The Doctrine Of Grace - Part 3 by Wm. Doyal Thomas - Sovereign Grace Landmark Baptist Pastor

Part Three     According to Vincent L. Milner in his book, RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS OF THE WORLD , 1873 edition, page 170, the religious group known as Universalists are described in a very striking and revealing detail, as follows: "There are two classes of Christians (? WDT) that have passed under the general name , Universalists, so called, and Restorationists. They were formerly reckoned one.
    The Restorationists held the doctrine of punishment in the future state, but maintained that all mankind would be ultimately restored.
    The other class, which embraces but few of either clergy or laity, maintain that every human being, on dying, passes immediately into a state of eternal happiness. They are Unitarians in doctrine, and allege that sin brings its own punishment, and consequently that to punish men in a future state would be unjust."
    Is there any semblance of truth in the position taken and held by the universal salvationist of this, or of any other age? Is it truth that in the ultimate end all of humanity will be saved and thus qualified to live in God's heaven, and in His glorious presence? Is this the whole truth? Is this in any way, fashion, or degree the truth? Can there be a single bit of truth in such a position or belief?
    To be a universal salvationist, or to agree with them is to ascribe shame, dishonor, and failure to the Eternal God, when He has so clearly declared Himself to be God, and thus, as God, worthy to receive all glory, honor, and praise. In order for any creature to have this perverted view of God is to exhibit the depravity of mind and heart that is upon the whole of Adam's race.
    In order for any creature, on the other hand, to live in God's heaven, or to have any fellowship with Him at all requires that the creature must be either (1) as good and as holy as God is, or (2) to have a standing in Someone who is. Do you qualify? Do all creatures qualify, as is demanded by God, and as is imagined to eventually be the case by the universal salvationists?
    Were God to soften His demands that His holiness be upheld and that those who come before Him be as holy as He is, then He would have said, and then not required. Now, were this the case, then God has changed, and is so doing, has ceased to be God. Take note that Paul declares: "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Heb. 12:14) Peter also says, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (I Pet. 1:15-16)
    It should be perfectly clear, even to the human intellect, that the universalists are as far from the truth as it appears a mortal could be. And yet, there are literally thousands, and perhaps even millions of people who live on God's earth and breath His air who publicly declare that they are sure that the universalists are right, and that all mankind will one day live in God's presence in a blissfully happy state. They imagine! 0, they imagine, and that to their everlasting sorrow.
    I wonder. What is the supposed ground on which such a doctrine or position is based? What is it that leads one to believe that he can stand before God? On what basis can sinful man be made fit to live in God's heaven, or anyplace else where there is joy and peace for them? Must God be made to accept man as he is, or will He do so? And if not, then how will man rise to the level of holiness that makes him acceptable to God?
    This heretical teaching is also blasphemy of the rankest sort, because it declares that no satisfaction to the demands of God's holy law is required. It denies the atonement, and in so doing, proclaims that God erred in sending His Son to be Surety for any of mankind, seeing that man will be all right, eventually. It presents God as being stupid, and not as consummately wise, as He declares Himself to be, and as the realities that surround us all prove Him to be.
    All men are not saved, and all men will never, never, ever be saved. That is a fact. All men are not, nor shall they ever be suited to stand in the presence of a Holy God. All men do not desire to be with God, for those who do not love Him, hate Him. They hate God! They hate His Word. They hate His ways. They hate His churches, and they hate His people. In fact, these haters of God and His ways are in a state of enmity against God, and that state will continue into eternity, and it's all because of sin: willful, premeditated, and deliberate sin.       '...the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom. 8:7-8)
    Can it be proven, when relying strictly and solely upon the Scriptures, that all men are not saved, and that they who die unsaved will forever remain unsaved, and thus, separated from God, and from His heaven , and even from His people? Emphatically, YES! This proposition can be, and is proved, using the Scriptures ONLY as the convincing and convicting evidence. Here is this conclusive evidence, from the Scriptures:
    "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou are tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from hence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." (Luke 16:19-31)
    How remarkable this passage of Scripture! And how much it teaches those who have been given spiritual discernment of its message. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." (Rev. 3:22) "If any man have an ear, let him hear." (Rev. 13:9) Can each of we human beings who read the message of Luke, chapter 16, discern what the Spirit of God is saying? Obviously, this is not the case, for were it so, there would be no universal salvationists in all the world.
