Grace alone, or grace plus works?

Did any man contribute to this majestic awesome wave?
Was it because a surfer was around that caused its formation?
Or perhaps was it the presence of a photographer that did it? 
I ask as a fool!

Pure pristine grace is a truth toooo good to be true in the minds of so many of God's children! They are familiar with prostituted and adulterated grace... grace mixed with man's aid, cooperation, efforts, and works in some ways, some how and some where!

Many insist that their presence and works are necessary aid or condition for the sovereign Spirit of God to execute His work of regeneration!

It takes much divine grace for a man to truly comprehend the divine monergistic grace. It takes very little or no grace to believe or embrace synergistic grace... such characterizes every man-made religion.

The Doctrine of Justification - as summarized in the 1689 CoF

Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments

If you wish to leave any comments, go here: 
https://www.facebook.com/notes/sing-f-lau/the-doctrine-of-justification-as-summarized-in-1689-cof/10150452191328484

So many love to repeat the words of Luther who called the doctrine of justification as "the article of a standing or falling church." By that standard very many churches have already fallen because of their grievous errors in justification. The popular “justification before God by faith alone" commonly understood is a very erroneous doctrine. It is a horrid lie - let me show it.

Brief Outlines on the Chapter on Justification, 1689 CoF, Chapter 11

Para 1. Justification by free grace stated and defined
"Those whom God effectually calleth, He also freely justifieth,(1) not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous;(2) not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone;(3) not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law, and passive obedience in His death for their whole and sole righteousness,(4) they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith, which faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God.(5)
1. Ro 3:24; 8:30.   2. Ro 4:5-8; Eph 1:7.   3. 1Co 1:30-31; Ro 5:17-19.  4. Php 3:8-9; Eph 2:8-10.  5. Jn 1:12; Ro 5:17.

a. The context of justification
- Effectual call to grace and salvation: ‘those whom God effectually called, He ALSO…’
- Therefore they are never separated! Effectual call to grace and salvation involves justification, regeneration and adoption. These divine activities are necessary to bring a man out of his native state of condemnation, death and alienation to that of grace and salvation.
- The divine activities of justification, regeneration and adoption UNDO condemnation, death and alienation respectively, bringing a man into s STATE of grace and salvation.

b. The active agent of justification
- God the Father: ‘He also…’ Whom He effectually calls, He ALSO justifies.
- So the distinct aspect of justification here is the applied/vital justification at effectual calling by God the Father.

c. The manner of justification
- Freely by God’s grace: ‘He also freely justifieth.’
- Freely means without man meeting any condition… for an unjustified man can’t meet any!
- Freely means just that... without any condition on man's part.
- The fiction of justification by faith alone is repudiated! Do you notice it?

d.. The essence of justification
i. Errors negated:
- ‘not by infusing righteousness into them…’

ii. Truth affirmed:
- ‘but by pardoning their sins
- and accounting (a legal transaction)
- and accepting their persons as righteous…’

e. The ground of justification:
i. Errors negated:
- ‘not for anything wrought in them, or done by them…’
- Faith is something wrought in them. Faith, (their act of believing) is something done by them. Both are excluded! Sola fidei is repudiated. Do you read it? Is that too hard to understand, or is it of wilful unbelief???
- ‘not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing…’
- Therefore in Gen 15:6, where faith is imputed is NOT NOT NOT talking about the justification of Abraham BEFORE God.

- ‘or by any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness…”
- The "justification before God by faith alone (man's act of believing)" is fiction and a fable plainly repudiated! Do you read it? Is that too hard to understand, or is it of wilful unbelief???

ii. Truth affirmed:
- ‘but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law …’
- ‘and passive obedience in His death …’
- ‘for their whole and sole righteousness.’

f. The evidence of justification
- The pronoun "they receiving and resting..." speaks of those whom God has ALREADY freely justified.
- Faith in this context is defined as ‘receiving and resting on Him [Christ] and His righteousness.’
- The application of righteousness by free grace precedes the reception of the same by faith in Christ.
- Justification by free grace is completed before believing its truth is possible!
- Both the Calvinists, as well as the Arminians, fail to recognize this BASIC fact, and end up conditioning their justification before God upon their faith!   What a gross and grievous error!
- Faith is the work of grace by the Spirit of Christ in the heart… not a native ability in an unjustified condemned man, exercised by the unjustified in order to be justified!

