserved in the blood of
the Lamb. Rejoice, Jesus is coming back for His own.

I hope you noticed that these promises are not founded upon man’s free will. They are
not grounded upon the faithfulness of men. They are not dependent upon man’s
obedience or good works. They are not carried out by the church, catechisms, recitals, or
ordinances. They are and will be carried out by Jesus. Look to the cross my friend, cast
your eyes upon a suffering Savior. Cast your earthly crowns at His feet for He alone is
worthy. Praise Him, the Savior of sinners!

The Bible refers to this number as the sand of the sea and the stars in the sky. In other
words, Jesus is going to preserve a multitude of people. What a Great Shepherd He is!

On resurrection day, those given to Christ will stand before Him robed in white. In the
twinkling of an eye they shall all be changed as God condemns a wicked world. This is
security. This is preservation.

JESUS PROMISES AGAIN!

John records another of Jesus’ sermons where He, once again, promises the security of all
of those given to Him by the Father in the everlasting covenant:

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 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto
them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no
man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.
(John 10:27-30)

Again, Jesus promises security and preservation for those given to Him. Once again,
salvation is couched within the terms of the everlasting covenant. These are promises to
believe. We are to rejoice in them, meditate upon them and enter into the security and
peace found in a Savior’s love. Though this is a different sermon from the previous one
we cited, the message is the same. Notice the promises:

Promise #1 – Every one of His sheep will hear His voice in regeneration, when they are
born from above. That is not the preacher’s voice. It is “my voice.” All of His children
will be called without fail.

Promise #2 – Jesus promises that He knows all of His sheep: “and I know them.” From
Adam to the last born-again soul, Jesus knows His sheep. Jesus is not waiting to be
introduced to His sheep. He knew them and loved them all before the world began. He
knows them today and He will know them forever. Jesus did not die for unknown
people. He knew every person He shed His precious blood for.

Promise #3 – All of His sheep will follow Him to glory: “They follow me.” There is
power in the blood of the everlasting covenant. It will draw all that He died for to glory
with Him. He purchased them with His blood. They belong to Him. They are His sheep
and His sheep will follow the Great Shepherd to glory.

Promise #4 – Jesus will give every one of His sheep, “eternal life.” This life is a gift of
grace. What a precious gift. Therefore, it is impossible for a person who is born from
above to lose their life…it is eternal.

Promise #5 – None of His sheep will ever perish. They are preserved in Him.

Promise #6 – The sheep are in His hand: No man can pluck them out of my hand.

Promise #7 – The sheep are also in His Father’s hand. No man can pluck them out of My
Father’s hand.

Those are seven exceeding, great and precious promises.

In this sermon I see a picture. I see the sheep in Christ’s mighty hand. I see Christ’s
hand in the Father’s hand. They are in complete agreement as to their choice of a people
and their covenantal work to save them from the fall. Someone or something stronger
than the Father and the Son must open their hands before any sheep will perish. That is
an absolute impossibility. That is preservation!

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I echo Peter’s sentiment concerning these promises:

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. (2 Peter 1:4a)  

If you belong to Jesus, these promises belong to you. Rejoice in your preservation.

In a recent sermon, my Associate Pastor, Elder Dan Samons, brought what Jesus said to
light in our present world. Suppose you were running a daycare and one-hundred
children were dropped off by their parents on a given day. At the end of the day, the
parents came to pick up their children and you only had ninety of them. Would that be
acceptable? Especially if one of the missing was yours? Of course it wouldn’t. If one-
hundred were dropped off the only acceptable number at the end of the day would be
one-hundred.

That puts the sheep in perspective. They are not just sheep, animals, that Jesus is
referring to. He is referring to people, His people, greatly loved by their heavenly Father,
given to Jesus to save. Jesus would be a failure had He lose but one. How would you
judge the daycare if yours was the only one lost?

In light of all of these promises made by Jesus, there are still those who insist that Jesus is
in heaven shedding great tears because some that He loves are not going to make it. But
Jesus is not in heaven shedding tears because some will not make it. He is rejoicing in
His victory and the salvation of His people. If Jesus is shedding any tears, it is because
His people are claiming a part of the victory that is rightfully His. Let us give Him the
glory. Salvation is by grace!

JESUS PROMISED – “IT IS FINISHED”

There is yet another promise. It was Jesus’ promise upon the cross in red letters. Look to
the cross where our salvation was accomplished. But do more than look. Listen! Listen
to the words of our bleeding, suffering, dying Savior as He speaks to the Father
concerning the work that the Father gave Him to accomplish for those He loved:

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he
bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.  (John 19:30)

Jesus promised His Father: “It is finished.”

But what was finished? What did Jesus accomplish? Some say that Jesus finished His
part of our salvation and we are left to do our part. That would not be a finished work. It
would only be a lottery ticket.

No one but Jesus had a part at the cross. According to the Bible He trod the winepress
alone (See Isaiah 63:3). The eternal salvation of those given to Christ was accomplished
by Jesus alone. Not Jesus plus the sinner’s part. How could Jesus say that salvation was

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finished if there is a part we are left to do? If I ask my child to clean their room and they
come out and say it is finished should I have to go in and make up the bed?

When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was referring to His part in the everlasting
covenant. All of the provisions contained in the everlasting covenant to save His people
from their sins were competed when Jesus spoke those words. His blood sealed the
covenant.

Jesus wants His people to understand that they are secure, preserved in His finished work.
If we do not understand what Jesus meant on the cross, we might spend countless hours
worrying about our own salvation or the salvation of those we love. We will throw
money at the money-changes for sacrifices. Some people worry themselves sick over
something that Jesus has “finished.”

