By Promise,Not Law...Romans 4

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,(Romans 4:13-16)

The faith of Abraham was based upon a promise from God the Almighty.that he would one day bear children,“as many the and of the sea, and the stars of the heavens’. This would require a miracle, because at the time Abraham and his wife were long past child bearing age, and had never conceived. It couldn’t possibly come about by any “works”.

The difference between Law and Promise is the difference between self effort and God’s power. Only God could make Abraham the Father of many nations! Originally, when Abraham was still an idolator, his given name was Abram,”exalted father”. In the giving of the promise, God changed his name to “Father of many nations”- Abraham.

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.(Genesis 17:1-5)

When God wanted to start a new nation to accomplish his purposes, He didn’t seek out a virile young couple at the beginning of fruitful life, He choses an old couple long ast child bearing age, barren and beyond the hope of ever having their own children.This is how God works, so that no man can take the credit.

God made a promise to Abraham- a promise so unlikely only He could accomplish it. The existence of Israel is a miracle of the grace of God.All Abraham was expected to do was to believe God’s promise.

This is exactly the way God’s salvation works. Salvation is a human impossibility, no man can justify Himself before a Holy God, no one can save himself, no one can give himself a new spiritual and moral birth. As John would tell us in His gospel-

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.(John 1;12-13)

The new birth cannot come about “of the flesh”, nor “of blood”,nor of human will, New Birth is an act of God. The expression “born again” can also be rendered “born from above”. Since it cannot b effected by any human effort- it must be of God’s promise and cannot be attained by “works of the law”.

Promises from God, are gracious, God will do something for his people they can never do for themselves. They are to be received by faith- after all what can we do to effect them? God’s promises are what he says he will do. Abraham obtained the promise by faith, he didnt merit it or do anything to make it happen. How could he? Faith corresponds to grace and promise.

Romans is teaching us that,Law corresponds to works, self effort, and ultimately to wrath, because law increases the knowledge and guilt of the transgressor of the law.Thats why even with the advent of the law of Moses, the only way to be justified before God was by faith in God’s gospel. Law can never justify anyone, only show up their sins in heightened relief. Man could ever only be saved by faith .

Exactly Correct Pastor Bill -

God’s salvation is entirely by grace and not by works of men.

Salvation is a human impossibility, God calls us before the foundation of the World - our names are written inside HIS books before the foundation of the World; no man can justify Himself before a Holy God, no man can perform works of goodness that can be utilized to save himself, each an every believer is born into a spiritual birth, a birth not made with hands or building or by hands or by blood rights.

For John (1:12-13) truely writes: -

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God

Notice John's sayings "as many as received Him" - this clearly points out that God has CALLED such a one in order for just such a man to be able to receive HIM.

We are all truly “born from above”. And our salvation cannot be attained by “works of the law” or "works of a church system".

Arminianism - man's free will - is entirely false doctrine. God calls us before the foundation of the World. God's own good pleasure and decree was HIS purpose, not some good works which HE observed in us before we were born. If it was based upon our good works; then this salvation we have today from God and our Lord Jesus Christ would not be of grace: if we need to perform good works to be saved, then we make void the grace of God. We have the faith of Christ. Salvation is entirely of God and HIS decree for us before the foundation of the World (Ephesians).

The challenge of salvation for many is that Arminianism is the common belief that man's free will is the instrument that causes men/women to choose God

This entirely false doctrine, because for men to choose God, then we would need to be at a similar level equal with God. When God calls us before the foundation of the World, HE is doing this out of HIS own good pleasure and decree and eternal purpose.

How can a man, under Arminianism, even dare to say that he has such equality of powers and knowledge. God is not to be mocked - there is only ONE God, the Trinity.

Correct. Only those saints who have been called by God before the foundation of the world are saved. All others risk being called “professing believers” but without the grace and knowledge of God’s calling before the foundation of the world.

Incorrect.

God has knowledge, before hand, of all those who choose to believe and those who don't, but that choice is still there.

The doctrine of pre-destination is a horrible distortion of the Gospel.

If your doctrine, and it is yours, not Gods, were true, then why should anyone seek God as Jesus Commanded in John 7:7-11:

7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8. For every one tht asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10. Or if he ak a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Furthermore, the logical extension of that argument is "Why try?". If the outcome is not dependent on following the myriad of commands of Jesus where he commands us to employ our will; if when he says "Repent and Believe the Gospel" it's all a big Joke because God has a list of those that will make it, and those that will not, why even try?

And why would Jesus state the following:

Matthew 10:32
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

And finally, why would Christ state the following, if YOUR doctrine of pre-destination were of God?

John 1:7
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe

The doctrine of Pre-destination is truly of the Devil. It totally discounts all of those commands of Christ where he promises some type of reward based on our choices and actions. And the list of those commands are myriad.

It is a form of extremism that leads to Hell to anyone who falls into it's trap. It is a form of defeatism.

It is true that nothing we have or can do has any value in the eyes of God, and yet he still commands us to make a choice, a choice to repent and believe him.

Finally, it diminishes God's crowning creation, Man and his ability to choose. For it is the ability for Man to choose his own selfish will (or the devil) or to choose the Will of God that truly gives God glory, all other parts of his creation simply do what they were programmed to do.

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