•How
a lawyer named Martin Luther became
a monk and survived the Diet of Worms.
•Where
the term “Protestant” came from.
•How
a lawyer named John Calvin became a primary theologian of the Protestant
Reformation.
§Why
certain Swiss Brethren became known as Anabaptists.
§How
pointing out a king’s sin cost William Tyndale his life.
How the Council of Trent attempted
to renew the Roman Catholic Church
2. What was happening in Europe during
the 1500’s?
•The
Renaissance had led to a rebirth of interest in Greek language, art, and
architecture.
•Biblical
scholars were able to examine the text of Scripture in the original languages.
•Printing
presses with movable metal type allowed mass-production of books and tracts.
3. Who was Martin Luther?
•Martin
Luther had studied to become a lawyer, but during an unexpected storm, Luther
vowed to become a monk.
• Even
as a monk, he could not escape his deep awareness of his own sin and God’s
righteousness.
•While
studying the Greek New Testament, Luther saw that God imputes his righteousness
to anyone who truly trusts Jesus.
•“The
passage of Paul,” Luther said, “became my gateway
to heaven.”
Romans 1:17
“For in the gospel the
righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to
last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”
4. What was the problem with
Indulgences?
•In
1517, Pope Leo X allowed alms to be given to the Church in exchange for
indulgences. •It was believed that indulgences released Christians from the temporal punishments for their sins.
5. Why did the Pope call Luther a Wild
Pig?
•Martin
Luther wanted to debate the validity of indulgences.
•On
October 31, 1517, Luther nailed a list of 95 theses (topics for debate) on a
chapel door in Wittenberg, Germany.
•In
response Pope Leo X declared, “Arise, O Lord.
A wild pig has invaded the Lord’s
vineyard!”
6.
A Diet of Worms? ……Yuk!
•Luther
was summoned to the city of Worms for a gathering of leaders (known in Latin as
a “diet”).
•Luther
declared, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not
recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God,
help me.”
•After
the diet, Luther went into hiding.
7. Married Catholic Nuns and Priests?
•After Luther emerged from hiding, one of
his friends removed nine nuns from a convent.
•Eventually, only one of the nuns remained
unwed: Katherine von Bora.
•“Kaetie” joked that she might marry Luther.
•In 1525, Martin and Kaetie
married.
•“I would not,” Luther declared, “exchange
Kaetie
for France, because God gave her to me,
and …
other women have even worse faults.”
8. Who were the Protestants?
•When
a Roman Catholic prince outlawed Lutheranism in his territory, one group of
Lutherans protested so harshly that they were dubbed “Protestants.”
•The
term soon described not only Lutherans but also other churches that separated
from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s.
9. Who was Calvin?
•John
Calvin was a French lawyer-turned-theologian.
•At
University of Paris, he wrote a speech filled with allusions to Luther’s ideas.
•In
1534, he was forced to flee his native nation.
•On
his way to find a place of study in Strasbourg, Calvin was asked to lead the
church in Geneva.
Except for two years when he was asked to
leave, Calvin spent the rest of his life in Geneva, Switzerland.
•In
Switzerland, Calvin wrote Institutes
of the Christian Religion, the first systematic summary of
Protestant theology.
•A
central theme of Institutes
is the knowledge of God.
10. What’s an Anabaptist?
•Calvin
was not the only reformer in Switzerland.
•Ulrich
Zwingli had led church members in Zurich, Switzerland, to embrace Protestant
ideals.
•In
Zwingli’s Zurich, Felix Manz
and a group known
as the Swiss Brethren concluded that Scripture
never
commanded infant baptism.
•In
January 1525, one Swiss Brother said to the others, “Baptize me with true
Christian baptism, upon my faith.”
•The
Swiss Brethren poured water over one another’s heads in the Name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit.
11. How did the Mennonites begin?
•Anabaptist
leader Menno Simons attempted to observe strictly every pattern found in the
New Testament.
•So
esteemed was Menno Simons that his heirs became known as Mennonites.
12. Who was William Tyndale?
An
Englishman named William Tyndale wanted to translate the Scriptures
so that
even a “plow-boy” could understand.
•Bishops
in England bought and burned Tyndale’s New Testaments.
King
Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church of England so his marriage vows
to Catherine of Aragon could be annulled.
•In
1530,Tyndale denounced Henry’s deposition of his wife.
•Tyndale
was captured by Henry’s soldiers, strangled, and burned.
