The Doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints / Persevering Grace

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by Mike Ratliff

35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction, or turmoil, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,
“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE COUNTED AS SHEEP FOR the SLAUGHTER.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39 (LSB) 

We have come to the “P” of our TULIP acronym, which Stands for “Perseverance of the Saints” or “Persevering Grace” as I and many of our friends prefer to think of it. Probably the number one thing that I have learned while presenting the doctrines of grace is that there are people who simply will not believe nor back away from their own conception of Soteriology. For instance, I have friends, acquaintances, and relatives who smirk and roll their eyes back when the topic of Persevering Grace comes up. I heard one fellow say once that God writes those who are saved in the Lamb’s Book of Life in pencil and that pencil has an eraser. Where in the Bible is that one?

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Irresistible Grace / Efficacious Grace

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by Mike Ratliff

As we have seen, Unconditional Election is the work of God the Father. Particular Redemption is the work of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, is also at work in the salvation of the elect. It is His efficaciously gracious work to apply the benefits of Christ’s works to those elect whom Jesus has redeemed.  Continue reading →

Limited Atonement / Particular Redemption

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by Mike Ratliff

26 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and bring an offering by fire near to Yahweh. 28 And you shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before Yahweh your God. 29 If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. 30 And as for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will cause to perish from among his people. 31 You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your places of habitation. 32 It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath.” Leviticus 23:26-32 (LSB) 

In this post we will look at the “L” of our Acronym “TULIP,” which is “Limited Atonement.” The “T”of “TULIP” is “Total Depravity,” while the “U” is “Unconditional Election.”

Yom Kipper, also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. It takes place on the 10th day of the seventh month (Tishri) on the Jewish calendar. Please carefully read the passage I placed at the top of this post. Do you see the serious emphasis God places on the need for His people’s atonement? What is this atonement? Biblical atonement is the act of God canceling the debt of His people’s sin. Without it God’s wrath against their sin could not be appeased.

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The Doctrine of Unconditional Election

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by Mike Ratliff

The Doctrine of Unconditional Election is not for sissies. What I mean by that is if we adhere to this doctrine then we had better be ready for those in unbelief to attack us with their broadsides and accusations. It seems that every Pelagian out there, whether full blown Pelagian or semi-Pelagian or Arminian, is convinced that Man is not dead in his or her trespasses and sins and is fully able to elect God or not. Of course, none of their arguments hold any water because they are derived either from man-centered philosophy or from Bible verses taken out of context (eisegesis). On the other hand, the Doctrines of Grace are all completely Biblical and are based entirely in Holy Scripture expositions done exegetically.

The Doctrines of Grace describe and teach what God has done for His people in Jesus Christ. While the Doctrine of Unconditional Election is important it is not the best place to start in trying to understand God’s good work in His people’s hearts and for their behalf in eternity. Why? It is completely contrary to Man’s natural way of thinking and understanding. However, it is vital that we do understand and grasp it. Why? This doctrine is “an important measuring rod for someone’s theology, since an acceptance or rejection of this doctrine reveals at once whether a person is biblically correct on such other doctrines as the nature and extent of sin, the bondage of the will, the full grace of God in salvation, and even the presentation of the gospel.”1

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Total Inability

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by Mike Ratliff

Those of us who dearly love the doctrine of Grace  often use the acronym “T.U.L.I.P.” to represent the five points. One of my favorite books about this is The Doctrines of Grace by James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken. I will use this book extensively in this series along with others by R.C. Sproul, John Owen, and Martin Luther. However, my primary source will be The Bible.

