Wkly Bible Study for Dial-Up/Broadband, Jan 27, 2014

The Doctrine of the Theology of the plan of God.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

The Doctrine of the Theology of the plan of God.


OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

The Doctrine of the Theology of the plan of God.

I am communicating doctrine, I am not lying, my conscious bearing joint testimony with me in the Holy Spirit, but I have a great sorrow and constant pain in my right lobe, so I could wish that I myself would be accursed. Consequently, separated from Christ, but it cannot be, for the sake of, or on behalf of my brethren, the racial Jews. My fellow countrymen, national Jews. According to earthly descent, Who are Israelites, to whom is the adoption and as sons and the glory [that is the shekinah glory], and the covenants [or as wee will sees the unconditional covenants] and the gift of the law, and the worship of the true God, and the promises, which is of course, the manifestation of the integrity of God. Who are Israelites, to whom is the adoption, and the shekinah glory, and the covenants [and by now you know what those covenants are in some detail] and the deposit of the law, and the temple service [which means the service of God in the temples] and the promises, From whom [the Jews or Israelites] are the fathers, [the regenerate ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob], in fact, from whom is The Christ, the One who came in the flesh, the One who is God, ruler over all, extolled, praised, eulogized forever, Amen. However, this [the rejection of the Jews concerning their spiritual heritage] this [rejection] is not to imply as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; neither are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "through Isaac your descendants will be named." That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is a word of promise: "At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son." And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. (ROM 9:1-16).

This may seem to some people that God is unfair, and that He violates free will. Nothing could be further from the truth. Before we can go on in Romans 9, we need to understand the doctrine of the Theology of God's Perfect Plan. This doctrine explains why we were created, and why we are left here on earth after we have personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It explains the real meaning of life.

Point one. Definition and Description.

The word theology comes from two Greek words, theo and logia, which means the study of God. Christian theology is simply an attempt to understand God as He is revealed in the Bible. No theology will ever fully explain God and His ways because God is infinitely and eternally higher than we are. Therefore, any attempt to describe Him will fall short.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (ROM 11:33)

Have you ever seen anything like the extravagant generosity and riches of God? His wisdom, and the mystery of His will, His ways are way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can really explain God? Is there anyone smart enough to tell Him what to do? Everything comes from Him, everything happens through Him.

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect or the mature status quo. For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. (ROM 12:1-3)

Stop thinking of self in terms of arrogance beyond what you ought to think, but think in terms of sanity for the purpose of being rational, and without illusions about yourself. To be conformed to this world refers to thought conformation, which is thinking human viewpoint. It has nothing to do with how you conduct your social life, how you dress or look. Transformation starts with what you think, and your renovation of thought, changing from human viewpoint to divine viewpoint. When we think of ourselves in terms of arrogance we only hurt ourselves. Everyone has some form of rationality, but it is usually related to an illusion of unrealistic expectations. The standard of thinking that we all need comes from doctrine. You have to learn doctrine in order to think divine viewpoint. Bible doctrine in the soul causes the believer to think in terms of common sense. This gives you rational divine viewpoint into your daily life, and you avoid living, and thinking, in the cosmic system. Doctrine in the soul replaces human viewpoint with divine viewpoint. As this happens, a new mental attitude is formed in the mind. Mental attitude is everything, it is the capacity for life.

Knowing about God is the most important knowledge to have. The study of theology is digging into God's Word to discover what He has revealed about Himself, His plans and His desires for us. When we do this, we come to know Him as Creator, Sustainer, and Judge of all things; The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. To study theology is to get to know God, in order that we may glorify Him through our love, honor and respect, revealed by our obedience to Him and His plan for our lives. For we know that the Lord Jesus Christ not only controls human history, but the entire universe.

Point 2. The Essence of God Is Necessary to Understand the Theology of God’s Perfect Plan.

God is perfectly motivated, He has perfect rational, and God has never performed any deed of any kind that was not absolutely, totally and completely perfect in keeping with His perfect mentality, as well as His perfect motivation. That includes you and your life. No matter how things may appear in this life, no matter what you are going through personally, He has everything under control.

God exists in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and each person has identical attributes and qualities. Each member of the Godhead has the same amount of Sovereignty, Eternal life, Holiness, Integrity, Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and Immutability. They are co-equal and co-eternal. When they are regarded from the standpoint of their essence, God is said to be One. They are One in essence because each One has identical essence, and there was never a time in eternity past when this status quo did not exist.

