Does man have the free will choice to choose God?

[follower of Christ]

The Will of God
by R.A. Williams

After Jesus was resurrected, God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us. He is our advocate. God did not leave us without direction. Nor did He want us to play a guessing game as to what we are to do with our lives. His will should not be puzzling. He wants us to know and to do His will. The object of this lesson is to open up ways to understand how God works with us and how to seek out and find His will for each of us.
First, I want to present what I find are the four wills of God.

1) The Determined Will: This is the will of God that either was or is put in motion and we can only see the outcome. We have nothing to do with this and it cannot be altered.
2) The Permissive Will: This is God’s will in which He allows us to determine if we eat toast with butter, sleep on the couch or bed or perhaps wear a red or blue shirt etc. We have our say in these kinds of matters unless they conflict with something God is working in our lives.
3) The Desired Will: This is God’s will for everyone on earth to follow. These are precepts or rules of conduct such as do this or don’t do that. This will requires our cooperation.
4) The Personal Will: This is God’s will for every individual. He made each of us for a reason or purpose and we need to seek out His personal will for our lives.

1) The Determined Will

Ephesians 1:3-14 (NASB)
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4just as He chose us in £Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12to the end that we who were the first to hope in £Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationâ€â€having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

In rightly dividing the word of God, let’s remember that the New Testament can be read with the idea that it was written to the Jew, Gentile or the Church of God. The “us’s†and “we’s†above are the Jews and the “you’s†are the Gentiles, so it can be read with the thought that our God chose us (the Jews) since before the foundation of the world. He predestined us (the Jews) according to His will to live forever with Him. Likewise, as salvation came through the Jews, we (the Gentiles) having also believed were given the Holy Spirit of promise as a pledge of our salvation. This is the predestined will of God from before the world was made. The word translated in the verses above into will is “thelemaâ€Â, which means what one has wished or determined shall be done. Hence this is the determined will of God. We have nothing to do with it. It has all been done for us.

It is also important to realize that you will know the determined will of God after it has already happened. Think about it. Your parents (see Psalm 139:13-16), where you were born, whether you are male or female, what teachers or schools you have had, whether you had brothers and/or sisters. There are many things in your life that God controlled to help make or mold you into the person you are today. That is predestination. See Romans 8:26 through 30 below and read what Paul wrote about predestination.

Romans 8:26-30 (NASB)
26In 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; 27and 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.28And we know that £God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

After reading the Ephesians verses above and then these Roman verses you can see that none of us (Jew or Gentile) are an afterthought. God’s plan for salvation was for all and set up before the foundation of the world. None of us could save ourselves so God in His mercy predestined us by preparing our lives, then calling us out when we were ready, then justifying us through Jesus and then glorifying us with eternal life.

Some other scriptures of the determined will of God are:

Daniel 4:35 (NASB)
35 “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And no one can ward off His hand
Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’

Isaiah 55:10, 11 (NASB)
10“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;11So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Isaiah’s word also includes more than what God has done. It also includes any prophetic words that have not been fulfilled either corporal or personal.


Paul describes the determined will of God very thoroughly in Romans chapter 9:

Romans 9:6-21 (NASB)
6But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your descendants will be named.†8That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 9For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.†10And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, 12it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.†13Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.â€Â14What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.†16So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.†18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.19You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?†20On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,†will it? 21Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

Proverbs 16:4 (NASB)
4 The LORD has made everything for its own purpose,
Even the wicked for the day of evil.

God in His infinite knowledge and foreknowledge chose out different people to help accomplish His will and purpose. It is always God’s will that everyone be saved and live eternally with Him, however, He knows who will refuse His gracious offer of eternal life, but He can still use them for His glory. God’s determined will, will be done.


2) The Permissive Will

The permissive will of God can also be called the will of man. However because of God’s determined will, that will which affected our life, the very persons we are and the decisions we make are of direct consequence to God’s hand in our life. So even though it (seems like it) is us who makes the decisions, it is still because of what God has done for us and how He made us.

2 Samuel 12:24-25 (NASB)
24Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved him 25and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him £Jedidiah for the LORD’S sake.

1 Kings 3:5-12 (NASB)
5In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish me to give you.â€Â6Then Solomon said, “You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in £truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7“Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8“Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 9“So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?â€Â10It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 12behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.

3) The Desired Will

Matthew 23:37 (NASB)
37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NASB)
3For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 (NASB)
15See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16Rejoice always; 17pray without ceasing; 18in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 6:14 (NASB)
14Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Ephesians 5:7-17 (NASB)
7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14For this reason it says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.â€Â
15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Keep in mind our previous lesson about the fruits of the Spirit being produced within our lives how they should be increasing and the conviction that the Holy Spirit will bring on us if we do not obey (read John 16:8).

The word “conviction†used about the Holy Spirit in John 16:8 parallels the verses above in Ephesians 5. The word conviction is “elegcho†which means: 1) to bring to the light, to expose, to find fault with, correct 2) to reprehend severely, chide, admonish, reprove, to call to account, show one his fault, demand an explanation, to chasten, to punish. God will not let us go our way easily. He wants us to be like Jesus and has given us everything we need to be like Him.

