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| Enjoying a picnic dinner by the FTZ coastal park. Picture was taken by Brother Ban YS. |
Here are two questions.
"What must I do to be born again?"
"What must I do to be saved?"
Do you know the difference? Many don't have a clue! They see them as synonymous!
"What must I do to be born again?" - Before having been born again, a man is dead in trespasses and sins... such a man is actively in enmity and rebellion against God, and loves wallowing in this state of sin and death. There is nothing he can or will do to be born again. It is absolutely a nonsensical question. It is like a dead man asking what he must do in order to be raised from the dead!
"What must I do to be saved?" - ONLY an elect whom the Lord God has bestowed eternal salvation through the effectual call [whereby a man is called out of his native state of sin and condemnation to that of grace and salvation in Christ Jesus] is able to ask a question like that. And the salvation such a person is inquiring is the temporal salvation... there are lots of things a child of God must do, in obedience to God's will for him, in order to work out HIS OWN salvation with fear and trembling.
Our four children were conceived and born without them making any decision or doing anything. That's begetting and sonship.
They were nurtured and trained to grow up (with the help and involvement of not a few others); these require their active obedience. That's parenting and discipleship.
Get it?
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Great Mama so often prepared picnic dinners and got the family out to the beach along the FTZ. She makes the "bestest of the worlderest" pizzas and garlic bread. With roast chicking, steamed corn cobs, and cucumber, what great time we so often had along that stretch, with nice cycling path for children.
Blessed be the Lord for all His great kindness and mercies.
(Photo was taken by Brother BYS who was visiting us then. We thank the Lord for every remembrance of that kind Brother.)
