Posts Tagged ‘free-will’
The Unknown Sin Of Most Christians
The sin of most Christians is one that we do not realize we have done. This sin, about which I speak, is the sin where we take credit for being born again of our own will and not by the will of God.
People are always being told to just “accept” Jesus as savior and you will be saved. I thought this as well, even saying it, until I started studying the scriptures for myself.
The following verses made me see that it was by God’s will that we are saved and not by our own will. I could no longer say, “I was saved when I accepted Jesus.” Instead, what I now say is, “When God saved me…”
We all realize that we are a sinful people. Because of this sinfulness, we are spiritually dead to God. As we read in these scripture verses.
In Ephesians 2: 1 we read the following:
1 – “And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins;”
From Colossians 2: 13 we read:
13 – “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”
In being spiritually dead our will is free only to act according to our nature and, since we have a sin nature, it is our nature to commit acts of sin. That is why we take credit for our salvation. It is natural to say “I” and we see no wrong.
The word “quickened” in these verses talks about the act of being “born again”. So when does the act of being quickened or “born again” occur, and when are we saved if we cannot choose to be saved of our own will?
In my studying this question, these verses made me see that it is by God’s will that we are saved and not by our own will.
In Ephesians 2: 4, 5 we read this:
4 – But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 – Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
Now we see that the act of being “born again”, and awakened from being spiritually dead, occurs by God’s grace while we are still dead in our sins.
Further on in Ephesians 2: 8, 9 we read these verses:
8 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 – Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
We must be given life before we can respond to God calling us. Just like Lazarus had to be given life before he could respond to Jesus calling out to him to “come forth”. If he had not been given life, Lazarus would have stayed in the grave. So we, too, would remain in our dead spiritual grave unless we are first given life to respond.
In Romans 9: 11 – 16 where the Apostle is giving a defense of the doctrine of election, he explains why God chose Jacob over Esau:
11 – “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
12 – It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13 – As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 – What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 – For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 – So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”
We see here that it was not by Jacob’s will, or because of any works that he might do, that God choose him over Esau. No, for it was by God’s will, according to election, that Jacob was chosen.
One last verse that sums all this up quite nicely is found in John 1: 12, 13 where we read the following:
12 – “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, to them that believe on his name:
13 – Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Many pastors will quote verse 12 but never follow up with verse 13, which explains verse 12.
You will be told that if you receive Jesus you will be given the right to become children of God. When actually this verse is saying that God first gives man the right to become children of God and, in response, man will receive Jesus.
Verse 13 explains this and tells us how this happens, and when. The first thing we read in verse 13 is “Which were born”. This is talking about being “born again” which has to happen first, and the act of being “born again” is not by one being born into a Christian family, or because of any good works, NOR BECAUSE OF THE WILL OF MAN, but of God.
You see, it is by God’s will that anyone is saved, and we are saved by grace which is the act of being “born again”. Because we are spiritually dead, we have to be given life, spiritual life, first before we can believe on Jesus and confess Him to be Lord.
In saying, “When God saved me…” gives God credit for our salvation, and rightly so. For it is by His will, not ours, that we are born again and given the power to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and to be brought into the family of God.
Divine Grace – God’s Choice
How were you saved?
Most likely the answers you would give would be deceiving, because no matter what you would say, unless you said that by “God’s Grace Alone” you were saved you would be giving a wrong answer.
Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now workethin the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Unsaved man in his natural state is spiritually dead. In this condition he can do nothing to be saved. “Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” God must do a work in your heart to save you.
Remember Lazarus? He was in the grave and dead for four days when Jesus came along. Jesus called out for Lazarus to “come forth”. Guess what. Nothing would have happened unless God did a work before Lazarus could respond. What do you think that would have been? Jesus “first” had to give life to Lazarus before he could even hear what He was saying, and then respond to come forth just as Jesus commanded.
With that in mind, you will notice in verse one above that it says, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” God tells us that it is by His will, and not man’s will, that we are saved. We need to be “quickened” or Born Again to be saved. It is by God’s will and God’s “grace” that we are quickened.
