Monday, September 04, 2006

A cleaner way to hell!

I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." Luke 18:12Take heed of trusting in religious duties. These duties rested in, will as eternally undo a man--as the greatest and foulest enormities. Open wickedness slays her thousands--but a secret resting upon duties slays her ten thousands! Open profaneness is the broad dirty way which leads to hell--but trusting in religious duties is a sure way, though a cleaner way to hell. Profane people and formal professors shall meet at last in the same hell. You know, in Noah's flood all that were not in the ark, though they climbed up the tallest trees, and the highest mountains and hills--yet were drowned! So let men climb up to this duty and that--yet, if they don't get into Christ, they will be damned! It is as natural to a man to rest in his duties, as it is for him to rest in his bed. It is not your duties, but your Christ, that must save you. Many shining professors burn themselves by resting in their duties and services.Oh, rest not on anything but Jesus Christ! It is His free grace, it is His special mercy, it is His infinite love--which is your resting-place! It is the bosom of Christ, the favor of Christ, the satisfaction of Christ, and the pure, perfect, spotless, matchless, and glorious righteousness of Christ--which is your resting-place!It was the saying of a precious saint, that "He was more afraid of his religious duties, than of his sins. For his duties often made him proud; his sins always made him humble."

4 comments:

Phoebe said...

BTW, this article you posted was also recently posted here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ConservativeChristianPrayerRoom/message/154

Pastor Timothy said...

Glenda,

Thank you for the comment you made on my blog last week. Here are some thoughts/comments that I have in regards to your comment. Please feel free to respond at any time on my site.

Basically, after thought, I do not see, in the Romans 3 passage, where Paul says that man does not reject God. I'll try to clarify this thought. First, please know that I don't believe that man is condemned to Hell primarily because of his rejection. I believe that there are many men who say that they want God; however, they will never receive a true and abiding relationship with Him. I believe that man is condemned primarily because he is in Adam and is condemned as a sinner.

On that note, I'd like to add that I also believe that man must choose to depend on Christ for salvation and repent of his/her sins (conversion). But that only takes place after regeneration (God must take the first move).

But, me saying that someone must trust in Christ for his/her salvation is not negating the fact that God is the One who saves.

Your comment on my blog was that man "CAN-NOT" reject God; however, from an experiential and biblical standpoint, I see many people who reject God. There are many men who harden their hearts toward Him and want nothing to do with Him (hence the word "reject"). Immediately you might be thinking of Romans 9 and say, "God is the one who hardens whom He wills." I will immediately agree. However, I will also say that as a secondary response - man hardens his heart, too (Ex. 4:21; 1 Sam 6:6).

I see no contradiction in saying that man takes an active role in continuously rejecting/turning from God and His ways. In all actuality, the Romans 3 passages seems to prove that man continuously rejects God. It says, "They are all gone out of the way." One commentator (John Gill - a well-known Calvinist of old) says, "here the phrase is rendered by the apostle, 'they are all gone out of the way': that is, out of the way of God and his precepts, out of the way of holiness and righteousness, of light and life; into their own ways, the ways of sin, Satan, and the world of darkness, and of death...." So, man chooses to go out of the way because that's his nature.

Also, Romans 1 is clear by saying that men also choose to reject God.

v. 18 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

This passage states that sinners actively suppress the truth through their unrighteousness. So, they knowingly suppress the truth. By their own volitional choice, they reject the reality of God and their conscience contiually gets more and more seared.

One more passage:

Isaiah 53:6 - All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

That turning was a volitional choice of man to go his own way.

So, I don't see a contradiction when I say that man chooses to reject God. Of course they choose to reject Him - that's all they can do apart from a move of the Spirit of God to impart salvation.

I guess I'll end on this note. Again, if you want to continue more conversation, please do so.

Thanks for your time and patience with this blog post.... :)

Phoebe said...

Glenda, thanks for the song that you posted in your comment on my site. I have tried a couple times but could not listen to it. I'll try again. Also, I pasted the link into my profile, hoping it would play when my site was opened. But that doesn't work either. :(

Phoebe said...

Yay! I opened the original site & saved it to my music folder, so now I am listening to it with Real Player. I like it!