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The doctrine is essential for two reasons: First, without this doctrine, there is no gospel. Second, the person who does not believe the doctrine of the gospel is yet dead in his sins. We will go over each part of the definition of the gospel and expound on the doctrine therein. \par \pard\sb100\sa100\qc\b\fs28 GOD'S PROMISE\par \pard\sb100\sa100\b0\fs22 We first see GOD. The existence of God is an essential gospel doctrine. If one does not have GOD, one does not have the gospel. But the gospel does not just stop at God's existence. What does God do? God PROMISES. And the only way the gospel can be good news is if \i God has the power to keep all His promises without even a single failure.\i0\par What does the Bible say about the ability of God to keep His promises? Read the following passages: \cf3\ul Deu_7:8-10\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Jos_21:44-45\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Jos_23:14\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 2Sa_23:3-5\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Psa_89:24-37\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Psa_132:11\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Isa_45:23\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Isa_46:9-11\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Isa_54:9-10\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Jer_33:20-21\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Jer_33:25-26\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Act_13:32-33\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Rom_15:8-9\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 2Co_1:19-20\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 1Th_5LVAL:24\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Tit_1:1-3\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 2Pe_3:9-13\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Heb_6:13-20\cf0\ulnone . This is only a small percentage of the passages that talk of God's faithfulness to keep His promises. If God's promises were not sure to be fulfilled, then all is in vain.\par How can we be sure that God is able to keep all His promises? Some of the verses above mention this, and there are many other verses that mention it as well. The reason we can be sure that God is able to keep all His promises is because God is \i sovereign\i0 . That means He is in total control of all things. He \i created\i0 all things, and He \i orders\i0 all things. There is not a single thing in the universe that is not \i controlled\i0 by God. If there is anything that is not under God's control, then whatever it is that is not under God's control can get in the way of God's fulfilling His promises. If God promises to do something, yet there are some people around who are not controlled by God, then those people could thwart God's promise. God \i must\i0 be in control of \i every single thing\i0 . Here are a few Scriptures that show that God is in control: \cf3\ul Job_23:13-14\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Psa_115:3\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Psa_135:5-7\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Pro_16:33\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Pro_21:1\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Isa_45:6-7\cf0\ulnone .\par Those who believe the gospel believe that God is \i sovereign\i0 over all things and is thus able and faithful to keep all His promises. If you do not believe that God is sovereign, then you do not believe that His promises are sure and certain. If you do not believe that His promises are sure and certain, you do not believe the gospel.\par Inseparably connected with the doctrine of God's sovereignty and faithfulness to keep His promises is the doctrine of \i predestination\i0 . To "predestinate" means to "determine beforehand." We have already seen that God is in control of everything, meaning that he determines everything. Now the question is, \i when\i0 did LVALHe determine everything? Does He determine things based on what His creation does? If He did that, His promises would not be sure and certain, because they could be changed by the will of man. So - if God does not determine things in reaction to His creation, He must have determined things \i before\i0 creation. God is an infinite God - that means He has no beginning and no end. So when we talk about God determining things \i before\i0 creation, we are not saying that it is possible to pinpoint a particular \i time\i0 before creation, because time did not exist before creation and because God's determination of all things was in His mind from eternity past. It is enough to say that He determined all things \i before\i0 He created all things. (Note that the doctrine of God as creator of all things is essential gospel doctrine, because God cannot be in control of that which He did not create, unless some higher being is the one that created and then designated God to be in control. But a god who is in subjection to another being cannot be God. Many Scriptures, when they talk of God's sovereignty, link God's sovereignty with God as Creator.) \par Here are some Scriptures that speak