Great Doctrines of Salvation
Courtney Hemenway · Mar 28, 2010
Great Doctrines of Salvation, No. 13
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926158494629

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

We are in chapter 7, lesson 7 on assurance. I think we got down as far as question 6. We were just beginning question 6. What then causes the lack of assurance on the part of many believers? Again, with knowledge. But one of the things we touched on a little bit, and I was trying to get some feedback on that, was about the March banks also besides... Well, let me step back. He puts it this way. What causes a lack of assurance?

Sensibly we have seen assurance comes from a knowledge of and a trust in the truths revealed about Christ and the Word. Not to know the Word means to not have assurance. There are doubtless those who have seen themselves as sinners and have trusted Christ as Savior, but they have not been fed up of the Word. Therefore they lack the glad and joyous assurance which God wants us to have and which honors.

So, that was one of the main ones. But he also puts out that also brings unjudged and unconfessed sin in a Christian's life will dim his assurance. And it was just beginning, I think we're at the end of last class. What are your thoughts on that? About unjudged and unconfessed sins will dim a believer's assurance? Thoughts on that? Communication? Until you repent and agree with God again. So the fellowship is interrupted, but how does that affect your assurance?

I'm just asking the question because I was kind of like trying to figure out where he's coming from on that. He just kind of puts that statement out there and I just wondered if other people had that same or if I was just oblivious to that. But if you have unconfessed sin, how can you confess something that you don't remember but you can have assurance that he has taken care of all past, present, and future sin by his work.

Right. Yeah, you always have the assurance. If you believe, it's always there. See, that's my point. I didn't understand how unconfessed or unjudged sin would be, how it would diminish your assurance. I guess the thought is... It's not judged is the thing. What? It's not judged. It's been Jeff. Exactly.

I guess the thought is, and yeah, I guess a little thought as to how that may happen is, as I said at the beginning, or last week a little bit is, you know, going back to my, which we'll touch on, John 10, 28. There are times when, early in my Christian life, before knowing the identification truths, where now I don't have any doubt at all at any time under any circumstances.

Before is when I was acting stupid, I sinned or something and I just was not acting as I should as a Christian. Then I guess that's where I would say that I would go back, am I really born again? Do I have new life if I'm doing this? And I guess that's maybe where he's talking about the doubt would come in, that if I'm just not acting as I should be in Christ, am I really a believer? So, that's the only thing I could come up with that may be what he was talking about, is that you have that doubt.

I eliminate that doubt with identification truths, in that if you know you're a new creature in Christ, co-crucified, dead, wrecking yourselves, dead unto sin, I don't have any doubt ever in any circumstances now. Because I can't go back through that process anymore, through the identification. I can't go back, climb up on the cross, become alive again in Adam, and then get back into that old man as my head. So I don't have any doubt.

But I can see if you don't have that foundation, maybe that's how you could have doubt about your assurance. If you have unconfessed sin, and I agree, unjudged. It's already been judged. So anyway, that was the only thing I could think of. But I was trying to get some other thoughts if anybody else had any ideas. It doesn't sound like anybody else has any doubts that way because of unconfessed sins. The pity is that when you're a little kid you learn this stuff. And you don't learn the identification of truth. I mean, at least we didn't.

Maybe some of these people will, hopefully. I presume so. But you waste all this time in your childhood saying, that's all I can think of. God, so please forgive any others there are, you know, and you just do this over and over and over and you don't know whether he's going to really be happy with this or not or whatever. I did that for ten or fifteen years at least.

I think that comes to his first point, it's not knowledge of the word. It's that you don't know, you know, all your sins have been paid for. you know, and that the first John 1, 9 is just agreeing with God, yeah, I'm not acting as I should be. And I think it has to do with the dribbling of the Lord's Prayer where you say, you know, forgive us as we forgive others and stuff like that, you know, and you have this ever-present idea that you must newly be forgiven. Yeah, you know, and that's again what the Lord's Prayer is. I mean, I look at John 17 as the Lord's Prayer, you know, when his intimacy with the Father at that point is, I think...