The great preacher Charles H. Spurgeon, in speaking on Grace, said the following,
“If any man be saved, he is saved by Divine grace, and by Divine grace alone; and the reason of his salvation is not to be found in him, but in God. We are not saved as the result of anything that we do or that we will; but we will and do as the result of God’s good pleasure,and the work of His grace in our hearts.”
Man being dead in his sinful state can do nothing to be saved. Not even will himself to be saved. He will never hear the call of Jesus to “come forth” unless he is first given life, “born again”, in order to hear Jesus call him and respond as God wills for him to do and that is to come forth and confess that Jesus is Lord.
It is by God’s Grace alone, and not by man’s will, that we are saved. If you do not agree with scripture maybe you have not, as yet, ever experienced the Grace of God in your life, and you are still dead in your trespasses and sins thinking that you are saved.
My prayer is that God will do a work of life in the heart of all who reads this message and truly make you a born-again child of God. All because of the Grace that Jesus works in all whom He saves.
A Greater Freedom
On July 4, 1776 the American colonies declared its independence from Great Britain claiming itself to be a free nation comprised of 13 states creating a country called The United States of America. The rest is history.
However, do you know that there is even a greater freedom, one that God offers to man from which they need to be set free or perish?
This is something everyone who has ever lived, is living now and will live in the future already has, and is something with which they are born. There is none better than Jesus to explain what it is from which man must be set free.
Read these verses from John 8 in which Jesus is speaking:
Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayestthou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
In verse 34 the word “servant” actually means “Slave”. The problem is that everyone is born with a sin nature, making everyone a servant, or slave, to sin. Everyone who dies without being set free from this slavery will perish. Only in Jesus can this freedom be found. As Jesus said, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Jesus also said, “No one can come to the Father except by me.” No one else can give you this freedom.
Receiving this freedom is easy. In Romans 10: 9, 10 we read this:
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (set free from sin)
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
You can receive your own freedom. Repent of your sins. Believe on the Lord Jesus. Call upon Him as Lord, submit to His will, and receive the freedom, true freedom from being a servant to sin to being a servant to God, which only Jesus can give.
Make this time your time to receive your freedom. Believe on the Lord Jesus now and be saved from suffering eternal punishment because of your enslavement to sin. Jesus will set you free, truly free indeed.
Today you can proclaim this your Independence Day.
Do Good People Go To Hell?
You Know, being confined to Hell for all eternity can be a scary thought. I wonder if good people go to Hell. If good people do go to Hell, then how good does one have to be “Not” to go to Hell?
Right now, you are probably thinking that, “I know I am good enough to go to Heaven and not be sent to Hell.” Yeah, I know the feeling.
When I was a teenager I was quite active in the Episcopal Church. I was an acolyte, a Sunday School Teacher, taught in Vacation Bible School, and was leader of the Youth Group – Spy’s it was called, which stood for “St. Peter’s Youth”. Catchy, do you not think?
What I really enjoyed doing was when I was asked to be a Lay Reader during Morning Prayer Service. It got to the point that, except for giving the sermon and the blessings at the end of the service, I got to do everything else. Man, I was King Teen of the Church. I was a pretty big guy on campus, so to speak, and the thoughts of going to Heaven when I died were never in doubt.
After graduating High School my life began to change and church activity began to drift off, especially after I was called to active service in the Navy. I had already joined the Navy Reserves when I was just a Junior in High School and the Navy, in its wisdom, saw fit to bring me up to the big leagues. Actually, I really enjoyed my three years on active service. It is a time of life that I would do over again.
Strangely enough, I never went to church at all while serving in the Navy. Church was the last thing on my mind. I was too busy, well, being a Sailor…
Eventually I was released from active service, got married, had kids and was living life OK. During all of this, I still felt that I would go to Heaven when I died. If someone were to ask me how I knew – this is what I would tell them. “Well, I know that when I get up there God would put all of my good qualities on one side of a scale and all of my bad points on the other side of the scales and the good would out way the bad and for that reason I would be allowed to get into Heaven.” With that kind of thinking about what was there to worry.
To make a long story short, along the way I started going to church, got involved in various activities and actually started reading the Bible; not a good idea for someone with the thinking about going to Heaven that I had. Maybe this would be you as well.
