Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Bible Truth #97 - Romans 7:18

Romans 7:18
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

Remember, the spirit is DEAD in the lost man. The spirit of Christians is alive because God MADE it alive when He saved us. But as for what is common between us and the lost - it’s our flesh, and that is exactly what Paul is saying here. In my flesh dwelleth no good thing.

Here is the Arminian belief of salvation (remember, the lost man’s spirit is DEAD and nothing good dwells in the flesh): they believe that the lost man can, with his flesh, choose righteousness and believe. Sorry, that is impossible according to God’s Word. If there is no good thing in our flesh, how can our flesh do a good act like believe on Jesus Christ? It can’t! That is why God’s Word says that unredeemed man does ONLY evil, continually (Genesis 6:5). That’s why Paul writes in Romans 8:8 they that are in the flesh can NOT please God. The Arminian believes a lost man, in the flesh, can please God and believe in Jesus Christ, and repent of his sins. It is indeed sad when the Bible clearly states Truth and man can’t accept it but insist on inserting the flesh into God’s plan for salvation.

Because man is dead and can do no good thing is why God has to save and convert a sinner FIRST which He does by quickening his dead spirit through faith, the faith that God gives him (Romans 12:3; Ephesians 2:8). God simultaneously gives him belief (John 6:29; Philippians 1:29), and repentance (2 Timothy 2:25). Then and only THEN will a man, who is now saved, who is now redeemed, believe and be able to please God. Why? Because we are responding to God in our spirit which He just made alive! Our spirit now has power to control the flesh whereas before, the flesh is controlled by man’s heart - which, if you’ll remember, is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). The lost man’s spirit is DEAD hence he has nothing to control the flesh except his wicked and deceitful heart, the heart no man can know.

Since every lost man is demon-possessed (Ephesians 2:2), everything he does is sin since it does not involve faith (Romans 14:23). That is the reason he can do nothing to please God (Romans 8:8). The Arminian may ask, “Well why do a lot of lost people do good things?” Who says they are doing good things? You? Me? From our standpoint they may be doing good things, but not from God’s perspective. Remember there will be people who stand before God and say ‘Lord, Lord’ (Matthew 7:21), and claim they did “good” things (prophesy, drive out demons, perform miracles) but God will tell them to depart from Him (Matthew 7:22-23). Why? Because they weren’t chosen, they weren’t saved, and they could do ONLY evil, continually, no matter how much they desired to please God. How do I know they weren’t chosen or saved? Because God told them to depart from Him! Now unless there is Scripture to show that Paradise will be reopened, departing from God is the same as being sent to the Lake of Fire.

Just as Lazarus had NOTHING to do with his body being quickened (John 11:38-44), man has nothing to do with his spirit being quickened. We become children of God not by the will of the FLESH (John 1:13).

Bottom Line - Believing is a spiritual act. A lost man’s spirit is dead. Therefore a lost man can not believe, nor can he do ANYTHING spiritually good or pleasing to God. In the flesh dwelleth NO GOOD THING and the flesh is the ONLY thing a lost man has.

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