Introduction to Sovereign Grace
What is the doctrine of Sovereign Grace? It has come to be known over time by the nickname “Calvinism”. This is not a particularly helpful or desirable term to use. Firstly because there are many things that Mr. Calvin taught which many soverign grace believers today would disagree with. Secondly, when speaking on this subject, we are simply speaking about the Gospel of salvation by God’s free grace, and it is neither wise nor appropriate to attach a fallible man’s name to God’s only Gospel. Moreover, such a title is ambiguous. Most people who hear this term automatically assume that those of us who adhere to the doctrine of sovereign grace are followers of Calvin, and are usually more interested in discussing and critiquing the man and his ideas rather than what the Bible has to say. The term “Sovereign Grace” is a more appropriate term to use, as it accurately conveys the main idea behind this doctrine. The word “sovereign” comes from a Latin term which denotes “supreme ruler”; Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines the term as “one who possesses the highest authority without control”; by extension, it denotes absolute and total freedom of will, jurisdiction, and action. “Grace” is used here in the theological and biblical sense of the word, as denoting “unmerited favor”. In a nutshell, Sovereign Grace simply states that the eternal salvation of fallen man is the result of God’s sole, gratuitous, unmerited favor which he chooses to bestow upon undeserving, otherwise hell-bound sinners, who have been chosen by him before the foundation of the world in Christ Jesus, all for his praise, honor, and glory. This system of doctrine later came to be known by the acronym TULIP. We will be giving an introduction to these five points in this article.
Total Depravity
In order to understand this first point, and indeed, the Gospel as a whole, we must go back all the way to the garden, and the beginning of Man’s creation.
The Bible reveals that God creaed Adam in His own image and likeness:
Genesis 1:26–27 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 5:1–2 THIS is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; (2) Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
This means that Adam was orignally created by God upright. He was made in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness:
Ecclesiastes 7:29 Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him
Because God created Adam to be in Covenant relationship with Him, wherein he represented all of his posterity, his act of disobedience not only brought about condemnation upon himself, but also upon those descended from him via ordinary generation
Adam stood in two relations to us in the garden. He stood in a biological relation to his posterity, and he stood in a federal, legal or covenantal relationship toward them, as their head and representative. Because of this, when Adam fell in the garden, His sin was legally imputed to us, in addition to us inheriting his sinful, fallen nature which resulted from the fall. This is why Paul the Apostle can say that by Adam’s sin, death entered into the world…because all mankind sinned:
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned
How can this be? All men were not in the garden physically with Adam when he sinned. The answer is because Adam was our representative. We sinned in Adam. Paul goes on to contrast Adam with the last Adam — Jesus Christ and further elaborate upon the misery in which man has found himself:
Romans 5:16–19 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. (17) For if by one mans offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (18) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (19) For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Hence, in Genesis chapter 5, after recounting how God originally made Adam in His likeness, we later read that after the fall Adam begat a son in his own likeness:
Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
Adam’s sin resulted in condemnation, death, and judgment for humanity. We were made sinners by Adam’s disobedience, both by imputation as well as by inheriting his fallen sinful nature. The latter is primarily what we are treating here. Paul has already spoken on the sinfulness of man’s nature in Romans 1–3, but chapter 3 verses 9–18 are particularly helpful here:
Romans 3:9–18 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; (10) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (11) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (12) They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (13) Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: (14) Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: (15) Their feet are swift to shed blood: (16) Destruction and misery are in their ways: (17) And the way of peace have they not known: (18) There is no fear of God before their eyes.
This text adequately expresses man in his natural, fallen, unregenerate condition. There is none righteous, not even one, there is nobody who seeks after God, understands him, or fears him. Nobody does good, not a single person! This is quite a heavy sentence that Scripture lays upon man, but it is the sad reality, man is totally depraved and averse to God!
