Page 63 - The Prophetic Word Newsletter Archive 2009

“…we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace…” Spurgeon.

Sounds good, but God’s Word never ties His sovereignty to His grace. God’s Grace is offered to
“whosever will.” In fact, the word “sovereignty” appears ONCE in the Bible (NKJ), and that reference is
to the sovereignty of King Saul over Israel (1 Sam. 14:47). God is sovereign in many areas, but He does
not exalt His sovereignty as do the Calvinists. The sovereignty of God’s will is not the foundation of
salvation, but rather, as the apostle Peter states, “The elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father…” (1 Pet. 1:2) It is the free-will choice of man-ALL mankind, that the Scriptures exalt above the
sovereignty of God’s will. God is “pro-choice.” Man will live or die by his choices:

“SEE, I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU TODAY LIFE AND GOOD, DEATH AND EVIL…I CALL HEAVEN AND EARTH AS
WITNESSES AGAINST YOU, THAT I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH, BLESSING AND CURSING;
THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE, THAT BOTH YOU AND YOUR DESCENDANTS MAY LIVE.” Deut. 30:15,19

Because of his staunch belief in Calvinism, Spurgeon could not believe that Christ died for ALL
mankind, but rather only for those predestined to salvation by the sovereignty of God’s will. Calvinism
teaches predestined, selective salvation to some of mankind solely by the sovereignty of God’s will-not
man’s free-will to choose. Calvinists do not believe in the free will of man as an active agent in
salvation. The popularity of Calvinism today is simply because it places all responsibility of choice upon
God and nothing upon man. Salvation, according to Calvinism, is by the sovereignty of God’s will to
whoever God chooses to be saved. According to Calvinism, the rest of mankind is sovereignly
doomed, not because they refused to choose the saving grace of the gospel, but rather because God’s
sovereign will did not predestine them to be saved, but rather to be “vessels of wrath.” Such perverted
theology is a character assassination of God. The highest revelation of God in the Scripture is not His
sovereignty, but rather that He is the Righteous Judge of all mankind. God cannot be considered to be
a Righteous Judge if by His sovereignty alone He condemns some to hell and others to salvation.This
evil perversion of truth has produced today’s popular Calvinistic-based doctrines of “Once saved,
always saved,” and “Unconditional Eternal Security.” Again, no responsibility upon man for his choices,
it is all the sovereignty of God’s choice. These modern-day doctrines fervently promote Spurgeon’s
idea that God pre-forgives every sin a believer will ever commit. There is not one shred of evidence in
all of Scripture to support this fantasy. Rather, it finds its foundation in twisting the intended meaning of
the Scriptures. Peter prophetically warned of such abuse to the message of salvation:

“AND ACCOUNT THAT THE LONGSUFFERING OF OUR LORD IS SALVATION- AS OUR BELOVED
BROTHER PAUL, ACCORDING TO THE WISDOM GIVEN TO HIM, HAS WRITTEN TO YOU, AS ALSO
IN ALL HIS EPISTLES, SPEAKING IN THEM OF THESE THINGS, IN WHICH ARE SOME HARD TO
UNDERSTAND, WHICH THOSE WHO ARE UNTAUGHT AND UNSTABLE TWIST TO THEIR OWN
DESTRUCTION, AS THEY DO ALSO THE REST OF THE SCRIPTURES. YOU THEREFORE, BELOVED,
SINCE YOU KNOW THESE THINGS BEFOREHAND, BEWARE LEST YOU ALSO FALL FROM YOUR OWN
STEADFASTNESS, BEING LED AWAY WITH THE ERROR OF THE WICKED…” 2 Pet.3:15-17

Instead of following the way of the wicked who twist the Scriptures to their own destruction, we are
admonished by Paul to take this approach to the Scriptures:

“REMIND THEM OF THESE THINGS, CHARGING THEM BEFORE THE LORD NOT TO STRIVE
ABOUT WORDS TO NO PROFIT, TO THE RUIN OF THE HEARERS. BE DILIGENT TO PRESENT

YOURSELF APPROVED TO GOD, A WORKER WHO DOES NOT NEED TO BE ASHAMED,
RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH. BUT SHUN PROFANE AND VAIN BABBLINGS,
FOR THEY WILL INCREASE TO MORE UNGODLINESS. AND THEIR MESSAGE WILL SPREAD
LIKE CANCER…THE SOLID FOUNDATION OF GOD STANDS, HAVING THIS SEAL: ‘THE LORD
KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS,’ AND, ‘LET EVERYONE WHO NAMES THE NAME OF CHRIST

DEPART FROM INIQUITY.’ ” 2 Timothy 2:14-19

Notice that Paul does not present the solid foundation of God to be based upon the likes of Spurgeon’s
logic of “pre-forgiveness of sins” or his modern-day disciples who espouse not only pre-forgiveness of
sins but also the added concepts of “Once Saved Always Saved,” and “Unconditional Eternal Security.”
Rather Paul gives two solid foundational seals upon which salvation stands:

“…‘THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS,’ AND,
‘LET EVERYONE WHO NAMES THE NAME OF CHRIST DEPART FROM INIQUITY.’ ”

Notice the latter solid foundation of God requires that the believer does something in his/her life
pertaining to the issue of sin (iniquity). The believer is called to actively depart from iniquity, not rest in
the false supposition that “every sin I will ever commit is already under the Blood of Jesus.”