Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
Paul is obviously writing in the spiritual context because you and I both know there are lost people who have said, and can say, “Jesus is Lord.” But we know that it is their flesh that is saying that and not their spirit. Why? Because their spirit is DEAD. Just as only those who have the Holy Spirit can understand things from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14), only those who have the Holy Spirit can say “Jesus is Lord.”
So if no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit, does that not include the “Sinner’s Prayer” that the Arminian will say a lost person must pray to be saved? A lost person can not pray some prayer to claim salvation because in the prayer, words are said to the effect the lost person will now make Jesus Lord of their life. This verse says a lost person, one who does not have the Holy Spirit, CAN’T say “Jesus is Lord.” Only a saved person can say “Jesus is Lord.”
Bottom line: God saves a man, quickens his dead spirit through faith (Ephesians 2:8), grants him belief (John 6:29, Philippians 1:29) and repentance (2 Timothy 2:25), and the Holy Spirit indwells him. The man is now spiritually alive (saved) and ABLE to say, “Jesus is Lord.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.