Jesus promised – it is finished. Jesus not only taught the preservation of the saints – He
is the One who brought it.

THE APOSTLE PETER TAUGHT PRESERVATION

The apostles were faithful to preach the same doctrine that Jesus gave them as every
minister should today. Peter, and all of the apostles, rejoiced in the preservation of the
saints. Peter begins his epistle by reminding and comforting his audience with this
glorious theme. Notice that the language of our preservation is, once again, couched in
the language of the everlasting covenant. Peter’s theology was in complete agreement
with our Lord’s:

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus,

Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be
multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible,
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are
kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:1-5)

We have already looked at verses 1 and 2 as we rejoiced in the covenant language

concerning the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in a previous section. We noticed the
foreknowledge of the Father, the sanctification of the Holy Spirit and the sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ upon the objects of His grace. But Peter doesn’t stop with our
covenant salvation. He publishes the security of it:

To an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,

reserved in heaven for you. (I Peter 1:4)

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To place our salvation on the proper platform, Peter reminds us that our salvation is an
inheritance. That is much different than obtaining something by keeping the law. An
inheritance is a free gift left to loved ones after a person’s death.

Our inheritance, our salvation, and all that goes with it, is given to us as a result of
Christ’s death. The testator has died (See Hebrews 9:16,17), and the inheritance has
become the legal property of His beneficiaries. It includes heaven and everything in
heaven. It also includes the church and every spiritual blessing in this life. Since the
testator has died the covenant has force, it is put into action. Nothing can change the
provisions contained in a covenant after the death of the testator.

Peter uses four expressions to illustrate just how securely the saints are preserved.

1. Incorruptible
2. Undefiled
3. Fades not away
4. Reserved in heaven

Incorruptible means that something cannot rot, decay, or perish. It is the same word used
in 1 Corinthians 15:52 to describe the resurrected body: …”and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible...”

Then Peter uses another word: “Undefiled.” To be undefiled is to be sinless, spotless,

and perfect. This word is used to describe Jesus: “For such an high priest became us,
who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the
heavens.” (See Hebrews 7:26).  

Though we are all sinners in this life, we stand before the throne of God’s justice as
undefiled because Jesus suffered the eternal consequences of sin for us.

Then Peter adds this to the security of our inheritance: it, “Fades not away.” When
something fades away it disappears from sight. But the inheritance of the saints will
never fade away, it is eternal in the heavens: “For we know that if our earthly house of
this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1).  

Finally, Peter tells us that it is, “Reserved in heaven.” The saints have a reservation in
heaven that cannot be canceled. Regardless of the weather down here, no matter how
severe the storms and trials of life, there will be no cancellations. Jesus is at the helm. He
is the pilot. He has never had a cancelled flight. That is glorious! All of God’s elect will
fly away one day to be with Jesus in mansions in glory!

These words are powerful. They bring great security to those who understand them
because we see the One who is keeping all of this intact. It is not the church, nor is it the

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saints. It is by his faith, “by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time.”

That is not my faith, nor is it yours. It is His faithfulness. If this is referring to our faith,
we would be in and out of our inheritance every day because our faith is sometimes
shallow. But God’s faithfulness to His elect, and His everlasting covenant, is perfect.

THE APOSTLE PAUL TAUGHT PRESERVATION

One of the greatest preservation texts in Bible is found in Romans 8. This is Paul’s
national anthem of security for the elect.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate,
them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God
be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is
written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28-39)

The apostle begins with the things that work together for our good, for our salvation.
These things include God’s foreknowledge of those He loved before the world began. It
includes His predetermination to save the very same people. It includes His promise to
conform them to the spotless image of His Son. It includes His promise to call them from
death in sin to life in Christ Jesus. It includes the justification and glorification of the
very same people.

Then Paul asks us what we should say about those things. What should be our response?
It shouldn’t be one filled with doubts and fears about our salvation. It should be one of
rejoicing.

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In case we are still doubting, he then lists every imaginable thing that we could think of
that might cause us to doubt our salvation. He includes how we die; how we live; fallen
angels and demons; the principalities of this world; the powers of men and demons;
present distresses; things in our future; where we go; any creature that might cause us to
sin, which would obviously include Satan.

In this list, Paul includes anything above or below us, perhaps things that we don’t even
have knowledge of. Paul ends his argument where our salvation began in the first place –
God’s love for the elect:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

The answer to that question is, “no one, no thing, nobody, no way.” It is love that began
our salvation. It is love that bought it. It is love that secures it. God’s love for His
people will endure throughout eternity. God would have to quit loving His sheep, before
the least one could be separated from Him and their inheritance. This is an utter
impossibility. This love of God, which is the greatest love in the universe, is beautifully
expressed by the song with that title. Here are a few verses:

“The Love Of God”

-F.M. Lehman, 1868-1953

“Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above, would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Tho stretched from sky to sky.”

“O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure, The saint’s and angel’s song.”

No matter what happens down here, the elect will one day be with God in glory. God will
never allow the least of His little children that He loved to be cast into a devil’s hell.
Love is the preserving power that shall ‘forevermore endure.’

JUDE TAUGHT PRESERVATION

Another place we read about the preservation of the saints is in in the epistle of Jude.
Jude actually begins his epistle with one of the words of our acronym. He is reminding
the elect that they are, “preserved in Jesus Christ.”

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are
sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.
(Jude 1)

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Notice, once again, that the doctrines of preservation and God’s calling are not side issues
with these inspired writers. These doctrines are not tucked away in the back of the
epistle. These men put them on the front page of the news:

“EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT – JESUS WAS SUCCESSFUL –

THOSE GIVEN TO HIM ARE SECURE, PRESERVED IN CHRIST!”

