God made man good and very good (Genesis 1:31). He made man in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27). In this condition man was without sin. God put man in the garden of Eden and gave him everything that he needed. God gave man only one negative command — He told man not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and that if man did eat of this… Read More

When man fell into sin and died the death of separation from God, he also fell under the wrath of God (John 3:36; Romans 5:9; Romans 9:22; Ephesians 2:3; I Thessalonians 1:10). This wrath of God is a terrible thing and those who have to endure it will be in torments forever in hell (Mark 9:44). This terrible penalty is a result of sin, which is rebellion against God. If a person… Read More

When man fell into sin his nature became corrupt. By this we mean that his disposition, his desires, his appetites became prone to evil. Man’s very nature — his very instinct, was to do evil (in the Bible sense, everything which is not done to the glory of God is evil). Man does not sin in order to become a sinner — he sins because he is a sinner. Man, in his… Read More

Every part of a spiritually dead sinner is affected by sin. Since this is a very misunderstood subject, let us see what we do not mean by the above statement. We do NOT mean that: 1. …the sinner is completely without a moral conscience. Even the dead sinner has a certain sense of right and wrong (Romans 1:32). Even criminals have a certain code of ethics. 2. …the mere natural man does… Read More

Salvation is entirely by the grace of God. The Bible tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). This scripture sets grace in contrast with works. In fact, salvation can’t be by a combination of grace and works because it would no longer be salvation by grace (Romans 11:6)…. Read More

Our assignment for this time is to read “Dead Men Can’t See” by Bro. Zack Guess. This is a study of the truth contained in I Corinthians 2:14. After reading this, let us answer the following questions: Questions 1. According to the Scriptures, what is a natural man? 2. If the things of God are foolishness to a person, what does that indicate to us about that person? 3. What did Jesus… Read More

When man became dead in sins, every part of him was affected. Therefore, there is no part of man that is able to respond to God while man is in this condition of being dead in sin. There is no good left in man — not even a slight spark. Sin has affected every faculty of man’s being just as a drop of poison would affect every molecule of a glass of… Read More

Our assignment for this time is to read the pamphlet “What Does the Bible Say About Election?” by Eld. Zack Guess. After reading this, let us answer the following questions: Questions 1. What are the three basic types of election taught in the Scriptures? 2. Give an example from Scripture of the election of an inidividual to a special work. (Jeremiah 1:5; Acts 1:2) 3. Give an example from Scripture of the… Read More

Our assignment is to continue to read the pamphlet “What Does the Bible Say About Election?” by Bro. Zack Guess. As we read this, let us answer the following questions: Questions 1. What is the final destiny of an individual whom God elects to salvation? 2. Which Person in the Holy Trinity elected people to salvation? (1 Peter 1:2) 3. When did the work of God’s election take place? (Ephesians 1:4; II… Read More

Our assignment is to continue to read the pamphlet “What Does the Bible Say About Election” by Bro. Zack Guess. As we read this, let us answer the following questions: Questions 1. Is election a beautiful doctrine or is it a harsh doctrine? Give reasons for your answer. 2. What are the benefits that flow to God’s people through election? 3. How can you tell if you are one of God’s elect… Read More

Our assignment is to continue to read “What Does the Bible Say About Election?” As we read, let us answer the following questions: Questions 1. If someone said the doctrine of election causes men to be careless sinners, how should we answer him? 2. If someone said that election pertained only to the Jews, how should we answer him? 3. If someone said that election pertained only to the apostles, how should… Read More

We can see God manifesting His purpose of election down through the centuries. Even in the second generation of mankind, Abel was a man of faith and Cain was of the wicked one (Genesis 4:4-5; I John 3:12; Jude 11; Hebrews 11:4). Abraham was an idolator (Joshua 24:2; Acts 7:1) when God called him. Why did God choose Abraham and not someone else? Simply because it was His good pleasure to do… Read More

God does just exactly what He wants to do. This is plain from Daniel 4:35. So if God wanted to save all men it is certain that all men would be saved. But it is certain that not all men are saved (John 8:44), so it stands that God did not intend to save all men. He elected or chose to salvation all whom He intended to save. God is the supreme… Read More

