Posted on 11/13/2006 11:01:10 PM PST by Dr. Eckleburg
If salvation is all of grace -- if God is God and he has chosen us for salvation even though we did nothing to deserve it -- then we ought to live by the grace we have received. Of course, some of you will look at that and say to yourselves, “Yeah, I really need to do better at living by grace. I’ve really been a failure there. I hope God will forgive me again.” If that’s you, you still don’t get it. Go back and re-read the last seventeen pages and (if you’re a believer) remember that you’re one of the elect!
Our hearts so quickly try to relate to God on a works-basis! It’s our pride, really. I’m convinced that that’s the problem with free-will Arminianism. People naturally process it like this: God requires one work from me, to believe. Once I believe, I’ve done my work and deserve heaven. Of course, in more hard-line Arminian circles, it goes a step further. Unless I’m holy enough, I’ll still go to hell, and maybe I’ve even committed the unpardonable sin and will be damned even if I’m sinlessly perfect from here on out. Legalism. Legalism. Legalism. Such a religion is barely recognizable as Christianity.
But Calvinists can fall into legalism just as easily. You see, I understand predestination. I’m a superior Christian. I’ve got all my theological “t”s crossed and my Reformed “i”s dotted. I sure am close to God. Pride is the Presbyterian’s favorite form of legalism, so watch out! But if God really is for us, and if we had nothing to do with that decision -- if even our faith was given to us by the Father -- then there’s no room for boasting. God’s sovereign choice of us leaves us free from pride. It leaves us aware of our brokenness and humble before God, but all the while confident that his eternal purpose will stand, that we will glory in God forever as objects of his saving mercy. As God’s eternal blessing really begins to sink from our heads into our hearts, we see a new freedom that we never would have imagined when we first encountered the raw, holy, sovereign power of God. Among the newfound freedoms:
1. Freedom from shame, guilt & Insecurity
Read Romans 8:28-39. Nothing can separate you from God’s love -- nothing in the past, nothing in the future. No one can stand against you. No one can accuse you. Even bad things (“all things”) are working right now to your benefit, to make you more like Jesus. God didn’t choose you because of your faith, and Jesus is not ashamed of you—even at your worst (Hebrews 2:11). He’s proud to have you in the family, proud to call you brother or sister -- even knowing what he knows. He’s displaying the glory of his mercy, remember. God’s law is no longer your enemy, but a friend. You can have confidence before God.
2. Freedom from destructive Perfectionism
If God really is for you, then you can quit trying to look good. If you’re trying to be good enough for God, he’s not buying it -- he didn’t choose you because of your great faithfulness. If you’re trying to be good enough for other people, don’t bother. God wants to display his mercy -- that means we have to be broken. God’s glory is not displayed by trying to look like you have it all together. Faith is not a work, and even if it were it still wouldn’t earn you any brownie points. Let God be God. If you won’t show your weakness, then others won’t see God’s power displayed in it.
3. Freedom from legalistic man-made rules
Some of the biggest practical opponents to living by grace are those legalistic little rules that we live by. We love to judge other with them -- they make us look good, and help us feel better about ourselves. (Pride again.) Dress this way, not that way. Wear this much makeup, not that much. Work. Don’t work. Home school is God’s way. Public school is God’s way. Christian school is God’s way. Drink. Don’t drink. Smoke. Don’t smoke. Dance. Don’t dance. This is God’s worship style. If we’re all about God’s glory, there’s no room for any of this. Do whatever you do for God’s glory without comparisons. God has freed you from judging others. You don’t understand God’ sovereign grace until you realize you are a beggar who’s been blessed without cause. You had nothing to do with it -- you’re just a receiver.
4. Freedom from Penance
Even repentance can be a sham if we’re trying to approach God with some vestige of self-reliance. Biblical repentance is a freedom we can enjoy daily, while penance is its counterfeit.
Repentance/Penance
Comes with empty hands/Tries to bargain with God
Acknowledges real sin as against God/Makes excuses for sin
Grieves over displeasing God/Grieves over getting caught
Asks for help to do better/Promises to do better
Is willing to publicly confess, if needed/Is too proud to publicly confess
Relies on God's promises to us/Relies on own promises to God
Turns outward, away from self, to God/Turns inward on self
Produces freedom, joy, and confidence/Produces guilty feelings, anxiety
God has obligated himself to receive any repentant sinner who comes to him. Without this realization, true repentance is impossible. Until we realize that God is for us, we cannot truly be for God.
My opinion is that we are given enough information to conclude that this Simon's "belief" was not sufficient for salvation. He was a textbook pretender. In verse 13 we are told that he "believed", but we are also given a reason why he followed Philip. It wasn't because he had faith in Christ, it was because Philip was a better "magician" than he was. I think he was awed in a professional sense. We are told earlier that Simon was very full of himself because of his opinion of his skills, so this makes sense.
Then a short time later, as you point out, Peter drops the bomb on him for trying to buy God's gift. This also tells me that Simon never had saving faith because we see zero change in Simon. He acts just as he did before he "believed". The Bible is clear that with true regeneration, there is a change in the believer. The heart of stone is replaced with a heart of flesh. We see none of this with Simon. Even Simon's prayer request betrays his true heart. He doesn't ask for a repentant heart, he asks to escape punishment. It is clear to me that Simon never really got it. Every thought we are given from Simon after he "believed" was about himself. To me, this in incompatible with saving faith.
