The two most popular errors are gospel regeneration as opposed to direct and immediate
regeneration without the gospel instrumentality; and justification by faith, i.e.
man's act of believing alone in contrast to justification by the free grace of
God.
Do
teachings that exclude some of God's elect from their eternal inheritance fill
you with righteous anger?
=========
Sing
F Lau
Of
course, man-made errors remain just that, errors.
But supposing the error of gospel regeneration be true, wouldn't that 'fable' exclude many of God's elect from ever regenerated, and be forever left in the state of sins and death? How so? They are INCAPABLE of being outwardly called by the gospel!
And supposing the error of justification by faith alone be true, wouldn't that 'fable' exclude many of God's elect from being justified by God, and be left forever in the state of condemnation? How so? They are INCAPABLE of being outwardly called by the gospel to faith!
Jason
Sides
Sing
what is gospel regeneration according to you? The bible tells us what the Gospel
is the power of God unto salvation and so I stand by my claim God saves people
by his power and preach this and yes he uses men to proclaim his message. To
clarify though I never ask people to repent and believe I make it known from
scripture God himself commands it.
Sing
F Lau
Brother,
I am afraid that you are not even beginning to appreciate the weightiness of
the issue at hand! I hope you will grasp the magnitude of the issue soon.
You
and I agree that God ordained the gospel ministry. There is absolutely no
disagreement on that.
The
gospel regenerationists insist that the gospel ministry is the necessary
instrument God uses in REGENERATION, i.e in bringing those dead in trespasses
and sins, to eternal life.
This
is in contrast to those who believe that the gospel ministry is necessary for
the CONVERSION of God's children, those already regenerated by God's free
grace.
The
gospel is the good news of what God HAS DONE to save His people.
Now
the question is: who, when hearing the gospel, will receive it as the message
that speaks of the power of God unto salvation - those who ALREADY regenerated,
or those who are still dead in trespasses and sins?
Paul
said, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which ARE SAVED it is the power of God." 1Cor 1:18.
What does this say to you? What is the effect of the gospel preaching to those that are NOT SAVED (not given eternal salvation by God), what effect does the most eloquent and persuasive and faithful preaching of the gospel on those that ARE NOT SAVED, i.e. without eternal salvation?
This
passage shows that preaching plays NO ROLE in regeneration. The passage plainly
declares that the gospel came to THEM THAT ARE SAVED, i.e. those ALREADY given
eternal life through the regenerating activity of God BEFORE the gospel came to
them... the consistent pattern throughout the Scriptures!
Cornelius
- the Scriptures gives SO MUCH ATTENTION to this Gentile man - is a classic
example that regeneration is WITHOUT the gospel ministry. Cornelius is ALREADY
a devout man who fears God and works righteousness long before Peter brought
the gospel message to him!
The
same is true of the DEVOUT Jews (from far away but gathered in Jerusalem) who
were CONVERTED on the day of Pentecost, the Ethiopian eunuch, Lydia, etc...