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Glory Only in the Cross

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by Mike Ratliff

1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of words, or of wisdom, showing unto you the testimony of God.
2 For I esteemed not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was among you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 Neither stood my word, and my preaching in the enticing speech of man’s wisdom, but in plain evidence of the Spirit and of power.
5 That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Martin Luther is considered the “Lighting rod of the Protestant Reformation.” It was through his battle with the Roman Catholic Church that the doctrine of salvation through Justification by Grace through Faith alone was recovered and from that, many Christian martyrs went to their deaths refusing to compromise their faith by denying the truth of knowing Jesus Christ and Him crucified based not upon the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. So much of the pressure being brought to bear upon Christians in our time is to not be so precise in our theology, but be more willing to “compromise” along doctrinal grounds for the sake of “unity.” The “mega-church” model is based precisely upon never offending anyone, but being non-threatening and willing to be all things to all people in order to attract everyone, but to what? Continue reading →

Mercy

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by Mike Ratliff

23 Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί, ὅτι ἀποδεκατοῦτε τὸ ἡδύοσμον καὶ τὸ ἄνηθον καὶ τὸ κύμινον καὶ ἀφήκατε τὰ βαρύτερα τοῦ νόμου, τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὸ ἔλεος καὶ τὴν πίστιν· ταῦτα [δὲ] ἔδει ποιῆσαι κἀκεῖνα μὴ ἀφιέναι. Matthew 23:23 (NA28)

23 Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you tithe mint and dill and cumin, but you have neglected the more important things of the Law: justice and mercy and faith; but these things you should have done without neglecting the others. Matthew 23:23 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

A simple definition of mercy is “the withholding of deserved punishment and relieving distress.” The Greek ἔλεος (eleos) speaks of “compassion, pity.” One Greek lexicon tells us, “Kindness or good will towards the miserable and afflicted joined with a desire to relieve them.” Even the pagans of Greece felt pity. Aristotle wrote that tragedy aroused pity and even fear that the same tragedy might befall them. Continue reading →

The Atoning Stream of Christ’s Blood

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by Mike Ratliff

7 By whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, according to his rich grace:
8 ,Whereby he hath been abundant toward us in all wisdom and understanding,
9 And hath opened unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in him,
10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, he might gather together in one all things, both which are in heaven, and which are in earth, even in Christ: Ephesians 1:7-10 (1599 Geneva Bible)

In my research of Penal Substitution I found that this doctrine is actually a line of contention, or line of demarcation if you will, that divides Orthodox Christianity from those forms whose advocates have in some way come up with their own version of the Gospel. These forms are diverse and too numerous to go into here. As I read the “opinions” of those decrying the validity of Penal Substitution, I could not help but notice that the modus operandi or focus of these people was never from the perspective of God’s glory or His majesty or His righteousness or His justice. No, it was always from man’s perspective of either the writer’s religiosity or philosophy. There was never any attempt to use Biblical exegesis to make their points. In other words, those who decry Penal Substitution also seem to have a serious issue with Sola Scriptura. So, instead of focusing this post on these vain arguments and speculations, let us focus of the incredible mercy of the Atonement in which Christ reconciled His people to God the Father and what that purchased for them. Continue reading →

Love your enemies

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by Mike Ratliff

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your garment also. 41 And whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:38-48 (LSB) 

I remember the first time I read the passage above (Matthew 5:38-48). I simply could not believe that it was possible for anyone to love one’s enemies or pray for them. I read in the Gospels that Jesus did those things, but He is God. How could any mortal person ever do this? At the time of that reading, I was not a regenerate believer. I was definitely in the process of being called, but God’s effectual call had not touched my heart yet. I still had the idea that one had to be able to do Christian things in order to become a Christian. In my own conception of salvation, I had to learn and believe the right things and do the right things so that I could possibly “grow into” a good Christian. Continue reading →

Spiritual Gifts

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by Mike Ratliff

11 And He Himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Ephesians 4:11-16 (LSB) 

There is little doubt that there are some in leadership positions in the visible church that are there because of their natural abilities rather than the fact that God has gifted them to lead His people. If the latter were the case, they would not be leading their followers into apostasy as the passage I placed at the top of this post clearly states. Those gifted by God to be true leaders in His Church have the role and responsibility to do what? They are to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of Got, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Why? Continue reading →

