Grace

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Grace
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Conditional or Unconditional Election

• Arminian Position God's election is based on
  man's foreseen faith. Before the foundation of
  the world, God chose certain individuals for
  salvation based on His foreseeing that they
  would, of their own free will, choose Christ.
• What do the Scriptures teach us?
• God has an elect people
• Election is not rooted in God foreseeing our
  faith or works, but simply in his own good
  pleasure will

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Faith works are the result not the grounds of
election

• Acts 1348 48 When the Gentiles heard this,
  they were glad and honored the word of the Lord
  and all who were appointed for eternal life
  believed.
• Note it is not all who believed were appointed
  to eternal life but all who were appointed
  believed
• 2 Thessalonians 213-14 13 But we ought always
  to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord,
  because from the beginning God chose you to be
  saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit
  and through belief in the truth. 14 He called
  you to this through our gospel, that you might
  share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 2 Peter 110 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the
  more diligent to make your calling and election
  sure, for if you practice these qualities you
  will never fall.

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Errors and Applications

• Sum God's election is unconditional. God's
  choice was not based on any foreseen response of
  obedience on their part, but was based solely in
  His good and sovereign will.
• Unconditional depends on the referent
• Hyper-Calvinism far worse than Arminianism
• Hyper-Calvinism is all house and no door
  Arminianism is all door and no house John
  Duncan, Life of John Duncan by David Brown
  (Edinburgh, 1872), p.404
• What should the doctrine of unconditional
  election do for us?

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Perseverance?

• Arminian Position All who believe and are truly
  saved can lose their salvation.  Sinners can lose
  their salvation by failing to keep up their
  faith, by falling into a state of serious sin,
  etc.
• What do the Scriptures teach us?

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God works to persevere the elect

• Jude 124-25 24 Now to him who is able to keep
  you from stumbling and to present you blameless
  before the presence of his glory with great joy,
  25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus
  Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and
  authority, before all time and now and forever.
  Amen.
• 1 Thessalonians 523 23 Now may the God of
  peace himself sanctify you completely, and may
  your whole spirit and soul and body be kept
  blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  
• Philippians 16 6 And I am sure of this, that
  he who began a good work in you will bring it to
  completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
• 1 Corinthians 17-9 our Lord Jesus Christ, 8
  who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the
  day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful,
  by whom you were called into the fellowship of
  his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Gods Elect Will Not Be Lost

• Romans 828-30 28 And we know that in all things
  God works for the good of those who love him, who
  have been called according to his purpose. 29
  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be
  conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he
  might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30
  And those he predestined, he also called those
  he called, he also justified those he justified,
  he also glorified.
• John 1026-30 26 but you do not believe because
  you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my
  voice I know them, and they follow me. 28 I
  give them eternal life, and they shall never
  perish no one can snatch them out of my hand.
  29 My Father, who has given them to me, is
  greater than all no one can snatch them out of
  my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."

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Persevering Faith is Enduring Faith

• 1 Corinthians 151-2 Now, brothers, I want to
  remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which
  you received and on which you have taken your
  stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you
  hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
  Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
• Colossians 122-23 22 But now he has reconciled
  you by Christ's physical body through death to
  present you holy in his sight, without blemish
  and free from accusation-- 23 if you continue in
  your faith, established and firm, not moved from
  the hope held out in the gospel. This is the
  gospel that you heard and that has been
  proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of
  which I, Paul, have become a servant.
• 2 Timothy 211-13 11 Here is a trustworthy
  saying If we died with him, we will also live
  with him 12 if we endure, we will also reign
  with him.

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Perfection Not Required, Obedience Required

• Hebrews 1214 14 Make every effort to live in
  peace with all men and to be holy without
  holiness no one will see the Lord.
• Romans 813 13 For if you live according to the
  sinful nature, you will die but if by the Spirit
  you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you
  will live,
• Galatians 519-21 19 The acts of the sinful
  nature are obvious sexual immorality, impurity
  and debauchery 20 idolatry and witchcraft
  hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish
  ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy
  drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as
  I did before, that those who live like this will
  not inherit the kingdom of God.
• John 831 31 To the Jews who had believed him,
  Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are
  really my disciples.

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The Lost Shows they werent Elect

• 1 John 219 19 They went out from us, but they
  were not of us for if they had been of us, they
  would have continued with us. But they went out,
  that it might become plain that they all are not
  of us.
• SUM of the Biblical position? All who are chosen
  by God, redeemed by Christ, and regenerated by
  the Holy Spirit are eternally saved.  They are
  kept in Faith by the Power of Almighty God and
  therefore continue to persevere in faith.

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Application?

• What are the grounds of perseverance?
• What are the grounds of assurance?
• 2 Peter 110-11 10 Therefore, brothers, be all
  the more diligent to make your calling and
  election sure, for if you practice these
  qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this
  way there will be richly provided for you an
  entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and
  Savior Jesus Christ.