1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,380
Kind of a related thing and it's still talking about this whole free will business.

2
00:00:05,380 --> 00:00:07,799
We want to run with this a little more.

3
00:00:07,799 --> 00:00:10,260
So we've got two individuals.

4
00:00:10,260 --> 00:00:11,928
Okay.

5
00:00:11,928 --> 00:00:20,812
We've got person A and we've got person B. Scripturally, and these are both non-Christians,

6
00:00:20,812 --> 00:00:21,813
alright?

7
00:00:21,813 --> 00:00:25,900
They have not yet heard of Christ and so they're unhappy.

8
00:00:25,900 --> 00:00:26,901
Okay.

9
00:00:26,901 --> 00:00:29,571
So you got person A and you got person B.

10
00:00:29,612 --> 00:00:34,200
What do we know about them?

11
00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:35,201
Created in God's image.

12
00:00:35,201 --> 00:00:36,202
What else do we know?

13
00:00:36,202 --> 00:00:37,203
What's that?

14
00:00:37,203 --> 00:00:38,204
Sin.

15
00:00:38,204 --> 00:00:41,207
They sin.

16
00:00:41,207 --> 00:00:42,751
They're lost.

17
00:00:42,751 --> 00:00:43,752
Right?

18
00:00:43,752 --> 00:00:46,629
Spiritually, what is their condition?

19
00:00:46,629 --> 00:00:47,630
Dead.

20
00:00:47,630 --> 00:00:48,631
Yeah.

21
00:00:48,631 --> 00:00:55,430
They are spiritually, scripture says blind, deaf, ultimately spiritually dead.

22
00:00:55,430 --> 00:00:57,348
Right?

23
00:00:57,348 --> 00:01:01,227
And is there any difference between person A and person B?

24
00:01:01,227 --> 00:01:02,771
No.

25
00:01:02,771 --> 00:01:04,481
None.

26
00:01:04,481 --> 00:01:05,565
Romans is very clear.

27
00:01:05,565 --> 00:01:06,941
Paul says there is no difference.

28
00:01:06,941 --> 00:01:09,027
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

29
00:01:09,027 --> 00:01:10,028
All.

30
00:01:10,028 --> 00:01:11,029
No difference.

31
00:01:11,029 --> 00:01:15,241
So person A and person B are dead and it's important to realize dead is dead.

32
00:01:15,241 --> 00:01:18,203
You don't have degrees of dead.

33
00:01:18,203 --> 00:01:20,163
Okay?

34
00:01:20,163 --> 00:01:24,834
A skeleton might look more dead than someone who's just been, you know, pronounced dead,

35
00:01:24,834 --> 00:01:25,835
but dead is dead.

36
00:01:25,835 --> 00:01:28,129
Neither one is going to revive.

37
00:01:28,129 --> 00:01:29,130
All right.

38
00:01:29,130 --> 00:01:32,592
So person A and person B are both dead.

39
00:01:32,592 --> 00:01:39,265
God has an attitude or a desire for both of them and what is God's desire?

40
00:01:39,265 --> 00:01:41,226
To be alive.

41
00:01:41,226 --> 00:01:42,227
Yeah.

42
00:01:42,227 --> 00:01:46,606
He wants all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

43
00:01:46,606 --> 00:01:50,151
So how does God bring about this salvation work?

44
00:01:50,151 --> 00:01:51,152
What does God do?

45
00:01:51,152 --> 00:01:52,779
How does God make this happen?

46
00:01:52,779 --> 00:01:54,489
He works through his means.

47
00:01:54,489 --> 00:01:56,282
We'll talk about that coming up.

48
00:01:56,282 --> 00:01:58,034
And so he works through his word.

49
00:01:58,034 --> 00:01:59,035
The word is proclaimed.

50
00:01:59,035 --> 00:02:03,832
And let's say, for example, Joe Evangelist comes into the dorm room where A and B are

51
00:02:03,832 --> 00:02:09,087
living and Joe Evangelist shares the Gospel with person A and person B who are both spiritually

52
00:02:09,087 --> 00:02:11,089
dead without Christ.

53
00:02:11,089 --> 00:02:15,927
At the end of the presentation, person A says, whoa, that is a very cool thing.

54
00:02:15,927 --> 00:02:17,178
Good news.

55
00:02:17,178 --> 00:02:18,888
I like the sound of that.

56
00:02:18,888 --> 00:02:20,181
Christ is my savior.

57
00:02:20,181 --> 00:02:21,182
What a difference it makes.

58
00:02:21,182 --> 00:02:24,185
And person B says, that's a bunch of junk.

59
00:02:24,936 --> 00:02:26,938
I'm going to live the way I want to live.

60
00:02:26,938 --> 00:02:28,815
Don't mess with me.

61
00:02:28,815 --> 00:02:32,068
And so he stays in his sin.

62
00:02:32,068 --> 00:02:36,489
That night, explosion and both of them die.

63
00:02:36,489 --> 00:02:39,617
So what happens?

64
00:02:39,617 --> 00:02:41,786
Where do they spend eternity?

65
00:02:41,786 --> 00:02:42,787
Person A?

66
00:02:42,787 --> 00:02:43,788
Yeah.

67
00:02:43,788 --> 00:02:48,960
He's going to participate in the eschatological reality to be fulfilled at the end of all

68
00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:49,961
things.

69
00:02:49,961 --> 00:02:51,963
We'll talk about that more coming up.

70
00:02:51,963 --> 00:02:52,964
Okay?

71
00:02:52,964 --> 00:02:53,965
Yeah.

72
00:02:54,257 --> 00:02:55,258
I don't believe in heaven anymore.

73
00:02:55,258 --> 00:02:58,261
I believe in the eschatological reality at the end of all things.

74
00:02:58,261 --> 00:02:59,262
That's another issue.

75
00:02:59,262 --> 00:03:00,263
All right?

76
00:03:00,263 --> 00:03:06,227
And so person A goes to heaven, whatever we mean by that.

77
00:03:06,227 --> 00:03:07,228
He's with God.

78
00:03:07,228 --> 00:03:10,106
He has peace, joy, all the good stuff.

