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To: .45 Long Colt
Because of the fall we do not have the ability to choose God.

Oh???

Joshua 24:15 (KJV)

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

16 posted on 05/03/2014 7:03:47 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

We are commanded to choose Him, but because of the Fall, we cannot and we will not. Your verse speaks not of our ability. Like so much of Scripture it merely tells us what we should do. We must be careful not confuse ought with ability. All sons of Adam lost much in the Fall!

This is what the Bible says of natural men after the fall.

Romans 3:
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

There is no one righteous, no one understands and none are seeking Him. Not even one! Why? Because we are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. We are in bondage to sin. How could an unrighteous man who doesn’t understand and isn’t seeking The Lord choose Christ? Why would he want to?

Here are some things lost men can not do on their own power:
1) Natural men cannot discern spiritual things:
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). A.W. Pink said, “Until a man is born again he remains in his natural, fallen and depraved state and so long as that is the case it is utterly impossible for him to discern or perceive divine things. Sin has both darkened his understanding and destroyed his spiritual vision.”

2) Natural men cannot come to Christ:
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” (John 6:44) Notice it says: “NO MAN CAN except the Father” We have no ability to come to Christ unless God acts first.

3) Natural men cannot receive the Holy Spirit:
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not . . .” (John 14:17)
A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. (John 3:27)

4) Natural men cannot hear nor discern God’s Words:
“He that is of God heareth God’s words; ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God.” (John 8:47)
“But the natural (unsaved) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1Corinthians 2:14)

5) Natural men cannot bring themselves into the family of God:
“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God.” (John 1:13)
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” (Romans 9:15-16)

6) Natural men cannot believe in Christ Jesus:
“But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep as I said unto you.” (John 10:26)

7) Natural men cannot please God:
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. . . . So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:5, 8, 9)

8) Natural men cannot know their own hearts:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

9) Natural men cannot properly direct their own steps:
“O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23)
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

10) Natural men cannot produce faith and repentance in Christ:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that (faith) not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
“. . . for all men have not faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3:2)
“For unto you it is given . . . to believe on him . . .” (Philippians 1:29)
“. . . if God peradventure will give them repentance . . .” (2 Timothy 2:25)
“. . . to them that have obtained like precious faith with us . . .” (2 Peter 1:1)

More passages to consider:
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you...” (John 15:16)

“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power” (Ps. 110:3) because, as Pink wrote, “they have no power whatever of their own to effect such willingness.”

Ephesians 2:5: “Even when we were dead in sins, hath he quickened us together with Christ; (by grace ye are saved.)”

Philippians 2:13: “For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Jeremiah 13:23: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.”

Romans 8:7 - For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

Genesis 6:5 & 8:21 - The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually... from
youth.

1 Corinthians 2:14 - The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 - our gospel is veiled... to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

I didn’t always believe as I do now, I was much as old Augustine who said, “I once laboured hard for the free will of man, until the grace of God at length overcame me.”

Here are some quotes from Luther:
“Do God’s Commands Imply Abilty to Obey?”
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/bondage0809.html

http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-276


18 posted on 05/03/2014 9:22:50 PM PDT by .45 Long Colt
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