Preaching the Gospel of God's Grace in Salvation

[savedbymercy]

The Gospel hid from the non elect, the Lost !

2 Cor 4:3-4

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Who are the our here in our Gospel ? Its the Church, its the Called out ones, its the Chosen.

We know this because Paul himself was Chosen and Called by God Rom 1:1

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

1 Cor 1:1

Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

Paul identifies himself with the called of Rom 9:24

24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Paul was Chosen of Christ Acts 9:15

But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

Acts 22:14

And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.



Notice also that he was Chosen to Hear the voice of God ! Its the Sheep that it is declared they shall hear His voice Jn 10:16,27

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.


My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

So as Paul was Chosen to hear God's voice, so was all of God's Sheep.

Now, that we have established this, we know that God revealed the Gospel to Paul Gal 1:11-12

11But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

12For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is revealed to God's Elect as it was to Paul, for that is the only way it can be received, by revelation. If it is not revealed to one then its hid from them as stated in 2 Cor 4:3

3But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

The word hid here is the greek word kalyptō :


to hide, veil

a) to hinder the knowledge of a thing

The Gospel is hid to them that are Lost in their sins !

But it is revealed to them that are being saved. That word revelation in Gal 1:12 is the greek word apokalypsis and means:

laying bare, making naked

2) a disclosure of truth, instruction

a) concerning things before unknown

The Gospel must be revealed by God's Spirit if we are to believe it 1 Cor 2:10

10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

If God does not reveal the Gospel to us by His Spirit, then it will remain hid from us, which is indicative of one not being saved by the Cross of Christ, and therefore Lost in their sins.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

David Lamb's post #17 hit the nail on the head. Any notion of God being the cause or indirect cause of sin is not only ludicrous but wicked as well.

Good post David!:thumbsup:

 

[savedbymercy]

The Gospel, a New Covenant Ministry !

Paul was a Minister of the New Testament or Covenant, we know this from 2 Cor 3:6

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament/covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Who are the us here ? The Twelve. Paul, Peter and John and James were all made New Covenant Ministers, they all Preached the same Gospel, for the Gospel is the Power of God unto Salvation for all who were believing, to the Jew First and also to the Greek or the Gentile.

Now the New Covenant Ministry was quite appropriately designed for a New Covenant People Heb 8:8 ! So what is so special about this New Covenant People? It is this,Christ shed His blood according to this New Covenant Matt 26:28

28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many[Heb 8:8] for the remission of sins.

Note: Christ blood was shed for a specific People !

His death and blood confirmed the Covenant with Many Dan 9:27

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Christ confirmed the Covenant by His Death as per Heb 9:16-17

16For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

17For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

This, the confirming of the Covenant, ensures that all the Covenantees will receive a New Heart, A New Spirit, and that they should keep the commandments of God Ezk 36:26-27

26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

So when God sent the Apostles out to Preach, He sent them to people who had been recipients of the New Covenant Heart, confirmed to them by the blood of Christ. Now having received the Heart from the blessing of the Covenant, they are enabled to hear the Gospel of the Covenant and obey its commands ,which are Faith and Repentance. Thats what being Ministers of the New Covenant was about. It was God sending His chosen messengers to a chosen people, with a New Covenant Heart, to bring them to obedience of Faith as per Rom 15:18

For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

sbm: Christ blood was shed for a specific People !

HP: Just so happens those specific people include the entire race no less......according to Scripture that is. (ES)1Jn 2:2 AndG2532 heG846 isG2076 the propitiationG2434 forG4012 ourG2257 sins:G266 andG1161 notG3756 forG4012 oursG2251 only,G3440 butG235 alsoG2532 forG4012 the sins of theG3588 wholeG3650 world.G2889

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

The blood of Christ necessitated the salvation of no one in particular. It was a means by which God allowed for the possibility of saving all that would repent, believe, exercise faith, and remain faithful unto the end. His suffering and death built a bridge for all, if they would but fufill the conditions He set forth, i.e. initially repent and exercise their will in obedience and faith.

Faith is an act of the will by the way, and in that sense a work.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

For a clarification on what constitutes a work, a work is at its primary inception always begins with an act of the will. Works are not necessarily carried out any further than this initial act of the will and God judges all works at that point whether or not good or evil, selfish or benevolent. Jesus clearly taught this truth. He declared that if one formed an intent of murder in ones heart (for one example) he was as guilty of murder as if though he had carried out such an intention. He taught that if it was in ones heart to do good, although that intent of the heart, or due to one lacking the means, may never have had the opportunity to be carried out, God would reward him for an honest intention to do good.

