March 11, 2004

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from the desert metropolis of Phoenix, Arizona, this is The Dividing Line. The Apostle Peter commanded
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Christians to be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within us, yet to give that answer with gentleness and reverence.
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Our host is Dr. James White, director of Alpha Omega Ministries and an elder at the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church.
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This is a live program, and we invite your participation. If you'd like to talk with Dr. White, call now at 602 -973 -4602 or toll free across the
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United States. It's 1 -877 -753 -3341. And now with today's topic, here is
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James White. And good morning, and welcome to The Dividing Line.
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It's a Thursday morning, 11 AM out here in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona.
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Not going to be quite as hot today, thankfully. Only 81 degrees at the moment.
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We are continuing today with the response we started. Hopefully, next
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Tuesday, going to have something else to discuss that I can't really go into yet.
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Because, well, if I did, then we wouldn't be discussing it next week, of course. But we began a response on the last
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Dividing Line after our big announcement concerning the upcoming conference, national conference.
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All this information is on the cruise link. If you want to click on aleman .org, the national conference on new issues regarding the doctrine of justification.
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We announced a debate with Douglas Wilson on the nature of the new covenant, and especially the issue, are
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Roman Catholics a part of the covenant via Trinitarian baptism? And obviously, my understanding there that outside of the gospel, no one outside of the true gospel of grace is in the covenant that Jesus Christ creates in his own blood.
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There is, that is just, to me, so completely and totally foreign to the
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New Testament that it is certainly worthy of bringing to everyone's attention. And so that's going to be what the debate is on.
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But we discussed that last time. My headphones are disappearing on me. And so today we continue with,
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I have 14 clips, only got to 10 last time, so we're going to have to really pick up the pace a little bit. We have been listening to a recent sermon, if we can call it that.
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Whoa, hello, now they're completely gone. And, oh, now they're back. A recent sermon from Adrian Rogers on the subject, well, it's not on the subject of Calvinism because he never says it.
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We are just some people. We are just folks. There are some who believe.
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But obviously he's talking about Calvinism and he is warning his people against it. He doesn't want it in his church.
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He won't allow it in his church. He says it's detrimental, kill evangelism because Dr.
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Rogers does not understand it. And he has given clear evidence of the fact that he has no idea what it actually teaches and is intent upon staying in that position.
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The last thing we had listened to was his demanding one verse on the subject of particular redemption.
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We pointed out the inconsistencies in his theology and we'll see more of that today. But if we're gonna get through it all, we need to get at it, so here we go.
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I'm still waiting on a verse. Friend, listen, the
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Bible teaches that Christ died for all. Let me give you some verses.
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Jot them down. John 1, verse 29, the next day John, this is John the Baptist, sees
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Jesus coming unto him and says, behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.
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That's what John the Baptist said. Can you imagine John the Baptist standing there on the banks of Jordan saying, behold, the
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Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the elect? No, the sin of the world.
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And of course, we've pointed out the error that is found here specifically in regards to the fact that Dr.
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Rogers will not deal with the issue of what the term world means within the context in which it is used, that from a
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Jewish perspective, the world was Jews and Gentiles, that the Bible itself defines the extent of Christ's salvific work as being that of redeeming men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.
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They will not touch these passages. They won't raise them. They will not even let their people know they're there. They seriously hope their people will never ask these questions and that they will never encounter a little itty -bitty webcast like this that will cause them to ask these questions because quite honestly, my experience,
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I remember going back to a Founders Conference that I was speaking at a number of years ago and students at a fairly well -known
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Baptist university were talking to me there and they were saying, you know, we are not allowed to discuss these things.
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We are not allowed to, if we even ask these questions, it is considered to be in essence an act of rebellion.
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It is grounds for being removed from our classes and from this school to even ask these questions.
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One side is open to discussing all these things. One side will play with what the other side says. One side will deal with these issues.
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One side will not because one side has an exegetical leg to stand on and the other does not.
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John 12, verses 46 through 48. Now stop here just for a moment. I needed to say in regards to John chapter one, the other question, the other issue of course there is, does he or doesn't he?
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Does he bear the sins of the world? What we're gonna hear later on is that Dr. Rogers, and he may not even be aware of this.
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He may not even be aware of just how completely inconsistent his position makes systematic theology and he may not even feel that it's relevant.
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But if he bears the sins of the world then he's forced to believe that God punishes because he says, he very clearly says,
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Christ bore the sins of all the world, every single individual. He bore the wrath of God to place those sins.
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That means that God must engage in double jeopardy. But when that issue comes up, he says, no, no, no, you have to believe.
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Okay, but still did Christ bear those sins or did he not? This theoretical atonement, this atonement that's only makes men savable but doesn't actually bear the wrath of God.