Over a period of time, there were three words that would pop up on occasion; four times in Psalms, once in Romans and twice in the Gospels. What were these three words? There were, “There is none.”
Now, by themselves, the phrase, “There is none,” is really not a bad thing about which to ponder, but when you add three more words to them it becomes a big thing. The other three words are, “That does good.” So, when you put them together you get, “There is none that does good.” Think about that for a moment and then let me add what Jesus said about being good.
In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark there is a story about a person that came up to Jesus and said, “Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus answered like this,
“Mark 10:18 – And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.”
Man, that was like running into a brick wall. Jesus actually said that, “No one is good except God.” I mean, if no one is good that would mean me! How could Jesus say that I was not a good person? Look at all of the work I did in the church early in my life and being told how I was a good little boy. Look how I was a good father and husband. Look how people liked me and said that I was a good person. Everyone thought that I was a good person except… except Jesus!
Now, how could I doubt Jesus? However, if He was right… then I had nothing good to offer God when I died. If I had nothing good I would not be allowed into Heaven. If we cannot get into Heaven by our good works how do we get into Heaven?
I started reading and studying the Scriptures, especially the New Testament. I learned that the reason we are not considered good is that we have a sin nature, and this sinfulness has separated us from God. In order to come back into a right relationship with God we need to repent of our sinfulness and to seek forgiveness for our sins.
However, our sins require a penalty for which they need to be paid. We need to pay for them – unless – unless someone stands in our place and takes on them the penalty for which we owe God. I learned that Jesus has done this for they who would confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and to believe in their heart that God has raised Him from the grave. In other words, whoever would call upon the name of the Lord would be saved.
If we would just repent of our sins and believe that Jesus is Lord of our life because of what He has done, and have a desire to be obedient to Him, to do His will, then we would be forgiven for our sins based on the fact that Jesus died for sins and paid the penalty for them.
In fact, if you would just call upon Jesus as Lord of your life you will find out that you have been forgiven, saved from paying the penalty for your sins by facing the wrath of God on Judgement Day, and are now in God’s family for all eternity.
Good works will never save you, anyone or me. Only by calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus, will anyone be forgiven, saved and allowed into Heaven.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Surely you do not want to be one of those good people, depending on your good works, who wind up in Hell? Will you not now call upon the Lord Jesus to be saved? It really is that easy. If I, one who was a very religious and good working man can do so – you can as well.
Throw your good works aside and call upon Jesus to be saved. Do so before it is too late.
Good People Do Not Go To Heaven…
If God were to ask, “Why should I allow you into Heaven?” I would imagine that each one of you would give many and varied answers. In the end, however, you would all be saying that it is because you have been a good person.
In saying that, how good is good enough? At what level of being good do you think God would allow you into heaven? What if God were to reply by saying that no one is good, what reason would you then give?
Mar_10:18 (KJV) And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.
Rom_3:12 (KJV) there is none that doeth good, no not one.
So, God says that no one is good. How then does He perceive all of the good things that we have done?
Isa_64:6 (KJV) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.
How can that be? What makes God see our good works as “filthy rags”?
Rom_3:23 (KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities(sin) have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Psa 5:4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
Psa 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity(sin).
When you know how God views you and your sins then you will be able to understand why God hates what you do in committing those sins. I know that is harsh to say and it is not what you hear in Christian circles these days even though God says so in His Word. All you will hear is that God loves you. However, there is a little catch.
1Co_2:14 (KJV) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
In your sinful state no matter what anyone says, even in reading this, if God does not give you understanding into His Word so that you can receive and believe them, you will never act upon them. Worse you will not enter into the Kingdom of God. In other words, you will not go to Heaven no matter how good you think you are.
There is only one way, and through one person, that anyone will enter into Heaven.
Joh 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.
Joh 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.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
You see, in your sinful state you are dead to God. You do not want God nor do you feel that you need Him. Like Jesus said in this quote:
Luk_19:14 (KJV) But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
That is exactly how you feel about Jesus in your dead sinful state. You say it in words and in ways that you do not understand. That is why Jesus tells us that we must be born again. Being born again is God making us alive in the spirit so that we can see Him, hear Him and respond to Him in the way that not only is as He wants but also in a way that we will desire to come to Him as He wills.
