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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.

Turn in your Bible to the Book of Romans chapter 16. Romans chapter 16. 16. From almost chapter 16, look in verse 17, verse 17. This is the one of the verses that most preachers don’t like to cover, and I’m one of them, because many times when you mention about somebody else teaching air, you look like you just being critical. But the Bible says that you’re supposed to feed the flock and warn the flock. So we try to teach you things that is not according to scripture.

When the Bible says, for by grace are you saved through faith, it also says not of works. When it says, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. It’s not of yourself. So it tells you what it is and tell you what it isn’t. So many times there’s people that are saying things contrary to what God’s word says. long ago I preached a sermon on who’s afraid of the big bad wolf. Anybody remember that?

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Well, there’s a lot of wolves in the world, and some of you might even consider me to be one of them, but I don’t think so. But I do love the scriptures. But it says here in verse 17, now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which caused divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and joined them.

and avoid them. And what it says, I believe it is. Now, this morning, I want to speak to you on the subject that’s very controversial. You may not even know what a Calvinist is. Many people don’t. They don’t even know what the word refers to. Or the word Armenian, they don’t know what it means. But boil down, a Calvinist believes that you have to mainly persevere in the faith. And if you don’t persevere, then you’re not saved at all.

And so the only way you can prove that you are saved is by the way you live. So your life becomes your evidence that you’re really a Christian. So you may not know a person who comes right out and says, I am a Calvinist, but they will have the teaching that gets a person to look at their life as the proof that they’re saved. And if there’s no proof, then you have a reason to doubt your salvation. I’ve heard that over and over again for many, many years.

And so then you’ve got to get a person to get saved who really means business this time. I really mean business this time. I mean, I didn’t make it the last time, but this time I’m starting all over fresh and new. I’m going to make it this time. Then you have people that are Armenian type. That means you can get saved, but you lose your salvation. So you can have it and but you lose it. So a lot of weird things that goes on and a lot of damage that it does.

So I want to explain a little bit about defining election. It’s God’s choice of an individual or a group for a specific purpose or destiny. In other words, all of you are are in the world, but God selects different ones that He wants to save. And it’s all God’s choice. It’s not left up to you, it’s not your choice at all. It’s God’s choice. God picks out one. Now what we don’t know, and some explain it this way. Well, you know, all of y’all, whenever you were born, God has already got some of you wired that if he turns the light bulb, it’ll come on.

But if it’s not wired and you turn the light bulb, it won’t come on. So the only ones that even had the possibility of coming on are the ones that God has already prewired. And so people going throughout the world, turning light bulbs to see which ones. is going to light up. There is an elect because it lit up. So that sounds good, but it’s not very good. Not if you were the one that wasn’t wired and therefore your light will never shine because God didn’t pre-determine you to be a light bulb.

So gospel and Calvinism compared, there is a big difference. Forget the word Calvin is if you have to, but look at what they teach. You see the gospel says that Jesus came to save the world. Now this is what I believe that he came to save the world. Calvinists, he came to save the elect, those that he’s already predetermined and wired them to receive it and you can’t be saved unless God pretty determined you to light up. So I don’t believe that.

Jesus died for all men. That’s what I believe. That He died for all men. But see there’s others who teach He only died for the elect. You know the ones that He chose to save that are already pre-wired. He only had to die just for them. He didn’t have to die for the others just for those. So some people said, well, now this is rational. There’s no sense in paying for the sins of the people that he ain’t going to save anyway.

So he just, you know, had to pay for the sins of a few. The God pretty determined plan is Jesus as ransom for man and all who believe can be saved. I believe that God had pretty determined that Jesus Christ would come into the world and down the cross and pay for all the sins of everybody so that anybody can be saved. They hear the gospel, they believe it. Now that’s what I believe. We see, they believe Jesus, they chose some for salvation.

Jesus and died for them and caused them to believe. See, whenever you believe the other way, you believe that God causes the person to believe. It wasn’t their choice, but they were made to choose because God gave to them irresistible grace. And so they made this decision. So when you think, well, there’s no real harm and no real damage done if you don’t believe, you know, correctly, the difference can be heaven and hell. It can make a difference on whether or not you have that drive to want to witness to people.

Because you see, if I believe that if this is true, what’s the damage if I don’t witness. What did I harm? What did I hurt? Because if God’s already chosen to go to heaven, they’re going to go anyway. And if He didn’t choose them, they’re not going anyway. So why should I witness? It is a fatalistic teaching that really destroys a Christian’s proper motivation to want to reach people. Because I believe that God can save anybody. He wants everybody.

