REGENERATION-CONVERSION CONCLUSION

John 3;1-21

As we bring our studies on Regeneration and Conversion to a close, we want to warn you about a theory, being proclaimed, Today.
It is base upon a few verses, whose scope is confined to God's People.

The Belief has been erroneously applied, to mean that, at The Cross, the sin question was settled;
that all the sins, of all men, were placed upon Jesus Christ.

This opinion affirms that Jesus Christ did as much for those, who would not believe, as He did, for all who believe.
Thus, those who advocate this theory, say, the one issue between Christ and Sinners, is not the sin question, but, it is The Son question.
This is another product of the past 20 Century's Liberalism.

We shall now show, The Folly of This Theory--
NUMBER 1-UNBELIEF IS A SIN-If all the sins of all men were laid upon Jesus Christ, then The
Sin of Unbelief was laid upon Him.

If Unbelief is a sin, and Christ didn't suffer the penalty of it, then all sin wasn't laid on The Lord
Jesus Christ. Wouldn't this limit The Atonement to Believers/

The Power of Unbelief resides in a man's depraved condition.

NUMBER 2-Christ said, ''Ye shall die in your sins.''
JOHN 8;21-24--''Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins; whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he hill himself/ because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above; ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins; for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.''
The Lord was speaking of that, Which lay on the other side, of His Death and Resurrection.

Christ didn't bear these sins. Notice it says ''SINS,'' not Sin.
They Jews did not seek Christ where they could find Him. They didn't seek The Suffering
Saviour, so Christ said, ''Whither I go ye cannot come.''
He ascended to Heaven, but they couldn't go There, apart from Christ.

NUMBER 3-The Dead shall be judged, according to their works--Revelation 20;12-[Turn].
If the only issue between God and Sinners, is their attitude toward Christ, if the only ground of condemnation is rejecting Christ-It would be meaningless to arraign them, for their works.

NUMBER 4-There will be degrees of punishment--
Matthew 11;22-''But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.''
Mark 12;40-''Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers; these shall receive greater damnation.''
Hebrews 10;28-29-[Turn].
If all the sins of all men were laid on Christ, how could there be any degrees of punishment for the lost/

NUMBER 5-The UnEvangelized have not heard of Christ.
Not having heard of Him, they couldn't be charged with rejecting Him, if all the sins of men were laid upon Christ. If this was true, John 14;6 would be false.
The Unbeliever is condemned in Adam, but incurs new condemnation, after hearing The Gospel.

Only The Hopelessly Lost know, What Salvation delivers from;
Only The Saved in Heaven, know What God's Salvation delivers to.
Both know these things imperfectly.
Eternity will disclose new horrors in Hell and new glories in Heaven.

Unbelief is two-fold; Negative and Positive.
Negative is the unbelief of the heathen, who have never heard The Gospel-How can they believe on Him, whom they never heard of/

Positive is the sin of those, who, hear The Gospel, but make light of it, and think, it is foolishness, thus incurring new condemnation-Hebrews 10;28-29-[Turn].

If you profess to know Christ, ask yourself if Regeneration came before your Conversion.
It must in God's order of Salvation.

--END--

FAITH IS EXERCISED IN CONVERSION-Part 4

Man's sin is not a manifestation of freedom, but of perversion.

The Scripture Witness to freedom is limited to man's relation to God-
John 8;32-36--''And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man; how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free/Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever; but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.''

Freedom, therefore, becomes actualized in submission.
The more communion with God, the more free the lives of God's people become.
Christians are free from something lesser to something greater.

All, embracing The Lord Jesus Christ by faith are ordained of God to Eternal Life-Acts 13;48-
[Turn].

WHAT IS SAVING FAITH/
Faith can be known only, by what it does.
Its Nature is seen, in the way, it expresses itself.

But, let me, 1st of all, clear the ground, by saying, that faith, which saves the soul, is no mere
unreasonable assumption, such as passes for Christian Faith.
Day after Day, We hear people, chant the words, ''I believe,'' Who, no more know, What it is to
believe, to the saving of the soul, than a pig knows, what it is to fly.
These people can give no coherent account, of what they believe, or, why they believe it.
Yet, they pass as Christians, and think they're Christians.

George Whitfield once asked a man, of this sort, ''What do you believe/'', and the man replied,
''I believe what the church believes''.
Mr. Whitfield then asked, ''And what does the church believe/''
To which, the man replied, ''Oh, the church believes, what I believe''.
Mr. Whitfield then asked, ''What do you both believe/''
The man replied, ''The same as each other.''
This is as intelligent, as much that passes for Christian Faith in Today's Religious World.

Hebrews 11;1 defines and describes faith--The basic definition must be understood.
The following examples illustrate it;
The key is in verse 27-''As seeing him who is invisible.''

Faith apprehends as a real fact, what is not revealed to the natural senses.
Faith is conviction of things when they are not seen-giving substance to things hoped for.

Don't overlook the meaning of the two words-substance and evidence.
The word substance is made of two Greek words, meaning, ''that which stands under a foundation''. Thus it speaks of the ground, on which, One builds hope;
It stands for the whole body of documents, bearing on the ownership of one's property,
forming the evidence of ownership.

''Faith is a title deed of things hoped for.'' The Holy Spirit's energized act of faith, that is exercised on The Lord Jesus is The Title Deed, which God places in the believer's hand, guaranteeing him, possession of the thing, for which he trusted.

The word ''Evidence'' means, ''A Proof of that, by which, a thing is proved or tested.''
It means being convinced.
It is a conviction put to the test-as when Noah built The Ark.
Saving Faith is not just a mental assent, to certain propositions; It reaches The Heart.

Today, There's a kind of unbelieving believing, which is very common.
Many say they have trusted Christ, yet they never serve Him.
Many affirm that Christ arose from The Grave, but live, as though, He were dead.
Many will say, they believe in a coming Day of Judgment, yet live as though, they were wholly
unaccountable to a Holy and Righteous God.

Now get this truth; There are no Atheists among the devils. They know too much, to ever
have succumbed to that delusion--James 2;19-''The devils also believe, and tremble.''
But, Why/ Because they believe not only, in God's Existence, but also, in His Power and
Absolute Sovereignty.

Faith which saves the soul has confidence in Jesus Christ, as Sin-Bearer, Deliverer, Teacher,
Master, Guide, and Lord. The Regenerated Man has a living faith--Thus, he believes on Christ.
Christ is The Object of Faith, Its Living Goal, Its Magnet.

Faith is always in motion towards Christ. I Peter 2;4--''To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.'' We are ever coming.

There's nothing static in true faith. Each Grace is a living movement, granted to The Regenerated Person by God. The Lord Jesus Christ is the living, magnetic Center, Who draws The Regenerated into His Fellowship, by His Spirit and Word.

The Regenerated Person believes in Christ--Colossians 1;4-''Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints.''

Christ is the sphere of the believer's life. Christ surrounds him on all sides. Jesus Christ is the
foundation of The Life of Faith--It is ob Him, by His Power, that the structure of faith is built--
2 Timothy 1;12-[TURN]

Faith is joined to the person trusted, not only the goal, the sphere, the supporting basis;
but Jesus Christ is The Person, in whom faith centers.
-end-

FAITH IS EXERCISED IN CONVERSION-Part 3

Now, I want to raise some important questions;

NUMBER ONE--Does Freedom mean that man is a self-sufficient being/
I Corinthians 3;5-[Turn].

NUMBER TWO--Is there a self--determining factor in the will of man/
Arminians call this factor The Freedom of the Will.

If The Will determines itself, then the action is both the cause and effect.
How can it be both/

Every effect has a cause, and there is one uncaused cause.
By necessity, the uncaused cause must be Eternal and Unchangeable.

No act of The Will can come into existence, without a cause, which supposes every act of The Will determined with some act of The Will coming before it.

NUMBER THREE--Is The Will inclined to do something before it exerts its own power on itself/
If this were true, then the inclination, is not wholly of itself.

It is absurd to suppose that man can have an inclination, to do something good, which is contrary to his nature.

Man by Nature, is sinful;
Therefore, He doesn't have any inclination for good, in a spiritual sense.

NUMBER FOUR--Does Liberty consist in The Will determining Its own acts/
If this is true, then The Will makes a choice prior to understanding.

There can be no act of The Will without some motive of inducement.

If The Will is not determined by some outside power, then it seeks, desires, and chooses nothing.

NUMBER FIVE--Is Man Free, or is he enslaved/
The Slavery of Fallen Man is the only Biblical approach to the subject.

Failure to set the proper approach is the root cause of the problem.
Man, by nature, is enslaved to sin, and can be made free only by the grace of The Sovereign
God in Regeneration.

