Does God still heal today? The purpose of Miracles

Healing is a broad subject in the Bible. It describes healings of various kinds in the O.T. such as people: Abimelech (Gen 20:17), Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings 5:14). Of the nation Israel (Hosea 6:1; Jer 30:17). Even of water (Ezekiel 47:8).

The area I would like to focus on  is the supernatural gift of healing with a subtopic of miracles described in the N.T. particularly in I Corinthians 12: 9,29,30.

The word healing in the Greek is iama which means to cure, to make whole physically and figuratively. The gift of healing was strictly regulated to the era of Jesus and the Apostles. Most in the Church would disagree with this conclusion, but let me ask the reader, if this supernatural gift was still operating like self proclaimed faith healers and others suppose, why aren’t there any verifiable, empirical evidences of these miraculous healings?

When we read the gospels, and the book of Acts, they are littered with healings and miracles Jesus performed along with His disciples.

To name a few:

a.       

Jesus heals the sick and casts out demons (Matt 4:24)

b.      Jesus heals a leper (Matt 8:3; Mark 1:40-44; Luke 5:12-14).

c.       Jesus heals the Paralytic (Matt 9:7; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26)

d.      Jesus raises a girl from the dead (Matt 9:25; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56)

e.      Jesus feeds over 5,000 with 5 loaves and two fish (Matt 14:17-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:11-17; John 6:10-14)

f.        Jesus heals the Paralytic at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:8-9)

g.       Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:44)

h.      Jesus cast demons (perhaps as many as 2,000) out a man from the country of the Gadarenes (Mark 5:5-13; Luke 8:26-39; Matt 8:28-34)

i.         Jesus command the sea and wind to be still and they obey him proving that He has control even over the elements of nature (Mark 4:39)

j.        Jesus walks on water (Matt 15:25; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:14-21)

k.       Jesus caused a large amount of fish to be caught by the disciples (John 21:6)

l.         God heals a lame man through Peter and John declaring the name of Jesus (Acts 3:8)

m.    Stephen the first Christian Martyr performed great signs and wonders among the people (Acts 6:8)

n.      Philip a disciple preached the gospel to the Samaritans and performed miracles (a temporary sign gift of the early church mentioned in I Cor 12:10)

o.      Peter heals Aeneas who had been paralyzed for eight years (Acts 9:32-35)

p.      Peter raises Tabitha-Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:36-41)

q.      Peter is miraculously freed from prison by an angel of the Lord (Acts 12:8-10)

r.        Paul cast  the spirit of divination out of a girl who made her masters a fortune by fortune telling (Acts 16:18)

s.       Scripture records God worked unusual miracles (signs) by the hands of Paul (Acts 19:11-12)

Now, why did Jesus, the Apostles, and their close associates perform these miracles in the first place? Scripture gives a couple of reasons:

1.      

    To authenticate the messenger and their message.  Jesus said, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe” (John 4:48). Jesus also said, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves” (John 14:11).

  a.        Jesus  rebuked the Jews In John 10:25 when He said, “I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name they bear witness of me.

 b.   Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost said, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know” (Acts 2:22).

c.       Scripture tell us many signs and wonders were done through the hands of the Apostles and all were healed (Acts 5:12, 16).

d.      2 Corinthians 12:12 Paul tells the Corinthians that the signs of an Apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

2.       So those that witnessed the miracles will believe in Jesus:

a.       “But many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in the book. But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:30-31)

It is important we realize that signs and wonders did not  always produce faith in those that witnessed them. We know this from the O.T. when Moses performed signs amongst Pharaoh, and the Egyptians, and when he performed miracles amongst the children of Israel in the wilderness; most of that adult generation over twenty years old died without ever seeing the promised land due to willful unbelief (Exodus 7:3-4; Numbers 14:11-36). That was not their design. The signs were a support to the message and messenger so those that heard the gospel would believe. Miracles were performed due to many having no faith in the words of Christ and the Apostles.

Consider this logic for a moment, if every believer could perform signs and wonders like the Apostles of the first century, we wouldn’t be able to distinguish the Apostles of Christ from anyone else. The miraculous works performed by them gave proof that God was with them in a supernatural way.

Also, if so-called “ Apostles”, and “prophets” of today had these supernatural endowments, why don’t they demonstrate that by going to the hospitals, and heal all the sick, go to grave sites and raise the dead, cast out demons, make the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, etc?

The obvious answer is that they do not have the power Jesus and the true Apostles  had over 1900 years ago.

Does God still heal? Absolutely!  He can heal anyone instantly if He chooses to as an act of pure mercy and love. He also heals I believe through modern medicine with physical therapy, and through  prayers of the saints (James 5:16).