It makes a big difference in your whole life and how you view things. Jesus is the light of the world so that the world might be saved through Him. They say He is the light of the world but only the elect can be saved. The elect from the gospel point of view are those who are in Christ through faith. See I believe that yes God has chosen to save all of those who put their faith in Christ but that’s not what they mean.

Sometimes when people say things, you have to define your terms. What do you mean by that? And a lot of people say they’re saved. Well, what do you mean by that? And some people don’t mean the same thing you mean. So this is why you are to check all these things out. Now get this. We say that the tulip is the devil’s favorite flower. It stands for something. election has no conditions because God does it all and you actually haveccess whatsoever.

When talk about total depravity, see I believe a man is totally incapable and adequate to save in himself. It doesn’t mean the man who is in think. They say, well if he’s a dead man, than he’s dead. So therefore he can’t do anything. God has to come and affect him first. It’s not what the Bible teaches. So they have T-U-L-I-P, Tula, unconditional election, because see, you had nothing to do with God to choose who He chose, if Calvinism is true.

That God chose who He wants. It’s not you choosing God. It’s God choosing you. And some people, God didn’t choose, so therefore, they’re not the elect. Now you can sound good and what I’m telling you, some of you might think, you know, that makes sense to me and I may lose you and you become a I understand the risk.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ But if I don’t tell you, you can leave this church and you wouldn’t even know it. You can go to a bunch of other churches and they’ll teach Calvinism and you won’t have a clue what they’re teaching.

You won’t see anything because it looks so much like we’re saying the same thing. No, we’re not saying the same thing. Far from it. It’s important because it makes a difference on what is that gospel message you tell a person. And when you teach limited atonement means that Christ only paid for certain people, it’s not unlimited, it’s limited just to certain people. And irresistible grace that when God has got you wired in the backseat and when you turn light bulb, it’s already pre-wired, it’s irresistible.

It has to light up because of which it’s wired. Other people, they can’t respond because they’re not wired right. God didn’t choose to save them. If these four things is true, then perseverance of the saints will be automatic. If you’re really saved, you will serve God if you’re really saved. I mean, if you’re really saved, you’re not going to want to go here and do all those bad things. You ever heard statements like that? Where do you think it comes from?

Not from the Bible, it comes from this teaching and they may not use the word but they will use the teaching. And multitudes of churches are teaching Calvinism and it does a lot of damage to people. You would be totally surprised if I read to you all these… Reward. You would be totally surprised if I read to you all these letters that I get because of people that are finally understanding the gospel and the agony that they go through wondering in question how do I know I’m really one of the elect?

How do I know that I’m really saved? Because they have to base it upon well they’re not how you’re living. So to say that faith is the cause of the new birth is to put the cart before the horse. What they’re doing is they’re saying that you see you can’t get saved and have faith in God until first of all God takes the first move and regenerates you and saves you and gives you the new birth. Now because you’ve been born again, now you can put your faith in the Lord.

That’s backwards. You get the new birth because you put your faith in Christ. It’s backwards and some people cannot see it. So they don’t try to win their loved ones to the Lord. They just way because see if they’re going to get saved God’s going to do it they don’t need you witnessing to him and whenever they finally see it because God did it well then they’ll have their faith and put it in the Lord now that might sound rational but that’s nuts and I don’t believe that but they will believe that now when you hear a Calvinist tell you that that Yankee don’t know what he’s talking about.

He doesn’t understand real Calvinism. Yes, I do. But I peel away all the other stuff and get right down to the heart of the matter and say this is what they’re really saying. Because it’s not a game to me. Faith is not the cause of the new birth but the consequences of it. Arthur Pink teaches this. Calvinism. Faith is not the cause of the new birth. Yes, it is. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you get a new birth.

You see your faith because you heard faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. When you heard the gospel and you believe the gospel then you have been given a new birth. So they’re wrong, wrong. Now this is what he also said. The ultimate decision or destiny of every individual is decided by the will of God and blessed it is that such be the case. If it were left to our wills the ultimate destination of us all would be the lake of fire.

In other words, if God didn’t do that everybody would go to hell. Because nobody has within him the desireinement the knowledge of coming to God. God has to give it to him. But faith commit by hearing and hearing the gospel. So yes, every man can be saved. Every man doesn’t have to be lost. But I want to show you this. I did something wonderful the other day. I quoted John 3 16. I want you to quote that verse with me.