Some questions for discussion
Q. What is at the heart of justification?
Q. What was the state of those that are justified by God?
Q. Why does justification have to be by God’s free grace?
Q. How do we know that faith (a man’s act of believing) is excluded in his justification by God?
Q. How do we know that faith is evangelical obedience ( a fruit/effect of salvation)?
Q. What does ‘whole and sole’ mean?
Q. What does Christ’s active obedience secure, and His passive obedience in his death?
Q. What do the acts of receiving and resting presuppose?

Para 2. Justification and its relation to man's faith
Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification;(6) yet it is not alone in the person justified, but ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love.(7) 
6. Ro 3:28.   7. Gal 5:6; Jas 2:17,22,26.

a. The essence of faith is defined:
- ‘Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness.’ Justification before God is based on Christ and His righteousness alone, and thus evidences itself in the same, i.e. receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness.
- This is the faith the Holy Spirit worked within those whom God has effectually called to grace and salvation, SPECIFICALLY, worked within the heart of a justified elect by the indwelling Spirit of God, the Spirit of adoption who works all the saving graces in an effectually called elect.

b. The function of faith as ‘the alone instrument of justification’:
i. Error negated
- it is not the function of an instrument to secure/obtain justification. This is the fiction believed by many!

ii. Truth affirmed
- the function of an instrument is to manifest/evidence/demonstrate/attest to the justified state by God’s free grace.
- faith is the instrument to experience the blessedness of the justified state by God’s free grace.

c. Faith is a saving grace in the justified person
- ‘Yet it is not alone in the person justified.’
- The grace of faith can only be found in a justified man. Faith is an EFFECT, FRUIT, and RESULT of justification by grace. 
- But it is NOT the only saving grace produced by the Holy Spirit. It is one of the many saving graces worked by the Spirit!
- The grace of faith ‘is ever accompanied with all other saving graces.’
- All saving graces are worked WITHIN the child of God by the ONE SAME indwelling Spirit of adoption.

d. The liveliness of justifying faith (i.e. faith produced by God’s act of justifying condemned sinners)
- Faith ‘is no dead faith, but worketh by love.’ 
- Dead faith is faith that is not active; dead faith is NOT false faith; it is barren faith. God’s children can sin into a state of dead faith, being fruitless.
- A lively faith loves God, His words, His righteousness, His ordinances, His people,

Some questions for discussion:
Q. How do we know that faith is a saving grace, i.e. a fruit of salvation bestowed freely at effectual call?
Q. Why is faith ever accompanied by all other saving graces?
Q. How can one know whether his faith is saving faith?
Q. Why is faith the sole instrument to manifest the justification by God’s free grace?

Para 3. The Perfect Substitute Necessary for Justification
Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are justified; and did, by the sacrifice of Himself in the blood of His cross, undergoing in their stead the penalty due unto them, make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God's justice in their behalf,(8); yet inasmuch as He was given by the Father for them, and His obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead, and both freely, not for anything in them,(9) their justification is only of free grace, that both the exact justice and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners.(10)  8. Heb 10:14; 1Pe 1:18-19; Isa 53:5-6.   9. Ro 8:32; 2Co 5:21.   10. Ro 3:26; Eph 1:6-7; 2:7.

a. Christ is the substitute:
- “by His obedience and death, did fully discharged…” He did everything.
- Justification before God requires perfect righteousness through the obedience and death of Christ.
- The righteousness needed for justification is by the active and passive obedience of Christ alone.
- “fully discharged… undergoing in their stead the penalty due unto them….” Debt completely cleared.
- “… in their stead… in their behalf… in their stead…”

b. Christ’s made full satisfaction to God’s justice for all the elect:
- Christ “made a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God’s justice in their behalf.”
- Only the obedience and death of Christ can render a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God’s justice.

c. God Himself provided this Substitute for the justification of His people.
- “He was given by the Father for them…” The substitute is God’s provision.
- God accepts the substitutionary work (obedience and satisfaction) of Christ on behalf of His people.
- This acceptance is only by God’s free grace alone, everything in the justified being wholly excluded.

d. Justification of sinners magnifies both the exact justice and the rich grace of God
- Any departure from the precise way stated detracts and diminishes both. 
- It dishonours the Triune God.