79
00:03:10,106 --> 00:03:12,108
Person B, what's his future?

80
00:03:12,108 --> 00:03:13,109
Suffering.

81
00:03:13,109 --> 00:03:14,319
Yeah, hell.

82
00:03:14,319 --> 00:03:16,321
And that I do believe in still.

83
00:03:16,321 --> 00:03:17,322
No problem there.

84
00:03:17,322 --> 00:03:19,324
So person B, hell.

85
00:03:19,324 --> 00:03:21,326
All right.

86
00:03:21,326 --> 00:03:23,328
Everything's cool.

87
00:03:23,328 --> 00:03:34,839
Well, so why did A become a Christian and not B?

88
00:03:34,839 --> 00:03:38,843
And what we are faced with here is the question, cur alii, alii autem non?

89
00:03:38,843 --> 00:03:39,844
Okay?

90
00:03:39,844 --> 00:03:42,847
I think there's two I's in there.

91
00:03:42,847 --> 00:03:43,848
Okay?

92
00:03:43,848 --> 00:03:51,856
cur alii, alii autem non which is Latin for why some while not others?

93
00:03:52,398 --> 00:03:54,817
Another way of saying it.

94
00:03:54,817 --> 00:03:57,779
Why some while not others?

95
00:03:57,779 --> 00:04:01,241
All right.

96
00:04:01,241 --> 00:04:04,077
So there are a couple ways to answer this.

97
00:04:04,077 --> 00:04:06,663
Again, we're left with only a few options here.

98
00:04:06,663 --> 00:04:10,875
Why did person A become a Christian while person B rejected?

99
00:04:10,875 --> 00:04:12,877
Why?

100
00:04:12,877 --> 00:04:14,712
What makes the difference?

101
00:04:14,712 --> 00:04:16,714
Why did this happen?

102
00:04:16,714 --> 00:04:19,926
Well, there's a couple ways to skin this.

103
00:04:19,926 --> 00:04:24,514
As was pointed out, Calvin would have said, well, it's real easy.

104
00:04:24,514 --> 00:04:25,515
Answer's simple.

105
00:04:25,515 --> 00:04:32,897
A and B, equally damned, equally dead in their sin, equally lost, no doubt about it.

106
00:04:32,897 --> 00:04:38,569
God is the only one who can bring about salvation because, in fact, if person A comes to faith,

107
00:04:38,569 --> 00:04:40,071
who's going to accomplish it?

108
00:04:40,071 --> 00:04:44,033
Calvin knows it's got to be 100% God's work.

109
00:04:44,033 --> 00:04:46,869
Only God can accomplish salvation.

110
00:04:46,869 --> 00:04:52,166
So God simply chose A, predestined him.

111
00:04:52,166 --> 00:04:54,711
A, you're in.

112
00:04:54,711 --> 00:04:58,172
And so when the evangelist spoke, A had no choice.

113
00:04:58,172 --> 00:04:59,173
God gave him faith.

114
00:04:59,173 --> 00:05:04,470
A responded because God had chosen him and gave him the Holy Spirit so that he accepted

115
00:05:04,470 --> 00:05:05,471
it and believed it.

116
00:05:05,471 --> 00:05:09,434
B, on the other hand, well, he was on the short end of the stick.

117
00:05:09,434 --> 00:05:14,313
And God simply predestined him for hell, made the choice, and that was it.

118
00:05:14,313 --> 00:05:18,776
So God makes the choice.

119
00:05:18,776 --> 00:05:21,320
God decides.

120
00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,283
Good explanation?

121
00:05:25,283 --> 00:05:31,497
That's an answer.

122
00:05:31,497 --> 00:05:32,498
Settles the problem, right?

123
00:05:32,498 --> 00:05:38,629
It's contrary to the first thing you said about God wanting all to be saved.

124
00:05:38,629 --> 00:05:41,758
How does that verse isn't there?

125
00:05:41,758 --> 00:05:44,510
God wants all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

126
00:05:44,510 --> 00:05:46,095
God's will is for all to be saved.

127
00:05:46,095 --> 00:05:48,347
First Timothy, okay?

128
00:05:48,347 --> 00:05:52,518
So God wants all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

129
00:05:52,518 --> 00:05:54,395
There it is in the Bible.

130
00:05:54,395 --> 00:05:57,148
Well, so what's Calvin do?

131
00:05:57,148 --> 00:06:00,109
Calvin says, God doesn't really mean that.

132
00:06:00,109 --> 00:06:02,403
He's got his fingers crossed.

133
00:06:02,403 --> 00:06:06,282
That's the will he tells you about, but he has a hidden will he hasn't told you about.

134
00:06:06,282 --> 00:06:10,203
That's the real one that matters, and that's one you need to pay attention to is the hidden

135
00:06:10,203 --> 00:06:11,204
will of God.

136
00:06:11,204 --> 00:06:12,205
That's what Calvin says.

137
00:06:12,205 --> 00:06:13,206
That's what he does.

138
00:06:13,206 --> 00:06:20,296
And the problem is, Calvin's answer is nice and neat and clean, gives all the glory to

139
00:06:20,296 --> 00:06:21,297
God.

140
00:06:21,297 --> 00:06:23,508
We're simply the people who are recipients and we're passive.

141
00:06:23,508 --> 00:06:24,842
That's very good.

142
00:06:24,842 --> 00:06:25,843
That's a good thing.

143
00:06:25,843 --> 00:06:30,515
But the problem is, Calvin also answers the question about why not be, and he ends up

144
00:06:30,515 --> 00:06:33,142
denying Scripture to do it.

145
00:06:33,142 --> 00:06:35,311
So Calvin's not a real popular answer.

146
00:06:35,311 --> 00:06:40,316
Besides, the big problem with Calvinism and his answer is, what does it do to human free

147
00:06:40,316 --> 00:06:41,317
will?

148
00:06:41,317 --> 00:06:45,613
What do you mean, human free will?

149
00:06:45,613 --> 00:06:47,115
That people don't have a will.

150
00:06:47,115 --> 00:06:49,575
There is no such thing as free will.