When we come to God the Father, it is only by one person through which that can be done.
Joh_14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
I hope that now you can see, or soon will be able to see, and understand why good people do not go to Heaven; because in your sinfulness you can never be good enough. The only way to Heaven is by being born again by the Spirit of God and in believing Jesus to be the only true Lord and Savior; the One to whom you must submit your whole being – mind, body and soul(self will).
Act_4:12 (KJV) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Good people do not go to Heaven. Only they who have been “born again” will God allow into His Kingdom. In His Word God has given you a simple and straightforward explanation of the only way, and through whom, you will be allowed into Heaven. The question you now face is this. Have you been “born again”?
Being Truly Set Free
On July 4, 1776, a country, consisting of thirteen states, began the task of becoming a free and sovereign Nation after declaring its independence. It happened because men wanted to be free and were willing to fight for that freedom. They did and the United States was born.
Ever since time began, man has wanted freedom and to get that freedom he was willing to do whatever it took to secure that freedom. Was there a time when man did not know there was a freedom that he needed; one to which his own self-righteousness made him blind? The answer is yes.
Since man sinned in the Garden of Eden, and fell from grace with God, he has needed to be set free from being a slave to his own sin and self-righteousness. In Romans, we read the following:
Rom 6:20 For when you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
Therein is the problem. As slaves to sin, we know it not, and since we do not know we need to be set free from this enslavement, we do not seek this freedom. We trust in our own self-righteousness not knowing that we have none of our own. That is where Jesus comes in.
In the Gospel of John Jesus tells us this:
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the slave of sin.”
Not only does He tell us our problem but He also gives us the answer as to how we are set free from being slaves to sin. Especially since we do not know, we are such slaves. Only Jesus can set us free.
Joh 8:36 Jesus says, “ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Freedom from sin comes not from our own will to be free. No, it comes from the desire and will of Jesus to set us free, and all those whom the Father draws to Him will be set free and saved from our own self-righteousness (sin’s slavery).
Only until Jesus sets us free we will ever know the truth of our sins enslavement.
Man loves his freedom, but this is one freedom, being a slave to sin, about which man knows nothing. Thank God, that Jesus knows and that in Him only, will we be set free.
The question that you now face is this. Have you been set free from being a slave to sin, from your own self-righteousness?
Whoever will confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God has raised Him from the dead will have been set free by the Son of God, and they will know that they are free indeed.
The Verse That Brought Repentance
When I was just a young boy, I attended an Anglican church faithfully. I was an acolyte, president of the church youth program and a lay reader. I was a Christian; or so I thought. It seemed, as it turned out, that I was only a Christian in name only (a CINO).
You see, in being a Christian in name only can be very deceiving, and so many people today are doing the same as I, and are only CINO’s, and do not realize that they are “not” heading for Heaven. I hope you are not one of them.
Then, as an adult, one day came when I heard about two verses in Proverbs 3 that for the life of me I could not get them out of my mind. They bothered me to no end and I just had to find out how to do what they were saying, because I could not do so of my own will; and therein lay the answer.
The two verses to which I refer are these:
Proverbs 3: 5, 6
5. Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.
6. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.
I tried and I tried and I just could not get myself to trust in the way that these verses wanted for me to do. No matter what I did I just could not trust in the Lord. Sounds terrible, does it not?
Then it hit me. How could I trust in someone who I do not know? Who was this Lord in whom I am to trust? Could it be this Jesus I kept hearing about? Oh, yeah, I heard about Jesus, and how they would call Him Lord every time I had gone to church, but I really did not know Him. I had to find out – who was this Jesus.
I knew that my bible was my only true source for learning about Jesus. I had some knowledge of the gospel of John, so I started my reading about Jesus with that book.
Admittedly, the first time through it I really did not get much understanding from it. So I began to read it again and each time I would read a chapter or two I would ask Jesus to give me understanding in these words that I might learn more about Him.
Little by little a verse or two would stand out and they would be quite interesting in little ways, and I realized that I began to trust more and more this Jesus about whom I was studying and to whom I was praying. Then one day it hit me about whom Jesus was – or is. Jesus is God!
