God. Romans 3:23 tells us the truth:
"all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." We have come short of God's glory as
revealed in Christ, short of His holiness, short of all that He is in His
perfection and therefore abide beneath the curse of His Law. For we read in Galatians 3:10: "Cursed
is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of
the law to do them." And what says
the whole Law of God? "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind and with all thy strength and to love thy neighbor as thyself.'"
(Mark 12:30-31) (L. R. Shelton, Jr)
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A person can
learn that there is no hope for without divine grace.
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A person can
call on God to do the work that cannot be done oneself. The soul can plead with David: “Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew
a right spirit within me.” (Psa. 51:10)
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A person can
receive the love of God by grace through faith and say in the day of salvation:
Loved, when a wretch defiled
with sin,
At war with heaven, in
league with hell,
A slave to every lust
obscene,
Who, living, lived but to
rebel.
¨
¨
Argument. “If man does
not have a free will, then he is not under any moral obligation to keep God’s
Law.”
q
q
Answer. That
depends on how the inability arose. If
it is a created inability then there
can be no obligation. But if the
inability is acquired, the obligation
remains. The Bible teaches in Genesis 2
that man acquired the inability to
please God through the sinful act of deliberate disobedience. Therefore, man is still responsible despite
the fact that his will is no longer free.
The will became enslaved to sin and needs to be set free from the power
and pollution of sin's bondage..
¨
¨
Argument. “If man is
unable to obey the divine law then he is not free.”
q
q
Answer. This
objection grows out of a confused idea of freedom. A man is a slave to sin, but acts out of his own inherent
proclivities and so is free.
If
the question is asked, “Can a sinner
repent if he will?” the response is, “That
depends on the meaning of 'will.' If by “will” it is meant
that thee is an inclination or being willing on the whole, then the answer is, “Yes.”
But that is itself repentance and so all that is meant is, ”Can a sinner repent if he repents?”
Pharaoh seemed willing to repent each time the hand of Divine discipline fell
on him. However, he could not change
his nature and close with the Lord in genuine conversion. If by “will”
volition is meant, the answer is, “No!,”
for a man cannot change his nature by a mere volition.
¨
¨
Argument. “If there is
no ability, then there is nothing for man to do.”
q
q
Answer. While a person cannot heal himself, he can
apply to the physician. Man can go to
the Savior and ask for salvation.
¨
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Argument. “If man has
ability to repent in and of himself, then God will wait upon him.”
q
q
Answer. God’s time
is now. If man feels his own ability is
the issue, then man will take his own time.
¨
¨
Argument. “Why would God command a man to do what he
cannot do?”
q
q
Answer. Because
God bids us to do so. And further God
supplies the needed grace, “My grace is
sufficient.”
Agape Chapel Ministries
PO Box 59084
Norwalk, CA 90652
USA