What is the effectual calling - 1689.10?

 

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/1656364844467
March 30, 2011

What is the effectual calling? (1689.10)

This is what the old school baptists summarized it.

"1. Those whom God hath predestined unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call,(1) by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ;..."

Sing F Lau
Please note very carefully... it is the calling of an elect out of his NATIVE STATE of sin and death to that SPIRITUAL STATE of grace and salvation.

The effectual call to a state of grace and salvation is, by the powerful and sovereign will of the Triune God (God, Word, and Spirit), without any assistance or cooperation of man.

It is an act of God, separate and distinct from and prior to the gospel call... which is a call out of the state of ignorance and unbelief to a state of knowledge of the truth and faith.

The former is the calling of the dead in trespasses and sins.

The latter is the calling of God's children to faith in Christ.

And what transpires in the effectual call is carefully stated...
"... (2) enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God;(3) taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh:(4) renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ;(5) yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace. (6)".

Two SPECIFIC THINGS are mentioned here:
Firstly: what is done to the object:
- Enlightening the MIND...
- Replacing the HEART...
- Renewing their WILLS.

Second: the good determined for the object:
- by His almighty power, therefore ALWAYS effectual... 101% success rate
- that which is good is ETERNAL SALVATION bound up in the person and works of Jesus Christ. Each is effectually UNITE to Christ, the fount and spring of their eternal redemption.
- The 'drawing' spoken of here is WITHOUT the gospel means. It is the effectual drawing of the elect still dead in trespasses and sins to Christ... to a state of grace and salvation.
- In this sense, the effectual drawing/calling is IRRESISTIBLE GRACE. How can a dead man possibly resist the free act of the almighty God to raise him from his state of sin and death?

Sing F Lau
The chapter on Effectual Call has four paragraphs.

The four paragraphs can be summarized like this:

Para 1: The definition of the effectual call
Para 2: The effectually called who have the gospel call
Para 3: The effectually called who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the gospel.
Para 4: Those who are not effectually called

Para 1 spells out what effectual call is: God's work of bringing a man out of his native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation... man being completely passive in that he contributes NOTHING... in fact he was very active in enmity against God when God effectually called him.

Para 2 spells out the fact of those effectually called who do have the GOSPEL CALL... and states the relationship between the effectual call and the gospel call, THAT IS... the effectual call ENABLES a man to answer to the gospel call. That DOES NOT implies that every effectually called man will respond positively to the gospel call, neither that every effectually called man will have the gospel preached to him.
- The fact stated is simply one ENABLING the other, one making the other possible... nothing more.

Para 3 spells out those effectually called who do not have the gospel called... and this paragraph EMBRACES a far wider group than the reformed folks would want to admit: they limit it to ONLY those who died in infancy and mentally challenged adults. But the phrase, "SO ALSO all other elect persons, who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the word" most certainly includes God's sentient children (effectually called to grace and salvation) in remote places... they are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the word.

However, the gospel regeneration must reject and deny this simple fact.

Para 4 tells us that WITHOUT the effectual call of God... no amount of outward religion can eternally save anyone, 'save' in the SAME - SAME - SAME sense that the effectual calling of God saves.

With this outline of the chapter, we will now proceed to the next paragraph.

Sing F Lau
A common and popular error concerning the effectual call needs to be stated here. Many RBs, being gospel regenerationists, understand the effectual call as God's act of blessing their gospel preaching, making it effectual in bringing the dead to eternal life, and conversion to the truth.

Whether they like it or not, such an idea explicitly implies that without their preaching ministry, there would be no effectual call... i.e. the eternal salvation of God's elect is intimately bound up with their activities! They unashamedly conditioned the eternal salvation of God upon their preaching activity.

They are adamantly not contented to accept that their preaching ministry is to feed and nourish the lambs and sheep of God. They insist that they have an indispensable role in bringing lambs and sheep into being!

Sing F Lau
Paragraph 2 reads:
"This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from anything at all forseen in man, nor from any power or agency in the creature,(7) being wholly passive therein, being dead in sins and trespasses, until being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit;(8) he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it, and that by no less power than that which raised up Christ from the dead. (9)"

This effectual call is further defined... because of man's inclination to pervert and twist its gracious nature.

The effectual call is POSITIVELY:
- of God's free and special grace alone... THUS excluding even the gospel ministry of the gospel regenerationists! "Alone' means 'alone,' it does not mean 'alone PLUS.' Elementary, sir!
- being quickened, from the state of death, to eternal life. No one can do any good to the dead but the Life-giver Himself, and ALONE, without the deluded gospel regenerationists' aid.
- being renewed... saving graces are worked in the effectual called. Without these saving graces worked in the heart by the indwelling Spirit, the quickened would still be quite impotent... made alive but still without strength nor power.

The effectual call is NEGATIVELY:
- NOT from anything at all forseen in man...
- NOT from any power or agency in the creature...
- Man being WHOLLY passive in the effectual call...
- Man being dead in sins and trespasses and sin...

