A Biblical Theology Of The Doctrines Of Sovereign Grace

A right understanding of who God is and who man is the foundation for the proper view of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without an accurate understanding, we can never fully comprehend or appreciate the awesome sovereign grace of God. Does the Bible really teach the doctrines known as Calvinism? Are the concepts of total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistable grace, and perserverance of the saints based merely on the speculations of theologians or are they actually found clearly revealed in Scripture? In this essential book, the reader is led through a fundamental study of Scripture to scrutinize what God declares concerning these vital doctrines. Whether lay Christian or clergy, we each need to struggle through these difficult questions with the assurance that the Holy Spirit of God will not reveal something in the Scriptures that is not important for God's people to understand, embrace, and benefit from. Come along and learn about the incredible sovereign grace of God!

The doctrine of salvation is the watershed doctrine of Scripture. Flowing from that doctrine will be not only all other doctrine but also personal practice and Christian ministry. The major controversy concerning salvation is whether it is a result of the sovereign grace of God alone or a mixture of "God's part" and "man's part." Addressing that issue is absolutely critical to the very foundations of Christianity itself. Whichever one of those premises is correct, we should expect to find it everywhere we look in Scripture, and that is precisely what we find. There is no truth that permeates the Bible more than the doctrines of God's sovereign grace. From Genesis to Revelation, in literally hundreds of verses, these doctrines call, capture, and command our attention.Of the many books of the Bible we could choose, the Gospel of John is among the most compelling because of its foundational nature. It is there we find some of the most profound teaching on the Doctrines of Grace in all Scripture. Examining more than one hundred verses in John, this small volume presents these great biblical and historical doctrines directly from the lips of our Lord.

There is no question that we live in an age of weak theology and casual Christianity. We have substituted intuition for truth, feeling for belief and immediate gratification for enduring hope. Evangelicalism desperately needs to return to the doctrines that once before reformed the world: radical depravity, unconditional election, particular redemption, efficacious grace and persevering grace. James Boice and Philip Ryken not only provide a compelling exposition on these doctrines of grace, but also look briefly at their historical impact. The authors leave no doubt that the church suffers when these foundational truths are neglected and that she must return to a Christianity that is practical-minded, kind-hearted, and most importantly, biblically based.

The relationship between divine sovereignty and the human will is a topic of perennial theological dispute and one that is gaining increased attention among contemporary evangelicals. In Still Sovereign, thirteen scholars write to defend the classical view of God's sovereignty. According to the editors, "Ours is a culture in which the tendency is to exalt what is human and diminish what is divine. Even in evangelical circles, we find increasingly attractive a view of God in which God is one of us, as it were, a partner in the unfolding drama of life. . . . In contrast, the vision of God affirmed in these pages is of one who reigns supreme over all, whose purposes are accomplished without fail, and who directs the course of human affairs, including the central drama of saving a people for the honor of his name, all with perfect holiness and matchless grace." The fourteen chapters of Still Sovereign (originally part of the two-volume, The Grace of God, the Bondage of the Will) are divided into three parts. Part 1 offers fresh exegesis of the biblical texts that bear most directly on the doctrines of election, foreknowledge, and perseverance of the saints. Part 2 explores theological and philosophical issues related to effectual calling, prevenient grace, assurance of salvation, and the nature of God's love. The final section applies the doctrines of election and divine sovereignty to Christian living, prayers, evangelism, and preaching.

Does God sovereignly elect some individuals for salvation while passing others by? Do human beings possess free will to embrace or reject the gospel? Did Christ die equally for all people or only for some? These questions have long been debated in the history of the Christian church. Answers typically fall into one of two main categories, popularly known as Calvinism and Arminianism. The focus of this book is to establish how one nineteenth-century evangelical group, the Brethren, responded to these and other related questions. The Brethren produced a number of colorful leaders whose influence was felt throughout the evangelical world. Although many critics have assumed the movement's theology was Arminian, this book argues that the Brethren, with few exceptions, advocated Calvinistic positions. Yet there were some twists along the way! The movement's radical biblicism, passionate evangelism, and strong aversion to systematic theology and creeds meant they refused to label themselves as Calvinists even though they affirmed Calvinism's soteriological principles--the so-called doctrines of grace.

This book explores the concept of grace and its profound impact on the lives of individuals. In this book, Moody delves into the source and nature of grace and explains how it is the foundation of salvation. The book also highlights how grace is not only essential for salvation but also for living and serving as a Christian.

This book calls all genuine disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, both vocational ministers and lay people, to serve our Savior by carrying out His marching orders His way. This demands that the doctrines of man, sin, salvation, the Word, and the Spirit have full sway in all that we do in the name of Christ. Whatever we are engaged in, whether witnessing to the lost or carrying out our various other responsibilities (e.g., preaching, teaching, counselling, and encouraging), we must be divinely directed by the practical implications of God's grace. Then we, as faithful channels, may joyously come to understand that it is God who causes any and all growth (1 Corinthians 3:6).