of God's predetermination of all things: \cf3\ul Isa_42:9\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Isa_46:9-10\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Mat_25:34\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Act_13:48\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Act_17:26\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Rom_8:29\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 1Co_2:7\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Eph_1:4-5\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Eph_1:11\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Eph_3:11\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 2Th_2:13\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 2Ti_1:9\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Tit_1:2\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 1Pe_1:20\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Rev_13:8\cf0\ulnone . And the Bible says that the most important event in history, even though it was carried out by evil men, was predetermined: \cf3\ul Luk_22:22\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Act_2:23\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Act_4:27-28\cf0\ulnone .\par \pard\cf2\kerning36\par \pard\sb100\sa100\qc\cf0\kerning0\b\fs28 TO SAVE\b0\fs22\par \pard\sb100\sa100 TO SAVE meLVALans to deliver or rescue. So the gospel speaks of God's promise to deliver or rescue.\par First of all, what is the necessary implication of deliverance or rescue? If I'm going to RESCUE someone, does that mean that everything is okay with the person I'm going to rescue? No! It means that there is something terribly wrong. That person is in a situation in which he is in need of RESCUE. And if I'm going to DELIVER someone, it's because that person is \i being held\i0 or \i is bound\i0 by someone or something. Since the gospel speaks of God's saving certain people, what is the terrible situation from which these people need to be RESCUED? What are they bound by from which they need to be DELIVERED?\par The Bible clearly tells us the state of these people before they are rescued and delivered. In fact, it tells us that the state of \i these\i0 people - that is, the ones that are mentioned in the gospel - before salvation is no different than the state of \i everyone without exception\i0 by nature. \cf3\ul Eph_2:1-3\cf0\ulnone says that we were \i dead \i0 in trespasses and in sins. When it says we were \i dead\i0 , does that mean that we did not breathe or that our heart was not beating or that our brain was not working? We can see from verses 2 and 3 that it does not mean that, because it says that we were \i doing things\i0 . So when we talk about unbelievers being \i dead\i0 , we do not mean that they do not do anything. This death is a certain kind of death. As verse 1 says, it is a kind of death that is \i in trespasses and sins.\i0 We were dead \i in our sins.\i0 \cf3\ul Col_2:13\cf0\ulnone says that we were dead in the offenses and the uncircumcision of our flesh. \cf3\ul Joh_3:19\cf0\ulnone says that unsaved people love darkness rather than light, because their works are evil. \cf3\ul Rom_6:17\cf0\ulnone and \cf3\ul Rom_6:20\cf0\ulnone say that we were \i slaves\i0 of sin. So we were \i dead\i0 in sin and \i slaves\i0 to sin. This means that everything we did was evil, and we \i cLVALould not\i0 do \i anything\i0 good. We could not even understand the difference between good and evil. In the second part of \cf3\ul Rom_6:20\cf0\ulnone , it says that we were \i "free as to righteousness."\i0 This means that when we were slaves to sin, we were \i without\i0 righteousness. We did not have a righteousness that answered the demands of God's law and justice. Read \cf3\ul Rom_3:9-12\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Rom_8:5-8\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 1Co_2:14\cf0\ulnone . \par Another essential doctrine comes from the answer to the following questions: "\i Why\i0 were we dead in our sins before we were saved, and \i why\i0 is \i everyone\i0 dead in their sins who is not saved?" For the answer to this question, look at \cf3\ul Rom_5:12-19\cf0\ulnone . Sin entered the world through \i one man\i0 . Through \i one man's disobedience\i0 , the many were constituted sinners. Who is this one man? He was the first man ever to be created - Adam. What does that have to do with us? Adam's sin is imputed to all whom he represented. How many people did Adam represent? All of Adam's posterity. The doctrine of original sin is essential gospel doctrine.\par What is God's attitude toward those who are dead in their sins and who are void of righteousness? \cf3\ul Eph_2:3\cf0\ulnone says that we were by nature \i children of wrath\i0 . Because God is perfectly holy and righteous, He will not fellowship with those who are not as righteous as He is. He can \i only show wrath\i0 to them. This is why, when we were dead in trespasses and sins, we were children of wrath. We were under God's wrath. At the very end of the verse, it says, \i "even as the rest."\i0 This shows that everyone without exception by nature is a child of wrath. They are under God's curse. Everything they do is under a curse.