13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased
16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man,
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
As with ALL of His Elect, God knew Paul before the foundation of the world and He chose him in Christ (Ephesians 1:4). As a matter of fact, Romans 8:29 states that God FOREKNEW Paul. And as a reminder from Bible Truth #4, God foreknows people, not the actions they take. So I ask the Arminian, please do not grasp the straw-man explanation that God knew Paul would accept Him, that conclusion is not supported in Scripture. And not only is that NOT supported in Scripture, the Arminian is using circular reasoning.
Using the Arminian theory of salvation, since God directs/determines the steps of man (Proverbs 16:9), would it not be God who directs him to “accept” Jesus to start with? “No, God is sovereign and He gave man a free will.” What? The Arminian just contradicted himself. #1 - If man has a free will, God is not sovereign. #2 - The Arminian can’t let go of the myth of free will. Romans 6:17-18 clearly says man is a slave to either sin or righteousness, and slaves have no free will.
Back to the “Bible Truth”...
This man, for whom God had a plan, persecuted the church and murdered Christians or took part in their death. It made no difference to God, He ALWAYS gets His way (Isaiah 55:11). That is why he wrote that God set him apart from birth. That is why he wrote that God called him by His Grace. It was nothing that Paul did, he was called by God’s grace - and every man God calls WILL be justified, and every man God justifies will be glorified, i.e. saved (Romans 8:30).
This is why God was pleased to reveal His Son in Paul so that he would preach preach Him among the Gentiles. Again, it certainly wasn’t anything that Paul had done. It was ALL God. God chose him and set him “apart from birth” so it made no difference what Paul did before the moment in time when God called him.
Jesus raises up EVERY man God draws (John 6:44), NOT every man who “accepts” the drawing.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.