The word, “preserved,” means to guard from loss. Jesus keeps all of His sheep, those
given to Him in the everlasting covenant, from loss. Simply put, none will be lost. The
word presents a beautiful picture of a the Great Shepherd who never has, and never will,
lose a single sheep.

The language of Jude is very illustrative. It defines the legal power of preservation. It
presents the elect as being in Christ: “Preserved in Christ.” This means that they were in
Him legally when He represented them at Calvary. His suffering was for specific people
that He knew and loved. Not for unknown people that He hoped to save. The Father
placed them in His care and in His heart when He gave them to Jesus. As we are in our
natural father’s will, the elect were in Him in the covenant. This language displays the
oneness of Christ with His people.

PRESERVATION IS FOUND IN AN UNCHANGING GOD

In the Old Testament, Malachi wrote of the security of the saints. But he hinges the
security of the saints on another attribute of God. Malachi attaches the security of the
saints to the unchangeable nature of God:

For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
(Malachi 3:6)

There is only One who does not change. That One is the Lord. Everything else in the
universe changes. The earth is constantly changing. The moon, the sun, the stars are
always changing. Everything in nature changes. Humans change. They age, they
change their minds, they change their ways. They change what they like, who they like,
their habits, even their friends. But the Lord never changes. He will always love the
people He loved before the world began.

The phrase, “sons of Jacob,” is a reference to God’s chosen people, the elect.
Remember, “Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated,” and the purpose of God
concerning election. Nothing in heaven or hell can change God’s everlasting love for His
Jacobites, the elect.

This is a wonderful promise in light of its place in scripture. Malachi was the last of the
prophets. His words were filled with warnings and judgment. This was written in a time
of great sin and falling away by the nation of Israel. They had forsaken God proving that
man cannot possibly keep God’s law to gain glory.

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Yet, in spite of Israel’s performance, we find a promise for all of the elect in the final
consummation: “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not
consumed.”

Those that the Lord chose and loved before the world began will be His forever. God
does not change. This is something He wants all of His people to rejoice in. This is the
preservation of the saints. It is a glorious doctrine.

THE EVERLASTING COVENANT

I have referred to the everlasting covenant many times in this book because God’s plan of
salvation cannot be fully understood apart from it. That is why Jesus and the apostles
referred to it so many times.

The reason I place the everlasting covenant in this section on preservation is because in
God’s words it is, “everlasting:”

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,  
(Hebrews 13:20)

Everlasting means forever. The provisions contained in the everlasting covenant cannot
be altered. The blood of Christ was the blood of the everlasting covenant. Whatever and
whoever were included in the covenant, cannot be changed or removed. That is
preservation!

The blood of Christ was the final act that consummated the contract. No one can open
the book and make changes. The inheritance is sure.

DAVID REJOICED IN HIS PRESERVATION

FOUND IN THE EVERLASTING COVENANT

King David rejoiced in his preservation found the everlasting covenant. Though his sin
was ever before him, his security in the everlasting covenant eclipsed all of his worries
and fears. David wrote:

Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire,
although he make it not to grow.  (2 Samuel 23:5)

Even during the days of the Old Testament, before the light of the New, David
prophetically writes about the everlasting covenant. He speaks as though it was made for
him alone. That is the way every one of God’s elect should look at the everlasting
covenant. God did it for me.

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David was honest about his own walk. He acknowledged that his life (his house) was far
from perfect. Yet, in spite of his performance, God had made an everlasting covenant
with him. The person that wrote the many beautiful psalms found his hope in God’s
everlasting covenant.

Prophetically, David sheds some light upon this covenant. He notes that this covenant
was ordered in all things. That means it was fully arranged in every detail. This would
include every person contained in it. It would also include every act the God-Head would
perform on their behalf.

Not only was it ordered, it was “sure.” It was sure to transpire, sure to every object of
God’s grace and sure to accomplish its intended purpose. That is security.

To David, the everlasting covenant was “all” of his salvation, not a part of it. His words
are very clear. The psalmist didn’t believe that God did His part and David finished it.
David found his peace in believing God’s plan. It was all of his desire which
strengthened his hope for heaven.

David also defined limited atonement with these words: “although he make it not to
grow.” That means that it is a static covenant. No one will be added to it and none can
possibly be taken from it. Every person included in the everlasting covenant is preserved
and secure.

David embodies the entire TULIP acronym in that one verse. He knows he is a helpless
sinner unable to save himself. He realized that God had chosen him to salvation. He
knew that God’s plan would not grow and was limited to those that He loved. David
realized that God’s work was irresistible being ordered in all things and sure. David
rejoiced in his security.

Let us rejoice in it because our preservation is found in a faithful God and His everlasting
covenant of grace.

SOME MAY WALK IN DARKNESS, EVEN DISOBEDIENCE,

LOSING THE JOY OF THEIR SALVATION IN THEIR TIMELY
EXPERIENCE

The preservation of the saints does not mean that God’s children will never walk in
darkness or fall into sin. There are many biblical examples. One of these is found in the
life of David.

David is a person that we would have expected to remain faithful all of his life. As a
young boy, David met the giant, Goliath, with a slingshot. David is referred to as a man
after the Lord’s own heart. David wrote many beautiful psalms. He is also referred to as
the sweet psalmist of Israel. But David made a terrible mistake in his life. David
committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband placed in a position in the

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military to die in battle. David was hoping that everyone would assume the deceased
husband to be the father of his illegitimate child, and his sin with Bathsheba would be
hidden.