Even more important the healing God is doing all the time is the healing of the soul from sin; by far the most important miracle! Listen to the wisdom of the apostle Peter: “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes (or wounds) we are healed” (I Peter 2:24).

Isaiah some 700 years earlier said the same thing: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

Both of these passages speak of being healed from sin’s disease, not physical healing as most have taught.

The main goal is our salvation, not our physical well being although important to us far less important than our souls being saved.

                                      IN SUMMARY

The gift of healings and miraculous signs is not in operation today. For if it is as I mentioned earlier in the article, why do we not see empirical evidence of these miracles today? When Jesus and the apostles performed miracles they were evident and verifiable.  Also, if someone does perform a miracle, it does not mean their power is from God. Jesus made that very clear in Matthew 24:24 in the latter days, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible even the elect.” These charlatans ability to perform miracles will be very convincing and so compelling that many will believe in them (i.e. the fake christs and prophets). [i]

As a matter of fact, listen to what Jesus says at the end of his sermon on the mount regarding those that claim to perform the miraculous in his name:

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess to them, I never knew you; depart from me ye that work iniquity” (Matt 7:22-23).

The word knew here is the Greek word ginosko which simply means to know. In the context of Matt 7:23, Jesus is saying He never had a relationship with these individuals who claim to have done these miraculous signs . This definition is according to Vine’s expository dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. A lexical aid of the N.T. gives another meaning which states that to know in the same context is to approve or acknowledge with approbation.

So those that Jesus condemned here are those He has never approved of, acknowledged or has ever had a relationship with. Jesus knows who they are creationally for He made them, but He’s never known them intimately and personally like He knows his sheep (John 10:27-30).

Those that reportedly performed these miraculous signs put the cart before the horse; meaning that they figured their “good works”  of miracles would get them into heaven. They desired the power of God without the forgiveness of God through His  Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance of sin and contrition was not their aim. The wanted to be saved by works perhaps thinking they can impress and bribe the Lord. This is the mindset of the world at large; thinking they can merit God’s grace – blasphemous (Eph 2:8-9)! Jesus knowing the hearts of wicked men justly condemned them to eternal damnation for they were willful violators of God’s law. Only those that do the will of God will enter heaven (Matt 7:21).

Contrary to popular belief miracles and healings were not frequent in scripture. The only periods where the phenomenon occurred and was concentrated was first during the period of Moses and Joshua, then Elijah and Elisha, and Jesus and the Apostles. Less than 400 years of human history when you combine all the dispensations. Authentic signs and wonders will occur again in the Great Tribulation with God’s Two Witnesses (Rev 11:3-7) and with the Seal, trumpet and bowl judgments described throughout the book of Revelation; a period that lasts only three and half years.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

                                              END NOTES

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[i] The beast or the Antichrist will have the ability to perform miraculous signs on earth by the power of Satan (2 Thess 2:3,9). His companion the second beast or false prophet will perform miraculous signs also during the Great Tribulation (Rev 13:13-14). What is most important is the source behind any miracle(s), God or Satan?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    

                                                                  

Because of Love...

The rescue

I’m chosen from eternity past no thanks to me at all For it pleased you Lord to save my wretched soul Translated from death to life Hell I still deserve You saw fit to call me your son

My sin debt is paid Jesus bore my guilt my Savior incurred my wrath Clothed with righteousness seated in heavenly places I’m accepted now in the Beloved

Granted me faith and repentance to believe For my salvation I could never boast Could never seek God unless you sought me first So tenacious with your love

I inherit all good things for you’re merciful indeed For in you I brag and boast I’m in your grip you will never let me go baptized in the Holy Ghost

Eternal life reside inside me One day I’ll shed this tent of corruption To be clothed immortal I rejoice in hope My tears are gone for I’m no longer alone

Amazing grace how sweet the sound you reversed the curse of Eden Where sin abounds grace abounded the more Death and hell defeated

I sing your praises day and night for you judged me not according to my sins Rather your love brought me in when I groveled in sin hateful toward you yet you redeemed me anew

I’m in love with a man Christ Jesus-God manifested in the flesh What a strange idea who’s heard of such things My affection for you because of your first-love for me

  

My eyes are enlightened I no longer live in darkness Your word is alive health to my bones Insatiable my desire for truth Hunger increases my desire to live holy Being transformed inside out                                              

I no longer serve sin for now I have a new Master For I have power now to resist temptation Confirming daily to the image of my Savior help me suppress the wicked deeds of the flesh

I’m compelled to tell others of your love and grace to me Many will refuse affirming their perdition Too bad for them they will lose their soul for loving this life too much

You hear when I pray now My petitions are your delight I have sweet communion with you  I’ve been made a priest the veil was torn in two your presence between the cherubim

You are the author and perfector of my faith You will preserve me til the end I’ll stumble much but never finally for you are my everlasting life

Written August 3^rd 2013

Does God still speak today?