What more needs to be said!
NOTE the word 'thereby.' It is an adverb, and means "by that means; as a result of." By the means of effectual calling, or as a result of the effectual calling, a man is enabled towards something.

That means the effectual call is completely apart from the gospel call, finished and accomplished; thereby enabling something else distinct and separate from the effectual call!

Sing F Lau
Sorry, there is one VITAL issue overlooked in paragraph 1.. the phrase, "by His Word and Spirit" - God's agents of effectual call.

So many new school Calvinists glibly take 'His Word' as referring to their preaching ministry of the word or the written Scriptures. But that does violence to the whole paragraph and chapter.

The preached word (gospel proclaimed) blessed to the conversion of the already regenerated elect is vastly different from God’s Word (Christ) and Spirit who are the active Divine Agents in the effectual calling of the dead unto eternal life.

We must not confuse the two. The word ‘word’ (whether with an upper or lower case ‘w’) SOUNDS exactly the same in each case, but the CONTEXT and the SENSE are entirely different.

A biblical distinction is the essence of sound theology. The Framers were clear. Therefore ‘His Word’ can’t possibly mean ‘gospel preaching’ in a context of effectual calling unto eternal life and salvation.

The gospel is not an instrument used in begetting eternal life in the elect. It is instrumental only in the conversion of those whom God has effectually called unto eternal life. It is instrumental in the gospel call to faith in Jesus Christ. But it is a massive theological blunder to think that Christ, the Word of God, is not active in the work of the new creation in effectual calling.

Bill Taylor
@Sing "The preached word (gospel proclaimed) blessed to the conversion of the already regenerated elect is vastly different from God’s Word (Christ) and Spirit who are the active Divine Agents in the effectual calling the dead unto eternal life." AMEN and AMEN!

Sing F Lau
"... effectually to call... out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ..."

To effectually call a man out of his native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation REQUIRES... REQUIRES... REQUIRES these divine and sovereign activities:
- justification: the righteousness of Christ applied to him personally. Righteousness was ALREADY imputed to him when Christ died on the cross. That is the legal justification. What is legal is made personal at the effectual call. The state of sin is the state of condemnation... and this must be dealt with by justification.
- regeneration: the state of death must be dealt with. With the righteousness, applied, the Holy Spirit has the divine warrant to regenerate. Sins brought death and condemnation. Righteousness applied brings justification and life.

(Please note: the effectual call and regeneration are NOT, NOT, NOT synonymous; the latter is a subset of the former. This is another popular error!)

- adoption into the family of God and given right to all the privileges belonging to God's child. The Spirit of adoption is given to dwell in him, working all the saving graces.

Without justification AND regeneration AND adoption there can be no effectual calling out of the state of sin and death to grace and salvation.

A state of grace and salvation necessarily REQUIRES justification applied personally, regeneration, and adoption... anything less, there can be no grace and salvation.

Sing F Lau
"Those whom God hath predestined unto life...."

These and these ALONE are the object of the effectual call.

God purposed eternal redemption for them, and Christ accomplished the eternal redemption for the same people, and the Triune God applies it to individuals among those predestinated unto life.

"... and He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call..."

The timing of the effectual call to grace and salvation of an elect is SOLELY the prerogative of God... some are effectually called while in the womb, others on their death bed... some in their childhood, others in adulthood, some in their prime of life, others when withered...

It is solely God's prerogative alone... not even the most eloquent preacher can hurry God!

Preachers who rush God and apply all sorts of gimmicks and psychology and manipulation are up to making disciples of those still DEAD trespasses and sins....

Sing F Lau
"... effectually to call... out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ..."

ONCE effectually called to grace and salvation, a man is PERFECTLY, COMPLETELY and WHOLLY fitted for eternal glory. Nothing further is needed for glorification at all.

Eternal salvation is BY GRACE ALONE plus NOTHING. Eternal salvation DOES NOT need any man's aid, effort, contribution. Eternal salvation is NOT God's grace PLUS man's work to make it effectual... it is made effectual by the almighty power of God when His elect were in a state of sin and death. By His almighty power, He DETERMINES them to that which is good.

God, "by His almighty power determining them to that which is good" declares the old school baptists! The almighty power of God is all that is needed to determine them to that which is good (eternal redemption in Christ Jesus)... no need for any aid or assistance from man. SHAME to those who insist otherwise!

But God is not only interested in the eternal salvation of His chosen people. He also desires their WELL-BEING as they journey through this world to enter into the blessedness of their eternal inheritance.

God is mindful of the well-being of His children. He appointed the gospel ministry towards that end. He delegated this work to the church, commanding her to FEED the lambs and sheep of Christ, to make disciples of them, to gather them into NT churches, to teach them, "that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus 2:12-13.