Freedom in Theology is the freedom of the man of God.

The Will that determines is The Will, that must be determined.
Therefore, if The Will is determined, there must be The Determiner.

What is The Determiner/

The student of Scripture knows that inward actions are above The Sinner's Ability to direct
toward a good cause because;
1. The Fountain is bad--
2. The Tree is corrupt--
3. The Mind is darkened--
4. The Heart is deceived--
5. Darkness rather than Light is loved.
If it were possible, for The Depraved Will to be convinced with Divine Truth, It would hate Error, not Truth.

The common view of Liberty is that man does as he pleases, but that, is inconsistent with liberty.
This would make fallen man embrace the very thing that he will not let God possess.
According to this view, God has no virtue at all, and is under necessity.
THIS IS BLASPHEMY/

God is The Highest of All; His virtue is not rewardable.
He is infinitely above any receiving of reward from the creature, and is eternally happy and free.
His creatures therefore, cannot be profitable to Him.
God doesn't live for His Creatures, but for Himself.

FAITH IS EXERCISED IN CONVERSION-Part 2

John 5;40-''And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life''.
The Arminian argument on this verse, is as follows;
One-Man has a will.
Two-He is entirely free.
Three- Men must make themselves willing to come to Christ, otherwise, They will not be saved,

Now, This sounds plausible to one, with limited knowledge of the Holy Bible, but in the light of The
Revelation of God's Mind, we present four unanswerable arguments;

One-Everyone outside of Christ is a spiritually dead man;
therefore, he will not come to Christ, that he might have life.

Two-There's life in Jesus Christ, but John 5;40 says ''Ye will not come to me''.

Three-There's life for everyone that comes to Christ for it, but the text says, ''Ye will not come,''

Four-N o man, by nature, will ever come to Christ. [John 6;44]--[TURN].

NO MAN CAN COME. . .

Therefore the sinner, apart from Divine help, is unable to will and unwilling, to be able, to come to Jesus Christ.

According to the context of John 3;16-21, there are two different worlds and two different loves;
One is from Above, and the other from beneath.

There is 1st of all, the world that God so loved, that He gave His only Begotten Son.
And, Second, there is the world, that lies in darkness-I John 5;19-[Turn].

This world loves Darkness rather than Light-John 3;19-20-[Turn].
Thus, the world, outside of Christ, lies in darkness, and is void of spiritual light and life.

What is meant, by the expression, ''Freedom of The Will''/
The Dictionary states;
''The faculty of conscious and particularly of deliberate action; The power of control, the mind has over its own actions-THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL.
The power of choosing one's own actions; the art or process of choosing, or asserting one's choice;
Volition-my hands are obedient to my will'' [unquote].

Freedom, therefore, means;
''The state of being at liberty rather than being in confinement, or under restraint-Exemption from external control, interference, or regulation.

Free Will means the doctrine that human action expresses personal choice, and is not solely determined by physical or Divine forces--made or done freely of one's accord, voluntarily''
[UNQUOTE].

FAITH IS EXERCISED IN CONVERSION-Part 1

John 3;1-21

As we draw near to the close of our studies on Regeneration and Conversion, from John 3;1-21,
we want to emphasize two great truths;
Number 1-The Purpose of Christ's First Advent, found in verse 17.
Number 2-The Faith of those Whom God ordained to believe, found in verse 18.

Now, The Purpose of Christ's First Advent, was not to judge, but to save those, whom The Father gave Him, in The Covenant of Redemption-John 17;2-3-[TURN].

Those, Who believe in and emphasize Free Will say; ''Christ came, that the world of lost sinners might be saved,'' NOT SAYING, IT SHALL BE SAVED.

''MIGHT'' expresses a possibility, while ''SHALL'' speaks of certainty.

If The World, for which, Christ died, is the so-called Elect only, that The Elect might be saved--not shall be saved,
this would indicate that The Elect might not be saved, hence, eventually lost in Hell.

Now, Get this truth; The Word ''Might'' used in John 3;17, when used relatively, denotes inherent ability;
when used absolutely, it denotes the power, to carry something into effect.

Does Our Lord leave any doubt, about The Bible being fulfilled/
Matthew 1;22-''Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophets, saying. . .''
Matthew 4;14-''That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying. . .''

Is there any possibility of Christ, failing to give life to those, whom the Father gave him/
John 10;10-''The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.''

Is there any possibility of Christ failing in His Resurrection/
John 10;17-''Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.''

Is there any possibility of Christ, failing to be glorified/
John 11;4-''When Jesus heard this, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.''

There is no uncertainty of God's Purpose for Christ being fulfilled-
I Peter 3;18-[Turn].
John 6;37-[Turn].

Now, Get this truth; According to The Bible, no person can give himself to Jesus Christ, TO
BE SAVED.
Therefore, We must conclude that, the person given to Jesus Christ, by The Father, to be redeemed, shall be redeemed.

Faith in Jesus Christ is the fruit of God's Ordination-Acts 13;48-[Turn].

True Faith is The Faith of God's Elect-Titus 1;1-[Turn].

John 6;37 states that all the Father gave to the Son, shall come to the Son-NOT ''If They will
come.''
This promise is so related to God's Purpose, that it cannot fail--Isaiah 46;10-11-[Turn].

Coming finds it cause in being given and drawn-John 6;37, 44--[Turn].

We said previously, that the word, ''World'' in John 3;16-17, must be understood to refer to
the elect Jews and elect Gentiles, For whose salvation, Christ came, into this world.
He came to save His Own;
yet He, actually saves only, those to whom, He gives faith.

Today Many proclaim free will, as though it alone, had escaped the damage of The Fall, and as
if Adam had not sinned, with his will.

WHAT AN IDOL, ARMINIANS MAKE OF FREE WILL.

LOVE IS THE CAUSE OF CONVERSION-Part 6

John 3;16

Number 3-Who are the ''whosoevers''/
Those who believe in Free Will'' say, ''It refers to every individual, in The World, and can never be restricted in intention to some.''

Those of us, who believe in ''Free Grace'' say, ''This Love is restricted to believers''-Love is the
unchangeable intention, of The Sovereign God.

Number 4-What is The Fruit of This Love/

Those who nelieve in ''Free Will'' say, ''Eternal Life is the fruit, obtained by faith;
But this was not the end, intended by God, because He loved and died for all mankind;
and many hate, and do reject Him''.

All Who believe in ''Free Grace'' say, ''The Love of God is not, in vain''.

The General Ransom is an empty sound, because Jesus Christ did not die in vain.
Isaiah said, ''He shall see his seed and be satisfied,'' which means, He shall be satisfied with the accomplishment of his intention.

Next, We see that, the channel of God's Eternal Love, is The Eternal Son.
It has been said, that love may be where there is no office, and so, has no power to do us good;
but in Jesus Christ, Love and Office meet.
They are combined in The Lord Jesus Christ, to do good for those, whom The Father gave Him.

The Love of Jesus Christ, was the sole compelling cause of His Assumption of The Office of Mediator-
Galatians 2;20-[Quote].

Revelation 1;5-''And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.''

The eternal disposing cause of The Whole Earth, wherein The Lord Jesus Christ, was engaged, for The Redemption and Salvation of His people, is The Eternal Love of God The Father.

This Love of The Father, acted in His Eternal Decree, before The Foundation of The World, and was afterwards, manifested in sending His Son, to make it effectual.
All, who believe in Christ's Divine Person, profess the valuation of The Love of The Son of God I John 3;16-[Turn].

It was Wrath, not Love, that all, mankind deserved.
This fills the souls of men with self-abasement.

Jesus Christ is Glorious in This Love. No creature, angel, or man, could have the least conception of it, before its effects are manifested.

Even after its manifestation, in Christ's Death, it is incomprehensible in this World.
Ephesians 3;19-''And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.''

An unseen Glory accompanied The Lord Jesus in all that He did, during His personal ministry, and in what, He suffered on The Cross.

His Glory was unseen by the eyes of the world in general, but not, by His Own sheep, which He came to save.

If Men, in general, had seen it, they wouldn't have crucified The Lord of Glory-
I Corinthians 2;8-''Which none of the princes of this world knew; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.''

Now, did God, simply open up a way of salvation, through Jesus Christ/
Could Sinners only walk in a way, that was opened to them/
Such a meager provision would be operative in no case.

The Fact that everyone, Who does evil, hates the light;
and doesn't come to the light, is proved by the context of John 3;19-20.
How can a way, that has simply been opened, do anything for men, Who will not come to the light, because they hate it/

Now, all unbelievers, in their hearts, really do call Jesus Christ ''Ichabod,'' which means, ''Where is The Glory/''
They see neither ''form nor comeliness'' in Him, that He should be desired.

