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| The galaxy M100 Many use things like this to prove 'big-bang' idea! |
He commented about the preacher:
"He opined that Cornelius was unregenerated [sic] until Peter brought the gospel to him. He reiterated that the offering of alms and devoutness of Cornelius is no different from that of a pious Muslim; good works that will never bring him to the doorstep of the celestial city. Clumsily the pastor tried to prove that one needs to hear the word before the Spirit can operate simultaneously [to regenerate the dead]. What a pathetic understanding and a very low opinion of God and His majesty."
My comments:
The saddest thing is that Acts 10 is the WORST passage to pick to promote the lie of gospel regeneration: the common and popular notion that gospel preaching is the necessary instrument the Holy Spirit uses to regenerate men dead in trespasses and sins.
Why are so many preachers SO ADDICTED to this lie, that their preaching of the word is the necessary instrument for the Holy Spirit's work of regenerating those dead in trespasses and sins? Read here later: http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2010/10/why-addiction-to-gospel-regeneratiom.html
Any way, here is a little note I wrote in response to assure the Brother the truth of the matter.
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Dear Brother, and any brethren in Christ who cares,
Thank you for communicating. It saddens me greatly that such a wonderful passage of Scriptures on direct and immediate regeneration without means has been so perverted and twisted to teach the lie of gospel regeneration. Thank you for inquiring for the truth.
It is very common, and even popular to the RBs as well as the Arminians (both the sprinkler and immersion schools) to believe that Cornelius was not regenerated (i,e still dead in trespasses and sin, still under the condemnation of death) UNTIL Apostle Peter brought the gospel message to him, and the Holy Spirit uses the gospel message as the instrument TOWARDS regenerating Cornelius, and to enable him to believe the gospel IN ORDER TO BE regenerated. That is the popular and common belief - among the reformed people, as well as the Arminians.
Now, let us take a look at Cornelius as presented to us in the Scriptures in Acts 10 and 11.It is very interesting to note that the NT Scriptures give so much space to describe the work of grace in this Gentile.
The question before us is simply this: Was Cornelius an unregenerated man - STILL dead in trespasses and sins - BEFORE Apostle Peter brought the gospel message to him? Or was Cornelius already a regenerated man BEFORE Apostle Peter came along with the gospel message?
How does the Scriptures portray this man to us before God sent a preacher to him: Is the picture that of a man STILL dead in trespasses and sins, or Is it a picture of a regenerated man, doing the things that only a regenerated elect can do?
I hope we have got the specific issue clearly before your eyes!
Look at the Scriptures now. Have your Bible wide opened. Don't skip. Read them... give particular attention to those words I have highlighted in red bold.
Acts 10:
1 ¶ There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. 4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
24 ... And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
33 ... Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.
34 ¶ Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Please ask the simple question:
- Do we have an un-regenerated man who needed to be regenerated through the preaching of the gospel, OR OR OR
- Do we have a regenerated man who needs to be converted to the gospel truth through the preaching of the gospel?
Does an unregenerate man, STILL in his native state of trespasses and sins, fear God at all, or pray to God always? Cornelius is said to be a devout man, and in context that devoutness is towards the God that Apostle Peter preached, and not just to some nondescript deity of the pagans!
Of the natural man, dead in their native state of trespasses and sins, the Scriptures declare, " There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:18.
Any who would categorize Cornelius as an unregenerate man, against such clear and plain evidence, DOES take the name of God in vain (3rd commandment), bear false witness against Cornelius (9th commandment), contradict the plain statement of Scriptures (therefore a teacher of falsehood and lies), and should be VERY ashamed for PERVERTING and TWISTING God's holy word to teach such a heinous LIE.
2Ti 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Such a CORRUPTER of Scriptures is not approved of God.
The God of heaven affirmed Cornelius' work of righteousness in verse 4. "Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God." His religious life is directed to the God of heaven, and it is acknowledged. God affirmed the good works of Cornelius. But of the unregenerated, it is said "... There is none that doeth good, no, not one." Romans 3:12a. But God memorialized Cornelius' good works... long before Peter came.
Cornelius "called together his kinsmen and near friends" so that they may hear all that God has commanded his messenger (apostle Peter) to preach to them. Isn't this clear evidence of spiritual life, a thirst and hunger for spiritual truth, and a great desire for the spiritual good of his loved ones???
