Sermons
How Well Do We Know The History of The New Testament Church-Lesson seven
HOW WELL DO WE KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE N.T. CHURCH
- Lesson Seven -
INTRO:
Good evening. This is the Seventh in the series of lessons on the history of the New Testament church. We will be looking at the years of the Reformation Movement and some of the key players. We have already looked at the cause of the Reformation Movement, the gap seen between scripture and practice in what is called the Catholic Church. We saw some examples of early attempts to reform and noted that there were many other attempts that are lesser known. Looking back to the Old Testament we find a good example of a reformer in Jehu from the Northern Kingdom. Seeing that God was pleased with what Jehu had done, God gave Jehu a great promise if he would continue the reforms to the conclusion. But we saw that even with this promise Jehu fell short and did not completely turn away from sin.
The reformers of what is commonly called the Reformation Movement or the Protestant Movement most widely recognized today are:
1. Martin Luther
2. John Calvin
3. John Knox
4. Ulrich Zwingli
5. Henry VIII – Church of England
6. John & Charles Wesley
The result of the work of these men are many more denominations. Some of the basic principles that we find in these reformers are:
1. The Bible is to be accepted as the only rule of faith and practice
2. “What is not contrary to scripture is for scripture and scripture for it.”
3. Doctrine of justification by faith alone.
4. The priesthood of all believers.
I want to look at some of these people and events in more detail and in particular:
1. Martin Luther – (1517)
2. Augsburg Confession (1530)
3. Church of England (1534)
4. John Calvin - Presbyterian (1560)
5. John Smyth - Baptist (1608)
6. John Wesley - Methodist (1737)
7. Joseph Smith - Mormon (1830)
8. Ellen G. White - Adventism (1844)
I. Let’s take a quick look.
A. Martin Luther, 1517, said that I wish that no man should call themselves after me. Yet, we have today the Lutheran denomination. They call themselves Lutherans after Martin Luther. But Martin Luther said he did not want that.
1. During 1500 Martin Luther, a priest of the Catholic Church, became disillusioned by the indulgences that were being sold by the Catholic Church.
2. What is an indulgence? It is paying for a sin before committing it. Let’s say you plan something that you know is a sin for next weekend. You go and pay the priest who gives you a paper saying you’re free from your sins. That’s called an indulgence. It gives you the right to sin because you paid for your sins ahead of time. Martin believed that this was a total abuse of the practice of purity that is wanted by God.
B. From that came the Augsburg Confession of Faith in 1530. This is the basis and the most important document of the Lutheran church. Twenty-one statements, 28 articles are found in this confession of faith.
1. The reason that this confession of faith was written was because the Arab church (Islam) had been on the move and fighting against the Catholic Church. Pope Charles V wanted to unite the divisions that were taking place in the Catholic Church.
2. We understand this today. If you want to address a problem you first need to define and understand the problem. Therefore, those who were protesting the Catholic Church were to write down their confessions so that collectively they could see what the differences were between them.
3. If you want to read these, you can go to Wikipedia and you can read the Augsburg Confession of Faith. It deals with different ideas, such as the nature of man, the deity of Christ, and others.
4. These articles have to do with the what they confessed. Seven articles dealt with the corruption that they were protesting against—21 statements as a whole.
C. In 1534 Henry VIII disagreed with the Catholic Church because he didn’t want to be married to the woman he was married to. The Catholic Church said no divorce. Henry said I won’t listen to the pope in Rome anymore. I’ll just start my own church. This is where the Church of England was born which in the United States is the Episcopal religion.
D. John Calvin in 1560 - established the Presbyterian denomination.
E. John Smyth in 1608 - started the Baptist denomination.
F. John Wesley - started the Methodists in 1737.
G. Joseph Smith in 1830 - founded the Mormon denomination.
H. Ellen G. White - started Adventism in 1844. You might ask why I have Joseph Smith and Ellen G. White in here. They weren’t just reformists. We call them radical reformists. Radical reformists such as Joseph Smith, Charles Taze Russell, Ellen G. White and others that we can talk about are seen in history as “radical” because they came from denominations reforming them with vastly different doctrine.
1. Joseph Smith in the 1800s, when there were hell fire and brimstone sermons preached, was driven as a young man to hide and cower under his bed and pray to God saying: God which one of these religions should I join? According to his own testimony he said that God told him none. He was to go out on a hill near his home in New York and find plates by which a divine revelation was going to be given to him.
