Without Knowledge Of History Deception Can Creep Into The Church

Little children, let 

no one deceive you. 

He who practices 

righteousness is 

righteous,

just as He is

righteous.

1John 3:7

     The Bible declares that some who are associated with believers will depart from the faith, yet, many will still use Christian terms, even Christian practices deceiving many from the true faith and this they do by substituting correct Biblical Doctrine for false Doctrines, even using seducing spirits to mislead people and lead them into a religious experience similar to true Christianity but is far from the truth. Paul states: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron" (1Timothy 4:1-2). This deception and deceiving are signs of the Antichrist, and as the Bible declares many Antichrists have entered into the world: "Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that this is the last hour"...."Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son" (1John 2:18, 22). 

     The fifteenth century was a time of great change for the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church had reached a point where men and women were in need of renewal as they could themselves see that the Church was heavy handed and controlled all they did and what they believed. Only, they did not have the written word, and while they desired to know about God, all they received was what the Church desired them to know. This century, the fifteenth century was the beginning of Reformation and the Protestant movement began and the patience of the people having been exhausted, God raised up men who were faithful in their study of God's word and they exposed the corruptions of the times and of the Church. A new light broke through the clouds of tyranny and the genuine religion that was and is that which the Bible teaches and not man's presuppositions, or predeterminations that determine what the Bible says, it is to read and study the Bible in light of the Bible. Further, how would anyone know that there are abominations being thrust upon them if they do not know history, how things were and how they have become? This is true today, how do you know that what is being taught to you is true? How do you know whether or not the teachings in your Church, your Bible study, etc. are not just some modern or post modernism that is nothing more than what the Enlightenment posed as the way for man to go, and what is truth? Fear, fear of change, the plague of man, is why so many do not want to examine history, their Church, what is being taught, they acquiesce and sit silently by, happy in their ideas of what they want for themselves, they enjoy having their ears tickled, and do not want to be bothered. They make statements such as; 'I am a Christian, I believe in Jesus Christ, I made a decision for Jesus Christ, etc.' Yet they tacitly approve of wrongful teaching, but so long as they are getting what they desire, it is ok. It is not! This is not a new problem, the Church has faced those who promote heresy and false teaching from the beginning, and only when men and women take a stand for the truth will they be Christians that keep His commandments and the world will know, even without a person stating so, that they are Christian, and nothing will tear them from the faith, not persecution, not being part of this dying secular world with all their lies, and abominations: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments....for whatever is born of god overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith" (1John 4:2, 4).

     Let us continue in our research into history and how it has affected Christianity. At the base, the fundamentals of the Enlightenment were faith in nature and in human progress. A complex of laws interacting so as to govern the universe were seen in nature. Man was seen as part of that system, therefore man was to act rationally. If man be free, then he is free to exercise by their reason, and people were naturally good, acting to further the happiness of others and with this manner of thought, man could find righteousness and happiness in freedom, freedom from restraints deemed needless, for many of those restraints were imposed by the state and the Church. This brought with it a hostility towards the Church, organized religion, and for established governments, or monarchies for they reflected a past time which they now have come to disdain and now were becoming inclined and favored utopian reform. It was by education that these philosophers and others thought that human progress would be enhanced and society would become perfect and only if people were free to use their reason. Historically these ideologies can be found in Gnosticism, Pelagianism and in Arminianism as can be seen if one would read what men like Jacobus Arminius wrote, for he speculates on certain doctrines and this by his presuppositions, and does not use Scripture, or rarely uses Scripture to support his claims. This is contradictory in John Calvin’s writings were Scripture is used to teach man doctrine, Scriptural doctrine and not by some new philosophic ideology, or theology, and not be rationalizing Scripture to meet his presuppositions. Scientist of this day were often theologians as well, and even preached in Churches, therefore if they be affected by this era of Enlightenment, even in its baby stages, this message would influence what the preached and taught.

