Dr. Richard Mayhue - Evidence for a pre-tribulation rapture (2 of 3)

Dr. Richard Mayhue - Evidence for a pre-tribulation rapture (1 of 3)

Foreknowledge vs. Foreordination

The obvious distinction between foreknowledge and foreordination, or predestination, has been the occasion for much discussion, there being those who assert that God, by His foreknowledge, discriminated between those who by their own choice would accept salvation and those who would not, and, being thus informed, God was able to predestinate those He knew would believe.

The superficial character of this notion is seen in:

1. the fact that foreknowledge and foreordination, or predestination, could not be placed in a sequence. Nothing could be foreknown as certain that had not been made certain by foreordination, nor could anything be foreordained that was not foreknown. Of three passages bearing on the relationship between these two divine activities, two mention foreknowledge first in order, while the other reverses this arrangement. In Romans 8:29 it is written, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate"; and in 1 Peter 1:2 believers are addressed as "elect according to the foreknowledge of God." But in Acts 2:23, where the divine purpose in Christ's death is in view, it is said: "him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God."

2. the Scriptures declare that that which comes to pass is foreordained of God and not merely foreknown. Salvation is by grace apart from works. Men are not saved because of good works whether anticipated or realized. Election is according to grace and not according to works. If salvation be by grace, it is no more of works, and if it be by works, it is no more of grace ( Romans 11:56 ) . In the light of this revelation, it is impossible to build a foreseen structure of works as the ground of any person's salvation. Similarly, there is divine authority for denying that faith and personal holiness, even foreseen, determine divine election. The Bible reverses this order by declaring that election is unto faith and holiness. It is no slight error to confuse these issues and make faith and holiness the cause and election the effect. Faith can serve no greater purpose that to be the means by which that which God has determined may be realized. Referring again to passages already cited, it will be seen that God chose from the beginning those to be saved, and predestinated them to "belief of the truth" ( 2 Thess. 2:13 ) ; and He chose some before the foundation of the world that they should be holy and without blame before Him in love ( Eph. 1:4 ) .

3. thus it is revealed that men are not first holy and then elect; but they are first elect and that election is unto holiness. As an illustration of this order in the truth, the Apostle refers to the divine choice of Jacob over Esau before they were born and before they had done either good or evil. All this, it is said, is to the end that the divine election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calls (Rom. 9:10-13). It may be added that acceptable works and qualities are not resident in any fallen human being, except these characteristics are wrought in the human heart by divine energy. It would therefore be folly to expect the God would foresee in men what could never exist. Doubtless, multitudes of people cling to a conditional election lest they be forced to recognize the depravity of man. ( Lewis Sperry Chafer Systematic Theology III, pg. 173-174)

Dr. James White deals with RCC Apologist

Dr. Jame White debate with Roman Catholic Apologist PT. 1 & 2

Boston College Debate on the Pope #1: Was Peter the First Vicar of Christ? on Vimeo

 

 

Boston College Debate on the Pope #2: Was Peter the First Vicar of Christ? on Vimeo

The history of the founding of Dallas Theological Seminary

This is an old audio of Lewis Sperry Chafer discussing the founding of DTS. Lewis Sperry Chafer and Dr. W.H. Griffith Thomas co-founded Dallas Theological Seminary together. Enjoy the audio !

Founding of DTS

Lewis Sperry Chafer's rebuttle to Dr. B. B. Warfield's review of his book He That Is Spiritual

" The Christian will always be filled while he is making the work of the Holy Spirit possible in his life "

 In a review of the first edition of this book, which appeared in The Princeton Theological Review for April, 1919, the reviewer, Dr. Benjamin B. Warfield, D.D. , objects to this statement, and to all similar teachings in this book. This teaching, he points out, " subjects the gracious working of God to human determination. " Is this teaching Biblical ?