151
00:06:49,575 --> 00:06:54,789
So in Calvin's system, free will, gone, out, kaput.

152
00:06:54,789 --> 00:07:03,381
You are simply the passive recipient of God's working and it's all his business.

153
00:07:03,381 --> 00:07:05,508
And we'll see what he does.

154
00:07:05,508 --> 00:07:09,512
We're just the pawns and God's got to work it out.

155
00:07:09,512 --> 00:07:10,513
Okay?

156
00:07:10,513 --> 00:07:14,517
Unchooses me if I don't go to church and don't read the Bible.

157
00:07:14,517 --> 00:07:15,518
No, you can't.

158
00:07:15,518 --> 00:07:17,895
You're not really a Calvinist.

159
00:07:17,895 --> 00:07:21,482
But you might think you're in when you're really not.

160
00:07:21,482 --> 00:07:29,490
A good Calvinist falls down the stairs and says, God, I'm glad that's over with.

161
00:07:29,991 --> 00:07:32,910
All right.

162
00:07:32,910 --> 00:07:36,581
So what's the next option?

163
00:07:36,581 --> 00:07:40,585
If God doesn't make the choice, then what's the other option?

164
00:07:40,585 --> 00:07:41,586
Yeah.

165
00:07:41,586 --> 00:07:43,588
And who came up with that answer?

166
00:07:43,588 --> 00:07:45,590
A guy named Jacob Arminius.

167
00:07:51,596 --> 00:07:57,101
And so he said, it's a violation of Scripture to say that God chooses to send person B to

168
00:07:57,226 --> 00:08:00,521
hell because God wants him to be saved.

169
00:08:00,521 --> 00:08:06,736
And so what we really have going on here is person A and person B have a choice to make,

170
00:08:06,736 --> 00:08:08,196
free will.

171
00:08:08,196 --> 00:08:11,115
And person A chose well.

172
00:08:11,115 --> 00:08:13,034
And person B did not.

173
00:08:13,034 --> 00:08:16,537
The difference is in the people.

174
00:08:16,537 --> 00:08:20,124
Maybe person A is just a little more spiritually tuned in.

175
00:08:20,124 --> 00:08:22,793
Maybe he had a better background.

176
00:08:22,793 --> 00:08:26,339
Maybe he's just not quite so proud or arrogant.

177
00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:28,508
But there's a difference.

178
00:08:28,508 --> 00:08:30,134
Subtle, but there's a difference.

179
00:08:30,134 --> 00:08:34,514
And that explains why person A came in and person B did not.

180
00:08:34,514 --> 00:08:39,727
Because you see, Arminius would say, when God brings his gospel, he's trying equally

181
00:08:39,727 --> 00:08:40,937
hard on both of them.

182
00:08:40,937 --> 00:08:42,396
He really wants them both in.

183
00:08:42,396 --> 00:08:44,732
Calvin would say, no, not at all.

184
00:08:44,732 --> 00:08:49,529
When God is declaring his gospel, he's really declaring it to person A and opening up person

185
00:08:49,529 --> 00:08:50,655
A's ears.

186
00:08:50,655 --> 00:08:56,118
He has no intention of turning B. So he allows the barrier to simply stay put.

187
00:08:57,119 --> 00:09:01,123
And he's not really trying on B. Kind of, but not really.

188
00:09:01,123 --> 00:09:04,502
Because if he really tries, you can't thwart God's will because God's God.

189
00:09:04,502 --> 00:09:06,504
And what God wants, God gets.

190
00:09:06,504 --> 00:09:08,923
And if God wants him saved, he's saved.

191
00:09:08,923 --> 00:09:09,924
Period.

192
00:09:09,924 --> 00:09:11,425
That's just Calvin's kind of logic.

193
00:09:11,425 --> 00:09:14,720
God's really God, which is a strength of Calvin's system.

194
00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:20,101
The problem with Calvin is he's got B going to hell because God sends him to hell.

195
00:09:20,101 --> 00:09:23,729
Which we can live with that, I suppose, but it violates Scripture.

196
00:09:23,729 --> 00:09:25,731
That's the problem.

197
00:09:25,815 --> 00:09:27,900
So, Arminius comes up with his nice answer.

198
00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:30,111
The reality is God really wants all to be saved.

199
00:09:30,111 --> 00:09:34,031
When the gospel comes, God's really doing his gospel thing and he's really giving it

200
00:09:34,031 --> 00:09:36,909
full blast on both A and B, giving it all he's got.

201
00:09:37,910 --> 00:09:39,912
A, comes to faith.

202
00:09:39,912 --> 00:09:40,913
Great.

203
00:09:40,913 --> 00:09:41,914
B, didn't.

204
00:09:41,914 --> 00:09:43,916
Not so great.

205
00:09:43,916 --> 00:09:45,918
But it's the choice you made.

206
00:09:45,918 --> 00:09:49,922
You made the choice and you pay for it.

207
00:09:49,922 --> 00:09:53,134
So, the strength of this one is it answers the problem for us.

208
00:09:53,134 --> 00:09:54,927
Why some are not others?

209
00:09:54,927 --> 00:09:55,928
Easy.

210
00:09:55,928 --> 00:09:56,929
People are different.

211
00:09:56,929 --> 00:09:58,931
Some decide well, some don't.

212
00:09:58,931 --> 00:10:01,934
God gives you free will, he gives you the choice.

213
00:10:01,934 --> 00:10:04,937
So, what's the problem with this?

214
00:10:04,937 --> 00:10:05,938
Is there one?

215
00:10:05,938 --> 00:10:06,939
Those are pretty good.

216
00:10:06,939 --> 00:10:07,940
What's that?

217
00:10:07,940 --> 00:10:08,899
Why not?

218
00:10:08,899 --> 00:10:09,900
All kinds of grace.

219
00:10:09,900 --> 00:10:13,904
God's giving grace to A. He doesn't deserve it.

220
00:10:13,904 --> 00:10:14,905
Gets it anyway.

221
00:10:14,905 --> 00:10:15,906
Don't need Christ?

222
00:10:15,906 --> 00:10:16,907
Yes, I do.