The members of the Godhead perform certain functions. The first person of the Trinity is called the Father because He is the author of the divine plan for the human race. He is the One who is said to be sending the Son, and sending the Spirit. The second person is called the Son, because He is obedient to the Father, in the function of the divine plan, whether it is functioning as the Shekinah Glory in the presence of Israel in the Old Testament, or in Hypostatic-union in the New Testament. The third person of the Trinity is called God the Holy Spirit because He is never visible, never seen. His purpose is to reveal and glorify the Son in the dispensation of the Church-age. He performs certain dynamics and certain functions through indwelling, through the baptism of the Spirit, and through the sealing of the Spirit. Other various functions are assigned to God the Holy Spirit throughout the Word of God.

Do you see how awesome our God is? How can we ever be concerned about what mere man can do to us? "Behold, Thou hast made my days {as} handbreadths [width of my hand], And my lifetime as nothing in Thy sight, Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah [rest on that]. Surely every man walks about as a phantom; Surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses {riches}, and does not know who will gather them (PSA 39:5b-6). Yet, people still don't have time to learn, and get to know the God Who is sovereign and above all.

In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can {mere} man do to me? (PSA 56:4)

It's important to understand that there are passages in the word of God which definitely refer to, and teach, the Trinity. "Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together. Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves him; he shall carry out His good pleasure on Babylon, And His arm {shall be against} the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have called him, I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful. Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit" (ISA 48:12-16)

Does Isaiah 48:16 relate to the Trinity? Well, the first thing we want to do is find out who it is speaking back in verse 12. "Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last." Who is the first and the last, or the Alpha and Omega of Revelation? And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last" (REV 1:17). So we know who the speaker is; Jesus Christ, the Creator.

"Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit." (ISA 48:16)

There you have the whole Trinity. The Lord God, Yahweh, and the Holy Spirit. It's very important for us to uphold the doctrine of the Trinity. To deny the existence of the Trinity is a very serious doctrinal error in theology. There are many that deny the trinity, for example: Mormonism, Latter-day Saints, believe that God was once a man, but became God, and that men have the potential to become gods as well. The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God is one person, Jehovah, and that Jesus was His first creation. They believe He is higher than the angels, but inferior to God. Christian Science believes that God is life, truth and love, and that Jesus, though not God, is the Son of God. Unification Church adherents believe that His mission on earth was not completed, and will be fulfilled through Sun yung Moon. To deny the Trinity means that you are either denying the existence of God the Father, the unique existence of the Son, or the unique existence of the Holy Spirit. To deny any of those is the ultimate in heresy.

Other passages you need to note: And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, {and} coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased" (MAT 3:16-17). All of them are there, present at the same time at the same scene.

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. (ROM 8:9)

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. (1CO 12:4-6)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. (2CO 13:14)

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (EPH 4:4-6)

According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure. (1PE 1:2)

In the language of the New Testament we have theos, used generally for the Father; pneuma, generally used for God the Holy Spirit; and Iesous Christos, used for the Son, and with that we also have Kurios as His title of royalty, battlefield royalty, His third title of royalty. None of the uses of the name of God, whether in the Old or the New Testament, in any way conflict with the concept of the unity and equality of the Godhead, or the oneness of God, nor the distinction of persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son and the Spirit. The Bible does not seek to prove the existence of God; it simply assumes it to be true. In fact, the Bible teaches that only the fool denies the existence of God. The fool has said in his heart, There is no God.” (PSA 14:1). The Bible does clearly reveal that there are three to whom all the attributes of divine essence apply. Therefore, to deny the existence of the three members of the Trinity is to deny the credibility of scripture itself.

We must first of all recognize that man has certain limitations in dealing with the subject of God. There are only three ways that we learn things; three systems of perception: 1) Rationalism. 2) Empiricism. 3) Faith. Everything that you have learned in life has been through one of these systems of perception. Rationalism simply means that the mind and the IQ are the criterion for reality. This is perception through reason. Empiricism brings the sensory system into the picture, or perception through observation and experimentation. This is the scientific method. Reality in empiricism is what you smell, see, hear, taste, or feel. Faith is the means of perception which accepts an established truth as the basis of reality. To operate in faith there must be confidence or belief in the authority and truth of another. This doctrine of the Theology of God’s Perfect Plan by either rationalism or empiricism would inevitably result in rejection.

Who would you like to have plan your life? You say, you want to plan your own life, but you can’t really do that, because we don’t know what the future holds, and there’s no way we can plan for all the contingencies that may come our way. In some cultures, the parents plan out their children’s lives, in other cultures the government plans a person’s life. However, what if the all-good, all-loving, all-wise, wonderful God offered to plan your life for you. Well, God has!

