WHOSOEVER WILL CONFERENCE - 29TH -30TH
JANUARY 2021 – RUIRU CBC CHURCH, NAIROBI, KENYA
VENUE:
RUIRU CBC CHURCH
TOPIC:
FAITH AND REGENERATION
By Ezekiel
Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
Good
Morning Delegates!
First, I
wish to thank the organizers of this conference for inviting me to be one of
the presenters at this conference. I wish to particularly thank Pastor Charles
Irungu, Bros Lusui Masinde and Sherman Ouko who engaged me online and chose to
invite me even before we had met. Pastor Charles and Bro Lusui came to visit me
at my office on Tuesday and we had a great fellowship moment as we got to know
one another and shared our ministry experiences.
This
presentation is based on my Christian convictions arising from my study of
Scripture on devotional and theological basis. Even though this is an
inescapable outcome of the paper, it is not intended to be a formal critique
against TULIP Calvinism or any other deterministic soteriological systematic. I
am aware that most of the delegates in this conference are predominantly young
people who are eager to learn about what the Bible teaches in the context of
the questions assigned to me in this conference. I will as a much as possible
attempt to simplify my explanations through a careful choice of simple language
devoid of theological jargon or technical language. This is however not an easy
route given that the kind of conversation contemplated by the topic is as much
theological as it is Biblical. I seek the indulgence of those who may find some
of the language rather theological. I am informed that there will be a Q & A
session at the close of the presentations and this will be a welcome opportunity for deeper interaction.
Allow me now to turn to the two questions that are the subject of my presentation.
PART ONE
A – DID
MAN’S FALLEN NATURE IMPLY TOTAL INABILITY TO BELIEVE?
I used to be a mild Calvinist
back in my youth and right into my adult life. I innocently affirmed the Calvinistic
doctrines of grace and the TULIP but I had no idea what they truly entailed.
About a decade ago, I joined seminary and later got into an online Christian
website group where discussions on various doctrines were the order of the day.
When I was just about to graduate from my first seminary program at ILU where I
majored in Biblical and Theological studies, I took a keen interest in
Christian apologetics and Christian doctrine and I found myself robustly
engaging in online debates. It soon dawned on me that some of the doctrines
that I held close to my heart were inconsistent with the teaching of the Bible.
I began to examine the Calvinism doctrines with renewed interest even as I compared
them with the teaching of the Bible. I finally arrived at the conclusion that
even though Calvinists are passionate in advancing the truths of the Gospel,
the philosophical and theological foundation of their TULIP doctrines did not
appear to be consistent with the authority and revelation of Scripture. This
conclusion is what I seek to articulate in this paper as I examine one of the
foundational doctrines of Calvinism – the T of the TULIP.
Now, please permit me for the
sake of time to return to the question that informs my submission in this
conference.
Does man’s
fallen nature imply total inability to believe?
Put differently, this question
can be rephrased as follows: Does man’s fallenness in Adam imply that the
sinner is totally unable to believe the gospel when it is presented to him in
truth? Does the fall necessitate that God must first enable the sinner to
believe before the sinner can exercise faith in Christ? Does the Bible teach
that regeneration or rebirth of a believer precede faith? Is faith a necessary
tool for accessing God’s grace? Does God conduct a spiritual surgery on the
chosen sinner in order to awaken him from his sinful depravity? Is the sinner
so dead in sin that he is totally unable to hear the voice of God in the
gospel?
The Calvinist will readily respond
to all the above questions in the affirmative. He will quickly take the reader
through a number of Scripture texts that, in my view, have been carefully
selected in response to valid objections from readers who engage the doctrines taught
under Calvinism.
In answering these questions,
one critical step should be done. We need to examine the question in the light
of the teaching of Scripture. The Bible is the final arbiter on all matters and
questions touching on Christian doctrine and practice. The Bereans were famed
for turning to the word of God in an effort to affirm if Paul and his
missionary associates were teaching sound doctrine. This is a practice that
should be regularly embraced by every Bible believing Christian.
THE IMPACT OF THE FALL IN ADAM
Genesis 1-3 provides the
foundational evidence of the creation, Fall and judgment of Adam. It reveals to
us that man was created sinless and innocent but with the capacity to choose
obedience or disobedience. He had a free will. God’s warning in Genesis 2:16-17
is evidence that Adam was granted this liberty by God. He was not under robotic
control or manipulation by God, as some appear to teach. My view is that Adam,
like us, had a conscience, emotion and free will. Adam therefore exercised his God given free will
in his disobedience. He ate of the forbidden fruit despite God’s express warning
to him on the consequences of his disobedience. This is the reason that sin came to the world.
