Raising the Alarm Over False Conversion. Alfred Chong

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СКАЧАТЬ 1:33), one also receives definitive sanctification. The person is eternally cleansed from sin by the precious blood of Christ (Heb. 13:12), resulting in one’s separation from sin. Definitive sanctification sets a convert free from the power of sin (Rom. 6:22; 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:17) so that one may walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4). The basis of a convert’s definitive sanctification is one’s spiritual union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-7; Col. 1:21-22; 2 Cor. 5:14-15).

      C) God’s Grace

      Grace is an unmerited or undeserved favor God has granted to His people (Eph. 1:7; 2:7). It is the amazing display of God's love (Rom. 5:8). God’s grace is eternal (2 Tim. 1:9), sovereign (Rom. 9:11-24), effectual (Rom. 8:29-30; 1 Cor. 1:9, 24), infinite (Rom. 5:20) and irrevocable (Rom. 11:29). Salvation is by God’s grace (Eph. 2:8; Tit. 2:11); it is the grace of God that enables individuals to escape His wrath.

      Grace is a gift of God (Eph. 3:7). Therefore grace can neither be claimed as a right nor earned by works. God calls sinners to salvation according to His purpose and grace, not because of their own efforts (2.Tim.1:8-9). Sinners cannot possibly do anything to merit God's approval or earn His favor (Eph. 2:8-9).

      Grace is conveyed through the preaching of the Gospel (2 The. 2:14; Jam. 1:18). God grants new birth to a sinner by grace alone. By grace God causes the new birth of individuals by effectually calling them through the power of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit (1 Pet. 1:23, 25; 2 The. 2:13-14; 1 Cor. 2:4-5), raising them from spiritual death and imparting faith to them. Upon regeneration [new birth], one would always respond positively and come to a saving faith in Christ (1 John 5:1; Acts 16:14).

      Faith in Christ is the result of God’s work (1 John 5:1; John 6:44, 65; Acts 16:14; Eze. 36:26-27). Believers cannot boast about their faith because it is the gift from the Lord (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 5:15-17; 12:3). It is by grace they are enabled to believe (Acts 18:27; John 6:65).

      From beginning to end, every act of the salvation process is the work of God’s grace. Sinners must have faith in order to be saved, but even their faith is the gift of God. Therefore salvation is all of grace and accomplished solely through the power of God. Salvation is of the Lord (Psa. 3:8; Jon. 2:9; John 6:44; Rev. 19:1). The purpose of salvation of God’s people is for His glory (Rom. 9:23; Isa. 43:7). Salvation of lost souls is to the praise of God’s glory alone (Eph. 1:13-14). It is all of grace through Christ for all His glory.

      D) God’s Sovereignty in the Universe

      The Lord God Almighty is the Creator of heavens and earth (Gen. 14:19, 22). He is sovereign over all things in the universe (Psa. 103:19; Job 41:11). God exercises supreme authority and control over all creation (Psa. 103:19; Dan. 2:20-23; Col. 1:17), and His dominion is eternal (Dan. 4:34-35).

      God’s will is sovereign and His decree and purpose are unchangeable (Psa. 33:11; Lam. 2:17; Mal. 3:6). If God chooses to do something, it shall come to pass because He does not change His mind. God does whatever He pleases (Psa. 115:3; 135:6). No one can reverse what God wills to do (Isa. 43:13). The Lord works out everything according to His plan (Eph. 1:11; Pro. 16:4). Nothing happens unless the omnipotent God allows it (Lam. 3:37); He either permits or causes it to happen. Everything that occurs on earth does so at the time God chooses (Psa. 75:2; Ecc. 3:1, 11). He upholds all things by His powerful word (Heb. 1:3). It is not difficult for people to see God's sovereignty in His daily providence (Rom. 8:28; 11:36), and it extends to all creatures (Psa. 104:21-29; Mat. 6:26; 10:29).

