Lesson 7
“The
Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” - Acts
16:14
In the midst of
a glorious display, there is a fearful and stark reality. As the New Jerusalem
is described as coming down from heaven, and as joy is expressed by a redeemed
people for the consummation of God’s kingdom, we read of those who remain
cut off from this most grand event. In fact, they are depicted as being
isolated from God’s domain of redemption and confined to God’s
domain of justice. “There part will be in the lake that burns with fire
and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev 21:8). In light of this
most sobering view of the future, we must ask ourselves how we can enter into
that most blissful state. How can we escape from God’s wrathful rule into
His merciful government?
Often,
the answer that is provided by many only deals with one of two important
aspects laid out in Scripture. Notice the two key elements for entry into
God’s kingdom as found in 2 Peter 1:10&11,
“Therefore,
brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and
choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”
The apostle
Peter writes that the entrance into the kingdom is predicated upon two things:
1) God’s action of election. 2) Our reaction to election.
It is my
contention that people’s entry into the kingdom has its foundation in
God’s act of election. Simply put, election is God’s choice that
particular individuals would receive the gift of salvation and entry into the
kingdom. However, there are two camps that look at this issue in an opposed
way. One camp will say that God’s choice of us is dependent on our choice
of God. In this scheme, the foundation of our election rests upon us and not
God. We act and God reacts. In contrast, the other camp will say that
God’s choice of us is independent of our choice. In this framework, our
choice of God rests logically on God’s choice of us. God acts and we
react. Scripture seems to be unmistakably clear that the second way of looking
at the issue is correct. Here are the reasons why:
a. Apart from election, we cannot enter the
John
3:5, “Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
John1:13
“who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God.”
Our entry into
the
b. Apart from election, we cannot see or
understand the
1Cor
2:14, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of
God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because
they are spiritually appraised.”
Matt
11:25, “At that time Jesus answered and said, "I praise Thee, O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the
wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. 26 "Yes, Father, for
thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight. 27 "All things have been handed
over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son,
except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone
to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
What is the
role of the Spirit of God with reference to the world? Is it not to convict the
world of their unbelief in Christ? However, Paul declares that the natural man,
that is to say the one who isn’t born again, does not accept and
doesn’t understand what the Spirit of God testifies of (i.e. Christ). In
tandem with this, our Lord praises the Father for hiding things that relate to
repentance from one group of people and revealing them to another. In
actuality, a revelation of the Father to individuals is dependent upon the
Son’s will and not the individuals.
c. Apart from election, we cannot accept the
John
6:65, “And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you,
that no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the
Father." 66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and were
not walking with Him.”
Rom
8:7-8, “because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for
it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so;
8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
In John 6,
Christ proclaims that unless people appropriate his sacrifice, they won’t
inherit life everlasting. The people grumbled and scorned at such a seemingly
barbaric doctrine. In response to their disdain, Jesus comments that their
unbelief is derived from the verity that the Father had not drawn them to him
(John 6:44). We read that many left in indignation and unbelief, even some of
his followers. Why? Jesus reiterates that the Father had not granted them the
faith to remain.
This coincides
with Paul’s assertion. Paul pronounces that the person who has not been
born again is hostile towards God; they are at war with Him. Since they are at
war with God and his kingdom, they don’t want and are unable to submit to
his commands. Notice where these
observations lead us: If those in
the flesh cannot subject themselves to the commands of God, and God commands
people to believe in the Son (Acts 17:30), then it follows that those who are
in the flesh cannot and will not believe in the Son. If this reasoning is correct, then our
entrance into the kingdom is rooted in God sovereign work whereby he unilaterally
slays the flesh and imparts spiritual life.
When Christ
appeared, he did so with a call of repentance. Jesus commands us to “repent
and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Matthew Henry insightfully comments
that “by repentance we must lament and forsake our sins, and by faith we
must receive the forgiveness of them. By repentance we must give glory to our
Creator whom we have offended; by faith we must give glory to our Redeemer who
came to save us from our sins; they must go together” (367). In another
place, Christ says that we must enter the kingdom like children (Mark 10:15).
Again, the
At this point, the
astute observer will notice significant tension: I just proposed that human beings are
unable to repent and believe because of their blinding hostility towards God. Yet, I also have highlighted passages in
which everyone is commanded to repent and believe. How can people enter the kingdom when
the condition for entry is one that they cannot attain? It appears that no one will make it. The answer is found in our reaction to
God’s election. Simply
stated, God grants us the faith and repentance we need to enter the kingdom.
2Tim
2:24-26, “24 And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but
be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness
correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them
repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their
senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him
to do his will.”
Zech
12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they
will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one
mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter
weeping over a first-born.”
Philp 1:29, “For to you it has been
granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for
His sake,”
Philp 2:13, “For it is God who is at
work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
It is clear
from these passages that faith and repentance are gifts from God. Contrary to
the notion which posits man as morally neutral about spiritual matters, Paul
describes unbelievers as being trapped by Satan, having their wills shackled to
his will. To be liberated, the third person of the Trinity extends graciously
God’s regenerating power. In fact, he pours out ‘supplication,’
or repentance upon the unrepentant. They react to God’s action by
mourning over the crucified Christ. So faith is a gift of God granted according
to His own purpose. God is seen as working in us “to will...for His good
pleasure.” How amazing! That God would work within us the
“willing” we need to be pleasing to him. The faith that I need in
order to experience God’s gracious kingdom is itself a matter of grace,
not that of myself, lest I boast.
How can
we enter God’s gracious domain? About this subject we find Scripture
strongly testifying about two particular items: 1) God’s action of
election. 2) Our reaction to election. We must repent and believe in Christ; we
must be born again. Yet, God is seen as graciously giving us what we so
desperately need to enter his kingdom of grace. In short, we enter by pure
grace.
Possible discussion questions
1. Discuss the two different ways
that Christians look at election.
2. How does the doctrine of
election and entry in to God’s Kingdom follow from our belief in
God’s sovereign reign?
3. Do we believe in Jesus in order
to be born again, or must we be born again to believe in Jesus?
4. Define faith and repentance.
5. Is God unjust not to grant faith
to everyone?
6. Why is it that unbelievers will
not and cannot submit to God’s commands?
Works
Cited
Henry, Matthew Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible Hendrickson
Publishers, Inc. Vol. 5, 1991.