Para 4. The Multi-faceted Jewel of Justification                                                       God did from all eternity decree to justify all the elect, (11) and Christ did in the fullness of time die for their sins, and rise again for their justification;(12) nevertheless, they are not justified personally, until the Holy Spirit doth in time due actually apply Christ unto them.(13) [the word "personally" is unique to the 1689.]
11. Gal 3:8; 1Pe 1:2; 1Ti 2:6.   12. Ro 4:25.   13. Col 1:21-22; Tit 3:4-7.

a. Justification decreed
- by God for all the elect
- from all eternity.                                                                                                                                                                   
b. Justification secured/accomplished legally: (stated plainly in para. 3)
- by Christ for all the elect
- at the cross.          
- LEGAL justification took place at the cross.

c. Justification applied personally (stated in para. 1)
- by the Holy Spirit to each individual elect.
- at effectual calling to grace and salvation.
- What was LEGAL is now made personal, VITAL
- What was IMPUTED is now APPLIED personally.

d. Justification experienced /evidenced subjectively (stated para. 2)
- by the faith of the individual elect.
- at initial conversion and throughout life.
- Faith is the instrument appointed for the justified (freely by God's grace) to experience the blessedness of their justified state.

e. Justification vindicated finally
- by God before the judgment throne
- on the great judgment day

Conclusion: These are the distinct aspects of justification taught in the Scriptures:
- Justification decreed by God in eternity (before time) for His elect;
- Justification accomplished by Christ at the cross for the same elect;
- Justification applied to each elect personally, freely by God's grace, at effectual calling;
- Justification experienced/evidenced/manifested by faith in Jesus Christ beginning at initial conversion
- Justification consummated: finally vindicated on the great judgment day. 

Some questions for discussion
Q. Why is it so necessary to distinguish the various facets of justification?
Q.  How does ignorance in this injure God’s glory and honour?
Q. How does due recognition of the different facets of justification comfort God’s children?
Q. How is ignorance in this detrimental to God’s children?

5. The Working of Subjective Justification
God doth continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified,(14) and although they can never fall from the state of justification,(15) yet they may, by their sins, fall under God's fatherly displeasure;(16) and in that condition they have not usually the light of His countenance restored unto them, until they humble themselves, confess their sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith and repentance.(17)
14. Mt 6:12; 1Jn 1:7,9.  15. Jn 10:28.   16. Ps 89:31-33.   17. Ps 32:5; Ps 51:1-19; Mt 26:75.

a. In justification God acts in the capacity of a Judge.
- In sanctification, God deals as a Father!
- God the Father’s displeasure with the waywardness of His children…
- He continues to forgive the sins of His children.

b. Once justified by God’s free grace, an elect immutably remains in that justified state forever, despite all the actual sins.
- All the penalties of sin have been fully dealt with by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

c. Sins of God’s children will forfeit them of communion and fellowship with God.
- Faith and repentance alone will restore that fellowship and communion with the Father.
- Faith and repentance are possible ONLY after the justification by the grace of God. 

6. The Unity of Application in Justification
The justification of believers under the Old Testament was, in all these respects, one and the same with the justification of believers under the New Testament. (18)
18. Gal 3:9; Ro 4:22-24.

a. The justification of all the elect is in all THESE RESPECTS one and the same… in all ages.
- “… in all these respects” is the plain proof that the framers knew and understood that there are various distinct facets of justification.
- Many are ignorant of this simple fact. They know only of justification by their faith!
- There are God’s children who do not experience justification by their faith… Why???
- Why, do you know??? If sola fidei is true indeed, then how do God's elect who are incapable of believing going to be justified? Are such justified in another way?
- Then you have just blasted your beloved "sola" into "also," i.e. in addition to "sola", there is also this way of justification!