Michael G. Morrow
Seems like those old school Baptists believed God used his word in their effectual calling..you reckon they just kinda looked at a Bible lying on a shelf and felt called? BTW...please give biblical examples of people being "called" in the womb...called...not anything else just effectually called so that they did not need to be called by God in the time of their lives. Thanks

Sing F Lau
Morrow, I have given them many times but you won't have them!! <LOL>

You may want to prove that the old school Baptists believed God used his word in their effectual calling!

And don't mistake "His Word" in para 1 as the MINISTRY of the word in the outward call stated in para 3.

The effectual call is a calling to life and the eternal Life-giving Logos is the divine Agent in that work.

Sing F Lau
In para 1, the old school baptists said this:
"... by His almighty power determining them to that which is good” (original wording)

A new school baptist updated that statement into this:
“... by His almighty power, causes them to desire and pursue that which is good” (Dr Peter Master’s revision).

Are the two statements saying the same thing?

What does the former say?

What does the latter say?

Is '... God determining them to that which is good..." the same as '... God causes them to desire and pursue that which is good...'?

Are you thinking???

How truth is often so subtly perverted by revisionists reverenced by others! The NKJV does the same with the good ole KJV.

Take a look here:
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2011/05/monergism-degraded-into-synergism.html

Them that perish... us which are saved

The river was there first...
and the bridge is built over it later!
Can anything be plainer?

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/1182086067794
March 28, 2012

1Cor 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

The gospel ministry comes to two distinct groups of people.

One group is designated as 'them that perish' (present participle, i.e. the perishing ones, a verbal noun).  To this group, the glorious gospel - the good news that declares God's power in saving condemned sinners - is perceived as foolishness.

The other is described as 'us which are saved' (present participle, i.e. the saved ones, a verbal noun). To this group, the glorious gospel - the good news that declares God's power in saving condemned sinners - is perceived as what it is, the message declaring the power of God is saving them!

God HAS SAVED them (applied eternal salvation to them, i.e. effectually called them out of their native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation) independent of, and prior and apart from the gospel ministry.

This passage repudiates the common fable of gospel regeneration, i.e. that the gospel ministry comes to those that are perishing, and through the preaching, and hearing of the gospel, the Holy Spirit regenerates those that are still dead in trespasses and sins, to enable them to believe the gospel in order to be saved.

The gospel comes to those that ARE SAVED, the SAVED ONES. Can anything be plainer? Only them that ARE SAVED are able to perceive the gospel for what it is, a message declaring the power of God in having saved His chosen ones.

The gospel is NOT the power of God; the gospel is the message declaring the power of God in saving His people. So many can't even distinguish the two!!!

The river was there first... and the bridge is built over it later! Can anything be plainer?

Jesus is the power of God in salvation. The gospel is the good news that declares that power.

1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 

==============

Dan Hya
In a nutshell here is the situation: popular religion says the wicked (those who are not of God) must seek God in order to be saved, but Scripture says, "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God (Psalm 10:4).

(From Eld. Harris' post)

Sing F Lau
Ro 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. -- that's the condition of a man by nature, if they are not saved by God's free and sovereign grace first!!!

Bryan Choo
Does this mean we are picked by God to be Christians much as the Jews were a favoured race? And if that is true, is free will completely out of the picture? 

PJ Walters
1 Corinthians 1:20 "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 

Sing F Lau
Bryan Choo Hsien Yang, welcome here. I pray the Lord will help you to see the good green grass to nourish your inquisitive mind. I like your good questions already.

Q. Does this mean we are picked by God to be Christians much as the Jews were a favoured race?

Along the way, you will learn that precision, or rightly dividing the word of truth, is the essence of sound theology.

The Scriptures declares plainly that He elected and predestinated, before the foundation of the world, certain particular and specific people out of the fallen race of Adam to salvation and eternal glory. The rest he left them to their just destiny.

Those whom God elected and predestinated unto eternal glory, He effectually called them, individually, out of their native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation, thus making them perfectly and completely fit for eternal glory. That effectual call by God's free and sovereign grace, WITHOUT any human aid or cooperation, turns a condemned dead rebel into a justified living son.

A son and a Christian are quite distinct terms. A son is the result of the divine work of regeneration. A Christian is a son of God (an elect who is regenerated already) who has been brought to faith in Jesus Christ.

The former is wholly monergistic, i.e. completely by God's free and sovereign grace. Man is completely passive.

The latter requires human instrumentality of preaching the gospel, and the human activity of hearing, understanding, believing the truth of the gospel, and resting in Christ... making a son of God a Christian.

All Christians are necessarily God's children because only God's children have the eternal/spiritual life to perform those spiritual activities. But not all God's children are Christians.

That's just a partial answer to your first question. 

The election of individuals to eternal glory and the election of the Jewish race for the outworking of His redemptive purpose is quite distinct. 

Sing F Lau
Q2. And if that is true, is free will completely out of the picture?

======

This is an interesting subject. I will tell you what I do believe on the subject.

God created man in His image, a moral and rational creature that is capable of relating to his Creator.

