WesleyGospel Ministries

Wickedness is prevalent among the rich, but it is also prevalent among the poor. However, because the poor go through experiences of being broken, unlike the rich:–I believe the poor are automatically closer to repentance and faith than the unregenerate rich. But can a rich man be regenerated by the Holy Spirit at all? Yes: “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26), but he will have to practice extravagant philanthropy to the poor to even things out–in Jesus’ name, as Scrooge did after his conversion. The rich, unlike the poor, will have to take special care to avoid THE SINS OF THE RICH warned against in the Bible: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). If a rich man can’t avoid the temptations, traps, foolish, and harmful desires of the rich–then it would be better for him to live totally BROKE, until he learns how to SERVE GOD WITH HIS MONEY, instead of hating God and serving money as an end in itself: resulting in selfish accumulation of possessions, toys, diversions, entertainments, and pleasures for himself. And a snobby attitude.

FOOLISH AND HARMFUL DESIRES

Gary North, commenting on 1 Timothy 6:9-10, said: “When it says they have erred from the faith it means ‘wandered away.’ They were sidetracked, in other words. They have also pierced themselves with pain, Paul says. These are self-inflicted wounds…Paul is saying that God-fearing people have been deflected from the true faith and have injured themselves, all for the love of money. He is not speaking here of covenant-keepers in general. He has in mind specific people…There are many who pursue riches. Christ made it as clear as possible that the attainment of true riches involves two things: trust in God regarding the availability of capital in history, and trust in the preservation of one’s accumulated treasure in eternity…The covenant-keeper therefore should act consistently in history with what he believes about eternity. He has faith in continuity: charitable giving in this life produces wealth for eternity. Doing with less in history means mansions in eternity” (Hierarchy and Dominion: An Economic Commentary on First Timothy, pp. 173-176).

CHARITABLE GIVING

DOING WITH LESS

Originally from here.

OSAS = Once Saved, Always Saved / Eternal Security

Conditional Security – The Biblical doctrine of apostasy; possibility of losing your salvation.

I agree with various early church fathers, such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Cyprian; and theologians such as Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther (the Augsburg Confession), the Council of Trent, Thomas Cranmer (the 39 Articles), John Wesley, the Free Will Baptists, and Robert Shank–that the Bible teaches–especially in Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-29; and 2 Peter 2:20-22, that real Christians can lose their salvation if they shipwreck their faith and holiness. And that personal knowledge of one’s own predestination and final salvation are impossible in this life, except perhaps in some rare cases of private revelation.–edit, 12/20/14.

Solid Biblical writings on conditional security:

1. Martin Luther – Luther’s Works, vol 30 (The Catholic Epistles)
2. John Wesley’s Predestination Calmly Considered
3. John Wesley’s Serious Thoughts Upon the Perseverance of the Saints
4. I. H. Marshall’s Kept by the Power of God: A Study of Perseverance and Falling Away
5. Robert Shank’s Life in the Son: A Study in the Doctrine of Perseverance
6. David Anderson’s Conditional Security
7. Daniel Corner’s The Believer’s Conditional Security (801 pages)
8. Daniel Corner’s The Myth of Eternal Security

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Hebrews 6:4-6: “It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”

Hebrews 10:26-29: “If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”

2 Peter 2:20-22: “If, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit’ (Proverbs 26:11), ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.'”

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I. AUGUSTINE – CONDITIONAL SECURITY / OSAS MIXTURE

The first extensive discussion of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is found in Augustine’s Treatise on the Gift of Perseverance, written in A.D. 428 or 429 in the context of the controversies with Pelagius on the issues of grace, original sin, and predestination. [1] At the very outset Augustine affirms the grace of God as the ultimate basis for the believer’s final perseverance: “I assert…that the perseverance by which we persevere in Christ even to the end is the gift of God.” [2] From a human perspective it is inscrutable why, given two pious men, one should be given the grace of final perseverance and the other not. From a divine perspective it must be the case that the individual who perseveres is among the predestined while the other is not. [3] The one who fails to persevere has not been called according to God’s plan and chosen in Christ according to God’s purpose. [4] [i.e., was never saved in the first place, edit]

God’s sovereignty in election and predestination, then, is the basis for Augustine’s understanding of final perseverance. The grace of God

“which both begins a man’s faith and which enables it to persevere unto the end is not given in respect of our merits, but is given according to His own most secret and at the same time most righteous, wise, and beneficent will; since those whom He predestinated, them He also called, with that calling of which it is said, ‘The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.'” [5]

It is clear for Augustine, based on his understanding of the Pauline texts in Romans, that God’s elect will certainly persevere to the end and attain eternal salvation.

Unlike Calvin and those in the later Reformed tradition, however, Augustine does not believe that the Christian can in this life know with infallible certitude that he is in fact among the elect and that he will finally persevere. [Edit: this contradicts 1 John, which says those who love Christ and keep His commandments can know that they are saved or “know God”]. According to Augustine “it is uncertain whether anyone has received this gift so long as he is still alive.” [6] The believer’s life in this world is a state of trial, and he who seems to stand must take heed lest he fall. [look at Augustine’s confusion: he basically says, “Live as if you believe in conditional security, but teach that all those who persevere to the end of life were the only ones who were saved at all.”] [7] It is possible to experience the renewal of baptismal regeneration [I reject that; the doctrine that baptism imparts the Holy Spirit and basically saves you all by itself], and the justifying grace of God, [8] and yet not persevere to the end. The recognition of this possibility should make the believer’s confession of faith “lowly and submissive” and lead to continued dependence on the grace of God. Augustine’s understanding of perseverance, then, reflects his understanding of the eternal predestination of God, the warning passages addressed to believers in the NT, and his sacramental theology of grace and baptismal regeneration. He held that God’s elect will certainly persevere but that one’s election could not be infallibly known in this life [that is, Augustine had no doctrine of assurance: contradicts 1 John, Romans 8, etc] — and that in fact one’s justification and baptismal regeneration could be rejected and lost through sin and unbelief [Augustine admits conditional security!?]. Augustine’s understanding set the parameters for Aquinas, for the Council of Trent, and for the Roman Catholic tradition generally down to the present day.

II. THOMAS AQUINAS – LEANS MORE TO CONDITIONAL SECURITY

In the Summa Theologica Thomas Aquinas discusses the doctrine of perseverance in several places, once under the rubric of “The Necessity of Grace” and again in relation to “Virtue, and Vices.” [9] He builds upon the thought of Augustine and attempts to integrate it with the ethical insights of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and his own philosophical understanding of the freedom of the human will.

Aquinas distinguishes three senses of the term “perseverance.” In the first instance it refers to a disposition or habit of mind whereby “a man stands steadfastly, lest he be moved by the assault of the sadness from what is virtuous.” [10] A second sense, also ethical in nature, focuses on the intentionality of the moral agent: Perseverance is the inclination whereby “a man has the purpose of persevering in good unto the end.” [11] In a third and more strictly theological sense, perseverance is “the abiding in good to the end of life” — that is, “final perseverance.” [12] Like Augustine, Aquinas believes that one who has been justified by grace stands continually in need of the grace of God, since the justified can turn away and be finally lost. “For to many grace is given to whom perseverance in grace is not given.” [13]

Thomas’ teaching on perseverance reflects his understanding of the human will. Free will by its very nature is changeable, and this changeability is not taken away by grace. Consequently in the present life it is not in the power of the human will, considered in itself, even though “repaired by grace, to abide unchangeably in the good.” [14] Though it is in the power of the will to choose the good, “it is often in our power to choose yet not to accomplish.” [15] Aquinas seems to be saying here that good intentions do not guarantee good results. Nevertheless with the assistance of divine grace it is possible for the justified to continue to will the good and to persevere to the end. [16]

III. MARTIN LUTHER – CONDITIONAL SECURITY | BUT OSAS “IN THEORY”

Luther’s understanding of perseverance clearly bears marks of the Roman Catholic tradition and yet differs from it on the key point of the believer’s present certitude of the experience of grace. In the context of a late medieval Church whose theology and practices mitigated against such certitude, Luther is horrified that the pope “should have entirely prohibited the certainty and assurance of divine grace.” [17] The preacher’s essential task is to make the hearers sure of their salvation. “If you want to preach to a person in a comforting way,” urged Luther in a midweek sermon on Matthew 18:21-22, “then do it so that he who hears you is certain that he is in God’s favor, or be silent altogether.” [18] Preachers who make their hearers doubt are “good for nothing.” Assurance that one is presently in a state of grace is foundational to the Christian life. “I must be able to say,” stated the great reformer, “I know that I have a gracious God and that my works, performed in this faith and according to this Word, are good fruits and are pleasing to Him.” [19]

A sermon that assures the believer of how he stands with God is true and presents the pure word of Christ. A sermon that fails to do this is “a lie and the devil’s doctrine,” and such preachers may as well be the “devil’s confessor” and a “preacher in the abyss of Hell.” [20] Luther was hardly one to mince his words on this point.

