Our Foundation of Faith

We unashamedly declare the Gospel of God's free and sovereign grace

Gracious Election, also known as "Unconditional Election", is the unconditional election and predestination of a people unto salvation; no condition was ever met by man, nor will one ever be met, to deserve God's favor.

We are all, by nature, unworthy.  But before the foundation of the world, before anything existed, God foreknew a people whom He then predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.  God, in His sovereignty, elected His people unto salvation; not based upon anything good within themselves, any kind of merit, or any action of good works; God elected His people solely because it was the kind intention of His own will to save them.  He simply chose to elect them and extend to them His grace.

Salvation is not something which can be earned, rather it is a totally undeserved gift from God.  One may question why God chooses some but not others; this is the wrong way to look at it.  A better question would be, why does God choose anyone at all?

Since the fall of man, all were destined to spend an eternity in hell, absent from God's love.  All are perfectly deserving of God's eternal wrath.  Nothing within themselves can change this outcome.  However, God predestined an elect.  He chose to extend His grace to those of whom He elected.  Nothing was done to earn it; it was entirely God's decision.  God's elect still possess the burden of their sin nature, they are still worthy of God's wrath; but through Jesus Christ, God paid the sin debt owed by those of whom He chose to save.
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[1] Isaiah 43:6-7 I will say to the north, give up, and to the south, do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created my glory, whom I formed and made.

[2] John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

[3] Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

[4] Romans 9:11-13 Though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad-in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls-she was told, "The older will serve the younger." As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

[5] Romans 9:14-16 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

[6] Romans 9:18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

[7] Romans 9:21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?

[8] Galatians 1:15-16 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.

[9] Ephesians 1:4-8 Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.

[10] Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

[11] Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved-and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

[12] 2 Timothy 1:9 Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

Ruined Sinners, also known as "Total Depravity", is the total inability of man, on his own, to see beyond his own selfish sinnership.  Man is totally lost and incapable; he is spiritually dead.

Since the fall of man, sin has totally separated man from God.  Sin has affected every aspect of who man is; his heart, his mind, his intentions, his emotions, and his flesh; all of which work against him, as they are completely affected by sin.  Nothing good lies within man.  If there exists anything good, it is because God put it there.

Before God chooses to intervene, man is a slave to sin.  His heart is wicked and sick.  He desires nothing to do with God, and he is incapable of understanding spiritual things.  He is enmity, itself, against God and by nature, a child of wrath.

It is impossible for man to choose or desire God, as he completely lacks any and all sort of spiritual understanding or awakening.  God must born him again; the only reason someone comes to God is because God predestined them; He appointed them to believe.  It was not by our own will, but God's will; faith is the work of God.  God chose to give His elect new life in spiritual birth, a new nature.  Man chooses God only because God chose him first.
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[1] Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

[2] Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

[3] Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of man, comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.

[4] John 1:12-13 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

[5] Romans 3:10-12 As it is written: none is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

[6] Romans 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

[7] Romans 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.

[8] 1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

[9] Ephesians 2:1-3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

[10] 1 John 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

Accomplished Redemption, also known as "Limited Atonement", is the reconciliation of God and the sinners of whom He has elected, through the doing and dying of Jesus Christ on the tree of the cross.

Sin is breaking the law of God; a legal debt and a capital offense worthy of eternal death.  All have sinned and fall short of God's glory.  All owe an eternal debt which cannot be paid, as we are all morally and spiritually bankrupt.  Because God is Holy, just, and righteous, He cannot let sin go unpunished.  He cannot simply choose to forgive our sins; someone had to take our place.

Jesus Christ served as our substitutionary atonement.  He was the perfect substitution; the perfect and final sacrifice.  He was righteous and without sin; having lived a perfect life, He owed no debt.  Our sins were imputed to Him; they were transferred to Him and canceled on the cross.  God poured out His judgement on His Son, satisfying His wrath, and making it possible for Him to forgive those of whom He elected, who believe and trust in Jesus Christ.

Though His blood is sufficient to cover all people, not all sin was imputed to Jesus Christ, only the sins of those whom God elected into salvation.

By living a perfect life, Jesus Christ imputed to us His perfect righteousness, the very thing we are incapable of doing for ourselves.  By shedding His blood on the cross, Jesus Christ took our eternal punishment, the one we so perfectly deserve.  His suffering was incomprehensible; He experienced God's infinite wrath, but because of His sacrifice, along with His perfect righteousness, the elect are righteous before God and the debt we are incapable of paying is no longer owed; it has been paid in full.