Free will is part and parcel of the very constitution of man. A creature without free will ceases to be a man. A man before the fall has free will and a man after the fall has free will. All his acts are never coerced by a force outside him, and he is wholly responsible for his actions. A man without a free will cannot be held accountable for his action... that is, God's moral government over man collapses. Man's free will is the foundation and basis of God's moral government over man.

Man's free will is determined by his nature. Before the fall, a man's free will is free to choose to obey God or disobey God. BUT ALAS, he chose to disobey God and chose to believe the lie of Satan. Even in the fall, man's free will can only freely choose sin and death... because that is all his fallen nature is capable of choosing.

For example, a fish has free will. His 'fishy' will freely choose to live in any part of the watery world. That's all his 'fishy' will is capable of choosing. His fully free 'fishy' will is utterly incapable of choosing to live outside of water. Such is contrary to his 'fishy' will.

Sinners have free will.... they freely choose to rebel against God; they freely will in enmity against God... their free will will never bring him to God... because their free will is hostile and in enmity against God. His free will freely choose to remain in and love sins. No man is ever coerced by some external force to sin against his conscience... He sins freely. Man's free will freely and voluntarily keep him in his condemned state.

In God's effectual call unto grace and salvation, regeneration brings a new nature to a child of God. He is commanded to choose to do that which is pleasing to God. His new nature has the capability of choosing that which is good... and God holds children responsible. So, free will still operate in God's children; their free will is now directed by their new nature of grace.

Free will is part and parcel of man's very constitution as a man!

When so say that man has no free will, they actually mean that man in his native state of sin and death has no capability to choose God. Of course, incapability to choose God is not the same as having no free will. Incapability to choose God is having a free will that is incapable of choosing God... even though they freely will choose to sin and rebel against God very freely.

I hope I scratch your question a bit.

Robert Cook Sr.
Brother Lau a faithful explanation to Bryan Choo Hsien Yang very careful and complete not overwhelming

For what shall it profit you...?

How does gaining the whole material world profit you?
Can anything be plainer?

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10211320331539522
March 28, 2018

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

Mark 8
¶ 34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

How often you and I have been made to believe that these solemn words are addressed to unbelievers, those who have not professed faith, those still dead in trespasses and sins?

Look again at those words in the context of the whole paragraph. To whom are those words addressed? They are addressed:
- to whosoever will come after Jesus and follow after Him;
- to whosoever who shall lose his life for Jesus' and His gospel's sake.

Who are the "whosoever" that will come after Jesus and follow after Him and who shall lose his life for Jesus' and His gospel's sake? Those still dead in trespasses and sins? Ask again.

Being fickle-minded is a besetting sin among God's redeemed people. We will to follow Christ but won't will to deny ourselves; we count it too costly to lose our lives for the sake Christ and His gospel. We want to save it for ourselves; what happens? We lose it.

When we want to save our redeemed lives for ourselves and let say, IF, in the process, EVEN IF we gain the whole world, which is completely and absolutely impossible, we shall still lose our souls.

No, this is not about your eternal salvation in Christ Jesus. It is about us foolish MESSING up our redeemed life BIG TIME through our choices in discipleship.

Salvation by grace, and salvation through faith

facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10213512146013514
March 28, 2019

Only a man whom God has freely justified (yes, freely, not by your faith, an unjustified man is impotent to exercise faith!) and regenerated and adopted and given the Spirit of adoption to dwell in him is capable of believing because of the faith worked in him by the indwelling Spirit. Eternal salvation by the free grace of God makes believing the truth of his salvation possible; and believing manifests his justified state, freely by the grace of God. "The just shall live by faith" is vividly demonstrated.

And believing the truth of his salvation, freely by the grace of God based solely on the righteousness and blood of Jesus Christ saves a child of God from a whole host of evils, lies, errors and superstition, and secures a whole host of spiritual blessings in this life.

From what did God, in Jesus Christ and through His Spirit, save a man?

From what does believing in the truth of the gospel save a man?

The gAspel of how one is saved

 

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/4650330931748
March 26, 2013 

This gAspel sounds so good to so many, but it is ANOTHER gospel, which is no gospel at all. It is very bad news, injurious and cruel, humiliating and insulting to sinners who are dead in trespasses and sins.  

Some who call themselves Reformed Baptists in Malaysia preach this same gAspel too!

================

Sing F Lau
Let us call that another gospel gAspel... it emits poisonous gas!
The "good news" of this gAspel is as "obnoxious" as offering life to the dead man if he would only accept the offer of life!!! Some think it is a great kindness to do so!!!

Why would a man be SO BLOODY* cruel and wicked, as to injure, insult and humiliate and mock a dead man by offering him life on condition that he accepts the offer??? Yet so many think it is great kindness of them to do so!!! Can you imagine a man rocking a casket, calling out to the dead man in it to accept his offer of life by just winking his eye?

*[bloody - adjective; informal chiefly Brit. used to express shock.]