Like Augustine, Luther believed that regeneration occurred through the waters of baptism. “But,” noted the Reformer, “all of us do not remain with our baptism. Many fall away from Christ and become false Christians.” [21] In his commentary on 2 Peter 2:22 he writes as follows on apostates in the Church: “Through baptism these people threw out unbelief, had their unclean way of life washed away, and entered into a pure life of faith and love. Now they fall away into unbelief and their own works, and they soil themselves again in filth.” [22]

One who has experienced the justifying grace of God through faith can lose that justification through unbelief or false confidence in works. “Indeed, even the righteous man,” writes Luther in his comments on Galatians 5:4, “if he presumes to be justified by those works, loses the righteousness he has and falls from the grace by which he had been justified, since he has been removed from a good land to one that is barren.” [23]

Martin Luther shared with the Roman Catholic Church of his day the belief that the grace of baptismal regeneration and justification could be lost. On these points he was in agreement with Augustine and Aquinas. Where he differed was on the matter of assurance, being more confident than the Catholic tradition of his time that the believer could enjoy great certitude of his present state of grace. Whether the believer, now in a state of grace, would remain in grace to the end was for Luther an open question. On the one hand, so far as God is concerned Luther believed that the heavenly Father desired the believer’s eternal salvation in Christ. Nevertheless from the believer’s side it is possible to turn aside from the grace of God and be lost, even after the pilgrimage has begun. Consequently the believer must always take heed lest he fall. [24]

This same tension on the matter of final perseverance — “secure in Christ, insecure in one’s self’ — is also reflected in the Lutheran confessions of the sixteenth century. On the one hand, article 12 of the Augsburg Confession of 1530 condemns the Anabaptist teaching that once justified, the believer cannot lose the Spirit of God. [25] In the Lutheran view, final apostasy is a genuine possibility for the baptized and justified believer. One the other hand, while the contents of God’s eternal decree of election are known infallibly only to God, the believer, by focusing on Jesus Christ as preached in the Gospel and presented by the promises of Scripture, can find “sweet consolation” in “this most wholesome doctrine” of predestination, according to the Formula of Concord of 1584. Through present and lively faith in the Christ of the Gospel “we are rendered certain that by mere grace, without any merit of our own, we are chosen in Christ to eternal life, and that no one can pluck us out of His hands.” [26] There is paradox, then, in the Lutheran understanding of final perseverance. While the matter is theoretically uncertain, for a believer it can become existentially certain, to the extent that the believer maintains unwavering faith in the promises of the Gospel and so grows in confidence that he has in fact been included in God’s gracious election to salvation.

IV. JOHN CALVIN – 100% OSAS | GODLY CONFUSION | UNCERTAINTY

Like Augustine, Aquinas and Luther before him, Calvin grounded the understanding of final perseverance on the doctrine of election. With respect to the gift of perseverance, writes Calvin, there is no doubt that God “applies this idea to all the elect.” [27] According to Calvin, when Christ declares that “every tree that my Father has not planted will be uprooted (Matt 15:13), he conversely implies that those rooted in God can never be pulled up from salvation.” [28] This comment reflects a distinction between the visible and invisible Church. While false confessors in the visible Church may be uprooted, the elect of God’s true invisible Church will endure to the end.

Like Luther, Calvin believes that the Christian can enjoy moral certitude of his present state of grace. Calvin, however, has greater confidence than Luther and the Catholic tradition before him that the believer can also have great assurance of his election and final perseverance. When the church father Gregory the Great, for example, “teaches that we are aware only of our call but unsure of our election, he is badly and dangerously in error.” [edit. This contradicts Peter’s exhortation for saints to make their calling and election sure, by personal human choice and effort (2 Peter 1:10)].  [29] Gregory’s error was to make election depend upon the merits of works rather than transferring the believer’s confidence to a trust in God’s goodness. [30]

Calvin also differs from Luther in his understanding of regeneration. According to Calvin, once the Spirit brings a person to regeneration this reality cannot be lost. This view is apparent in Calvin’s comment on 1 John 3:9 (“No one born of God commits sin, for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God”). Calvin argues that the apostle John “plainly declares that the Spirit continues his grace in us to the last, so that inflexible perseverance is added to newness of life.” [31] Can the fear and love of God be extinguished in the truly regenerate? No, because “the seed, communicated when God regenerates His elect, as it is incorruptible, retains its virtue perpetually.” [edit., an unnecessary conclusion; Even semen, or if you like farm seeds, if they are not cultivated properly, will fail to produce a baby, or a healthy crop.] [32] The “seed” is the presence of God’s new life in the believer. While regeneration is irreversible [edit., the Anabaptist error, according to Luther] and leads to final perseverance, in the visible Church it is not humanly possible to infallibly distinguish the truly regenerate from those who are not. [edit., ridiculous! 1 John completely contradicts such a notion!]. Even the reprobate, writes Calvin in his commentary on Hebrews 6:4, may “enjoy some taste of His grace.” The Spirit can produce some initial stirring “even in the reprobate, which afterwards vanishes away, either because it did not strike roots sufficiently deep, or because it withers, being choked up.” [edit., foul logic; what’s the point? If God were like that, it would mean He’s toying with souls.] [33] A person may experience feelings of remorse for sin, make a public profession of faith, and yet not be truly regenerate, according to Calvin. Such temporary faith is not to be confused with the genuine saving faith that endures to eternal life. [edit., oh blessed uncertainty, praise be confusion! “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33)].

Even though Calvin believes that regeneration is irreversible and that the believer can have assurance of his own election and final perseverance, he does not conclude that the Christian has any cause for spiritual complacency. Persevering in God’s grace requires, on the human side, “severe and arduous effort.” [34] From our human perspective the Christian’s circumstances are very uncertain, and the believer at times can feel that his life “hangs only by a thread, and is encompassed by a thousand deaths.” [35] The believer needs to continually feed his soul on the preaching of the Word and to grow in faith throughout the whole course of life. [36] Since it is easy for the believer to fall away for a time from the grace of God, there is constant need for “striving and vigilance, if we would persevere in the grace of God.” [37]

Calvin thus balances his theological certitudes with pastoral warnings. At the pastoral level, Calvin’s position does not greatly differ from that of Luther’s or the earlier Catholic tradition. The believer must continually exercise faith and obedience to make “his calling and election sure.”

V. COUNCIL OF TRENT – 100% CONDITIONAL SECURITY

The definitive reply of the Roman Catholic Church to the Reformers’ teachings on the doctrines of grace was formulated at the Council of Trent. Earlier, in June of 1520, Pope Leo X had responded in a preliminary way in the bull Exsurge Domine to forty-one propositions of Luther relating to free will, original sin, penance, confession and other matters. The sixth session of the Council of Trent, lasting from June 21, 1546, until January 13, 1547, was one of the most important and addressed the issues of grace, justification and perseverance. In chapter 12 it is affirmed that no believer should presume to have certain knowledge of his own predestination: “No one, so long as he lives in this mortal life, ought to be presumptuous about the deep mystery of divine predestination as to decide with certainty that he is definitely among the number of the predestined.” [edit., AMEN!, the 39 Articles basically say the same thing]. [38] It is in fact impossible, apart from a special revelation, to know whom God has chosen for salvation. [39]

If this is the case, then it follows that neither can one know with certitude one’s final perseverance. “Let no one feel assured of this gift with an absolute certitude,” it is stated in chapter 13, “although all ought to have most secure hope in the help of God.” [40] [edit., = CONDITIONAL SECURITY]

These positions are restated in the “Canons on Justification.” According to canon 15: “If anyone says that a man who has been reborn and justified is bound by faith to believe that he is certainly in the number of the predestined, let him be anathema.” [41] Likewise in canon 16 it is stated: “If anyone says that he has absolute and infallible certitude that he will certainly have the great gift of final perseverance, without having learned this from a special revelation: let him be anathema.” [42]

Although occasioned by new historical circumstances — the teachings of Luther and Calvin — the statements of Trent in themselves are not essentially new but are restatements of the earlier positions of Augustine and Aquinas. Trent attempts to refute what it considers the presumptuous confidence of the Protestant Reformers while not denying a reasonable hope to the faithful believer. [edit., I knew a Calvinist street preacher who once said, “I’m so stinkin’ saved, there’s nothing that can make be become lost.” Sounded pretty presumptuous regarding his future.] Pastoral caution is necessary, since the believer faces great spiritual opposition throughout his earthly pilgrimage. “Knowing that they are reborn into the hope of glory (cf. 1 Peter 1:3), and not unto glory itself, they should be in dread about the battle they must wage with the flesh, the world, and the devil.” [43]

As understood by later Catholic theologians, the teaching of Trent presupposes that final perseverance rests neither in the human will alone nor in God’s grace alone but in the combination of both — that is, “Divine grace aiding human will and human will cooperating with Divine grace.” [edit., SYNERGISM] [44] Yet even though the believer cannot infallibly know his own final perseverance, it would be erroneous to conclude that no efforts can be made toward that end. Final perseverance comes through the power of persistent prayer, as Alphonsus Liguori, Francis de Sales and Catherine of Genoa have emphasized in various ways. Scripture gives assurance that God infallibly hears the prayers that seek the true well-being of the justified believer. [45]

VI. ANGLICAN CREEDS – AMBIGUOUS (XVII) | CONDITIONAL SECURITY (XVI)

The Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England were promulgated in 1563 and are rooted in the various creedal discussions taking place among the English Reformers during the reign of Henry VIII. They represent a revision of the Forty-Two Articles of 1553, which were largely the work of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. [46]

Article 17, “Of Predestination and Election,” states that those whom God has chosen in Christ for eternal salvation are not only called, justified, adopted and sanctified, but “at length, by God’s mercy, they attain to everlasting felicity.” Like Augustine, Aquinas, Luther and Calvin, this article teaches that God’s elect will finally persevere to eternal salvation. On the question, however, of what degree of certitude the believer can enjoy in this life concerning his own election, the Thirty-Nine Articles are cautious if not ambiguous. The same article 17 states that a “godly consideration of…our election in Christ is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons” and helps to “confirm their faith of eternal salvation to be enjoyed through Christ.” [47] This seems to teach that a believer can have a meaningful degree of assurance concerning his election and perseverance and yet stay short of the certitude claimed by Calvin and later by the Westminster divines and by the Synod of Dort. This caution in theological expression reflects the character and purpose of the Thirty-Nine Articles, which were designed to provide a minimal creedal basis for a national Church that could accommodate both the Catholic and Protestant traditions. [48] [edit., a healthy foundation for Evangelical mysticism]

The Lambeth Articles of 1595 are a Calvinistic appendix to the Thirty-Nine Articles. They were endorsed by a number of English prelates meeting at Lambeth palace in London, November 20, 1595, but not officially sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth. [49] They were later incorporated into the Irish Articles of Religion. Article 5 states that a true justifying faith never is totally extinguished. It is further stated, in article 6, that the truly justified believer “is certain, with the full assurance of faith, of the remission of his sins and of his everlasting salvation by Christ.” [50] This statement represents an explicitly Calvinistic position on the matter of assurance and final perseverance, a matter left more ambiguous in the Thirty-Nine Articles.

