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https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/1020518454550870
October
18, 2015
#Divine_Sovereignty, and #Human_Responsibility
A man inquired
"How
do God's sovereign grace and man's responsibility to turn to Him fit together?
For example, Ezekiel 33:11 says, "As I live, says the Lord God, I have no
pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and
live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die...?"
It is clear from Scripture that He grants us repentance (Acts 5:31; 11:18), and He also gives us faith as a gift (Romans 12:3), but He then commands all men everywhere to repent and to have faith (believe). See Mark 1:15; Acts 17:30.
We
also read that "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved" (Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13), and of cause John 3:16 says
"whoever believes on Him shall not perish." Whoever means whoever.
=======
The
opening question caught my attention.
(There are several other issues raised in the words above)
My response:
How
do God's sovereign grace and man's responsibility to turn to Him fit together?
Great question. Let me suggest that MOST, even the doctors of divinity, DO NOT have a coherent
clue on this.
Divine sovereignty is in the context of
eternal salvation, i.e. God sovereignly and freely bestowing eternal salvation
to a man in his native state of sin and condemnation. Man has NOTHING to do
with his eternal salvation. Man's responsibility lies outside of the realm of
eternal salvation. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are MUTUALLY
EXCLUSIVE in this context. "Salvation by grace alone" is not just a
nebulous religious shibboleth!
- God
alone had purposed the eternal salvation for a specific particular people;
- Christ
alone accomplished that eternal salvation for the same group; and the
- The Spirit
of God and Christ alone freely and sovereignly applies that eternal salvation,
at His appointed and accepted time, to each one of the same group, when they
were in their native state of death and condemnation.
There
is no human responsibility in this sphere! Zilch, none whatsoever. If there
is any, then none, no, not one, will be able to fulfil one iota of that
responsibility. Period.
Human
responsibility lies, and is VITAL, in the context of temporal salvation. God
holds those who are His children - i.e. those to whom God has ALREADY sovereignly and
freely bestowed eternal salvation - responsible for obeying their Father's will for their
temporal salvation, their spiritual well-being and usefulness here on earth.
Sincere
but misguided teachers misplaced the man's responsibility on the shoulders of the man who is in his native state of death and condemnation! That's cruel and
heartless and evil, mocking the dead. Go tell a dead man that it is his responsibility to eat!
God
holds His children - the elect whom He has effectually called - responsible to do His will, to work out their own salvation;
the temporal salvation relating to their spiritual well-being and usefulness
here and now in this life.
Madness
preaches a mad god who demands man dead in trespasses and sins to be
responsible for performing some spiritual activities in order to obtain eternal
life.
Madness
preaches a mad god who demands those whom He did not give His son to be
their Saviour to believe His Son to be their Saviour!
Just
saying... failing to rightly divide the word of truth ends up with preaching a
god of madness and schizophrenia, and a whole lot more nonsense.
------
Sorry, I'm no smooth talker; I have been told off, "You lack finesse."
To
the Philippian believers (ALREADY saved by the free and sovereign grace of
God), Paul wrote, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to
do of his good pleasure."
God WORKS (simple present tense) in His children (those already bestowed with eternal salvation - monergism) AND they are to will and to do of His good pleasure (in order to obtain temporal salvation - synergism).
