Continues from Pt. 1
8/ Christ’s death, burial and bodily resurrection according to the Scriptures (1st Corinthians 15:1-4, 17). His physical body was transformed into a glorified body.
– Jehovah’s Witness reject the resurrection of His body. Also if you ask Catholics, they don’t understand the resurrection. As a former Catholic for 25 years, I can say that we never learned it was a bodily resurrection, their crucifix is also a proof of that, we never prayed to a resurrected Christ.
9/ Jesus’ precious blood cleanses our sins away (Ephesians 1:7, 2:13; Colossians 1:14,20; Hebrews 10:19; 1 Peter 1:18&19; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5).
“And according to the law almost everything must be cleansed with blood; without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Heb 9:22).
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold…But with the precious blood of Christ..” I Peter 1:18,19.
“This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins“. Remember it is a blood covenant!
– Calvinist John MacArthur stated (min. 1:54) that we “must stop short of saying that we are saved by the blood of Jesus“. See comments by some pastors (1) . (Also this video).
“Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ” Heb.10:29
10/ Salvation is by God’s grace (undeserved favor) through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), not by works. The Scriptures is clear & consistent in showing that faith precedes and is the condition for the new birth.
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” Rom.5:1,
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Rom. 10:17.
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. Eph. 1:13,
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Heb. 11:6.
1. The Word is heard
2. The sinner believes (Faith)
3. God seals with the Holy SpiritRegeneration (or Born again) does not precede faith. It follows it. Faith Is the Means, Not the Result
See more – Jn 5:25, John 20:31; John 3:16, Rom. 10:9, 1 Pt 1:23-25, etc.
Most Calvinists (Reformed) theologians & teachers believe the opposite, that new birth (Regeneration) precedes faith in Christ:
– R.C. Sproul writes: “The Reformed view … teaches that before a person can choose Christ … he must be born again … one does not first believe and then become reborn. A cardinal point of Reformed theology is the maxim: ‘Regeneration precedes faith.’, “The Reformed view of predestination teaches that before a person can choose Christ his heart must be changed. He must be born again.” (‘Chosen By God’, pp.10, 72-73).
– “Man is dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). He cannot make himself new, or create new life in himself. He must be born of God. Then, with the new nature of God, he sees Christ for who he really is, and freely receives Christ for all that he is“. (John Piper, ‘Five Points’ pg 35).
– A man is not regenerated because he has first believed in Christ, but he believes in Christ because has been regenerated (A. Pink, ‘The Sovereignty of God’).
– … Regeneration logically must initiate faith (MacArthur, ‘Faith Works’, 62).
– Do we first believe in Christ, and then become born again? Or, are we born again and then put our faith in Christ? What you believe about that sequence has everything to do with your understanding of the new birth, and … the permanence of divine salvation. If faith comes first, and then the new birth, it will be easy for you to fall into the error of conditional security. After all, if your personal faith initiated your new life in Christ, it makes sense that your faithlessness can remove you from that relationship too. (Grace to you, MacArthur’s Web-page).
– “You have been raised on this: ‘If you believe in Jesus you will be born-again’; All the early Baptist confessions say: ‘ye must be born-again in order to believe in Jesus.’ That’s the difference!” Paul Washer-video.
– Loraine Boettner. “A man is not save because he believes in Christ, he believes Christ because he is saved“.
According to these statements we are not saved through faith ! – Which contradict the Bible but agrees with their Synod of Dort, – Error V . – See here.
My question would be, why then a man needs to believe (have faith) in Christ ? if according to them he is already saved? This distorts the gospel!
Calvinism erroneously equate spiritual death with physical death. The physically dead can’t believe, & they can’t sin either. But the spiritually dead can sin and also can hear and believe:
“The hour…now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John:5:25);
Jesus said: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live…” (John:11:25).
” And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” Ephe. 2:1. Please notice the sinner is described as dead in sins, not dead to hearing, believing, or responding to the truth of God. We believe there is power in the Word of God, that can quicken a dead man to live, Ephesians 2:1, Psalm 33:6, Hebrews 4:12, etc. See VIDEO.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Rom.1:16-17
– Calvinists also change or add to grace, for them it’s irresistible (cannot be resisted or rejected) but the Bible says:
“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye”. Acts 7:51 . They also teach that grace is sovereign ( which means God choose to save the elect , the only ones he loved). This also is extra biblical, made up to support their doctrine of election .
In the case of Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventist, etc. they believe in works for salvation. They all have works, have nice charismatic teachers, that could be sincere, but mix truth with error & many times this teachers may sound good. But don’t let their passion persuade you, we need to go deeper than that and make sure that what everybody teaches is according with the Bible (sound doctrine), because some errors are very subtle but dangerous.
– 1st Thessalonians 5:21 states: “Prove (G1381= examine, test ) all things; hold fast that which is good.”
It is important to not take any comments above as personal attacks, but rather, its purpose is to clarify the doctrine being promoted by Calvinists (or others), and demonstrate—on biblical grounds—why one of its central teachings, namely “regeneration precedes faith” is both unscriptural & spiritually dangerous. This should motivate us to examine all things we learn, very carefully.
Any doctrine claiming to be based on the Bible must be carefully checked against the Bible.
-If any church leader or preacher who claims to be a Christian rejects or changes any of these foundational doctrines above, then he’s causing division according to the Word of God & he/she needs to be avoided;
‘ Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them’. Rom.16:17.
When the person is unsaved, was taught unsound doctrine or is a babe in Christ, then he/she should be taught/discipled in the love of Christ. The purpose of Romans 16:17 was to protect God’s people, it was to avoid spiritual contamination spreaded by false teachers, it was not to shun church goers as some denominations do.