The Irish Articles of Religion, probably composed by Archbishop James Ussher, were adopted by the Irish Episcopal Church in 1615. They reflect the then prevailing Calvinism of that church and form an important historical connecting link between the Thirty-Nine Articles and the Westminster Confession as the chief source of the latter. [51] Those who are predestined to life do, by God’s mercy, “attain to everlasting felicity,” according to article 15. Article 37 affirms that a true believer “may be certain, by the assurance of faith, of the forgiveness of his sins, and of his everlasting salvation by Christ.” [52] The similarity of this statement to the Lambeth Articles that preceded it and the Westminster Confession that was to follow it is quite evident.

VII. JAMES ARMINIUS – UNCERTAIN ABOUT CONDITIONAL SECURITY

James Arminius (1560-1609), from whom the Arminian theological tradition derives its name, studied under Beza at Geneva, served as a minister in Amsterdam, and was appointed professor of theology at the University of Leyden in 1603. While defending the Calvinistic position against the writings of Dirik zoon Koornheert he became persuaded by the arguments of the opponent and became a convert to the doctrines of universal grace and freedom of the will. [53] The ensuing theological controversy spread throughout Holland and ultimately led to the convening of the Synod of Dort in 1618, nine years after Arminius’ death.

Arminius claimed that many of his positions had been misunderstood by his opponents. On the matter of the perseverance of the saints he wrote that true believers “possess sufficient powers to fight against Satan, sin, the world and their own flesh” so that those who call on Christ for help are preserved from falling. [54] Satan is not powerful enough to wrest the faithful believer from the hands of Christ. He states that he “never taught that a true believer can either totally or finally fall away from the faith, and perish,” and yet he allows that there are Biblical texts that appear to indicate the possibility of a negligent believer falling away and being lost. He believes the issue is one for further investigation. [55] Arminius affirmed, then, that while he had not explicitly denied the Calvinistic position on perseverance he entertained the possibility (of conditional security) that the contrary could be true, though he was not yet prepared to state explicitly that it actually was true. After the death of Arminius the leadership of the movement passed into the hands of Simon Episcopius (1583-1644), his successor in the chair of theology at Leyden, and Janus Uytenbogaert (1557-1644), a preacher at the Hague.

In 1610 the Arminian party, under the leadership of Uytenbogaert, formalized their position in Five Articles, also known as the Remonstrance. The fifth article, dealing with perseverance, stated that it was possible by God’s power for the believer to persevere and that there was no necessity of falling away in spite of the power of the world, the flesh and the devil. “But whether,” they added, it was possible for true believers to forsake life in Christ and become devoid of grace “must be more particularly determined out of the Holy Scripture, before we ourselves can teach it with the full persuasion of our minds.” [56] Arminius’ immediate successors thus maintained their leader’s ambivalence on this point. In his understanding of predestination, Arminius had concluded that God’s decree of particular individuals to be saved depended on “the foreknowledge of God, by which he knew from eternity who…would believe, and in consequence of grace afterwards obtained, would persevere.” [57]

In this conditional understanding of predestination (conditional predestination; conditional election), God’s decree is based on the divine foreknowledge of the contingent acts of the human will. God’s grace is necessary for salvation but is not alone sufficient, apart from the cooperation of the human will. Given equal access to divine grace, the human will becomes the decisive factor that distinguishes those who accept the Gospel from those who reject it. If the beginning of life in Christ is contingent upon the human will, and if its continuation is likewise contingent, it seems logically consistent that final perseverance is likewise contingent — and that falling away must be a genuine possibility. This implication of the conditional understanding of predestination, implicit in Arminius, was made explicit in the later Arminian tradition.

VIII. THE SYNOD OF DORT – 100% OSAS | TULIP CALVINISM

The Synod of Dort (Dordrecht) met in 1618-1619 and marked the victory of strict Calvinistic orthodoxy within the Reformed churches of the Netherlands. [58] The synod had a somewhat international character, being composed not only of delegates from Holland but also of twenty-seven delegates from foreign countries. Under the “Fifth Head of Doctrine” the synod addresses the question of the perseverance of the saints and affirms, against the Arminian teaching, that God does not “wholly withdraw the Holy Spirit from His own people in their grievous falls,” nor does He permit them to lose their state of adoption and justification. [59] The final perseverance of the saints is grounded in God’s “unchangeable purpose of election.” [60] On this point the synod shares common ground with Augustine and Aquinas. The synod goes on to say, however, that final perseverance is also grounded in the nature of regeneration. Even when believers commit serious sin, God “preserves in them the incorruptible seed of regeneration” and prevents it from perishing or being totally lost. [61] 1 John 3:9 and 1 Peter 1:23 are cited as Scriptural support. This Calvinistic understanding of the nature of regeneration as a permanent state of the soul differs from both the Roman Catholic and Lutheran understandings.

The synod affirms that believers do obtain assurance of their final perseverance “according to the measure of their faith.” [62] This “comfortable assurance” does not preclude all doubt and temptation and does not come apart from the Scriptures but from the witness of the Holy Spirit to the promises of God. [63] In a further pastoral note the synod also affirms that the saints do in fact persevere through the faithful use of God’s appointed means of grace: the hearing and reading of God’s Word, the exhortations and warnings it contains, and the right use of the sacraments. [64] [edit., Sounds like a confused and false motive for holy living; Calvinism breeds confusion. It it is not logical to teach people, “You’re already going to be saved from Hell, because God predestined you. Since you personally know that you are predestined, you can rest in comfort that there is no way you will ever go to Hell. Oh, and by the way–here’s how to live holy.” The Bible does not teach holiness in such a passive way; it says, “Without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14): that is, without holy living, the consequence is Hell forever. That’s conditional security.].

IX. THE WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY – 100% OSAS

The Westminster Confession of 1646 was written by the assembly that met in Westminster Abbey during the English Civil War. The Confession and catechisms produced by this body became the dominant creedal standards of the Presbyterian churches in the English-speaking world and also influenced various Congregational and Baptist denominations in England and America. [65]

Chapter 17 of the Confession, “Of the Perseverance of the Saints,” affirms: “They whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.” [66] The final perseverance of the believer depends not upon free will but upon the immutability of God’s decree of election, the unchangeable love of God, the efficacy of Christ’s intercession, and the abiding power of God’s Spirit and the seed of regeneration. [67]

In the following chapter, “Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation,” the Confession goes on to state that true believers “may in this life be assured that they are in a state of grace.” [68] The answer to question 80 in the Larger Catechism is if anything even more explicit, stating that believers may be “infallibly assured that they are in the estate of grace, and shall persevere therein unto salvation.” [69] The believer’s assurance of the state of grace affirmed by Luther is extended to assurance of final perseverance. [edit., that is, the Westminster Confession went further than Martin Luther did on perseverance; it presumed to say that Christians can not only have assurance of their present salvation, but also of their future salvation at the point of death!]

A century after the Reformation the divines of Westminster gave to the positions of Calvin a degree of precision and comprehensiveness that has remained a theological benchmark for the conservative Reformed tradition down to the present day.

X. JOHN WESLEY – 100% CONDITIONAL SECURITY

In the earlier part of his life, in 1743, the great Methodist Reformer said that he was “inclined to believe that there is a state attainable in this life from which a man cannot finally fall.” [70] Wesley renounced this view in his later years.