Behind faith lies the intention, formed voluntarily by the will of man, to believe God. In this sense faith is indeed a work. Note: No work of sinful man, in and of itself merits favor that forces God to grant salvation. All requirements by God for man to fulfill in order to inherit the hope of eternal life are thought of in the sense of 'not without which' not 'that for the sake of.' We are not saved for the sake of repentance, faith or obedience, but neither will any be saved apart from those conditions of salvation being voluntarily met by the individual.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

There are a lot of voices telling us how to be certain of ones salvation or the nature of ones salvation, but if the advice or plan we present does not involve conscious obedience to the known will and commandments of God, it is defective at the core.

1Jn 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

The false notion by sbm in that regeneration of the soul preceeds salvation is an idea touted by men like Calvin. It is completely false and has no basis in Scripture. Repentance is required by God in order to be saved and is antecedent to any gift of salvation or regeneration. Sbm could not be further from the truth of Scripture on this point.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

SBM: If God does not reveal the Gospel to us by His Spirit, then it will remain hid from us, which is indicative of one not being saved by the Cross of Christ, and therefore Lost in their sins.

HP: Here SBM furthers the message of Calvinistic necessity by the clear implications of double predestination. God predestines some to damnation and some lucky ones salvation through no fault of their own or no effort on their part. That my friends is a false notion with not a shred of solid evidence in Scripture to back it up. It is part and parcel to the system of theology touted by Calvin and others that is best recognized as a maelstrom of confusion. It pits God as a respecter of persons and paints a horrible blight on the Loving Just Character of a Holy God.

 

[savedbymercy]

hp

Repentance is required by God in order to be saved

Thats a lie, because God gives Repentance to His Elect when He saves them Acts 5:31


31Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

That is part of being a saviour, to give repntance and forgiveness of sins to those He saved.

Furthermore, for you to say that God requires of man to repent, a command Acts 17:30, is teaching salvation by works, by what man does, that is a false Gospel..

You are teaching salvation by keeping a commandment ! WORKS !

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

hp:Repentance is required by God in order to be saved

SBM: Thats a lie,..... Furthermore, for you to say that God requires of man to repent, a command Acts 17:30, is teaching salvation by works, by what man does, that is a false Gospel..

You are teaching salvation by keeping a commandment ! WORKS !

HP: I am in Great company.:thumbs: The first spoken works out of the mouth of Christ Jesus when he started His ministry were: (you might consider sitting down SBM, for I know this is going to be rather difficult for you to take) Mat 3:2 Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Furthermore Christ repeatedly stated, "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish."

SBM, was Christ teaching salvation by works????

 

[savedbymercy]

hp

I am in Great company.

You sure are Matt 7:13

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Regeneration come subsequent to, or as the results of sincere repentance via godly sorrow. Man does not repent because he has been saved, nor is repentance on our part necessitated by God's foreknowledge of our salvation. Repentance is a work that God requires of man in order to be regenerated and saved.

SBM falsely assumes that if God requires a work from man in order to be saved, that such constitutes a works salvation. Nothing can be further from the truth. Nothing we do, including repentance, is meritorious in nature. We are not saved for the sake of our repentance, for nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ can atone for the least of sins. Conditions of salvation are always thought off in the sense of "not without which, not that for the sake of. Here is my prison illustration to illustrate my point.
A man goes to prison for life, being justly condemned and sentenced by a judge for a specific crime. Can such an individual ‘merit’ a pardon by the performance of good works while in prison? Can such a criminal perform good works to such a degree that the governor is forced to grant this man a pardon based merely on the ‘merit’ of the performance of such good works? Absolutely not. You cannot then consider any intents or actions as the grounds of his pardon, not could you say that he in any way could ‘merit’ a pardon. IF he is granted a pardon it cannot be said that in any sense his pardon was ‘for the sake of’ anything the prisoner had done or could do.

Just the same can the governor, if he so pleases, pardon such a criminal? Of course he can. Still, there is something the criminal MUST do, there is an attitude that MUST be reflected by the criminal to receive a pardon IF the governor is indeed fair and just. . If the prisoner is to receive a pardon it still can be said that there must be attitudes that are tied inseparably to intents of the heart, this very initial intent being none other than a ‘work’ in one sense of the word being something the prisoner must do. The governor MUST witness from the criminal a repentant attitude and a change of heart towards his former criminal behavior if the governor is even to consider such a pardon for the criminal. Here we see that the intents and actions of the prisoner indeed do play a part in a pardon, though again, not in the sense of 'that for the sake of.' The sense that the intents and works of the prisoner are involved in a pardon can only be seen in the sense of 'not without which,' not 'that for the sake of.' Nothing the prisoner can or will do can merit a pardon, but just the same neither will he receive a pardon without repentance and an assurance of future behavior is garnered.

