GRACE TRUTH MINISTRIES
We are a ministry declaring God's Grace in Truth.





Grace Truth Ministries Newsletter
December 2005, Number 28


Right And Wrong
Tony M. Montano


The following is what Dave Hunt had to say about Dan Corner's free-will view of salvation and perseverance;

...Dan apparently is not sure whether he's going to get to Heaven or not, by his own standards that he set forth. If he doesn't live a good enough life, he's not going to get there. My hope of Heaven is not in the good life that I am going to live, but is in the promise that Christ has given me. And he very clearly says, John 5:24, for example, he that hears my word, believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death to life. Dan says, no, you can pass back again. You can lose your salvation. Well I don't get this from Jesus. 1 John 5:13, these things have I written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have, present possession, eternal life, and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God. Now it sounds as though Dan, one day when he gets to Heaven, if he gets there, he will be able to boast before the throne of God that he lived a good enough life to keep his salvation. He couldn't earn his salvation, but he's going to live a good enough life to keep his salvation and he tells people you've got to live a good enough life to keep your salvation. I, I'm not going to keep my salvation by living a good enough life. It is Christ who is keeping me, and he will not let me go. I give my sheep eternal life. They will never perish and no one can pluck them out of my hand. So I'm trusting in Christ, who is able to keep us from falling, to present us faultless, Jude says, before the presence of his glory, with eternal joy. I'm trusting in him for my eternal security. Dan is trusting, apparently, in his ability to live a good enough life. He couldn't earn his salvation by his good works, but now he's going to keep his salvation by his good works. And that's not Biblical. #1

Mr. Hunt is quite right when he points out that if Mr. Corner's salvation is dependent upon his ability to keep it by good works, then, when he got to Heaven he would be able to boast about being saved because he lived a good enough life, etc.,.
Mr. Hunt is dead wrong when it comes to his free-will view of salvation. He has stated that a person cannot boast about being saved by their free-will decision. #2
From Mr. Corner’s view, man can boast about his free-will believing and about keeping his salvation by his free-will faithfulness.
From Mr. Hunt’s view, the sinner can only boast about being saved by his free-will belief.
Both of these views have one thing in common they each lift up the alleged free-will of man and not solely the grace of God in the salvation of the sinner. #3
To borrow a statement from Mr. Hunt, “And that’s not Biblical.”



The Redemption Work
Of Our Anointed Priest

Joseph Irons

Redemption work also belongeth to our anointed Priest, and He only could effect it. The priests under the law required the redemption price to be brought to them by the people, but our Priest, in the similitude of Melchisedec, brings the price to them, and pays it for them; hence the apostle was commissioned to say to the elect of God, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ." (1 Pet. 1:18, 19) Now, as the word redemption in our day is so grossly perverted, and as the Papist sentiment of universal redemption has poisoned the great mass of professing Protestants, I shall detain you a few moments to take a view of the redemption which is by Christ Jesus, labeled as it is with three prominent words, purchase, pardon, and perfection. The first of these labels is given us by the mouth of Paul: "Feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28) No universal redemption here; it is the Church of God which He hath purchased, and it would be an impeachment of the wisdom and faithfulness of God our Savior to suppose that He had purchased what He never meant to possess. The Church is His property; and though she had gone into captivity to sin and Satan, it was His prerogative to buy back (as the word redeemed signifies) that which was His own from everlasting, and must be possessed by Him forever, yea, and to perfect His work in every redeemed soul to meeten it for glory.
Moreover, the redemption which the word of God publishes includes the full and free pardon of all the redeemed, as it is written, "In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins." (Eph. 1:7) How foolishly then do men talk about all the world being redeemed, while the large majority of Adam's race remain unpardoned, unregenerate, and under condemnation until they perish eternally. What mockery and falsehood to tell men they are redeemed, while they continue in slavery, wearing their chains, and fond of them. Would to God that such heresy was confined to Rome, for it is quite in keeping with the rest of the dogmas of Antichrist. Again, the redemption which honors our High Priest is and must be perfect; hence the apostle is directed to inform us that our Redeemer "entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (Heb. 9:12) So also He is said to have "perfected for ever them that are sanctified," (Heb. 10:14) or set apart as His redeemed. And His own declaration is, "All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me." (John 6:37) Surely then, the most trembling doubting soul who has come to Christ for pardon and salvation may take courage to believe that His very coming to Christ proves that he is redeemed with precious blood, and that he shall assuredly be saved, because the redemption which is in Christ Jesus is a perfect work.



An Able Minister
Of The New Testament

William Huntington

"An able minister of the New Testament" is one that has received the spirit of promise, one that has felt and enjoyed the truths, blessings, and promises, of the gospel in his own heart, and so "tells to others what God has done for his soul." He has the Spirit, and is a minister of the Spirit; he is a partaker of grace, and a good steward of it; he is pardoned; and preaches, forgiveness; he is justified, and preaches righteousness; he believes, and therefore speaks; he is quickened, and holds forth the word of life; he is free, and preaches liberty to others; he made his own calling and election sure, and therefore shuns not to declare the whole counsel of God. Christ is revealed in him; and he bears him and preaches him amongst the Gentiles. He has felt the savor of his name as an ointment poured forth, and therefore is instrumental in making manifest the savor of his name in every place; he has salt in himself, and his words are seasoned with salt, to season others; he is illuminated, and lets his light shine before men; he is a candle on the stick, and gives, light to all that are in the house. Such an one, in the hands of Christ, is an able minister of the New Testament.



The Matchless Grace Of God
William Gadsby

O the matchless grace of God! What is it? Who can describe it? Let a poor worm venture to drop a hint or two upon it. It is the glorious, rich teeming out of the free favor of God the Father in election and its glorious bearings; of God the Son in redemption, and all he is and has, and has done for his spouse, the church of God; of God the Spirit in his quickening, enlightening, teaching, sealing, anointing, and sanctifying power. Every act of the eternal Trinity, from the first contrivance of the plan of salvation to the full consummation of it in glory, when and where the whole church shall be with Christ and like him, is all of the rich free favor and sovereign grace of God the eternal Trinity.



Free-will For Sale Department:

The following admission was made by Bob Ross – a professing free-grace believer – in one of his e-mailings:
I sell more John R. Rice #4 "What Must I Do to be Saved?" than I sell of Osteen's book. #5


Letters:

INDIA: Greetings to you in the holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for your holy prayers and mil to us. We do daily praying for you, your family and ministry.
I received your booklets. And share in our church in Sunday. All the believers are blessed to hear the wonderful words. I, personally very much encouraged by the booklet. Many are asking for booklet in my own language (Telugu). Because many people do not know English. And I would like to translate it to my own languages if you permitted me. And please pray for my ministry in India. We are poor in the world but rich in Jesus Christ.

KENYA: We always fill happy when we receive literatures from your ministry of Grace truth ministries.

Colossians 1:5-6

End notes:
1. Dave Hunt Versus Dan Corner Mini-Debate on the Believer's Security Transcript, p. 4
2. For more on this subject and Mr. Hunt see the following editions of this newsletter; November 2002, Number 21 and October/December 2003, Number 26.
3. Grace from the free-will view is merely an offer for the sinner to be saved and not the only reason that he is saved.
4. Mr. Rice was a free-will preacher. God willing, we’ll have something by him in a future newsletter.
5. E-mail dated August 2, 2005.