Our church has just finished going through a mid-week Bible study on the doctrines of grace. It was an awesome time as we learned about what God has done to bring us to Himself.
As I reflect on what these doctrines mean I have to say that they have brought about dramatic changes in my life over the past several years. Here is the effect God has wrought in my life through these scriptural teachings.
1. God has put in me a stronger love for the people in our church.
2. God has put in me a stronger love for sinners to come to Christ.
3. God has removed the fear of evangelism and given me courage to witness to many people.
4. God has helped me to make my preaching God-centered.
5. God has caused me to be more discerning over my theological influences.
6. God has helped me to rejoice in Him much more than in my circumstances.
7. God has helped me to hate my sin more and more.
8. God has removed the professionalization of ministry from my mind. Oh, how wonderful it is to be free from this mentality.
9. God has elevated the work of Christ to greater heights so that His grace abounds all the more.
10. God is establishing me in the faith more and more.
I know that there are some who think that these doctrines results in withering churches, divisions, arguments, grouchy people, pride, lack of evangelism, lack of prayer, over-emphasis on the sovereignty of God to the exclusion of man's responsiblity to believe the gospel, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Though there are some who can take these Biblical truths to a level of unbiblical living, that is more attributed to our depraved logic rather than reasoning from teachings of Scripture. For instance, I had a gentleman say to me the other day, "Since God has elected people to salvation then it doesn't matter what we do. He's going to save His people, right?" His argument is the same one I hear people consistently bring to the table. This is NOT what Scripture teaches. That is a faulty logical conclusion that Scripture does not lead us to. I say this to say that a right understanding of these doctrines should lead to godly living for they are from the mind of God.
Pastor John Piper offered a list of ten effects that Calvinism should have on the believer. He states that if these ten things do not result in your life then either he has failed to teach them properly or the individual has a hard heart.
1. These truths make me stand in awe of God and lead me into the depth of true God-centered worship.
2. These truths help protect me from trifling with divine things.
3. These truths make me marvel at my own salvation.
4. These truths make me alert to man-centered substitutes that pose as good news.
5. These truths make me groan over the indescribable disease of our secular, God-belittling culture.
6. These truths make me confident that the work which God planned and began, he will finish – both globally and personally.
7. These truths make me see everything in the light of God's sovereign purposes – that from him and through him and to him are all things, to him be glory forever and ever.
8. These truths make me hopeful that God has the will, the right, and the power to answer prayer that people be changed.
9. These truths reminds me that evangelism is absolutely essential for people to come to Christ and be saved, and that there is great hope for success in leading people to faith, but that conversion is not finally dependent on me or limited by the hardness of the unbeliever.
10. These truths make me sure that God will triumph in the end.
Perhap you have your own list to contribute.
As I reflect on what these doctrines mean I have to say that they have brought about dramatic changes in my life over the past several years. Here is the effect God has wrought in my life through these scriptural teachings.
1. God has put in me a stronger love for the people in our church.
2. God has put in me a stronger love for sinners to come to Christ.
3. God has removed the fear of evangelism and given me courage to witness to many people.
4. God has helped me to make my preaching God-centered.
5. God has caused me to be more discerning over my theological influences.
6. God has helped me to rejoice in Him much more than in my circumstances.
7. God has helped me to hate my sin more and more.
8. God has removed the professionalization of ministry from my mind. Oh, how wonderful it is to be free from this mentality.
9. God has elevated the work of Christ to greater heights so that His grace abounds all the more.
10. God is establishing me in the faith more and more.
I know that there are some who think that these doctrines results in withering churches, divisions, arguments, grouchy people, pride, lack of evangelism, lack of prayer, over-emphasis on the sovereignty of God to the exclusion of man's responsiblity to believe the gospel, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Though there are some who can take these Biblical truths to a level of unbiblical living, that is more attributed to our depraved logic rather than reasoning from teachings of Scripture. For instance, I had a gentleman say to me the other day, "Since God has elected people to salvation then it doesn't matter what we do. He's going to save His people, right?" His argument is the same one I hear people consistently bring to the table. This is NOT what Scripture teaches. That is a faulty logical conclusion that Scripture does not lead us to. I say this to say that a right understanding of these doctrines should lead to godly living for they are from the mind of God.
Pastor John Piper offered a list of ten effects that Calvinism should have on the believer. He states that if these ten things do not result in your life then either he has failed to teach them properly or the individual has a hard heart.
1. These truths make me stand in awe of God and lead me into the depth of true God-centered worship.
2. These truths help protect me from trifling with divine things.
3. These truths make me marvel at my own salvation.
4. These truths make me alert to man-centered substitutes that pose as good news.
5. These truths make me groan over the indescribable disease of our secular, God-belittling culture.
6. These truths make me confident that the work which God planned and began, he will finish – both globally and personally.
7. These truths make me see everything in the light of God's sovereign purposes – that from him and through him and to him are all things, to him be glory forever and ever.
8. These truths make me hopeful that God has the will, the right, and the power to answer prayer that people be changed.
9. These truths reminds me that evangelism is absolutely essential for people to come to Christ and be saved, and that there is great hope for success in leading people to faith, but that conversion is not finally dependent on me or limited by the hardness of the unbeliever.
10. These truths make me sure that God will triumph in the end.
Perhap you have your own list to contribute.
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