God is never the Author of sin, but He is always the Avenger of sin
For Whom Did Christ Die
Here is John Owen’s Argument for Particular Redemption. Still unanswerable!!!
The Father imposed His wrath due unto, and the Son underwent punishment for, either:
- All the sins of all men.
- All the sins of some men, or
- Some of the sins of all men.
In which case it may be said:
- That if the last be true, all men have some sins to answer for, and so, none are saved.
- That if the second be true, then Christ, in their stead suffered for all the sins of all the elect in the whole world, and this is the truth.
- But if the first be the case, why are not all men free from the punishment due unto their sins?
You answer, “Because of unbelief.”
I ask, Is this unbelief a sin, or is it not? If it be, then Christ suffered the punishment due unto it, or He did not. If He did, why must that hinder them more than their other sins for which He died? If He did not, He did not die for all their sins!”
The Threefold Use of the Law
The Threefold Use of the Law (triplex usus legis)
- The Civil Use (usus civilis, usus politicus)—the law is given to restrain sin = the Preparative use
- The Pedagogical Use (usus paedagogicus, usus elenchticus)—the law is given to convict of sin = the Preservative use
- The Normative Use (usus normativus, usus didacticus)—the law serves a rule of conduct = the Restorative use
Hell-Delivering Concern
How concerned are we for the lost? Do we agonize painfully in prayer for their salvation. Do we declare the love of Christ for sinners? Doctrinal exactness is no substitute for preaching Jesus & him crucified. Without the love of Christ manifest in our lives & preaching – precision in theology will leave sinners cold & dead. I am all for doctrinal exactness and we should be very concerned for that – but let our hearts be fired with love from our doctrine for the sinner who is perishing. The lost husband or wife or child or friend. Pray about this – seek Christ about it – since he sought you and found you.
Essential Differences
Hyper-Calvinism is all house & no door; Arminianism is all door & no house; Calvinism is both all door & all house.