                                            

For most that read this question they would say “of course God still speaks to us today”. To most this is a silly question, but I would like to analyze it for a moment.

I’m asking the question in light of the Bible. When we read the phrase, “The word of the Lord came to me saying…”, That phrase was authoritative. The men that heard that phrase knew the Lord was speaking to them, and recorded what they heard.

These men were Leaders, Judges, Prophets, Kings, Apostles of Jesus, and other Disciples.

            

But, it is important we ask the question, Is God speaking to us in the same manner now that He spoke back then?

Certain men in scripture heard God speak audibly to them like we speak to one another. Many believe God speaks audibly to them today. How do they know it’s God, and not some other force or spirit leading them astray?

God through Moses gives this litmus test in Deuteronomy 18:18-22 he says, “I will raise a Prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And whosoever will not listen to my words, I will require it of him. But the Prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods that same prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, “How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?” – when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true (emphasis added), that is a word the Lord HAS NOT SPOKEN; the prophet has spoken presumptuously. You shall not be afraid of him.

Any word that God has genuinely spoken through his servants will/must come to pass – every time! God never speaks an idle word.

God told Jeremiah I will be with your mouth, and that He put His words in the mouth of the Prophet (Jeremiah 1:9).

In Isaiah 6:7 we see an angel from heaven taking a hot coal with tongs from the heavenly altar touching the lips of Isaiah signifying his sins had been forgiven. This was Isaiah’s ordination for his prophetic office – meaning Isaiah was now fit to be God’s mouthpiece.

These three men and many others in scripture received direction revelation from God. What they declared was 100 percent correct, because they were spokesman for God. The words they spoke were always God’s words – never their own.

Jesus said in John 6:38 said, “For I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.”

Jesus in John 12:50b said that, “What I say therefore I say as the Father has told me.”

So, in the light of the aforementioned, how should we respond to someone now when they say” the Holy Spirit told me…”

That person with or without knowing it is declaring that they are receiving direct revelation from God; just the like prophets of old. This is a frightening thing when we consider God’s revelation/canon is finished. There is nothing left to be revealed by God. We have  a completed text from Genesis to Revelation. What more needs to be said?

Those that are claiming to have a word from the Lord are in essence saying that God is still speaking like He did in the Old and New Testaments. This means since we have a closed canon/bible, there are currently extra-biblical revelations going on; people are claiming to speak in the name of the Lord when He IS NOT speaking to them at all. This makes those that claimed to be speaking false prophets (2 Peter 2:1).

Point blank, the writer does not believe God is dispensing new revelation through anyone, because we have a closed, completed canon of scripture.

Think about it, what more information is there to reveal when the last book of the Bible (The Revelation) clearly describes what will happen in the future and for all of eternity?

Concluding, does God still speak to us? Yes through his holy revealed Word. I believe He can also speak to us inaudibly in our spirits. Consider John 14:26, “But the Helper the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

The Spirit will only teach us the words of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit guides us in all truth because He is Truth (John 16:12-13). Contrary to that is not the Spirit of Christ, but the spirit of the antichrist (I John 4:3; 2 John 7).

A third way God speaks to us audibly is through the wise godly counsel of fellow believers (Psalm 119:24; Proverbs 1:5; 11:14; 15:22).

So, if someone approaches you and claims to have a word from the Lord, I would be very careful (the writer is extremely skeptical of this), examine carefully what they say against revealed scripture and see if the thing uttered comes to pass (I Thess 5:21; I John 4:1).

One last passage in Amos 3:7, “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” Since all are not prophets of God, God could not have spoken to every person directly in that fashion.

When God spoke to the man of God, the prophet prophesied to the people.

All the prophets are dead. Hebrews says in these last days God has spoken to us by His Son the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 1:2).

Jesus exceeds all the prophets for He is their creator and redeemer.

We in the church do prophesy today, not new revelation directly from God, but canonical revelation directly from God through his prophets of old who recorded God’s words – Holy Scripture.

Because of sin...