Of course, the Lord knew everything. David’s sin would be exposed. So, the Lord sent
Nathan the prophet to reveal his sin and exact his punishment. (See 2 Samuel 12:7-14).

Much can be gleaned from all of this in light of our present topic. But the point is simply
this: God’s children can fall into gross and immoral sin and lose the joy of their salvation
in their timely experience. But they will never lose their eternal salvation. They are
preserved in Christ.

Before anyone adopts the idea that they are saved by grace, and what they do down here
doesn’t matter, they had better take a look at David’s life. The few stolen moments of
sexual gratification that David received with Bathsheba cost him a lifetime of sorrow.

Their son died at birth. There was constant trouble and strife in his family. His family
problems would be pubic, humiliating, and embarrassing. One of his sons would rape his
sister. David would have to banish his favorite son, Absalom, from the kingdom for
setting his friend’s field on fire. Absalom would return in anger, incite an insurrection in
an endeavor to overthrow the kingdom and take it from his father. Absalom would have
relations with David’s concubines with all of Israel’s knowledge. He would force David
from his throne, running for his life. Absalom would finally die in that battle at the hand
of David’s friend.

On top of all of that, David forfeited many blessings that would have been his. For God
said, “I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.”

Was David’s sin with Bathsheba worth it? No. Whatever our sin, the momentary
pleasure of it never outweighs our fellowship with the Lord, the loss of blessings we
might have otherwise had and the chastisement of a loving Father.

Preservation doesn’t mean that there is no punishment for sin. It doesn’t mean that what
we do in our lives doesn’t matter. It is the height of hypocrisy to sin in the face of grace.
It is like spitting in the face of God.

David was in the spotlight of the entire nation. His sin would have lasting consequences
in the lives of the entire nation. “…by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the
enemies of the LORD to blaspheme…” David made the profession of God look shallow,
his office as king a mockery, and his love for God a joke. He gave the enemies of God
much to talk about. He gave every person in the kingdom an excuse to sin. By his bad
example others would follow. The same may be said of every Christian today that takes
God’s blessings lightly.

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All of this sounds pretty depressing. It is depressing. It caused David to be depressed.
Though it is not the only reason, sin is one of the leading causes of depression and many
of God’s people don’t realize it.

I could say that David’s entire life was ruined by this sin, but a life is never ruined when
fellowship is restored to the Lord. Yes, there is hope for all of God’s children who have
fallen into gross, immoral sin. There is repentance. There is forgiveness. Fellowship can
be restored, and the blessings of God’s presence can once again be enjoyed. Why?
Because they are God’s children and they always will be. They are preserved eternally in
the blood of the Lamb.

It is certain that this was true for David. He wrote many wonderful psalms after this sin
in his life. The only way he could have done so was to have the presence of the Holy
Spirit and the fellowship with the Father and the Son. Though God’s punishment for his
sin was meted out in his life, David did experience forgiveness and fellowship with the
Lord once again. How did he get from depression and sorrow, to a renewed fellowship
with God? By what is mentioned above, by confession and repentance.

Psalms 51 reveals all of this to us. It is David’s prayer after his sin, begging for
forgiveness and restoration. As you read this psalm notice that David didn’t lose his
eternal salvation…he lost the joy of it.

Listen to David begging for his fellowship to be restored:

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free
spirit.  (Psalms 51:12)

If you will notice, David didn’t ask for his eternal salvation to be restored. He knew
enough about salvation to know that he belonged eternally to the Lord. But he had lost
the joy of it and he asked for it to be returned.

The joy of our salvation is our fellowship with the Lord and the joy of His presence. Sin
had severed his relationship with the Father and caused him much loneliness and pain.
Every child of God will experience a degree of sorrow when they know they have let the
Lord down.

The joy of our salvation is a wonderful thing. It is the best thing we can experience in
this life. It is truly fellowship with the Father and the Son. It is better than riches, fame,
power, popularity or any other thing this world has to offer. The reason that it is so
valuable is because of what it gives. It gives peace and joy. Many people have wealth,
fame, popularity, plenty of lustful pleasures, but they do not have peace or joy. They are
really the poorest people in the world. They may have their picture on the cover of all the
popular magazines. They may be the most popular television and movie actors. But
none of these things will give a child of God peace in this world. This peace that passes
understanding is only found in fellowship with the prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

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I cannot leave this topic without another observation, which is simply this: it is only
God’s elect that will lose the joy of their salvation and feel the pain of sin. The reason is
because they are the only ones that have salvation and fellowship with the Lord in the
first place. You can’t lose something that you never had.

Therefore, the security of God’s children, received by His grace, is not a license to sin.
Paul said it like this: "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but
under grace? God forbid."  (Romans 6:15). Any person who commits such sin without
remorse has no evidence of God’s calling and election. But David had remorse, great
remorse.

This truth stems back to the subject of total depravity. Only a person who is alive can
feel pain. A dead person feels nothing. Only a born-again person will feel the pain of
sin. By this we understand the difference between those who can sin without remorse and
those who sin with remorse, those who sin and are chastened by a loving Father and those
who are not, those who are convicted by sin and those who are not, those who have a
stony heart and those who have a fleshy heart of feeling, those who hate God and those
who love Him.

David is God’s example of a born-again person who made a terrible mistake in his life.
He is an example of a child of God that lost his fellowship with the Father and regained it
by confession and repentance.

Yes, some of God’s children may walk in darkness, even disobedience, losing the joy of
their salvation in their timely experience. But they will never lose their eternal salvation.