There are many others scriptures that tell us what God’s will is, how we ought to behave and what we should do to follow after Him. Please take some time in your studies to read the chapters from where the above scriptures are taken and see the instructions that are recorded for us.


to be continued...

 

[follower of Christ]

continued...

4) The Personal Will

There are many questions we have in our lives where we cannot find the answer in the scriptures. We may wonder where we should live, work or perhaps what car we should buy. Should we go to seminary? College? Or become a missionary? The answers to these questions as well as others can be found in prayer and our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 (NASB)
26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

John 16:12-15 (NASB)
12“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14“He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15“All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

Romans 8:26-28 (NASB)
26In 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; 27and 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.28And we know that £God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Proverbs 16:1-4 (NASB)
1 The plans of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,
But the LORD weighs the motives.
3 Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established.
4 The LORD has made everything for its own purpose,
Even the wicked for the day of evil.

Proverbs 16:9 (NASB)
9 The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.

Acts 16:6-10 (NASB)
6They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.†10When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

God gave us His Holy Spirit to be our helper and advocate. He will teach us, bring things to our remembrance, guide us into truth, reveal what is to come, tell us the mind of God, and intercede for us according to God’s will. That is quite a helper. What we need to do is to commune with God by reading His word, spending time in prayer and meditating on Him with an open heart (and ear). It is God’s will that we know His will, so He will make it known to us. We just need to purpose it in our lives by making the time to continually fellowship with Him. We also need to be sure we commit our plans and works to the Lord so that even if we don’t know everything that God is doing, our steps will be directed by Him (read Proverbs 20:24, James 4:13-15 and Isaiah 55:8-9).

In summary of the wills of God:

God has predestined us to Glorify His name. He formed the world, people, animals, the times we live, science etc., then purposed the plan of salvation and gave everyone the opportunity to choose life with Him. This He did in His love for us and not by anything we did or could do. He did it all and nothing could stop it. Knowing the personality and environment God gave you is critical to knowing His will for you.
God gave us self-will. In this self-will we make decisions (because of our personality and makeup) every day that will affect how our day unfolds. God monitors this self-will and keeps us in check so we do not undo something He is doing.
God showed and told us how to live an upright and proper life. He then gave us the means of fulfilling His desires with the Holy Spirit. Obeying God’s precepts (which is His will for us) are crucial to having an intimate relationship with Him.
God through the Holy Spirit then reveals His will and purpose for our lives and helps us accomplish it.

God loves us so much that He is intimately involved and cares even for the most-minute details of our lives. There is not anything that can happen where God is not interested in our well-being. He is so loving and merciful to do all that He has done since there is not anyone outside of Christ that was or is worthy.

Other Ways of Finding God’s Will

We need to know and recognize the different wills of God to understand how He deals with us as His people. God has predetermined different aspects of our lives to mold us into the people we are and bring us to a point of decision whether to surrender our lives to Him or not. He has allowed us to make certain decisions in how we live our daily life. He has given us directions of what to do and what not to do so we can joyfully be His own people. He then defined for us how to pray, live and devote ourselves to Him so we can find out His personal purpose for each of us and then He will help us bring His will to pass.

Along with what we learned in the Personal Will lesson on finding God’s will, there are still also other ways to find out what His will is or confirm it for us so we can be more confident in fulfilling it and Glorifying Him.

1) Do everything with reverent fear of God (for our salvation rests in His hands), for God is bringing about His will in us who are willing and working for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13 (NASB)
12So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

2) Receive guidance from mature and wise people. Do not be obstinate God can use people.

Proverbs 27:17 (NASB)
17 Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.

2a) Psalm 32:8-9 (NASB)
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.

2b) Proverbs 11:14 (NASB)
14 Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory.

3) Learning from older people who are mature and wise. (This is akin to #2)

Titus 2:3-5 (NASB)
3Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

4) Reading and studying God’s word. The experiences recorded for us can give us insight on what to do.

Psalm 119:105 (NASB)
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.

5) Warn and exhort (admonish) one another in the Lord.

Romans 15:14 (NASB)
14And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.

6) Let the peace of God rule in your heart.

Colossians 3:15-16 (NASB)
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16Let the word of £Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God

Nugget of Gold: The stop, look and listen rule. God makes His desires and will known to those who stop for prayer and meditate on His word, look with a sensitive spirit, listen to Him and sometimes to others as well.

When we spend time in prayer and go to His word, we should stop long enough to hear from above. When we look, we need to see with God’s eyes and to examine our surrounding circumstances, in light of what God is saying in our inner spirit. When we listen to God we will know His will (we may not understand it, but we will know it) and when we listen to others, we should seek the counsel of wise, qualified people.

Read the A.W. Tozer article on the following page at this time.

“Summary Listâ€Â

Know how God made you, your personality, strengths and weaknesses.
Know what gift or gifts of the Spirit that God has given you.
God will use events, good and evil people.
Make personal decisions that will be well with God.
Seek to learn all of God’s precepts and ways and obey them (remember the Fruit of the Spirit?).
Meditate, spend time in prayer, studies and listen to the Holy Spirit who will teach and disclose to you “Godâ€Â.
Commit your plans and works to the Lord.
Give reverence to God with all respect and fear.
Receive guidance, instruction and admonishment from others.
Let the peace of God guide you.