\par Now someone might ask, "Everything they do is cursed? Don't they do at least a little bit of good? Isn't God pleased with some of what unsaved people do? Are you saying that God doesn't bless them or have some kind of meLVALrcy upon them?" My answer is, This is not just my opinion; it is revealed by \i God\i0 . And if you have a problem with it, you have a problem with God. What does God say? \cf3\ul Psa_14:2-3\cf0\ulnone says that there is \i none\i0 doing good. \cf3\ul Mat_7:18\cf0\ulnone says that a corrupt tree \i cannot\i0 bring forth good fruit. It is an \i impossibility\i0 . But someone might ask, "Isn't an unbeliever doing good when he is kind to others? What about if he's kind to the environment or to his animals?" \cf3\ul Pro_12:10\cf0\ulnone says that even the \i mercies\i0 of the wicked are \i cruel\i0 ! His so-called goodness to others is actually \i cruelty\i0 in God's sight! \cf3\ul Heb_11:6\cf0\ulnone says that it is \i impossible\i0 for unbelievers to please God. Do you see any exceptions in here? Does an unbeliever's so-called good deeds or acts of kindness please God? God says that this is an \i impossibility\i0 . And if it is impossible for an unbeliever to ever please God, what is God's attitude toward those who do not please Him? \i Only a curse\i0 . \i Never\i0 a blessing. \cf3\ul Pro_3:33\cf0\ulnone says that the house of the wicked is \i cursed\i0 . \cf3\ul Deu_28:15-19\cf0\ulnone shows that everything he does is cursed. \par When the Bible speaks of those who are dead in their sins, who are slaves to sin, who are bringing forth fruit unto death, who cannot bring forth good fruit, who cannot please God, and who are under God's curse, it is not just speaking of the immoral pervert. It is \i also\i0 talking about the one who is doing his best to obey God and to be moral and dedicated and sincere but who does not believe the gospel. Paul's testimony about himself is the most vivid example. In \cf3\ul Phi_3:4-7\cf0\ulnone , he shows that he was not an immoral pervert when he was lost; in fact, he was just the opposite. He was a moral, sincere, zealous, religious person. Yet because he did not believe the gospel then, Paul counted all that but loss. \cf3\ul Pro_15:8\cf0\ulnone says thatLVAL the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to God. It is all an abomination, even if it comes in the name of Christ. The so-called "Christians" of our day who claim to love and worship God but who do not believe the gospel (including all who believe that Christ died for all without exception) are bringing forth fruit unto death. They have a zeal, but it is not according to knowledge (\cf3\ul Rom_10:2\cf0\ulnone ). They are ever learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth (\cf3\ul 2Ti_3:7\cf0\ulnone ). The state of the religious unbeliever who comes in the name of conservative Christianity, even in the name of the doctrines of grace, is the same as the state of the irreligious, unconcerned, immoral, liberal homosexual. \par Part and parcel with the doctrine of original sin and total depravity is the doctrine of what sin earns. For if certain people are saved from their sins, they are also saved from the consequence of their sins. What is the consequence of sin? \cf3\ul Rom_6:23\cf0\ulnone says that sin earns death. Sin \i demands\i0 death. \cf3\ul Rom_6:16\cf0\ulnone talks about \i "sin to death."\i0 \cf3\ul Rom_6:21\cf0\ulnone says that \i "the end of those things is death."\i0 When Romans 5 speaks of Adam, it speaks of \i condemnation\i0 and \i death\i0 as sin's result.\par What is this condemnation and death, which is also spoken of as damnation? The Bible clearly states that it is the state of the wicked after they die in which they are eternally punished for their sins. The place in which they are eternally punished for their sins is called hell. The following are some Scriptures that speak of the horrible state and place of those who die in their sins: \cf3\ul Isa_33:14\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Mat_3:12\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Mat_13:40-42\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Mar_9:43-48\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 2Th_1:8-9\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Rev_14:9-11\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Rev_21:8\cf0\ulnone . We see from these passages two main truths about hell. First, it is a burning with fire that causeLVALs unimaginable pain and agony and torment to all who are there. Second, this burning fire and torment will last for eternity. The fire will never go out, and the pain and agony will never end. What a sobering thought. Even the worst suffering on earth cannot even begin to compare with the torment of hell.