Jennifer Rothnie Supporter Housewife, Artist, Perpetually Curious

God's sovereignty and the free choice He has given to man to respond to the gospel in faith work together in salvation in this manner:

#1 God, by His sovereign will, gave man the ability to choose whether to obey or disobey. (Deut 30:19, Josh 34:19, etc.) For salvation, man can either respond to the gospel in belief or refuse to believe it. (Mk 16:16)

#2 God, by His sovereign power and decree, set up boundaries/limits in which people can act. Some of these boundaries are physical, such as God creating us with opposable thumbs, but the inability to fly or breath in vacuum. Some are mental, such as granting man the ability to reason higher than the animals, but not giving man the complete and perfect knowledge of God. Some of these boundaries are moral, such as fallen man's inability to be perfectly righteous, but that man can still follow the laws of God written on their hearts (Rom 2:14-15.)

Due to these boundaries, man cannot physically work for salvation or accomplish his own deliverance. He cannot reach salvation via his own mental enlightenment. And man cannot morally achieve salvation via his own righteousness. In all these ways, it is impossible.

However, God in His sovereign mercy, knew that man could not achieve salvation within the limits he had bounded man and so created another way 
- faith! Rather than man having to be righteous, an impossibility, Christ would come to be righteousness on their behalf, and God would credit that righteousness to the account of any who would believe.

"However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness." Rom 4:5

"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." Eph 2:8-9
http://ebible.com/answers/24715?ori=167400

#3 God, by His character and wisdom, set the standard of righteousness. (Rom 1:17, Psalm 18:30, Eph 2:3, Psalm 119:3, Deut 32:4, Psalm 145:17, Isaiah 5:16, Isaiah 51:6, Dan 9:14, Jer 9:24.) If God hadn't reached out to man with a way to be declared righteous through faith, not works, then salvation would have been impossible for man. Fortunately for us, He did!

#4 God, in His sovereign wisdom and power, set the rules by which deliverance, forgiveness, and pardon are obtained (Num 25:22-29, Jer 26:1-6, II Chron 7:14, John 3:16, Heb 10:11-18, Luke 4:14-21, Heb 9:22, Matt 5:29, Isa 45:22-25) Mercifully, God offers forgiveness and deliverance to those who place their faith in Christ!

#5 God, by His sovereign power and grace, gave us everything necessary to respond to the gospel in faith through the sufficient work of Christ on the cross.

He gave us:

- Christ; God revealed. (Heb 1:3, I Cor 1:4-5, John 4:10, Jn 12:46-32, Jn 8:12)

"There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man." Jn 1:9

Without this revelation of Christ, limited man would have never known the way of salvation.

- The offer of salvation to all people in Christ: (Titus 2:11, John 12:3-33, Matt 4:12-17, Psalm 67:1-3)

Without this gracious offer, none would have the opportunity to be saved.

- Christ delivered to death that we might live: (Rom 4:25, Gal 2:20-21, Rom 5:6-8)

Without Christ's work on the cross, there would be no atonement possible.

- The gospel proclaimed (Col 1:23, Rom 10:17, Gal 3:2-5, Heb 4:2)

Without the good news and testimony of the gospel, we would have nothing to respond to in faith. 

- The general conviction of the Spirit (John 16:7-11, I Cor 14:24-25)

Without this conviction of sin, we would not know our need for a Saviour.

- The testimony and light of the church (I Cor 10:33, Matt 5:13-14)

Without this continued grace, most men would never hear of Christ.

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See also: 
http://ebible.com/answers/24965?ori=167400 (sequence/part man plays in salvation)
http://ebible.com/answers/14667?ori=167400 (is God sovereign or do we have free will)

April 25 2017 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

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