223
00:10:16,907 --> 00:10:20,911
Because without Christ, I can't be forgiven for my sins and I need forgiveness.

224
00:10:20,911 --> 00:10:22,913
Person A is a sinner.

225
00:10:22,913 --> 00:10:23,914
Terrible sinner.

226
00:10:23,914 --> 00:10:24,915
He's got to have grace.

227
00:10:24,915 --> 00:10:28,919
God mercifully has given him everything and God is just standing there and saying, here

228
00:10:28,919 --> 00:10:30,921
it is, A. It's all yours.

229
00:10:30,921 --> 00:10:31,922
I'm giving it all to you.

230
00:10:31,922 --> 00:10:34,925
All you got to do is reach out and take it.

231
00:10:34,925 --> 00:10:35,926
That's all.

232
00:10:35,926 --> 00:10:36,927
I'm doing it all.

233
00:10:36,927 --> 00:10:37,928
And without me, you're lost.

234
00:10:37,928 --> 00:10:38,929
So, person A knows he needs Christ.

235
00:10:38,929 --> 00:10:39,930
He's depending on Christ.

236
00:10:39,930 --> 00:10:42,933
This is saying that A has to make that choice to accept.

237
00:10:42,933 --> 00:10:43,934
Doesn't he?

238
00:10:43,934 --> 00:10:44,935
No.

239
00:10:44,935 --> 00:10:45,936
Choose the stadium you will serve.

240
00:10:45,936 --> 00:10:46,937
Open the door.

241
00:10:46,937 --> 00:10:47,938
I stand at the door and knock.

242
00:10:47,938 --> 00:10:52,902
I'm going to knock.

243
00:10:52,902 --> 00:10:59,909
And whoever opens to me, I come into him, making a choice.

244
00:10:59,909 --> 00:11:06,916
What if person A's works on a level with what Christ did?

245
00:11:06,916 --> 00:11:07,917
No.

246
00:11:07,917 --> 00:11:13,923
To choose is so small and so insignificant, it doesn't really matter at all.

247
00:11:13,923 --> 00:11:18,928
But it's still, what Christ did is what saves, not anything any of us does.

248
00:11:18,928 --> 00:11:19,929
Well, yeah, of course.

249
00:11:19,929 --> 00:11:20,930
He did everything.

250
00:11:20,930 --> 00:11:25,976
everything. All I have to do is simply believe it. So if I have to do something to make it

251
00:11:25,976 --> 00:11:33,943
happen, then that something is, and if I don't do it, it doesn't happen, then that something

252
00:11:33,943 --> 00:11:42,660
is necessary for Christ's salvation to have value. And I disagree. I think what Christ

253
00:11:42,660 --> 00:11:47,289
did has value no matter what I do. Well of course it has value. I'm just stupid enough.

254
00:11:47,289 --> 00:11:51,919
B is just so stupid he doesn't realize it. He rejects it. A, sharp enough to see a good

255
00:11:51,919 --> 00:11:58,008
thing when he, know a good thing when he sees it. Takes it. That's what grace is all about.

256
00:11:58,008 --> 00:12:03,889
God does it all, I just take it. Grace goes one step further than the other. Grace goes

257
00:12:03,889 --> 00:12:10,896
one step further. Okay. This brought up a question. What about the guy in China who

258
00:12:10,896 --> 00:12:17,862
never hears the word of God? Well, let's save Percy C for later. So what we're saying is

259
00:12:17,862 --> 00:12:24,869
that the word of God came to both and God's grace is really available to both. But really

260
00:12:24,869 --> 00:12:33,878
what's happening here is B is rejecting that grace. Sure. Yeah. Person A is accepting it.

261
00:12:33,878 --> 00:12:38,883
Because that's what free will means. You get to make the call. You get the choice. God

262
00:12:38,883 --> 00:12:43,888
gets free will. He trusts us with that free will. See Calvin had no free will. What do

263
00:12:43,888 --> 00:12:47,892
you mean humans have the ability to control God? Come on. God's God. God gets what he

264
00:12:47,892 --> 00:12:52,897
wants. He wants A in, he's in. And if he wants B in, he's in too. The fact that B is not

265
00:12:52,897 --> 00:12:56,859
in is simply because God has rejected him. Period. It's the only explanation. Arminius

266
00:12:56,859 --> 00:13:01,864
says, I don't like a God like that. That God seems rather harsh and nasty. Who wants to

267
00:13:01,864 --> 00:13:05,868
worship a God like that? Give me a God who's nice all the time and I will explain the difference

268
00:13:05,868 --> 00:13:09,872
why someone not others and the fact that people are different. Some receive it, some reject

269
00:13:09,872 --> 00:13:18,881
it. It's their fault. Done. What other options do we have? The fault lies either with God

270
00:13:18,881 --> 00:13:30,893
or with people. Are there any other options here? Oh, the Holy Spirit. That's easy. The

271
00:13:30,893 --> 00:13:34,897
Holy Spirit is the one who's making the word happen. The Holy Spirit is the one opening

272
00:13:34,897 --> 00:13:38,859
A's ears up. The Holy Spirit is doing the whole thing. And the Holy Spirit is pounding

273
00:13:38,859 --> 00:13:43,864
on B trying to get him to open up. But B's just recalcitrant. He's just a nasty guy.

274
00:13:43,864 --> 00:13:48,869
And he won't, he will have none of it. That's the difference. A yields, he opens that door.

275
00:13:48,869 --> 00:13:52,873
There's the pounding. Jesus is doing the pounding. The Holy Spirit's knocking like crazy. Open

276
00:13:52,873 --> 00:13:59,880
the door. Hey, everything's cool. But see, he opened the door. See? Isn't the Holy Spirit

277
00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:04,885
the one who allows us to open the door? Not our own ability? Okay, so I'm a Calvinist

278
00:14:04,885 --> 00:14:09,890
and so the Holy Spirit is the one who is doing that work and making me have faith. Fine.

279
00:14:09,890 --> 00:14:13,894
And so what God does is he just keeps the Holy Spirit from doing this full job on B

280
00:14:13,894 --> 00:14:20,859
because that's not part of the plan. The Holy Spirit's got his place, his role to play.

