This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1, it’s right after the book of Galatians, which is right after two Corinthians, which is right after one Corinthians. In the book of Ephesians in chapter 1, look there in verse 4, according as he had chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, We should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, I’m reading that verse because there’s some people who take these verses out of context.

They give it a different meaning than what’s really there. And some of those people have a name. They are called Calvinist. And so I want to explain some things to you why I believe there are five dangers of Calvinism that is taught. And if you don’t know what it is, you will wind up believing the poison and not even know that it’s there. At least if I tell you, you may have an understanding and some discernment that if you listen to the radio, the TV, or even go to another church, you’ll be able to discern this because this is so important.

Now look there in Ephesians two, in verse eight and nine. These are two of my favorite verses in the Bible. But he says here in Ephesians in chapter two, and verse eight, for by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works, the less any man should boast. It’s a very simple, straightforward verse. You would get the impression that you’re saved by faith alone. But there are people who will take that word and say, faith is the gift, And you can’t be saved unless God gives you the faith to believe.

So it’s a once again, changing a meaning of a verse. Just like in verse four when he talks about chosen us before the foundations of the world. And they forget there’s a couple other words there that give it a totally different meaning. Now take your Bible and look in two Thessalonians. Does anybody know why I’m saying that? Raise your hand. Let me say if you know why I’m saying that. So that shows you that if you don’t know why I’m saying that, then you haven’t been watching the news lately.

In other words, Donald Trump has been saying this at Liberty University when he spoke and he quoted a verse from the book of two Corinthians. You and I would say, you know, second Corinthians or second Thessalonians. So I think we’ll just go with that. Okay, second Thessalonians in chapter 2. Look at in verse 13, but as we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.

They will teach that God has chosen before the foundations of the world who he was going to save. And the choice is not really yours. It’s not mine. It was God’s choice. So God chose to save who He wants to save, and the rest of them cannot be saved because God did not choose them. So therefore, they are the chosen or the elect of God. So does it affect anything? It affects everything. And I want you to see this.

One of the things that I want you to understand, some of the things because it doesn’t apply to all, it’s, with limitations, therefore, but when it gets to the point of perseverance of the saints, it’s the perseverance. Immediately requires fruit inspectors because perseverance, if it’s true, must be from the day you trust the Lord to the day you die. You must persevere in the faith. So there is a teaching that says, well, if you are saved, you must live like you’re saved.

And if you don’t live it, then you don’t have it. And so they teach that very strongly. So then if there has to be this automatic change in your life because it’s gotta be guaranteed. If you get saved, it’s guaranteed you will persevere in the faith. And if you persevere in the faith, then there has to be evidence in your life that you have done one of two things. This is why so many preachers must preach, you must turn from your sins to be saved.

In other words, you are a center, I am a center. So you wanna be saved, you must promise that you’re gonna turn from your sins. This is why they gotta get you committed to live a different life. Turn from your sin means stop being bad. And you must also promise to be good by making Christ the Lord and the master of your life. So you gotta stop something, start something. Both is a promise to God that if you say me, I will do this.

So your salvation is dependent upon this turning from your sins and making Christ the Lord and master of your life. That is a works salvation that is not by grace. That doesn’t mean that’s not free. The gift of God is that salvation has nothing to do with the sins in your life or how you live. Now this blows most people’s minds. They cannot believe, do you mean to tell me I can trust Christ as my Savior, have He turn life and go to heaven when I die, and live like the devil?

Yes, that’s what I’m saying. You more absolutely can. And any preacher that tells you differently doesn’t understand the gospel. Now, that I got that off my chest. I want you to look at the notes there. Can a man be forced by God to accept Christ as Savior against his will and call that grace? If God gives a man the faith to believe, he has taken away man’s freedom to choose. Perseverance must be automatic. For the person God chose and the evidence man needs to prove he has really been chosen.

Man’s ultimate assurance cannot be God’s word, but man’s works because he has to look at his life to prove that he’s saved. And if his life says that he’s not saved, it doesn’t matter what the word of God said. He’s not saved because he’s not living it. And this is what causes so many questions and doubts about where a man’s gonna spend eternity. You can ask a lot of people, where are you going when you die? Well, the hell if I don’t change.

Well, I used to be saved, but I’m not saved anymore. Well, I quit my drinking and my smoking, but then I started drinking again. So they hang their salvation upon the things in their life. what they’re either doing, well I used to go to church. Well I don’t go anymore. Well I was baptized when I was 10 years old. Are you trusting that to get you to heaven? See a man has to understand this because your eternal destination depends upon you getting it right.