2. A similar thing with Ellen G. White, another radical reformer. She was transported up into heaven and God showed her the 10 commandments with a halo around the one about the Sabbath day. The claim made by the Seventh Day Adventists is the Roman Catholics changed the day of worship.
I. Today here in the United States there are over 3,500 “mainline churches”. In searching for the Protestant religions there are several terms used “mainline”, “mainstream” and “old-line”. At one time mainline churches referred to those in the United States and “mainstream” protestant churches referred to those outside the US. This distinction has become somewhat muddied over time. Are there 20,000, 30,000? Both those numbers can be found.
J. For those with access to the internet, if you are interested, ask this question; “List of Christian denominations”. The answer on Wikipedia will astound you.
1. Let me give you a very quick example. The following Christian groups appeared between the beginnings of the church to the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
i. Adamites
ii. Ebionites
iii. Elcesaites
iv. Marcionism
v. Nazarenes
2. However, unlike the previously mentioned groups, the following are all considered to be related to Christian Gnosticism.
i. Bardaisanites
ii. Basilideans
iii. Carpocratianism
iv. Nicolaitans
v. Sethianism
vi. Simonians (sometimes considered proto-Gnostic)
vii. Valentinianism
3. The Catholic Church is composed of 24 autonomous, “in their own right”, particular churches.
K. The question here is: which of all these is the true church of God? Jesus said I will build My church.
L. Is God the author of confusion? Did He send the Holy Spirit to guide the Apostles in all truth? No wonder the world is so confused when it looks at what is portrayed as the Christian Religion today. To me that seems He is either the author of confusion or man has done what man wants to do, and is teaching the things that are pleasing to the ears rather than teaching and preaching the things that are needful for mankind.
II. We need to examine this history because the things that have led to this are actually happening within the body of Christ today as well. Men take liberties with God’s word where God has not given us liberties. Let’s start with one of the main figures Martin Luther and the Lutheran church:
A. Wittenberg, Germany, 1521, is the place and the time of Martin Luther’s protestant movement.
B. The Lutheran Church states as its founder Martin Luther. Though Martin Luther would not have wanted that. Martin Luther is seen today as the founder of the Lutheran Church.
C. Luther became focused on the idea that salvation could be reached through faith and by divine grace only, Luther vigorously objected to the corrupt practice of selling indulgences. Acting on this belief, he wrote the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” also known as “The 95 Theses”. This was a list of questions and propositions for debate. Popular legend has it that on October 31, 1517 Luther defiantly nailed a copy of his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church.
D. The 95 Theses, which would later become the foundation of the Protestant Reformation, were written in a remarkably humble and academic tone, questioning rather than accusing. The overall thrust of the document was nonetheless quite provocative. The first two of the theses contained Luther’s central idea, that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation. The other 93 theses, a number of them directly criticizing the practice of indulgences, supported these first two.
E. Those indulgencies that disgusted Martin Luther were pieces of paper that gave you the right to sin. Just say, you were going to comment adultery three months from now you could go and purchase your sin and this paper gave you the right to go and sin and not have it counted against you.
III. The Prominent Doctrines that are found in Lutheran Religion are:
A. Salvation by Faith Only. Remember in the prior lesson I told you that Martin Luther looked at the book of James and said it is a story book. He did not like it. The reason he has trouble with it is because James talks about faith and works.
1. Martin Luther didn’t like the works part because he was protesting the Catholic doctrine of salvation by works.
2. According to the Church of Rome, Christ did not accomplish a full, finished and completed salvation in his work of atonement. His death on the cross did not deal with the full penalty of man's sin. It merited grace for man which is then channeled to the individual through the Roman Catholic Church and its sacraments. This grace then enables man to do works of righteousness in order to merit justification and eternal life.
B. Baptism by Sprinkling or pouring, and infant Baptism is practiced in the Lutheran Church.
C. Consubstantiation as opposed to transubstantiation taught by the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church believes that the bread and the fruit of the vine, when blessed, become the actual blood and the actual body of Jesus Christ.
1. This is one of the reasons that for many years only the clergy were allowed to partake of the emblems but the laity were not allowed to partake. Up until just very recently the laity were only allowed to partake of the bread and not allowed to partake of the fruit of the vine. The reason for this is that it was easier for the priest to put a wafer on your tongue and not spill any of it than for them to give you part of the chalice where some might drip and therefore dishonor the blood of Jesus Christ.
