Are Humans Totally Depraved
Protestant theologians do not always agree on the meaning of “total depravity.” Some say that the term total does not refer to the depth of human corruption, but to the fact that the whole person-body, mind, and will-has been adversely affected by the entrance of sin into the world. This definition seems considerably softer than the one provided by the Westminster Confession of Faith. Here’s the way the Confession describes fallen human nature:
Our first parents being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.
They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation.
From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions .
Yes, evil exists but there is also a tremendous amount of selfless love and goodness in this world. To deny it is to adopt a one-sided view of the state of the human condition.
Those who have abandoned such extreme definitions for a more reasonable view of the human condition are often accused of “Pelagianism” or “rationalism” by hyper-Calvinists who insist upon the utter depravity and incapability of fallen man.
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God Is Sovereign And He Determines Our Destiny
God told Jeremiah that he was ordained as a prophet even before he was formed in the womb.
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you Before you were born I sanctified you I ordained you a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:4-5
And the Psalmist acknowledged Gods perfect knowledge of man and His predestination when he wrote
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Psalms 139:16
It is evident from the bible verse above that God predetermines our destiny even when we were unformed in our mothers womb.
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To further corroborate the fact that God pre-determines our destiny, we read about Gods response to Rebekah when she inquired of Him
Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her and she said, If all is well, why am I like this? So she went to inquire of the LORD.
And the LORD said to her: Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger. Genesis 25:21-23
Before the twins Esau and Jacob were born at all, God revealed their destiny to their mother Rebekah. That one will be stronger than the other and the elder shall serve the younger.
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How Important Is It That You Are In Alignment With Gods Purpose For Your Life
Blessing and increase
The ultimate purpose of life is to bring glory to God and advance Gods Kingdom agenda. He loves to show Himself mighty on your behalf so that the earth may know that there is a God in heaven. When you walk in obedience He will validate your purpose by causing you to prosper.
Is Divine Grace Irresistible
If you have carefully read the above material, checking and studying each of the scriptural citations, then the answer to this question is already obvious: Divine grace is not irresistible. God’s kindness, love, and favorable regard can be both resisted and rejected.
Calvinists distinguish between “common grace” and “special grace.” The former is called “common” because its benefits are shared by the just and the unjust and consist of natural blessings. The latter is “special” because it is reserved for the elect only and pertains to salvation. Special grace, the Calvinist says, is the love, mercy, kindness, and drawing power of God that causes an individual to desire and accept the gospel, and prevents him from rejecting salvation. It is irresistible in that the person drawn by such grace is made willing and responsive, so has no choice in the matter.
Calvinists may argue that since God makes sinners responsive to the Gospel, it cannot be said that He forces a person to be saved, for that would mean that a person is coerced against his will but if he is made willing, he is not forced into something that is against his will.
This may seem reasonable, but it is an argument of semantics. If a person, though unwilling and through no choice of his own, undergoes spiritual brain surgery and is made willing and responsive, then, in a very real sense, salvation has been forced upon him!
Can the Saved Forfeit Their Salvation?
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Fate Of The Unevangelized: What Is The Nazarene Position
Question: Has the Church of the Nazarene taken an official position on the destiny orfate of the unevangelized? If not, is there any agreement on this issue among our theologyscholars?
Neither the General Assembly nor the Board of General Superintendets has given answer tothat exact question. We’ve been a bit like Abraham in approaching this issue by responding witha question: “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
The closest we come to a direct answer can be found at the end of the last one of the 16Nazarene Articles of Faith, those doctrinal statements hammered out in global GeneralAssemblies of the denomination. The final sentence of that doctrinal statement says, “We believe that glorious and everlasting life is assured to all who savinglybelieve in, and obediently follow, Jesus Christ our Lord and that the finally impenitent shallsuffer eternally in hell.” The bold is mine for emphasis.
Most Nazarene leaders that I know would refrain from using that statement to promote anarrow restrictivism or particularism. Most would hold some version ofthe “wider hope” that at least leaves the door cracked open for someone to follow the grace of God which, scripture says, has reached out in some way to allpeople .
H. Orton Wiley, co-author of an introduction to theologythat was a long-time standard work in every Nazarene pastor’s library, wrote:
That statement is within the “wider hope” tradition.
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Who Is In Control
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called those he called, he also justified those he justified, he also glorified .
God is sovereign and therefore, in control of everything. The Lord couldve made all people like clones or robots to do His every bidding without a second thought. However, He made us people of free will to make choices that will lead our destiny to eternity in heaven or hell. God remains in control even when it seems like everything is out of control.
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How Must We Live In The In
Its vital that we study Scripture and apply its principles to our daily lives. We are to remain firm and steadfast in our faith in all seasons, even if it costs us persecution and rejection.
Time is ticking. Christ could return at any moment. Lets use our gifts to further the Body and spread the Gospel, all for the sake of preparing this world for the coming of our King.
God is not coming for a lukewarm Bride or a systematic, legalistic churchone that looks clean on the outside but is filthy on the inside. Rather, He is coming for a Bride that is pure and on fire for Him . We are to be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected .
1 Thessalonians 5:2,6-8 reminds us of the importance of staying awake and alert:
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
Lets be a voice for Christ and stay informed on global and national current events, viewing them from Gods perspective. Matthew 24:32-33 illustrations why its important to remain aware:
Lastly, we are to endure until the end, because Matthew 24:13 says, But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Is God Calling You
Much more could be said about predestination and election, about the Five Points of Calvinism, and about many of the creeds and confessions of Christendom, but, hopefully, the contents of this booklet will be sufficient to show you that many traditional and widely accepted views simply do not agree with the plain texts of Scripture. Hopefully, you now know for certain that God’s will-His desire-is that all come to repentance and accept His provisions for salvation.
