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Grace Baptist Church of Danville

September 24, 2017

Either every sinner for whom Christ died shall be with him in eternal glory or he is a frustrated, miserable failure, and there is no salvation for anyone.

Daily Readings for the Week of September 24-October 1, 2017

Sunday Malachi 1-4 Thursday Matthew 11-12

Monday Matthew 1-4 Friday Matthew 13-14

Tuesday Matthew 5-7 Saturday Matthew 15-18

Wednesday Matthew 8-10 Sunday Matthew 19-21

· I am scheduled to preach Friday – Sunday for Fairmont Grace Church Bible Conference in Sylacauga, Alabama, where Bro. Larry Criss is pastor. Other speakers include pastors Bruce Crabtree and Darvin Pruitt.

Church Cleaning in October: Skip and Sandy Gladfelter

Nursery Duty This Week

Nicole Abell (AM) — Stephanie Wilkerson (PM) Tuesday: Celeste Peterson

See, My Soul, God’s Chosen Rising — Don Fortner

(Tune: #17 — Come Thou Fount — 87.87.87)

1. See, my soul, God’s chosen rising

From the ruins of Adam’s race,

(‘Midst proud sinners, grace despising),

Saved by free and sov’reign grace!

Blessed Church, God’s Holy Temple,

Here Jehovah shows His face!

2. In eternal love predestined,

Built on God’s Foundation Stone,

Blessed of God with every blessing,

Freed from sin, by blood atoned!

Blessed Church, God’s Holy Nation,

Washed in Jesus’ precious blood!

3. Christ our Ark, our Priest, our Altar,

Sacrifice, and Holiness,

Acceptance with God, our Father —

All that God requires He is!

Blessed Church, God’s Holy City,

People wondered at they are!

4. Oh, my soul! Am I united

To the Body of the Lord?

Then, God is with me delighted,

For I’m one with Christ, my Lord!

Blessed Church, Christ’s ransomed Body,

Glory, glory in the Lord!

Two Men

Romans 5:19

God deals with all the human race in two men, two representative men, two covenant heads — Adam and Christ. We see that fact clearly stated in Romans 5:12-19 and in 1^st Corinthians 15:21-22. We read in Romans 5:19, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

This statement sets forth the fact of man’s fall (sin, depravity, and sinfulness) through his union with Adam. Every human being is personally guilty of transgressing God’s law, of course; but he does so because he is born of Adam. By one man’s (Adam’s) disobedience many were made sinners. And by the obedience of One, the Lord Jesus, many are made righteous before God.

Definite Article

Why does Paul say that by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners? Didn’t all fall in Adam? Not really. Angels didn’t fall in Adam. They fell before Adam. They fell individually. And there’s no redemption for the fallen angels in the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:16).

Young’s Literal Translation of Romans 5:19 reads, “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many shall be constituted righteous.” Notice that Young’s translation gives us the definite article “the” in front of each “one” representative man and in front of both groups called “the many” they represented. Here are two representative men, each representing a distinct specific group of men. Why our King James translators omitted that definite article I do not know. It is a part of the sentence in the Greek text, and should definitely be included in the translation.

Definite People

That definite article “the” serves as an index finger pointing out a definite group of people who became sinners in Adam. Who are they? They are the many in him and represented by him, Adam’s posterity, the whole human race.

So also, by the obedience of the One Man, Jesus Christ, shall the many in him and represented by him be made righteous. Who are they? All of Adam’s race without exception? Obviously, that is not the case. Just as “the many” who were made sinners are those who were under Adam’s headship, so “the many” who are made righteous are those who are under Christ’s headship. Having been redeemed by his blood atonement, they are made righteous, just as he was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). The many represented by Christ are God’s elect, those who are actually made righteous by his obedience unto death as our Substitute, Surety, and Representative. The Lord Jesus Christ made atonement for a definite people. His atonement is limited to that definite people.

That’s why the angel of the Lord said this in Matthew 1:21 to Joseph about Mary’s being with child — “She shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people (not all people — but “his people”) from their sins.”

In John 10:11, the Lord Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The Bible portrays all of God’s elect as sheep. Hence, the Lord says to the Pharisees in verse 26 — “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.” He didn’t say because you don’t believe, you’re not of my sheep. Rather he says, the reason you don’t believe is that you’re not my sheep. The Good Shepherd did not lay down his life for them. They were not numbered among his sheep, his elect.

“The Arminian holds that Christ, when he died, did not die with an intent to save any particular person. And they teach that Christ’s death does not in itself secure beyond doubt the salvation of any one man living. They believe that Christ died to make the salvation of all men possible; and that by the doing of something else, any man who pleases may attain unto eternal life. Consequently, they are obliged to hold that if man’s will would not give way and voluntarily surrender to grace, then Christ’s atonement would be unavailing. They hold that there was no secure particularity and specialty in the death of Christ. Christ died, according to them, as much for Judas in hell as for Peter who mounted to heaven. They believe that for those who were consigned to eternal fire, there was as true and real a redemption made as for those who now stand before the throne of the Most High.” — C. H. Spurgeon

Limited Atonement — Blessed Revelation!

Galatians 2:20

I say, without hesitancy, that limited atonement is the most blessed, and perhaps the most important, revelation of God in the Book of Holy Scripture! The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. What could be more blessed than that? Only in the accomplishments of Christ at Calvary do we see all the glorious attributes of our great God displayed at once. What can be more important than that?

Thank God, that Christ’s death was a limited atonement. Thank God, that Jesus Christ came to seek and save a definite, specific number of people. Thank God, that he has written all their names in the Lamb’s Book of Life from the foundation of the earth. Limited atonement means that I cannot perish, no matter what! Limited atonement means that God’s elect, throughout the world cannot perish, no matter what (1 John 2:1-2).

Limited atonement means that we can know for sure that once all of his lost sheep have been brought back into the fold, Christ will come back to complete our salvation, and we will be with him and be like him forevermore! — “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. —— For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. —— This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:25-32)

Yes, we believe in, rejoice in, preach, and give thanks to our God, the one true and living God, the Triune Jehovah, for limited atonement!

The Grace Bulletin

September 24, 2017

Grace Baptist Church of Danville

2734 Old Stanford Road-Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Telephone (859) 576-3400 — E-Mail don@donfortner.com

Donald S. Fortner, Pastor

Schedule of Regular Services

Sunday

10:00 A.M. Bible Classes

10:30 A.M. Morning Worship Service

6:30 P.M. Evening Worship Service