Restoration Theology — Apologetics Index
Welcome to the brief referencing search engine index page for the Restoration Theology Apologetics Archive.
This document contains a brief, Scripture-anchored defense of Restoration Theology, answering theological objections with clarity, order, and reverence for the Word of God.
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SUMMARY: THE CORE DISTINCTIONS
Our theology in brief:
Salvation's Three Stages:
Justification - Instant, faith alone, zero works (root)
Sanctification - Progressive transformation, works as fruit/evidence
Glorification/Judgment - Works verify faith was genuine (fruit reveals root)
Sin's Two Categories:
Known sin - Overcome daily through Stage 3 choices for God
Unknown sin - Not imputed until God reveals; immediately overcome when discovered
Temptation's Four Stages:
Biological impulse (not sin)
Imagination/scenarios (not sin - temptation)
Heart agreement (SIN BEGINS HERE if choosing evil; VICTORY HAPPENS HERE if choosing God)
Action/fruit (evidence of Stage 3 choice)
Grace:
Necessary but resistible (synergism, not monergism or Pelagianism)
Empowers victory, doesn't just cover ongoing defeat
Covers unknown sins while empowering victory over known sins
Christology:
Two natures, one person (orthodox)
Experienced genuine Stages 1-2 temptation
Always chose Stage 3 alignment with Father
We follow His pattern: "Not my will, but yours"
Assurance:
Based on present reality (walking with God now)
Clear conscience through overcoming known sin
Humble about unknown areas (grace covers)
Progressive transformation (Romans 8:29 - predestined purpose)
The overcoming life:
Not sinless perfection
But daily victory over all known sin
Following Christ's Stage 3 pattern
Being transformed into His likeness
Walking like Jesus walked (1 John 2:6)
This is biblical Christianity recovered from Augustine's errors and Calvin's over-corrections.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION: THE RESTORATION THEOLOGY FRAMEWORK
Core Positions Summary
The Heart-Works Integration
The Three-Stage Salvation Framework
The Five-Stage Temptation vs Sin Framework
Willful vs. Unwillful Sin
OT Kenosis: The Relational God
The Father-Son-Spirit Framework
Angels' Rebellion Explained
SECTION 1: SALVATION, WORKS & JUDGMENT
ATTACK #1: Works-Based Salvation Accusation The Objection: "You're teaching works-based salvation! You're requiring obedience, transformation, and perseverance—that's salvation by works, not grace. You're adding human effort to God's free gift."
ATTACK #2: Works of the Law The Objection: "Paul explicitly states no one is declared righteous by works of the law. Your emphasis on works contradicts this fundamental gospel truth."
ATTACK #3: Justifying the Ungodly The Objection: "God justifies the UNGODLY—not those who become godly first. Your teaching requires righteousness before justification, reversing the biblical order."
ATTACK #4: Justification vs. Sanctification Confusion The Objection: "You're confusing justification (one-time legal declaration by faith alone) with sanctification (ongoing process involving works). These are two completely separate categories. Justification is instant and forensic; sanctification is progressive and practical. You're mixing what should remain distinct."
ATTACK #5: "Just Believe" Gospel The Objection: "Paul told the jailer simply to 'believe' for salvation. No mention of works, overcoming sin, or conditional perseverance. Just believe. Your additions to the gospel are legalism."
ATTACK #6: Claiming to Be Without Sin The Objection: "1 John 1:8 says 'If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves.' Your teaching that believers can overcome willful sin claims to be without sin, which John says is self-deception."
ATTACK #7: We All Stumble The Objection: "James says we ALL stumble in many ways. This includes willful sins. Your teaching contradicts James."
SECTION 2: GRACE, FAITH & HUMAN RESPONSE
ATTACK #8: Pelagianism/Semi-Pelagianism Heresy The Objection: "Your theology mirrors Pelagianism or Semi-Pelagianism, both condemned as heresies. You're teaching humans can achieve righteousness through their own effort, denying the necessity of grace."
ATTACK #9: God Works in You The Objection: "Philippians 2:13 says 'God works in you to will and to act'—this proves God causes all actions, leaving no room for human will or responsibility. You can't claim free will when Scripture explicitly says God works in us to will and to act. This is divine monergism, not your synergism."
ATTACK #10: Father Must Enable The Objection: "Jesus explicitly states no one can come unless enabled by the Father. This proves grace is irresistible and human cooperation isn't necessary."
ATTACK #11: Apart From Me Nothing The Objection: "Jesus explicitly states: 'Apart from me you can do nothing.' This proves total dependence and inability. Your theology of human moral agency contradicts Christ's own words."
ATTACK #12: Daily Prayer for Forgiveness The Objection: "Jesus taught us to pray daily for forgiveness of sins. This implies ongoing sin is normal for believers."
SECTION 3: SECURITY OF SALVATION
ATTACK #13: Denying Atonement's Sufficiency The Objection: "If salvation can be lost, then Christ's atonement wasn't sufficient. You're saying His finished work on the cross wasn't enough—that it requires human perseverance to complete it. This makes Christ's sacrifice insufficient and adds human effort to God's perfect work. 'It is finished' means it's finished!"
ATTACK #14: "If You Continue" Conditional Language The Objection: "'If you continue' statements are just rhetorical—assurance language, not real conditions. Paul is expressing confidence they will continue, not suggesting they might not. These are hypothetical warnings to prevent what won't actually happen. God guarantees perseverance, so the 'if' is just means to the guaranteed end."
ATTACK #15: Hebrews 6 Hypothetical Warning The Objection: "Hebrews 6:4-6 is a hypothetical warning, not describing something that actually happens. True believers cannot fall away."
SECTION 4: TOTAL DEPRAVITY & SIN NATURE
ATTACK #16: None Righteous The Objection: "Scripture explicitly states NO ONE is righteous, NO ONE seeks God, NO ONE does good. Your teaching about people being able to choose righteousness contradicts this clear statement."
ATTACK #17: Sinful From Birth The Objection: "David states he was sinful from conception. This proves inherited sin nature from birth. Your denial of inherited guilt contradicts this clear statement."
ATTACK #18: Deceitful Heart The Objection: "The heart is desperately wicked and beyond cure. How can you teach that people can have righteous hearts that produce righteous works?"
ATTACK #19: Every Inclination Evil All the Time The Objection: "Scripture states every inclination is only evil ALL THE TIME. This proves total depravity—humans cannot do anything good or respond to God."
ATTACK #20: Evil From Childhood The Objection: "God Himself declares every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. This proves inherited sin nature and total depravity from birth."
ATTACK #21: No One Never Sins The Objection: "Solomon states there's no one who does right and never sins. Your teaching about living without willful sin contradicts this clear statement."
ATTACK #22: Vile and Corrupt The Objection: "Job calls humans vile and corrupt, drinking up evil like water. This proves total depravity and inability to do good."
ATTACK #23: Dead in Sins The Objection: "Paul says we were DEAD in sins and 'by nature' children of wrath. Dead people can't respond. This proves total inability until God regenerates."
ATTACK #24: Enslaved to Passions The Objection: "Paul describes believers as formerly 'enslaved' by passions. Slaves have no freedom. This proves humans are in bondage to sin until God frees them without their cooperation."
ATTACK #25: Sinless Perfection Heresy The Objection: "Your teaching is the old 'sinless perfection' heresy that's been repeatedly condemned. You're claiming believers can be absolutely sinless."
SECTION 5: THE OVERCOMING LIFE & SANCTIFICATION
ATTACK #26: Progressive Sanctification The Objection: "Your 'overcoming life' teaching suggests immediate victory over sin, but Scripture teaches sanctification is progressive and lifelong. God 'will carry it on to completion'—implying ongoing work, not instant perfection."
ATTACK #27: Paul's Romans 7 Struggle The Objection: "Romans 7:15-20 proves even Paul couldn't stop sinning. He says 'I do what I don't want to do' - if Paul struggled with ongoing sin, how can you claim believers can overcome willful sin? This passage proves we'll keep failing at known sin despite our best efforts."
