Monday, February 8, 2010

Paul Washer explains the Doctrine of Election

I found this video on Youtube of Brother Paul explaining election. It can be hard to hear which is why I've written up a transcript so that people can read along to what is being said. There are certain parts that I was still unable to fully hear but I think I got enough of it to be able to post it. I hope that this helps those who do not know about Election and also help those who may have the wrong understanding of it (as well as the Depravity of man and Irresistible grace which ultimately comes from this).

If anyone has any questions concerning Calvinism please don't be afraid to ask, or if you have a problem with what is being said please don't hesitate to speak up. I personally believe what Brother Paul is saying is the Truth and that it is vital in understanding God's work in regards to salvation, but that is me. So without much further adieu I present Brother Paul Washer and Election.







Let me if you will go to my pastor’s website anchored in truth, he has this series of sermons called election plain and simple it's some of the best you will ever hear. dot Org election plain and simple. Um what it all comes down to is this you only have to answer one question, is man radically depraved? That's the only question you have to ask. Because if he is if he is truly dead in his sin, if he truly hates healing. If all men are equally evil and they are, then the question is how are you standing here right now believing God while some of your friends who are more moral than you still hate Him? What happened? If you say you opened up your heart I'll say no you didn't because the Bible says God opened up .... If you say I repented repentance is an evangelical grace in all the confessions it means it comes from God as a gift. If you say well I believe...Ephesians 2...also as a gift.

I know the Bible says that no man cometh to God unless he is called by God I know that my question is you know is grace, the offer of salvation for all men or did God sit back in eternity and say it's for you you you you and you you you you.

Well see first all the problem is this; let's say there is no election at all. Ok let's just start clean there's no election. Alright, now let’s say that men really are radically depraved and no man can come to God unless God draws him. So God comes down to every man and says, "Anyone who will bow their knee to me, anyone who will accept my Son as their Savior, will be saved." Since every man is radically depraved they all hate God, they all blaspheme Him turn around walk away and go to hell the whole world goes to hell, is that God's fault? Alright, let’s say that really is the reality; let's say that the Bible is true and that men hate God that much. So who's going to get saved? Absolutely no one. And if God saves no one because everyone is evil and rejects Him is God wrong in doing that? No. So that's what you've got without election. You've got the whole world hating God and going to hell. That's it.

The other option is this. Among these evil men for His own glory, and to demonstrate His own kindness before the foundation of the world He chooses a group of men out of there to demonstrate His glory in them. Is that wrong? Did he rip the other men off? What did He do? You've got two choices, God saves a group of people by His own Sovereignty or everybody goes to hell, everybody. Because men are that evil.

See your problem see what you need to realize is this, if God, right now were to throw open the door of hell, and say “Everyone who wants out of hell, the only thing you have to do is bow your knee to me and recognize my Lordship” they'll slam the door and stay in hell. See what you don't realize because of the humanistic Christianity in America you don't realize men are really evil. They really ARE evil. I'll give you an example (smirk).

Any of you seen the Lord of the Rings? Ok now Saruman makes these orcs, they come out of the ground, evil, evil. Alright Aragon all the heroes of the movie slaughter them like they were...you know insects. Slaughter them. And every time an orc gets killed what are you doing? You're going yay! Why? Because those orcs really are evil. They are evil. There's your problem. You don't think men are. Men really are evil, men really deserve hell. They really do.

Alright, so, it says you know we talk about the doctrine of inability that men cannot come to God. Jesus said that. Alright, men cannot come to God. Now, if you say, "If men can't come to God then how can God judge them? That's like judging a blind man because he can't read." If men can't come to God then mans not a culprit he's a victim. But here's what you have to understand men cannot come to God because they will not come to God and they will not come to God because they hate Him and therefore they're responsible. Men are evil, God is good.

So men hate God, they hate His Law, they hate everything about Him. Ok? It says of Joseph’s brothers they could not speak to Him peaceably. Now they spoke Aramaic, why couldn't they speak to him? They could not speak to him peaceably because they hated him. Alright? That's why no man will ever come to God. If God comes down and says, "Alright everybody make their choice." No one’s coming to God, why? They hate Him. And that's why their judged for their moral, their inability because their inability is (immoral?). They really hate God.

So you've got a whole human race, every one of them is fallen, everyone of them hates God, God comes down and says, "Who wants to be saved?" Everybody blasphemes the Name of God and walks into hell and slams the door, that's what you've got. Because men really are evil. And if out of that God says, "But for My Own Glory, I am going to redeem a people and give them to my Son. By my own choice by my own Sovereign election." He's done wrong to no one.

Now, how does He save them? Here's a question, are you spiritually dead prior to conversion? Well then how do you come to Christ? If you're spiritually blind, how do you see Him? But you're a dead man, if some of it has to do with you you're a dead man. If God calls your name you hate Him you're not gonna come you're gonna run farther away from Him. That is why in all, now listen very carefully, in all the Christian confessions, the old Christian confessions, in the Reformation, early Baptist confessions. You have been raised on this, "If you believe in Jesus you will be born again." All the early Baptist confessions say, "You must be born again in order to believe in Jesus." That's the difference.

Because if I tell a dead man, "Look, you're dead, but there's a hospital over here we can put some electrodes on you so get up and follow me over to the hospital." That's nonsensical he's dead. If he can get up he doesn't need to go to the hospital. So when Jesus looked at Lazarus and said Lazarus come forth. There's a problem, Lazarus is dead, he doesn't hear the command. The command must not only be given, the moment the command is given, Lazarus must be resurrected to able to even hear the command to respond.

That's why you've probably heard the Gospel for many many years, and you're sitting there and you didn't care no big deal, maybe you made a confession of faith, nothing. And then one day the Gospel is preached and you're like (whooh) the blinders taken off and not only that you want Him. Because some people say, "Well what God does is He draws us all to a certain point and then gives us a choice." There's a problem, if God only illuminates the mind of the sinner, then the more the sinner sees God, the more he's going to hate Him. So He not only illuminates the mind He changes the heart and with a new heart for the first time you look at Jesus you say, "I love Him, I'm irresistibly drawn to Him I want Him more than anything."