Featured The Millions Who Never Had a Choice

What is missed is the exception Jesus Christ makes concerning the forgiveness of sins which His sacrifice will cover...

"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." (Matt12:31)

Rejection of the Holy Ghost's testimony that Jesus is the Christ will not be forgiven and thus His sacrifice will not be laid against their charge. But Christ's sacrifice does indeed cover all manner of sin. Jesus died for the whole world, but the whole world will not receive the free gift.

 

3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah
4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon as among them that know me: Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia: This one was born there.
5 Yea, of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her; And the Most High himself will establish her.
6 Jehovah will count, when he writeth up the peoples, This one was born there. Selah Ps 87

1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah. Isa 54

26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.
27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband. Gal 4

13 for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified:
14 (for when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves;
15 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them); Ro 2

There were MORE of God's heavenly born children OUTSIDE of the Mosaic Covenant than there were of 'her that had the husband'. They had not the law, nor had heard the law, yet they did by nature the things of the law thereby showing the work of the law written upon their hearts.

....It behoveth you to be born from above; the Spirit where he willeth doth blow, and his voice thou dost hear, but thou hast not known whence he cometh, and whither he goeth; thus is every one who hath been born of the Spirit.`Jn 3:7,8

The awful doctrine of hardline restrictivism and the erroneous doctrine of Gospel or 'means' regeneration go hand in hand.

 

Something really odd going on with this thread. I had made the above post yesterday, received replies, and commented further, and this morning they were gone.

 

True because only God can make them willing. All of His sheep will recognize in this their innate inability, their lost state, their need for repentance, faith, salvation and will plead to Christ for mercy (John 6:44; Luke 18:13). Note carefully Matthew 11:25-30. Those who felt the burden of sin (verse 28 and following) are qualified by the preceding context (25 and following). Those lost sheep who are found know full well they were incapable and that Christ did all the saving. This famed passage in Mathew 11:28 and following is qualified, only those sheep will respond and Christ's Sovereignty is witnessed in this passage concerning the salvation of His sheep specifically.

 

It seems that if you reply on a certain page the reply appears on that page at times. It's weird that it does that. Then they appear at the end of the thread later on.

 

There's at least three other posts related to this one that are gone, one from thatbrian, another from Bro Joe, and another from me.

 

There were technical problems yesterday. Posts from other threads were lost and the board was inaccessible for awhile.

 

Thank you!

 

Brother I noticed that too so I will just restate what I said yesterday- I agree with you that there are born again children of God outside the visible local church because Revelation 5:9 states, " for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation", yet history tells us not every tribe had a local church established within it as some tribes in history died off before the preacher even got there.

Now does that mean there will be born again children of God in heaven who do not know the gospel while on earth? No. Revelation 14:6, "6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people," Who is the angel? It is Jesus himself and He has been preaching the gospel throughout history to His people via the inward call th the elect hearing HIS voice (not the voice of the preacher who can speak Jesus's words, but not use His voice) and being made alive. Since Messiah is the Word of God which became flesh (John 1:14) and since Yehovah has shown forth His salvation and all flesh has seen it together (Is. 40:5 & 52:10 - meaning I think every kindred, nation, tribe and tongue - Rev. 7) and since the time is now come that the dead hear His voice and live ( Ezek. 37 & John 5:25) and since His sheep hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:16), I conclude that the Messenger of Yehovah who is the salvation of Yehovah is proclaiming the eternal gospel, which is the deliverance of His people from their sin in Adam by the shed blood of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world, unto them that dwell upon the earth, every man in his order ( I Cor. 15:22f). "Let him that has ears to hear, hear"
"How beautiful upon the mountain (Zion) are the feet (feet of brass as if they had been burned in the furnace) of Him that brings good tidings that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good (gospel) that publishes salvation that says unto Zion, Ty God reigns" (Is. 52:7 & Nahum 1:15).

Brother Joe

 

Brother Steaver,

Rejection of the gospel is not the unpardonable sin (though admittedly all who are pardoned will receive the gospel before death). But let us examine the words of our text. The sins which shall be forgiven unto men, and the sins which shall not be forgiven, are described by our Lord as being precisely the same. “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall he forgiven unto men.” Are there any other manner or kind than all manner? “But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” The speaking of a word against the Sou of man shall he forgiven, but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven. The Son of man is not the surety of any but his own members, all the sins they have ever committed were against him as their responsible surety, and the full expiation for them was exacted at his hand, and the sins of his people which he bore included all manner of sin and blasphemy, from speaking a word to the terrible sin of blasphemy. But all the sins which men commit, for which Christ as Surety is not responsible, from the speaking of a single word against the Holy Ghost to the sin of blasphemy, are absolutely unpardonable, not because the sins are varied in kind or enormity, but because there can be no remission of sins only through Christ. If our sins, however small or great, were not against Christ, and charged to or laid on him, then there is no hope for forgiveness or salvation, for there is salvation in no other name. If our sins are not righteously charged to and canceled by Christ, then they are against the Holy Ghost, or against God, as a Spirit, for God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

Looks like BrotherJoseph beat me to it...