SOLOMON’S BAD EXAMPLE

Solomon is another example of a child of God that didn’t walk the walk. Though he was
one of God’s chosen people, though he was a prophet, though he wrote three books in the
Bible, which included many proverbs, Solomon was a bad example of what a child of
God should be.

Solomon was David and Bathsheba’s son. Like David, he began his life with zeal and
love for God. He built the temple that David wanted to build. He wrote many wonderful
proverbs. God used him in a mighty way. But he didn’t get progressively better. He
became progressively worse in his walk. In the midst of his power and fame he strayed:

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of
Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and
Hittites; (1 Kings 11:1)

Surely, this cannot be progressive sanctification. He was better as a young person than an
adult. Like his father, David, the lust of the flesh ensnared his soul. This sin seems to be
the bane of wealthy and popular people. They have too many choices and opportunities.
Satan uses these to destroy their joy.

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Solomon sounds like a very wise person when we read Proverbs. Is it possible that a
person could know what is right and be tempted into wrong? I believe so. A person may
have all the wisdom in the world and yet be tempted into sin with knowledge. If this is
not so, why do we hear of so many preachers falling into sin and losing their positions. If
there is anyone Satan will try to destroy, it will be pastors, preachers, evangelists and
their families. Consider this reality in the life of David and Solomon, even Eli.

As we all know, Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes means, “the
words of the preacher” or “the preacher’s sermon.” In this book, Solomon refers to
everything under the sun as, “vanity and vexation of the spirit.” How sad. A wealthy
man that had everything couldn’t enjoy anything. There were obviously poor people in
his kingdom that had far less than Solomon who enjoyed peace and fellowship with God
– but not Solomon.

His sin had lasting and devastating consequences on the kingdom and in his family as
well. His whores led him away from the God of Israel. He built altars to their false gods.
God stirred up many enemies against him. God punished him for his sin:

Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee,
and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded
thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.  (1
Kings 11:11)

Not only did Solomon lose the joy of his salvation, he, like his father, gave the enemy an
advantage. His sin caused many other innocent people to suffer. This is a sad truth we
should all consider. Sin not only has negative consequences upon the sinner, but also on
those closely associated with them.

Consider the collateral damage in the family of the unfaithful wife or husband…or the
rebellious child? What about the C.E.O. that embezzled the company’s assets? Or the
spouse with the alcohol or drug problem? Sin causes a lot of collateral damage. Satan
knows it.

Because of his sin, the kingdom was divided between Jerobaom and Rehoboam. The
split in the kingdom would be later known as Judah and Israel, the ten tribes to the north
and the two tribes to the south respectfully. It wasn’t righteousness that caused the nation
of Israel to fall. It was sin.

Yes, Solomon is another example of one of God’s children falling into gross, immoral sin
and losing the joy of his salvation and fellowship with the Lord. But Solomon didn’t lose
his eternal salvation. He still believed. He still wrote. Yet, his earthly existence was
filled with much misery, guilt, depression and sadness. Ecclesiastes records this with
clarity.

WHAT ABOUT LOT?

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Another glaring example is Lot. His sin was very hideous. He committed incest with his
two daughters. They each had a son. One became the father of the Moabites and the
other became the father of the Ammonites. These would become two of Israel’s
persistent enemies. We never read of his repentance.

If the Old Testament commentary were all we knew about Lot, we wouldn’t expect to see
him in glory.

But the Holy Spirit, through the pen of Peter, gives us this commentary:

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them
with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live
ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the
wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing,
vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord
knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust
unto the day of judgment to be punished.  (2 Peter 2:6-9)

God refers to Lot as a “just” person. The word ‘just’ means innocent, holy and
righteous. How could Lot be just? By the imputed righteousness of Christ. Christ would
pay for his sins on the cross. What he did in this life could not separate him from the
love of God (See Romans 8:33-39). But his life ends in a sad, depressed state. For riches
and fame, Lot lost his fellowship with the Lord, his peace and his joy. It destroyed his
family.

Lot made a choice to live among the wicked for the sake of riches. The inhabitants of
Sodom and Gomorrah influenced him. He was affected by their filthy conversation.
They vexed his righteous soul. Yes, he had a righteous soul. But they tempted him. He,
too, had lost the joy of his salvation. He fell into a very gross and immoral sin.

God’s people can lose the joy of their salvation. They can be severely punished down
here for their sin. But the elect are preserved in the blood of the Lamb and will never
lose their eternal salvation.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

PRESERVATION AND PERSEVERANCE

The terms, preservation and perseverance can be confusing. For this reason, the terms
are sometimes used interchangeably as one and the same doctrine. Yet, according to the
scriptures, they are very different. If we do not understand the difference, the joy of
preservation found in Christ can be lost and people can be found trying to accomplish
what Christ has already done for them.

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These two doctrines can be separated easily by understanding who is doing what.
Preservation has to do with Christ’s battle, what His death has accomplished for His
people. It is everlasting.

Perseverance has to do with our battle, how we live, how we honor the Lord, how we
walk in this present life. It has nothing to do with the eternal destiny of God’s people. 
Therefore, one doctrine concerns eternal things and the other temporal things. Consider
the biblical expressions of these two, but separate, doctrines.

As we have already noted, Jude wrote about preservation. He actually uses the term:

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are
sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called. (Jude
1:1)

As we noticed under the heading of P, the word preserved means to guard from loss or
injury; to keep: none will be lost. It has nothing to do with our performance. It
concerns Christ’s performance which was perfect.

Compare that to what the Bible says about perseverance. Paul uses this very word in his
encouragement to the Ephesian church to pray:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. (Ephesians
6:18)

This word, perseverance, means, persistent and diligent. Paul is encouraging the
Ephesians to be persistent and diligent in prayer. That is quite different from the meaning
of preservation. It has nothing to do with anyone’s eternal destiny. Perseverance has to
do with temporal struggles. Preservation concerns eternal things.