By now, not only had I become more dependent on Jesus in giving me understanding in the bible but more importantly, unwittingly, I also became to trust in Him in helping me in my daily life.
I would ask Jesus with help at work, when I was driving and in just making daily decision. I was always, and still do, asking Jesus for guidance in making all kinds of decisions, and trusting in Him for the outcome, as well as trusting in Him to change my direction on anything, if I was going the wrong way.
Through hard times and good times I was looking to the Lord for guidance, even when I did not or could not understand why sometime was happening. Even when my wife was diagnosed with cancer, she is now cancer free. I found myself asking for stronger faith so that I would have deeper trust in the Lord for whatever would happen or in what would be His will.
That is when I realized that in turning from myself, from my self-will, and trusting in the will of the Lord, what I had done was to repent of my own sin of self-will.
This was something I had done all my life. I would look to myself to trust in my own understanding, in any situation for the answer, and to have the self-serving nerve to direct my own life.
It was these two verses from Proverbs 3: 5, 6 that led me to repent of the sin of trusting in myself and to turn to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness, and to come to an understanding of whom is Jesus.
It is in Him that we are to trust for the outcome for all circumstances and situations, and to submit to His Lordship over us in directing our life as He wills.
You see, we are to trust in the Lord Jesus on a daily basis, and to keep trusting in Him even when we do not understand what is happening or why.
In addition, when we acknowledge Him as being Lord of our lives, as God, Jesus has the right to take us down the path that He knows is best for us, and one that will glorify Him.
All it takes is an understanding of who is Jesus, and repentance on your part. That is to turn from your own selfish ways of trusting in yourself, to submitting to the Lordship of Jesus over you.
Only then will you ever find true Godly direction for your life.
Elect – Whose Salvation Is Kept By God
In Christendom there are two views of thought when it comes to keeping one’s salvation once they have been born again by the Spirit of God.
In short, they are Free Will and Election. Free Will salvation states that Jesus has done all He can in providing a blanket salvation that covers everyone and that now it is up to man to decide whether or not he will accept or reject the offer of salvation that Jesus gives. Basically man is responsible for his salvation because he must now do his part in receiving the salvation that Jesus has provided.
Since man is responsible for receiving salvation, by choosing, of his own free will, to accept or reject the offer, he places himself in the position of being responsible for keeping this salvation. Since it was by his decision to accept Jesus that he was saved, he now has to work daily to make sure he does not do or say anything that could cause him to lose it. In addition, he must also take care not to become complacent of his salvation and decide somewhere down the road to turn away from Christ and, in doing so, he would lose his salvation never to get it back again.
If you look at it in that respect you can see how one who believes in Free Will salvation really does not have any lasting assurance, or even peaceful assurance, of his eternal salvation still being with him when he dies. This is because it is his responsibility, by his power, that he must rely upon in order to keep the salvation that he chose to accept, that Jesus provided for all to receive.
The other view of keeping one’s salvation is that it is not by man’s power or will that this is done by it is due to the power of God that it is kept.
You see, in the doctrine of election it is God who looks at man and sees that spiritually he is dead to God. Un-saved man does not want to bow to the God of the Bible – Jesus. Un-saved man does not want God, does not look for Him and is actually at enmity with God. Basically, God sees that man, of his own will, will never chose to accept the offer of salvation because he really does not believe that he needs to be saved, that he has been good enough to get into Heaven on his own goodness.
So, God, in His great desire to have a people of His own, chose from before the beginning of time who would be saved and, in His time, they come to Jesus for forgiveness and they do so willingly. This in itself is another story for another time.
What this means, however, is that under the doctrine of Election it is God’s responsibility not only to save someone it is also His responsibility to keep that person saved. In a section of 1 Peter chapter one is a little known verse that so many gloss over that explains this well. However, in order to understand this you must read the verse in its context; which we will now do.
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you(the elect), 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In writing to the pilgrims, Peter calls them the elect (select, chosen) and in talking about their salvation he finishes with saying that it has been made ready for them, for their arrival in Heaven, and that they are being kept by the power of God until then.
