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 apart from the gospel ministry.
This
passage repudiates the common fable of gospel regeneration, i.e. that the
gospel ministry comes to those who are perishing, and through the preaching,
and hearing of the gospel, the Holy Spirit regenerates those who 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 those who 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 which 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.
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!!!
==========
comments
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
Bryan
Choo, 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 declare 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 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 are 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. The man before the fall has free will and a man after
the fall also 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 free will cannot
be held accountable for his actions; 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 'fishly' will freely choose to live in any
part of the watery world. That's all his 'fishly' will is capable of choosing.
His fully free 'fishly' will is utterly incapable of choosing to live outside of
water. Such is contrary to the nature and essence of his 'fishly' 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 them to God... because
their free will is hostile and in enmity against God. His free will freely
chooses 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 keeps him in his condemned state.
In
God's effectual calling 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 operates 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 man!
When
so many 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 will choose to sin and rebel against God very freely.
I hope I have scratched your question a bit.
Robert
Brother
Lau a faithful explanation to Bryan Choo Hsien Yang very careful and complete, not overwhelming