I know, but that's not what we're taught in most of the church. Yes, yes. All right, number seven. So, can I have some people look up these verses or... Alan, how about 1 Thessalonians 1, 5? Debbie, Colossians 2, 2? Calvin, Philippians 4, 6 and 7? C, Romans 8, 35 through 39. So when you got it, go ahead. First Thessalonians 1, 5. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what manner many were among you for your sake. Colossians 2 and 3.

Yeah, Colossians 2, 2 and 3. that their hearts may be encouraged, having knit together in love, and attaining to all wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Okay, and Philippians 4, 6, and 7? Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Romans 8, 35-39 Who can separate us from the love of Christ?

Can affliction, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, Because of you we are being put to death all day long. We are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. Knowing all these things, we are more than victorious through him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angel, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created things will have the power to separate us from the love of God, that is, the Christ Jesus our Lord. So how do these impact our confidence and assurance? What are the words in there, some of the ones in the first couple verses? What do you see in there? The love of God. Love of God. And assurance, I guess. I'll go through them quickly.

1 Thessalonians 1.5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and the Holy Spirit, with what?

Full conviction or assurance. So it comes with full conviction. Colossians 2, 2 and 3, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love and attaining to all the wealth, that what? comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Again, it comes with full assurance. The word comes with full assurance. Christ comes with full assurance, full conviction.

And then Philippians 4, 6, and 7, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And what? And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Again, the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension. I rest on that one a lot in that If you understand these things, if he's sovereignly in control of all things, that's where I get the piece that surpasses all understanding. If he's in control, what do I have to worry about? In trials or in blessings? Is there any doubt? You know, if something tragic happens, you know, oh, I did this in my abridged version last week of Job. I actually looked at it, you know?

I can't say to God, you know, I can talk to God about anything, anyway, anyhow. I can say, God, I don't understand this. What is going on? I can do that. I have the intimacy with Him to do that. I can say, as we were talking about Haiti and Chile and the tsunamis and yada, yada, yada. I can say that I don't understand. I truly don't understand why I do it.

But I know one thing. as we read in the verses, that you can't be separated from His love and His purposes. So I went and I looked back at Job, just so I didn't have the abridged version last week, I think it was the quick one, and I'll just read a couple passages from it. God's speeches in Job 38, then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkens counsel but words without knowledge?

Now gird up your loins like a man and I will ask you to instruct me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have any understanding. Who set its measurements, since ye know? Or stretched out the line on it? Or what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone? When the morning star sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Or who enclosed the sea with doors? When bursting forth, it went out from the womb. When I made a cloud its garment, its thick darkness swaddling close. And I placed boundaries on it, and set a bolt in doors, and said, Thus far ye shall come, but no farther. And here shall your proud wave stop."

So this is just the beginning of where were you when I did all this? If you're so smart, basically, where were you when I did all this? Could you have done all this? In his second speech to him in Job 40, then the Lord answered Job out of the storm and said, Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct me.

Will you really annul my judgment? Will you condemn me that you may be justified? Or do you have an arm like God? And can you thunder with a voice like His? On and on and on. Basically saying, OK, you're so smart. How about you do it? I mean, where were you in all this?

Basically it's saying, His purposes, His knowledge is much greater than ours. I like the final response by Job in 42. Then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand. Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear now, and I will speak. I will ask you, and you instruct me. I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore, I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes." He figured it out.

So, who can thwart his purposes? Can anybody? No. So, but when you do that, but you put it in the context of, which we got down in here, in Romans 8, 37, But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." So, put those two things together. You can't thwart his purposes. And what? You can't be separated from his love.

So, whatever happens, is it out of malice? Is it out of out of just being mean? No. So whatever happens in your life, this is where, then I go back up to the peace that surpasses all understanding. If you understand that you can't thwart his purposes and that he loves you, you can't be separated from his love. Even in trials, I go back to my James, consider it all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials. You can enjoy, not like this is really fun, But know that God loves you and is doing something in your life for his purposes.

