The Exclusiveness of the Gospel, Part 1 B

We have a biblical case for the exclusivism do we have a biblical case for the fact that if you don't know the gospel and you don't believe in Jesus Christ your answer. That is yes and we have elected not to get anybody father's old and there were more exclusive views that apart from repentance and faith in Christ there is no salvation. Many professing Christians today seem to land somewhere in between those two extremes. But the question is what is the right view. What does the Bible say well today on grace to you. John MacArthur's going to take you to the Bible and show you what it says about the people God saves and the people he doesn't delivered by God. That's the title of John study, and here he is now with today's lesson. It would seem that everybody and evangelical Christianity. Everybody who is truly a Christian would understand that the gospel is the heart of Christianity that the gospel is found only in the Scripture, and that the gospel must be preached to the ends of the earth. The true church is always talk that we have believed and been compelled by the fact that if people don't hear the gospel, they can't be say and if they aren't saved, then they'll spend eternity in hell. Under the judgment of God. So it is absolutely critical that the world hear the gospel of Jesus Christ that they not only hear it, but that they understand it accurately, that they believe it that they embrace it for themselves because it is the only saving truth what is the Bible have to say about this. Do we have a biblical case for the in for the exclusivism do we have a biblical case for the fact that if you don't know the gospel and you don't believe in Jesus Christ, you're going to heaven answer to that is yes and we have a biblical case for the fact that natural theology is not get anybody anywhere and we also biblical case that God's mercy is extremely narrow.

In fact, if you're looking for the word narrow. You can find it in Matthew seven it is a kind gate narrow gate, so this is a narrow mercy and supernatural theology. And that's what I want to show you from Scripture. Now where we can start well to start by a general reference or just sit there. Don't get into your Bible right now just listen for a minute.

This is a general reference to Genesis 3, but I don't want you to go there because you were looking for verses and I'm not can refer on only going doing a generally Genesis 3, you know what happened. Genesis 3 right Genesis wanted to his creation. Genesis 3 is the fall of man man is created in the image of God and then God creates a partner if she have Adam and Eve and their in a condition of perfection. They have perfect bodies, perfect minds.

Therefore, they have perfect reason.

Okay, they live in a perfect environment that is not at all skewed and they have a perfect relationship with the creator.

So this is perfection anywhere in the garden in a perfect environment. They have perfect minds capable of perfect understanding capable of perfect reason, capable of perfect conclusions still Adam and Eve in the state of perfection could not on their own understand why they were created they can understand that they were created. I can understand that something more powerful than them, created them and something with an immense mind some sum being that love the beauty and love the order and love design and had power and gave life and all of that but they couldn't know why they were created. They couldn't know what they were to do what they were not to do, how they were to do it unless there was somebody who told them they would know how to respond to their environment, how to function in the garden so God said to them, you can eat everything, otherwise they wouldn't have known, and he said don't eat that if you do you'll die and he said this is your wife have babies and he said name those animals. That's why they were walking and talking with God in the garden because God was giving them special revelation about how they were to relate to him and how they were to relate to their world natural theologians should be shocked to discover that Adam couldn't know divine truth by his perfect reason he couldn't buy his own reason his own perfect intellect. He couldn't have come to know that he was not to eat this, and to eat this, that he was to name the animals etc. etc. that he was to tend the garden got it to tell them all that Robert Morey says Adam was not created to be the origin of truth, justice, morals, meaning and beauty. The creator walked with man in the garden.

These daily sessions were special revelation God told man, why you created him and what he was to do in the garden he revealed a man what he could and couldn't eat.

In other words God was the origin and source of truth, justice, morals, meaning and beauty and man's responsibility was to receive what God revealed man was not the origin but the receiver of true it's true Adam and Eve would've known something about God, but they wouldn't have known what God wanted from them. If he hadn't told them we wouldn't even understand man's freefall condition, we wouldn't understand his fallen condition.

If the wasn't for Genesis 1, two and three. Do you know you can study the religions of the world. The philosophers of the world.

The theologians of the world. None of them ever comes up with the right understanding of man's creation and man's depravity. None of them they don't ever because you can't get there from depraved reasoning and remember this when Satan got in the garden perfect man with a perfect mind, perfect understanding, perfect reasoning in that condition Satan comes in and what does he want Adam and Eve to distrust the reason he says to them. Has God said you can't trust God's word.

