Do Caterpillars Choose To Become Butterflies?
Do Caterpillars Choose To Become Butterflies?
“A man is not saved against his will, but he is made willing by the operation of the Holy Ghost. A mighty grace which he does not wish to resist enters into the man disarms him, makes a new creature of him, and he is saved.” – Charles H. Spurgeon
I have to say that I agree with Charles Spurgeon based upon my own personal experience in coming to Christ… which I believe is in line with Ezekiel 36:25-27…
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, AND CAUSE YOU to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
So are we just robots that God is in total control of? That is a commonly asked question to those who don’t seem to understand that the unsaved are spiritually dead. If a robot is PROGRAMMED to kill, wouldn’t it have to be RE-PROGRAMMED to NOT kill? Sinners – as a result of the fall of Adam – are programmed to sin, to LIKE sin, to HATE holiness and to want to FLEE from God (the thrice-holy god of the Bible), not programmed to CHOOSE Him and His righteousness and His holiness…
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” John 3:19-20
Hence, the REPROGRAMMING of Holy Spirit regeneration is required to change the DESIRES of the sinner. A person is either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness… so it is regeneration by the Holy Spirit – an act of GOD – that makes us want God, makes us want to OBEY God, and makes us want to AVOID sin.
Just as a butterfly wants things that it never wanted as a caterpillar, a butterfly feeds on nectar after being transformed from a caterpillar, which feeds on leaves. Will a caterpillar CHOOSE to feed on nectar? Absolutely not. Does he even CHOOSE to become a butterfly? Or is his transformation an act of God? Something to think about. — RM Kane