The Absolute Sovereignty of God

[KenH]

"Justification is an act of God's grace, flowing from his sovereign good will and pleasure; the elect of God are said to be "justified by his grace"; and as if that expression was not strong enough to set forth the freeness of it, the word "freely" is added elsewhere; "Being justified freely by his grace", Titus 3:7 Romans 3:24.
...
Now, as before observed, as God's will to elect, is the election of his people, so his will to justify them, is the justification of them; as it is an immanent act in God, it is an act of his grace towards them, is wholly without them, entirely resides in the divine mind, and lies in his estimating, accounting, and constituting them righteous, through the righteousness of his Son; and, as such, did not first commence in time, but from eternity.

First, It does not begin to take place in time, or at believing, but is antecedent to any act of faith.
...
Secondly, Justification is not only before faith, but it is from eternity, being an immanent act in the divine mind, and so an internal and eternal one."

- rest of article at Justification as an Eternal and Immanent Act of God - John Gill

 

[Silverhair]

That is not what you are teaching. You claim that man has to, by his fallen will in Adam, meet a condition.

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit must sovereignly regenerate a person and grant that person the gift of faith, before that person will have faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus.

Those are bold claims you just made Ken. Care to back them up with clear biblical text.

 

[KenH]

Salvation can not be earned Ken but God has set the condition of receiving that Gift, faith in His son.

See, Silverhair, by your own words you teach that they there is at least one condition for fallen man to accomplish by his fallen will. Thus, you are claiming that man's will can override God's will, since you also teach that God is trying, yet failing, to save every person.

 

[KenH]

Those are bold claims you just made Ken. Care to back them up with clear biblical text.

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.

 

[Silverhair]

"Justification is an act of God's grace, flowing from his sovereign good will and pleasure; the elect of God are said to be "justified by his grace"; and as if that expression was not strong enough to set forth the freeness of it, the word "freely" is added elsewhere; "Being justified freely by his grace", Titus 3:7 Romans 3:24.
...
Now, as before observed, as God's will to elect, is the election of his people, so his will to justify them, is the justification of them; as it is an immanent act in God, it is an act of his grace towards them, is wholly without them, entirely resides in the divine mind, and lies in his estimating, accounting, and constituting them righteous, through the righteousness of his Son; and, as such, did not first commence in time, but from eternity.

First, It does not begin to take place in time, or at believing, but is antecedent to any act of faith.
...
Secondly, Justification is not only before faith, but it is from eternity, being an immanent act in the divine mind, and so an internal and eternal one."

- rest of article at Justification as an Eternal and Immanent Act of God - John Gill

Those are the opinions of Gill.

The bible shows that those that hear and believe the gospel message will be saved.

We are saved through the grace of God because we believe not so that we will believe.

 

[Silverhair]

See, Silverhair, by your own words you teach that they there is at least one condition for fallen man to accomplish by his fallen will. Thus, you are claiming that man's will can override God's will, since you also teach that God is trying, yet failing, to save every person.

God desires all to be saved and He convicts all of the their sin but He also says that only those that believe will be saved.

So if God sets the condition of salvation then who are you oh man to speak against Him.

Joh 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
Joh 3:15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Joh 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Joh 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Note it is those that believe that are saved and those that do not believe that are lost.

I do find it odd that you would fight so hard against the word of God.

1Ti 2:3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1Ti 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The corollary of 1Ti_2:3-4 would be found in Eze_18:32. "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live."
God wants all people to come to Him in faith, not just a select few, because He has no pleasure in anyone's death.

 

[KenH]

We are saved through the grace of God because we believe not so that we will believe.

I know, Silverhair, you believe that you are the determining factor(the sovereign) as to whether you will be saved or not.

Your teaching is not grace, Silverhair, it is works religion.

 

[Silverhair]

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.

You just proved my point Ken.
That verse does not support your claims Ken but it does support man's free will choice.

We have the gospel message that we can hear and believe and trust in Him for our salvation.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Eph 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

 

[KenH]

God desires all to be saved

Thus, Silverhair, you teach that God is a failure.

"One would think that all professing Christians would glory in these great truths concerning God. Surely every professing Christian should rejoice that God is in control rather than Satan or mere man for that matter. Yet this is not the case.

Without considering the consequences of such a system of belief, most professing Christians today have adopted a theology which makes God a failure! Historically, this system was first taught by Thomas Aquinas among the Catholics and is known as Thomism. Later, among some Protestants these ideas were popularized by James Arminius and others. Today they are known by the term Arminianism (not to be confused with Armenia). This free will system of doctrine is the tie that binds Catholicism and Protestantism together -- and in our day a host of nominal Baptists who also have fallen prey to it.

By carelessness in Bible study on the part of many -- and evident wresting of the Scriptures on the part of some -- many professing Christians now claim to worship a god who is a failure! Often these people slander the Bible by saying it contains two contradictory lines of teaching which cannot be reconciled. They may claim to believe in a sovereign God, but at the same time think mankind has a "free will" by which he can resist God and hinder His working. Thus, they take the Thomist/Arminian view and promote free-willism. (Nowhere does the Bible teach that man's will is free from his depraved nature!)

This free will system of doctrine sets forth a god who is a wimp. He loves everybody (in spite of clear Bible teaching that God has set His love only on His elect people). The god of this theological system is trying to save everybody, but cannot because they will not let him. Therefore this god is a failure!

