The Faith of God’s Elect

The other system, the System which opposes Arminius, hold that God—regarding a fallen, guilty, lost, sinful race—a race deserving to die, hath mercy on whom He himself will have mercy. All are hell deserving, but He rescues a multitude whom no man can number by the distinguishing grace of the Holy Spirit and by the blood of His beloved Son.

For this Gospel system there are these things to say:

1st. It bows to God and submits to His sovereignty. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

2nd. While not free from difficulties to our carnal, finite reason, it covers the facts of the case, as the other does not. We feel that we are fallen. We feel we are helpless. We feel we cannot save ourselves nor help to do it, and that we need to BE saved.

3rd. The Bible system turns on faith, not choices, efforts which are works. It hinges salvation on faith. “I, Martin Luther, an unworthy preacher of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, thus profess and believe that this article: That faith alone without works can justify before God, shall never be overthrown, neither by the Emperor, nor by the Turk, nor by the Tartar, nor by the Persian, nor by the Pope with all his cardinals, bishops, sacrificers, monks, nuns, kings, princes, powers of this world, nor yet by all the devils in hell. This article shall stand fast whether they will or no. This is the true Gospel. Jesus Christ redeemed us from our sins and He only. This most firm and certain truth is the voice of Scripture, though the world and all the devils rage and roar. If Christ alone takes away our sins, we cannot do it by our works; and as it is impossible to embrace Christ but by faith, so He cannot be embraced by works. Faith, then, must embrace Christ, before works can follow, and it must embrace Him and hold Him alone, without any consideration whatever of works. This, this only is the Gospel. In it will I abide. Amen and Amen!”

4th. If faith and faith alone embraces Christ, then this faith, going out into the invisible, to embrace One whom I have never seen with my eyes, and to cast on Him my whole destiny, is a God-given faith—a special distinguishing faith, not common to all—not possible to all. “The faith of God’s elect.”

5th. Every man who has this kind of faith knows where it comes from and recognizes it as something immortal—part of his new nature which cannot be lost.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen