Month: October 2011
IS IT GODS WILL THAT ALL BE SAVED?
IF IT IS GODS WILL THAT NOT ANY ON THE FACE OFTHE PLANET PERISH THEN EITHER GOD DOES NOT GET WHAT HE DESIRES OR THE ALL HE DESIRES ARE NOT ALL PEOPLE THAT EVER EXISTED IN THE WORLD BUT ALL THAT THE LORD OUR GOD SHALL CALL.
GOD ALWAYS GETS WHAT HE WILLS ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE AND TO SAY OTHERWISE IS TO LIMIT GOD AND MAKE HIM DEPENDANT UPON HIS CREATION. GOD IS DEPENDANT ON NO ONE. WHEN HE WILLS SOMETHING HE ALSO ACCOMPLISHES WHAT HE WILLS.
GODS WILL HOWEVER, IS TWOFOLD. THERE IS GODS PERMISSIVE WILL AND GODS PERFECT WILL. DAVID SINNED OF HIS OWN ACCORD BUT GOD ALLOWED IT FOR HIS PURPOSES. ISRAEL WANTED A KING BUT GOD TOLD THEM THAT IT WAS NOT IN THEIR BEST INTEREST. STILL THEY INSISTED SO GOD ALLOWED IT TO SHOW THEM THAT HIS WAY IS BETTER THAN MANS WAY. THEY SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO HIM.
IN THE SAME WAY, GOD IN HIS PERFECT WILL DESIRES ALL TO REFRAIN FROM SIN BUT IN HIS PERMISSIVE WILL HE ALLOWS PEOPLE TO SIN. GOD DOES NOT LIKE SIN BUT HE ALLOWED THE FALL. WE CAN SEE THIS BY THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL THAT HE PLANTED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN. HE KNEW MAN WOULD SIN AND HE ALLOWED IT IN ORDER TO FULFILL HIS ETERNAL PLAN. JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED THE BIBLE SAYS FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, IN OTHER WORDS HE WAS COMMISSIONED TO COME TO EARTH PRIOR TO THE FALL. GOD HAD A PLAN AND A PURPOSE. HE IS NOT DEPENDANT ON MANKIND BUT RATHER CONTROLS ALL THINGS.
WHEN PEOPLE SIN GOD TURNS IT AROUND AND USES IT FOR HIS GLORY. WHEN JOSEPHS BROTHERS SOLD HIM INTO SLAVERY GOD ALLOWED IT FOR A GREATER PURPOSE.
Gen. 50:20
“But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. ”
ALSO GOD ALLOWED HITLER TO MURDER THE JEWS BUT GOD USED THAT SITUATION AND BROUGHT HIS PEOPLE BACK TO THEIR HOMELAND. SO WE CAN SEE THAT EVEN THOUGH GOD DOES NOT LIKE SIN HE DOES ALLOW IT BY HIS PERMISSIVE WILL. GOD HAD HEROD AND PONTIUS PILATE CARRY OUT HIS WILL BY CONDEMNING JESUS BECAUSE HE PREDESTINED THE CRUCIFIXION TO OCCUR AND THIS REQUIRED PEOPLE TO SIN. GOD DID NOT MAKE THEM SIN BECAUSE HE DOES NOT TEMPT ANYONE (James 1:13) BUT IN HIS SOVEREIGNTY THEY CARRIED OUT HIS PREDESTINED WILL BY ALLOWING THEIR SIN TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL.
GOD IS IN CONTROL OF ALL EVENTS AND EVEN THOUGH HE DOES NOT DESIRE PEOPLE TO SIN HE ALLOWS IT BY HIS PERMISSIVE WILL AS A PART OF HIS SOVEREIGN PLAN. THEREFORE, WE CAN SEE THAT GOD CAN DESIRE SOMETHING AND YET EVEN ORDAIN ANOTHER BY GIVING IT A PLACE IN HIS SOVEREIGN WILL. GOD CAN DESIRE THAT ALL BE SAVED BUT NOT ORDAIN THAT ALL BE SAVED AND RATHER MAKE PROVISION IN HIS PLAN FOR THEIR DAMNATION. THE SCRIPTURES SAY THAT CERTAIN MEN WERE ORDAINED OF OLD TO CONDEMNATION.
Prov. 16:4
“The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil,”
JUDE 1:4
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 9:6-23
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
(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 )
It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
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.
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
No one is Righteousness Apart from Jesus Christ
All men “are under sin” (Romans 3:9; 5:12). No matter who you are. No matter what you’ve done. You are a sinner.