While many don't call Jesus, ''Anathema,'' yet they cry, ''Hail, Master,'' and then crucify Him.

Now, to say, that Jesus Christ only opened a way of salvation, leads to a Deistic Soteriology,
which is a concept, that God has done all that He can do, and the rest, is left up to the sinner, to do, to be saved.

But, The Love of God, is a saving love, not a love, tending toward salvation.
The Almighty, All Conquering Love of God, therefore, doesn't pour itself equally, and with the same intent, upon every man, in The World.

You see, God visits whom He Will with it.

Thus The Father gives in Time, His Son, to those whom He gave to Christ, in The Covenant of
Redemption, in Eternity.

The Son, by The Holy Spirit, gives eternal life, to all, that the Father gave Him-
John 17;3-''And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.''

--END--

LOVE IS THE CAUSE OF CONVERSION-Part 5

Every Religious Person limits the atonement, those who believe in ''Free Will'' limit its quality, while those who believe in ''Free Grace'' limit its extent.
Now, according to God's Word, I rather be accused of limiting the extent, not the quality of
Redemption.

Someone has said, ''The things which we have to choose between, are an atonement of high value, or an atonement of wide extension-The two cannot go together'' [unquote].

Now, I must remind you, that the value of Christ's Atonement was INFINITE.
Just as it is necessary, for the sun, to give off as much heat, for only one plant, to grow upon the earth,
as for the whole world to be covered with vegetation,
so, it was necessary for Christ Jesus, to suffer as much for the salvation of one soul, as He would, if all Mankind were to be saved.

You see, if you make Redemption universal, You will destroy its inherent value.
If It is applied to all men alike, and some are lost,the conclusion is, that it makes salvation objectively possible for all, but does not subjectively save anyone.

If the atonement's benefits are universal and unlimited, then, the benefit of the sacrifice, was to blot out the curse,but not, to perfectly satisfy the demands of Divine Justice.

Now, before leaving John 3;16-I want to ask you 4 questions, and then seek, to give The
Biblical Answers.
I will relate The Answers, The Bible teaches, to each question, after stating what those, who believe in Free Will, have to say.

Number 1-What is that love, which was the cause of The Father, sending The Son, into The
World/
Those who believe in Free Will say, ''It was a natural propensity, to The Good of All Mankind.''

Those of us, who believe in Free Grace say, ''Love is not an inclination of God's Nature, but an act of His Divine Will.''

There was no imperfection in God's Love.
A natural affection for all, and not completed and perfected in all, is weak and imperfect.
This could never be attributed to The All-Sufficient God.

Number 2-Who are the objects of God's Love/
Those who believe in Free Will say, ''Christ is offered unto all men without exception.''

Those of us, who believe in Free Grace say, ''God's Love intended the salvation of some''.
If the word ''World'' means every person without exception, then His Love was defeated, because it was not made effectual in All.

LOVE IS THE CAUSE OF CONVERSION-Part 4

John 3;16-[Turn].

God attaches to Himself, in every generation, those who become His, by Regeneration.
They are no longer a part of The World, that lies in The Evil One.
But, The World, that is regenerated, that abides in Him.
When Salvation's process is completed, then, the task, which Christ took upon Himself, shall also be completed;
and The World, shall be saved.

The Wicked World of Sinful Men will be transformed into One of Righteousness.

The Statement, ''The World shall be saved through CHRIST,'' is a conception, independent of the idea, that every individual shall be saved, through Him. . . .

John set forth a Propitiation, not for every individual person, but one, in intention and design, effecting a renewal, so vast, as to issue in an ordered world, ''The New Heavens and The New Earth''.

You see, John 3;16 is a vision, of The Consummated Purpose of God's immeasurable Love.
It is a vision of The Saved World.

Now, Those Who emphasize ''Free Will'' will object to what, I have given you, on John 3;16.
Their Cry is,''such teaching limits The Atonement''.

But, every Religionist limits The Atonement-Those, who believe in ''Free Will'' limit its ''QUALITY,''
And those, who believe in ''Free Grace'' limit its ''EXTENT''.

Now, according to God's Word, I'd rather be accused of limiting the extent, not the quality of Redemption.

GOD'S LOVE IS THE CAUSE OF CONVERSION-Part 3

The 3 members of The Godhead, mutually love each other-
John 3;35-''The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.''

John 17;24-''Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.''

I Corinthians 2;10-12-[Turn].

John 16;14-'' He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you''.
God is the fountain, from which, love proceeds.

Next, in the attributes, belonging to God, as A Holy and Intelligent Spirit, we may consider, what may be called ''The Affections''.
God does somethings similar to the affections in man.

They are ascribed to Him as love, hatred, anger, etc.
From These, everything carnal, sensual, or with any degree of imperfection in it, must be removed.

Love stands first, in the affections, because God is love-but, love is not God's chief attribute.
Both holiness and life precede love, in The Divine Order.
God is so holy, that He cannot look upon sin-
Habbakkuk 1;13-''Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity; wherefore lookest thou upon them that that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he/''
Justice protects His Holiness.
God's Justice must be satisfied, for holiness to manifest love, to the sinner.

Next, we find that, God's Love has a specific object--The World.
Now the statement, ''Love is of God'' does not mean, that it comes from God, in the same way, that light comes from God.

It is not asserted of love as it is of light; ''And God said, Let there be light; and there was light''
[Genesis 1;3].
He does not say, ''Let there be love, and there was love''.
God's Love does not shine upon all people without exception, as The Light of Nature does.

Now, this love of God is a saving love, not a love, which merely tends toward Salvation.

Next, we see, that the words, ''God gave'' expresses the absolute freeness of the gift.
''Giving'' and ''Receiving'' are relative terms, one presupposing the other.

God never gives something, that is not received.
The Gift, However, is not to every individual;
for, to whomever He gives His Son, He gives all things freely with Him-Romans 8;32-[Turn].

Since love is God's Gift, whoever God loves, receives His Gift.

The World, Christ came to save, is not completed.
This is why, God is long suffering-2 Peter 3;9- [Turn]...[Comment]

Now, there is no marvel so great, no mystery so unfathomable, as this-that The Great and
Good God,
Whose Perfect Righteousness, flames in indignation, at the sight of every iniquity,
and Whose Absolute Holiness recoils in the presence of every impurity,
loves the sinful world, and has so loved it, that He gave His Son, to die for it.

John is teaching ''The Universalism of Christianity'' in contrast with ''The Nationalism'' of The
Old Testament.
In this universalistic and Anti-Jewish Gospel of John, what is more natural, than to find ''the world'' brought into contrast, with Jewish Exclusivism/

Christ DID NOT COME, to make Propitiation for The Jews only.
God's Elect are not The Residual of The Great Conflagrational.

They aren't the ashes of the burned up world, gathered sadly together, by The Creator, after the
catastrophe is over, so that He might make, a new and better beginning with them, to replace that which has been lost.

The Elect Themselves, are not The World, as it is, in its sin, lying in The Evil One;
but, The World, with its promise of renewed life.

GOD'S LOVE IS THE CAUSE OF CONVERSION-Part 2

As we said, in our last post, John 3;16 begins in Eternity with God, and ends in Eternity with Man.

God's Love, in Time, comes to ransom, a host of believing souls.

Now, if The Eternity of God is understood, one will easily interpret John 3;16.
The duration of Divine Existence is from Eternity, according to our finite way of understanding
Eternity.
Divine duration must be considered as wholly permanent, and the ever-present ''Now'', not capable of division, into parts, any more than The Divine Existence Itself.

Thus, things future to us, are present with God.

The Eternal God co-exists with faith, but faith does not co-exist with God.
Jeremiah 31;3-''The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.''

God's Love is Uninfluenced-
Romans 5;6-8-''For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.''

Human love is reciprocal. We love because we are loved.

But God's Love is not, a response to something, outside of Himself.
God loves, because that is His Nature.

You see, Love is God's Character, but not His characteristic-
I John 3;16-''Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.''

Next, We find that, God's Love is Infinite-can we know The Unknowable/
Ephesians 3;19-''And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.''

One, born of God, readily admits that he has done nothing, to commend himself to God.

We can know by grace, what we can't know by Nature.
We can know by faith, what we can't by Reason. . .

We can know the effects, without comprehending the cause.

We can know The Reality of God's Existence, without understanding Its Nature.

We may know increasingly, what can't be known, perfectly-

Proverbs 4;18-''But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.''
The Wisdom of God's people increases.

Our ideas of love may be more clear and consistent in the future, than they are today.
Our hearts need to be firmly established.

Now, a principle slumbering in the head, is quite different, from being alive in the heart-
Ephesians 3;19-[Turn].

