Why should we know God's Word?

In our day and age where anti-intellectualism runs rampant in the visible church, it is not surprising to see poll after poll verify what students of scripture have known for many years. The visible church does not know much about the scriptures they profess to believe in. This is sad considering many saints during the Reformation period lost their lives for the sake of being able to read and study God's word. Not to mention the many passages in scripture that speak as such:

Isaiah 66:2 This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
John 8:31-32 Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Psalm 19:7-8 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Psalm 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
Psalm 119:11 I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
Psalm 119:103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
Psalm 119:162 I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.

The posts on this blog will address essential Biblical doctrines of the Christian faith. You can find much of the background for the posts here. My prayer for these posts is that the people who read them will be encouraged to open their Bibles and not just read a verse or two, but learn them and indeed, be transformed by them. As Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17). This is my prayer as well.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

How Free is the Will? pt 2

How Free is the Will pt 2

- We should speak of free agency instead of free will.

o Free-will, generally speaking, refers to man’s inherit ability to choose either good or evil.

§ This affects the scriptural view of man which states man does NOT have any ability to choose good.

· Romans 9:16 - So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

o Free agency refers to man’s ability to make free choices in accordance with who he is.

§ Our choices are always a reflection of the heart, agreeing with what we think and feel.

· Another way of saying it–man will choose what he pleases.

§ This is the kind of freedom everyone has and is the reason we are accountable for our choices.

- God does not prevent man from coming to Him or believing in Him.

o Man has the physical ability and mental capacity to come and believe in Him BUT….

§ Man loves his sin and hates God.

o In fact, because man does understand God’s truth and realizes the demands of the gospel, he does NOT want to come.

§ Look at the Pharisees and the Jews in the gospel of John who understood Jesus’ teaching.

· They were offended by what Jesus was saying.

o They understood it and rejected it.

§ See also Romans 1:18-21.

o So man’s problem does not relate to his physical or mental ability - man's problem is his moral inability.

§ Man has NO innate desire to repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.

· For a fuller study see our original study on sin and its effects.

o Do we deny that people have a choice? No!

§ Everyone has a choice

· What’s the problem then?

§ People do not want to choose God, but they do want their sin.

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