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This is part and parcel of what the man is promoting to his people. And he may not want to discuss it.
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He may not want to think about it, but that doesn't mean his people aren't going to and his people are not gonna be going out into the world.
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They're gonna be dealing with people in false religions. They're gonna be dealing with people who have other theologies. And by refusing to engage this subject fairly and honestly, he is placing his own people in a dangerous position.
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He is making their theology inconsistent and hence opening them up to being deceived.
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That's what happens when you do not handle or write the word of God from the pulpit and when you're afraid of dealing with these issues.
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And that's exactly what's going on here. Now turn with him to this one because this one blows me away. John chapter 12.
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Listen to, again, let's not look at a context even if our life depends on it.
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Listen to this one. John 12 verses 46 through 48. Jesus said,
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I am come a light to the world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
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And if any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him. No, I judge him not.
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For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judges him.
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The word that I have spoken, the same should judge him in the last day. Now, what did he say? I've come as a light to the world.
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It's very obvious. He's not talking about the world of the elect here because he's talking about that world being judged.
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He died the world that he died for. Now, what is absolutely amazing is that John chapter 12 is actually very, very much against his position.
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But let's read what he didn't talk about. Let's read the context that he's refusing to deal with.
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Maybe not even aware, you know, he just, it is so clear that this is just simply grab chosen but free off the shelf, run through the pages, write out the texts.
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It's the same old text without a context, without any work of exegesis, just throw it out there, get the emotions going and keep your people from listening to what reformed theology is about.
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That's right, it preaches good. That's all that really matters. Let's not worry about the issue of the truth here. And, you know, he may not even intentionally know any of this stuff.
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He may, every time you approach him, his eyes may glass over, I've seen it many times and have no concept whatsoever of what's really going on here.
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Go to John chapter 12, back up before where he started because there's this little part here that I would love to hear him deal with, but I've never heard him deal with.
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John chapter 12, verse 36. While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.
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These things Jesus spoke and he went away and hid himself from them.
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But though he had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in him.
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This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, which he spoke, Lord, who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the
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Lord been revealed. For this reason, they could not believe.
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Remember that Dr. Rogers had just before this eisegetically pulled a section about Christians from Romans chapter 12 that said to each man a measure of faith has been given and applied this to all men.
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A measure of faith had been given to the Egyptian foot soldier thousands of years ago, just as to a
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Christian today. That's allegedly what Paul was talking about in Romans 12. Pure eisegesis, a pure perversion of the word of God.
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Again, possibly out of ignorance, don't know, but that's what's going on. Here, verse 39.
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For this reason, they could not believe. Let's try to figure that one out with the eisegetical misuse of Romans 12. See, when you engage in eisegesis based on tradition, you turn the
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Bible into mush. You turn it into an inconsistent conglomeration of contradictions.
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For this reason, they could not believe, John 12, 39. For Isaiah said again, he has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart and be converted and I heal them.
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These things Isaiah said because he saw his glory and you spoke of him, a very important passage in regards to the identity of Jesus Christ, the
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Jehovah, verse 42. Nevertheless, many even of the rulers believed in him, but because the Pharisees, they were not confessing him for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
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And Jesus cried out and said, he who believes in me does not believe in me, but in him who sent me. He who sees me sees the one who sent me.
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I have come as light into the world so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. And again, here,
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Dr. Rogers misunderstands a construction in the original language. He seems to understand that pass ha plus a present tense participle, pass hapistuon means there's no such thing as election.
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Actually, it simply means that every single one who believes who is believing will receive eternal life.
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That's all the passage is saying. It has nothing to do with denying election. It has everything to do with affirming that no one can believe in vain, true faith.
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Now notice this very text. If you're reading along here, this very text points out the difference between true and false faith.
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Did you notice that? Verse 42, some believed in him. That's the heiress. But the very next verse says they love the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
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Is that true faith? Of course not. But then in verse 46, everyone believing, that's present tense, the one believing.
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That is the difference. Did you have the gospel of John that's brought out all the time? Doesn't deal with that.
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Everyone believing in me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them,
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I do not judge them for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. Well, if that's the purpose of his coming, then what he has to say here, even though the context talks about God's judicial hardening of hearts and the whole nine yards, all of a sudden now we get to this and what we're supposed to believe is that sozo here is meant to be theoretical.
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I came theoretically, hopefully to try my best to save as many people in the world as I can. That's not what it says.
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That's not what the cosmos is here. This is a gross misuse of the term cosmos and John.
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We really would like to think that the entire context we brought into consideration in these passages.
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Unfortunately, obviously it is not brought into consideration in these passages. Here's one that these people have a great difficulty with.