\par Why does hell exist? And why are its occupants tormented forever? Some say that God would not do such a thing as tormenting the wicked forever. The reason people say these things is because they do not know who God is. Hell is what it is because God is who He is. God, first and foremost, is \i holy\i0 . He is \i totally, everlastingly, perfectly pure\i0 . God's holiness means that God is \i just\i0 . Because of His \i holy\i0 and \i unchangeable justice\i0 , all transgressions against His Holy Commandments, which are \i total\i0 affronts to His infinite Holiness, \i must\i0 be punished in proportion to His Holiness. Those who die not having a righteousness that equals the holiness of God \i cannot even begin to pay\i0 for their sins. Sin against an eternally Holy God must be punished with eternal punishment. Those who do not believe in the eternal punishment of the wicked do not believe in the utter sinfulness of sin. They do not believe that sin is that much of an offense to God. And the reason they do not believe that sin is such an offense to the eternal God that the wicked must be punished eternally is because they do not believe in the Holy and Just God of the Bible. \par We have thus far seen what God's people are saved from. Now we go into what this salvation entails, according to God's testimony. What happens to a dead sinner when he is saved?\par First, when the sovereign God appoints a time to save one of His people, there is \i absolutely no stopping it. \i0 God's saving power is \i irresistible\i0 . Read \cf3\ul Joh_6:37\cf0\ulnone . Are there any exceptions there? Are there any whom God has given to Jesus who \i will not\i0 come to Him? Now look at verse 44: \i "No one is ablLVALe to come to Me\i0 (that is talking about the total inability of man to come to Christ by nature) \i unless the Father who sent Me DRAWS him, and I will raise him up in the last day."\i0 What does it mean when it says that God \i draws\i0 a person? Does it mean that God says, "Please, please, will you please come to me"? No. The word \i draw\i0 here means to \i drag by force\i0 . To find out what this word really means, see how it is used in other parts of the New Testament: \cf3\ul Joh_21:11\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Act_16:19\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Act_21:30\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Jam_2:6\cf0\ulnone . It is plain to see that this word does not have anything to do with pleading or with proffering or even with asking. It is a \i unilateral, forceful dragging.\i0 Does this mean that God drags a person kicking and screaming? No - God changes his heart so he is willingly dragged to Him. \cf3\ul Psa_110:3\cf0\ulnone says, \i "Your people shall be WILLING in the day of Your power."\i0 \cf3\ul Joh_10:27\cf0\ulnone says, \i "My sheep HEAR My voice, and I know them, and they FOLLOW me."\i0 \par Let us now look at the \i change\i0 that takes place at this time.\par There is first a change of \i state\i0 before God. We have already seen that God's people by nature are in a state of wrath and condemnation. They are under God's curse. They do not have a righteousness that equals God's righteousness. What happens at salvation to a person's \i state\i0 before God? At salvation, the righteousness of Christ is \i imputed\i0 to His people. This means that they are \i legally constituted righteous\i0 - as righteous as God Himself. This is an amazing truth. God, because He is holy, only fellowships with those who are as righteous as He is. And He will admit no one to heaven who does not have a righteousness that equals His. Imputation is the only way that God can be just to justify sinners. Because of imputation, there is a change from \i death\i0 to \i life\i0 . We, by nature, in our own righteousness, were deaLVALd in sins and could only bring forth fruit unto death. But what does the Scripture say about our state when we are saved? Read \cf3\ul Eph_2:4-5\cf0\ulnone and \cf3\ul Col_2:13\cf0\ulnone . We were dead once, but we were made alive. This making of a new life is sometimes called being born of God. Read \cf3\ul Joh_3:3-8\cf0\ulnone and \cf3\ul 1Pe_1:23\cf0\ulnone . \i Regenerate\i0 is another word for born again. Generate = born, and re = again. So when we talk about regeneration, we are talking about being born again.\par As part of being born again, there is a change of \i heart\i0 . Read \cf3\ul Eze_11:19\cf0\ulnone and \cf3\ul Eze_36:25-26\cf0\ulnone . Before salvation, God's people have a heart of stone. After salvation, God's people have a heart of flesh. What does this change of heart mean? In order to find this out, we need to see what is the function of the heart according to Scripture. The following are examples (notice what the heart is \i doing \i0 in each of these passages): \cf3\ul Gen_6:5\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Gen_24:45\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Gen_27:41\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Exo_35:35\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Exo_36:2\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Deu_15:9\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul 1Ki_3:9\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Psa_14:1\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Psa_15:2\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Psa_49:3\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Pro_14:10\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Ecc_7:22\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Isa_33:18\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Mat_13:15\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Luk_2:19\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Act_8:22\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Rom_10:9-10\cf0\ulnone ; \cf3\ul Heb_4:12\cf0\ulnone . The \i heart \i0 is what \i thinks, understands, knows,\i0 and \i believes.