Hence, the term “total depravity” denotes man’s natural inclination toward sin, and the fact that we have been completely affected by the fall of Adam. This is reflected throughout scripture. Particularly striking is the pessimistic perception of man’s heart and inclinations throughout:
- Man’s heart is inclined toward wickedness from his childhood (Genesis 8:21)
2. nor is it inclined to fear God and obey his commandments (Deuteronomy 5:29)
3. it is full of evil and madness (Ecclesiastes 9:3)
4. it is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9)
The Lord Jesus Christ taught that out of the abundance of the heart a man’s mouth speaks when he said “How can ye, being evil, speak good things?” (Matthew 12:34)He also taught that a good tree cannot bring forth corrupt fruit, nor a bad tree, good fruit (Luke 6:43). He taught us that nothing good comes from man’s wicked and depraved heart (Mark 7:21–23). Man is filthy and abominable in the sight of God, and drinks iniquity like water (Job 14:1–4; 15:14–16), he does not stir himself up to call upon the name of the Lord (Isaiah 64:7). A man can surely enough change his fallen sinful nature and do good as an Ethiopian can change his skin color or a leopard change his spots (Jeremiah 13:23).
Unconditional Election
Because of the fact that men are “neither willing nor able to return to God”, and because God is a just judge, he could rightly pass over all of humanity without exception, damning them to the punishments of hell, and be perfectly justified and righteous in doing so. However, in order to display the totality of his attributes, in this case his love, mercy, and kindness, God has chosen to infallibly save a specific group of people in Christ, as Paul the apostle so beautifully stated it:
Ephesians 1:3–6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Our Lord specifically and rather transparently taught this precious doctrine in John chapter 6 when he declared:
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
(John 6:37–40)
He went on to emphatically declare:
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
(John 6:44–45)
And, later on when speaking with his disciples privately, he told them:
But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
(John 6:64–65)
Because of man’s fallen condition, covered in the first point, no man is able to come unto Christ. Christ declares that he came to save all those whom the Father had given him to save, and these are the ones who will come unto Christ savingly, by a supernatural act of the Father, and they will be raised up on the last day, as the direct result of this. Jesus Christ came to do the will of his Father, by perfectly accomplishing the salvation of the elect. Those who believe that a truly saved individual is able to somehow lose his salvation, are necessarily implying that the Son failed to accomplish the will of the Father, and that the Son is not therefore a perfect savior. This is but one of several ways in which Arminianism and other forms of the “free-will salvation” paradigm end up blaspheming the Lord Jesus Christ and perverting the Gospel of grace.
The scriptures tell us that God’s choice of election was totally free on his part, without regard for any meritorious works on our part, or anything good within us:
(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
(Romans 9:11–18)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
(Ephesians 1:3–6)
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Ephesians 1:11–12)
And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
(Acts 13:48)
Limited Atonement/Particular Redemption
We come now to the third point, commonly called “Limited Atonement”. This is not the best term to use for this point, although it is perhaps the most popular. This is because the primary point is not so much the limited extent of the atonement, but rather what the atonement actually does. The extent thereof is determined by first answering that question. The Bible is quite clear as to what the atonement did — it atoned! More specifically, the Bible makes clear that whoever Jesus died for, cannot and will not go to hell. This is because Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God in their stead on the cross, having their sins imputed to Him, and His righteousness imputed to them, thereby forever paying off their debt and redeeming them from condemnation. This is easily demonstrated by simply looking at the various passages on the atonement. Here are a few:
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John the baptizer understood the purpose for which Christ came — to take away the sin of the world! He doesn’t merely try to do this, nor does He make it merely possible, He actually does it!
Colossians 2:13–14 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (14) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross
This passage explains that God’s people were made alive with Jesus Christ when He was risen from the dead, having forgiven them all their trespasses. He goes on to elaborate that He forgave us all trespasses when our Lord blotted out the “handwriting of ordinances” which was against and contrary to us by taking it away and nailing it to His cross. The “handwriting of ordinances” refers to a legal certificate of debt which lists all of God’s commands which you and I have broken, dear reader. We have absolutely no way of paying it off. But, God be thanked, that in His mercy He sent His Son to die for sinners and completely take away this certificate of debt, so that it no longer exists, and they are no longer condemned. The question may arise as to who He did this for, and we shall deal with this subject momentarily.
Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Jesus Christ purged our sins on the cross. He did this all by Himself! He did not merely try to, or make it possible, He actually did it!
Hebrews 9:25–26 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; (26) For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Jesus Christ appeared once to put away sin — and how did He do this? By the sacrifice of Himself! He put it away, it is no more!
