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An Examination of Calvinism and How It Has Influenced Us August 6

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An Examination of Calvinism and How It Has Influenced Us August 6 An Examination Of Calvinism and How It Has Influenced Us August 6-9, 2012 Alpharetta, Georgia Hosted by Allan Turner ! 2 Table of Contents God’s Sovereignty By Allen Dvorak………………………………………………………… 5 Man’s Free Will By David Norfleet………………………………………………………. 25 The Foreknowledge of God By Marc Gibson………………………………………………………… 39 Does the Bible Teach Salvation “By Grace Through Faith” Or “By Law Through Works,” and What Is the Difference? by Kent Berman………………………………………………………… 59 What Does the Bible Really Teach about Predestination? By Allan Turner…………………………………………………………. 69 Who are the Elect, and Why? by Dan Chaney…………………………………………………………. 77 “Blessed Assurance”: What Does the Bible Really Teach about the Perseverance of the Saints? by Paul Ayres……………………………………………………………. 93 What Does the Bible Mean When It says that God Is “For Us”? by Allan Turner…………………………………………………………..101 The Impact of Calvinism on the Lord’s Church by Chris Reeves…………………………………………………………109 A New Development in Realized Eschatology: Examining the Theology of Kurt M. Simmons by Allan Turner…………………………………………………………..133 ! 3 ! 4 God’s Sovereignty By Allen Dvorak “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner…” (Matthew 20:1). Jesus told a parable about a landowner who hired laborers for his vineyard. Some were hired early in the day, others later in the day and still others even later. When the time came for the workers to be paid, the landowner gave all of them the same wage. Those who had worked the longest complained at the unfairness they perceived in his action, but the landowner asserted his right to do what he pleased with what was his: “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?” In the words of the landowner we see an indirect affirmation of the sovereignty of God, the Creator. Atheists obviously do not acknowledge the sovereignty of God (except for the sake of argument in order to deny His existence!) inasmuch as they do not even admit His existence, but with few exceptions, individuals associated with Christianity accept the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. Although some might have a skewed view of divine sovereignty, it seems that all at least pay “lip-service” to this truth. A good definition is often “half the battle” and such is the case with the concept of sovereignty. The basic meaning of sovereignty is not difficult to understand. We understand that a sovereign (noun) is simply a ruler who has “supreme power or authority,” a definition of sovereignty. A sovereign (adjective) nation is one that has power over its own affairs, i.e., has “freedom from external control: autonomy.”1 Norman Geisler comments that “sovereignty means ‘what a sovereign has,’ namely control over his kingdom. God’s sovereignty – the idea that God is in control of the whole universe – is a doctrine clearly taught in the Bible.”2 In his brief article for the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, H. B. Kuhn states that “the term ‘sovereignty’ connotes a situation in which a person, from his innate dignity, exercises supreme power, with no areas of his province outside his jurisdiction. A ‘sovereign’ is one who enjoys full autonomy, allowing no rival immunities.”3 Bob Deffinbaugh writes, “The meaning of sovereignty could be summed up in this way: To be sovereign is to possess supreme power and authority so that one is in complete control and can accomplish whatever he pleases.”4 Richard Strauss comments, “The dictionaries tell us that sovereign means chief or highest, supreme in power, superior in position, independent of and unlimited by anyone else.”5 It should be noted that not everyone accepts these definitions of a sovereign. For instance, Bruce Reichenbach gives a different view of sovereignty: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 “Sovereignty.” Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. 2 Geisler, Chosen But Free, 13. 3 “Sovereignty of God,” ZPEB, Vol. 5, 498. 4 Deffinbaugh, 1. 5 Richard Strauss, The Joy of Knowing God. (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984), 118. Cited by Bob Deffinbaugh. ! 5 The sovereign also has power, with or without limitations. The relation of the sovereign to the fundamental laws and the source of the sovereign’s authority help determine the kind of powers the sovereign has, what their limits are, and to what extent they may be employed. If there are certain necessary laws, the sovereign’s power is determined and limited by these laws. If the power of the sovereign is derived from the consent of the governed, then his power will be limited by the governed, whose consent may be withdrawn under certain circumstances. Historically, unauthorized taxations and military conscription are examples of such circumstances.6 In human experience, every sovereign is limited in his authority by the amount of territory s/he can practically control. Although a sovereign may have virtually absolute authority within his domain, he may, by contrast, have practically no authority or influence outside of that domain. Webster even includes this fact within one definition of sovereign, i.e., “one who exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere.”7 Divine sovereignty, of course, refers to the power or authority of God over all of His creation. Unlike human sovereigns, God is not limited in either His power or authority by His own nature or the dominance of others, as will be seen in the various assertions of divine sovereignty in Scripture. Geisler summarizes his understanding of divine sovereignty as follows: “A God who is before all things, beyond all things, creates all things, upholds all things, knows all things, and can do all things is also in control of all things. This complete control is called the sovereignty of God.”8 Kuhn notes further: “As applied to God, the term ‘sovereignty’ indicates His complete power over all of creation, so that He exercises His will absolutely, without any necessary conditioning by a finite will or wills. The term does not occur in Scripture, although the idea is abundantly implied.”9 Verbal Affirmations of Divine Sovereignty It is probably an exaggeration to say that God’s sovereignty is asserted on virtually every page of Scripture, but the concept is woven so completely throughout the Scriptures that such a statement is not far from the mark. Consider these direct statements, affirming God’s sovereignty: Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. (Deuteronomy 4:39; Moses)10 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6 “God Limits His Power,” in Predestination and Free Will, 105. 7 Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. 8 Geisler, Chosen But Free, 26. 9 ZPEB, Vol. 5, 498. 10 Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. ! 6 2 No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God…6 The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. 8 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He has set the world upon them. (1 Samuel 2:2, 6-8; Hannah’s song) Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.” (2 Kings 19:15-19; Hezekiah’s prayer) Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. (1 Chronicles 29:11-12; David’s benediction) Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” (2 Chronicles 20:5-6; Jehoshaphat) If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, “What are You doing?” (Job 9:12) 14 With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding. If He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt; If He imprisons a man, there can be no 15 release. If He withholds the waters, they dry up; If He sends them out, they 16 overwhelm the earth. With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the 17 deceiver are His.
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