And what is that? To draw you closer to him. So, when you build this all together, it fits. And that's where I get this piece that surpasses all understanding. As you know, all these things fit together. So even in a tough circumstance, You know he's in control and he's doing it for his purposes, which is to draw you to him, to have that fellowship. And what is grace? Unlimited, unmerited blessings? To bestow blessings on you.

You know, with what's happening to our country, it's really, you get so into it, at least I do, that sometimes I forget, you know, and then I have to pull myself back and say, you know, God is in control, for some reason He lets all this garbage happen.

And I take my eye off the ball and forget it, and I get so angry and frustrated and I'm full of anxiety, and on and on it goes, and then I have to remind myself. But it's easy, you know, when everything is upside down, it's easy to forget, and we shouldn't of course, but... The thing when, you know, I'm a political junkie too, you know that.

And I look at it as cheering on the football game. Literally. It means nothing. My citizenship, when I get all excited, it's like rooting the Broncos or the Avs or whatever. You know, game over, means nothing. Means nothing. I get excited during the game, but it means nothing. And so my citizenship's in heaven, where we don't have Congress and presidents and that. We don't have that, where our citizenship is. So I get excited watching a game, all this game that we see in the political arena. I get excited, but in the end of the day, it means nothing.

That's where I have to put it. And the fact that he's in control of all this. God knows. God establishes authorities. So did he go, oops, how did I let this one sneak through? No. He knows this. So, I mean, I rest in that fact. He's in control. So, I mean, you know, like I said, I get wound up. I get wound up. You know, I look at these things going on right now and get frustrated. However, at the end of the day, my citizenship's in heaven.

This means nothing to me. So, you know, and then I go into the fact that I think we're supposed to be SALT, we're supposed to be ambassadors, that we should, you know, have an impact bringing you know, people to Christ, trying to point them to Christ. So, it's not that we just sit in our rooms and, you know, not associate with anybody in the world. So maybe that's why this is all happening, so that our country can go back to God, because they've lost their way big time.

Absolutely. I think there's a lot of that coming. So, you know, I think that's part of it. But, again, I can rest in the fact that I don't know, but I rest in the fact that God does. You know, I have that peace. Even though I get wound up in it, it's quick to... I don't lose sleep over it. All right, look at a couple others real quick. I'll just read them.

John 3, 36. He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. John 6, 47. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has what? Eternal life. John 5, 24. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes me, who sent me, has eternal life and does not commit misjudgment, but is passed out of death into life.

And then my anchor verse that I talked about, John 10, 28 and 29. I gave, and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." That was my anchor verse for years. When you think about that, you know, no one shall perish, no one shall snatch them out of my hand, no one is able to get them out of God's hands.

What you have to go is, you know, I would think, okay, you know, I'm challenged, oh, no, I'm resting in his hands. No, I'm resting in his hands. Oh, he can't be, I can't be snatched out. Oh, wait, why am I acting that way? Oh, oh, you know, and I jump back and forth. It doesn't make sense when you, when you know the identification for this. Whose life is mine now?

Christ. Christ's life. And when we get into a new creature in Christ, new in kind, new in quality, that's who we are in Christ. The co-crucifixion in Romans 6, that we are co-crucified there, the old Adamic man, positionally, has been put away. Positionally, now, I am placed in Him, in Christ. His very life is my life.

So, how could I ever doubt that I could get out of that life? If that transaction is true, which I believe it is, I have no... Holly, I'm sorry. I just don't ever have any doubts about that anymore. I truly don't, because I can't get through that life situation again. I'm a new creature in Christ. If I'm in Christ, who can do anything to Christ's life? Nothing.

So it really stems on me. I was just thinking more of if, for some reason, God wanted you to. You know, if he tries to drive me, it drives me back to the identification and to him. So I, you know, at least personally in my life, I just say it that way.

I really, I can't ever envision a situation where I can ever doubt anymore. Just because I can't, it doesn't make sense. I'm an engineer. Logic, you know, that dreaded logic, analytical brain that I have. You know, I just, I can't envision a scenario, I can't do anything, because I can't go back on that transaction now. There's no way I can generate a scenario that gets me back through that transaction.