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Jesus Christ redeemed sinners from the curse of the Law when He became a curse by hanging on a tree! They are no longer under the curse of the Law since He died for them and redeemed them.
Revelation 1:4–5 JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; (5) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Jesus Christ loved His people and washed them from their sins in His own blood. As Hebrews 1:3 states, their sins have been purged!
Examples could be multiplied, but hopefully you are beginning to see the point, dear reader. What all of these texts have in common is they speak of an effectual, accomplished and totally finished work of redemption, which took place long before you or I were ever born. Christ alone accomplished this great work. Nothing can change it. It is a done deal! It cannot be added to, changed, or taken away from.
The question might naturally then arise — for whom did Christ accomplish this great work? This is surely a very important question, for these texts mean what they say (and they do), then whoever this group is cannot and will not perish, since their sins are forever atoned for and cleansed by the precious blood of the lamb. Thankfully Scripture does not leave us in the dark about this.
The very name that the Lord was given denotes for whom He died, as is evident from Matthew chapter 1:
Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
He is called Jesus — which means ‘savior’ — because He shall save His people from their sins. He does not try to save them, He does not make it a possibility — no! — He shall save them! Nor does He save everyone without exception. Rather, He saves His people! The elect, as covered earlier on in this study.
The people for whom Christ died are variously denominated in Scripture. In John 10:1–30 they are referred to as Christ’s sheep. The reader is encouraged to consult this passage in its entirety on his or her own time, but we will cite a few verses here to get the point across.
John 10:1–3 VERILY, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Jesus Christ knows every single one of His sheep by name! He opens the door and leads them gracefully out of false religion, deception, spiritual darkness and self-righteousness, as the good and faithful shepherd that He is.
John 10:14–15 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (15) As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
John 10:26–30 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. (27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (28) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (29) My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand. (30) I and my Father are one.
From these texts we learn several things:
- Jesus Christ knows every single one of the elect by name; he effectually calls them, and they follow Him
- Jesus Christ came to die for them, and thereby give them eternal life
- Because Christ knows them, died for them, gives them eternal life, and effectually calls them, they cannot and will not ever perish
- Not everyone belongs to this group. Verse 26 makes clear that Jesus’s enemies to whom He was speaking were not of His sheep and therefore they did not believe in Him. Reader! Take careful note! The Lord does not say that they were not sheep because they did not believe! He says they did not believe (i.e become Christian) because they were not His sheep! Christ’s sheep hear His voice and they follow Him!
The Scriptures also call them the Church, and refer to Her as Christ’s wife:
Ephesians 5:25–27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
The intention of Christ’s death was to sanctify and cleanse His wife from the filthiness of sin, and as we have seen, He most certainly accomplished this! Would anyone who considers themselves a Christian seriously think that God could not accomplish what He intended to do?
Titus chapter 2 likewise shows for whom Christ died:
Titus 2:13–14 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
The elect are Christ’s peculiar people whom He came to redeem and purify!
Also important to note, is that the elect of God are redeemed by His blood out of every nation of people:
Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Because of this, the elect of God for whom Christ died are also referred to as “the world”, just as the word “world” sometimes specifically denotes the world of the unbelieving/non-elect. John 1:29, which was cited earlier, clearly shows this. However there are other texts which demonstrate this:
2 Corinthians 5:19–21 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christs stead, be ye reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Here we once again have a crystal-clear verse on what the death of Christ actually did and what resulted from it. By Christ’s death, the world was reconciled to God, and their sins are no longer imputed to them. This is explained in verse 21, where we read of how Christ ‘became sin’ — by imputation — for “us” (the church) in exchanged for us being made ‘the righteousness of God in him” (as our head and representative, having His perfect righteousness imputed to us). For more information on related texts, such as John 3:16, one may consult my article on that verse here.
So then, we see that “Limited Atonement” doesn’t really get the point across as clearly. A better term for this view would be “effectual atonement”, “accomplished redemption” or even “successful atonement/redemption”. It expresses the Gospel-truth that Jesus Christ established a perfect righteousness for His people, and that salvation is 100% conditioned upon Him and His finished work.