The Scripture gives unquestionable emphasis to the sovereignity of God. God has perfectly determined what will be, and His determined purpose will be realized, for it is impossible that God should ever be either surprised or disappointed. So, also , there is equal emphasis in the Scriptures upon the fact that lying between these two undiminished aspects of His sovereignity- His eternal purpose and its perfect realization- He has permitted sufficient latitude for some exercise of the human will. In so doing, His determined ends are in no way jeopardized. There is difficulty here, but what, in Scripture, is difficult for the finite mind to harmonize, is doubtless harmonized in the mind of God.

Though it is revealed that God must impart the moving, enabling grace whereby one may believe unto salvation ( John 6:44, cf. 12:32 ) , or whereby one may yield into spiritual life ( Philippians 2:13 ) , it is as clearly revealed that, within His sovereign purpose and power, God has everywhere conditioned both salvation and the spiritual life upon these human conditions. Both believing and yielding are presented as injuctions. The fact that " No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him " is invariably true, yet it is equally true that some resourcefulness of the human will, though it be divinely enabled, is appealed to by the words, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. " So, again : " This is the will of God, even your sanctification, " is a revelation which is invariably true; yet it is equally true that the believer's will is appealed to when he is besought to " yield himself unto God . " One aspect of this truth without the other will lead, in the one case, to fatalism, wherein there is no room for petition in prayer, no motive for the wooing of God's love, no ground for condemnation, no occasion for evangelistic appeal, and no meaning to much of Scripture: in the other case, it will lead to the dethroning of God. Though the will be moved upon by the enabling power of God, spirituality, according to God's Word, is made to depend upon that divinely enabled choice; Romans 12:1,2 ; Galations 5:16; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 John 1:9 being sufficient evidence. Men are said to be " condemned " " because they have not believed " ( John 3:18 ) , and sin will reign in the Christian's life unless appeal is heeded : " Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body. " To state that spirituality is made possible, on the human side, by well-defined human acts and attitudes may seem " a quite terrible expression " ( to quote the reviewer ) as viewed by an abitrary theological theory; however, it is evidently Biblical.

The same reviwer objects to the teaching that there is any sudden change possible from the carnal state to the spiritual state. To quote: " He who believes in Jesus is under grace, and his whole course, in its process and in its issue alike, is determined by grace, and therefore, having been predestined to be conformed to the image of God's Son, he is surely being conformed to that image, God Himself seeing to it that he not only called and justified but also glorified. You may find Christians at every stage of this process, for it is a process through which all must pass; but you will find none who will not in God's own good time and way pass through every stage of it. There are not two kinds of Christians, although there are Christians at every conceivable stage of advancement towards the one goal to which all are bound and at which all shall arrive. "

Doubtless there are varying degrees of carnality as there are varying degrees of spirituality, but the positive denial of the statement that there are two well-defined classes of believers- " carnal " and " spiritual " - would be better supported by conclusive exposition of a large body of Scripture in which this two-fold classification of Christians seems to be taught.

In this reviewer's mind, the change from carnality to spirituality is evidently confused with Christian growth. Christian growth is undoubtedly a process of development under the determined purpose of God which will end, with the certainty of the Infinite, in a complete likeness to Christ; but spirituality is the present state of blessing and power of the believer who, at the same time, may be very immature. A Christian can and should be spiritual from the moment he is saved. Spirituality, which is the unhindered manifestations of the Spirit in life, is provided to the full for all believers who " confess " their sins, " yield " to God, and " walk not after flesh, but after the Spirit. " When these conditions are complied with, the results are immediate; for no process is indicated. Jacob, an Old Testament type, was completely changed in one night.

Christian experience bears infailing testimony to two outstanding facts: ( 1 ) There is an abrupt change from carnal to the spiritual when the Biblical conditions are met. And ( 2 ) there is an abrupt lose of spiritual blessing whenever there has been yielding to sin. ( He That Is Spiritual A Classical Study Of The Biblical Doctrine Of Spiritualty by Lewis Sperry Chafer , pg. 67-68 )