The
Nature of the Fallen Man
Part six
By Nick Bibile
Gods restraining grace!
Pelagius
was a British monk (c. 354-after 418) who emphasized the free will that God
gave to humanity; Pelagians rejected predestination as well as original sin,
the belief that the sin of Adam and Eve spiritually contaminated the human
race. He taught that the sin of Adam and Eve affected only them, and that human
beings are born without sin and with the freedom to choose their own path in
life. Pelagianism spread, it became an increasing problem for the church, and
the aging Augustine worked fervently to stop it. Pelagius
pointed
out there are heathens who are very virtuous and live a very good life without
harming anyone. Augustine said, these so called virtues were sins, as they did
not spring from faith. He said, their good deeds did not come from the motive
of love to God and giving glory to God. After a little over a thousand years
later, John Calvin firmly maintained that the natural man cannot do any good
work whatsoever, without the saving grace of God. John Calvin developed the
doctrine of common grace. Common grace does not pardon the sinner nor has any
effect on salvation. Common grace extends to all creatures to all mankind.
Mt
Common
grace maintains a measure of moral order; it distributes various gifts and
talents among all men. Common grace is connected with restraining grace of God.
We will see this later.
People
escape to a place where they can live most comfortably and some who are rich go
to
Ge
All
natural men who are spiritually dead are Gods enemies, and we all build our
homes on a cursed ground and added to that Satan is called the god of this
world.
2Co
4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe
not,
He
is called the prince of the power of the air. (Eph 2:2)
This
earth is a very dangerous place to live because of sin, as there is the devil,
the cursed ground (world) and the natural man who is exceedingly evil. We can
see this evil all around us.
Last
week I heard on the news where some teenagers called a Chinese foods place and
ordered some foods for about $60.00, they wanted the foods to be delivered to
the home, when the man came with the foods it was an abandoned type of a house,
the teenagers took the food and put a sheet over the mans head and beat him to
death. But when these teenagers appear in court and you look at them, they do
not look any different than any other kid in the block, they look innocent and
not the type of kids who will ever do such a horrible crime. When you see a man
on the lose raping women or a man with a gun down the street shot someone when
they get arrested they look like you and me and the mans neighbors cant believe
that this man can do something horrible like this as he lived a decent life.
Now
what is the difference between these young people and the others? The usual
answer is they are bad and we are good. How about the good people who are
caught in sin? Let me tell you all natural men are Gods enemies; they would be
extremely evil if God did not restrain them. When you see the natural man who
behaves well and have a good moral character, it is not because of their nature
that they are good but God has restrained them. Their nature is exceedingly
evil, they seek to do evil but they have been kept from wickedness not because
they are good but because God has restrained and kept from sin.
Ro
3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used
deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
This
is extreme wickedness, want to kill and murder men. Their tongue are extremely
deceitful full of poison.
14
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Their
language is an abomination to the Lord. Cursing comes out like a stream of
water, and they are full of hate and bitter.
15
Their feet are swift to shed blood:
They
live by the sword or the gun. The gun is their god. They are full of pride and
if anyone makes them angry they will fight, they will fight to kill. The other
day early in the morning a policeman stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation,
when he walked to the motorist car, the man pulled a gun and killed the
officer. These men will kill anyone.
16
Destruction and misery are in their ways:
They
are ferocious above measure, they will destroy everything wherever it prevails.
17
And the way of peace have they not known:
They
are violent, cruel and savage. They do not know the meaning of peace.
18
There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Every
wickedness comes with disregard to God. It all came from Adam and Eve as they
had no respect to God, and had no fear of death.
For,
did the Lord let every mind loose to wanton in its lusts, doubtless there is
not a man who would not show that his nature is capable of all the crimes with
which Paul charges it, (Rom. 3 compared with Ps. 14: 3, &c.) What? Can you
exempt yourself from the number of those whose feet are swift to shed blood;
whose hands are foul with rapine and murder; whose throats are like open
sepulchers; whose tongues are deceitful; whose lips are venomous; whose actions
are useless, unjust, rotten, deadly; whose soul is without God; whose inward
parts are full of wickedness; whose eyes are on the watch for deception; whose
minds are prepared for insult; whose every part, in short, is framed for
endless deeds of wickedness? If every soul is capable of such abominations,
(and the Apostle declares this boldly,) it is surely easy to see what the
result would be, if the Lord were to permit human passion to follow its bent.