In the treatise “Predestination Calmly Considered” Wesley observed that believers might infer from their own experience of grace that it is impossible to finally fall away. [71] Nevertheless, whatever assurance God might give to particular souls “I find no general promise in Holy Writ, ‘that none who once believes shall finally fall.'” [72] Scripture, and not personal experience or inferences drawn from it, states Wesley, must be decisive in the matter. [73]

In his treatise “Serious Thoughts on the Perseverance of the Saints” Wesley allows that the apostle Paul — and many believers today — were fully persuaded of their final perseverance. [74] Nevertheless such an assurance does not prove that every believer will persevere or that every believer enjoys such assurance. [75] Based on his reading of Hebrews 6:4, 6; 10:26-29; 2 Peter 2:20-21 and other NT texts, Wesley is persuaded that a true believer can make shipwreck of his faith and perish everlastingly. [76] In the brief treatise “What Is an Arminian?” Wesley points to the integral connection between a given understanding of the nature of predestination and the nature of perseverance. The Calvinistic views of irresistible grace and final perseverance “are the natural consequence…of the unconditional decree,” he observes. “For if God has eternally and absolutely decreed to save such and such persons, it follows, both that they cannot resist this saving grace…and that they cannot finally fall from that grace which they cannot resist.” [77]

In rejecting the view of unconditional predestination Wesley consistently rejected the consequence of infallible perseverance. Just as predestination was understood to be contingent upon the foreseen positive response of the human will to the Gospel, so Wesley believed that final perseverance was contingent upon the continuing cooperation of the believer’s [free] will with the justifying and sanctifying grace of God.

XI. BAPTIST CONFESSIONS IN AMERICA – FREE WILL
BAPTISTS (CONDITIONAL SECURITY) vs. SOUTHERN BAPTISTS (100% OSAS)

Baptist creeds in America reflect both Calvinistic and Arminian influences. The New Hampshire Confession, commissioned by the New Hampshire Baptist Convention and published in 1833, reflects the moderate Calvinism of its time. Chapter 11, “Of the Perseverance of the Saints,” states that “such only are real believers as endure unto the end…they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” [78] No mention is made of any connection between predestination and perseverance, and the article is silent on the matter of assurance of final perseverance.

Subsequent to the revival sparked by George Whitefield’s preaching, an Arminian group of “Free Will” Baptists arose in New England and later organized as a denomination. Their creedal distinctives were published in 1834 under the title “A Treatise of the Faith of the Freewill Baptists.” [79] According to chapter 11: “As the regenerate are placed in a state of trial during this life, their future obedience and final salvation are neither determined nor certain.” [80] This statement clearly presupposes the Arminian understanding of conditional election and affirms the possibility of a truly regenerate believer falling away and being finally lost. Nevertheless it is the believer’s privilege to be “steadfast in the truth, to grow in grace, to persevere in holiness, and make their election sure.” [81]

The “Abstract of Principles” was adopted by the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1859 and represents a Southern Baptist interpretation of the Westminster Confession. Its Calvinistic orientation is clear in chapter 13, where it is declared that those “whom God hath accepted in the Beloved, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end.” [82]

In 1925, in the midst of the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversies, the Southern Baptist Convention issued its “Statement of Baptist Faith and Message.” Chapter 11 on perseverance states: “All real believers endure to the end…They are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” [83] This language is reminiscent of the New Hampshire Confession of 1833 and reflects a Calvinism moderated by the Arminian influences within the Southern Baptist churches.

XII. DISPENSATIONAL INTERPRETATION – Israel = Apostate | Church = OSAS

Dispensationalist interpreters reflect the Calvinistic point of view in the matter of perseverance and eternal security. Lewis Sperry Chafer devoted two chapters to the subject in one of his books. He argued that certain passages such as Matthew 24:13, thought to teach the possibility of the believer’s final apostasy, were “dispensationally misapplied” and applied to Israel alone, not to the Church. [edit., totally ridiculous, illogical, and unnatural reading of the text]. [84] Similarly a warning passage such as Hebrews 6:4-6 is directed toward Hebrews and does not describe a true Christian experience of salvation. [edit., correction: it is directed towards Hebrew Christians]. [85] Chafer appeals to the eternal purposes of God, the substitutionary atonement, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, the unconditional nature of the New Covenant, the priestly intercession of the risen Christ, the eternal character of salvation, and the believer’s heavenly perfection to argue for the certainty of a true believer’s final perseverance. [86]

The Dispensationalist point of view received wide dissemination in the notes of the Scofield Reference Bible. In the most recent edition the notes to Hebrews 6:4-6 state that v. 4, commonly rendered “and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,” should be translated “and were going along with the Holy Spirit.” According to the editors the various experiences described in vv. 4-6 may “accompany salvation, but they do not always result in salvation.” The Christian’s eternal security is said to be taught in passages such as John 3:15-16, 36; 10:27-30; Romans 8:35, 37-39; Ephesians 1:12-14; Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 10:12-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5. [87] The warnings in Hebrews 6:4-6 are directed toward those who have been instructed and even moved by the Holy Spirit but have never truly committed themselves to Christ. [edit., The forceful and admonishing nature of the chapter makes it personal; it is unnatural to treat the passage as abstract and generalized.] [88]

XIII. PERSEVERANCE IN RECENT SCHOLARSHIP

From the Calvinistic perspective the most comprehensive monograph in recent years was written by G. C. Berkouwer, who is concerned to highlight the “existential” dimensions of the doctrine so that belief in perseverance might not become a “theological gnosis” or mere logical conclusion deduced from a concept of divine predestination. Perseverance, stresses Berkouwer, “is realized in the frail and threatened lives of believers only through prayer and exhortation, through preaching and sacraments.” [89] To separate the doctrine of perseverance from the actual life of faith would petrify it into a “mere play of concepts drained of all life.” [90] This is Berkouwer’s way of stating, given his perspective, that in the plan of God certain ends (the final perseverance of the elect) are ordained only in conjunction with specific means: the faith and obedience of believers. The “existential” emphasis has considerable unity with the Lutheran insistence on present living faith as the key to the believer’s assurance.

I. Howard Marshall has written a major treatment from a Wesleyan perspective. Marshall’s work examines the OT and Jewish background and then in seven chapters discusses the relevant NT passages. He concludes that “while it is possible for a Christian to fail to persevere after a genuine experience of salvation…the main emphasis of the New Testament is on confidence and assurance of final salvation.” [91] The NT, he says, knows neither the “rigid logic of Calvinism” nor the “casualness of Arminianism” but “teaches us to put our trust in God.” [92]

Robert Shank has provided the most comprehensive recent work on the subject from an Arminian perspective. Apostasy, he argues, is a genuine possibility for every believer, and the NT passages in his judgment teach that the believer’s security in Christ is conditional rather than unconditional. John 10:28, for example, should be translated “I am giving them eternal life.” Christ’s giving of eternal life is contingent upon “their habitual listening and following.” [93] Hebrews 6:4-6 describes actual, not hypothetical, apostasy. [94] With respect to Philippians 1:6, another favorite “assurance” text, Shank comments that it was “on the ground of their steadfastness” that Paul felt that his confidence was fully justified. [95] The sum of the NT teaching, according to Shank, is that “eternal life in Christ is our present possession only on the condition of a present living faith.” [96]

In a recent work Dale Moody addresses the issue of “Salvation and Apostasy.” Based on his study of the NT passages Moody concludes that “superficial believers are not the only type” who fall away. [97] This conclusion is at variance with the official Southern Baptist position, but it is time, according to Moody, “to put the plain teachings of Scripture above all human traditions.” [98]

XIV. CONCLUSIONS

This review of the history of the doctrine of perseverance has shown that the critical theological issues in the debate are:

(1) the nature of election,
(2) the degree to which a believer can be certain of his or her election, and
(3) the nature of regeneration as a permanent or potentially impermanent state.

Calvin, Arminius and Wesley agreed that if election were unconditional, then final perseverance would logically follow as a matter of course. Augustine and Aquinas affirmed unconditional election but taught that believers did not enjoy infallible certitude of their election and hence of their final perseverance. Luther believed that the Christian could have certitude concerning the present state of grace but not concerning final perseverance. Like the Roman Catholic tradition that preceded him and the Wesleyan tradition that succeeded him, Luther did not see regeneration as inextricably linked with final salvation. The Calvinistic tradition has understood election as unconditional, regeneration as permanent, and certitude of final perseverance as a genuine possibility for the believer.

Further progress in the study of this doctrine calls for continuing exegetical studies of the pertinent Biblical texts on election, regeneration, and warnings of apostasy as well as new theological and epistemological analyses of the grounds and extent of assurance in the NT.