•Tyndale’s
last words were, “Lord! Open the king of England’s eyes!”
•In
1538, Henry approved the “Great Bible”—a completed and revised version of
Tyndale’s work—to be placed in every church in England.
13. The Anglican Church has a Bloody
Mary? •In 1553, Henry’s daughter Mary of Tudor returned English churches to Roman Catholicism, executing more than 300 Protestants in the process.
•Elizabeth,
another of Henry’s daughters,
ruled England after “Bloody Mary.”
•Queen
Elizabeth chose a middle way between Protestantism and Catholicism for the
Church of England (or Anglican Church).
•Today,
this middle way still characterizes the Anglican Church.
•In
1541, Protestant and Roman Catholic leaders met in Germany, to determine
whether it might be possible to reunite.
•Although
much agreement was reached, these two issues prevented reunion:
§Papal
power
§The
presence of Christ in Communion
14. The Catholics try to reform?
•The
Council of Trent (1545–1563)
§Was
called for by Pope Paul III in 1538 to be a reforming council.
§Attempted
to renew the Roman Catholic Church and to correct abuses related to the selling
of indulgences and of church offices.
§Declared
works to be necessary to obtain salvation and gave Scripture and church
tradition equivalent authority.
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Augustine Chapter 16.–Why the
Gift of Faith is Not Given to All.
Faith,
then, as well in its beginning as in its completion, is God’s gift; and let no
one have any doubt whatever, unless he desires to resist the plainest sacred
writings, that this gift is given to some, while to some it is not given. But
why it is not given to all ought not to disturb the believer, who believes that
from one all have gone into a condemnation, which undoubtedly is most
righteous; so that even if none were delivered therefrom, there would be no
just cause for finding fault with God.
Whence
it
is plain that it is a great grace for many to be delivered, and to acknowledge
in those that are not delivered what would be due to themselves; so that he
that glorieth
may glory not in his own merits, which he sees to be equalled in
those that are condemned, but in the Lord. But why He delivers one rather than
another,–”His
judgments are unsearchable, and His ways past finding out.” [Rom. xi. 33] For
it is better in this case for us to hear or to say, “O
man, who art thou that repliest against God?”[Rom.
ix. 20] than
to dare to speak as if we could know what He has chosen to be kept secret.
Since, moreover, He could not will anything unrighteous.
Martin Luther who was previously an
Augustinian Monk before the protestant
reformation believed that human “freewill” was not part of salvation.
All the passages in the Holy Scriptures that mention assistance are they that do away with "free-will", and these are
countless... For grace is needed, and the help of grace is given, because "free-will" can
do nothing.“ p. 270
“(John) the Baptist's word means that man can receive nothing unless given him from above; so that free-will is nothing!“
Let
all the 'free-will' in the world do all it can with all its strength; it will
never give rise to a single instance of ability to avoid being hardened if God
does not give the Spirit, or of meriting mercy if it is left to its own
strength." p. 202
Semi-Pelagianism By the end of Augustine’s
life, teachers were developing a middle view which later
came to be called Semi-Pelagianism. Semi-Pelagianismis the doctrine held by most Christians,
including most Protestants. Semi-Pelagianstaught that man’s nature and will was to
be sick, not dead, in sin. Man’s will was able to choose God, though perhaps
only able to do that and no other thing; upon choosing God, God gives
cooperating grace to enable a person to complete the process of becoming a
Christian. Therefore faith is not truly a gift of God, but a synergistic
cooperation between God and man.
The word picture is of a man who
has fallen down a well and can’t get
out, but God throws down a rope for the man to climb up.
Monergismvs.
synergism.
Theologically speaking, we’re talking about who
brings about our salvation. Monergism, which comes from a compound Greek
word that means “to work alone,” is the view that God alone effects our
salvation. This view is held primarily by Calvinistic and Reformed traditions
and is closely tied to what is known as the “doctrines of grace.” Synergism,
which also comes from a compound Greek word meaning “to work together,” is the
view that God works together with us in effecting salvation. While monergism is closely associated with John
Calvin, synergism is associated with Jacob Arminius, and his views have greatly
shaped the modern evangelical landscape. Calvin and Arminius aren’t the
creators of these views, but are the best-known proponents of Calvinism and
Arminianism.
Prevenient Grace
Wesley understood grace as God’s active
presence in our lives. This presence is not dependent on human actions or human
response. It is a gift — a gift that is always available, but that can be
refused.