281
00:14:20,859 --> 00:14:28,867
Fits right in. Now, the problem with Calvin, of course, is you've got this thing that says

282
00:14:28,867 --> 00:14:32,872
God wants all to be saved. And Calvin's got to play a little game and say God doesn't

283
00:14:32,872 --> 00:14:37,877
mean that. So what's the problem with Arminius? Is there one or is it pretty good?

284
00:14:38,877 --> 00:14:41,881
Well, I just get hung up on the fact that A has to do something.

285
00:14:41,881 --> 00:14:43,882
Well, I'm glad you do.

286
00:14:45,885 --> 00:14:53,892
Well, you should. See, is Arminius a pretty popular idea, though? Hugely popular. You

287
00:14:53,892 --> 00:14:58,897
go to most theological campuses, most seminaries in America today, and you've got two factions

288
00:14:58,897 --> 00:15:02,860
running around, the evangelical ones. You've got the Arminian camp and the Calvinist camp.

289
00:15:02,860 --> 00:15:05,863
And the Arminian camp is the big one and the Calvinists are a rare, small little group.

290
00:15:05,863 --> 00:15:09,867
They're a persecuted bunch these days. There aren't many real Calvinists around. It's

291
00:15:09,867 --> 00:15:12,870
just not real popular in America to say that it's all God's choice and you don't have

292
00:15:12,870 --> 00:15:19,877
the free will. That doesn't sell real well. Not really very evangelical popular. So you

293
00:15:19,877 --> 00:15:22,880
have these two big debates, and people tell you, you got a choice, either a Calvinist

294
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:27,885
or an Arminian. You got to make the call. And so most people end up saying, well, Calvin

295
00:15:27,885 --> 00:15:32,890
is just rather offensive. And God says he wants all to be saved. I don't like Calvin's

296
00:15:32,890 --> 00:15:36,894
answer, so I guess I'll have to go with Arminius' answer because God's doing his

297
00:15:36,894 --> 00:15:40,898
grace thing and you're just making the choice. Billy Graham does Arminian, so it must be

298
00:15:40,898 --> 00:15:46,862
right. But what's the problem? What's the big deal if you choose? So God does it all.

299
00:15:46,862 --> 00:15:49,865
It's all grace. It's all Christ. And I'm trusting in him alone. And that's what it's

300
00:15:49,865 --> 00:15:53,869
all about. So what's the big deal if I have to open the door? What's the problem? So

301
00:15:53,869 --> 00:16:01,877
what? What's that? We lose grace when we work. The fact of the matter is, if you're

302
00:16:01,877 --> 00:16:07,883
a Christian, what's the matter is, I wrote up here that God does 100%. If I'm an Arminian,

303
00:16:07,883 --> 00:16:16,892
is God doing 100%? No. There's a part I'm doing. Now, God might be doing 99.9999, but

304
00:16:16,892 --> 00:16:24,900
I'm still doing my .00001. And that one little fraction of my work is enough to ruin everything.

305
00:16:24,900 --> 00:16:30,864
One drop of my work makes it not grace anymore. And here's how it happens. Here's how it could

306
00:16:30,864 --> 00:16:35,869
happen. Here's the great fear that Luther had. So suppose I'm a good Arminian, and I

307
00:16:35,869 --> 00:16:41,875
believe I make my choice. And so I choose – sorry, I'm off camera now. I'm here.

308
00:16:41,875 --> 00:16:47,881
Okay. And so they told me yesterday when I sit over here, I just kind of disappear. It's

309
00:16:47,881 --> 00:16:57,891
fine. So God makes his offer, and Person A receives it. And he lives a Christian life

310
00:16:57,891 --> 00:17:01,895
and rejoices in God's forgiveness and the benevolence of Christ and all that Christ

311
00:17:01,895 --> 00:17:06,859
has done. It's just great. It's all God. And Arminians will talk this way. They talk

312
00:17:06,859 --> 00:17:13,866
grace of God up and down like crazy. Now, Person A is on his deathbed. He's getting

313
00:17:13,866 --> 00:17:17,870
ready to cash in all the chips. And he's thinking back on his life and thinking about

314
00:17:17,870 --> 00:17:23,876
how good God's been to him. And Satan comes along as he likes to do on these occasions.

315
00:17:23,876 --> 00:17:28,881
He says, call yourself a Christian, huh? That's right. I've walked with Christ all

316
00:17:28,881 --> 00:17:35,888
my life. Person A and Satan says, done a bad job of it. Person A says, well, yeah, that's

317
00:17:35,888 --> 00:17:40,893
true. Haven't done a very good job. I've blown it. But God still loves me. How do you

318
00:17:40,893 --> 00:17:46,899
know? Well, because I accepted him into my heart. How did you know? When did that happen?

319
00:17:46,899 --> 00:17:52,863
Oh, it happened when I was 15. We were at the campfire, and we were all sitting around

320
00:17:52,863 --> 00:17:55,866
and it was a really emotional night. And man, it was a special night. And I asked Jesus

321
00:17:55,866 --> 00:17:59,870
into my heart and everything changed at that point. And Satan says, yeah, I remember. I

322
00:17:59,870 --> 00:18:04,875
was there. And he goes, oh, really? Oh, yeah, I was there, too. I remember. And you were

323
00:18:04,875 --> 00:18:09,880
really hung up on that one gal who was that good Baptist girl and really wanted to make

324
00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:16,887
her happy. And you asked Jesus into your heart just to make her happy. He didn't mean it.

