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November 19, 2019
JOSEPH M. BIANCHI, author of “GOD CHOSE TO SAVE: Why Man Cannot & Will Not Be Saved Apart From Election”
Live from the historic parsonage of the 19th century gospel minister George Norcross in downtown Carwile, Pennsylvania, it's Iron Sharpens Iron. This is a radio platform in which pastors, Christian scholars, and theologians address the burning issues facing the church and the world today.
Proverbs 27 .17 tells us, Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Matthew Henry said that in this passage, we are cautioned to take heed with whom we converse and directed to have in view in conversation to make one another wiser and better.
It is our hope that this goal will be accomplished over the next two hours, and we hope to hear from you, the listener, with your own questions. And now, here's your host, Chris Arnzen.
Good afternoon, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Lake City, Florida, and the rest of humanity living on the planet Earth, who are listening via live streaming at ironsharpensironradio .com. This is Chris Arnzen, your host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, wishing you all a happy Tuesday on this 19th day of November 2019.
And I am not exaggerating in the slightest bit, not that I ever do on this show, but I am so thrilled to have an old friend on this program, both old in his own age and old in the number of years I have known him.
His name is Joseph M. Bianchi. When I first met Joe, it was back in the 1990s when he participated in a radio program, not mine. Mine was only a thought in my head at that time. I was working for WMCA Radio, 570 AM, an affiliate of the largest radio network in the world, Salem Media.
And I was working for them. And my friend Andy Anderson, who is now in heaven for eternity, he hosted his own show before I ever had mine. And it was called originally Talk New York, then it became Andy Anderson Live.
But I got a guest appearance. I arranged a guest appearance for my guest today on Andy Anderson Live. And the comical thing is I can remember now the long car ride that I had with Joe, where he was saying to me, I'm a hardcore dispensationalist and you'll never convince me otherwise.
And Joe not only is no longer a dispensationalist, he was a Calvinist at the time, but a dispensationalist, but he's no longer a dispensationalist. He became Amillennial, but from what I recently heard from him, he is now Postmillennial.
And much to my depression and sadness, and I don't know what else to say as far as the adjectives I could come up with, but he is now a Presbyterian as well. And I exaggerated my dismay over that. But it's my honor and privilege to welcome you back to Iron Sharpens Iron Radio after so many years, Joseph M. Bianchi.
And Joe is also, would you call yourself the president or the executive director of Calvary Press? Calvary Press began as a ministry that Mike Gaydosh, my former pastor, started when the church where he pastored was called Calvary Baptist Church of Amityville, Long Island.
And that publishing ministry became a really thriving publishing ministry, starting out with just a few paper reprints that were stapled together by J .C. Ryle and Charles Spurgeon and others. And now it's become a full-blown publishing company that rivals the largest of publishers that you can think of.
And Joe took over the helm at some point as running the operations for Calvary Press and then later purchased Calvary Press, which he now owns and operates on his own. Why don't you tell us a little bit more about Calvary Press?
Yes, and I remember before you actually purchased Calvary Press, I was a part-time employee there. I worked full-time for the aforementioned WNCA radio, but worked part-time for Calvary Press. I have very, very fond memories of both Joe and I working in the same building at Calvary Baptist Church of Amityville, now purchased by a Calvary Chapel congregation after the merger between First Baptist Church of Merrick and the church became Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Long Island, which still exists, pastored by Mark Romaldi and Doug Totter.
But I have so many fond memories of being able to share the same building with you as a workplace because WNCA actually, as you know, rented my offices as the Long Island representative for that radio station in Calvary Baptist Church of Amityville.
So I would come down there and annoy you and distract you from your job. I just remember we would have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs and some serious theological discussions as well.
Great memories. Great memories, yes.
And so Joe is now living in South Carolina where he is a member of Second Presbyterian Church of Greenville, South Carolina, pastored by Dr. Richard D. Phillips, who has been a guest a number of times on this program.
And I've known him for many years as well. I think I may even know him longer than I know Joe. But Joe and I obviously sharing the same office space and became much more close friends and so on. And by the way, send my very warm greetings to your lovely bride, Monica, and also to your daughter, Christina.
Of course I will.
And by the way, is Christina married yet? No, she isn't married yet. We're praying about that.
Yes, I remember that very well and saw her actually, unexpectedly, when I was visiting our friends, the de Bella Barretts, in the Orlando area. And they were also staying with the Bella Barretts when I was down there.
So it was a nice time of visiting with them. Now we're going to do something that, since you haven't been on in ages, you probably haven't been on in a decade, I'm going to do something with you that we may have already done, but it has become a tradition on this program where when we have first-time guests, typically, I know you're not a first-time guest, but it's been so long, I don't even know if I ever had you give a summary of your salvation testimony on the show, because we have, since I've interviewed you last, developed that tradition where whenever we have a first-time guest, we have them give a summary of the kind of religious atmosphere they were raised in and what providential circumstances our Sovereign Lord raised up in my guests' lives that drew them to Himself and saved them.
So I will have you do the same. Tell us about your religious upbringing, if any, and how the Lord drew you to Himself.
Sure. I have terrible memories. I have good memories. Growing up as a child, you did what your parents told you to do, and you had some sense of religious obligation. But like many pre-teen age, I started to question things, and I went into a phase, I guess you would call it, what you ought to call it, at least an agnostic phase, maybe more atheistic, pure rebellion.
They tried to get me back on that religious track again to the Catholic Church, and I think they sort of gave up. The Marine Cadet, they were involved in the whole 60s scene. I don't have to elaborate what that means, but the 60s scene, the radical politics and things of that nature and dealt with that whole 60s scene.
Religion was sort of, that would be the society tick, but economics, I became very involved in that. And this just continued, 78. Then I went into the business, growing me, drawing me. My wife, Monica, she was every day trying to, I guess trying to satiate that.
I think one day when we were dating and magazine, I think it may have been a charismatic magazine, but I added it for platforming. To begin with, it's true, we were in Connecticut. The theme of it was, it's not your denomination, what you think you are, what you were born.
