When God intends to fill a soul, he first makes it empty. When\nHe intends to enrich a soul, He first makes it poor. When He intends to exalt a\nsoul, He first makes it sensible to its own miseries, wants, and nothingness.\n \n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
~John Flavel <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our Lord came on purpose to save a particular people and He\naccomplished what He came to do! If you are one of those particular people and\nHe accomplished salvation for you, then He will notify you of it through the\npreaching of His word. In His notification, He will convince you of the fact\nthat you are a sinner, the worst sinner you have never known! That is the very\nreason why He had to die. It was to save you from your sins. His death was God\nthe Father’s free gift to you, and in His free gift, You are completely\nredeemed! It was all appointed by the Father and obtained by the Son. To Him be\nglory forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabe Stalnaker<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unity<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let us not set ourselves up as critics and judges\nof the conduct and lives of other believers. Let us not spend our time finding\nfault with one another, picking out weaknesses and exaggerating differences of\nopinion and practice. Rather, let us spend our time endeavoring to help one\nanother and to avoid doing and saying things that may cause others to\nstumble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can do this by making our fellowship to be in\nChrist (not in form and traditions), by loving one another in spite of\ndifferences, and by avoiding collisions on the points wherein we differ. I am\nnot suggesting for a moment that we compromise the gospel or the fundamentals\nof our faith; but, as there are no two snowflakes exactly alike, there are no\ntwo people exactly alike; therefore, the foundation of our fellowship is OUR\nLOVE FOR CHRIST and OUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER, not perfect agreement on every point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fact of the matter is that I do not agree or\napprove of all that I do, think, and say! \u201cBeloved, let us love one another;\nfor love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.\u201d\nBy God\u2019s grace, I intend to love and encourage every believer in Christ, our\nsovereign Lord. I shall endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit of God in the\nbond of peace for the glory of our Lord, the well-being of His church, and the\nwitness of the gospel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Henry Mahan<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monstrous Implications<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let me say at the outset, the Bible does not teach or imply that\nChrist died for all men without exception. He died for the elect, His\nsheep, His church. Yet most of what goes on under the name of\nChristianity teaches He died for all men without exception. There are\neven men who say they believe in election who still believe His blood was shed\nfor all men without exception. Such teaching and preaching has these six\nmonstrous implications\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. If Christ died for all men without exception and all men\nwithout exception are not saved, then He failed in His intentions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. If He died for all men without exception and some that He\ndied for are not saved, His death does not save.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. If He died for the sins of all men without exception and some\nof those men are still punished for their sins God is not just. He punishes the\nsame sin twice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. If Christ died for men that God loved and they are not saved,\nGod\u2019s love is meaningless. He can love you and you can still be damned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. If God loves all men and Christ died for all, God is\nnot immutable. He changes in His disposition toward the men that are\nunder His wrath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. If Christ died for all men without exception and all without\nexception are not saved, salvation is by works. Christ\u2019s death did not\nmake the difference, but what the sinner does or fails to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Universal redemption is more than a mistake in theology. \nIt is a denial of the Gospel and a message of salvation by works. The\nimplications of such teaching are truly monstrous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Todd Nibert <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zechariah 9:12<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zechariah describes God\u2019s elect as \u201cprisoners of hope<\/em>.\u201d\nSuch \u201cprisoners of hope<\/em>\u201d will soon be set free. The old writers used to\nspeak of \u201csensible sinners,\u201d or \u201cawakened sinners,\u201d and \u201cseeking sinners.\u201d Bro.\nL. R. Shelton, SR used to talk about \u201clost sinners.\u201d I realise that we can make\ntoo much of this; but there is a difference between sinners and sinners. Joseph\nHart put it like this\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo understand these things\naright, this grand distinction should be known:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though all are sinners in God\u2019s\nsight, there are but few so in their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To such as these our Lord was\nsent; they\u2019re only sinners who repent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What comfort can a Saviour bring\nto those who never felt their woe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n A sinner is a sacred thing; the\nHoly Ghost hath made him so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New life from Him we must\nreceive, before for sin we rightly grieve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experiences Differ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We must never imagine that all who are born of God experience\ngrace in the same way. They do not. In many, many ways the experience of grace\nis the same; but in many ways it is different. Some experience God\u2019s saving\ngrace like the Gadarene demoniac, out of whom the powers of hell are cast\ninstantaneously. Others are like the pitiful soul who, coming to Jesus, was\nthrown and torn violently. Sometimes the Lord Jesus gives full sight to his\nblind ones all at once. Sometimes he causes his blind ones to see just a little\nat a time. They are like that one who said, \u201cI see men as trees, walking<\/em>\u201d\n(Mark 8:24).