2. The consubstantiation. Luther as opposed to this transubstantiation did not believe that the elements of the Lord’s Supper actually are the body and the blood. Consubstantiation (Lutheran view): The bread and wine remain just that, but through the liturgy (Word) and the Spirit they become vehicles to communicate to believers the body and blood of Christ. Christ is received “in, with and around” the Communion elements. Hence, con (with) substantiation (substance).
IV. These are the things that happened in these early days of the Lutheran Religion:
A. On October 31, 1517: Luther’s Ninety-five Theses tacked to the door.
B. On November 9, 1518 the pope said Luther’s writings conflicted with the teachings of the Church.
1. A series of commissions were convened to examine Luther’s teachings. The first papal commission found them to be heretical, but the second merely stated that Luther’s writings were “scandalous and offensive to pious ears.”
2. In July 1520 Pope Leo X issued a papal bull that concluded that Luther’s propositions were heretical and gave Luther 120 days to recant. Luther refused to recant, and on January 3, 1521 Pope Leo excommunicated Martin Luther from the Catholic Church.
C. On April 17, 1521 Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms in Germany. This was an imperial diet or assembly of the Holy Roman Empire held at the Heylshof Garden in Worms. An imperial diet was a formal deliberative assembly of the whole Empire. Refusing again to recant, Luther concluded his testimony with the defiant statement: “Here I stand. God help me. I can do no other.” On May 25 of that year, the Holy Roman emperor Charles V signed an edict against Luther, ordering his writings be burned.
D. In 1521 while he was hiding in fear of his life because he had dared to challenge the Roman Catholic Church, he began work on one of his major life projects, the translation of the New Testament into German, which took him 10 years to complete.
E. 1529: Luther wrote his Small and Large Catechisms in which he explains topics such as God's law, the gospel, Lord’s Prayer, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. For us it begs the question: What’s there to explain? God had already given it. Yet Luther took the time to write those two catechisms.
F. 1530: The Augsburg Confession was written, and that is a statement of faith that was written by Luther’s associate and contained 28 articles. Here are a few;
1. It stresses salvation by grace, while testifying against the abuses of the Medieval Roman Catholic Church.
2. It states Lutherans believe that Baptism is necessary, and that through Baptism is offered the grace of God. Children are baptized as an offering to them of God's grace.
3. Lutherans believe that good deeds of Christians are the fruits of faith and salvation, not a price paid for them.
4. Lutherans believe that the nature of man is sinful, described as being without fear of God, without trust of God and with physical lusts. Sin is redeemed through Baptism and the Holy Spirit.
5. The only power given to priests or bishops is the power offered through Scripture to preach, teach and administer the sacraments. The powers given to the clergy in issues of government or the military are granted and respected only through civil means; they are not civil rulers of governments or the military by divine right.
G. 1537: The Smalcald Articles were written by Luther. This states the doctrine of the Trinity and Deity of Christ, while emphasizing "we are saved only through faith in Christ Jesus.”
H. February 18, 1546: Martin Luther passed away. Martin Luther was the founder of this church and you would think as the founder of this church is dead things would settle down. There is a catechism and there is a confession. Things did not stop.
I. In 1555 The Peace in Augsburg, a treaty signed between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and the forces of the Schmalkaldic League was signed.
1. The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although originally started for religious motives soon after the start of the Protestant Reformation, its members eventually intended for the League to replace the Holy Roman Empire as their source of political allegiance.
J. This treaty ended the religious struggle and made a legal division. The treaty gave to each ruler in Germany the right to choose the religion within his state, either Roman Catholicism or Lutheranism. Before this if you were not Catholic your life was at risk. This had the effect of creating increased intertwining of religion and government.
K. In 1577 a Formula of Concord was written to unify the Lutheran Church, because it had divided into several opposing parties. Finally it officially approved of all the earlier Lutheran confessions and catechisms that Luther had written. From the death of Martin Luther in 1546, 30 years later they finally organized his movement into... the second denomination. Yet even this was not fully accepted.
L. We are moving on in history to 1847. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod was founded in Missouri, (LCMS). Approximately 2 million members, and is the second largest Lutheran Church in the United States (The first being the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)). If you have a look when you drive by a Lutheran Church you can see different symbols beside the name. This had to do with what we’re now talking about here in America.
M. In 1960 The American Lutheran Church (ALC) was formed by the merger of three major Lutheran Churches. In some towns in the US you can go down the main street and you’ll see two or three Lutheran churches. Sometimes they are side by side. Each of those churches has a different symbol behind their name.