\i0 So a change of \i heart\i0 is a change of \i thinking, understanding, knowledge,\i0 and \i belief.\i0 Those who are \i not\i0 saved are lacking knowledge and understanding. Read \cf3\ul Isa_45:20\cf0\ulnone . What were these idolaters lacking? They were lacking \i knowledge. \i0 What knowledge were these idolaters lacking? Look at verses \cf3\ul Isa_45:21-25\cf0\ulnone . These idolaters were lacLVALking the knowledge of the true God, the one who is both a just God and a Savior. They were lacking the knowledge that only in God is there righteousness and strength. They were lacking the knowledge that God is a justifier of His people. In \cf3\ul Rom_10:2\cf0\ulnone , we again see a lack of knowledge. What is this knowledge that they were lacking? Look at \cf3\ul Rom_10:3-4\cf0\ulnone . They were ignorant of the righteousness of God and thus were automatically going about to establish their own righteousness. \cf3\ul 2Co_4:3-4\cf0\ulnone says that these unregenerate people are blind to the brightness of the gospel of the glory of Christ. So we see that those who do not have a knowledge and understanding of the \i gospel\i0 have not been \i saved\i0 .Let us now look at descriptions of those who are saved. Read \cf3\ul Joh_17:3\cf0\ulnone . What is everlasting life? It is \i knowledge\i0 of God and of Jesus Christ. Read \cf3\ul Joh_8:32\cf0\ulnone . What is the \i truth\i0 that God's people \i know\i0 that sets them free? It is that same \i truth\i0 that those who do not believe are \i ignorant of\i0 ! It is the truth of the righteousness of God revealed in the Gospel; the truth of the person and work of Jesus Christ! Read \cf3\ul Rom_6:17-18\cf0\ulnone . What is that \i doctrine\i0 that believers believed when they were made free from sin? Again, it is the same \i doctrine\i0 of which unbelievers are ignorant! \cf3\ul 2Jo_1:9\cf0\ulnone says that those who do not stay in the \i doctrine\i0 of Christ do not have God. \par Another effect of the change of heart is \i repentance. \i0 It is important to note the passages in which repentance and belief of the gospel are mentioned together. Some examples are \cf3\ul Mar_1:15\cf0\ulnone and \cf3\ul Act_20:21\cf0\ulnone . Since repentance is connected with belief, of what does this repentance consist? When God's people are given knowledge of the true gospel, they \i repent \i0 of believing a false gospel. This means that they turn \i totally\i0 aLVALway from the false gospel of salvation conditioned on the sinner and submit to the righteousness of God revealed in the true gospel of salvation conditioned on the atoning blood and imputed righteousness of Christ alone. They count all their works while believing a false gospel as dung, as dead works, as evil deeds, as fruit unto death. They realize that their belief of a false gospel showed that they were lost. They will \i never\i0 speak peace to their former selves. Repentance and judging go hand-in-hand. If one believes that he was lost while believing a false gospel, then he obviously will not think that someone else is saved who believes that same false gospel.\par We are given an example of true repentance in \cf3\ul Phi_3:4-9\cf0\ulnone . When Paul believed in the true gospel of the righteousness of God, he counted his former religion as loss and as trash. He realized that when he believed in salvation conditioned on the sinner, he was bringing forth evil deeds, dead works, and fruit unto death. He realized that now that God had changed his heart to believe the gospel, he would never go back to bringing forth evil deeds, dead works, and fruit unto death. They were on the dung heap. \i This\i0 is true gospel repentance. If someone says that he repented of a false gospel at conversion and then needs to continue to repent of a false gospel as a Christian, then that person is still dead in his sins, because he has no idea what true gospel repentance is. True gospel repentance is a one-time occurrence, just as regeneration is a one-time occurrence.\par There is another important meaning of "TO SAVE." The aforementioned Hebrew and Greek words also mean "to preserve," "to be safe," and "to do well." Here we see that salvation does not only have to do with the initial deliverance and rescue from the bondage of sin, but it also has to do with being \i preserved\i0 from evil. Once we are delivered and rescued, we \i remain\i0 in this state \i forever\i0 . So the gospel also includes God's promise LVALto \i preserve\i0 . What kind of good news would it be if God promised initial regeneration but then said that these regenerate people can become unregenerated and finally perish in hell? This is not good news at all. In fact, it is a blatant form of salvation conditioned on the sinner, because it says that a person's \i bad works\i0 can \i undo\i0 his salvation. And if his \i bad works\i0 can \i undo\i0 their salvation, what does he think will \i redo\i0 his salvation?\par Let us review some Scriptures that show that God preserves everyone He regenerates and that not a single person whom God saves will return to a state of lostness.