THEOLOGY III:The Doctrines of Salvation

Part I• Common Grace• Election and Reprobation• The Gospel Call and Effective

Calling• Regeneration• Conversion

THEOLOGY III:The Doctrines of Salvation

Part II (subsequent presentation)• Justification• Adoption• Sanctification• Perseverance of the Saints• Death and the Intermediate

State• Glorification• The Destiny of the

Unevangelized

Ordo Salutis:The Order of the Events of Salvation

1. Election and Reprobation

2. The Gospel Call and Effective Calling

3. Regeneration4. Conversion5. Justification

6. Adoption7. Sanctification8. Perseverance

of the Saints9. Death and the

Intermediate State

10.Glorification

Common Grace

[Romans 6:23 & Galatians 6:7-8We must take God seriously, at His

word: we all really do deserve to just die, because of our sin.]

DEFINITIONCommon Grace is the grace of God

by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation

Special Grace

DEFINITIONSpecial Grace is the grace of God that brings

people to salvation; also known as “saving grace.”

Common Grace differs from Special Grace inResultsRecipientsSource

Common Grace does not in itself result in salvation, but is intended (in part) to lead sinners to repentRomans 2:4

Examples of Common Grace in the

• Physical Realm• Intellectual Realm• Moral Realm• Creative Realm• Societal Realm• Religious Realm

Common Grace Special Grace

• Common grace → Church benefits• Special grace → Church actions • Church actions → Common grace

• 1 Cor. 12:27• Eph. 4:12

Reasons for Common Grace

• To Redeem Those Who Will Be Saved

• To Demonstrate • God’s Goodness and Mercy• God’s Justice• God’s Glory

Questions on Common Grace

• How has your study of Common Grace changed your perspective on the prosperity and blessings enjoyed by the unbeliever?

• God is good even to those who will never be saved. Why?

Election and Reprobation

• DEFINITIONS• Election is an act of God before creation in

which he chooses some people to be saved, not on account of any foreseen merit in them, but only because of his sovereign good pleasure.

• Reprobation is the sovereign decision of God before creation to pass over some persons, in sorrow deciding not to save them, and to punish them for their sins, and thereby to manifest his justice.

Romans 11:5-6

• “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” • Grace and works are mutually

exclusive• Is faith a work?

• Let’s look at Romans 4• Can we believe our way out of sin

and death and into eternal life?

A Paradox

• You are saved by the free (sovereign) will of God who chooses to make His plan operate through the choices of humans

• His plan is predetermined• Matthew 25:34, Ephesians 1:4,

Revelation 13:8, 17:8, 1 Peter 1:20• Your choices are real and

necessary• Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 24:15,

John 5:40, Revelation 22:17, John 3:16-18

Election is in the Bible. Why?

• As a Comfort • As a Reason to Praise God • As an Encouragement to

Evangelism • Deuteronomy 7:7-9

• The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.  But it was because the LORD loved you … (!)

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either God’s choosing you is • Required for a human to be saved, or • Not required for a human to be saved

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either God actually• Does choose to save humans, or • Does not choose to save humans

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either God actually chooses • Freely to save humans, or • Not freely to save humans (He is

constrained in some way in His choosing)

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either a human’s choice is • Required for that human to be saved,

or • Not required for that human to be

saved

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either humans actually• Choose to be saved, or • Don’t choose to be saved

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either humans are • Able to choose freely, or • Not able to choose freely

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either God’s choosing you is • Required for a human to be saved, or • Not required for a human to be saved

• God’s choosing you is required for a human to be saved• John 6:44

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either God actually• Does choose to save humans, or • Does not choose to save humans

• God actually does choose to save humans• Exodus 33:19• Ephesians 1:4-6

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either God actually chooses • Freely to save humans, or • Not freely to save humans (He is

constrained in some way in His choosing)

• God chooses freely to save humans• Deuteronomy 7:7-8• Romans 11:5-6

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either a human’s choice is • Required for that human to be saved,

or • Not required for that human to be

saved• A human’s choice is required for

that human to be saved• Revelation 22:17• Romans 10:9-13• Luke 11:28

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either humans actually• Choose to be saved, or • Don’t choose to be saved

• Some humans actually choose to be saved• John 6:35-37

• Some humans actually don’t choose to be saved• John 5:40

An Either-Or Exercise

• Either humans are • Able to choose freely, or • Not able to choose freely

• Humans are not able to choose freely• Deuteronomy 29:29• Matthew 16:17• John 6:44

An Either-Or Exercise

• We should not say “choose freely” because the phrase is ambiguous. It could meanA. Having every available option as a potential

selection, orB. Having every motive fully under one’s control, orC. Having every unseen influence fully under one’s

control.

• “Choose freely” begs a question: Are humans omniscient (A) or are humans omnipotent (B & C)?• Humans are neither

Free will is a fiction

• Total autonomy is not possible, since the Fall

• Theological efforts based on fiction are doomed to failure

• Election is required, if any human is to be saved

N, S, and N&S Conditions

• For a human to be saved, it is necessary for him/her to choose to repent and believe the Gospel• Luke 13:3• John 3:18

N, S, and N&S Conditions

• For a human to be saved, it is necessary for God to choose to save that human• John 15:19• Acts 22:14• Matthew 22:14• No person is saved that is not first

chosen by God

N, S, and N&S Conditions

• God’s choosing you is sufficient to bring about your salvation• John 10:28-29• It is enough to save you

N, S, and N&S Conditions

• God’s choosing you is necessary and sufficient to bring about your salvation• Without it, you can’t be saved• and• It is enough to save you

The Drowning Man Analogy

• A man is drowning in the middle of a lake

• He tries to save himself, and cannot

• He cries out for help• A man in a boat arrives • The drowning man reaches up• The man in the boat reaches down

The Drowning Man Analogy

• What is necessary for the man to be saved from drowning?