As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:10-18)
The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. (Psalm 14:2-3)
Therefore, all men are guilty before God (Romans 3:19) and need to be saved (Isaiah 64:5). And since they are guilty and sinful, men are incapable of doing good on their own (Psalm 16:2). Even their righteousness God considers as good as a rag with more than one menstruation upon it.
But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; (literally in the Hebrew, a garment of periods,menastratrion cloth beged `iddiym, Isaiah 64:6; Hebrew Isaiah 64:5)
Therefore, men need to be saved. And since men have no righteousness of their own, salvation is impossible without the mercy and grace of God. Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible” (see Mark 10:26-27). Men, left to their own merit, on their own good deeds, cannot be saved. It’s impossible. Because, the very best they can do (“our righteousnesses”) is worth absolutely nothing. Actually, any “good” a sinner might do apart from God is disgusting in His eyes (Isaiah 64:6). Therefore, there is no way salvation could be based upon “works of righteousness which we have done.”
All are dead in tresspasses and sin
Moreover, being under sin, as all men are, this also means that they are spiritually dead. Because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
God said to Adam, “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17; Titus 1:2). Adam and Eve did die that day (Genesis 3:1-19). Physically they continued to live (Genesis 4:25; 5:5). but, spiritually they died and death passed to all Adam’s descendants (Romans 5:12).
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (Ephesians 2:1-3)
Before conversion, all people are “children of wrath” and “dead in trespasses and sins.” They are spiritually dead people who are incapable of doing anything good because the concience is in sin, the mind is in sin, the will is in sin and the body is in sin. Any ‘good deed” done always has a selfish motive in the unsaved.
Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:3, 5-6)
One must become spiritually alive, born, in order to be saved (i.e. “enter the kingdom of God”). And how does one become spiritually born? By their own efforts? By trying really hard to attain some spiritual nirvana? By finding some spiritual birth canal and going through it? No. Remember, that all people without Christ are spiritually dead. How does a dead man bring himself to life? He cannot ! But, the Lord can.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). (Ephesians 2:4-5)
This is the work of God, not the work of man. Man is dead in his sin, incapable of doing anything spiritually good (Ephesians 2:1-3; Isaiah 64:6), but God takes dead men, and makes them alive! This is why salvation is not by works. It cannot be by works, since no man, dead in his sin, can possibly have any good works whatsoever to attain anything from God. In fact, this is why it is called salvation. Men are being saved from their miserable, helpless condition, as Romans 5:6 says,
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
No one is Righteousness Apart from Jesus Christ
What about after conversion? What about after we have been born again, made spiritually alive? Is our acceptance into heaven, our salvation, now based upon our own good works? No. Because we are still incapable of doing any good apart from God. It is God himself who does the work through the Christian. All works of the flesh are dead works!
David was a righteous man (1 Samuel 13:14) he was not a righteous man because of his own goodness, but he was a righteous man because of the righteousness of God that was upon him (Psalm 4:1).
O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.” (Psalm 16:2)
Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no one living is righteous. (Psalm 143:2)
And, so it is for all who come to faith in Christ (Psalm 36:10; 89:16; 103:17; 118:19-20; Romans 3:22). Paul said,
I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith (Philippians 3:8-9).
Apart from Jesus Christ no one has any righteousness of their own, no goodness apart from God (Psalm 16:2), even after they’ve come to Christ. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3; see also Isaiah 66:2). In other words, these are the kind of people who go to heaven. These are the kind of people who are saved. They know they are not saved by works of righteousness which they have done (Titus 3:5), because they have none of their own. Because, even though they are made spiritually alive.
The Flesh continues to be Sinful
In Romans 3:23 Paul wrote, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This is true of everyone, saved or not. Even saved people still sin and fall short of the glory of God, as Solomon said, “there is no one who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46), and 1 John 1:8 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Sin is still a factor in the believer’s life, as Paul wrote,
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:14-24)
This sinful flesh, this body of death, stained by sin, is constantly doing evil (verse 19). Paul said nothing good dwells in it (verse 18). Therefore, there is a constant war waging (verse 23). The sinful flesh part of Paul (“my flesh” which “nothing good dwells” verse 18), is in war against the redeemed part of Paul (“the one who wills to do good” verse 23, “the inward man” verse 22). And, as far as getting Paul’s flesh to do anything good, Paul says it’s impossible (verse 18). The sinful flesh stays sinful, even after being born again, and the sinful flesh will continue to be evil until the day of “the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23).
Therefore, being still in this sinful flesh, we have sin in us, and we still sin. As 1 John 1:10 says, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Ecclesiastes 7:20 notes, “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.”