You gotta get this right. Of all the things in this world, you gotta get right. You gotta get this right. Where are you going when you die? And then how do you know? Because see, if you make this promise to God and commit your life to Christ, in order for God to save you, that means you’ve got to perform. And if you don’t perform, you have every reason to question and to doubt whether you’re really saved. And this is why some people don’t know where they’re going when they die.

And they become these fruit inspectors because see, if I have to turn from my sins, well But now I have to have evidence that I have turned from my sins. Or what if there’s no evidence that you turn from your sin and you’re still living like the devil? Well, that’s a sign you’re not really saved. Well, what if I don’t go to church and I don’t read my Bible and I don’t pray and I don’t do the things I’m supposed to do?

Well, that’s a sign you’re not really saved. Because see, if you’re really safe, you’re not going to want to go out here and do all those bad things. And every one of you sitting here know you do. You say, no. the rest of us got it and we know that you are still a center you send in your Christian life. We know you still have bad thoughts. We know you still do things wrong. We know you still lose it and we could go further but we won’t.

Look at the next paragraph. I would like to give you my position with five theological positions of Calvinism. This intellectual position is not of God but of man. The following simple acrostic tulip. The classic Reformed Five Point Calvinist viewpoint. Now, the toilet stands for the tea, totally gravity of man, you for unconditional election, L for limited atonement, I for irresistible grace, and P for perseverance of the saints. Now, you may not hear the preacher get up and quote these, but listen to what they’re saying.

And you’d be surprised how many preachers are telling people They must turn from their sins to be saved. Now just think about what that means. I’m the lost man guilty of everything in the book. And the preacher tells me I got to turn from my sins to be saved. All right. Which sins do I have to turn from? Just the real bad ones or all of them? Well, I got to turn from all of them. Well, what if I forget one?

How long do I have to turn from it? I stopped it for a week, but what if I go back to next week? Well, I was safe for a week, though, but now I’m not saved. Confusion, confusion, confusion. Now, if you ask Yankee Armel today, where are you going when you die? I’m going to heaven. I couldn’t go to hell if I tried. I haven’t tried. I have eternal life. Christ died and paid for all of my sins. How many?

all of them. The reason I don’t have to go to hell today or tomorrow because I don’t have any sins to pay for. He paid for all my sins. Put that payment to my account. I’m going to heaven on what he did for me. He gets all the credit for by grace or you saved through faith, not of yourself. It’s not you turning from sin. It’s not you dedicated in your life. How are you going to live? It’s by grace.

Grace means free. Now what part of free can’t people understand? Unmerited. Now look at the next statement. I believe it is a sin to teach that a man is so totally depraved that he does not have the ability to choose, act, or believe on what God says. Totally depraved, totally severed from the source of life without natural ability to find a way back to God or without power to correct the problem. So I believe I am and totally be prayed, but not that I can’t reason and think and act and make decision choices.

We can do all of those things. And God holds us accountable because of it. Look in the little box there, in the bold, for those who teach that God has chosen from the foundation of the world, a select few to be saved, predestination, your destiny fixed beforehand, and go to heaven while the majority of people remain lost, condemned to hell without the possibility of ever being saved, because they were not chosen is to be in total denial of what God said and what Christ did.

That is not what the Bible teaches. But there are some people who have become so intellectual, they They didn’t get it from the Bible. They are so special that God chose them out of everybody else to save. There must be something special that Bob made, that he saved me and didn’t choose to save you. And I believe that God so loved the world, everybody. That he gave his only begotten son that who so ever, believe it. Not so who so ever God chose.

Look there in the next paragraph, the Lord has not authorized any man to alter his clear stated word that he commanded the entire world to hear. To limit the payment that Christ made for sin is to select few makes the claim that God did not so love the world or that Christ did not die for all men. In other words, what they’re saying is that God doesn’t love everybody, just the ones He chose to save. And that Christ didn’t die for everybody, He just died for the ones He chose to save.

So why should He waste His time paying for the sins of people that He’s not going to save anyway? The Bible says salvation is to be preached to every person in the world because when Christ died, He died for the sins of the world. So you see, I don’t believe the teaching of Calvinism. I strongly oppose it. I despise the teaching. I believe it’s heresy to teach what they teach. Anyway, you’ll look there in the next part where I have in bold, this is to teach heresy.

