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Scripture List: Irresistible Grace..............
Posted : 5 Feb, 2011 08:08 PM
Each member of the Trinity--the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit--
participates in and contributes to the salvation of sinners. As was
shown in the other posts, the Father, before the foundation of the
world. marked out those who were to be saved and gave them to the Son
to be His people.
At the appointed time the Son came into the world and secured their
redemption. But these two great acts--election and redemption--do
not complete the work of salvation, because included in God's plan
for recovering lost sinners is the renewing work of the Holy Spirit
by which the benefits of Christ's obedience and death are applied to
the elect. It is with this phase of salvation (its application by
the Spirit) the the doctrine of Irresistable Grace or Efficacious
Grace is concerned. Simply stated, this doctrine asserts that the
Holy Spirit never fails to bring to salvation those sinners whom He
personally calls to Christ. He inevitably applies salvation to EVERY
sinner whom he intends to save, and it is His intention to save all
the elect.
Although the outward call of the gospel is made to all, through
preachers, radio, bible tracts, Christians, etc. It is mostly
rejected. The special INWARD call of the Spirit never fails to
result in the conversion of those for whom it is intended. This
special inward call is issued to the elect only! The Spirit is in no
way dependent upon their help or cooperation for success in bringing
them to Christ. God lovingly takes away their heart of stone and
gives them a heart of flesh. they come because the WANT to, the want
to, because they have been made willing by HIS grace.
A. General statements showing that salvation is the work of the
Spirit as well as that of the Father and the Son.
Romans 8: 14: For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of
God.
1 Corinthians 6:11: But you were washed, you were sanctified, you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit
of our God.
see also 1 Cor. 2:10-14; 2 Cor. 3:17,18
1 Corinthians 12:3: Therefore I want you to understand that no one
speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus be cursed!"
and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:6:.... the written code kills, but the Spirit gives
life.
1 Peter 1:2: ....chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified
by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling of His
blood...
B. Through regeneration or the new birth sinners are given spiritual
life and made God's children. the Bible describes this process as
a spiritual resurrection, a creation, the giving of a new heart, etc.
1. Sinners, through regeneration, are brought into God's kingdom
and are made His children. The AUTHOR of this "second" birth
is the Holy Spirit; the INSTRUMENT which He uses is the word of God.
John 1: 12,13: But to all who received him, who believed in his name,
he gave power to become children of God; WHO WERE BORN, not of blood
nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but OF GOD.
John 3:3-8: is Jesus speaking and is famous. It is where we
Christians get the phrase "born again" that Hollywood and the media
love to make fun of.
Titus 3:5: ....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.
1 PETER 1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
By his great mercy we have been BORN ANEW to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
see also: 1 Pet. 1:23; 1 John 5:4
2. Through the Spirit's work the dead sinner is given a new
heart (nature) and made to walk in God's law. In Christ he becomes a
new creation.
Deuteronomy 30:6: And the Lord your God will CIRCUMCISE YOUR HEART
and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the lord your
god with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
Ezekiel 36:26,27 A NEW HEART I will give you, and a NEW SPIRIT I
will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of
stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within
you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe
my ordinances. (compare Ezekiel 11:19)
Galations 6:15: For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor
uncircumcision, but a NEW CREATION.
see also: 2 Cor. 5:17,18; Ephesians 2:10;
3. The Holy Spirit raises the sinner from his state of spiritual
death and makes him alive.
John 5:21: For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,
so also the Son GIVES LIFE to whom he will.
Ephesians 2:1,5: and you HE MADE ALIVE, when you were dead through
the trespasses and sins...even when we were dead through our
trespasses, [God] made us ALIVE together with Christ....
Colossians 2:13: And you, who were dead in trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, GOD MADE ALIVE together with him,
having forgiven us all our trespasses.
C. God makes known to His chosen ones the secrets of the kingdom
through the inward personal revelation given by the Spirit.
Matthew 11:25-27: AT that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast revealed them to
babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have
been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except
the Father, and no one KNOWS THE FATHER except the Son and any one
whom the Son CHOOSES TO REVEAL HIM."
Luke 10:21: In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and
said, "I thank Thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast
hidden these things from the wise and 'understanding' and REVEALED
them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will."
Matthew 13:10,11,16 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do
you speak in parables?" And he answered them, "To you it has been
GIVEN TO KNOW THE SECRETS of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it
has not been given....But blessed are our eyes, for they SEE, and
your ears, for they HEAR."
see also: John 6:37,44,45,64,65 Luke 8:10 Matt. 13:10,11,16
1 Corinthians 2:14 Ephesians 1:17,18 John 10:3-6, 16, 26-29
D. Even FAITH and REPENTANCE are divine GIFTS and wrought in the soul
through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 5:31: "God exalted him at his right hand a Leader and Savior,
to GIVE REPENTANCE unto life."
Acts 13:48: And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and
glorified the word of God; and as many as were ORDAINED to eternal
life BELIEVED.
Acts 18:27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brethren
encouraged him, and he wrote to the disciples to receive him.
When he arrived, he greatly helped those who THROUGH GRACE HAD
BELIEVED.
Acts 16:14: One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city
of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshipper of God.
THE LORD OPENED HER HEART TO GIVE HEED to what was said by Paul.
Ephesians 2:8,9: For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and this is not your own doing, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD--not because of
works, lest any man should boast.
see also Acts 11:18; Phillippians 1:29; 2 Tim. 2:25,26
E.The gospel invitation extends an outward call to salvation to all
who hear the message. In addition to this external call, the Holy
Spirit extends a special inward call to the elect only. The general
call of the gospel can be, and often is, rejected, but the special
call of the Spirit cannot be rejected; it always results in the
conversion of those to whom it is made.
Romans 1:6,7; ..including yourselves who are CALLED to belong to
Jesus Christ; To all God's beloved in Rome, who are CALLED to be
saints....
Romans 8:30; And those whom he predestined he also CALLED; and those
whom he CALLED he also justified; and those whom he justified he also
glorified.
There are many verses for this. See also: 1 Cor. 1:1,2,9,23-31
Galations 1:15,16; Ephesians 4:4; 2 Tim 1:9
Hebrews 9:15; Jude 1; 1 Peter 2:9 ,5:10; 2 Peter 1:3
Revelation 17:14
F. The application of salvation is ALL of grace and is accomplished
solely through the almighty power of God.
Isaiah 55:11: "...so shall my word be that goes forth from my
mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall ACCOMPLISH that
which I PURPOSE, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
John 3:27: John answered "No one can receive anything except what is
GIVEN him from heaven."
John 17:2: "...since thou hast given him power over all flesh, so
that he might GIVE eternal life to all whom thou hast given him."
Romans 9:16: So it depends not upon man's will or exertion, but upon
GOD'S MERCY.
1 Corinthians 3:6,7: I planted, Apollos watered, but GOD GAVE THE
GROWTH. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but
only God who GIVES the growth.
See also: 1 Cor. 4:7; Philippians 2:12,13; James 1:18
1 John 5:20: And we know that the Son of God has come and has
GIVEN US UNDERSTANDING, to KNOW him who is true; and we are in him
who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and
eternal life.
Sincerely,
James
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