The sum of their [Arminians] endeavor is, to prove that the will of man is so absolutely free, independent, and uncontrollable, that God doth not, nay, with all his power cannot, determine it certainly and infallibly to the performance of this or that particular action, thereby to accomplish his own purposes, to attain his own ends. Truly, it seems to me the most unfortunate attempt that ever Christians lighted on; which, if it should get success answerable to the greatness of the undertaking, the providence of God, in men�s esteem, would be almost thrust quite out of the world. The new goddess contingency could not be erected until the God of heaven was utterly despoiled of his dominion over the sons of men, and in the room thereof a home-bred idol of self-sufficiency set up, and the world persuaded to worship it. But that the building climb no higher, let all men observe how the word of God overthrows this Babylonian tower.
God is all powerful and he most certainly has the power to allow man to choose him and not force them to choose him if thats what He wants to do!
I dont understand why some feel they must asign our rules to Gods soerginty, He has to power to set the rules in anyway he ses fit so if He wants to set them in such a way that allows us the freedom to choose or reject him:applause:
@jb23 brother I listened to all 4 and that was very good I enjoyed and learned from them! Yo are right its not up for debate and like that man said there are proably things we cant understand yey, we are trying to understand everything now and the biblesays everything will be revealed to us later we snt understand now but its clear we are chosen its also clear we can resist grace
its written, those who claim to abide in Christ, must walk as he walked.
He did NOTHING of himself, but ONLY what he heard the father say. he was 100% led by the SPIRIT. He heard the VOICE of GOD. and then obeyed the VOICE of GOD. If we claim to abide IN HIM...we walk LIKE he walked.(1 John 2:6)
It is written that the SAME mind that was in Christ be in us, That we humble ourselves and become obedient even unto death. (Philippians 2:5-8)
THOSE are two(of the MANY) things we are SUPPOSED TO DO(that should be STANDARD Follower of Christ examples) We are to do NOTHING not a thing of our own SOUL/flesh nature/First Adam(mind, will, emotions) but ONLY of the mind of Christ and SPIRIT of GOD. And if we are NOT there THAT must be our DAILY STRIVING. To NOT please self but CHRIST and others
I dont see allot of this in ANY denomination or doctrinal "camp". But this should be standard.
So WHO Still has a will of there own? And we will be judge for the works we do. ARE We truly doing the works prepared for us IN CHRIST?
NO matter what Factious work of the flesh you call yourself. ALL that matters is being LED by the SPIRIT hearing the WORD and VOICE of the MASTER and doing what HE SAYS
Jesus bless you.
(p.s, i know Reformers, Armenians, Anabaptist's and Quakers who ARE Spirit led. I know the same who are NOT. What Matters is CHRIST)
"Christ is never fully valued, until sin is clearly seen. We must know the depth and malignity of our disease, in order to appreciate the great Physician." ~ J.C. Ryle
I'm not sure about all of this but from a messianic point-of-view:
G-d's sovereignty arises out of His perfections as the Supreme Being. Since G-d is infinite, eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, unchangeable, perfect, and completely free, He is by inherent right the Sovereign Ruler over all things. To be sovereign, G-d must be all-knowing, all-powerful, and absolutely free. To be Lord over creation, He must possess all knowledge. Were there one little bit of knowledge unknown to G-d, His rule would break down at that point. The prophet Isaiah said: Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? Who taught Him the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, and informed Him of the way of understanding (Isaiah 40:13-14)?
G-d is sovereign because He has infinite power. If G-d were lacking in any power, even the smallest amount, that lack would end His reign and undo His kingdom at that point. That one stray atom would belong to some other power, and G-d would be a limited ruler and therefore not the Supreme Sovereign. Good King Jehoshaphat declared this when he prayed: Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You (2 Ch. 20:6).
G-d's sovereignty requires that He be able to do whatever He wants to do anywhere, at any time, in every single detail, and without any interference. If He was less than completely free He would be less than sovereign. G-d is absolutely free to do what He wills because no one and nothing can hinder Him or compel Him or stop Him. Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in the earth, in the seas and in all deeps (Psalm 135:6). The Lord is able to do as He pleases always, everywhere, and forever. There is no limit to be placed on His authority. It extends over all His creatures, from the highest to the lowest. He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, What have you done (Dan. 4:35)? Can you imagine the Lord of Hosts having to request permission from anyone? At whose throne would G-d kneel as a supplicant? Who is higher than the Most High? Who is mightier than the Almighty? Who is more knowledgeable than the All-Knowing One? Where is the greater one to whom He can appeal?
G-d is sovereign because He is the Creator and the Owner of all things. To the Lord your G-d belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it (Deut. 10:14). As the Creator and Owner of everything, it is right that He govern His own possession as He wishes. He is free to dispose of His creation as He wills, and it is reasonable that all created beings worship and obey Him. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You (Neh. 9:6).