We have been studying the doctrine of election. Election itself actually saved no one; it only marked out particular sinners (the elect) for salvation. Those chosen by the Father were given to the Son who must redeem them or purchase their salvation by His own blood. Redemption in the Scriptures carries with it the idea of a captive being set free on the payment of the proper ransom price. The ransom price… Read More

The simple fact is that Christ simply did not die for all men. He did not intend to save all men or He would have done so. He certainly has enough power to do what He wants to do. Many have the perverted idea that there will be persons in everlasting hell whom God loves. Would you let someone you love suffer such a fate? Some say that God’s love changes to… Read More

Redemption from sin was accomplished by the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ. This happened nearly two thousand years ago. Therefore, when we talk about redemption, we are talking about an accomplished historical fact. We are not talking about something that remains to be accomplished or completed, but something that was completely finished over nineteen hundred years ago. The book of John points this out as follows: “When Jesus therefore… Read More

We have already stated that the doctrine of Particular Redemption teaches that Christ died for the elect and the elect only. Christ did not die for any that would perish in hell. Let us examine this teaching and see how reasonable and consistent it is. All those for whom Christ gave His life as a ransom are either ransomed or they are not. It is very evident, from Scripture and from observation,… Read More

There are some Scriptures which seem at first glance to support the idea of universal redemption. But the Bible doesn’t contradict itself and teach particular redemption in some places and universal redemption in others. On closer study, each of the Scriptures which might seem to support the idea of universal redemption in fact teach that Christ died for the elect and for none other. One of the most commonly used Scriptures to… Read More

In the following lesson, we will continue to examine some Scriptures which are used by some to teach the doctrine of universal redemption. I. “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2:2) First we must examine the word “propitiation.” The idea of propitiating is that of appeasing one who has been offended. The offended one… Read More

There are some passages of Scripture where the use of the words “all,” “every man” etc. are thought by some to teach universal redemption. But as was the case with the word “world,” an examination of such Scriptures in their contexts and in the light of the teaching of the Bible as a whole, will show clearly that these Scriptures actually teach particular redemption. First, we will show that the word “all”… Read More

In our previous studies, we have examined some Scriptures which, at first glance and isolated from other Scriptures, seem to some people to teach universal redemption. In each case, we have seen that these and all other Scriptures teach that the redemption of Jesus Christ is limited to the elect people of God. In this study sheet we will consider several other Scriptures which some use erroneously to teach universal redemption. I…. Read More

In this study, we will examine one passage of Scripture which Arminians, Universalists, and others use to teach the doctrine of General or Universal Atonement. We have not studied all such Scriptures, but we have studied a sufficient number to give us some experience in the correct interpretation and application of Scripture. With diligent, prayerful, study the student of the Scriptures who cares enough to find out what the Bible really teaches,… Read More

In this study we will examine II Peter 3:9 and endeavor to obtain the correct meaning:“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” This scripture is commonly used to teach that God desires the whole human race to be saved. He does not will that any human being should… Read More

This will be our final study on the subject of Particular Redemption. Most of the studies have been devoted to a defense of this doctrine against those who advocate Universal Redemption (the doctrine that Christ died for all men indiscriminately–for those that will be damned in hell as well as for those that will be saved in heaven.) We will end our study of Particular Redemption on a positive note. This study… Read More

Having considered the subjects Man Dead in Sins, Unconditional Election, and Particular Redemption, we now come to study the subject of Irresistible Grace. Long before we reached this point, we parted ways with the Arminians. They deny that man is totally dead in trespasses and in sins and thereby totally unable to help save himself. They deny that before the world began God chose His people in Christ entirely unconditionally of works… Read More

It needs to be pointed out that if the truths that we have previously studied be true, then the truth of irresistible grace must necessarily follow. For example, one cannot maintain that man is truly dead in sin and yet deny the necessity of irresistible grace in his salvation. If the sinner is totally depraved, dead in sins, unable to do any good, then he needs far more than mere assistance. Give… Read More

The great majority of Christians believe in gospel regeneration. They believe that a person must hear and believe the gospel (or at least read the Word of God) in order to be born again. However, they have a problem with what to do with those who die in infancy or with those who are mentally incapable of hearing and understanding the gospel. Invariably they try to come up with two ways of… Read More

When we speak of irresistible grace, we mean that when God moves in power to bring salvation to a sinner, that this power cannot be resisted–it is always effectual. Those who don’t believe this always turn to Acts 7. Stephen is preaching here and in verse fifty-one he says, “ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.” To… Read More