Diane Kelsey McColley in her paper titled “Free Will and Obedience in the
Separation Scene of Paradise Lost” opines in respect of Adam that he was “seduced
from obedience without least impulse or shadow of fate”. He adds that God “made
him (Adam) just and right, sufficient to have stood though free to fall” I
agree with this view.
CONDITION OF THE SINNER: AN
ANALYSIS OF EPHESIANS 2:1-10
In Genesis 3, the Bible
reveals that Adam was condemned for his disobedience and this resulted in his
expulsion from the Garden of Eden. His condemnation resulted in physical and
spiritual separation from God. Even though Adam and his offspring continued to
worship God (cf. Genesis 4:1-5). The fall could not be reversed through the
blood of animals. The spiritual condition of the sinner is described in greater
detail in the New Testament where the atonement of Christ is revealed. The
impact of Adam’s fall is the subject of theological and philosophical debates.
So what happened to man when
he fell?
Non-Calvinistic theologians say
that the fall only served to isolate the sinner from a righteous and holy God
and that it did not impair his moral consciousness. Accordingly, therefore,
their view is that the sinner is able to hear and discern the gospel when
proclaimed in truth.
Calvinists on the other hand
say that the fall resulted in the total or utter depravity of the sinner and
hence the sinner’s inability to hear the voice of God. In order to circumvent
this shortcoming, Calvinism teaches that God must of essence first regenerate
the sinner and give him new life in order for him to hear and believe the
gospel. This is further embedded in another presupposition that states that God
must have chosen the sinner in advance for eternal life. Calvinists insist that
Adam’s fall was irretrievably resounding on his offspring such that nothing
short of God’s action of spiritual regeneration could restore the sinner. Charles
H Spurgeon, a leading Calvinist, once said “Faith in the living God and his Son Jesus Christ is
always the result of the new birth, and can never exist except in the
regenerate. Whoever has faith is a saved man."
Calvinism relies on a set of
Scripture passages that, in their view, support their Total Depravity doctrine.
One of the key passages advanced by Calvinism is Ephesians 2:1-10 which we
shall shortly examine in part.
Does
the assertion by Spurgeon represent the position of Scripture? John Allen,
quoting, Boris Hennig, holds a contrary view. He says “It is not exegetically
possible to find “regeneration before faith” in John 1:12-13, temporally or
logically.”[1]
My humble submission is that the
passage of Ephesians 2:1-10 contains a series of figures of speech that should
be interpreted in its context. I will proceed to argue my position along the
authority and revelation of Scripture.
Paul first speaks about the
sinner being dead in sin or dead in trespasses (Ephesians 2:1,5). In both
instances, Paul’s focus is on salvation being accessed by grace through faith
which is clearly pronounced in Ephesians 2:8-9 where he states: “For by grace
you have been saved through faith…” Salvation is described as a gift of God
that is not earned by works.
My view is that Paul employs
these metaphors or figures of speech to illustrate that the sinner outside
Christ is spiritually lost, helpless and alienated from God. Four figures of
speech can be identified in Ephesians 2:1-10. They describe the condition of
the sinner before and after redemption and what Christ has accomplished in
them. Let us now examine them in turns below.
1) Dead
in Sin or Dead in trespasses (2:5). My view is that this
is a metaphorical reference to the impact of sin on mankind. Sin completely
isolated us from a holy and righteous God such that without the atonement in
Christ, we could not be reconciled back to God. The blood of bulls could not
atone this kind of trespass. The Bible elsewhere teaches that in Adam, all die
but in Christ all are made alive (1 Cor. 15:22). My view is that the all in the first instance is in
reference to the entire human race apart from Christ (cf. Romans 5:12-19). My
view is that those who are made alive are those who willingly and freely
respond to the gospel by faith in accordance with the teaching of John 3:16-17
and Romans 3:23. Being dead in sin does not, in my view, imply that the sinner
is morally depraved to the point where they are unable to respond to God in the
gospel. Nothing in Scripture upholds such a supposition. According to Edwin H
Palmer, the phrase dead in sin is understood by Calvinism to imply total
inability.[2] As
pointed earlier, this treatment of the phrase is, in my view, inconsistent with
the context of its usage in the Scripture text and is not in harmony with the
wider revelation of Scripture. There is no evidence from the text that Paul ever
intended to convey the deterministic view in his writing. According to Benson
Commentary, the phrase dead in sin implies that the sinner is “destitute of all union with God,
and in a state of separation from him, and alienation from his life.”[3] I concur with this
interpretation. The death nekros in Adam arose from the transgressions παραπτωμα.