ATTACK #28: Carnal Christian Category The Objection: "Paul addresses 'worldly' (carnal) Christians. This proves Christians can remain carnal yet still be saved. Your theology denies this biblical category."
ATTACK #29: Flesh vs. Spirit War The Objection: "The flesh wars against the Spirit in all believers. This ongoing conflict proves believers continue to sin willfully."
ATTACK #30: Disputable Matters Gray Areas The Objection: "Romans 14 shows there are gray areas where Christians disagree on what's sinful. Your black-and-white view of willful vs. unwillful sin is too simplistic."
ATTACK #31: Peter's Restoration Shows Ongoing Failure The Objection: "Peter denied Jesus three times and needed restoration. Even after Pentecost, Paul confronted Peter for hypocrisy (Galatians 2). This proves even mature believers continue in willful sin."
SECTION 6: CHRISTOLOGY - CHRIST'S NATURE & TEMPTATION
ATTACK #32: Jesus Had Sin Nature The Objection: "Your teaching divides Christ into two persons! You're saying the human Jesus had limited knowledge while the divine Son knew everything. That's Nestorianism - the heresy condemned at Ephesus in 431 AD. Christ is one person, not two. You're splitting the incarnate Son into separate divine and human persons, which destroys the hypostatic union."
ATTACK #33: Nestorianism - Dividing Christ The Objection: "Your teaching divides Christ into two persons! You're saying the human Jesus had limited knowledge while the divine Son knew everything. That's Nestorianism - the heresy condemned at Ephesus in 431 AD. Christ is one person, not two. You're splitting the incarnate Son into separate divine and human persons, which destroys the hypostatic union."
ATTACK #34: Voluntary Limitation Denies Full Deity The Objection: "If Jesus voluntarily limited His knowledge during the incarnation, that means He wasn't fully God. God cannot limit Himself or He ceases to be God. Omniscience is essential to deity - if Jesus lacked omniscience at any point, He lacked full deity at that point. Your teaching reduces Christ to something less than fully God, which is a denial of His deity."
ATTACK #35: Impeccability - Christ Couldn't Sin The Objection: "If Christ had a sin nature and could genuinely be tempted like us, then He could have sinned. But Scripture is clear that Christ couldn't sin because of His divine nature. If He could have sinned, He wouldn't be a perfect sacrifice. Your teaching that His temptations were real and that He had our nature means you're saying He could have failed, which undermines His deity and the certainty of salvation."
ATTACK #36: The Word Was God The Objection: "John 1:1 says 'The Word was God' - full deity with no limitations. If the Word became flesh and remained God, then Jesus must have retained all divine attributes including omniscience throughout His earthly life. Your teaching that He had limited knowledge contradicts 'The Word was God.' You're diminishing His deity by suggesting He didn't fully possess or exercise divine attributes during the incarnation."
SECTION 7: TRINITY & KENOSIS
ATTACK #37: Different Knowledge = Tritheism The Objection: "You're teaching that the Father knows everything but the Son doesn't know everything. That means you have two different gods with different attributes. If the Son lacks knowledge the Father has, they can't both be the same God. This is tritheism - belief in three separate gods rather than one God in three persons. You've destroyed the doctrine of the Trinity."
ATTACK #38: Subordinationism Heresy The Objection: "Your teaching that the Son operates in dependence on the Father and has limited knowledge makes the Son inferior to the Father. This is subordinationism - the heresy that the Son is ontologically subordinate to the Father, less divine, a lesser god. You're denying the equality of the persons of the Trinity and destroying the doctrine of the full deity of Christ."
ATTACK #39: God Cannot Change The Objection: "God is immutable - He cannot change. Scripture says 'I the LORD do not change' (Malachi 3:6) and 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever' (Hebrews 13:8). Your teaching that the Son voluntarily limited His knowledge and experienced events as they unfolded means God changed. This contradicts divine immutability and makes God less than perfect."
ATTACK #40: Omniscience Essential to Deity The Objection: "Omniscience is an essential attribute of deity. If Jesus didn't know everything during His earthly ministry, then He wasn't fully God. Mark 13:32 where Jesus says He doesn't know the day or hour proves He lacked omniscience, which means He lacked full deity. Your teaching that the Son voluntarily limited His knowledge makes Him less than fully God, which is a denial of His deity."
ATTACK #41: Economic vs. Ontological Trinity The Objection: "Your distinction between 'economic Trinity' (how God functions toward creation) and 'ontological Trinity' (who God is in Himself) is just theological word games to hide the fact that you're teaching three different gods with different attributes. If the Father knows everything and the Son doesn't know everything, they have different divine natures. Your 'economic' vs. 'ontological' distinction doesn't solve the problem - it just renames it."
SECTION 8: SOVEREIGNTY & PREDESTINATION
ATTACK #42: Potter and Clay The Objection: "Romans 9:20-21 says 'Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?' This proves God sovereignly chooses who will be saved and who will be damned without regard to human choice. Your teaching that humans have free will contradicts God's absolute sovereignty as the divine Potter who shapes vessels as He pleases."
ATTACK #43: God Works Out Everything The Objection: "Ephesians 1:11 says God 'works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.' This proves God predetermines and controls every event, including human choices. Your teaching that humans have free will contradicts God's absolute control over all things. If God works out everything, then everything is predetermined."
ATTACK #44: Christ's Death Predetermined The Objection: "Acts 4:27-28 says Christ's death was predetermined by God's power and will. This proves everything is predetermined. If the most significant event in history - Christ's crucifixion - was predestined down to the specific people involved, then all events and choices must be predetermined. Your teaching about free will contradicts the clear biblical teaching that Christ's death was predestined."
ATTACK #45: What God Predetermined The Objection: "Throughout 2,000 years of church history, the majority of theologians and saints have held to eternal security or predestination. Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Spurgeon, and countless others disagree with you. Are you really claiming you understand Scripture better than the collective wisdom of church history? This level of arrogance in rejecting the consensus of the saints is astounding."
ATTACK #46: LORD Determines Steps The Objection: "Proverbs 16:9 says 'In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.' Proverbs 20:24 adds 'A person's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand their own way?' These verses prove God sovereignly controls every step and decision we make. Your teaching about free will contradicts God's absolute control over human actions."
ATTACK #47: King's Heart in God's Hand The Objection: "Proverbs 21:1 says 'The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.' This proves God controls human hearts and decisions. If God directs the king's heart wherever He pleases, then God controls all human wills. Your teaching about free will is refuted by this clear statement of divine control."
ATTACK #48: God Does as He Pleases The Objection: "Exodus 9:12 says 'But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron.' Exodus 4:21 says 'The LORD said to Moses... I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.' Romans 9:17-18 confirms this: 'For Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose"... Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.' This proves God controls human wills, even hardening hearts to ensure His purposes. Your teaching about free will contradicts God's direct hardening of Pharaoh's heart."
ATTACK #49: Jacob I Loved, Esau I Hated The Objection: "Romans 9:11-13 says 'Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."' This proves God chooses who will be saved before they're even born, based on nothing they've done. Election is unconditional. Your teaching about free will contradicts this clear predestination before birth."
SECTION 9: CHURCH HISTORY & TRADITION
ATTACK #50: Council of Carthage The Objection: "The Council of Carthage (418 AD) condemned Pelagianism and affirmed original sin, total depravity, and the necessity of infant baptism to remove inherited guilt. The early church clearly taught Augustinian theology. Your rejection of inherited guilt and total depravity contradicts 1,600 years of orthodox church teaching established at Carthage. Are you claiming the entire church was wrong for sixteen centuries?"
ATTACK #51: Council of Orange The Objection: "The Council of Orange (529 AD) affirmed that grace precedes and enables all good works, that humans are spiritually dead and incapable of seeking God without divine intervention, and that salvation is entirely God's work. This council definitively established that free will is damaged by sin and cannot function toward salvation without irresistible grace. Your teaching contradicts this universally accepted orthodox position from 529 AD."
