DOES MAN HAVE A FREE-WILL?
SHOULD WE MAKE AN ISSUE OF THE GOSPEL OF GRACE?
WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF 'TULIP'?
WHAT IS TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS?
WHO IS SHREVEPORT GRACE CHURCH?
WHY PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE?

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What distinguishes people from animals is that people have wills. They can think, make choices, and act upon those choices. The problem is that their will is not free. It is bound by the sin nature inherited from Adam.

1. When God first created Adam, he had free-will either to good or evil, Genesis 1:31
2. When Adam disobeyed, sin entered, and death (physically and spiritually) was passed upon all men in him, Romans 5:12. Since that time, all who are born into this world are sinners from birth, Psalm 58:13 3. Since Adam's fall, all who are born are free to evil, but not to good. This is proven in the Fall itself. Here are some points to ponder on this subject.
-If man, in the Fall, lost his free-will to good, then it cannot be found in the fallen estate.
-If conversion is a new creation, then fallen sinners have no free-will to good. Creation is a production of something out of nothing. This means that there is nothing good in man for God to work with. He simply creates him anew.
-Conversion is the result of new birth. We cannot birth ourselves. This is why the Scriptures speak of the new birth as being born from above, (John 3:3). God must give him birth, because man has no will of his own to come to God, John 6:44.
-Conversion is the raising of one who is dead in sin. It is a spiritual resurrection, John 5:25. If man had a will to come to God himself, such a work of God would not be required. Yet the Scriptures teach that it takes the same power of God that raised Christ from the dead, to raise dead sinners, (Ephesians 1:19,20).

The sum of all this is that God must bring sinners to Christ, through the preaching of the Gospel, and the Almighty work of the Spirit. He takes sinners who are dead in their sins, and brings them irresistibly and willingly, although their natural will is inclined to oppose.
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SHOULD WE MAKE AN ISSUE OF THE GOSPEL OF GRACE?

Absolutely! There is no other Gospel than the Gospel of Grace. The message of Scripture is clear on this, "For by grace, are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9).

There are three reasons why we must preach the Gospel of God's free and sovereign grace, and make an issue of it.
1. Because it is the only message God has ordained for His true servants to preach- Acts 13:38,39. To preach any other message is to depart from the doctrine of Christ, dishonor God, and damn souls to hell by giving them a false refuge and hope, II John 9

2. Because it is the only means that God has ordained to reveal to sinners lost in darkness that Christ has fully accomplished all the requirements of God's justice in the salvation of sinners, I Corinthians 1:18,21-24. Some say that preaching Sovereign Grace kills evangelism. It is true that it will kill modern day methods of evangelism. The question that we need to ask is not, "What will you do with Jesus?" It is rather, "What will the Sovereign Christ do with me?" The Gospel of Grace answers precisely that question. He has come to save a people, whom God the Father gave Him from all eternity, Matthew 1:21. He laid down His life to redeem His people, and justify them before God the Father, Hebrews 9:12, 14,15.

3. Because it is the only way of truly glorifying God and exalting Christ- I Corinthians 1:30,31. God will not share His glory with another.

A look back in history clearly demonstrates that God has always blessed the clear, decisive, preaching of the Gospel. Wherever the Gospel has made headway in any nation, it has been through God's servants going and preaching a distinct, doctrinal message of sovereign grace. It is to tell men plainly of Christ's vicarious death, telling them of complete justification through the righteous obedience and expiatory death of the Lord Jesus to which His people submit by faith, and bidding them believe on the crucified Savior; by preaching ruin by sin, redemption by Christ, regeneration by the Spirit. Without this clear evangelical doctrine, there is no evangelism.
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WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF 'TULIP'?

There is no certainty as to the origin of the acronym 'TULIP.' This is of English origin and is a label for the declaration of faith made by Synod of Dordt, mentioned later in this article. To properly understand the development of what are called the "Five Points of Calvinism," or "TULIP," it is important to see its development in the overall history of Europe beginning in the 16th century.

The state of the religion during the close of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century in Europe, even as today, was one of complete darkness. There was a lot of pomp and outward show, but few places of true worship where the Gospel was faithful preached except for pockets of believers meeting together outside organized religion. Beautiful church buildings had been erected in the Middle Ages, but within these buildings the truth of God's grace in Christ Jesus was not preached.