N. In 1962 the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) was formed through the consolidation of four Lutheran bodies. We had three bodies joining together and now we have four Lutheran bodies joining together and its membership is over 3 million in this country. Theologically the LCA was considered the most liberal branch in America. In 1970 they ordained this countries first female Lutheran pastor.
O. 1967: The Lutheran Council of the U.S.A. (LCUSA) was formed to expedite cooperation among Lutheran Churches. We recognize that we’re losing the fight so we better get ourselves a council together and figure out how to join them all together.
P. In 1988 a Merger of the American Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church in America and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches was launched and was the beginning of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which is known as the ELCA.
1. In 2016 the ELCA shows over 3.6 million baptized members down from 5 million in 1999. It is still the largest Lutheran branch in the US. Fifty percent of this group are not counted as communing (They don’t partake of the Lord’s Supper.) and they do not contribute to the work but they’ve got 3.6 million baptized members.
V. When you talk about the organization or construction of the Lutheran Church there are:
A. The local congregation which has a church council with a pastor
B. They are overseen by a Synod with pastors & lay representatives.
C. Then it has a General Body council meeting that oversees this organization.
D. Here is one way a local Lutheran church organizes themselves:
1. The congregation has a Voter Assembly made up of its communicant members.
2. The Voter’s Assembly calls the Pastor and if there is a pastoral vacancy it elects a Call Committee.
3. The Voter Assembly elects a Vision Board.
4. The Vision Board appoints the Finance Committee, Property Committee and Personnel Committee.
5. The Vision Board also elects the Nominating Committee and elects the Audit Committee.
6. The Vision Board works with Teams for Worship, Service, Outreach, Fellowship and Faith Formation. Definitely not found in scripture, but something that is found in the Lutheran Church.
7. Just a note here on something I read from Jack Cascione from the Redeemer Lutheran Church, LCMS. “The leadership of the LCMS has set in motion a plan to disenfranchise the Voters’ Assemblies of the LCMS. The reason is simple. They believe dictatorship is more efficient and cost effective than congregational voting. Growing numbers of LCMS pastors regard themselves as CEOs (Chief Executive Officers) who operate with Boards of Directors promoted by Church Growth and Leadership Training.”
VI. During the time period of Martin Luther we see various different creeds. The book About Being Lutheran says: "Creeds are statements of belief, not additions to the Bible; they support the Bible’s teachings." ("About Being Lutheran," p. 4) I want you to underline in your mind it says “that these things support the Bible’s teachings.”
A. "Lutherans also adhere to the three ancient creeds of Christianity (the Apostles’, the Nicene and the Athanasius Creeds,)...and testify to God’s truth through their own confessions... accurate interpretations of the Word of God written to correct church errors." - Ibid., p. 6-7. The question we have is: If it supports then where do we find the book chapter and verse for each?
B. The Lutheran Church’s Confessions of Faith are:
1. The Augsburg Confession (1530)
2. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1531)
3. Smalcald Articles (1537)
4. Formula of Concord (1577)
5. Luther's Small and Large Catechisms (1529)
C. All that, folks, in addition to the word of God. All that, according to them, is completely supported in the word of God. Scripture says in II Timothy 3:16-17 “16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
D. What is lacking in the word of God that we have to have all of this? Man comes along and formulates his own ideas and as a result there must be rules and regulations.
VII. Let’s move on to the Presbyterian Church. The beginning of Presbyterianism as a distinct movement occurred during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation about 1540. As the Catholic Church resisted the reformers, several different theological movements splintered from the Church and became different denominations.
A. The place is Scotland.
B. The founders are John Calvin and John Knox.
1. John Knox was born about 1505, in the Lowlands of Scotland. Tradition says he was educated at the University of St. Andrews for the priesthood and worked as a notary-priest. Influenced by early reformers such as George Wishart he joined a movement to reform the Scottish church and got caught up in events that saw him taken prisoner by French forces.
2. John Calvin was born in 1509, at Noyon, a town in Picardy, a province of the Kingdom of France. After studying the New Testament in the original, he gave up the Catholic Church and founded a doctrinal system known as Calvinism.
3. Calvinism is usually associated with Presbyterianism though there are some churches that hold to Calvinistic tenets but are not Presbyterian in government. Presbyterianism is strictly speaking, a form of church government by the presbyters, which translates as elders.