Is that a picture of an unregenerated man? Does an unregenerated man have such interest in spiritual things, in what God has to say to him? What do the Scriptures say about men in their native state? "
Rom 8: 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
But God was PLEASED with Cornelius! That's God's own declaration concerning him!
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But Cornelius received the things of the Spirit of God. He discerned spiritual things~
Eph 2: 1 ¶ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
But all of Cornelius' actions showed that he was no longer dead in trespasses and sins, i.e. he WAS ALREADY regenerated BEFORE Apostle Peter was sent to him. Cornelius proves himself a child of OBEDIENCE... fearing God, doing works of righteousness, obeying God and sending for Apostle Peter, NOT Pastor Peter
Apostle Peter discovered a momentous truth when God sent this Jewish man on his mission to ENLIGHTEN Cornelius. Read this public confession of Apostle Peter: "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."
Apostle Peter himself PERCEIVED something that he was IGNORANT until that day! "I perceive" is in the present tense, indicative mood, and middle voice!
There are a few IMPORTANT things to be noted from Peter's discovery.
ONE:
- EVEN SO, RBs and all the Arminians are also ignorant in a similar manner. They insist that God shows partiality... that He regenerates ONLY those who have the privilege to hear the gospel. They believe in a God who is a respecter of persons... He shows partiality based on outward circumstances, like ability, and or opportunity to hear the gospel.
- 'No gospel preaching, no regeneration' is their mantra! Of course, they invent the 'exception' notion to cover their obvious error. But their exception notion is condemned by Christ's own words. Check here: http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2010/11/so-is-every-one-that-is-born-of-spirit.html
- At least Peter admitted publicly his prejudice and ignorance. He is a great man. Little cowards don't admit their ignorance and errors! Or maybe, they are just too blind to see, or too proud to admit, their errors. "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks" admonishes the Lord.
- I was made to see mine, admitted mine, and moved on... and I am a happy man with a clear conscience! Blessed be the Lord! He shows mercy to a worm, and makes me a learning worm!
TWO:
- Cornelius was publicly acknowledged as being already a man who fears God and works righteousness before the coming of Peter.- Cornelius was an example of God's children (the elect whom God the Spirit has regenerated directly without, and APART from, the instrumentality of the gospel preachers) found in every nation.
- God has His children in every nation throughout the world... that is why preachers are sent out to preach the gospel to them and gather them into NT churches...
- If any man denies that Cornelius was already a child of God (REGENERATED LAH!), then Cornelius must still be a man in his native state of being dead in trespasses and sins... and that such an unregenerated man does, and can, fear God and works righteousness too! I firmly believe that even the Arminians don't believe such a blatant lie!
THREE:
- Cornelius, who fears God and works righteousness IS ALREADY ACCEPTED with God. Cornelius was ALREADY accepted by God WITHOUT any man's work of bringing the gospel to him... without Peter's work!- And what is this acceptance? When did it take place? - This acceptance takes place at God's appointed and accepted time when God effectually calls an elect OUT OF his native state of sin and death to that STATE of grace and salvation.
- Effectual Call to grace and salvation necessarily involves these divine activities of God:
----- justification by free grace (condemnation removed, righteousness applied)
----- regeneration (deadness removed, eternal life given)
----- adoption + gift of the Spirit to dwell in the regenerated!
Without any one of these free grace acts of God, one cannot possibly be brought OUT OF the state of sin and death and INTO the state of grace and salvation! Only an elect effectually called by God to grace and salvation out of his NATIVE state of sin and death is then ABLE to respond and answer to the gospel call... leading to justification by their believing in Christ.
Apostle Peter was sent to preach the gospel, the good news, of what God has ALREADY done for Cornelius... so that Cornelius may know the glorious truth of his eternal salvation by God's free grace... so that he may experience and rejoice in Christ who saved him.
The wicked and popular lie being propagated is called 'gospel regeneration'. Many articles in the blog here deal with this popular error. http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/ Take a look.
The Arminains believe it as much as the RBs do!
May our Lord bless each one of us as we seek to believe the truth. We live in a perilous time.
Apostle Paul warned, "3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
Please read this passage and do the necessary: James 5:19
"Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."
You are free to forward these few thoughts to any who ERRS FROM THE TRUTH... May our Lord have pity, and convert them to the truth.
your brother and servant in Christ,
sing