In this darkness, what has been called the Reformation began with men known as Reformers. Martin Luther in Germany nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in 1517. Ulrich Zwingli led the Reformation movement in the northern part of Switzerland, and ultimately died in a civil war when Catholics invaded the canton of Zurich in 1531. John Calvin wrote his Institutes in France and dedicated them to the king of France hoping that it would convince him that the persecution of those who were part of the Reformation was wrong. He later fled to Switzerland in 1535. After Luther's death in 1536, all who had become convinced of the errors of the Roman Catholic Church looked to Calvin for guidance and instruction.  The problem with these men is that they took truth from the Scripture and endeavored to preach it in order to reform the Church, rather than see themselves and their congregations as lost and in need of complete transformation rather than reformation.  Like so many, they tried to put new wine in old wine skins.

The term Calvinism comes out of the seventeenth century, largely in opposition to the teachings of Arminius, a Dutch theolgian who was educated at Leyden, Basle, and Geneva. He went to Amsterdam to serve as minister of the Reformed congregation (1588). Holland had become a center of Calvinism during the sixteenth century, but during his fifteen years as pastor, Arminius came to question some of the teachings of Calvinism. Disputes arose, and he left the pastorate and became professor of theology at the University of Leyden. The conflict continued until it divided the student body as well as the ministers in the Reformed Church.

Within a year after the death of Arminius, his followers issued the Remonstrance of 1610 that outlines the system known as Arminianism. The major points of departure were that

1. The decree of salvation applies to all, and that one must believe to make it effectual for oneself.
2. Christ died for all men without exception.
3. The Holy Spirit helps sinners do what they should (such as having faith in Christ). However, men must work it out themselves.
4. God's saving grace is resistible. 5. It is possible for those who are Christians to fall from grace.

"Calvinism" is largely derived from Calvin's writings and expositions of Scripture. John Calvin himself would not have used the term "Calvinism" , but his followers did in an effort to combat Arminianism.  It is a shame today that what is preached as the true Gospel is often branded as Calvinism as a defense against having to deal with the truth.  People would rather say, 'O! That's Calvinism," rather than admit that what they are really fighting is THE GOSPEL!

While this system of thought was made explicit by Calvin in his writings, it was further elaborated in the latter part of the sixteenth century, and partially summarized in the Canons of the Synod of Dort (1618), almost 50 years after his death; and nine years after the death of Arminius. Each of the five points of Calvinism under the acronym TULIP is in answer to the five points of Arminianism.

TOTAL DEPRAVITY

All people are totally contaminated by sin and corrupt in everything the say, do, or think. They do not possess a free will because they are bound by their sin nature and spiritually dead, blind, and deaf in the things of God- The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, I Corinthians 2:14.

UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION

God chose many sinners to salvation by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He chose those whom He will save, of His free will and sovereign purpose, even before He created the world. His choice was not conditioned on anything in sinners, but entirely on the Son of God as the Lamb slain before the world's foundation. "predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." Ephesians 1:11.

LIMITED ATONEMENT

Christ died only for those whom the Father gave Him to save. If Christ died for all, then all would be saved. Since God purposed only to save the elect, then Christ died only for them. The blood of Christ is infinitely sufficient to atone for all, but Christ died to save no more than the number that the Father ordained to salvation. "I know my sheep and am known of mine...and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:14,15

IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

God acts in sovereign grace in such a way that the elect will find Christ irresistible. God does not forcibly bring sinners to His Son, but rather, gives them life and draws them irresistibly to Him. "No man can come to me, except the Father draw him," (John 6:44). "All that the Father gives me shall come to me!" (John 6:37).

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

The redeemed of God will surely persevere because He has given them His promise that no creature can take them away from Him (including themselves). "For the Lord...forsaketh not His saints, the are preserved forever." Psalm 37:28

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WHAT IS TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS?

The Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:20. "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."

The righteousness of which the Scriptures speak is the very righteousness of God in Christ that has been imputed to the sinner's account when Christ lived and died. Christ obeyed perfectly the law of God, in His humanity, and that obedience has been put to the account of all who by God's free and sovereign grace have been, or shall yet be, called to Him by faith, according to God's purpose in eternal election. I Corinthians 1:30 - "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."

