to Pb/Mb Yahoo group
Sister Cherry inquired of Bill Vangeese:
1. There is only one way to eternal
salvation, and that is Jesus Christ.
2. The preacher must preach the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
3. The individual must hear the preached
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
4. The individual must accept the preached
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
5. The individual must make a decision to
accept Christ as his personal saviour.
6. The individual is then regenerated in Christ.
Are the six steps I have listed above a fair summary of your belief?
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Bill Vangeese replied with a resounding
'Yes'.
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Sing
Brother Bill,
Your 'yes' necessarily implies that you believe these:
1. That a natural man, i.e. UN-regenerated:
- still dead in trespasses and sins (Eph
2:1),
- in enmity against God (Roman 8:7),
- unable to discern spiritual things (1Cor
2:14),
- to whom the gospel is foolishness (1Cor
1:18,2:24),
- a child of disobedience (Eph 2:2) ... etc.
etc... is able to hear the preached word, accept the
preached word, and make a decision for Christ as personal Saviour,
who then responded to accept him, and regenerated him.
This is contrary to all common sense, logic, and divine revelation.
2. That eternal salvation is by the obedience
of at least THREE persons:
- Jesus Christ's obedience,
- the
preacher's obedience to preach (and may be the missionary board to
send!),
- the hearer's obedience to hear, to believe, and to accept
Jesus.
- However, Scripture declares that eternal salvation is by the obedience of ONE... O... N... E... ONE.
Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
- Let God be true but every man a liar.
3. That eternal salvation is ultimately conditioned upon the cooperation of man, and is no longer by God's free and sovereign grace. Some seem to claim the wind is impotent to blow unless and until they are standing below the tree!
- They say, where there is no preacher, there
would be no eternal salvation for anyone. They see preachers as hawkers of eternal salvation, instead of the preachers of good
news, news of the salvation that has taken place, already
applied by the free and sovereign grace of God upon sinners who had
been dead in trespasses and sins. What happened in those long ages
before the gospel of Jesus Christ was even revealed, much less
proclaimed by preachers?
How was Noah saved? And Abraham? And Melchizedek? Who
hawked the eternal
salvation to them?
I am a father of 4... no maid or servant
assisted me when I fathered
each of them. But after each life was
conceived, many assisted in the
WELL-BEING of each child. None assisted in
bringing each life into BEING.
EVEN SO, in the spiritual realm.
Gospel preaching has relevant to God's children alone... those ALREADY regenerated by the Spirit of God, and needed to be instructed in the truth concerning the facts of their eternal salvation by God's free and sovereign grace. They need to be converted to the truth of their eternal salvation, which is already a fact.
Just my sandy opinion from the south seas,
sing
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Jul 30, 2008, 6:44 AM
Stephen Conte
All very good, brother Sing, especially this
part:
"However, Scripture declares that
eternal salvation is by the obedience of ONE... O... N... E... ONE.
Ro 5:19 For as by one man’s
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be
made righteous.
Highly appropriate and truly insightful, thank the Lord.
Ever,
Stephen Conte