Jamieson-Fausset considers the death to lie in the context of the trespass.
It is consequent upon God’s judgment for the sin in Adam.
While
Calvinists argue that the sinner in his depravity cannot do anything good, I
submit to this conference that there is one thing that God requires and desires
of every sinner: repentance from sin. This is pleasing in sight of God. He will
never turn away a sinner who responds to the gospel. He desires that no sinner
should perish in sin. The sinner is able to turn to God in his sinful state and
find his freedom in Christ. 2 Peter 3:9 says “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise,
as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any
should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
2) Made
alive together with Christ (2:6). What does it mean to be made alive together
with Christ? Under this second metaphor or figure of speech, we are introduced
to the power and efficacy of Christ’s redemption works. By His atoning death, believers
are united with Christ by faith and by His grace. We are quickened to vitality
of spiritual life by the transforming power of Christ’s resurrection.
Colossians 3:4 speaks of “Christ who is our life”.
3) Raised
us up together in heavenly places (2:6). The YLT says “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"(KJV). God is the actor in this process. The "raising up"
presupposes previous quickening of Jesus in the tomb, and of us in the grave of
our sins.[4] The three
verbs in 2:6 made alive, raised up and seated are instructive of God’s
working in the believers in the manner that he previously did for Christ. The
phrase, "heavenly places" is a
metaphoric reference to places or positions of influence. This is in reference
to the privilege that the believer accesses in Christ. It speaks of the power
of Christ’s resurrection which Paul here uses in a futuristic sense in
reference to the spiritual authority that God will bestow on believers who will
reign in Christ (2 Timothy 2:12) and with Christ (Rev 20:4-6). This may also
allude to the priestly privilege that we have in Christ in that we can intercede
before the presence of God (cf. Ephesians 6:10-17, Hebrews 4:16, 1 Peter 2:9
4)
Workmanship created in Christ
(2:10). The Bible says “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (KJV). Another literal translation, the YLT, says “For of Him we are workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God did before prepare, that
in them we may walk.”
This is the fourth and final
metaphor employed by Paul in this passage. The Greek word ποίημα (poiēma)
for workmanship is employed as in a metaphoric or symbolic sense to
teach about our valued relationship in Christ. We are (possessively) of God and
being God’s workmanship implies that we are work in progress in God’s hands.
God is working on our spiritual sanctification so that He may ultimately conform
us to the image of Christ. We are to be molded into a special community of
God’s people who will serve His divine purposes on earth and in the world to
come (cf. 1 Peter 2:9, Titus 2:11-14). There is the “now” of our faith and the
“yet to come”. This has nothing to do with predestination by prior election or
regeneration preceding faith but conformity with God’s purposes.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
It
is important to appreciate the role of imagery and metaphors in communicating
Biblical truths and to allow this type of writing or genre to be interpreted in
their passage contexts so that the truths of Scripture are communicated with
clarity. The literal interpretation of the figures of speech in Ephesians 2:1,5
by Calvinism is, in my view, inconsistent with the passage context and results
in proof texting. I SUBMIT to this conference that MAN’S
FALLEN NATURE DOES NOT IMPLY TOTAL INABILITY TO BELIEVE. If anything, the
gospel opens the door for the sinner’s exercise of faith upon his conviction
and repentance of sin. No group of sinners have been guaranteed heaven at the
expense (or to the exclusion) of other sinners. God has made available to
all sinners His way of salvation in Christ Jesus and it is to this way of the
cross that all sinners in all ages since Calvary are invited. This is the way of God in Christ.
PART
TWO.
B – DOES
SPIRITUAL REGENERATION PRECEDE FAITH?
Having examined the metaphoric
language in the passage of Ephesians 2:1-10, we now turn our attention to the
second part of my presentation. In this part, we respond to the question touching
on the order of salvation that Calvinists popularly refer to in Classical Latin
as Ordo Salutis or the order of Salvation as revealed in Scripture.