So, all right. Yeah. That's what keeps you from being tossed to and fro. Oh, exactly. You know, again, if you follow in James, that same one, if you doubt, you're like the waves of the sea, driven and tossed back and forth. So, I mean, that confidence that you have, consider it all joy, my brother, you know, beyond that is, you know, let him ask without doubt or without doubting. Because the one who doubts is driven and tossed by the sea. I don't have any doubts anymore.

I can ask God, you know, the intimacy, my big thing is Abba, Father, too. When I really understand, that means Daddy. I have the intimacy to go before the God of the universe and say, Daddy, I don't understand. Papa, I don't understand. I, you know, I just don't understand. I know you're in control. I don't understand. And I can ask many, I don't have flowery words. I don't have anything. I can go before him with intimacy and he wants me to come. He likes that. Yeah.

Well, when you stop and think about it, assurance is not just a shot in the dark. It's built on what you have learned that God's performed historically. So that's where assurance comes, is from gaining knowledge and gaining experience in your own walk. If some guy comes down the road trying to sell you something, you don't just have assurance in what he's saying. You're asking what's behind what he's trying to sell you. Is there a warranty? What's substantiating? you build assurance.

See, in a believer, we have two things. We have the Word and the Holy Spirit. That's our, it's a bad analogy, I'm thinking salesman, but that's the one who convicts us, is the Holy Spirit. Through what? The Word, which is telling us all about what is already true about us. So yeah, I mean, what you're saying is true, but it's done by the Holy Spirit and the Word in our lives. The Holy Spirit working in our lives, convicting us of what is true about the Word.

And that's where it gets assurance. You can have assurance without knowing the identification truce. There are lots of people who have that. But I think the assurance that I think is, to me personally, rock solid is knowing the identification truce. Can you give a short definition of the identification truce?

Death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. So death, burial, resurrection, ascension. That's really the gospel, and that's our identification. Our co-crucifixion on the cross, Romans 6, and that's where our old Adamic man positionally was crucified. So that is where the transaction was to get us out of Adam, which we had to because you couldn't fix Adam. And so we had to get out of Adam, and that's where it happened.

I was talking to Vern, and we had a teacher's meeting after last Sunday, and I think a lot of people kind of went, huh? When Vern, in his message last Sunday, said the cross was really crowded. And everybody goes, I'm sure a lot of people are going, huh? You mean the three of the two? And was that crowded? No, what Vern meant was we were all placed there positionally.

We were all there. co-crucified with him. That's what the word says in Romans 6. So we still have two natures. We still have the flesh, but our identification now is that we've been taken out of Adam as our federal head. We had to die. That's the only way to take us out. There's no fixing.

So with that, then we are placed into him, and there's amplifiers looking at fusions and just all over in the scripture. Look at in him, in Christ, and what that means. We're placed into him. And so when we're placed into him, that means I'm a new creature, which 2 Corinthians 5.17, we're new creatures in Christ. What that means is we've been placed, we're totally new. Not a fixed up Adam, we are totally new.

And then our life is his life, Galatians 2.20. Our life is hid with his, now his life is my life. So the death, the burial, separation from Adam, And to the resurrection, which is God basically accepting the payment for all of our sins, and on the cross all of our sins are paid for. Romans 8, therefore, there is no condemnation now. And then the ascension, the raising up, the resurrection is the acceptance, and now we are in Him, we are placed in Him by that transaction.

And like I said, 2 Corinthians 5.17 is we are new creatures, brand new, new in kind, new in quality. So that's our separate. Now we're identified with him, not with Adam. And as again, you're represented by a federal head. Originally by Adam, now with Christ as our head. So that's the identification. We're now identified with Christ. His life is my life.

Relations 220. So, good enough? If you take the identification class, we'll go through all this stuff at some point. Let me ask for me. Yeah. Now that I've thoroughly confused you. Oh, no, no. OK. Yeah. I was like, which ones I know. So. Oh, I know. Oh, thank you. Oh, well, that was what I said. I told Vern I said it.

