Truly, these times
of ignorance
God overlooked,
but now commands
all men everywhere
to repent.
Acts 17:30
God's command seems simple enough; just repent! Could God just demand repentance and that would be that; man could be saved? Yes! He could demand repentance and He does demand repentance but how does repentance itself save a person? Could not a repentant person just return to corruption? Yes! And that being the case if that was all that God required then repentance itself could not guard the Divine against being inconsistent. Why? Because if death did not hold dominion over men: God would still be untrue and as was shown in the last blog, God cannot go back on His word. Repentance does nothing for the nature of man that has become corrupt and all it does is to keep man from sinning. If only by repenting our sins would be forgiven, that trespass that we pray in the Lord's prayer for God to forgive our trespasses, and our case was just sin, then repentance would be enough, but that is not the case; man is corrupt, his nature is corrupt, totally depraved. This then being the case of total depravity men were then deprived of the grace that belong to them as creatures in the image of God. Yes, it is true, repentance can not meet the demands of this case. Repentance is necessary as the opening Scripture affirms, that it is a command of God for men to repent. Yet, man cannot repent just because he wants to repent. All that man does is due to his nature and that nature is totally depraved. There are some theologians who have taught that man can choose God themselves because of circumstances, or just hearing the Word of God and being convicted and by their free will choose God. This then is not the Doctrine of Total Depravity, it is a semi-depravity Doctrine. If man could save himself by repenting there would have been no need for an incarnation of the Word of God. Jesus Christ would then die for something that man could do for himself, in other words man could just save himself by repenting. Many Church leaders have taught this next verse to apply to everyone: The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Once again the word repentance is reiterated in this verse, God is longsuffering and all should come to repentance because God is not willing that any should perish. Who is the Apostle Peter speaking too? Who are the "us" and who are "any?" If God wills a thing to be it is done, for if God does not will a thing is does not exist. God does not limit Himself and sit back wringing His hands, so to speak, waiting for any man to choose Him. Verse one Chapter three tells us that Peter is speaking to the beloved and he had written to them before, that in his first letter to them and calls them, the pilgrims of the dispersion, the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father (1 Peter 1:1-2). So the "us" are the Christians that have been elected and it is them that Peter is writing to that God is not willing for any, and the word any in the Greek means, certain ones, for if God willed that "all" should come to repentance then they would do so but the Bible is clear that some will be thrown into the lake of Fire: "The Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14-15).
What, or rather who, was needed for such grace so as to recall man from their corruption? None other than the Word of God Himself; the One who in the beginning made all things out of nothing. It was His part, His alone, both to bring again the corruptible to incorruption maintain for the Father His consistency of character. He being the Word of the Father and above all, was by Who He was that He was able to recreate all and to be an ambassador for all, with the Father. Luke records: "Then He said to them, 'Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:46-47). Jesus was willing as the Wisdom of God, being of the same essence as the Second Person of the Godhead to lower Himself from His position with the Father inasmuch as He took on a human body: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower that the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone...For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted" (Hebrews 2:9, 18). Peter writing to the elect: "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow in His steps" (1 Peter2:21). Paul writes to the Church at Corinth: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2Corinthians 5:17). Peter gives the final and most important thing for us to remember: "He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifested in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God" (1Peter 1:20-21). Before you were born, before anything existed in the material world, God had ordained that Jesus Christ would come into our world and be manifested and this so that for those who believe in God will be resurrected and this was for "you" that is the elected by God. In all of God's Sovereignty He has elected some for salvation. Many object to this but this is what His word so plainly states. Why does God choose some and not others? I don't know! It is not for me to know. The command that God has given, the command that Jesus Christ gave to the Apostles and the command that is our command today is that we are to make disciples. God will save whomever He desires to save and being a good God, all things He does is good, then His choices are good. That is enough for me and should be enough for you. But let us examine the purpose for the Word of God to enter the World; this is the next blog.
All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man
as the flower of the grass.
the grass withers,
and its flower falls away,
But the word of the
Lord endures forever.
1 Peter 1:24-25
Today allow God to Aid You To Overcome
Richard L. Crumb
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