That means you, too!
If you have not yet made a commitment to God if you have not yet repented of your sins and turned to God through Jesus Christ, asking for forgiveness for all your past sins if you have not yet been baptized by immersion and received the laying-on-of-hands, as God’s Word commands, then it’s high time that you seriously consider the contents of this booklet.
But is God calling you at this time? How can you know for sure?
The answer is simple: It is a mistake to assume that God is not calling you! Rather than think that God may not be calling you, be thankful that you are being invited to receive the salvation He wants to give you-and make sure you don’t fail to respond to the invitation!
You can be a member of the elect body. You can fulfill your destiny, which is the proper destiny of all humankind: eternal life in the Kingdom of God!
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The Five Points Of Calvinism
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Calvinist document. It upholds the well-known “Five Points of Calvinism,” or five points expounded by the Synod of Dort in response to the views of Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius . The Five Points of Calvinism are easily remembered through the acronym tulip, which stands for: Total depravity Unconditional divine election Limitation of the atonement Irresistibility of divine grace and Perseverance in grace to the end.
These five points are crucial to the Calvinist view of predestination and election. In summary, they mean that all human beings are so corrupt that they can do nothing toward their own salvation that salvation is not open to all, but is granted only to those God elected from the foundation of the world that the election of individuals is not in any way dependent upon the character or works of those elected, but is solely the result of God’s sovereign will that the elect are drawn to God through irresistible grace and that loss of salvation is not possible.
Both John Calvin and Martin Luther drew heavily from the views of Augustine of Hippo , whose concepts of predestination and election were to some extent formed in defense against Pelagianism, a system that overestimated the role of the human will in salvation. Unfortunately, Augustine went too far in the opposite direction. The Five Points of Calvinism are rooted in Augustinian theology.
What Is The Eternal Destiny Of Those Who Have Never Heard Of Christ
apologiaWhat is the difference between a blind, deaf and rebellious person in a remote jungle and a blind, deaf, rebellious man in one of the most Christian cities and nations in the world who is given the Bible to read?For by it the men of old gained approvalhasfrom every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languagesyou
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In the word of God, there is often talk of God’s promises and destiny. God’s sovereignty reigns supreme in the universe. All of God’s promises will be fulfilled one day.
God prepared you to be where you are today. God has plans to prosper you for where you are going. You are here to serve God’s purpose. For all of God’s children, He has predestined us for adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself.
The Spirit of God is in the world, guiding us to where we are supposed to be. But our roads are often riddled with false prophets. We must discern between the truth and fiction to learn of the Lord’s plan.
Prayer requests: If you have any prayer requests, reach out to us at [email protected]. We’d love to stand with you in prayer.
God plans for welfare for His children. If we remain holy and blameless, we will find our path with God. In today’s Bible study, we will walk through Bible Scriptures about destiny.
Destiny : The Christian View About Destiny
Austen C. Ukachi
Austen C. Ukachi
The Christian theology is in support of a divine destiny. That is, God has a predetermined plan for each one of his children. For instance, God said to Jeremiah, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born I sanctified you I ordained you a prophet to the nations . This presupposes that God had a pre-determined plan for Jeremiah and for every child of His. This view also implies that the birth of a Christian is not an accident, but pre-planned for the purpose of God.
The statement by the Psalmist in Psalm 139:15, 16 further supports this position. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, And skilfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Freedom Of ChoiceThe Christian view of destiny also acknowledges that man was created with the ability to make moral choices and decisions. Man is responsible for his choices and decisions. For example, the fall of man at Eden was not predetermined by God. Adam and Eve made their choice to disobey God. In Dt. 30:15, 19 God gave to Israel a clear choice to make and advised her to choose life. Man lives with the consequences of whatever choices he makes.
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Who Are The Predestined
Indeed, the Bible does speak of predestination. The term predestined is found four times in two of Paul’s epistles. Here’s what the inspired apostle said about this subject:
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called whom He called, these He also justified and whom He justified, these He also glorified .
At first glance, one might think that the above passages are in full agreement with the Westminster Confession of Faith. But a careful study of all biblical passages on the divine plan of salvation reveals that the authors of the Confession have wrongly interpreted the above scriptures.
The term predestination means “to mark out beforehand,” and refers to the plan and goal of salvation itself, not to specific individuals. It should be understood in the corporate sense, rather than in the sense that each individual was predestined to either eternal life or eternal condemnation.
Judahs Kings Crowned On A Unique Pillar
Why would Jeremiah have brought this mysterious stone all the way to Ireland unless it had profound significance? Is it possible that Lia-Fail was the very pillar-stone associated with the coronation of all the kings of ancient Judahand was thus central to Jeremiahs divine commission to build and plant ?
In II Chronicles 23:13, it says Joash stood at his pillar. But both accounts are poorly translated. The words by and at are the same Hebrew preposition, which is frequently translated on or upon. Moreover, in II Kings 11, the definite article is usedJoash stood on the pillar. In II Chronicles, the text reads, stood on his pillar. Thus, it was not just any pillar, but the pillarone set apart for this purpose.
Notice that it was apparently routine to crown kings on this stone the KJV reads, as the manner was .
In a related example, King Josiahknown for his many righteous reformspledged before all the people to follow Gods way as revealed in the book of the covenant. He did so standing upon the pillar (as per the
But was this coronation pillar the future Stone of Destinythe esteemed Lia-Fail of Ireland? Was it the stone of Jacobthe one he anointed at Bethel? If so, what makes it so special?
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