Anyone who has parented a small child has, at one point or another, known the abject terror of watching them run through a store without a care in the world, swinging their arms this way and that.
Of course Erasmus was right. Preaching such breathtaking freedom would lead men into sin, if it were preached to men without the Spirit of Christ. This is the final and only sufficient answer to those who complain that free grace leads to sin. 'Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 1 John 3:9' The seeming contradiction of the 'simul justis et peccator' is simply the insufficiency of human thought or language to contain both 1 John 3:9 and 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10' together at the same time.
This is absolutely beautiful. I love how you tie the story of the little boy and the vase in with God's marvelous, matchless grace in saving us. Praise be to Yahweh that we are chosen, predestined, foreknown, and adopted as trophies of HIS mercy!
I totally got where you were going with it. I just love the doctrines of grace. The concept of election/vessels of mercy, wrath, etc. is controversial, but when we fail to understand that we have been foreloved and that God has set His heart on us purely because of that love and that we truly contribute nothing to our salvation, we fail to truly grasp just how great our salvation is and how sovereign He is. It truly makes our calling irrevocable and underscores the fact that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
It's inevitable that we are going to sin or break things. But when we do, the Father is so loving and gracious to not just forgive us, but give us a way to make it right and honor Him. He brings us back to the situation and shows us how he has redeemed it.
I added your novel to my Amazon list and I'm really looking forward to it!
It is a doctrine that brings tremendous comfort to some and exceptional dismay to others. Why that should be is one of the things I explore in my novel and its sequel, which will be out late next year.
Of course Erasmus was right. Preaching such breathtaking freedom would lead men into sin, if it were preached to men without the Spirit of Christ. This is the final and only sufficient answer to those who complain that free grace leads to sin. 'Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 1 John 3:9' The seeming contradiction of the 'simul justis et peccator' is simply the insufficiency of human thought or language to contain both 1 John 3:9 and 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10' together at the same time.
True.
This is absolutely beautiful. I love how you tie the story of the little boy and the vase in with God's marvelous, matchless grace in saving us. Praise be to Yahweh that we are chosen, predestined, foreknown, and adopted as trophies of HIS mercy!
Yes, it was probably unclear in the first few paragraphs where I was going to take that analogy. 😆
I totally got where you were going with it. I just love the doctrines of grace. The concept of election/vessels of mercy, wrath, etc. is controversial, but when we fail to understand that we have been foreloved and that God has set His heart on us purely because of that love and that we truly contribute nothing to our salvation, we fail to truly grasp just how great our salvation is and how sovereign He is. It truly makes our calling irrevocable and underscores the fact that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
It's inevitable that we are going to sin or break things. But when we do, the Father is so loving and gracious to not just forgive us, but give us a way to make it right and honor Him. He brings us back to the situation and shows us how he has redeemed it.
I added your novel to my Amazon list and I'm really looking forward to it!
It is a doctrine that brings tremendous comfort to some and exceptional dismay to others. Why that should be is one of the things I explore in my novel and its sequel, which will be out late next year.
I CANT WAIT!!!!!