Hebrews, Perseverence and Predestination

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Hebrews, Perseverence and Predestination

• Hebrews and Falling Away.
• Scriptures which point toward Perseverence/Once
  Saved Always Saved.
• History of the doctrine of Predestination.
• Arguments for Predestination.
• The biblical doctrine of Predestination.
• Assurance of Salvation in Hebrews.

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Question Do you believe in Predestination?
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Hebrews and Falling Away

• They shall never enter my rest 311, 45
• We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly
  to the end the confidence we had at first. 314
• They were not able to enter because of their
  unbelief 319
• Be careful not to be found to have fallen short
  of it. 41
• Some did not go in because of their obedience
  46
• Let us make every effort to enter that rest so
  that no one will fall by following their example
  of disobedience 411
• Do you get the point?

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  Historical type/antitype in the
Exodus
 
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Hebrews 64-6 Who is he talking to?

• a. been enlightened (NT church enlightened
  baptized)
• b. tasted the heavenly gift (salvation?)
• c. shared in the Holy Spirit
• d. tasted the goodness of the word
• e. tasted the coming age (saved)
• Yes, you can fall away! Conclusion You had
  better move on toward maturity in Christ.

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Hebrews 64-8

• It is impossible if they fall away, to be
  brought back to repentance.
• They are crucifying the Son of God all over
  again.
• Land that produces thorns will be burned.

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Falling Away Hebrews 1026-31

• Crucifying the Son of God all over again.
• Subjecting Jesus to public disgrace
• Trampling the Son of God under foot. (Heb 1029)
• Insulted the Holy Spirit (Heb 1029)
• Blasphemed (spoken against) the Holy Spirit (Matt
  1232)
• Committed the unforgivable sin (1 John 516 )
• What is the unforgivable sin? To willfully,
  deliberately continue in sin. (Hebrews 1026)

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Falling Away

• Crucifying the Son of God all over again.
• Subjecting Jesus to public disgrace
• Trampling the Son of God under foot. (Heb 1029)
• Insulted the Holy Spirit (Heb 1029)
• Blasphemed (spoken against) the Holy Spirit (Matt
  1232)
• Committed the unforgivable sin (1 John 516)
• What is the unforgivable sin? To willfully,
  deliberately continue in sin. (Hebrews 1026)

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History of the doctrine of predestination.

• Augustine of Hippo AD 354-430 The City of God
• Martin Luther (1483-1546) an Augustinian monk.
• Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) Reformed Churches.
• John Calvin (1509-1564) Institutes of the
  Christian Religion
• A profound belief in the sovereignty of God
• Double Predestination and TULIP

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Sin, Redemption, Salvation

• Augustine!!!!! (AD 354-430)
• The City of God Soveriegnty
• Total depravity
• Monoergism (only God)
• Predestination
• Original Sin
• Infant baptism required for salvation
• Sacramentalism
• Transubstantiation
• City and State
• Opposed Donatists

Augustine of Hippo (from 6th century)
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Augustine Evil and Free Will

• About Augustine Evil arises from the
  corruption of a nature which is essentially good.
  What is called evil is good corrupted if it
  were not corrupted it would be wholly good but
  even when it is corrupted, it is good in so far
  as it remains a natural thing, and bad only in so
  far as it is corrupted.
• A mans free will avails for nothing except to
  sin.

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Pelagius AD c. 354-430
Works Salvation? Affirmed the existence of free
will. Evil is not born with us, and we are
procreated without fault. Rejected infant
baptism. Taught that we become holy through our
own effort? More troubling Since perfection is
possible for man, it is obligatory.
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Julian of Eclanum

• You ie. Augustine think that your Lord is
  capable of committing a crime against justice
  such as is hardly conceivable even among the
  barbarians.
• Accused Augustine of making God the creator of
  both good and evil.

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• Q What is the nature of the Fall of mankind?
  What happened in the garden?
• Puritans In Adams fall we sinned all.
• Romans 512-19 What death is this in v. 12

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Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274 Aristotle Revelation by
reason Scholasticism Arguments for existence of
God Natural Theology Summa Theologica
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Thomas Aquinas God, therefore, is the first
cause, who moves causes both natural and
voluntary. And just as by moving natural causes
He does not prevent their actions from being
natural, so by moving voluntary causes He does
not deprive their actions of being voluntary but
rather is He the cause of this very thing in
them, for He operates in each thing according to
his own nature. In other words, Aquinas
believed in free will and not a strict monergism.
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Martin Luther 1483-1541 Augustinian Monk Faith
Alone Grace Alone Scripture Alone Predestination
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Martin Luther Away with James His authority is
not great enough to cause me to abandon the
doctrine of faith alone and to deviate from the
authority of the other apostles and the entire
Scripture. St. James epistle is really an
epistle of straw, compared to these others
(Romans, Galatians, John) for it has nothing of
the nature of the gospel about it.
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Ulrich Zwingli 1484-1531 Opposed baptismal
regeneration Double Predestination Reformed
Theology Those individuals who end up damned
forever in hell are also eternally determined by
God for that fate.
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John Calvin 1509-1564 Institutes of Christian
Religion His emphasis the sovereignty of
God TULIP
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TULIP

• Total depravity
• Unconditional election
• Limited atonement
• Irresistable grace
• Perseverence of the saint (once saved, always
  saved)
• This entire system is
• Logical and
• Built on the doctrine of Original Sin.

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Jacob Arminius (1560-1609) Opposed Reformed
idea of predestination. Are we Arminians?
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Jonathan Edwards A Sinner in the Hands of an
Angry God. How do we know we are of the elect?
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1800s America Predestination LightOnce Saved,
Always Saved

• Preservation of the Saints
• Believers Prayer.
• Once God saves you, in is impossible to lose your
  salvation, no matter what.

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• Q Scriptures which appear to support the
  doctrine of predestination?
• Is a believer in this false doctrine lost?
• Q Scriptures which prove free will and refute
  predestination?

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Predestination?

• Romans 828-30
• Romans 831-39 Nothing can separate us (except
  we ourselves because we
• 
  have free will)
• John 1027-29 No one can snatch them out of my
  hands
• Romans 910-21 (read v. 14-18)

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The Biblical Doctrine of Predestination

• First of all, man had free will!!!
• It is Gods sovereign will that we have free will
  because he loves us.
• Deut 3019-20
• Joshua 2415
• Ezekiel 1819-20
• All of Hebrews.
• God predestined all of us to be saved (but he
  does not force anyone)
• Very rarely, God intervenes in history to bring
  about his will, but even then, he does not,
  ultimately steal anyones free will.

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Gods Assurance Hebrews 69-20
Two unchangeable things Gods Word Gods Oath
(Genesis 2216-18) Jesus, your anchor, is behind
the veil with the Father
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Gods Assurance Hebrews 1019-23
We have confidence to enter the Most Holy
Place Let us draw near to God in full assurance
of faith. For he who promised is
faithful. Hebrews 1035-36 Do not throw away
your confidence it will be richly rewarded. You
will receive what he has promised.