Bible Truth #374 - Luke 19:41-42

Luke 19:41-42

41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

This was spoken by Jesus on the day He was entering Jerusalem on a colt upon which no one had ever ridden, the event many know as “The Triumphal Entry.” He was fulfilling prophesy (Zechariah 9:9) and that prophesy was actually quoted by two other Gospel writers (Matthew 21:5, John 12:15). However, this account in Luke is the only one that tells us that Jesus wept this day, He wept over Jerusalem before entering it.

The important part of the story to which I want to call attention is that as He is weeping He said if only Jerusalem had known the things that would bring peace, but now they are hid from it. What did He mean when He said “...but now they are hid from thine eyes.” ?? Did He mean that they could be seen earlier but because of the sinfulness or stubbornness of the people, or the religious leaders, that the things which would bring peace are now hidden from them? No.

God in His sovereignty had planned from the foundation of the world that He would hide these things and would always hide them until a point in time that suited His purpose. The things that would bring peace are STILL hidden from Jerusalem - which is why there is still no peace in the Holy Land!

The point is that Jerusalem and the people of that city could not understand or accept the things that would bring them peace if God had them hidden. The same is true today in that the man without the Spirit, i.e. a lost man, does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). So in effect, the spiritual truths of God, which includes salvation, are hidden today from a lost man, and have always been hidden. But they have been revealed to those whom God has chosen (Matthew 11:27).

We become children of God NOT by human decision (John 1:13).

Bible Truth #373 - Romans 1:16-23

Romans 1:16-23

16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

17  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, " BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

19  because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

20  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

21  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22  Professing to be wise, they became fools,

23  and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

You may wonder what this passage has to do with God’s sovereignty in Election. The answer is because I have had Romans 1:20 thrown at me a number of times when I asked a question of those who believe in decisional salvation. The question? How were people saved before Christ came with the Gospel? I’m usually told there is enough evidence of God in nature to save a man.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

The Arminian theory of salvation does not stand up to simple layman scrutiny. Does seeing evidence of God in nature and gaining the knowledge and understanding of His eternal power and divine nature save a man? I must admit that God’s Creation is majestic, awesome, and when you really consider everything - from the complexities of the human body to simply what we know about space - it is mind-boggling. Here’s the problem: a man looking around and believing that God created everything does not save him. God uses the Gospel of Jesus Christ to save men.

Please tell me where Jesus can be found in nature that a lost man can see and believe? Where is His virgin birth? Where is His sinless life? Where are the miracles He performed? Where is His shed blood, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead? Where is His ascension into Heaven and His promise to return again? THAT is the Gospel and where can the Gospel be seen in nature?

The Gospel is not in nature, nor can the Gospel be seen in creation. God made His eternal power and divine nature obvious so that men could acknowledge God the Creator, not God the Savior. God may have many reasons to make His invisible attributes undeniable, but none of the reasons are to save people.

Another problem is that Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:8-9 that from the beginning of the world God has hid in Himself the mystery of the unsearchable riches of Christ. Now if God has anything hid in Himself there is NO WAY any man will perceive it, understand it, or accept it - especially a lost man who has not the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14). So how were people saved before Christ came?

For thousands of years before Christ came, people were saved the same way people have been saved for the 2,000 years since Christ. Those God chose in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) He will call. It is a specific call to salvation given to specific people at a specific point in their life, a point chosen by God. God does not call all men to salvation (1 Corinthians 1:26). God quickens a man’s dead spirit through faith, the faith that God gives him as a gift (Romans 12:3; Ephesians 2:8). God simultaneously gives him belief (John 6:29; Philippians 1:29), repentance (2 Timothy 2:25), and understanding (Luke 24:45, 1 Corinthians 2:14, 2 Timothy 2:7). Without God acting first on a spiritually dead man to quicken him, that lost man has no hope of being saved (Ephesians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:13) because in his lost condition he is totally depraved, hates the Light (Jesus Christ) and will NOT come unto it (John 3:20).

The bottom line is that we become children of God NOT by our decision - it’s God’s. Always has been, always will. (John 1:13)

Bible Truth #372 - John 19:4-11

John 19:4-11

4  Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.”

5  Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!”

