What Are the
"Doctrines of Grace"?
Part Five
Part Two: Evaluating your Test
Part Three: You Answers in Historical Context
Part Four: Why is This Important to Me?
Part Five: The So-Called "Five Points"
We are fully aware of people’s misconceptions about the following teachings, which we refer to as the “Doctrines of Grace,” especially the oft-repeated charge that those who preach them are divisive and love creating controversy for its own sake. Whatever negative labels are attached to us, we do not wear them as martyrs or as a source of intellectual or spiritual pride, nor do we use them to build a wall around ourselves. To us, these are beloved Bible truths, and therefore we strongly identify with the following statement made by J.I. Packer, which explains why we and many others hold to these truths so passionately:
Without realizing it, we have during the past century bartered that gospel for a substitute product which, though it looks similar enough in points of detail, is as a whole a decidedly different thing. Hence our troubles; for the substitute product does not answer the ends for which the authentic gospel has in past days proved itself so mighty. Why? We would suggest that the reason lies in its own character and content. It fails to make men God-centered in their thoughts and God-fearing in their hearts because this is not primarily what it is trying to do. One way of stating the difference between it and the old gospel is to say that it is too exclusively concerned to be 'helpful' to man - to bring peace, comfort, happiness, satisfaction - and too little concerned to glorify God. The old gospel was 'helpful', too - more so, indeed, than is the new - but (so to speak) incidentally, for its first concern was always to give glory to God. It was always and essentially a proclamation of divine sovereignty in mercy and judgment, a summons to bow down and worship the mighty Lord on whom man depends for all good, both in nature and in grace. Its center of reference was unambiguously God. But in the new gospel the center of reference is man. This is just to say that the old gospel was religious in a way that the new gospel is not. Whereas the chief aim of the old was to teach people to worship God, the concern of the new seems limited to making them feel better. The subject of the old gospel was God and his ways with men; the subject of the new is man and the help God gives him. There is a world of difference. The whole perspective and emphasis of gospel preaching has changed.
To those who would be tempted to dismiss this very topic on the basis that "these things have been argued before and never resolved," We remind our readers of Gamaliel's advice in John 5:38-39 to the Pharisees who opposed Jesus and His disciples: "Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." Though the doctrines we preach have indeed been attacked and maligned for centuries, no false teachings have survived the prolonged scrutiny of the people of God as have the Doctrines of Sovereign Grace! Doctrines such as dualism, gnosticism, montanism, and arianism, that once plagued the Bible-believing churches of God, have been repeatedly rejected, and are now relagated to the cults or have disappeared completely. But from Christ, to the Apostles, to Augustine, to Wycliffe and Huss, to the Reformation, to the Great Awakenings, and into our century, the theology of Sovereign Grace has survived and is once again gaining in approval and acceptance among the saints!
With that said, we humbly encourage you to carefully examine the Scriptures given after each Reformed teaching listed below. Do not merely ignore them or try to nullify them with a verse that appears to teach the opposite (for all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable). Pray and ask God to enlighten you as you meditate upon them. Do not take the easy way out: Resist the temptation to dismiss these claims simply because you have heard others speak negatively of “Calvinism,” “Calvinists,” the “Five Points of Calvinism,” or “T.U.L.I.P.”. Study them as if your soul depends on it, and indeed it may, for to exalt man, minimize God, and devalue His great salvation has been the undoing of many. Though we cannot give an exhaustive defense here of the answers we have given to the questions above, we believe that if these difficult passages are sincerely meditated upon, prayed over, and believed, they will challenge your prejudices and give you a deeper understanding of God, of yourself, of the gospel, and of the world.
I. Total Depravity teaches that man’s nature is so depraved that he cannot even believe on Christ unless God draws him. The Scriptures indicate that man in his sins is, among other things, dead (Ephesians 2:1-5), blind (Ephesians 4:18); powerless (Rom. 5:6); stoney-hearted (Ezek. 36:26); an enemy of God (Rom. 8:7); all of which imply a complete inability (John 6:44) to do anything to remedy his condition.
Key Scripture passages:
Jer. 13:23: Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
1 Cor. 2:14: The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are spiritually discerned.
Rom 3:10-12: As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one; There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God...
Eph 2:1-3: And you did He make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins..
Other references: Gen 2:17; Job 14:4; John 3:19; John 6:53; Rom. 3:10-12; Rom 5:12; 2 1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor 1:9; Eph. 2:12
II. Unconditional Election teaches that those who will be saved are chosen before the foundation of the world, based not on whether one chooses to believe but on God’s eternal decree. The Scriptures teach that God chose His elect completely apart from any merit of our own, even that of believing, which in itself can become a work and a point of boasting. In a key passage on this subject of unconditional election, Romans chapter 9, the Apostle Paul, knowing that this doctrine would be offensive to his readers, does not soften its meaning, but asserts God’s right to do as he pleases: "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" (Romans 9:20-21)
Key Scripture passages:
Psalm 65:4: Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.
John 5:21: For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom He will.
John 13:18: I speak not of you all; I know whom I have chosen.
John 15:16: Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit.
Acts 13:48: And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Acts 16:14: And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Acts 18:27: And when he [Paul] wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed.