How can you love someone unless you know them? Obviously you can’t. Therefore, knowing the characteristics of God will increase your love for Him. His sovereignty, eternal life, holiness, integrity, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, and immutability. So, God is sovereign, God is supreme in rule, and He has authority over all things. There is no higher authority in the universe than God.

The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts. He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor; For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, And He set the world on them (1SA 2:6-8).

God is king of heaven and earth, eternal, infinite, and self-determining.

“Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’” (ISA 46:10)

The sovereign will of God for mankind is expressed entirely in one verse in the Bible, He desires all men to be saved and to come unto the epignosis knowledge of the truth (1TI 2:4). The very fact that all men are not saved, and that all believers do not come unto the epignosis knowledge of the truth reveals that although God is sovereign He will not violate or coerce human volition. This is a vital principle in recognizing Romans 9-11.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service, Sunday, Jan 26, 2014

This week’s sermon title:
The importance of the belt or the girdle of truth and the
breastplate of righteousness for the Christian Soldier. Part 4.

Today’s Sermon Message:
The importance of the belt or the girdle of truth and the
breastplate of righteousness for the Christian Soldier. Part 4.

Video & Audio

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME!!

# # # # # # # #

from - Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for joining us for today’s worship service. Please enjoy the music before you watch and|or listen to today’s message.

TIP to enlarge the print hold down the “Ctrl” key on your key board, while it is being held down, move your mouse forward until the desired print size is just right for you. To return to normal screen size, reverse the process (some will see a % in the lower right corner of your screen, normal is 100%)

The lyrics have been provided so you can sing along with the artist in your mind and soul; imagine that the artist’s voice is your voice. I’m not a very good singer myself so I often get the lyrics for some of my favorites and sing along in my mind and soul, this way it’s as if I’m doing the singing to the Lord; try it.

Hymn #1

I Stand In Awe of You – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Hymn #2

In The Garden – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately to God the Father.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Lectionary

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) GNB-UK

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) GNB-UK

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) GNB-UK

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Opening Prayer
(Do your best to make it your own – below is a sample prayer)

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will all be richly edified by Your Word today and that You will make what we study today clear to us. We pray that all participants in this service as well as those who review it at a later date will be edified and blessed by today’s message. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our guest Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

Today's Sermon

The importance of the belt or the girdle of truth and the
breastplate of righteousness for the Christian Soldier. Part 4.

TO VIEW THE SERMON: Right click the link above, a small window will open then left click either “Open in New Window” or “Open in New Tab” and the church service notes page will open, it has three options in the upper right side of the page, right click the link titled “download mp3” and just like before, select either Open New Window or Open New Tab to open the MP3 player, this will leave the notes page open so you can move back to it, so go back to the notes page to follow along in the notes, the streaming audio should begin automatically in your default audio/video player (like, Windows Media Player).

If you need to leave the service, when you come back, to move the MP3 player forward, press and hold the left click down on the player progress bar where you see the little arrow under the time on progress bar and move your mouse forward

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

If you wish to use it, right click the link and in the drop-down box, left click the "Open Link in New Window"; when the new window opens, reduce the window size of both the on-line bible and the slideshow and configure them to be side-by-side. Also, the window opens to John 3:16, click the word “more” below the verse, you will then see two online bible columns, Use the column on the left as it is set for the NASB95, at the top of the column where you see John 3:16 in the search box, type the book and verse the Pastor asks you to go to a particular Bible verse, e.g., 1tim 5:21, or eph 3:10, etc., then click “Enter” on your key board. You can use the “right column” if you wish for a different bible version but you’ll need to type in the verse you want each time as I directed you for the column on the left side.

Hymn #3

It Is Well – Lyrics in Video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

CLOSING PRAYER:
(Again, below is a sample prayer, do your best to make it your own)

Heavenly Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will make what I’ve learned today clear to me, for I pray this in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

If you have any questions that are pertinent about today’s message, please don’t hesitate to ask, you are welcome to ask them via a private message or by a reply in today’s post. However, sometimes questions can be real short but require a much longer answer in order to give an adequate answer. If I don’t think that the question is able to be answered quickly I’ll reply back telling you that I’ll research it and get to you with the answer (it may even be a few days as I’m a little slower than I used to be). Please don’t let what I’ve just said make you hesitate to ask questions.