6  So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.”

7  The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.”

8  Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid;

9  and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

10  So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”

11  Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

Jesus told Pilate, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above...” Pilate was no different than Pharaoh who was raised up for the very purpose of God, which was to show His power in him and that God’s Name would be proclaimed throughout all the earth (Romans 9:17). God works in every man but especially kings and those in authority. He turns the king’s heart like channels of water and He does it purely for His pleasure (Proverbs 21:1).

Jesus spoke it clearly, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above...” but do you think Pilate understood? No, of course not. It was a spiritual Truth and since Pilate did not have ears to hear, in other words he was spiritually dead just as the Pharisees were when they confronted Jesus (John 8:43), he could not understand the Truth standing right in front of him. If Pilate was not chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) he had no hope of understanding (Ephesians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:13).

God was working in Pilate to condemn His Son thereby using Pilate for His glory. Pilate was doing exactly what God had decided long ago to do, he had no choice to do anything different (Acts 4:28). God worked in him to make him want to turn Jesus over to the Jews for crucifixion the same way He worked in the brothers of Joseph to make them want to sell him into slavery (Genesis 50:20)

Just as God has blessed this nation and raised it up for His purpose even though our founding fathers were disobedient to His Word (Romans 13:1), God gives earthly power to EVERY ruler who has ever lived or will live, not just Pilate. And He does it to bring glory to His Name.

Bible Truth #371 - Genesis 50:14-20

Genesis 50:14-20

14  After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.

15  When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?"

16  So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died:

17  'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

18  His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said.

19  But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

20  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Even though their intention was evil, God’s intention was good - for the same deed! Please don’t overlook that important piece of information - “God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done...” God INTENDED it to occur.

For God to “intend” something to occur, He involves Himself in the process. This is clearly an example where God, as He always does, worked in a situation to cause man to do what He wants him to do. Some will say that the brothers exercised their “free will.” Sorry, God worked in their minds to make them want to sell Joseph into slavery. Their intention was evil, it was to rid themselves of the hated Joseph, it was to finally put an end to their torment. “Who does he think he is? Almost the youngest of us all claiming that we will bow down to him?”

Did God cause the brothers to desire to sell Joseph into slavery? Yes. God’s intention was GOOD - to put Joseph in Egypt to rise to a level of authority equal to Pharaoh to eventually save Jacob and his entire family from starvation years later. Did God cause Joseph’s brothers to sin? No. Their intention was evil and that was the sin, the condition of their heart, not the deed.

God works the same way today. He is working IN us to will and to do according to His good pleasure, not ours (Philippians 2:13). Those He wants to save, He steps into their lives uninvited (uninvited because a lost man hates Christ and will never “invite” Jesus into his heart - John 3:20), and quickens 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), repentance (2 Timothy 2:25), and understanding (Luke 24:45, 1 Corinthians 2:14, 2 Timothy 2:7).

God works all things after the counsel of His own will, not ours (Ephesians 1:11), and that passage in Ephesians is directly related to salvation. That is WHY: TO those who love God, TO those whom God has called according to His purpose, all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). As a side note, if you don’t remember the important difference between “to those who love God...” and “for those who love God...” please go back and read Bible Truth #61.

So while many think that man has a free will, it is simply God working in them to make them think they have a free will. God is working in us without our request or permission. We become children of God NOT by human decision (John 1:13).

Bible Truth #370 - Luke 6:43-45

Luke 6:43-45

43  For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

44  For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

45  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

A good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit, nor does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. In those terms, which are the lost and which are the saved? I pray it is obvious that a good tree represents the saved and a corrupt tree portrays the lost. If that is the case, and it IS the case, would not a lost person repenting of his sins and trusting in Christ to save him be the equivalent of a corrupt tree bringing forth good fruit?

Of course it is! This is why Jesus in verse 45 tells us that an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil. An evil man (a lost man) can bring forth nothing else! He does not give an an exception where an evil man can bring forth good (i.e. believing and repenting). Jesus is confirming that Moses wrote the Word of God in Genesis 6:5, every imagination of the thoughts of the heart of man was only evil, continually! Jeremiah states the same thing in Jeremiah 13:23, a man who is accustomed to doing evil can NOT do good any more than a black man change the color of his skin or a leopard change his spots. There is no exception in Luke, there is no exception in Genesis, there is no exception in Jeremiah, nor is there an exception anywhere in God’s Word.