Warning Against Falling Away

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1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of teaching about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do, if God permits. 4 For in the case of those once having been enlightened and having tasted of the heavenly gift and having become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and having tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and having fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. Hebrews 6:1-6 (LSB) 

I was recently going back over some of my older posts and rereading the comments. On one post about the eternality of our salvation I found a comment that I never addressed. It was a request to explain Hebrews 6:4-6.  I guess it’s time we addressed this passage. Let’s carefully look at this passage exegetically. What do we have in vv1-3? The writer of this epistle states that what was written in the first 5 chapters is important, but it is not anything that other teachers and leaders in the early Church have not already taught so, yes all that is important and we should value all of that because it is about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but now it is time to address deeper things along with those vital and important teachings. I pray that makes sense. Notice v3, “And this we will do, if God permits.” That speaks volumes. What is coming is deep and probably troubling, but must be taught and after that then those vital things about our Savior will be taught if God permits. Another thing that spoke to me about that statement was the writer of Hebrews was not writing it just because he wanted to, but was being led by the Holy Spirit.

Okay, with that out of the way let’s look at vv 4-6.

4 Ἀδύνατον γὰρ τοὺς ἅπαξ φωτισθέντας, γευσαμένους τε τῆς δωρεᾶς τῆς ἐπουρανίου καὶ μετόχους γενηθέντας πνεύματος ἁγίου 5 καὶ καλὸν γευσαμένους θεοῦ ῥῆμα δυνάμεις τε μέλλοντος αἰῶνος 6 καὶ παραπεσόντας, πάλιν ἀνακαινίζειν εἰς μετάνοιαν, ἀνασταυροῦντας ἑαυτοῖς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ παραδειγματίζοντας.Hebrews 6:4-6 (NA28)

4 For it is impossible for those once having been enlightened, both having tasted of the heavenly gift and having become partners of the Holy Spirit, 5 and having tasted the good word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 and having fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, crucifying to themselves the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt. Hebrews 6:4-6 (translated from the NA28 Greek text to English) 

What is this saying about those who have fallen away? They were “enlightened.” They received instruction in biblical truth which was accompanied by intellectual perception. Understanding the gospel is not the same thing as regeneration (Hebrews 10:26,32) Okay, but what about v4 and them becoming partners of the Holy Spirit? Even though the concept of this partnership is used in 3:1;3:14; and 12:8 which believers have, the context must be the final determining factor. This context in vv4-6 seems to preclude a reference to true believers. It could be a reference to their participation in the miraculous ministry of Jesus who was empowered by the Spirit or in the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8) which obviously can be resisted without experiencing salvation (cf Acts 7:51)

In v5-6 we see that these who have fallen away “tasted” the good word of God and the powers of the coming age yet they then fell away.  Before pursuing this deeper let us go back to Hebrews 2:1-4.

1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every trespass and disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? That salvation, first spoken by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Hebrews 2:1-4 (LSB) 

Carefully read this passage then compare it to v6:5. Like Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-24), these Hebrews had not yet been regenerated in spite of all they had heard and seen (cf. Matthew 13:3-9; John 6:60-66). They were repeating the sins of those who died in the wilderness after seeing the miracles performed through Moses and Aaron and hearing the voice of God at Sinai.

Okay, now what does “Fallen away” mean. The Greek word I translated as “having fallen away” is παραπεσόντας. This passage is the only occurrence of this word in the N.T. However, it is found in the LXX in Ezekiel 14:13; 18:24; 20:27. It is equivalent to the apostasy in 3:12 . The seriousness of this unfaithfulness is seen in the severe description of rejection within this verse: they re-crucify Christ and treat Him contemptuously. Those who sinned against Christ in such a way had no hope of restoration or forgiveness (cf. 2:2,3; 10:26,27; 12:25) The reason is that they had rejected Him with full knowledge and conscious experience. With full revelation they rejected the truth, concluding the opposite of the truth about Christ, and thus had no hope of being saved. They can never have more knowledge than they had when they rejected it. They have concluded that Jesus should have been crucified, and they stand with His enemies. There is no possibility of these verses referring to losing salvation. Many Scripture passages make unmistakably clear that salvation is eternal (cr. John 10:27-29; Romans 8:355,38,39; Philippians 1:6; 1Peter 1:4,5). Those who want to make this verse mean that believers can lose salvation will have to admit that it would then also say that one could never get it back again.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Standing firm against hypocrites speaking lies from a seared conscience