Man, in his natural condition, is empty of God.
Man, in his glorified state, will be full of God-He is All in All.

However, in the state of grace, man has a degree of both his original emptiness, and his final fitness.
Man is not what he was, neither is he, what he will be.
He's thankful, for what he has, but he wants more of The Presence and Fullness of Jesus Christ.
Love, therefore, constrains to a life of holiness and service.

Next, God's Love Is IMMUTABLE-
James 1;17-''Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.''

God doesn't love all men, in the provision of salvation, and hate those, Who reject it.

God's Love Is ETERNAL... Since it has no beginning, it can have no ending.

Next, God's Love is HOLY;
It is not regulated by passion, or sentiment, but by principle.

God's Love never conflicts with His holiness, and will never wink at sin.

The Cross is the highest manifestation of God's Love.

The Source of God's Love is God Himself.

Now Get this principle; Self-Love is in all intelligent beings, and it is not condemned, when it is carried on, in its proper channel.
You see, People are not obligated to love others MORE than themselves, but AS THEMSELVES-
Matthew 22;37-40-''Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.''

God, first, and chiefly, loves Himself. Thus, He has made His Glory, The Chief End of all His Works in Nature, Providence, and in Grace--
Proverbs 16;4-''The LORD hath made all things for himself; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.''

Romans 11;36-''For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.''

Revelation 4;11-''Thou art woorthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.''

Ephesians 1;6-''To the praise of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

GOD'S LOVE IS THE CAUSE OF CONVERSION-Part 1

John 3;16 is the most quoted, yet, misunderstood verse, in the whole Bible.
The Love of God, we hear so much about, is according to, a definite plan;
It is not love in general.

It is love in a particular personal sense. Thus, It is not indiscriminate.
God's love and attention are explained and limited, in John 3;16.


Now, Get this truth; The Person, who emphasizes ''Free Will'' charges God, with two contrary Ends and Designs, at the same time;
Number 1-He accuses God of condemning many, Whom He sent Christ, not to condemn, but, to save.
Number 2-He charges God with loving many, upon whom, His Wrath will always abide.

Now, Notice that, in John 3;14-16, there is nothing stated, to indicate that God loves every man,
or, that The Son came to redeem every man.

John 5;51 says, Christ gave His Flesh, for the life of the World. But The Bible, no where says, He gave His flesh, for every man.

Christ is The Propitiation for the sins of the whole world, but not, for every man-
I John 2;2-''And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world.''

Romans 3;25-[Turn].
According to this verse, Jesus Christ is not a propitiation for those, who have no faith.

Those who emphasize ''free will'' can only plead one word in John 3;16-''World''--But, the word.
''WORLD'' has many uses in the Bible.
Colossians 1;5-6-''For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of truth of the gospel; 6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and know the grace of God in truth;''
Now, the question is, Does The Gospel bring forth fruit in unbelievers/

Luke 2;1
-''And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Ceasar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.''

Revelation 13;3-''And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed; and all the world wondered after the beast.''

Revelation 12;9-''And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.''

I John 5;19-[Turn].

Thus, the world ''world'' [kosmos] in the KJV 1611, is used of;
1. THE UNIVERSE-
Acts 17;24-''God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.''

2. THE EARTH-
John 13;1-''Now before the feast of passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.''

3. HUMANITY MINUS BELIEVERS-
JOHN 15;8-[TURN].
Romans 3;6-''God forbid; for then how shall God judge the world/''

2 Peter 2;5-''And spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.''

4. GENTILES IN CONTRAST TO JEWS-
Romans 11;12-[Turn].

5. BELIEVERS ONLY-
John 6;33-''For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.''

John 12;47-''And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not; For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.''

2 Corinthians 5;19-''To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.''

The ''world'' in Luke 2;1 refers to The Roman World.

''The Whole World'' in Romans 1;8 refers to The Saints.

In Revelation 13;1-''. . .the wotld wondereth after the beast''-BUT SOME, DIDN'T RECEIVE HIS MARK;SO THEY DIDN'T WONDER AFTER HIM--

THE ELECT CANNOT BE DECEIVED-
Revelation 12;9-[Turn].
thus, the statement that, 'The whole world lieth in wickedness [I John 5;19], DOESN'T REFER TO THE SAVED, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT BELONG TO THE WORLD-THEY'RE IN IT, BUT NOT OF IT-
John 17;14-''I have given them thy word; and the world hath hateth them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.''

Now, the word, ''WHOSOEVER'' in John 3;16, refers to the world-wide application of God's Purpose.
Thus, Salvation is not confined to one particular nation, or rank.
The word ''WHOSOEVER'' refers to both Gentiles and Jews.

Now I believe in whosoever will-but the question is;
''Who can will/''
You see, The Will, that is to determine, is the same will, that must be determined, by Grace.

The disease is in the will.
How can a diseased will provide the cure, for a depraved soul/

The Great Truth announced Here, to The Religious Jew is;
that The Gentile, is included in God's love, and that, The Jews are not the exclusive object of His Affections.
The World in John 3;16-17 is that of ''ELECT JEWS AND ELECT GENTILES''-for Whose Salvation Christ came, into The World.

Now, LISTEN-If Jesus Christ procured through His Death, a possibility of salvation, He only removed the insuperable obstruction, that man might become his own Saviour.
And that would exalt Man's Goodness and Power, but not, The Merit and Grace of God.

Did Christ only make Salvation possible, by His Death, and man may make his damnation certain, by his unbelief/

If The Lord failed in His Purpose, then, why was He exalted, to give Repentance and Remission of Sins/
Acts 5;31-''Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.''

What sense can there be in interpreting the word, ''world,'' to mean every individual, when God purposes that only believers shall benefit from His love/
This verse begins in Eternity with God, and ends in Eternity with man.

MEANS ARE USED IN CONVERSION-Part 2

Last time we closed by saying, in order for man's attention to be fixed upon The Gospel, there has to be a work of grace, in his heart, and this is the work of Regeneration.

As the brightness of the noon day Sun, has no effect on the eyes of the blind man, as a candle does,so it is, with The Truth of The Gospel, on A UN-REGENERATED HEART.

No matter What the inherent power of The Gospel is, it will have no spiritual effect, until the mind, to which, it is presented, is in a fit state, to receive it-I Corinthians 2;14-[Turn].

John 8;43-47-''Why do ye not understand my speech/ even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin/ And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me/47 He that is of God heareth God's words, ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.''

Is not, The Bible, Quick and Powerful/ Yes, but The Bible also says, Christ gave His Apostles, power to work miracles, but the power was not, in the apostles-
Acts 3;12-''And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this/ or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk/''

Acts 10;25-26-''And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, band fell down at his feet,
and worshipped him. 26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.''

Now, get this truth; Without the objective truth Re Christ's Work, every regenerated soul would remain in darkness, as an unborn infant, in relation to The Outside World.

The Bible distinguishes between the influence of The Holy Spirit from that of The Word of The Gospel.
The Bible declares that such an influence is necessary, to properly receive the truth-
John 6;64-65-''Then Jesus said unto them that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Acts 16;14-[Quote].
I Corinthians 2;12-15-[Turn].
Ephesians 1;17-20-[Turn].

Going back to Acts 16, we see that, Lydia's heart, was opened by the Lord.
There is no more disposition in unregenerate man, to receive The Gospel, than there is in
Darkness, to receive light, or, in the dead, to receive life, or, in the deaf, to hear.

The unregenerate man is responsible, to embrace The Gospel, but he has no active power, to receive it, nor does he have a disposition toward it, until a work of grace is done in his heart.

The Word of The Gospel is to effect conversion, and practical sanctification-NOT REGENERATION.

In Matthew 13;1-9, only the prepared soil [type of Regeneration, Quickening, Awakening],
understands and brings forth fruit.
END

MEANS ARE USED IN CONVERSION-Part 1

MEANS ARE USED IN CONVERSION
JOHN 3;14-21

Preachers are used as instruments in converting people, but not, in regenerating them.

In 3 New Testament passages, where we read of converting of someone to God, the subject of the verb is not God, but a preacher-

Luke 1;16-''And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.''

Acts 26;17-18-''Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee. 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.''

James 5;19-20-''Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.''

The Conversion of men, is to be the objective of ministers and churches, but we can't be the instruments of conversion in people, where there has been no work of God in Regeneration.
Therefore, our 1st plea is for the power of God in Regeneration, and then, for men to repent and to believe-

To be Reconciled To God-
2 Corinthians 5;19-20-''To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.''

To Receive Reconciliation-
Romans 5;10-11-''For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.''

Now, I want, to emphasize the fact, that external preaching of The Word alone, doesn't effect
Conversion, that is of God.

