Adding to the discussion….

Mike Ratliff’s article this morning gives a bit more scriptural insight on the Chosen (Not the series), but those of God’s people, the Elect.

Mike’s primary point is over v14, which in the KJV is:

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Another go to election passage is these early verses in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians..

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

This passage fits well with what Mike writes about the Wedding Feast….it’s not about us, it’s all about what God has done, and to the PRAISE OF HIS GLORY it’s a Feast we are invited to by the invitation of the Gospel, but all as v14 in Matthew 22 says who are called are not going to come. Only those chosen. And those who try to come on their own terms or works or righteousness can’t. Those verses are probably not part of the seeker friendly modern church approach.

BTW The early teachings in the Canons of Dort are excellent in driving home the points of these important doctrines. See the AI summary I posted below.

Pastor Ganger has periodically taught through the Canons of Dort and I recommend his sermons:

The more current teachings are here, and note the series teachings can span multiple years, it’s best to have a copy of the Canons of Dort handy to follow progressively through the various “Heads” of Doctrine, 5 Points and the multiple Articles within each and the summary of errors they correct. These take a bit of work to follow in sequence and note on the website you can reference the topics such as heads of doctrine or article be taught. But it does take a bit of work.

And older sermons listed here:

http://www.trinityurcwc.org/sermons.html

These are not indexed but may be useful if you find there is a missing sermon in the more current series. The best way to use that older link is to look up one of the sermon titles from the current a current series, then search the old sermons page for those words, and look before or after that sermon for the one that is missing. Often you have to begin to listen to be sure you have found it. In the search routine you can also pick up the wording to use to search on from the title of the Article that is missing from one of the Canons of Dort text sites like:

Canons of Dort

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

Here is my AI summary:

Yes. In fact, the Canons of Dort (1618–1619) were written specifically to answer and reject the teachings of the followers of Jacobus Arminius. The Canons are not merely a positive statement of Reformed doctrine; they are largely a response to the Five Articles of the Remonstrants (1610), which summarized Arminian objections to Reformed theology.

The famous acronym TULIP was developed much later (probably in the early 20th century), but the doctrines represented by TULIP are found in the Canons of Dort.

Structure of the Canons

The Canons are divided into four main heads of doctrine:

Canons of Dort

Later TULIP Term

First Head: Divine Election and Reprobation

Unconditional Election (U)

Second Head: Christ’s Death and Human Redemption

Limited (Particular) Atonement (L)

Third and Fourth Heads: Human Corruption and Conversion to God

Total Depravity (T) and Irresistible Grace (I)

Fifth Head: Perseverance of the Saints

Perseverance of the Saints (P)

Notice that Dort’s order is not TULIP’s order. The acronym came centuries later as a memory aid.

Does Dort explicitly discuss Arminian errors?

Very much so.

Each Head of Doctrine contains:

Positive Articles explaining Reformed teaching.
Rejection of Errors specifically identifying and condemning Arminian views.

For example:

Against Conditional Election

The Remonstrants taught that God elected people because He foresaw their faith.

Dort replied that election is not based on foreseen faith but on God’s sovereign good pleasure.

Against Universal Atonement

The Remonstrants taught that Christ died equally for all people and that His death only becomes effective when a person believes.

Dort taught that Christ’s death is sufficient for all but was intended by God to effectively save the elect.

Against Resistible Grace

The Remonstrants taught that God’s grace can finally be resisted by man’s free will.

Dort taught that when God regenerates a sinner, He effectively brings that sinner to faith.

Against Loss of Salvation

The Remonstrants were uncertain whether true believers could finally fall away and later many Arminians affirmed that possibility.

Dort taught that true believers are preserved by God’s power and will persevere to the end.

An Important Historical Point

Many people think Dort was primarily trying to define Calvinism. Historically, it was actually responding to a very specific controversy in the Dutch churches. The Canons repeatedly quote or summarize Arminian claims and then answer them. Therefore, if you want to know what the early Reformed churches believed were the principal errors of Arminianism, the Canons of Dort are one of the best primary sources available.

The “Rejection of Errors” sections are especially valuable because they show exactly what the Synod believed the Arminians were teaching and why those teachings were considered contrary to Scripture.

As a Reformed confessional document, the Canons of Dort stand alongside the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism as one of the Three Forms of Unity used by many continental Reformed churches today, including the United Reformed Churches in North America.

A common summary is:

The Five Articles of the Remonstrants gave rise to the Synod of Dort, and the Canons of Dort gave rise (much later) to the five points commonly remembered as TULIP.

Adding to the discussion….