Honoring the True God

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

The Bible teaches that God is sovereign over creation, providence, and salvation, controlling all things. God's sovereignty is foundational to biblical theology, as he is the ultimate authority in the realms of creation, providence, and salvation. This means that nothing occurs outside of his control, and every event in history is governed by his divine will. The concept of God's sovereignty can be traced throughout Scripture, affirming that he is omniscient, omnipotent, and unchangeable. As Romans 11:36 states, 'For of him, and through him, and to him are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.' This reinforces the truth that every aspect of existence is under God's absolute authority, emphasizing that he is to be honored as the supreme sovereign of the universe.

Q: How do we know election is true in Christianity?

Election is essential in God's plan for salvation and is affirmed in Scripture as a divine act. The doctrine of election is rooted in Scripture, establishing that God the Father has chosen a certain number of individuals to be saved before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4 emphasizes that God had specific individuals in mind for salvation, which is an act of his sovereign grace. Election is not based on any foreseen merit or actions of those chosen; instead, it is entirely rooted in God's grace and purpose. This reinforces the biblical teaching that salvation is not a random event but a deliberate act of God's will, demonstrating his authority and the nature of divine grace. The concept that God actively elects individuals for salvation underscores the doctrine of total depravity—we can do nothing to earn our salvation without divine intervention.

Q: Why is the concept of total depravity important for Christians?

Total depravity highlights humanity's complete inability to achieve righteousness without God's grace. The doctrine of total depravity posits that every part of humanity is affected by sin, rendering individuals incapable of turning to God or choosing salvation without divine intervention. This concept is crucial for understanding the need for grace, as it emphasizes that humans cannot earn or contribute to their own salvation. John 6:44 affirms this by stating that no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him, highlighting the necessity of God's active role in our salvation. Recognizing total depravity assists Christians in understanding the greatness of God's grace, as salvation is entirely a work of God from beginning to end. It also underscores the importance of trusting in Christ's righteousness, rather than our own, for justification before God. Therefore, total depravity is foundational for appreciating the depth and necessity of God's grace in the life of every believer.

Q: How does the Holy Spirit regenerate a believer?

The Holy Spirit regenerates believers by making them alive to spiritual truth through divine power. Regeneration, or being born again, is a crucial aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. Ephesians 2:1 states that individuals are dead in their trespasses and sins, highlighting the absolute necessity of divine intervention for spiritual life. The Holy Spirit does not merely assist in this process; he imparts spiritual life to those who are spiritually dead, enabling them to respond to God positively. This act of regeneration is wholly God’s work, ensuring that those who are called and chosen respond in faith. The new birth empowers individuals to repent and believe, which are evidences of regeneration, not the causes. Therefore, understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in regeneration is vital for grasping the nature of salvation, as it reinforces that faith is a gift from God, grounded firmly in his mercy and power.

