The Sovereignty of God: Command and Ability: Part 5

Fallen man, without God’s sovereign grace, will not and can not freely choose God.  Crippled by his God-hating, depraved nature, his will is enslaved to Satan:

^“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
(2 Timothy 2:24-26)

The Sabbath is for all Men: Part 3

While many hold that the Sabbath was made for Jews only, the one-day-in-seven Sabbath is for all men—Jews and Gentiles alike—since the Bible teaches

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27b)

Notice how it does not say, “The Sabbath was made for Jews,” but that “The Sabbath was made for man.”

The Sovereignty of God: Command and Ability: Part 4

As we discussed, fallen man naturally is spiritually dead, inclined towards evil, has a wicked heart, cannot produce his own righteousness, and believes the cross is foolish—a lover of darkness and a hater of God:

^“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:19, 20)

The Sabbath is for all Men: Part 2

Since the Sabbath was instituted in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:2-3), it is a creation ordinance, and all men—Jews and Gentiles alike—are obligated to keep creation ordinances.

We know this because the Bible repeatedly appeals to creation to demonstrate universal rules of marriage and male/female relationships.

The Sovereignty of God: Command and Ability: Part 3

It should not surprise us that fallen man does not have the natural ability to obey God from the heart, and to have saving faith in Christ.

I. Fallen man, being dead in his trespasses and sins, is naturally inclined towards evil:

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5)

The Sovereignty of God: Command and Ability: Part 2

Not only does fallen man lack ability to obey God’s commands (especially from the heart), but he lacks ability to come to God in saving faith (despite the fact that men are told they must have faith in Christ or they will not be saved):

^“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44)

The Sovereignty of God: Command and Ability: Part 1

“Freewill” theology (as popularly understood) holds that whatever God commands man to do, man has the natural ability to do it.  Otherwise, the act of God commanding us to do things would make no sense.

In short, as the thinking goes, whenever God commands man to do something, freewill—the natural ability to follow God’s commands—is necessarily implied.

Regarding my post “Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or the Lord’s Day?”

In light of my post Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or the Lord’s Day?, I want to be clear that I am not down on parents—rather, I am up on Christ.  We should honor our parents, including on the Lord’s Day.

I never argued that we shouldn’t honor our parents.  My points are that God does not permit us to call the Lord’s Day Mother’s or Father’s Day, and God does not permit us to make mother and father the central focus of that day.

Spurgeon Refutes the View that Jesus Died for Every Single Man

Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or the Lord’s Day

Americans celebrate the man-made holidays Mother’s Day and Father’s Day on Sunday, which  is the same day God designated to be the Lord’s Day (see, for example, Psalm 118:22-24; Isaiah 56:4-8; Matthew 28:1; John. 20:19-26; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Revelation. 1:10).

This is one of Satan’s many subtle attempts to supplant the recognition of the Lord’s Day.  It is nothing short of sin to call the Lord’s Day “Mother’s Day” or “Father’s Day.”