    This passage of Scripture declares plainly that two men died. One was taken into Abraham's bosom, while the other was buried, " . . . and in hell he lift up his eyes ..." One is in a state of happiness, joy, and bliss, while the other is "in torments". One sought to pass out of his present state, or at least to be given relief from his anguish, while the other was in a state of perfect contentment, and had no desire to relocate, nor to seek any improvement in his circumstances.
    It is also announced that neither of the two could change their situation, and neither could pass into the realm of the other, because there "...is a great gulf fixed..." And so we also read, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." (Rev. 22:11)   And also, "If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be." (Eccel. 11:3)
    Because the circumstances are so drastically different for these two men, who were likely both Hebrews according to the flesh, it can not be argued that one had prior knowledge of directions for living that had been taught for centuries, while the other did not. Even the man in hell had some knowledge of why he was there, and did not protest that he was innocent and should not be there, nor did he plead that his environment had led to his difficulty, nor did he contact the local chapter of the ACLU to ask them to come to his defense.
    But he did request that appropriate witness be provided his brethren in the flesh as to the sureness of punishment for sin. He did not desire that they follow him here, but that they might repent and thus avoid his present state for themselves. He even requested that Lazarus be dispatched from his domain to go to his family to warn them, for, said he, "...but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent".
    The answer that Abraham gives to this resident expert on hell, and on witnessing, and on repentance is most revealing, and it is the same message even for today and for the modern skeptics and universalists who are all around us. What is the answer that he received, and what is the message that is delivered to every lost person who hears these word, or reads this report? "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead". (Luke 16:31)
    Moses, who wrote the books of the Bible known as the Torah (Law) must be involved in what men must believe. What Moses wrote, God dictated. And the message is clearly the message that
specifies who God is, and what He, The Lawgiver requires of those who would approach unto Him and have any access to Him. And the inhabitant of hell is reminded that those who do not come to join him in hell are those who must believe Moses.
    The perfect demands of a holy God, as expressed in His law are exact, being as perfect as God Himself. Nothing less than perfection would come from God, and so, the law is perfect. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." (Psa. 19:7-10)
    Numerous expressions, found in the books that were written by Moses attest to God's perfect nature, His perfect demands upon His creatures, and many are identified who were seen as being
perfect in the eyes of the Lord. "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God". (Gen. 6:8,9) "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect". (Gen. 17:1)
    What God demanded, and caused Moses to declare and to write are the expression of the quality of that which would be brought to God. "But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his vow, or a freewill-offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein". (Lev. 22:21-22)
    All that God said concerning the offerings of sacrifice was intended to hold ever before the people the absolute necessity of a perfect sacrifice. All the offerings that were demanded by the law (the writings of Moses) must be perfect, for they all pointed to the One Perfect Sacrificial Lamb of God! God is Perfection, and He thus demands perfection of His creatures.
    It becomes quite clear that standing before God must be perfect. And since Jesus Christ is Perfection Personified, then all who are now, or ever have, or ever will stand before God accepted must stand in Him who is PERFECT. And the rich man of Luke 16 did not, and does not find standing in Jesus Christ. He therefore stands in his own imperfections; his own sins; and is thereby disqualified from being in God's presence. And so it is with every lost person. They stand in their own imperfections and are not accepted.
