Warning
Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Lighthouses warn ships so they can avoid the rocky New England coast. Ships are warned that disaster is near with a light at night and with a fog horn in fog. Scripture also warns sinners, who live a life dominated by the acts of the sinful nature, they will not inherit the kingdom of God. The warning is for both non-Christians and false professing Christians. A person will either be controlled by his sinful nature or by the Spirit. Paul makes this point in Galatians and he also makes it in Romans where he states…. Romans 8:6-7 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. This does not mean that a person will be sinless, but it does mean that his new heart, attitude and mindset will enable him with the grace of God to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit with a mind controlled by the Spirit. Galatians 5:21 above does not warn that a Christian can lose his salvation, but it does warn that a professing Christian that continually lives this way has not been born again by the Spirit of God. Such a person has and may continue to give a false profession of faith, but his actions show that he is honoring God with his lips only and his claim is worthless. Later in Galatians Paul says….Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone and not by any merit that comes from living according to the Spirit, but a saved person will through regeneration and the Spirit of God be enabled to show the fruit of the Spirit. That is why Paul says that anyone wallowing in the acts of the sinful nature will not receive eternal life. Scripture passages such as this are found throughout the Bible and serve as a warning for sinners in the same way that lighthouses warn ships. One warning is about physical disaster and the other warning is of spiritual disaster. Heed the warning!
11 comments:
" but a saved person will through regeneration and the Spirit of God be enabled to show the fruit of the Spirit."
Great thoughts! Now, see how many people try to convince themselves that we believe in infused righteousness; how we blur the lines between Justification and Sanctification. I'm starting to find all of that amuzing, good for a laugh.
Mark,
So true. I am going to prepare a challenge for the FG folks to search the 'Jazzycat' site and copy and paste any proof of a works based salvation. Certainly it should be easy considering the caricature they paint of Calvinist.
W.H. could you please consider being a team-mate of mine at "bluecollar" blog? I would like you to do some posting there and also to be able to list you as a team member on my profile page.
Mark,
I would be honored in being your team-mate on your blog. Just let me know exactly how you want it to work.
W.H.
It is interesting that the warnings, says you, are for professing Christians.
In that case, what is the remedy for them? They are most likely reprobate and do not have any chance whatsoever of salvation. You could tell them to work harder, but that would be works-salvation.
The only thing you can tell them to do is wait and see if the Lord will sovereignly impose His regeneration on him so that he can too have those same guaranteed and inevitable results that you and Mark, and all Reformed people demonstrate.
Otherwise, you must tell them that if this result does not come, that God has been pleased to send them to hell.
Antonio
Antonio,
Yes, the warnings by the Apostle Paul is that anyone who lives like this (indicating an unbroken pattern) may have a professed faith but they do not have a possessed faith that is sincere and real. They would be hypocrites.
The remedy for anyone who does not sincerely trust in Jesus for eternal life is to turn to Jesus in sincere faith that if it is sincere will include true repentance and asking Christ for forgiveness of his sins. A sincere repentance will mean a person is eager and willing to turn from the habitual sins that Paul mentions in these two verses.
You know very well that reformed theology does not hold to telling anyone to wait on regeneration. The EE ministry was started by D. James Kennedy, who is reformed, presents the gospel to sinners as something they should respond to not wait on. The external call should go out to everyone as we do not know who God will as in the case of Lydia (Acts 16:14) give the effectual call to. A point in the EE presentation is to tell people of God’s mercy to forgive sinners and also of God’s justice that requires him to punish sin.
The caricatures you present seem to fire up the FG proponents but unfortunately you miss the mark often in describing reformed theology accurately especially your accusations of it being works salvation.
Therefore, I have a challenge for you! I have written approximately 60 photo meditations that are brief, not complicated and illustrate basic doctrinal points. Fifty-two of them were written before I ever had a blog or knew anything about FG theology. I say this to point out that there have been no revisions to prepare for issuing this challenge.
THE CHALLENGE………… Search the Jazzycat blog and all of these photo meditations and copy and paste a direct quote in context showing where I present justification (eternal life) as requiring works or deeds. If you fail to meet this challenge, then I will consider your caricatures of reformed theology as a failed attempt at mischaracterization. I will defend this blog and my Photo Meditations only. I am not interested in quotes from books or reformed theologians.