Why don't we go? She said, if you're going to date me, you have to come to church with me. And we had been going to Catholic church. We weren't being fed. We weren't being fulfilled. It was pagan up until that time.
To me, I remember there was a Baptist church on the corner of my house. She was drawing me to some kind of holy role or situation.
Now let's hear about your 25 years in Swedenborginism. I remember you had some connection with Heritage Baptist Church in Bayshore, I believe. Yeah, we attended there. Bayshore, New York, for our listeners.
Right, right, right.
And that turned out to be, I can't get enough of that. She looked at me that way.
Yes, that's excellent. And I remember a great portion of that whole testimony, especially the last third of it, when I knew you, after arranging that interview with you. And that actually was at the urging of our mutual friend, Pastor Bill Shishko.
I remember him telling me, oh, you've got to meet this guy, Joe Bianchi. He's an on-fire Calvinist. He is a dispensationalist. But he's a great guy. And that's how it led to that interview and to a decades-long friendship now.
And many fond memories of fellowship with you, Monica, and Christina. And I'm going to give our listeners our email address if you would like to join us on the air with a question primarily about the book we are discussing, the newly revised edition of God Chose to Save, Why Man Cannot and Will Not be Saved Apart from Election.
Our email address is ChrisArnzen at gmail .com. ChrisArnzen at gmail .com. And I think an interesting fact about this new edition of God Chose to Save is that although you own and operate Calvary Press Publishing, Solid Ground Christian Books is the publisher that brought this back into print in the new edition.
Why don't you tell us about that?
Yes, well, Mike and I, we drink a lot of water.
Did they each receive their case of whiskey yet? I'm only kidding, folks. Yes, in fact, that was one of the major things that I did for Calvary Press was get accommodations for books that were being brought into print.
And I learned the hard way that that can be a risky thing to do because sometimes you'll get a bunch of wonderful glowing commendations and then about five to ten years later you find out half of the people that you got commendations from became apostates.
Of course. I don't think I have the patience for the book. Right. Amen.
Well, it is a well-deserved book. Or should I say it's a book that well deserves commendations from men of high caliber like those men and others. I read the original version, and I have not yet gotten the new version in my hands, but I look forward to reading the new version.
Let's start off with why you wrote the book to begin with because as you know, there are many, there are scores of theological sound books coming from a Reformed perspective from both men already in heaven and men who are still alive and well on the subject of election, on the subject of all the five points of Calvinism, on the subject of general themes, broader themes of Reformed theology.
Why did you say to yourself, you know, as great as many of these books are, there's something that is not really quite being addressed in the way I want it to be addressed, so I'm going to write God Chose to Save.
What would any of those things be, if you could, the reason for your writing this book? Oh, great. So I've already read what we are presenting today, then. Wow. Okay, and when we come back from the break, I can tell you're probably using a speakerphone.
If you could move as close to that speaker as possible because it does sound a little bit like you're in a giant auditorium all by yourself.
Well, I am in a giant auditorium all by myself.
That what you just did, whatever it is, sounds 100 better. Okay, I'll move it closer. That's much better. Okay, very good. All right, we're going to our first break right now. If anybody would like to join us on the air with a question of your own, for Joseph M. Bianchi on God Chose to Save, Why Man Cannot and Will Not Be Saved Apart from Election, our email address is ChrisArnzen at gmail .com, C-H-R-I-S-A-R-N-Z-E-N at gmail .com.
Please give us your first name, your city and state, and your country of residence if you live outside the USA. Only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal or private matter. Let's say you disagree with our guest and you don't want to draw attention to your identity, or perhaps you agree with our guest and you disagree with your own pastor, you disagree with your own congregation, or perhaps you're a pastor and you disagree with your own denomination or your own fellow elders or your own congregation.
We understand why you would want to remain anonymous, so we will obviously grant you that request for personal matters. But if it's just a general question on theology, please give us at least your first name, city and state, and country of residence.
If you live outside the USA, don't go away. We'll be right back with Joseph M. Bianchi on God Chose to Save, Why Man Cannot and Will Not Be Saved Apart from Election. As host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, I frequently get requests from listeners for church recommendations.
A church I've been strongly recommending as far back as the 1980s is Grace Covenant Baptist Church in Flemington, New Jersey, pastored by Alan Dunn. Grace Covenant Baptist Church believes it's God's prerogative to determine how he shall be worshipped and how he shall be represented in the world.
They believe churches need to turn to the Bible to discover what to include in worship and how to worship God in spirit and truth. Grace Covenant Baptist Church endeavors to maintain a God-centered focus.
Reading, preaching and hearing the Word of God, singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, baptism and communion are the scriptural elements of their corporate worship, performed with faith, joy and sobriety.
Discover more about Grace Covenant Baptist Church in Flemington, New Jersey at gcbcnj .squarespace .com. That's gcbcnj .squarespace .com. Or call them at 908 -996 -7654. That's 908 -996 -7654. Tell Pastor Dunn that you heard about Grace Covenant Baptist Church on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
Gotta tell you, for my money, Chris Arnzen's radio program is just the best.
Iron. Criticizing. Iron.
I think that's what it's called. This is Todd Friel of Wretched Radio and TV with Phil Johnson of Grace To You inviting everybody to come to the G3 conference, which has almost instantly become one of the best conferences in the country.
And it is. It's a great conference. I love it. And Chris Arnzen was there last year. He's been there, I think, every year. It's great to see him there. You and I actually did some recordings in the lobby at that place.
So tons of stuff going on. Tons of great speakers. And no matter where you are in the building, you will hear Chris Arnzen's laugh. And that's worth the price of admission alone. If you would like to join Phil, me, Chris, and a cavalcade of great preachers so it should be a cavalcade of great preachers and me.
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G3conference .com. See you there.
