Sermon Series

Salvation Problem Texts (2006)

The 2 sermons in this series

  1. 1Salvation Problem TextsApril 9, 2006AM
  2. 2Salvation Problem TextsApril 9, 2006PM

Series Outline

“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

II Peter 3:15-16

Establishing the Truth

  1. We establish the truth by clear teaching, and then we reconcile all “opposing” verses to it.
    1. Until we reconcile all the word of God on any subject, we cannot be sure of our doctrine.
    2. If a great change in presuppositions were needed for us to hold the truth, we trust the living God to convict and guide us, and we deal fairly with every text, by holy rules.
    3. For a detailed study of hermeneutics and how we study the Bible, see “Knowing the Scriptures.”
    4. God owns all truth, and He gives it by His grace to those He chooses. Humble yourself!
  2. Eternal life is an unconditional gift by God’s grace and will in Jesus Christ for the elect only.
    1. Man is unable to obey or please God (Ps 14:1-3; Rom 3:9-18; 8:7-8; Eph 2:1; Gal 5:17).
    2. God denies man’s will or works (John 1:13; 3:8; Rom 9:15-16; Eph 1:5,11; Titus 3:5).
    3. Faith and works are the result of salvation (Eph 2:10; Phil 2:12-13; I John 3:7; 5:1,4).
    4. Jesus Christ saves the elect by Himself (John 19:30; Rom 5:19; Heb 1:3; 9:15; I Pet 1:2).
    5. The gospel and ordinances do not give life (I Cor 1:24; Gal 3:21; Eph 4:12; II Tim 1:10).
    6. Unconditional salvation is illustrated (Luk 1:15; Ac 10:34-35; Rom 11:28; I Cor 10:1-5).
    7. This doctrine glorifies God (Romans 4:2; 9:21-24; I Cor 1:29-31; Eph 1:5-6,11-12; 2:9).
    8. For much greater proof of each of these points, see “The Seven Proofs of Unconditional Salvation.”
  3. The New Testament speaks of salvation in five distinct phases that must be clearly divided.
    1. The eternal phase is God’s election (John 6:38-39; Rom 8:29-39; Eph 1:3-12; II Tim 1:9).
    2. The legal phase is Christ’s death (Romans 3:24-26; 5:14-19; II Cor 5:21; Heb 2:14-17).
    3. The vital phase is the Spirit’s regeneration (John 3:6-8; Ephesians 2:1-6; Titus 3:5).
    4. The practical phase is gospel conversion (Phil 2:12; Jas 2:14-26; 5:19-20; II Pet 1:5-11).
    5. The final phase is glorification in heaven (John 5:28-29; Romans 8:23,29-30; I Peter 1:5).
    6. For much greater proof of each of these phases, see the document, “When Were You Saved?”

Recognizing the Threat

  1. The devil and his false teachers have corrupted the words of God from the very beginning.
    1. He questioned and altered God’s words to Adam and Eve for the first sin (Gen 3:1-5).
    2. Jesus had to face the devil’s misapplication of Psalm 91:11-12 in the desert (Mat 4:1-11).
    3. Paul declared that there were many already in his day corrupting scripture (II Cor 2:17).
    4. Paul told the Thessalonians to not be deceived even by forged epistles (II Thess 2:1-3).
    5. Paul warned that the last days would be filled with Christian creeps (II Tim 3:6-9; 4:3-4).
    6. Peter wrote about unlearned and ignorant men wresting Paul’s words (II Peter 3:15-16).
    7. Paul, Peter, and Jude wrote of other false teachers (Titus 1:10-11; II Pet 2:1-3; Jude 1:4).
  2. The Bible is written in such a way to confuse men about doctrine unless they come humbly.
    1. Consider why Jesus spoke in parables – in order to confuse His hearers (Matt 13:10-17)!
    2. When reject the truth, God sends them strong delusion to believe a lie (II Thess 2:9-12)!
    3. God sent lying spirits to Ahab and lying prophets to Israel (I Kgs 22:19-23; Eze 14:1-10)!
    4. If you need many examples of this principle and fact, see “Is God the Author of Confusion?”
    5. The Bible is not written as clearly as it could be – far from it: it is written with infinite wisdom and holy judgment to reveal truth to some and hide it from others. Glory!
  3. Jesus had to deal with problem texts being thrown at him by different Jewish denominations.
    1. The Pharisees confronted Him with Moses’ provision for divorce (Matthew 19:3-12).
    2. The Herodians confronted Him about the legality of taxes to Caesar (Matt 22:15-22).
    3. The Sadducees confronted Him with Moses’ rule for childless widows (Matt 22:23-33).
    4. The scribes and Pharisees confronted Him with Moses’ law for adultery (John 8:1-11).
  4. Consider some obvious examples by Rome and her daughters that are easily discerned.
    1. These few examples are adored by millions, have thousands of pages written about them, are sworn to by seminary professors, and preacher/priests are ordained to teach them.
    2. If you ran into a sharp Jesuit, Campbellite, or SDA, you would find your faith shaking!
    3. The pope and his dupes are certain they fully eat Jesus Christ (Matt 26:26; John 6:54-56).
    4. The Alexander Campbell churches of Christ adore and practice baptismal regeneration as their sacred cow (Mark 16:16; John 3:5; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Galatians 3:27).
    5. The Seventh Day Adventists have hundreds of verses “proving” their use of Saturday as the Sabbath of God (Gen 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Acts 17:2).
  5. Every word of God is to be carefully considered to reject sound bites for the sense instead.
    1. True preaching is reading God’s words very distinctly and giving the true sense (Ne 8:8).
    2. Most corruption of the Bible is based on sound bites, especially Catholics and Arminians.
    3. Every word of God is pure and we are to live by every one of them (Prov 30:5; Luke 4:4).
    4. Jesus and Paul argued doctrine from single words, showing us the care we should pay to each word ourselves (Matt 22:32,43; John 8:58; 10:35; Gal 3:16; 4:9; Heb 8:13; 12:27).
  6. Some accuse us of having to work too hard in the Bible to prove our point. They are fools.
    1. Peter, an apostle, said Paul’s writings were difficult and confused many (II Pet 3:15-16).
    2. These scorners are like the wicked Jews who rejected the prophets (Is 28:9-13; 29:20-21).
    3. Bible study is a laborious task for workmen of Jesus Christ (I Tim 4:13-15; II Tim 2:15).
    4. Read Acts 2 and Romans 15 and Hebrews 1 to see Peter and Paul collating many verses.