Most often, adherents to this Catholic system of theology deny vehemently that they teach that their god is a failure. However, occasionally one of their preachers will say in words or substance, "God has done everything He can do to save you. The rest is up to you". Or perhaps their preaching takes the slant that you must "let God" do this or that in your life. If you do not "let God" He cannot accomplish His purpose in your life, according to the god-is-a-failure theory.

As further proof, we quote one prominent "Baptist" (BBF) preacher of some years ago as representative of this Thomist/Arminian view. He wrote, ". . . hell is a ghastly monument to the failure of the Triune God to save the multitudes who are there . . . sinners go to hell because God Almighty couldn't save them! He did all He could. He failed." [Noel Smith, "Universal Atonement," Defender Magazine, Springfield, MO., U.S.A., December, 1956]."

- rest of article at Is God a Failure?

 

[KenH]

You just proved my point Ken.
That verse does not support your claims Ken but it does support man's free will choice.

Huh? The only mention of man in James 1:18 is about an act of God upon man, not an act of man.

 

[Silverhair]

I know, Silverhair, you believe that you are the determining factor(the sovereign) as to whether you will be saved or not.

Your teaching is not grace, Silverhair, it is works religion.

Don't you believe the bible Ken?
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Eph 2:9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Act 16:31 They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Is man the one that determines if He will be saved? Only God can do that but He has set the condition for our salvation. Those that believe will be saved those that reject God will be lost.

We know that God desires all to be saved [1Ti 2:3-4] and we know that He is just and will justify those that believe.
Rom 3:26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Odd that you continue to deny the biblical verses I post yet you do not post anything that supports your view.

 

[KenH]

You just proved my point Ken.
That verse does not support your claims Ken but it does support man's free will choice.

"This act of begetting here ascribed to God, is what is elsewhere called a begetting again, that is, regeneration; it is an implantation of new principles of light and life, grace and holiness, in men; a quickening of them, when dead in trespasses and sins; a forming of Christ in their souls; and a making them partakers of the divine nature; and this is God's act, and not man's."

- excerpt from John Gill's Bible commentary on James 1:18

 

[Silverhair]

Thus, Silverhair, you teach that God is a failure.

"One would think that all professing Christians would glory in these great truths concerning God. Surely every professing Christian should rejoice that God is in control rather than Satan or mere man for that matter. Yet this is not the case.

Without considering the consequences of such a system of belief, most professing Christians today have adopted a theology which makes God a failure! Historically, this system was first taught by Thomas Aquinas among the Catholics and is known as Thomism. Later, among some Protestants these ideas were popularized by James Arminius and others. Today they are known by the term Arminianism (not to be confused with Armenia). This free will system of doctrine is the tie that binds Catholicism and Protestantism together -- and in our day a host of nominal Baptists who also have fallen prey to it.

By carelessness in Bible study on the part of many -- and evident wresting of the Scriptures on the part of some -- many professing Christians now claim to worship a god who is a failure! Often these people slander the Bible by saying it contains two contradictory lines of teaching which cannot be reconciled. They may claim to believe in a sovereign God, but at the same time think mankind has a "free will" by which he can resist God and hinder His working. Thus, they take the Thomist/Arminian view and promote free-willism. (Nowhere does the Bible teach that man's will is free from his depraved nature!)

This free will system of doctrine sets forth a god who is a wimp. He loves everybody (in spite of clear Bible teaching that God has set His love only on His elect people). The god of this theological system is trying to save everybody, but cannot because they will not let him. Therefore this god is a failure!

Most often, adherents to this Catholic system of theology deny vehemently that they teach that their god is a failure. However, occasionally one of their preachers will say in words or substance, "God has done everything He can do to save you. The rest is up to you". Or perhaps their preaching takes the slant that you must "let God" do this or that in your life. If you do not "let God" He cannot accomplish His purpose in your life, according to the god-is-a-failure theory.

As further proof, we quote one prominent "Baptist" (BBF) preacher of some years ago as representative of this Thomist/Arminian view. He wrote, ". . . hell is a ghastly monument to the failure of the Triune God to save the multitudes who are there . . . sinners go to hell because God Almighty couldn't save them! He did all He could. He failed." [Noel Smith, "Universal Atonement," Defender Magazine, Springfield, MO., U.S.A., December, 1956]."

- rest of article at Is God a Failure?

Why do you trust and post some man's opinion but fail to post or trust the word of God?

 

[KenH]

Don't you believe the bible Ken?
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Eph 2:9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

As Ephesians 2:8 clearly states, faith "is the gift of God."

 

[Silverhair]

"This act of begetting here ascribed to God, is what is elsewhere called a begetting again, that is, regeneration; it is an implantation of new principles of light and life, grace and holiness, in men; a quickening of them, when dead in trespasses and sins; a forming of Christ in their souls; and a making them partakers of the divine nature; and this is God's act, and not man's."

- excerpt from John Gill's Bible commentary on James 1:18

Still no clear biblical text to support your view.

You are trusting more in a man's opinion rather than the word of God.

 

[KenH]

Is man the one that determines if He will be saved? Only God can do that but He has set the condition for our salvation.

If you there are conditions for man, in his fallen state, to meet(which free-willers teach), then man ultimately determines whether or not he is saved.

 

[KenH]

Why do you trust and post some man's opinion but fail to post or trust the word of God?

I do post verses from the Word of God and I do believe the Word of God.

 

[KenH]

Still no clear biblical text to support your view.

Already posted clear Biblical text to proclaim the truth of the Word of God. I'll post it again.

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.

 

[Brightfame52]

@KenH

They believe that their will is superior to God's will, as they believe that they can thwart God's will.

Thats the man of sin concept