Why would a preacher of such a gAspel HATE and REJECT the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that God Himself sovereignly and freely regenerates the dead in trespasses and sins, bestows them with eternal life... and calls them to believe the truth of what He has done for them??? Why?

Why are such men so hateful of the gospel of God? Why would they want to substitute the good news of God with something that is so cruel, that insults, mocks and humiliate the helplessly dead sinners?

Also, this so-called gAspel gives no hope whatsoever to those who have no ABILITY to hear the gospel and those who have no OPPORTUNITY to hear the gospel! Such are ALL DAMNED... and are damned because those DAMNED preachers fail to bring the gospel to them! In this gAspel, God has respect of men (i.e. God shows partiality)- those who have the ability to hear, and those who have the opportunity to hear, and those who choose to believe are the ones who God will save!!! God has respect for such!!!

Such a gAspel conditions the salvation of God's people on the works of the preachers. No preaching, no hearing; no hearing, no salvation. PERIOD! The preachers become INDISPENSABLE in this EVIL and WICKED scheme! Even God becomes dependent upon them! BLASPHEMY of the highest order, stinking to the heavens! But such an idea of indispensability sure makes the preachers of such gAspel feel very IMPORTANT!!!

Maybe they just hate the biblical fact that sinners are helpless, and in enmity against God! And they also hate that Christ DID FINISH everything needed for the redemption of His people, and the Holy Spirit freely applies it to each elect personally, leaving NOTHING for them to do to contribute to the eternal salvation of God's elect!

They do HATE God's free grace because it put men in his right and proper place!!!

Sing F Lau
1. God sends His preachers:
- (but many send themselves... and they preach ANOTHER gospel, like the Larry Dela Crude!)
- So that His CHILDREN, the elect whom God has regenerated) out there may hear the gospel of their glorious salvation by Jesus Christ.

2. The gospel is preached
- The gospel is good news of what God has done and saved a people in Jesus Christ, calling such to believe what is already true.
- The gospel is not what God will do if dead sinners will do something. The gospel is good news, not a good offer.
- Believing the truth saves a child of God from lies and superstitions and enables him to experience the love and fellowship of God, assurance, peace, comfort, hope, etc.

3. The gospel is the good news of what God HAS DONE to save His chosen people. The gospel is NOT spirit NOR life.-
 The gospel is SPIRITUAL truth, and only those with spiritual life is able to believe. The gospel declares the eternal life that has been secured by the works of Jesus Christ, and is bestowed freely to dead sinners, and such are called to believe the TRUTH, what is already true.

4. The gospel DOES NOT BRING faith...
- Dela Crude believe his preaching bring along faith to the dead, and the dead uses that faith to believe, and in believe the dead is given eternal life! Poisonous lies!!!
- The preaching of the gospel DRAWS OUT faith from the heart of a child of God. The grace of faith works in the heart by the indwelling Spirit is drawn out by the preaching of the gospel, and that manifests itself in believing the truth of the gospel!

5. The Holy Spirit DOES NOT move with the gospel.
- This is the same stupidity as saying that the wind moves with the farmer! BODOH betul, dela Crude!!!
- Tooooooo crude even to a man on the street!!!
- The Holy Spirit moves independently and sovereign...

6. The sinner hears the gospel....
- The sinner dead in trespasses and sins does not hear nor discern the gospel. It is FOOLISHNESS to him; he scorned it.
- The children of God hear the gospel. Life precedes the activities of that life. Christ himself declared that "Except a man be born again, he CAN NOT...." Dela Crude insists and imagines otherwise!

Tose are 6 of the 12 points lie.

Joey Candelaria
Larry Dela Cruz is the messenger according to no.1, and he is the messenger of another jesus to deliver another gospel.

Dusty Phillips
That man promoted blatant heresy! He has no understanding of the scriptures.

Sing F Lau
de Crude wrote:
Jn 1:12 they received Christ first and given the right to be born again. Verse 13 new birth is the will and act of God to those who receive the Son. [so receive the son first, and then born again.]

I replied:
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

- "them that BELIEVE" - PRESENT active participle, acting like verbal noun, i.e the believing ones.
- these "WERE born" - AORIST passive indicative, a punctiliar action in the PAST.

If a man WON'T admit that the PAST tense "were born" MUST precede the PRESENT tense "them that believe" he is like an idiot who says that he posts the letter today but it arrived yesterday!!! <LOOOOOL> Larry de Crude!!!

When a man CANNOT agree but rejects and repudiates an obvious truth like "life MUST precede the activities of that life" his mind is too perverse and twisted to understand the plain sense of the Holy Scriptures.

Spiritual life must precede the spiritual activities is a truth that a child can understand but a man like de Crude is too wise to receive it!!!

de Crude reiterated his point:
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. RECEIVING came first before new birth.

Sing F Lau
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
==========

There are a few distinct verb actions in these two verses
- "received him"
- "to them GAVE he..."
- "them that believe" (verbal noun, the believing ones)
- "were born..."

The Scriptures is very clear that by nature the elect of God are dead in trespasses and sins. They too were conceived and born in sin, like the rest of the Adam's race.