See what Satan always wants us to do is to distrust special revelation and trust reason and Satan's leading Eve through this little scenario. Finally he says you like to die.

Can't believe God. God lies God said that you're going to die at nine, I can indict you to be like God he didn't like that competition Satan tempted man to trust his reason and reject revelation from the mouth of God.

God gave them special revelation.

Don't eat things that don't believe what God says. Trust your reason. That's essentially what natural theology says it's just the lie of Satan in the garden over and over and over again. You can get there through your reason to worry about the Bible story about the gospel. You don't need that you can get there by your own reason but look how could fallen man in a cursed world find God's truth by his perverted reason when perfect man in a perfect world couldn't find God with perfect reason Adam couldn't know what God wanted of God and Telemann nobody else can know what God wants of God doesn't tell him and were in worse shape than Adam and Eve, and Satan always does the same thing he always wants to depreciate the special revelation.

What a great strategy. Let's convince the church they don't even need to preach the gospel tell me where that came from heaven.

Tell me where that heresy came from.

Who has the most at stake to get us to stop preaching the gospel.

Well, let listen to Romans one. Now this they would because this is very important and I'm going to go through your rapidly Romans 118 to 23. This is one of those monumental passages in the Bible. That's extremely definitive has far-reaching applications, I want you to see man this is that this is a view of man. This is a this is a biblical anthropology, McKenna lay this out the Bible.

Here is saying that that there is evidence about God. Verse 19.

What is what is known about God is evident within them and that's through reason reason looks in verse 20 at the creation and says there must be a creator reason looks at the diversity and says you must have an immense mind.

It looks at the design and says he's a God of order looks at the beauty and said he's a God of beauty and harmony. All of that. It looks at the vast variety and and says he is a God of immense power and complexity. Yes, that's true. So in fact, it's so true it's so clear that eternal power and divine nature are visible through reason, looking at creation that it's clearly seen. Verse 20 it's clearly seen it, you have to be. You really do have to commit intellectual suicide to deny that there is this there is a cause for the effect of the universe that there is a creator so it's it's just clearly seen and so clearly seen the universe. 20 the people have no excuse yet absolutely no excuse for being an evolutionist none just its absolute idiocy.

It's moronic and uses the term here for more on a translated fool or foolish.

Anybody who sees anything that exists assume somebody made it in the universe certainly demands a creator so he says God has given man in him reason and reason looks at creation and concludes certain things about the power and nature of the creator and he is without excuse. The problem is this. It doesn't lead him to God.

Amazingly, it doesn't lead him to God. It does not lead him to the true God. Why back to verse 18. He suppresses the truth in on righteousness man is so wicked, he is so depraved.

He is so vile in his nature. He is so ungodly that his depravity navigates the possibility of him coming all the way to God on his own natural powers. Rather, he suppresses the truth he dishonors the creator. Look at verse 21. Even though the knowledge of God is obvious around him as creator he doesn't know the specifics about God's will or salvation, but at least he can see is a creator, but he will not honor him as creator he will not be thankful to him. This is what depraved man does mean you have even Adam doing this dishonoring God by disobeying God turning from special revelation to follow his own human reason in an act of pride, but here he says they do not honor God.

They do not give thanks to God.

They turn away from God. They suppress the truth and so what they come up with is they become futile.

That's empty in their speculations they come up with stupid ideas that aren't true, like evolution, which is a big lie.

It's not true, or any human philosophy or any false religion, they invent empty human ideas that are not reality, and their foolish heart was dark. There's no light. They end up with nothing but garbled understanding.

Verse 22 in their egotism, which is a major part of depravity. They profess to be wise, give themselves PhD's and put on Royal and religious Robeson cone hats and march around as if there are some great religious Wiseman there fools. They are morons in the Greek they are ridiculous in fact doesn't stop there.

Verse 23 they exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man birds four-footed animals and snakes and bugs and make gods out of other things that's really into worshiping bugs, worshiping men worshiping whatever that's where they go natural man. That's how he goes. Only his reasons as the must be God must be a creator must be powerful must be complex, but because they're so wicked because they're so depraved. They suppress the truth because of the love of sin. They suppress the truth. I can't help but suppress they don't have any path to God.

They can't get out of their deadness, their dead in trespasses and sins are not alive to God are not alive to reality in that deadness. The truth is suppressed righteousness is suppressed and in its place comes the fabrication of false religious systems and empty stupid philosophies and the end of all that with the involvement what's the end of human philosophy and human religion you say the grace of God, no, no. Verse 18.

What is it say for what the wrath of God. That's the whole point here. What these verses are telling us is that natural man with his natural theology unaided by special revelation winds up inexcusably under divine judgment.

It's the wrath of God's not the grace of God, you can go over to some private worshiping an alligator or something and say oh I'm on holy ground. God was here before I arrived. God was not there. God is not there. That is not true that is not reality.

That is a refusal to honor the true and living God, the incorruptible God and in his place to stick something else fabricate something else some empty philosophy some foolish religion or some idle so that's where natural man goes Romans one is the diagnosis of natural man. He becomes religious, but his religion is a descent not and sent it is not an assent to God. It is a decent from the first recognition of God as creator of the universe down to a false God, being created by their own imagination and the suppression of the truth, and the love of their own wickedness and what happens is they don't end up with the grace of God. They don't end up quote unquote in the body of Christ by any stretch of the imagination, the end up under the wrath of God. The wrath of Almighty God is judgment. Judgment one of the passage I want to show you. First Corinthians 1 because it partners with this one just a brief look at this one.

First Corinthians 1. What we saw in Romans one is that when man attains to his highest level of religious pride.

He is a moron. He is a fool under wrath matter whether his religion is unsophisticated animism or very sophisticated Western kind of religion or eastern kind of religion.

He ends up in the same places a full who thinks he's wise but let's go beyond that first Corinthians 118 for the word of the cross is to those who are perishing.

What see these fool's think that what we preach is foolish.

They think that the cross is foolish, but to us are being saved.

It's the power of God and here comes another judgment and this is a verse taken from Isaiah chapter 29 in verse 14 for it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the cleverness of the clever. I will set aside both of those destroyed and set aside speak of, sort of a final judgment execution. God says go ahead lineup the wisest of the wise lineup the cleverest of the clever and I'll cut them down again.

What happens to people who achieve religious wisdom who achieve a high level of rational understanding of quote unquote God and things spiritual.

What happens is God's going to cut them down. It's the same thing as the wrath of Romans 118 here its destruction and setting aside making into nothing and then verse 20 says where's the wise men going to be. This is almost sarcasm then where is the scribe going to be the one he spent his whole life as studiously writing out religious things. Where is the debater of this age. The person who could stand up and debate his philosophy and his theology. God has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world, and I can get grace to get the point.

You can get cut down and the reason is in verse 21.

This is the key for since in the wisdom of God by God's wisdom the world through its wisdom did not come to know God. Mark that down underline that you can't get there from here the world at its best at its highest point of religious achievement and intellectual achievement. The world at its wisest level can't come to know God's word says can't do it in the end of verse 21 God was pleased through the foolishness of the message preached what message the gospel to save those who believe the message goes back to the message of the cross. In verse 18. The only way you're going to get saved is by believing the message of the cross is the only way it was God's plan that the world through its wisdom couldn't come to know him say again you can't get to God.

From here, by your own wisdom, rationality, religiosity, philosophy, God was pleased through the foolishness of the message. The message of the cross Christ, his death, his resurrection to save those who what believe it is not believe in anything, but believing that in the gospel of the cross is not a product of human reason is revelation's revelation where to go for the revelation of the cross right here. Is this what explains it. Oh, Satan loves to come into the garden today and pull people over and say you don't really you don't really think you should believe what special revelation from God.

Says trust your own reason for strewn reason through the Steelers are doing this following Satan only the message of the cross can save anything else is Maria moronic Jeremiah 89 says the wise men are put to shame. They are dismayed and caught. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord what kind it wasn't a they have you reject the revealed word of God you reject special revelation. You reject the word of the Lord and what kind of wisdom have you got well.

James answers the question. James 315.

The wisdom that doesn't come down from above is demonic, restraint is not just wrong, it's not just foolish. It's demonic. Some if it doesn't come down from above. It comes up from below.