Before redemption

I  love to hate and hate to love impenitent in mind and speech Self righteous my lot evil my bread anger is what I drink

Devoid of God’s Spirit hell bound I hasten deceived due to blackness of soul So internally diseased metastasized at heart unaware I need spiritual healing

Dead man walking sin killed me at birth due to Eden’s transgression My adamic nature toxic It shakes it’s fist at the Almighty thinking I’m owed a debt

I’m on edge all the time I rejoice in scandal willing to catch a case Anger is perfect humility I despise Cancerous to all around me

I’m a religious zealot a legalist to the max modern day Pharisee judgmental hypocrite unbeknownst to me I’m merciful to none and critical of all fiending for the highest places in the courts

Unforgiven when trespassed no ounce of compassion boastful reaction even when offender is contrite Cold 

hearted dog rips flesh off the bone my wrath gives me the juice to retaliate

I mock at iniquity trivialize my depravity never as bad as the next guy My “penance”  I believes saves me feeling good regarding benevolence for I’ve made the world a "better place"

Believes Jesus loves me and died for my sins truth for me merely academic Refuse to repent for it involves radical commitment for what would my peers think of me

   

Unaware I need a heart transplant of soul for I’m a tomb walking aimlessly on earth Yet I refuse the truth want to earn heaven’s glory that I may brag of my earthly virtue

Nearer to death than I care to know never realizing my father Satan desires my eternal expiration For he hates my guts he’s doom to Gehenna desires to share his damnation with all

Come short of God’s glory continually I’m a sinful marksmen never hitting the target Tired of hearing  gospel preachers Talk too much Bible commanding me to repent

I continue to harden myself against truth for I despise God’s love Not realizing I’m near the point of no return when salvation for me will be too late

I’m devoid of true joy my lows are greater than my highs Yet due to pride I refuse to realize an intervention Divine is my solitary hope tonight

The thing I love (sin) has lied betrayed and is killing me daily for my fidelity to it is vanity The lover I sought  never loved me back Been made a slave my life long

Is there any hope for me

Sequel to follow. Written August 3, 2013

Limited vs. Unlimited Atonement

The first thing we need to do is define the word atonement in relation to the Bible. It comes from the Greek work katallagē  which means to reconcile. Related terms are propitiation and expiate. The Hebrew term is kapar.  This word means to cover, to pacify.

When the Lord Jesus Christ died and shed his blood on the cross, He was atoning for mankind’s sins. Meaning that whosoever believed in what He accomplished would have their sins removed forever, and be guiltless before the Lord. God the Father has to punish sin for His holiness sake, and since He loved the world so much, sent His only Son to die in our place; to become a substitute and pay the penalty for our sins which is death.  Jesus the Bible says He became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him [(Christ, II Cor 5:17-21)].

                

Jesus had to die in order for man to live.

There was a divine exchange, Jesus took on our sin so that He could grant us His righteousness. Let me be clear, Jesus was/is not a sinner, He symbolically regarded Himself as sinful representing us so that the Father could unleash His holy wrath on Him, and punish Him as if He had sinned. He lovingly took our place. This vicarious act satisfied God’s justice and wrath so that now He could be gracious and merciful to Man, opening the door (which Jesus is that door, John 10: 8,9) to salvation. Jesus bridged the gap between the Father and sinful man by this substitutionary act.

By Jesus’ shed blood, sins can now be remitted when one believes (Heb 9:22). As a result, God can now grant us His righteousness. We are not righteous in and of ourselves, righteousness is placed into our account as a result of our sins being forgiven and washed away.

That is what the Bible describes as the atonement of Christ. It is a full, complete, and satisfying atonement never to happen again (Heb 9:28). It’s an infinite provision for those that believe.

Now, that the atonement has been defined and explained, we must ask the question, is the atonement of Christ limited or unlimited?

When this question is asked, we are dealing with two popular schools of thought here. We are dealing with those regarded as Calvinists (John Calvin 1509-1564) and those regarded as Arminians (Jacob Arminius 1560-1609).

Modern reformed thinkers say that those that teach that Jesus’ atonement was for everyone that has ever lived are in the Arminian camp. The mindset of the Arminian is that Jesus died for all of mankind without exception regardless whether they believe or not. For them the atonement is unlimited in it’s extent.

The Calvinist however say the atonement was only for the elect; those chosen by God before the foundation of the world to be saved. In other words, Jesus death was only for the elect, his sheep (John 10:16, 27-28). For this camp the atonement is limited only to the elect.

                

                     Which view is correct?

Calvinist have a 5 point system that consists of the following doctrines. These doctrines are an acronym that spell out the word TULIP. They are:

Total Depravity – Man is utterly unable and unwilling to come to God on his own. He is as hopeless as he can be due to his sinfulness. As a matter of fact Ephesians 2:1 says man is dead in trespasses and sins.