What is the greatest and immediate need of those dead in trespasses and sins? They need to be brought to spiritual life. And that is by the direct and immediate divine act of regeneration by the Spirit of God, the new birth from above, born of God, given eternal life by Christ.

The BLIND teachers would say otherwise. Preach to the spiritually dead, exhort and demand them to perform some spiritual activities, plead and cajole them to respond to the great offer of eternal life...

They don't really believe in the spiritual deadness of sinners.

They don't really believe when Christ repeated, "Except a man be born again, he CANNOT..." They are convinced those dead in trespasses and sins CAN... Shameless liars, and blind!

So, new birth must precede any spiritual acts. The gift of spiritual life must precede all the spiritual activities mentioned. The gift of spiritual life in the new birth ENABLES the performance of spiritual activities like believing and receiving. Life precedes the activities of that life... so simple yet great 'theologians' curse and reject that obvious fact as a lie.

Believing and receiving Jesus as the Christ of God secures for them the power from God, i.e. the divine right to call themselves the sons of God. Believing in Jesus Christ give them the BRAGGING RIGHT - the POWER to claim that they are the children of God. Power speaks of authority and right. Receiving Jesus as Christ bestows them such power; it evidences that they have been born of God AND have the power to claim such!

So, the order of those distinct action verbs in John 1:12-13 is this:

Were born of God >>> them that believe/received him >>> God gave them the POWER...

Please note that to be BORN of God and to be given power to become children of God are COMPLETELY different and distinct matters. But careless students of God's word DON'T know how to rightly divide them!

Charles Page
Amazing that there are scriptures to prove the 12 things that have to be done to be saved! If it is biblical then it must be undeniable!

Sing F Lau
7. God opens the heart of His children to understand the truth of their salvation.

But God DOES NOT open the heart of the dead!
God DOES NOT perform an autopsy on the DEAD. God DOES NOT waste moves like that. Opening the heart of the dead does absolutely no good to the dead!!!

God regenerates and quickens the dead, and makes them His children.

He opens their hearts - to enable them to perceive and understand spiritual truth concerning their salvation by Christ.

PJ Walters
When a man cannot do something, he cannot do it.

余雅靜
I wonder what those people who preach the false gospel say about these two verses:

"And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." - Matthew 13: 10-11 (KJB)

Sounds like they totally ignored it.

An exercise in mathematical interpretation

Solve the following equation!

But what constitutes the equation?

You need to solve that first!

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10206083524622622
March 26, 2016

 

90% fail in their answers

Solve the following equation.

==================

Why is 90% wrong?

Similarly, why does a greater percentage fail to rightly divide the word of truth, the Holy Scriptures?

Putting aside the trick elements, the mathematical exercise above serves as a good example of the need to rightly divide the word of truth.

"Solve the following equation" presupposes that there is an equation; therefore, what constitutes the equation is the most basic question to ask. If we don't know the equation, how can we determine the answer?

Different people have different ways of seeing and assuming what constitutes the equation, thus ending up with different answers. Many do so by sight, WITHOUT observing or heeding any mathematical rules. Some do it by observing basic rules. Sometimes the problem lies in the so-called equation is expressed poorly or misleadingly.

Basic assumption: since this is a mathematical matter, basic mathematical rules apply.

So, what's your answer, and show us how did you arrive at it.

What constitutes the equation? Why?

Enjoy the discussion.
======

Various answers were given... take a look here:
https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10206083524622622 

Some thoughts.

1. No one seems to give a thought to the question, "what constitutes the equation?"
- one can assume that the three separate lines constitutes an equation, and work from there. Is that assumption true then?
- one can demonstrate what actually constitutes the equation, and work out the answer from there.

2. To get 30,
- You need to join up the three lines into one like this, thusly:
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 11 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 11 + 1 + 1 x 0 + 1 = 30.

You must falsely assume that there are two 11s. Then it should be written like this:
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 11 +
1 + 1 + 1 + 11 +1 +
1 x 0 + 1 + = ?

Lesson: Don't imagine what's NOT there; don't READ INTO the Scriptures!

3. To get 12,
- You need to ADD two pluses + to the end of the first two lines, thus
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 +
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 +
1 + 1 x 0 + 1 = ?

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1+ 1 + 1 x 0 + 1 = 12.

I suggest this method amounts to ADDING TO SCRIPTURES at best. On what basis do you do it?

If you can arbitrarily imagine the two pluses, why not other mathematical signs such as "x", "-" or "/". And what if others choose other signs? How?

Imagine putting two "-" signs instead. Or two "/" or "x" signs or a mixture of any two of them!

Lesson: Don't imagine what's NOT there; don't READ INTO the Scriptures!

In terms of an equation, the first line is UNrelated to the second line; the second line is UNrelated to the third line; there is an equation in the third line, i.e. 1 + 1 x 0 + 1 + = ?