We can also think about it like this: Christ’s battle is over. It is a victory accomplished.
The saints are secure eternally. But our battle is ongoing against Satan, the flesh and the
world. It is temporal. It will only be over when Christ returns or when we go home to be
with the Lord.

Our perseverance is flawed, tainted with sin. It is never perfect. But God’s preservation
is perfect, sinless accomplishing its intended purpose: the salvation of the elect.

Every Christian is encouraged by the scriptures to persevere, to fight the good fight of
faith, to be salt and light in this present evil world.

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These two doctrines are not cooperative. In other words, a person may be preserved in
Christ and not persevering in their walk. They may backslide. They may be like
Solomon who loved many strange women. Or David that fell into sin with Bathsheba.
But if they belong to the Lord they are preserved in Christ.

Nor is perseverance progressive. It is like the stock market. It rises and falls. Many
times, our fight is like Israel’s. We win some battles and we lose some battles. We make
some mistakes. We gain some victories. We are cold sometimes. We backslide. Other
times we are strong for the Lord. But we are comforted by the scriptures that we are
preserved in Christ.

The modern concept of Lordship salvation has twisted these two terms together as
complimentary. In other words, if you are not persevering, you are not going to make it
to heaven. While every Christian should endeavor to grown in grace and in the
knowledge of our Lord, these two terms are not complimentary for obtaining glory.

Lordship salvation has many problems. It consigns every drug addict and alcoholic to
hell unless they become clean before death. It banishes every gay person who has been
led astray to everlasting torment unless they get straight before death. It makes people
wonder if they are ever saved at all. It is the doctrine of the Pharisees, for the ones that
teach it believe they are the ones walking the walk and talking the talk. They are the ones
persevering and they set the standards for who is in and who is out. God is the judge, not
man. He looks upon the heart.

The saints of God are preserved in Jesus Christ. Their performance does not place them
in the everlasting covenant nor will it remove them from it.

So, to settle all arguments we must look at the way these two words are used in the Bible.
Preservation concerns the work of Jesus Christ. Perseverance concerns the faithfulness
of the saints.

PERSEVERANCE IN GRACE - NOT WORKS

We have already considered the difference between preservation and perseverance. The
elect are preserved in Christ. They are encouraged to persevere in prayer and other works
of righteousness. But there is another facet of perseverance that is noteworthy. It is
referred to as perseverance in grace. Let me explain.

Some of my friends were recently talking about the school shootings and the enormous
faith that was exhibited by some of the students. With a gun held to their head, they were
threatened by death if they declared Christ to be their savior. What great faith was
exhibited as they met Jesus with a faithful testimony.

One of my friends posed the question: “What if they denied Jesus and were instantly
murdered? Would they go to hell?”

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If we believe in a works-based system of salvation the answer might be, “Yes.” But if
we understand grace, preservation and God’s everlasting covenant, the answer would be a
definite, “No,” for the believer.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about. During my studies, I read about
some of the martyrs who were persecuted during the early ages of the church. Their
enemies would torture them until they would curse Jesus or deny their faith. The moment
they denied their faith the sword took off their head. They died either denying the faith or
cursing their faith, whichever was demanded of them.

I have always wondered what I would do to get a hot iron off of my back or a carving
knife from stripping away my flesh? Would I deny my Lord? Would you? We will
never know unless we are found in that kind of a situation.

If the outward man was the final test concerning heaven, most anyone could be kept from
heaven. Men could keep them from heaven by torture or other acts of persecution. I
believe that is the reason Paul wrote his national anthem of security for the elect:

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38,39)

Those verses must have been great comfort to God’s people when their enemies
murdered them and their loved ones and treated them with such hatred and barbaric
cruelty in that day.

This brings us to our present topic. A child of God may not persevere outwardly, by their
works. But the inward man will. How is this? He will not be able to quit believing in
Jesus no matter how much he is suffering. Even if he is tortured to deny Christ outwardly,
the inward man cannot disbelieve that Jesus lives. That is what we mean when we talk
about perseverance in grace. A person may not persevere outwardly, in works, but they
will persevere in grace inwardly!

The same may be said concerning sin. Solomon wrote many wonderful proverbs. He
knew a lot about truth, righteousness and how to walk. But in light of what he knew
inwardly, and his love for God, he sinned outwardly.

In their heart, and with their spirit, those poor saints mentioned above never abandoned
God. They couldn’t quit believing. They couldn’t get the spirit out of them. They could
no longer quit believing in Jesus than they could quit believing they existed themselves –
even when they were tortured.

The Spirit of God that resides within can never be removed, or silenced. The Spirit of
God continues to testify to the heart of a child of God that Jesus Christ lives, and is
present.

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I believe that is the main import of John’s words,

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him:
and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (I John 3:9)

Does that mean that some people do not sin? No. We all know that everyone commits
sin for, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Is there a contradiction in scripture? Of course not! So, if the Bible says that all sin, and
some do not commit sin, how can we rectify the seeming contradiction? By
understanding the difference between the inward man and the outward man.

His seed, the seed of Christ, the seed of faith, is “in him”, within the born-again person.
The flesh is all around and all over him. It is full of sin. Therefore, the inward man is
renewed daily, and the outward man perishes daily. The inner man does not sin and will
forever testify that God is in him. The saints will persevere in grace, but their works will
be less than perfect.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL SALVATION

The peace found in the preservation of the saints can also be forfeited by God’s people
when they place scriptures that refer to temporal salvation in the category of eternal
salvation.

