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| "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Mt 3:7 |
February 9, 2019
"O
generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"
Mt 3:7
Who
will flee from what wrath to come, and has that wrath come to pass?
A
biblical distinction is the essence of sound theology; it is essential to
distinguish the eternal salvation that is entirely monergistic (it is
exclusively by the free and sovereign activities of the Triune God alone and
without the activities of man at all; preaching, hearing, and believing are all
excluded) and the temporal salvation that is synergistic (it involves the
activities of the redeemed in obedience to the will of the Father for them.)
The
former was purposed by God, accomplished and secured by Christ, and is freely
and sovereignly applied to each elect while still in his native state of sin
and death; it is bestowed freely to one still dead in trespasses and sins.
The
latter has to be worked out by the redeemed with fear and trembling; they having
been bestowed with eternal salvation, made perfectly fitted for eternal glory
are summoned to work out their own temporal salvation. This salvation requires
the active participation of the redeemed; it is conditioned upon their
obedience to the will of the Father for them.
The
failure to make this biblical distinction between the monergistic eternal
salvation by the Triune and the synergistic temporal through the obedience of
the redeemed has spawned so much confusion.
(The
meme above has been loved and liked 43 times and shared 29 times when I took the
screenshot. Nearly all will take the passage as dealing with eternal salvation.)
The
one comment was astute; it reads "70Ad"; he understands; John was
warning his fellow Jews of the impending destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD; it
is temporal destruction they can flee to save themselves from, to save
themselves from being slaughtered and roasted like swine by the Roman armies
(Luke 21:20). But very many believe the wrath spoken of refers to the lake of
fire. Who can flee from that wrath?
Eternal
wrath in the lake of fire is averted ONLY by the work of Jesus Christ ALONE
that secured the eternal salvation; this eternal salvation is freely bestowed
to each elect personally while still dead in trespasses and sins.
UNWILLINGNESS
and REFUSAL to acknowledge the biblical distinction between monergistic eternal
salvation and synergistic temporal salvation has confused and puzzled even the wise and erudite folks.