4. Early Presbyterians were careful to note that “church” referred to the members and the “meeting house” referred to the building in which the church met. This gradually shifted beginning in the 1800’s when more and more elaborate buildings were built.
C. Their prominent doctrines were:
1. Calvinism.
i. Both the Old and New Testaments are the inspired word of God.
ii. The Bible is the rule of faith and life.
iii. Belief in the Trinity.
iv. Affirms the doctrine of predestination.
2. We are justified by faith only. It is impossible for the effectually called to fall away.
3. They called the Lord’s Day the Christian Sabbath. That is not found in the word of God.
4. Affusion or Pouring is sufficient for baptism.
D. Their organization was:
1. Elders in each congregation in councils (known as courts).
2. Presbytery consisting of a number of churches
3. and then Annual General Assembly
E. Once again, the only thing that is scriptural there is elders in every church.
1. Here is a simple description of the unscriptural form of organization of the Presbyterian Church. - The Holy Spirit over the elders, who are over the Sessions, who are over the pastor in the local congregation, who is over the trustees, deacons and the congregation as a whole. I want you to notice that Pastor is singular.
VIII. The five points of Calvinism are: Total inability, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the saints. Sometimes called by the acronym TULIP.
A. Total Inability – Sometimes put as Total Depravity - By total inability Calvin meant that a lost sinner cannot come to Jesus Christ and trust Him as Savior, unless he is foreordained to come to Christ. By total inability he meant that no man has the ability to come to Christ, and unless God overpowers him and gives him that ability, he will never come to Christ. Calvin says; “In light of the scriptures that declare man’s true nature as being utterly lost and incapable, how is it possible for anyone to choose or desire God?" The answer from Calvin is, "He cannot. Therefore God must predestine." Calvin says that since man is totally depraved he cannot seek God. This is certainly not what scripture says.
1. Calvinists use John 6:44 in an effort to prove total inability. Here the Bible says, "No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him...." But the Bible makes it plain in John 12:32 that Christ will draw all men unto Himself. Here the Bible says, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."
i. Matthew 18:3 “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.;
ii. Rom. 2:10-12 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God. 12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law;
iii. Heb. 12:9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?
2. All men are drawn to Christ, but not all men will trust Christ as Savior. Every man will make his own decision to trust Christ or to reject Him. The Bible makes it clear that all men have light. John 1:9 says, "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." Romans 1:19-20 indicates that every sinner has been called through the creation about him, and Romans 2:11-16 indicates that sinners are called through their conscience, even when they have not heard the Word of God.
i. In the final analysis, men go to Hell, not because of their inability to come to Christ, but because they will not come to Christ- "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."
ii. The teaching that men, women and children are totally unable to come to Christ and trust Him as Savior is not a scriptural doctrine.
B. Unconditional Election - By unconditional election Calvin meant that some are elected to Heaven, while others are elected to Hell, and that this election is unconditional. It is wholly on God's part and without condition. By unconditional election Calvin meant that God has already decided who will be saved and who will be lost, and the individual has absolutely nothing to do with it. He can only hope that God has elected him for Heaven and not for Hell.
1. This is so contrary to scripture that the mind boggles. However Calvin said; "....Not all men are created with similar destiny but eternal life is foreordained for some, and eternal damnation for others. Every man, therefore, being created for one or the other of these ends, we say, he is predestined either to life or to death."
2. Calvinists refer to the following; Ephesians 1:4 “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,...” And there they stop mid verse. The verse continues; “that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,”
3. They also quote John 15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you...” Again they stop mid verse. The full verse reads “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” The verse says nothing about being chosen for Heaven or Hell.
i. Proverbs 11:30 says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."
ii. Second Peter 3:9 says that He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
iii. First Timothy 2:4 says, "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
iv. John 3:36 says, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
4. They also use Romans 9:15 “For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” Neglecting to notice the word “for” which connects it to the previous verses and showing there can be no unrighteousness in God.
C. Limited Atonement - By limited atonement, Calvin meant that Christ died only for the elect, for those He planned and ordained to go to Heaven: He did not die for those He planned and ordained to go to Hell.