Now lets read Genesis chapter 2 verses 6 through 23 and see if we can see the four wills of God within these verses.


Let’s Cultivate Simplicity and Solitude
We Christians must simplify our lives or lose untold treasures on earth and in eternity.

Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible. It wears us out by multiplying distractions and beats us down by destroying our solitude, where otherwise we might drink and renew our strength before going out to face the world again.

“The thoughtful soul to solitude retires,†said the poet of other and quieter times; but where is the solitude to which we can retire today? Science, which has provided men with certain material comforts, has robbed them of their souls by surrounding them with a world hostile to their existence. “Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still†is a wise and healing counsel, but how can it be followed in this day of the newspaper, the telephone, the radio and the television? These modern playthings, like pet tiger cubs, have grown so large and dangerous that they threaten to devour us all. What was intended to be a blessing has become a positive curse. No spot is now safe from the world’s intrusion.

One way the civilized world destroys men is by preventing them from thinking their own thoughts. Our “vastly improved methods of communication,†of which the shortsighted boast so loudly, now enable a few men in strategic centers to feed into millions of minds alien thought stuff, ready-made and predigested. A little effortless assimilation of these borrowed ideas and the average man has done all the thinking he will or can do. This subtle brainwashing goes on day after day and year after year to the eternal injury of the populaceâ€â€a populace, incidentally, which is willing to pay big money to have the job done, the reason being, I suppose, that it relieves them of the arduous and often frightening task of reaching independent decisions for which they must take responsibility .

There was a time, not too long ago, when a man’s home was his castle, a sure retreat to which he might return for quietness and solitude. There “the rains of heaven may blow in†but the king himself cannot enter without permission,†said the proud British, and made good on their boast. That was home indeed. It was of such a sacred place the poet said: O, when I am safe in my sylvan home,

I tread on the pride of Greece and Rome;
And when I am stretched beneath the pines,
Where the evening star so holy shines,
I laugh at the lore and the pride of man,
At the sophist schools, and the learned clan;
For what are they all, in their high conceit,
When man in the bush with God may meet.
Good-bye
Ralph Waldo Emerson

While it is scarcely within the scope of the present piece, I cannot refrain from remarking that the most ominous sign of the coming destruction of our country is the passing of the American home. Americans live no longer in homes, but in theaters. The members of many families hardly know each other, and the face of some popular TV star is to many wives as familiar as that of their husbands. Let no one smile. Rather should we weep at the portent. It will do no good to wrap ourselves in the Stars and Stripes for protection. No nation can long endure whose people have sold themselves for bread and circuses. Our fathers sleep soundly, and the harsh bedlam of commercialized noise that engulfs us like something from Dante’s Inferno cannot disturb their slumber. They left us a goodly heritage. To preserve that heritage we must have a national character as strong as theirs. And this can be developed only in the Christian home.


To be continued...

 

[follower of Christ]

continued...

The need for solitude and quietness was never greater than it is today. What the world will do about it is their problem. Apparently the masses want it the way it is and the majority of Christians are so completely conformed to this present age that they, too, want things the way they are. They may be annoyed a bit by the clamor and by the goldfish bowl existence they live, but apparently they are not annoyed enough to do anything about it. However, there are a few of God’s children who have had enough They want to relearn the ways of solitude and simplicity and gain the infinite riches of the interior life. They want to discover the blessedness of what Dr. Max Reich called “spiritual aloneness.†To such I offer a brief paragraph of counsel.

Retire from the world each day to some private spot, even if it is only the bedroom (for a while I retreated to the furnace room for want of a better place). Stay in the secret place till the surrounding noises begin to fade out of your heart and a sense of God’s presence envelops you. Deliberately tune out the unpleasant sounds and come out of your closet determined not to hear them. Listen for the inward Voice till you learn to recognize it. Stop trying to compete with others. Give yourself to God, and then be what and who you are without regard to what others think. Reduce your interests to a few. Don’t try to know what will be of no service to you. Avoid the digest type of mindâ€â€short bits of unrelated facts, cute stories and bright sayings. Learn to pray inwardly every moment. After a while you can do this even while you work. Practice candor, childlike honesty, humility. Pray for a single eye. Read less, but read more of what is important to your inner life. Call home your roving thoughts. Gaze on Christ with the eyes of your soul. Practice spiritual concentration. All the above is contingent upon a right relation to God through Christ and daily meditation on the Scriptures. Lacking these, nothing will help us; granted these, the discipline recommended will go far to neutralize the evil effects of externalism and to make us acquainted with God and our own souls.

 

[Benoni]

Osgiliath,

Shhh! Don't give too many hints away! I knew you would get them .

Here's some more:

Moses and God:

"But now, please forgive their sin – but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." The Lord replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book." (Exodus 32:32, 33)

King David knew about the Book of Life. He wrote:

"May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous." (Psalm 69:28)

"Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16)

Jesus alluded to the Book of Life when He said to His disciples:

"However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20)

Paul also mentions the Book of Life by name:

"Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life." (Philippians 4:3)

The concepts of foreknowledge and predestination can be confused very easily if not careful.

