Bible Truth #395 - Psalm 58:3

Psalm 58:3

The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

Notice the Psalmist did NOT write, “Some are estranged from the womb and become wicked when they go astray...” Please accept the truth found in the plain language of this psalm. The wicked are born ALREADY wicked - in fact, we all are. This is proof that every baby is not Elect at its birth - that many or even most are destined to remain wicked. But it still does not prove, one way or the other, that every baby who dies is Elect.

We look at a newborn baby, or even one who has not yet been born, as pure and innocent. NOT in God's eyes. That child, like every child, is conceived a sinner (Psalm 51:5), is conceived unredeemed, and consequently his spirit is dead until God quickens it. An unredeemed human being, one whose spirit is dead, regardless of age, in God's eyes is as wicked as the most evil, vile, criminal on death row anywhere in the world (Romans 3:23).

What makes someone wicked? What makes ANYONE wicked? Is it something they do? Is it sin they commit? No! Sin is a work of the flesh and man is not a sinner because he sins, a man sins because he is a sinner. As we are not saved by works, neither do works condemn us. The natural state of man is corrupt, totally depraved, and wicked. Every man is wicked because every man’s progenitor is Adam (Romans 5:12). This is why the Psalmist identifies them as wicked even at birth! I say again, the Psalmist did NOT write, “Some are estranged from the womb and become wicked when they go astray...” They go astray because they are conceived wicked and born wicked.

Those babies who will survive childhood and reach maturity, and NEVER be saved are, even in the infancy, wicked. That is why they go astray. Just as a man sins because he is a sinner, so too a man goes astray because he is wicked (Isaiah 53:6). It is NOT a man is wicked because he goes astray. Now let’s take these facts to their logical conclusion: since it is a fact that most people are not saved it stands to reason that most babies are wicked.

But the fact that the psalmist wrote “...the [wicked] go astray” implies that there are those who aren’t wicked. I contend that there are those whom God has already quickened and need only to reach the point in their life where God draws them and grants them belief (John 6:29; Philippians 1:29) and repentance (2 Timothy 2:25). Then and only then will they believe, repent, and follow Jesus. Only then will they come to the Light (John 6:37), only then are they able to please God, and only then are they able to understand.

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

Bible Truth #394 - Genesis 35:1-5

Genesis 35:1-5

1  And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

2  Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

3  And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

4  And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

5  And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

This story picks up after Simeon and Levi had murdered all the men in Shechem for raping their sister Dinah in Genesis 34. Here we see once more how the sovereignty of God is working in the affairs of men, this time with the unregenerate people who would never be saved. Do you understand the significance of that? God is working in the wicked, those who will never be saved, to accomplish His will in the lives of His chosen people (Ephesians 1:11).

You’ve heard of people having the “fear of God” put in them, usually by someone in a position of authority. Well that makes a mockery of how God works. Here is a Biblical example of that maxim, but as you can see, it is far more than fear - God puts TERROR in their hearts.

The normal reaction of men in those days was to go after Jacob and his sons and their families and likely kill them all or take them into bondage as slaves for the rest of their days. But God worked in them to will and to do according to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Not only was God ordering the steps of Israel, He was also ordering the steps of unbelievers (Proverbs 16:9). Did they have free will? Like the lost today and even some saved, they certainly thought they had free will. But in this case their “free will” was to NOT go after Jacob. They made a “free will” decision to NOT pursue God’s chosen people. By removing from their mind pursuit and revenge, and inserting TERROR, God MADE them make the “free will” decision He wanted them to make.

So too God’s Elect. Before God does a work in one of His Elect, one of those He chose in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil, continually (Genesis 6:5), he hates Jesus and will not come unto Him (John 3:20), he can’t please God (Romans 8:8), and is not saved because of anything he does (2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:5) and that includes “repenting of his sin and accepting Jesus as his Savior.” But then God does a work IN him (John 6:29) and grants him belief (Philippians 1:29) and repentance (2 Timothy 2:25).

There is no free will. It is only God working in people to make them think they have free will. We become children of God NOT by human decision (John 1:13).

Bible Truth #393 - Acts 28:23-29

Acts 28:23-29

23  When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.

24  Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe.

25  And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers,

26  saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, “YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

27  FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.”’

28  “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”

29  When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.

Dr. Luke recorded that some were persuaded and believed but others would not believe. There is no difference between what had happened here and what Luke recorded earlier about Paul’s preaching in Pisidian Antioch. (Acts 13:14-52)

Paul preached the Word of God by giving a magnificent summary of God’s promise to Israel and how it had been fulfilled in Jesus. The people had begged Paul to come back the following Sabbath but when the Jews saw the crowds coming to listen to Paul that next week they were jealous and tried to discredit the things Paul was saying by contradicting him and blaspheming (Acts 13:45). But Paul & Barnabas stood boldly and proclaimed that the Lord commanded them that He had placed them as a light to the Gentiles, and that they would bring salvation to the ends of the earth. The gentiles heard this, rejoiced, and as many had been appointed to eternal life believed (Acts 13:48).