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First John 2 .2. Do you hear that? Where are these people by the way? Hi, my name's these people. I'm the bald these people.
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Here's one that these people have a great difficulty with. First John 2 .2. It speaks of Jesus as being the propitiation for our sins.
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That's a big double -jointed word. What does the word propitiation mean? That means he is the satisfaction for our sins.
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God sees his sacrifice and is satisfied. God's justice is satisfied. He is the propitiation for our sins.
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Now John is talking to the church. He's talking about himself. And he says, and not for ours alone, but also for the sins of the whole world.
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Jesus is the propitiation, not just for those who are saved, but for the sins of the whole world.
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Now, those who die hard say, well, no, that means he's the propitiation for our sins and the sins of the whole world of the elect.
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But he's not talking about the elect here. Go down a few verses now. First John 2 .15
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-16. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
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Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the
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Father, but is of the world. And that is the context of which he says he's the propitiation for our sins and not of ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
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What he's saying is not the world of the elect, the world of the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh, the pride of life.
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He died for that world. What an amazing statement. What an absolutely amazing statement and amazing eisegesis to skip down as if it's the exact same context.
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Actually, the topic has changed by the time you get down there, but if any man loves the world, the love of the
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Father is not in him. Do you remember John 3 .16? Remember this?
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This is the world being talked about here. This is the world God loves. This is the world Jesus died for. Really?
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The world that stands opposed to God. See, what he's doing is he's not recognizing John uses the term cosmos in many different ways and that sometimes cosmos is not even talking about people.
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It's talking about a system of things that are opposed to God and people live in or outside of that.
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The elect of God live in that world, obviously, and are given by the Father, the
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Son out of that world. Isn't that what John 17 says? I do not pray for the world. I pray for those you've given me out of the world.
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I mean, it is absolutely amazing to see the lengths and what amazes me most, and this is what amazed me about Norman Geisler.
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These folks know these things in any other subject. On any other topic, we're talking about justification.
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If we were talking about end times and resurrection and the deity of Christ or monotheism or any of these other things, they would not use this type of absolutely eisegetical hermeneutic.
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It just would not take place. But what happens is on this subject, their tradition is so strong and so deeply embedded that they cannot even begin to deal with the text as they stand.
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They cannot allow world to mean the world of Jews and Gentiles, the world outside of that small
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Christian community that only existed at the time of 1 John. Looking at that whole huge world out there, you can go out, you can proclaim the gospel because God is not finished.
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The work of propitiation is going to cover not just the sins that it's covered so far, but there are so many more
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God's gonna gather in. Can't even deal, I mean, he even says he knows what propitiation means.
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He knows what it means and then can turn around and say, well, yes, okay.
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Propitiation means the removal of the wrath of God against sin. Okay, then Dr. Rogers, why?
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If that is a universal propitiation of the sins of every single individual person in the world, how can you possibly say that you're not a universalist?
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I know you're not. You don't believe everybody's gonna be saved. How can you then in just a little while say, well, the death of Christ makes salvation possible.
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The wrath either been propitiated or it isn't. When Christ died, he said it is finished, not it is theoretically established.
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We're gonna hear some more about that a little bit later on too, because even the passion movie gets involved in this one, if you can believe that.
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But that's toward the end. We're not gonna get there if I keep preaching. Put this scripture down, 2 Peter 2, verse one.
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Peter talks about some wicked vile men who denied the
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Lord Jesus. And yet Peter says Jesus died for them. Let me show you.
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But there were false prophets also among the people. These are not elect, these are false prophets. Even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privilege shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the
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Lord. Now listen to this, that bought them. Denying the Lord, that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
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They had been bought, but they denied the Lord Jesus. Argorazo is the word that means to buy out of the slave market, to redeem.
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But they denied him. These are apostates, false prophets, teaching damnable heresies, but they have been bought with the precious blood of the
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Lord Jesus Christ. Well, there you have, again, this kind of interpretation.
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It just assumes, shows no evidence whatsoever. I mean, if Dr. Rogers has ever taken the time to listen to what anybody else says, it would show itself in his comments.
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I mean, how many times, you all, if you're a regular listener you've listened to me speak.
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Sometimes you may listen to sermons at prbc .org. When I preach, I'll be preaching Sunday evening on the importance of exegesis, probably repeating a few of these things then.
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You've heard me address these subjects and you know that when I come across a passage like this,
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I will note either by the way I present it or just by openly saying. Now, there are those who say this and they say it in this context and I will try to present it in the most accurate way possible.
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If Dr. Rogers has any idea that Argorazo, he knows what the Greek word is, but then if he knows what the
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Greek word is, he should know that those who believe differently than he about this subject that he is so confidently denouncing point out that when
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Argorazo is used in a redemptive context, there's always a price attached, redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.