You say, how do you deal with a Calvinist? on 3 16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believe it than Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now that’s what you need to believe. You believe that? You see, don’t they believe that? No. They believe something different. I’ll show you that in just a moment. They don’t believe that God so loved the world in the world. Well that doesn’t refer to the world.

That just refers to the elect. Anyway, they even have their own song, joy to the elect the Lord has come. Let the elect receive her King. But anyway, we’ve got time to sing all of that. But now let me show you this. There are those who do salvation by loading it at the front with works or loading it at the back with works. But they’re loading works on either side. So what do you mean? I’m glad you asked. Front-end loaders, that’s doing works to get saved.

Rear-end loaders works to stay saved or to prove that you are saved. But your salvation depends upon those works. Take away the works. They say, well, then works don’t save you. Okay, let’s take all the works away. Are you still say, well, no, not without, no, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, works cannot save you. True. But why you keep putting the works in there? Well, because it twists and perverts the true gospel of Christ. This message, this one is twisted, did not come from God.

God says a man is saved by grace without works. Now, some people think that repent and turning from your sin is what’s going to wash and keep you clean because see the problem is you have to wash yourself clean before you get saved or after you get saved you have to keep yourself washed to say saved but it depends on what you do. That’s not what the Bible teaches but there’s many people who teach this and it is an error.

I don’t worry about trying to wash up my flesh. I’ll just stick to Christ’s righteousness. When I trusted Christ as my Savior, He gave me His righteousness as a gift. I didn’t earn it, didn’t work for it. So in God’s eyes, you won’t believe this, but I am as righteous as God. How many of you believe what I just said is the truth? Let me see your hand. The rest of you are excused. Now I’m still here. I am as righteous as God because of what Christ has done for me.

Now, here is what we call the Armenian view. They look at salvation as a race. And so they think that the prize at the end of my race is gonna be salvation, eternal salvation. But I gotta run this race. The track race represents salvation. Christians may abandon the race and lose salvation. Because after all, I’m just, I’m tired of you in the church. I’m tired of trying to live this good old Christian life. I’m gonna see what the world’s got out there for a while.

So I gave up the race and I’ve lost my salvation. But before I die, I can always get back on the track race and keep running some more. But my salvation seed depends upon my works. So I’ve got to do these good works, that’s front loading it, that’s putting the load of works at the beginning. I’ve gotta live the life in order to get the fruit. If I want salvation, I’ve got to earn it. Now they won’t say that, but if you don’t live it, you can’t get it.

Confused. Now they reformed Cavendish view. The prize of salvation, eternal life, they believe they’re already saved. But you see, they can’t run toward the prize. They’ve got to run backwards because they’ve got to keep examining their life to see whether or not, or they even on the racetrack. The proof, am I really saved? So I have to look at my life. How have I been living? What kind of a life have I got? And so my life is my proof of my salvation.

So as I run, I gotta keep looking back to see whether or not, am I saved or not? You What are they looking at? Christ or their works? Looking at their works. But my salvation does not depend upon my works, but they will live their whole lives looking at what they done. And the Armenian is looking what he’s got to do. Something’s wrong with this because all I had to do is look to Jesus, look to the Lord. I trusted him.

He saved me, done. When And he said, it is finished. That was finished. There’s no more work to be, he did the work. Best news I’ve ever heard in my whole life. The very moment you hear, now get this, you must turn from your sins to be saved. Now let me be honest with you. Have you ever heard anybody say that? Almost all of you. There’s a few of you that are still scared. You must, when you believe this, remember, you must automatically become a personal fruit inspector.

only for fruits of righteousness doing the right things, but also practicing sins must be eliminated from your life. You see, if you’re gonna look at a person and say you’ve got to turn from your sins to be saved, that means you got to stop being bad and that means you got to start being good. So when you become of that belief, you automatically become a fruit inspector. I’ve got to inspect my life and And if I don’t measure up, I must not be saved.

So people are questioned and doubted in their salvation because of what they’ve heard. If you don’t live it, you don’t have it. And that is not true. You can have eternal life and never serve the Lord one I Oda. People say, that’s a dandelier heresy. No, it’s not, it’s the gospel. That’s what makes it good news, that you can have it and have it forever. I believe that. You say, well, if you believe that, that’s just a license to say, you’ll live like the devil.

