Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Point 7. The principle of A Fortiori and the Omnipotence of God as it Relates to the Substitutionary Spiritual Death of Jesus Christ.
A fortiori is a Latin prepositional phrase meaning “with stronger reason.”
A fortiori compares a first conclusion with a second conclusion, inferring that the first conclusion is more difficult and that the second conclusion is easier, therefore inescapable and even more certain.
An a fortiori in Scripture can generally be recognized by the Greek phrase “polus mallon” translated “much more then” or “much more therefore.”
If the OP of the Father accomplished the most difficult thing in imputing our sins to the humanity of Christ and judging them, it follows, a fortiori, the OP of God can accomplish the least difficult = doing whatever you need.
PHI 1:6, For I am confident of this very thing, that He [God the Father] who has begun in you an absolute good work will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.
PHI 2:13 for it is God [the Holy Spirit] who is at work in you, both to will [give you motivation] and to work [He gives you the ability to execute] above and beyond His good pleasure.
It follows, a fortiori, that He can do the least difficult thing, which is to deliver the believer from the Last Judgment.
The a fortiori here says that it is easier for the omnipotence of God the Father to deliver the believer from the Last Judgment than for the omnipotence of God the Father to impute our sins to Christ on the cross and judge them.
A fortiori = OP of the Father can do the least difficult thing in the Church Age: deliver the believer from the Last Judgment.
If the omnipotence of the Father accomplished the most difficult thing at the cross, it follows, a fortiori, that the omnipotence of God the Father can accomplish anything else at all.
It is easier for the omnipotence of God the Father to deliver the believer from the Last Judgment than for the omnipotence of God the
Father to reconcile the world to Himself.
(1) The omnipotence of God the Father in providing us our portfolio of invisible assets.
(2) The omnipotence of the Holy Spirit in providing the divine power for the execution of the PPOG.
If the omnipotence of God can accomplish the most difficult thing, it follows, a fortiori, that the omnipotence of God can accomplish the least difficult thing.
If the most difficult function of the omnipotence of God occurred during our Lord’s life, then the least difficult function of the OP of God occurs during the great power experiment of the Church Age.
“With Him” means with the substitutionary, efficacious atoning work of Christ on the cross.
“The all things” includes the omnipotence of God the Father doing the easy thing of providing for every Church Age believer with his very own portfolio of invisible assets.
“All things” includes the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit providing the easy thing: the divine power for the execution and fulfillment of the PPOG for the Church Age.
Again here is the substitutionary prepositional phrase: huper plus genitive of advantage of pas and ego means “in place of [instead of] all of us.”
Because when the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union reached its peak at the cross, our Lord had endurance.
Running with endurance includes the utilization of both categories of divine power: the omnipotence of God the Father related to our portfolio of invisible assets, and the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit related to our function inside the PPOG.
Christ was able to endure the judgment of our sins on the cross through the available omnipotence of the Holy Spirit inside the PPOG and by using the ultimate problem solving device: +H.
+H is the ultimate problem solving device; it turns the world upside down.
+H fulfills the mandate to of HEB 13:5 “be content with such things as you have, for He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
The omnipotence of the Holy Spirit is available to us inside the PPOG, in the fulfillment of the two commands: “Be filled with the
Spirit,” EPH 5:18; and “Keep walking by means of the Spirit,” GAL 5:16.
“cries out” = the present active indicative of craws which means to cry but really it means to shout out with an intensive and urgent form of speaking.
Sennacherib was the prince of Assyria who ruled 705-681 BC.
The incarnation is the expense of time, Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, dwelt on earth in hypostatic union.
JOH 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
The present tense is what is known as a pictorial present tense which presents to the mind a picture of Isaiah’s message in the process of occurrence.
The active voice: Isaiah gave the message, producing the action of the verb in a dramatic speech in a time of a national crisis.
The indicative mood is declarative representing the verbal action from the viewpoint of reality.
You must remember that the theme of the book of Romans is generally the integrity of God.
And the integrity of God has 2 parts, that is His absolute righteousness and His perfect and absolute justice.
And therefore, election, which is the subject here in Rom 9, cannot be viewed apart from God’s integrity.
When you think about election, we all think about God’s sovereign choice, but it’s very dangerous to separate His sovereign choice from His justice and from His omniscience from all the other attributes of His deity.
Election is a subject that cannot be viewed apart from God’s integrity.
Because God is just and righteous, He will never violate your free will.
LUK 6:13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him; and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:
The point is that when the word of God says that God has chosen us that is not a violation of our free will.
There cannot be injustice or unrighteousness in God.
There can be no opposition or contradictions between His divine attributes. This means He can never be unfair or unjust with His divine decisions.
When He elected us, He elected us according to not only his sovereign choice but according to His omniscience, including His foreknowledge.
The Doctrine of Election.
The question you should have is elected to what?
Answer = you have been elected to have God’s highest and best.
Point 1. Definition = Election is the expression of the sovereign will of God in eternity past before the universe existed and before mankind lived on planet earth.
Election is defined as one of two important principles or desires from the sovereignty of God. The other is predestination.
We have noted along with foreknowledge, predestination, justification and glorification, they are all printouts from the Doctrine of the Divine Decrees and the sovereign will of God.
So, like predestination, election is used for believers only, EPH 1:4, ROM 8:33, “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies”;
Now, in MAT 22:14 TLJC said “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
The adjective “polloi” is used from a Semitic perspective which involves both quantity and totality, therefore “all” is the appropriate translation.
DAN 12:2 “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
MAR 10:48, “And many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all [polloi] the more,
LUK 10:40, “But Martha was distracted with all [polloi] her preparations;”
LUK 18:39, “But he kept crying out all [polloi] the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
MAT 22:14, “For many are called, but few are chosen or elected [eklektoi].”
The “calling of God” is irrevocable in the fact that even though God knows who is going to respond and who is not, He still sends out the invitation which is the doctrine of the unlimited atonement.
Election is a benefit which expresses the sovereign will of God for each believer in the Royal Family during the Church-age.
Election means that God elected or chose you to have His highest and best for your life both in time and in eternity, Eph 1;4.
Election is the expression of the sovereign will of God for your life.
Predestination is the “provision” of the sovereign will of God for your life. Predestination refers to the plan which God has provided for each believer.
The mechanics for the election of the Church is the baptism of the Holy Spirit which occurs at the very moment we believe in Christ.
Not only do you have a magnificent destiny under the PPOG, but election says that you have the same privileges and opportunities as all other believers for the execution of that plan.
Under election, equal privilege is your Royal priesthood.
Point 2. There are Three Elections in history.
a. Israel under the ritual plan of God. b. Christ under the incarnation plan of God. c. The church under the pre-designed plan of God.
Deu7:6, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has elected you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
ISA 45:4 says the same thing, “For the sake of Jacob My servant, And Israel My elected one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor though you have not known Me.
TLJC was elected under the incarnation plan of God, ISA 42:1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My elected one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
MAT 12:18, Behold, My Servant whom I have elected; My Beloved in whom My soul is well‑pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And
He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
LUK 9:35, And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!”
And then the church under the pre-designed plan of God, COL 3:12 And so, as those who have been elected of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
Each election brought a new category of species into history.
a. The election of Israel brought in the new racial species, the Jew.
b. Then there is the election of Christ which brought in the hypostatic union, i.e. undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever.
c. The election of the Church brought in the new spiritual species, the Church or Royal Family of God. 2CO 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.