Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 31, 2021

“let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:19-20.

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” James 5:19-20.

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“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20.

When we turn one back from straying from the truth, consider how we act like Christ and “save his soul from death” in the language of today’s Scripture.

In similar language of other Scripture, we “save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” Jude 1:23.

When we turn one back from straying from the truth, consider how we act like Christ and “cover a multitude” of sins” in the language of today’s Scripture.

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” Romans 5:6-9.

“You forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You covered all their sin. Selah.” Psalm 85:2.

“He who conceals a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.” Proverbs 17:9.

“Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all transgressions.” Proverbs 10:12.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 30, 2021

“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:14-18.

“Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.” James 5:14-18.

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“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.

We can mishandle today’s Scripture to simply try to get what we want.

We can break down today’s Scripture to a “To Do” list as if we do all the things, then we will get what we want.

We can miss the main points.

First, despite what the world claims, God does not treat all prayers equally. God sharply distinguishes the prayers of the wicked from the prayers of the righteous.

“The LORD is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.” Proverbs 15:29.

“15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.” Psalm 34:15-17.

“FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS,
AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER,
BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.” 1 Peter 3:12.

“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” Verse 16.

Second, when we think that we can get what we want through our own wisdom and our own will, whether it be by doing all the things on the “To Do” list or by praying harder, thinking that by doing so then we will get what we want, we are likely praying through the flesh, rather than praying through the Spirit.

We have seen in the verses above that the prayer of the righteous can be as simple as a “cry”.

The prayer can also be as simple as “Abba! Father!”

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15.

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27.

“It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” Psalm 127:2.

“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” Matthew 6:31-32.

“The LORD will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” Psalm 138:8.

“Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” Galatians 3:3-5.

Third, God’s will, not necessarily our will, will be done.

Paul prayed that the thorn in his flesh would be removed. “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Jesus prayed “saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 22:42.

“9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]” Matthew 6:9-13.

Fourth, the Lord may delay granting our prayer request sometimes to allow the testing by fire of our faith: “that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” 1 Peter 1:7.

The Lord’s delivery is not dependent on how good we are or how right we are in doing the right things or how much faith we have. We can’t treat God like a cosmic bubble gum machine and insert a coin of “good work” or “faith” and immediately receive the bubble gum of “deliverance”.

The Lord may not deliver us from our trouble when we want or how we want, but God will deliver us out of all of our troubles.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous;
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19.

“This poor man cried and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.” Psalm 34:6.

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:11.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 28, 2021

“Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.”

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:13.

“Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.” James 5:13.

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The temptation is for us to dismiss this Scripture, thinking “I know that. I do not need to be taught that.”

I felt that way. Then, when I went to bed last night, I decided to slightly change the temperature. The house was almost completely dark, and after I changed the temperature, I was in a rush to get back to bed, so I defiantly stomped back toward my bedroom and tripped over the corner of my dog’s black metal crate, badly stubbing my toe, causing me to fall down hard. We have thick carpeting, so I was fine except for my stubbed toe.

I was suffering, but I was too focused on my pain and shame for being too careless and too arrogant. Thus, I hesitated to pray until I remembered to pray.

I know that this is such a small example of suffering. Some of you are going through much more suffering. But, you may even more need to be reminded to pray.

Other doctrine focuses on our alleged free-will and what we can do to not fall.

But, Reformed Doctrine focuses on God’s steadfast love for His elect, how God forgives us and cleanses us from all of our unrighteousness, how God rescues us, how God heals us, and how God preserves us, even using thick carpeting.

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” Psalm 50:15.

“8 Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
9 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
Speak of all His wonders.
10 Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.” 1 Chronicles 16:8-10.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” Psalm 103:1-5.

“It is good to give thanks to the LORD
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night,
3 With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp,
With resounding music upon the lyre.
4 For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done,
I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.” Psalm 92:1-4.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 27, 2021

“But above all, my brethren, do not swear”

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:12.

“But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.” James 5:12.

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The use of the words “above all” commands our attention to this verse and our priority to “do not swear”. The command to “do not swear” is not to be lightly dismissed nor to be treated casually.