The notion of God justifying sinners based on any act of obedience of their own is contrary to the testimony of God Himself.  “For if righteousness come by law (any personal obedience), then Christ is dead in vain,” Galatians 2:21. The justification of sinners from beginning to end is by the FREE grace of God, through the life and death, the ONE atonement, and the ONE righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, apart from any work, act of the will, or warrant in the sinner.  Romans 3:24 shows that sinners are justified freely through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  Freely means, wholly conditioned upon Christ alone and His effectual life and death. To make justification dependent in any way upon the sinner willing, believing, or acting first is to render the death of Christ vain.  Some will readily say, ‘Yes, but do not the scriptures teach justification by faith?’ Certainly that expression is used in different portions of the Word such as Rom. 3:28 and Rom. 5:1. However, neither of these verses is teaching faith as the means or reason for justification.  The word order in the original is important in each verse. 

          1. Romans 3:28 literally reads, “We reckon therefore by faith a man to be justified apart from works of the law.”  It is not saying that faith justifies, but rather that true faith believes a man to be justified apart from his own obedience to the law.

          2. Romans 5:1 reads, “Having been justified therefore, by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ‘Having been justified,’ refers back to 4:24 and what took place AT THE CROSS.  It is by faith, then, that the soul of the redeemed, regenerated sinner has peace TOWARD GOD through Jesus Christ.  At the cross, God was propitiated toward those that Christ redeemed, Rom.3:25. In regeneration, the Spirit removes all enmity toward God in the redeemed and justified sinner’s heart, making Him at peace with God who is already satisfied because of Christ’s work, Col. 1:20.  

          The believer’s justification before God took place at the cross when “the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, He took out of the way, NAILING IT TO HIS CROSS, Col. 2:14.  All charges were satisfied in Christ’s death, not just dropped, or set aside. Therefore, forgiveness, redemption, and justification were fully accomplished at that time. Faith does not complete Christ’s work.  Rather, it is by faith that all of Christ’s redeemed ones are brought to embrace and enjoy what He accomplished for them at the cross!

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WHO IS SHREVEPORT GRACE CHURCH?

Shreveport Grace Church is a name that identifies us as a body of believers and very simply expresses who we are and what we believe.

Shreveport is where we meet as a body of believers. In the New Testament, the churches were identified by the different towns in which they met. The epistles are called after the names of the towns and regions where the believers were located (Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, etc.) There is no greater blessing for a city or region than that God raise up a Gospel church there.

Grace is the reason for our meeting together to worship God. There are only two religions in this world. People are either endeavoring to come to God through their works, or they rest wholly in God's grace and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. We unashamedly, yet humbly, acknowledge that salvation is all of grace through the Lord Jesus Christ's perfect obedience and atonement. God gives His grace to those whom He has chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, (II Timothy 1:9). If we are the Lord's today it is because God chose us in His eternal grace, Christ redeemed us by His blood, and the Spirit of God has graciously brought us to Christ in faith and repentance (I Peter 1:2).

The name church signifies what we are as an assembly. The word means "called out ones." As the redeemed of God, the Spirit of God has called us by His Gospel from our sin and darkness, to the glorious light of His Son. It is according to His eternal purpose that we might be to the praise of His glory in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 1:3-9).

May God graciously use us for His glory in this community and grant that we be faithful witnesses of His grace here.
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WHY PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE?

If God the Father has predestined only a limited number to be saved, if God the Son died to redeem only those given to Him by the Father, and if God the Spirit quickens only God's elect, then what is the use of giving the Gospel to the world at large, and where is the warrant for telling sinners that "Whosever believeth in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life?"

First, it is of great importance that we should be clear on the Gospel itself. The Gospel is God's good news concerning Christ, and not concerning sinners, Romans 1:1,3. It is God's purpose to proclaim far and wide the truth that His own Son became "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." The Gospel is God's witness of the glorious person and work of Christ in having saved sinners by His blood and righteousness.
Second, repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be preached in the name of the Lord Jesus "unto all nations." In time, the Spirit of God regenerates all that God has chosen to save in Christ, and will cause their path to cross with the faithful Gospel message. They must hear the Gospel, and believe it, before they can rejoice in the knowledge of sins forgiven at the cross. The Gospel is God's winnowing fan: it separates the chaff from the wheat, and gathers the latter into the silo.
Third, it is sufficient for us to know that God commands us to preach the Gospel to every creature. It is not for us to reason about the consistency between this and the fact that "few are chosen" It is for us to obey.  Those in whom He has revealed Christ in truth will desire to proclaim Him to a lost world, know that God will bless it to the calling out of every one whom He purposed to save from eternity.