Those who believe, believe because they are His sheep.
Phoebe Ann wrote:
Those who believe, believe because they are His sheep.
John 10:22-25
My response:
I agree. But what are you implying?
Did not God promise to guide, teach and save the humble?
The Sheep are the humble. Christ Jesus was sent by the Father to preach to the Humble because they will listen and believe.
Psalm 25:9 (WEB)
9 He will
guide the humble in justice.
He will
teach the humble his way.
Lord Jesus taught much about the sheep as well as the goats. For instance, read
Matthew 25:31-46
What does the word
"sheep" refer to?
Answer: Those who are meek and humble.
What do the
"goats" refer to?
Answer: Those who are stubborn and arrogant.
Who did Christ come to preach the Gospel to?
Answer: The humble.
Isaiah 61:1-2 (WEB) (
Lord Jesus quoted this Passage and referred it to himself)
1 The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me; because Yahweh has anointed me to
preach good news to the humble. He has
sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor. . .
So which ones will believe in and follow in Jesus - the sheep or the goats?
John 10:27 (WEB)
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
Those who are humble will listen to God and so believe. Those who believe receive the Spirit and regeneration:
John 7:38-39
38
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said,
rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39
By this he meant the Spirit,
whom those who believed in him were later to receive.
Phoebe Ann wrote:
Romans 9:16
16 So then
it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will
have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Willing and running, or human efforts, are not essential to salvation. God's mercy is essential.
>>
My reply:
God is righteous in that He hardens in judgement those who repeatedly reject His grace. And God may use this hardening to fulfill another purpose, as God did with Pharaoh, or even with Elect Israel.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 (NIV) 10 They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.
Romans 1:28 (WEB)
28 Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting
Romans 1:21-25
21 Because, knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
In like manner, God declares many times how Israel is rebellious toward him and hard-hearted and would not listen.
Ezekiel 3:7 (WEB)
7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you; for they will not listen to me: for all the house of Israel are obstinate and hard-hearted.
So God hardened the hearts of His Elect people in judgement.
God will show Mercy on whom he shows mercy...
Regarding salvation, God wills to show mercy on all...
Romans 11:32 (WEB)
32 For God has shut up all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.
However, only those who repent and believe receive the mercy that God wills to give to the sinner (
John 3:16).
Luke 18:13-14
13 But the
tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘
God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you,
this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but
he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Phoebe Ann wrote:
God saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
My reply:
I agree. But
HOW did God say he would save us?
John 10:9 (WEB)
9 I am the door. If
anyone enters in by me,
he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.
John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
Romans 10:8-12 (WEB)
4 For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to
everyone who believes. ...
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart”; that is,
the word of faith, which we preach:
9 that
if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “
Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and
is rich to all who call on him.
Phoebe Ann wrote:
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
My response:
I agree that God saved us through rebirth by the Holy Spirit.
But
HOW are we saved?
Answer: By faith (
John 3:16)
But
HOW do we receive the Holy Spirit to give us the rebirth?
Answer: By faith... Let us go to the Scriptures to see if this is true...
John 7:37-39 (NIV)
Bolding mine
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty
come to me and drink. 38
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said,
rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39
By this he meant the Spirit,
whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 4 (NIV) Bolding mine
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14 but
whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a
spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The rebirth is to be Born of God, a child of God - only by faith
John 1:12-13 (NIV)
12 Yet to all who did receive him,
to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but
born of God.
Galatians 3:26
26 For you are all children of God,
through faith in Christ Jesus.