-A8
That it does. Man's behavior, since the Garden of Eden, has been corrupted by his fallen nature and we can do nothing but sin -- "for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." -- Romans 14:23
So men's behavior condemns them.
But it is Christ's behavior which saves them. Christ, who takes upon Himself the punishment rightly due His sheep and pays for every sin they will ever commit in order to present them acquitted before God.
That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." -- 1 Corinthians 1:4-9"I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
That's called "begging the question".
Regarding the "bearing of fruit", apostates-to-be also bear faux-fruit. So how do you know that your fruit is *true* fruit, and not faux-fruit?
-A8
Because you place less value on Scripture than I do, I can understand your making that remark. I "quote Scripture" because I believe Scripture.
Thus, I realize if I was talking to a Russian or a Guatemalan and using the U.S. Constitution as evidence, they would have a difficult time accepting the validity of my argument.
So how do you know that your fruit is *true* fruit, and not faux-fruit?
LOL. Because Scripture tells me what to look for.
How does an RC like yourself know you are on the right track? Because the men of the church tell you so, right?
You believe the magisterium and I believe Scripture.
I'm not denying that having assurance has pragmatic benefits. But, I don't believe things merely because they have pragmatic benefits; I believe things because they are true. And what I am asking you is how you now know for sure that it is true that at the Final Judgment you will be received into heaven. And I've studied your post #25, and I cannot find any explanation there of how you now know for sure that it is true that at the Final Judgment you will be received into heaven.
-A8
Dr.E: Because you place less value on Scripture than I do, I can understand your making that remark. I "quote Scripture" because I believe Scripture.
I value Scripture no less than you. This is not about *valuing* Scripture; this about *interpreting* Scripture. You are interpreting certain "assurance verses" as applying to you. I'm asking you how you know that those verses apply to you. The answer to the question: "How do you know that those assurance verses apply to you?" is not "Because I value Scripture".
-A8
LOL. This is about clear words spoken by God, pitted against the machinations of men who seek to confuse, deflect and disarm.
It's just not that difficult. If my kids can understand Christ risen, so can any man with ears to hear and eyes to see and a new heart, all given by God for His glory.
Did Christ die on the cross to pay for your sins and did He rise from the dead in order to prove it true?
If God has given you the grace to assent to this sentence, rejoice. You have been redeemed. And while it feels like it's all happening in real time, it was actually ordained by God from before the foundation of the world in order to bring glory to His name.
Amen. "Deserve's got nothing to do with it." -- William Munny.
If God has given you the grace to assent to this sentence, rejoice. You have been redeemed.
Is that what you [falsely] tell apostates-to-be?
-A8
The issue here is *not* whether elect can fall away, but whether we can know we are elect.
-A8
With all due respect, my FRiend, I got the point completely. To paraphrase from C.S. Lewis, I've seen what evil can do - and I've helped do it. When you've physically embraced a mass murderer, when you've seen evil on a scale so huge that it beggars description, you realize that a righteous, holy God's stance towards me should be one of complete condemnation and damnation. Only His mercy, unwarranted and undeserved, saves me from that damnation.
God's stance towards me? Honestly, I don't know. All signs point towards my being among the elect, but frankly, I won't know for sure until I stand (or, more likely, grovel) before the Judgement Seat. The real question is, does it matter? I'll either get what I entirely deserve or I won't. Either way, the choice is God's alone to make. The clay doesn't get to tell the Potter what it wants to be.
I agree with you, but you are jumping into a conversation that is not about that. The point in question is whether one can know now that one is elect. You, like me, agree that we cannot. But there are others on this thread who think we can.
-A8
I've been reading some material the provides a different perspective. It isn't so much as to remind us to do things because we have been redeemed but rather it is to remind us of how much we don't do and need to repent. Consequently when Christ tells us to "Go and sin no more." or "Sell all that you have and come follow me.", He actually means just that. He isn't playing word games. Our failings in directly obeying His commands underscores our weaknesses and should lead us to repent on a daily basis pleading for His divine help.
Ah, I've thought much of this question and my conclusion-you don't. Christ promises that we will bear much fruit but how does any of us really know what fruit we are bearing? An evangelist might be able to calculate the number of "souls" he saves but what about others? And what "fruit" are we talking about anyway. When our Lord told those to enter the kingdom because...their response was "When did we do these things?"
At the end of the day God wants us to have faith in His promises. That includes that He has redeemed us, He has saved us, He will cause us to persevere, He will glorify us, and He will cause us to bear much fruit. We rest upon His promises that what He has accomplish He will bring to completion.
It's a matter of faith and trust; not a matter of taking a wafer every Sunday. Some may want more assurance of heaven. It comes down to faith in God.
Yes, our failings are our own and prove our inability to keep all the law.
Likewise, our sanctification is by the will of God, in order to prove it all true..."And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2
Our obedience proves the truth of Christ risen, proves the Holy Spirit within us, proves that God changes the dead heart into a heart of flesh that will obey and glorify His name.
Adiaireton8 asks how we can know our salvation is true? The answer is that if God "renews your mind," you will prove it true.
If not, you won't.
Do you think God is interested in playing "gotcha" with people? Do you think He wants His redeemed to go around unsure about their salvation?
-A8
Why would John say "that you may know you have eternal life" if we couldn't?
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