Here are three questions that I am commonly asked by men and women who hear me preach. Where ever I go preaching the gospel of the grace of God, people ask me these three questions.
It seams strange that people should ask that question, especially people who attend Baptist churches, because there was a time when virtually all Baptist believed and preached the doctrines of grace. But, to answer the question, the term, "the doctrines of grace", refers to those doctrines which are taught in the Bible, which plainly set forth the most fundamental truth of Holy Scripture - "Salvation is of the Lord". The doctrines of grace are the doctrines of salvation. They set forth the blessed truth that salvation is entirely the work of God's free-grace in Christ. The doctrines of grace, very briefly put, may be summarized in these six statements.
(A) GOD IS ABSOLUTELY SOVEREIGN. That is to say, God is sovereign in all things, aspectally in the matter of salvation. God is not obliged to save anyone; but he has graciously chosen to save some of Adam's fallen race, for the glory of his own great name. Divine sovereignty simply means that God saves whom he will. He says, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy."
(B) ALL MEN BY NATURE ARE TOTALLY DEPRAVED. Total depravity simply means that man is a sinful creature. He can do nothing to please God. He has no ability to save himself. And he has neither the desire nor the ability to seek salvation by the grace of God, until God gives him that ability and desire.
(C) GOD HAS FROM ETERNITY CHOSEN SOME TO SALVATION IN UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION. That is to say, in eternity God determined who he would save.
(D) THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DIED AT CALVARY FOR GOD'S ELECT, ONLY FOR THE ELECT, ACCOMPLISHING ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR THE ELECT.
(E) GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT SAVES, OR REGENERATES, ALL OF GOD'S ELECT, THOSE PEOPLE FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED, BY HIS IRRESISTIBLE GRACE.
(F) ALL OF GOD'S ELECT, THOSE WHO TRULY BELIEVE ON CHRIST, SHALL BE PRESERVED BY DIVINE GRACE UNTO ETERNAL GLORY.
That is to say, none of God elect shall perish at last in hell. Those who were chosen of God, redeemed by Christ, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and believe on Christ shall be brought safe to heaven.
When God's people hear these doctrines clearly and truthfully preached, they recognize that they are all true, that they are plainly taught in the Bible. Then, they invariably ask this second question -
2. "WHY DOESN'T MY PASTOR PREACH THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE?"
I am afraid the answer to that question is not hard to find. If your pastor does not preach the doctrines of grace, there can only be one of two reasons. It may be that he is simply ignorant of the Bible and does not know the gospel. Otherwise, the simple fact is, he knows the truth, but he is compromising it for fear of what it might cost him to preach it. In either case, he has no business preaching, and you have no business hearing him.
3. "WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY PASTOR COMPROMISES THE GOSPEL AND REFUSES TO PREACH THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE?"
You know the answer to that question. The thing for you to do is quit hearing aim. If you support a man who compromises the gospel, you are as guilty as he is. It would be wise for you to find a church where people are not ashamed of the gospel, and unite with it. It would be wise for you to find a pastor who faithfully preaches the gospel of God's grace, and listen to what he has to say. If you are really tired of playing the game of religion, why don't you find a man who is speaking for God and through whom God is speaking?
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