Does Spiritual Regeneration
Precede Faith? Does Scripture teach that spiritual regeneration of the sinner
comes before his exercise of faith in Christ? In other words, does a sinner
come to Christ by faith in accordance with the assurance in John 3:16 and by
the grace of God as taught in Ephesians 2:8-9 or does God first regenerate the
sinner and enables him to belief the Gospel?
However, and as earlier indicated in the first
part of my presentation, Scripture authoritatively speaks to the redemption
work, including the manner in which the sinner comes to faith. This is what we
shall now examine in greater detail.
The Total
Depravity Doctrine
The above question cannot be
comprehensively addressed without first examining the Calvinistic doctrine of
Totally Depravity that lies at the foundation of the notion that regeneration
precedes faith. Again, I have merely chosen to evaluate this doctrine purely in
my attempt at illustrating the alternative view that has been advanced by the
Reformed community. This is not a comprehensive theological critique of
Calvinism doctrines per se.
According to Calvinism, the
fall in Adam resulted in the totally depravity of the sinner, also known as
totally inability or utter inability. This condition is described in different
ways by sections of the Reformed Calvinistic systematic depending on the degree
of their conformity to the TULIP doctrines. Some Calvinists reject the T of the
TULIP while others do not embrace the U of unconditional election. This is the reason that we have Four Point
and even Three Point Calvinism.
Those who subscribe to the T say
that the spiritual condition of the sinner contemplated in Scripture, and
specifically in Ephesians 2:1-10, rendered the sinner so dead in sin that he is
incapable of hearing or discerning the voice of God in the Gospel. This is
based on a literal reading of the metaphors we earlier examined. To address
this inability, this section of Calvinism claim that God must first resuscitate
the “dead sinner” (corpse) into life and grant him the means by which to
exercise faith in Christ. As stated earlier in the first question that we have
addressed, the Calvinist presupposes that the sinner must be among those that
God had chosen or elected and predestined to eternal life even before they were
born! This is by reason of the doctrine of unconditional election in the TULIP
systematic. They prop up a number of texts such as Acts 13:48 on sinners being,
in their view preselected under divine election ahead of their coming to faith.
Acts 16:14 touching on Lydia’s experience and Romans 9:13 on God loving Jacob
and hating or despising Esau.
Divine
Election: The Theological Determinism Concept of the Elect or Chosen Few
Those
who subscribe to theological determinism say that “everything that happens has
been predestined to happen by an omniscient, omnipotent divinity"[5] In this context, Calvinism
teaches that God has decreed all things whatsoever that come to pass, including
the choice of those who will receive eternal life. Does this doctrine find the
support of Scripture? My answer is in the negative.
In other words, not all
sinners have a free or open opportunity to come to faith except the Elect. This
teaching is supported by the Limited Atonement doctrine that teaches that
Christ died only for the Elect and His atonement is exclusively intended for
and applied to this special group of sinners.
The
Reprobate or Unchosen Many
What happens to the sinners
that are not part of the Elect?
According to Calvinism, the
rest of the unlucky sinners who were not chosen by God, also known as
Reprobates will never come to faith. They are instead hardened by God for
damnation in the lake of fire! Does that shock you? The Calvinism is unmoved by
that statement. To explain away this shocking irony, Calvinists claim that God
was under no obligation to save any sinner in the first place and that the fact
that a few will ultimately be saved or redeemed is an act of extreme grace. The
destruction of the reprobate in hell is in furtherance of God’s justice and for
His glory.
This doctrine is inconsistent
with God’s dealing with the wicked in the flood of Noah in Genesis 7 and the
destruction of the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. In Both instances, God reached out to the
wicked, warning them of the coming judgment but they rejected God’s plea…The
gospel is God’s plea to sinners to repent and turn from their ways. Those who
reject the gospel will perish.
The double predestination doctrine held by five point Calvinism teaches that God had predestined those who will be saved from the foundations of the word. This essentially implies that some sinners were chosen before birth and ahead of of Calvary! They further say that those who are not chosen by God will be hardened and will never come to faith. They will be slated for destruction in the lake of fire.
Does this doctrine find the support of Scripture?
Calvinists say it does. They
will present a number of texts in support of their TULIP doctrines. Some of the
most commonly quoted texts include the following John 3:3, 6:40-45, Acts 16:13,
Romans 9:13, among others. I respectfully DISAGREE with advocates of
theological determinism. I submit to this conference that spiritual
regeneration or rebirth does NOT, in my view, precede the exercise of faith by
the sinner. It is consequent upon faith being exercised in response to the preaching
of the gospel.