Therefore the answer is: 1 + (1 x 0) + 1 = 2.
However, at this stage, some would say the answer is 1. They would add up all the "1" first and then multiply that by "0", i.e. 12 x 0; and then 0 + 1 = 1. 

Lesson: hermeneutical principles must be observed.

What do you see - grasshoppers or giants?

What seest thou, Sir? Grasshoppers or giants?

Art thou using Russian or American bino?

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10201740204322329
March 23, 2014

What do you see?

Twelve men were sent to scout out the land promised repeatedly to the nation of Israel. They saw exactly the same land, but came to vastly different conclusions! (Num 13:26 - 14:10)

The Majority report:
- Surely it flows with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
- BUT the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great.
- We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
- The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eats up the inhabitants.
- They saw the inhabitants as giants, and themselves as grasshoppers.

The majority view betrays unbelief, and rebellion against their LORD!

They would rather return to Egypt, or remain where they are, instead of moving forward into the blessing the Lord intended for them!

The Minority report:

a. Caleb: Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

b. Joshua:
- If the LORD delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
- Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us.
- Their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

The Minority view reflects faith in, and submission to the LORD's will for them!

Joshua's perspective is LORD-centred, not man-centred:
- "if the LORD delight in us..." that's all that counts and matters!
- "only rebel not ye against the LORD..." that's what it amounts to! Unbelief is rebellion!
- "and the LORD is with us..." thus we are those giants that shall eat up the grasshoppers! (they shall be bread for us!)

What a man perceives is to a very great extent determined by his faith in the LORD, and His word, or lack of it.

He who has eyes to see, let him see rightly.

Not rightly dividing the word of truth

The Scriptures are in perfect harmony,
but the brightest and most astute among men
 are not exempted from contradictions and inconsistencies.

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

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10213484057591321
March 23, 2019 

The brightest and most astute among men are not exempted from contradictions and inconsistencies; a classic example is a popular fable that a condemned man is justified by God through faith, his act of believing - with the necessary implication that an unjustified man is capable of believing in order to be justified by God).

The word of God plainly declares that condemned men (only such stand in need of justification by God) are justified freely by the grace of God based solely on the redemption of Christ; these whom God has freely justified are capable of believing, for "the just shall live by faith." Their believing demonstrates that they have been freely justified by God based solely on the redemption of Christ. All of these are in perfect harmony.

However, the "wise and prudent" have chosen to believe fables. 2Tim 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."

2Tim 3 - KJV
16 ¶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Psalm 119:89 KJV
For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

Luke 10:21 KJV
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Did you accept or were you made accepted?

*stupid* - lacking common sense!

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/2900594749437

March 17, 2012

 

"Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." Eph 1:5-6.

 

Did you notice those astounding words: "... wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved."

 

That's the gospel.... by His grace, God has made you accepted in His Son Jesus Christ, which is why you are effectually called to grace and eternal salvation. 

So, the relevant question is this: has God MADE you accepted in Jesus Christ?

Away with the liars who peddle the lies that sinners' acceptance of Jesus Christ is the determining factor in their eternal salvation!

 

It is the greater that accepts the lesser, the Lord and Saviour that accepts a poor guilty condemned sinner; it is the righteous Judge that pardons and accepts a condemned criminal, based solely upon the merits of Jesus Christ alone.

 

O please, away with the lie and fable.

The multifaceted truth of our adoption to children by Jesus Christ:

- Predestinated unto the adoption of children before the foundation of the world,

- Legally Purchased as children at the cross,

- Regenerated/born again as a child at the effectual call,

- Experience the blessings of God's children through faith in Jesus Christ, and

- Glorified children at the resurrection.

 

Some monumental and subtle errors took place

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/362399352298

March 13, 2010 

The first order of business in dealing with a legally condemned, and spiritually dead sinner is to remove that condemnation by justification, and the deadness by regeneration.  In both actions, it is wholly and solely by the FREE and sovereign grace of God ALONE... and necessarily so, because a man in a state of condemnation and deadness is utterly incapable of contributing anything, or meeting any condition.

Sing F Lau
Before God does these things, the most eloquent and faithful preaching of the gospel would come across to the condemned dead sinner as utter foolishness.

But to them that ARE SAVED - i.e justified, regenerated and adopted with the Spirit of God indwelling the heart - the same gospel message, preached by the dullest preacher, comes across as the message that speaks of the power of God in saving him!

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which ARE SAVED it is the power of God."

When the gospel comes to THEM THAT ARE SAVED... THAT IS, they are ALREADY SAVED BY GOD, i.e. justified and regenerated (which necessary includes adoption and gift of the Spirit to dwell within the heart) - the message SPEAKS OF, and IS PERCEIVED AS the power of God unto salvation.

This plain passage plainly CONDEMNS the FABLE of 'gospel regeneration.'

Sing F Lau
God ordained the gospel ministry NOT as an aid in His FREE and SOVEREIGN work of justification and regeneration.