Our subject is entitled, Honoring
the True God. Present-day religion cannot be
compared with biblical Christianity. The greater percentage of what
is heard from the pulpit on the radio and seen on television
is nothing more than religious humanism poor showmanship, and
fleshly excitement. Christianity and man-made religion
are as distinct as truth and error. Every person regenerated by the
Spirit of God is made willing to have his opinion contradicted
and his hope frustrated by the truth of God. He learns what human wisdom cannot
teach, and human pride will never stoop to embrace. Conversely,
religionists are blinded by the doctrines and commandments of
men. New emphasis on God's absolute
sovereignty The foundation of all biblical theology is a necessity. God is sovereign in the realms
of creation, providence, and salvation. He controls everything he has
brought into existence. Since God will be all-or-nothing,
there can be no other God. A rediscovery of God's sovereignty
cannot occur separate from the biblical revelation of God. The God of human religion resembles
the supreme sovereign of scripture no more than the dim flickering
of a candle compares with the radiant light of the noonday
sun. Scripture proves the false gods
manufactured by religionists within professing Christendom
do not differ from the gods of wood and stone worshipped by
the heathen outside of professing Christendom. A common expression, let God
be God, is frequently repeated in the religious community. How can man, who is without the
power of God, let God be God? Christ said to Pilate, Thou couldest
have no power at all against me, except it were given thee
from above. John 19, 11. How can man who lives and moves
in God let God be God? For in him we live and move and
have our being. As certain also of your own poets
have said, for we are also his offspring. Acts 17, 28. How can the effect let the cause
be the cause of the effect? The Creator alone is worthy of
glory, honor, and power. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honor and power, for Thou hast created all things,
and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation
411. The eternally sovereign God has
a purpose. Ephesians 3.11. Behind all the
events of history, His eternal purpose is being worked out in
providence, predestination in execution. The proof of God's
purpose is learned from the nature and perfections of God. God is
omniscient. Nothing takes him by surprise.
Omnipotent, no one thwarts his purpose. Omnipresent, no one
slips up on him. And unchangeable, no modifications
in his mind. If anything is either by chance
or the mere effect of second causes, One cannot truthfully
say, for of him, and through him, and to him are all things,
to whom be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11, 36. God's eternal purpose includes
the work of the divine trinity in man's salvation. Watch this
now. The one God consists in three
persons. There is an exclusive unity in
this triunity, or trinity, because it is a fellowship of equals. Thus the eternal purpose of God
is unilateral. One God the Father chose a certain
number to be saved, Ephesians 1.4. Election is eternal, secret until
conversion. Did you notice the word that
I used? I didn't say regeneration, I
said conversion. Free, particular, and definite. John chapters 6,
10, and 17. Before the cross, the elect were in Christ by election
and for ordination. Romans 8, 29, and 30, 2 Timothy
1, 9. Number two, God the Son purchased
salvation for the sheep at Calvary. John 10, verses 11, 15, and 16. At the cross, the elect were
in Christ by redemption and propitiation. Romans 3, 24-26 and Ephesians
1, 7-12. Jesus Christ did not purchase
a possible salvation for all mankind without exception, but
a certain salvation for the sheep. John 10, 15. Number three, God
the Holy Spirit regenerates all the Father elected and the Son
redeemed. John 3, 8. Subsequent to the
cross, all the elect will be in Christ by regeneration and
reconciliation before Christ comes to establish his kingdom.
2 Peter 3, 9 and 15. The covenant of grace is unilateral. Therefore, a fourth party could
not have a place in that covenant between equals. God cannot stoop to make a covenant
with sinners on a dunghill. Sinners have no part in their
salvation from the guilt and penalty of sin. The glory of
God's salvation of sinners cannot be shared with those whom he
saves. If man could take credit for
his salvation, his deliverance would not be by grace. Divine attributes, now here's
an important one, listen to this. Divine attributes have been discarded
by most professing Christians to the junk heap of dry and uninteresting
subjects. The only attributes preferred
are those from which people assume that personal benefits are derived. Hence, God's love, mercy, and
grace are esteemed above his holiness, justice, and wrath. The majority think that love
is God's chief attribute. However, the truth is that Jesus
Christ died in order that the demands of holiness and love
might be met. At Calvary, holiness retained
its beauty, thus enabling love to meet its objects. Mercy desired
to save the elect, but justice had to be satisfied before mercy
could operate. Here is where love stepped in
and provided a substitute who satisfied justice. No human philosophy could ever
conceive such a plan of salvation for fallen men. The eternal covenant
of grace alone exalts and honors God. Man's God-dishonoring philosophy
is described in the words of the psalmist, Thou thoughtest
that I was altogether such in one as thyself. Psalm 50 verse
21. That's the introduction. Now,
this is in big expanded letters and will be in the brochure.