As many that had been appointed to eternal life, believed. And the opposite of the same coin can easily and accurately be inferred - those that had not been appointed to eternal life, those that had NOT been chosen, did NOT believe. Why did they not believe? Because God had not done a work in them to make them believe (John 6:29), He had not given them belief (Philippians 1:29). No amount of persuasion from even the most silver-tongued orator would convince those who did not believe. They were not given belief.

Going on to verse 26: for the most part Paul was quoting Isaiah 6:9-10 which I covered in Bible Truth #386 but there was one portion where he deviated from Isaiah and made the same change that Jesus made in Matthew 13:14-15.

However, as I wrote in Bible Truth #386, Isaiah said the God closed their eyes. If anyone believes there is a contradiction and believes that they did indeed close their own eyes, I submit to you that they did so only because closing their eyes to the Truth of God’s Word is the only choice the natural man will ever make. Man in his natural state is Totally Depraved. He will not seek God (Romans 3:10-12), nor will he understand anything from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14). He must be enabled by the Father (John 6:65).

John wrote that we become children of God NOT by human decision, or the will of the flesh (John 1:13). Jesus said that whoever does not believe in Him stands condemned already (John 3:18) and the lost will never come to Him (John 3:20). He also said that God’s wrath remains on those who reject Him (John 3:36).

Verse 29 - when the Jews left they were arguing amongst themselves. Here we see that nothing has changed in nearly 2,000 years. The Word of God says one thing but men can not let go of tradition and their idea of Who God is and how He works, to embrace completely and wholeheartedly on faith what God’s Word says.

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

Bible Truth #392 - Matthew 19:10-12

Matthew 19:10-12

10  The disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.”

11  But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.

12  “For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”

In verse 11 Jesus said not all men can accept this statement. In the context of the disciples comment, Jesus’ answer can better be understood to mean that not all men can actually do what they (the disciples) stated - not marry. Only those to whom it has been given can refrain from having a normal reproductive life.

Some are born emasculated, and some kings would castrate men who were responsible for the king’s harem. But other men God has given the ability to remain celibate in order to give themselves to the cause of Christ without distractions. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:32:

But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;

Their celibacy is not because of physical impairment, but a matter of voluntary abstinence. And only those men to whom it has been given are able to live a life of celibacy. It is a God-given ability and against the “nature” of a man.

It is no different with faith, belief and repentance! Only those to whom God has given these gifts will be saved, and saved they WILL BE. The Bible states as much in Ephesians 2:8. Faith is a gift that God gives to His Elect whom He chose in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) and God uses that faith to save a man. Again! It is not a lost man who uses faith to save himself, it is God who uses faith, the faith He gave him, to save him.

Belief is also given (Philippians 1:29) when God works in a man and makes him a believer (John 6:29). God doesn’t give the ability to believe and man then has a choice, God gives a man belief and as a result that man believes. The same with repentance. No man can repent unless God grants it to him (2 Timothy 2:25) and if God grants it, that man WILL come to a knowledge of the truth and repent.

Without God granting these gifts to His Elect and quickening their dead spirits (Ephesians 2:1, 2:5; Colossians 2:13) no man would be saved because a lost man is Totally Depraved. EVERY imagination of his heart is only evil, continuously (Genesis 6:5). He is accustomed to doing evil and cannot do good (Jeremiah 13:23). He hates Jesus and will not come to Him (John 3:20). He is hostile toward God and can not please Him (Romans 8:7-8). He accepts nothing from the Holy Spirit, thinks it is all foolishness and can NOT understand it (1 Corinthians 2:14). There are many other passages in both the Old and New Testament that tell us the inability of a lost man to come to Christ. A lost man is DEAD, he is not mortally wounded that he can call out for help. He is not drowning that he can reach for a life preserver if one is thrown to him. He is not bleeding to death that he can put a tourniquet on his leg to stop the flow - he is DEAD.

As Jesus said in John 6:65, a man must be enabled before he can do anything else and it is clear throughout the Scriptures that God enables some and doesn’t enable most.

Bible Truth #391 - Matthew 13:10-15

Matthew 13:10-15

10  And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

11  Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

12  “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

13  “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14  “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

15  FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’

There may be some who claim that the people were closing their own eyes as Jesus said in v15. But are there things going on beyond what they appear? Yes.