            In the beginning the era of Enlightenment was to be found mostly in Holland and England, and many earlier Dutch spokesmen were religious refugees, escaping the horrors of the Roman Catholic Church. Men such as the French Huguenot, Pierre Bayle (1674–1706 A.D.) pled for religious toleration, yet was a man with much skepticism. Baruch Spinoza (1632–1687 A.D.); a Jewish thinker, and Holland’s greatest philosopher spoke openly for Pantheism, the belief that God exists in all nature. With Newton, Spinoza became to influence greatly English thinkers. Women spoke also at this time, one such woman, Mary Astell (1666–1731 A.D.), influenced people by lauding rational thinking, and cited Newton as proof of an ordered universe. As a philosopher she designed her thinking around a metaphysical account of God and creation. She was a dualist, that is, she maintained that there are two kinds of beings, this dualism can be found in the writings of Plato, minds, and bodies. People come in various degrees of finitude and corruptibility: God is the infinite and incorruptible mind, and the human mind and corporeal particles are finite being naturally beings that are corruptible. Astell admits that God is the “First Intelligence,” whose nature is infinite in all perfections and lists attributes to God; i.e., wisdom, goodness, justice, holiness, intelligence, presence, power, and self–existence. Astell maintains her views by relying on the naturalistic views of her time, so that metaphysics to be understood, one must have the correct understanding of God. She attempts in her word to demonstrate who and what God is, but how to attain a correct understanding of God. This manner of thought is not to find this understanding in Scripture, rather it is to be found and attained by naturalistic reasoning. A man whose influence stands strong today is John Locke (1632–1704 A.D.), who applied Newton’s principles to psychology, economics, and political theory. By Locke the Enlightenment became mature and spread abroad, even to the New World.

            Major events that occurred from the 1650’s between England and the Netherlands with sea battles that killed thousands, maimed many more, over trade caused such an uproar between fledgling nations that were attempting to consolidate peoples and form national country boundaries aided in new thinking that found its way into the education system and into the common people. Common people were also, as were all peoples of the European and English nations affected by the widespread Black Plague that killed thousands of people. The Roman Catholic Inquisition, battling over the Reformation and allying themselves with national government leaders, kings, and powerful people, as a nation would move from being Catholic to Protestant and back to Catholic then to Protestant. People were ready for a change! The war between France and England, and with Spain, and others concluded in the Peace of Utrecht (1714 A.D.), treaties of peace between the Dutch republic, Prussia, Portugal, and Savoy. France ceded Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, the Hudson Bay territory, and the island of St. Kitts to Britain, and demolished the fortifications at Dunkirk, a base for attacks on English and Dutch shipping. Society seeking reforms against the evils of society and this was to be according to reason, thinking that now was taken hold in the minds of society that was being taught by many philosophers, educators, and some pastors. Supporting these philosophers, as allies of the principles of reason, were the salonnieres, women who were learned and socially conscious, sponsoring the discussions of these philosophers, of their literary works, artistic creations, and new political ideas. Men now dissatisfied with government, the wars, became critical of absolute monarchy, and with travel by some men such as Marquis de Montesquieu (1688–1755 A.D.) came writings describing the irrational behavior and ridiculous customs of the European. These writings had a large reading audience. The call by some men to reform government, in such work as, The Spirit of Laws (1748), main political principles were addressed by the use of practical common sense and defended liberty against tyranny. Accompany all the society upheavals, by wars, plagues, controversy between the Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church, bred new thinking, and some men such as Jacobus Arminius found themselves looking for man to renew and reestablish society to a common, reasonable approach to these ills. Making matters worse was the move either away from the Bible or a rush into Christian societies that promised to bring about the needed changes. The call for man to be able to choose societal changes found a listening ear when pastors or Church leaders interpreted the Bible in such a way that man might choose to be saved, to find Christ by means of their own reason and rationale.