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And since he knows that language, then he should also know that the term here, he just said the precious blood of Jesus.
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How does he know that? It's not kurios here, it's despotis. Why does he just assume that that's about Christ?
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Why does he just assume these things? And then can he not then take this the rest of the direction and say, okay, look, that means that they have been purchased out of the slave market and that means that it is not enough that Christ died.
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Christ's death only accomplishes a portion of it. And now here's the rest of what you have to do.
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Why not just be open with that and say, here it is, here's the rest of it. Here's what you've got to do.
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I don't know, but that seems that that's certainly the result of it. No interaction whatsoever.
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There's a tremendously lengthy article on our website dealing with 2 Peter 2 .1. Take a look at it, go into all the details and all the arguments.
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You'll see that one side again is willing to listen to what the other says and respond to it. One side seemingly just wants to have a monologue.
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Well, let's continue on with Dr. Rogers. Let me give you another scripture. 2 Timothy 2, verses three through six.
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For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. Now listen to this phrase. Who will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth?
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Who will have all men to be saved? For there is one God and one mediator between God and man.
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The man Christ Jesus who gave himself, listen, a ransom for all who will believe.
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For all to be testified in due time rather. Does that mean that everybody is saved?
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Of course not. The death of Jesus Christ. Did you catch that? I hope you caught that.
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It's another one of those Matthew 23, 37 situations where people are always miss citing it, where they're always missing what it actually says.
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Did you catch for all who will believe? That's not what it says. And we'll see why. A ransom for all who will believe.
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Who will believe? Nope, that's not what it says. To be testified in due time rather.
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Rather. Does that mean that everybody is saved? Of course not. The death of Jesus Christ makes salvation possible.
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Let me play that again. Let me play it again because, you know, this is where the rubber meets the road.
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And this is why this is important. Some people think you guys have lost your balance. You talk about this too much. Whether you believe the following statement will impact substantially, deeply, and permanently your proclamation of the gospel, the means of the proclamation, and what you believe about the church.
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Makes salvation possible. There's that word, did you hear it? Possible.
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Possible? Hypothetical salvation. Over against a finished atonement.
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That's what we're talking about. The death of Jesus Christ makes salvation possible.
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Faith brings it to the heart and achieves it for those who believe.
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Now he's reading that. And even he stumbles over it. But there's the issue.
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Now, again, ignoring context, 2 Timothy chapter two, verse four.
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2 Peter 3, 9. Matthew 23, 37. The big three dealt with them in the potter's freedom.
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Deal with them again today. That's why I even put on the blog, man, talk about a classical presentation of every a -context -less passage that you could possibly throw out there all in one sermon.
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This is, that's why we're gonna put these two together and we're gonna advertise it.
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Put them together, let's respond to this and then refer people to it. This is just absolutely classic.
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Because you see, he skips where the phrase all men is defined. And by the way, it's not 2
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Timothy, in case you were wondering. It's 1 Timothy. He had the wrong passage, but that's okay. Hey, you know,
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I've done the exact same thing. 2 Timothy, 1 Timothy 2, 1. First of all, yeah, I did it right there. First of all, then
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I urge that in treaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men.
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For kings and all who are in authority, there's your use of all men. And it's immediately defined generically as kinds of men.
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Kings are kinds of men. Those who are in authority are kinds of men.
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So that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our
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Savior, who desires all men. Now, what in the text changed from kinds of men in verse one to a universal, every person who's ever lived, never will live, in verse four?
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Don't know, but that's the assertion. To be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, for there is one
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God and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, not all who believe.
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Ransom for all, same context, the testimony given at the proper time. Now, I've gone over this many times before, but in case you haven't heard it before, you haven't looked at the power of freedom, very briefly, how, if you believe that somehow all men in verse four is different than verse one, something changed, something in the context, altered it all, please explain to me the issue of verse five.
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Are you saying that Jesus Christ is the mediator for every single human being who has ever lived?
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Is Jesus mediating? Will Jesus be spending eternity mediating for the souls in hell and failing constantly?
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Those who are currently under the wrath of God awaiting the judgment day, is
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Jesus somehow standing before the father? Oh, father, I've borne the wrath of those souls.
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Please be merciful. I can't, they haven't believed. Is that what's going on?
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Seemingly, that's the demanded understanding of Dr. Rogers' theology, because his denial to God of the ability to have redemptive love, to have differentiation in his kinds of love, would follow that he, for some reason, wants to have an unhappy God, a
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God who is unhappy throughout eternity, unfulfilled throughout eternity, who weeps and cries over the souls who stand upon the parapets of hell, screaming their hatred of him throughout all eternity.