To teach that God’s grace is so irresistible that the man whom God has chosen to be saved is helpless to resist. It is to also teach that no man can be saved whom God has not chosen. This damnable teaching in reality denies to every man the choice of heaven or hell, leaving every man with no responsibilities for his destination. Here you are. You’re all lost. I’m God. I like my part. You’re lost. I’m God. So you’re all lost. You’re all going to hell.

If I choose to save 25 of you, that’s still graces, wouldn’t that be better than not saving anybody? Well, if God can save 25, why didn’t He just do it for everybody? Didn’t He create everybody? Well, why didn’t He just go ahead and do it? Save everybody, because that’s not how God does it. But that’s what some people teach, and I don’t agree with that. Look down to bottom. To teach that a believer, In Christ called a saint, will persevere in the faith until death, or until the Lord comes, causes one to focus upon the works of man and not the Word of God.

No man who observes his own personal life as a basis for his salvation can ever be certain of salvation. But if he looks closely to his ways, his thoughts and his motives must conclude that he has every reason to doubt his own salvation or ceases to be honest. If you had to live this righteous life to go to heaven, to prove that you’re really saved and turn from your sins and make Christ the Lord and the Master of your life, if you did, you’d have to doubt your own salvation.

And you know it. Or you could just let a few other people just follow you around for a while and listen to everything you say and do, and where you go, everything about you. And I bet you it comes with the conclusion, you’re not as holy as you think you are. So how holy would you have to be? Well, I’m pretty good. I mean, how pretty good would you have to be? You know, the Bible says you have to be perfect.

You’d have to turn from all sin. One sin would be enough to cause you to question or doubt your salvation. I mean, if there’s anything God wants you to do and you didn’t do it, well, you did a lot of them, but you didn’t do one thing. How do you know that one thing wasn’t the one that kept you from being saved? How would you know you are really the one that God chose? God chose me and I’m going to be elected.

Yeah? How do you know? How do you know? Well, because I believe it. Yeah, but what is the evidence? What are you trusting in? How you live? What if you lived good for 40 years? And then blew it one day before you died. That one day proved you never were saved. Because you didn’t persevere. to the end, my friend. I don’t believe that and that’s what causes so manydebian people to question their own salvation. They have doubts. When you give a person 10 reasons on how to know you’re saved, you gave them 10 reasons on how to doubt their salvation also.

So this is why you have to be careful on all this stuff. Everybody is a sinner. Everybody has sinned. Look there now at the top of page two, as Paul Arvey would say, page two. At the top of the page, what right does any man have to cause any person in this world to believe that God doesn’t love him? Because see, if God has handpicked a few people, you can’t really tell everybody that God loves you, because you don’t know if he does or not.

I know that I believe the Bible and I read the Bible and I believe God so loved the whole world, everybody in the world. Wouldn’t it be ashamed? Well, I can’t tell you if God loves you or not because I don’t know if God chose to save you. I can’t tell you that Christ died for you because I don’t know if you’re one of the elect or not. That’s a terrible thing. But it’s a wonderful thing to be able to believe anybody can be saved.

Everybody can. Look at the top of the page one, and God doesn’t love him. Two, Christ did not die for him. Three, he could not go to heaven even if he wanted to because God didn’t choose him. You see, I don’t believe that kind of philosophy. I don’t believe it’s taught in the Bible. I believe that any man who hears the gospel and will believe it can be saved. Look at the next statement, the following verses are often used to prove the case for the teaching of Calvinism.

Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 and 9, verses we read just a moment ago, for by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. When he says, for by grace are you saved, I believe that’s the point. For my grace are you saved? But how? Through faith. And you’ll read that all the way through the Gospel of John. Just believe. Just believe. So in the little box there, what is by grace?

Salvation. What is through faith? Salvation. What’s not of works? Salvation. What is not of yourself? Salvation. What is the gift of God? Salvation. You see it’s a gift of God. Now look at the next verse of the statement. They will use Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8 and 9, to try to prove that faith is the gift of God. The Word of God states over and over that faith can produce works. But nowhere does it ever state that works produce faith.

I know that by my works that I have faith. See that’s the perseverance of faith. How do you know you really believe? You have to see the works. So the works become the evidence that I’ve really got faith. I add backwards. See, you’re saved by faith. And as he says in Hebrews, faith is the substance of things, hope, or the evidence of things not seen. The evidence of things not seen. If I’m saved by faith, there doesn’t have to be the evidence that people can see.

The proof that I’ve got faith. Because faith is the evidence that you can’t see. There are no works to prove that I’m saved. Because I can say, well, if you’re saved, go to church. Well, a lost man can do that. Well, if you’re really saved, you’ll read the Bible. Well, a lost man can read the Bible. Well, I’ll give money. Well, a lost man can give money. What can you do that a lost man can’t do? See, that’s why God’s the one who knows who saved.