For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh - Jesus did not add “...except when he is drawn by the Holy Spirit he then exercises a choice.” The lost man will accept nothing from the Holy Spirit for it is foolishness to him, he CAN’T understand it because it is spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). The reason a lost man can’t spiritually discern it is because he is spiritually DEAD (Ephesians 2:1, 2:5; Colossians 2:13). Salvation is a spiritual change in a man wrought by God. God-honoring belief & repentance are spiritual activities, something impossible for a man who is spiritually dead. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him MUST worship Him in Spirit (John 4:24). This is why lost men, they that are in the flesh, can’t please God! (Romans 8:8)

A corrupt tree can NOT bring forth good fruit = a lost man can NOT repent of his sins and believe on Christ.

Bible Truth #369 - Deuteronomy 29:29

Deuteronomy 29:29

The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

...but those things which are revealed

Those things which are “revealed” sounds like God keeps some things hidden - which should not be surprising because that is exactly what Jesus said when He talked of things the Holy Spirit will “make known” to His apostles (John 16:15). They didn’t have choice, if something is made known to them, they know it. There are other passages where Jesus talked of things hidden or revealed to certain people:

John 16:15  All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

Matthew 11:27  “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

There are several more and I’ve written on all of following: Matthew 16:17, Luke 10:21, Luke 10:22, Luke 18:31-34, John 8:43, John 8:47, John 17:6. It should not be surprising that other writers of the New Testament also said the same thing. Paul in several of his letters wrote about it:

Romans 10:20  And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”

1 Corinthians 2:10  but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

Again, there are several more and I’ve written on all of following: 2 Corinthians 4:4, Galatians 1:15-16, Galatians 3:23, Ephesians 1:9, Ephesians 3:4-5, Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:25-26. Peter and John also wrote of the same thing:

1 Peter 1:20  He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

John 12:38  This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

I believe I’ve quoted enough of God’s Word to prove beyond any doubt that there are truths that are hidden from men that God reveals when He is ready and to whom He wants the revelation to occur. Moving on with the original Scripture from Deuteronomy above:

...but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever...

The things revealed by God to His chosen people, the Elect, the Saints of God - belong to who? Yes, this passage is from the Old Testament and it was spoken to the Israelites. However, the principle of the revealed truths of God belonging to a people is the same today as it always has been. Israel is chosen for service, and God’s Elect are chosen for salvation. The truths revealed to us belong to us and can never be taken away.

Just as with His Elect who can't believe until God GIVES belief (Philippians 1:29), the Arminian can’t believe His sovereignty in Election until God reveals it to him (Luke 10:22), God must open his mind to understand (Luke 24:45). In the meantime, He has kept it hidden from him (Luke 10:21).

Jesus will raise up EVERY man God draws (John 6:44), NOT every man who accepts the drawing.

Bible Truth #368 - Acts 1:24

Acts 1:24

And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

The way the apostles worded this prayer is important. First is that the Lord knows the hearts of all men. This is easily understood by anyone who accepts the sovereignty of God. God knows the hearts of men because He formed the hearts of men (Psalm 33:15). God turns hearts as He sees fit to accomplish His purpose (Psalm 57:2, Proverbs 21:1). God is the one who takes out the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). He gives His people a heart to know Him (Jeremiah 24:7) and fear Him for their own good and for the good of their children (Jeremiah 32:39). God opens hearts and keeps hearts closed (Acts 16:14). God turns hearts to hate His people, whether they be children of Israel or Christians (Psalm 105:25). And He does all of this while making men believe they have free will!

So the apostles praying “Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men...” could be a serious understatement to someone not reading that prayer in the Spirit

Second is they acknowledged that God had already chosen a replacement for Judas, and by casting lots, were putting it completely into His hands. But exactly when was this replacement chosen? The answer is that he was chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). God did not simply choose His Elect at that “time” but He also determined the plan and purpose for each life - the apostles, those who would be saved, and those who would not be saved. When God created time, He created the beginning, the end, and everything in between, including the people and situations. We are simply living through what God has already determined (Isaiah 46:10).

It was and is for His pleasure that He has created all things (Revelation 4:11). This is why His Word will never return void but will always accomplish that for which It was sent (Isaiah 55:11), i.e. His will. That is why His will IS being done on earth, just as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:9-13). That is why all things work together for good! (Romans 8:28) His good, not ours! This is why He works all things after the counsel of His will, not ours (Ephesians 1:11). There is no place in Holy Scripture where anything is left up to chance or the will of man. God has a plan for each and every human being into whom He breathed life and no one will ever live and die NOT fulfilling God’s purpose. Why? Because it is GOD Who fulfills His purpose for each one of us (Psalm 57:2, Psalm 138:8, Revelation 17:17).