Notes

[1] Citations of the treatise are from The Works of Aurelius Augustine, vol 15, Anti-Pelagian Works (ed. M. Dods; T and T Clark, 1876). The Latin title is De Dono Perseverantiae, “On the Benefit of Perseverance.”
[2] Ibid. 172 (chap 1). [3] Ibid. 187 (chap 21). [4] Ibid. 188 (chap 21). The references are to Rom 8:28; Eph 1:4.
[5] Ibid. 200-201 (chap.33). Augustine cites Rom 8:30; Rom 11:29 in relation to God’s predestining the elect.
[6] Ibid. 172 (chap 1). [7] Ibid. 201 (chap 33). The reference is to 1 Cor 10:12.
[8] Ibid. 188 (chap 21). For Augustine, justification and regeneration (through baptism) are spiritual graces that can be rejected and lost.
[9] Citations are from the Summa Theologica translation of the English Dominican Province (NY: Benziger, 1947).
[10] Summa Theologica I-II, Q. 109, Art. 10. [11] Ibid. [12] Ibid. [13] Ibid.
[14] Summa Theologica II-II, Q. 137, Art. 4. [15] Ibid. [16] Ibid.
[17] Cited in J . Kostlin, The Theology of Luther (Lutheran Publication Society, 1897), 2:462.
[18] Cited in What Luther Says (compiled by E. Plass; Concordia, 1959), 3:1116.
[19] Luther’s Works (ed. J . Pelikan; Concordia, 1961), 24:218. [20] Ibid.
[21] Cited in What Luther Says, 1:280.
[22] Luther’s Works (ed. J. Pelikan; Concordia, 1967), 30:190.
[23] Luther’s Works (ed. J. Pelikan; Concordia, 1964), 27:331.
[24] Kostlin, Theology, 2:464.
[25] The Creeds of Christendom (ed. P. Schaff; NY: Harper, 1897), 3:14. [26] Ibid. 169-170; chap 12, Formula of Concord.
[27] J. Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion 3.14.6 (ed .J.T. McNeill; Westminster, 1960), 972. [28] Ibid.
[29] Institutes 3.14.9, 975. [30] Ibid.
[31] J. Calvin, Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles (Eerdmans, 1948), 214. [32] Ibid.
[33] J. Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistle to the Hebrews (Eerdmans, 1949), 138.
[34] J. Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms (Eerdmans, 1949), 5:4 (comment on Ps 119:123). [35] Ibid. 1:143 (comment on Ps 10:6).
[36] Calvin, Hebrews 90 (comment on Heb 3:15). [37] Ibid. 324-325 (comment on Heb 12:15).
[38] The Church Teaches: Documents of the Church in English Translations (Herder, 1955), 238. [39] Ibid. [40] Ibid. [41] Ibid. 244. [42] Ibid. [43] Ibid. 238.
[44] J. F. Sollier. “Perseverance. Final,” in The Catholic Encyclopedia (NY: Robert Appleton, 1911), 9:711.
[45] J. J. Connelly, “Perseverance, Final,” in The New Catholic Encyclopedia (NY: McGraw-Hill, 1967), 11:155.
[46] Creeds of the Churches (ed. J. H. Leith; John Knox, 1973), 266. [47] Ibid. 272. [48] Ibid. 266.
[49] Schaff, Creeds, 523. [50] Ibid. 524. [51] Ibid. 526. [52] Ibid. 534. [53] Schaff, Creeds, 1:510.
[54] The Writings of James Arminius (Baker, 1956), 1:254.
[55] Ibid. He also notes that the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints has never been a universally accepted doctrine in the Church (2:502).
[56] Schaff, Creeds, 3:548-549.
[57] Cited in M. Stuart, “The Creed of Arminius,” Biblical Repository 1 (1831), 269.
[58] R. Seeburg, Textbook of the History of Doctrines (Baker, 1977), 424.
[59] Doctrinal Standards of the Christian Reformed Church (Publication Committee of the Christian Reformed Church, 1962), 61. [60] Ibid. [61] Ibid. [62] Ibid. 62 (article 9). [63] Ibid. (articles 10-11). [64] Ibid. 63 (article 14).
[65] Leith, Creeds, 192. [66] Ibid. 212.
[67] Ibid. paragraph 2. The answer to question 79 in the Larger Catechism also adds “their inseparable union with Christ” as a ground of perseverance; cf. A Harmony of the Westminster Presbyterian Standards (John Knox, 1951), 104.
[68] Leith, Creeds, 212 (chap 18).
[69] Harmony 107.
[70] Cited in W. Cunningham, Historical Theology (Banner of Truth Trust, 1960 [1862]), 1:358.
[71] J. Wesley, The Works of John Wesley (NY: Carlton and Lamaban, 1825), 6:24. [72] Ibid. 50. [73] Ibid. 51. [74] Ibid. 85. [75] Ibid. [76] Ibid. 90.
[77] Ibid. 134. This same connection is noted by later Methodist theologians. “If the decree of [unconditional] election is true…if grace is irresistible in its saving work,” writes J. Miley, “then the doctrine of final perseverance must be true”; Systematic Theology (NY: Eaton and Mains, 1894), 2:269.
[78] In Leith, Creeds, 337.
[79] W. J. McGlothlin, Baptist Confessions of Faith (American Baptist Publication Society, 1911), 308. [80] Ibid. 321. [81] Ibid. 321-322.
[82] In Leith, Creeds, 342. [83] Ibid. 342.
[84] L. S. Chafer, Salvation (NY: Charles C. Cook, 1917), 99. [85] Ibid. 105. [86] Ibid. 116-137.
[87] The New Scofield Reference Bible (ed. C. I. Scofield; NY: Oxford University, 1967), 1315. [88] Ibid.
[89] G. C. Berkouwer, Faith and Perseverance (Eerdmans, 1958), 234. [90] Ibid. 237.
[91] I. H. Marshall, Kept by the Power of God: A Study of Perseverance and Falling Away (London: Epworth, 1969), 207.
[92] Ibid. Calvinists such as Berkouwer would question the terminology of “rigid logic,” as many in the Arminian tradition would object to the epithet of “casualness.”
[93] R. Shank, Life in the Son: A Study of the Doctrine of Perseverance (Westcott, 1960), 57. [94] Ibid. 176. [95] Ibid. 107. [96] Ibid. 63.
[97] D. Moody, The Word of Truth: A Summary of Christian Doctrine Based on Biblical Revelation (Eerdmans), 349. [98] Ibid. 365.

J. J. Davis is professor of systematic theology and Christian ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA.

Originally from here.

There are times when your love for people trumps your desire to stay away from potentially offending them. This is one of those times.

I recently stumbled across a theological statement from a church in Atlanta, which proudly boasts a bishop and his life partner, “First Gentleman.” Included on the page is a horrific handling of Leviticus, the Law and Jesus’ views on such things, but that’s probably a post for another day. Here is the particularly gut-wrenching section I want to focus on here:

We believe God’s love is inclusive and welcoming to all. We believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ cuts across all barriers that fragment and divide us. We are called to love, affirm and welcome all, regardless of race, gender and/or affectional orientation, class or life situation. As Christ-centered Christians, we are to be known for our inclusiveness, reconciliation and liberation for all who are oppressed. The church has too often allowed particular aspects of a person to place them out of the faith. Therefore, we emphasize the “whosoever” in John 3:16. We are also called to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves” (Mark 12:29-31) and “love our enemies” (Luke 6:27).

So much can be said about this section, but what troubles me most is the drafter of this explanation (likely the bishop himself) uses the love of Christ as a springboard for the “love equals affirmation” hermeneutic.

I totally agree with much of this presentation, everything from the power of the barrier-crossing Gospel to the call to love our neighbors and enemies. Any Christian would quickly and rightly say “Amen!” to that.

Where the logic totally falls apart is assuming the inclusiveness of the Gospel allows for no standard of right and wrong.

The Gospel is indeed the power of God to save the Jew, Gentile, man, woman, child, black, white, etc.

But that’s not all.

It is also a proclamation sin has been conquered and God’s righteous reign is supreme. His glory is paramount.

In short, the implication by this church is that, because the Gospel is not a sectarian message in its reach, tolerance is the highest form of love.

In fact, love is often the opposite.

What’s Love Got to Do With It?
                             –Whitney Houston

When defining love, we must be extremely careful not to confuse it with affirmation.

I love my wife whether she commits adultery or not, and I would forgive and reconcile with her if that were to ever happen (God forbid), but I would not condone nor endorse her to do it again.

Christ’s death on the cross would cover that sin, but He would also command repentance and I rightly would expect the same. The beauty of the Gospel is not that we get to sin freely, but that we are free to sin no more.

We have so individualized everything in our culture that “what works for me is best for me” has firmly seeped into much of today’s Christian thought. Repentance and dying to self flip that script entirely.

Jesus clearly spent much of His ministry teaching and modeling love.

As mentioned before, He said we must love our God, our neighbors and our enemies. Indeed, John says “God is love” in his first epistle (1 John 4:8).

However, we should also pay attention to how Jesus loved. His interaction with the woman caught in adultery in John 8 is a striking example that comes to mind. After saving her life from those who sought to condemn and marginalize her, he said this:

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

What a beautiful picture of grace!

He could have easily judged her (as the true Judge) and yet he told her, “I do not condemn you.”

Now, we could stop there, but we can’t. Why? Because Jesus didn’t stop there.

He then says, “Go and sin no more.” See that?

Love is not just the forgiveness of sins, but also the pointing toward something better.

When Christians, exercising real humility and gentleness, tell a homosexual or alcoholic or adulterer or gossip queen that what they are doing is a sin, they are exercising the love of Christ.

It is not loving to leave people in their sin or simply offer hollow acquittal. Jesus pardons sin and points us in the right direction!

At the Cross

In reflecting on the aforementioned theological averment that promotes a choose-your-own-lifestyle therapy, it is grievous that the Gospel is weakened to such a nebulous ideal (vague, cloudy, ill-defined).

What’s more, this kind of thought is being broadcasted as the true teachings of Jesus. Jesus becomes nothing more than a naïve mother who accepts all of her children’s flaws.

This flies in the face of the cross, where God in the flesh died the most gruesome form of execution ever created to gain victory over sin. He hung there because sin is that hideous and offensive.

Paul lists a very particular set of sins in 1 Corinthians 6:7-10 that range from the greedy to the homosexual and in verse 11 says, “That’s what some of you were, but you were sanctified and justified in Christ.” In this transferred vindication, we walk away from those things and into the newness of life.

The cross indicts every one of us, but there is hope on the other side of an empty tomb.

We cannot trust our own hearts. We cannot think of our own preferences.

We cannot be defined by those things that God clearly warns against. We must be washed in the blood, sent out of the grave and into the world.