Hi, this is John Sampson, pastor of King's Church in Peoria, Arizona. Taking a moment of your day to talk about Chris Arnzen and the Arn Sharpen's Iron podcast. I consider Chris a true friend and a man of high integrity.
He's a skilled interviewer who's not afraid to ask the big penetrating questions while always defending the key doctrines of the Christian faith. I've always been happy to point people to this podcast knowing it's one of the very few safe places on the internet where folk won't be led astray.
I believe this podcast needs to be heard far and wide. This is a day of great spiritual compromise and yet God has raised Chris up for just such a time. And knowing this, it's up to us as members of the body of Christ to stand with such a ministry in prayer and in finances.
I'm pleased to do so and would like to ask you to prayerfully consider joining me in supporting Arn Sharpen's Iron financially. Would you consider sending either a one-time gift or even becoming a regular monthly partner with this ministry?
I know it would be a huge encouragement to Chris if you would. All the details can be found at ArnSharpensIronRadio .com where you can click support. That's ArnSharpensIronRadio .com.
This is Pastor Bill Sousa of Grace Church at Franklin here in the beautiful state of Tennessee. Our congregation is one of a growing number of churches who love and support Arn Sharpen's Iron Radio financially.
Grace Church at Franklin is an independent, autonomous body of believers that strives to clearly declare the whole counsel of God as revealed in Scripture through the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And of course, the end for which we strive is the glory of God. If you live near Franklin, Tennessee and Franklin is just south of Nashville, maybe 10 minutes, or you are visiting this area or you have friends and loved ones nearby, we hope you will join us some Lord's Day in worshiping our God and Savior.
Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions about Grace Church at Franklin. Our website is gracechurchatfranklin .org. That's gracechurchatfranklin .org. This is Pastor Bill Sousa wishing you all the richest blessings of our Sovereign Lord, God, Savior and King Jesus Christ today and always.
When Iron Sharpen's Iron Radio first launched in 2005, the publishers of the New American Standard Bible were among my very first sponsors. It gives me joy knowing that many scholars and pastors in the Iron Sharpen's Iron Radio audience have been sticking with or switching to the NASB.
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I'm Pastor Bill Shishko, host of a visit to the Pastors Study, and I am so thankful to be part of the advertising family right here on Iron Sharpens Iron. If you live on Long Island, or if you're visiting the metropolitan New York area, I invite you to join us for worship at The Haven on Sundays at 4 .30 p .m.
We meet at the Ascension Lutheran Church facility, 33 Bayshore Road in Deer Park, New York. At The Haven, you'll find God-saturated singing, gospel-rich ministry, and great commission opportunities.
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This is Chris Arnzen, and our guest today on Iron Sherpa and Zion Radio is Joseph M. Bianchi, and he is the author of the book we are discussing, God Chose to Save, Why Man Cannot, and Will Not Be Saved Apart from Election.
And our email address, if you want to join us, is ChrisArnzen at gmail .com, C-H-R-I-S-A-R-N-Z-E-N at gmail .com. Please, as always, give us your first name, city and state, and country of residence if you live outside the USA, and only remain anonymous if your question involves personal and private matter.
Before we go to any listener questions, Joe, I want to set some definitions or have you summarize some definitions for us, because we do have not only new Christians that listen to the show, but on occasion we know that we have non-Christians listening.
We have Muslims and atheists and so on. Obviously, the primary theme of this book is a doctrine known as unconditional election. Correct. If you are a Christian and you believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, you have to believe in election.
The difference is how you exegete what that means from the Scriptures, how you define that. Precisely. And, of course, the majority of evangelicals today and the majority of those within Christendom, because, unfortunately, Calvinism, although growing, is a minority, having enjoyed a history that, at one point, I think that we may have been in the majority, at least among Baptists we were at some point in the past, of course.
But most evangelicals, to my knowledge, who are not Reformed, would say that God does elect men and women and children, but He does so because He looks into the future. He is omniscient, so He looks into the future and He goes, Oh, look, Joe Bianchi believed in me, and even though this hasn't happened yet, he hasn't even been born yet, I know Joe Bianchi is going to believe in me, so, therefore, I'm going to elect him, which really makes Joe Bianchi electing God, doesn't it?
In my Bible, too.
Not me, it's music to my ears since they support this show.
That could be Arminianism.
Right, because many, many, many, many, especially our Fundamentalist Baptist friends, refuse to identify themselves as Arminian. Right, I understand. Yes, you pluck one petal off the tulip and the whole flower dies.
In fact, I love the... Go ahead, I'm sorry. By the way, I think you did something different before the break with your headset or whatever, because you sounded a little bit clearer right before we went to the break.
I don't know if there's anything you could do, but... All right, well, what... Right now, you're sounding great. Yeah, that's fine. Okay. I just wanted to say that what I like to ask my non-Calvinist friends who do not believe in unconditional election, I ask them, is believing in Jesus in a true and trusting and loving and saving way, is that pleasing to God?
They'll say, of course it is. And then I'll read them Romans 8, starting at verse 5. Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.
Those who cannot... I'm sorry. Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. So therefore, obviously, a lost person cannot summon up a faith or do anything that pleases God.
Well, of course, the free will believer, the Arminian, would say that, well...
It goes back to the question, though, if your faith is your faith pleasing to God, and the situation is here, those controlled by the flesh cannot please God, so those controlled by the flesh can't even possess a faith like that.
And that's why it has to be given to us as a gift. Okay, and we're going to be going to our longer-than-normal break in about three minutes. And when we come back, I'd like you to really define election, because there is a lot of confusion about it.
We even have an element within hyper-Calvinism that misunderstands election. I don't want to broad brush, but very prevalent among the primitive Baptists, there is a really gross error, very popular in perhaps even the majority of primitive Baptists, where they would be considered, rightfully, hyper-Calvinist.
And they seem to equate election with the entirety of salvation. In other words, they don't even believe that anything we do as Christians, whether it be evangelism, or loving acts of mercy and kindness, or anything that we do is even a means by which the lost are drawn to salvation and saved.