So you see, God is sovereign and does whatever He wants with His creation. The myth of a free will among Christians is simply a carry-over from the unredeemed life as ALL the lost, each and every one, believe they have a free will. It is a believer who is still hanging on to his flesh who believes he has a free will, believes he chose Jesus (he didn’t - John 15:16), and who does not believe God’s sovereignty in election.

We become children of God NOT by human decision (John 1:13).

Bible Truth #367 - Revelation 22:17

Revelation 22:17

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Every Christian who thinks they chose Christ, and who believes in decisional salvation, will look at this verse and even quote it and exclaim. “See! How can you deny that man doesn’t have a free will? It says right here in His Word, ‘And Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.’ There it is black on white - CHOICE! Explain that for me, please!”

I can easily explain it but it will take us right back to where we’ve been before. There are many Christians who do NOT accept God’s Word that man is Totally Depraved. Just as a baby does not cause himself to be born, neither can we cause ourselves to be born again. Just as a baby can not do ANY of those things for which babies are known (cry, suckle, sleep) until after he is born, neither can a man do ANY of those things for which Christians are known (repent, believe and trust in Jesus, love God) until after he is born again. Why?

- because every imagination of the heart of a lost man is only evil, continuously (Genesis 6:5), the Bible allows no exception to this;

- a lost man who is accustomed to doing evil cannot do good (Jeremiah 13:23), the Bible allows no exception to this;

- a lost man hates Jesus and will not come to Him (John 3:20), the Bible allows no exception;

- a lost man is hostile toward God and can not please Him (Romans 8:7-8), the Bible allows no exception;

- a lost man accepts nothing from the Holy Spirit, thinks it is all foolishness and can not understand it (1 Corinthians 2:14), the Bible allows no exception.

Over and over God’s Word tells us of the Totally Depraved nature of a lost man and what he cannot do.

And let him that heareth say, Come. As I wrote extensively in Bible Truth #366, only those who are of the Truth can hear, and as such, only believers will be saying “Come.”

And let him that is athirst, come. Of what kind of thirst is God speaking? He is telling us of a spiritual thirst! A lost man is spiritually dead and has no idea that he needs water because he isn’t thirsty. Spiritually speaking, a dead man can’t see, can’t hear, can’t smell, can’t speak, and can’t thirst - and each and every lost man is spiritually dead! The Psalmist writes: As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God (Psalms 42:1). That is from the quill of a saved man! Only a saved man can seek after God. Paul tells us in Romans 3:11 that no man seeks God. Is he referring to every man or just lost men? The context of the passage is obvious, he is quoting the Old Testament (Psalm 14:1-3, 53:1-3, Ecclesiastes 7:20) and he is referring to lost men, those that have only the flesh, those whose spirit is dead. A lost man does not thirst nor has any idea what it means.

And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. Simply because God has John record “whosoever will” does not mean that each and every man has the ability or desire. Only a man who is thirsting after the spiritual truths of God will freely drink. And as I described in a paragraph above, a lost man WON’T. Please go back and read Bible Truth #92 where I give an example of two opposing teams in football - the Cardinals and Eagles. Who will wear a green jersey? Only an Eagle. Who will thirst, believe, or repent? Only those who have passed from death to life - because a man with a dead spirit can’t thirst, can’t understand (1 Corinthians 2:14), can’t please God (Romans 8:8), can’t repent (2 Timothy 2:25), won’t come into the Light (John 3:20), and CAN’T believe. Only those in whom God has worked will believe (John 6:29) because belief is GIVEN to us by God (Philippians 1:29), it is not something a lost man can just decide to do.

And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. And who will? Only those whom God has already quickened, those He chose in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), those whose names were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, also before the foundation of the world (Revelation 17:8).

We become children of God NOT by human decision (John 1:13).

Bible Truth #366 - John 18:33-37

John 18:33-37

33  Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

34  Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”

35  Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

36  Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

37  Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Everyone who is of the Truth hears the voice of Jesus. This clearly means that there are those who are NOT of the Truth and who do NOT hear the voice of Jesus. There are two areas of consideration in this particular phrase. The first is about whom Jesus was talking - “Everyone who is of the Truth...” The second is the word “hears” in “...hears My voice.”

