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Seeking Jesus

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by KenH, Oct 22, 2023.

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  1. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

    After the Lord has quickened our souls, for a time we often go, shall I say, blundering on, not knowing there is a Jesus. We think that the way of life is to keep God's commandments, obey the law, cleanse ourselves from sin, reform our lives, and cultivate universal holiness in thought, word, and action; and so we go, blundering and stumbling on in darkness; and all the while never get a single step forward. But when the Lord has suffered us to weary ourselves to find the door, and let us sink lower and lower into the pit of guilt and ruin, from feeling that all our attempts to extricate ourselves have only plunged us deeper and deeper, and the Spirit of God opens up to the understanding and brings into the soul some spiritual discovery of Jesus, and thus makes known that there is a Saviour, a Mediator, and a way of escape.

    This is the grand turning-point in our lives, the first opening in the valley of Achor of the door of hope. And when the soul has once seen that there is a Jesus, and once felt a measure of the power of his resurrection, it never goes to any other quarter for pardon, justification, and salvation. When the Spirit of God begins to open up with power in his conscience that there is a Jesus, that he is the only Mediator, that the Son of God has come down and taken a holy human nature into union with himself, and is now at the right hand of the Father, it is the first break of day, the first dawn of hope; and upon that bright spot does the shipwrecked soul fix his longing eyes till the Sun of righteousness arises upon it with healing in his wings.

    It is a great step in a man's experience to turn wholly and solely to the Lord, and renounce all creature righteousness, all forms and ceremonies as a way of salvation. It is a great mercy to turn away from them, as the shipwrecked mariner turns away from his sinking ship, and looks to the rising sun to shew him some way of escape, and thus afford him some gleam of hope.

    J.C. Philpot, Daily Portions, October 22
     
    #1 KenH, Oct 22, 2023
  2. Van

    Van Well-Known Member
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    Romans 3:11 makes this statement and some read this as saying "there is none who seeks for God at any time." However the intended contextual message might be "there is none who seeks for God all the time, or when they are going against God by sinning."

    Contextually, since Paul is saying "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), so when going against God by sinning is most likely the actual message.

    Consider this verse:
    2 Chronicles 15:4 (NASB)
    “But in their distress they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.

    If no one ever seeks after God, then scripture would not mean what it says!

    Psalms 34:4
    I sought the LORD and He answered me,
    And rescued me from all my fears.

    Acts of the Apostles 13:7
    who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

    Read Psalms 14:1-6. Who are the ones who seek God as a refuge and make God their refuge? Who are ones in great dread, who are the righteous generation?

    Who are "My people" in Psalms 14:4? Believing Jews! According to false doctrine, God knowing no one ever seeks God, looked down to see if any were seeking God. Nevermind that is an irrational absurdity. And of course in addition to seeing some that proclaim "there is no God" and therefore not seeking God He also did see those who had made God their refuge, the righteous generation, the believing Jews.

    The claim no lost person ever seeks God is obviously false doctrine.

    The doctrine originated by expanding the scope of the statement, no one seeks God, to include at all times. Thus, the scripture study technique of asking the question, what is the least God is saying, once again leads us away from falsehood and toward truth.
     
    #2 Van, Oct 24, 2023
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