Church discipline

Free-willism teaches that a man must do something for God before God will something for him. That, my friend, is the opposite of what God’s word teaches.

The Bible says, “man is dead in trespasses and sin” (Ephesians 2:1), and that “there is none righteousness, no not one, there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeks after God” (Romans 3:10-19).

Tell me then how a dead man can perform a saving act?

How can a soul who has no righteousness, do a righteous act?

The Lord Jesus Christ said; “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

If a soul is dead (as the word of God teaches), he cannot see God’s kingdom and the only way he can see, hear or do a spiritual act is he must be given life. He must pass from death unto life. It is obvious he can’t give himself life. Christ must perform a miracle; the new birth is a miracle, a super natural act.

Free-willism teaches that man’s repentance and faith is the cause of the new birth.

No! That is impossible, that is the cart before the horse.

Repentance and faith are the result of the new birth, not the cause.

Every dead soul must be given life. As Christ raised the dead by His word, so He by His word – by the gospel, gives dead sinners life.

“Being born again not by corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
(I Peter 1:23)

“It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.”
(Philipians 2:13)

“Salvation is of the Lord” from start to finish. God sent forth His son Jesus Christ to be the only Saviour from sin. He has fixed it where “no flesh should glory in his presence” (I Corinthians 1:29).

If a man has to do something, anything at all to cause God to do something for him, then he has whereof to glory.

What works religion fails to understand is the depravity of man. They believe that there is inherently something good in everyone and if they could just get a chance they would exercise the good in them and be saved. That is hard doctrine, hard because it flies in the face of God who said; “there is none good no not one” (Romans 3:12).

If God is ever bound to reward an act of one of His creatures, “then it is no more of Grace but of works” (Romans 11:6).

If God must reward you for your repentance and faith, “then Christ is dead in vain”(Galatians 2:21), because your righteousness comes because you did something, not because Christ established righteousness.

Thank God that salvation is by the Grace of God and not of works. Faith is the gift of God, not of something man already has and just has to “exercise.”

God requires perfection and we, as sinners cannot give it.

God is just – he cannot lower his requirements.

How then can He give His grace and salvation to imperfect sinners?

By Christ, who was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

God’s justice demands death for sin, “He made Him to be sin for us” (God demands righteousness from sinners), “that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Because of the doing and dying of Jesus Christ, God can justly give us repentance and faith through Him.

These truths may sound strange to some of you, but if you will read your Bible and use a concordance I believe you will see the TRUTH AS IT IS IN CHRIST JESUS.