An Old School Calvinist on Actual, and Declarative Justification

Some cannot distinguish the puppy from the chick.
They think anything found under a mother hen is a chick!

James Buchanan in his magnum opus on "Justification" emphasized the sharp distinction between 'Actual Justification' and 'Declarative Justification'- see Lecture VIII. This crucial distinction maintained by the old school Calvinists has been ignored and rejected by the new school Calvinists.

Though so plainly stated in the historic confessions of faith, they confused, and fused them together, leading to serious errors.

By 'actual justification', Buchanan refers to the APPLICATION of Christ's righteousness (ALREADY LEGALLY IMPUTED at the cross) to an individual elect personally, FREELY by the grace of God, at the effectual calling out of his native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ, such that an elect individual is personally and actually and vitally justified.

ACTUAL justification is distinct and different from the LEGAL justification that has taken place at the cross when the righteousness of Christ was LEGALLY IMPUTED to all the elect.

Justification becomes ACTUAL or VITAL or PERSONAL to an individual elect at his effectual calling when the righteousness of Christ is actually and really APPLIED to each elect PERSONALLY. This is the justification by God's free grace spoken of in Romans 3:24.

What was LEGALLY IMPUTED is APPLIED PERSONALLY leading to ACTUAL justification. What was legal was made personal and actual.

Legal IMPUTATION of Christ's righteousness to the elect took place at the cross.

The APPLICATION of the righteousness of Christ to each elect personally takes place at effectual calling out of the state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation.

Actual justification makes believing in Christ possible; faith, receiving and resting in Christ and His righteousness for salvation, declares (i.e. certifies, demonstrates, evidence, etc) the justified state of a man by the free grace of God. That is the declarative justification by faith in Jesus Christ!

Actual justification makes believing in Christ possible. Believing in Jesus Christ declares the justified state of the believer by God's free grace. This is declarative justification by faith!

Which is why the old school baptists declared thus:
"The reason why any are justified IS NOT because they have faith; but the reason why they have faith IS because they are justified." PBA

Therefore there are these three distinct ASPECTS of justification:
LEGAL justification accomplished at the cross,
ACTUAL Justification applied at effectual calling by free grace
DECLARATIVE justification experienced by faith.

Putting it another way: justification accomplished at the cross; justification applied at effectual calling and justification experienced at faith in Jesus Christ.

New school Calvinists confuse, and fuse these two distinct aspects of justification INTO ONE by teaching: "you are justified by God's free grace when you believe, i.e. by faith."

Instead of faith being the instrument to declare or manifest your justification by the free grace of God, faith is now the instrument to obtain your justification before God!

O damnable heresy! Preaching another gospel... and they still shout and scream 'salvation by God's free grace alone..." and they still dare quote Rom 3:24 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

So, from the left side of their mouth, they spout, "justified by God through my faith", and from the right side they foam, "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Have they become so deceived and hardened that they don't realize that what comes out from the right side of their mouth is diametrically opposed and contradicted by what comes out from the left side of the SAME mouth?

Abraham's ACTUAL justification by God's grace FREELY took place when God effectually called him while still in Ur of the Chaldean. Abraham's justified state was DECLARED by his faith in Gen 15:1-6. There was a considerable time-lapse between Abraham's ACTUAL justification and his DECLARATIVE justification.

So was the case with Cornelius. He was ACTUALLY justified when effectually called out of the state of sin and death to grace and salvation long before Apostle Peter was sent to him. His DECLARATIVE justification took place when he believed the gospel preached to him by Apostle Peter.

James Buchanan "While Justification is a forensic or judicial term, it is used in Scripture to denote, SOMETIMES the acceptance of a sinner as righteous in the sight of God, - SOMETIMES the manifestation or proof of his acceptance, by which it is attested or made sure: and this variety in the application of it IS THE GROUND OF AN IMPORTANT THEOLOGICAL DISTINCTION, - the distinction between ACTUAL and DECLARATIVE Justification." - Justification, p233, Banner of Truth.