How many people went, huh? When when you said the cross was crowded, you know what that means? We were all place that we were all on that cross positionally with him. It was a crowded place. All right. Let me think. You know, I guess on those verses I was talking about a believer.

Can a believer be sure that their sins are gone, their name is written in heaven in the book of life, and that nothing can ever sever their relationship with God, God as Father, and that they are sure of glory? And those were all those verses I read in John. Basically, we have eternal life. We have eternal life through Him.

I guess one of the things I wanted to just end on for assurance is they have these spiritual anthology, which was put together by Miles Stanford. It's a great thing. I read one today with the hungry heart. And this is one that was back, I read a few days ago, which I thought was pretty good. And this was the security of the believer or assurance. And this, I think is actually, this is Miles. A lot of times he quotes Stoney, Darby, Coates, all these guys. But this was, I believe, Miles who put this together. And I thought it was apropos to our assurance.

To accept and teach that a blood-bought child of God can fall from grace is to assault the very nature, character, and sovereign purpose of God, as well as his justice and his love. Ooh, pretty serious. But, he goes on, it is an assault on the nature of God in that a believer is declared to be a, quote, partaker of the divine nature, 2 Peter 1.4, quote, and then born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God, John 1.13, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, John 14, 16, and 17.

It is an assault on the character of God, His faithfulness and truthfulness, in that the life He imparts, He gives His pledge to maintain, 1 Peter 1.5.

His promise is, I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of my hand, John 10.28.30, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed out of death into life, John 5.24. Also the doctrine of falling from grace is an assault on the sovereign purpose of God. as set forth in Romans 8, 28, and 30, where the believer is seen in the purpose of God and the eternity of the past, in his foreknowledge and predestination, in the eternity of the future, sharing the very glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, John 17, 22-26.

Then, it is an assault on the justice of God in that he declares concerning the believer, your life is hid with Christ in God, Colossians 3.3, and that there is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, and no separation from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 8.37-39. Thus we can thank our Heavenly Father for his justice, for it is this which preserves the child of God from a second charge. payment God cannot twice demand, first at my bleeding, surety's hand, and then again at mine. Lastly, it is an assault on the love of God, in that He declares His love an everlasting love, from which nothing shall be able to separate. For He is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy."

Jeremiah 31.3 and then Romans 8.29, Jude 24.

So it's kind of, you know, you're kind of hard. You know, I was reading this as I was doing it, it's like assault on the nature of God, character of God, sovereign purpose, justice of God, and then an assault on the love of God. That's pretty tough, actually. I'm repenting all my assaults. See, I'm studying this, you know, the Lord works in mysterious ways. The day I was reading this, I was preparing, you know, You know, I'm talking about assurance going, it's a wonderful thing. And then he pounds on it that, you know, when you have that doubt, you're really questioning God on a lot of different fronts, which I think is his point. You know, when you doubt, you doubt a lot of things about God when you doubt your salvation. So, all right, I want to move on. We can get on to chapter eight, reconciliation. Okay, chapter 8 and the basic doctrines of salvation and reconciliation.

Did everybody get one? You guys didn't get one, did you? Everybody else got it right? OK. First of all, which I wanted to do in this lesson, which I did before when we taught this one, I want to go through the terms again, rapid fire, just so we understand all the terms. Because we've gone through several different topics, and I always like repeating, just so we know what the terms are.

So what does repentance mean? Change of agreement. What is that? Change of agreement. Terms. Okay, we're going to start with lesson one next week. Yes, change of mind. To have another mind, to think differently for the good. Reversal of direction. Okay, so it's a change of mind or another mind. Okay, conversion. Change of direction. Yes. To turn, return, revert. Differs from repentance in that it is not necessarily a change of mind. Okay, so it's just a change in direction or to turn. Okay. What does regeneration mean? New life. New life. Born again. Born again. It really comes from the Greek word palingenesia. Palen meaning again, and genesis meaning birth. So again, creation, or once more birth, born again, is regeneration.

