Aug 15
15
Two natures in one person.
| The eternally begotten Son of God necessarily from eternity possesses the divine nature – that of His Father. When the Son of God in His incarnation became Son of Man, He received the human nature (but not its imputed sin). He did not cease to be the Son of God. Nor did He become devoid of the divine nature. Nor was the divine nature changed into the human nature. Rather, He remained one person but now had two natures: the divine nature as the Son of God, and the human nature as the Son of Man.
Likewise, naturally begotten sons of men necessarily from birth possess the human nature – that of their fathers. When sons of men in their regeneration become sons of God, they receive the divine nature (but not its essential deity). They do not cease to be sons of men. Nor do they become devoid of the human nature. Nor is the human nature changed into the divine nature. Rather, they remain one person but now have two natures: the human nature as sons of men, and the divine nature as sons of God. This is the state of all who have become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). They now have within their one person two natures: both “the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” and “the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22, 24). These two natures in man are in constant conflict with each other (Romans 7:15-25) – for the old nature can do nothing but sin, and the new nature can do nothing but righteousness. But the child of God delights in knowing that in the sight of God “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed [the divine nature] remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). – Daniel E. Parks |
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A Jew inwardly
| “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:29
The Spiritual lineage of the children of God is traceable only to the Lion of the tribe of Judah … the Lord Jesus Christ … God The Son. The triune love of the eternal Godhead begat the infinite desire of Divine purpose. God alone is to be praised for the supernatural indwelling of the mystical Person of Christ in Spirit. The identifying and distinguishing mark (circumcision of the heart) of a child of God is, “… the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” Col 1:27. “Christ in you” separates the children of God from all other people and creatures. The difference is in heart and in Spirit, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you …” Eze 36:26. The Jews boasted in the law (outwardly); the Gentiles boasted without the law (outwardly). However God’s Word declares, “ … circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision” Romans 2:25. The new heart and Spirit imparted to the children of God operates by love which produces inward desire and Spiritual obedience … faith, love and devotion to Christ which excludes boasting … not servile obedience to the letter of the law (which is impossible because of the weakness of the flesh), which genders boasting, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” Ephesians 2:8. Though one may make a fair show in the flesh, if he has not the Spirit of Christ and a heart for Christ he cannot be truthfully called a child of God – “… though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (love for Christ), it profiteth me nothing” 1Co 13:3 & “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” John 6:63. |
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Who Will be Justified before God?
| I recently asked a local religious leader who would be justified before God at the judgment seat of Christ (John 5:21-22)? To which he replied, “I believe all good people will be in heaven.” To which I said, “What is the basis or root cause of goodness?” The religious man said, “He thought that the standard to which we would gain eternal heaven was based upon how many goods works we produced.” This man, like most religious lost people have no concept what God Almighty requires (Gal. 3:10). Because God is Holy and all men sinful, the best we can produce will never satisfy His demand (Isa. 64:6). The scriptures plainly and powerfully proclaim that, “there is none good, no not one” (Rom. 3:9-12). Certainly, any thinking person would see that creature merit and righteousness is excluded in the scheme of God’s salvation. The only way any guilty sinner can be justified before God is to have a perfect justifying righteousness provided by God Himself without any contribution from the sinner (Rom. 4:1-7). This indeed is the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is based upon His performance not ours (Psalm 57:2). No wonder the apostle said, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (Phil. 3:8-9).
If any man thinks that he is justified before God by his good works he is tragically and dreadfully mistaken (2Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5). What a horrible rebuke of the effectual, substitutionary sacrifice and perfect obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, to entertain thoughts of self glory, self righteousness and self salvation (Phil. 2:6-9; Luke 16:15). Paul made this very argument to the Galatians church. “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:21). The Lord Jesus Christ alone is all any sinner needs to stand in God’s presence justified. Those in Christ by sovereign adoption, effectual calling, powerful regeneration and saving faith have no other hope (2Thes. 2:13-16) nor ground on which to stand. Some might ask, “Is the Lord Jesus Christ enough?” If the Lord Jesus Christ is all you have, God says that is enough! Here is one of many scriptures that tell us this blessed truth, “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Col. 2:9-10). |
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Sinners need a miracle
| If a man is near-sighted, he only needs corrective glasses; but if he is BLIND, he needs a miracle only God can give– SIGHT! If a man is sick, he only needs medicinal aid; but if he is DEAD, he needs a miracle only God can give– LIFE! If a man has a weak heart, perhaps changing his diet and habits will improve his condition; but if he has a STONY HEART, a deceitful, desperately wicked heart, he needs this miracle-“a NEW HEART also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezek. 36:26-27).
Knowing these things to be true and knowing the desperate, depraved condition in which Adam’s fall has plunged all mankind, I believe, preach, and insist upon one solemn certain fact– “SALVATION IS OF THE LORD.” Let every son of Adam who reads these words come (like the leper in Matt. 8) to Christ and worship Him, saying, “LORD, IF THOU WILT, THOU CANST MAKE ME WHOLE!”–AND HE WILL!! |
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Many Kinds of Sinners All men confess, at least to some degree, that they are sinners. But I have found there are many kinds of sinners. There are reformed sinners, or as one preacher put it, “ex-sinners.” These are folks who will confess to some very serious sins in their past, but their testimony is that they have overcome them. They used to drink, do drugs, cheat, covet, steal, curse, etc. There are theological sinners. These folk hold tenaciously to the doctrine of total depravity. With loud testimony they declare themselves to be worthless sinners. Strangely, though, they do not seem to have any shame over their sinfulness, but even take some pride in the fact that they acknowledge their sin. There are legal sinners. These folks know their sin by virtue of the law, both as written on stone and on the heart. They lament their sin, and wish they could be rid of it. Since they see their sin as a violation of a commandment, the only remedy they can see is to begin keeping the commandments. For all their knowledge of sin, they fail to grasp the one essential piece of knowledge about our sin: there is nothing we can do to put it away. It would be useless for us to search our hearts to determine what kind of sinner we are. The truth is we will find elements of each of these sinners in us to this very day. There is only one way to know if we have come to a knowledge of sin that leads to salvation: has our knowledge of our sin prompted us to plead to God for mercy. “God be merciful to me, a sinner,” is the cry of every Holy Spirit taught sinner. No amount of guilty burdens, moral reformations or theological confessions can take the place of a sinner’s cry for mercy. |
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Faith
The problem with sinners is not that we are unwilling to do something to save ourselves, but that we are unwilling to do nothing that we might be saved by another (John 3: 19, 20).
Faith takes nothing from you, faith takes nothing done by you, faith demands you add nothing, only believe and continue believing, not in anything you have done or not done. Faith is casting your care, your whole self, your whole eternal salvation into the hands of Jesus Christ. – Clay Curtis