 

Brother Steaver,

As brother Robust explained earlier to you, the persons whom Christ would have gathered are not here represented as being unwilling to be gathered together under the protecting hand of Jesus, as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings; as many would have God’s people believe, for it is not said: How often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not, nor is it said, How often would I have gathered Jerusalem, and she would not; neither is it said: I would have gathered thy children and they would not; but it is said: “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.” It was the rulers – the Scribes and Pharisees – who prevented these Jews from having contact with Jesus, not the Jews themselves, their desire was to follow Him. It was not the common people to whom these words of Jesus were directed, but their governors, rulers – the Scribes and Pharisees of whom Jesus said, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” Matt. 23:38. This alone is sufficient proof to destroy or disallow the argument found in this passage in favor of free-will salvation. Notice we read of the parents of the blind man whom Jesus healed, "His parents feared the Jews, for the Jews already had asserted that if any man did confess that He was Christ, he should be put out of the Synagogue.” (Jon. 9:22) and of Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, “For fear of the Jews.” *See Jon. 19:38). Does this take on the passage make sense?

 

Did the Lord give you divine revelation as you typed this?

 

It is absolutely logical. Lazarus was physically dead in the same manner we were spiritually dead. Our spirit was dead(nekros), unable to understand the gospel as it was being preached/witnessed unto us(cf. 1 Cor. 2:14 & Rom. 8:7). It was only after God quickened us(made us alive) the gospel was truly able to comprehend. Yet, many say the spiritually dead had an ability to either accept or reject God. Absolutely not. They no more had an ability to accept than Lazarus did. Jesus spoke(commanded) and Lazarus came forth. Same with the 'valley of dry bones' in Ezekiel 37. They heard Ezekiel prophesy(with no ears, btw) and they came together...bone to its bone...then sinews and then flesh, but they were still dead...having no breath within them(breath being Spirit here). It was only after the breath/wind entered into them, they came to life and stood. God needs not the help of sinful man to pump Spiritual life into them.

 

No, Lazarus was sick. Remember the story--Jesus heard about Lazarus being sick yet he stayed where he was for two additional days and then decided to go to Bethany. Why? Because he wanted to use Lazarus as an example of the resurrection. Jesus deliberately tarried so that Lazarus could die. In fact, Jesus told his disciples that Lazarus was asleep, they didn't understand he meant that Lazarus was DEAD. Even Jesus' disciples didn't grasp the alleged, "dead in sins" analogy.

So, if as you claim, that Lazarus is an analogy for people being spiritually dead why did Jesus not teach that very lesson? Why would he couch his words to his disciples to make them think that Lazarus was only sleeping? If your analogy holds, why would Thomas say, "let us go there and die also?", i.e. Let us all go there and be dead in our sins?

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”
13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) "said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

40 Jesus says, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Note there is no "allow me to give you a new heart, to figuratively "make alive" your "dead in sin body", and then you can see the glory of God. No, it was, "believe and you will see the glory of God."

The lesson of Lazarus is not that people are "dead in sin", the lesson is that Jesus holds the literal power over death through the resurrection!

No one says that He does.

 

Here is John Gills commentary on that which I find informative!... Maybe you will too...Brother Glen

for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die;
or "in dying, die" F26; which denotes the certainty of it, as our version expresses it; and may have regard to more deaths than one; not only a corporeal one, which in some sense immediately took place, man became at once a mortal creature, who otherwise continuing in a state of innocence, and by eating of the tree of life, he was allowed to do, would have lived an immortal life; of the eating of which tree, by sinning he was debarred, his natural life not now to be continued long, at least not for ever; he was immediately arraigned, tried, and condemned to death, was found guilty of it, and became obnoxious to it, and death at once began to work in him; sin sowed the seeds of it in his body, and a train of miseries, afflictions, and diseases, began to appear, which at length issued in death. Moreover, a spiritual or moral death immediately ensued; he lost his original righteousness, in which he was created; the image of God in him was deformed; the powers and faculties of his soul were corrupted, and he became dead in sins and trespasses; the consequence of which, had it not been for the interposition of a surety and Saviour, who engaged to make satisfaction to law and justice, must have been eternal death, or an everlasting separation from God, to him and all his posterity; for the wages of sin is death, even death eternal, ( Romans 6:23 ) . So the Jews F1 interpret this of death, both in this world and in the world to come.

 

Salvation is a resurrection of a dead soul resurrected into life. Regeneration is being brought back to life. So that resurrection Jesus performed on Lazarus was an allegory of what He does to us spiritually. Our soul was dead in transgressions and sins[Eph. 2:1]. God quickens us via the gospel and we respond accordingly.

 

Jesus ministry was filled with figurative scenarios and teachings showing what the Kingdom is like, how one sees it, enters it, what the truly regenerate look like in it, the false and much more.

Sovereign Grace nailed the story of Lazarus as this figuratively represents those dead in sin. Many well known commentators agree as well.

But the other healing's of Christ of the blind, lame, deaf, mute, paralyzed, dead, lepers show forth the same truth. You've also mentioned the given of His power over death exemplified in the account, but this truth does not undo what Sovereign Grace shared, so it is not an either or (as if only what you said is correct and proves him wrong and vice versa). Therefore Jesus accomplished more than just declaration of His power of resurrection, and we as believers only can believe via that same power (Eph. 1:19) not via some innate source of faith.

 

No, salvation is the removal of God's sentence of eternal death on your soul.

No, regeneration implies a change in a current state. Regeneration is being born again, is having your mind renewed, becoming a new creature, the transformation of your spirit, etc. It is not being brought back to life, that is the definition of resurrection.

No, what Jesus did to Lazarus is a literal example of what He will do for us on Judgment Day.

John 5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice
29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.