Unconditional Election – Since man can not choose God on his own, God sovereignly  chooses who He wants to save before they are even born. God does this totally independent of man’s influence. It’s God sovereign will being demonstrated in electing freely those who will be recipients of His saving grace (John 15:6; Rom 8:28-30; Eph 1:4-6).

Limited Atonement – This doctrine teaches that those whom God elected in eternity past are the only ones Jesus came to die for and save. All those whom God elected will at some point  in time  be saved. The reason for the actual salvation is because God the Father determined before the world was created that He would do this for the glory of His grace (Matt 1:21: John 10:11; 17:9; Acts 20:28; Rom 8:32; Eph 5:25).[i]

Irresistible Grace – God makes the unwilling sinner willing to come to Him. The Father draws the sinner to the Son (John 6:37, 44; 10:16).

Perseverance of the Saints – This is also called the preservation of the saints which is preferred because it places the emphasis on God keeping us as opposed to us remaining faithful. The child of God perseveres because he is preserved by God’s power. Core meaning is all whom Jesus saved will always be saved and will never perish. They have eternal life (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:29-30).

Collectively these are known as the Doctrines of Grace.

The Arminian view is different. Here are their  5 points:

Partial Depravity – Recognizes that man is sinful, but believes there is enough human virtue in man where he is not totally hopeless, and can come to God own his own. This view over estimates man’s goodness (of which he has none), and under appreciates man’s need for God’s divine intervention.

Conditional Election – Teaches that God looked through the annals of time and saw who would exercise faith and choose Him so God decided to choose them before they were born. This view teaches that God saw man’s foreseen faith and chose man based on that premise. In this view, man’s faith is dictating election rather election dictating faith.  This predicates salvation on man and not God – a salvation of foreseen works. The writer rejects this view, it’s unbiblical.  Scripture teaches that man can and will not choose God on his own (Psalm 14:2; John 15:6; Romans 3:11).

Unlimited Atonement – This doctrine teaches that Jesus’ death was for every human being regardless whether they believe or if they are non elect. Passages used to prove this doctrine are: (John 1:29; 3:16; Hebrews 2:9; 1 John 2:2). This is the greatest sticking point between Calvinism and Arminianism. Scripture appears to support both views; Jesus dying solely for the sins of the elect (Matt 1:21; John 10:27-28; Eph 5:25), and for the sins of the whole world (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2).

Resistible Grace – Teaches God’s call on the sinner can be resisted and rejected. To some, this depreciates God’s power to convert the sinner from damnation to salvation. Our will is the deterrent in this doctrine.

Conditional Salvation – Man can lose his salvation through habitual committed sin. Man can fall away from God’s grace. God’s power isn’t enough to keep them secure. This type of person was never saved to begin with, they just made a profession of faith that was not genuine (I John 2:19). If salvation is conditional, then it’s also temporary which is not what the Bible teaches. Bible teaches that salvation is eternal, and it’s not based on condition.

                                                            

                                                        Final Thoughts on both views

In closing, I would like to provide my own analysis on each point. We’ll start the 5 points of Arminianism and counter that point with Calvinism and see which view is biblical.

1.     
  Partial depravity makes man the puppet master in that he gets to decide when he will accept God. So God has to wait on sinful man to say yes or no to His offer of salvation. This salvation is solely based on human responsibility and action. God can’t move until man makes the first move. No sovereignty of God is displayed.

a.       Total or Radical depravity is the biblical view. It teaches that man is totally inept to do anything regarding salvation due to his adamic nature and his inherent sinfulness. It also teaches man is a corpse that needs to be brought back to life from the dead in order to hear the gospel message, repent, respond in faith and be saved (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13). This view tells us that salvation is a work of God alone. Man does not contribute to it by complicity, or diminishes it by non compliance.

2.       Conditional election makes God reactive in that He has to respond to the faith of man to actualize His salvation plan. Simply put, God’s salvation is contingent upon man’s approval and not on God’s sovereignty alone.

 a.       Unconditional election teaches that God is proactive in salvation in that He determines before time began who  He would predestine, call, justify, and glorify. In this way, salvation is  successful (Romans 8:28-30). Notice in these verses all the verbs are in the past tense. Salvation is complete in the mind of God. Unconditional election is the biblical view. Conditional election is not.

