We must know that the person who is not born-again, a new creature in Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, is, according to God’s own word, a hater and enemy of God.
We must know that such a person is under the dominion of disobedience where God’s law is concerned and is inspired to that disobedience by the Prince of the power of the air, the Devil. That person is ‘dead’, spiritually speaking, and a willful and extreme practitioner of trespasses and sins. He is the slave (Greek - doulos) of offence against God. He is helpless to be anything other than God’s foe. Being ignorant of and blind to the life of God (true spiritual life) he is estranged from God and disaffected by such life. He cannot come to God indeed he does not desire to come to God but wishes to hide from God.
We must know that the person who hates God and God’s law also hates and is an enemy of God’s people the Christians. It is this state of ‘man in Adam’ (man in sin) that accounts for the persecution of the people of God in and by the unbelieving world.
We must know that the Christian is bound to passionately and continually pray for the unbeliever even as he remains steadfastly opposed to and utterly intolerant of their sins, even as Christ is. There must needs be an earnest spiritual (not physical) warfare, waged by the Christian, against the lies and devices of the Devil, in which the believer boldly and openly denounces sin and sinners and calls them to repentance. This battle must be in the cause of Christ and in the sincere hope that the Holy Spirit will do what fallen man cannot and regenerate the sinner unto repentance and faith. It must be made clear that God will severely punish the disobedient.
We must know that the believer needs to keep these things in mind when he is dealing with the lost. The believer must maintain an uncompromising devotion to what the Scripture says regarding the condition of the lost and not what culture or opinion says. He must address the lost Scripturally as well as caringly. He must always rely entirely on the Lord, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, to save the lost. Human persuasion, however compassionate and eloquent, cannot bring people to salvation. The fallen human ‘will’ is impotent to come to Christ because it is dead and in bondage to sin.
(Psalm 68:20 - John 1:13 - Romans 9:16 - Ephesians 4:15 - Titus 3:4-7 - Revelation 7:10)
(John 3:3 - Romans 1:30 - Romans 8:7, 14 - 2 Corinthians 5:17).
We must know that such a person is under the dominion of disobedience where God’s law is concerned and is inspired to that disobedience by the Prince of the power of the air, the Devil. That person is ‘dead’, spiritually speaking, and a willful and extreme practitioner of trespasses and sins. He is the slave (Greek - doulos) of offence against God. He is helpless to be anything other than God’s foe. Being ignorant of and blind to the life of God (true spiritual life) he is estranged from God and disaffected by such life. He cannot come to God indeed he does not desire to come to God but wishes to hide from God.
(Genesis 3:8 - John 6:22, 44 - John 8:34 - Ephesians 2:1-3 - Ephesians 4:18)
We must know that the person who hates God and God’s law also hates and is an enemy of God’s people the Christians. It is this state of ‘man in Adam’ (man in sin) that accounts for the persecution of the people of God in and by the unbelieving world.
(Psalm 119:150 - Matthew 10:22 - John 15:18-20)
We must know that the Christian is bound to passionately and continually pray for the unbeliever even as he remains steadfastly opposed to and utterly intolerant of their sins, even as Christ is. There must needs be an earnest spiritual (not physical) warfare, waged by the Christian, against the lies and devices of the Devil, in which the believer boldly and openly denounces sin and sinners and calls them to repentance. This battle must be in the cause of Christ and in the sincere hope that the Holy Spirit will do what fallen man cannot and regenerate the sinner unto repentance and faith. It must be made clear that God will severely punish the disobedient.
(Acts 11:18 - 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 - Ephesians 2:8-9 - Ephesians 6:10-20)
We must know that the believer needs to keep these things in mind when he is dealing with the lost. The believer must maintain an uncompromising devotion to what the Scripture says regarding the condition of the lost and not what culture or opinion says. He must address the lost Scripturally as well as caringly. He must always rely entirely on the Lord, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, to save the lost. Human persuasion, however compassionate and eloquent, cannot bring people to salvation. The fallen human ‘will’ is impotent to come to Christ because it is dead and in bondage to sin.
(Psalm 68:20 - John 1:13 - Romans 9:16 - Ephesians 4:15 - Titus 3:4-7 - Revelation 7:10)