They believe that that's Arminian teaching, and they call it the means doctrine, and they basically say, if you're elect, you're saved. But that is not true. Obviously, you know that. And it's just a major tenet of being saved.
It's a facet on the diamond. In fact, when we come back from the break, you can perhaps even distinguish some of those facets on the diamond, like predestination, election, and adoption, and so on. But we're going to our longer-than-normal break, and if anybody would like to join us on the air with a question of your own, again, our email address is chrisarnson at gmail .com, chrisarnson at gmail .com, C-H-R-I-S-A-R-N-Z-E-N at gmail .com.
Please at least give us your first name, city and state, and country of residence if you live outside the USA, and only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter. And we do have a number of folks waiting, hopefully patiently, to have their questions asked and answered by you, so we will get to as many of you as possible before we run out of time.
But please, those of you who want to ask a question, get in line now, as soon as you can, by sending an email to chrisarnson at gmail .com, chrisarnson at gmail .com. So don't go away, we'll be back right after these messages with more of Joe Bianchi.
Hi, I'm Stephan Lindblad,.
Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at IRBS Theological Seminary in Mansfield, Texas. I accepted this call to teach at the seminary because I'm firmly convinced that the people of God in the churches of our Lord Jesus Christ need to be firmly grounded in the truth of Holy Scripture.
I'm excited to be teaching such subjects as the nature of theology and the doctrine of Scripture, and even the doctrine of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Our churches and our people need to be well grounded in these truths.
Indeed, future ministers of the gospel need to understand these truths in order to proclaim them to all of God's people. If you want to learn more about our program, visit us online at irbsseminary .org.
Iron Sharpens Iron Radio depends upon the financial support of fine Christian organizations to remain on the air, like the Historical Bible Society. The Historical Bible Society maintains a collection of Christian books, manuscripts, and Bibles of historical significance spanning nearly a thousand years.
The mission of HBS is the preservation and public display of ancient Scripture, dissemination of Scripture, to provide tools equipping believers and Christian apologetics with evidence for the Bible's reliability, and to introduce Reformation literature and Christian art to a broader audience.
Since 2004, HBS has toured schools and churches throughout the Northeast United States, reaching thousands of believers and non-believers alike who are hungry for knowledge of the Bible. HBS's founder, Daniel P. Buttafuoco, attorney at law, is committed to sharing this collection along with an inspirational historical message that will captivate you and your church.
Come journey through their website, historicalbiblesociety .org. The collection includes a complete 11th century Bible, an actual page of the Gutenberg Bible from 1455, the first book ever printed, the Geneva Bible, the 1611 King James Bible, and much, much more.
Visit historicalbiblesociety .org today. Thank you, Daniel P. Buttafuoco, attorney at law, for your faithful support of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
I'm James White of Alpha Omega Ministries, and my friend Chris Arnzen and I are excited to be attending another G3 conference together in Atlanta, Georgia, Thursday, January 16th through Saturday, January 18th, on a theme that is vitally important to all of us, Worship Matters.
I'll be on the speaking line-up with Eric Thomas, Joel Beeky, Paul Washer, Steve Lawson, Phil Johnson, Tom Askell, Voti Baltham, and the world-renowned preacher, teacher, and author, John MacArthur.
A fascinating new addition to the roster is Kosti Hinn, nephew of the notorious false teacher Benny Hinn. Kosti has repented of the word-faith heresies of his youth and is now a Reformed Baptist pastor and cessationist in California.
Come join me and Chris Arnzen at G3 2020, January 16th through the 18th, in Atlanta, by registering at g3conference .com. That's g3conference .com. See you there!
Chris Arnzen, host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, announcing a new website with an exciting offer from World Magazine, my trusted source for news from a Christian perspective. Try World Now at no charge for 90 days by going to getworldnow .com.
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I'm Dr. Gary Kimbrough, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Laurel, Mississippi. God tells us in James 1 27 that pure and undefiled religion is a visit to fatherless and widows in their affliction. In the providence of God, three years ago, I discovered a poor, small church outside Lusaka, Zambia, in a township called Cabanana, who are taking care of 24 orphans.
I found them just at the time when they had lost all their funding. What was I to do? Could I just say God bless you and walk away? The situation of the children set heavily upon me. As I was praying concerning this need, it came to me, I trust from the Lord, to tell the orphans' plight to a broader audience.
The entire need for their clothing, food, education, and some medical services is $73 per month per child. If just 50 of us would give $35 a month, we could meet the need. Bethlehem Baptist Church will pay the fee to get the funds there, so if you give a dollar, a dollar will get to the orphans.
In this season of hope and giving, will you consider giving hope to 24 orphans? Please send your gift of any amount to Bethlehem Baptist Church, 838 Reed Road, Laurel, Mississippi, 39443, or donate through our website, bbclaurel .com.
Again, the address is Bethlehem Baptist Church, 838 Reed Road, Laurel, Mississippi, 39443, or bbclaurel .com. Thank you.
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I'm Dr. Tony Costa, Professor of Apologetics and Islam at Toronto Baptist Seminary. I'm thrilled to introduce to you a church where I've been invited to speak and have grown to love. Hope Reform Baptist Church in Quorum, Long Island, New York.
Pastored by Rich Jensen and Christopher McDowell. It's such a joy to witness and experience fellowship with people of God, like the dear saints at Hope Reform Baptist Church in Quorum, who have an intensely passionate desire to continue digging deeper and deeper into the unfathomable riches of Christ in His Holy Word, and to enthusiastically proclaim Christ Jesus the King and His doctrines of sovereign grace in Suffolk County, Long Island, and beyond.
I hope you also have the privilege of discovering this precious congregation and receive the blessing of being showered by their love, as I have. For more information on Hope Reform Baptist Church, go to hopereformedli .net.
That's hopereformedli .net. Or call 631 -696 -5711 631 -696 -5711 631 -696 -5711. Hope Reform Baptist Church of Quorum, Long Island, New York that you heard about them from Tony Costa on Iron Sharpens Iron.