ATTACK #52: Luther's Total Depravity The Objection: "Martin Luther taught total depravity - that humans are utterly corrupt and incapable of any good apart from God's grace. In 'The Bondage of the Will,' Luther argued against Erasmus that free will is an illusion and that humans are slaves to sin until God regenerates them. Luther, the father of the Reformation, clearly taught what you deny. Are you claiming Luther was wrong about this foundational doctrine?"
ATTACK #53: Calvin's Predestination The Objection: "John Calvin systematically developed the biblical doctrine of predestination in his 'Institutes of the Christian Religion.' Calvin showed how God's sovereignty requires unconditional election - that God chose the elect before the foundation of the world, apart from any foreseen faith or works. Calvin's TULIP (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of Saints) is the most logically consistent systematic theology. Your rejection of Calvinism creates logical contradictions and undermines God's sovereignty."
ATTACK #54: Westminster Confession The Objection: "The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) represents the consensus of the greatest Reformed theologians who systematically studied Scripture and articulated orthodox Protestant doctrine. Chapter III on God's Eternal Decree clearly states: 'By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life; and others foreordained to everlasting death.' The Westminster Standards have been the doctrinal foundation for Presbyterian and Reformed churches for nearly 400 years. Are you claiming centuries of Reformed scholars were wrong?"
ATTACK #55: No Major Denomination The Objection: "No major Protestant denomination teaches your position. Catholics, Lutherans, Reformed/Presbyterians, Anglicans, and even most Baptists hold either Augustinian original sin or Calvinist predestination or both. If your theology were correct, wouldn't at least one major historical denomination teach it? The fact that you stand virtually alone against centuries of church tradition across all major branches suggests you're wrong, not that everyone else is."
SECTION 10: PASTORAL CONCERNS
ATTACK #56: Creates Spiritual Pride The Objection: "Your teaching that believers can overcome willful sin through spiritual-mindedness and that perseverance requires continued faithfulness will create spiritual pride. People will look down on struggling Christians, thinking 'I'm spiritual-minded and victorious, but they're carnal and weak.' They'll boast about their perseverance rather than resting in God's grace. Your doctrine produces self-righteous Pharisees, not humble believers resting in Christ."
ATTACK #57: Destroys Assurance The Objection: "Your teaching that salvation can be lost through willful sin and that perseverance is conditional destroys assurance. Believers will live in constant fear, never knowing if they're truly saved or if they've committed some sin that cost them salvation. They'll obsess over every failure, wondering 'Was that willful?' This creates anxiety, not peace. Calvinism's 'once saved, always saved' provides comfort - believers rest knowing nothing can separate them from God's love."
ATTACK #58: People Will Despair The Objection: "Your teaching that salvation can be lost through willful sin and that perseverance requires continued faithfulness will cause people to despair. When believers struggle with sin, they'll think 'I've lost my salvation' and give up entirely. Depression, anxiety, and despair will follow. Why even try if one failure could cost everything? Your doctrine crushes hope instead of offering it. Calvinism's assurance prevents despair by guaranteeing salvation regardless of struggles."
ATTACK #59: Under Law Not Grace The Objection: "Your teaching that believers must overcome willful sin, that perseverance requires continued obedience, and that salvation can be lost through persistent rebellion puts believers back under the law. You're preaching works-righteousness - 'maintain your behavior or lose salvation.' This contradicts grace. Romans 6:14 says 'you are not under law, but under grace.' Galatians 5:1 says 'do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.' Your doctrine enslaves believers to performance-based salvation instead of resting in Christ's finished work."
ATTACK #60: Mental Illness & Disabilities The Objection: "Your teaching that believers must overcome willful sin through spiritual-mindedness is cruel to those with mental illness, cognitive disabilities, or neurological conditions. People with OCD, schizophrenia, severe anxiety, depression, autism, or intellectual disabilities may struggle to control their thoughts or behaviors. Are you saying they can't be saved if their condition makes spiritual-mindedness difficult? What about those with addiction, PTSD, or trauma-related compulsions? Your doctrine condemns those who need compassion, not judgment."
INTRODUCTION: THE RESTORATION THEOLOGY FRAMEWORK
The Heart of the Matter
This theology centers on a simple but profound truth: God genuinely loves all people, offers salvation to all through Christ, and holds each person accountable for their own choices - not for sins they didn't commit.
We reject the Augustinian doctrine of inherited guilt and the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election because both contradict Scripture's clear teaching about God's character, human responsibility, and the nature of salvation.
SALVATION: THREE STAGES
STAGE 1 - JUSTIFICATION (Instant, Faith Alone)
The moment you believe in Jesus Christ, God declares you righteous based solely on Christ's finished work. Zero human works. Pure grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
STAGE 2 - SANCTIFICATION (Progressive, Faith Proving Itself)
Progressive transformation proving faith was genuine. God gradually reveals sin; believers immediately turn from it; works flow as fruit and evidence - not earning salvation, but proving it was real (James 2:17).
God reveals one thing at a time - His yoke is light (Matthew 11:30). As He reveals each area, you overcome it immediately. You're innocent of what God hasn't revealed yet - these aren't counted against you (Romans 4:15; 5:13).
STAGE 3 - GLORIFICATION/JUDGMENT (Conditional on Perseverance)
All resurrected for judgment with two outcomes:
Resurrection to LIFE - those whose faith persevered, producing righteous fruit
Resurrection to DEATH - those who persisted in willful rebellion or whose faith proved dead
Works verify faith was genuine and persevered (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:12).
Example:
Works without faith = DEAD (Pharisees - external ritual, no heart)
Faith without works = DEAD (Lukewarm - mental belief, no action)
Faith producing works = ALIVE (Biblical righteousness)
WHAT WE INHERITED FROM ADAM
What We DID Inherit:
1. Mortality - Physical death (Romans 5:12 - "death spread to all")
2. Temptable Flesh - Bodies with biological drives and a tendency (not sin itself) in the flesh that pulls us toward sin. This creates the capacity for Stages 1-2 of temptation.
3. Fallen World - Born into corrupted creation with suffering and evil influences
What We DID NOT Inherit:
Legal guilt for Adam's sin - Romans 5:12: "death spread to all because all sinned" (each person's own sin). Ezekiel 18:20 - "The son shall not bear the guilt of the father."
Sin as an indwelling entity - The tendency toward sin dwells in our flesh, but not sin itself as a controlling entity.
Condemnation at birth - Children are innocent until they personally sin (Matthew 18:3).
TEMPTATION & SIN: FOUR STAGES
STAGE 1 - BIOLOGICAL IMPULSE (Not Sin)
Natural bodily drives originally made for good, mortal flesh: hunger, sexual desire, self-preservation, need for rest, desire for comfort. These are neutral biological impulses - not sin in themselves.
Why not sin: Jesus experienced all of these (Matthew 4:2 - hunger; John 19:28 - thirst; John 4:6 - exhaustion; Luke 22:42 - self-preservation drive in Gethsemane). If Stage 1 were sin, Jesus would have sinned. But He was sinless (Hebrews 4:15).
STAGE 2 - IMAGINATION/SCENARIOS (Still Not Sin - Where Battle Begins)
Your mind takes the Stage 1 impulse and presents scenarios - some righteous (aligned with God's will), others sinful (opposed to God's will). The tendency in the flesh causes your mind to generate sinful scenarios and makes them attractive. This is temptation - the battle of ideas.
Example: You're angry (Stage 1 impulse). Mind presents: "Communicate hurt calmly" (righteous) vs. "Destroy their reputation with gossip" (sinful). Both scenarios are present - you're being tempted, but haven't sinned yet.