Reconciling the Texts

  1. Consider a few examples to illustrate how men will pervert the simplest salvation verses.
    1. Matthew 24:13 has nothing to do with eternal life, but it is a favorite of Calvinists and Arminians for teaching perseverance. It is limited to 70 A.D. (Matt 24:1-6,22-24,32-35)!
    2. John 1:12 is only part of a sentence, and the other part proves their doctrine to be heresy!
    3. Galatians 5:4 does not teach you can fall from grace, but from the true doctrine of grace.
    4. I Peter 3:21 is definitive about baptism, so they corrupt it three ways in the new versions!
    5. Revelation 3:20 has nothing to do with eternal life; it is written to the pastor of a church; but they use it as one of their top three favorites in offering heaven to sinners.
  2. Some will say that God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are mysteries we must accept.
    1. They tell stories about the signs over heaven’s gate and railroad tracks coming together!
    2. Those who claim they are a mystery still emphasize one over the other anyway! Shame!
    3. God has revealed the facts clearly, and different things should not be confused as joined!
    4. Nowhere did God tell us to forfeit our assignment to study, just because it takes work.
  3. There are no contradictions in the Bible, and you cannot prove truth until all is reconciled.
    1. There is no verse in the Bible that is of any separate or unique interpretation (II Pet 1:20)!
    2. Until you reconcile all verses, there may be one or more that overthrow your premises!
  4. When approaching the word of God, hermeneutics in its simplest form is a two-step process.
    1. You first prove what a verse cannot mean by the rest of the Bible, and only then do you begin the process of considering the other rules of interpretation to find its positive sense.
    2. We have already proved by many proofs above that eternal life is an unconditional gift, so we are not open at all to viewing any of the following verses as denying this axiom.

For Further Study:

  1. The work by Benjamin Cox in 1646, “Some Mistaken Scriptures Sincerely Explained,” against the Pelagians.
  2. The work by John Owen in 1647, “The Death of Death in the Death of Christ,” against universal atonement.
  3. The work by John Gill in 1735, “The Cause of God and Truth,” against the free-will cavils of the Arminians.
  4. Web Document: “Knowing the Scriptures,” details at length how to read and understand the Bible correctly.
  5. Sermon Outline: “Revelation 3:20 Reclaimed,” explains how this text has been grossly perverted by most.
  6. Web Document: “John 3:16 Revisited,” explains from John’s writings that it has no Arminian sense at all.
  7. Web Document:“Seven Proofs of Unconditional Salvation,” prove that eternal life is an unconditional gift.
  8. Web Document: “When Were You Saved?” rightly divides the New Testament into five phases of salvation.
  9. Sermon Outline: “Is God the Author of Confusion?” proves clearly that God designed the Bible to confuse.
  10. Sermon Outline: “Salvation by Works,” shows Arminian sound bites proving far more than they will accept.
  11. Sermon Outline: “Why No Invitations?” reviews the history and heresy of gimmicks for offering eternal life.
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