What kind of governor would pardon a criminal from prison who had not exhibited true remorse for his crimes? Would not the governor have to be satisfied in his or her mind that IF they pardoned such a criminal that they would not return to commit the same crime or one of like heinous behavior upon society again and that such a criminal possessed and exhibited a true change of heart and attitude towards their former behavior? There are indeed certain conditions that the criminal must meet, works that such a one must of necessity do in order to have the opportunity for a pardon if such an opportunity is offered. These works on the part of the prisoner are again, in no way meritorious in nature, and in no way force the governor to grant such a one a pardon on the account of any or all of their works. Just the same, there are definite conditions or works one must do in order for the governor to consider the pardon. These works are thought of in the sense of ‘not without which,’ not ‘that for the sake of.’

It can properly be stated that one is not pardoned due to any works (in one sense of the word ‘works’) in the sense of ‘that for the sake of’ of the prisoner, but just the same it can be said ‘without works’ (in another sense of the word, that being in the sense of ‘not without which’) one will never see the opportunity to receive a pardon.

Can you see how that works can be thought of as necessary for a pardon, or in the sense of “not without which,” yet at the same time no amount of works can be thought of as “that for the sake of” or forcing the governor to pardon the criminal on the account of works performed by the criminal?

Such I believe is the case in our salvation. We indeed will be judged by our works, but our works are not the grounds of our salvation. There is no amount of works that can coerce God into granting us a pardon, but just the same no man will be found in Him without works consistent with their faith. Nothing we do is meritorious, nor can anything we do be seen of in the sense of ‘that for the sake of’ our salvation. Nothing but the blood of Christ can atone for a single sin. Just the same, God does command us to repent and be obedient to the end, bearing fruits of righteousness and holiness, ‘without which’ no man shall see the Lord.

 

[savedbymercy]

hp

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Confessing one's sins is something man does ! So you teach that salvation and forgiveness of sins comes through what man does, that is works salvation all day long, a False Gospel !

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

God will be the final judge on who in fact presented a false gospel. :godisgood:

 

[Chowmah]

The True Gospel of the Grace of God proclaims loud and clear that no part of salvation is ever dependent or conditioned on the dead sinner, upon what the natural man must do [repent or believe] and so all salvation is conditioned on the Sovereign electing Grace of God.

MARK 1 [14] Now after that John was put in prison, JESUS CAME INTO GALILEE, PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, [15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: REPENT YE, AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL.

 

[convicted1]

The trouble with your post, over-emphasizing grace, is that grace does not save! Only Christ can save.

Brother, with all due respect, I am gonna have to call your hand on this statement. Titus 2 states that the "Grace of God which bringeth salvation".
W/O Grace, there is no Salvation. Jesus Christ IS God's Grace to save us sinners. So, I agree with you in part, but to state that Grace doesn't save isn't correct. Jesus is that Grace that saves sinners from their sins.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

I believe both DHK and Convicted1 are correct, just pointing out the same words in different senses. I agree with DHK that grace alone is the grounds of salvation but apart from the means of salvation. i.e., the shedding of the blood of Christ, no salvation would have been possible. God's grace set forth the bridge that Christ of His own free will constructed. Grace alone does not save, but apart from grace the atonement would have never taken place. God had to set in order means by which the atonement could be set forth, to secure His law and the just penalty for sin yet at the same time showing mercy.

It could be rightfully said that neither does mercy alone save. God saw in His wisdom that a sacrifice of eternal value must be offered to make it possible for God to pardon sinners yet honor His own law and just penalties.

It is true that without grace there is no salvation, but mere grace without honoring the just penalty of the law, by the shedding of blood, could not have, in God's wisdom, been in the best interest of Himself and the universe. If God would have simply shown mercy or grace apart from honoring the just penalty of the law, His law would be in effect destroyed. It would have had the same effect on the universe as would be our case in this country if we simply opened the doors of the prisons and allowed the lawbreakers to roam free. God had to meet the demands of the law in order to keep from destroying the law.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

Oh Lord, do a work in my heart that I might be found to be one of sincere integrity before You, to the end that You can say without a doubt, there is a man deserving of My trust for eternity. There is a man that has wholly given his heart and life to God in sincere repentance and faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ and faithfully walking in obedience. Oh God, may it be so in the lives of everyone on this list!

 

[savedbymercy]

God will be the final judge on who in fact presented a false gospel. :godisgood:

Preaching a Gospel of works is a False Gospel, it is in direct contradiction to what the Bible Teaches Eph 2:8-9



8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9Not of works, lest any man should boast.