I would like first to point out that if you consider a lost man “opening his eyes to the Gospel and spiritual truths” as pleasing to God, then it contradicts Romans 8:8 where Paul tells us a lost man cannot please God. If you consider a lost man “opening his eyes to the Gospel and spiritual truths” as NOT pleasing to God (i.e. sin), why would God then quicken that lost man’s spirit - saving him, and grant him belief, repentance, and understanding?

If a lost man alone is responsible for closing his own eyes, he did it because that is the only thing he is able to do. Man in his natural state is Totally Depraved. He will not seek God (Romans 3:10-12), nor will he understand anything from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The second point I want you to consider is that Jesus was quoting the Prophet Isaiah where it is written:

Isaiah 6:9-10

9  He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’

10  “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.”

These people, of whom Jesus was telling His disciples, are even worse off because it was God Himself that was ordering their steps and making them close their eyes (Proverbs 16:9). Not only do these lost people hate the Lord (John 3:20) and will never come to Him, God is working in them just as He works in the enemies of Israel to make them hate His chosen people (Psalm 105:25).

God rendered them blind and God closed their eyes. These people didn’t close their eyes of their own volition. See Bible Truth #386 for more discussion on those two verses.

Either way you look at it, we become children of God NOT by human decision (John 1:13).

Bible Truth #390 - Acts 4:10-12

Acts 4:10-12

10  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Salvation is found only in, and through, Jesus Christ. There is no other name given among men. It wasn’t given TO men, it wasn’t given TO mankind, it wasn’t given TO every man and it wasn’t given FOR every man. His Name was given among men and God gives it TO whom He pleases (Romans 9:15, 9:21).

... whereby we must be saved. “Must” in this context does not apply to men. It does not mean that every man must be saved, nor does it imply that God wants every man to be saved. If God wanted every man to be saved, every man would be saved. God DOES want every one of His Elect to be saved, for Peter wrote He doesn’t want even one of us to perish (2 Peter 3:9), and none of us will because He works all things after the counsel of His own will (Ephesians 1:11). He OBTAINED salvation for His Elect (Hebrews 9:12) and His Elect alone. He saved every one of those He intended to save - His Elect. That’s why He hath done ALL things well (Mark 7:37).

The writer of Hebrews told us that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). But man cannot shed his own blood because it is stained with sin, the sin of the first man, Adam (Romans 5:12). Nor can the blood of bulls and goats take away sin (Hebrews 10:4). Well if man can’t sacrifice for himself, if he can’t pay the price for his sin, and the blood of animals is insufficient for God, how can we be reconciled to God?

“Must” in verse 12 applies to Jesus: it must be Jesus Who saves and Jesus alone. We have the words of Peter above but he was simply stating the same thing Jesus told us in John 14:6 “...no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

It would take the blood of a perfect sacrifice, Someone whose father is not Adam. Jesus Christ is the answer, it MUST be Him and Him alone. This is why the virgin birth is imperative and significant (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus Christ was born not of the seed of man but of the seed of woman (Genesis 3:15). He is this perfect Lamb of God (John 1:36), Jesus Christ is the only one Who could die for us and thereby pay the eternal price for our sins. His shed blood alone is acceptable to God for the forgiveness of our sins.

It MUST be Jesus whereby we are saved.

Bible Truth #389 - John 14:22-24

John 14:22-24

22  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”

23  Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

24  “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.

He who does not love Jesus does not keep His words, they will not obey His teaching. You can’t hear it any plainer than that. Would it be safe to say that those who do not love Jesus are those who hate Him? Of course the answer is yes. Every lost man hates Jesus (John 3:20) therefore, no man who is lost will obey Jesus’ teaching.

So how does one who believes in decisional salvation come to the conclusion that there are exceptions? How does one who believes they chose Christ reconcile their belief with the words of Jesus when He said we did not choose Him? (John 15:16)

As Jesus said earlier in His ministry “...everyone who does evil hates the Light and will not come unto it.” (John 3:20) Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12, John 9:5), He was referring to Himself.

Therefore it is indisputable that the lost do not love Jesus, they will not keep His words, they will not obey His teaching, and will not come to Him. It should then be incontrovertible that anyone who DOES come to Him has already been quickened by God and is being drawn by God to Jesus, thus fulfilling His Word in that every man given by God to Jesus WILL come to Jesus (John 6:37). And every one of those drawn by God, Jesus WILL raise up (John 6:44).

Salvation does NOT depend on man’s desire or effort (Romans 9:16), God has mercy upon, and saves whomever He wants (Romans 9:18). We become children of God NOT by the will of the flesh (John 1:13).