The Conviction, that is of God, is the fruit of Regeneration-
John 16;8-11-''
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 0f righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, ause the prince of this world is judged.''

Now, pretended believers may have their natural faculties illuminated to the extent, that, The
Seed of The Word brings some visible growth, but they are rocky and thorny-grounded hearers [Matthew 13].

Any conviction that comes from the mere preaching of truth, is no more than a moral suasion.

Apart from the work of God the Holy Spirit, in the heart, there will be no lasting effect of external preaching.

The Internal Spirit of Life is required, to apply the external Word.
The Regenerated Person realizes, by The Indwelling Spirit, that this Word comes directly to him,
from God.
It affects and condemns his very being;
thus it causes him to penetrate into, the hidden essence of the Word, and feel the sharp sting which affects Divine Conviction.

Divine Conviction is related to, and is inseparable from Regeneration.
It is produced by The Gospel.

Now, It is not a question of whether God works Regeneration by a creative word, or, a command.
For, He does.
Genesis 1;3-''And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.''
Galatians 1;3-[Turn].
Ezekiel 16;6-''And when I passed by thee, and saw the polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.''

Regeneration takes place, immediately, in the subconsciousness, while the truth of the gospel, addresses itself to, man's consciousness.

You see, The Truth of The Gospel can exercise its persuasive influence, only when man's attention is fixed upon it.
And in order, for man's attention, to be fixed upon The Gospel, there has to be first, a work of grace, in his heart.
And This is The Work of Regeneration. [ we will continue in our next post]

THE HOLY SPIRIT CALLS TO CONVERSION-Part 2

When an individual is converted, Regeneration and Conversion seem to coincide;
they do, in his consciousness, but, they are distinct.
They differ in this respect;
Regeneration is wrought in One, without his cooperation;
Calling includes his cooperation.

In Calling, The Will and Understanding begin to act, so that, we hear with both the outward and inward ear;
and with the inclined will, we are willing to go out, to the light.

As there is Time between implanting the seed, in the womb, and bringing forth a child in birth,
so it is, in The Spiritual Realm, with this important difference--no one knows WHEN The Work of
Regeneration takes place.
With John Baptist, it was, BEFORE HIS PHYSICAL BIRTH. He was still in his mother's womb-
Luke 1;41-45-''And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost; And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me/ For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.''

Jeremiah 1;5-''Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.''

Galatians 1;15-16-[Turn].

God's Calling doesn't have its starting point, in the preacher. He that calls, is God, not the minister.
The Calling is Heavenly-Hebrews 3;1-''Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;''
The Calling is Holy-2 Timothy 1;9-[Turn].
The Calling is High-To Christ, our Lord-Philippians 3;14-[Turn].
The Calling is according to God's Purpose-Romans 8;28-[Quote].
Although The Call doesn't begin with The Preacher, it includes him.

The Call of The Regenerate is two-fold;
1. From Without, by the preaching of the Word-
2. From Within, by exhortation, and Holy Spirit Conviction.

Hence, The Call, by The Holy Spirit, is two-fold;
Number 1-He uses The Word, which is inspired, prepared and committed to writing, and is preserved, and proclaimed by The Spirit-Called Minister.
Number 2-He illuminates The Understanding, to recognize and respond to The Call.

Understanding results in Divine Conviction.
His Calling is without Repentance-Romans 11;29-''For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.''

There is a bridge, which can be crossed, but once;and, once it is crossed, there is no going back.
It is unchangeable, irreversible, and irrevocable.

The Appeal is to The Faithfulness of God. Calling without Repentance does not refer to man, but to God.

Now, Get this truth; God does not change His Purpose. Calling has its foundation in Election, and its end, in Glorification.

It is from God's Purpose, to His Eternal Glory.
Re; God's Purpose-Romans 8;28-[Quote].
Re; His Eternal Glory-I Peter 5;10-''But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.''

Believers are exhorted to make their calling sure--2 Peter 1;10-[Turn]. Through making our election sure-sure to ourselves.

Now, observe the order; [1] Calling, then [2] Election. Only through Calling, can we make
Election sure.

Calling is an evidence, or result, of Election.
Calling is confirmed by a holy life.
You see, there is no firmness in hypocrites.

The Effectual Call is Personal, not General. For example; Zacchaeus made haste, and came down, when he was called by name-
Luke 19;1-5-''And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him; for he was to pass that way. 5 And when
Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.''
God's Grace and Call humbles One.

Christ said, ''I must''. There is no standing against it.
Notice Christ invited Himself;
Zacchaeus didn't invite Him-Luke 19;5].

Next, We find that our Lord, not only invited Himself, but, He said, ''I must abide at thy house.''
And When our Lord says, ''must,'' it must be.
This Call was effectual, because Zacchaeus embraced Christ, and produced good works.

I THESSA. 2;13-[TURN].

Now, get this truth; The Sheep of Christ hear His voice, and follow Him-
John 10;27-28-''My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.''
Although we often complain that, it is hard to get people, to listen to The Gospel, let's never forget, that Christ said, ''My sheep hear my voice''.

The Effectual Call gives God, His Rightful Place, as the prime mover, in the work of Grace.
Calling is entirely, on The Divine Side-
Romans 8;30-''Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified.''

The effect of God's Call is that Jesus Christ becomes a personal Reality to everyone, who is called.

And the most wonderful preaching in the world, cannot produce that.

Now, there is only one test, which shows if we are right, or wrong. It is our attitude towards
Christ.

God's Call brings about something, in the regenerated soul, that MUST WORK ITS WAY OUT.
No natural hindrance can stand in its way.

God's Call separates a person from all man-made schemes, for putting things right.
Hence, the person, who has been effectually called of God, can't deny that Jesus Christ is in him.

Saints have been called of Jesus Christ-Romans 1;6-''Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus
Christ;''
This denotes privilege.

They are called Saints-Romans 1;7a-''To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints;''
This speaks of practice.

They are called according to God's eternal purpose, God's plan-Romans 8;28-[Quote].

They are called =children of the living God, referring to their perpetuity-
Romans 9;26-[turn].
END

THE HOLY SPIRIT CALLS TO CONVERSION-PART 1

Calling is the gracious work of The Holy Spirit, whereby He causes The Regenerated Man to embrace The Lord Jesus Christ, as He is offered, in The Gospel--

2 Thessalonians 2;14-''For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus; for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews;''
The Gracious Work of the Spirit, in Regeneration, causes the individual, to respond to The Call.

The Holy Spirit operates on man's will, not forcibly bending it, but making it pliant and tender, from within.

Calling addresses itself, to Man's consciousness.
Regeneration works from within; Calling works from without.
Calling is The Divine Summons; which appeals to the Principle of life; that causes the will, and the understanding, to begin, to act.

Now get this; Regeneration and Calling differ in this respect;
Regeneration occurs independently of understanding, while in Calling, understanding and will begin to act.

Regeneration enables one, to hear and understand;
thus, with the inclined will, he is willing to go out, to the light.

Regeneration is the begetting of new life.
Calling is the bringing forth, of that life, by Divine summons, into the light of The Gospel.

Now, observe the order in; 2 Timothy 1;9-10; 2 Thessalonians 2;13-14-[Turn].

Effectual Calling presupposes life;
thus, regeneration precedes calling.

NOW LISTEN, The Call of the Regenerate is something more than The General Call, going forth by the preaching of the Gospel.
While the preaching of The Gospel is General, to all nations, the content of the preaching is
Particular.

The Bible teaches that men are brought to believe on Jesus Christ, but, it is God, not man, Who sends the messengers, and determines the recipients.
Now, when The Gospel is proclaimed to any audience, that audience, from one point of view, is undifferentiated in this respect-all the members are alike, in their depravity.
There is no spiritual receptivity.

But, from another viewpoint, those, who hear The Word, are indeed, differentiated, for, it is God, Who gives the hearing ear--Proverbs 20;12-''The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.''

There are many called, that is, by the external preaching of The Gospel, but, few chosen.
And, the few chosen, are effectually called.
Matthew 22;14-''For many are called, but few are chosen.''
Now, in this verse, we have 2 views;
The Undifferentiated in the first part of the text, and The Differentiated, in the latter part.

In Regeneration, the sinner is dead to spiritual life.
He is like a corpse, but his first passivity, and his subsequent co-operation, in the effectual call, must not be confounded.

The Elect, but unregenerate sinner, can do nothing;
And that which is wrought in him, must be by God.
Now this is, the 1st work of grace;
but after that is accomplished, the sinner is no longer passive.

But, then, he is made active, in spiritual things, by the power of The New Life.

Now, THIS DOES NOT MEAN, However, that The Elect, and The Regenerated Sinner is able to do anything without God.