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And it would seemingly fall, if that's what the father's doing, that the son should likewise, seemingly be introducing some kind of disharmony into the
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Godhead itself, mediating for those the father has not decreed to save or cannot save.
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And when you hear that kind of terminology, can not save, it should make your blood run cold.
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It should make your blood run cold. Cannot save them. Is that what's really going on here?
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If we deal with the text of scripture, should we not allow all of the scripture to speak?
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I think we should. Let me finish this clip. The death of Jesus Christ makes salvation possible.
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Faith brings it to the heart. Wow. Keep that in mind, folks.
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Possibility versus finished. Theory versus accomplishments. Talk about an inconsistent foundation.
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Now, I could give you other scriptures. Let me give you a couple, and I've got to hurry on. Hebrews 2 .9.
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For we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man.
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Print. Can black print on white paper be clearer? Do these scriptures teach a limited atonement?
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Yeah, let's repeat this one more time. Can black print on white paper be clearer? Well, you know, that black print on white paper didn't stop there.
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But we do see him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus, because the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor.
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Why would he be crowned with glory and honor? If he fails. So by the grace of God, those who do not receive the grace of God receive the wrath of God.
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He might taste death for everyone. Who's the everyone? For it was fitting for him, the next sentence.
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Dr. Rogers would never let anyone get away with this when they're talking about the deity of Christ. For it was fitting for him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.
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Their salvation. For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one father for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren.
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Ah, my goodness.
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Just read the rest of the text. Just read the rest of the text. It goes on, verse 17.
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Therefore he had to be made like his brother in all things so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest and things pertain to God to do what?
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To make propitiation for whom? The sins of the people. Upon what basis do you think that that people is every single human being?
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Matthew 1 .21. His name we call Jesus. Why? Because he will do what? Save his people from their sins.
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Not try, not make it just simply something that, well, I'm going to do my best. Oh, the context is so clear.
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It is right there. No one says, oh, you're getting awful, awful uptight about,
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I don't like to see people who know how to handle the text refuse to do so simply because it violates their traditions to do so and to lead others, because they hear him rightly handling the text elsewhere, to refuse to see the truth here.
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It's wrong. I'm going to be preaching a series soon on Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah 53, verse 6.
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Listen to it. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.
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And the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of how many?
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Of us all. Of us all. Who is us all? Who is us all?
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What does the passage actually say? Well, there are these passages that didn't get read.
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That he was cut off by the land of living for the transgression of my people. What does it say?
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The Lord was pleased to crush him, putting him to grief. He would render himself as a guilt offering. He will see his offspring.
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He will prolong his days in the good pleasure. The Lord will prosper his hand. As a result of the anguish of his soul, he will see it and be satisfied by his knowledge.
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The righteous one, my servant, will justify who? The many as he will bear their iniquities.
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Dr. Rogers, this is the same mishmash of contradiction that you introduced into the text in Romans 8.
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You broke apart the golden chain of redemption so that there are some who are called, but somebody else who's justified.
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Look at verse 11. His servant will justify the many as he will bear their iniquities.
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If you say that the bearing of iniquities does not result in justification, you tear the text apart.
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How can the servant see his offspring? How can the good pleasure of the
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Lord prosper in his hand if, as we are being told in this sermon, it is
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Christ's intention to save, he tries to save, and he fails to save miserably in behalf of millions?
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That's not what Isaiah 53 says. This is not the time in our society for this kind of traditionalism.
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We need the exegesis of the text of Scripture that does not fear the face of men and does not bow itself to the traditions of men.
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One last, and I must move on. Romans 5, verses 5 and 6, And hope maketh not a shame, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the
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Holy Ghost, which is given to us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time
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Christ died for the ungodly. That's who he died for.
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He died for the ungodly. Yep, God did die for the ungodly. Every one of the elect was ungodly.
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So, so? What does that mean? The context is that the love of God been poured out within our hearts.
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Isn't that believers? Has the love of God been poured out within the hearts of unbelievers? Through the Holy Spirit has been given to us.
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Who's the us? The recipients of the Holy Spirit. Do unbelievers have the Holy Spirit?
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Again, a man who would never miss these clear, obvious things.
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Why does it happen? Tradition. Tra -di -tion. That's all it is.
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Behold the power of tradition to absolutely, completely overthrow the text of Scripture.
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To turn it on its head. To turn it upside down. You see the importance of sound exegesis.
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Jesus reconciled all things. We now have the ministry of reconciliation. Now listen to this, verse 19.
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Here's the key. That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto
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Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation.
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Jesus loves all. He died for all. And now
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He invites all to come to Him. This is an unconditional invitation.
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Now, the Lord wants everyone to be saved, not just some to be saved. There you go.