God’s grace stirs up within us a desire
to know God and empowers us to respond to God’s invitation to be in
relationship with God. God’s grace enables us to discern differences between
good and evil and makes it possible for us to choose good….
God takes the initiative in relating to
humanity. We do not have to beg and plead for God’s love and grace. God
actively seeks us!
T - Total Inability or Total
Depravity Free-Will or
Human Ability Because of the fall, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the gospel. The sinner is
dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is deceitful and
desperately corrupt. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature,
therefore, he will not - indeed he cannot - choose good over evil in the
spiritual realm. Consequently, it takes much more than the Spirit's assistance
to bring a sinner to Christ - it takes regeneration by which the Spirit makes
the sinner alive and gives him a new nature. Faith is not something man
contributes to salvation but is itself a part of God's gift of salvation - it
is God's gift to the sinner, not the sinner's gift to God.
Free-Will or Human Ability Although human nature was seriously affected by
the fall, man has not been left in a state of total spiritual helplessness. God
graciously enables every sinner to repent and believe, but He does not
interfere with man's freedom. Each sinner possesses a free will, and his
eternal destiny depends on how he uses it. Man's freedom consists of his
ability to choose good over evil in spiritual matters; his will is not enslaved
to his sinful nature. The sinner has the power to either cooperate with God's
Spirit and be regenerated or resist God's grace and perish. The lost sinner
needs the Spirit's assistance, but he does not have to be regenerated by the
Spirit before he can believe, for faith is man's act and precedes the new
birth. Faith is the sinner's gift to God; it is man's contribution to salvation.
U - Unconditional Election God's choice of certain individuals unto
salvation before the foundation of the world rested solely in His own sovereign
will. His choice of particular sinners was not based on any foreseen response
of obedience on their part, such as faith, repentance, etc. On the contrary,
God gives faith and repentance to each individual whom He selected. These acts
are the result, not the cause of God's choice. Election therefore was not
determined by or conditioned upon any virtuous quality or act foreseen in man.
Those whom God sovereignly elected He brings through the power of the Spirit to
a willing acceptance of Christ. Thus God's choice of the sinner, not the
sinner's choice of Christ, is the ultimate cause of salvation.
Conditional Election God's choice of certain individuals unto
salvation before the foundation of the world was based upon His foreseeing that
they would respond to His call. He selected only those whom He knew would of
themselves freely believe the gospel. Election therefore was determined by or
conditioned upon what man would do. The faith which God foresaw and upon which
He based His choice was not given to the sinner by God (it was not created by
the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit) but resulted solely from man's will.
It was left entirely up to man as to who would believe and therefore as to who
would be elected unto salvation. God chose those whom He knew would, of their
own free will, choose Christ. Thus the sinner's choice of Christ, not God's
choice of the sinner, is the ultimate cause of salvation.
L- Limited Atonement/ Particular Redemption Christ's
redeeming
work was intended to save the elect only and actually secured salvation for
them. His death was substitutionary endurance of the penalty of sin in the
place of certain specified sinners. In addition to putting away the sins of His
people, Christ's redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation,
including faith which unites them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly
applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, therefore guaranteeing their
salvation.
Universal Redemption or General
Atonement Christ's redeeming work made it possible for
everyone to be saved but did not actually secure the salvation of anyone.
Although Christ died for all men and for every man, only those who believe on
Him are saved. His death enabled God to pardon sinners on the condition that
they believe, but it did not actually put away anyone's sins. Christ's
redemption becomes effective only if man chooses to accept it.
I - Irresistible Grace,
the
Efficacious Call of the Spirit In addition to the outward general call to
salvation which is made to everyone who hears the gospel, the Holy Spirit
extends to the elect a special inward call that inevitably brings them to
salvation. The internal call (which is made only to the elect) cannot be
rejected; it always results in conversion. By means of this special call the
Spirit irresistibly draws sinners to Christ. He is not limited in His work of
applying salvation by man's will, nor is He dependent upon man's cooperation
for success. The Spirit graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to
believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ. God's grace,
therefore, is invincible; it never fails to result in the salvation of those to
whom it is extended.