God is dishonored by the following man-made doctrines and customs. What I'm doing is to present
the proposition and then give the answer. And I have ten propositions,
and in these ten propositions that are commonly heard today
from the pulpit, on the radio, and viewed on TV, And before I go any further,
let me inject a thought. Friday night, about nine o'clock,
we were tired. We'd been wrestling, and if you've
never done proofreading back and forth and all that, it's
very boresome and very tiresome. We turned the TV on a few minutes,
and a man was preaching on this new network on Christ he could
see in. And folks, I never heard so many
blasphemous statements come out of a man's mouth in my life as
came out from that man's mouth. He had Jesus Christ being two
persons. I'm giving you this before I
get to these propositions. He said as God he couldn't sin,
but as man he could. And he said when he walked among
the sons of men, he was man, a man walking among the sons
of men. And he said he was tempted to smoke, to take dope, and he,
now those are two things he mentioned. First proposition, notice where
I'm beginning. The Bible contains, that's an expanded word, would
be in the brochure so it captures attention, contains the word
of God, answer. A person who supposes that parts
of the Bible are from God and parts from men has a more serious
problem than his intellect. He has heart trouble. All the
debate today over the inerrancy, that's a common thing that we're
facing, isn't it? So this is very timely. All the
debate today over the inerrancy of Scripture manifests the heart
trouble of religionists. Neither Scripture nor God is
debatable. Neither Scripture nor God is
debatable. Watch this. Inspiration tells
us how the Bible came to us. And revelation describes the
scriptures as the unveiling of what God wants us to know. Inspiration signifies that every
Hebrew and Greek word is God-breathed. I'm trying to leave the Greek
out as much as possible. I'm giving the word and the meaning.
2 Timothy 3.16. This makes the Bible different
from all of the books. Watch this. Beware of religionists
who claim to have, quote, a word from the Lord, end of quote,
as though they have a, quote, direct line to God, end of quote. They may be classified with those
who believe in, quote, continuous revelation, end of quote. They
do not know the difference between, quote, their breathing, like
this, end of quote, and God who breathed once for all. That's an arius active indicative,
if you want to put it in a grief. 2 Timothy 3.16 and Jude 3. Men today speak from rather than
by inspiration. Sheep know the difference between,
watch this, quote, God's breath and the, quote, breath of false
teachers, end of quote John 10, 3 through 5. They are like people
who have ears for music without knowing a note. the hearing ear and the seeing
eye. The Lord hath made even both
of them, Proverbs 20, verse 12. Since the Bible is, and I have
that in expanded like the word contains, since the Bible is
the word of God, it is the perfect rule for faith and practice.
The attributes of scripture are described in Psalm 19, 7 through
11. You see, I can't give all these
scriptures. If they're interested enough, they'll look them up.
But there you have the attributes of the words, perfect, clear,
pure, unknown. The psalmist gives the attributes
of the word. Scripture will completely equip
the men of God for every good work, 2 Timothy 3.17. This could
not be true if parts of the Bible were from God and parts from
men. Now that's the first. What am
I doing? I'm dealing with the basic principle. I couldn't put... I've done series of messages
on all these. I've tried to condense it and
get the truth. Now, number two. God has done,
in expanded words, all he can, and now man is responsible to
choose his own destiny. Answer. Those who assume that
God has done all he can, and now man must determine his own
destiny, have a deistic concept of God regarding salvation. God not only planned and prepared
salvation for the elect, but he also applies expanded word,
it to them in time. indifference or helplessness
by God subsequent to his preparation of salvation at Calvary would
be deism regarding salvation's application. The passive voice,
which signifies recipients do not participate in the new birth,
is used in reference to man being born of God, and then I cite
a few biblical verses. Men by nature are passive to
spiritual things, and God is no spectator waiting to see who
in the arena of physical life will decide to choose eternal
life, thus changing their destinies. A frequently repeated statement,
God could do nothing for me until I let him, is blasphemous. Number three, Jesus Christ had
the capacity, expanded word, to sin, but he did not. Temptations were not real to
Christ if he could not have sinned. Answer. And I'm sure you realize that
I have three volumes on this, and to try to condense material
and get the principle, not easy. So listen. And I believe in exposing
people. Depraved men have devised, quote,
a savior, end of quote, out of their own minds with whom they
can relate in their depravity. Do you believe that? That's not in it. That is in
the brochure, I added that. They are so full of religious
iniquity that they maintain that Christ's human nature was as
fallen and rebellious as their own. Persons who embrace the view
that Jesus Christ could have sinned do not understand either
his virgin birth or hypostatic union. Now if they want to know
what hypostatic means, they don't know, then get the dictionary.
Hence the problem is subjective rather than objective. It's not