            One man who is touted today as an important figure of history and is accepted as a voice of reason was Voltaire (1694–1778 A.D.), who personified the skepticism of his century. This skepticism found favor as he wrote on traditional religion and the injustices of the governments. He championed toleration, and popularized Newtonian science. He fought for the freedom of the press, and actively campaigned against the Church. In his endeavors to spread his thinking he employed the use of many histories, plays, pamphlets, essays, and novels. It is estimated that his correspondence was some 10,000 letters. Frederick the Great and Catherine the Great aided in spreading Voltaire’s gospel of rationalism and reform of abuses. Voltaire’s was legendary even among the present common people but also of kings. Denis Diderot (1713–1784 A.D.) in his Encyclopedic declared the supremacy of the new science, he denounced superstition, and expounded on the merits of human freedom. Diderot was a passionate learned philosophers of France who sought knowledge and answers to such questions as: the ultimate enigma of all–our universe; why are we here? Why is there a universe? Why is there anything at all? Diderot feared that history would be destroyed by Christians; this fear developed by his reading and by living in times where the Roman Catholic Church had imposed many rules, indulgements, and the inquisitions were many people were killed and burned at the stake for not following the Roman Catholic Church. His work the Encyclopedie of history was submitted to such men as Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Rush. While the kings who needed the Church to maintain so–called Biblical concepts, such as the Divine Right of Kings opposed Diderot for if the Church was weakened so was their authority. Yet, this opposition did not stifle the use of Diderot’s Encyclopedie as it was used in all libraries, and homes, and further were open and accessible. Diderot in his seeking for answers for a world that was filled with ignorance, slaves, illiteracy, superstition, and piety, could only see that the Bible did not necessarily, at least by his rationale, to show favor towards education, investigation, science and art. With the Reformation having a huge following among many people it was this new thinking that caused them to realize that the Pope and his threats were hollow and did not accept the fact that the Pope did not give approval to the teachings of Diderot. Diderot was a free thinker who disregarded any dogma, tradition, or authority, ecclesiastical or secular, over his mind–his right to think and express his thoughts. Diderot would say:

Although a man may wear fine clothing, if he lives peacefully; and is good, self-possessed, has faith and is pure; and if he does not hurt any living being, he is a holy man.

If you want me to believe in God, you must make me touch him.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/denis_diderot.html#aPlxO9GbVPKOSH20.99

        Most of the philosophers relied on support and this support came to them in large measure by the women of the salonnieres. Here they planned and managed these philosophical ideologies, editing their work, even coaching Voltaire in science, especially by Madame du Chatelet and the Marquies de Condorcet (1742–1812 A.D.) who popularized these ideas in their salons. It was during this time that a man, Jean–Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778 A.D), an eccentric philosopher of romantic rationalism distrusted reason and science and expounded that it was human impulse and intuition, to trust in thought, the heart rather than the mind. Rousseau wrote and spoke against established institutions, with his most famous writing: The Social Contract (1762) that began in this manifesto: “Man is born free, but today he is everywhere in Chains.” (Jean–Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, trans. By W. Kendall; Chicago, Henry Regnery Co., 1954, p. 2).  The Enlightenment of France, the place where this era began in earnest, had great influence in Great Britain with those who attended higher education, such men as Adam Smith (1723–1790 A.D.); David Hume (1711–1766 A.D.); Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832 A.D.). Further this Enlightenment had a great affect on Edward Gibbon (1737–1794 A.D.) who wrote the famous book; The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a book that criticized early Christianity in a markedly manner. Among these men were Joseph Priestley, Richard Price (1723–1791 A.D.), Thomas Paine (1737–1809 A.D.); who figured prominently in the American and French revolutions and was a radical leader in English politics.

            The Enlightenment movement that was reforming Europe and England spread over those countries reaching the New World, the Americas. Moses Mendelsssohn (1729–1786 A.D.), a German who wrote against dogmatism in favor of natural religion. Some men of this age pleaded for humanitarian legal reforms and brought much favor among the influential men and women of the day for these men of the Enlightenment. This popularity found a home in the minds of such men as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, among others having been influenced by Locke and his philosophies. Although having found favor in the 19^th century there became a reaction against this philosophy of Reason, by a new philosophy; Idealism. This reaction came against the materialism that was formed by the Enlightenment and the Naturalism of Reason. Along with Idealism came another reaction and that was an emotional appeal to religious revival, and by this won back many wavering Protestants, and Catholics. Another form or reaction against reason was its replacement with religion as the justification for humanitarian reforms. What these movements did with their reactionary movements was to stress emotion over reason but also continued the Enlightenment’s stress upon individual freedom.