I want to thank all of you who have attended this Sunday service as well as those who will view it at a later time or date.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can instantly receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Wkly Bible Study for Dial-Up/Broadband, Jan 20, 2014

God never elected anyone to the Lake of Fire.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

God never elected anyone to the Lake of Fire.


OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

God never elected anyone to the Lake of Fire.

We are studying Romans 9-11 which contains some of the most advanced and difficult material in the entire Bible. We are heading into a section of the Bible that some say teaches a doctrine called hyper-Calvinism or double pre-destination, which is an attack on the character and nature of our God. Because we are in difficult territory, we need to be properly prepared. The idea is to be sure we are firm in our doctrine, clear about what the Bible says about election and predestination these vital subjects in our spiritual life.

Once we are equipped properly, we can enjoy some of this fantastic journey with Paul in Romans 9.

Both election and predestination pertain to the sovereign will of God concerning believers. God is sovereign. Sovereignty means that God is supreme in rule, and has authority over all things, and that nothing happens without His consent. Both predestination and election relate to the sovereign will of God toward believers. Predestination and election have nothing to do with the unbeliever. It doesn’t mean that God does not love the unbeliever, He does, with impersonal unconditional love. It doesn’t mean that God does not have a plan or a will for the unbeliever, He does. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved [will of God for the unbeliever] and to come to the knowledge of the truth [will of God for the believer](1TI 2:3-4).

Predestination is the grace provision of the sovereignty of God for each believer in eternity past, providing everything needed to execute God’s will, plan, and purpose for the believer’s life. Predestination is synonymous with the PPOG (pre-determined plan of God) for the Church-age believer. This is God’s unique plan designed in eternity past for each believer, and includes their personal sense of destiny. God has provided the believer everything needed to execute His plan for their life. Predestination as the unique grace provision for the believer includes the two power options of the filling of the Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine, as well as the believer’s escrow account.

Election is the expression of the sovereign will of God under the principle of equal privilege accomplished for the believer by God in eternity past. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love (EPH 1:4). Under election, God wills His highest and best for every believer. Each believer has equal privilege and equal opportunity to glorify God in the angelic conflict. Again, election and predestination pertain to believers only. God does not predestine anyone to the Lake of Fire. There is no verse in the Bible that says the unbeliever was elected to hell. The Bible never states that God elects anyone to the Lake of Fire. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1PE 2:9-10)

We are called to royalty; called to be a people for God’s own possession. We are called to step into God’s marvelous light; called to His kingdom and glory. He call us so that we might proclaim His excellencies and He will be glorified. We are called so that we might gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to be objects of maximum grace. He gives, we benefit, He gets the glory. Who [God] has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2TI 1:9-10).

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (GAL 5:13)

God has called us to freedom.

God has called us to sanctification (1TH 4:7).

God has called us to peace (1CO 7:15, COL3:15).

God has called us to a great hope (EPH 4:4).

God has called us to glory (2PE 1:3, ROM 8:30).

God has called us to join one Body (COL 3:15).

God has called us to suffer and patiently endure it so as to walk in the footsteps of Christ (1PE 2:20-21).

God has called us to inherit a blessing (1PE 3:9).

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; (ROM 8:28-29). Nothing about hell here. This means that the believer was in the mind of God in eternity past! Billions and billions of years ago, God was thought about you. God knows all about you! Under the doctrine of election, He wants you to have the very best of everything! He wants you to have the highest possible happiness! Only you, with your negative volition toward doctrine, can hinder that personal desire from the sovereignty of God! The foreknowledge of God does not make things happen; the foreknowledge of God merely perceives what is certain to occur. And these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified (ROM 8:30).

Election, along with foreknowledge, predestination, justification, and glorification, all belong only to the believer. We also have to note the subject of free will. God decreed in eternity past that every human being shall be a free person. God never tampers with free-will. The results of man's decisions do and will exist! God does not tamper with your decisions or the effects of your decisions but, God does provide for you the doctrine necessary to meet any situation in life when it occurs. God does not coerce your free-will, however, He does influence your volition through circumstances. God knows how you would respond in any situation, and if He desires to bring in a situation which will cause a negative reaction on your part, and then in turn bring glory to Himself, He has the right to do so!

This brings us to the principle of the potter and the clay! This passage refers to the fact that it is the potter's wheel of authority that shapes the life of everyone, apart from being born again and growing in grace. ROM 9:14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth." You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?" On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use? (ROM 9:14-21).