It may help us to do so by using an example of wedding vows. If we are careful with wedding vows which seem so innocent, sweet, loving, and marriage-building, then we will be more likely to be careful with other types of swearing.

“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” Matthew 5:33-37.

Consider the following from the Heidelberg Catechism which covers the third commandment of the Ten Commandments which I also quote here. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7.

Q. 99. What is required in the third commandment?

A. That we, not only by cursing or perjury, but also by rash swearing, must not profane or abuse the name of God; nor by silence or connivance be partakers of these horrible sins in others; and, briefly, that we use the holy name of God no otherwise than with fear and reverence; so that He may be rightly confessed and worshiped by us, and be glorified in all our words and works.

Q. 100. Is then the profaning of God’s name by swearing and cursing so heinous a sin that His wrath is kindled against those who do not endeavor, as much as in them lies, to prevent and forbid such cursing and swearing?

A. It undoubtedly is, for there is no sin greater or more provoking to God than the profaning of His name; and therefore He has commanded this sin to be punished with death.

Q. 101. May we then swear religiously by the name of God?

A. Yes; either when the magistrates demand it of the subjects, or when necessity requires us thereby to confirm fidelity and truth to the glory of God and the safety of our neighbor; for such an oath is founded on God’s Word, and therefore was justly used by the saints both in the Old and New Testament.

One may think he is clever and think that he has found a loophole in the above answer to Question 101 that wedding vows “confirm fidelity” in marriage. But, does “necessity” require us to vow more than we take our fiance’ as our spouse in marriage?

How often have we heard long, rambling, careless marriage vows, that even included jokes! Is that protected?! NO!!!

So, if we feel the absolute need to add a list of vows to the one vow, if necessary, to join us in marriage, then we can distinguish it by using Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 5:37 above. “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” Matthew 5:37.

We can ask the Pastor performing the marriage to briefly introduce the reason for a wedding statement, and each spouse can say something like: “In addition to my wedding vow to take Susan (or Bob) as my wife (or husband) to be joined in marriage, I would like to make a wedding statement. My wedding statement is ‘Yes, yes’ to (fill in the blank) and ‘No, no’ to (fill in the blank).”

If we are careful with wedding vows which seem so innocent, sweet, loving, and marriage-building, then we will be more likely to be careful with other types of swearing.

If we honor God by care to our wedding vows, then we glorify God, set an example for others, and act as if we truly want God’s blessing on our marriage.

“7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:7-8.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 26, 2021

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. … the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:7-11.

“7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” James 5:7-11.

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God gives us reasons to why we should be patient. First, “the coming of the Lord is near.” Verses 9 and 9. Second, “the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” Verse 11.

Staying with the analogy of the farmer in verse 7, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Galatians 6:9.

God also give us His Spirit to bear the fruit of patience in us. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, …” Galatians 5:22-23.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 25, 2021

“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.” – “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:1-6.

“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! 4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.” James 5:1-6.

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It is bad to set your mind on things on earth rather than on things above. See Colossians 3:6. See verse 5.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” Luke 6:24-25.

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10.

“So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:21.

But, it is worse to do so and, in addition, do injustice to the poor at the same time. See verses 4 and 6.

But, there is hope!

Our hope is not based on our alleged free-will. We love to do the bad things and worse things in our natural condition of “Total Depravity”.

Our hope is based on God’s will in giving us, His elect, “Irresistible Grace”.

Consider the following in the Canons of Dordt in the section titled THIRD AND FOURTH HEADS OF DOCTRINE Of the Corruption of Man, His Conversion to God, and the Manner Thereof.

Article 11. But when God accomplishes his good pleasure in the elect, or works in them true conversion, he not only causes the gospel to be externally preached to them, and powerfully illumines their minds by his Holy Spirit, that they may rightly understand and discern the things of the Spirit of God; but by the efficacy of the same regenerating Spirit, pervades the inmost recesses of the man; he opens the closed, and softens the hardened heart, and circumcises that which was uncircumcised, infuses new qualities into the will, which though heretofore dead, he quickens; from being evil, disobedient and refractory, he renders it good, obedient, and pliable; actuates and strengthens it, that like a good tree, it may bring forth the fruits of good actions.