            Men and women at this period time or era searched for answers but not from the Bible’s teaching on the rights of man and the need for man to act in accordance with what God taught from His word; these men of Enlightenment, or Idealism, or Emotionalism, all thought to find the answers they sought by looking and examining man, and forming new thought in regards to man’s relationship with the world, and with God. Immanuel Kant (17124–1804 A.D.), was a skeptic and was aroused by such extremes of materialism due to the Enlightenment and sought to bring some form of reason to the table and to shift philosophy back to a more sensible position; yet not to remove rationalism as a basis. His book; Critique of Pure Reason (1781) ushered in a new age of philosophic idealism. Under the Kantian philosophy intuition was that human endeavor was of the highest forms and was close to sensory experience. In other words, Kant proposed that pure reason proceeded from certain subjective senses that were built into human nature. According to Kant the idea of God was a derivation of the mind logically pursuing harmony. Therefore, the human conscience had the ability to be developed or crippled by experience, but it originated by means of a person’s nature to think. By reason then, abstract reason, apart from science and it s laws, was a valid source of moral judgment and religious interpretation. Reason then, according to Kantian philosophy, gave mysticism to religion. 

     For a person to move away from the truths of the Bible and to tout and expound on philosophies, idealogies, and false theology is nothing more than an antichrist and we are to flee from such men and the only way to know that you are being deceived is to know what we are covering in these blogs, that when man becomes the center of life, and that man can by some goodness, some left-over good that remained after Adam sinned and brought man into condemnation and in need of redemption, we are listening to those preaching and teaching what is not to be found in the Bible. Yes, there are things hard to understand, but without trying to understand by reading the Bible and seeing what has occurred in history is to remain ignorant and possibly involved with heresy or at the very least false teaching, leading people in ways that are unBiblical. Is this important? Yes! We have our children, our spouses, our friends, others, who need the truth of God's word. Our very lives, our living in this world demands for Christians to know and follow the truth. 

My little children,

     let us not love

in word or in tongue,

     but in deed and 

in truth.

                   1John 3:18

Prayer for Guidance Is Needed

Richard L. Crumb

          

History Shows The Trampling Of God's Revealed Word

Oh, that You would rend the heavens!

That You would come down!

that the mountains might 

shake at Your presence--

As fire burns brushwood,

as fire causes water to boil--

to make Your name known 

to Your adversaries, that the

nations may tremble at Your Presence!

When You did awesome things

for which we did not look,

You came down, the mountains

shook at Your presence.

Isaiah 64:1-3

     Making the name of God known to all is the work of the disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). This work is important for those of God's children as many have been influenced by sources that do not recognize God, or have given their speculative reasoning as to whom their have predetermined God to be, how God exercises His Sovereignty, and Providence. How has these contradictory theologies come to exist? This is the work of the next blogs, and it is looking at some events that have occurred that have effect in the Churches, that is you and me, today. God has come down to earth and He has answered our call for Him to reveal Himself and this He has down for us in His word the Bible. 

     I have presented the two theological views and have found that Jacobus Arminius gives much speculative information but little support from Scripture, if any, and John Calvin has given his views with support from Scripture. This difference is important for without Scriptural references for what a person expounded about God we are left to our own rational thinking, and that thinking has been influenced in one way or the other by influential men of the past. It is slow at times to read and learn from history, but it is history that has affected us, and will affect our children. If we do not know from where we have come, why we know what we know, how we have been influenced, and whether or not what is being taught is truth according to God's word, then this is due to our desiring to remain ignorant. Paul makes this statement: "But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant" (1Corinthians 124:38). This statement made by Paul was in reference to the fact that he was attempting to straighten out those things that were causing the Corinthians to act as they should not have acted. That statement is true for us today. 

