Sense or Cent$Invigorating Snow or Killing Volcanic Ash?
"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 & gloat, while spiritually starving listeners.
Sing F Lau
Thank you, Richard.
That's an apt observation.
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!
Thomas
Brother Sing, I have a standing invitation to the gospel regenerationist preachers to meet me in a cemetery and demonstrate the life giving ability of their voices. So far, no takers.
Harlin
My .. how they limit the Lord .. He also works outside of the visible church ... revealing His truth to whom He may that He chose them in His Son Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world. I am one of those ..
Sing F Lau
Brother Thomas, I have not come across men who would make that bold claim... they know very well that they will be challenged by bolder men like you, and exposed as LIARS.
What I have heard is this: that their preaching is NEEDED to assist the Holy Spirit in His work of regeneration. So, they do give lip-service to the fact that it is the Holy Spirit alone, and they would even emphasize 'alone' - BUT the Holy Spirit cannot do it without their preaching!
But that lie is no worse than the other lie - both actively involve preachers in the divine work of eternal redemption... and they still foam the shibboleth "salvation is by God's grace alone"!
Thomas
The same power that is needed in raising the dead is the power needed in giving eternal life to the sinner dead in trespasses. Eph. 1:19, 20 Therefore to claim the power to do the one is to claim the power to do the other.
My stock answer ...to those who believe they are needed to assist God in giving life to His children is that God is omnipotent and does not need their assistance as "surrogate fathers". Basically, their doctrine brings God down to the level of a idol that must be carried around from place to place by their ministry in order to accomplish the task of giving life. Indeed, they are liars and false teachers. They have no concept of sovereign grace as the alone means of eternal salvation. Ephraim is joined to his idol. Leave him alone. :-)