This way, since salvation under the doctrine of election is the responsibility of God in saving they whom He choses, it is also God’s responsibility to keep them saved. And, many time Jesus made the comment that of all that God the Father has given Him He would not lose any of them; not one soul will be lost whom Jesus has saved.
Since it is the responsibility of God to save whom He wills, it is also God’s responsibility to keep them saved whom He has chosen for salvation. To have this knowledge that it is God who works in me to will and to do of His good pleasure provides for me, as it should for all who have been saved by His power, great assurance of my eternal salvation because it does not depend on me in keeping my salvation because I am being kept saved by the power of God.
Salvation, from start to finish, is all of God. It is by His will that anyone is saved and it is by His will that they whom He has saved will be kept saved.
Jesus has given us the promise that “ALL whom the Father has given Him will come to Him and that He will not reject any of them, and that He will keep them until the end and that He will not lose not even one of them.”
I guess the question now is… who is responsibility for your salvation and for keeping it?
Free-Will Salvation Discriminates
It Also Denies The Sovereignty Of God
Basically they who preach Free-Will Salvation will tell you that God has done all He can do to save you but, now you must do your part and use your free-will to choose to accept or reject His offer.
That is basic humanism at its best, and it discriminates against many people who are unable to make such a decision. What if you have a mental disorder and are incapable of making an informed decision. How are you supposed to be able to even decide whether or not you need to be saved? In addition, what if you never hear the gospel in the first place. In this case you are not even given a chance to make any decision to accept or reject God’s offer of forgiveness.
In that case everyone who falls into one of those categories are all destined for Hell because they can’t make a decision. These are the people upon which Free-Will Salvation discriminates.
One thing you will never hear from these preachers or teachers is John 6:43 – 44, “Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Not only did Jesus say this just once, but He also said it a second time in the same chapter in John, in verse 65, where He says, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
Not only does Free-Will Salvation discriminates against various groups of people but it also denies the sovereignty of God and it hides the fact that “NO ONE” can come to Jesus unless they are given the ability to do so.
Free-Will Salvation gives man the pre-eminence in the salvation process in being able to make the final decision on whether or not they will be saved. In short Free-Will Salvation says that man has the ability to save himself of his own volition.
In addition, Free-Will Salvation teaches that God will draw all men to Himself so that they can make a decision for being saved. However, we have already seen how many people will never be able to make any decision let alone be able to even understand the gospel or even hear the gospel. In that case, God then lies to us by telling us that He will draw everyone to Jesus because not everyone will be drawn.
Not only that but in John 6: 37 Jesus says, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
You notice Jesus tells us that everyone that the Father gives, or draws, to Him “WILL” come to Jesus and be saved. Since that is the condition, then this tells us that not everyone will be drawn because, if they were, then everyone would be saved; and we know that is not going to happen.
So, Free-Will Salvation not only discriminates against certain groups of people, it also denies the sovereignty of God in the salvation process. It also leaves out the biblical teaching that NO ONE can come to Jesus unless the Father gives him the ability to do so, and everyone that the Father draws to Jesus will be saved.
Jesus says this quit succinctly in John 5:21 when He says, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.”
Did you get that? Jesus said that He gives life to whom HE wills. Maybe that is why scripture, in speaking of the salvation of man, says in John 1:13, “who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
And, in addition, in Romans 9:16 we read, “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”
These verses clearly states that salvation in man does NOT depend on mans Free-Will but on the sovereign will of God. It is God who chooses who will be saved and not man. Humanistic man does not even have the ability to choose of his own free-will and in saying that he does also unfairly discriminates against people who would never be able to make such a decision.
The only way any of us have any chance of salvation is by God’s will in deciding on, not only who will be saved, but the means by which that salvation will take place. They who are mentally unable to know or understand salvation, or anyone who will never be put in a position of hearing the gospel message and so be saved, can be saved, if it is God’s will.
God, in His sovereignty and by His will, saves whom He chooses. By His will they, whom He chooses, will be drawn to, and saved by, Jesus. He will give life to those who are drawn by the Father to Him, and in the end salvation comes to those whom God wills to be saved.
Apart from God’s will, no one can be saved, nor will they be saved. Not only does Free-Will Salvation discriminate but it also denies the clear teaching of the Bible that no one even has the ability to be able to do so.