1. Atonement is not limited. It is as universal as sin. Romans 5:20 says, “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
2. The doctrine of Limited Atonement wholly contradicts many, many plain Scriptures. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect.
i. I John 2:2, "He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world ."
ii. 1 Timothy 2:5,6 says, " The man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all...."
iii. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the Savior of the world. John 4:42 says, "And said unto the woman, Now we believe , not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."
iv. I John 4:14, "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." The Scriptures make it plain that Jesus came to save the world. John 3:17 says, " For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
v. Look at what is sometimes referred to as the gospel in the Old Testament. Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. " There are twos "alls" in this verse. The first "all" speaks of the universal fact of sin- "All we like sheep have gone astray" How have we sinned? “we have turned, every one, to his own way” The second "all" speaks of universal atonement- "and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." If all went astray, then the iniquities of all were laid on Christ.
D. Irresistible Grace - John Calvin meant that God simply forces people to be saved. God elected some to be saved, and he let Jesus Christ die for that elect group. And now by irresistible grace, He forces those He elected, and those Jesus Christ died for to be saved.
1. Grace means "God's unmerited favor. Calvin represents grace as the irresistible act of God compelling a man to be saved who does not want to be saved, so that a man has no choice in the matter at all, except as God forcibly puts a choice in his mind. Calvinism teaches that man has no part in salvation, and cannot possibly co-operate with God in the matter. In no sense of the word and at no stage of the work does salvation depend upon the will or work of man or wait for the determination of his will.
2. Proverbs 29:1 states, “He who is often reproved, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Notice the word “often”. This means that man is reproved more then once, he is reproved over and over again. Then man “hardens his neck”, makes his neck stiff in other words he resists God. The one who resists God will “be destroyed” and that “without remedy”. That certainly doesn't sound like irresistible grace. The Bible teaches that a man can be reproved over and over again, and that he can harden his neck against God, and as a result will be destroyed without remedy.
3. Proverbs 1:24-26 – “24. Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, 25. because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my reproof, 26. I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes,” The Bible makes it plain that some men do reject Christ, that they refuse His call.
i. John 5:40 says, "Ye will not come to me, that ye may have life." That verse plainly teaches that men can and do resist God and refuse to come to Him.
ii. In Acts chapter 7, we find Stephen preaching. He says in verse 51, "Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye."
4. God offers salvation to all men. Titus 1:11 says, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." But man must make his own choice. He must either receive or reject Christ. John 1:12 says. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."
E. Perseverance of the Saints - You cannot lose your salvation. Because the Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied salvation, those thus saved are eternally secure. They are eternally secure in Christ.
1. 2 Pet. 2:20-22 says, “20. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit,'' and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” This scripture clearly shows one can fall away.
2. Galatians 5:4 – “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Here we are talking of a warning to stand fast in the liberty of Christ and not to become entangled by thinking you must be circumcised to be saved.
3. Then there is the clear lesson of Simon. He had accepted Christ and been added to the church then he wants more. Acts 8:20-23 “20. But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21. "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22. "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23. "For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
4. Finally 1 Timothy 4:1 – “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith,...” Some will depart from the faith.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, Reformers saw a difference between what they read in scripture and the way the Catholic Church was practicing. Many of them wanted simply to change back to what scripture taught and remove the error they found. There was some commonality in the things found between reformers and some differences. The differences were either they saw a different solution or sometimes saw different problems altogether. Their position was aggravated because most scripture was not available in the vernacular and the translations that were available were not of all scripture. The translations still needed to be verified so the person interested in reform had many years of work.
The Catholic Church was very limited in it’s acceptance of reform. It resisted change and examined any threat of change to doctrine with not only an eye set on maintaining but often with an eye clouded by politics and self-serving agendas.
I have not mentioned the time of the monasteries. I will say briefly, though there is much to be said, that they brought both good and evil to the world. At the opening of the Reformation the monasteries had fallen so low in the estimation of the people that they were almost universally suppressed.
The Reformation was made possible by the Renaissance, the awaking of knowledge, the desire to learn, and the printing press which helped to spread knowledge and ideas. But by in large the biggest contributor to the Reformation Movement was the Catholic Church itself. With its political agenda, it put pressure on the ruling families of Europe. With the ambition of those within, it became oppressive. Power and violence became the rule.
What happened, why did the church go this way? Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. " Why have we sinned? The answer is right here in God’s word - we have turned, every one, to his own way. We see in scripture the desire for preeminence. In Mark 9:34 they disputed among themselves who would be greatest. 3 John 1:9 says; “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.”
If we are not watchful folks, if we do not study, if we do not watch our own hearts, we can start down this path even though we have the best desires for others in our minds.
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We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins... If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.
Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.
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Reference Sermon - John Cripps
Where and when we meet
Chardon, Ohio 44024