The point is that the sovereignty of God and free will of man coexist in human history. God has provided His authority and authority He has delegated so that you can steer through life with virtue from humility and have a marvelous life. Whether a person becomes a vessel of honor or dishonor depends upon the function of his own volition with regard to divine authority. God provides a potter's wheel, which is legitimate authority in life, and whether a person becomes a vessel of honor or dishonor depends on the function of his own volition and attitude toward authority. God has delegated authority in life so that the basis of virtue, humility, can be attained.

We need to look at a few more points on election, because they are so important to have at your fingertips when studying Romans 9. The mechanics for the election of the Church is the baptism of the Holy Spirit which occurs at the very moment we believe in Christ. This is one of the forty things we receive at salvation by which each one of us is entered into union with Christ. The election of the Church includes both equal privilege and equal opportunity for every believer. Not only do you have a magnificent destiny under the PPOG, but election says that you have the same privileges and opportunities as all other believers for the execution of that plan. Under election, equal privilege is your Royal priesthood. We all have the privilege of representing ourselves before God. Under election, equal opportunity is logistical grace support and blessing for both winners and losers.

Point 2. There are three elections in history:

a. Israel under the ritual plan of God.

b. Christ under the incarnation plan of God.

c. The church under the pre-designed plan of God.

Israel was elected under the ritual plan of God, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has elected you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” (DEU 7:6).

The Lord Jesus Christ was elected under the incarnation plan of God, “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My elected one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations” (ISA 42:1).

“Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen (elected); My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles.” (MAT 12:18)

Then the Church under the PPOG, And so, as those who have been elected of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; (COL 3:12).

It's very interesting to note that each election brought a new category of species into history: The election of Israel brought in the new racial species, the Jew. This is one of the main reasons why there are problems in Iraq and the Middle East! Then there is the election of Christ which brought in the Hypostatic union (undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever). Jesus Christ is eternal God and therefore different from humanity. Jesus Christ is true humanity and therefore different from eternal God. He had to become true humanity to be our Savior, our great high priest, and our mediator. The election of the Church brought in the new spiritual species, the Church or Royal Family of God. This is called the new creature in the Bible.

Israel was elected under the ritual plan of God. In the Jewish age, the Tribulation, and the Millennium, there is an election of born-again Jews. “And I will give you the treasures of darkness, And hidden wealth of secret places, in order that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. For the sake of Jacob My servant, And Israel My elected one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor Though you have not known Me” (ISA 45:3-4). The election of Israel, as with all elections, applies only to those who have personally believed in Jesus Christ. This is why the Bible For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel." Jesus Christ was very clearly revealed to the Jews in the Old Testament. Therefore, those who believed in Christ had an election and a plan. Wherever you have an election and a plan, that adds up to having a destiny.

As a believer you need to understand the following: The believer was elected in eternity past for the purpose of inheriting blessing. Election is always related to blessing, not to a violation of human volition or free will! For you were elected for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing (1PE 3:9b). The first thing that is obvious about your blessings being deposited in eternity past is that under the principle of election, you could never work for any divine blessing in time. All divine blessings were willed for you by God before you were alive to perform any good deed!

Worthy of praise and glorification be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, [He blessed us] just as He elected us in Him before the foundation of the world, (EPH 1:3-4).

Long before you existed, your blessings were designed just for you! This means that we are not blessed by personality improvement, by morality, by self-sacrifice or by Christian service. This wealth was deposited in eternity past for those believers who reach the point of maturity and who are consistent and have proper motivation from metabolized doctrine. It is God’s desire that every one of us will have His highest and best! God is an optimist and He always thinks in terms of the best. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make His calling and electing you sure [a spiritual reality]; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; (2PE 1:10). Why would we ever have to make His calling us and electing us sure if election meant that God chooses you and your free will has nothing to do with it? What part of election are we to make sure if all that election means is salvation? Are we to try and keep ourselves saved? That's impossible! (JOH 5:24; ROM 8:1). JOH 10:28 says “and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.”

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling [His electing you], what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (EPH 1:18)

So the question again: Why would we ever have to make His calling us and electing us sure if election meant that God chooses you and your free will has nothing to do with it? The answer is because election has to do with more than salvation. Election has to do with the believer receiving God's highest and best for their life, all that He has elected them to receive. God has provided equal privilege and equal opportunity for that hope to be fulfilled! That's why you need to get to know what the last part of this verse refers to;

“What are the riches (wealth) of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”

When the believer reaches the different stages of spiritual growth, especially maturity, the escrow account opens up and the believer is able to make some withdrawals. The wealth and the blessings given to the believer who becomes a winner also extends to the future.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (EPH 2:4-7)

Notice that these riches, these blessings are from God and His grace in His kindness toward us! He could have just given us salvation and saved us from our sins! Instead, He gives us the opportunity to share in the victory of His Son Jesus Christ!