Following His sacrificial death, Jesus Christ rose again; He conquered death!  Through His resurrection, God made a promise, a commitment to complete His work on the last day, raising up His elect, and restoring the broken world by bringing into existence a new heaven and a new earth.
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[1] 1 Samuel 3:14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.

[2] Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

[3] Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

[4] Matthew 25:32-33 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

[5] Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

[6] Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.

[7] John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

[8] John 10:15 Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

[9] John 17:9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

[10] John 19:30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

[11] Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

[12] 1 Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

[13] Ephesians 1:7-11 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

[14] Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

[15] Colossians 2:13-14 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

[16] Hebrews 7:26-27 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once and for all when he offered up himself.

[17] 1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

[18] 2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

[19] Revelation 21:1 Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

Compelling Love, also known as "Irresistible Grace", is the call of God's elect, through the Holy Spirit, unto salvation and regeneration; it is the act of God changing the hearts of man, making man willing to receive Him.

There comes a point in every Christian's life when conversion takes place.  It is the moment in life that God catches up to His elect and opens their eyes and ears to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the moment that changes everything.

God's grace is irresistible.  It is so powerful, it is able to overcome our natural resistance to it.  There is nothing in the world that we can do to resist it and thwart God's intention to save us.  Salvation is certain.

God made available to all people, the Gospel message.  But to God's elect, He brings the message alive through the Holy Spirit, working on them from within.  He changes their hearts and minds, bringing them to an understanding of their sinnership, to repentance and regeneration, whereby they willingly and freely come to God.  He changes their 'willer', as part of their new spiritual nature.

Whether we have been hiding in the world or hiding in the Church, up until the moment of conversion, the Gospel has no appeal; we have no desire to have a relationship with God.  We are slaves to our sins and iniquities, and have no comprehension of the spiritual alternative.  We live selfishly, relying on ourselves to serve ourselves.

God doesn't save us against our will.  God makes His love for us so compelling, so irresistible, it draws us in and we want nothing else.  He is suddenly to us, as desirable as a husband to his newly-wed bride.
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[1] Psalm 110:3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.

[2] Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

[3] John 1:12-13 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God.

[4] John 6:28-29 Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

[5] John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

[6] John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

[7] Acts 9:6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.

[8] Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

[9] Romans 9:16,18 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

[10] 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

[11] 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 For even as I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it-though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.

[12] Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

[13] 2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Everlasting Life, also known as "Perseverance of the Saints" or "Preservation of the Saints", is the guaranteed security which all of God's people have in Jesus Christ; they are forever His and will never fall away.  They will never perish; they will have eternal life!

God's elect have been regenerated; born again in spirit.  Absolutely nothing can separate His elect from the love of God; nothing!  God's elect cannot lose their salvation; once they are saved, they are always and forever saved; they are permanently secure in Jesus Christ.

Though we will face trials and tribulations following our spiritual rebirth, God will never tempt us beyond what we can handle; our faith will persevere; it will endure all evil, not based upon our own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, keeping the Gospel alive within us.  We trust and rely on Jesus Christ, in His doing and dying, and we understand that there is no power within ourselves apart from God's grace.  We understand that God works through us to perfect His people.  We have genuine faith, having been truly born again.  If faith could be lost, we never had it to begin with.

Even after regeneration, God's elect will still lapse into sin, sometimes serious sin.  That doesn't mean that they are at risk of losing their salvation, nor does it mean that they were never saved.  They are forever in a state of grace; they can never lose it.  God will continue to use them to His glory, to do good works, until Christ returns.

God's elect despises sin.  They hate their flesh; they hate that they are sinners.  They don't consider God's grace a 'license to sin', rather they understand what they are.  They understand that they are forgiven despite what they are, and that God's grace is totally undeserved and unmerited; they are what they are by the grace of God!  But by understanding what they are, they know that everything within themselves is working against them.  Sin will happen because we are weak, not because we are exploiting the work God has done for us through Jesus Christ on the tree of the cross.

Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God made His people a promise; they will inherit the kingdom of heaven and He will mend all brokenness.  God started the process by opening their hearts, minds, eyes, and ears, to the Gospel message; He borned them again, giving them a new spiritual nature.  God fully intends to finish His work, raising them up to heaven on the last day, and bringing to fruition social order, renewing the entire cosmos; a new heaven and a new earth.


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[1] John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal live.

[2] John 6:38-39 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

[3] John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

[4] John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

[5] John 17:2 Since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

[6] John 17:11-12 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

[7] Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

[8] Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[9] 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

[10] 1 Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

[11] Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

[12] Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.

[13] II Tim. 1:12 Which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard me until that day what has been entrusted to me.

[14] II Tim. 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

[15] 2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

[16] 1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they are not of us.

[17] Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

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