Why not sin: Jesus experienced Stage 2 fully. Wilderness temptations - Satan presented sinful scenarios; Jesus heard them, understood them, felt their pull (Matthew 4:1-11). Gethsemane - scenarios presented ("escape suffering" vs. "embrace cross"), battle so fierce His sweat was like blood (Luke 22:42-44). If Stage 2 were sin, Jesus would have sinned. But He was sinless.
What we inherited: The tendency in the flesh (from Adam's fall) causes sinful scenarios to be generated and feel attractive. This is the "flesh" that opposes the Spirit (Romans 8:7). We all experience this - it's part of being human in flesh. But experiencing it is not sinning.
STAGE 3 - HEART AGREEMENT (Where Sin Begins AND Victory Happens)
The critical decision point. Your heart/will responds to Stage 2 scenarios by either:
A) Agreeing with God's will → produces Stage 4 righteous fruit (VICTORY) B) Agreeing with sinful scenario → produces Stage 4 sinful fruit (SIN BEGINS HERE)
Why this is where sin begins: James 1:14-15 - "dragged away and enticed" (Stages 1-2, not yet sin) → "after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin" (Stage 3 heart agreement - sin begins here) → "sin full-grown gives birth to death" (Stage 4 manifestation).
Christ's pattern (Gethsemane - Luke 22:42):
Stage 1-2: Overwhelming impulse, powerful scenarios
Stage 3: "Not my will, but yours be done" (chose alignment with Father's will)
Stage 4: Went to cross, accomplished salvation (righteous fruit)
This is where victory happened - choosing "not my will, but yours" at Stage 3. This is the pattern we follow "in Christ."
Why Stage 3 is critical:
Accountability resides here - choosing sin makes you guilty
Victory also resides here - choosing God's will is overcoming
Transformation happens here - being conformed to Christ's image (Romans 8:29) through repeated Stage 3 choices for God
STAGE 4 - ACTION/MANIFESTATION (The Visible Fruit)
Stage 3 heart agreement manifests in the physical world through action. Bearing fruit - either righteous (from choosing God at Stage 3) or sinful (from choosing rebellion at Stage 3). This is what others see - the outward evidence of your inward Stage 3 heart choice.
TWO TYPES OF SIN IN THE BELIEVER'S LIFE
Known Sin (What We Overcome Daily)
Sin God has clearly revealed. We overcome all known sin at Stage 3 daily through choosing God's will, denying self like Christ. We walk with clear conscience, living in victory. We do not commit known willful sin (1 John 3:6, 9).
Unknown Sin (What God Gradually Reveals)
Actions that ARE sin objectively but we're unaware they're sin. Examples: causing a brother to stumble (Romans 14), speaking without love (Ephesians 4:15), showing partiality (James 2:1-9), neglecting mercy (Matthew 23:23).
These ARE sin, but not imputed where there's no knowledge (Romans 4:15; 5:13 - "sin is not charged where there is no law"). When God reveals them, we immediately overcome those too. Grace covers what we're unaware of while we walk in victory over what we know.
FREE WILL & GRACE: SYNERGISM
Prevenient Grace - Necessary but Resistible
God must initiate - No one seeks God without divine enabling (John 6:44). Grace is absolutely necessary.
But grace can be resisted - God enables genuine response; He doesn't force it (Acts 7:51 - "You always resist the Holy Spirit"). Divine drawing is universal but resistible.
Synergism (Cooperation):
God does 100% of enabling (making response possible)
Humans do 100% of responding (choosing to accept or resist at Stage 3)
Both are necessary; neither works alone
We Reject:
Pelagianism (self-salvation without grace)
Semi-Pelagianism (human initiative first)
Irresistible Grace (forced response, no genuine choice)
PREDESTINATION: CORPORATE ELECTION BASED ON FOREKNOWLEDGE
Romans 8:29 - "Those God foreknew he also predestined" (foreknowledge precedes predestination).
What God Predestined:
The three-stage salvation process itself
That believers would be conformed to Christ's image
The Church corporately "in Christ"
What God Foreknew:
Who would respond to grace in faith (Stage 3 choices for God)
Who would persevere through sanctification
Who would reach glorification
Corporate Election: God predestined the Church "in Christ" - what it means to be in Christ (holy, blameless, adopted - Ephesians 1:4-5). Individuals join this chosen body by faith.
We Reject Calvinism's TULIP:
Total Inability → grace is resistible (Acts 7:51)
Unconditional Election → election based on foreknowledge, not arbitrary choice
Limited Atonement → Christ died for all (1 John 2:2)
Irresistible Grace → can be resisted
Unconditional Perseverance → conditional on continuing in faith
CHRISTOLOGY: TWO NATURES, ONE PERSON
Christ Experienced Full Humanity:
Stages 1-2 fully (real impulses, real temptation, real struggle)
Had temptable flesh with tendency toward sin in the flesh
Never sinned at Stage 3 (always chose "not my will, but yours")
Perfect alignment with the Father at every decision point
Christ is the "Firstborn Among Many Brothers" (Romans 8:29):
Blazed the trail of perfect Stage 3 alignment with the Father
We follow His pattern "in Christ"
At Stage 3 decision points, we choose like He chose
Being transformed into His likeness (what we're predestined for)
1 John 2:6 - "Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." Following His Stage 3 pattern of denying self and choosing God's will.
PERSEVERANCE: CONDITIONAL, NOT AUTOMATIC
Salvation can be lost through willful, persistent, unrepented apostasy - not through unwillful failures or unknown sins.
"If you continue" passages (Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 3:14; 1 Corinthians 15:2) address genuine believers with real conditions requiring real Stage 3 choices throughout life - walking like Jesus walked, overcoming known sin, denying self.
Assurance Based on Present Reality:
Present faith + present fruit + Spirit's witness = present assurance
Walking with God today, overcoming known sin at Stage 3 today
Not "hoping I'll persevere to prove I was elect"
Perseverance Means:
Following Christ's Stage 3 pattern: "not my will, but yours"
Overcoming all known sin through choosing God's will
Walking with clear conscience in daily victory
Being transformed into Christ's likeness (Romans 8:29)
JUDGMENT BY WORKS: VERIFYING GENUINE FAITH
Works don't earn salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) but evidence genuine faith (James 2:17). Judgment examines works (Stage 4 fruit flowing from Stage 3 heart decisions) to verify faith was genuine and persevered (Matthew 7:16; Romans 2:6; Revelation 20:12).
VICTORY OVER SIN: SPIRITUAL-MINDEDNESS
The Mechanism:
In Stage 2 (when scenarios are presented), turn your thoughts to God - His presence, character, commands, love, will. This prepares Stage 3 - when decision comes, you're ready to choose heart agreement with God's will (following Christ's pattern) instead of sin.
This Produces:
Victory over all known willful sin through Stage 3 choices for God
Righteous fruit (Stage 4) flowing from Stage 3 alignment
Not sinless perfection (unknown sins exist that aren't counted against us)
But daily victory - following Christ's example
Being "in Christ":
Following His Stage 3 submission pattern
Choosing "not my will, but yours" at decision points
Producing righteous fruit as evidence of genuine faith
Being transformed into His likeness (predestined purpose)
ADDITIONAL THEOLOGICAL POSITIONS
SUMMARY
OT Kenosis: The Relational God
1, The Son as the Image of God in the Old Testament:
The Son (pre-incarnate Word) engaged creation relationally throughout the OT. His limited knowledge of certain futures was not weakness but a form of love - choosing relational engagement over exhaustive foreknowledge.
Biblical Evidence:
Genesis 18:20-21 (Sodom and Gomorrah):
"Then the LORD said, 'The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.'"
"I will go down and see" = investigative engagement
"If not, I will know" = conditional knowledge
Not: exhaustive foreknowledge of all outcomes
But: relational investigation to determine reality
Genesis 22:12 (Testing Abraham):
"Do not lay a hand on the boy... Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son."