So I ask, who are those who are of the Truth and who are those who are NOT of the Truth? Jesus is undeniably referring to two different groups of people. Should we first establish what Jesus is talking about when He says “truth,” that he came “to testify to the truth”? Jesus identified Himself as the Truth in John 14:6 when He said I am the way, the truth, and the life: So Jesus was saying all those who are of Him (Truth) hear His voice. Who are those who are of Jesus? That can easily be answered in Ephesians 1:3-4 when Paul writes that God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ because we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.

Who are those who are NOT of the Truth? It is just as obvious those who are NOT of the Truth are those who were not chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. These are they who will always reject the Son (Truth) because God’s wrath is on them and it will remain on them (John 3:36). These are they who have no hope of being saved (Ephesians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Now for the second point of this Bible Truth: everyone who is of the Truth hears the voice of Jesus. Is Jesus talking about hearing in the audible sense? Hearing with the physical ears that which is spoken? No, of course not. The Greek word that is translated “hears” is the word akouo (Strong’s G191) and one of the meanings is to comprehend or to understand. In the context of this passage and many others, everyone present heard Jesus speak but not everyone understood what He said. He specifically referred to this fact when He confronted the Pharisees in John 8:43. Jesus said to them, “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.” When Jesus spoke the Good News, it had to be understood in the spiritual realm and lost men are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1, 2:5; Colossians 2:13). This is why Paul wrote that the man without the Spirit (a lost man) will not accept the things from the Spirit of God, they are foolishness to him and he CAN’T understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Many times during His earthly ministry Jesus said let him who has ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:15; 13:9; 13:43; Mark 4:9; 4:23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35). He was obviously not referring to physical ears, but spiritual ears. The fact that He even said it at all incontrovertibly implies there ARE those who do NOT have ears to hear or eyes to see.

Just as a when shepherds would bring their flocks in to a common pen at night and then call them out the next morning. Every sheep hears each shepherd but they understand only their shepherd and respond only to their shepherd. The shepherds to whom they don’t belong are a stranger to them and they will run from him (John 10:5). There is no sheep that will follow a stranger. Just as there is no lost person who will follow Jesus, it’s their nature to reject him.

I’m sure those who believe in decisional salvation will claim that a lost man can become of the truth by simply believing the Gospel, by trusting Christ as his personal Savior, and by repenting of his sins. Unfortunately for that theory, every one of those actions is impossible for a lost man. A lost man won’t believe or accept anything from the Spirit of God and he will consider it foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14). A lost man won’t trust Christ because Jesus said the lost man hates Him and won’t come unto the Light (John 3:20). A lost man won’t repent of his sins because every imagination of the thoughts of his hearts is only evil, continually (Genesis 6:5); he is used to doing evil and can NOT change (Jeremiah 13:23); he loves the darkness (John 3:19).

In summary, only those who are of the Truth, only those who are of Christ, can hear (understand and comprehend) His voice. We become children of God NOT by human decision (John 1:13).

Bible Truth #365 - Revelation 17:14

Revelation 17:14

They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings - and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

They will make war against the Lamb... who is “they”? Well I’m sure most will agree that “they” are the leaders of the Antichrist empire, the leaders of the people who aren’t saved and still living on the earth. But I’ll even go a step further and say “they” are those “whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world” of whom John wrote a few verses earlier (Revelation 17:8).

But the point of this Bible Truth is that we, those whom God has called, His chosen and faithful followers will be with the Lamb when He returns. Is there anything we have done to merit being called and chosen? NO! God chose us not because of anything we have done (2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:5). Nor has God called everyone (1 Corinthians 1:26). His Word in Romans tells us that He justifies and glorifies each and every man He calls (Romans 8:29-30). That passage alone should tell all believers that every single man is not called.

For those who want to say that God saves those who believe, they are making belief a prerequisite to salvation, a requirement before God will save and that makes God a respecter of persons. God is choosing a man who believes over one who does not believe. God is respecting one man over another and if we have done anything to merit God’s grace, that thought, word, or deed would make God a respecter of persons. God is NOT a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). We are not saved through works of the flesh (Ephesians 2:8-9) and anything a lost man does is in the flesh.

