Posted on 01/30/2015 5:17:57 AM PST by Gamecock
We have all heard evangelists quote from Revelation: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20). Usually the evangelist applies this text as an appeal to the unconverted, saying: “Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. If you open the door, then He will come in.” In the original saying, however, Jesus directed His remarks to the church. It was not an evangelistic appeal.
So what? The point is that seeking is something that unbelievers do not do on their own. The unbeliever will not seek. The unbeliever will not knock. Seeking is the business of believers. Jonathan Edwards said, “The seeking of the Kingdom of God is the chief business of the Christian life.” Seeking is the result of faith, not the cause of it.
When we are converted to Christ, we use language of discovery to express our conversion. We speak of finding Christ. We may have bumper sticker that read, “I Found It.” These statements are indeed true. The irony is this: Once we have found Christ it is not the end of our seeking but the beginning. Usually, when we find what we are looking for, it signals the end of our searching. But when we “find” Christ, it is the beginning of our search.
The Christian life begins at conversion; it does not end where it begins. It grows; it moves from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life. This movement of growth is prodded by continual seeking after God.
Coram Deo
In your spiritual walk, are you moving from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life? Are you continually seeking after God?
Passages for Further Study
John 14:23–24
John 15:10
From Church to Church.
You might enjoy his book...I gave me a whole new perspective on the parables .. It is a small book...but took me forever to read because I had to read each page a few times to have it sink in .
They will also not repent and believe unless God draws and convicts them, opens their heart, and grants them repentant faith, (Jn. 6:44; 12:32; 16:9; Acts 11:18; 16:14) but which condition does not disallow the call to both seek the Lord (Acts 17:27) and repent being given to all hearers of the gospel. (Acts 14:15; 17:30)
The depravity of man also does not mean the lost do not have basic revelation/light that God exists and , but men become vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart is darkened into progressive degeneration, even ending up blatantly worshiping and serving the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever, Rm. 1:18-25ff) in contrast to the elect who by God's grace "do by nature the things contained in the law," (Rm. 2:14) which obedience to light leads to Christ, the Light "which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." (Jn. 1:9)
I do not presume to reconcile all the texts on both side of the Calvinism vs, Arminianism debate, nor do i feel i must, but as God preaches to all men to repent and believe, and holds them responsible for not doing so, then i am to tell them likewise.
Wait till he gets to Abraham, and Paul and Peter's inspired counsel on the matter! I dare say being part of the salvific covenant, with 6 days work and room and board, and freedom if escaped or a master knocked even a tooth out, as per Biblical slavery , is better than the captivity of the welfare mentality and what it typically fosters.
Indeed. I have a real good sermon on slavery from a biblical perspective. I have thought of handing him a copy someday.
Terrific book! Mr. Pink is one I turn to again and again.
I recently read Iain Murray’s “The Life of Arthur W Pink” and learned a lot about him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.