Further since you have such a disdain for God’s sovereign election, I would also challenge you to show how a sinner can use his ‘free will’ or anything else in coming to faith in Jesus that cannot be traced by cause and effect back to our creator God. If you can’t do that then you have de-facto election. Simply put show me how the potter gives all kinds of talents and gifts, but the pot creates something in himself that doesn’t come from God that enables him to choose Jesus. This would even make a good post on the UOG or your blog. BTW, I wonder if Rose’s amazing blog design talent can be traced to our creator God? They are really good.
W.H.
"The only thing you can tell them to do is wait and see if the Lord will sovereignly impose His regeneration on him so that he can too have those same guaranteed and inevitable results that you and Mark, and all Reformed people demonstrate."
Well, well Antonio. Once again you show your ignorance. I must admit that you are coming to be viewed as the court-jester in blogdom.
Since my entry into blogdom in October, 2005 I have seen your questions and positions addressed, and carefully answered. The dialogues have taken place on Moorhead's blog, Pyromaniacs, Pulpit Magazine, Doxoblogy,Jazzycat,and even bluecollar. Put all of these blogs, and the responses to you on them together and you have a full body of Calvinist thought to answer your position. Obviously, you never read these postings, for, if you did, we would not be treated to such ignorant comments as I have just seen from you.
Your emotion packed comments may put fire into the bones of your little band of followers, but they only serve to make the Biblicists laugh at you.
What is the use of telling someone who thinks they believe, to "sincerely" believe? What does that mean?
Tell me what "sincerely believes" means.
Can you do that?
Also, if such a one is reprobate, all your entreaties to "sincerely believe" will fall on deaf ears.
What is the purpose of these warnings, Jazzy Cat?
If all the elect WILL come to Christ, what is the purpose of the warnings?
"Just know if you sin too much that you aren't saved. If you aren't saved, what you really need to do is 'sincerely and genuinely believe'. What does that mean? It means that you will repent, give your life to Jesus, surrender and commit to Him. You think that you already believe? Well then you need to begin doing good works so you can make your calling and election sure! Get to working, then you know that you have 'sincere' faith, 'genuine' faith'"
If someone is reprobate, the warning passages are moot. There is nothing they can do to 'sincerely' believe. Therefore all these warning passages are completely without power.
If someone is elect, he will persevere in faithfulness and good works, so the warnings can't be for them!
If someone is not chose, IOW, reprobate, he can't believe and therefore persevere in faith and good works, so the warnings are meaningless!
Antonio
What does sincerely believe mean?
Court jester (Antonio) - A simple look at Hebrews 11 will put you away here. Verses 1-3 is the definition of faith. Verses 4-40 is what justifying faith always looks like.
In verses 4,5,7,8,17-19,28-30 we see that Justifying faith is an obedient faith.
Verse 4-Abel's offering was in accordance to obedience. His obedience for the prescibed offerings is still a witness today. His following God's presciption for offerings is a testament to his righteousness.
Verse 5- Enoch pleased God, his walk of faith was seen in his obedience.
Verse 7-Noah moved with godly fear, and prepared an ark. Look where his obedience got him..."(he) became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Verse 8- O looky here, "By faith Abraham obeyed"..."he waited" (verse 10).
Verses 17-19-The test, the showing of that faith by which he was justified in Gen. 15:6 is now seen for its depth and magnatude. Once again obedience was part of the picture - the taking of Isaac to Mount Moriah, and the raising of the knife with the full intent of completing the sacrifice.
Verse 28- Another act of obedience, the keeping of the Passover
Verse 29- the passing through the Red Sea was an act of obedience, all done in faith, from the stretching of the rod to the going forward through the dried sea. See Ex. 14:14-16.
Verse 30- Jericho fell down as the children of Israel did what they were told.
There simply is no other definition or description of faith in the entire Bible other than what we see here.
O, and Antonio, God has it that the elect come to Him through preaching, Romans 10:14,17; 1Cor.1:21; James 1:18; 1 Pet.1:23; 2Tim.2:10.
Mark and Antonio,
I have been busy with stuff and my latest post and other blogs and almost forgot this thread.
Mark, the Hebrews 11 references and the rest of your comment is a great response to Antonio.
Antonio, the only thing I would add is that you always think it is about human effort such as grace plus the work of human generated faith which seems to be your view or faith plus the human effort of deeds which you accuse us of. The thing you are not considering is our strong belief in grace. Not only do we believe in grace alone through faith alone, but we also believe in a sanctification that flows from grace.
Think about it. If it takes human generated faith, then there is boasting. (see Eph. 2:8-9)
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