That's why Paul done. Chapter 2 verse two, verse one. When I came to your brother and I had to come with superiority of speech or wisdom. I didn't come with human ideas. Reason verse two. I determined to know nothing among you except what Christ, so that's always that's all I want to say why because that's the only message that does what the safe that's only message to priest because that's the only way of salvation when I brought to you the testimony of God. Right when I unfold for you the mystery of God would've been hidden is now revealed when I brought you the word of God. It was all about Jesus and him crucified because it's only by believing that the God is well pleased to say so now where are the wise men know where where are the scribes absolutely nowhere you can't get to God through your own system. If you reject Jesus Christ can get you never to get there until you hear the message is that's why we been doing this for all these years. That's why for 2000 years. People been going to the ends of the earth with the message of Christ because this is what we know the Bible teaches natural men left himself ends up under the wrath of God ends up his first Corinthians is under destruction whose nothing but a fool and take the wisest of the wise. He says in verse 19 and take the cleverest of the clever now wipe them all out doesn't get you there. So no person by natural reason no person by religious intuition could come to know the truth of God.

The only way 11 oh saving truth of God is by special revelation and that's the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Anybody who says people are saved by Hinduism or by any other religion. Anybody who says people are in the body of Christ and are Christians and in the kingdom and going to have a new do not believe in Jesus Christ is not only the truth. The Bible says Lord we are again made aware. Sadly, of what must break your heart because it breaks hours, much more profoundly, do you feel the pain of dishonor, but Lord, we just want to get the record straight and make sure that we have been faithful to discharge our responsibility and you told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. So we want to make sure we understand the gospel and that we keep going and we don't let these lies in these deceptions and these heresies attack your glorious work. Protect your church.

Protect your people and keep faithful men, who preach the truth in the places of influence and may your people here and understand the truth. Give them discernment so they can sort it out.

Give them a love for your words so that they have the criteria by which to be discerning and help us Lord to be faithful to share the gospel with everybody comes across our path, knowing there is no other way to heaven except through faith in the message of Jesus Christ and his cross. May we preach the cross. Like Paul, determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Yes he sings in his name.

This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John's current study is looking at God's sovereignty and salvation and the joys that come with being delivered by God John. Although Scripture is absolutely clear that salvation is through Christ and him alone. It's possible to believe that and still have sincere questions about the implications of that truth.

And in fact we heard from a man on our Q&A line who asked a really good question that I'm sure many people have wondered about. So listen to this callers question and then John you can respond. My name is Darrell calling from Florida concerning the doctrine of election. I was wondering tribe for people like the abstract anchor Mario Howlett big factor in through the doctrine at the time of Christ.

There were no missionaries who came to be our America.

How would they fit into that doctrine, thank you.

Well Darrell, I understand the question. And I understand the heart behind that question and because we don't have time to delve into that in significant death which you deserves the simple answer Darrell to your question is, no one goes to hell he doesn't deserve hell and no one goes to heaven who isn't chosen by God. The tension in those realities is obviously probably the most familiar question that I'm ever asked throughout my entire ministry. How does human responsibility and divine election go together that deserves careful thought, but let me simplify by saying this. The Bible teaches both and you've got to come to the conviction that people go to hell because they reject Christ and they go to heaven because they receive Christ but behind-the-scenes. The elective purpose of God is at work. Thanks, John, and friend. If you are looking for help communicating the gospel effectively or explaining why Christ is the only path to salvation. John has written a book that can be a big help.

It's a little book titled why one way it's affordably priced. You can order your copy today.

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Again, this hardcover book costs $10 and shipping is free to order call toll-free anytime 855 race or you can go online to TTY.org. That's our website TTY.org remember while you're there you will find thousands of free Bible study resources.

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John has a sermon on it or you can check out our blog. Our recent series of covered the superiority of Christ and how you can thrive even when the church is persecuted, you'll find those resources and thousands of others at our website TTY.also if you have benefited from John's current radio study let a friend know about it and encourage him or her to tune in to grace to you on this station now for John MacArthur. I'm Phil Johnson reminding you to watch grace to you television this Sunday and be here tomorrow for another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on racing.

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