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Confounding gospel regeneration and gospel conversion!
Redemptive Purpose of the Triune God
God
declared His specific purpose to save His elect and made all the necessary
provisions in the covenant of redemption.
Christ
came to fulfil that specific purpose of God and accomplished eternal redemption
for the same people.
God
effectually calls each elect out of his native state of condemnation, death,
and alienation to that state of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ -
justifying him, regenerating him, and adopting him, and bestowing the Spirit of
adoption to dwell in the effectually called - at God's appointed and approved
time WITHOUT any instrumentality.
Such
are made fit for eternal glory.
But
the Father cares for their spiritual well-being while still here on earth; He
ordained the gospel ministry to call and gather His children into the NT
churches, to make disciples of such.
Disciples
can only be made out of such, and no one else. The gospel ministry comes to
them that ARE SAVED.
"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 provides spiritual nourishment for the children of God, those
already regenerated by the free and sovereign activity of the Spirit of Christ.
Jesus said unto Peter, "Feed my lambs... Feed my sheep... Feed my
sheep." Jesus said not, "Make my lamb... make my sheep..." To
feed presupposes the prior existence of the lives that need feeding.
This
simple and consistent understanding excludes both gospel regeneration as well as
the well-meant offer.
Gospel
regeneration is fiction, a fable.
Gospel
CONVERSION is the truth.
Well-meant
offer, seems to me, is presumptuous, foolish, redundant, a mockery, and comes too
late! Offering salvation to those who ARE SAVED is presumptuous and redundant.
Offering salvation to those who are perishing is not only foolish but a cruel
mockery.
Well-meant
offer misses the whole point of the function of the gospel ministry.
