Can anything that man does hinder God's work?

Even as is evident in our day Jesus personally dealt with those who WOULD NOT BELIEVE except he perform some great miracle before their very eyes...preferably to their personal benefit...please Lord. Jesus was not hindered from performing that which was the Will of the Father at this time, as is very evident by the scripture stating 'except' but he is not a Carnival side show meant to be put on display either in the days of his flesh, nor at the present date.

Too many want to compete with the entertainment industry and count the 'costs' of service against the 'profits' of service and these are IMHO most pitiful creatures.

God Bless.
Bro. Dallas

 

The clear teaching of the Bible is that man is responsible for his lostness and inability, contrary to the charge that some make that God is responsible and that God should not be holding man responsible for his inability.

Even the Gentiles who were not given the Law of Moses are without excuse for their unbelief as the apostle Paul wrote in Romans:

Romans 1:18-25(NASB)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Further in Romans, Paul tells us that Jews and Gentiles are responsible for their unbelief:

Romans 3:9-18(NASB)
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;
10 as it is written,
“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17 And the path of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

So we see that the Bible clearly teaches that it is man who is responsible for his unbelief and not God. And man's inability is not an excuse as man is responsible for his inability, not God.

God must save and God alone, as man can do nothing to save himself, as without the regenerating power of God the Holy Spirit man does not seek God as Paul wrote to the Roman Christians.

 

Are you still holding to it?

Bro. Dallas

P.S. maybe while Christ is working with them here in the flesh God is hardening them from the Throne of Grace, you know, communication being what it was in 33 A.D. and all, or perhaps the Holy Spirit wasn't able to loose himself from trying to convince some hardened Jew that he could provide the inner call to those of Christ's hometown. And maybe...well, I just don't like causing doubt of the Word of God. I would think if I could understand all points on this side of eternity (when I am certain there are things that God will not even reveal to us in eternity) well you know.

But are you really not hanging on to the dear old doctrines once delivered to the saints?

 

KenH,

How can it be then that God alone is responsible for man's belief? If man is responsible for his unbelief, maybe you can explain the mechanics of how that works. No vague generalities please. Get to the Nitty Gritty of how one is an unbeliever, who cannot become a believer using the same means. Maybe you can define for us exactly what is required for man to become a believer. Remember, if man can do something all by himself in the non-God realm, he has exactly the same equipment with which to do it in the God realm.

Agreed

I do not agree, and I agree.

I do not agree: If you have ever been pinned down in a foxhole with an enemy army trying to kill you, you don't wait for God to come calling, you do the calling out for God. If you have ever found yourself in a situation of hopelessness and fear, you do not wait for God to come calling, you cry out for God to save you. Even when the motivation is not fear, one comes to God because he instinctively knows there is a God and that God can fix what the man has broken. Man comes to God when he "hears" the word.
I agree: When man is having his way, he does not have a need for God, therefore he does not seek God. When man is not having his way, such as the meek and lowly of spirit, the poor and poor in spirit, and the needy, do seek God of their own free will. They are always thinking about God, praying for relief, and praying for sustainance.

 

Jesus was limited by the Spirit of God in his hometown to only doing a few miracles. It wasn't that he was not able to do many miracles there....He is always able. It was that God because of the unbelief of Jesus' hometown people did not pour out his spirit as much there through the healing ministry of Jesus.

John 5:19 in Jesus' own words he talks about this aspect of his ministry - He does the will of his Father and can do nothing the Father is not doing.

(John 5:19 KJV) Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Why do some churches grow and others not grow? Is it not because of unbelief in the pews or in the pulpit?

It seems to me that Jesus is doing nothing less than a traveling evangelist does when he exhorts a congregation to exercise more faith in God so that they might see God's Glory abound in their church. He chides people for their unbelief.

Preachers do it all the time.

 

There is a faith that saves and then there is 'growing in faith' this growing is not growing in faith unto salvation. Growing in faith is found described:

3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5  ¶And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11  For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
12  ¶Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
13  Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;

Lest ye forget, would it not have been foolishness for Peter to have exhorted to the believers to increase their belief unto salvation?

Bro. Dallas Eaton

 

No, I didn't say what I quoted, Peter did.

 

Bro. Bill,

I think you're trying too hard to exorcise your own "private demon of Calvinism". Lighten up! It is not a "disease" unto death!

I don't believe any Calvinists I know believe that faith is only of God. Faith is our human response to God's personal regenerative work in our lives.

That it is a gift from God does not detract from the personal and human nature of faith.

My faith is mine. My lack of it is also mine as well. I believed God when He opened my eyes and my heart and mind to the understanding of the personal nature of His Gospel for me.

I think you're trying to make this too hard.

Salvation is either a supernatural act of God in our lives or it is merely human driven religious affection and allegiance on our part. The former is what I see throughout the N.T. The latter is what I see in the erroneous and non-Christian religions of this world.

 

Does anyone else here on the board think, like I do, that our lack of witnessing to our faith, definitely hinders the progress of His Kingdom and church in our world?

 

I once thought that way Brother Ray, but now I do not, the reason I don't is that if I fail to witness, then God simply calls on one who is obedient. What we do in failing is to quench the Spirit in our lives and miss out on a Blessing from God because of it.

Have you ever thought of saying something pertaining to 'witnessing to your faith' and considered it in your mind and then before you could say your thought someone else did, though with different words, with the same message?

I have been in this position. As a result, when I feel to do something I hesitate much less.

God Bless.
Bro. Dallas Eaton

 

How can Salvation be supernatural if you (man) must trigger it? If it is an act of God it is not merely passive and waiting at some predetermined point that God will not move past as he waits for all or any sinners to appropriate at their pleasure.

It is an Active Salvation, directed by its author, penetrating the very heart of the lost sinner and securing the personal salvation of the particular individual.

To be sure the response is Personal Faith on the part of the sinner as will every salvation testimony reveal. How could it be otherwise?

 

Brother Dallas,

Yes, I do think that if I neglect to witness, our Lord will move on to someone else who is willing to be used of God.

Never had the experience that you spoke about. Waiting to witness and then someone else stepped in and did what I should have done.