Monday, April 25, 2016

How many classes of people does the Bible present to us?

The Bible only present two spiritual classes of people in this world: dead or alive, dark or light, blind or seeing, deaf or hearing, in satan or in Christ.

Not three: wicked, moral and godly.

O, how the moral man hate total depravity.

Class 1. Those rescued by sovereign grace from their total depravity, unwillingness and inability to love Christ and understand the gospel. This class has been rescued and liberated from themselves by rebirth to love Christ - given a new heart with new passions and desires. The new heart is empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey the gospel and trust in Christ alone.

Class 2: Those in a state of total depravity, unwillingness and inability to love Christ and understand the gospel. People are born children of the devil and under his control and their own passions and evil desires. They hate God even in being moral. This class stil sits with the old heart which controls their lives and they are unable to respond to the gospel - being governed by their own heart. This is all they know and now spiritual good can proceed from their own evil heart to enable them to make godly choices for the gospel.

Class 3: (???) The morally good class. Those who are able to assess themselves and make spiritual good choices towards God. There is no third morally good class who are able to hear and understand the gospel from with their own ability. This is refuted by the Bible. "No one can come to me." No one seeks God." No one fears God." No one understands God." “Together all have become worthless." "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing."

The Bible present the person outside of Christ like this: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

People are rescued from total depravity by rebirth (sovereign grace) - being given a new heart to respond to the gospel.

“Very truly I tell you, no one can SEE the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3). “Very truly I tell you, no one can ENTER the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit." (John 3:5). "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and CAUSE you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." (Ez. 26:24-27). "I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jer. 31:33). "It is God who works in you to WILL and to ACT in order to fulfill his good PURPOSES." (Pil. 2:13).

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