Natural man cannot agree with God about Man's Impotence, and God's Omnipotence

"The utter impotence of nature, and omnipotence of grace, in the business of man's salvation, are stumbling-blocks to all the ungodly, but are foundations in Christian doctrine." - Robert Traill, Sermons Concerning the Throne of Grace, pg. 40

The Love of God

Does God love every single human being?

The Arminian, and the Scholastics (whether Reformed so called or no) would say absolutely. They would definitely list out Scripture verses that seemingly supports this satanic idea. One such verse, is all together popular, is John 3:16.


It says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not parish but have eternal life.


In this verse those who teach God loves every single human being who has, is, and will ever live on earth point out that the text says God so loved the world.

Now the problem with this interpretation of things is that it does not fit the context of the verse itself and of the whole Scripture. For instance, Romans 9 says God loved Jacob, but hated Esau.

They who holds that God loves every single human being (we will call them universalist) basically think that the term world means every individual. This however is not the case. The universalist has simply committed a fallacy. They say look here is the word world therefore this means this. The problem is that the term world in Scripture has several different meanings and none of them speak of every single human beings.

In fact, the term world can denote the universe, all creation including things. As God created the cosmos. He is ruler of it all the stars, the skies, the ocean.

It can also mean the gentile world as distinct from the Jewish world as Paul uses the term in Romans 11.

But since Scripture interprets Scripture we know ultimately God only loves those whom He has chosen in eternity past. Therefore, God so loved the world of the elect alone.

Either Christ saves or we save ourselves

"Every doctrine, then, which teaches us to do or endeavour any thing toward our acceptance with God, stands opposed to the doctrine of the Apostles; which, instead of directing us what to do, sets before us all that the most disquieted conscience can require, in order to acceptance with God, as already done and finished by Jesus Christ." - Robert Sandeman


"To illustrate this matter, let it be remembered that the saving truth which the apostles believed was, That Jesus is the Christ. The apostles had one uniform fixed sense to these words, and the whole New Testament is writ to ascertain to us in what sense they understood them. Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ in a different sense from the apostles, or who maintains anything in connection with these words subversive of their real meaning, believes a falsehood; so his faith cannot save him. In the days of the apostles many affirmed along with them, that Jesus is the Christ, who yet meant very differently from them. The far greater part of Christendom will affirm in like manner; yet we shall not easily find many who, when they come to explain themselves, have the same meaning with the Apostles. Let us, then, lay aside all questions about faith, or how a man believes; and let the only question be, What does he believe? what sense does he put on the apostolic doctrine about the way of salvation?" - Robert Sandeman, Theron and Aspasio, Pg. 258 - 259


Joseph Hussey would concur with Sandeman. He says, "If there were such kinds of hearers now in our assemblies, yet there would be none amongst any of us who have received the common doctrine of the Gospel to deny, that the said doctrine of Grace was to be preached unto them, according to the precedent in which the apostles did it. Here then we all agree without dispute, in one and the same affirmative." - Joseph Hussey, God's Operations of Grace, Pg. 26

All of grace and not of work

The gospel of Christ is a no strings attached news. It is not a tit for tat declaration. It isn't Christ died and now you must do something to make it worthwhile. It is the good news. News is declared. There are no you must do. The declaration is that Christ took away sins and appeased the wrath of God so that those whom he died for would be declared righteous because of what He did for them. This is the message that is declared. It is finished. It is accomplished. It is definite. It is particular. It is limited to those the Father gave to the Son. Christ shall not lose them. It is all of grace or it is of works.

