Find Out Friday #9-10 CCS Apologetics

Two Questions for Today Does God Doubly Elect? Is there such thing as a Carnal Christian?

So, there you go... Have a good weekend!

Does God Doubly Elect The Question is: does God predestine some to salvation and Heaven AND predestine the others to condemnation and Hell? This is first a philosophical issue It seems the logical end of election The Scriptural approach would indicate a clear: NO

The ground of discrimination that exists among men is the sovereign will of God and that alone; but the ground of damnation to which the reprobate are consigned is sin and sin alone. John Calvin

Some terms Predestination and election are relegated to the saved This is the nature of the term elect, that it is biblically referring to those God has saved The nature of the term in language is that it is a choosing out of and a leaving of the rest Reprobation is relegated to the lost Reprobates is what men are They are not elected so, they are left so

Moreover, Holy Scripture most especially highlights this eternal and undeserved grace of our election and brings it out more clearly for us, in that it further bears witness that not all people have been chosen but that some have not been chosen or have been passed by in God's eternal election - those, that is, concerning whom God, on the basis of his entirely free, most just, irreproachable, and unchangeable good pleasure, made the following decision: to leave them in the common misery into which, by their own fault, they have plunged themselves; not to grant them saving faith and the grace of conversion; but finally to condemn and eternally punish them (having been left in their own ways and under his just judgment), not only for their unbelief but also for all their other sins, in order to display his justice. And this is the decision of reprobation, which does not at all make God the author of sin (a blasphemous thought!) but rather its fearful, irreproachable, just judge and avenger. Canons of Dort

24Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Romans 1:18-25

Is there such a thing as a Carnal Christian? Definition to follow This is an issue that involves the Lordship Salvation/Free Grace Debate LS – One must recognize that Christ is not only Savior, but Lord to be saved. This is an articulated response the the “carnal Christian” teachings that one need only “believe” FG – One must only believe that Jesus saved them to be saved. To add anything else on (e.g. repentence, lordship, devotion, etc.) is to add to the Gospel and is heresy The discussion had a birth The History matters

The “carnal” Christian A person who claims to know Christ as Savior, yet whose life is sharply marked by sin and a stark lack of devotion to Christ – either for a short period of time, or a long period of time.

The History Debate began when Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) President, Lewis Sperry Chafer proposed the doctrine of the “carnal Christian” in his book, He that is Spiritual, based on 1 Corinthians 2-3. Dr. B.B. Warfield responded in the Princeton Theological Journal “there are not two kinds of Christians” 1959 Eternity magazine had a debate of sorts “Must Christ be Lord to be Savior?” John Stott – Yes Everett Harrison – No After this, Macarthur and Hodges (The Gospel According to Jesus & The Gospel Under Siege - respectively

Some Quotes “The Lordship view expressly states the necessity of acknowledging Christ as Lord and Master of one’s life in the act of receiving Him as Savior, these are not two different sequential acts (or successive steps), but rather one act of pure trusting faith,” “To impose a need to surrender the life to God as an added condition of salvation is most unreasonable.”

The Gospels Matthew 5:20 7:21 Mark 10:15 Luke 9:62

Big Deal 1 John 1:6 2:11

No Carnal Christian

Find Out Friday #9-10 CCS Apologetics