Ii was taught and drilled into my tiny head, "a biblical distinction is the essence of sound theology." The important theological distinction which Buchanan indicated has been ignored and rejected by the new school Calvinists, and they have ended up with their justification before God by their faith!

James Buchanan - "Actual Justification comes first, and is necessarily presupposed in that which is declarative; and hence, if any one is declared to have been justified, we conclude that he was actually justified, or accepted as righteous ...in the sight of God."

It is likely that the new school Calvinists - because of their confusion and prejudiced mindset - may not even understand what Buchanan is saying.

Let me put it more simply:
Actual justification by God's free grace LOGICALLY as well as CHRONOLOGICALLY precedes the Declarative justification by faith. Actual justification by God's free grace makes Declarative justification by man's act of believing possible; therefore Declarative justification by man's act of believing presupposes that the Actual justification that has taken place, by God's free grace.

The great old school baptists put the same truth this way: "The reason why any are justified IS NOT because they have faith; but the reason why they have faith IS because they are justified." PBA

Why do the new school Calvinists among the Reformed Baptists REFUSE to be converted to the truth? Why don't they give up the lie?

When God justifies a condemned sinner, He declares him not guilty but righteous by forgiving him all his sins and applying the righteousness of Christ to him PERSONALLY. This is the ACTUAL justification spoken of by Buchanan. The condemned man is actually justified because the righteousness of Christ is applied to him personally, freely by God's grace. What was only LEGALLY true is now personally/vitally true!

When faith justifies a believing man, faith declares that the believing man is a man ALREADY justified by the free grace of God. This is the DECLARATIVE justification spoken of by Buchanan. Faith declares the justified state of the believing man.

The old school baptists (representing over 100 baptized congregations, declared this in the 1689LBCF, ch 11, para 4:
"4. God did from all eternity decree to justify all the elect, (11) and Christ did in the fullness of time die for their sin...s, and rise again for their justification;(12) nevertheless, they are not justified personally, until the Holy Spirit doth in time due actually apply Christ unto them.(13)" 11. Gal 3:8; 1Pe 1:2; 1Ti 2:6. 12. Ro 4:25. 13. Col 1:21-22; Tit 3:4-7
(the WCF does not have the crucial word "personal.")

Three distinct ASPECTS of justification are stated in this condensed paragraph:
1. DECRETAL justification: God did decree to justify... therefore all the elect are justified by God's decree.
2. LEGAL justification: Christ did die for their justification. His righteousness was LEGALLY IMPUTED to all the elect. Though they were LEGALLY justified they were not PERSONALLY justified.
3. PERSONAL / ACTUAL justification when the Holy Spirit actually apply the righteousness of Christ to each individual elect PERSONALLY. This is justification by the free grace of God through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (This is elaborated carefully in the first two paragraphs of chapter 11 of the 1689 CoF. The third paragraph elaborates on the experiential justification through faith in the blessed Saviour Jesus Christ.)

Believing becomes possible when PERSONAL / ACTUAL justification has taken place by the free grace of God.

The declarative or experiential justification by faith is stated in the SECOND paragraph of the same chapter - i.e. 1689.11.2. The first paragraph of the chapter deals with the ACTUAL/PERSONAL justification when the righteousness of Jesus Christ is APPLIED to an elect personally.

Buchanan's use of the word "ACTUAL" to designate the PERSONAL/VITAL aspect of justification by God's free grace is not helpful. It has led to much confusion for those who can't differentiate SOUND from SENSE.

Benjamin Keach used the similar term 'ACTUALLY' with reference to experiential justification, saying to the effect, "no one is actually justified until he believes..." However, he is using the word 'actually' in the context of evidential and declarative justification... just like John Gill had done.

Gill said, "... no man is evidentially and declaratively justified until he believes."

But many new school baptists, because they are addicted to sound-byte, don't get the SENSE of what he said and so concluded that "no one is justified by God until he believes."!

It was also Gill who declared, and quoted by subsequent generations of old school baptists, "The reason why any are justified IS NOT because they have faith; but the reason why they have faith IS because they are justified."
======

Written on Oct 6, 2010

Touching lives ever so quietly...