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I mean, I said at the beginning. At the very beginning, I said, here you have the overriding exegetical, or eisegetical tradition, conclusion that is going to drive everything else.
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There has to be this overriding concern.
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I have to believe that God has X kind of love. And if He doesn't, then that's a problem for me.
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Therefore, I'm going to read that into everything. And so I'm going to see it in every passage. I'm going to look at reconciliation.
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And I'm even going to walk the dangerous line of universalism. Because if you push, if you push
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His conclusions to their logical end, the only logical way to understand His starting point is to become a universalist.
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That's the only real logical conclusion here. And people sometimes do that. Now, does
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He do that? No. But that's the inconsistency. That's the irrationality. That's where everything breaks down is the inconsistency.
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And I've said to my students in class many times, disagree with me if you will, that's fine. Just be consistent in your disagreeing with me.
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You know, someone just someone just asked a channel. Isn't it possible that people reject
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Calvinism after honestly examining the scripture? Well, I suppose, but I've not seen it.
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I've not seen this honest examination. Why the constant caricatures? Why the constant the constant misrepresentation?
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Why the constant eisegesis? That's what we keep asking for. Let's see the honest examining these passages.
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Let's see dealing with all the text and let's see the consistency. That's what I do not see is the consistency.
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I see a consistent inconsistency. How's that? That's what we said last time. Wow. Is it actually 20 minutes till already?
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Here we go. Pastor, are you sure about that? Absolutely. Let me give you some scripture. 2
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Peter chapter three in verse nine. The Lord is not slack concerning his promises.
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Some men count slackness. They were asking, where's where's the second coming? Has he forgotten?
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Is he slack? He said no, but he is longsuffering to us. Not willing that any should perish.
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But that all should come to repentance. Do you think the Lord is willing that some should go to hell?
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Does he allow some to go to hell? Absolutely. We'll talk about that. But is that his will? Did he from all eternity say this one is saved and this one is lost?
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This one is saved and this one is lost? Are these few are saved and these many are lost? It doesn't say he's not willing that many, but any should perish.
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Well, there's there's the last, the big three. Did he get to Matthew 23? I'm not sure that he did.
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He may have missed one of the big three. I don't remember if that was one from two days ago or not. If you're listening to this later on, it's all at once good.
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But your memory is not very good. But deal with a lot of this stuff during the week. So here's 2 Peter 3 9.
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And as normal, all you've got to do, all you've got to do is take the time to look at the context.
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Verse three. Know this. First of all, in the last day, mockers will come with their mocking following after their own lust.
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Please notice the pronouns there. He's not talking to the mockers. He's talking about the mockers and saying where is the promise of his coming for ever since the father's fell asleep all continues just as it was in the beginning of creation.
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For when they maintain this, notice the pronouns. It escapes their notice that by the word of God, the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
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But by his word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
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But do not let this one fact escape your notice. Please notice in the very verse before 2
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Peter 3, 9, you have these pronouns. Up till now, he's talking about the mockers.
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He's talking about those who say, look, where's the promise of his coming? Where's the parousia? Christ has said he's coming.
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He hasn't come. There's been all this time. What's going on? Peter is explaining why the parousia has been delayed.
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Why isn't it right after the ascension? Why doesn't Christ come back with the armies of heaven immediately?
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And he's talking about mockers. He's talked about them in the third person, they. Now he goes back to his audience and says, but do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the
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Lord, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness.
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That would be the mockers, but is patient toward you. Second person pronoun, not they.
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Not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. Any of whom?
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Pronouns exist for a reason. The context has already established two different groups.
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Why do we assume that the word any is not either one of these groups, but is both?
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That's what's being assumed by this just flippant throwing out of 2nd Peter 3, 9. Any here, despite the fact
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I cannot give you anything in the context establishes this. It's just my tradition. It's just how I've heard this said over and over again.
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So it's what I believe. Any means any human being who's ever lived.
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I know Peter wasn't talking about that, but that's what I believe. And that's what you must believe, too.
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And if you don't, you're a nasty, terrible, horrible Calvinist. So the any is the any of you.
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Not wishing for any to perish, but for all, all of who? All of you to come.
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Repent. Oh, I can't be you because those are already the people who are saved. But what's he explaining? Why didn't
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Christ come back a decade after he left?
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Well, aren't you glad he didn't? You see, God has his elect people and he is gathering them together into one.
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What does Titus chapter 2 say? Jesus is gathering this people. He's building this people, people zealous for good deeds.
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And if he had come back a decade after he left, you and I would not exist.
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It would not be in union with Christ. So what is he saying? The parousia has been delayed so that the elect may be gathered in.
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And who is this letter written to? Who is the you? Well, how would we find out?
