Why don’t people understand?

Romans 10:8 – 17  

Sometimes it befuddles me why so many cannot understand the truth of salvation. Why is it that men and women with PhD’s cannot grasp the simplicity of salvation? I must ask, why do they work so hard to obtain a salvation that is humanly unattainable? The second misunderstanding is that people can control their own salvation by human will. Human choice, whether it is by a personal decision, personal choice, or a personal work of any sort is not found (in context) in the entire scriptures. It is clearly evident in the scriptures that God saves sinners through the death, burial, and resurrection of His own Son Jesus Christ and cleanses our sins through His blood. Now we live in a world that has minimized God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and made God into a worthless Being in salvation. In their belief they falsely believe a lie but the bible clearly states the opposite, that Salvation is of God. "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: (17) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (18) And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, (19) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, (20) Ephesians 1:17 – 20  Even Jesus Himself verified this in His own words, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (63) But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. (64) And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” (65) John 6:65

However, let us not forget that the most biblical people on earth in the Old Testament time’s (the Jews) did not understand the scriptures at that time, even missing the coming of the Messiah. So, please do not be confused when I talk about our most educated people on earth not understanding the truth of the bible. The Jews could not then, nor two-thousand years later understand the truth about being saved by God’s grace and through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, let us understand when people do not understand biblical truth then they teach non-truths changing the truth of salvation into a lie. Taking God put of salvation only to glorify themselves instead of God who truly does save lost sinners. With this in mind, people must create many false ways for people to be humanly not Spiritually saved. This passage here is called “the Romans Road” and it consist of 1. A human choice, 2. A person changing their mind and quickening their own dead spirit, and 3. A lost soul with a dead spirit praying to God. But none of these three are possible, because God does not communicate with a dead spirit person, this is why the Holy Spirit first quickens the human spirit.

Humanistic teachers use Romans 10:9 out of context, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Alone it appears that if you quote a prayer that God will accept you as a child and you will be saved because of verse 10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” However, this is taught without a proper understanding of God, true salvation, or of the power and workings of the Holy Spirit. God said “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;” Ephesians 2:1 The word dead literally means - a corpse – and anyone and everyone understands a dead corpse does not male themselves a live by their own choice or power. They cannot speak, make request, nor make choices, nor cause themselves to live by their own power.

Now let’s look and the real context of Romans 10. Verse 10 tells us that all people are the same and salvation is the same, “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek…” Next Verse 14 clearly says “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed…” A person will not call on God for salvation is they go not believe to start with. The hearing is not with a physical ear but a spiritual ear that must be quickened or made alive before they can hear in their spiritual heart, remember it was corpse dead. The Gospel message I powerless with out a proper sender, deliverer, and power to make it heard. Therefore, verse 15 tells us of a proper sender, “And how shall they preach, except they be sent…” the true gospel message is in the hands of the churches, true churches. What is the absolute true gospel? "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; (1) By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (2) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (3) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:(4.) 1 Corinthians 15:1 – 4 anything more or less is not the gospel by which we must be saved. And last, God must send a proclaimer of the gospel to that person, verse 15 “And how shall they preach, except they be sent…”

In the true and real context salvation is not a decision, choice, prayer or etc. it is a work of God from start to finish. Are you truly saved, were you saved the proper way or a humanistic way, God saves sinners not man.     

 

The Preeminence of Jesus Christ

"For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."  Colossians 1:19 – 20

In these biblical times there are so many false teachers as there have been throughout history and even as they are today. Today they are known as Arminian teacher’s named after James Arminius who lived from 1560 – 1609. Arminius was a very radical teacher against the 5 points of Sovereign Grace also known as T.U.L.I.P. He was well known as one of the great religious leaders to start the teachings of choice, decisions, works, etc. All these well-known terms of today’s anti-God, anti-sovereign grace teachings that the vast majority of Pastors, teachers, and congregations use to combat the truth of God’s Sovereignty. In doing so they belittle the True God as weak and useless in salvation, they also weaken Jesus Christ ability to save sinners in totality in His death, burial, and resurrection. They are all responsible for turning the biblical truths of God into humanistic lies. “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  Romans 1:25 These people who teach these false teachings have rendered Jesus Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit worthless in the sinner’s salvation. God said, “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”  1 Corinthians 12:3 The word “accursed” means - excommunicated or banned – it is talking about in salvation or anything else, even leads to the Father and the Holy Spirit in calling them worthless. When people follow the false teachings of Armenianism they are calling the Sovereign God of the bible useless. Paul wrote to Titus these words recognizing the Trinity as our Saviour, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;” 1 Timothy 1:1 God the Father elected us, God the Son died for us and was rose again from the grave, and the Holy Spirit is the power of our quickening and giving us the internal power to believe. This teaches us that the entire Godhead is our Saviour, in different ways. This is why it “pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell...” meaning The word translated “fullness” is the Greek word pleroma it was a technical term in the vocabulary of the gnostic false teachers. It meant “the sum total of all the divine power and attributes.” When God added the word “dwell” God shows us that these divine power and attributes were not added to Jesus in time, but rather they are eternal to Him. Dr. Kenneth S. Wuest noted this is “not something added to His Being that was not natural to Him, but that it was part of His essential Being as part of His very constitution, and that permanently” This is not a fullness dwelling that God would have ever given to a created being, but He had because He (Jesus) is part of the Trinity bringing us to understand that in Him was the fullness of the Attributes of the Trinity. This is why Jesus Christ is Preeminent in salvation and in everything else. He and He alone is the Saviour of mankind, to render Him any less would render Him excommunicated or banned from the salvation of the lost and dying soul. Therefore, Paul wrote “by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."  Jesus Christ is “preeminent” reconcile all things unto himself because it is He as the Son of Man who died, was buried, and rose again to buy our salvation. Nothing else can be or is involved, because it was through His death that peace was made between God and man, “having made peace through the blood of his cross”. Our first parents Adam and Eve brought a division or a war between mankind and God, but it is Jesus Christ that brings God and sinful mankind to peace. Jesus accomplished this by provided a covering for the sinner’s sins. God talked of the war in Romans 8:6 – 8 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Therefore, God reminds us of the Preeminence of Jesus Christ because the lost sinner can do nothing to please God. The lost sinner may be sincere, religious, and even moral; but he is still at war with God and cannot be any part of their own salvation.