When Iron Sharpens Iron Radio first launched in 2005, the publishers of the New American Standard Bible were among my very first sponsors. It gives me joy knowing that many scholars and pastors in the Iron Sharpens Iron Radio audience have been sticking with or switching to the NASB.
I'm Pastor Nate Pickowitz of Harvest Bible Church in Gilmanton Ironworks, New Hampshire, and the NASB is my Bible.
Of choice. I'm Pastor Rich Jensen of Hope Reform Baptist Church in Quorum, New York, and the NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor Sule.
Prince of Oakwood Wesleyan Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
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I'm Pastor Roy Owens Jr. of the Church of Friendship in Hockley, Texas, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
Here's a great way for your church to help keep Iron Sharpens Iron Radio on the air. Pastors, are your pew Bibles tattered and falling apart? Consider restocking your pews with the NASB, and tell the publishers you heard about them with Chris Arnzen on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
Go to nasbible .com that's nasbible .com to place your order.
Every day at thousands of community centers, high schools, middle schools, juvenile institutions, coffee shops, and local hangouts, Long Island Youth for Christ staff and volunteers meet with young people who need Jesus.
We are rural and urban, and we are always about the message of Jesus. Our mission is to have a noticeable spiritual impact on Long Island, New York by engaging young people in the lifelong journey of following Christ.
Long Island Youth for Christ has been a stalwart bedrock ministry since 1959. We have a world class staff and a proven track record of bringing consistent love and encouragement to youths in need all over the country and around the world.
Help honor our history by becoming a part of our future. Volunteer, donate, pray, or all of the above. For details, call Long Island Youth for Christ at 631 -385 -8333 631 -385 -8333 631 -385 -8333 or visit liyfc .org.
Liyfc .org liyfc .org liyfc .org.
This is Pastor Bill Sousa, Grace Church at Franklin, here in the beautiful state of Tennessee. Our congregation is one of a growing number of churches who love and support Iron Sharpens Iron radio financially.
And of course the end for which we strive is the glory of God. If you live near Franklin, Tennessee, and Franklin is just south of Nashville, maybe 10 minutes, or you are visiting this area, or you have friends and loved ones nearby, we hope you will join us some Lord's Day in worshiping our God and Savior.
Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions about Grace Church at Franklin. Our website is gracechurchatfranklin .org is gracechurchatfranklin .org is gracechurchatfranklin .org is gracechurchatfranklin .org.
This is Pastor Bill Sousa wishing you all the richest blessings of our Sovereign Lord God, Savior, and King Jesus Christ today and always.
Chris Sorensen, host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio here. I want to tell you about a man I have personally known for many years. His name is Dan Buttafuoco. Dan is a personal injury and medical malpractice lawyer, but not the type that typically comes to mind.
Dan cares about people and is a theologian himself. Recently he wrote a book titled Consider the Evidence for the Bible. Ravi Zacharias wrote the foreword. Dan also has a master's degree in theology. Dan handles serious injury and medical malpractice cases in all 50 states.
He represents many Christians in serious injury matters all over the country. Dan is an exceptional trial lawyer. He wrote the test for the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and currently his firm has over 100 cases that have settled for $1 million or more, and in approximately 10 different states.
In Illinois, his lawyers had the fourth largest settlement in the state's history. In New York, his case involving a paralyzed police officer made the front page of the Law Journal. If you have a serious personal injury or medical malpractice claim in any state, I recommend that you call Dan.
Consultations are free. There is no fee unless you win. Dan Buttafuoco's number is 1 -800 -669 -4878. 1 -800 -669 -4878. 1 -800 -669 -4878. Or email me for Dan's contact information at chrisarnson at gmail dot com.
That's chrisarnson at gmail dot com.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, Give yourself unto reading.
The man who never reads will never be read. He who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains proves that he has no brains of his own.
You need to read. Solid Ground Christian Books is a publisher and book distributor who takes these words of the Prince of Preachers to heart. The mission of Solid Ground Christian Books is to bring back treasures of the past to minister to Christians in the present and future, and to publish new titles that address burning issues in the church and the world.
Since its beginning in 2001, Solid Ground has been committed to publish God-centered, Christ-exalting books for all ages. We invite you to go treasure hunting at solid-ground-books .com That's solid-ground-books .com and see what priceless literary gems from the past to present you can unearth from Solid Ground.
Solid Ground Christian Books is honored to be a weekly sponsor of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
And don't forget, one of their newest publications being brought back into print is the book we are addressing today, God Chose to Save Why a Man Cannot and Will Not Be Saved Apart from Election by our guest today, Joseph M. Bianchi.
So make sure when you contact Solid Ground Christian Books solid-ground-books .com no matter what you're ordering, add that to your cart as well. I strongly advise it and recommend it. And remember, every time you purchase books from solid-ground-books .com you are helping Iron Sharpens Iron Radio remain on the air for a longer future, because we depend upon solid-ground-books .com to exist.
They are a primary sponsor of the show. In fact, they have nearly tripled their advertising budget on the show since they first began advertising with us in 2015. And the reason or the two reasons they have done that is, number one, they love the show.
They know we need their support and want us to remain on the air. But number two, it's because you, the listener, have been so phenomenal in your responses to them and they are just so thankful to you, so thankful to God for you, and so am I.
Because you have been very faithful in purchasing many books from solid-ground-books .com. And please continue to do so with all the holidays coming up and all of your gift-giving needs in addition to your own replenishing of your library and your own edification.
Don't forget gifts for every season from solid-ground-books .com. Always mention that you heard about them from Chris Arnson of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio. Before we return to our interview with Joe Bianchi, we just have two announcements to make of special events coming up.
The Foundations Conference is coming up right around the corner, Thursday and Friday, December 19th and 20th, in New York City. If you are a man in ministry leadership, you are eligible to register. Go to solid I'm sorry, go to thefoundationsconference .com thefoundationsconference .com and you will find all the information that you need.
