sheshisown
Member
:waving
What more could have been done to My vineyard? In this parable, there was nothing left undone by the owner of the vineyard. He did all he could do. In the same way, God cannot be blamed at all for the wild grapes Israel brought forth. nor the wild sin in humankind. His Sovereign plan abides still, while human beings fail to abide in Him. God did all He could do, apart from making men robots, or acting apart from or against their wills. God will not force obedience... that is a satanic work. This is an unbalanced view of God's Sovereign knowledge which makes it dependent upon His Sovereign will being followed by humanity.
(If God Who is The Eternal Being is NOT all-knowing, what then makes Him God?)
The fault (the sin) lies with mankind, never with God. Listen to a few "fathers of the faith"...
“It will be seen then . . . that every soul of man had the chance of becoming a fruitful vineyard; and if it became the reverse, it was due to no failure in either the wisdom or the grace of God.†(F.B. Meyer)
“O you that profess to be his people, what more could Christ have done for you? What more could the Holy Spirit have done? What richer promises, what wiser precepts, what kinder Providences, what more gracious patience?†(C.H. Spurgeon)
Certainly God EXPECTED this outcome. It is that this outcome is so outrageous~ when we consider the power and authority of God's work in His people. That humanity may be expected to do anything rather than what God has purposed is a failure to understand His love and grace and power to perform His will. Yet God Almighty bends His own perfect will to the foolish will of humanity... :gah Because He treasures the image in which He created us, we exercise our sovereignty in each choice we make. :yes
To allow one verse in the Bible to "seemingly" oppose the thorough teaching of the WHOLE word of God is unwise and disastrous. God expects everything that occurs, there are no surprises for The One Who knows all things. :nod
It is possible for God to do a work in His people, but for His people to receive that work in vain...
Paul warned, "We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain." (2 Corinthians 6:1)
Of course, a literal vineyard does not “do†anything. But we, as God’s vineyard, are called to work with the grace of God, so that His grace is not received in vain. Grace is not given because of any works, past, present or promised; Yet it is given to encourage work, not to say work is unnecessary. God does not want us to receive His grace and become passive. Paul knew that God gives His grace, we work hard, and the work of God is done.
Jesus used this same image in His parable of the wicked tenants and the vineyard. (Matthew 21:33-46)
What IS astounding about this particular scripture, is if we read on it reveals that God punishes His people for their unwillingness to repent and for their unfruitful ways... did you read that far? It sounds a great deal like what is happening to America these days... :shades
sheshisown~
What more could have been done to My vineyard? In this parable, there was nothing left undone by the owner of the vineyard. He did all he could do. In the same way, God cannot be blamed at all for the wild grapes Israel brought forth. nor the wild sin in humankind. His Sovereign plan abides still, while human beings fail to abide in Him. God did all He could do, apart from making men robots, or acting apart from or against their wills. God will not force obedience... that is a satanic work. This is an unbalanced view of God's Sovereign knowledge which makes it dependent upon His Sovereign will being followed by humanity.
(If God Who is The Eternal Being is NOT all-knowing, what then makes Him God?)
The fault (the sin) lies with mankind, never with God. Listen to a few "fathers of the faith"...
“It will be seen then . . . that every soul of man had the chance of becoming a fruitful vineyard; and if it became the reverse, it was due to no failure in either the wisdom or the grace of God.†(F.B. Meyer)
“O you that profess to be his people, what more could Christ have done for you? What more could the Holy Spirit have done? What richer promises, what wiser precepts, what kinder Providences, what more gracious patience?†(C.H. Spurgeon)
Certainly God EXPECTED this outcome. It is that this outcome is so outrageous~ when we consider the power and authority of God's work in His people. That humanity may be expected to do anything rather than what God has purposed is a failure to understand His love and grace and power to perform His will. Yet God Almighty bends His own perfect will to the foolish will of humanity... :gah Because He treasures the image in which He created us, we exercise our sovereignty in each choice we make. :yes
To allow one verse in the Bible to "seemingly" oppose the thorough teaching of the WHOLE word of God is unwise and disastrous. God expects everything that occurs, there are no surprises for The One Who knows all things. :nod
It is possible for God to do a work in His people, but for His people to receive that work in vain...
Paul warned, "We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain." (2 Corinthians 6:1)
Of course, a literal vineyard does not “do†anything. But we, as God’s vineyard, are called to work with the grace of God, so that His grace is not received in vain. Grace is not given because of any works, past, present or promised; Yet it is given to encourage work, not to say work is unnecessary. God does not want us to receive His grace and become passive. Paul knew that God gives His grace, we work hard, and the work of God is done.
Jesus used this same image in His parable of the wicked tenants and the vineyard. (Matthew 21:33-46)
What IS astounding about this particular scripture, is if we read on it reveals that God punishes His people for their unwillingness to repent and for their unfruitful ways... did you read that far? It sounds a great deal like what is happening to America these days... :shades
sheshisown~