Now, get this truth; ALL SPIRITUAL GOOD FROM REGENERATION TO GLORIFICATION, IS OF GRACE.
You see, he that is called, must be able to come;
and he is made able, by Regeneration.

Again, Get this truth; The Divine Summons is not merely calling a person, telling him, or her, something, but it implies the command to come.
There's something determinate, about the effectual call-Romans 8;28-[Quote].

A Summons, issued by The Court, does not of itself, empower us, to appear in Court.
But our appearance depends upon our strength and will.

It might become necessary, for an officer of the court to apprehend and compel us to appear, because we lack the will to appear.

But the elect sinner, has already been apprehended by Regeneration, BEFORE THE CALL COMES TO HIM-Matthew 22;1-14 -Turn].
Luke 14;15-24-[Turn].
Philippians 3;12-13-Turn].

God's peopled are made willing, in the day of His Power-Psalm 110;3.

The Effectual Call is from darkness to light-I Peter 2;9-[turn].

[We will continue this in our next post

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE AGENT IN CONVERSION-Part 2

John 3;14-21

Last time we saw, that The Lord said, that His departure was for their advantage.

Now, Get this truth; WE SHOULDN'T BE HASTY AT ACCEPTING THINGS AT FIRST
SIGHT.
Expediency implies suitability of action to circumstances, and of means, to accomplish an end, that end being what seemed meet unto Christ.

Man recognizes the meaning of the Word, and thinks, he acts upon it;
but, being evil, he often forgets moral principles.
He is so ignorant, that he chooses wrong means.

But, there are no mistakes with God. You see, absolute righteousness is in Him; He does right, with right motives, in the right way, and at the right time.
He sees The End from The Beginning.

Christ sent Another Comforter, for the disciples' advantage. The Subjective Spirit gives a clear understanding, of The Objective Christ.
As it was with them, so it is, with us Today.

Now, I ask you, Is Holy Spirit conviction, to be interpreted, as referring both to The Elect, and The Reprobate/

If we view, John 16;8-11, as belonging to The Elect, in the work of their conversion, not regeneration, the words contain the method of bringing about this work. The Holy Spirit is said, to accomplish three things;
[1] He convinces of Sin. [The Sin Nature, and its actions].
How does the Spirit do this/ By revealing to those, who possess the Spirit, their total depravity.

The Holy Spirit is the immediate cause, of this conviction. Without His influenced, we may hear
The Law Preached, all our lives, and not once, be affected by It.
Romans 7;9-11--''For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.''

The Holy Spirit causes God's Word, to come to the regenerated person, and The Word effectively enters the very center and heart, of his life.

The One, who hears that call of The Gospel, is often heard to say, ''That was preached directly, at me''. Instead of becoming angry, he feels deep shame and remorse.

Now, Get this truth; Only The Spirit of Regeneration can convince. Conscience can't. Public opinion can't, and The Mosaic Law can never bring Divine Conviction.
But The Spirit's Application of The Word can.

[2] The Holy Spirit convinces of righteousness, I.E. Christ's Righteousness. His Righteousness includes both that of His Person, and His Work.

Now, notice, The Order of The Spirit's Work. There must be a righteousness, since we are accountable, to A Righteous God.

No unclean thing can ever come into Heaven; thus, we must be made righteous, in The
Righteousness of Christ.
This Righteousness is revealed, to the regenerated person, by the indwelling Spirit.

Now, Get this truth; NO ONE WILL EVER DESIRE RIGHTEOUSNESS, UNTIL HE IS
CONVINCED OF SIN.
One may acknowledge some fruit of sin, while being ignorant of sin's root. The unregenerate have a false view of righteousness.

But, The One, Who has been regenerated, embraces The Biblical view of Righteousness, imputed in Justification, and imparted in Sanctification.

[3] The Spirit convinces of Judgment. He convicts of judgment in Religion, with the object, or, with things employed.

All judgment is committed to Jesus Christ.
The Prince of this world has been judged-John 12;31-33-[Turned].

Sin is conquered, and shall pass away.

God's Judgment is Righteous--Rom. 2;3-[Turn].

But don't forget, that Conviction is the fruit of Regeneration.

--END--

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE AGENT IN CONVERSION-Part 1

JOHN 3;14-21

To start with, Today, I want you to get this Truth;
There is a difference, in the working of external providence upon the non-elect, and the internal working of The Spirit, in The Elect, Who have been Regenerated.

Lost men and women may know The Way of Righteousness--
2 Peter 2;21-''For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.''

Lost men and women may rejoice, in the light of God's Word, for a season--
Luke 8;13-''They on the rock are they which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.''

Lost men and women may make great sacrifices--
I Corinthians 13;3-''And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.''

Lost men and women may perform great works--
Matthew 7;21-23-''Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name/ and in thy name have cast out devils/ and in thy name done many wonderful works/ 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.''
Thus, We see, that many deeds may be performed, and many things may be wrought, in the mind, by the Dispensation of The Gospel, apart from Regeneration.

Now, Get this truth; There is a two-fold darkness-objective and subjective.
Darkness is a metaphorical expression, denoting the natural state, of every man.

Objective Darkness consists of the want of those means, whereby men may be enlightened, in the knowledge of God-
Psalm 19;7-11-''The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold,yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned; and in keeping of them there is great reward.''
Psalm 119;10-[Turn].
2 Peter 1;19-[Turn].
Now, The Holy Spirit alone, can dispel the darkness of depravity-Acts 6;6-13-[Turn].

Subjective Darkness is that, of The Unregenerate-John 1;5-[Turn]. Whatever light man might have by nature, or may gather from Creation, will not enable them, to comprehend the light of
God, shining in the face of Jesus Christ--2 Corinthians 4;4-6--[Turn].

This Subjective Darkness can be dispersed only, by the work of the Holy Spirit, in Regeneration.

The Regenerated Person is called out of darkness, into light-[Ephesians 5;8]. This light is not produced by a fire, of man's own kindling. Men may sit in the light of The Gospel, and yet not know their own true condition.

In calling men to the saving knowledge of God, and faith in Christ Jesus, The
Holy Spirit convinces them of sin, righteousness, and judgment [John 16;11].
The Holy Spirit is the great convincer. . .
John 16;7-''Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.''

Our Lord's purpose, on the eve of His departure was to encourage the disciples.
They were saddened by Christ's announcement that He was going back to His
Father.

During Christ's absence, the disciples were to be engaged in a difficult ministry.
They would be hated, opposed, and persecuted.
The Lord assured them, that the Holy Spirit would comfort, strengthen, and draw
the elect to God.

How could human sight perceive that, it would be expedient, for the Lord Jesus, to depart from His disciples' presence/
We are short-sighted, and judge by whatever is within the range of our vision.

The Lord said that His departure was for their advantage.

Conversion is The Result of Regeneration-Part 2

Last time we ended the post by saying that, Repentance gives to the mind, a just sense of one's sins, and also, an appreciation, of The Redemption and Grace in The Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, what are the evidences of repentance unto life/
Now, we aren't forgiven upon repentance, because it, in any way compensates, takes away, or diminishes the desert of punishment;
but, because of the respect, that repentance has to compensation, already made.

Now, get this truth; ALL SIN IS AGAINST GOD.
It is infinitely heinous because it is against The Infinite God.

Sin, therefore, has infinite demerit, and stirs up, within the infinite Saviour, an infinite indignation for sin.
There can be no repentance answerable, to the heinous demerit of sin, and there can be no infinite sorrow for infinite sin, by the finite sinner.

God does not forgive the sinner on the grounds of his finite sorrow, but on the basis, of the infinite punishment of man's infinite sin in The Death of The Infinite Saviour, and the repentant sinner's respect, for that infinite sacrifice.

The soul of the repentant man is careful, to discriminate between good and evil, light and darkness.
His soul struggles against every unholy propensity, every sinful habit.
He exercises himself, to have a conscience, void of offense toward both God and Man.

This is no temporary change in his life.
His whole course of life, is one of repentance, and will not be completed, until he is made perfect, in Glory.
The Will to Repent, is subject, to God's turning of one.
God's turning of one, is not subject to the sinner's will to repent.

Now, I want to clearly state that, Conversion is as natural, to The Regenerated Person, as motion is to a living Body.
A Principle of Activity will produce Action.
Therefore, the principle of grace, wrought in the heart, in Regeneration, produces a condition of life, that reflects his position in Christ.

Holy Ghost Conviction is part of a conversion experience, which is, the fruit, of the work of
Regeneration.
Without Holy Spirit Conviction, the sinner cannot see, that his sin, is against God.

Damnation may scare him, but pollution does not.
Hell may scare him, but offending God does not.

Now, get this truth; WHATEVER ARISES FROM SELF, ALWAYS AIMS AT, AND ENDS IN SELF.