Jesus is the Book of Life (by J Preston Eby)

I agree Like many of the sweetest passages in the New Testament, the inspiration of this one is derived from the Old. References to the Book of Life are to be found in various parts of the Hebrew scriptures.

In Exodus, we read how the children of Israel had sinned grievously. While Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving instructions from God, the Israelites made a golden calf and began to worship it. When Moses returned, he was shocked at what he saw. He knew God would be well within both His holiness and His justice to wipe out the entire sinful nation! But Moses begged God to forgive Israel: "Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, Oh, these people have sinned a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin – but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written" (Ex. 32:31-32). Moses boldly approached the Lord God, asking to have his own name blotted out of God's "book" if God would not forgive Israel their sin of idolatry! The Bible alludes to this "book" – the Book of Life – on only a few occasions. But the Book of Life does exist, and it is vitally important to every son of God! Having one's name in the Book of Life is so important that Moses used this as a kind of bargaining point with God for Israel.

What is this book? Why would the all-knowing God need it? Is it like some spiritual computer system, containing the names of God's people? Is your name now written in it? How can you know? And if your name is there, what is the risk of it actually being blotted out, as Moses asked for his name to be if God would not forgive Israel?

Many believe by the letter that killeth when we come to the book of Revelation. The book of revelation is a book of revealing – and we are in an hour of revealing. The Holy Spirit must teach us the very first principles of this book – it is a book given by signs. "He sent and sign-i-fied it unto us..." (Rev. 1:1). The Lord communicated it unto us in the form of signs and symbols, that is what the Greek word means, and no symbol is ever to be taken in its literal form.

We must pass the signs in order to get to the language of the Spirit. It is significantly wonderful that the Lion of the tribe of Judah is not a four-legged lion, nor is the Lamb in the midst of the throne a four-legged lamb! The Lamb has seven horns – not literal horns, of course – for the horns are mere figures representing the seven-fold spirit of power and life which emanates from the mind and nature of the Lamb.

The simple truth that the various beasts in the Revelation are not literal beasts, the cities are not literal cities, nor is the great harlot a solitary physical prostitute. One and all are but symbols and figures of deep spiritual realities, positive or negative, as the case may be. May I reverently inject another thought?

The "dead" who "stand" before God and are "judged" out of the "books" are not the physically dead in the outward cemeteries, nor are the books such as you have in your library. If they were, the underlying principle of the book's symbology would collapse. If the "Lamb" who opens the "book" in chapter five is not a four-legged lamb, it should not be difficult for anyone to understand that the "book" is not a two-covered book! And if that "book" is one of the Revelation's wonderful symbols, does it not follow that the "books" in chapter twenty are likewise word-pictures in the form of symbols? The religious commentaries that have been written on this book will avail you nothing, for they have been written as an attempt of the natural mind to decipher the meanings of the symbols rather than discovering the language of the Spirit and understanding out of the realm of the Spirit.

"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads the names of blasphemy. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:1,8). According to the Emphatic Diaglott the correct rendering of the latter part of this passage is: "The Book of the Life of the Lamb." Now, what is meant by this term – THE BOOK OF THE LIFE OF THE LAMB? The wise man said, "...of the making of many books there is no end..." (Eccl. 12:12)

This beautiful truth has been ably elucidated in a splendid article by Terry and Tykie Crisp, a portion of which I quote: "The first chapter of the Gospel of John opens by saying, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God...in Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines into darkness: and the darkness comprehended it not...AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, AND DWELT AMONG US (Jn. 1:1-14). By revelation of the Spirit, John declared that the Word of God was made manifest for all the world to read. Within this glorious Word was Life; Life with the potential of illuminating and enlightening the darkened, death-filled realm of men. This Word, Holy Record of the Life of God, was not written upon stone, papyrus, or golden parchment; but the Word was MADE FLESH TO DWELL AMONG MEN! Unlike any other book in the world, this 'Book' was alive and the name of this 'Book' was JESUS! 'Wherefore when He comes into the world, He says, Sacrifice and offerings you would not, but a body you have prepared me. Then said I, Lo, I come (IN THE VOLUME OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME,) to do Your will, O God' (Heb. 10:7).

"For thirty long years, this glorious Book (Jesus) was being written. During this time, He was virtually unrecognized for what He was! 'He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not' (Jn. 1:10). Though He was 'prepared before the face of all people' (Lk. 2:31), no one could 'open the Book', so to speak, and 'read' into His life. Contrary to the old adage, 'You can tell a book by its cover', He was a different story altogether! Even those closest to Him had absolutely no idea what was going on inside of Him! He remained in obscurity, from the curious gaze of men, until the appointed time of the Father. He was God's great enigma to mankind! Line upon line, and precept upon precept, He increased in wisdom and stature, 'waxing strong in spirit, and filled with wisdom' (Lk. 2:40,52). Through the common, day-to-day experiences of life, He was steadily learning obedience, and was being made perfect through the things He suffered. There was not a single temptation faced by man in which He in some way was not tested; not an area that went untouched. He was 'in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin' (Heb. 4:15). He was challenged and confronted, in one form or another, with every issue that would face mankind. Every trial, every test, and every temptation He faced simply served to complete another chapter in the 'Book'; for as He overcame them, the lesson was then recorded in His spirit, and sealed. Unbeknown to the world around Him, He was being prepared for the Throne.