Here is why…
1. No
sinner is guaranteed redemption from sin and eternal life in Christ outside the
works of the cross. There is no evidence from Scripture that God chose a group
of sinners ahead of Calvary. If this did happen, then the atoning works of
Christ are of no effect.
2. Every
sinner who repents of their sin upon hearing the gospel will not be rejected by
God on account of not being among the philosophical elect that, in the view of theological
determinism, were predestined to eternal life.
3. The
Bible reveals that God’s atonement in Christ Jesus is unlimited. The blood of
Jesus is sufficient to cover the sins of the whole world, if peradventure, all
sinners would respond to the gospel. Any and every sinner that hears the gospel
and rejects its appeal is responsible for their decision and will suffer for
their wilful choice.
4. There
is no single passage of Scripture that supports the theological determinism doctrine
on total or utter depravity. I had earlier demonstrated from my analysis of
Ephesians 2:1-10 above that the phrase “dead in sin” or “dead in trespasses”
does not imply that that God has a set of preferred sinners who were chosen
ahead of Calvary. My view is that the Total Depravity doctrine is [in so far as it teaches total
inability or utter inability] contrary to the revelation of Scripture.
5. Every
sinner has the capacity to hear the gospel and the free will to accept or
reject the gospel. John 3:16 teaches that whosoever believes in Jesus shall be
saved.
6. Salvation
is conditional upon the sinner responding to God by faith. God never forcibly
saves sinners. He can never save any sinner against their will.
7. Predestination is not about sinners being chosen by God ahead of Calvary but about believers being predestined to adoption in Christ. Ephesians 1:5 speaks of God "having predestinated us unto adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." (KJV). Any adoption of believers by Christ cannot bypass the works of the cross!
HOW
DO SINNERS COME TO CHRIST?
The Bible
provides a clear answer to this question in a number of passages. God’s
invitation to sinners is openly outlined in Scripture. It should not even be
the subject of unending theological debates.
John
3:16-17 clearly sets the tone. It proclaims “For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did
not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved” (NKJV). God does not have a list of reprobate
sinners who will be denied His saving grace.
God never sought
to condemn sinners but to save sinners. This truth is at the heart of the
gospel message.
When the
jailor asked Paul what he should do in order to saved, Paul’s response was
plain and in consonance with God’s desire outlined above. Acts 16:31 says “Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…” this is the Bible way,
God’s way. It is that simple. Any other proposition that stands contrary to this
truth is man’s way. Notice that this answer contradicts the Calvinistic
interpretation of Lydia’s experience in Acts 16:14 which is a standard
Calvinistic proof text. Notice that it is the same Book, same passage, same
author, same principal character (Paul), same mission and yet Calvinists choose
to ignore Paul’s answer in Acts 16:31!
The Bible
contemplates that the sinner should hear the gospel proclaimed and be afforded
the opportunity to make a decision. Romans 10:14 says “How then shall they
call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him
of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”
These three
rhetorical questions lie at the heart of Macedonian call to which every Bible
Christian is invited to serve. We should take the gospel to the lost and dying
and present the word of God to all men in truth. No sinner was chosen in
advance. They are all on equal footing, irrespective of their generation, or
race or gender, since Calvary. The notion of the Elect is a philosophical
paradox that lies outside the revelation of Scripture.
When the
gathering on the Day of Pentecost heard the preaching of Peter, the Bible says
that they were cut to the heart in their conviction of sin and asked the all-important
question saying, “…Men and brethren, what shall we do?”. This
is the question that strikes every convicted sinner even today. It is what we
do that demonstrates what God has done in us by Christ.
Peter’s
answer was again plainly clear: “Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [k]remission of sins; and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”(Acts
2:37-39). God’s calling is through and by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The
journey to our reconciliation with God begins with the act of repentance. It is
not the subject of philosophical bravado. The sinner’s decision matters. A
convicted sinner may decide to walk away from God, perhaps awaiting another
opportunity, if any. No sinner is excluded from God’s grace. No sinner
can be regenerated or reborn without first repenting of his sin. Regeneration
is the work of the Spirit on a broken sinner who has submitted to Christ and
has been justified by the blood of Jesus. It is not a prior work of God on
selected unrepentant sinners as taught under deterministic theology.
