SavedByGrace
Well-Known Member
Who is it that will repent and be forgiven? Will the unregenerate person repent while being dead in their trespasses and sins?
YES, Jesus says so!
Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
Who is it that will repent and be forgiven? Will the unregenerate person repent while being dead in their trespasses and sins?
Ephesians 2:1-10
" No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." ( John 6:44 ).None of these Scriptures say anywhere that sinners are "unable" to call on the Lord for salvation.
Whether or not you agree with me, "SavedbyGrace", should we not rather remember His grace towards us as unworthy sinners, and obey the Lord in our conduct towards others...instead of not obeying Him and His commands?Your theology is counter to what the Bible teaches!
" And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins;Paul is here discussing when an unsaved person is saved by the grace of the Lord, and nothing about being "made alive" before one can be saved!
" No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." ( John 6:44 ).
" And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." ( John 6:65 ).
Respectfully,
Those two right there tell me that there is something limiting us as men from approaching God in our hearts.
The Lord Jesus is very specific when He says, "No man CAN...except..."
Wouldn't you agree?
Whether or not you agree with me, "SavedbyGrace", should we not rather remember His grace towards us as unworthy sinners, and obey the Lord in our conduct towards others...instead of not obeying Him and His commands?
I respect that you disagree with me.
What I don't understand is the hostility that you seem to be justified in expressing towards those who disagree with you.
" And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved
6 and hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
7 that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
9 not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." ( Ephesians 2:1-10 ).
To me, Paul here, under the inspiration ( God-breathed words ) of the Holy Spirit, is telling the Ephesians what happened to them, even when they were dead in their trespasses and sins. In other words, it's a history lesson from God's point of view for their benefit.
If it's of any help, I'd like to break things down as I see them being stated, verse by verse:
1) He's telling the Ephesians that they were dead in their trespasses and sins.
2) In time past ( before they believed, see chapter 1 ) they walked ( lived ) according to the course of this world...
According to the prince of the power of the air ( Satan ), the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience ( unbelievers ).
3) The Ephesians believers, as well as Paul, all had their "conversation" ( manner of life )in time past in the lusts of their flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were, by their nature, the children of wrath.
4) But God who is rich in mercy for His great love that He loved them...the Ephesians...
5) Even when they were dead in sins, accomplished a work:
He "quikened" ( or made alive ) the Ephesians together with Christ, and reminds them that by grace they were saved.
6) God raised them up together and made them to sit together with Christ in the heavenlies...
7) For the express purpose that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness towards them through Jesus Christ.
8) He then tells them that they were saved by grace and through faith, and that it was not "of" themselves, but it was the gift of God.
9) It was also not "of" ( by or from ) works, for the purpose of ruling out boasting.
10) He finally tells them that they are God's workmanship, created specifically in Christ Jesus to good works...
Which God has ordained them to walk ( live ) in.
If I may ask, what do you see for yourself when you read this passage, line by line and verse by verse?
Thank you for your reply.Paul is speaking of believers in their past life, "wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world"; and then says in their sinful state, when they believed the Gospel, they were "made alive" in Jesus. Paul says this in another way, "When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit." (Ephesians 1:13). Not as the KJV, "after you believed", as though there were some time difference in the Greek!
Amen.Matthew 11:27, "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Amen.
Actually I was agreeing with your posting Matthew 11:27,Amen! And since Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, whosoever will can come. Because God so very much Loves the human race that He gave...
Actually I was agreeing with your posting Matthew 11:27,
which clearly states that no man knows the Son except for the Father, and no man knows the Father except the Son...
And those to whom the Son reveals Him.
In other words, the Son has to reveal the Father to someone, before they can know Him.
It's selective and limited by God.
At this point, I would say that to you there is no other way to take it.What I can never understand about reformed theology is the denial and rejection of John 3.16 which very clearly says that salvation is freely available to the entire human race. There is no other way to take the words
Did God the Father intend that the Cross would offer potential or purchase real salvation then?What I can never understand about reformed theology is the denial and rejection of John 3.16 which very clearly says that salvation is freely available to the entire human race. There is no other way to take the words
Did God the Father intend that the Cross would offer potential or purchase real salvation then?
At this point, I would say that to you there is no other way to take it.
Plus, please consider that I've never taken my cues from "Reformed Theology"...
I simply picked up the Bible one day, studied it as the Lord commands ( 1 Peter 2:2, 2 Timothy 2:15 ), and I began to see it the way I do for myself over a long period of time.
I also carefully weighed John 3:16 against Psalms 5:5, Psalms 11:5, Romans 9:13 and others...
And decided that hate means hate, and love means love;
At least in most of the passages that talk about those subjects.
Taking them all together literally, introduces a massive contradiction, at least to me.
But I also agree that how you get there in your understanding is between you and the Lord.
He is the believer's Teacher, not men ( 1 John 2:20-27 ).
Abhor means "to regard with disgust and hatred."What about
New King James Version Psalm 106:40 Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people, So that He abhorred His own inheritance.
About God's chosen and elect nation of Israel?About God's own elect people
Abhor means "to regard with disgust and hatred."
To me