Our assignment this time is to read God’s Drawing Power by Zack Guess and to answer the following questions: 1. Give five examples from the New Testament of the use of the word translated “draw” in John 12:32. Confine those examples to usages concerning natural phenomena. 2. List four ways the word translated “draw” in John 12:32 is used in the Classical Greek. 3. Does God save a sinner against his will?… Read More

There is much misunderstanding in the religious world about “faith” or “belief.” Many preachers will say that salvation is by grace but that a person must “put his trust in Jesus Christ” or “believe in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior” or “have faith in Jesus Christ” before he can be saved. This act of faith, thus presented, is an act of the sinner’s free will. This conception of faith is not… Read More

In our last study sheet, we considered Scriptures which spoke of “faith,” “believe,” etc. In them we saw that faith is a gift of God, given in the new birth, and not a work of the creature to be performed in order to be born again. Let us now continue to consult the Scriptures. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not… Read More

In the last few study sheets, we have considered the subject of “saving faith.” In this sheet we will conclude our study of this subject with some very sound comments from the book, Reformed Dogmatics by Herman Hoeksema. “Faith is not another work on the part of man, by performing which he becomes worthy of salvation. All the work that makes us worthy of righteousness and eternal life and glory has been… Read More

We have studied the doctrine of “Irresistible Grace” for several study sheets now. We have seen that this means that God’s grace cannot be resisted when He operates by the Holy Spirit to bring the salvation treasured up in Jesus Christ to a sinner. There are several Scriptural terms that are used to describe God’s operations of grace. The reason, no doubt, that the Scriptures use several terms to describe this operation… Read More

We will consider now the question of the gospel. Many people who believe in the irresistible grace of God think this work is accomplished by the preaching of the gospel. In other words, they teach that the Holy Spirit uses the preached word or the written word to bring spiritual life to the sinner. This idea is sometimes referred to as “Gospel Regeneration.” The Primitive Baptists and some others do not believe… Read More

We have previously studied that regeneration is a direct work of the Holy Spirit while conversion is a work of the gospel (the preached or written word). Before we examine the Scriptures concerning these points let us note a few quotations from the book Regeneration and Conversion by W. E. Best: “The mission of the church is not to regenerate people; she is to preach the gospel whereby those whose hearts have… Read More

We come now to the final point in our study of the doctrine of the salvation of God’s people. We have studied the truths of Total Depravity (Mankind Dead in Sins), Unconditional Election, Particular Redemption (Limited Atonement), and Irresistible Grace. Now we conclude with the truth of the Preservation and Perseverance of all the saints unto eternal glory. Briefly stated, this truth means that all the elect will be preserved and will… Read More

In the last study sheet we examined article one of the chapter “Of Perseverance of the Saints” from the London Confession of Faith of 1689. In this study sheet we will consider the two remaining articles of this chapter: 2. “This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree (Rom. 8:30; Rom. 9:11,16) of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love… Read More

In the previous two study sheets we have examined the London Confession of Faith as it dealt with “Of the Perseverance of the Saints.” In this study sheet we will examine the London Confession section entitled “Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation.” This subject of assurance of salvation is intimately connected with the truth of perseverance. As a child of God perseveres in faith and holiness he becomes more and more assured… Read More

It is important to remember that the child of God will overcome the world by his God-given Faith: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (I John 5:4). This does not mean that the saint will never commit sin. It means that the Spirit of God in him will not suffer him to always live in sin but… Read More

In the last lesson in our little book I would like to further study the relationship between Preservation and Perseverance. To state again the doctrine of Preservation, we say that this means that of all for whom Christ died, none shall finally fall away and be lost. Nothing can pluck them out of the hands of God. None of them can ever lose his salvation. Some Scriptures which prove this are John… Read More

Preservation and Perseverance as Sung by the Saints Introductory note: it is a very interesting phenomenon that in religion the songs that people sing usually reflect their beliefs. This is as it should be. To believe one thing and to sing another would be inconsistent. The Baptist forefathers believed, taught and sang the truths contained in the doctrine of Preservation/Perseverance. Following are a few examples from several standard, widely-used hymnals: “Lone Pilgrim,”… Read More