The Holy Spirit Can Be
Effectually Resisted
The Spirit calls inwardly all those who are
called outwardly by the gospel invitation; He does all that He can to bring
every sinner to salvation. But inasmuch as man is free, he can successfully
resist the Spirit's call. The Spirit cannot regenerate the sinner until he
believes; faith (which is man's contribution) proceeds and makes possible the
new birth. Thus, man's free will limits the Spirit in the application of
Christ's saving work. The Holy Spirit can only draw to Christ those who allow
Him to have His way with them. Until the sinner responds, the Spirit cannot
give life. God's grace, therefore, is not invincible; it can be, and often is,
resisted and thwarted by man.
P - Perseverance of the
Saints Falling from Grace
All who are chosen by God, redeemed by
Christ, and given faith by the Spirit are eternally saved. They are kept in
faith by the power of Almighty God and thus persevere to the end.
Falling from Grace
Those who believe and are truly saved can lose
their salvation by failing to keep up their faith, etc. All Arminian have not been agreed on this point;
some have held that believers are eternally secure in Christ - that once a
sinner is regenerated, he can never be lost.
Yeah but what about John 3:16? Doesn't that mean that whoever wants to be saved can be saved.
The most famous verse in the entire
Bible is John 3:16. Here Jesus says,
“For God so loved the world, that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
For the understanding of a text in
the New Testament, we need to check the original language in which it was
written, namely koine Greek. It may come as a big surprise to learn that in the
original Greek of John 3:16, there is no word “whoever.” The word “whoever”
is
expressing a phrase in Greek which is difficult to express smoothly in English.
Literally, the text reads “in
order that every the one believing in Him, not to perish, but have everlasting
life.” It
says “every”
or “all
the one believing…” That’s
hard to express in English, but in essence, it is saying “all the believing
ones.” That’s what is being communicated. It is saying that there is no such
thing as a believing one who does not receive eternal life, but who perishes.
Though our English translation says
“whoever believes” the literal rendering is accurately translated as “every
believing one” and the emphasis is NOT AT ALL on the “whosoever” but on the
belief. The ones BELIEVING will not have one consequence but will have another.
They will not perish but will have everlasting life.
Why? Because of the main verb – because
God GAVE His Son. God gave His Son for the purpose (Greek: hina) that every believing one should not
perish, but that every believing one should have everlasting life.
Let's see how Calvinists and Arminians interpret salvation scriptures.
John 6:37 "All
that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never
drive away.”
Calvinists argue
that this passages teaches irresistible grace. The individual cannot refuse
God's choice, therefore all those given to Christ will
respond.
Arminians
reply that "those given to me" in 37 are the same as those who
"believe in him" in vs. 40. In other words, when God foresees that
some will believe, he gives them to Christ. See that in vs. 45, those who
"have heard and learned from the father" are the ones who "come
to me."
John 6:44,65
"No one
can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up
at the last day.“
The Calvinist
holds that these passages teach total depravity, unconditional election, and
also imply limited atonement and double predestination. This is because:
"No one can come to me unless . . .
" because
they are totally depraved
"it has
been granted him from the Father" or "the Father draws him"
meaning unconditional election. Unconditional in this case, because the cause
is the father, not the individual.
Limited atonement
and double predestination are usually inferred from the face that it is
impossible to come to him without election. Therefore, those whom the Father
has not drawn are naturally destined for judgement, and are therefore those for
whom Christ did not die.
The Arminian agrees that these
passages teach total depravity. However, they argue that the father draws all
men to Christ
John 12:32 (NIV) And I,
when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” They
further hold that to assign the cause exclusively to the Father ignores vss.
29; 35; 40; and 47. To attribute the cause exclusively to the Father regardless
of the response of the person, flies in the face of the stated will of the
Father in vs. 40 that "Everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him" be
saved.
Finally, with regard to limited
atonement and double predestination, these positions depend on the earlier
conclusion (unconditional election), and therefore beg the question.
John 15:16
"You did
not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear
fruit, and that your fruit should remain...“
Some Calvinists
(and Augustine) have argued that this a proof text for unconditional election,
emphasizing the irrelevance of human choice.
Arminians
point out that the statement is made to the disciples with reference to their
apostleship, not to their salvation. This interpretation accords well with the
next phrase "that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should
remain." See also Jn. 6:70 referring to the same choice. Judas was chosen but
not saved.
Acts 13:48
"And when
the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the
Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.“
The Calvinists
argue that this verse teaches unconditional election, because it would have
been easy to say "as many as believed were appointed eternal life"
but the reverse is stated.
