Date: Sat, 04 Nov 2006 11:17:01 +0800
Chuck wrote to a church member
“I understand Pastor Lau's position and his
reasoning. Pastor Lau's conviction is that if God saves sinners by grace, then
faith is not necessary for salvation. But other pastors (including me) believe
that God saves sinners by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. As a general
rule, only those who believe in Jesus are saved. It is not my intention to
discuss this matter again. So much time has been spent on this subject already.
We are all accountable to God. So, let each one be persuaded in his own mind.”
Chuck YCC
==========
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 15:37:44 +0800
Brother Chuck,
Don't worry, I would just take 2 minutes of your time.
Faith is NECESSARY... but necessary for what? To obtain salvation, or to manifest the presence of eternal salvation already bestowed by God's free grace? Breath is necessary, but necessary for what? Is it to obtain life or to manifest the presence of life already possessed?
Go think about it, and do make sure you give your Father of your eternal salvation the honour due to Him.
I say faith in Jesus Christ is necessary to EVIDENCE one's salvation by God's free grace. So, ALL hearers are called to believe. But ONLY a person whom God HAS GIVEN ETERNAL salvation - i.e. justified, regenerated and adopted - has the ability to believe; and believing he gives evidence of his salvation by God's free grace. That way, salvation by free grace is consistent.
If you believe that an UN-SAVED man - i.e. a condemned (unjustified), dead in sin (unregenerated) and an alien slave of sin (not-adopted) - is able to believe IN ORDER to be SAVED, i.e. in order to be justified, regenerated and adopted, THEN faith is INDEED necessary. The simple fact is that faith in such a situation is AN IMPOSSIBILITY; forget about its necessity. The impossibility negates the necessity!
Scripture plainly says, "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.
Biblically, a sinner dead in sin is ALWAYS and ONLY saved by God's free, gracious acts of justification, regeneration and adoption. Some of these are outwardly called and brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ through the gospel preaching. Others are incapable of being called and brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Biblically, it is ALWAYS and ONLY those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who do GIVE EVIDENCE that they are saved by God's free grace. So, faith is very necessary; it EVIDENCES the salvation ALREADY freely bestowed, but it is not a necessary condition of salvation in any way.
You mention a general rule. Does it imply
that there is an exceptional rule???
If it does, what's the exceptional rule?
It is important to know exactly where we do presently disagree.
If you believe an UNSAVED man can exercise faith in order to be SAVED, if your mind is persuaded with such inconsistencies and contradictions... then may God deliver His children from such terrible LIES and open denial of salvation by God's free grace.
The eternal salvation by God's free grace, which enables a man to believe and obey in order to be saved "from this perverse generation is a very different and distinct salvation. The former is eternal and unconditional; the latter is temporal (about this life only) and conditional...
2 minutes is up. Thanks for your patience.
May our Lord bless you to know the 'word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation' Eph 1:13.
sing
