Who Possesses Salvation

Salvation belongs to the Lord;    your blessing be on your people! 

Salvation is possessed by God.  He is the owner of it, He distributes it as He pleases, He is liberal with that distribution of salvation.  It is not something we own, it is not something we distribute, it is not for us to horde.

Yes, I hear the objections already.  "BUT, it's now mine.  God gave me my regeneration!"  I would urge you, if you have this objection or one similar to read that quote from Psalm 3 again.  The plain text says Salvation belongs to the Lord.

Our Heavenly Father dispenses salvation through a variety of means:  baptism, hearing The Word, and at The Lord's Table.  It is He who keeps it and gives it to us.  It is why we never outgrow our need for the Gospel, it is the milk that we yearn for like newborn babes with childlike faith.

Are you fearful because of Psalm 3?  Does that make you uncomfortable?  I hope it does if you believe salvation is your possession.  Why do I hope you are uncomfortable with those words?  Because it means you know what they are saying is true.  When you wrestle with God over scripture's plain reading, you and God both win.  You get each other in the end.

Here is the promise of God in dispensing His salvation:

For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Cling to that!

Syllogisms and Sillyisms

Logic and reason.  Plato and Aristotle.  Men esteemed by many followers of Jesus.  So esteemed that they give these pagan philosophers weight to interpret God's Holy Word.  Are logic and reason the keys to God's Word and understanding? 


We cannot abandon logic and reason, but it must be subject to scripture.  Many believers have placed scripture in subjection to logic and reason.  That is a horrifying error.  


Logic 1o1, one can have a valid or invalid syllogism.  The truth contained in a syllogism is not related to it's validity.  In other words, you can have a valid argument that contains untruth. A syllogism that is valid does not assure us of truth.  Here is the formula for a syllogism:  IfP, then Q.  If Q, then R.  Therefore, if P, then R.

Example:
If it rains, we will not go on a picnic.
If we don't have a picnic, we will not need a basket for our picnic.
Therefore, if it rains, then we will not need our picnic basket.

Example:
Roman Catholic Church teaches truth.
The protestants are opposed to the Roman Catholic Church.
Therefore, Protestants taught lies.


That is the argument used by Sir Thomas More, while he was Lord Chancellor for King Henry VIII.  It is not a valid argument.  Do you see why?  


There is a strong love among the Calvinists for pagan philosophy.  It also exists in Roman Catholicism.  You can hear it in their arguments when you listen closely.  Both streams of thought, even though they differ theologically, rely heavily on pagan philosophers to get to where they want to go.


Here is an example of what I hear among Calvinists:


Jesus died only for the sheep.
If the sheep are all believers, the goats are all unbelievers.
Therefore, if Jesus only died for the sheep, the goats are undied for.


The doctrine of TULIP is heavily influenced by syllogisms which must ignore scripture.  Nowhere does scripture teach that Jesus died ONLY for the sheep.  The word "only" is out of place, it is not in scripture, and the sheep and goats image is only used in scripture by Jesus on judgment day.  The whole argument is untrue because of four letters:  only.  


Read scripture carefully and let the Holy Spirit defend it and teach it. He will guide you into all truth, as He promised.  Pagan philosophers can err; the Holy Spirit cannot.

Training Soldiers

One's view of the sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper, shows itself in how one reads scripture. For instance, when one views baptism as merely an entrance into the covenant, all kinds of equivocation takes place surrounded verses that talk about the efficacy of baptism.

Abraham Kuyper is a name easily recognized among Calvinists. He is highly regarded and well-respected as a reformed theologian. Recently, I heard this quote from Abraham Kuyper, "The children of believers are to be considered as recipients of efficacious grace in whom the work of efficacious grace has already begun. And that when dying before having attained to years of discretion they can only be regarded as saved. Of course, Calvinists never declared that these things were necessarily so as they never permitted themselves to pronounce official judgment on the inward state of an adult but left the judgment to God. So they have never ususrped the right to pronounce on the presence or absence of spiritual life of infants."

Compare that quote against what scripture says about baptism, that it confers salvation, new life, makes disciples,forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the promise of resurrection, to name the promises.

I also found this catechism for Calvinists regarding infant baptism. It is full of equivocations. The very first question is about whether an infant is part of the covenant of grace.

Question 1. Are Infants of believers included in the Covenant of GraceAnswer: Yes, children are included in the Covenant of Grace, and the visible church."

What is the covenant of grace they are talking about? The catechism is stating that is it for entrance into the visible church. Did Jesus institute a covenant for entrance into the visible church?

This is the covenant Jesus instituted.

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.

~Luke 22:19-21

Today in Sunday School we asked young children how one knows that Jesus loves them. One little boy said, "When the pastor puts water on our foreheads, we know we belong to Jesus."

Out of the mouths of babes comes the straightforward answer. There was no hedging the bet, there was no equivocation by adding "baptized into the covenant of the visible church". This little boy's yes was yes!

And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.

~Matthew 5:36-37

Jesus, Lord of All

Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

John 6:32-33

He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.

John 3:31

These few verses verify that Jesus is Lord of all. Jesus tells us that He came from above in John 6. Then in John 3 He tells us that He is above all. To say that Jesus is not Lord of all is to deny that He is God.

Lordship salvation teaches that we must "make Jesus Lord of our life." What surprises me is that this teaching comes from a Calvinist camp. Some, not all Calvinists, tell you you must make Jesus your Lord after you are saved. How is this any different from the non-Calvinists who tell you that you must decide and ask Jesus into your heart? It is a teaching that turns Calvinists into non-Calvinists, denying the sovereignty of God.

that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

John 5:23

I am the LORD, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Isaiah 45:5-6

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
"I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.

Isaiah 44:6

These three sections of scripture tell us that if we deny Jesus, we deny the Father, that there is no other God, that God is the Redeemer. Jesus is indeed Lord of all. Amen.

It is foreign to my ears to hear Calvinists denying God's sovereignty in salvation. Writing this is almost the same arguments used against those who deny Jesus' deity. I reject Lordship salvation as non-Christian teaching. Is it a result of having faith in their faith, rather than knowing that faith is properly placed in Jesus? Or a result of needing to look at works for assurance? Or a result of the limited atonement that puts Calvinists in the awful position of having to look at creation rather than the Creator dying for us? In any case, Lordship Salvation is problematic.

If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.

Calvinism's Assurance Ministry

When I was a full-fledged Calvinist, volunteering my time in an online apologetic website by proofreading and helping in the chatroom, I was often having to assure other Calvinists of their salvation. The first thing I would remind them was how much they hate their sin as a sign of their faith. This pattern was repeated over and over many times.

For awhile, I thought because of this I should go into Nouthetic Counseling. People would turn to me, seeking assurance. Then I was awakened to the truth of Limited Atonement.

If Jesus died only for a few people, then the natural question to ask is, "Did He die for me?" Being unable to look at Jesus on the cross saying, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do," as universal atonement, one had to look elsewhere. So, you start examining your own inward thoughts. What a way to plummet to the depths of despair!

The human heart is so wicked we cannot even know our own hearts, let alone the heart of another person. It is better to trust in the words of Jesus than it is to look within ourselves. Jesus is God, and He never lies. Scripture says He died for the whole world. His death, burial, and resurrection was generous to the point of saving all if one receives this free gift.

Calvinists, stop looking within for faith and trust in Jesus' finished work on the cross.