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service, Sunday, Jan 19, 2014

This week’s sermon title:
The importance of the belt or the girdle of truth and the
breastplate of righteousness for the Christian Soldier. Part 3.

Today’s Sermon Message:
The importance of the belt or the girdle of truth and the
breastplate of righteousness for the Christian Soldier. Part 3.

Video & Audio

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME!!

# # # # # # # #

from - Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for joining us for today’s worship service. Please enjoy the music before you watch and|or listen to today’s message.

TIP to enlarge the print hold down the “Ctrl” key on your key board, while it is being held down, move your mouse forward until the desired print size is just right for you. To return to normal screen size, reverse the process (some will see a % in the lower right corner of your screen, normal is 100%)

The lyrics have been provided so you can sing along with the artist in your mind and soul; imagine that the artist’s voice is your voice. I’m not a very good singer myself so I often get the lyrics for some of my favorites and sing along in my mind and soul, this way it’s as if I’m doing the singing to the Lord; try it.

Hymn #1

In Christ Alone – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Hymn #2

Psalms 5 – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately to God the Father.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Lectionary

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) GNB-UK

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) GNB-UK

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) GNB-UK

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Opening Prayer
(Do your best to make it your own – below is a sample prayer)

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will all be richly edified by Your Word today and that You will make what we study today clear to us. We pray that all participants in this service as well as those who review it at a later date will be edified and blessed by today’s message. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our guest Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

Today's Sermon

The importance of the belt or the girdle of truth and the
breastplate of righteousness for the Christian Soldier. Part 3.

TO VIEW THE SERMON: Right click the link above, a small window will open then left click either “Open in New Window” or “Open in New Tab” and the church service notes page will open, it has three options in the upper right side of the page, right click the link titled “download mp3” and just like before, select either Open New Window or Open New Tab to open the MP3 player, this will leave the notes page open so you can move back to it, so go back to the notes page to follow along in the notes, the streaming audio should begin automatically in your default audio/video player (like, Windows Media Player).

If you need to leave the service, when you come back, to move the MP3 player forward, press and hold the left click down on the player progress bar where you see the little arrow under the time on progress bar and move your mouse forward

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

If you wish to use it, right click the link and in the drop-down box, left click the "Open Link in New Window"; when the new window opens, reduce the window size of both the on-line bible and the slideshow and configure them to be side-by-side. Also, the window opens to John 3:16, click the word “more” below the verse, you will then see two online bible columns, Use the column on the left as it is set for the NASB95, at the top of the column where you see John 3:16 in the search box, type the book and verse the Pastor asks you to go to a particular Bible verse, e.g., 1tim 5:21, or eph 3:10, etc., then click “Enter” on your key board. You can use the “right column” if you wish for a different bible version but you’ll need to type in the verse you want each time as I directed you for the column on the left side.

Hymn #3

I Lift My Hands – Lyrics in Video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

CLOSING PRAYER:
(Again, below is a sample prayer, do your best to make it your own)

Heavenly Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will make what I’ve learned today clear to me, for I pray this in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

If you have any questions that are pertinent about today’s message, please don’t hesitate to ask, you are welcome to ask them via a private message or by a reply in today’s post. However, sometimes questions can be real short but require a much longer answer in order to give an adequate answer. If I don’t think that the question is able to be answered quickly I’ll reply back telling you that I’ll research it and get to you with the answer (it may even be a few days as I’m a little slower than I used to be). Please don’t let what I’ve just said make you hesitate to ask questions.

I want to thank all of you who have attended this Sunday service as well as those who will view it at a later time or date.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can instantly receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Wkly Bible Study for Dial-Up/Broadband, Jan 13, 2014

The plan for the human race from
the eternal and infinite genius of God.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

The plan for the human race from
the eternal and infinite genius of God.


OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

The plan for the human race from the eternal and infinite genius of God.