325
00:18:16,887 --> 00:18:23,894
In fact, the singing, the guitar, kumbaya, it just was all emotional. It just took you

326
00:18:24,895 --> 00:18:28,899
apart. It was nothing more than a bunch of emotions. You didn't mean it. You did it for

327
00:18:28,899 --> 00:18:32,861
the wrong reasons. You didn't really ask Jesus into your heart at all. You've just been playing

328
00:18:32,861 --> 00:18:36,865
a game your whole life, and you know it because you haven't lived the way you're supposed

329
00:18:36,865 --> 00:18:42,871
to live. It's a farce. You're no Christian. You don't want Jesus. What's Person A supposed

330
00:18:42,871 --> 00:18:51,880
to say? Maybe I didn't do it right. I don't know. Maybe I didn't mean it. Maybe I'm not

331
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:57,886
in it at all. And see, this is the fear that Luther had. They had a name for this. They

332
00:18:57,886 --> 00:19:03,892
called deathbed crisis like that, they called it despair. And pay attention. In some of

333
00:19:03,892 --> 00:19:06,895
the prayers we have in church, we say, Lord, save us from despair. We're not talking about,

334
00:19:06,895 --> 00:19:11,900
oh, woe is me, life is bad. No, despair is losing your faith on your deathbed. That's

335
00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:16,864
the fear. And that was the concern that Luther had. And Luther was wise enough to realize,

336
00:19:16,864 --> 00:19:22,870
if you're an Armenian, you have no protection from this. Because if you have to do the smallest

337
00:19:22,870 --> 00:19:29,877
fraction to secure your salvation, it's in doubt. Because as soon as any human factor

338
00:19:29,877 --> 00:19:36,884
plays in, you can never be sure of it. How can I know? How can I be sure? And so, see,

339
00:19:36,884 --> 00:19:41,889
God had it nailed. So Satan comes calling on the Lutheran on his deathbed. And what

340
00:19:41,889 --> 00:19:47,895
does the Lutheran say? How do you know that you're God's, you Lutheran? And what does

341
00:19:47,895 --> 00:19:52,900
he say? God claimed me. When did he do that? Oh, what happened to that baptismal font?

342
00:19:52,900 --> 00:19:59,865
I don't even remember it. I was too little. How do you know it happened? Oh, my parents

343
00:19:59,865 --> 00:20:04,870
told me I've got the baptismal certificate. God claimed me. And I know my whole life I've

344
00:20:04,870 --> 00:20:10,876
been His. I failed Him often, but He claimed me. And when God claims me, He does it right.

345
00:20:10,876 --> 00:20:18,884
It doesn't depend on me. So why do I know I have salvation? God says so. No doubt about

346
00:20:18,884 --> 00:20:25,766
it. You see, it's not based on my choice, my feelings, my experience, my good believing.

347
00:20:25,766 --> 00:20:30,896
It's based purely on what God has accomplished and me simply hanging on to what God has given.

348
00:20:30,896 --> 00:20:41,865
God does it all. All. So then, because our works are contaminated and imperfect, we can't

349
00:20:41,865 --> 00:20:47,871
rely on them in any degree. Right. And God's works are perfect and pure. That's right.

350
00:20:47,871 --> 00:20:52,876
So that's the only place our faith can lie where it can't be challenged. Always. Always.

351
00:20:52,876 --> 00:20:56,880
And so even the good works that you do as a Christian are really simply God's works

352
00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:01,885
in you. That's what makes them good. And you are always totally dependent upon God

353
00:21:01,885 --> 00:21:09,893
for any good thing. Salvation is always 100 percent God's work. God does it all. He brings

354
00:21:09,893 --> 00:21:14,898
you to faith and He keeps you in the faith and He sustains you and He brings you to eternal

355
00:21:14,898 --> 00:21:21,863
life. He does it all. You do nothing. And so the old children's message, which I have

356
00:21:21,863 --> 00:21:26,868
heard so many times, I can't even count. Kids, all you got to do is believe. All you

357
00:21:26,868 --> 00:21:32,874
got to do is have faith. Dead wrong. We're confusing people. Dead wrong. You don't even

358
00:21:32,874 --> 00:21:38,880
have to believe. Even your belief. Even your ability to have faith. Even that is the gift

359
00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:45,887
of God. Even that is worked by Him. So Calvin's right when it comes to God does the whole

360
00:21:45,887 --> 00:21:52,894
thing. Exactly right. I'm dead. Dead people don't decide to wake up. How stupid is Arminianism

361
00:21:52,894 --> 00:21:55,897
when you think about it? If I had a corpse that was stretched out up here and I came

362
00:21:55,897 --> 00:22:01,862
in and started yelling at the corpse, okay, wake up. Be alive. Decide to be alive. You

363
00:22:01,862 --> 00:22:08,869
don't think I was nuts. The corpse does not decide to be alive. He doesn't have that option.

364
00:22:08,869 --> 00:22:12,873
He's dead. You know, you can preach to him all you want. He's not going to decide to

365
00:22:12,873 --> 00:22:18,879
wake up. But then if he does sit up, what's the immediate conclusion you all reach? Well,

366
00:22:18,879 --> 00:22:24,885
miracle. Exactly. Every time someone comes to faith, it is a miracle. God has worked

367
00:22:24,885 --> 00:22:29,890
against the grain. He's worked against sinful human flesh and He has brought faith. Every

368
00:22:29,890 --> 00:22:37,898
time someone comes to faith, a miracle occurs. Because God intervenes and He does it. Okay?

369
00:22:37,898 --> 00:22:44,863
So, go ahead. Person B. While we're back to the crust tale of glory. Has been chosen

370
00:22:44,863 --> 00:22:51,870
by God. God wants all to be saved. Yes, He does. And when God brings His Gospel message

371
00:22:51,870 --> 00:22:55,874
to both A and B and Joe Evangelis is sharing the Gospel with him, is he trying equally

372
00:22:55,874 --> 00:23:02,881
hard on both of them? Yes. And is the Holy Spirit actively working in both A and B? Yes.

373
00:23:02,881 --> 00:23:08,887
The fact that A comes to faith, we say God has done it. The whole thing. Made a dead

374
00:23:08,887 --> 00:23:16,895
person alive. The fact that B remains lost in his sin, we have no explanation. They rejected

375
00:23:16,895 --> 00:23:26,863
and they are responsible. They're 100% culpable. Mea culpa. My sin. My fault. My grievous

376
00:23:26,863 --> 00:23:33,870
fault. He is 100% at fault for this. And why does he go to hell? It's very clear in

377
00:23:33,870 --> 00:23:38,875
Scripture. It's not just unbelief. It's his sin. He's paying for his sin. And so his sin,

378
00:23:38,875 --> 00:23:42,879
including his rejection of Christ, that's what sends him to hell and he pays for it.