And he says, every man that believes his word. How do I know I’m saved? Not by my life. But by the Word of God. God says if I trusted Him, He would give me what kind of life? Eternal life. He that believeth of me, hat, present and hat right now everlasting life. I believe that. 55 years ago in a little living room, God saved me that day, that night, that moment I had eternal life. And I didn’t look at my life to see whether or not I had it.

I knew it then I had it. I didn’t have to wait a six months or a year to see it. Well have I got enough work in my life to give me confidence? Well I know I really meant it. No, no I will save that night. I don’t have to have any questions and doubts about it. The Word of God doesn’t change. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

He did not say, did you turn from your sins? Did you commit your life to Christ that you know that you have eternal life or we go by what was written that you know you have eternal life. Look at the next statement here. Faith is not the gift. Every man has the ability to trust, to believe or not to believe. Where you put your faith is your choice. If God gave special faith to a man to believe in Christ, did he also give a man the special faith to believe in Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius or any other than the false religions?

Don’t they believe in their stuff? Would God give him the faith to believe that? If he gave the faith to believe in Christ, well who gave the faith to believe in the other? Where did that come from? Every man has the ability to place his faith wherever you want to. You can place your faith in Peter. I mean, I heard him on a radio and a YouTube. I mean, he’s a famous man. So let’s just all put our trust in Peter Votto.

How do you know you’re going to heaven? Peter said I was. Or would you rather say, how do you know you go into heaven? Because Jesus says I was. See, you go about what God’s word has to say. Now look at the next verse. Any Ephesians one, four, and two, five, as we read this verse while ago, according to that he have chosen us in him. See those two little words that are bold there? Because they have a tendency to want to leave out those words.

And he says, chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holding without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. In other words, when God designed this plan of salvation, he did not ask us into this, you know, into heaven to seek our counsel. He didn’t need God’s the one that designed this. And He says, I’m going to save a man by faith.

I’m going to send my son into the world. And he’s going to pay for the sins of all the world. And whosoever in the world that will believe in Christ. We’ll be placed in Christ. So God from the foundations of the world says I’m going to save all of those who believe and not those who don’t believe. You and I are the one to determine whether or not we are in Christ. See when I trusted Christ as my Savior 55 years ago, I was placed in Christ.

And God has chosen all those that are in Christ. But how do you get in Christ by your personal decision to accept Christ as your Savior? So God has from the beginning chosen to save all of those who believe in Christ and predetermined predestination, the adoption of His children. And one of these days, these bodies of ours are going to be changed and we’re going to be placed into heaven. That day is coming. That’s why he talks about in Ephesians 1, 13.

We’re sealed until the day of redemption, the redemption of these bodies. Romans chapter 8 talks about how that we groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption, meaning the transfer, the change of these old vile bodies that would be made like under his glorious body. That day is coming. So look at the air. The air here, God not only chose us, but He also predetermined to save us from the foundation of the world. Thus, leave an outman’s choice. Truth. God chose or determined, predetermined from the foundation of the world to save all those who trust in Christ, who chose to trust Christ, faith along.

He chose those that are in Christ so that when you read that verse and you hear some preacher try to make something out of that that’s not there, you’ll know that isn’t true. And he has a limited atonement theology. Look at the next question. Yes, God has chosen from the foundation of the world to save all those that are in Christ, to be holy and without blame before Him. The Lord has chosen to save all those who believe on Christ along for their salvation.

It is your faith in Christ that puts you in Christ. So there’s no problem with that verse. But if you try to make it say something, You’ve got to change a lot of verses in the Bible. You’ve got to take away the plain meaning of John 3 16, and Ephesians 2, 8, and 9, because they can’t mean what they say, because they’ve got to put their twist on it. When you go to the Bible, O’Reilly doesn’t know this, but the spin stops here.

That’s my humble opinion. The look down at the bottom of the page. Second Thessalonians 2, 13 and 14 says, but we are bound to give thanks always to God for your brother beloved of the Lord. Because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, belief of the truth. We’re unto he called you by our gospel to the opinion of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. So they read that part where it says, God have chosen from the beginning to salvation.

See there God chose you from the beginning. Don’t you feel special? Now there are some people God didn’t choose. That’s not what he says. That’s leaving out a lot of what this verse says. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones.

and loved ones. This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of The Gospel Driven Man. A mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address. And God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline.

If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. Trump it will sound and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.