The Sovereign Grace of God: A Biblical Study of the Doctrines of Calvinism (Reformation Press Edition)

How should the Bible be interpreted?Virtually every page of the Bible emphasizes God's sovereign control of reality. Yet when I read the arguments against God's absolute sovereign control, I realize the gymnastics religious professors will exercise, to water down this most solemn truth. Here is just one of a million examples: "A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps (Proverbs 16:9)."Do professors become addicted to religious systems that honor mankind's control rather than God's? Even the most elementary reading of the Bible should make anyone realize that (according to the Bible!) you can't even take one breath apart from God's sovereign control of it!"The Sovereign Grace of God: A Biblical Study of the Doctrines of Calvinism" as well as "Potter's Freedom" by Dr. James R. White are by far the best defenses I've ever read in the debate for the biblical truth of the sovereignty of God. When it comes to this subject, White is a superb grandmaster. The book is a pouring out of truth with no moves wasted. Ever word is like pure gold! In addition to White's masterful presentation of biblical truth, it creates the compelling desire to highlight many more Bible verses (such as the ones I've listed below), that speak to God's meticulous sovereignty.It seems that any serious student of the Bible would have to be "mentally blind" to disregard God's cumulative evidence, much of which is presented in not only "The Sovereign Grace of God: A Biblical Study of the Doctrines of Calvinism", but additionally in "Drawn By The Father" by Dr. White.1. John 6:44...No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.2. Proverbs 16:4...The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.3. Proverbs 16:9...A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.4. Proverbs 19:21...There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.5. Proverbs 20:24...Man’s goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?6. Proverbs 21:1...The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.7. Job 42:2...I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.8. Isaiah 14:24...The Lord of host hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:9. Isaiah 14:27...For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?10. Isaiah 46:9-10...Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:11. Isaiah 48:3...I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.12. Jeremiah 1:5...Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.13. Psalms 139:16...Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.14. John 3:3...Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.15. John 3:5...Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.16. John 3:27...John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.17. John 6:39...And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.18. John 6:45...It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.19. John 6:64-65...But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.20. John 8:47...He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.21. John 10:14...I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.22. John 10:16...And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.23. John 10:26-29...But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.24. John 13:18...I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.25. John 14:6...Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.26. John 15:16...Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.27. John 15:19...If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.28. John 17:2-3...As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.And this is eternal life, that they might know thee only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.29. John 17:6...I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.30. John 17:9-12...I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name; those that thou hast given me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.31. John 17:16...They are not of this world, even as I am not of this world.32. Acts 13:48...And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.33. Romans 8:28-30...And we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.34. 1 Corinthians 12:3...Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.35. Galatians 1:15-16...But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:36. Ephesians 1:4-5...According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,37. Ephesians 1:11...In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:38. Ephesians 2:8-9...For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:Not of works, lest any man should boast.39. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14...But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.40. 2 Timothy 1:9....Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,41. 1 Peter 1:20-21...Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.42. 1 Peter 2:2...Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.43. 1 Peter 2:1-5...Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.44. Revelation 17:8...The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.45. Job 37:16...Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?46. Psalm 147:5...Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.47. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7...I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.48. Proverbs 16:33...The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.49. Isaiah 45:7...I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.50. Genesis 6:5...And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.Mark A. Smith, B.A., M.S.M., author of "God of our flat Earth"

Read this book in you want to learn about Doctrines of Grace(calvinism) and GOD`S Sovereignty. Excellent Book by James White.

For the one who would say they are Reformed, a 5 point Calvinist it is quite an encouragement. To the one who would struggle with this my prayer for that person would be Pray for God to open your eyes to see what He has in this resource for you and keep an open mind. And then like the Bereans search the scriptures asking God for wisdom and insight.

I really enjoyed this book. I read this book before I knew what Calvinism was and I pretty much ignored the latter part of the title. I was just interested in learning more about grace. I admit that I wrestled gravely with the same parts of Calvinism that turns many people away. James White is a great writer and does not shy away from writing about the difficulties that many have with Calvinism. After reading this book, I have been convinced through scripture that Gods sovereignty is more than we can comprehend and will take us into deep territory. All may not become Calvinist after reading this like I have but I don’t think that anyone should reject Calvinism until they read this book.

I got this book for my mother, Evalena Hoover, the following is her review:This book is written so that the complete newcomer to Christianity can understand yet a long term studier can also glean new information at the same time. Writing for two audiences at the same time is an art and a blessing which this author, James White, possesses.Prior to reading this book I had never heard the term predestination. I was completely confused when my pastor said "if you want to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior" or "accept Jesus into your heart" and yet as I read the Bible I would come across passages that spoke if Jesus' complete work on the cross. I wondered: How can it be complete if we must then accept or reject? Doesn't that make His sacrifice on the cross incomplete and in fact mean that in essence He failed if we do not choose Him, if he truly died for every single person alive? And then was totally confused when I read passages like "4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:4-6 ESV)After reading The Sovereign Grace of God I was confused no more, it took awhile to be able to read it, as my husband who has been studying scripture since leaving Catholicism for Christianity at the age of 16, found this book so interesting he couldn't put it down.After reading much of this book, and doing some soul searching I left that church and am now in a church that has a pastor who says "you were predestined in eternity past to come to Christ, through no work of you own.... just as scripture said for Jacob I loved and Esau I hated... before their births."Thank you. Dr. James White, for helping me to have a deeper more clear understanding of scripture, and being a huge part in bringing me to realize Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Thank you for teaching me the difference between exegesis and eisegesis and how to spot it, and reigniting my critical thinking skills and then helping me to hone them. I was able to spot that the church I was going to was a complete eisegesis church with VERY little exegesis, and it was this critical skill that helped me to truly put myself at the foot of the cross, repent and say that I agreed with Jesus that only He was the WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE and I needed Him for my salvation, and thank Him for all He did to bring me in communion with Him.I have become a faithful listener to the DIVIDING LINE on YouTube, and am learning so much from that show and your archived lectures and debates.Thank you and may the Lord continue to Bless you and your work.

A year and half ago, God saved me from my addiction to alcohol and drugs. Most importantly, however, He made known to me the truth and wonder of His Son. God opened my heart to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have had my struggles to be sure, but since the day I was saved, God has granted me a desire and a thirst to come to a better understanding of who He is. The ministry of Dr. James White has been a blessing in that regard. I have enjoyed listening to his debates and podcasts. This was the very first book of Dr. White’s I have purchased. I am so glad that I did. I would recommend it to anyone! In this work, Dr. White does an incredible job of explaining the Doctrine’s of Grace. What an amazing book! I just recently purchased another book by Dr. White and I look forward to reading more and more of his work!

Having grown up in a church that taught from an Arminian viewpoint, it took me a long time to come to grips with the doctrine of election. James White presents God’s amazing grace and His election of the saints in such a way that the reader is presented with the pure Gospel.If you are struggling to understand the teachings of Luther, Calvin and the other reformers, I doubt if you will find a better book than this one. James White constantly backs up all his teaching with numerous passages of Scripture.

This book is perfect for the average Christian who does not want technical language, but wants to see a biblical argument for the Doctrines of Grace (Calvinism). Dr. White did an incredible job in facilitating and bridging complex biblical doctrines in an easy to follow arguments for the biblical doctrines of Reformed theology. We have purchased this book for members of our church who struggle with these glorious doctrines. This book would be the perfect material to open up discussions in small groups and/or for expanded expositional teachings.

Customer very happy

This is an exceptional book studying the doctrines of grace in a thorough and understanding way.I highly recommend this book!!