25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Please understand what Jesus just said. Someone may ask you, how is one saved? If you’re a Christian who believes in decisional salvation you may say, “To be saved you must repent of your sins and believe on Jesus.” But Jesus just said what I’ve been saying these past 119 times - With man it is impossible!
It is impossible for a lost man to do anything but evil continually (Genesis 6:5), it is impossible for a lost man to do good (Jeremiah 13:23), it is impossible for a lost man to make a decision for salvation (John 1:13), it is impossible for a lost man to come into the Light because he hates the Light (John 3:20), it is impossible for a lost man to hear (understand) Jesus’ words (John 8:43), it is impossible for a lost man to do a righteous act - e.g. “accept Jesus” (Romans 3:10), it is impossible for a lost man to please God (Romans 8:8), and it is impossible for a lost man to understand anything from the Holy Spirit (Romans 3:11, 1 Corinthians 2:14).
Without God first doing a work in a man and giving him belief (John 6:29; Philippians 1:29), it is impossible for a lost man to believe.
Those who believe in decisional salvation tell me is that there is an exception to the definition of the Greek word adynatos (Strongs # G102) translated impossible - that somewhere in the meaning an exception is allowed. “Jesus really means that it is impossible for man except that he believes.” Sorry, where do you see “except” in that passage of Scripture? It’s not there, nor is it anywhere in the Bible, nor is it in the meaning of the word. Impossible means it is impossible.
My former pastor has said more than once that the Greek language is a very specific, explicit language and I agree. There is NO EXCEPTION to adynatos - impossible.
God chose His Elect and put them IN Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4); God works in a man to quicken his dead spirit (Ephesians 2:5) and MAKE him believe (John 6:29); the saved man NOW responds by coming to Christ (John 6:37) and confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord. Man has NOTHING to do with his salvation except the sin that made it necessary. That is God’s holy, inspired, infallible and inerrant Word.
Bottom Line: it is adynatos - impossible, for a lost man to do anything that would result in his salvation.
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