Sermon Tone Analysis

The Overview: Very Prevalent form of “cheap grace” theology.

Masked in determinism and logical contradictions.

God is Holy, Perfect and Just

He is filled with both Love and Wrath

We are Morally guilty before God due to sin

Gods demand for righteousness must be kept

We cannot possibly do it.

Jesus did it for me

Hallelujah

Substitutionary atonement (paying my price)

Imputed righteousness (Jesus holiness transferred onto and into me)

Justification by faith alone (nothing works based is required of me)

Justification: Jesus has merit, he has earned, by dying for me I am ‘declared righteous’ in Gods eyes, by sheer grace, (once covered by the blood)

The Big Four of Calvinism

Total Depravity: Hopelessly lost and without even the ability to see God

How does this account for the Holy Spirit, for Gods mercy?

for the calling of the “non-Jews” and the clear admonishment to pray for the lost, reach out to the lost, If God determines their fate, what do we have a great commission at all?

This leads to a loveless and general laziness in the application of Godliness and growth in holiness.

Why try if we are pre-determined to be saved?

Unconditional Election; God chooses some, because he wills, no action or goodness on our part has anything to do with it.

(What about the command to seek the Lord) If you forsake your ways God will pardon.

If man has no choice, why are we called to go disciple, to reach out, to pray for the lost, what send Jonah to Nineveh...

Determinism: What it might look like in our lives:

Fatalism; God already knows, so why should I pray, try, hope...it becomes a kind of intellectual dishonesty, adn becomes what is called antinomianism 2 Cor 6:

Limited Atonement: Only some are saved, Jesus did not die for all people, but only for those who have responded to him.

If it was for “all, then all would have responded” Since “all men” have clearly not responded then it cannot be for “all” but only for the elect...

Perseverance of the Saints.

As a result of the above, IF you are “one of the all” then there is no way you can fall” God has chosen and there is nothing you can do to “change Gods mind”

Once Saved Always Saved: This is a logical outgrowth of their understanding of determinism.

God being Almighty must determine all things.

Once determined, they must come to pass or God is not God, not Sovereign, not all knowing...

It’s kind of a backward look.

They begin with a premise and work all the doctrines back that creates logical and other fallacies.

How does this look in real life?

1: It emphasizes true lostness and separation from God, and the wrath of God, which is real and fearful thing.

2: Ironically because of their view of Gods determinism, there is no emphasis on regeneration, holiness and what we would call increasing spiritual maturity.

“Being Saved” is the only goal and God has “saved Me” and that can never change so…Ill do my best but “It is what it is”

ISBE (Antinomianism)

The Epistle of James provides a further NT corrective to any such misconception of the Christian faith.

James would appear to have been confronting a popular abuse, perhaps current in gentile Christian circles (as Sieffert conjectures), which laid such exaggerated emphasis upon faith in the scheme of salvation that a certain indifference to morality was inadvertently encouraged.

James’s stress on “the perfect law of liberty” (1:25) and “the royal law” of love (2:8), combined with his recognition that works must necessarily evidence the reality of faith, completes Paul’s protest against the unwarranted preference of any antinomian charge against Christianity.

Positive warnings about the insidious nature of the heresy are found in 2 Cor.

6:14–18; 12:21

Minimizes human choice and the will of man, essentially we become “objects” of wrath.

But this is a phrase, not a reality, I am not an object any more that God is a “concept” It diminishes personhood, human dignity and above all human agency and responsibility.

Sin is clearly a choice we make.

If it were not God could not command us to “stop sinning” 1 Cor 15:34 “Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.”

Holiness is a driver of human salvation, We are everywhere commanded to live holy lives.

Also missing from this discussion is the call to discipleship and evangelism.

The euangelion of Christ.

If it is only some a select few, then it is not good news at all.

God is preferential, biased, selective...

This gospel is TOO SMALL.

“THE GOSPEL IS SHARED EXCLUSIVELY AS IT PERTAINS TO THE CROSS AND SET FORTH AS PRIMARILY A TRANSACTION THAT TOOK PLACE UPON THE DEATH OF CHRIST TO BE EXPERIENCED AS A SINGLE MOMENT IN TIME (GETTING SAVED/BECOMING A CHRISTIAN ETC)

TO BELIEVE IN IT, OR TO EXERCISE FAITH TRIGGERS THE TRANSACTION THUS FULFILLING THE GOSPEL.

WHAT MAKES THIS TRICKY IS THAT THERE IS A TRANSACTION INVOLVED IN THE GOSPEL THAT ALLOWS US TO EXPERIENCE GODS GOOD NEWS, BUT THERE IS MORE TO THIS GOSPEL” -DARREL BOCK-

Calvinism

TULIP

Jer 17:9

Ephesians 2:1-10

Depraved, unfit for doing anything good

Does this square of the nature of mankind?

God who is rich in mercy, shows mercy to the object's of his wrath.

Election with out “conditions” God does it all...mankind is unable to respond, and therefore not accountable for responding, unless God “quickens” the heart (repentance?)

Then no-one can be saved.

Sin is also a choice, God gives us over.

Reduces the idea of Human Choice:

Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

Lets Look at Romans 1: The “gospel of justification” begins and ends here...

Romans 1:18–24 (NIV84)

God reveals, we choose, God gives over.

I would say that in Romans 1, God is respecting our human agency

God reveals and shows, clearly expect humans to choose, God asks us to choose this day whom we will serve...would God ask us to choose if we were incapable of choice?

Choice is commanded: Choose this day whom you will

Deut 30:19-20 “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.

Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.

For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Romans 4:1–6 (NIV84)

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?

If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.

What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.

However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Abraham’s faith was credited to him.

He worked for it, but did not earn it, it was still a gift from God.

What they get right:

• Focus on the cross and the power of God

• Great scholarship in general, lots of books and materials come out of this branch of the faith

• Deep teaching on the cross and sin.

• Talk about the wrath and judgment of God.

• God’s wrath is an extension of his love.

The ferocity of his love is like a parent that senses danger for a child.

Some Challenges:

Reduces the power and glory of Mankind

Created in the image of God, made to be divine.

Clinical and detached from our will and creative possibilities.

So much emphasis on Sovereignty of God, that man is alleviated from real responsibility.

There is a fatalism, all men who are to be saved will be saved, so what can I do?

Jonah had to go, he knew they would not change (in his mind) but God knew something he did not know)

Dramatically over-simplifies the process of salvation

Severely limits the role of apprenticeship to Christ