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What are the Doctrines of Grace?

The Doctrines of Grace is a phrase which is used by Christians to describe those 5 doctrinal points which state why the Salvation of our souls, which comes only through Jesus Christ, must be all of grace, and not of ourselves.  Everyone who is an orthodox Christian believes that he was a great enough sinner, before he was converted that he had to have God, through Jesus Christ, do a work for him and in him, that would save him from his sins.  The Doctrines of Grace are truths which show us just how great a sinner we are before conversion, and just how much God has to do for us if we are to be saved from our sins.  A true Christian should love the Doctrines of Grace because they show him the glory of God in what He has done and will do for any sinner who trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation.  The Doctrines of Grace are the basis for the gospel achieving certain tangible results.  The gospel is the truth of what God has done for sinners through sending His Son Jesus Christ into the World.  Christ is the gospel.  In His love He obeyed God’s law perfectly and fully.  He went so far in His obedience to God’s purpose as to die on the cross in the place of sinners, to bear the punishment that was due to them for breaking God’s holy law.  All sinners who trust in Christ will find and have eternal life if they are sincerely trusting in Him alone for their salvation.  The Doctrines of Grace explain for us why it was necessary for God to do so much for every person who comes to Christ for salvation.  And, to a certain extent they explain how He accomplishes this great salvation for everyone He has chosen.  So, as I explain these precious truths to you, I do not want you to think that God does not offer the gospel freely to any person, just because God is this sovereign.  You are commanded by God to believe in Jesus Christ and it will only be your fault if you do not.  It will not be God’s fault that you did not find grace in His sight.  His offer is sincere and you are commanded to believe in Jesus Christ.  Keeping this in mind, let us begin.

1^st-  Every person who has ever lived, with the exception of Jesus Christ, is Totally Depraved

The words, totally depraved, seem to imply, to a person not familiar with the Bible, the idea that every man is always as bad as he could be.  This is not true and we know it, but total is rather a word which we are using here, as theologians of old have, to describe the fact that sin has affected every faculty and part of man’s being.  It is total in that respect (Genesis 8:21).  The entrance of sin into the world through the first man Adam, affected his mind, his heart, or feelings, and his will (Isaiah 1:5; Romans 8:7).  Adam has passed on this sin nature to all his descendents.  Sin also affects man’s conscience so that it does not do its job perfectly.  Every person, apart from saving grace has a tremendous sinful problem with the way he thinks, the way he feels, with the choices that he makes, and with the motives for all that he does (Jeremiah 17:9).  The inclination of his heart is not toward God from birth.  He does not have to be taught by his parents to serve himself, he does so by nature.  His bent is toward breaking or ignoring, or neglecting all of God’s commandments (Psalm 58:3).  Even when his parents teach him right from wrong and hold him to it outwardly, yet in many ways he still sins in his heart.  All that he does do, that is right, is done from selfish or sinful motives, or to merit favor with God by his own righteousness, which he cannot possible establish before God (Psalm 53:3).  He is unable and unwilling, apart from grace to come to God to be saved from this condition and he is spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins.  This is true of the most moral man who has ever lived (Ephesians 2:1-3). 

2^nd- Because of this, all people would have perished in their sin, were it not for God’s Unconditional Election of some.

God knew this even before HE made the world or any man (Ephesians 1:3,4).  He knew that Adam, left to himself, and his own free will, would fall into sin, in eating of the forbidden fruit, and render himself and all his descendents helpless to save themselves (Romans 5:6).  So He determined, for His own glory, to Elect some to eternal life.  All of mankind deserve to be punished for their sin forever in the lake of fire, so it is only God’s mercy that any were chosen at all (Romans 9:15, 16).  We cannot fault God with not choosing all, for He has holy reasons related to His attributes of Righteousness and Justice as to why He chooses some and not all to eternal life (Romans 11: 7-11).  All deserve eternal punishment and it is an infinite mercy that any would be chosen.  God’s choice of any man is not due to anything good in him.  He is merciful and we cannot fathom the reasons for His choice of some and not others (Romans 9: 18-24). 

3^rd- If God has Elected some, it only follows that He would have Christ died for them in particular.

And the Scriptures bear this out.  Christ died for His sheep, for all who believe in Him, for the many, for His people, and all these blessings and benefits are most surely and definitely given to them and conveyed to them in God’s appointed time (John 10:15, 16; Hebrews 8:28).  God has chosen the Elect, and He has designed Christ’s death for His Elect in particular (John 17:2-15).  Christ redeems God’s elect people by His death, and purchases all that God will savingly apply to their souls, their bodies, and their lives.  Romans 8:32 sums it up well.  “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

4^th- Those for whom Christ died, God will effectually and irresistible call to Himself by His Spirit

There is the general call of God to men through the preaching of the Word (Matthew 22:14).  And then there is the effectual call when the Lord by His Spirit shines His light into heart and mind, and overcomes the resistant will by a work of grace which changes the bent and directions of the whole soul of a person to seek Salvation through Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3,4).  A person may not at all understand why he now thinks differently about spiritual things, the Bible, and God’s way of Salvation, but because of the power at work in this effectual call, a person is most certainly draw to Christ, responds to the word preached, and is brought savingly to faith, but by his own power, but God’s (2 Timothy 1:9).  Now he can exercise faith and receive all that Christ has done for him, because God caused him to see his need of Christ.  Christ and the salvation in Him, become irresistible to him.

5^th- Those who have been effectually called, will most certainly persevere in faith and obedience to the end of their life.

This is because God’s powerful saving grace keeps them in the faith, even through many temptations and difficulties.  They may eve, for a time fall into grievous sins, but God will faithfully bring them back (Luke 22:32).  The heart of a true Christian is upheld, strengthened, and given grace moment by moment to continue to follow Christ.  Because of the greatness of God’s grace a true Christian will pray, he will repent, he will continue to pursue righteousness, all because God is faithful to continue and complete the work that He has truly begun (Philippians 1:6).  These truths we have come to treasure because God has placed them in His Word.