We all know what our eternal salvation is. It is being saved from hell by Jesus Christ.
But temporal salvation is different. It includes salvation from false doctrine, false
prophets, sin, other sinners and anything else that will destroy our peace and fellowship
with our heavenly Father. It concerns salvation from things down here.

That was Peter’s message on the day of Pentecost to devout Jews: "And with many other
words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward
generation."  (Acts 2:40).

A person cannot save themselves from their sin eternally. The reason is because they
have no worthy offering. They are themselves, sinners. Only Christ can save anyone
from the eternal consequences of sin.

Peter was exhorting the devout Jews to save themselves from the influence of their
generation, other sinners, false prophets and false doctrine…believe in Jesus, He was
your Messiah.

The reason we can be certain about that is by the Holy Spirit’s use of the word, devout.
"And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under

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heaven."  (Acts 2:5) That was Peter’s audience, devout men out of every nation under
heaven.

The word devout means, pious and good. These men were already born from above,
exhibiting fruits of the Spirit. It is the same word used to describe the men that buried
Stephen, as well as Ananias that baptized Paul. (See Acts 8:2 and Acts 22:12).

Therefore, Peter wasn’t telling them how to get to heaven but rather to save themselves
from the false doctrine of the Pharisees and the untoward generation around them.

An obvious example is found with Peter, when he asked Jesus to save him from
drowning. When Peter was sinking in the waves, he cried, “Lord, save me.” Peter
wasn’t asking for Jesus to get him to heaven. He was asking Jesus to save him from
drowning, a temporal danger.

That one is pretty obvious. Let me give you another.

Another verse that refers to temporal salvation is Philippians 2:12:

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now
much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Paul was writing to baptized church members. They were already in possession of
eternal salvation. He was telling them to work out that salvation, prove it to themselves
and the world, work it out in their life. This includes enjoying their present inheritance
and working on the things that the scriptures teach us to do. You can’t work out
something that you do not already have.

This agrees with Peter’s sermon: save yourselves from this sinful world.

The Bible makes a distinction between many temporal and eternal things. For instance,
there are temporal and eternal blessings. There is a temporal and an eternal body (See 2
Corinthians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 15:35-49). There is temporal and eternal life (Compare
James 4:14; Galatians 2:20; 1 Peter 4:3 to 1 John 2:25; 5:11). There are temporal and
eternal mercies. There is temporal and eternal eyesight (2 Corinthians 4:18). Therefore,
there is also a distinction made between temporal, and eternal salvation.

When we read Titus 3:5, we know Paul is referring to our eternal salvation:

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost is the sovereign work of God. The
creature has no part in it.

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Like preservation and perseverance, we must understand what our part is and what God
has done for us that we could not do. In other words, Christ has saved His people
eternally from the consequences of sin. But we are to save ourselves from this present,
evil, world.

If we do not understand the difference between temporal and eternal salvation many
doubts and fears can enter our hearts, not only about our own salvation, but also the
salvation of people we love very much.

PRESERVATION DOESN’T MEAN WE WILL NOT SUFFER

TRIALS OR SORROWS

Preservation of the saints does not mean that the Lord’s people will not go through trials.
Nor does it mean they will not suffer sorrows. They are preserved eternally in Christ, but
not from loss in this life.

During these trials and tribulations, they may feel to be alone, alienated from God. They
may feel their prayers are not being heard. They may walk through the valley of the
shadow of death. But that doesn’t mean that the Lord doesn’t love them nor that He has
forsaken them. These things cannot possibly change their eternal destiny. Though they
may suffer, they are preserved in the blood of the Lamb.

The book of Job is a testimony to this truth. The book begins with a man that was perfect
and upright, who feared God and eschewed evil. Job was a man of faith that loved God.
His life was a cameo of success. Job was wealthy, successful and vibrant, with a happy
family. But Job goes through several tragedies in succession. He lost his possessions, his
sons and his health. The icing on the cake was his wife’s bitter words: “Curse God and
die.”

Job’s trial reminds us all that bad things do happen to the best of people. It seems that the
greatest trials are placed upon the greatest saints to give God the greatest glory. But our
point is this: these trials and sufferings down here have nothing to do with our eternal
weight of glory. Job was preserved in the blood of the Lamb.

When we read the trial of Job, it is a blessing to see how he gave God glory in his trial.
Job was no different from any of us. He felt to be shut up in darkness and thought that
the Lord was not hearing him. We have read the end of the story and we know that God
was hearing him.

Everyone goes through valleys. Everyone gets depressed from time to time. Rainy days
and Mondays do get us down. The world itself is a pretty depressing place if we see the

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sin around us. But regardless of the suffering down here the saints are preserved in
Christ.

Jesus promised tribulations for the saints of light:

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the
world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the
world. (John 16:33)

Yes, God’s people will have tribulations in this world. Jesus promised they would.
Should we be surprised? The world and Satan hate God’s people. Who else would give
God glory in the midst of a trial but God’s people? These are persecuted by the world but
preserved in the blood of the Lamb. They are cast down but not destroyed.

Consider the many martyrs of the Christian church. These stood firm in the midst of
great sorrow, pain and suffering. Some of these saw their children snatched from their
hands and their spouses murdered before their eyes. They were burned at the stake,
beheaded, tormented: “of whom the world was not worthy.” (Hebrews 11:38a). We can
be sure the Lord loved these in a very special way.

Therefore, we should never judge the Lord in our trials. How else could we prove our
faith? It would be easy for a person to be a Christian if everything went well every day, if
every prayer was answered. Everybody would claim Jesus and want to be a Christian. But
we must understand that our trials prove our sincerity, love, and loyalty to Jesus Christ,
and we can give Him glory in them.