We are living in a day when human viewpoint thinking is irrational and sloppy; a time when the media is trying to shape and control our thinking. The liberals push for ideas and so-called changes that are nothing more than socialism. Socialism is a system of a centralized government that plans and controls the economy. It is a government that takes from the rich, or those who are successful, and gives to what they deem to be the poor, including those who refuse to work. This is a great tragedy, because you should have the right to think for yourself; the right to make your own decisions. The point is that the only hope for straight thinking, or truth, comes from the Word of God, Bible doctrine which is the divine viewpoint of life. This is simply a reminder that we live in challenging times when evil is put out through television, radio, the internet, and on the printed page. So you have to get your facts from the Word of God because basically man has not changed, time has not changed, and history simply repeats itself. As Solomon said "All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell {it.} The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, 'See this, it is new?' Already it has existed for ages which were before us" (ECC 1:9-10). Through our study of the word, we are able to see the tremendous fallacies and the evil propaganda being put out in these United States, almost unchallenged.

Our main passage in Rom 9 has many excellent applications to these present conditions. One application is the importance of avoiding, at all costs, anti-Semitism. Nothing is more disastrous to a client nation to God. The USA is a client nation to God, and one of our responsibilities is to provide a haven for the Jews. Therefore, the more we understand about the Jews from the Word of God, the more clearly we will see the evil & vicious anti-Semitic propaganda that is found in the history books, in the so-called prestigious educational institutions, and in the media.

I am communicating doctrine, I am not lying, my conscious bearing joint testimony with me in the Holy Spirit, but I have a great sorrow and constant pain in my heart, the right lobe of my soul, so I could wish that I myself would be accursed. Consequently, separated from Christ, but it cannot be, for the sake of, or on behalf of my brethren, the racial Jews. My fellow countrymen, national Jews. According to earthly descent, who are Israelites, to whom is the adoption, and the shekinah glory, and the covenants [by now you know what those covenants are in some detail] and the deposit of the law, and the temple service [which means the service of God in the temples] and the promises, from whom [the Jews or Israelites] are the fathers, [the regenerate ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob], in fact, from whom is The Christ, the One who came in the flesh, the One who is God, ruler over all, extolled, praised, eulogized forever, Amen. However, this [the rejection of the Jews concerning their spiritual heritage] this [rejection] is not to imply as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; (ROM 9:1-6)

God's plan for the Jew in this life is the same as God's plan for the Gentile; that is freedom to hear the gospel, and freedom to except or reject the gospel. The plan of God goes on with the principle of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is not only the Savior, but the God of Israel. However, until Jews believe in Christ, the spiritual condition of the individual Jew is no better than a Gentile or an unbeliever. The only issue in this life is "What do you think about the Lord Jesus Christ" (MAT 22:42). The Apostle Paul said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (ROM 1:16). It is only after salvation through faith in Christ that the plan of God, and the promises of God, for Israel take effect. This is because after faith in Christ the Jew receives the imputation of divine righteousness and eternal life, and therefore is qualified for blessing from God.

Abraham became a Jew at 99, and at that time he was already a spiritually mature believer. Abraham was a Gentile for the first 99 years of his life, at age 100 he became the first Jew in history. Consequently, the fulfillment of the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New Covenants to Israel demanded the imputation of divine righteousness, and eternal life, and then eventually, in eternity a resurrection body. The problem of Israel is compounded by rejection of Christ as Savior. The real Jew is not the racial Jew, the person who is born with the genes of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but the real Jew is the born again Jew. That is the Jew who believes in the Shekinah glory, the Lord Jesus Christ. In physical birth, the Jew possesses the genes of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but simply being the physical seed of Abraham does not save anyone.

Let's review the Plan of God which is a major principle for the correct interpretation of the book of Romans, and in fact, the entire Bible. The first imputation is human life, imputed at birth. That's where we all started as God imputed to each one of us human life. The second imputation comes from the fairness of God, the justice of God, the greatness of the wisdom of God, it is Adam's original sin which is imputed to us, so that we are instantly condemned. God didn’t wait around for you to commit your first sin; instead God did you a favor when you were born by immediately imputing Adam's sin to you. By doing that, you received instant condemnation, so that if anyone dies before reaching accountability he is instantly saved since he has already been condemned. Just think of what a terrible thing it would be to be born into this world without the imputation of Adam's sin. All of us have a human father, known or unknown, and it is the human father that transmits the old sin nature. To be born with an old sin nature, and not to receive the imputation of Adam's sin would be a disaster. It would mean that we would have to stay perfect which would be impossible. Instead of going to Heaven, everyone would eventually go to hell, and be separated from God forever. So, God did us a favor when at birth, He instantly condemned us.

The imputation of Adam's original sin was the eternal and infinite genius of God, His Perfect wisdom, and His Perfect plan. First, of all in GEN 2:7 God created the man. Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed (GEN 2:7-8).