Belief is a work of God in us (John 6:29), it is given to us (Philippians 1:29), it is not something we can simply choose to do. Believing in God is not possible by one who is lost because a lost man hates Christ (John 3:20), he cannot understand anything from the Spirit of God because anything from the Holy Spirit must be spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14) and a lost man is spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1, 2:5; Colossians 2:13). The only thing he has that controls his thoughts and actions is his heart, and the heart of each and every man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). That is why a lost man can do only evil, CONTINUALLY (Genesis 6:5). He won’t come unto the Light (John 3:20) because he can’t please God (Romans 8:8). Please explain how a lost man with these problems can change his mind of his own volition and believe in Christ or come to God.

When Christ returns to establish His kingdom, those who have been called, His chosen and faithful followers, will be with Him. It is a limited number and was defined by God before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). These are the many for whom He shed His blood (Mark 14:24).

Bible Truth #364 - Ephesians 2:8-9

Ephesians 2:8-9

8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

We are saved by God’s grace, and not by anything we do (2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:5). Grace is unmerited favor. We are saved by God’s grace through faith. It is not of ourselves, it is a gift from God! Where does a man get the faith to believe in Christ? Faith is that to which Paul is referring when he wrote it is the gift of God. God uses faith to save those He chose in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).

When Arminians claim that a man must believe before God saves they are turning God’s grace on its head (Isaiah 29:16). They are inserting man into something that is ALL God! If a man must believe before he is saved, God’s grace is no longer unmerited favor. There is a prerequisite for it. It is a perfect example of what Paul was telling the Ephesians - it is a work of the flesh! ANYTHING a man does before God saves is “of ourselves.” It is a work of the flesh.

Arminians will claim that believing is not a “work.” The problem is that it is still an accomplishment of the flesh and we already know what Paul told the Romans about that - they that are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8). A lost man has nothing but his flesh since his spirit is dead (Ephesians 2:1, 2:5; Colossians 2:13) and salvational belief is of the spirit, not the flesh.

What follows is the definition of the Greek word ergon (Strong’s G4021), the word translated to “works” in verse 9 (Not of works,...):

1) business, employment, that which any one is occupied

a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking

2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind

3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasized in opposition to that which is less than work

So you see, belief is a thing accomplished in the mind and therefore it is a work, and thus is not the cause of salvation - it is the RESULT of salvation. A lost man “believing in Jesus” is believing in vain (1 Corinthians 15:2). Why? Because his spirit is dead and his belief is solely of the flesh. Only a saved man can believe in his spirit.

A man is saved by grace through faith, the faith that God gives him (Romans 12:3; Ephesians 2:8). God then gives him belief (John 6:29; Philippians 1:29), and repentance (2 Timothy 2:25). That man WILL now come to Jesus (John 6:37) and Jesus WILL raise him up (John 6:44).

Bible Truth #363 - 2 Thessalonians 3:1

2 Thessalonians 3:1

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you;

Why would Paul ask the Thessalonians to pray for him that the word of the Lord would spread rapidly if God had nothing to do with it? Why would prayer be needed if it was almighty man’s “free will” that determined whether the word of the Lord would spread rapidly? If God does not interfere with man’s autonomy and “free will” why is Paul asking the Thessalonians to pray for them?

Paul is not asking the Thessalonians to pray for the people to whom he is currently preaching, nor is he asking for prayer for the rulers, either governmental or religious, that God’s Word would spread rapidly and be glorified. Paul understood the sovereignty of God in the affairs of men and in his prayer request was simply applying the principle “God causes the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).

Paul was asking for prayer for a number of reasons, among which I’m sure were that his flesh would not be a hindrance, and that God would open doors and allow him to preach freely - as He did in Troas (2 Corinthians 2:12) or when Paul was prevented from going into areas to preach as what happened when he tried to go to the Province of Asia, Mysia, and Bithynia (Acts 16:6-7). Not only does God save who He wants to save, He decided who will even have the opportunity to hear the Gospel because He determines the time and place for every man to live (Acts 17:26). Some have gone their entire lives without hearing the Gospel and it is because of when and where God appointed their birth. Where is THEIR opportunity to be saved? Or where is the opportunity for infants or the mentally infirm to be saved? But I digress, that’s another topic (Bible Truth #319).

This also brings to mind the time when Jesus told His disciples “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38) Is this not exactly what Paul is asking of the Thessalonians? He and his companions were the workers for the Lord of the harvest.

The bottom line is that Paul was asking for prayer for himself and his companions, i.e. the workers sent into the harvest, and NOT the harvest