379
00:23:42,879 --> 00:23:51,888
His fault. So Calvin is wrong. Arminius is wrong. The right answer, well, Luther came

380
00:23:51,888 --> 00:23:59,896
up with it and what he said was, salvation is 100% God's work and rejection is 100% man's

381
00:23:59,896 --> 00:24:08,864
fault. Period. And any attempt to try to solve this will put you in error. And this has become

382
00:24:08,864 --> 00:24:19,875
known as the crux teo lavorum. Which means the cross of theologians. The cross of theologians

383
00:24:19,875 --> 00:24:25,881
is trying to solve this question, why some and not others? That's the burden of a theologian,

384
00:24:25,881 --> 00:24:29,885
the cross of theology. And I think it's also called the crux teo lavorum, I believe, just

385
00:24:29,885 --> 00:24:33,889
because it's such a critical point of deciding where you're going to come out on things.

386
00:24:33,889 --> 00:24:37,893
And most Christians think you've only got two options. Either you're a Calvinist or

387
00:24:37,893 --> 00:24:43,899
you're an Arminian. And we Lutherans say, no, there's a third option. The third option

388
00:24:43,899 --> 00:24:49,863
says, salvation is all God's and damnation is all man's and neither of the two shall

389
00:24:49,863 --> 00:24:54,868
meet. I'm not going to solve the answer. Calvin came up to the problem and he said, that doesn't

390
00:24:54,868 --> 00:25:01,875
make sense. And God always makes sense. It's got to have a rational explanation. So Calvin

391
00:25:01,875 --> 00:25:06,880
was willing to say, God's word takes me this far but I'm going to resolve this tension

392
00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:10,884
and I'm going to take just a teeny little step further than what God actually says and

393
00:25:10,884 --> 00:25:15,889
speculate that God really doesn't choose B but sends him to hell because that settles

394
00:25:15,889 --> 00:25:18,892
everything and solves everything. So Calvin was willing to go a little step further than

395
00:25:18,892 --> 00:25:22,896
what has actually been said for the sake of solving the problem. Arminius does the same

396
00:25:22,896 --> 00:25:27,859
thing. I don't like this kind of answer and so I will speculate that in fact even though

397
00:25:27,859 --> 00:25:31,863
scripture says A and B are equally dead, they're not really the same. There's a difference.

398
00:25:31,863 --> 00:25:35,867
And he's appealing to human experience and that's where he comes down. Both of them,

399
00:25:35,867 --> 00:25:42,874
we would say, are wrong. And so logically, the Lutheran answer is not satisfying. And

400
00:25:42,874 --> 00:25:49,881
if you try to resolve it logically, you will always end in error. Always. There is no way

401
00:25:49,881 --> 00:25:55,887
to resolve it in this life. We let God be God and we take responsibility for our end

402
00:25:55,887 --> 00:26:08,900
of it. So for Luther, you have 100% God's grace and 100% man's responsibility. And in

403
00:26:08,900 --> 00:26:14,864
fact, the responsibility that man has extends to his whole life. I'm still responsible for

404
00:26:14,864 --> 00:26:20,870
living a life of good works. I'm even responsible for choosing well because God holds me accountable

405
00:26:20,870 --> 00:26:25,875
for my bad choice. But really it's not my choice to make. So you see, how can it be

406
00:26:25,875 --> 00:26:30,880
both things? Well it is. It's all God's grace but it's all man's responsibility. That's

407
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,883
how God operates it. And you cannot resolve the two of them.

408
00:26:33,883 --> 00:26:39,889
So we're not even saying that B's rejection is an active rejection. We just can't explain

409
00:26:39,889 --> 00:26:44,894
that. No, it is an active rejection. He is an enemy against God. He's that way by birth.

410
00:26:44,894 --> 00:26:51,860
Why doesn't God's grace work on him? Why doesn't God bring him to faith? Don't know.

411
00:26:51,860 --> 00:26:58,867
That I don't know. And why does B continue to resist while A doesn't? Don't know. No

412
00:26:58,867 --> 00:27:06,875
answer. We're still active in our sin and we still reject God too but we... Oh absolutely.

413
00:27:06,875 --> 00:27:11,880
But we also know God's grace and we cling to him in forgiveness and we see this forgiveness.

414
00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:16,885
That's the only difference between A and B. The real difference here between A and

415
00:27:16,885 --> 00:27:22,891
B is the thing called faith. Because faith clings to Christ and looks to him. That's

416
00:27:22,891 --> 00:27:23,892
the only difference.

417
00:27:23,892 --> 00:27:28,897
Well how did Calvinist resolve baptism then? What if person B was baptized? I mean did

418
00:27:28,897 --> 00:27:31,900
they just say God still hasn't claimed to be able to do baptism?

419
00:27:31,900 --> 00:27:38,865
Calvin was iffy on baptism. He would baptize infants but Calvin, means of grace? No. You

420
00:27:39,866 --> 00:27:44,871
it's got to be God's call and just dumping water doesn't guarantee anything. So he would

421
00:27:44,871 --> 00:27:49,876
not consider baptism a means of grace. Now some Calvinists will come that close to claiming

422
00:27:49,876 --> 00:27:53,880
it that way because they want to but to be true to their system they've got to realize

423
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:58,885
election is God's business and I don't know. And Calvin creates all kinds of problems for

424
00:27:58,885 --> 00:28:02,889
himself. More than you could realize. And we'll talk about this obviously as we go through

425
00:28:02,889 --> 00:28:07,894
our systematic sequence because we always pick on Calvinists. And by the way the term

426
00:28:07,894 --> 00:28:11,898
for Calvinist is also reformed. So when you hear people talking about reformed theology

427
00:28:11,898 --> 00:28:18,863
what they're after is Calvinism. Reformed theology. Today you'll find reformed theology

428
00:28:18,863 --> 00:28:22,867
in a few Presbyterians. They're good to hold traditional ones. Dutch reformed up in Michigan.