Irresistible Grace/Effectual Calling
Just as the Father predestines his elect unto salvation, and the Son is sent to die for them, so the Holy Spirit is sent to effectually call, regenerate, and sanctify them, ordinarily by the preaching of the Gospel. The WCF Chapter 10 Section 1 puts it this way:
All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ: yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.
In Scripture, we find a distinction made between the general call of the Gospel, which is given indiscriminately to all men individually, through the preaching of the word; and the effectual call of the Gospel, which is the means by which the Holy Spirit brings men unto repentance and saving faith.
Paul clearly makes a distinction between those who hear the general call of the Gospel, and Christians who have been “called” in a special way unto salvation:
1 Corinthians 1:23–27 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; (24) But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (25) Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (26) For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: (27) But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
We have explicit references to the effectual call throughout Scripture:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
(Romans 8:28–30)
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2 Thessalonians 2:13–14)
Scripture also makes clear that this calling is the direct result of Christ’s effectual redemption for His elect. By His death on the cross and the establishment of His perfect righteousness on their behalf, Christ procured and purchased every saving benefit of salvation that we will ever receive:
Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Even our faith in Christ is the direct result of His effectual atonement and saving work:
1 Peter 1:18–21 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (20) Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, (21) Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
2 Peter 1:1 SIMON Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
Scripture speaks also of the effectual call in relation to regeneration:
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
(Ezekiel 36:26–27)
We see come examples of this in the book of Acts:
And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
(Acts 13:48)And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
(Acts 16:14)
Paul also tells us that it is through the preaching of the Gospel that God miraculously works repentance in unregenerate sinners, who were previously taken captive by Satan at his will:
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
(2 Timothy 2:24–26)
Preservation of the Saints
If the Triune God has predestinated, atoned for, called and sanctified his elect people, whom he freely chose to save from eternity past, then it is completely irrational and unthinkable that he would fail to preserve them unto the end.
As mentioned earlier, Jesus Christ expressly teaches that he came to fulfill the will of his Father by saving those who were given to him to save, all of these individuals will infallibly come to a saving faith in Christ and be raised up at the last day (John 6:37–44). This is because Jesus Christ died for them and they therefore have eternal life, will never perish, and hence cannot be snatched out of his hand (John 10:28). The Apostle Paul, after speaking of God’s predestination and effectual call of his saints in Romans 8:28–30, goes on to say:
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:31–39)
Thus, the Bible teaches that all of God’s elect children will be infallibly saved and preserved in eternal life unto the end.
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
(Philippians 1:6–7)
PETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
(1 Peter 1:1–5)
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
(Jude 1:24–25)
Nevertheless, God’s children may fail to persevere in good works and faith, falling into seasons of greivous sin and unbelief, bringing about God’s fatherly chastisement in this life. Yet God remains faithful to them and will never allow them to eternally perish in hell.
We find multiple examples of saints falling into serious sins, and being temporally punished for them by God, even by death. Moses sinned against God’s instructions to him, and died without having been allowed to enter into the promised land (Deuteronomy 3:23–26; 34:4–6), King David suffered the death of his child for his adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:7–14), Solomon had the Kingdom of Israel split in two on account of his apostasy and died as an idolater (1 Kings 11), and even Christians under the New Covenant had fallen sick and even suffered death for misusing the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:30–32). Paul also instructed the Corinthian congregation to kick out a man who was engaging in continued sexual immorality, to “turn him over to Satan” (1 Corinthians 5:1–5), and he ended up eventually repenting and being received back into the church (2 Corinthians 2:5–11). Examples could be multiplied, but a good summary may also be given by Paul the Apostle, in Hebrews chapter 12:
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
(Hebrews 12:5–11)
And thus concludes our introduction. The doctrine commonly known as “Calvinism”, is nothing less than the Gospel of Sovereign Grace. It is the picture of the plan of salvation of the Triune God, carried out by all three persons of the Godhead. The Father elects, the Son redeems, and the Spirit regenerates and applies the grace of the atonement to the individual elect sinner.
It is the author’s prayer that this introduction can be helpful to those who are inquiring into, or are simply unfamiliar with, the doctrine of Sovereign Grace, and I pray that God uses it to bless and edify those that it reaches.
For a concise presentation of the Gospel, you may consult here.