• What is sufficient for the man to be saved from drowning?

• Faith is the drowning man reaching up

• Grace is the man in the boat reaching down, and grabbing the drowning man

• He is saved by grace, through faith – Ephesians 2:8

The Effective Calling

• Those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified. Romans 8:30

• The calling is powerful: 1 Corinthians 1:9

• The calling is necessary: 2 Thessalonians 2:14

• The calling is to call Him: Jeremiah 33:3

The Effective Calling

• An act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith.

• Contrasts with external calling, which can be (and is) resisted

Regeneration

• I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. –John 3:3

• Regeneration is a secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us

• We play no active role at all in regeneration

Passively Made Alive!

• James 1:18• 1 Peter 1:3• Ezekiel 36:26-27• Ezekiel 37: the valley of dry bones • Colossians 2:13• Ephesians 2:5• 2 Corinthians 5:17

More on Regeneration

• The Exact Nature of Regeneration Is Mysterious to Us

• In This Sense of “Regeneration,” It Comes Before Saving Faith

• Genuine Regeneration Must Bring Results in Life

The Destiny of the Unevangelized

• Restrictivism• God doesn’t save those who fail to hear of

Jesus and come to faith in Him before they die

• Scriptural support• John 14:6• Acts 4:12• 1 John 5:11-12

• Ronald Nash: http://www.henryinstitute.org/commentary_read.php?cid=191

The Destiny of the Unevangelized

• Ronald Nash: http://www.henryinstitute.org/commentary_read.php?cid=191

The Destiny of the Unevangelized

• Universal Opportunity Before Death• All people are given a chance to be

saved by God’s sending the gospel, one way or another, or by middle knowledge

• Scriptural support• Daniel 2 – Nebuchadnezzar’s dream

(especially vss. 21 & 47)• Acts 8:26-39 – Ethiopian eunuch• Rev. 1:1 – God can send an angel

The Destiny of the Unevangelized

• Inclusivism• The unevangelized may be saved by

responding to God based on the revelation they have

• Scriptural support• John 12:32• Acts 10:43• 1 Tim. 4:10• Parables

Inclusivist - John Sanders

• Released from Huntington University for his vigorous promotion of open theism

• Now a visiting professor at UMC Hendrix College

• Narrowly avoided expulsion from ETS

• Believes the effects of Christ’s atonement are not limited to those who bear the external “badges” of being “Christians”

Criticisms of Sanders’ Inclusivism

• Poor exegesis of the parables, Pharaoh’s hardening, premessianic believers: they don’t teach inclusivism, but do teach God’s love for and desire to save lost humanity

• Premessianic Jews/God = Unevangelized/God???

• Infants/God = Unevangelized/God???

• Mentally incompetent/God = Unevangelized/God???

• Smuggles in a requirement of belief in a personal God, but can’t account for this in impersonal Hinduism, nontheistic Buddhism, etc.

• Strangely silent on the nature of the Fall

• Faith principle lacks support, is contrary to Rom. 10:9-13

• General revelation is made virtually contentless

• Inclusivism seems to blend in with universalism

• Fallacies employed: strawman, complex question, false dichotomy, word-loading, quoting out of context

• Inclusivism diminishes greatly the value of preaching the Gospel

The Destiny of the Unevangelized

• Postmortem Evangelism• The unevangelized get a chance to

believe in Jesus after dying• Scriptural support

• John 3:18 – Whoever believes in Him is not condemned

• 1 Peter 3:18-20 & 4:6 – Christ preached to the dead

• Romans 8:38 • John 5:25 – The dead will get a chance to

hear

PME’s Gabriel Fackre

• Professor of Theology at Andover Newton Theological Seminary (liberal non-denominational stance)• Student body is 38% Congregationalist, 24%

Unitarian Universalist• Ties to American Baptist Churches USA and United

Church of Christ denominations• Believes a “canonical reading” of Bible

illuminated by the “analogy of faith” will show Christ preaches the Gospel to the unevangelized after they die

Criticisms of Fackre’s PME

• Founds a theological doctrine on a problematic portion of Scripture (1 Peter 3:18-20 and 4:6)

• Extends the Noahic Covenant unbiblically (pp. 83-84)

• Employs novel interpretations of Scriptures• 1 Cor. 1:25 (84)• 1 Cor. 15:19 (84)• John 10:16 (85)• John 5:25 (85)• Acts 14:17 (90)

• If Christ preaches to the unevangelized after death, why risk doing it now?

• The Christian missions imperative is gutted (93-94)

• Verges on irrationalism (95)

• Depreciates the value of premortem conversion

• Depreciates the value of premortem sanctification

• Seemingly ignores• Luke 16:19-31• Heb. 9:27• Matt. 7:15-20, 21-23, 24-

27, 13:24-30, 24;41-46

The Destiny of the Unevangelized

• Universalism• All people will in fact be saved by

Jesus. No one is damned forever.• Scriptural support

• Rom. 5:18 – Life for all men• 1 Cor. 15:22 – All will be made alive• 1 John 2:2 – For the sins of the whole

world

The Soteriological Problem of Evil

1. God is• All-loving (omnibenevolent)• All-knowing (omniscient)• All-powerful (omnipotent)

2. Jesus is the only Savior3. No one is saved who has not professed

faith in Jesus 4. Those who don’t hear about Jesus

cannot profess their faith in Jesus5. A large proportion of those who have

lived will not be saved6. “Statement 5 conflicts with Statement

1”

One Solution

• God loves us so much as His creation that He will not coerce us to choose Him• Coercion would violate the precious

faculty of choice He endowed us with• Coercion would be tantamount to

divine rape• He chooses rather to woo us