the truth of scriptures, it's their own hearts. The impeccable
human nature was united to the absolutely holy divine nature
in the one person. You see that heretic Friday night,
he had Christ being two persons. Jesus Christ the Lord. The opinion
that Christ could have sinned as to his human nature, but not
as to his divine nature, forces the conclusion that there was
a conflict between his two natures. While no descendant of Adam is
beyond the capability of temptation because of inward depravity,
Jesus Christ had no inward depravity with which to struggle. Christ's incapacity for sin resulted
from the truth that the I of his human nature was the divine
Logos. No one who accepts the truth
of the miraculous conception of Jesus Christ in the womb of
the Virgin Mary can at the same time insist on the doctrine of
peccability. If so, he would advocate that
the Holy Spirit produced an unholy thing, which would be contrary
to Scripture, Luke 135. God protected Christ's human
nature from the depravity of Joseph by the miraculous conception
and of Mary by the same Holy Spirit's work in her womb. The
problem with many over the noun temptation or the verb tempted,
I'm trying to stay within the Greek, is solved by understanding
that they are not always used in the sense of temptation or
tempted. They're also used in the sense of trial or tried. A careful study of James 1, 2
through 15 will show that Christ was never tempted. He had to
deal only with that which came from without. Unlike sinners,
Christ had no internal weakness, therefore he could not be lured,
enticed, or tempted. He affirmed his own impeccability. Watch this one. Which of you
convinces me of sin? John 8, verse 46. His use of
the noun sin rather than the verb sinned proves that sin had
never entered his holy nature. The conclusion of this brief
statement on Christ's impeccability is most important. If Jesus Christ
was peccable, he would have been incompetent to stand in the place
of the elect for whom he died. to say that Christ needed a Savior
is blasphemous. Number four. The Holy Spirit
assists in expanded letters, characters, in the new birth.
The Holy Spirit assists in the new birth. Answer. The Holy Spirit
does not assist, but quickens in expanded letters. makes alive
the sinner who is dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2, 1, 5 through
10. Regeneration is God's giving
the sinner spiritual life that enables him to do what he must
but cannot because of his bondage to sin. He must repent and believe,
but repentance and faith are evidences and not the cause of
the new birth. Although the sinner is involved
in the new birth, he does not participate in it. Becoming a
child of God without regeneration is as impossible as being a child
of the human family without generation. The preacher who commands people
to come forward to be regenerated assumes the prerogative of the
Holy Spirit. Do you see what we're doing,
folks? The Word of God does not have
unrestricted success. In the parable of the sower,
the Word of the Kingdom had no effect on the unprepared sower. Matthew 13, 18-23. Only a fractional
part of the seed sown yields any increase. The problem is
not with the seed but with the sower. what is viewed by man
as failure is not failure with God. God did not predestinate
that all men subjected to the word of God, profit thereby. Christ spoke not from the viewpoint
of the covenant of grace, but of human responsibility. The
Holy Spirit does not assist, but makes the dead sinner alive
in the new birth. His indwelling sustains the regenerated
person in his Christian life. The indwelling spirit is the
divine unction by whom every Christian is able to understand
the word of God and grow in grace. However, his indwelling does
not guarantee his infilling every Christian. Christians are divinely
commanded to be filled with the Spirit, Ephesians 5.18. Since
this imperative is in the present tense, a continuous state of
being filled, it is not a once-for-all experience. The believer does
not go into reverse order from Jesus Christ to the Holy Spirit,
but in the power of the Holy Spirit he goes to Christ. The Holy Spirit's office work
is to lead one filled with the Spirit to speak of Christ. So when you hear these quacks
on the radio and TV and everywhere else always talking about the
Spirit and the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost, they ever
talk about Christ? They can talk about being filled with the Holy
Spirit all they want to, but they are deceived individuals. Individuals who magnify the Spirit
to the neglect of the Son of God, in whom the fullness of
the Godhead dwells, are not filled with the Spirit. I'll go through
number five, and then we'll keep the last ones until tonight. Number five. The sinner has a
free will. Free will, expanded words. by
which he may either choose salvation or frustrate God's purpose. Answer. Sacred Scripture does not record
any limitation of God's will. Distinction must be made between
God's will of purpose and his will of command. This does not indicate two wills,
but two aspects of God's will. Now let me stop them over. See,
a lot of people have a dualistic concept. So they end up, boy,
in a mess. Now back to the... I said this
does not indicate two wills. God doesn't have two wills, but
two aspects of God's will. God's will may be compared to
a giant globe with two hemispheres. Man can see and understand the
hemisphere, but not the sphere. There are two hemispheres of
spiritual things. One is secret, and the other
is revealed. The secret things belong unto
the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto
us and to our children forever. That we may do all the words