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by Mike Ratliff

1 Τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ῥητῶς λέγει ὅτι ἐν ὑστέροις καιροῖς ἀποστήσονταί τινες τῆς πίστεως προσέχοντες πνεύμασιν πλάνοις καὶ διδασκαλίαις δαιμονίων, 2 ἐν ὑποκρίσει ψευδολόγων, κεκαυστηριασμένων τὴν ἰδίαν συνείδησιν, (1 Timothy 4:1-2 NA28)

1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times  some will depart from the faith,  giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 in hypocrisy of ones speaking lies, having been seared in their own conscience, (1 Timothy 4:1-2 translated from the NA28 Greek text)

I have made clear what all Christians’ stance should be on homosexuality here. That stance is biblical and any attempt to soften, change, or redirect it has as its source the father of all lies and enemy of our souls. I am sure all reading this here in April of 2015 are aware of the “human rights” crisis that was “manufactured” around the Indiana state government passing a bill that is nearly identical to that which exists in 21 other states and is also on record in the Federal Government which became law during the Clinton administration. Yes, this law simply says that a person’s religious convictions cannot become subject to that of the state or another group, etc. In other words it simply supports the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which reads:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Notice the part in bold. That being said, we live in a time in which Liberal activists demand tolerance for everyone, that is, everyone except Christians who have a conscience bound to the Word of God, who refuse to violate that conscience simply because society or the government demands “tolerance” for that which the Word of God says is evil. These Liberal activists demanding tolerance reveal their real selves when they become totally intolerant of those who are not going to violate their consciences bound to the Word God even if it costs them everything, even death. History is replete with examples of this.

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Abundant Pardon

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by Mike Ratliff

4 Behold, I gave him for a witness to the people, for a prince and a master unto the people.
5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and a nation that knew not thee, shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and the Holy one of Israel: for he hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found: call ye upon him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous his own imaginations, and return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he is very ready to forgive.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. Isaiah 55:4-8 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

We have been looking long and hard at the narrowness of the Gospel and how it it is not editable. It is not open to change. No matter how much a person wants it to be otherwise, it is unchangeable. It is God’s Good News to fallen man. This good news is the proclamation that there is a way, only one way, for sinful people to be reconciled to God. It is good news because all people suffer from the same condition. They are born dead in trespasses and sins and are not morally able to do anything about it. This separates all of us from God because He is Holy and must judge all sin. The Gospel declares that Jesus Christ went to the cross and became sin on our behalf. God judged our sin in Him. This “atoned” for our sins. Now let us look at the pardon available to all who believe. Continue reading →

The Cornerstone

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by Mike Ratliff

42 Jesus *said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,
‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone;
THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD,
AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?
43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation, producing the fruit of it. 44 And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” Matthew 21:42-44 (LSB) 

The message to the Christian throughout the New Testament is to deny self, to view with contempt the temporal or world system, to understand that love of the temporal and genuine discipleship are mutually exclusive because it is from the former which all genuine believers are being delivered. This deliverance is progressive mortification of all carnal affections and impediments. This must be so in order for the Christian to attain more speedily the heavenly Kingdom of Christ. It is to Christ’s Kingdom that all believers are called by the grace of God and it is revealed to them in His Son. All believers have received this by faith, possessed it by hope, and are therein confirmed it by Holiness of life. Continue reading →