 

[Benoni]

Book of Death; or Book of Life?

Luke 17:6
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

What kind of faith does a mustard seed have? The faith to grow; that is what is seed does; that is what life does; it grows. Mustard seed; Book of Life; God is using this hidden message of a seed planted in the earth; but out of death; like Jesus; it grows.

As in all things when religious men use the dead letter; God’s Word becomes not life; but death.

Dead letter; so dead it is fatalist to minds of all that subscribe to its doctrines of damnations. The Book of Life becomes a book of death for billions and billions of God’s creation.

John 3:16 becomes a verse of condemnation not a declaration of salvation for the believer; and the religious always ignore John 3:17.

John 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (might add by translator; Jesus does not might anything)


The Book of Life is about Life; God’s Word is Life and so are all of His realities; like all things in life it will grow until it restores all of God’s fallen are restored to His will. Yes there is death; BUT God will even someday destroy death. You call it hyperbole; I agree it is such a Hugh hole; no not one of God’s people created in His image will b left out.

Romans 5:18-20 (Weymouth’s)
It follows then just as the result of a single transgression is a condemnation (That is all you understand) which to the whole race,
so also is the result of a single degree of righteousness is a life giving acquittal which extends to the whole race.

(19) for as thought the disobedience of one individual the mass of mankind were constituted as sinners, so also though the obedience of one, the mass of mankind will be constituted righteous.
Now law was brought in later on so that the transgression might increase, but sin increased, grace is overflowed.


You are so boxed into condemnation with your doctrines of Damnation you will never comphend the grace is overflowing. Now there is a hyper hole; grace overflowed.

 

[follower of Christ]

Jesus is the Book of Life (by J Preston Eby)

Thats pretty funny seeing that you flat out rejected it when WE posted commentaries in another thread ;)

 

[follower of Christ]

Book of Death; or Book of Life?

You are so boxed into condemnation with your doctrines of Damnation you will never comphend the grace is overflowing. Now there is a hyper hole; grace overflowed.

And the FACT is that scriptures show that some CAN be 'removed' from that book.....from Christ, as you've shown ;)

 

[Benoni]

Follower,

I have no problem with this statement; for it is an honest statement, BUT there is far more to this subject then how you see it in your condemning understanding. Pretty much anyone else I would love to go round and round on this issue. Once in a great while I find you using God's Word in an honest and debatable format; sad to say overall this is not the case. Your far to bias and opinioned with no backing of scripture far too often, with no dialog; and if you do use scripture it is always to twist and spin. In other words I refuse to debate you because all that matters to you is you are right; no matter what the subject is and no matter what God’s Word declares.

I understand that much that I post is contrary to the letter that killeth; but I do not believe in the letter that killeth; I believe in the Word of God; not the word of bias religious translators like your self.

So if you notice me ignoring your post this is why. I am sure this post will be deleted and so be it. By the way I might even address your post; but some major changes in honest debate must occur.

Book of Death; or Book of Life?

You are so boxed into condemnation with your doctrines of Damnation you will never comphend the grace is overflowing. Now there is a hyper hole; grace overflowed.

And the FACT is that scriptures show that some CAN be 'removed' from that book.....from Christ, as you've shown ;)

 

[Bubba]

“

God in His infinite knowledge and foreknowledge chose out different people to help accomplish His will and purpose. It is always God’s will that everyone be saved and live eternally with Him, however, He knows who will refuse His gracious offer of eternal life, but He can still use them for His glory. God’s determined will, will be done.â€Â

First on this section of “determine willâ€Â, Ephesians 1 and Romans 9 and etc, the writer already has the preconceived notion that God through Jesus is speaking to the corporate and not the individual. I could quote volumes also from the opposite position and second of all and probably most important, why would God allow His children He created spend eternity in torture when He has the power to change their lives? If Follower had the power to change the heart of one his love ones would he not do it to keep his child, wife, mother and etc from eternal agony or is man’s freewill that powerful, that God is bound to make these individuals suffer for eternity even though He knew before their creation they would say no to His Son? Which by the way, we are speaking about the majority of the human race since creation, most of which have never heard of Jesus.
Bubba

 

[Bubba]

The Permissive Will

The permissive will of God can also be called the will of man. However because of God’s determined will, that will which affected our life, the very persons we are and the decisions we make are of direct consequence to God’s hand in our life. So even though it (seems like it) is us who makes the decisions, it is still because of what God has done for us and how He made us.

I would agree with statement and add that any decision that man makes is predicated on those things that have influence our lives from our parents DNA, birthplace, teachers, friends, enemies and etc.
Bubba

 

[Bubba]

The Desired Will: This is God’s will for everyone on earth to follow. These are precepts or rules of conduct such as do this or don’t do that. This will requires our cooperation.

