Cascade Falls, Yosemite by Thomas Moran Sing F Lau
An elect in his native state is under the condemnation and death. What is the first thing God does when He applies the redemption that Christ has secured for all His people?
September 25 at 10:57pm
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Romans 8:29-30 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also CALLED: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
1689.10.1 "Those whom God hath predestined unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call,(1) by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ;(2)...."
1. Ro 8:30; 11:7; Eph 1:10-11, 2Th 2:13-14. 2. Eph 2:1-6.
God is pleased at His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call....
'Effectual call' is the first divine act - freely and sovereignly by His grace alone - in the application of redemption to each elect.
But what is effectual calling? This is a very crucial question! Don't imagine your own idea!
Effectual calling is God calling an elect out of the state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. And this calling is effectual - complete and successful in accomplishing its end and goal. And what is that?
Effectual call is God calling an elect out of the state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. This is what the theologian termed as Definitive Sanctification: a separation from the state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation, that is decisive, perfect and complete, once for all.
To call a man out of the state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation would requires ALL THESE, in this number and LOGICAL [sic] order:
- justification of life by God's free grace (removal of the condemnation of death, and righteousness of Christ applies to an elect personally)
- regeneration (quickened with eternal life, removal of spiritual death)
- adoption of the regenerated into God's family (removal of alienation, given the rights and privileges as members of God's family).
- Bestowal of the Spirit of adoption to dwell within a child of God.
(As a result of all these free and gracious acts in the effectual call out of the state of sin and death to grace and salvation, an elect is now as fit for heaven and eternal glory as many.)
Calling an elect out of his native state of condemnation of death into the STATE OF GRACE requires ALL THOSE divine acts. And with those divide act, the effectually called ones are completely and wholly fit for eternal glory.
Nothing else is need for his ETERNAL salvation. Eternal glory is GUARANTEED - see Rom 8:30. All these are by the free grace of God without the elect meeting any condition, for he simply can't meet any.
BUT much things are needed for his well-being as a child of God here on earth. That's where the ministry of the gospel is crucial for the well-being of God's children.
With the effectual calling, THEN and ONLY THEN, a man is capable of believing the glorious gospel... because it is already true of them... the redemption in Christ Jesus declared in the gospel is already true of them... and such are called to believe the truth!
Faith cometh by hearing... And in believing, his faith justifies him as one whom God has justified freely by His grace, regenerated freely by His grace, adopted freely by His grace, and indwelt by the Spirit of God.
Sing F Lau
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to CONDEMNATION [OF DEATH]; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto JUSTIFICATION OF LIFE. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made... sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Sin brought the condemnation of death.
Righteousness alone secures justification of life
There is a justification that is by God's free grace, PRIOR to any ability to believe. God justifies the ungodly, a condemned sinner, and such is incapable of believing.
And there is a justification by the believing act of a child of God. Believing justifies a child of God - evidentially as well experientially.
The former is forensic.
The latter is evidential/experiential.
Failing to distinguish them is the root of much confusion.
Distinction is the essence of sound theology.
May the Lord give you understanding.
But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
Sing F Lau
But many Calvinists understand the effectual call as the gospel call made effectual unto the CONVERSION of a sinner, the preaching of the gospel is blessed and used to regenerate someone dead in trespasses and sin, and enable him to believe...... and in believing he is justified by God! That is another subtle PERVERSION and TWISTING of the gospel truth.
Chapin
Brother Sing, Since Calvinists claim the TULIP, don't they contradict the first letter on the pole? T = total Depravity. If one is totally depraved, doesn't that mean they have no facilities as far as spiritual things go?
Scripture says, "But the NATURAL man receiveth NOT the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he KNOW [understand] them because they are spiritually discerned." [1 Cor. 2:14]
The NATURAL man is DEAD in trespasses and in sins. If DEAD to Spiritual things, then how are they able to respond to the gospel call to receive life???
Marrow
London Baptist Confession 1644
1644,.21 "That Jesus Christ by His death did bring forth salvation and reconciliation only for the elect, which were those which God the Father gave him; & that the Gospel which is to be preached to all men as the ground of faith, is, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the ever-blessed God, filled with the perfection of all heavenly and spiritual excellencies, and that salvation is only and alone to be had through the believing in his Name. John 15:13. Rom. 8:32, 33, 34. Rom. 5:11 & 3:25. Joh. 17:2 with 6:37. Matt. 16:16. Luke 2:26. Matth. 16:16. Luke 2:26. Joh. 6:9 & 7: 3 & 20:32. I John 5:11.
1644.22 "That Faith is the gift of God wrought in the hearts of the elect by the Spirit of God, whereby they come to see, know, and believe the truth of the Scriptures, & not only so, but the excellence of them above all other writings and things in the world, as they hold forth the glory of God in his attributes, the excellency of Christ in his nature and offices, and the power of the fullest of the Spirit in its workings and operations; and thereupon are enabled to cast the weight of their souls upon this truth thus believed." Eph. 2:8. Joh. 6:29 & 4:10. Phil. 1:29. Gal. 5:22. Joh. 7:17. Heb. 4:11, 12. Joh. 6:63.
1644.24 "That faith is ordinarily begot by the preaching of the Gospel, or word of Christ, without respect to any power or capacity in the creature, but it is wholly passive, being dead in sins and trespasses, does believe, and is converted by no less power, than that which raised Christ from the dead. "
Dear brethren...I am afraid we look at something from our own perspective and forget that godly men disagree on many things. I believe the 1644 confession on these matters and the fact that they said "ordinarily" in the passage above doesn't bother me in the least. What does bother me is when men try to act like they have a corner on what the "old" Baptist taught. Love you all.