Sanctification is a work of God alone

"Men do not make themselves holy; neither their regeneration nor their growth in grace is due to their own diligence or obedience, but to God alone. The fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control - are just that, the fruit of the Spirit, not of ourselves, for it is Christ who lives in us, and it is Christ who works in us both to will and to do his good pleasure. We are commanded to 'work out' what God has already 'worked in' us. We cannot work out unless God works in us, for without Christ we can do nothing. We are Christ's workmanship, not our own." - John W. Robbins, Foreword to the First Ediction of What is the Christian Life?, Pg. 15

No Justification because of works before grace or works after grace

Johannes Piscator, "The Apostle derogates justification not only from those works which are done before faith, but also from those which are done after faith. For he speaks of Abrahams works, which are mentioned in Scripture for to show his uprightness as that he obeyed God going out of his own country, and offered his son. But works which Abraham did beore faith, are mentioned in the Scripture, not as such whereof he might rejoice, but as such whereo he might worthily be ashamed: namely, that he served strange gods, Josh. 24.2."

The Christian wars with the system of darkness

In the first chapter of the Gita, the main character, who is about to enter battle with his family and friends, is overcome with a sense of pity and wishes not to enter into battle any more. The reason is that these men are his kin. He knows them and it would therefore be a grievous evil to battle against them, though they wanting to kill him would do so within a heart beat. Here the main character presents to us several ideas 1) should we go to war? 2) ought we to remain passive? 3) how should we think of our beliefs as suppose to others?

For the Christian, however, ideas are different. A Christian is one who accepts the gospel of God's free grace revealed in the Cross work of Christ alone. They see they are sinners lacking a righteousness of their own and so see that the righteousness that they have is the only righteousness that God imputes to them by free and sovereign grace in Christ alone. The Christian therefore sees any other worldly system as bulstering up of man's pride and selfrighteousness. Their aim, therefore, as a result of them being born again by grace alone, and as a result seeing their sin, and their need of a saviour and believing in Him alone for righteousness, is to present the points of the Scripture to their friends and family and to all who do not know God as their Saviour. They rather than succumbing to the idea that any one human being is ok and so therefore everyone is ok make war with the satanic doctrine with the gospel doctrine. They overcome evil with good and not with evil. The Christian does not do this out of pride for they did not come to these things on their own. Instead it was God that changed their minds and gave them a new set of beliefs.

As Paul says we make war but not with the weapons of the world.

Common Grace denied

"The omnipresence of God may be argued from the distributions of his goodness to all; to angels and glorified saints, who partake of his special favours; to all men on earth, to whom he does not leave himself without a witness of his kindness to them, giving them food and raiment, and all things richly to enjoy; he is present among them, and opens his hand and plentifully and liberally communicates to them: as well as from his universal government of the world by his wisdom; for his kingdom rules over all, the kingdom of nature and providence is his, and 'he is the Governor among the nations.'" -John Gill, The Body of Divinity, Pg. 42

"Nor is God ever in such sense with wicked men, as with good men; namely, by his gracious presence: but this hinders not, but that he is with them by his omnipresence and power, supporting them in their being." -John Gill, The Body of Divinity, Pg. 45

God is good to those who LOVE Him and is a punisher of the wicked

"I do not yet allude to the peculiar covenant which distinguished the descendants of Abraham from the rest of the nations. For in receiving, by gratuitous adoption, those who were his enemies into the number of his children, God even then manifested himself as a Redeemer, but we are still treating of that knowledge which relates to creation of the world, without ascending to Christ the Mediator. But though it will be useful to cite some passages from the New Testament, (since that also demonstrates the power of God in the creation, and his providence in the conservation of the world,) yet I wish the reader to be apprized of the point now intended to be discussed, that he may not pass the limits which the subject prescribes. At present, then, let it suffice to understand how God, the former of heaven and earth, governs the world which he hath made. Both his parental goodness, and the beneficent inclinations of his will, are every where celebrated; and examples are given of his severity, which discover him to be the righteous punisher of iniquities, especially where his forbearance produces no salutary effects upon the obstinate." - John Calvin, I. X. I.


In one sense I read this and it seems to speak against the conclusion of common grace in Calvin. Especially when in Book 1 he is speaking about the general knowledge of God and how we derive such knowledge.