The Arminians
point out that the participle translated "were appointed to" (tetagmenoi)
is in the middle-passive voice. This means that the same form is used in Greek
to designate both the middle voice and the passive voice. The NASB has
translated it in the passive voice. However, if it is translated in the middle
voice, the passage would read ". . .as many as set themselves to eternal
life believed" (cf I Cor. 16:15 where the same participle is translated in the middle
voice).
Romans
9:11-25 (NIV)
11 Yet, before the twins were
born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election
might stand: 12 not
by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
13 Just as it is written:
“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, “I
will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have
compassion.” 16 It
does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.17 For Scripture says to
Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power
in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on
whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For
who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what
is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” 21 Does not the potter have
the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special
purposes and some for common use? 22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his
power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for
destruction? 23 What
if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his
mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also
from the Gentiles? 25 As
he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I
will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
Romans 9:16,22,23 The Calvinist position
is that Romans 9 teaches unconditional election and double predestination. This
is because:
–Vs. 16 "it [God's choice] does not depend on the man who
wills"
–Vs. 18 refers to double predestination.
–Vs. 22, 23 refer to "vessels of wrath prepared for
destruction" and "vessels of mercy prepared beforehand for
glory."
–The election involved is not a national election, because vs.
24 states that the vessels of mercy are "us, whom He called not from
among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles,"" (i.e. believing
Christians).
Arminiansargue that Romans 9 deals with God's choice of
nations and their roles in his plans.
Vs. 16 refers to God's choice of
how to lead the nation of Israel through the wilderness, which was independent
of Moses's opinion. Personal salvation is not in view in the original passage
(Ex. 33:19).
Vs. 18 is in the context of
vs. 16 see above, and vs. 17 which refers to God's temporal destruction of the
Egyptians when they wanted to destroy Israel. The verse teaches therefore, that
God caused his choice of Israel to stand regardless of Moses' attempts to help
or Pharoah's
attempts to hinder. Neither Moses' nor Pharoah's
personal salvation was in view in these passages.
Vs. 22,23 refers to nations
which have either glorious or a judgmental role in history. God allows evil
nations to exist, and often uses them to bless the chosen nation, Israel.
Today, believers are able to participate in the covenant blessings of Israel,
because they have been "grafted in to the rich root" of God's purpose
in history.
Another explanation is that the "lump" of clay in vs. 21 refers to
national Israel. God has the right to divide Israel into two vessels:
unbelieving Israel, which has now become a vessel of wrath (for
"prepared", read fit or suited to
destruction), and believing Israel, which, along with believing Gentiles has
become a vessel of mercy.
Galatians 1:15,16"But when
He who had set me apart, even from my mother's womb, and called me through His
grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the
Gentiles...“
Calvinists interpret
this passage to mean that God irresistibly called Paul because he was elected to
salvation. They further argue that Paul's salvation is typical of all Christians
in this regard.
Arminians
would point out Paul's election and calling were based on God's foreknowledge
of Paul's decision to believe. Some Arminians
acknowledge that Paul may have been unconditionally elected and irresistibly
called by God, but point out that this does not prove that God deals with all
people in this way. There is no reason to think that God cannot deal
differently with some people than others. Arminians
would argue that the burden is on the Calvinist to demonstrate not just that
God elected someone unconditionally, but that he elects all in this way.
Ephesians 1:4,5"...just
as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons
through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will“
Calvinists cite
this passage as teaching unconditional election. God "chose us……
..before
the foundation of the world." He "has predestined us to adoption as
sons. . .according to the kind intention of His will." These phrases are
taken to mean that God has sovereignly decided in advance who will be saved,
completely irrespective of human choice.
Arminians
agree that vs. 4 is teaching God's election of the believer to salvation.
However, they call attention to the significance of the phrase "in
Him." This phrase, it is argued, means that Christ was the chosen one (Is.
42:1), and that believers participate in his chosenness
because they are baptized into him when they believe (Eph. 1:13). Arminians
also insist that God's election and predestination are based on his
foreknowledge of our choice to believe in Christ (I Pet. 1:1,2; Rom. 8:29).
With regard to vs. 5 Arminians hold that this passage is referring not to God's choice of who will be
saved, but of God's choice that those who believe will be ultimately glorified.
"Adoption as sons" is seen as references to the glorification of
believers (cf. Rom. 8:23 for Paul's use of "adoption" in this way).
II Thessalonians 2:13
"But we
should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because
God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by
the Spirit and faith in the truth.“
Calvinists interpret
this passage to refer to unconditional election.
