Above is a pic of my youngest daughter and me.
My Husband, My brother in Christ
My Deficient words-- His Sufficient Word
"If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself." -Augustine
There is no cooperation with God and man in regeneration... period. Regeneration is purely monergistic in that man absolutely does not have anything to do with the securing of salvation... it is the total work of God, for only God can resurrect us from the dead... that graveyard of spiritual depravity. There are aspects of our salvation that are synergistic in that there is a cooperation between man and God (lest we be automatons). How? Because God causes this cooperation. To repent and believe is a responsibility of man that can only come with the Divine monergistic work of regeneration. "...God alone regenerates. We alone believe. And we believe in Christ alone for salvation."-John Murray. (thank you Lord for enabling me to repent and believe)
Acts 13:48 "...as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."
God alone is the source of power that made me willing to repent and believe. The Scriptures clearly show that faith and repentance are the evidence and not the cause of salvation. I did not and cannot elect myself. This regeneration is God giving me the spiritual life that enabled me to repent and believe but is also what I could not do apart from God because I was in bondage to sin.
I could not see... I could not understand... I could not come to believe without being born again until He first gave me a new nature, until first being effectually called by the Holy Spirit. It is not that I did not want to hear. It is that I could not hear.
Ryle wrote once of faith as "the hand" by which we lay hold of Christ (Heb. 6:18); "the eye" by which we look to him (John 3:14-15; Heb. 12:2); "the mouth" by which we feed on him (John 6); and "the foot" by which we run to him (Prov. 18:10).
It is God that sets forth both Divine and human elements in salvation. There is both, as set forth by God, monergistic in the securing of salvation and synergistic in the manifestation of salvation.
Synergistic... a working together where God calls us to action, in the manifestation of salvation, the repentance, the faith, the progressive sanctification process, the perseverence in holiness. But none of these manifestations are possible apart from God for it is God that has given me the heart to do these things. "Salvation is of the Lord." (Jonah 2:9)
And the securing of salvation is monergistic in election, the effectual call, regeneration, justification, positional sanctification (definitive), adoption and glorification.
I am a sinner saved by grace. Not a sinner saved by my ability to do anything. Everything I say and write is tainted with sin and yet God chooses to use sinners as vessels of honor. wow. I apologize for my deficient words... only God and His Word is truly sufficient. I do so appreciate the people in my life that challenge me, like my husband, my pastor and many others, to know what I beleive and why for the glory of God. I have much to learn and appreciate your patience.
His servant for His glory,
Lisa
(Above is from sermon notes and personal study)
Consider reading God's Part and Man's Part in salvation by John Reisenger (Thank you for this link, Terry Rayburn)
Also consider reading Eric Rung's post over at Authentic Truth called What is Guiding Your Thoughts? "...the church succumbs to fleshly wisdom rather than to guidance from God’s truth."
Comments
It is amazing how these truths are so passed by by so many who profess to know Christ.
I think Paul makes it quite clear why an unregenerate man cannot comprehend spirtual truths, neither know them, for they're spiritually discerned.
How, then, can such a man repent of that which he does not comprehend and turn to that which he does not know?
It must be a complete work of God and a gift as made clear in Ephesians. And that wonderful gift is faith.
Posted by: Mike Young | July 9, 2006 10:24 PM
Mike Y. wrote: "It is amazing how these truths are so passed by by so many who profess to know Christ."
We are all really arminian by nature. If I think about it... most people if not all were arminian when they were first saved. As someone in my church said last night, the problem comes when people stay arminian in their thinking. And the reason for that is really a combination of a lack of sound teaching, lack of discipleship and a lack of being in the Word. He said the solution is to let the Word do the work. How? By saying to this person, "Hey friend, how about read Ephesians chapter one. I would like to hear your thoughts on it later." Let the Word itself do its work. Their experience in the Word of God will far outweigh any of my words. It is not for me to shove things down peoples throats or think of myself more highly than I ought... getting puffed up with knowledge. Anything I do know is by the grace of God so that I can boast of my Lord and His work, not of myself. Believe me... I have tried to shove things down peoples throats thinking they were idiots for not believing something SO CLEAR. ugh. How stupid of me. How vain and arrogant and prideful... and OH DEAR... I have much to learn. For I still honestly have moments in which my thoughts jump into thinking this way.
I know that is not at all what you were conveying when you wrote the above. It just caused me to think of how I personally have reacted in that thinking.
Thank you again for your comments.
His servant for His glory,
Lisa
Posted by: 4ever4given | July 10, 2006 07:51 AM
I don't think I necessarily expect new converts to believe all that much at all. However, I do expect anyone who names Christ as savior to be able to be corrected by God's word.
And to this point you are absolutely correct about those who continue too long to be arminian.
When we come across a passage that says thus and such, and we opt to not believe it, it gives me concern. And this isn't just a calvinistic thing. Our former church did not believe in any form of evangelism outside of the church building. Hmmm, it was amazing how they re-wrote in their own minds certain passages.
And I believe I'm with you, once again, about the lack of discipleship. When the bulk of today's churches have unqualified teachers and pastors, what can one really expect?
Posted by: Mike Young | July 10, 2006 08:20 AM
You wrote: "When the bulk of today's churches have unqualified teachers and pastors, what can one really expect?"
*CLANG* That is the sound of one hitting the nail on the head. Isn't the warning of this and its consequences throughout Scripture...
Posted by: 4ever4given | July 10, 2006 08:53 AM
The scriptures certainly warn of it. It also warns that the reason for it is the congregations will gather to themselves teachers who will cater to their itching ears.
So, this is one problem.
The other is in this age of pastors graduating from school and immediately starting works of their own. They build their own congregations, largely of unregenerate members, who are appreciative of the one who finally told them about Jesus.
None of this really affects me much these days. My pet peeve is the Christian who whines and complains about how his church has gone south or isn't scriptural, but who refuses to do anything but whine.
Posted by: Mike Young | July 10, 2006 09:56 AM