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Second Peter 1 .1. Simon Peter, a bondservant apostle of Jesus Christ. To whom? To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours by the righteousness of our
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God and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's a passage that teaches that faith is a gift of God.
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To those who have received a faith the same kind as ours, who receives that faith? The elect of God.
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Second Peter 3 .9 doesn't teach what Adrian Rogers thinks it teaches. Does Adrian Rogers give any evidence whatsoever in what he says that he's ever listened to what we say about this passage?
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I don't get any indication whatsoever that he does. He doesn't want the people of this world to die and go to hell.
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He invites all and he's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come repentance.
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2 Timothy 2, verses 3 -6. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
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Savior, who will have all men to be saved. Well, somebody says that isn't what he means.
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Well, friend, if he didn't mean what he said, why didn't he say what he meant? He wants all people to be saved.
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If you change it, language loses its meaning. It doesn't make sense.
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Don't change the meaning of all. If you do, then what are you going to do with a verse like Romans 3 -23? For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
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We say only some have sinned and come short of the glory of God. You can't do that. You know, there's demonstration that Dr.
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Rogers knows the basic rules of hermeneutics. If you change it, language loses its meaning.
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And how, Dr. Rogers, is meaning communicated in language? It is communicated within contexts.
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It is communicated within contexts. And contexts define the meaning of terms.
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And when an author uses words like they and you, uses words like world, uses words like every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, maybe we should listen to everything he says.
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You see, folks, tradition can change the meanings of words just as clearly as anything else can.
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Very much so. And here we have an example of it. I was just asked in channel, if the
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Holy Spirit really did want to teach Jesus died for all men and not just the elect, how would he have expressed it? Well, he certainly could have done so in a way that did not bring about the kind of confusion that this brings about.
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First of all, he would have had to have changed what the scriptures teach the result of the death of Christ is. We'd have to get rid of Hebrews chapter 10, verses 10 through 14.
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And then there are places that very clearly identify all men. You use the word man.
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I have noted this because we don't have a lot of time, but many of the passages that we've looked at so far do not say all men.
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They simply have the term pontos. And you have to look to the context to identify that.
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So there'd be a number of ways to do it, but you do it without putting into the context the delimiter on what the all is referring to.
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Each one of these passages, as we have seen, has that very delimiter sitting right there within a sentence one way or the other.
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And isn't it odd we never get those sentences read. I still have four cuts to go and I'm almost out of time.
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Let's hurry. Now, Jesus does not secure the salvation of all by his atoning death.
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Did you catch that? Did you catch that? Sometimes the very first few words get lost.
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Listen again. Now, Jesus does not secure the salvation of all by his atoning death.
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There it is. There you go. That's why I wrote a tract many years ago. Was anyone saved at the cross?
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Answer of Norman Geisler, David Hunt and Adrian Rogers, no.
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No. There it is in his own words. Now, Jesus does not secure the salvation of all by his atoning death, but he makes it possible.
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There it is. No finished atonement on the cross.
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Only the creation of a system. Sound familiar? You'll see why it's important in a second.
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Now, Jesus does not secure the salvation of all by his atoning death, but he makes it possible.
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And he tells us that we can say to anybody, any place, anytime, God loves you. Christ died for you.
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If you will repent of your sin and trust him, he will save you. This in no way diminishes
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God's foreknowledge. It in no way takes away from God's sovereignty. Oh, yes, it does.
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It destroys any rational foundation for both. It turns the cross into that which only makes a possibility.
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And of course, that possibility then becomes dependent upon what you do to make the cross effective.
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That's what's being said here. And we're going to see exactly what that means. Let's keep listening.
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But God does not force his love on anyone. There's something to talk about, irresistible grace that you cannot say no to God.
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Yes, you can. You can resist God. The Bible's full of those who resisted
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God. There are those of you sitting in this auditorium today. And you're going to hear the message.
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And in a moment, I'm going to ask you to give your heart to Jesus Christ. And you can say no. That's your dubious privilege.
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But if you want to be saved, you listen to me. You listen to me. If you want to be saved, you can. If you want to be saved, you can.
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You say, well, what if I'm not one of the elect? Friend, I'll tell you who the elect are. Listen carefully.
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The whosoever wills are the elect. Two things. First, obviously, Dr. Rogers either does not know or does not care to know what irresistible grace is about.
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We're talking about resurrection power. We are not talking about people resisting
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God in the sense of resisting his will, resisting the conviction of the
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Holy Spirit. We're talking about, here Dr. Rogers saying, that when God chooses to raise a person to spiritual life, he is dependent upon the dead person for the ability to do so.
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That's what Dr. Rogers seems to believe. And the whosoever wills, remember, that's pass, hop, eschew, own.