OK, redemption. To buy back, to purchase at the market, to buy up, to rescue, to purchase back, basically. OK, what does justification mean? What? Regard as righteous. To be declared or pronounced one to be righteous. A declaration by God respecting the Christian that he has been made forever right and acceptable to himself. So to be declared righteous or to be pronounced righteous. Forgiveness. What does forgiveness mean? Forgiveness. You've been forgiven. Somebody forgives you.

Remember, I don't allow the definition in the definition. Deliverance from bondage. Deliverance from bondage. Any others? Ascending off. Ascending off. Any other thoughts? To release from bondage or imprisonment, pardon of sins, letting them go as if they have never been committed, remission or deliverance. Okay? Okay. Now, what does assurance mean? We've been through this and you probably have no clue after all that lesson what assurance is. What is assurance? That you're assured, right?

We don't allow that. Righteous standing before God. Righteous standing before God. To know that we're saved and saved eternally. I think that's a good one. I have a confidence that the right relationship exists between oneself and God. Today's word, reconciliation. So Webster's definition of reconciliation means... I always like to go to Webster just to get an idea of what the secular description of reconciliation versus the believer's definition. Webster's definition.

1. To cause to be friendly or harmonious again.

2. Adjust or settle differences.

3. To bring to submission or acceptance. How does Marchbanks define it? I was going to say 51 votes in the Senate. Yes, under reconciliation. Yes, haven't you heard reconciliation 1,000 times in the last two weeks? Reconciliation. So what is reconciliation? Well, here it says to change thoroughly from. There you go. That's March banks, right. The word to change thoroughly from. And there are two Greek words for reconciliation, katalaso, which means to change, exchange, of persons, or change mutually, as used in Romans 5.10.

And that Romans 5.10 is, For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Okay, so that was a means to change, exchange, or change mutually. The interesting part of that in Romans 5.10 from the Greek perspective, I always kind of like to look at that because it gives me a little bit of who's involved and is it permanent, is it positional, those type of things.

In the Romans 5.10, reconciled is eris tense, which means it's past complete. It means it's already done. Done. Passive means what?

It's done to me. So while we are reconciled to God, that means it was done to me. I didn't do it. The action was brought upon me. And it's indicative. It's a fact. No question. So it's been done. It's been done to me. And it's a fact. So we have been reconciled to God through the death of His Son. And having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Done. Fact. It's done to us.

Then the other word for reconcile is apactilaso, which means to reconcile completely, and that's used in Colossians 1, 19 and 20. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him, and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross. Okay, so it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him, and through him to what? To reconcile all things to himself, having made peace."

And the reconcile there is aorist tense, so it's a done deal, it's been done. It's active, so what does that mean? It's God is the subject providing the action. And then it's the infinitive, which is a statement of purpose or result. His purpose is to reconcile. is to reconcile. So it's a done deal for the purpose of reconciling us. Okay? And what does reconcile mean? Change thoroughly. Okay? It means we're aligned the same way He is. We're being changed to what? To be, as we're said, to the very image of Christ. Okay? Alright.

Number two. distinguished between reconciliation, repentance, and conversion. Now, I just went through all those definitions. There was a reason why I went through all those definitions. Repentance, conversion, and reconciliation. Who can concisely tell me the difference between those? All cowering under their chairs. Alan, brave. I'd say heart, mind, and direction. Heart. My explanation is a change of heart in the heart and repentance is a change of mind and conversion is a change of direction. You must have read March Madness. I think he had a really, really good paragraph in there if you find it. I think it was a very good one. And it goes with our definitions of what we had said.

It says, whereas repentance presents the change of mind which the sinner has about himself and about God when the Holy Spirit convicts of sins, and conversion pictures the change of direction which comes when the believing sinner turns towards God. Reconciliation shows us the change which is wrought in the heart by which the heart which feared now has peace. I think that was a great summary statement of the difference between repentance, conversion, and reconciliation.