Now that, all sinners are not completely insensitive to God's Word, may be seen in these examples, from the Bible;
[1] 2 Peter 2;20-22-[Turn].

[2] The soil of Matthew 13 produces stalks, but no fruit-

[3] Acts 26;27-38-''King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets/ I know that thou believest. Then
Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.''

[4] Ezekiel 33;30-33-[Turn].

[5] Natural security of the lost man-Luke 11;21-''When a strong man armed jkeepeth his palace, his goods are in peace;''
--END--

CONVERSION IS THE RESULT OF REGENERATION-Part 1

John 3;1-21

The Act of God in Regeneration is followed by The Act of Man, in Conversion.

The Bible teaches Regeneration, but it doesn't teach Re-regeneration.
JOHN 13;9-10-''Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit; and ye are clean, but not all.''
God's Act in Regeneration initiates action in man, which is conversion.

Now, Conversion is a spiritual Act; but there can never be a spiritual act apart from spiritual life; wrought in the sinner's heart, in Regeneration.

Conversion takes place, not in the Subconscious, but in the conscious life of man.
This doesn't mean, that it is not rooted, in the subconscious life, but it brings out, the close connection between Regeneration and Conversion.

You see, Conversion marks the conscious beginning, not only, the putting away of The Old Man,
But, also, The Putting on, of The New Man.
The converted man consciously forsakes the old life, and turns to the new life of communion with God, through Jesus Christ.

The two words, Regeneration and Conversion, are used synonymously by some;
yet, in most cases, they refer to different, but closely related matters.
Logically, Conversion follows Regeneration.

Conversion, which is the activity of man, always results from a previous work of God in man.

Lamentations 5;21-''turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.''

Philippians 2;13-''For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.''

The fact, that man is active in conversion, is evident in The Bible--
Isaiah 55;7-''Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.''

Jeremiah 18;11-''Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you; return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.''

Ezekiel 18;23, 32-23-''Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die/ saith the Lord God;
and not that he should return from his ways, and live/
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.''

Acts 2;39-''For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.''

Acts 17;30-[Turn].

Now, to show that, man isn't passive in conversion--
Jeremiah 31;18-21-''I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me,and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke; turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. 19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. 20 Is Ephraim my dear son/ is he a pleasant child/ for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still; therefore my bowels are troubled for him;
I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD. 21 Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps; set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest; turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.''

According to this passage, Grace must first enter into a man's heart, before it can be discovered in his life, in conversion.
The God of All Grace, first of all, draws us, or, we would never move towards Him.

Now, get this truth; QUICKENING GRACE OPENS THE HEART TO GODLY SORROW, AND
THIS ALWAYS ISSUES IN EVANGELICAL REPENTANCE.

Repentance is an abiding principle, or characteristic, of the New Heart.
By nature, the heart is hard and impenitent.
It has a natural fitness to sin, and is without shame, or sorrow.

The Heart is by Grace, Penitent, broken, and contrite.
It has a fitness to repent, an attitude to mourn over sin and sins.
Now, this is a permanent principle, or source, of sorrow for sin, and turning from it, to holiness.

Repentance is God's Gift--
Acts 5;31-[Turn].
Acts 11;18-''When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.''

Man is without power to repent-Jeremiah 31;18-19-[Turn].
The Truly Saved do not spring in one leap, from the rebelliousness of a sinner, to the rejoicing of The Saint.
Instruction and Application follow the turning of a repentant sinner.
The effect of instruction made Ephraim say, ''I was ashamed'' [Verse 19].

Repentance gives to the mind, a just sense of one's sins, and also, an appreciation of the Redemption and Grace in Christ Jesus.

CONVERSION IS DESCRIBED-JOHN 3;14-21

The transition from Regeneration to Conversion, is by a special operation of The Holy Spirit.
Now, Get this truth; Conversion may be a marked crisis in one''s life, or, it may be in the form of a gradual process.

In The Old Testament, 2 words are used for conversion.
The 1st word serves to express a deep feeling of sorrow, or, of relief.
It is used, not only of men, but of God-

Genesis 6;6-7-''And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.''

Exodus 32;14-''And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.''

Judges 2;18-''And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.''

The 2ND Word, which means, to turn, to turn about and return, is commonly used for conversion, in The Old Testament.
This word is most prominent in The Prophets, in referring to Israel's Return to The Lord.

In The New Testament, 3 words come into consideration, in the study of Conversion.
The One, most commonly used, refers to man's conscious life, when his mind is changed.
The change, indicated by this word refers to;
Number 1-The Intellectual Life-2 Timothy 2;25-[Turn]. This is identical with the action of faith.

Number 2-The conscious volitional life, a turning from self to God-
Acts 8;22-''But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jaews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the very Christ.''

Number 3-The Emotional Life-
2 Corinthians 7;10-''For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death.''
This Change is accompanied by godly sorrow, and opens new fields of enjoyment, for the repenting sinner.

Now, get this truth; to be converted is not merely to pass from one conscious direction to another, but, to do so, with a clearly perceived aversion, to the former direction.

Conversion, therefore, has both a negative and a positive side. It looks backward and forward.
The converted person becomes conscious of his ignorance and folly.

Titus 1;15-[Turn].

The 2nd word used in The New Testament indicates the final act of conversion-
Acts 3;19-23-''Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the LORD; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which was before preached unto you; Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.''

In Acts 3;19, the 1st and 2nd words I have mentioned, are used, side by side.
At times, the 1st word, carries the idea of Repentance only, while the 2nd, always includes the element of faith.

The 3rd word is used only, as a verb in The New Testament, and literally means to become distressed afterwards.
It is used only 5 times, in The New Testament, Matthew 1;29, 32; 2 Corinthians 7;10-[Turn].
Hebrews 7;21-''[For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of
Melchisedec;]''

You see, Repentance doesn't always mean true repentance.

Now, The Bible does not always speak of conversion, in the same sense.
The nation Israel repeatedly turner her back on God;
and after experiencing God's Displeasure, repented of her sin and returned, unto The Lord.
This is NATIONAL CONVERSION.

Another Biblical Example of it, is found in Jonah 3. There was an outward reformation of life, of the Ninevites, at the preaching of Jonah.

Also, There are what can be called, TEMPORARY CONVERSIONS. The Conversion of
Individuals, that represents, no change of heart, falls into this category.
It couldn't be said, that they turned to Jesus Christ.

People, who have been converted from one false Religion to Another, and not, to Jesus Christ, have only, a temporary conversion-
Matthew 13;20-21-''But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while; for when tribulation, or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.''

I Timothy 1;19-20-''Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck; Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.''

2 Timothy 2;17-18; I John 2;19-[Turn].

Hebrews 10;38-39-''Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition;but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.''

But, Thank God, there are those, who are truly converted to truth and Jesus Christ. . .
Examples;
1. Naaman-2 Kings 5;5-15
2. Zacchaeus-Luke 19;8-9.
3. The Samaritan Woman-John 4;28, 39.
4. Ethiopian Eunuch-Acts 8;30-39.
5. Saul of Tarsus-Acts 9;5.
6. Cornelius-Acts 10;44.
7. Lydia-Acts 16;13-14.

In The Bible, We have also many references of repeated conversions, which only manifest The
Restoration of God's People-
Luke 22;31-32-''And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou are converted, strengthen thy brethren.''

Revelation 2;5, 16, 21-22--[Turn].

Revelation 3;3, 19-[Turn].

Now get this truth; REGENERATION IS NEVER CALLED A BIRTH, BUT IT ISSUES IN MANY EXPERIENCES, CALLED CONVERSIONS.
Conversion is one part of the saving process, but, it is a vital part of an organic process.

There can never be be an act of conversion without a previous work of grace, by the Holy
Spirit in Regeneration.

Conversion doesn't alter man's position, but it alters man's condition before God.
END

INTRODUCTION [CONTINUED]

As we stated last time, one cannot study John 3;13-14 without studying the Brazen Serpent of Numbers 21..

The Brass Serpent typified Judgment. The Serpent and Brass together portray Sin Judged.
The fiery serpents, that swarmed Israel, were publicly exhibited by one, made of brass, which was sting-less and dead.

Now, When I look upon The Lord Jesus Christ, I see Him enduring sin, in all its fierceness and burning pangs.

But, I also see the ugly reptile of Sin, publicly exhibited, as helpless and dead.
Its power over me, is completely broken.

The Sting is removed from Death. The sting of Death is Sin-I Corinthians 15;54-57-[Turn].

Next, We see that, The Serpent of Brass was the only remedy provided. God's Plan was not that some should be saved one way, and some another.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and Men-I Timothy 2;5; Acts 4;12-
[Turn].