"Now I know" = knowledge gained through test
Abraham's faithfulness revealed through action
God engaged the test relationally, not knowing outcome beforehand
Exodus 32:9-14 (Moses Intercedes):
"I have seen these people... Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them... But Moses sought the favor of the LORD... Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened."
God's stated intention: destroy Israel
Moses intercedes
God "relented" = changed course based on Moses' prayer
Genuine relationship, not predetermined script
Job 1-2 (Testing Job):
Satan: "Does Job fear God for nothing?... Stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your power."
Test with unknown outcome to Satan (and the Son engaging relationally)
"He will surely curse" = Satan's prediction
Job's response revealed his heart
Genuine test with real uncertainty
The Pattern: Throughout OT, the Son (as Image of God, Mediator) engaged creation relationally - testing, investigating, responding to prayers, changing courses based on human actions. This wasn't ignorance or weakness; it was love choosing relationship over control.
2. The Father-Son-Spirit Framework for Sovereignty & Free Will
How Predestination and Free Will Coexist:
FATHER:
Knows all possible futures exhaustively (omniscient in absolute sense)
Outside time, sees all timelines simultaneously
Predestines the PLAN (how salvation works, Christ's sacrifice, final outcomes)
Romans 8:29: "Those God foreknew he also predestined" (Father's role)
SON (in OT Kenosis, continued in Incarnation):
Engages creation relationally through time
Limited knowledge of certain futures by choice for love's sake
Experiences genuine relationship, testing, responses
Mark 13:32: "About that day... nor the Son, but only the Father"
This enables genuine human free will (Son's relational engagement allows real choices)
HOLY SPIRIT:
Reveals truth progressively (John 16:13)
Guides, convicts, enables
Empowers response to grace
The Integration:
FATHER: Knows all futures → Predestines plan → Ensures purposes accomplished
↓
SON: Engages relationally → Experiences time → Enables genuine choices
↓
SPIRIT: Reveals truth → Enables response → Empowers transformation
↓
RESULT: Both divine sovereignty (Father's purposes) AND human free will (Son's relational engagement) preserved
Why This Matters:
Free will is real because Son engages relationally without exhaustive foreknowledge of individual choices
God's purposes are certain because Father knows all outcomes and predestines plan
Prayer matters because Son responds genuinely (not predetermined script)
Testing is real (Abraham, Job) because outcomes aren't predetermined by Son's engagement
Angels' rebellion was possible because God limited His knowledge relationally
3. Angels' Rebellion Explained
Hebrews 12:26-27:
"At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain."
The shaking was a test:
God shook both heavens and earth
Purpose: "so that what cannot be shaken may remain"
Angelic realm was tested alongside earthly
Those who would rebel revealed through testing
Why angels thought they could rebel:
Because God (through the Son's relational engagement) did not predetermine every choice. The Son's limited foreknowledge created space for genuine choice - even among angels. This wasn't weakness; it was love allowing real relationship, which requires freedom to choose.
Result:
1/3 of angels rebelled (Revelation 12:4)
2/3 remained faithful
Both made genuine choices
God's purposes still accomplished (redemption through Christ)
For additional information on this theology, please refer to the book Restoration Theology.
“Restoration Theology”
“A Canon-only Return to the Overcoming Life of Jesus Christ”
SECTION 1: SALVATION, WORKS & JUDGMENT
ATTACKS #1-3: Works-Based Salvation / Works of the Law / Justifying the Ungodly
Combined Objection: "You're teaching works-based salvation by requiring obedience and perseverance. Paul says we're justified by faith alone, not works of the law, and God justifies the UNGODLY. Your emphasis on works contradicts grace."
Response:
Three stages distinguish root from fruit:
Stage 1 - Justification: Instant, by faith alone, zero works (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:28)
Stage 2 - Sanctification: Progressive transformation where faith proves itself through works as fruit/evidence (James 2:17-18). Works don't earn salvation but verify faith was real.
Stage 3 - Glorification/Judgment: All resurrected. Works examined to verify faith was genuine (Revelation 20:12; John 5:28-29; Matthew 7:16-20 - "by their fruit you will recognize them; good tree bears good fruit, bad tree bears bad fruit").
"Works of the law" = trying to earn justification through law-keeping (Paul rejects this)
"Works of faith" = fruit flowing from genuine faith, proving it was real (James requires this)
God justifies the ungodly at Stage 1 (instant declaration by faith alone). But genuine faith produces transformation in Stage 2 (becoming godly through sanctification). Works don't earn but evidence.
Key verses:
Romans 2:6-8 - "God will repay each person according to what they have done"
Matthew 7:21-23 - "Not everyone who says 'Lord, Lord'... only the one who does the will of my Father"
James 2:14 - "Can such faith save them?" (faith without works is dead)
ATTACK #4: Justification vs. Sanctification Confusion
Objection: "You're confusing justification (one-time legal declaration) with sanctification (ongoing process). These are separate categories."
Response:
We distinguish them clearly:
Justification (Stage 1): Instant legal declaration, faith alone, forensic Sanctification (Stage 2): Progressive transformation, works flow as fruit Glorification (Stage 3): Conditional on perseverance through Stage 2
They're distinct but connected: Stage 1 is instant, but without Stage 2 fruit, Stage 1 faith is proven dead (James 2:17). At Stage 3 judgment, works verify whether Stage 1 was genuine and Stage 2 persevered.
Not confusion but integration - showing how justification (root) and sanctification (fruit) relate at final judgment.
ATTACK #5: "Just Believe" Gospel
Objection: "Paul told the jailer simply to 'believe' for salvation. No mention of works or perseverance."
Response:
Acts 16:31 - "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."
This describes Stage 1 entry (justification by faith alone). But the same Paul wrote:
Romans 2:6-8 - Judgment according to what you've done
Galatians 5:19-21 - Those who live like this "will not inherit the kingdom"
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - "Wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God"
"Just believe" begins salvation (Stage 1). But genuine belief produces transformation (Stage 2) verified at judgment (Stage 3). Dead faith that produces no fruit doesn't save (James 2:17).
ATTACKS #6-7: Claiming to Be Without Sin / We All Stumble
Objection: "1 John 1:8 says 'if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves.' James says we ALL stumble. You contradict both."
Response:
Two categories of sin:
1. Known Sin (Category 1): Sin God has revealed. We overcome ALL known sin daily through choosing God's will at Stage 3 (1 John 3:6, 9 - "does not keep on sinning"; Galatians 5:16 - "you will not gratify the desires of the flesh").
2. Unknown Sin (Category 2): Actions that ARE sin objectively but we're unaware. Not imputed where there's no knowledge (Romans 4:15; 5:13). When God reveals them, we immediately overcome.
1 John 1:8 addresses Category 2 - don't claim there are no unknown sins. Recognize God will reveal areas you're not yet aware of.
James 3:2 - "We all stumble" refers to discovering unknown sins or unwillful reactions, not ongoing willful rebellion at known sin.
We overcome all known sin daily while humbly recognizing unknown areas exist that God will reveal.
SECTION 2: GRACE, FAITH & HUMAN RESPONSE
ATTACK #8: Pelagianism/Semi-Pelagianism
Objection: "You're teaching Pelagianism - humans achieving righteousness through their own effort."
Response:
We affirm synergism, not Pelagianism:
Pelagianism (we reject): Humans can save themselves without grace
Semi-Pelagianism (we reject): Humans initiate; God responds
Monergism/Calvinism (we reject): God does everything; humans passive
Biblical Synergism (we affirm):
God does 100% of enabling (prevenient grace makes response possible)
Humans do 100% of responding (genuine choice to accept or resist)
Both necessary; neither works alone
Acts 7:51 - "You always resist the Holy Spirit" (grace can be resisted) John 6:44 - "No one can come unless the Father draws" (grace necessary) Philippians 2:12-13 - "Work out your salvation... for God works in you" (both/and)
ATTACKS #9-11: God Works in You / Father Must Enable / Apart From Me Nothing
Combined Objection: "Philippians 2:13 says 'God works in you to will and to act' and Jesus says 'apart from me you can do nothing' and 'no one can come unless enabled.' These prove God does everything; humans have no agency."