     I see these two men in this light: John Calvin, or Calvinism uses the acronym for the five points of his theology thusly: T.U.L.I.P.; which is the name for flower, tulip. Arminianism can be said to refer to the flower, the daisy; that is pull one petal off at a time and say, "He loves me, He does not next love me, and so on; therefore they is not way for a person to know if they are saved or not. This theology for man by himself, by his becoming knowledgeable about God, in some way or the other, can somehow produce faith, enough faith to believe in God for salvation. The Bible does not teach such a way to God, but men have come to believe that it is by themselves that they can do whatever is necessary for life, for salvation. How then has this thinking come to be in the life of society?

      The need to study these two theological viewpoints is not to just entertain a knowledge of their positions; while this may suffice to a point, there is a greater need to study these theologies as to how they may have affected the Church as a whole and for each individual in the exercise of life both secularly and in their spiritual lives. Some individuals, both in the collegiate world and in the Church by pastors and leaders and sifting down to the congregants their theologies that are insufficient to educate properly, and to avoid discussion on these topics as they do not seem to prefer to enter into an intellectual battle and desire to keep to a “condition of low visibility” (Francis L. Patton, in the introductions to William Hallock Johnson, The Christian Faith Under Modern Searchlights, [1016), p. 7). The fears that are often surmised to suffer from such an investigation surround such as, would such an investigation lead to a discouragement to contribute to missions; or, would not such an investigation hinder the progress of consolidation (not just ecumenism) and then produce poor statistics in Church membership, Sunday School attendance, etc. Furthermore, could there ever be even a slight possibility for agreement? There can be found agreement between the various denominations, but most of those agreements are on things that are not exceptionally important and to not admit that there is a need to educate themselves, and their congregations on the most important things, those things that theologians fight, those things that are in conflict. The conflict that has been imposed on Churches is a serious battle for the long-standing position of the Church who holds to a redemptive religion which is called Christianity finds itself in this conflict to be battling against a totally diverse type of religious belief and is severely destructive of the Christian faith because it makes use of traditional Christian terminology. This type of religion to be found within Churches that claim to be Christian have caused the congregants to be subject to a modern non–redemptive religion, called “modernism’ or “liberalism.” The term used by some Churches is “liberalism,” and the term is used by those associated with such Churches but not by those who oppose them because they see that these Churches are involved in a religion that is narrow by ignoring many of relevant facts. The term “liberalism” or movement is to be seen to be in its various movements that there are many manifestations of it, therefore it becomes difficult to find a true common name that will apply to all its forms. The one form that stands out as the foundation for “liberalism” in the modern liberal religion; is that this “liberalism” is founded on “naturalism.” The use of this word, “naturalism” is not here used in its philosophical sense, rather it describes with fair accuracy that the real root is in the fact that this “liberal Christianity” founded in “naturalism,” is nothing more than a degradation of an original noble world, “liberal” religion. Yet, this rise of naturalistic religion has not come about by chance. This change to a modern religions outlook and theology has been occasioned by events in prior times; in life generally, and in the Church. In times past, from the beginning of the Church, heresy and false doctrine has plagued the Church and has attempted to make inroads based upon their theologies which are not to be found in Scripture. This battle does not cease, only that the war for the minds of people have progressed to a point where there is much strife within the Church and has caused for Christians a denigration of their faith and beliefs. The changes in life are not suppressed so that they can be ignored as the changes are on the surface, and force us to attend to the questions as to how they have affected Christianity. We cannot escape from them, just as we cannot escape the atmosphere that contains oxygen needed for life. The life of the Church is at stake and must be called to mind, that is to those who have been affected by this approach to Christianity that involves doctrines that impose a new religious view. How have they come to exist, and what can be done to avert their effect upon Christians. This is huge study, one where a person can get lost in all the events that have affected society and especially the Church; so there is a need to recount the most important events that have affected society as a whole, and the Church.

     As we study these historical events in relation to their affect and effect on God's people, the Church let us follow the words of the prophet Jeremiah: "Thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets: 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the LORD'" (Jeremiah 23: 16). Many today refer to themselves as to be "prophets" or an "apostle" and do so at their own peril for they do that which is not Biblical, and are in many ways deceiving the people of God. This study is important, but the more important thing to consider is: what will you do with this information?