3.       Unlimited atonement says Jesus’ death was for all the world with exception. That means Jesus actually died and paid  for the sins of everyone, even those who die in unbelief and go to hell to pay the price for their own sins. As mentioned earlier, the passages used to support this view are: John 1:29; 3:16, Heb 2:9; I Tim 4:10; 

1
John 2:2. The writer sees this as a form of double jeopardy.  Jesus exonerates the sinner by pardoning their sins, but due to the sinner’s unbelief, the atonement is rendered null and void. It’s only a potential or virtual atonement and not an actual one for that person. The sins that Jesus allegedly died for was ineffective. The sinner who was never forgiven is shackled with that sin, dies and goes to hell to pay the price for their own sins. What type of atonement is that? Can one honestly say Jesus died for that person?

a.       Limited atonement says that all that the Father gave to the Son will believe and be saved. Not one of them is left out (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30). The Atonement is limited to who it extends to, but it’s unlimited in it’s power for those to whom it is to affect that is the elect of God (Eph 1:4). The writer admits that Christ’s atonement is sufficient for all men indiscriminately and has the power to save every human being on the planet,  but does not believe that His death was for all without exception. Christ died for all men without distinction; meaning neither race, creed, rich-poor, slave-free, male-female are excluded. For we’re all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Everyone believes in a limited atonement. You either believe the atonement was limited to the saving of the elect only, or you believe that atonement is limited in it’s power to save anyone because the choice is left up to the spiritually dead sinner alone to choose. The views are Calvinism and Arminianism respectively.

4.       Resistible grace says God’s command to call the chosen/elect sinner to repentance can be resisted and rejected. This depreciates the power of God to overcome the stubborn will of man to compel him  to do what He wants. Those that are for resistible grace would argue that God is ‘strong-arming” man and forcing him to do something He doesn’t want to do. Proverbs 21:1 says this, “The kings heart is in the hands of the Lord, and as the rivers of water, He turns it whichever way He chooses.” We must keep in mind, man’s will is not free, it’s in bondage due to his sin.  Resistible grace for God’s chosen in the writer’s opinion is an oxy-moron.

a.       Irresistible grace teaches that God’s love is so powerful and efficacious, that man can not ultimately resist this power once it comes upon his life. God works miraculously in man’s inner being by performing heart transplant surgery. The prophet Ezekiel describes this surgical procedure, “ I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues, and you will keep my judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

b.      Psalm 110:3 says, “Your people will become willing in the day of your power.” Simply stated, only when God’s power infuses the spiritually dead, will he come alive and do what God commands.[ii] God doesn’t need our permission to transform our lives, He simply gives us the ability to respond to Him in faith to what He has commanded us to do. This is a most special grace, for God does not do this for every human being.  God said to Moses way back in Exodus 33:19, “I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and will show compassion to whom I show compassion.” Irresistible grace activates or empowers our freedom to be sensitive to the gospel message, recognize our wickedness, repent, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Only with a new heart can this take place. Irresistible grace is biblical. Resistible grace is not.

5.       Conditional salvation teaches that a genuine believer can fall from grace to the extent that they lose their salvation due to habitual, unrepentant sin. This thought process has massive ramifications.  What this means is that the person who supposedly was chosen before the foundation of the world has become un chosen. God somehow didn’t know what we would do so God "changed his mind" when He discovered the “believer’s” unrepentant behavior which of course we know God never does (i.e. changes His mind). Also the person has to become unsealed by the Holy Spirit which means God removes the guarantee of our inheritance and salvation. What God decided to purchase through Jesus Christ’s blood is rendered null and void (Eph 1:13,14). Furthermore, we can longer be foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified. All that has been reversed by God. The god of conditional salvation is not the God of the Bible. This god has been humanized and trumped because he does not possess omniscience. How is it that God foresaw faith in this system, but not sin before time began? It would saved God a whole lot of time in not choosing them in the first place rather than choosing them and regretting that choice down the line. It makes God double minded.  Somehow those that believe that God will save and then decide to “unsave” man due to sinful behavior have woefully diminished the power of the cross and what Jesus accomplished there. The Arminian’s unlimited atonement has been reduced to dust and ashes. God the Father’s predetermined plan failed, and He wasted His time in sending Jesus to the earth to save sinners when in the final analysis, they are doomed to hell after all.  

As with partial depravity, man is the puppet master in conditional election and God is the puppet. God only moves when man moves first. Salvation is valid or invalid based on what man does and not on what God has already done.

a.       Perseverance of the saints teaches that God will keep his children from falling and they will never perish (John 3:16, 17; 6:37-40; 10:27-30; 11: 25; Phil 1:6; Jude 24). God does not foresee faith, and repentance. He grants those gifts to man in real time when they are needed. When the gospel is preached, the elect of God is first granted repentance. What this does is make the sinner aware of his wickedness, unrighteousness, guilt and shame, and his desperate need for a redeemer. Secondly, God grants the chosen sinner faith to believe the gospel message. Once he does that, he is granted salvation (Eph 2.8,9), and brought into the body of Christ. Once a child of God, always a child of God. Our sonship can never be revoked.

b.      Those that claim salvation can be lost are horribly mistaken. That person was never saved to begin with (I John 2:19). Another thought to consider with conditional salvation, at what point or how many sins does one have to commit before God revokes His promise of salvation? How can anyone even know for sure that he hasn’t already reached the “sin point of no return?”  There is absolutely no assurance in the Arminian’s doctrine of conditional election. You can never know if your good is good enough. Proponents of conditional salvation are forever on a slippery slope.  Conditional salvation is a work’s salvation which is a violation of scripture.