Arminians
refer the term salvation to either glorification (see vs. 14) or maturity (I
Thess. 5:23). Otherwise, why would it be "through sanctification"?
I Peter 2:8"...for
they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they
were also appointed.“
Some Calvinists
find support for double-predestination in this passage. God appointed certain
people to "doom" and therefore they rejected Christ.
Arminians
point out that the specific cause for their stumbling is not God, but that
"they are disobedient to the word." Since the noun "doom"
is not found in the Greek text, it would be better to see stumbling as the
antecedent. It is clear that they were appointed to stumble because they were
disobedient in the same way as those who were hard of heart in the time of
Isaiah (Is. 6:9,10). God veils his truth to those who stubbornly disobey his
word (Mt. 13:12; Amos 8:11,12). Now let's deal with the 4 scriptures that the Arminians continually club the Calvinists with.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
The Lord is not slow in keeping his
promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not
wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
So, the question in 2 Peter 3:9 is whether
"all" refers to all human beings without distinction, or whether it
refers to everyone within a certain group. The context indicates that Peter is
writing to a specific group and not to all of mankind “to
those
who have obtained a faith of equal standing with our 2 Peter 1:1. The audience is confirmed when
Peter writes,This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved.(2 Peter 3:1)
Can we be even more specific? Yes,
because if this is the second letter addressed to them, the first makes it
clear who he is writing to. 1 Peter 1:1 - Peter,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect.
So Peter is writing to the elect in
2 Peter 3, saying:
This
is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved.... But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count
slowness, but is patient toward you,
not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Yet, in context, the "any" that
God wills not to perish must be limited to the same group he is writing to, the
elect, and the "all" that are to come to repentance is the very same
group. Christ
second coming
has been delayed so that all the elect can be gathered in. God is not willing
that any of the elect should perish, but that all of them come to repentance.
1Tim 2:3-4
We must remember that the word
"all" always has a context.
The verse in question must be understood in the context of the previous verses.
1 Tim. 2:1-4 First of all, then, I urge that
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all
people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a
peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing
in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to
come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Tim. 2:3-4 which teaches very clearly that God
desires all (all kinds of people) to be saved. Not just a certain class of
people.
1 John 2:2 (NIV)
He is the atoning sacrifice for our
sins, and not only for ours but also
for the sins of the whole world.
In John's Gospel, John 11 :51-52, John wrote these words, "he
prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only,
but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad."
When we see this in context, the parallel in 1 John 2:2 is easy understood: There is little doubt that this is how John's
initial audience would have understood this expression. "The whole
world" means "people of all kinds, including Jews, Gentiles, Greeks,
Romans, and whatnot" as opposed to "ours only" i.e., the Jewish
nation.
What the apostle John is saying in the
John 11 passage is particularly significant: Christ died so that he might
gather "the
children of God"
the elect, from the whole world."
Therefore rather than undermining the
case for Christ's death for His elect sheep, 1 John 2:2 actually affirms it.
When we understand the verse in its Johannine context (the writings of the
Apostle John) then the correct interpretation becomes very clear.
Titus 2:11 (NIV)
For the grace of God has appeared that
offers salvation to all people.
First notice the presence of the word
“for” at the beginning of the verse. Why
is it there? Clearly it is pointing us back to the immediately preceding
context.
Paul is telling Titus to teach older
men(2:2), older
women(2:3–4); younger
women(2:4–5); younger men(2:6);slaves(2:9–10) and to elders
“teach what accords with sound doctrine ” (2:1)
Notice now the connection with 2:11. Paul commands Titus to instruct all
these different groups of people to live this way, for the saving grace of God has
appeared to all of them, and it teaches them to renounce ungodliness and
worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives, as they
wait for Jesus to come from heaven, who died to make them His own pure and
fruitful people.
Then verse 15 recaps verse 1: “Declare these things; exhort and
rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” So the whole chapter has a single
message: instructing all groups of believing people on how they are to live and
how they can live as they ought (i.e., God’s saving grace that has appeared to
all groups of people of which the church is composed).
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3. Who was Martin Luther?
• Even
as a monk, he could not escape his deep awareness of his own sin and God’s
righteousness.
chapel door in Wittenberg, Germany.
Except for two years when he was asked to
leave, Calvin spent the rest of his life in Geneva, Switzerland.
•Elizabeth,
another of Henry’s daughters, 