      E) God’s Sovereignty in Salvation

      The Lord is the sovereign ruler over all creation and owner of everything (1 Chr. 29:11-12; Gen. 14:19, 22). God has the absolute prerogative to do whatever He desires with His creatures (Dan. 4:34-35). His sovereignty is prominently revealed in His work of salvation (Rom. 9:8-24). It is His privilege to give grace where He chooses and to withhold it when He pleases (Exo. 33:19; Psa. 115:3). God hides from some and reveals Himself to others as He pleases (Isa. 45:14-17). Sinners deserve nothing but God's wrath and judgment (Rom. 1:18, 32; 2:2-4). If God saves certain individuals in spite of their sins, it is because it pleases Him to do so (Eph 1:5-11, Psa. 135:6). The Lord saves whom He chooses, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it” (John 5:21). God told Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exo. 33:19). He deals differently with men; He has mercy on some but hardens others (Rom. 9:18). He makes certain individuals to be recipients of His grace, and others to receive His righteous judgment (Rom. 9:13, 22-23). The Lord consults no one in His choice of the blessed ones. God is calling the shots; He alone is in control in the realm of salvation (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 4:6; Gal. 1:15-16; 2 Tim. 1:9). The Lord is sovereign in the salvation of sinners; they are dependent on Him for their eternal well being.

      God chose people in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:8-9). He first sent His Son to die for their sins (1 John 4:9-10; Rom. 5:8). Then by His grace and through the power of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit, He effectually calls them to salvation (1 Cor. 2:4-5; 2 The. 2:13-14; 1 The. 1:4-5). Wherever the Gospel is preached faithfully, the Spirit effectually calls and regenerates the chosen sinners (1 The. 1:4-5; 1 Cor. 2:4-5), imparting spiritual life and faith to them so that they are drawn to Christ (John 6:44). God the Spirit cannot be hindered in His work of conversion (John 3:8). The sovereign Spirit is not influenced by a seeker’s decision for Christ, nor is He submissive to the will of a prospect who recites a sinner’s prayer. Salvation is the work of God (1 Cor. 1:30-31; Phi. 1:6). The decisive factor in salvation is God's sovereign will (Eph. 1:4-5, 11; Rom. 9:15-16), not the free will of man (John 1:13).

      It appears unfair that only some individuals receive God’s grace. The Bible reminds us that justice can only condemn all men, for all have sinned (Rom. 9:14). God would have been just if He leaves the entire humanity to perish and share the eternal misery. God does not grant a sinner what one deserves, but what He delights in giving. The Lord is not unjust to extend mercy to some and harden others, because all deserve His judgment. He is only unjust if He holds back the blessings that men deserve. However God is gracious in giving individuals the salvation which they could never merit. People also have to remember that God has the prerogative to do whatever He desires with His creatures.

      F) Man Dislikes the Truth

      The doctrine of God's sovereignty is one of the most offensive doctrines to the human nature. Man has difficulty to accept the truth that God is the supreme ruler over all creation, and in control of everybody's life. Lost sinners, fallen into the pitfall of pride, are trapped in the delusion of their autonomy. The teaching that God is sovereign in salvation is unpopular among the professing Christians. The reasons are firstly they assume that they are the captains of their own souls, and have innate right to self-control and to rule their own environment; secondly God's sovereignty takes salvation out of the hands of men, stripping them of their pride and honor; thirdly they cannot believe a loving God can be so unfair to saves certain sinners, but leaves others to be condemned eternally; fourthly people are afraid that they might not be among the chosen people of God.

      G) God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Free Will

      There is no contradiction between God's sovereignty and man’s free will. It is God, the master potter, who formed an individual according to His own purpose (Isa.64:8). The will of man can never move beyond nor contradict what God has already predetermined from eternity past (Isa. 46:10-11). Men are not robots; they are allowed to act according to their will and intellect. Nonetheless, every event or situation that influences the choice of man is foreordained by God (Lam. 3:37; Pro. 16:4; 20:24). Every creature, including angels and human beings, is bound by His sovereign will and power (Eph. 1:11; Isa. 46:9-11). Thus man can never be fully autonomous. His free will can СКАЧАТЬ