Calvinism is the undisputed winner in this theological battle. It follows what the Bible teaches.[iii]

        

NOTES

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[i] Limited atonement is rejected by 4 point Calvinists. They like the Arminian believe in a Unlimited atonement; that Christ died for the sins of the whole world indiscriminately. No human being is left out. The 4 pointers agree on the others Doctrines of Grace hence the description 4 point Calvinists.

[ii] Without God’s power working within us we will never believe.  By ourselves it’s impossible for us to seek God. That’s why He has to seek us first (John 15:6).

[iii] The writer leans toward the views of Calvinism for it projects more of what the Bible teaches however, there are arguments against both sides. For instance, Armininians will say that Calvinism over emphasize God’s grace, and under emphasize human responsibility for the sinner to respond to the gospel. Armininians will also say that Calvinism also resists evangelism since God has already chosen who will be saved. While it is true God has chosen in eternity past who He will save, it by no means absolves us from preaching the gospel to the lost. For the only way anyone is saved is by the preaching of the gospel message. No one comes to saving faith without it. For it is an act of the human will to believe. Another potential trap for those who believe in eternal security (i.e. perseverance of the saints) is that it breeds complacency/apathy from the believer. The opposite should be the case. Because we are eternally secure, we should be grateful, and fervent in our service to the Lord with thanksgiving. The knock on Arminianism is that it over emphasizes human free will and depreciates God’s sovereignty in salvation making God reactive in salvation instead of proactive. The definite blow to Arminianism that causes the writer to view it’s last point as heretical is that it teaches man can lose salvation which the Bible never teaches. Salvation by it’s very nature is eternal.

The Will(s) of God

Does God have one or two wills? There are times in the Bible where God makes a declaration, and the thing comes to pass. There are other times where God gives a command, and sometimes it’s disobeyed.

                

         What’s going on?

God’s will has two components:

1.      

       God’s decretive will

2.       God’s desired will

God’s decreed will is that characteristic of God whereby whatever He determines will come to pass every time. It’s 100% guaranteed to occur. This is His sovereignty being put on display. God’s decreed will is prophetic. Every prophecy in the Bible has been fulfilled or will be fulfilled in the future. This element of God’s will is irresistible – meaning it under no circumstances can be disappointed. Why? Because God determined before hand that what He promised will come to pass.

There are numerous accounts in scripture where God has decreed His will in the earth. Here are a few;

1.       

The promise of the Messiah – In Genesis 3:15 we read, “I will put enmity between you (Satan), and the woman, and between your seed (unbelievers) and her Seed (Christ). He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heal.”

Here we see the Lord way back in the garden of Eden predicting the coming of Jesus Christ  to the earth (although the prophecy was very cryptic at that time) to die for sin and defeat the devil. The verse  also speaks of the virgin birth (her seed). We know women do not contain seed, the male does. This speaks of a miraculous birth. This prophecy was going to occur no matter what the circumstances were in the earth. God decreed it, it had to come to pass and it did.

2.       God promised to bless Abraham and all his descendants -  The Bible says that God chose to make Abraham a great nation, and that his posterity would be innumerable. The key to this is that Abraham and Sarah have to have a son in their old age. Although neither Abraham or Sarah  believed God at first, that did not prevent God from doing to them what He determined to do. Abraham could not stop what God was doing due to his initial unbelief. Everything God promised Abraham happened exactly how God planned it. Genesis 24:1 says Abraham was blessed in all things.

3.       The death of the Messiah was foreordained – Numerous passages in the Bible vividly describe the crucifixion of Jesus. I’ll cite two here.

a.       In Psalm 22:1 we read, “My God my God why have you forsaken me?” Here we read the distress that King David was going through, but ultimately this expression is repeated when Jesus was dying in agony for the sins of mankind (Matt 27:46). We see here that a portion of this Psalm is what theologians call “Messianic”, dealing with the Messiah. David was speaking prophetically by the Holy Spirit regarding the crucifixion of Jesus.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

b.      The apostle Peter declared in Acts 2:22-24, “Men of Israel hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know – Him being delivered by the determined purpose  and foreknowledge of God you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”

We read here in Acts that Jesus death was predetermined by God. That’s why Jesus in the gospels on several occasions predicts his own death and resurrection. Jesus death was no accident. God the Father planned it before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8). What man planned for evil (killing Jesus), God planned before time for good, saving his people from their sins through the death of Jesus Christ. Men’s plan for killing Jesus was because of hate. God sacrificed His Son because of love – the love of humanity.

