https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10214508823289823
September 4, 2019
#Gospel_Regenerationists
#Lacking_Common_Sense
#NoPreaching_NoNewBirth
"Come now, and let us reason together,
saith the LORD..."
This invitation/summon from the LORD assumes
that you are capable of reasoning since He has created man in His image, with a
rational faculty. Though this rational faculty has been severely darkened by
the fall, yet man has not ceased to be a rational being.
Moreover, in the effectual calling of His
elect out of their native state of sin and death to that state of grace and
salvation in Jesus Christ, He has renewed their mind. This enables God's
children to discern the things of the Spirit of God.
1Cor 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."
Sadly, God's children can be very woolly because they are too lazy to gird up the loin of their minds. Only foolish folks think that there is virtue in being woolly.
1Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
mind - διάνοια
(dianoia) [G1271] a faculty of understanding, way of thinking, and feeling
Now, let's consider this passage where Christ SOLEMNLY (that's why the repeated "verily, verily" are there for!) about the new birth and seeing the kingdom of God.
John 3: 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
The purpose of preaching the gospel is to
bring the hearers to see/perceive the kingdom of God, and to CONVERT him to the
truth, is it not?
Christ said, categorically and without any exception, except a man has been
born again, all your preaching will fail in its purpose, to bring a man to see
the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ. The preaching of the gospel will only serve
and attain its purpose, i.e. to bring a man to see the kingdom of God, with
those whom the Spirit of God has freely and sovereignly born again, i.e. prior
to your preaching of the word.
And it is common sense, is it not, that
seeing the kingdom of God, i.e. perceiving the truth concerning the kingdom of
God IS PRIOR TO and a PREREQUISITE to entering the kingdom of God? Perceiving
the gospel truth concerning the kingdom of God is NECESSARY to believing and
receiving the gospel truth, i.e. entering the kingdom of God.
Still don't understand? Let me make it even
simpler.
Your kindest act of bringing a jug of
nutritious milk is useless and irrelevant to a dead man; in fact, it is an
injurious insult and cruel mockery to the dead; besides, it shows that you are
just plain stupid, i.e. lacking common sense, woolly.
However, your bringing a jug of nutritious milk becomes useful and relevant if the dead man has been made alive (i.e. made alive WITHOUT your aid whatsoever, but many are stupid (lacking common sense) enough to insist otherwise, i.e. they actually helped and assisted in bringing the dead to life.
A man who has been made alive has the ability
to perceive the jug of nutritious milk brought by you, and because his renewed
mind is able to process the information, he would drink the milk.
- 1Pe 2:2 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."
Supposing you don't agree that the purpose of evangelism is to bring someone whom the Spirit of God has born again to see the kingdom of God, then what's is the purpose of your preaching the gospel?
Many insist that their preaching is THE
CATALYST to help the Spirit to regenerate those who are still dead in
trespasses and sin. These are called gospel regenerationists, i.e. they teach
that the sovereign almighty Spirit of God requires the cooperation of man's
work of preaching in His work of regenerating the spiritually dead sinners.
If that be the case, then you better alter
the words of Christ to reflect your opinion accurately, i.e., "Except
there be preaching of the gospel, a man cannot be born again."
Then I say, "God forbid: yea, let God be
true, but every man a liar." There have always been teachers of falsehood
and fables in the churches in every generation. They are teachers but teachers
of falsehood and fables.
(just finished nibbling my one dried fig!)