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die." Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him. " (GEN 2:15-18)

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place. And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. And the man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." (GEN 2:21-23)

And then, you know the rest of the story but I want you to notice the depth of the wisdom of God.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?'" And the woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.'" And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" And the man said, "The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said," The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (GEN 3:1-13)

Having the right man/right woman is not what you think. It's not having the person who is the most compatible with you, or the most agreeable with you. It's the one who causes you to have to get to know God. It's the one who drives you to the problem solving devices. It's the one who pushes you to the realization that you need the grace of God, the mercy of God, and the love of God. That's why even a marriage where one person gets saved, and the other does not can still bring glory to God.


But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband (but if she does leave, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not send his wife away. But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, let him not send her away. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, let her not send her husband away. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. (1CO 7:10-14)

The unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believing spouse. This means that it is divine institution number 2 (marriage) which sanctifies them, this does not refer to positional truth, or the unbelieving spouse being saved. The fact that it is a marriage sanctifies the home in that sense, and the children are legitimate children. The point here is that in a marriage where one spouse is a believer, and the other is not, they can still glorify God by obeying the mandate to stay in the marriage.

Back to the plan of God: We see the genius of God when we look at the fall of man. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned (ROM 5:12).

But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (ROM 5:15-21).

God's great wisdom comes to the rescue when He imputes to us Adam's sin. We only have one testimony, we are sinners, condemned at birth, not condemned because of any sin ever committed. No one is condemned by their personal sins. God saved all of our personal sins, and imputed them all to Christ on the Cross. The issue in salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ because every personal ever committed was imputed to Him and judged. It caused our Lord to scream out, "My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me." So, there is no place for arrogance, no place for self-righteousness, no place for salvation by works. God did the work in condemnation, God does the work in salvation. Adam's original sin is imputed to all of us at the moment of birth, and that's condemnation at birth. Condemnation must precede justification for the most obvious reason in the world, because when God imputed life to us, He was imputing human life to an old sin nature in the body. So, we all start at the same place, human life, and we all start with one equality: Adam's original sin is imputed to us, and that imputation sets up the potential for salvation. Once you're condemned then you have a potential for salvation.

So, none of us are ever judged for our sins, Christ was judged for our sins. He was our substitute, He took our place so that everyone has a chance, no one was ever born who didn't have a chance. The tragedy of the Jew is to fail to do what Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did. That set Abraham up in contrast to his brother Nahor, set Isaac up in contrast to Ishmael, and of course, Jacob in contrast to Esau. So, it was Isaac rather than Ishmael, Jacob rather than Esau who were true Israel. There was a time when Ishmael and Isaac were both equal, however, Ishmael refused to believe in Christ and remained a Gentile. Same thing is true of Esau and Jacob. The heritage that counts, is not from physical birth (the genes of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), but from the spiritual birth or being born again, and that is the heritage principle.

There is nothing better than instant condemnation from God. The genius of God dealt with the fall of man which resulted in the fall of the entire human race and solved mankind’s problem with the justice and righteousness of God. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned, for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law (ROM 5:12-13). The sin nature disturbed our relationship with God the extent of that was not as crystal clear until God spelled it out in detail through the Mosaic Law. Nevertheless death [this huge separation from God still dominated mankind=s problem with God and therefore it] reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. (ROM 5:14)

Even those who didn't sin like Adam did, by disobeying a specific command of God, still had to experience this death, or separation from God. Adam, who got us into this, is said to be a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, because he also points ahead to the One Who will get us out of it.

But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many (ROM 5:15).

Paul is actually stating a spiritual a fortiori [much more] which is the fact that if one man's sin put all mankind in the abyss of separation from God, just think of what God's Gift of salvation through Jesus Christ will do! There's no comparison between death and sin and God's gracious and generous life giving gift. The verdict on that one sin was the death sentence; the verdict on the many sins that followed was this wonderful life sentence.

And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation [to all], but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions [sins of the world] resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. (ROM 5:16-17)

If death dominated us through one man's sin, can you imagine the breathtaking gift from God through His Son, the last Adam?

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. (ROM 5:18-19)

Just as one person did it wrong, and got us all in this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right, and got us out of it. However, more than just getting us out of trouble, He got us into life. The first Adam said no to God, and put many people in the wrong; the last Adam, said yes to God, and put many in the right.

And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (ROM 5:20-21)

All that passing laws against sin did was to produce more lawbreakers. Sin didn't, and doesn't, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that's the end of it. Whereas when grace rules, it invites us into life, a life that goes on and on and on.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.