I will be attending there myself, God willing. I always love being in Manhattan during the Christmas season and that's why it's perfect that December 19th and 20th are the dates of the Foundation Conference, well within the heart of the Christmas season.
The speakers include Dr. Stephen J. Lawson, Paul Washer, Jeff Thomas. By the way, folks, Jeff Thomas, the renowned Jeff Thomas is going to be my guest this Thursday and Friday on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, discussing two new books published by Reformation Heritage Books by Reverend Jeff Thomas.
So make sure you mark your calendars for Thursday and Friday when we have Reverend Jeff Thomas on for both days. Also speaking at the Foundation Conference is Reverend Armon Tomassian and also Richard Colwell Jr. and Andrew Quigley.
If you would like to join me there Thursday and Friday, December 19th and 20th at the Foundations Conference go to thefoundationsconference .com thefoundationsconference .com and then coming up in January, Thursday January 16th through Saturday January 18th, the G3 Conference is being held once again at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, Georgia, which is a suburb of Atlanta, right near the Atlanta airport.
What a phenomenal, extraordinary mind-blowing conference this is. This will be my fourth G3 conference where I have manned an exhibitor's booth for Iron Sharp and Zion Radio. It always turns out to be a phenomenal blessing to Iron Sharp and Zion Radio every time I man an exhibitor's booth there largely due to the sheer vast numbers of people that attend this conference.
Every year they have over 5 ,000 people attend and this January the theme is Worship Matters and the speakers include such notable names as the aforementioned Dr. Steven J. Lawson, my dear friend since 1995 and also a mutual friend of our guest Joe Bianchi, Dr. James R. White of Alpha Omega Ministries, my friend Todd Friel of Wretched TV and Radio, whose ads you've been hearing on this show, my friend Phil Johnson, the Executive Director of Grace To You, the Media Ministry of John MacArthur, Phil Johnson has the dubious reputation of being my guest on Iron Sharp and Zion Radio more than anyone else in the history of this program since we first launched in 2005.
And there are many other speakers on this roster, including the latest addition, John MacArthur himself. I would go to this conference if it was only John MacArthur and so I urge you if you want to join me there, Thursday January 16th through Saturday January 18th, go to G3conference .com G3conference .com and also if you have a business, a parachurch organization or anything else that you want to promote to the body of Christ, especially when people in very large numbers are there, I urge you to also register for an exhibitor's booth, just like I will be manning for the fourth year in a row.
So go to G3conference .com G3conference .com and not only register to attend, but also if it applies to you, register for an exhibitor's booth as well and I would do so quickly because they're going to run out of exhibitor's booth space a lot faster than they run out of room for attendance because this is a massive hall this Georgia International Convention Center is humongous.
But they do only have a limited area for exhibitor's booths, so register soon if you want to have yours there. And remember to tell them about Chris Arntz and Iron Trip and Zion Radio as your source for discovering the G3conference .com.
G3conference .com. Last but not least, if you love this show, you do not want it to disappear from the airwaves, you love the guests and topics which very often are never heard anywhere else, you love sharing the free downloadable MP3s with your family, friends, and loved ones, well please if you love this show and you have extra money, you have money lying around collecting interest, you have money that you use for recreational purposes, you have money that you use to go to concerts, the theater, movies, athletic events, fast food, all kinds of things that you use your extra money for.
Please, if you love this show, use a portion of it to donate to Iron Trip and Zion Radio. We are in urgent need of your money for December. We have most of our bills unpaid for December and we are as always, I should say, I am getting anxious.
I know the Lord commands me not to be anxious for anything, but I can't help being a sinner that I am to be anxious over these bills that need to be paid. Please help me, please help this show remain on the air if you do love it.
Go to ironsharpensironradio .com, click support, then click to donate now. You can donate instantly with a debit or credit card. By doing so, you can also mail in a check the old-fashioned way if you prefer that, to the address that appears on the screen and you make a check to Iron Trip and Zion Radio.
Please never siphon money out of your regular giving to your local church where you are a member in order to give to us. Never do that. Never put your family in financial jeopardy in order to give to Iron Trip and Zion Radio.
Those two things are commands of Scripture, providing for your church and your home. Providing for my show is not obviously a command of Scripture. But, as I said, if you have funds that exceed your ability to obey those two commands, please help us out if you want us to remain on the air.
Ironsharpensironradio .com, click support, then click to donate now. If you want to advertise with us, send me an email to chrisarnsen at gmail .com and put advertising in the subject line. As long as whatever it is you want to promote is compatible with what I believe, it doesn't have to be identical with what I believe.
If it needs to be compatible with what I believe, please send in the email as soon as you can to chrisarnsen at gmail .com and put advertising in the subject line. Last but not least, if you are not a member of a local Bible believing church, and you're not even prayerfully looking for one, you are living in rebellion against God.
There are no lone wolves or maverick Christians in the Bible. You must be a member of a local Bible believing church in submission to the elders there. So, if you need help finding a church, I have lists of biblically faithful churches all over the world, and I have already helped quite a number of people find churches all over the world where they have joined and become members, or where they have visited when they are on vacation, or where they have recommended to their family and friends and loved ones who don't have churches.
So, please send me an email to chrisarnsen at gmail .com and put I need a church in the subject line, if indeed you do. That's I need a church and just give me all the information you need that I need, I should say, for the exact location where you live or where you're vacationing or where your loved ones live.
And I should be able to help you find one. I've already helped many people as I said. That's also the email address where you can send in a question to Joe Bianchi regarding his book, God Chose to Save Why Man Cannot and Will Not Be Saved Apart from Election.
That's chrisarnsen at gmail .com. Chrisarnsen at gmail .com. And before we go into the definitions that I asked you to give, we've had listeners holding on for quite a while, so I want to take at least one listener question and hopefully that will be satisfying to our person who's holding on here.
I have to enlarge this question because the font is microscopic and I'm going blind. Let's see here. And by the way, while I'm enlarging this question, our email again is chrisarnsen at gmail .com. Chrisarnsen.