And the LORD your God

     will circumcise your

heart and the heart of 

     your descendants, 

to love the LORD your God

     with all your heart and

with all your soul, that you

     may live.

                            Deuteronomy 30:6

Happiness is keeping God's law

Richard L. Crumb

            

God's Will Is Revealed In Scripture And Not By Man's Presuppositions

Therefore know that only those

who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God

would justify the Gentiles by faith,

preached the gospel to Abraham

beforehand, saying, 'In you all the 

nations shall be blessed.' So then

those who are of faith are blessed 

with believing Abraham.

Galatians 3:7-9

     God is not silent on matters that affect our relationship with Him and He has given to men the Scriptures by which they can discern what He has said and done. It is true that all the nations are blessed by God but only some within literal nations are blessed, only those who have faith, and that faith was given to them by God as a gift. James writes: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). There are those Churches and Church leaders that use this Scripture by James and relegate that the gifts he speaks of are those supernatural  and miraculous gifts, but this is not what is said here, while supernatural gifts are from God and given to individuals according to God's mercy and Providence, James speaks of all good gifts, every perfect gift. Why was this written? Because there were men who had begun to mislead the people, and the persecutions were having an effect, new laws and rules were put in place, those things that are external to the law of God. Without the grace of God a person would not have faith and both grace and faith are so conjoined and are the gift of God: "For by grace your have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).

     In a more limited nature, yet, not of less importance, is one in which the grace of God was displayed in a more special form. This form took shape when the same family of Abraham God rejected some, and kept others within His chosen ones, that is His Church, meaning the collection of those whom He chose and had retained them as His sons. The narrative and example of Ishmael who had obtained the same rank as his brother Isaac due to the fact that he was circumcised placing him in the spiritual covenant sealing as such, yet, he was cut off, then Esau, and many others, in fact almost the whole of Israel. It was in Isaac that the seed was called. Jacob received the same calling; not Esau his brother who was born first, finally, God rejected king Saul, even though He allowed him to be chosen. Although Joseph was used mightily by God and saved his family and the Israelites to come, it was not from his tribe that God chose: “Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved” (Psalm 78:67-68). History repeats itself and the secret grace of God is displayed even more majestically in the change that occurred. It too must be admitted that it was by their own fault that Ishmael, Esau, and others, fell from their adoption; for the condition was affixed that they should faithfully keep the covenant of God, that which they perfidiously violated. God by His kindness shown to the Israelites, that they were blessed by God who preferred them over all other nations: “He has not dealt thus with any nation; and as for His judgments, they (the nations) have not known them. Praise the LORD” (Psalm 147:20)! It can be noticed that there are two steps to be observed; for in the election of the whole nation, God had already shown that in the exercise of His mere liberality He was under no law but was free, so that He was by no means to be restricted to an equal division of grace and by its inequality it is proved that it to be gratuitous. Israel showed ingratitude towards God in choosing them, and that they were set apart, selected from the whole human race, a peculiar sacred household; yet, they perfidiously and impiously spurned God who is their beneficent parent: “I have loved you, ‘says the LORD, yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved; But Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness” (Malachi 1:1–2). Jacob and Esau being brothers and as both sons of the holy Father, and successors of the covenant, branches from a sacred root, the sons of Jacob were not under some ordinary obligation so that God would have to admit them to share in His dignity. Esau being born first and then was rejected, Jacob born second and inferior in status to Esau was made heir, Yet, God charges them both with ingratitude in not being restrained by a double tie.