God uses the means of His Spirit and His Word (the Bible), including good preaching and teaching, worship services, sacraments, discipline, and other means to wean us from things on earth and to attach us to things above. We should seek to use those means and not neglect them.

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” John 6:53.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:22-24.

“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now and forever.” Isaiah 59:21.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 24, 2021

“Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.”

Today’s devotion comes from James 4:17.

“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17.

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We can look at this verse generally as we know “the right thing to do” as stated by the Bible.

Or, we can look at this verse specifically as we know “the right thing to do” such as the specific occupation or specific mission or specific good deed that we should do.

This devotion will focus on the second or specific view of this verse for the following reasons. First, we have already covered through many other verses and daily of devotions the first view of this verse under the topic of Law. Second, almost everyone who reads these daily devotions have access to the Bible, worship services, and other sources through which they generally know “the right thing to do” and they already know it is sin to not do it. Accordingly, I present the following Scriptures and statements to address the specific occupation or specific mission or specific good deed we should do.

“And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” Luke 12:47-48.

But, there is hope!

“8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.” Psalm 32:8-11.

“9 “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.” Isaiah 46:9-11.

And, there is even hope for us Jonahs who are called to preach to Ninevah, so to speak!

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” Jonah 1:1-3.

Other doctrine trusts in man’s alleged free-will.

But, Reformed Doctrine trusts in God’s sovereignty and God’s Will to accomplish all of His good pleasure.

Notice the hope provided by our God Who is sovereign and relentless in accomplishing His purpose. Notice the use of the sovereign word “appointed” four times in the book of Jonah.

The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.” Jonah 1:1-4.

“And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17.

“So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered. When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.” Jonah 4:6-8.

In summary and conclusion, God is at work in us!

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.

“for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 23, 2021

“Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

Today’s devotion comes from James 4:13-16.

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.” James 4:13-16.

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“Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Proverbs 27:1.

“And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21.

“Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 21, 2021

“Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”

Today’s devotion comes from James 4:11-12.

“Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?” James 4:11-12.

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When we believe in “Total Depravity”, and that God saved us even though we were dead in sin, then it is easier to believe that God is also able to save others and we are less inclined to judge our neighbor.

“Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” Romans 14:4.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.” Luke 6:37.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 20, 2021

“But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

Today’s devotion comes from James 4:6-10.

“But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” James 4:6-10.

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Which doctrine is humble?

Other doctrine which is proud of its alleged free-will and innate goodness?

Or, other doctrine which humbly first sets forth its “Total Depravity”?

“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” Verse 10.

Which doctrine needs and gets “a greater grace”?

Other doctrine which proudly maintains that it distinguishes itself worthy of salvation by what it provides whether it be works or at least the will to be saved?

Or, Reformed Doctrine which humbly confesses that it is dead in sin, not worthy of salvation, and cannot supply anything to be saved?

Consider the following from the Canons of Dordt in the section titled FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of Divine Predestination.

Article 7. Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, before the foundation of the world, he hath out of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of his own will, chosen, from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault, from their primitive state of rectitude, into sin and destruction, a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ, whom he from eternity appointed the Mediator and Head of the elect, and the foundation of Salvation.

This elect number, though by nature neither better nor more deserving than the others, but with them involved in one common misery, …

Article 9. This election was not founded upon foreseen faith, and the obedience of faith, holiness, or any other good quality of disposition in man, as the pre-requisite, cause or condition on which it depended; but men are chosen to faith and to the obedience of faith, holiness, etc., therefore election is the fountain of every saving good; from which proceed faith, holiness, and the other gifts of salvation, and finally eternal life itself, as its fruits and effects, according to that of the apostle: “He hath chosen us (not because we were) but that we should be holy, and without blame, before him in love,” Ephesians 1:4.

“But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Verse 6.

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