Robin,

Your blog entry makes some salient and good points. However, what is also true is that rarely does a true believer result from the hearing of a false gospel, which is what is being preached and taught in the overwhelming majority of churches and by all those little "soul winners" that run around handing out quip little tracts, which state, "God loves you!". That the sovereign God can save whoever He chooses by whatever means He chooses is not in dispute. What is relevant is whether or not He typically does choose to use a false gospel to call the elect to faith.

I say, "No! Although the Spirit can call any dead sinner by any means after regenerating them and therefore consequently they will infallibly/irresistibly flee to Christ and believe upon Him unto justification, it is typically through the true Gospel which He works in conjunction with and not through a false gospel. A counterfeit "plate" will and can only produce a counterfeit bill. That God can change that is not something which should concern us and especially it is not something we should depend upon. Miracles are the UNusual and not the usual; A-typical and not typical, SUPER-natural and not natural (normal). To use another example, Is it possible for someone to drink poison and live? Yes, but typically, death ensues from drinking deadly poison. That one could live is highly unlikely although possible. So the bottom line is, are you willing to believe that YOU would be the exception rather than the rule and drink that poison? . . . And just so no one gets the wrong idea... preaching the pure Gospel of Christ is no guarantee that everyone who hears it will be genuinely converted. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/rolleyes2.gif" alt="" /> Salvation is of the Lord; all of grace. The issue is whether or not those who have responded to a false message about salvation which names the name of Christ are typically regenerate and thus possess a true living faith.

So as I stated in one of my previous replies, I do believe that the overwhelming majority of those who profess to be "born again Christians" are actually unregenerate and are thus still dead in sins and under the wrath and judgment of God. Those of us who have been privileged by grace to know the truth of the Gospel both in our own experience and intellectually should be motivated to bring that message to ALL, especially those who "hold to a form of godliness but lack/deny the power thereof".

In His grace,

[Linked Image]

simul iustus et peccator

[Linked Image]