CLOGHER VALLEY BIBLE CLASS

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CLOGHER VALLEY BIBLE CLASS
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THE REFORMED FAITH

• A STUDY IN
• THEOLOGY AND DOCTRINE

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TULIP

• T otal Depravity of Man
• U nconditional Election
• L imited Atonement or Particular Redemption
• I rresistible Grace or
• Effectual Calling
• P erseverance of the Saints or
• Eternal Security

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TULIP

• P ERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

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THE MEANING OF THIS DOCTRINE

• Professor Louis Berkhof
• The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints
  is to the effect that they whom God has
  regenerated and effectually called to a state of
  grace, can neither totally nor finally fall away
  from that state, but shall certainly persevere
  therein to the end and be eternally saved
• Systematic Theology, Banner of Truth, Page 545

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IMPLICATIONS OF THIS DEFINITION

• 1 Election and regeneration are irreversible
• 2 Those who are effectually called cannot fall
  from that grace
• 3 They will persevere in their profession of
  faith
• 4 They will be finally and eternally saved

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DANGERS OF MISUNDERSTANDING THE DOCTRINE

• That this perseverance is dependent upon the
  activity of man in holiness.
• Berkhof points out that Reformed theologians
  argue that the believer would fall away if left
  to himself (Page 546)
• The work of man is neither the sole nor
  fundamental factor in this perseverance.

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BERKHOFS CAREFULLY GUARDED DEFINITION

• It is strictly speaking, not man but God who
• perseveres. Perseverance may be defined as
• that continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in
• the believer, by which the work of divine
• grace that is begun in the heart, is continued
• and brought to completion. It is because God
• never forsakes His work that believers continue
  to stand to the very end
• Systematic Theology, Banner of Truth, Page 546

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CLARIFYING THE DOCTRINE

• 1 God perseveres with man
• 2 This is the work of the Holy Spirit in the
  hearts of the elect
• 3 Gods people need this perfecting and
  purifying influence because they will never be
  sinless in this life
• 4 Without the continual operation of the Holy
  Ghost we could persevere and would therefore be
  lost forever
• 5 The faithfulness of God is the basis of this
  doctrine

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THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION CHAPTER 17

• Section One
• They, whom God hath accepted in His Beloved,
  effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit,
  can neither totally, nor finally, fall away from
  the state of grace but shall certainly persevere
  therein to the end, and be eternally saved
• (John 1028, 29 Phil.16 1Peter15, 9 2Peter
  110 1John 39).

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THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION CHAPTER 17

• Section 2
• This perseverance of the saints depends not upon
  their own free will, but upon the immutability of
  the decree of election flowing from the free and
  unchangeable love of God the Father (Jer.313
  2Tim. 218,19) upon the efficacy of the merit
  and intercession of Jesus Christ (Luke 2232
  John 1711,24 Rom. 833-39 Heb. 725 Heb.
  912-15 Heb. 1010, 1014 1320, 1321) the
  abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God
  within them (John 1416, 17 1John 227 39)
  and the nature of the covenant of grace (Jer.
  3240) from all which ariseth also the certainty
  and infallibility thereof (John 1028 2Th. 33
  1John 219).

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THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION CHAPTER 17

• Section 3
• Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations
  of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of
  corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of
  the means of their preservation, fall into
  grievous sins (Mat. 2670,72, 74) and, for a
  time, continue therein (Psalms 5114 and title)
  whereby they incur Gods displeasure (2Sam.
  1127 Isa. 645, 7, 9), and grieve His Holy
  Spirit (Eph. 430), come to be deprived of some
  measure of their graces and comforts (Psalms
  518, 10, 12 Son. 52-4, 6 Rev. 24), have
  their hearts hardened (Isa. 3617 Mark 652
  Mark 1614), and their consciences wounded
  (Psalms 323, 4 Psalms 518), hurt and
  scandalize others (2Sam. 1214), and bring
  temporal judgments upon themselves (Psalms 8931,
  8932 1Corinthians 1132).

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P.B. POWER ON JOHN 637

• Can we imagine the blessed Jesus thus
  deliberately thrusting any earnest soul into
• the very Jaws of Death? Can we imagine His
  deliberately giving the devil such a
• terrible and eternal triumph as this? Oh! If
  Jesus were to cast out a single soul that
• came to Him, in repentance and belief I can well
  believe that that soul would
• henceforth be the greatest phenomenon of the land
  of perdition-the strangest
• curiosity of hell. All would understand, how the
  murderer and adulterer fell into
• the land of woe how the impenitent and
  unbelieving dropped into the lake of fire
• but how came this man there? Who can solve the
  riddle of his being damned? There is
• not a devil that would not look upon him with
  wonder the archfiend himself would
• confess, that this mans being lost, was a
  greater mystery than all others being saved
• the devils choicest treasure would be this
  rejected soul.
• And cannot we imagine the use he would make of
  it how he would make himself
• master of all the circumstances of its rejection
  how he would chronicle carefully all its sighs
  and tears its timid trial and its fierce
  repulse and then, how he would go forth to
• poor perishing sinners, and tell them, that he
  knew for a fact that Jesus did not receive
• everyone that came to Him. (The I Wills of
  Christ, page 57,58)

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PERSEVERANCE NOT SECURITY

• The Perseverance of the Saints does supply the
  believer with eternal security
• The term eternal security minimises the
  persevering which is an essential characteristic
  of Christianity and plays into the hands of the
  enemies of this precious truth

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THE CHALLENGE OF THIS DOCTRINE