I’ve been saved 57 years and I’m not living like the devil. I’m just going to say this, but it’s not to be, you know, both of them. I live as clean or as righteous as any man I know. And I believe this. This isn’t ruining my life. This hasn’t damaged me. I haven’t, well, now that I’m saved, I can just live any way I please. Yes, I can. And I guess I just want to please the Lord. So what’s wrong with that?

Some people decide to live for themselves, and they’re heavenly fathers got to chase in their discipline. But whenever you do this, this is works for salvation. Any way you cut it. Now the hypothetical view, the prize is salvation. Eternal life. The race represents salvation. One who has already said you cannot abandon the race, because you see you have to persevere. You’ve got the persevere. And if you don’t persevere, you can’t quit. So if you quit, it’s a sign you weren’t really saved to start with.

So you’ve got to run this race and persevere in the faith. I’m so glad that I do not have to persevere. I’ve been preserved, but I don’t have to persevere. Because, see, my salvation to end the heaven, depended upon what Christ did for me, not what I do for him. Now I can enjoy life. I can enjoy serving God because I don’t have to. I do it because I love him, do it because I want to. So you think you’re saved, but still might end up in health.

Even a lot of people can understand this. I’ve had people say, well, are you saved? Yes, I’m saved. Where are you going tonight? Well, I don’t know. Something’s wrong. You don’t understand what saved means. Saved means I can’t go to hell. So have you been saved? I’ve been saved. Where are you going today? Well, I don’t know. Hell, if I don’t change, you don’t get it. Salvation is freely given. Excuse me, I’m having trouble finding this nonsense in my Bible.

He ought to because that nonsense is not in the Bible. The Bible is very simple and very clear. Christ came into the world, died on the cross and paid for our sins so that we could have as a free gift of everlasting life. Now you hear a lot of people say, you got to repent, you got to repent. Repent, change your mind thing differently, it’s okay. But whenever you mean by that and you give the impressions that you’re talking about a person that has to turn from their sin, change their life, then you’ve got a whole new ballgame going on.

Like Jesus said, I want to forgive your sins, but I mean forgive you, but you haven’t repented yet. You think Lord says that? He didn’t believe it to me, what? Hat everlasting life. That’s all he asked, and do you believe that what he did was for you? Even Batman knows the difference. You hear him talking about you in a Turner burn for Sacred Bake. Try or fry, but at salvation is a free gift. If you want to just walk up to a slap, I’m a good one.

Because they say God says God didn’t say some things. Don’t say God said it when God didn’t say it. How many unbelievers are lost? Now this is a hard question. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was elect. Well, Lord behold, Now can you see that word all in here? Great big letters. See it? A-L-A-L-L. All. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. How many was lost? All. And God had mercy upon preachers who limit the sacrifice that Christ made for the sins of the whole world.

is Calvinism biblical? Well, let’s look at the verse. Look there in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1 right down your screen. Calvinism is biblical and I can prove it from Scripture. Now the Spirit speaketh especially that in the latter times. Some shall depart from the faith given heed to seduce in spirits and doctrines of devils. So is Calvinism in the Bible? There it is. It’s the false teaching because it takes the truth of God and twist it, changes it.

The Word of God, if we’re not supposed to take it seriously, I wouldn’t bother about this. But I bother with it because there’s so many Christians that are asleep because they fell in love years ago with Doris Day. whatever will be will be the future’s not ours to see whatever will be I don’t believe that I don’t believe that I believe we make choices I don’t believe we’re robots and everything’s pre-programmed I believe we’re making decisions that we’re gonna have to answer the God for you got a mind you got a brain supposed to think and he says in 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 3 and 4, he says, well this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who will have the elect to be saved.

All to be saved. And to come into the knowledge of the truth. What are you going to do? Get a pair of scissors and go through and you cut out all these verses that say this or you got to twist it, you got to change it well it doesn’t mean that does mean that we take the word of God at face value that God meant what he said and I believe it anybody here ever heard of a guy named John Piper John Piper Don MacArthur RC sprawl they’re all the same they teach everything I’m telling you right now and you know what they’re on all of these Christian stations all over the America around the world.

Why? Because it’s Christian supporting them. People are giving them the money so they can have all this airtime. And people say, boy, they really know the Hebrew and the Greek. I bet I can take a six, seven, eight year old kid, read them John 3 16. He can tell you what it means. But you can take somebody’s high polluting theologians because they can’t explain it. They got to I twisted all up, mess it all up. So just keep it simple.

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. 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 menu. The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address. 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, the trumpet will sound and we will be changed. Cada can meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day believing that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.