Next, We see The Serpent was made of Brass, an inferior metal. The Lord Jesus was a root out of dry ground-
Isaiah 53;2-''For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.''
Now, the phrase, ''A Root out of a dry ground,'' considered in connection with Isaiah 11;1, shows that, it sprung up out of the stump of Jesse-
Isaiah 11;1-'' And there shall come forth a root out of the stump of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots;''

Men are represented as turning away in disappointment, from this tender plant, springing out of such compromising surroundings.
This is why, some said, ''can there any good thing come out of Nazareth/'' [John 1;48].

Now, Get this truth; BOTH THE SERPENT AND THE CROSS, WERE PRESCRIBED BY GOD;
THEREFORE, THE CROSS IS THE DIVINELY APPOINTED MEANS OF OUR SALVATION.

The Israelites were bitten by a serpent, and by a serpent, they were to be healed.
Thus ''By man [Adam] came sin, and by man'' [Christ] salvation comes to God's people.''

Now, GET THIS TRUTH; THE LORD JESUS IS THE NEAREST RELATIVE ANY CHRISTIAN CAN HAVE.

He suffered ''SYMPATHETICALLY WITH'' men, in His Public Ministry, ''VICARIOUSLY FOR''
Men, in His Death, and ''SUBSTITUTIONALLY FOR'' Men, when He bore the wrath for God's
Elect.

The Lord Jesus must be lifted up;
Sin must be punished;
God's Righteousness must be upheld;
and all its demands met.
Jesus Christ Alone, could meet, and did meet, all these demands.

A Look at The Serpent, brought physical healing, soon to be interrupted by death.
From a look at Christ, exercised by faith, wrought in the heart at Regeneration, flows soul healing unto Salvation.

Now, The Serpent represented The Curse, which Sin entailed;
The Brass portrayed God's Judgment falling on The One, made a sin offering.

Now, if the Lord Jesus Christ had been a mere creature, He would have been consumed;
But, He was more than, a mere creature.
He is The Eternal Son of God;
and therefore, The Infinite Son was not consumed.

As The Redeemed Israelites were to look upon The Serpent of Brass for deliverance, so
Regenerated Sinners, by the power of The Holy Spirit, look upon and embrace Jesus Christ for
deliverance.

Through faith, the power to live, is realized;
through faith The Regenerated Person becomes conscious of Justification.
This faith is God's gift-Ephesians 2;8.

Notice, those who were converted, didn't look unto Moses, their wounds, or, the Tabernacle.
And, they didn't manufacture some cure of their own.
Neither did they minister unto others, in order to get relief.

They didn't even fight the serpents.
Thus, those converted to Christ, do not look at some preacher, their wounds, or to a denomination.
They don't even believe they can destroy sin;
but through faith, the gift of God, They embrace Christ, Who has won the victory for them.
Those converted to Christ, say, ''Greater is He that is in US, then he that is in the world.''

Now, the incidents recorded in Numbers 21 are great spiritual landmarks.
[1] Their Conversion resulted from looking at The Serpent of Brass-They had already been delivered by blood, and by power-Exodus 12;12-14-[Turn].

[2] They turned toward The Sunrising; in this we see Israel's Pilgrimage.

[3] The Conflicts, which were The Wars of Jehovah, Verse 14, reveal their warfare.

[4] The Song, which came from inward satisfaction [Verse 17], manifests the subjective experience of The Holy Spirit expressing Himself in testimony.

Believers must defend themselves, but not be the aggressors, when attacked-Numbers 21;33-35

Israel went forward, but, they were not yet in the land; Wells are found in the bleak wilderness.

They were healed, walked, and sang the Song of Praises with joy.
They met people with whom, they didn't wish to have war;
but their enemies didn't allow them, to pass peaceably.

Now, get this truth; OUR WARFARE IS WITH THOSE WHO OPPOSE OUR INHERITANCE BEYOND JORDAN.

[5] They experienced victory-[Verses 21-35].
It's a wonderful thing for God's people to possess all their possessions.
God intended us, to live in constant victory-over the world, the flesh, and the devil.
-End-

INTRODUUCTION

John 3;1-21 deals with 2 subjects;
Verses 1-13 deal with Regeneration;
Verses 14-21 deals with Conversion.

Now, to the untutored mind, conviction seems to be the same as Regeneration.
But, to the one, who studies The Bible, he will learn to distinguish the difference.

Regeneration is the sole act of God, in the heart of the sinner, and is described in The Bible, by such terms as;
1. The New Birth--
John 3;3, 5-[Turn].

2. God's Workmanship--
Ephesians 2;10-''For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.''

3. A New Creature--
2 Corinthians 5;17-18-''Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.''

Conversion, however, is the turning of the regenerated, or quickened, or awakened sinner to
Christ, by the influence of God's Grace.

Now, get this truth; TRUE CHRISTIANITY INVOLVES A CHANGE, THAT IS COMPARED TO
BIRTH.

When Nicodemus staggered at that teaching, Christ unveiled What makes The New Birth possible-The Incarnation.
He also spoke, of the end of The Incarnation-Christ's Death on The Cross.

In speaking of the subjective work of Christianity, Christ mentioned only The New Birth.

When speaking of the CAUSE of the subjective work, Christ refers to His objective work upon
The Cross.

Thus, The Regenerated Person does not rest upon anything ''WITHIN'' himself.
He is led by The Indwelling Spirit to look ''outside'' of himself to embrace The Objective Christ in
Conversion.

The New Birth is given by The Sovereign Spirit, applying the merits of Christ's Death.

Knowledge of Salvation is obtained by faith, in the sacrifice of The Lord Jesus Christ.
We must learn to rest upon the risen and glorified Christ.
He is the object of our love and adoration.

I. CONVERSION IS HISTORICALLY ILLUSTRATED
John 3;14-[Turn].

Throughout His earthly ministry, our Lord used many illustrations. In John 3, He borrowed one from human life birth;
One from Nature-The Word;
And One from The Old Testament-The Serpent of Brass.

The illustration of the Serpent of Brass is taken from Numbers 21.
When studying John 3;14-15, one must not ignore Numbers 21.
One should never make the mistake of isolating a few verses from the context of Numbers 21.

Now, Get this truth; OUR LORD JESUS DID NOT, IN HIS DISCOURSE WITH NICODEMUS,
USE A CONVERSION EXPERIENCE, IN THE LIVES OF REDEEMED PEOPLE, AND APPLY IT, AS A MEANS OF REGENERATION.

Israel's Sin is recorded for the admonition of God's people, for all ages-
I Corinthians 10;11-''Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.''

Now, types, or institutions are intended to deepen, expand, and ennoble the circle of thoughts and desires, of God's People.
Thus, Paul appealed to the experiences of The Fathers.

Israel complained about being brought out of Egypt, to die in The Wilderness.
She also complained about The Bread and Water, the two means of her sustenance.

This sin of Israel caused God to send fiery serpents among the people.
They bit the people, and many died.

The bite of The Serpent is the Divine Conviction of what the flesh truly is, in the source of his being.
Thus, God brought Israel to the place, where she would judge the very root of the mischief.

Now, Why did God send fiery serpents/ The Serpent would call to mind What took place in
The Garden of Eden.
There, we have the record of The Fall of Man.

The serpent first stung Mankind with the fruit of the tree, and it is, by the fruit of another tree, that man is converted-I Peter 2;4-[Turn].

All of Adam's progeny have been so inflicted with the serpent's venom, as to be called, ''A Generation of Vipers''-
Matthew 3;7-8-''But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee the wrath to come/ Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance;''

Please notice, in Numbers 21, God did not remove the serpents, but He did give the remedy for their sting.
Romans 8;3 is the fulfillment of this-''For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh;''
Sin is not abolished; but it is condemned.

That which brought Death upon Mankind, wrought Death in mankind--
Romans 5;12-''Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned;''

The venom of the serpent terminates in Death, in spite of Man, or the help of Man.

Now, We all sinned in Adam, and Adam continues to sin in us.

The Brazen Serpent foreshadowed The Lifted-up Christ on The Cross.
The Serpent was an emblem and reminder of the curse.
On The Cross, The Lord Jesus was made a curse for His people-
Galatians 3;13-''Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree;''
The Atonement is the ONLY Healing Balm. Penances, Moralities, and all other substitutes are vain.

Now, The Atonement is as descriptive of sin, as it is, of salvation.
The Awesomeness of Sin was exhibited at The Cross.

The Brazen Serpent actually resembled the fiery serpent in appearance, as Christ was made in the likeness of sinful flesh [Romans 8;3].

Now, as The Brazen Serpent was without venom, so Christ was without sin. The Bible clearly sets forth, the great truth of our Lord's Impeccability.

We'll continue this in our next post