We have discussed this with the many verses of the Law that you have quoted to me has proof that we have freewill and I will continue to say that man’s depravity is such that until God changes our heart we will never be able to freely choose to obey God’s law and when we do it is because of His Spirit in us that the natural man does not have. Again yes the pagan and heathen can demonstrate exemplary behaviour at times, but that too is God’s grace that He gives the world in order that the first fruits (Christians) have a half way decent milieu to live in. Romans seems to imply there will be a time when God removes this form of grace and if Follower is alive to experience this, he will no doubt understand just how deprived mankind is.
Bubba

 

[Bubba]

Proverbs 16:1-4 (NASB)
1 The plans of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,
But the LORD weighs the motives.
3 Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established.
4 The LORD has made everything for its own purpose,
Even the wicked for the day of evil.

I would agree that man personal will is to follow what the writer wrote:

“God gave us His Holy Spirit to be our helper and advocate. He will teach us, bring things to our remembrance, guide us into truth, reveal what is to come, tell us the mind of God, and intercede for us according to God’s will. That is quite a helper. What we need to do is to commune with God by reading His word, spending time in prayer and meditating on Him with an open heart (and ear). It is God’s will that we know His will, so He will make it known to us. We just need to purpose it in our lives by making the time to continually fellowship with Him. We also need to be sure we commit our plans and works to the Lord so that even if we don’t know everything that God is doing, our steps will be directed by Him (read Proverbs 20:24, James 4:13-15 and Isaiah 55:8-9).â€Â

And in this realm man does make decisions and is culpable for those decisions, but the paradox I already spoke about in other posts that hopefully you read is, that in the realm of the Spirit, it was God working through us (Eph. 2:10, Phil. 2:10) that we accomplish anything in respect to righteousness. Read the Proverbs 16 again.
Bubba

 

[follower of Christ]

Follower,

I have no problem with this statement; for it is an honest statement,

I am fairly fanatical about making certain that I am maintaining honesty and integrity along with biblical harmony....as we ALL should be.

BUT there is far more to this subject then how you see it in your condemning understanding.

Please.
Youve run to a VERY narrow range of evidence to try to push this fallacy, friend...YOU are the one who needs to be told that there is far more on this subject then what youve managed to conjure up.

Pretty much anyone else I would love to go round and round on this issue.

Why not me ? Arent I just as cuddly as the others?

Once in a great while I find you using God's Word in an honest and debatable format;

Let me guess...WHEN you find something we agree on ? ;)

sad to say overall this is not the case.

Feel free to prove what Ive offered here as being in error.

Your far to bias and opinioned with no backing of scripture far too often,

Dear Lord...this lie AGAIN ?
READERS....shall I REPOST my evidence again here from GODS WORD ???
Here ya go..

Scriptural Evidence provided by FoC;
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=39779#p479694
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=39779#p479696
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=39779#p479697
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=39779#p479699
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=39779#p479700

Sorry gent...you are bearing FALSE witness...I HAVE provided a TON of scripture...apparenlty you just dont read anyones posts

with no dialog;

Laughable considering you JUST said that I present my own bias...ie DIALOG supposedly presenting that bias... ;)
Cant very well present BIAS without DIALOGUE, now can we ;)

and if you do use scripture it is always to twist and spin.

Pot....kettle....black...

In other words I refuse to debate you because all that matters to you is you are right;

Hysterical.
You do realize that you are pretty much EXACTLY the same as I am where tactics are concerned, right?

no matter what the subject is and no matter what God’s Word declares.

you have yet to show what Gods word actually declares.
I have yet to see even one verse where you DONT ADD something to it for one....and secondly Ive yet to see where you HARMONIZE the data rather than pushing PART of it.

I can do the same, then demand money from you if I play that game...seeing that Jesus tells you to give to me when I ask of you.

I understand that much that I post is contrary to the letter that killeth; but I do not believe in the letter that killeth; I believe in the Word of God; not the word of bias religious translators like your self.

No, you believe the partial, out of context doctrine that youve pieced together from what appears to be a very demented version of the bible.

So if you notice me ignoring your post this is why.

That fine. I wont be ignoring you

I am sure this post will be deleted and so be it. By the way I might even address your post; but some major changes in honest debate must occur.

HOnestly, the only thing that needs to change is the personal remarks, that I can see....ie the first change is that you not make an ENTIRE post directed at my person....I will reciprocate.

 

[follower of Christ]

“

God in His infinite knowledge and foreknowledge chose out different people to help accomplish His will and purpose. It is always God’s will that everyone be saved and live eternally with Him, however, He knows who will refuse His gracious offer of eternal life, but He can still use them for His glory. God’s determined will, will be done.â€Â

First on this section of “determine willâ€Â, Ephesians 1 and Romans 9 and etc, the writer already has the preconceived notion that God through Jesus is speaking to the corporate and not the individual. I could quote volumes also from the opposite position and second of all and probably most important, why would God allow His children He created spend eternity in torture when He has the power to change their lives? If Follower had the power to change the heart of one his love ones would he not do it to keep his child, wife, mother and etc from eternal agony or is man’s freewill that powerful, that God is bound to make these individuals suffer for eternity even though He knew before their creation they would say no to His Son? Which by the way, we are speaking about the majority of the human race since creation, most of which have never heard of Jesus.
Bubba

Oh please.
God foreknows who will choose Him....and so He sends His children to speak to those who will...this isnt that complicated...