    But what of others? What of Lazarus? What of you and I? How is it that anyone can stand before God perfect, seeing that we have "all sinned and come short of the glory of God". (Rom. 3:23)
    Herein lies the wonders of this entire matter. It is not that Noah, or Abram, or Lazarus, or you and/or I are perfect in and of ourselves. It is not that any of these are worthy to even come near unto a Perfect God. It is not that any are acceptable. Rather, it is that all perfectness; all worthiness; all acceptability is not in us, but in Him, "... who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption". (I Cor. 1:30)
    And then, there is this stupendous truth: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places is Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame (perfect) before him in love; Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved". (Eph. 1:3-6)
    Made accepted in the Beloved! How wonderful is this declaration. How marvelous that God has purposed to make His people fit to stand in His presence and to there worship and praise Him forever. He has determined to qualify His people for that eternal state in which they shall live and serve Him. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them". (Eph. 2:4-10)
    God's people have been made accepted in Christ according to the stipulations of the eternal covenant of redemption that God entered into with Himself. God the Son covenanted to become man, and thus to work out a perfect obedience to the law of God, and then to offer Himself as the Perfect Sacrifice in accordance with all the Scriptures (Law and Prophets). In this way, God's people have a standing, in Jesus Christ, which qualifies them to approach unto God and to live in His presence forever.
    Jesus Himself has said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live". (John 5:24-25) And so, we are assured that those for whom Christ has died, He has also enabled to hear His voice, and to believe on Him to the saving of their souls, thus, qualifying them to live in God's heaven.
    But what about the other side of this issue? What about those who live their allotted years, or time, upon this earth and never believe in Him whom God hath sent? What about those who die, as did this rich man, and then go to hell, there to be tormented in the just punishment that these eternal flames inflict upon them? Do they ever have the privilege of going into God's heaven? What keeps them out? What bars their way?
    The answer: Sin has barred their way. Unatoned sin has kept them, and does keep them from coming into God's presence. And that is sufficient to permanently block their way to God, once
death has claimed their mortality. There is no second time around for unrepentant and unatoned for sinners. There is no purgatory from which one can be set free by any means whatsoever, no matter what the teaching by some would have us to believe. Remember this: "If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be". (Eccel. 11:3) Do you remember that? Do you believe that? May God cause you to believe these words of His.
    Sin must be properly punished. And proper punishment means that as to the gravity of the sin against a holy God, the punishment will be meted out. Exactly as God has said, so shall the punishment be. "... Sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death". (Jas. 1:15) And death is eternal separation from God, and from His holiness. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation". (Heb. 9:27-28)
    The context of the above passage shows that Jesus Christ offered Himself, a perfect sacrifice for many. It also shows that there were some who would meet the time appointed for their dying with judgment still before them, even beyond that appointed death. What does this mean? It means that some of humankind will live their lives on this earth, and at God's appointed time will depart this life to face a certain judgment of their sins. That's what this means! And that is an awesome truth. Some men's sins must yet be faced, and judgment of them rendered, and proper punishment , eternal, or without duration be inflicted upon them, because they are guilty sinners.
    But preacher, you may say, "Didn't this same passage teach that Christ has offered Himself for sins"? Yes, that is stated in this passage. But note: "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;..." And so, some were to be beneficiaries of His offering, while future judgment awaits others.
    Does this teaching alert us to the fact that all sins will be punished - some in Jesus Christ as a Penal Substitute, while others will be punished in the eternal flames? It surely does, and all men are without excuse concerning what the word of God says, and what it most explicitly teaches. God's Book teaches that Jesus met the judgment that was due the sins of His people BEFORE He died, seeing that death was the final act that He performed during the time of His first advent. It also teaches that all those who live apart from Him must die one day, and THEN face the judgment of their own sins in hell and in the eternal lake of fire.
    So, we conclude that the universalists are wrong. And so are those who teach that there is no God, and that man does not have to concern himself with any "here-after". We conclude that God, by grace, delivers His people from their sins by the sacrifice of Himself, while He by-passes others and leaves them to their just condemnation. And in doing so, He does them no harm, nor does He worsen their state. He just leaves them to themselves, and thus, they await their own judgment. "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God". (John 3:18)
    The New Hampshire Confession of 1833 has this to say, concerning the eternal choice that God has made of a people: ARTICLE IX: OF GOD'S PURPOSE OF GRACE     [We believe] That Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which he (graciously) regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners; that being perfectly consistent with free agency of man, it comprehends all the means in connection with the end; that it is a most glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, being infinitely [free,] wise, holy and unchangeable; that it utterly excludes boasting, and promotes humility, [love,] prayer, praise, trust in God, and active imitation of his free mercy; that it encourages the use of means in the highest degree; that it is ascertained by its effects in all who [truly] believe the gospel; [that it] is the foundation of Christian assurance; and that to ascertain it with regard to ourselves, demands and deserves our utmost diligence.
