SOTERIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT:
WHAT IS MY SALVATION DOCTRINE?
By Dr. Rick Patrick, C316 Exec. Director

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* 1. Which best describes your view of MAN'S DEPRAVITY?

A. LIMITED DEPRAVITY WITH INITIATORY ABILITY: The fall of Adam resulted in a sinful nature merely tainting mankind in a limited manner. Mankind is not spiritually dead, but is only spiritually sick. Within his heart, there remains an island of righteousness uncorrupted by sin and thus able to begin a process of faith later supervened by God's grace so man's faith can increase. Thus, on his own, man can take the first steps in exercising saving faith.

B. TOTAL DEPRAVITY WITH RESPONSIBILITY: The fall of Adam resulted in a sinful nature rendering mankind as totally depraved. It is not the sin of Adam, but man's own sin, that causes man's condemnation and spiritual death. Though incapable of coming to God on his own, after God extends His grace by the Holy Spirit's drawing through the gospel, at that moment, any man capable of moral action is able to respond freely and exercise saving faith.

C. TOTAL DEPRAVITY AND INABILITY WITH PREVENIENT GRACE: The fall of Adam resulted in a sinful nature rendering mankind as totally depraved. Because of the sin of Adam, every man is born already guilty, condemned and spiritually dead. Just as physically dead men are incapable of taking any action, so must spiritually dead men be made alive by a special outpouring of God's prevenient grace in order to overcome this incapacitation and exercise saving faith.

D. TOTAL DEPRAVITY AND INABILITY WITH IRRESISTIBLE GRACE: The fall of Adam resulted in a sinful nature rendering mankind as totally depraved. Because of the sin of Adam, every man is born already guilty, condemned and spiritually dead. Just as physically dead men are incapable of taking any action, so must spiritually dead men be made alive by God's irresistible grace to overcome this incapacitation and exercise saving faith.

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* 2. Which best describes your view of GOD'S ELECTION?

A. CONDITIONAL: God has chosen to elect for salvation a people to call His own. This election is based on the condition that a person freely trusts in Christ through repentance and faith. While God certainly knows in advance which individuals will trust Him and which will not, He does not determine or decree certain individuals for salvation and others for reprobation.

B. UNCONDITIONAL: God has chosen to elect for salvation a people to call His own. God has also chosen, before the foundation of the world, and based upon nothing but His own good pleasure, to elect specific individuals to salvation in heaven, and to condemn other specific individuals to reprobation in hell. By electing or refusing to elect, God Himself determines, irresistibly, how each man will respond to the gospel.

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* 3. Which best describes your view of CHRIST'S ATONEMENT?

A. GENERAL: Jesus died for everyone. His death actually covered the sins of every person in the world without exception. While salvation is thus available to all, only those who freely trust in Christ receive the salvation He provided for all men to accept or reject.

B. LIMITED: Jesus died for the elect. While the death of Jesus Christ was sufficient, hypothetically, to cover the sins of the whole world without exception, God's intent was for the death of Christ actually to cover only the sins of specific elect persons among all the people groups on earth without distinction.

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* 4. Which best describes your view of GOD'S GRACE?

A. RESISTIBLE: God's initial will is for all men to be saved. His subsequent will is not to save those who freely reject Jesus as Lord and Savior. Thus, all men will not be saved, because God has created man, made in His image, with the mental, emotional and volitional capability to say yes or no to His saving grace.

B. IRRESISTIBLE: God's revealed will is for all men to be saved. His hidden will is not to save those He has chosen for reprobation. Thus, all men will not be saved, because God has not chosen to set His irresistible grace upon everyone, but only upon the elect who cannot possibly say no to His gracious offer, just as the reprobate cannot possibly say yes.

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* 5. Which best describes your view regarding the PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS?

A. LOSS OF SALVATION: After a man truly repents of his sin and trusts in Christ for salvation, it is still possible for him to reject his faith, depart from his relationship with Christ, and lose his salvation.

B. ETERNAL SECURITY: After a man truly repents of his sin and trusts in Christ for salvation, it is impossible for him to reject his faith, depart from his relationship with Christ, and lose his salvation.