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All the ones believing. Complete, eisegetical, traditional insertion into the text that has nothing to do with the text.
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Put this verse down, Ezekiel 33, verses seven through nine.
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So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel. Therefore, thou shalt hear the word at my mouth and warn them from me.
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When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die. If thou does not speak to warn the wicked of his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will
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I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered by soul.
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Now, if you believe that there's a kind of predestination in election, that men are going to be saved no matter what, or lost no matter what, this verse means no.
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It makes no sense to me whatsoever. You know why it makes no sense to Dr. Rogers whatsoever?
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Because he doesn't understand the system that he has decided that he is going to deny and to deny publicly and to deny vociferously and to misrepresent.
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God ordains the ends and the means. And when
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God calls a man to be a prophet as he did to Ezekiel, as he did to Jeremiah, that prophet, that man will be judged on the basis of what he does with the calling that God brings into his life.
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He ordains the ends as well as the means. When God gives gifts to a person, that person needs to exercise them.
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That doesn't make God's eternal plan and God's eternal election of his people dependent upon me.
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I get to be used. I don't get to see eternity. I don't have that perspective.
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God instructs me in his word that I have a responsibility to use the gifts that he's given to me. That's all the passage is about.
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There's no reason why Dr. Rogers should be confused here. None whatsoever. Last cut.
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We're about out of time. You want to know why this is important? Listen to this.
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When you see the film, The Passion of Jesus Christ, he will bow his head and he will say, it is accomplished.
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It is finished. Reconciliation has been made. Do you hear that?
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When you see the passion, not if you choose to, when you see the passion, listen again, just this little section.
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Say it is accomplished. Yeah, that's what he said, isn't it? I've been actually discouraged by Christians who've come into our channel and said, what's the difference between accomplished and finished?
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Well, first of all, volume, notice this. It is accomplished. It is finished.
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Friends, accomplished and finished are not the same thing. You see, in Mel Gibson's Roman Catholic world, when
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Christ died upon the cross, he had perfected no one. In fact, the system that was set up as a result of that death is a system that cannot bring peace.
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It perfects no one. The grace merited in that death is channeled through sacraments.
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And by going to mass, a person gets a little bit of that grace, not all of it, not enough to be perfected.
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Many will come to that death through the mass because Rome teaches that that mass is a representation of the one sacrifice of Christ.
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And they will not be perfected. Thereby, in fact, there'll be people in hell who went to mass many times.
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They came to the cross, according to Rome, many times, and they'll end up in hell.
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All it did was accomplish a system, a theoretical atonement.
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That's why there's a difference between accomplished and finished. And see, Dr. Rogers doesn't seem to understand that he stands firmly in opposition to the
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Reformation on this, and his view of the nature of man, the nature of grace, and the theoretical nature of the atonement is
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Roman Catholic, not Protestant. Does he know that? Is that an actual part of his knowledge?
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Of course not. I doubt it very much. But it is. It doesn't change the fact that it is. That's why there's all this inconsistency.
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That's why there's all this contradiction. That's why it makes no sense. You can't ask questions of it. It holds together.
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But that's why he can talk about the Passion movie and go, It is accomplished. It is finished.
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Is it? For whom? What's finished? Potentiality?
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A theory? A multi -level marketing scheme? How many works,
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Dr. Rogers, do you get to add before that accomplished becomes a finished?
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Oh, only faith! Well, that's what you say, but then you have others who say, Faith and baptism!
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And then others say, Faith and baptism and sacraments! And it goes on and it goes on.
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And don't you see that the dividing line is between those who say,
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It is finished! Period! And those who say, It is accomplished and now you do this.
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The list can be small. The list can be long. But it's all synergism.
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It's all making God's grace dependent upon the will of man.
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The man that the scripture says can do nothing that is pleasing to God unless he has been made spiritual.
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He's been born again. He's been born from above. He's been made new. There's a huge difference, my friends, between it is accomplished and it is finished.
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I hope you understand that today. I would love to see Adrian Rogers come to understand that and proclaim it because he's a tremendous communicator.
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And I have a tremendous respect for his ability to communicate. But I just wish he'd be consistent.
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Let's be consistent, friends. Let's honor God as we honor his word. See you next Tuesday night on The Dividing Line.
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God bless. We need a new
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Reformation Day. Brought to you by Alpha and Omega Ministries.
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If you'd like to contact us, call us at 602 -973 -0318 or write us at P .O.
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Box 37106, Phoenix, Arizona, 85069. You can also find us on the worldwide web at aomin .org,
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that's A -O -M -I -N .O -R -G, where you'll find a complete listing of James White's books, tapes, debates, and tracks.