    Clearly, those who wrote and adopted this confession believed in the doctrine of grace, and included was the matter of God's election of some (not all) to obtain salvation, "...through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth". And down through the ages, God's saints have believed this truth, and have tenaciously held to it in their doctrine and in their practice, often times to their physical ill. This doctrine of grace has clearly identified the saints of God from others, and has been a mark of clear distinction between the many ways of the world, even in matters ecclesiastical and civil as the merging of these two occurred at the insistence of pedobaptists in every century following the passion of our dear Lord at Calvary.
    Confessions that were written in every century of this age stated this belief, and in such clearly stated terms that there was no mistaking their intent. The London Confession of 1689, and the Philadelphia Confession of 1742 clearly stated this truth. The Anabaptist Confessions of the pre Dark Ages and those that were written during the Dark Ages specified this truth, and none could mistake their intent as to what they wrote, and consequently what they were willing to die for, should the occasion demand it, as was often the case.
    The apostolic age was replete with this doctrine, and Jesus Christ Himself taught election. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out". (John 6:37) Jesus prayed for those that the Father had given to Him, but He did not pray for the world at large, which encompassed all those not given by the Father to the Son in the eternal covenant of redemption. (Read the entire 17th chapter of John for verification).
    When Paul was inspired to write to the Lord's church at Corinth, he declared: "Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures; And that he was seen ... ' (I Cor. 15:1-5)
    Paul said that the gospel was preached, for it is by the foolishness (as viewed by men) of preaching that God saves sinners. And Paul preached the gospel. And God called men, everywhere, preach the gospel, for God uses it (the gospel) in calling His elect from among all men to the saving of their souls (that is, the souls of the elect).
    And what is the gospel? "... how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures; ..." Take note that in this definition of the gospel, Paul said that is was all done "according to the scriptures
    What Scriptures? It could only mean the Old Testament Scriptures for the New Testament record was not yet written in its entirety at that time. But, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works". (II Tim. 3:16-17) These Old Testament demands of perfection, as specified in the writings of Moses (THE LAW), and the predictions of a Messiah who alone would meet those demands (THE PROPHETS) constituted "the scriptures" to which Christ died, was buried, and rose again the third day "according to". Now, these "scriptures" we may not overlook, disregard, nor deny. To do so is to our own peril and loss.
    The rich man of Luke 16 is testimony to the necessity of man believing what God has said relative to His demands, and what He has said relative to His Son who alone has met those demands in the behalf of His elect. To disbelieve what God has said is to identify oneself as being "condemned already", (John 3:18) And hell is the destination of all unbelievers who die in that state.
    Election! What a grand truth. It is the sweetest note in the symphony that God has composed as concerns the salvation of lost sinners. Should that note never have been struck, then none would, or could be saved, for all have sinned. The result would have been that God's masterpiece would have failed and His music be filled with discord and lack of harmony and sweetness.
    Did God elect some men to obtain salvation? "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ". (I Thes. 5:9) Now, since it has been shown that all men are not saved, nor shall all men ever be saved, then this appointment that Paul spoke about must have been restricted to some, but not all. There is no doubt. There is an election, by God, of some men to obtain salvation. Since it has been shown that the universal salvationists are in total error, then this appointment, by God, is that some men are to obtain salvation.
    Why did God do it? Why did God elect some men to this grand privilege and end, and not all? Why any? I do not know, nor will I ever be able to fully comprehend. But this I do know: "Even so, Father,: for so it seemed good in thy sight". (Matt. 11:26)