Hart
Sing, Jerry or Michael, ... although the word, 'intrinsic' isn't a Bible word, does anyone suppose that faith is exercised by unregenerate sinners?
Is this correct? A living baby yet in the womb can physically exercise prior to natural bi...rth and an unregenerate (dead) sinner can exercise faith prior to the new birth.
Thanks, brethren, for love.
Sing F Lau
Brother Marrow, I agree completely with what you have quoted from 1644.
What bother me is when "new school" baptists like you fail to distinguish what the "old" baptists did state so clearly.
The eternal salvation bestowed upon an elect by God's free grace and the salvation that is obtained by a child of God through his acts of believing are TWO fundamentally distinct and separate salvation.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND the last paragraph. If not, please ask, and I will explain. I believe this is the greatest hurdle, and if you can understand this basic truth, than lots of confusion can be avoided.
The eternal salvation by God's free grace in Jesus Christ MUST BE RIGHTLY DIVIDED from the temporal salvation by the believing acts of God's children.
Because so many "new" baptists fail to distinguish these two distinct aspects of salvation, they IGNORANTLY and IRRATIONALLY insist that believing is prerequisite for their eternal salvation. That is mixing grace and work together!
Believing is work! Read John 6:28 ¶ Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
I have always asked... and nobody cares to answer.
How does God save, and from what does He save His people from?
How does the believing act (of a child of God) save him, and save him from what?
Sing F Lau
Richy, faith is an EFFECT of salvation already bestowed; it is one of the graces worked in the heart by the indwelling Spirit of God.
That saving grace is manifested, drawn forth or BEGOTTEN through the gospel ministry. "Faith cometh by hear...ing." That faith worked in the heart by the Spirit is drawn forth through the preaching of the gospel.
All sane men will affirm that a effect of a Cause cannot possibly be at the same time the instrument to attain that same Cause!
That is just NONSENSE, rotten nonsense... but so many love such nonsense.
Might as well tell a dead man that if he breathes, he shall receive life.
Hart
Does anyone yet think the sinner's prayer precedes new birth?
IMO, the preaching of gospel regeneration makes many cents, rather than plenty sense.
Good sounding decisional regeneration sermons excerpts fill the belly, resulting in bloat & g...loat, while spiritually starving listeners.
Sing F Lau
Many do believe the sinner's prayer precedes new birth. They are just not here to rave and foam!
It 'bloats' the self-conceit of the preachers and the converts, causing both to 'gloat' over the crucial role they played in the salvation of sinners... they assisted God to complete His work of eternal redemption... because Jesus didn't quite finished it.
So preachers believe that without their preaching, there would be no regeneration because the Holy Spirit's activity of regeneration is conditioned on the gospel preaching as the essential catalyst. The sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration is made to conditioned upon man's co-operation.
These also insist that without faith, there would be no justification before God. That notion implies that an UN-justified sinner, still in the state of condemnation and death, is capable of believing IN ORDER TO be justified by God!
Marrow
"But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people" Romans 10:18-21 (KJV). Was God insincere when he stretched forth his hand to this disobedient people? Why would God stretch forth his hand to those he knew would reject him?
Sing F Lau
Brother Morrow, very interesting thought. But I don't know what exactly is the difficulty. If there is any, I am not seeing it yet. May be the difficulty arises because we don't rightly divide the word of truth.
I take it as an established truth that God NEVER hold forth eternal salvation conditioned upon man's obedience or acceptance. It is contrary to His moral character, contrary to His revelation, contrary to reason and common sense, etc.
I believe what is involved is the temporal salvation... which demands and requires the obedience of God's people. It has nothing to do with their eternal salvation - being saved from the eternal condemnation due to their sins. It has to do with their deliverance from the judgment threatened against them for their unbelief and disobedient. God is dealing with His people - whom He has made His own by His free and sovereign grace - for their unbelief and disobedience.
This is confirmed because in the previous verses, Apostle Paul is also speaking of the temporal salvation that comes to those that do believe the gospel. Believing the gospel truth will save GOD'S CHILDREN, will bring them much deliverance in this life, temporal salvation.
Eternal salvation came through Christ's finished work alone, and applied by the Spirit alone... all completed by free grace alone. Temporal salvation - related to our well-being as God's children is conditioned upon our obedience to the gospel. IF YOU APPRECIATE THIS BIT, MUCH CONFUSION WOULD NOT ARISE.
After I have read enough of the Bible, the FALSITY of new school Calvinistic doctrine of the perseverance of the saints in a life of faith and obedient to the end of their life become SO PLAIN! There is no such thing in the Scriptures.
God Himself said, "MY PEOPLE ARE BENT ON BACKSLIDING!"
God would be VERY insincere if He is holding forth eternal salvation to those whom He knew very well had absolutely no capability to receive, in fact positively hostile towards God in their inward man. In fact it would be cruel and injurious mocking and taunting at them.
But that is not true when God called His people to turn from their evil ways. They are able to obey, in this they were able to exercise a choice... but they disobeyed. Disobedience would face severe punishment here in the present life.
God did stretch forth His hand to His people, calling them to turn from their waywardness, sending them prophets after prophets... but they rejected God's Fatherly call to make amend.
They suffered for their disobedience all throughout their history!
Marrow
Could it be to compound the judgment on those who refused to hear and could not the preaching of Christ do the same thing to the non-elect today?
Sing F Lau
Their hatred and rejection of such good news, most certainly discloses their utter perversity and corruption, even though it was never intended for them, would most certainly greatly compound their guilt.