But Alan, you hit it right on. It's change of mind, change of direction, and change of heart, basically, are the three different things between repentance, conversion, and reconciliation. I thought that was a great deal. I thought that was really concise and helped. And that's why the definition of these terms is important. when you talk about repentance, that you really understand what that means. It's just a change of mind. You can have repentance on a lot of different things. You can repent about Democrats. You can repent about Republicans. You can repent about independence. You can repent about whatever. You can have a change of mind. It doesn't necessarily, it's just a change of mind. That's all that means. And then conversion is a change of direction. Actually turning. But then the reconciliation is a change of heart. You actually love the Democrats.

I do that just for you. And myself. So I think that's a good summary statement on the three different things. So we know our terms when we talk with people about those type of terms. And we understand what they are. Okay. Number three, does God himself need to be reconciled to man? Yes? No, I don't think he already is. What? Already is?

He's perfect. He doesn't need to be reconciled to anything. He's in control and he's perfect. Okay. Any yay votes? Well, because of Christ, wouldn't you think? He has taken away everything bad about us by dying so he can look at us differently. So does God need to be reconciled to man? I don't think so. No. Do you think? No. No. I'm just asking the question. Just seeing if anybody has. No. No change is ever needed on God's part.

God needed to be propitiated but not reconciled. And what does propitiation mean? satisfied. So he needed to be satisfied about the sin issue, so he needed to be propitiated, but he didn't need to be reconciled to man. It's the other way around. So yeah, just make sure that you understand it's a one-way street on reconciliation, or the reconciling between man and God. God didn't have to be reconciled to man. Man had to be reconciled to God.

Okay, then Mark Spanx puts it this way. No change need be wrought in his heart insofar as his love to sinners is concerned. While his heart is necessarily filled with wrath against all sin, it is also filled with mercy, compassion, and love for the sinner. The death and resurrection of Christ at the same time reconciled sinners and propitiated God. So it reconciled man to God and it propitiated him. He satisfied him about the sin question. So all sins have been paid for, is that correct? All of them. Everybody. All sins. Forever.

There's only one question left now, and that's about Christ. Who is Christ? That's the only question remaining to every individual on the earth. Who is Christ? Do you believe? So, it's not about sin. The sin issue has been taken care of. There's nothing left there to be dealt with. But it's whether you believe that Christ came here bodily form, died for your sins, was resurrected, and offers salvation through him. It's the only question left, if you believe that. There's no question about your sins, they've been paid for. But if you don't believe, you'll be judged for your sins because you are still in Adam. You are still identified with Adam. That identification has not transpired if you don't believe.

Okay? Everybody understand that question? All right. Okay, question four. Where is this change to take place in man? Think about the definition. In the heart. That's right. Remember, reconciliation means to change thoroughly from, and that's in the heart. It's in the heart, not in the mind, not a change of direction, not a change of mind, but in the heart, what you believe. Okay? Five, does reconciliation come because man desires this thorough change? Come on. Yes. No. Any yeses out there? Any brave souls who want to? No. No. God himself took the initiative. Remember about active and passive. It's always God doing the action on that.

I'll finish this one up when we start next week. And we may do a tag team. I've got, I think, five more questions doing this. We'll see if we can get through it. If not, maybe Mike will bring his questions and get on the next topic. So read up on that. And you might read on the next on Chapter 9, too. Just go ahead. If we start on that with Mike next week, you might go ahead and read that. He didn't give me the questions. probably going to take up most of the class next week just finishing up this. All right, let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time. We thank you for any time.

Again, just we can delve into your word. We just thank you about reconciliation, that it's us being reconciled to you. And we thank you just for all these things that you do. As we look at all these terms and different things, we thank you that it's not based on any act or work on our part, our effort. The only thing that you have asked us to do is believe, and to believe your Word. We thank you that through your Word and the conviction through the Holy Spirit, Father, that you offer us a new life in Christ, and with that comes eternal life. And Father, we just thank you for the life that we have in Christ. We thank you that we now not operate in death but we operate in grace, and we thank you for that. Father, we just thank you for this time. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.