The Lord is sovereign because He is the Preserver and Sustainer of all things. He continually upholds all things with His powerful Word. Since we live and move and have our being in Him, it is right that all creatures serve Him, since all things depend on Him every moment for their existence.
G-d is sovereign because He is the Redeemer. The authority of G-d is supremely established over those He redeems. We have been bought with a price, the infinitely precious blood of the Son of G-d. It is proper that the redeemed serve their King who bought them with such a high cost to Himself.
G-d exercises sovereign control over everything in the universe in a variety of ways. His sovereignty is seen in the physical and moral laws by which all creatures are governed. When His creatures obey these laws, they are blessed. When they deviate from these laws, they fall under G-d's displeasure. The Lord makes the events of the physical and moral realms work out His purposes.
The King is sovereign over every aspect of the physical universe. Wind, rain, lightening, thunder, waters, hail, ice, snow, and frost are all subject to His bidding. The heavenly bodies, like the sun, the moon and the stars all obey His will and fulfill His word (Psalm 148). Every proton, electron, neutron and quark obey Him. The mountains are removed, the earth quakes and the ground yields its increase at His command. He uses good things that happen to us as expressions of His goodness and love. He uses destructive things like earthquakes, storms, and floods as instruments of His discipline and judgement. In times of physical distress men should therefore humble themselves and pray to Him who has all the elements in His power.
The Lord is sovereign over all the plant and animal life on Planet Earth. In His hand is the life of every living thing (Job 12:10). G-d controls all the millions of species of plants, birds, animals and fish that exist on this earth. They all fulfill His will. Every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine (Psalm 50:10-12).
The King is sovereign over the most important and the most trivial of circumstances that occur. G-d determines the most important decisions of existence, like the nature and powers of the different orders of created beings, such as the various kinds of angels, men and animals. He assigns to each its appropriate sphere, whether it is great or small, important or obscure. He also is involved with the seemingly unimportant events. The Lord determines the way that the lot falls. The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord (Pr. 16:33). He is concerned about every sparrow that falls to the ground, and even more so with every hair on our heads.
The Lord G-d is sovereign over every area of man's existence. The King determines when, where and under what circumstances each individual of the human race will be born, live, and die. He determines all the times, places, and circumstances of our lives. He has determined the numbers of our days before we see one of them (Psalm 139:16). G-d holds our life in His hands. When he takes our breath away, we die. The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up (1 Sam. 2:6). To some He gives honor; to others he withholds honor. He brings down leaders and exalts the lowly. He fills up the hungry but rejects the rich (Luke 1:52-53). He promotes one person and demotes another (Ps. 75:7). The Lord makes poor and rich. He brings low, He also exalts (1 Sam. 2:7).
The Lord is sovereign over the destinies of all mankind, the saved and the unsaved. He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires (Romans 9:18). Some are vessels for common use, and some are vessels for more honorable use. Jeremiah was known by G-d and appointed to be a prophet before he was formed (Jer 1:5). Paul was set apart for G-d's purposes from his mother's womb (Gal. 1:15). The Supreme Being sovereignly works out His purposes in each person's life. The steps of a man are established by the Lord (Psalm 37:23). He marks out the paths of all His creatures and determines the way in which they will walk. I know O Lord that a man's way is not in himself; nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps (Jer.10:23).
The King is sovereign even over the free acts of humans. G-d uses men and women to fulfill His purposes, whether they realize it or not, whether they know Him or not. G-d said to Cyrus even before he was born: I have called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor though you have not known Me... I will gird you, though you have not known Me (Is. 45:4-5). He is involved in the thinking processes of rulers. The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes (Prov. 21:1). He worked in the heart of Pharaoh to do His bidding. He worked in the hearts of Kings David (1 Sam. 24:8) and Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:27). G-d works especially in the hearts of believers: it is G-d who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).
Nations, as well as individuals, are in the hands the Lord. G-d is the King of all the earth... G-d reigns over the nations (Psalm 47:7-8). The King controls each nation's destinies. The Lord uses nations and their rulers as He wills (Is. 10:5-15, 45:1-4). He keeps watch over them (Ps. 66:7). He assigns them their place on earth and how long they will exist as a nation. He determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation (Acts 17:26). He increases and destroys them (Job 12:23). He establishes and then dethrones their rulers (Dan. 2:37-39, 4:25).
The Lord is sovereign over the needs of His people. He sustains us: My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me (Ps. 63:8). He supplies our needs: My G-d shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Messiah Y-shua (Phil. 4:19). He gives us safety: In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone O Lord, make me to dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8). He protects us: He will not allow your foot to slip... the Lord is your keeper ... the Lord will protect you from all evil (Psalm 121:3-7). He acts on our behalf. From of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen a G-d besides You, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him (Is. 64:4). In general He makes all things work together for good for those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). Therefore we can pray: Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil, for Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever (Matthew 6:13).
