Inability?

This is an area where we are sure to get branded as preaching "works" or "adding to" salvation, but it is an area that needs to be challenged. This is a purely Calvinistic doctrine which is freely accepted by many Baptists, as well as most other denominations. It is accepted on the grounds of that wonderful-sounding, but misunderstood word - GRACE. "All of grace" just sounds so good! Just to say it makes us sound so humble and submissive. The problem is that, like everything else man gets involved in, he takes it to an extreme and ends up distorting the Truth.

Any person that knows anything about the Bible and the Gospel knows that men cannot do anything to EARN salvation. Our salvation is based upon the sinless life of Christ, that He died for our sins, and his resurrection from the dead. At the same time, anyone who claims they are not a Calvinist, yet clings to this doctrine of man's total inability to come to God, is completely deceived and confused in his doctrine. This is one of the basic doctrines of Calvinism. Election, predestination, and all the other Calvinistic doctrines which are so offensive and unacceptable to the Bible-believer hang on this doctrine. You can't believe in man's inability and not eventually come to the conclusion that God chooses who will be saved and who won't.

"Dead in trespasses and sins." That is the phrase upon which this false doctrine has been based. Now we hear that a lost man is so "dead" that he can't even repent! He is so dead that all he can do is sit and wait until God calls his name, and even then he is so "dead" that he can only sit back and wait to see how God does everything necessary to save him. We hear this being preached by people who say they hate Calvinistic doctrine and don't believe a word of it. That is pretty preposterous! In Luke 15, in the story of the Prodigal, the father said twice that his son was "dead," but it is very obvious that he wasn't "dead" in the sense that many want to believe. If he were dead in the sense we are hearing about he would have stayed in the hog pen. The father didn't send after him while he sat with the hogs in the far country, or while he was wasting his substance in riotous living. Nor did his brother or any of the servants of his father. He "came to himself," and he said, "I will arise, and go to my father."

It is an outrage to teach that lost men are "dead" men who are absolutely unable to do anything good while they are fully alive to do all evil! Lost men are not partly dead or completely dead in the sense of being unable. They are dead in the same sense that the Prodigal was dead in the eyes of his father. He was unacceptable to his father with his riotous living and selfish, rebellious heart. As long as he was determined to live that way, he was to be separated from his father. As far as his father was concerned, he was dead. But he wasn't so "dead" that he couldn't "come to himself" and say "I will arise and go to my father." Neither is any sinner that ever lived on God's earth! Jesus is the light that "lighteth every man that cometh into the world" and as soon as a man will regard that light, and come to God in repentance, realizing in his heart and confessing something like, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and against thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants," the Heavenly Father will arise, just as the Prodigal's father arose, even while he is yet afar off, and come to meet him. But no sinner ever has, or ever will be saved until he does what the Prodigal did.

"Spiritually dead?" "The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly." (Prov 20:27) Man is not an animal, but created in the image and likeness of God. He differs from the animals in that he is God-conscious. The FOOL says in his heart "there is no God." He only says that because he is corrupt and has done abominable works, and he must deceive himself in order to justify himself in his heart. It isn't that he is "dead" and NOT ABLE to come to God - he just WILL NOT come to God because he is wicked and selfish. Whosoever WILL may come. Every sinner is included, and he isn't to wait until he "feels" called, or led, or whatever of God. Preach to them the Word of God, which enlightens their soul, and then demand of them that they COME to God! Don't leave them waiting in the hog pen for something that will never happen. Full provision for salvation has been made, but man has a responsibility to respond. It is a watered-down, puny Gospel indeed that preaches man's total inability to come to God, when that is what God himself commands.

(John 7:37) ). . . Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

(Mat 11:28) )Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

(John 5:40) )And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

(Rev 22:17) )And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

The obvious message of the Gospel is "come." There are only two answers; "I will," or "I won't." Anyone who believes man is totally unable to come has a problem then. He is a Calvinist and might as well go ahead and put on the whole uniform. He might as well preach all the rest of their heresies because he believes the Bible and words of Christ and start telling men to COME to the Saviour or perish in their sins.

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