Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Bible Truth #87 - Luke 14:23

Luke 14:23
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and COMPEL them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Here’s a little word study for you. The parable in Luke 14:16-24 is a spiritual story of salvation and how Heaven is gained. The word compel in verse 23 is the Greek word anagkazo, Strong’s Concordance #315 - to compel or constrain. And how did God compel us to come to Christ? Answer - Without asking our permission, He chose us as a bride for His Son and put us in Him BEFORE the foundation of the World (Ephesians 1:4). Then, at a specific point in our lives, a time of HIS choosing, and without asking us, He saved us, made us alive when we were dead (Ephesians 2:1, 2:5, Colossians 2:13), opened our heart (Acts 16:14) and did a work in us to make us believe (John 6:29), and changed our sinful nature making us righteous in His sight.

BEFORE: We hated Him and would NEVER choose Him, believe/accept Him, nor come into the Light (John 3:20). Then God changed our “wanter” as my pastor has said. While we were lost, we didn’t want to come to the Light, we didn’t want to believe, we didn’t want to repent, we didn’t want to understand, we didn’t want to please God, we wanted nothing to do with God.

AFTER: But NOW, because of our new nature which we received when God quickened our dead spirit (He changed our “wanter”), and because our formerly dead spirit is now ALIVE, we now WANT to come to Christ. That is how He compels us.

Those who believe in "free will" will say, “No that is incorrect. Look at the way compelling or constraining is done - by permission, entreaties. And the next - by other means. God doesn’t force us into the Light.

I’m sorry, all I’m doing is quoting the Bible. Those who believe in free will can’t get past the myth of free will, it doesn’t exist in the Bible. We are either slaves to sin, or slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:17-18). Slaves do not have a free will, they do what their “master” requires of them, and man is either of his father the Devil, or his Father God (John 8:42,44).

Look at the way anagkazo is used throughout the New Testament. It is translated as constrain or compel every time.

COMPEL
1. force somebody: to force somebody to do something - I felt compelled to listen.
2. force something to happen: to make something happen by force

CONSTRAIN
1. force somebody to act: to force somebody to do something, especially through pressure of circumstances or a sense of obligation - Many companies have been constrained to lay off workers.
2. restrict somebody or something: to limit or restrict somebody or something, especially to prevent the free expression of something - The industry has been constrained by skill shortages.
3. restrain somebody or something: to hold somebody or something back from an action (literary) - We felt constrained by the presence of the others.

Other instances in the New Testament where the Greek word anagkazo, or a form of anagkazo, is used:

KJV
Matthew 14:22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
Mark 6:45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.
Acts 26:11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and COMPELLED them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
Acts 28:19 But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.
2 Corinthians 12:11 I am become a fool in glorying; ye have COMPELLED me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
Galatians 2:3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was COMPELLED to be circumcised:
Galatians 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why COMPELLEST thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

NIV
Matthew 14:22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
Mark 6:45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
Acts 26:11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to FORCE them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
Acts 28:19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—not that I had any charge to bring against my own people.
2 Corinthians 12:11 I have made a fool of myself, but you DROVE me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.
Galatians 2:3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was COMPELLED to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
Galatians 2:14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you FORCE Gentiles to follow Jewish customs.
Galatians 6:12 Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.

The bottom line is that God is Sovereign and He gets what He wants (Isaiah 55:11). And what is it He wants? All those He gave to Christ WILL come to Christ (John 6:37) and WILL repent (2 Peter 3:9), no ifs, ands, or buts. God saves us, and we are COMPELLED TO respond to God’s Grace after He quickens our dead spirit. The RESULT of that quickening? We accept, believe, repent, confess, and rejoice. God has it rigged and if you were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, you ARE going to come.

And if a man wasn’t chosen, he will never come. His nature won't allow it.

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