Response:
These verses prove grace is necessary, not that humans are passive:
Philippians 2:12-13 - "Work out... for God works in you"
"Work out" = genuine human action required (Stage 3 choices)
"God works in you" = divine enabling makes it possible
Both are real; both are necessary
John 15:5 - "Apart from me you can do nothing"
Proves dependence on Christ for empowerment
Doesn't prove passivity - context is "remain in me" (choice required)
God enables; we choose to abide and bear fruit
John 6:44 - "No one can come unless the Father draws"
Proves grace must initiate (prevenient grace)
John 12:32 - "I will draw ALL people" (universal drawing)
Acts 7:51 - "You always resist" (drawing is resistible)
Grace is necessary but resistible. God empowers; humans respond.
ATTACK #12: Daily Prayer for Forgiveness
Objection: "Jesus taught us to pray daily for forgiveness, implying ongoing sin is normal."
Response:
The Lord's Prayer addresses two categories:
1. Unknown sins: Actions that ARE sin but we're unaware (Category 2). As God reveals during Stage 2 sanctification, we confess immediately.
2. Unwillful reactions: Quick responses we immediately regret and confess (not ongoing patterns but momentary failures we address).
Not teaching: "Keep willfully sinning and just ask forgiveness."
But teaching: Walk in victory over all known sin (1 John 3:6, 9) while humbly recognizing unknown areas God will reveal, which we confess as discovered.
SECTION 3: SECURITY OF SALVATION
ATTACK #13: Denying Atonement's Sufficiency
Objection: "If salvation can be lost, Christ's atonement wasn't sufficient."
Response:
The atonement is completely sufficient - the question is application.
Hebrews 10:10, 14 - Sacrifice is sufficient for all
But Hebrews 10:26-29 - "If we deliberately keep on sinning... no sacrifice for sins is left... trampled the Son of God underfoot"
Two outcomes at resurrection:
Resurrection to LIFE: Those who walked in obedience to known truth, overcame known sin. Blood covers all unknown sins. Faith persevered.
Resurrection to DEATH: Those who deliberately, persistently trampled the blood through repeated Stage 3 rebellion against known truth. Not because blood was insufficient, but because they rejected it.
The blood is sufficient for all who remain in faith, overcoming known sin. It doesn't cover those who willfully trample it through persistent rebellion. Not insufficient - rejected.
ATTACKS #14-15: "If You Continue" / Hebrews 6 Hypothetical
Combined Objection: "'If you continue' statements and Hebrews 6 are just hypothetical warnings, not real possibilities."
Response:
The grammar shows real conditions, not hypotheticals:
Colossians 1:23 - "He has reconciled you... if you continue" (genuine believers, real condition)
Hebrews 6:4-6 - Five descriptions prove genuine salvation (enlightened, tasted, shared in Spirit). Grammar (aorist participle) shows real possibility of falling away through persistent Stage 3 rebellion, not hypothetical.
Why warn if impossible? Hebrews 6:11-12 - "Show diligence... so that what you hope for may be fully realized" implies hope might NOT be realized without diligence.
The conditions are real because Stage 3 choices throughout life are real. You can choose to walk like Jesus walked (deny self, overcome known sin) or choose persistent rebellion. Warnings make sense only if danger is real.
SECTION 4: TOTAL DEPRAVITY & SIN NATURE
ATTACKS #16-24: Total Depravity Verses
Combined Objection: "Multiple verses prove total depravity: 'none righteous,' 'sinful from birth,' 'every inclination evil,' 'dead in sins,' 'enslaved to passions,' etc. You contradict all of these."
Response:
These verses describe fallen humanity's condition, not inability to respond to grace:
Romans 3:10-12 - "None righteous, none seeks God"
Context: Jews and Gentiles apart from Christ, under sin's power
Doesn't mean grace can't enable seeking (John 6:44 - Father draws)
Describes natural state, not state after grace enables
Psalm 51:5 - "Sinful from conception"
David's poetic expression of deep sinfulness
Doesn't require inherited legal guilt (Ezekiel 18:20 - "son shall not bear guilt of father")
Children are innocent (Matthew 18:3 - models of innocence)
Ephesians 2:1-3 - "Dead in sins, by nature children of wrath"
"Dead" = spiritually separated, needing life
"By nature" = the condition we're all born into (fallen world, mortal flesh, tendency toward sin)
Doesn't mean grace can't enable response (v4-5 - "God made us alive")
What we inherit from Adam:
Mortality (physical death)
Temptable flesh with tendency toward sin
Fallen world environment
What we DON'T inherit:
Legal guilt for Adam's sin (Ezekiel 18:20)
Inability to respond when grace enables (Acts 7:51 - can resist)
Condemnation at birth (Matthew 18:3 - children are innocent)
Prevenient grace makes response possible without forcing it. These verses describe condition apart from enabling grace, not inability to respond when enabled.
ATTACK #25: Sinless Perfection Heresy
Objection: "You're teaching sinless perfection - that believers can be absolutely sinless."
Response:
We explicitly reject sinless perfection.
What we DON'T claim:
Zero Stage 1 impulses (we have biological drives until glorification)
Zero Stage 2 temptations (flesh opposes Spirit our whole lives)
Zero unknown sins (actions that ARE sin but we're unaware - Category 2)
Zero unwillful reactions (momentary failures we immediately confess)
Absolute perfection like Christ
What we DO claim:
Daily victory over ALL known willful sin (Category 1) through Stage 3 choices for God
Walking like Jesus walked (1 John 2:6 - denying self, choosing "not my will, but yours")
Clear conscience regarding known sin (not committing known rebellion)
Being transformed into Christ's likeness (Romans 8:29 - predestined for this)
1 John 1:8 (don't claim to be without sin) addresses Category 2 unknown sins.
1 John 3:6, 9 ("does not keep on sinning") addresses not continuing in known willful patterns.
Both true simultaneously: overcome all known sin while recognizing unknown sins exist.
SECTION 5: THE OVERCOMING LIFE & SANCTIFICATION
ATTACK #26: Progressive Sanctification
Objection: "Sanctification is progressive and lifelong, not instant victory."
Response:
We affirm progressive sanctification:
God reveals sin gradually (one thing at a time - Matthew 11:30 "my yoke is light"). As He reveals each area, we immediately overcome it. Progressive revelation + immediate response = progressive sanctification.
Not: Instant perfection in all areas at once But: Immediate victory over each area as God reveals it, while unknown areas still exist
2 Corinthians 3:18 - "Transformed... with ever-increasing glory" - progressive transformation through repeated Stage 3 choices for God as He reveals more areas.
ATTACK #27: Paul's Romans 7 Struggle
Objection: "Romans 7:15-20 proves Paul couldn't stop sinning."
Response:
Romans 7 is about discovering unknown sins, not ongoing willful defeat:
"I do not understand what I do" - discovery language. Paul is discovering actions he wasn't aware were sin.
"I do what I don't want to do" - his will opposes these actions, but he was doing them unknowingly (like causing stumbling, speaking without sufficient love, unintended harm).
Not: "I keep willfully choosing known sin despite trying to stop" But: "I keep discovering I did things that WERE sin that I wasn't aware of - can't foresee all effects"
This is Category 2 unknown sin - actions that ARE sin but not imputed because he didn't know (Romans 4:15; 5:13). When God reveals, he immediately addresses them.
Romans 8 shows the solution: victory through Spirit over all known sin, no condemnation for unknown (grace covers), progressive transformation.
ATTACKS #28-30: Carnal Christian / Flesh vs. Spirit / Disputable Matters
Combined Objection: "Paul addresses 'carnal Christians,' describes ongoing flesh vs. Spirit war, and shows gray areas exist. This proves believers continue in willful sin."
