We stand for Spiritual Bondage!

You have civil free will.  That was the previous post.  When it comes to spiritual matters you have nothing of the sort.

We are either a child of Hell by birth or a child of Heaven by adoption.  But we have no choice in the matter.

Take, for example, Christ's words to Nicodemus.  "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

Nicodemus cannot understand how a man can be born again.  "Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb?" (3:4)  It would be impossible for him to cause himself to be born again.

But that is precisely the point.  You had nothing to do with your birth the first time around.  Your parents decided that one for you.  And so when it comes to second birth, rebirth by the power of the Holy Spirit, you have nothing to do with it.  It is all God's work through His Word and Spirit.

This makes perfect sense in light of the Biblical teaching on baptism as well.  Romans 6 states that in baptism we are joined with Christ into His death and resurrection.  A new man is created.  You did not chose that.  You cannot resurrect yourself.  It is the work of God.

In the end we should all be thanking God that we do not have free will in matters which pertain to our spiritual state.  For if we did, we would all chose to be apart from Him.  We would chose to "reign in hell, rather than serve in heaven".

As it is, God has reached out to us and dragged us kicking and screaming (see Acts 9) into His kingdom.  We should all thank Him for subverting our free will.

[Tomorrow: We stand for Good Works!] 

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