God’s Purpose of Grace
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to
which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility in the believer.
All true believers endure and keep the faith to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring dishonor on the cause of Christ and temporary judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Consider these facts:
- Holiness to be God’s standard of living for His people.
- Holiness of life and conduct for service in obedience to the command of God attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit in preparation for Christ’s return
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, and magnifying God.
- Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed
- The operation of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit enables
- Divine healing and miracles are provided for all in the atonement; freedom from sickness through the divine healing and demons as given by God’s grace and the power of His Word
The Holy Spirit is a Personal Being
These chapters contain the five “parakleeton sayings” (John. 14:15-17; 14:26; 15:26, 27; 16:5-11, 12-15). The use of masculine pronouns and adjectives indicate we are to think of the Holy Spirit as a fully Personal Being. He is the Spirit of Truth and is seen preeminently as the One Who reveals Christ; as Jesus Christ is the truth, the Spirit of Truth (John. 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), lead the disciples to a full appreciation of his life and teachings. Deliverance is through divine authority of God. We believe in casting out demons exactly as Jesus did. The deliverance ministry is as controversial today as it was when Jesus was alive. Religious people of His time charged that, He cast out devils by Beelzebub,(Lk. 11:15). Jesus had compassion, when He walked the earth for the demon possessed, oppressed and obsessed. When a minister witnesses a person under the powers of demons they should be moved with the same compassion and love of the Lord Jesus.