Response:
"Carnal Christians" (1 Corinthians 3:1-3):
Paul rebukes them for acting like "mere infants," not affirms this as acceptable
"You are still worldly" - present problem requiring correction, not permanent category
Context: jealousy and quarreling need to stop, not continue
Flesh vs. Spirit (Galatians 5:17):
Describes the battle in Stages 1-2 (impulses and scenarios)
Victory happens at Stage 3 (choosing Spirit over flesh)
V16 - "Walk by the Spirit, and you will NOT gratify the desires of the flesh" (promise of victory)
Disputable matters (Romans 14):
About neutral things (food, days) where Scripture doesn't speak clearly
Not about clear commands everyone knows (don't murder, commit adultery, gossip)
Known sin = clearly revealed commands; overcome these
Gray areas = wisdom issues where believers can disagree
ATTACK #31: Peter's Restoration
Objection: "Peter denied Jesus and later showed hypocrisy. Even mature believers willfully sin."
Response:
Peter's denial:
Before Pentecost/Spirit's empowering
Under extreme pressure beyond his capacity at that moment
He wept bitterly (will opposed the action - unwillful under duress)
Restored by Jesus, never repeated this pattern
Peter's hypocrisy (Galatians 2):
This IS sin - but was Peter aware it was hypocritical before Paul confronted him?
May have been Category 2 (unknown) - acting from cultural pressure without realizing the theological implications
Paul confronted him; Peter corrected immediately - this is the pattern
Not ongoing willful pattern but specific failure addressed and corrected
The pattern: When sin is revealed (becomes Category 1), immediately address it. Don't continue in it.
SECTION 6: CHRISTOLOGY - CHRIST'S NATURE & TEMPTATION
ATTACKS #32-36: Nestorianism / Deity Denied / Impeccability / Voluntary Limitation
Combined Objection: "Your teaching divides Christ into two persons, denies His full deity, makes Him less than God, contradicts immutability, or means He could have sinned."
Response:
We affirm orthodox Christology - two natures, one person:
What we teach:
Christ is fully God and fully human in one person (hypostatic union)
During incarnation, the Son voluntarily operated through human nature (Philippians 2:6-7 - "made himself nothing")
He experienced genuine Stages 1-2 temptation (Hebrews 4:15 - "tempted in every way")
He always chose Stage 3 alignment with Father ("not my will, but yours" - Luke 22:42)
His divine nature made Stage 3 sin impossible, but Stages 1-2 were genuinely fierce battles
Economic vs. Ontological Trinity:
Ontological (who God is): Father, Son, Spirit are co-equal, co-eternal, same essence
Economic (how God functions): Son voluntarily submits to Father's will, operates through dependence during incarnation
Mark 13:32 - Son doesn't know day/hour
Economic function during incarnation (operating through human nature)
Doesn't deny ontological deity (He's still fully God)
Voluntary limitation for incarnation's purpose, not loss of deity
Could Christ have sinned?
Divine nature: impossible for God to sin
Human nature: genuine temptation at Stages 1-2
Stage 3: Divine nature prevented sin, but human will genuinely chose Father
Temptation was real; failure was impossible (both/and)
This isn't Nestorianism (two persons) but orthodox Christology (two natures, one person, voluntary economic submission).
SECTION 7: TRINITY & KENOSIS
ATTACKS #37-41: Tritheism / Subordinationism / Immutability / Economic vs. Ontological
Combined Objection: "You're teaching three gods with different attributes, making the Son inferior, violating immutability, or playing word games with 'economic' vs. 'ontological.'"
Response:
Orthodox Trinitarianism distinguishes essence from function:
Ontological Trinity (who God is):
One God in three persons
Co-equal, co-eternal, same divine essence
All possess all divine attributes fully
Unity of essence
Economic Trinity (how God functions toward creation):
Father sends, Son is sent (John 20:21)
Son voluntarily submits to Father's will (John 5:30; 6:38)
Spirit is sent by Father and Son (John 14:26; 15:26)
Voluntary functional order, not inequality of essence
This isn't novel - it's historic orthodoxy:
Nicene Creed (325 AD) - "God from God, Light from Light"
Chalcedon (451 AD) - Two natures, one person
Athanasius, Cappadocian Fathers, Augustine all taught this
Philippians 2:6-8 - Christ "did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing"
Had equality (ontological)
Didn't use it during incarnation (economic)
Voluntary submission for mission's purpose
Hebrews 13:8 - "Same yesterday, today, forever"
God's character/essence unchanging (ontological immutability)
Doesn't mean God can't voluntarily function differently toward creation (economic activity)
Incarnation involved change in function, not essence
Not three gods - one God, three persons, voluntary economic distinctions for creation's sake, ontological equality maintained.
SECTION 8: SOVEREIGNTY & PREDESTINATION
ATTACKS #42-49: Various Sovereignty Verses
Combined Objection: "Multiple verses prove God controls everything: potter/clay, works out everything, predetermines events, hardens hearts, Jacob/Esau election. Your free will contradicts God's sovereignty."
Response:
Biblical sovereignty: God has the right and power to accomplish His purposes without controlling every choice:
Potter/Clay (Romans 9:20-21):
Context: God's freedom to show mercy to Gentiles and judge unbelieving Jews
Doesn't require individual predestination to heaven/hell
About God's sovereign plan to include Gentiles, not about controlling individual destinies
Works out everything (Ephesians 1:11):
God accomplishes His overall purposes
Doesn't require micromanaging every choice
Can work all things together without causing all things
Predestined what? (Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:4-5):
Predestined the PLAN: Three-stage salvation, conformity to Christ's image, the Church "in Christ"
Foreknew WHO would respond: Based on foreknowledge, incorporated them into the plan
Corporate election: Church predestined; individuals join by faith
Pharaoh's hardening (Exodus 9:12; Romans 9:17-18):
Pharaoh hardened his own heart first (Exodus 7:13, 8:15, 32)
God confirmed/judicially hardened what Pharaoh chose
Pattern: human choice first, God's judicial response second
Used for God's purposes without causing Pharaoh's initial rebellion
Jacob/Esau (Romans 9:11-13):
"Before they had done anything good or bad" - election not based on works
Context: nations (Jacob/Esau represent Israel/Edom), not individual salvation
Malachi 1:2-3 reference - about nations' roles, not eternal destinies
Election to service/role, not salvation
Proverbs on God directing steps:
God guides those who seek Him
Doesn't mean He controls those who resist Him (Acts 7:51)
Providence in guiding the willing, not control of unwilling
Sovereignty and free will coexist:
God has power to accomplish purposes without controlling every choice
Can work through, around, and despite human choices
True sovereignty includes allowing genuine choice within His overall plan
SECTION 9: CHURCH HISTORY & TRADITION
ATTACKS #50-55: Councils, Reformers, Denominations
Combined Objection: "Councils (Carthage, Orange), Reformers (Luther, Calvin), Confessions (Westminster), and all major denominations disagree with you. 2,000 years of church history can't be wrong."
Response:
Church history isn't monolithic - there's always been diversity:
Early Church:
Eastern Church largely rejected Augustine's original sin and predestination
Greek Fathers (Chrysostom, Eastern tradition) taught more synergistic views
Councils of Carthage/Orange were Western councils, not universally binding
Pelagianism was rightly condemned (self-salvation without grace), but this doesn't require Augustinian total depravity
Reformation wasn't unanimous:
Luther and Calvin taught predestination, but Anabaptists rejected it
Arminians (Jacobus Arminius, John Wesley) taught resistible grace and conditional security
Methodism grew massively teaching Wesleyan-Arminian theology
Major denominations DO teach our position or similar:
Methodists (millions worldwide) - Wesleyan theology, conditional security, synergism
Pentecostals (millions worldwide) - emphasize overcoming life, many hold conditional security
Church of the Nazarene, Free Will Baptists, Churches of Christ - similar positions
Eastern Orthodox (300+ million) - never accepted Augustinian original guilt, emphasize synergism and theosis (transformation)
Sola Scriptura principle:
Reformers appealed to Scripture against 1,500 years of Catholic tradition
If "church history" is the standard, why did Reformers reject Catholic councils and popes?