Being still in this sinful state, makes the christian in continual need for grace, grace, grace . As scriptures say,’ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
And 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
If we confess our sins, He forgives us, and cleanses us from “all unrighteousness.” “All unrighteous” includes any unrighteousness, even sin that we might not remember to confess or know to confess. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:6-7)
Those who walk in the light (living by the Spirit of life and liberty in Christ Jesus ) get a continual cleansing of the blood of Christ and so their sins are continually cleansed away as we die daily by the help of the holy spirt who mortify(puts to death) the body.
Paul says that if we walk by the Spirit we won’t be walking in the flesh. We won’t be walking like God wasn’t a part of us. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8)
For if you live according to the flesh (the carnal unredeemed nature) you will die; but if by the Spirit(who lives in the Christian) you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:13-14)
Those not led by the Spirit of God do not belong to God, they are still carnal fleshy, of this world. The sons of God live in righteousness and godliness (Ephesians 5:8-10; 1 John 2:3-5). The ungodly, the wicked, those on their way to hell, do not (Revelation 21:8).
Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ and not by the works of the law. Israel was excluded from the righteousness of God, from His salvation, because they thought that they might attain to God’s righteousness by their own good deeds. They thought that salvation would come to them if they kept the law but they were wrong. the law leada to death because no one can keep it in his own power.
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. Romans 9:30-32
Jesus Christ is the stumbling stone for the law keeper. (Acts 4:10-11; 1 Peter 2:5-8). Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”It is only through faith (trust, reliance, relationship) with the Lord Jesus Christ that anyone will ever be saved (e.g. Romans 4:3). It is not by keeping the law (good works), because, “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).
The law reveals the sinfulness of men, and any efforts in keeping the law for salvation is in absolute vain.
This is why Paul was so concerned about the church of Galatia. They had accepted the true gospel, but then sometime later they were given a false gospel in which they were told they must keep the Mosaic law (Galatians 3:3-5, 10, 17). This moved them away from walking by faith (Galatians 1:6) to walking by the flesh, their own ability. (Galatians 3:3-5) and as they looked to be made righteous, by keeping the law, rather than by trusting God to work His righteousness in them by faith they fell from Grace. (Galatians 6:15-16; Philippians 3:9).
There is a rest for the people of God according to Hebrews 4:9) in which we must be enter (Hebrews 4:11). In other words, we must not trust in any righteousness of our own (e.g. Luke 18:9-14). This rest is faith in Christ alone for salvation. (Romans 4:5). It is where the saint “has ceased from his works as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:10). Jesus christ is our Sabbath, he is the rest we must enter to be saved.
What does this mean? It means that any hope of godly living, any hope of living a righteous life, any hope of making it to heaven, is all cast upon the grace, mercy, and kindness of the love of god through the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
For it is by grace [God’s mercy, pardon,aquittal] that we are saved. Not of ourselves [not of our own ability] not of works [not by good deeds and law keeping] it is the GIFT [freely bestowed blessing] of God, SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST! [no bragging about how you saved yourself by your good works, efforts, ]
By GRACE are you saved through FAITH and not by keeping the law.
The law keeper tries in his own ability (even though he may attribute God as his little helper) to obey laws for his justification. In other words law keeping will save him and keep him saved. His good works are brought before God to make him acceptable. The law keeper is very proud of himself. He walks around strutting himself before men and blows his own horn. He puts on that he is humble but really he loves the praise of men and needs their approval. He thinks that he is good enough in God’s eyes, so special, so deserving but he does not know that his works are as filthy rags in Gods sight and he is nothing but a worm! This law keeper will say on that day,” Lord, lord, have not I done many wonderful works in your name???” and of course God will say, “Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, (unregenerate, unsaved) you thought that you could purchase the gift of God by your works. I NEVER DID KNOW YOU”
The born again Christian is a sinner saved by grace, God’s undeserved mercy. He knows he did not deserve it and he is eternally grateful. He walks in humility and praises the Lord for his goodness to him. He has experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in his life and he does not need to keep legalistic laws because the Holy Spirit who lives in him keeps him by his power, even unto the end. No one can pluck the Christian out of the Father’s hand. No one can deceive God’s elect because he has the Holy Spirit living in him and he is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. The born again Christian lives by the faith OF GOD, he puts no confidence in his flesh! He relies of the Lord for every little thing, he is not self sufficient but abides by the power of God in the vine and thus he is ordained to produce fruit that pleases God, fruit that is God’s fruit; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness faith, temperance, AGAINST SUCH THERE IS NO LAW!
Luke 18:9-14
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
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