We are prone, as humans, to think that the Lord has forsaken us when troubles arise. Are
we His or are we not? Why did this happen to me? We need to be reminded that we are
here as God’s witnesses regardless of what happens to us. No matter how severe our
trials may be, we are secure in a Father’s love, and preserved in His Son, Jesus Christ.

TWO TESTIMONIALS

As I have mentioned, the preservation of the saints brings great comfort to God’s people.
Many sleepless nights have been spent by those who are genuinely concerned for the
salvation of others, or even their own soul. But we never read about Paul or Peter losing
sleep over people getting to heaven. Their soul was troubled over false doctrines arising
in the churches that caused these problems and disturbed the peace of God’s redeemed
family.

For this reason, I share the testimonials of two people who were trapped in the never-
ending maze of doubts and fears found in the other gospel that Paul warned the Galatian
churches about. As you will see, the other gospel produces doubts, worries and fears.
The true gospel brings peace.

Testimonial #1:

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“One of my early Christian struggles was worrying about ‘my part’ in eternal salvation. I
remember being in bed and worrying that I might not have asked Jesus into my heart
(said the prayer) right. I began thinking about the possibility of me going to hell because I
did not say the prayer right.  I would get up from bed and go talk with my dad, who was
still awake, about the situation.  I remember thinking: “What if I didn’t mean it when I
said the prayer and maybe I was influenced by others and I was just saying the prayer
because they did? Or what if I really didn’t know what I was doing?”  I remembered
walking down the aisle of the church and asking Jesus to come into my heart with my
eyes open.  “Did that mean that I did it wrong or didn’t really mean it? If I prayed with
my eyes open?”  My dad would reassure me that I could pray with my eyes open, but it
still remained a concern for me.  I could also always say the prayer again and then
publicly be baptized again to show that this was the real time.  All of these things were
going through my mind and causing me fear, worry, and a sense of insecurity.  This was a
weight that I didn’t have to carry and don’t want anyone to have to carry.   What a
blessing it was to discover grace. God did it all and nothing that I could or would do can
change that.  It didn’t matter if I meant it because God meant it and accomplished it!
How freeing!”

Testimonial #2:

“When I was about 10 years old a Sunday School teacher told us that if we went home
and died in our sleep, and had not been baptized into her church, we would spend eternity
in hell away from our parents and family. This was a horrible thought to me because I
loved my parents very much and couldn’t stand to think that I would be away from them
and with the devil forever. I would lay in my bed at night trying to remember to breathe
so I wouldn’t die. The thought of being a sinner, and deserving hell, raced through my
mind. Even at that young age I knew I was a sinner. I recalled being mean to my little
brother. I can’t remember how long that went on.”

“But one night, I couldn’t stand it any longer. After lying in bed for some time and
worrying, I got up the nerve to tell my mother about it. I was always a happy child. But
when I walked into my mother’s bedroom crying she sat straight up in the bed and
immediately asked me what was wrong. I spilled my guts. I told her that I was afraid
that if I died in my sleep I would go to hell. She wanted to know why, and I told her
what the teacher said. She immediately began to cry. To me, this was alarming. Oh no,
she knew my sins. She had spanked me many times and I knew I deserved every
spanking. So, she knew I was hell bound. I felt condemned. But I had to ask her. I had
to hear it for myself from her lips. So, I asked her, “Mother, why are you crying.” I will
never forget what she said. She said, “These are not tears of sadness. These are tears of
joy. If you were not a child of God, you wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Those words sank deep down in my heart. They made perfect sense. Why would I
worry about my sin and being with Jesus in heaven if I did not belong to Him? What a
relief! I hugged her and went back to bed. As I lay there, thoughts of peace entered my
heart. Yes, God loved me. He wouldn’t send someone to hell that He loved. I was His

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child. Jesus loves me. This God that had been portrayed as a God of fear became a God
of love and compassion. I went from fear to peace and slept like a baby that night. I look
back on that night and realize it was the Holy Spirit comforting me with His presence. At
that young age I didn’t know the Bible. But, today, I rejoice in these words: “There is no
fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth
is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18).”

Yes, my friends, grace is a wonderful thing. Its truth sets the captives free. No wonder
that John Newton wrote: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like
me.”

CONCLUSION TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE SAINTS

The preservation of the saints is a glorious doctrine. It sets captives free from the
bondage of the law. Why would anyone question this truth? God is a God of
preservation. He presently preserves our universe until the coming of the Great King.
He has preserved the Christian church for over two-thousand years. He is presently
preserving the body, soul and spirit of all of His children. Let us rejoice, our salvation is
sure.

WHERE ARE YOU TODAY?

Where are you today concerning your knowledge of salvation? When someone asks you
how you were saved, does your testimony agree with the Bible? Is Jesus the only part of
the equation.

Much of Christianity has become a religion of fear, rather than one of peace. In many
places, the gospel message has become a message of fear rather than a message of a
successful Savior who has saved His people from their sins. Jesus is the prince of peace,
not the god of fear: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  (John
14:27)

As I close this book I hope I have left some peace with you. You may never have had an
experience like the testimonials given above. But I believe that many of God’s little
children have. They are under the bondage of legalism. They love the Lord. They will
do anything that anyone tells them to do to be with Jesus.

Let us rejoice in a successful Savior. Jesus, the King of kings, and Lord of lords has
conquered death, hell and the grave. His people are secure, preserved in the blood of the
Lamb. Cast all earthly crowns at His feet for He, alone, is worthy.

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