We apply the same principle - Scripture over tradition when they conflict
Church history shows debate, not consensus:
Pelagius vs. Augustine
Eastern vs. Western theology
Arminians vs. Calvinists
Holiness movements vs. Reformed
There's always been diversity on these issues
We stand with a significant stream of church history (Eastern Orthodox, Wesleyan-Arminian, Holiness traditions), not alone. And ultimately, Scripture judges tradition, not vice versa (Sola Scriptura).
SECTION 10: PASTORAL CONCERNS
ATTACK #56: Creates Spiritual Pride
Objection: "Your teaching will create pride - people thinking they're more spiritual than struggling Christians."
Response:
Any doctrine can be twisted toward pride - ours actively combats it:
Built-in humility checks:
1 John 1:8 - "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves"
Recognize unknown sins exist (Category 2)
Stay humble about areas God hasn't revealed yet
Can't claim perfection
Category 2 principle:
Actions that ARE sin but you're unaware
Can't boast when you have unknown sins
Dependent on God to reveal areas progressively
Romans 8:29 context:
Being transformed into Christ's likeness (predestined for this)
It's God's work in you, not your achievement
Following Christ's pattern, not claiming independent victory
Galatians 6:1 - "If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted."
By contrast, "once saved, always saved" can breed:
Complacency ("I'm secure no matter what")
License ("grace covers ongoing sin")
Actual pride ("I'm elect; they're not")
Every theology can be abused. Ours emphasizes grace for unknown sins, humility about limitations, and dependence on God's enabling - less prone to pride than guaranteed security regardless of fruit.
ATTACK #57: Destroys Assurance
Objection: "Your teaching destroys assurance - believers will live in constant fear about losing salvation."
Response:
Biblical assurance is based on present reality, not presumed future:
Present assurance:
Present faith + present fruit + Spirit's present witness = present assurance (Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:19-21)
Walking with God today = assurance today
Clear conscience through overcoming known sin = peace
Not "hoping I'll persevere to prove I was elect"
But "walking with God now, assured now"
1 John's purpose: "I write these things to you who believe... so that you may know that you have eternal life" (5:13)
John gives assurance while teaching conditional security (3:6, 9 - "does not keep on sinning")
Assurance and accountability coexist
The alternative creates different anxiety:
"Am I really elect? Maybe I'm just deceiving myself."
"How do I know I have genuine faith and not false profession?"
Calvinism's answer: "If you persevere, you were elect; if not, you never were" (can only know at end)
Our view gives immediate assurance:
Overcoming known sin today? Assured today.
Walking with God now? Peace now.
Fruit evident? Confidence now.
Unknown sins? Grace covers them (1 John 1:7)
Clear conscience beats presumed security:
Know you're walking in victory vs. hoping your faith was genuine
Present evidence vs. theoretical election you can't verify until death
ATTACK #58: People Will Despair
Objection: "Your teaching will cause despair when believers struggle with sin."
Response:
We offer hope through Christ's pattern, not despair:
The hope we offer:
You CAN live in daily victory over all known sin:
Through walking like Jesus walked (deny self at Stage 3)
Following His pattern: "Not my will, but yours"
Spirit-empowered, not self-achieved
Daily victory is possible, not rare
Unknown sins don't condemn you:
Category 2 (unknown) sins aren't imputed (Romans 4:15; 5:13)
God reveals gradually (His yoke is light - Matthew 11:30)
When revealed, immediately overcome
Grace covers what you don't know
Unwillful reactions are normal:
Quick responses immediately confessed
Not patterns but moments
1 John 1:9 - confess and receive cleansing
Don't live in these; address and move forward
Being transformed progressively:
Romans 8:29 - predestined to be conformed to Christ's image
This is your destiny - embrace it!
Following His pattern produces transformation
Not instant perfection but real progress
By contrast, "try harder" Calvinism can cause despair:
"You're totally depraved; you can do nothing"
"If you fail, maybe you were never elect"
"Struggle means you might not be chosen"
We say: You CAN overcome through Christ, grace covers what you don't know, you're being transformed into His likeness. This is hope, not despair.
ATTACK #59: Under Law Not Grace
Objection: "Your teaching puts believers back under law - performance-based salvation."
Response:
We distinguish law-keeping from faith-producing-fruit:
Under Law (what we reject):
Trying to EARN justification through law-keeping
"Do these works to GET saved"
Performance to merit God's favor
Romans 6:14 - "not under law"
Under Grace (what we affirm):
Justification by faith alone (Stage 1 - instant, zero works)
Faith producing works as fruit/evidence (Stage 2 - transformation proving faith real)
Works flowing from grace, not earning grace
"Be holy because I saved you" not "be holy to get saved"
Galatians 5:1 context:**
Don't return to circumcision/ceremonial law for justification
Not about fruit of Spirit or walking in victory
Next verses: "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (v16) - this is freedom, not bondage
Romans 6:14 - "Not under law but under grace"
Context: Sin shall not be your master because you're under grace
Grace empowers victory over sin, not license for sin
V15 - "Shall we sin because we're under grace? By no means!"
The "yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1):
Ceremonial law for justification
Not obedience flowing from faith
Not walking like Jesus walked
Grace is what empowers the overcoming life:
Titus 2:11-12 - "Grace... teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness"
Grace doesn't just cover while you keep sinning; it empowers victory
Following Christ's pattern is grace-enabled, not law-based earning
ATTACK #60: Mental Illness & Disabilities
Objection: "Your teaching is cruel to those with mental illness, disabilities, or neurological conditions who struggle to control thoughts/behaviors."
Response:
God judges heart's direction at Stage 3 according to actual capacity:
1 Samuel 16:7 - "The LORD looks at the heart"
Luke 12:48 - "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
Proportional accountability - God judges according to actual Stage 3 capacity, not ideal capacity the person doesn't possess.
For Stage 3 accountability requires:
Knowledge it's wrong
Capacity to choose otherwise
Deliberate heart choice
If #2 (capacity) is severely limited by mental illness/disability/trauma, accountability is proportionally limited.
What God looks for:
Heart's direction at Stage 3 moments when some capacity exists
Not "Did you choose perfectly?" but "At moments when you could choose, was your heart toward Me or away?"
Fighting the condition when able
Seeking help when capacity allows
Maintaining heart-direction toward God
Examples:
Severe OCD: Compulsions severely limit Stage 3 capacity. God judges heart's direction at moments when some choice exists, showing mercy for severely impaired capacity.
Intellectual disability: Simple Stage 3 choices ("I love Jesus," "I choose kindness") within their capacity. God judges these according to actual capacity, not neurotypical standards. Jesus praised childlike faith (Matthew 18:3).
PTSD/Trauma: Responses can bypass Stage 3 entirely. God judges heart's direction when not triggered, shows mercy for trauma responses bypassing normal decision-making.
Addiction: Severely impairs Stage 3 capacity. God judges moments of clarity where some choice exists (choosing recovery when able), showing mercy for severely compromised capacity.
The hope:
Psalm 103:13-14 - "He has compassion... for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust."
God knows the brain chemistry, neural pathways, limitations. Judges accordingly.
Matthew 9:36 - Jesus had compassion on those "harassed and helpless"
Isaiah 42:3 - "A bruised reed he will not break"
Following Christ's pattern within your capacity:
At Stage 3 moments when genuine choice is possible for you
Choosing heart alignment with God when you can
Fighting condition when able
Walking like Jesus walked at the level you're capable of
Romans 8:29 - predestined to be conformed to Christ's image applies to ALL believers, including those with disabilities. Transformation happens within actual capacity.
This is compassionate truth: God judges heart-direction according to actual capacity, not a cruel impossible standard.