The Greatness of God's Electing Love

by Dustin Shramek

 

I. Our dilemma

A. We "were dead in our trespasses and sins," (Ep 2:1).

  1. Ephesians 2:1-3. Why is this a problem?

B. We were unable to please God.

  1. Romans 8:6-8. Why are those who are in the flesh unable to please God? (Hebrews 11:6).


II. What about John 3:16? Does that prove that anyone has the ability to come to God?


III. If we are unable to choose God, if no one seeks God (Romans 3:11), how is anyone saved? Is there any hope? Ephesians 2:4-9.

A. Who makes us alive?

B. Can you do it yourself?


IV. With what we learned last week, would it be accurate to say, "Unless predestination is true, no one would be saved,"?

A. No man or woman can save themself. No one has the ability to believe.

B. Some men and women are saved by believing.

C. Therefore, their salvation (and belief) must come from outside of themselves.


V. What does the scripture say?

A. Romans 11:1-8

  1. What does God mean by, "I have kept for myself"? What is a remnant?
  2. What did the chosen obtain in verse 7?
  3. Was everyone chosen? How do we know?

B. Romans 8:29-30

  1. What does "foreknow" mean?
  2. What does "predestined" mean?
  3. When did God foreknow these people? So when we were they predestined?
  4. What is true of those who are predestined? Called? Justified? Glorified?

C. Ephesians 1:1-12

  1. How is Paul an apostle? (v. 1)
  2. When were we chosen? (v. 4)
  3. Why were we chosen? (v. 4, 6, 11-12)
  4. What did God predestine us to? (v. 5)

D. Acts 13:48

  1. Who believed?

E. John 1:12-13

  1. By whose will are we born as children of God?

F. John 6:44, 65

  1. How can we come to the Father?

G. 1 Thessalonians 5:9

  1. What are we destined for? Can everyone be destined for this? Why/why not?

H. 2 Timothy 2:25

  1. How does one come to repentance? Does God grant this to all people?

I. Other scriptures (notice that every author in the New Testament speaks about this):

  1. Matthew 11:27; 16:15-17
  2. Mark 4:10-12; 13:20
  3. Luke 10:22
  4. John 5:21; 6:37-40; 15:16, 19; 17:2, 6, 9, 24
  5. Acts 11:18; 16:14
  6. 1 Corinthians 1:1-2, 25-31
  7. 1 Thessalonians 1:4
  8. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
  9. 2 Timothy 1:8-9
  10. Titus 1:1
  11. Hebrews 12: 2 (Jesus is the "author" of our faith)
  12. James 1:18; 2:5
  13. 1 Peter 1:1-3; 2:9
  14. Jude 1, 4
  15. Revelation 13:8; 17:8


VI. What about 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:4?

A. Do these passages contradict predestination?

B. Must we ignore these passages to believe in predestination?

C. If these passages do teach "free will", how do we explain all of the passages listed above?

D. The wide lens and the narrow lens--does this make sense?


VII. Why preach the gospel if God chooses who is saved?

A. We are commanded

  1. Matthew 28:18-20
  2. 2 Timothy 4:2

B. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to all those who believe (Romans 1:16).

C. God ordains the means as well as the ends. Effects must have causes, God does not create causeless effects.


VIII. What about prayer?\

A. Romans 10:1. If God isn't sovereign over one's choice to believe we wouldn't be able to pray for them at all.


"We speak of God's love as if it were no more than a general willingness to receive any who will turn and trust; and we depict the Father and the Son, not as sovereignly active in drawing sinners to themselves, but as waiting in quiet impotence 'at the door of our hearts' for us to let them in."
--J.I. Packer

 

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