Chrisarnsen at gmail .com. Hi Chris, great show. Is this book written let's see. I had to expand this because only half of his question was visible to me. Alright. Is this book written for young Christians to understand all five points of Calvinism?
Yes.
Well, thanks.
Grady in Ashboro, North Carolina, and thank you also for your loyalty in listening to Ion Sharpens Ion Radio and your frequency of submitting excellent questions and also supporting us financially with your generous donations.
God bless you, brother. Okay, let's go back to you before we go to any more questions. We need a definition of election because there's a lot of confusion, not only amongst non-reformed people, but even hyper-Calvinists.
Well, election.
Is God on the person's part.
Now, some use the term predestination as a synonym for election, and obviously closely related to the subject is adoption. Are these just synonyms? Are there any facets on the same diamond, but they have different meaning even if it is slightly?
Well, if you're inviting mercy. Now, why is it that we who are reformed make such a big deal out of this? Some people equate this kind of discussion as counting the number of angels who can dance on the head of a pen.
They think, this is just ivory tower talk. This is for conversations by scholars and theologians and intellectuals in the closed doors of their libraries as they drink snifters of brandy and smoke cigars.
And it has really nothing of meaning in the life and faith of the average person or Christian in particular. Now, I obviously adamantly and radically oppose that dismissive idea. People think this is so complicated for our minds to grasp, we don't even need to bring it up.
Even if they want to concede that it's true, which some folks will give us some kind of benefit of the doubt they'll even say, well, you know, even if this is true, why do you have to talk about it? Why do you have to preach and tell people about this?
But go ahead. I was going to say, Gene Wilder's version was much better. That is one of the biggest slanderous accusations that is hurled frequently towards those of us who are theologically reformed, is that they picture our understanding of God electing souls from before the foundation of the world as the classic phrase that will be used from the nursery rhyme or child's game, perhaps more adequately put,.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. No, it's not, and make God think like we do, but he says, I am the Lord, I don't think as a man. Let me give you this analogy. I've been thinking about this analogy for a while.
This room that ever existed with his nail scars, come to me, come to me, come to me. Well, here's the question. How many people would get saved? Weeks ago, but they can't. Men do not do good. The mind set on the flesh cannot please God, that these things are spiritual, God is not arbitrary, and people love their sin.
They're not going to come to his nature and rebel against God. It's not to acknowledge admirable. Yes, it does, and.
I'm going to go to another listener question. We have Johnny in Queens, New York, and he actually has more than one question. God has sovereignly decided to reveal to us the work of his election in his word, the Bible.
This profound concept of his prerogative to save some fallen men, not others, poses some issues of fairness and partiality with God. How would you answer, biblically, of the implication of this alleged unfairness?
Yeah, that's another one of the big charges.
Just like Lydia,.
The Seller of Purple. When she was listening to the word preached, the Holy Spirit opened her heart so she could understand the word spoken by Paul.
Right, and you know, we can't escape the issue of evangelism.
Yes, and even when many of those who are not regenerate hear the gospel preached, even if they do not come to saving faith in Christ, there are many who do curtail or restrain their evil, which makes which doesn't make them deserving of heaven, but it makes this world a better place for us to live.
Including his elect.
And Johnny's second question is,.
What do you think is the practical application and response to this biblical teaching? Because they must go deaf when we use the part of the phrase unconditional, because they act as if we are teaching a conditional election when it is they that are.
Right, exactly. It is the only.
System of theology that is the Reformed faith, possesses the only system of theology that when held logically and consistently gives 100 of the praise, honor, and glory to God for our salvation and for every good thing.
There is no other theological system that can consistently and logically say that. They all do say that. They all claim they give 100 of the glory to God, but they are either they either have amnesia about some of the things that they believe when they are answering that question, or they're just playing fast and loose with terminology, or they're just outright lying.
But you cannot say that a sinner who is dead in his sins can present to God a faith that pleases him so much that he saves that person without saying that you contributed to your salvation. Yeah, and they also believe somehow even if they were not to spell it out specifically in clear crystal words, they obviously either consciously or unconsciously believe that everyone deserves to have every benefit in order to come to an understanding and faith of the gospel and embrace it.
They seem to have this idea of fairness that doesn't even exist in an Arminian paradigm. Obviously, you have Universalists who are heretics, who are outside of the realm of Biblical Christianity who believe everybody is going to be saved.
And that's a position. Right, yeah, especially with the Atonement. Where every belly is broken and you're going to believe and everybody is saved. Right.
But the more biblically faithful Arminian believes there is a hell, believes that that hell will be inhabited, most likely think that the majority of those who are ever born will be entering there. And their idea that we have a system of theology that is less fair than theirs, how do you get the fact that there are great portions of the planet Earth whose inhabitants never heard the gospel for centuries and lived and died?
Why is that fair that they go to hell? Or do you have an unbiblical concept of post-mortem evangelism or some other kind of way that they can be saved? As some have developed other ways that they acted according to the light that they had, to the best of their ability and things like that, which really just boils down to a work salvation.
I think that the.
Catholic Church...
Yes, and my point being that it's not a fair thing, not only to expect or to act as if the entire world, everybody in the world is acting on an equal playing field. They all have this equal ability to hear the gospel, believe in it, and get saved.
This is... The Arminian understanding of salvation is in fact if you want to use the word fair, it's less fair. And you have people being it left up to themselves with their own willpower to battle the world, the flesh, and the devil and come out winning in the end as a believer.
And also, when you think about... So you're saying that the person in the Bible belt who was raised by Christian parents has the same fair opportunity to understand and believe in Christ as the Muslim in the Middle East who may be executed for this?
I mean, none of it makes any sense. And all right, Johnny in Queens is really pushing it, but I'm going to give him one more question that he's asking, and then we're going to go to the station break.