 

[follower of Christ]

The Permissive Will

The permissive will of God can also be called the will of man. However because of God’s determined will, that will which affected our life, the very persons we are and the decisions we make are of direct consequence to God’s hand in our life. So even though it (seems like it) is us who makes the decisions, it is still because of what God has done for us and how He made us.

I would agree with statement and add that any decision that man makes is predicated on those things that have influence our lives from our parents DNA, birthplace, teachers, friends, enemies and etc.
Bubba

VERY Nice try, friend...but it doesnt work like that.
Environment and DNA DO have SOME effect, but they do NOT DICTATE.
My wife and her brother have the SAME DNA and the SAME upbringing...and they are two ENTIRELY different people.
Hes a self absorbed jerk...while she is a very soft, empathetic sort who cares about everyone.

Lets not get back into this nonsense that makes it seem like a rapist is a poor pitiful victim who had no choice but to rape because mommy tormented him as a child.
He has a CHOICE to rape or not....

 

[follower of Christ]

The Desired Will: This is God’s will for everyone on earth to follow. These are precepts or rules of conduct such as do this or don’t do that. This will requires our cooperation.

We have discussed this with the many verses of the Law that you have quoted to me has proof that we have freewill and I will continue to say that man’s depravity is such that until God changes our heart we will never be able to freely choose to obey God’s law and when we do it is because of His Spirit in us that the natural man does not have. Again yes the pagan and heathen can demonstrate exemplary behaviour at times, but that too is God’s grace that He gives the world in order that the first fruits (Christians) have a half way decent milieu to live in. Romans seems to imply there will be a time when God removes this form of grace and if Follower is alive to experience this, he will no doubt understand just how deprived mankind is.
Bubba

And I will continue to say that Paul in Romans PROVES that men who do NOT have the law CAN do the things OF the law thus showing the law written in their hearts.

Man IS NOT entirely depraved as you folks claim...he is simply separated from God BECAUSE he CHOSE to SIN against God by eating of that tree.

Are you folks actually claiming that when an UNSAVED man LOVES his wife and treats her as he should that this is NOT WHAT GOD WOULD WANT ???
And when an UNSAVED WOMAN feeds the hungry that God HATES it ????

No, friend GODS WORD PROVES that even those without the CAN have some portion of God law IN THEIR HEARTS....if man didnt as a whole THEN WE WOULD end up like depraved animals, as some are...



Mans 'conscience' and knowing good and evil
Wm Tipton

Assertions/Conclusions of this Article
To show that man does have a conscience that can be in line with Gods law and can understand that, even when unregenerate, he has committed wrong/evil and/or good.

Supporting Evidence
Romans here shows both 'by nature' and 'their conscience'.
MY assertion is that this passage speaks about the MANS nature and the MANS conscience.

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
(Romans 2:14-15 KJV)

The word 'conscience' there is this;

G4893
ÃÆ’Ã…νείδηÃιÂ
suneidēsis
soon-i'-day-sis
From a prolonged form of G4894; co-perception, that is, moral consciousness: - conscience.

Lets compare the word "conscience' to other passages where it is used and see if it ever applies TO the unsaved.
This passage is where the UNsaved pharisees have just tried to trick Jesus.

They said this, tempting Him so that they might have reason to accuse Him. But bending down, Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger, not appearing to hear. But as they continued to ask Him, He lifted Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her. And again bending down, He wrote on the ground. And hearing, and being convicted by conscience, they went out one by one, beginning at the oldest, until the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
(John 8:6-9 MKJV)

Same word as in Romans above...
These UNSAVED men, as far from God as they were...as WE know the Pharisees were... KNEW they were not guiltless of sin and wrongdoing, thus their own conscience caused them to drop their stones and leave.

Point is that EVEN the godless Pharisees could be convicted by their own conscience to KNOW that they had done wrong.
Just as with the Romans passage...men can KNOW, saved or not, that they have done evil.
The unsaved are simply yet to be reconciled to God and filled with the Spirit so they can be forgiven for sins.
They are ruled by their spiritless minds, but like the Pharisees above, ARE capable of knowing when they have done good or evil.

.

 

[follower of Christ]

And in this realm man does make decisions and is culpable for those decisions, but the paradox I already spoke about in other posts that hopefully you read is, that in the realm of the Spirit, it was God working through us (Eph. 2:10, Phil. 2:10) that we accomplish anything in respect to righteousness. Read the Proverbs 16 again.
Bubba

There are no paradoxes in scripture, only lack of harmonization on the part of the reader.

 

[Benoni]

Yea we have been over this over and over agai; I am done with your spin. BYE
:crazy

The Desired Will: This is God’s will for everyone on earth to follow. These are precepts or rules of conduct such as do this or don’t do that. This will requires our cooperation.