of this law, Deuteronomy 29, 29. Did you know that was one
of the first verses of scripture that we had to memorize when
I was in school? I tell you, it's a great help. God has revealed
all he wants us to know. Watch this. See, I believe in a completed
revelation. God has revealed all he wants
us to know, but what we can know is but an infinitesimal part
of God's infinite wisdom. Man is always quarrel with God
about secret things because he associates secrecy with selfishness. But nature itself proves that
in the divine administration Secrecy and benevolence co-exist. God has not revealed the secret
of germination, but he gives the secret of the harvest. We
must not be blinded by the secret and forget God's generous harvests. God does not introduce a conditional
covenant without first making himself known in grace to make
his commandments attractive to his own. I want that one to soak
in a little bit to all of you. See, the more you study a subject,
the clearer it becomes to yourself. Everything unknown to believers
must not be classified as secret. This would destroy the biblical
teaching of growth in grace. 2 Peter 3.18, God's will of purpose
is always accomplished. Who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will, Ephesians 1.11. For who hath
resisted his will, Romans 9.19. On the other hand, what person
will say that he has always done God's will? The unfaithfulness of men to
the revealed aspect of God's will can never render the faithfulness
of God ineffectual concerning the secret aspect. God's will
is that which is beyond the will of man to control. It goes before
all others. Now I had to say that to get
to the real answer. This brings us to the heresy
of man's so-called free will. The concept that God can do nothing
for man until man is willing to let him makes God less than
man. Those who embrace the theory
of man's free will deny depravity, believe man's will precedes God's
in salvation, advocate that man's will is as free as God's, oppose
the biblical doctrine of election, and make their wills the foundation
in their salvation and their passport to heaven. Free agency must be distinguished
from free will. A free agent has the power to
will and to act as his will dictates. But free will assumes an ability
in the will itself to choose good or evil. Since fallen man
must be drawn to Jesus Christ, he has no free will to spiritual
things. John 6, verse 44. Furthermore,
because the soul of the sinner is passive to spiritual things,
he has no free will to determine his own destiny. Man is not regenerated
because he wills to be saved. but he wills to be saved because
he is regenerated. Whosoever will may come, but
no one apart from grace wills to come. Coming presupposes the
will to come, and the will to come presupposes the new birth.
Have you ever heard anyone pray, I thank thee God that you waited
until it pleased me to come to you? The will to come to Christ is
not of man, so then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him
that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Now I've given about half of
it, so I'll keep the other half until tonight. The sixth proposition
His faith is, expanded words, counted as righteousness before
God. And we'll get into that one tonight.
Show the heresy that is taught even by reformers. By reformers. Let me read you
the propositions we'll deal with yet. Baptism is essential, expanded
word to salvation. We're going to have them all
against us. Get ready for criticism. So if you're not willing to bear
criticism, folks, you better find a more commodious place
because if people read this, it's going to have the ire of
the religionist today. Are we afraid to stand up for
the truth? Number eight is people can be saved or delivered by
proxy. Do you know what I deal with
in this? Roman Catholics, Mormons with their doctrine of baptism
for the dead, and pedo-baptists. I expose them all, so that takes
in all your Presbyterians and everybody else. You say, I don't
want to be involved in that. Well, then you don't want to
be involved in the ministry of this church. You don't want to be
involved with the ministry of the truth. See, we're putting you on the
spot, and I make no apologies for it. It's not on us for us to
come to church and say, I believe and want to preach. You preach
sound pretty good. Do you believe it? And are you willing to stand
for it? That's the question. Number nine,
and boy listen to this, the gospel is not complete, expanded word,
apart from the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I'm using their
terminology, and physical healing. That takes in all your charismatics.
And then finally, there is no eschatological kingdom. What's our desire? To honor God. Do you have the same desire?
Do you believe what we've been preaching for years? We'll see. This is a serious thing, folks.
I said the day is the most important day in the history of this little
congregation. Let's stand for the benediction.

Honoring the True God

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know election is true in Christianity?

Why is the concept of total depravity important for Christians?

How does the Holy Spirit regenerate a believer?

Sermon Transcript

About W.E. Best

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Honoring the True God

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know election is true in Christianity?

Why is the concept of total depravity important for Christians?

How does the Holy Spirit regenerate a believer?

Sermon Transcript

About W.E. Best

Comments

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