In fact, we'll have you answer it when you return, when we return from the break. Third question, in light of election, what are the various Orthodox views of God's reprobation of the lost, and should these affect our urgency and desire to evangelize the lost?
You already partially answered that because we're commanded to, but we're going to have you answer that when we return. And this is our final break, folks. If you want to join us, please, right now, send us the question that you have to chrisarnson at gmail dot com, chrisarnson at gmail dot com, because we are rapidly running out of time.
Don't go away. We're going to be right back after these messages from our sponsors.
Thriven Financial is not your typical financial services provider. As a Financial at
We know so much more than I do. Lending faith, finances, and generosity. That's the Thriven story.
I'm Dr. Tony Costa, Professor of Apologetics and Islam at the Toronto Baptist Seminary, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
I'm Pastor Jeff Downs of Knox Reformed Presbyterian Church in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
I'm Pastor Mark Romaldi of Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Long Island in Merritt, New York, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
I'm Pastor Scott Pasolo of the Masters Church of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and the NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor Kevin Venio of the Bible Church of Port Washington, New York, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
I'm Pastor Andrew Smith of Christ Reformed Community Church in St. Augustine, Florida, and the NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor Clint Leiter of Highway M Chapel, Sedalia, Missouri, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries and the Dividing Line webcast here. Although God has brought me all over the globe for many years to teach, preach, and debate at numerous venues, some of my very fondest memories are from those precious times of fellowship with Pastor Rich Jensen and the brethren at Hope Reform Baptist Church, now located at their new, beautiful facilities in Coram, Long Island, New York.
I've had the privilege of opening God's Word from their pulpit on many occasions, have led youth retreats for them, and have always been thrilled to see their members filling many seats at my New York debates.
I do not hesitate to highly recommend Hope Reform Baptist Church of Coram, Long Island to anyone who wants to be accurately taught, discipled, and edified by the Holy Scriptures, and to be surrounded by truly loving and caring brothers and sisters in Christ.
I also want to congratulate Hope Reform Baptist Church of Coram for their recent appointment with Pastor Rich Jensen's co-elder, Pastor Christopher McDowell. For more information on Hope Reform Baptist Church, go to hopereformedli .net.
That's hopereformedli .net, or call 631 -696 -5711. That's 631 -696 -5711. Tell the folks at Hope Reform Baptist Church of Coram, Long Island that you heard about them from James White on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
Dan cares about people and is a theologian himself. Recently, he wrote a book titled Consider the Evidence for the Bible. Ravi Zacharias wrote the foreword. Dan also has a master's degree in theology.
Dan handles serious injury and medical malpractice cases in all 50 states. He represents many Christians in serious injury matters all over the country. Dan is an exceptional trial lawyer. He wrote the test for the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and currently his firm has over 100 cases that have settled for $1 million or more, and in approximately 10 different states.
Consultations are free. There is no fee unless you win. Dan Buttafuoco's number is 1 -800 -669 -4878. 1 -800 -669 -4878. Or email me for Dan's contact information at chrisarnson at gmail dot com. That's chrisarnson at gmail dot com.
And, of course, the end for which we strive is the glory of God. If you live near Franklin, Tennessee, and Franklin is just south of Nashville, maybe 10 minutes, or you are visiting this area, or you have friends and loved ones nearby, we hope you will join us some Lord's Day in worshiping our God and Savior.
Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions about Grace Church at Franklin. Our website is gracechurchatfranklin .org. That's gracechurchatfranklin .org. This is Pastor Bill Sousa wishing you all the richest blessings of our Sovereign Lord, God, Savior, and King Jesus Christ today and always.
And we thank Pastor Bill Sousa and Grace Church at Franklin for coming to the rescue in our need financially with a very scary December awaiting us as far as paying our bills. And Pastor Sasser has not only become an annual sponsor of this show along with Grace Church at Franklin, but they've also added on top of that annual advertising sponsorship a monthly gift that they have promised of $200 every month for the next 12 months.
And we thank them so much. I can't even describe in the English language how thankful and how grateful I am to Pastor Sasser and Grace Church at Franklin and how grateful to God I am for them. So just remember that website gracechurchatfranklin .org if you're visiting Franklin, Tennessee, if you live there, or if you have family, friends, and loved ones who already live there.
We are now back with the final segment of our interview today with Pastor Joe Bianchi. And we had basically a question from Johnny in Queens, New York, who wants to know the practical application of this teaching.
Oh, that's right. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You are absolutely right.
I was going to say that the two go hand-in-hand, the doctrine of election and reprobation.
Yes, one of the misunderstandings that people have about double predestination, which you and I believe, and reprobation, is that they think that God is actively making morally neutral men evil. But he is just leaving evil men in their evil state while electing others of us out from among that same lump of evil clay and rescuing us.
And he has no obligation to save even one of us out of all of the trillions of humanity that have ever lived and ever will live. But it is his right to choose out of that sea of humanity. And we cannot charge God with being cruel or what have you.
But anyway, thank you, Johnny, for being a participant today. And basically I've got time for one more question, which I have to answer quickly. Basically, the Bible says that there is no partiality with God and in the New International Version it says that God does not play favoritism.
How do you explain that?
Well, it's saying, Joe Bianchi, in the summer of 1984...
Yes, and the listener is obviously referring to Romans chapter 2 in verse 11. And obviously it's ironic, it is the opponents of Reformed theology that actually, either consciously or unconsciously, are claiming that God does play partiality because he's choosing people apart of something good on their behalf, namely faith.
Well, they're up for millennium.
And we're out of time, brother. And I know that the Solid Ground Christian Book website for people to order your book, God Chose to Save, is solid-ground-books .com. Solid-ground-books .com. What's the website for Calvary Press?
Www .calvarypress .com.
That's www .calvarypress .com. Thank you so much, Joe. I look forward to having you back on the show. We have to have you back more frequently. I want to thank everybody who listened today, especially those who took the time to write questions.
And I want you all to always remember, for the rest of your lives, Jesus Christ is a far greater Savior than you are a sinner.