In the end, by who’s will, anyway, would you trust in being saved – your’s or God’s?
The Work Of Christ On The Cross & The Resurrection
Was He Successful?
Before you answer make sure you have all the information that you need to make an informed decision. The reason I make that recommendation is that much of what the average Christian sitting in the Pew believes is only what they have been told, and they know very little of what the Bible actually says. You may be one of them.
Here’s a test. In Matthew 1:21 we read, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
The key words in this verse is “His people”. Who you believe these people are will determine whether your answer is correct. Now, either Jesus was successful and effective in His work, the reason for which He came, or He was a big failure; in which case He was not who He said He was. If He is a failure then He is a fraud and the biggest purveyor of lies that ever lived.
Let’s look at another verse. In 1st Corinthians 1:18 we read, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
The message here is about those who are saved by the power of God because of the work that was done on the cross. Specifically, it talks about those who “are being saved”. In other words, the work that Jesus did upon the cross was only for those who will be saved.
Here’s another example. In Colossians 2:14 we read, “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
In this verse the key word is “us”. In short, sins were nailed to the cross. Redemption was made for those that, here, are called “us”. Now who are the “us”? In Colossians 1:2 we see this, “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:”
The “us” of Colossians 2:14 are the “saints and faithful brethren” of Colossians 1:2. Again, we see specific people were mentioned, those who had been saved, and only they had their sins nailed to the cross and it was for them that redemption was made.
If we are to believe the Bible then we must believe that the work of Christ on the cross was for a specific people and in this He was successful. Now, what about the resurrection?
In Colossians 2:11 – 13 we read, “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,”.
In addition, in Romans 4:23 – 25 we read, “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses (cross), and was raised because of our justification. (resurrection)”.
Again, in these verses we see that specific people are in mind in the work that Christ did on the cross and in His resurrection. In fact, God makes it clear that they who are being saved were in a condition of being “dead in your trespasses” and that it was because of what Christ did you were made alive, having forgiven you all your trespasses”.
In other words, before you were born again, if you are a Christian, God had already forgiven you of your sins because of what Christ did for you. In addition, you are also included in the resurrection assuring you of everlasting life, again because of what Jesus did for you in His being raised from the dead.
Before we finish let’s look at just three more verses. They are all found in the Gospel of John and they are all in chapter six. The first verse we will look at is found in verse 44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” A similar statement is found in verse 65, “And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
I bet you thought that anyone could choose to come to Jesus anytime they wanted too, didn’t you? Well, here Jesus tells not just once, but twice, that “NO ONE” can come unless the Father draws him. Now let’s look at the last of these three verses.
Again, staying in John 6 but this time in verse 37 we read, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
Did you notice what it said? It said that “ALL” that Father gives Me will come to Jesus.
Now I am sure you have never been taught nor even told that these verses exists and that they were said by Jesus. In these three verses Jesus is telling us that unless you are drawn by the Father to come to Him you will never, of your own free-will, ever choose to come to Him, but if you are drawn by the Father, then you will have been given the ability to come to Jesus and you will come to Him of your own free-will.
When you take these three verses that were said by Jesus, and combine them with the other verses that we have looked at, we can only come to one conclusion. We have to believe that Jesus was successful in His work upon the cross and in the resurrection, and that both were done for specific people.
The people of Matthew 1:21 for which He came to save are those whom He chooses to save and to assure them of life eternal with His resurrection from the dead. In one last verse, John 5:21 we read, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.”
Yes, Christ was successful in His work upon the cross and in His resurrection from the dead. Every person for whom Christ died upon the cross, to give them forgiveness of sins in His redemptive work, and to provide everlasting life through His resurrection from the dead, will be saved and will be given life eternal.
This brings us back to Matthew 1:21, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
After looking at the verses that we have, now who do you think are the “people” who Jesus came to save from their sins? Knowing that not everyone will be saved and only those for whom He came to save will be saved, you will have to conclude that these people are those for whom Christ died upon the cross and to apply to the same life everlasting with His resurrection from the dead.
His people – His sheep – the Elect of God.
Anything else will make Jesus into a failure and a liar. I don’t think you want to be the one to accuse of Him of that. Do You?
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