            It now must be apparent, God by His secret counsel chooses whom He will while He rejects others, and His gratuitous election having been so far partially explained we come to the case of single individuals, to whom God not only offers salvation, but so assigns it, that the certainty of the result remains not dubious or suspended. God’s election for some and not others Paul makes plain: “That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed” (Romans 9:8). The children of the promise belong to the Seed to whom the promises are made: “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as o many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,’ who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16; cf. Genesis 12:7; 13:15). Adoption was given to the hand of Abraham even though many of his posterity were cut off as rotten members, and this so that election might stand and be effectual, and for this to be so it is necessary to ascent to the head, to whom the heavenly Father connected His elect with each other, binding them to Himself by an indissoluble tie. Being as adopted children of the family of Abraham, God gave liberally favor to them, that which was denied to others; but in the family of adoption and as members of the head which is Jesus Christ there is displayed grace in a most excellent manner because those grafted into the family of God, and members of Jesus Christ as their head they never fail to obtain salvation. God makes a covenant of eternal life and He invites any people to Himself, and as can be seen, at least partially, that there is a special mode of election so that He does not promiscuously offer grace and effectually elect all people. There is nothing repugnant to this fact that in the person of one man He is set before us as a specimen of God’s election that cannot fail of accomplishing its object. Paul refers to the remnant who are saved because experience will inform us that many fall away and only a small remnant are saved: “Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel. ‘Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved” (Romans 9:27). This remnant is elected by God’s grace: “Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace” (Romans 11:5). The question arises as to why there is not a more apparent election that is ratified and presents itself. It is because on those to whom He as bestowed election, the covenant, He does not immediately bestow the Spirit of regeneration, by Whose power they persevere in the covenant even to the end. The external invitation has with it the eternal efficacy of grace and has the effect of retaining them, and holds a place between the rejection of the human race and the election of a small number of believers. Israel being the descendants of Abraham and heirs to the covenant given to Abraham and as the Seed being the head still had among them those who were not Israelites; still the covenant that God had made to be their Father and Redeemer was not null and void, he has respect to that free favor rather than to the perfidious defection of many. Those who defected did not abolish His truth, since by preserving some residue, a remnant, to Himself, it was displayed that His calling was without repentance. God forever gathered His Church from among the sons of Abraham rather than profane nations, and this by respecting His covenant, even though violated by a great body of people, He restricted it to a few, that it might not entirely fail. This common adoption of the seed of Abraham was a kind of visible image of a greater benefit that God deigned to bestow on some out of many. This is the reason why Paul was so careful in distinguishing between the sons of Abraham according to the flesh and the spiritual sons who are called after the example of Isaac. To be a son of Abraham was not a useless privilege but that the immutable counsel of God, by which He predestinated to Himself whomsoever he would, was alone effectual for their salvation. But until the proper views is made clear by the many passages quoted above and by others passages of Scripture, and until you make for yourself an examination using Scripture, do not prejudge the question. Scripture clearly proves this much, that God by His eternal and immutable counsel determined once for all those whom it was His pleasure one day to admit to salvation, and those whom, it was His pleasure to doom to destruction. This counsel of God in regard to the election and Predestination is founded on His free mercy, without any respect to human worth, there is no way for man to earn by himself this mercy, for by His mercy God gives what man does not deserve, and while those whom He dooms to destruction are excluded from access to life by a just and blameless, but at the same time incomprehensible judgment. For the elect the calling is the evidence of election, and justification is another symbol of its manifestation, and will be fully accomplished in glory. God seals His elect by calling and justification and by so doing He excludes the reprobate either from he knowledge of His name or the sanctification of His Spirit. It is by this manner He discloses the judgment that awaits them.

      There are many fictitious notions that foolish men have devised to overthrow Predestination, but to answer those fictitious notions that they have produced must await for another time for I dwell on the two main theologies that have divided the Church for many years causing disputes among the learned, and for the laymen, only by their hollowness they employ impiety as specious pretexts for assailing the justice of God.

     What needs to be answered so that there be a clear picture as to how and why men were so diverse in their theologies. What caused one to think one way and the other another way? Did not both have the Scriptures? Yes! But, there were other forces in the world that need to be considered and this will be the thrust of the next blogs.

But God forbid that 

     I should boast 

except in the cross

     of our Lord Jesus Christ,

by whom the world has 

    been crucified to me,

and to the world.

                      Galatians 6:14

Give God Glory and Praise Due to His Grace

Richard L. Crumb