For a paperback book in outline form which addresses over 150 difficult verses that Arminians use against Sovereign Grace, check out: Problem Texts for Sovereign Grace: Rooting Arminianism Out of Every Verse.
For a master copy of the outline, click here:
Problem Texts for Sovereign Grace
4. Limited atonement
A. God only chose some, not all of the human race to give to Christ to die for (Rom 9:11-13 c/w Eph 1:4 c/w Joh 17:2).
B. Those whom God chose are called His sheep and are in contrast to the goats whom He did not choose (Mat 25:32-34,41).
C. Jesus died for the sheep (Joh 10:15).
i. Some are not His sheep (Joh 10:26).
ii. Therefore Jesus didn't die for them.
iii. There is no atonement made for them (Mat 23:33; Joh 8:44).
D. Therefore, the atonement of Christ was limited in the number of sinners for whom He died, but not in the amount of their sins for which He died.
5. Irresistible grace
A. At some point in the life of each of the elect, Jesus, by the Spirit, regenerates their spirit and gives them eternal life (Tit 3:5).
B. Regeneration - 1. a. The action of regenerating; the process or fact of being regenerated; re-creation, re-formation, etc. 2. a. In religious use: The process or fact of being born again in a spiritual sense; the state resulting from this.
C. This is also called quickening (Eph 2:1).
D. Quicken - 1. a. To give or restore life to; to make alive; to vivify or revive; to animate (as the soul the body). b. fig. in renderings of Biblical passages, or echoes of these, occas. with ref. to spiritual life.
E. This is called being born again (Joh 3:3).
i. The Spirit when He regenerates, like the wind, is not controlled by us (Joh 3:8).
a. List v.- To wish, desire, like, choose.
b. Like the wind, we can't tell where the Spirit is coming from or where He is going next.
c. Like the wind, we only see the effects of the Spirit's work of regeneration, we don't cause or control it.
ii. Jesus quickens whom He will (Joh 5:21).
F. When Jesus regenerates a person's spirit and calls them from spiritual death unto spiritual life by the power of His voice: they SHALL live (Joh 5:25).
i. The identical power of Christ's voice which will call physically dead men to life from their graves calls spiritually dead sinners from spiritual death to spiritual life (Joh 5:28-29).
ii. Lazarus was a perfect example of such power, whom Jesus resurrected by the power of His voice (Joh 11:43; 12:17).
G. This act by which Jesus gives a sinner eternal life by His grace is irresistible since the sinner is spiritually dead when Jesus quickens him.
H. This act of irresistible grace is by the voice of Jesus Christ, not by the written word of Jesus Christ (Joh 5:25 c/w Joh 5:24).
i. The voice of the Son of God effectually and irresistibly causes a spiritually dead sinner to come alive.
ii. When the word of the Son of God is heard and believed, the person who believes it shows the evidence that he was one who had been regenerated (given eternal life to) by the voice of the Son of God.
6. Preservation of the saints
A. God's elect are given eternal life by Jesus (Joh 10:27-28; Joh 17:2-4).
i. Eternal - Infinite in future duration; that always will exist; everlasting, endless.
ii. Eternal life is eternal; it's everlasting and endless.
iii. That means it can never be lost.
iv. If it could be lost, it wouldn't be eternal.
v. If Jesus died for all of a person's sins, then there is no sin that they could commit for which God could send them to hell because Jesus already suffered for it.
vi. This includes the sin of unbelief.
B. Jesus' sheep will NEVER PERISH (Joh 10:28).
C. None of them can be plucked out of God's hand (Joh 10:29).
D. Jesus will lose NONE that the Father gave him to save (Joh 6:37-39).
E. God's saints are preserved forever (Psa 37:28) in Jesus Christ (Jud 1:1).
7. Two salvations
A. Eternal salvation
i. There is a salvation which is eternal and unconditional (2Ti 1:9).
a. This salvation is a completed accomplishment: he hath saved us.
b. This salvation is unconditional: not according to our works (Tit 3:5).
c. This salvation is by pure grace given us before the world began.
ii. This eternal salvation was completed by Jesus Christ on the cross: it is finished (Joh 17:2-4 c/w Joh 19:30).
iii. Jesus purged our sins by himself; we have nothing to do with it (Heb 1:3).
iv. This eternal salvation was obtained and secured by Jesus Christ when He entered into the holy place; it was not just simply made available for acceptance (Heb 9:12).
a. This salvation was completed by Christ: he entered into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for His people.
b. This salvation was eternal redemption.
v. Eternal salvation is not an offer - it's a completed work: God hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ (2Co 5:18).
vi. Eternal salvation cannot be lost (Heb 10:14; Joh 10:28-29).
For a master copy of the outline, click here:
Problem Texts for Sovereign Grace