There can be no reconciliation where sin is not only accepted but endorsed. It pains me to see people so blinded by their own fragmented hearts, but I can pray with joy and hope, knowing no one is out of the reach of God’s saving hand.

“The Judgment Seat of Christ” is Leonard Ravenhill’s most popular sermon on sermonindex.net, with a total download of over 72,000. The following are notes on this awesome sermon:

• The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ
• Mystery, Majesty, Misery
• Hell: “The Harvest is Passed and We’re Not Saved”
• Rev. 17, 18, 19
• Rev. 1:3
• Rev. 20:11ff
• The Lake of Fire
• Other Foundation Can No Man Lay…But Jesus Christ…
  
• The Judgment of the Sinners.
• “The Great Assize” by John Wesley
• “Payday Sunday” by Billy Sunday
• Your Day in Court
• Great preacher held precious stones in pocket.
• JUDGMENT: The Light of Eternity – cp: In Light of Eternity
• “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards
• Edwards: ‘Stamp Eternity/Judgment on My Eyeballs’
• The Miracles of Jesus
• YOU put water in the water pot–GOD turns it into wine.
• John 5:28–the Last Resurrection
• Rev 21
• That Bachelor in Rome–Pope
• All types of people in history will all stand at the judgment seat of Christ.
• Rev. 6:12ff–the wrath of the Lamb
• Fanny Crosby (blind): “Jesus’ face will be the first face I ever see.”
• All the great kings and millionaires will stand before Christ.
• No pictures of Jesus in Ravenhill’s home: no graven image (personally, I disagree).
• The Book of Revelation shows what Jesus TRULY looks like.
• “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
• Pictures of Jesus: many look so pathetically feminine.
• “Shake Hands with Jesus” – stupid new song; weak views of Jesus; He’s the JUDGE!
• “His eyes are living coals of fire.”
• 60 Minutes – Henry Kissinger; the Shah; John F. Kennedy @ Chappaquiddick; Watergate.
• Rom. 14
• All the criminals who ever lived; pornographers; pimps, Vegas at the judgment seat.
• All the saints will see the unholy dead judged.
• A. W. Tozer: the things I could have done worry me at the judgment.
• Caesars and Pontius Pilate, everyone in the Encyclopedia Britannica at the judgment.
• “the books will be opened”
• The Books of the Ten Commandments
• The Books of Memory
• The unholy dead will remember every evangelistic effort.
• Memory is eternal; it will never die!
• If you like lust and drunkenness: will have insatiable unquenchable lust for sin in Hell.
• “where their worm dieth not”
• founders of the cults at the judgment: immoral founder of Jehovah’s Witness (Russell)
• 4 year old child recited Psalm 119.
• “the wrath of the Lamb”
• “men shall seek death and shall not find it”
• “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh”
• Vile sinners, sexually immoral, one had 30 illegitimate children all over the world.
• If you repent of your sin and plead for mercy: God can forgive you–because now Jesus is on a Throne of Mercy.
• But at the judgment, Jesus is on a Throne of Justice.
• David Wilkerson: 18 preachers went to Richard Nixon, but none got through.
• Sloppy evangelism bumper stickers: this “God loves you”, “God loves you” stuff.
• the kindness and SEVERITY of GOD.
• The Wrath and Judgment of God!

• 1 Cor. 3–The Judgment of the Believers.
• What sort it is, not what size it is.
• “wood, hay, and stubble”–your life’s work
• FIRE.
• Sure, God is love.
• But GOD is a CONSUMING FIRE!
• All the saints of all the ages will be there at the judgment of the believers.
• “When the Saints Go Marching In”–they blasphemously sing it at Bourbon Street.
• Its for Christians to sing!!
• Biblical prophets and apostles will be there; we’ll see them all.
• Grace is free, but rewards are not free (good works).
• I’d love to see the prayer warriors.
• to see the missionaries
• the failures (joke).
• There’s no condemnation for PAST SINS.
• Thank God your not a drug addict, prostitute, covetousness, bad temper.
• A lot of public ministry in that Day that will go down in ashes.
• “The Book of Remembrance” – in Malachi.
• Agape, Oral Roberts–corrupt ministries: stealing from widows houses…promising them a place in Heaven!
• A lot of money is being wrongly invested.
• One of the most famous preachers called me last night: “I’m convinced God has already taken His hands off of America.”
• Imagine me (Ravenhill) standing before Christ: am I just a good showman? Or am I a real preacher? What’s my secret prayer life like?
• Your Devotional Life: the number one thing Christ will judge at the judgment.
• Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy.
• Science is the world’s substitute for God’s power.
• “I’m embarrassed to be part of the church of Jesus today, because I believe its an embarrassment to a holy God.”
• Amy Carmichael–my son Paul Ravenhill has read all her books.
• We’re overboard on laughter and happiness.
• Prayer meetings are where the heart of God is.
• Grief over the backslidden church.
• “If you’re going to get mature in God, then all the dwarfs around you will sneer at you.”
• The men who have the most heroic for God have had the greatest devotional life.
• Praying through the night for a whole years.
• Charles Wesley’s hymns have been mutilated.
• “Crown Him With Many Crowns” – Matthew Bridges
• Would you like Gabriel to take the book of your devotional life and read it to this audience?
• “silver, gold, precious stones”
• breastplate of the priests in the holy place (prayer closet)
• big shot ministers with mailing lists: they don’t worry me; let me see his prayer life, and then I’ll measure him that way.
• Praying Payson–prayed at the side of his bed; intercession; with energy
• Praying John Hyde
• The Ministry of Intercession–the greatest ministry
• Charles Finney, William Booth, John Wesley–read my record to the multitude
• David Brainerd: prayed until the snow melted.
• Indians–adultery, drinking, shouting.
• “His Plan For Me” – poem
• “I used to really like cricket and running and art.”
• “depart from Me”
• “crown of righteousness”
• there’ll be great distinctions in Heaven.
• John Wesley–is going to have a much greater reward than the thief on the cross.
• “We shall all stand at the judgment seat of Christ.”
• Dr. P. T. Forsyth–he was his assistant pastor.
• We ought to live every day with the power of the other world upon us.
• Queen Elizabeth–when she was a princess; he saw her, she walked with dignity.
• Send all your kids on the mission field.
• “we shall not be ashamed at His appearing”

Hear my cry, o God!
Its the voice of lamentation and woe!
When all around me is black
When there is no vision, or revelation.
All is black smoke and fog
And I don’t know what to do
To grind with anguish, my bitter soul
Until my grief is fully expressed.

Oh, the aggravation of my soul!
Block all the plans of the devil
Destroy all liars by Your Breath!
Kill them off by plagues and disease
Until they are no more!
Destroy my enemies completely:
Unrepentant, and always bent on malice.

Where do I go, o God!
What should I do now!?
I don’t know!
It pains my soul.
Passionate grief and anguish
I don’t know!
Give me wisdom and revelation:
Practical direction,
That I may prosper in the land
And spread the Gospel of Christ!

I look around me:
I see confusion everywhere.
Sexual immorality,
Destruction of all that is noble.
This world is full of demons
From the lowest to the highest
And only liars are numb to it.
There is no hope for liars
Because they never stop lying
And God will put them in fire.

Lies on TV.
Lies of politicians.
Lies of pastors.
Lies of businessmen.
Lies of teachers.
Only Christ can be trusted.
Only Jesus Christ.

I believe in God the Father – Maker of Heaven and Earth
And in Jesus Christ His only Son
I believe in the virgin birth
I believe in the Man of Sorrows bruised for iniquities
I believe in the Lamb who was crucified and hung between two thieves

I believe in the resurrection on the third and glorious day
And I believe in the empty tomb and the stone that the angel rolled away
He descended and set the captives free
And now He sits at God’s right hand and prepares a place for me

This is my creed – the witness I have heard
The faith that has endured
This truth is assured
Through the darkest ages past
Though persecuted, it will last
And I will hold steadfast to this creed

I believe He sent His Spirit to comfort and to reveal
To lead us into the truth and light, to baptize and to seal
I believe that He will come back the way He went away
And receive us all unto Himself, but no man knows the day

I believe He is the Judge of all men, small and great
The resurrected souls of men receive from Him their fate
Some to death and some to life, some to their reward
Some to sing eternal praise forever to our Lord

Ben Bailey is the pastor of Central Church of Christ in McMinnville, TN.

Denominations that don’t believe in “once saved, always saved”:

1. Roman Catholic Church / Ignatius Press, etc
2. Eastern Orthodox Church / St. Herman Press, etc
3. Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod / Concordia Publishing House
4. The United Methodist Church / Abingdon Press
5. Free Methodist Church / Light and Life Press
6. General Baptists / General Baptist Press
7. The Salvation Army
8. Church of Christ / 21st Century Christian
9. Church of the Nazarene / Beacon Hill Press
10. Assemblies of God / Gospel Publishing House
11. The Free Will Baptist Church / Randall House Publications
12. Missionary Church
13. Mennonites / Herald Press
14. Evangelical Friends Church / Richard J. Foster

Arminian Books Which Biblically Explain Conditional Security:

The Book of Proverbs is probably the greatest piece of wisdom literature ever compiled in the history of the world. Most of it was written by King Solomon, the son of King David, who was considered not only the wisest man of his time, but the richest. Being that as it is, it follows that the Book of Proverbs is literally filled with economic directions, financial wisdom, and various sayings by other wise men, including Agur (ch. 30) and King Lemuel (ch. 31). Without being too off topic, although this article will be closely examining the economic subjects in the Book of Proverbs, the book also contains stern warnings AGAINST ADULTERY multiple times, since the book is directed to young men (1:8).

