DISCIPLE

There is no doubt that in the case of some believers God's Spirit seemed at the time to work so irresistibly that they most naturally infer this to be always the case with every believer, and because they have utterly forgotten their resistance to all God's previous strivings with themselves (by His word, by His providences, and by His Spirit), they conclude that the time when they did yield to His gracious influence was what they call "God's own good time," that then, and then only, an "effectual call" had been made; being utterly forgetful of the fact that the term "effectual call" is quite an unscriptural teaching,* and that "God's own good time" in Scripture is always "now" - "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2). * The unscriptural teaching involved in the doctrine of "outward calls" and "effectual calls" to unbelievers must no...

Psalm 110:3, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power," is frequently brought forward as if it were a proof that unbelievers were not made willing and therefore could not believe in Christ, until some particular day comes in the course of their lives -- on which day they are made willing to believe in Christ as their Saviour; and that this day on which they do thus believe is here called "the day of His power;" or in other words "the day of irresistible sovereign grace," and is a day which it is supposed must be patiently waited for , because no one can possibly believe until it comes.     But is this the Bible view of "the day of His power?" If we look at the sense in which this Psalm is quoted in the New Testament, as in Acts 2:34, compared with 1 Co. 15:24, 25, and Heb. 2:8, etc. we shall see that this "day of his power" is a prophecy of the last days, and will not be fulfilled until all Christ's enemies "...

"It will be a dreadful day for the impenitent Gospel despiser when, at the last, he sees for the first time that through all his lifetime God was doing ALL THAT COULD BE DONE to make him happy, and that in all the heaven above, in all the earth below, and in all the universe around, the great and loving heart of the Almighty could find nothing , yea, absolutely NOTHING, to deliver his soul from death, but the blood of the down-trodden Lamb." (Robertson)      Having rejected the Saviour of sinners, and "trodden underfoot the Son of God," he has "done despite to the Spirit of Grace," "blasphemed the Holy Ghost," and committed the unpardonable sin;¡ (Matt. 12:31-32) "for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."   Act 4:12. "BUT THERE BE SOME THAT TROUBLE YOU,  AND WOULD PERVERT THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST"     If then "God so loved the world ," i.e. every man, woman,...

The Word of God tells us that the moment one trusts in the finished work of Christ, he is a child of God, a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). The moment one places his trust in Christ, his standing is secure. Even as the moment a child is born in the family of a king, he becomes a prince; he may not het behave in a princely manner, yet his standing is never in doubt because of his royal birth., In the same way, the Christian's standing in Christ is secure through regal birth. At his new birth, the Christian receives a new nature, a new relationship, and a new power. The new nature enables him to enter fully into his new relationship with Christ. Out of this vital, living relationship comes the strength [and motivation] to live a godly life.      Our standing is not based upon a process of improving the flesh. It will never do to take the material of the "old man" and, through fastings, vigils, and religious discipline, attempt to make the corrupt flesh ac...