We have discussed this with the many verses of the Law that you have quoted to me has proof that we have freewill and I will continue to say that man’s depravity is such that until God changes our heart we will never be able to freely choose to obey God’s law and when we do it is because of His Spirit in us that the natural man does not have. Again yes the pagan and heathen can demonstrate exemplary behaviour at times, but that too is God’s grace that He gives the world in order that the first fruits (Christians) have a half way decent milieu to live in. Romans seems to imply there will be a time when God removes this form of grace and if Follower is alive to experience this, he will no doubt understand just how deprived mankind is.
Bubba

And I will continue to say that Paul in Romans PROVES that men who do NOT have the law CAN do the things OF the law thus showing the law written in their hearts.

Man IS NOT entirely depraved as you folks claim...he is simply separated from God BECAUSE he CHOSE to SIN against God by eating of that tree.

Are you folks actually claiming that when an UNSAVED man LOVES his wife and treats her as he should that this is NOT WHAT GOD WOULD WANT ???
And when an UNSAVED WOMAN feeds the hungry that God HATES it ????

No, friend GODS WORD PROVES that even those without the CAN have some portion of God law IN THEIR HEARTS....if man didnt as a whole THEN WE WOULD end up like depraved animals, as some are...



Mans 'conscience' and knowing good and evil
Wm Tipton

Assertions/Conclusions of this Article
To show that man does have a conscience that can be in line with Gods law and can understand that, even when unregenerate, he has committed wrong/evil and/or good.

Supporting Evidence
Romans here shows both 'by nature' and 'their conscience'.
MY assertion is that this passage speaks about the MANS nature and the MANS conscience.
[quote:t09wf3cu]For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
(Romans 2:14-15 KJV)

The word 'conscience' there is this;

G4893
ÃÆ’Ã…νείδηÃιÂ
suneidēsis
soon-i'-day-sis
From a prolonged form of G4894; co-perception, that is, moral consciousness: - conscience.

Lets compare the word "conscience' to other passages where it is used and see if it ever applies TO the unsaved.
This passage is where the UNsaved pharisees have just tried to trick Jesus.

They said this, tempting Him so that they might have reason to accuse Him. But bending down, Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger, not appearing to hear. But as they continued to ask Him, He lifted Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her. And again bending down, He wrote on the ground. And hearing, and being convicted by conscience, they went out one by one, beginning at the oldest, until the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
(John 8:6-9 MKJV)

Same word as in Romans above...
These UNSAVED men, as far from God as they were...as WE know the Pharisees were... KNEW they were not guiltless of sin and wrongdoing, thus their own conscience caused them to drop their stones and leave.

Point is that EVEN the godless Pharisees could be convicted by their own conscience to KNOW that they had done wrong.
Just as with the Romans passage...men can KNOW, saved or not, that they have done evil.
The unsaved are simply yet to be reconciled to God and filled with the Spirit so they can be forgiven for sins.
They are ruled by their spiritless minds, but like the Pharisees above, ARE capable of knowing when they have done good or evil.

.[/quote:t09wf3cu]

 

[Benoni]

"Then comes the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have PUT DOWN all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has PUT all enemies UNDER HIS FEET. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For He hath PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says all things are PUT UNDER Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did PUT all things UNDER HIM. And when ALL THINGS shall be SUBDUED UNTO Him, then shall the Son also Himself BE SUBJECT unto Him that PUT ALL THINGS under Him, that God may be all in all" (I Cor. 15:24-28).

In the 27th and 28th verses one single verb meaning "put in subjection" is used six times. It is variously translated as "put under," "subdues," and "be subject." Paul chooses this word to make clear his meaning that ALL THINGS IN THE UNIVERSE are to be brought INTO SUBJECTION to God. To bring into subjection is to bring into obedience. There can be no reconciliation, no harmony, no orderly Kingdom, no "God all in all" without a subjugation; and as God accepts nothing but a willing obedience, He plans to bring ALL to a willing obedience to His will. God does not make anyone do anything. But He certainly knows how to "make" us WILLING! God didn't "make" Jonah go to Nineveh, but He DID MAKE HIM WILLING to go!

 

[Benoni]

Oh! the beauty of God's plan of the ages! "Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9). It is a fundamental and wonderful fact that salvation is of the Lord and not man, but the Lord does not save all in this age.

Why not? He does save some; and if He saves some, why not others?

Is it because they are too sinful and depraved?

No; for the apostle wrote, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (I Tim. 1:15).

Therefore, if God saved the "chief" of sinners, none are excluded because of their depravity. Why then does God not now save all?

Is it because some are too stony-hearted to be won? No; because of the most stony-hearted people of all it is written, that God will yet "take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh" (Eze. 11:9).

I shall answer that question by asking another. Was there not a time when you walked in the counsel of the ungodly, stood in the way of sinners, sat in the seat of the scornful, and with them said, "We will not have this Man to reign over us" (Lk. 19:14)? Was there not a time when you "would not come to Christ that you might have life" (Jn. 5:40)? But how is it that all is now changed? What was it that brought you from haughty self-sufficiency to a humble suppliant, from one that was at enmity with God to one that is at peace with Him, from lawlessness to subjection, from hate to love? And, as one born of the Spirit, you will readily reply, "By the grace of God I am what I am" (I Cor. 15:10).

Then is it because some are so stubborn, so intractable, so defiant, so incorrigible that God is unable to woo them to Himself?