Posted on 05/08/2004 8:00:01 PM PDT by Gamecock
I find these words of the Lord in John 10 to be sobering and instructive. I'm sure someone can find a way to explain around them but to me it locks out any chance for belief in Christ unless the "sheep" are his to begin with.
Where does that faith come from, and why does one man choose and another not?
It might be the case that from the point of view of the Father, that he had selected or decided before our time (the greek for predestined)who would be His children, but if we take this perspective in judging or discerning our salvation we have made ourselves as the Most High, thereby no longer remaining in His Spirit and out of fellowship with Him.
Quite the opposite C , Believing that unregenerate man can save himself by his choice steals the glory and sovereignty of God and is man exhalting himself above God . We can agree that from the human perspective we may see it as a human choice, but in truth the choice belongs to God .
We are to have the witness of the Holy Spirit to our salvation, that steals nothing from God, that is a work of God.
"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy "
However, His indwelling us does allow us to understand Christ as the Son of God through whom all our blessings flow, this would be from the Father, and we obediently choose to place faith in Him
Are you saying that the unsaved have the indwelling Holy Spirit that places in men the desire to be saved?
It is the Holy Spirit that quickens us (regenerates us ) , gives us a new heart and thereby changes the will to desire God. Then man will choose to repent and believe.
If it is your suggestion however that all men have that Holy Spirit that will cause some to believe..I would have to ask for a scripture on that
just as Christ placed faith in the Father. This also allows consistent future sanctification by our remaining obedient to Him and not quenching the filling of the Holy SPirit in our souls, thereby continuing to build up our spirit towards complete sanctification.
I think that is the cart before the horse C. We are not sanctified because we are obedient to Him , we are obedient because of His work of Grace in us which sanctifies us.
Amen. "We love Him because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19.
Grace is all of Him, and none of us.
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