1 Kings 4:29-34: “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite–wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.”

1 Kings 3:11-15: “God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for–both riches and honor–so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in My ways and obey My statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.’ Then Solomon awoke–and he realized it had been a dream.” 

ESPECIALLY SEE (free pdf): Gary North’s Wisdom and Dominion: An Economic Commentary on Proverbs.

See also Steven K. Scott’s The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness.

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What Does the Bible Say About Capitalism?

Answer: The dictionary defines Capitalism as “an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.” While the Bible doesn’t mention Capitalism by name, it does speak a great deal about economic issues. For example, whole sections of the Book of Proverbs and many of the Parables of Jesus deal with economic matters. As such, we learn what our attitude should be toward wealth and how a Christian should handle his finances. The Bible also provides us with a description of our human nature which helps us to evaluate the possible success of and failure of an economic system in society. [Originally from here.]

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DIVINE PROVISION FOR TITHING

3:9-10: “⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

PAY YOUR EMPLOYEES DAILY IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY

3:27-28: “²⁷ Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. ²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow” – when you now have it with you.”

AVOID THE TRAP OF CO-SIGNS, LOAN CONTRACTS, AND MORTGAGES

6:1-5: “¹ My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another, ² if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth, ³ then do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor! ⁴ Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. ⁵ Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.”

WORK HARD AND SAVE MONEY
DON’T BE LAZY OR YOU WILL BE POOR

6:6-11: “⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! ⁷ It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, ⁸ yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. ⁹ How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? ¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-–¹¹ and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

WEALTH IS ACQUIRED THROUGH WISDOM

8:1, 18, 21: “¹ Does not Wisdom call out?… ¹⁸ With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity…²¹ bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.”

MONEY IS WORTHLESS IF ACQUIRED UNETHICALLY
THE RIGHTEOUS WILL NOT GO HUNGRY
LAZY PEOPLE BECOME POOR
HARD WORKERS BECOME RICH
SAVE MONEY
THE RIGHTEOUS WILL HAVE FINANCIAL SECURITY
POVERTY RUINS THE LIVES OF THE POOR
TRIALS DESTROY THE WICKED, BUT THE RIGHTEOUS STAND FIRM
THE FEAR OF THE LORD LENGTHENS THE LIVES OF THE RIGHTEOUS

10:2-6, 9, 15-16, 22, 25, 27: “Ill-gotten treasures are of no value…The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry…⁴ Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. ⁵ He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son…Blessings crown the head of the righteous…The man of integrity walks securely…¹⁵ The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor. ¹⁶ The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment…²² The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it…²⁵ When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever…²⁷ The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.”

GOD DELIGHTS IN FAIR PRICES
THE CITY REJOICES WHEN THE RIGHTEOUS PROSPER
FINANCIAL ADVISORS (OR PLANNERS) MAKE MEN FINANCIALLY SUCCEED
IT IS PAINFUL AND DANGEROUS TO CO-SIGN A LOAN
GOD WITHHOLDS FINANCIAL BLESSING FROM THE STINGY
GOD RELEASES FINANCIAL BLESSING TO THE GENEROUS
THE WICKED WILL FALL: WHO TRUST IN THEIR RICHES INSTEAD OF GOD
THE RIGHTEOUS ARE FINANCIALLY SECURE BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITH

11:1, 10-11, 14-15, 24-25, 28, 31: “¹ The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight…¹⁰ When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. ¹¹ Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed…¹⁴ For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure. ¹⁵ He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe…²⁴ One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. ²⁵ A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed…²⁸ Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf…the righteous receive their due on earth.”

THE HOUSE OF THE RIGHTEOUS STANDS FIRM
MORE WORK = MORE FOOD
FINANCIAL WISDOM ASSUMES LISTENING TO FINANCIAL ADVICE
HARD WORK LEADS TO MANAGEMENT POSITIONS
LAZINESS ENDS IN MINIMUM WAGE JOBS
LAZY MEN ARE TOO LAZY TO COOK THEIR MEALS–SO THEY HUNGER
HARD WORKERS CHERISH THE POSSESSIONS THEY HAVE EARNED

12:7, 11, 14-15, 21, 24, 27: “The house of the righteous stands firm…He who works his land will have abundant food…the work of his hands rewards him…a wise man listens to advice…No harm befalls the righteous…²⁴ Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor…²⁷ The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions.”

HARD WORKERS WILL SEE THEIR DESIRES SATISFIED
A WISE, GODLY RICH MAN PRETENDS TO BE POOR IN HIS LIFESTYLE
SAVING SHOULD BE DONE LITTLE BY LITTLE: AND BILLS CAN BE PAID
PROSPERITY IS THE REWARD OF THE RIGHTEOUS
THE GOOD MAN LEAVES AN INHERITANCE FOR HIS GRANDKIDS
EVEN A POOR MAN CAN MAKE MONEY IF HE WORKS HARD AT HIS JOB
THE RIGHTEOUS EAT TO THEIR HEARTS’ CONTENT

13:4, 7, 11, 21-23, 25: “The desires of the diligent are fully satisfied…⁷ One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth…¹¹ Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow…²¹ Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous. ²² A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. ²³ A poor man’s field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away…²⁵ The righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.”

HARD WORKERS, LIKE OXEN, PRODUCE WEALTH FROM THEIR JOBS
THE HOUSE OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS PRODUCTIVE AND FLOURISHING
THE RIGHTEOUS ARE REWARDED FOR THEIR WORKS
THE RICH HAVE MANY FRIENDS
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE KIND AND GENEROUS TO THE POOR
TALK IS CHEAP–HARD WORK LEADS TO PROFIT
FINANCIAL SECURITY IS FOR THE WISE RICH MAN WHO FEARS GOD
MANAGERS DELIGHT IN WISE EMPLOYEES

14:4, 11, 14, 20-21, 23-24, 26, 31-32, 35: “From the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest…¹¹ The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish…¹⁴ The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his…²⁰ The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. ²¹ He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy…²³ All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty…The wealth of the wise is their crown…He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge…³¹ He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. ³² When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge…A king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant incurs his wrath.”

THE HOUSE OF THE RIGHTEOUS CONTAINS TREASURE
BETTER TO BE POOR AND FEAR GOD THAN TO BE RICH AND UNGODLY
RIGHTEOUS MEN (CLEAN THEIR HOUSE): OR CLEAR THE PATHWAY
FINANCIAL PLANNERS LEAD YOU TO FINANCIAL SUCCESS
HE WHO HATES BRIBES WILL LIVE
WISE MEN LISTEN TO LIFE-GIVING REBUKES

15:6, 16-17, 19, 22, 25, 27, 31: “⁶ The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble…¹⁶ Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. ¹⁷ Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred…¹⁹ The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway…²² Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed…²⁵ The Lord tears down the proud man’s house but he keeps the widow’s boundaries intact…²⁷ A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live…³¹ He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.”

DEDICATE YOUR PLANS TO JESUS AND THEY WILL SUCCEED
MEN CAN MAKE PLANS, BUT GOD WORKS OUT THE SPECIFICS
GODLY FINANCIAL WISDOM IS MORE VALUABLE THAN MONEY ITSELF
BETTER TO BE POOR THAN FRIENDS WITH A PROUD RICH MAN
HE WHO OBEYS GODLY FINANCIAL TEACHING WILL BECOME WEALTHY
HUNGER DRIVES MEN TO WORK HARDER FOR THEIR FOOD

16:3, 8-9, 11, 16, 19-20, 26: “³ Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed…⁸ Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice. ⁹ In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps…¹¹ Honest scales and balances are from the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making…¹⁶ How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!…¹⁹ Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. ²⁰ Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord…²⁶ The laborer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.”

BETTER TO HAVE LITTLE FOOD & PEACE THAN A BANQUET & STRIFE
FOOLS ARE AWFUL WITH MONEY, BECAUSE THEY DON’T SEEK WISDOM
A MAN OF POOR JUDGMENT SIGNS A CO-SIGN
PERVERTS DO NOT PROSPER
THE WICKED ACCEPT BRIBES TO PERVERT JUSTICE

17:1-2, 16, 18-20, 23: “¹ Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. ² A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son, and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers…¹⁶ Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?…¹⁸ A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor…he who builds a high gate invites destruction…A man of perverse heart does not prosper…²³ A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice.”

IT IS DESTRUCTIVE TO BE LAZY ON THE JOB
THE RICH WRONGLY TRUST IN THEIR WEALTH:–IT CAN BE STOLEN!
GIVING GIFTS OPENS DOORS
IT IS NATURAL FOR THE POOR TO PLEAD FOR MERCY OUT OF HUMILITY
IT IS NATURAL FOR THE RICH TO BE HARSH OUT OF PRIDE

18:9, 11, 16, 23: “⁹ One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys…¹¹ The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall…¹⁶ A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great…²³ A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly.”