• Those who are elect will manifest the marks of
  holiness, Eph. 14-6
• Those who possess the Holy Spirit will produce
  the fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 516-26
• The Spirits persevering work gives us desires
  for godliness and the ripening of this fruit
• These desires produce assurance in our hearts, 2
  Peter 13-10
• In so doing we work out our salvation with fear
  and trembling, working out what God by his grace
  has already worked in, Philippians 212-13

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ROMES VIEW OF THIS DOCTRINE

• If anyone maintain that a man once justified
• cannot lose grace, and, therefore that he who
• falls and sins never was truly justified let him
• be accursed
• Council of Trent

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THE ARMINIAN VIEW OF THIS DOCTRINE

• Arminian theology emphasises the will of man
• Therefore
• A Election is conditional upon mans choice
• B Man wills himself to commit acts of sin
• C Man in his natural state is able to chose God
• D The atonement makes salvation possible for
  those who decide to exercise faith
• E The human will is one of the causes of
  regeneration
• F There is no common grace, the same grace is
  extended to all men but is resisted by some and
  accepted by others

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THE ARMINIAN VIEW OF THIS DOCTRINE

• The theology of the will and perseverance
• A regenerated believer may chose to
• A Become conformed to the divine life by
  becoming entirely sanctified
• Or
• B Fall from grace and be lost forever

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THE ARMINIAN VIEW OF THIS DOCTRINE

• Inherent problems with Arminianism
• The emphasis upon the will dethrones a sovereign
  God
• It blatantly flies in the face the multitude of
  promises extended to the church
• The teaching on entire sanctification compels
  believers to look to self as opposed to Christ
  and produces a terrible bondage
• To claim sinless perfection has the appearance of
  being proud and absurd as well as being
  unscriptural
• As this teaching is dependant on the human will
  no-one can be saved and heaven will be empty
  because no man could keep himself in grace even
  if he could attain such a blessed place by his
  own choice alone

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THE ARMINIAN VIEW OF THIS DOCTRINE

• Arminians Attack This Doctrine As Encouraging
  Antinomianism
• Antinomianism is the teaching that New Testament
  Christians can live without the Law of God
• Arminians therefore claim that if all Christians
  will be in heaven then there is no incentive to
  live godly in this world
• This is a clear misrepresentation of this
  doctrine because those who are elect will
  persevere through the perseverance of the Spirit
  who produces his fruit in the heart and life
• Therefore a professor of faith who thinks he has
  a license to sin does not have the Holy Spirit
  and is not converted

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CAN CAVNINISTS LEARN FROM ARMINIANS?

• The zeal and passion which some Arminians have
  displayed in their quest for holiness is most
  inspiring (eg William Booth, Oswald Chambers).
  We may not believe in absolute holiness but we
  should seek to be as perfect as it is possible
  for a sinner saved by grace to be (Robert Murray
  McCheyne)
• In some instances Arminianism is an over reaction
  to a dead Calvinism which fails to extend its
  doctrine to the life. In a case such as this
  fellowship with a living Arminian would be more
  beneficial
• Calvinists do not comfort the backslider with the
  hope of heaven. While people do backslide the
  genuine believer always repents because of the
  persevering spirit. We must not give false hope
  to an unrepentant backslider
• Evangelical Arminians are our brothers in the
  Lord and while we reject their interpretation of
  doctrine we must at all times seek to exercise
  love and grace

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ANSWERING THE ALLEGED ARMINIAN PROOF TEXTS

• Galatians 54
• Christ is become of no effect unto you,
  whosoever of you are justified by the law ye are
  fallen from grace.
• Paul was addressing people who had rejected
  Christ
• They had espoused justification by works as
  opposed to justification through faith in Christ
• 3. Therefore they fell from the grace of the
  gospel that was offered to them. They had never
  embraced the Saviour to begin with. If they
  professed then the profession was false

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ANSWERING THE ALLEGED ARMINIAN PROOF TEXTS

• Hebrews 64-6
• For it is impossible for those who were once
  enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly
  gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
• And have tasted the good word of God, and the
  powers of the world to come,
• If they shall fall away, to renew them again
  unto repentance seeing they crucify to
  themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to
  an open shame.
• Hebrews 1026
• For if we sin wilfully after that we have
  received the knowledge of the truth, there
  remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

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THE HEBREW WARNINGS

• As apostates are people are people who have
  professed the faith and who repudiate their
  profession the people in
• these verses were never saved
• 2. They were enlightened and they tasted but the
  gospel never made a powerful impact upon their
  lives
• 3. Putting Christ to an open shame would indicate
  that these people sinned in a way that was
  impossible for a true child of God
• 4. Sinning wilfully refers to a professing
  believer turning his back on his profession and
  transgressing without regard to conscience and
  conviction

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THE HEBREW WARNINGS

• As these warnings were given to the church we
  should take them seriously
• We should seek the fruit of the spirit in our
  lives
• We should fear turning our back upon Christ
• These warnings were used by Paul to inspire Gods
  people to pay greater attention to their
  perseverance
• Taken within the context of the many verses which
  teach the perseverance of the saints this is the
  only scriptural interpretation

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FINALLY

• Our perseverance is based upon the actions of a
  sovereign and loving God
• The Holy Spirit gives us the power to persevere
• This doctrine teaches us that we must be serious
  about our Christianity in cultivating godliness
  in our lives
• This doctrine supplies us with a great and
  glorious comfort and hope. We suffer for our
  perseverance in this life, but great will be our
  reward in heaven
• This doctrine is a vital aspect of our assurance