God ordained the gospel ministry as an instrument in the CONVERSION of His children (those already justified and regenerated by His free g… See more

Sing F Lau
In light of 2Tim 3:16-17, those who claim that the gospel preaching is the necessary instrument for regeneration by God, therefore profitable to the work of regeneration, is obviously LYING and are DECEIVED.

FREE GRACE must produce the man of God first, otherwise all Scriptures would profit the condemned dead man NOTHING. Instead, he is positively hostile and in enmity against God, incapable of discerning any spiritual things.

'Salvation by grace alone' is just a religious shibboleth to so many.

Edna Allen Strickland
You are blessed with such a wonderful understanding of the scriptures--and able to put your thoughts into words easy to be understood. Such a blessing from God.

Hope and pray this helps many to understand that our eternal salvation does not depend on ANYTHING we do. We do NOT accept Him. Ephesians 1:6

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Sing F Lau
But to SO MANY, the first order of business in dealing with a legally condemned, and spiritually dead sinner is to find a preacher, because they believe in a god who needs and depends on the aid of man's preaching to regenerate, and man's believing to justify!

Sing F Lau
"In both actions, it is wholly and solely by the FREE and sovereign grace of God ALONE... and necessarily so, because a man in a state of condemnation and deadness is utterly incapable of contributing anything, or meeting any condition."

To this, it must be added, that a man in the state of condemnation and deadness is utterly UNABLE to benefit or profit from anything other sincere men zealously endeavor to do. No amount of preaching would do him any good. The good news is foolishness to him. He is utterly incapable of discerning spiritual things, of which the whole gospel is completely spiritual in nature.

Cooking a most sumptuous meal for a dead man does not benefit him in anyway whatsoever! If he had been made alive by God's free grace, then such a meal would do him lots of good. The gospel ministry is profitable to those that are already justified and made alive by God's free grace... thus possessing the ability to believe.

Stephen Gibney
We are elected in eternity, regenerated and then justified by faith in time. There is no such thing as eternal justification. That is imbalanced and unscriptural.

Stephen Gibney
Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
election, regeneration, then justification. If there is no faith, there is no evidence of regeneration thus no justification.

Sing F Lau
Check here for a biblical Order of Salvation: 
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2018/03/orderly-messed-up-order.html

[Rev 13:8 "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
1. "From before the foundation of the world" is associated with the names written in the book of life. It answers the question, WHEN were the names written? From before the foundation of the world.
2. "The Lamb that was slain" is related to the book of life. It answers the question, WHOSE book of life? The book of life of the Lamb slain.
3. To associate the Lamb slain with from before the foundation of the world is to do violence to what is plainly stated in Rev 13:8.

Sing F Lau
Stephen, where did I even mention ETERNAL justification?

READ this slowly and carefully. Stop imagining things. Stick to what is written.
Justification was PURPOSED in eternity for all elect.
Justification was ACCOMPLISHED in time for all elect by Christ at the cross
Justification is APPLIED in time to the individual elect at the effectual calling
Justification is EVIDENCED & EXPERIENCED in time by each child of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Justification shall be publicly vindicated on the day of judgment.

Sir, you have not even begun to realize that JUSTIFICATION is a multi-faceted dazzling jewel. You see it as a common glass marble, i.e justification by faith only!

Stop and think and study a bit.

Sing F Lau
Men come to faith in Christ BECAUSE they HAVE BEEN FREELY JUSTIFIED by the grace of God; it's not IN ORDER to be justified! It's the just (the justified ones) who shall live by faith!

Along the way, some monumental and subtle errors took place. The crafty devil caused the careless and unthinking children to exchange pure gold the fathers left to them for a lump of gold-looking dung!...

Let me explain.

The Scriptures teach that God FREELY justifies an ungodly condemned dead man by His grace, by freely applying the righteousness of Christ of life to him and forgiving him of all his sins. This gives divine warrant for the Spirit to regenerate this justified man.

Thus FREELY justified and regenerated by grace, this man is able to believe when the gospel ministry is ministered to him. In believing, his faith justifies him, i.e. his faith demonstrates and manifests and vindicates that he is ALREADY justified and regenerated by God's FREE grace, his believing gives him the authority to claim that he is a child of God, since 'whoever believes HAS eternal life' - believing is a manifestation eternal life.

This is where the disaster took place.

The LEGAL justification by the righteousness of Christ at the cross and the Vital justification by God's FREE grace at effectual calling are not distinguished from the EXPERIENTIAL justification by the believer's faith in Christ.

WORSE STILL, the experiential justification by believer's faith is CONFUSED AS, and FUSED WITH the justification by God's free grace.

Thus they end up with the damnable heresy of legal justification by believer's faith, and by believer's faith only!

How the devil has deceived so many to embrace a lie as the truth!

Sing F Lau
Brother Stephen, 'justification by faith alone' as the sum total of the doctrine of justification is likened to a one-fingered hand - a monstrous deformity, to say the least.

Read here: https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2009/08/one-fingered-hand-is-monstrous.html