429
00:28:22,867 --> 00:28:25,870
You'll find them up there and there's a few other places they'll show up. Like I said

430
00:28:25,870 --> 00:28:29,874
they're a vanishing breed. There aren't very many real Calvinists around. Because you see

431
00:28:29,874 --> 00:28:35,880
the problem with Calvinism is the doubt. How do you know? See an Arminian ultimately he's

432
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:39,884
stuck with doubt too. How do I know I really made the right choice? How do I know I really

433
00:28:39,884 --> 00:28:43,888
meant it? I don't know. Was I sincere? You've got to really believe. You've got to sincerely

434
00:28:43,888 --> 00:28:49,894
believe. Well that's a problem. I don't like having to be sincere. I have mixed motives

435
00:28:49,894 --> 00:28:52,897
all the time in just about everything. Sincerity is a problem. And so that's where Arminian

436
00:28:52,897 --> 00:28:57,861
runs into problems. Calvin is in trouble because how do I know I'm really one of the elect?

437
00:28:57,861 --> 00:29:00,864
And Calvin says look at the good works you do. Well yeah fine I did good works but I

438
00:29:00,864 --> 00:29:05,869
also sinned like crazy. Now what? And it's the experience I've even talked to people

439
00:29:05,869 --> 00:29:09,873
who grew up Calvinist or spent time with Calvinist and they'll say man this is so true. You live

440
00:29:09,873 --> 00:29:13,877
in doubt all the time. You just never know where you stand. See a Calvinist pastor cannot

441
00:29:13,877 --> 00:29:17,881
look at a congregation and say I forgive you your sins. He has to say if you're in the

442
00:29:17,881 --> 00:29:22,886
elect your sins are forgiven. If you're not sorry. And so everybody's sitting out there

443
00:29:22,886 --> 00:29:28,892
says I wonder which one I'm in. You just don't know. In a Calvinistic way couldn't

444
00:29:28,892 --> 00:29:35,899
you get to the point where you believe this and then if you believe this basically it's

445
00:29:35,899 --> 00:29:40,862
not up to you no matter what. Well it's not anyway but still you could just go on with

446
00:29:40,862 --> 00:29:44,866
your life and leave the church and everything else because it's. Theoretically if I'm one

447
00:29:44,866 --> 00:29:48,870
of the elect I'm in. If you truly believe it wouldn't you just walk off. You could.

448
00:29:48,870 --> 00:29:51,873
But see then they would counter argument by saying well then you're not really one of

449
00:29:51,873 --> 00:29:55,877
the elect because you're not showing evidence of it. Then you're really Armenian. Right.

450
00:29:55,877 --> 00:30:04,886
Okay. Yeah. Okay? So that's the crux telegor. Any other questions? What's crux telegor?

451
00:30:04,886 --> 00:30:10,892
Crux telegor means the cross of the theologians. Cross of the theologians or the crossing point

452
00:30:10,892 --> 00:30:15,897
of theology. Yep. I'm just wondering if we will spend more time on the Armenian theory

453
00:30:15,897 --> 00:30:20,860
because you know even if you know down the line because that's just. Oh it's widespread.

454
00:30:20,860 --> 00:30:25,865
It's widespread and it's hard to and I've been in this situation how you know to talk

455
00:30:25,865 --> 00:30:31,871
people through and say I mean yes you I mean I yes you're deciding but I mean like a lot

456
00:30:31,871 --> 00:30:36,876
of the defense that you were giving is exactly word for word what is said. Oh I know. You

457
00:30:36,876 --> 00:30:41,881
know and I think. Well you hear it from Lutherans. Oh yeah. And I think for us or for myself

458
00:30:41,881 --> 00:30:48,888
especially I need to understand that more. We'll be talking about more not in this course

459
00:30:48,888 --> 00:30:52,892
and other ones. You'll revisit this no problem. Now the other thing to recognize then is so

460
00:30:52,892 --> 00:30:58,898
do Lutherans believe in predestination? The answer is absolutely yes because A has been

461
00:30:58,898 --> 00:31:03,861
chosen by God from before eternity. He is the elect. God has called him and he's in

462
00:31:03,861 --> 00:31:07,865
and the crux is made from before eternity. So we believe in predestination. We don't

463
00:31:07,865 --> 00:31:11,870
believe in double predestination. So God chose A. Does that therefore mean he rejected

464
00:31:11,870 --> 00:31:18,877
B? No. Even though logically if he didn't if he chose A but B goes to hell then logically

465
00:31:18,877 --> 00:31:22,880
you have to agree with Calvin and say well then obviously B was rejected. But you can't

466
00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:27,886
let logic run the show here. You say God tells us he chose A and B is responsible for his

467
00:31:27,886 --> 00:31:30,889
choice and again you see the more you think about this the more troublesome it becomes.

468
00:31:30,889 --> 00:31:36,894
The best thing to do is not think about it too much. Because seriously because you try

469
00:31:36,894 --> 00:31:40,899
to unpack this thing and it gets more and more slippery and more and more elusive. But

470
00:31:40,899 --> 00:31:44,861
we do believe in predestination. And if push came to shove and I had to choose between

471
00:31:44,861 --> 00:31:48,865
being a Calvinist or a Romanian you've got to go with Calvinism because he's a lot closer

472
00:31:48,865 --> 00:31:54,871
to the truth than a Arminian is. But he's still wrong. You see we were talking about

473
00:31:54,871 --> 00:31:59,876
this a little bit yesterday. Luther and the bondage of the will comes out sounding almost

474
00:31:59,876 --> 00:32:03,880
like a Calvinist because he's stressing so much there is no free will. God makes the

475
00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,884
choice. It's all God's work. And the reason Luther is doing that is because Luther knows

476
00:32:07,884 --> 00:32:12,889
grace hinges on God doing it all. And he is going to do anything to preserve God's grace.

477
00:32:12,889 --> 00:32:17,894
But the downside of that is well then what about B? But see Luther never comes out and

478
00:32:17,894 --> 00:32:22,899
says B has chosen for hell. And he does talk about God making choices in things and we'll

479
00:32:22,899 --> 00:32:25,860
talk about that more later. But ultimately this is the hardest thing.