See the video here:
https://www.facebook.com/363765800431935/videos/vb.363765800431935/527806850694495/?type=2&theater

May the Lord who sees all bless such souls.

No need of expensive mission trips (exotic-baptized holidays, I call them!)

No ostentatious fanfare or glamour, nor press and photo op!

Touching lives ever so quietly in the course of one's daily grinding life.

The Prince and the Pauper

The Prince and the Pauper...
neither is destined to reign!

A Brother wrote:

Sing,
Need meet you for guidance in the following. I think my church is now doing something I don't like.   http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/joseph-prince-destined-to-reign.htm

Brother,
Print out the article, and we can talk about the Prince, and his teaching. He preaches and teaches a LICENTIOUS grace, a PROSTITUTED perversion of the grace of God. sing

Sing,
 I will do. I want to be very sure of what is being taught in the church I go to. I shall see you.

Brother,
The whole issue is basically quite simple, once you have understood the Bible's teaching on salvation.

Both the Prince, and the Pauper who critiqued on Prince's teaching are basically wrong - each one in the smelly ditches beside the highway of truth; Prince on the right ditch, and the critic on the left ditch.

The works of God ALONE bring eternal salvation to His people. Having been saved by the works of God, His people must work and do to save themselves. The works of God's children bring to themselves temporal salvation.

If you can understand the above few sentences, you are not far from the truth of salvation taught in the Scriptures.

Your children DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for them to be brought into the world. It was the solely the works of you and your wife alone that made that happened. Your works BROUGHT THEM INTO BEING.

Having been brought into being, there are much that they CAN DO, and MUST DO for their physical well being. They do so by being obedient to the will of their wise parents. If they don't, they will mess up their lives big time... they may even shorten their life on earth.

EVEN SO, it is the works of God alone that brought His children into BEING...
Having been brought into being, they are commanded and taught what they must do to ensure their spiritual WELL-BEING.

ONLY God's children, those whom God has saved freely saved - brought into being as His children - are able to do what God commands them to do. And doing them will bring spiritual blessings to them, promoting their spiritual WELL-BEING.

The Prince hawks a lascivious grace, his Pauper critic pedals a work-based salvation.
And the problem is that both, the Prince and the Pauper, fail to rightly divide the word of truth. Always remember that there is this standing commandment of Apostle Paul to all who claim themselves to be ministers of the gospel.

2Tim 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Both the Prince poacher and the Pauper critic should be ashamed of themselves, peddling half-truths which are really dangerous lies!

2Tm 4:3-4
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; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

May the Lord Jesus open your eyes of understanding.
sing

Wholly UN-natural, and self-destructive too...

Wholly UN-natural, and self-destructive too...

Let me say this, and I will move on...

Same sex union is essentially a union of barrenness, and self-inflicted extermination.

It is the natural and survival instinct of any species to reproduce and propagate itself, but the same sex-union philosophy (if there is any 'philos' in such 'sophos' at all!) choose the direct opposite.

 Those same sex-union folks will soon betray their hypocrisy by demanding to right to take the offspring of the natural [sic] heterosexual union. If only the same sex-union advocates and practitioners stay true and consistent to their philosophy, they will soon become extinct, being self-exterminated! They must prey on the offspring of the natural union to keep their cause alive.

From the natural and logical point of view - just leave out the legal, and religious ones for now - the same sex-union is wholly unnatural, and self-destructive.

And what do you call a legal verdict of supreme justices that upholds and defends a completely unnatural, and self-destructive choice?

There is no need to state my religious opinion.

Be barren and extinct - the cursed way chosen by men the rebels

 

Be fruitful and multiply 

- the blessed way ordained by God the Creator

Be barren and extinct 

- the cursed way chosen by men the rebels

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
 
Gen 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

Pro 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Pro 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Towards that glorious end divinely ordained, the infinitely wise God has given man an incredibly awesome receptacle for his life seed in his woman.  But what have the stupid and foolish, depraved and perverse men have chosen - their own SHIT HOLES!