GENEROUS RICH MEN HAVE MANY FRIENDS, BUT NOT THE POOR
IT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR A FOOL TO LIVE IN LUXURY
HOUSES AND WEALTH ARE INHERITED FROM PARENTS
THE UNEMPLOYED WILL GO HUNGRY
GIVING TO THE POOR = GIVING TO CHRIST: AND GOD WILL REWARD YOU
BETTER TO BE POOR THAN A WEALTHY LIAR
HE WHO ROBS HIS FATHER BRINGS SHAME ON HIMSELF

19:1, 4, 6-8, 10, 14-15, 17, 22, 24, 26: “¹ Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse…⁴ Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man’s friend deserts him…everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts. ⁷ A poor man is shunned by all his relatives-–how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found…he who cherishes understanding prospers…It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury…Houses and wealth are inherited from parents…¹⁵ Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry…¹⁷ He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done…better to be poor than a liar…²⁴ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!…²⁶ He who robs his father and drives out his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace.”

LAZY MEN DON’T WORK HARD–SO THEY REAP NO FINANCIAL REWARDS
GOD HATES UNFAIR PRICES
STAYING AWAKE + WORKING = WEALTH AND FOOD
GODLY FINANCIAL WISDOM IS MORE VALUABLE THAN MONEY
MONEY GAINED BY LYING AND FRAUD:–ITS FOOD WILL TASTE BAD
GET A FINANCIAL PLANNER

20:4, 10, 13-15, 17-18, 21, 23: “⁴ A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing…¹⁰ Differing weights and differing measures-–the Lord detests them both…¹³ Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare. ¹⁴ “It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer; then off he goes and boasts about his purchase. ¹⁵ Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel…¹⁷ Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel. ¹⁸ Make plans by seeking advice…²¹ An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end…²³ The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.”

THE PLANS OF HARD WORKERS LEAD TO PROFIT
A FORTUNE MADE BY LIES QUICKLY DISAPPEARS AND IS A DEADLY TRAP
HE WHO IGNORES THE CRIES OF THE POOR WILL ALSO BE IGNORED
A GIFT GIVEN IN SECRET SOOTHES ANGER
HE WHO LOVES PLEASURE, OIL, AND WINE WILL ALWAYS BE POOR
LAZY MEN STARVE TO DEATH BECAUSE THEY REFUSE TO GET A JOB
THE RIGHTEOUS ARE GENEROUS AND GIVE WITHOUT SPARING

21:5-6, 13-14, 17, 25-26: “⁵ The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. ⁶ A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare…¹³ If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. ¹⁴ A gift given in secret soothes anger…¹⁷ He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich…²⁵ The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. ²⁶ All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.”

A GOOD REPUTATION IS MORE VALUABLE THAN RICHES
GOD MADE ALL MEN: BOTH THE RICH AND THE POOR
A PRUDENT MAN SEES DANGER AND GETS INSURANCE, ETC.
HUMILITY AND THE FEAR OF GOD BRING WEALTH, HONOR, AND LIFE
THE RICH RULE OVER THE POOR
THE BORROWER IS SERVANT TO LOANS, MORTGAGES, ETC
GOD FINANCIALLY BLESSES THOSE WHO SHARE FOOD WITH THE POOR
LAZY MEN STAY INSIDE AND REFUSE TO WORK BECAUSE OF FEAR
OPPRESSORS OF THE POOR AND BRIBERS OF THE RICH–WILL BE POOR
DO NOT EXPLOIT THE POOR, BECAUSE GOD WILL DEFEND THEM
DO NOT SIGN A CO-SIGN OR GET A LOAN
BE CONTENT WITH THE PRIVATE PROPERTY YOU HAVE INHERITED
SKILLED EMPLOYEES WILL WORK FOR WEALTHY MEN

22:1-4, 7, 9, 13, 16, 22-23, 26-29: “¹ A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. ² Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. ³ A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. ⁴ Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life…⁷ The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender…⁹ A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor…¹³ The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!” or, “I will be murdered in the streets!”…¹⁶ He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich–both come to poverty…²² Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, ²³ for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them…²⁶ Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; ²⁷ if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you. ²⁸ Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers. ²⁹ Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.”

22:26, NLT: “Do not co-sign another person’s note or put up a guarantee for someone else’s loan.”

SHOW SELF-CONTROL IN YOUR WORK ETHIC AND IN PURSUING WEALTH
RICHES ARE HERE TODAY AND GONE TOMORROW
DO NOT EAT THE FOOD OF A STINGY MAN
DO NOT TAKE THE LAND OF AN ORPHAN, BECAUSE GOD WILL DEFEND IT
DO NOT ENVY SINNERS, BUT ZEALOUSLY FEAR GOD
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE:–OR BE FUTURE-ORIENTED
DRUNKARDS AND GLUTTONS BECOME LAZY AND POOR

23:4-8, 10-11, 17-18, 20-21: “⁴ Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. ⁵ Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. ⁶ Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; ⁷ for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. ⁸ You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments…¹⁰ Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, ¹¹ for their Defender is strong; He will take up their case against you…¹⁷ Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. ¹⁸ There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off…²⁰ Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, ²¹ for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”

HOUSES SHOULD BE BUILT WITH CAREFUL PLANNING
WEALTH IS ACQUIRED THROUGH FINANCIAL WISDOM
IS YOU WANT “SUCCESS,” THEN YOU NEED MANY FINANCIAL PLANNERS
BIBLICAL WISDOM WILL SECURE A SOLID HOPE FOR YOUR FUTURE
WORK HARD AND SAVE MONEY –> BUY A LOT –> BUILD YOUR HOUSE
THE MORE YOU SLEEP, THE LESS YOU WORK, THE POORER YOU ARE

24:3-4, 6, 14, 27, 30-34: “³ By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; ⁴ through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures…⁶ for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers…¹⁴ Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off…²⁷ Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house…³⁰ I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; ³¹ thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. ³² I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: ³³ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-–³⁴ and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

AN EMPTY-HEADED MAN BOASTS OF RICHES HE DOESN’T HAVE
FEED YOUR ENEMY; AND HE MIGHT COME UNDER CONVICTION OF SIN

25:14, 21-22: “¹⁴ Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give…²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. ²² In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”

LAZY MEN STAY HOME, SLEEP, WON’T EAT, AND THINK THEY ARE WISE

26:13-16: “¹³ The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!’ ¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. ¹⁵ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. ¹⁶ The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.”

PRUDENT MEN GET INSURANCE
KNOW THE CONDITION OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT AND STOCKS

27:12, 23-27: “¹² The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it…²³ Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; ²⁴ for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. ²⁵ When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, ²⁶ the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. ²⁷ You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you and your family and to nourish your servant girls.”

BETTER TO BE POOR AND RIGHTEOUS…THAN TO BE RICH AND WICKED
HIGH-INTEREST MONEYLENDERS WILL BE JUDGED BY GOD (SCROOGE)
THE RIGHTEOUS WILL RECEIVE A GOOD INHERITANCE
BIBLICALLY WISE POOR MEN CAN SEE THROUGH THE EVILS OF THE RICH
HE WHO HATES ILL-GOTTEN GAIN WILL LIVE LONG
HARD WORKING MEN CAN PROVIDE, BUT NOT FANTASY-CHASERS
LONG-TERM EMPLOYEES WILL BE FINANCIALLY BLESSED
GET-RICH-QUICK SCHEMERS AND THE STINGY WILL BE PUNISHED
IT IS WRONG AND DESTRUCTIVE TO ROB YOUR PARENTS
GREEDY MEN ARE TROUBLE-MAKERS
HE WHO TRUSTS IN THE LORD WILL PROSPER
HE WHO GIVES TO THE POOR WILL LACK NOTHING

28:3, 6, 8, 10-12, 16, 19-20, 22, 24-25, 27: “³ A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops…⁶ Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse…⁸ He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor…the blameless will receive a good inheritance. ¹¹ A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him. ¹² When the righteous triumph, there is great elation…he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life…¹⁹ He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. ²⁰ A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished…²² A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him…²⁴ He who robs his father or mother and says, “It’s not wrong”–he is partner to him who destroys. ²⁵ A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the Lord will prosper…²⁷ He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.”

MEN WHO GO TO PROSTITUTES SQUANDER THEIR WEALTH
THE RIGHTEOUS CARE ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR THE POOR

29:2-4, 7, 13-14: “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice…a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth…⁴ By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down…⁷ The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern…¹³ The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both. ¹⁴ If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.”

THE LOWER MIDDLE CLASS LIFESTYLE IS BIBLICAL AND RIGHTEOUS
DO NOT TELL A LIE ABOUT A CO-WORKER TO HIS BOSS
DON’T BE A LEECH OR A BEGGAR; RATHER, BE A HARD WORKER
ANTS ARE A GOOD PICTURE OF THE BIBLICAL WORK ETHIC

30:8-10, 14-15, 24-26: “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. ⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. ¹⁰ “Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will pay for it…¹⁴ those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from among mankind. ¹⁵ “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry…²⁴ “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: ²⁵ Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; ²⁶ coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags.”

KINGS SHOULD NOT DRINK ALCOHOL OR THEY WILL FORGET THE LAW
A LITTLE ALCOHOL CAN ALLEVIATE PAIN AND SUFFERING
[BUT GETTING DRUNK IS A DAMNABLE SIN (LUKE 21:34; ROMANS 13:13)]
DEFEND THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF THE POOR AND NEEDY

31:4-9, 10-20, 24-25, 27: “⁴ “It is not for kings, O Lemuel-–not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, ⁵ lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. ⁶ Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; ⁷ let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. ⁸ Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. ⁹ Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

THE PROVERBS 31 WOMAN: A WORK-AT-HOME MOM
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren’s Work at Home Now, chs 6-12

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. ¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. ¹² She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. ¹³ She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. ¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”