No ravenous beast would rush so furiously, no stream, however rapid and
violent, so impetuously burst its banks. In the elect, God cures these diseases
in the mode which will shortly be explained; in others, he only lays them under
such restraint as may prevent them from breaking forth to a degree
incompatible with the preservation of the established order of things. Hence,
how much soever men may disguise their impurity, some are restrained only by
shame, others by a fear of the laws, from breaking out into many kinds of
wickedness. Some aspire to an honest life, as deeming it most conducive to
their interest, while others are raised above the vulgar lot, that, by the
dignity of their station, they may keep inferiors to their duty. Thus God, by
his providence, curbs the perverseness of nature, preventing it from breaking
forth into action, yet without rendering it inwardly pure. (John Calvin
Institutes BOOK II CHAPTER 3 SECTION 3)
We
are all bad as Judas, bad as Pharaoh, bad as Herod bad as the Pharisees, bad as
Hitler and bad as the rapist in the city if not for the restraining grace of
God. We are all natural enemies of God as those teenagers who killed the man
who brought them food. If we have not committed the unpardonable sin, it is not
because we are good but we are indebted to God for his restraining grace. Now
lets be honest, have you ever lost your temper and acted like a fool and if not
for Gods restraining grace you would have killed someone or even raped someone
in your temptation. It is not we restrain ourselves from evil and sin, but God.
In the same way, the enmity of God reigns in us and we are under its power. A
slave cannot control his master. Enmity against God is in us; we cannot control
it in our power. And we are servant this terrible master.
Joh
8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth
sin is the servant of sin.
The
restrained power is not from us but of God. We are indebted to God; the world
is indebted to God. If not for Gods restrained grace what will happen to this
world, there will be no rules and regulations, as the Bible says even the
government the magistrates the policeman on the road is ordained by God, if not
there would be hell on earth. The most glorious work is that God exercises his
restraining grace over a wicked world. We are all like wild horses powerfully
corrupt with much speed but God holds the reins on the wild horses, God in his
sovereignty can release the rein if he wants to, then we see terrible crimes
happening around us, men who went to a good school and was educated and famous
are capable of becoming a murderer. Everyone remembers the OJ Simpson case. If
not for Gods restraining power we all capable of becoming the exceedingly
wicked. Gods restraining grace is more awesome than him ruling the raging sea,
or else all of us will be doing the highest acts of sin.
Now let us see how God restrains men.
Then
God has ordered the government for mankind in preventing man hurting man; there
is the police officer, the courthouse to restrain from exceeding sin. God has
setup the church, which is a light to the world and men, are restrained of
their corruption when they see a true godly Christian around.
Ro
13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power
but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and
they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not
be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of
the same:
Then
if there are sinners in the church who hears the word of God but still not
awakened, means not regenerated but enlightened by the Spirit of God as they
hear the word and will not be very wicked as God keeps them from going to deep
wickedness or else they will. They shamefully continue in sin but they are not
exceedingly wicked as God restrains them.
If
sinners are awakened by the conviction of the Holy Spirit and brings guilt of
their sins and then if they are kept from sin, it is because God restrains them.
Then there are those who are restrained under the word of God. The word of God
works on mans hope, promises, punishments and fear, hell is revealed to us and
is real to us because of Gods mercy, has given salvation and eternal life, and
keep us from sin, because it is from the restraining grace of God.
1Co
10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God
is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear
it.
God
restrains the corruptions of men by his providence; providence has placed them
in by in different circumstances. If these natural men were in the same
circumstances of Pharaoh, they would do exactly what Pharaoh did, and if they
had the same circumstances of Hitler, they would do exactly what Hitler did.
But providence has placed them in different circumstances and they live an
orderly good sober life, but they would do as Hitler would have done if they were
in Hitlers shoes. But Gods providence restrains their corruptions.
God
also restrains mens corruptions by particular events of providence. Remember
the man Nabal who was very rich and evil. When David sent his men to him, he
insulted Davids name and his men. Then David and his men went to seek him in
order to shed blood, but it was God who restrained David by his providence from
shedding blood. God used Abigail as an instrument.
1Sa
25:26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth,
seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from
avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek
evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
1Sa
25:32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent
thee this day to meet me:
33
And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day
from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
34
For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back
from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there
had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the
wall.
We
Christians too are greatly indebted to God in his restraining grace, keeping us
from exceedingly wicked acts of sin. Even how much godly you are if God decide
to keep you alone, you will fall into dreadful acts of sin. It happened to
David when he took Bathsheba to bed and killed her husband. It happened to Noah
when he got drunk and lay naked after the flood. It happened to Peter who was
so close to Jesus, when he denied him three times. We too can fall into much
worse sins than this and we owe everything for Gods restraining grace. God has
made a covenant with his elect, that through the seed of Abraham we will be
blessed, God elected us before the foundations of the world. Although we can be
wicked as Pharaoh, Judas and Hitler and deserve nothing but hell, it was God
who gave us the spiritual birth and restrained us from evil, it is all of
grace. He had now promised that he will never leave or forsake his people, and
even if there is great temptation, he will make a way of escape. Remember it is
not our power it is the power of God.
Now
in true Christians, the principle of enmity does not reign. Although we are in
the flesh, it has great strength and sometimes it is too strong for us without
God almighty power we would sink. God gives his restraining grace to the
unbelievers and to the Christians. But there is a difference. The difference
is, God gives his restraining grace to his children in the way of covenant of
mercy. In the covenant of grace, there is mercy to his children. It is God who
is faithful and not us, so let us not be proud of our knowledge in scripture
and how strong we are, or how good we are in the site of other men, it is all
of God and how we are greatly indebted to his restraining grace!