\par Read \cf3\ul Psa_37:23-28\cf0\ulnone . Notice that in verse 23, preservation is tied to God's sovereignty. God orders our steps, and He preserves us. This is an important passage, because it shows two things: first, God causes us to remain in a state of justification; and second, God causes us to remain submitted to His righteousness. We see both \i objective\i0 and \i subjective\i0 preservation here. God does \i not\i0 keep His people in a state of justification while at the same time having them engage in unbelief and denying the gospel. God preserves in \i both\i0 ways. There is \i never\i0 one without the other. \par Read \cf3\ul Psa_73:23-24\cf0\ulnone . See here that preservation is \i all the way\i0 to final glory. And notice again the objective and subjective preservation. God's people are guided by His counsel, and God takes hold of their hands and takes them to glory.\par Read \cf3\ul Jer_32:39-40\cf0\ulnone . Do you see how God's preservation of His people is tied right in to His promise to deliver them and to give them a new heart? God promises that He will put His fear into their new heart and that they will \i never \i0 depart from Him.\par Read \cf3\ul Joh_6:37-40\cf0\ulnone . How many whom God has given to Jesus will Jesus lose? \i "I shall not lose ANY of it"!\i0 How many who believe in Jesus will have everlasting life? \i "Everyone"!LVAL\i0 Again, see that this preservation goes all the way from regeneration to final glory.\par Read \cf3\ul Joh_10:28-29\cf0\ulnone . Who is able to pluck the sheep out of God's hand? \i No one!\i0 They shall \i never perish\i0 .\par Can anyone or anything stop or hinder God's people from being saved eternally? Read \cf3\ul Rom_8:28-39\cf0\ulnone . When God justifies someone, is there any question as to whether or not He will glorify that person? \i Absolutely nothing\i0 can separate us from God's love! \par Read \cf3\ul Psa_121:3-8\cf0\ulnone . Look closely at what God is saying here. He is saying that He keeps His people from slipping, keeps them from all evil, and keeps their soul. God keeps our souls \i safe,\i0 and not only does He keep our souls safe, He keeps us from slipping! God has made it so that it is \i impossible\i0 for His people to slip! We \i cannot\i0 slip! God promises it, and He keeps His promises!\par What does it mean to slip? This leads into a vital area of subjective preservation. God's people are preserved from believing, confessing, and following a false christ and a false gospel. Read \cf3\ul Joh_10:5\cf0\ulnone . Does it say that we will \i sometimes\i0 follow a stranger? Does it say that we will follow a stranger and follow the true Shepherd at the same time? No! It says that we will \i never\i0 follow a stranger! (For more on this topic, please see the article "God's Preserving Grace" in the May 2000 issue of \i Outside the Camp\i0 .) Christians still do struggle with sin and constantly fall short of the perfect standard in their character and conduct, but they \i never\i0 follow a stranger or confess a false gospel. Anyone who says that a Christian \i can\i0 follow a stranger and confess a false gospel does not know the preserving grace of God.\par \pard\cf2\par \pard\sb100\sa100\qc\cf0\b\fs28 HIS PEOPLE\par \pard\sb100\sa100\b0\fs22 Whom does God promise to save?\par \cf3\ul Mat_1:21\cf0\ulnone shows that God promises to save HIS PEOPLE. In the context LVAL of the verse, these are specifically CHRIST'S PEOPLE. Who are Christ's people? Read \cf3\ul Joh_10:1-12\cf2\ulnone ;\cf0 \cf3\ul Joh_10:13-22\cf2\ulnone ;\cf0 & \cf3\ul Joh_10:23-30\cf0\ulnone ; and notice how Jesus talks about the sheep and how possessive He is. Jesus says here that these sheep are His sheep, that He calls His own sheep by name, that He lays down His life for the sheep, He knows them that are His, He gives eternal life to His sheep, His father has given the sheep to Him, and His sheep shall never perish. Is Jesus saying that everyone without exception are His sheep? If that were the case, then everyone without exception will be given eternal life and will never perish. We know that is not the case. But just to make it as plain and as clear as it can possibly be, Jesus says something in verse 26 that most religionists who come in the name of Christianity absolutely hate. Read \cf3\ul Joh_10:24-26\cf0\ulnone . Jesus first tells the Jews that He already told them He was the Christ, and they did not believe. But \i Jesus did not stop there. \i0 He told them \i why\i0 they did not believe! He said that \i the reason \i0 they did not believe was because they were \i not of His sheep. \i0 It cannot get any plainer than this. He did not say, "You are not of My sheep because you don't believe." He said, "You do not believe because you are not of My sheep." Look at verse 15 again in light of this. Jesus said that He lays down His life for the \i sheep\i0 . Then in verse 26, Jesus said that these Jews were \i not\i0 of His sheep. So - did Jesus lay down His life for these Jews? Can there be any doubt in the mind of \i anyone\i0 who really believes in the Jesus of the Bible? There cannot be. \par \cf3\ul Eph_5:25\cf0\ulnone and \cf3\ul Act_20:28\cf0\ulnone show that Christ gave Himself up for