The Day Of God's Power
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 "have been made His footstool," which has not yet taken place, as is evident from Heb. 2:8, "but now we see not yet all things put under Him;" but which will take place at His second coming, and has therefore no reference whatever to the idea of "irresistible grace" on a particular day of each person's life during this dispensation. The words "shall be willing" ar rendered in the Prayer Book version "shall offer thee free will offerings with an holy worship," and probably refer entirely to the Jewish nation, who shall then "look on Him whom they pierced, and mourn."
This idea of having "to wait for the day of God's power" is the ruin of many precious souls for whom Christ dies. Men will wait in vain for God to put forth a more "irresistible" power for their conversion than He is an has been doing up to the present hour. "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead." (Luke 16:31). Such waiting is nothing else than "resisting" God's Spirit, closing their eyes to the light, and continuing to "make God a liar because they believe not the record that God gave of His Son." There is no scripture which calls on men to wait for anything before accepting Christ as their Saviour;* the "day of God's power" is always now, "for He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: BEHOLD NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME, BEHOLD NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION."(2 Cor.6:2) "As the Holy Ghost saith, TO-DAY if ye will hear His voice harden not your hearts." (Heb. 3.7).
But the most usual ways of mis-interpreting Scripture on this subject, are--
First. By erroneously applying to individual unbelievers, passages which God applies to believers as a class, and to believers only.
Second. By not carefully examining the context, and the explanation of the same subject given in other passages of Scripture; and
Third. By not referring back and examining into the whole scope and meaning of any reference or quotation, part of which only has been given.
God's Way Of Electing Souls To Eternal Life As Revealed In His Word, by M.S.B. 1872, pages 91-94
this book has been reprinted and is available by writing to:
walter.boyd@btopenworld.com
or
Walter A. Boyd
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Northern Ireland, BT23 7XG
