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Four Unanswerable Questions
by
Greg Elmquist
There are four lies being told in Orlando today. Modern,
man-centered, Christ dethroning religionist would have us believe; God loves
everyone; it is God's will for everyone to be saved; Christ died for everyone;
and the Holy Spirit draws the saved and condemned alike. These are well
established suppositions, rarely questioned for their truthfulness. To call them
into question is to unmask the faulty foundation of a false gospel and kindle
the wrath of those desperate to protect their traditions.
1) What sayeth the Scripture? "The Lord is
righteous, He loves righteousness" (Ps. 11:7). "Jacob I have loved, but
Esau I have hated" (Rom. 9:13). God's love is a holy love. He can no more
love unrighteousness than He can cease to be holy. God's love is for Christ, in
Christ, and through Christ. Everything outside of Christ is under the
condemnation and wrath of God. He has loved His elect with an everlasting love,
having chosen them in Him before the foundation of the world.
Question #1: If God loves all men, those who receive eternal life as well
as those who suffer eternal damnation, what does the love of God have to do with
anyone's salvation?
2) What does the Bible say about God's will and salvation?
"Having predestined us according to the good pleasure of His Will" (Eph.
1:5). "Having made known to us the mystery of His Will according to His good
pleasure which He purposed in Himself." "I will have mercy upon whomever I will
have mercy, and I will have compassion upon whomever I will have compassion. So
then it is not of him who wills, or of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Therefore, He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens"
(Rom 9:15-18). "For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so
also the Son gives life to whom He wills" (Jn. 5:21).
Question #2: If God wills for all men to be saved,
what does the will of God have to do with anyone's salvation?
3) What do the Scriptures say about the purpose of Jesus'
death on the cross? Did He die for all men? "I am the Good Shepherd, the
Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (Jn. 10:11). "Who gave
Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for
Himself His own special people" (Titus 2:14). "who gave Himself for our
sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will
of our God and Father" (Gal. 1:4). If Christ purposed to die for all men1
did He not have the power to accomplish His purpose? God forbid! Did He die to
make men savable or did He die to accomplish the salvation of a chosen people?
Question #3: If Christ shed His precious blood for all
men, what does the work of Christ on the cross have to do with anyone's
salvation?
4) What does God say about the work of the Holy Spirit in
redemption? Are sinners dead (Eph. 2:1) in need of regeneration, or just
sick in need of a little reformation? "He saved us, not because of deeds done
by us in righteousness, but in virtue of His own mercy, by the washing of
regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). "The written
code kills, but the Spirit gives life" (II Cor. 3:6).
Question #4: If the Holy Spirit draws the saved and
the condemned alike, what does the Holy Spirit have to do with anyone's
salvation?
The Truth: Salvation is of the Lord! Don't believe a
lie, it will damn your soul.
Greg Elmquist is pastor of
Sovereign Grace Baptist Church
Longwood, FL
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