The Father's Love - Contingent or
Independent?
I was clearing out some old emails and came
across this in a discussion group.
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:14:52 -0400
From: "Chris "
<pastorchris@xyz.com>
Subject: Re: The Father's Love - Contingent
or Independent?
Marie: "We do actually love God and
actually exercise faith in Him, but only because God loved us first and opened
our hearts so we would believe."
Chris: True, but John 16:27
"For the Father himself loveth you,
BECAUSE ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God"
seems to reverse the order. So, how do we reconcile the texts without
damaging or dismissing one?
BTW, I don't have an underlying purpose other
than to see how to treat this verse in light of other texts that show God's
love toward sinners as being causal rather than reactive.
By grace,
Dr. Chris, Pastor
Fxyz Baptist Church
North Wilkesboro, NC
------
xing <xingpenang@gmail.com>
Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 3:07 PM
To: Chris <pastorchris@xyz.com>
Dr Chris,
I am responding off-list.
The answer is actually quite simple, once we
distinguish the unconditional love that FIRST made us God's children... and the
conditional love of the Father towards His children based upon their obedience
to Him as their Father.
The first is what is commonly designated as
ETERNAL SALVATION by the free, unconditional and sovereign grace of God.
But there is a separate and distinct
salvation, commonly designated as TEMPORAL SALVATION in this earthly life, that
is contingent upon the obedience of God's children.
This is the salvation that God's children
must work out for themselves with fear and trembling in doing the Father's
will. The Father's blessing them is conditioned upon their obedience.
God's children are fully responsible for
their TEMPORAL SALVATION, salvation pertaining to this life.
God ALONE is responsible for their ETERNAL
SALVATION.
Divine sovereignty and human responsibility
have often been misunderstood.
I believe 'human responsibility' applies to
God's children [i.e. the elect whom God has effectually called out of their NATIVE state of sin and death to that state of grace and salvation] alone... and NO ONE
ELSE. They, as God's children, are
responsible to work out their own temporal salvation as God's children in this
world.
Many 'reformed' folks apply the human
responsibility to sinners dead in their sins, INCLUDING the non-elect. They
fail to see the obvious moral problem of God holding such responsible to
believe the gospel... i.e. believing Jesus died for them even though God did
not send Jesus to die for them... The gospel message is true only of the elect,
especially the regenerated elect.
just my two cents of common sense
sing in the south seas.
Do a search here
http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/search.
--------
Marty-Sandy Smith
Good answer, and English is sufficient for
answering. But when the significance of John 16:27 first hit me, I thought I
should grab a concordance and check on the Greek words. We love him because he
first loved us is "agape" - the everlasting, binding, sacrificial
love of the unchanging almighty God. The Father's love in John 16:27 is
"phileo" - the love of friendship.
God's fatherhood to His children
is unconditional and everlasting; God's friendship is conditioned on our belief
and love.
Abraham was chosen and blessed
unconditionally - before he ever manifested any faith or obedience. Abraham was
call the Friend of God after he had placed Isaac on the altar.