Rom 8:29-30: For whom He foreknew, He also foreordained to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren; and whom He foreordained, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.
Rom 9:11-12: The children being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth, it was said to her, The elder shall serve the younger. Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.
Eph 1:4-5: He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love; having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."
2 Thess 2:13: God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.
Rom 9:15-18: For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.... 18, Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom. 11:7-10: What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
Jude 1:4: For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Other references: Exodus 8:23; Ex. 33:19; Deut. 7:6-8. Deut 10:15. 1 Kings 19:18 Ps. 147:20.. Prov. 16:4; Prov. 21:1; Amos 3:2. John 6:37: John 6:65: John 15:16: John 17:9: Romans 9:12-24; 1 Cor. 1:27-29; Eph. 1:4-14; 1 Thess. 5:9.
III. Limited Atonement, or Particular Redemption, teaches that Christ died on the Cross specifically for the elect, and thus all for whom He died will be saved. While this point among the five may raise the greatest objection because of verses that appear to teach a universal atonement, the Scriptures indicate that Christ died for His own people (i.e., the elect) and that His death was completely effectual in accomplishing its purposes, despite the fact that much of mankind does not believe unto salvation. As noted above, unless one is prepared to say that all mankind shall be saved, one is limiting the atonement. We believe it is more in keeping with God’s character to limit the purpose or scope of the atonement than to limit its power.
Key Scripture passages:
Isaiah 53:11: He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many [not all]; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Acts 13:48: As many as were ordained to eternal life [and only they] believed.
Mat 1:21: And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people [and only they] from their sins.
Mat 26:28: For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many [not for all] for the remission of sins.
Mark 14:24: And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many [but not for all].
Luke 1:68: Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people.
John 6:39: This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
John 6:45: It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
John 10:11: I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Act 20:28: Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Other references: John 10:14-15, 27-28; John 11:49-52; John 15:13; John 17:2, 6, 9, 12; Rom. 5:19; Rom. 8:28-30.
IV. Irresistible or Efficacious Grace (or, "Effectual Calling") teaches that when God’s electing, unconditional saving grace is extended to man, man will respond and the effects will be life-transforming, for God’s purposes will not be thwarted. The term "irrestible" has often been opposed on the grounds that it appears to say that man may try to resist God's grace but cannot. That argument is irrelevant because when God regenerates the depraved heart, that person's will is changed, and he will not resist because he is no longer at enmity with God. This is described beautifully in the Westiminster and 1689 Confessions in the section on Effectual Calling, paragraph 1: "Those whom God hath predestinated unto Life, He is pleased in his appointed, and accepted time, effectually to call by his word, and Spirit, out of that state of sin, and death, in which they are by nature, to grace and Salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightning their minds, spiritually, and savingly to understand the things of God; taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by His Almighty power determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His Grace."
Key Scripture passages:
Jer 32:40: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and I will not turn away from following them, to do them good; and I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me.
Ezek. 36:26: A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Ps. 51:6: Thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Psalm 110:3: Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power.
John 3:8: The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
John 15:16: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit.
Acts 16:14: And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
2 Cor. 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Cor 9:8: God is able to make all grace to abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work.
Eph 2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
2 Thess 3:3: The Lord is faithful and will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
Tit 2:14: who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Tit. 3:5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
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.
Other references: Ezek. 11:19-20; Jer. 31:18; Rom. 6:14; 1 Cor. 10:13; Eph. 1:19; 1 Pet 2:9; Col. 2:13.
V. Perseverance of the Saints teaches that true saving faith cannot be lost but will cause one to continue in the faith and ultimately be eternally saved. “The saints, even in this world, are compared to a tree that does not wither (Ps 1:3); to the cedars which flourish on Mount Lebanon (Ps 92:12); to Mount Zion which cannot be moved, but which abideth forever (Ps 125:1); and to a house built on a rock, Matt 7:24. The Lord is with them in their old age (Isa 46:4) and is their guide even unto death (Ps 48:14), so that they cannot be totally and finally lost” (Boettner). This is stronger than today’s replacement term, “Eternal Security,” which focuses on eternal life in the future but does not give due recognition to the Holy Spirit’s power in this life to keep the child of God faithful in the Christian walk.
Key Scripture passages:
Ps 34:7: The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him and delivereth them.
Ps 138:8: Jehovah will perfect that which concerneth me.
John 5:24: He that heareth my word, and believeth Him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life.
Rom 8:29: For whom He foreknew, He also foreordained ... and whom He foreordained, them He also called; and whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified.
Rom 11:29: The gifts and calling of God are not repented of.
Rom. 14:4: Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
2 Cor 4:8-9,14: We are pressed on every side, yet not straightened; perplexed, yet not unto despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed; ... knowing that He that raised up the Lord Jesus Christ shall raise us also with Jesus.
Phil 1:6: Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.
2 Tim 4:18: The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto His heavenly kingdom.
Other references: Ps. 23:6 Jer 31:3, John 4:14. John 6:47. John 6:51. John 10:28. John 14:19. 2 Cor 2:14. Eph 1:5. Eph 4:30. Phil 3:20 2 Tim 2:19. Heb 10:14. 1 Pet. 1:5 1 John 5:13.