With God’s desired will, it is authoritative, but it can be resisted or disobeyed. This is God’s revealed command such as the Ten Commandments, thou shall not kill, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not steal, etc (Exodus 20).

Another instance would be David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11:4.                      

David knew the law of Moses, but disobeyed the Lord’s command and took another man’s wife. David resisted or disobeyed God’s command when he should have obeyed. God desired that David remained faithful in his marriage, but unfortunately this did not occur. In this instance God’s desire is frustrated by David’s disobedience.

Another account where God’s will was resisted was during the time of Joshua 7:1-26. This deals with the sin of Achan who stole some the accursed things after the defeat of Jericho. Joshua gave a specific command not to touch or covet anything other than the silver and Gold, vessels of bronze and iron because they were consecrated, and for the treasury of the Lord (Joshua 6:18). Anything else would bring sin into the camp. Achan knowingly disobeyed this command and as a result, he and his family were stoned to death and cremated once he confessed his sin (Josh 7:25). Achan and everything he owned was taken outside of the camp and destroyed; signifying his being cut off from Israel and being rejected by God. This caused the curse to be removed.

In these instances, not everything God desired came to pass, because of the willful sinfulness of man. Unlike in His decreed will God determines that on His own. His decreed will does not requires man’s voluntary or involuntary involvement for it to come to pass. God makes the decree, and through the agency of men God’s plan unfolds and is accomplished. Man’s choice is subdued by God’s omnipotent will so that His plans are brought to fruition. With God’s decreed will man’s will is made irresistible to God’s will, but with God’s desired will, man can and does choose to resist God’s revealed commands.

Can man become a god?

Recently there was a conversation I was privy to where a woman believes we as Christians are/or can become  "gods".  This, of course, is a misunderstanding of an O.T. passage in Psalms 82:6,7 where it says, “I said you are gods, and you are children of the Most High. But, you shall die like men, and  fall like one of the princes.”

The word gods in vs. 6 is the Hebrew word Elohim. In the general sense, it means one who is a magistrate or a judge. In the supreme sense, it making reference to the Lord of all. In regards to humans, it is not making reference to deity at all. Judges are those who have great authority from Almighty God in the earth to execute justice and fairness, make right decisions regarding the welfare of man. These gods are to exonerate the innocent and punish the guilty. These gods are God’s representatives on the earth.

In Roman 13:1-2 says, “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers or governing authorities. For there is no authority except God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”

This passage is parallel to the Psalm passage in that it tells us all power ultimately comes from God. He is the one that gives it to men. So, in the sense of ruling authority, some men are gods; whether they are a Christian or not. We are all subject to these authorities as long as they do what is right. When they violate the law of God, we are to civily defy them and obey God (Acts 5:29).

For a human or an angel to purport to be God was damning. Two accounts come to mind. The first one is in Acts 12:21-23, “So on a set day Herod arrayed in royal apparel sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, “THE VOICE OF A GOD AND NOT A MAN!” Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten of worms and died.”

Scripture tells us that God will not share His glory with anyone else (Isaiah 42:8).

The second account involves Lucifer who we better know as the devil and Satan.  Isaiah 14:12-17 reads,

How you have fallen from heaven,
    morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!
¹³ You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
    on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.”
¹⁵ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
    to the depths of the pit.

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:
“Is this the man who shook the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,
    who overthrew its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?

The Lord here is speaking through his prophet to the evil nation of Babylon locally, but then in the preceding verses the Spirit of God goes to the root source of Babylon’s wickedness and that is the devil himself who is a cherub (Read Ezekiel 28). Here, Isaiah describes Satan’s epic fall from glory because he wanted to dethrone God. This event most likely may have taken place before the world was created. No one actually knows.

A very clear  text that man can not be a god is in Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord. And you shall love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and with all your strength.” If we are commanded to love God, why would one aspire to be what he can never become?

So we see, aspiring to be a god or to become God is foolishness at best, and blasphemous at the very worst. Man can not be a god.

This type of belief is unbiblical and cultic.[i]

Notes

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[i] For another view on man attempting to become a god please read the following

Article regarding Mormonism: http://www.gotquestions.org/Printer/Mormonism-PF.html