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The promise and assurance of\nsalvation and eternal life in Christ is given only to faith in Christ. \u2014 \u201cBelieve\non the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.<\/em>\u201d \u2014 \u201cHe that believeth\non the Son of God hath everlasting life.<\/em>\u201d But they are greatly mistaken who\nimagine that faith in Christ is, in any way, the cause of the new birth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Faith in Christ is the fruit of the new birth, not the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hope before Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the experience of grace there is a hope that is the\nforerunner of faith. I would not suggest that it is hope without faith. That is\nnot the case. But it is hope that is accompanied with faith not yet revealed\nand made known in the soul, hope that precedes a confident, lively faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In my opinion John Gill was\nexactly right when he wrote, \u201cAll men are concluded in sin, shut up under the\nlaw, and led captive by Satan; but some are not sensible of their imprisoned\nstate, nor desirous of being out of it, nor have any hope concerning it. Others\ngroan under their bondage, long for deliverance, and are hoping for it.\u201d They\nhope that Christ will receive them and save them. They hope that he will pardon\ntheir sins. They hope that the Spirit of God has begun a good work in them, and\nwill perform it. They hope for salvation and eternal life in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I know that we live in a day of\ncock sure, \u201cknow so\u201d religion; but the Word of God speaks of sinners hoping for\nGod\u2019s salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Lord is <\/em>good unto them that wait for\nhim, to the soul that <\/em>seeketh him. It is <\/em>good\nthat a man <\/em>should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation\nof the Lord. It is <\/em>good for a man that he bear the yoke\nin his youth.He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath\nborne it <\/em>upon him.He putteth his mouth in the\ndust; if so be there may be hope.He giveth his <\/em>cheek\nto him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.For the\nLord will not cast off for ever:But though he cause grief, yet\nwill he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies\u201d\n(Lamentations 3:25-32).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Matthew 5 our Lord Jesus\nspeaks of these who are awakened to know their need of him as mourners who\nshall be comforted, hungry souls that shall be filled, thirsty souls that shall\nbe satisfied, and meek ones who shall inherit the bounty of his grace. Such are\nthe broken-hearted, contrite sinners with whom God is pleased to dwell. They\nare sin-sick souls who have need of healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Felt Need<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When the old writers used the terms, \u201csensible sinners,\u201d or\n\u201cawakened sinners,\u201d and \u201cseeking sinners,\u201d they were not suggesting that some\ndead sinners have spiritual sense, or that sinners must meet certain conditions\nbefore they can trust Christ. They were simply using those terms with reference\nto Christ\u2019s \u201cprisoners of hope,<\/em>\u201d sinners who sense imprisonment in their\nvery souls, sinners who have a felt need for Christ. They are in distress. They\nknow there is comfort for sinners in Christ; but they find no comfort. There is\n\u201ca good hope through grace<\/em>\u201d given to God\u2019s elect; but they remain\nhopeless. While those who walk in the \u201cfull assurance of faith<\/em>\u201d sing of\nlife and liberty in Christ, they feel death and bondage deep in their souls.\nThe more they hear about blessed liberty in Christ, the more they sense their\nbondage. The more they hear about being free from condemnation, the more\ncondemned they feel. The more aggravating and hateful their sins become, the\nmore strongly they hold them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn You<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I will not presume to speak for anyone else; but I have just\ndescribed my own experience of God\u2019s grace. Have I described you? Because you\nhave rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the most\nHigh, he has brought down your heart with labor, and there is none to help. Oh,\nhow sad your condition is! I know. I\u2019ve been there. But sad as your condition\nis, though you think yourself hopeless, now that you find there is none to\nhelp, the Lord Jesus stands before you and says, \u201cTurn you to the\nStronghold, ye prisoners of hope!<\/em>\u201d \u2014 \u201cStand still and see the salvation\nof the Lord<\/em>.\u201d \u2014 \u201cI have trodden the winepress alone\u2026I looked, and\nthere was none to help. Therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and\nmy fury, it upheld me!<\/em>\u201d \u2014 \u201cI am thy Salvation!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet not conscience make you linger, nor of fitness fondly\ndream;<\/p>\n\n\n\n All the fitness He requireth is to feel your need of Him;<\/p>\n\n\n\n This He gives you, this He gives you; \u2018tis the Spirit\u2019s rising\nbeam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don Fortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n “He that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him\nabout.” Psalm 32:10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n O FAIR reward of trust! My Lord, grant it me to the full! The\ntruster above all men feels himself to be a sinner; and lo, mercy is prepared\nfor him: he knows himself to have no deservings, but mercy comes in, and keeps\nhouse for him on a liberal scale. O Lord, give me this mercy, even as I trust\nin you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Observe, my soul, what a body-guard you have! As a prince is\ncompassed about with soldiery, so are you compassed about with mercy. Before\nand behind, and on all sides, ride these mounted guards of grace. We dwell in\nthe center of the system of mercy, for we dwell in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n O my soul, what an atmosphere do you breathe! As the air\nsurrounds you, even so does the mercy of your Lord. To the wicked there are\nmany sorrows, but to you there are so many mercies that your sorrows are not\nworth mentioning. David says, “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you\nrighteous; and shout for joy, all you that are upright in heart.” In\nobedience to this precept my heart shall triumph in God, and I will tell out my\ngladness. As you have compassed me with mercy, I will also compass your altars,\nO my God, with songs of thanksgiving!<\/p>\n\n\n\n C.H.Spurgeon<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cSensible Sinners\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n