Birthdays: Steve Brown – Oct. 5th | Sandy O'Connor – Oct 6th
Hymns for service: Redeemed – p. 475 The Cleansing Wave – p. 227
Who are God’s elect? Paul wrote, “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake” (1 Thess. 1:4-5). Faith is both the fruit of electing grace and the proof of electing grace. —Copied
You are familiar with the illustration our Savior gave about the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built upon the sand (Matthew 7:24-27). The teaching is that those made wise unto salvation by the convincing work of the Holy Spirit build all their hope of salvation, everlasting life and acceptance with God upon the Rock, Christ Jesus, and His sacrificial, substitutionary death upon the cross. He “is our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1). We have “a good hope through grace” (2 Thess. 2:16). All who build their hope of heavenly glory upon their works, religion or even their faith, build upon the sand. Soon the storm of divine judgment will come and those only whose “hope is built on nothing else than Jesus’ blood and righteousness” will be safe; all others will be damned. Upon WHO OR WHAT do you build your hope of everlasting life, happiness and peace? —Pastor Jim Byrd
The divine nature is only to be found in one man, the Man Christ Jesus. He is the only Man that it is “natural” to. He is the heavenly Man, being the man from heaven. Being God in flesh it does so shine with a glorious brilliance seen in no other. We are partakers of the divine nature through the precious promises of the gospel of Christ. We who have only the nature of sin can only have fellowship with God in His Son who is our Savior and Substitute. More, He is the Lord our only Righteousness. God has fellowship with us through this One who is His Fellow. The closest we come to the divine nature is when being “born of the Spirit,” the divine Spirit indwells us and shows the things of the divine Son to us! Even then the “flesh wars against the Spirit.” The divine nature is only natural to God in the triunity of the Persons of the Godhead. –Pastor Gary Shepard
WHAT ABOUT THE NATURE OF BELIEVERS?
When God the Holy Spirit regenerates spiritually dead sinners, He gives them a new spiritual life which includes a new heart (mind, affections, and wills) with new knowledge, new desires, new motives, and new goals, all evidenced by the God-given gifts of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance of dead works, love for Christ, His people, and His truth, and a desire to follow and obey Him as motivated by grace and gratitude. Some call this a “new nature,” and, though sometimes confusing, this is fine as long as they do not take it too far, as many do. Some call it an “imparted righteousness” which is totally misleading as it causes people to look within themselves to find righteousness which can only be found in the substitutionary obedience unto death of the Lord Jesus Christ imputed to His people. A regenerate person knows that he can only find righteousness in Christ crucified and risen from the dead. Others call it a “divine nature” which is blasphemy as only God is divine by nature. Although it is true that the work of the Spirit in regeneration is a work totally divine work because it is the divine Spirit, it in no way changes a born-again sinner into anything that can be called “divine.”
Our natures will always be nothing more than human, but if we are born again we are now spiritual humans who have the presence of the divine within us as the Holy Spirit resides within us. It is also true that we who are regenerated have been miraculously, powerfully, and eternally changed from what we were naturally – dead in trespasses and sins. Now we know, love, and follow Christ who alone is both divine and human. We are born again by the will and power of God when (under the preaching of the Gospel) the Holy Spirit imparts the resurrection life of Christ within us. We will finally go through another miraculous and powerful change wherein we will be totally free from the presence, corruption, and influence of sin in our lives. We will be glorified together with Christ when He comes to receive us unto Himself in His second coming. But even then we will not be by nature divine. We will be glorified human beings and live forever with our Savior and Lord.–Pastor Bill Parker
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