Featured The Justification of God

The Justification of God – Part 10

Had the author opened her Bible rather than her imagination she would have found within its first few pages a TRUE story of a ship, a preacher of righteousness and a multitude of lost sinners.

Of all the people on Earth, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah did not ‘earn’ or ‘deserve’ grace. Otherwise grace would no more be grace.

Grace was sovereignly bestowed upon Noah according to the Lord’s will of good pleasure.

I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy.

Our Anabaptist author assumes grace is owed all men --- enabling grace--- to at least give men the capacity to respond favorably to a Gospel invitation if they so will.

But grace is owed no man because grace is not a debt. Furthermore, God is in debt to no man.

Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

It is man who is in debt to God. He owes his Creator obedience, service and worship.

He also owes God a serious sin debt which he cannot pay.

Because He is righteous, just and holy the Lord has warned Noah that He will destroy the human race by water.

Noah had a two-fold commission: build an Ark and preach to the sinners that judgment is coming. Escape will be found only in the Ark, a type of Jesus Christ, the only Savior.

For 120 years men ignored and ridiculed Noah until it was too late. The door to the Ark was shut by God. Once shut, no one could enter.

There is a day coming, perhaps sooner than later, when God will shut the door to salvation, at which time Judgment will fall.

Our Anabaptist author would have us believe that all men earnestly desire entrance into the Ark, Jesus Christ.

They strive with all their heart and soul to seek salvation through Jesus Christ, yet the ‘Calvinist God’ denies them salvation, she postulates.

However, Scripture clearly states:

There is none that seeketh after God.

Only 8 humans entered the Ark.

Man is blind and blissfully unaware of his distressing spiritual condition without Christ.

Enabling Grace Not Sufficient

In her parable the author views enabling grace as a life preserver which the drowning sinner can, of his own free will, take hold of and be pulled aboard to safety.

But Scripture gives numerous proofs that man is dead in his sins and trespasses.

Jesus even equates the spiritually dead man to the literally dead man when He replies, Follow me and let the dead bury their dead.

Spiritually dead sinners need more than enabling grace, they need effectual saving grace – grace which quickens and makes alive: the regenerating grace of the Spirit.

Once spiritually alive they can see King Jesus and His Kingdom.

Once spiritually alive they can discern their need for Jesus.

They can now hear the Gospel with ears that hear.

They can now willingly respond because their hearts have been spiritually circumcised.

What was once abhorrent and detestable is now perceived as sweet soul satisfying blessed truth.

The 'Calvinist God' a Deceiver

Our Anabaptist author accuses the ‘Calvinist God’ of deception. According to her He does not really intend the salvation of all who hear the Gospel. He only intends the salvation of the Elect to whom He gives the graces necessary to respond favorably, leaving the others unable to do that which He commands.

Once again, our Parable writer is in unbelief as to the severity of man’s sin nature.

The true God is man’s natural enemy while Satan is his god whom he willingly obeys and serves.

The fault and sin of unbelief lies within man, not God.

God does not owe hateful, sinful men saving grace.

Rather He owes all men justice --- just punishment for their sins which they willingly and knowingly committed.

Merciful and compassionate grace is that which is given or withheld according to the wise, holy and sovereign will of God.

It is this glorious right which God revealed to Moses in Exodus 33:

And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

Does a sinner acknowledge he cannot believe in Christ without God’s Spirit working in Him?

Jesus encourages all such sinners to ask for Him when He promises:

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

The God of the Bible keeps no man out of His Kingdom who acknowledges his spiritual poverty, asking for that which only God can give him.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

But no man will come unless drawn by the Father.

No man will hear with understanding unless given ears to receive the truth.

No man thirsts for the true God unless the Lord reveals how destitute and dry his soul is without Him.

God is not evil for preaching the Gospel which He knows man, of his own fallen will, will most assuredly reject.

Man is evil for rejecting the Gospel which is most assuredly holy, righteous and completely true.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

Brother OR:
Again I thank you for your kind and considerate words of encouragement, as well as your honesty in sharing your initial disdain for the Doctrines of Grace.
I will be the first to admit that they were not easy to grasp. As a newborn Christian I instinctually knew that I was not understanding the deeper more profound meaning of the words of our Lord.
Thus, began my full time journey into the study of the Word of God 26 years ago.

Rather than enroll in seminary which would inevitably send me on a biased, lukewarm journey through God’s Word, I opted instead to spend countless days and hours in seminary libraries, sifting through the dusty, rarely used bookshelves containing the wise words of renowned Christian men of old, works little known and taught today.

Through my study of historical theology I discovered a kindred spirit in the writings of the Reformed, be they Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Puritan, Non-Conformist, Separatist, Huguenot, or Albigense/Waldense, etc.

I also found their Creeds and Catechisms a wealth of Bible truths brilliantly distilled into concise summaries with scriptural proofs.

All agreed on justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as taught in Scripture alone.

All agreed the Roman Catholic Church was the depraved Whore of Babylon, her Papal officeholder, the Antichrist.

Their proofs were so compelling that one must be truly deaf and blind not to see prophetic fulfillment in Rome and her Pontiff.

Furthermore, they were all vigorous advocates for the Doctrines of Grace, both before Dort and after. (The Waldenses embraced these truths when schooled by visiting Reformers. This fact is evidenced in their subsequent Creedal Professions.)

I must also mention they all understood God’s Elect to be one Body, one Church, and one Bride, be they Jew or Gentile. They frequently referred to Israel as the OT Church.

Sadly, today’s nominal Christian is blissfully unaware of the incredible body of work left us by these great men of God.

Some on this board proudly proclaim they and they alone have infallible understanding of these most important doctrines, claiming they do not need men to teach them, they have the Word of God.

As for me, before I claim to teach a subject I seek the guidance and corroboration of those much wiser than I.

A few of the men whose writings I am always studying are those of Francis Turretin and Benjamin Keach, two pastors/teachers whose in-depth knowledge and understanding of God’s Words I find to be quite supernatural.

Contemporary Christian teachers/pastors I find myself referring to on a regular basis are James Montgomery Boice and Wayne Grudem.

I do appreciate the Baptist Board leadership for providing a platform for teaching, debating and bandying about ideas.

I also appreciate those who regularly contribute, such as yourself, as I realize all parties, be they pro or con, are quite serious in their walk with the Lord as well as their quest to understand and proclaim the truth.