DOES ROMANS 9 SUPPORT
CALVINISM?
Romans 9 is one of the most
popular passages cited by Calvinism purportedly in support of their doctrine of
double predestination. My view is that this passage does not support Calvinism.
It is a passage that Calvinists quote out of its passage context. It does not
even concern salvation. It is part of a long treatise that Paul presents
through Romans 9-11 concerning Israel’s rejection of the gospel and God’s
purposes for both Jews and Gentile. The mention of Jacob being preferred over
Esau has nothing to do with God’s dealing with sinners!
Here's why…
My view is that the mention of
Jacob is a reference to corporate Israel just as Esau stands for the Edomites.
The two nations are related by reason that Jacob was the father of the Jewish
nation. He was the covenant bearer through whom God would seal his promise to
Abraham concerning a great nation coming from his offspring (Genesis 13:14-17).
Esau was the first-born son of Isaac. Internal evidence from Genesis 25:29-33
reveals that Esau sold his birth-right to Jacob in a series of events that
demonstrated that he was not God’s choice for the making of the great nation
promised to Abraham.
Romans 9:10-13 says “And not only this, but
when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our
father Isaac 11 (for the children not
yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who
calls), 12 it was said to her, “The older
shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is
written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
This
text of Scripture does not demonstrate God’s dealing with sinners or with the
church in the age of grace. God does not and will not overlook any sinner or
show favoritism to some without any objective basis. He cannot and does not
choose sinners in the manner taught under TULIP Calvinism.
Secondly,
all sinners are equal in the eyes of God. No sinner takes preeminence over
another in God’s redemption plan. They all stand condemned in Adam and can only
find freedom in the justification obtained in Christ. For a detailed exposition
of Romans 9, please visit my website blog www.ezekielkimosop.blogspot.com.
DOES
ACTS 16:14 TEACH THAT LYDIA WAS REGENERATED BY GOD BEFORE SHE COULD BELIEVE THE
GOSPEL?
Acts 16:14 says “Now a certain woman named Lydia
heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city
of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the
things spoken by Paul.”
The
opening of Lydia’s heart implied that God draw her attention to the gospel
message proclaimed by Paul. It cannot mean anything different from the passage
context. It also doesn’t mean that the other women who were with Lydia at the
river did not heed the gospel. My view is that Luke mentions Lydia in
connection with her subsequent role as host to Paul’s missionary team. Remember
that Lydia was already a worshipper of God, a devout Jew even before she
received the gospel from Paul. This is what practically happens when the
preaching of the gospel is done in truth. The Holy Spirit draws sinners to the
gospel but not every sinner who is convicted of sin will repent. Some sinners
will walk away even after listening to the preaching of the word of God. Others
will and do repent.
CLOSING
STATEMENT
Scripture
alone, read in context and in harmony with its wider revelation of divine truth,
speaks into the process of Salvation in the manner it does other sections of
Christian doctrine. No human philosophy or religious creed can oust the
authority of Scripture in outlining its quintessential soteriology. The
authority of Scripture is sacrosanct, eternal and infallible and is binding upon
Christians in all human civilizations past present and into the future even as
Christ shall tarry. It is the lens by which any Bible believing Christian
should view his religious world and by which he may discover true doctrine.
(This
article was distilled from my presentation paper delivered at the WHOSOEVER WILL
Conference hosted by Ruiru Community Baptist Chapel, Nairobi, on 29/01/2021. Special
regards to Pastor Charles Irungu and Bros, Allen Sherman Ouko and Ibrahim Lusui
Masinde for their support)
[1] David Allen, Does Regeneration
Precede Faith? https://drdavidlallen.com/does-regeneration-precede-faith/, Quoting Boris Hennig, “The Four
Causes.” In Journal of Philosophy 106(3), (2009), 137–60.
[2] Edwin
Palmer, The Five Points of Calvinism, A Study Guide, Baker Books, Grand
Rapids, MI, pp.16-17.
[3] Benson
Commentary on “dead in sin”, Ephesians 2:1
[4] Jamieson-Faussets
– Brown Bible Commentary on Ephesians 2:6
[5] A. Pabl Lannone
"Determinism" in Dictionary of World Philosophy. Taylor &
Francis. 2001. p.194. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theological_determinism#cite_note-Iannone2001-2
