The New Testament analogy of the Old Testament Fish Gate, Part 8

The New Testament analogy of the Old Testament Fish Gate, Part 8.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

We are on the “home strectch” of the most significant and ignored and least of all publicized subjects found in the word of God – the Doctrine of the Angelic Conflict.

The angelic conflict is the result of prehistoric creatures being in opposition to God. The angelic conflict tell us that from the moment of salvation, every believer, regardless of age or sex, regardless of status in life, is in the midst of a great spiritual conflict. It is a conflict in which the fallen angels are pitted against God, against the elect angels and against believers.

DEU 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”

Mankind has been chosen to resolve the angelic conflict by the fact that in human history, the sovereignty of God and free will of man coexist to resolve the angelic conflict.

The Doctrine of the Divine Decrees and under Point 1 we dealt with the fact that The sovereign will of God and the free will of man co-exist in human history by divine decree. The Doctrine of Election and under Point 8 in the doctrine we noted that God Has Chosen or Elected for His Sovereign Will and the Free Will of Man To Co-exist.

The Doctrine of Predestination – Point 1. Mankind Has Been Predestined To Live In Human History with the Sovereign Will of God and the Free Will of Man Co-existing by Divine Decree.

ROM 9:24 – where we have been noting that God has called in ROM 9:24 Even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

We have been studying the correlations and differences of the spiritual life of the Jews in the OT found in the gates and walls in the book of Nehemiah as they relate to the spiritual life and the mystery doctrine of the Church-age.

COL 2:17 These Things are a mere shadow of what is to Come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

The first O.T. Shadow was the Sheep Gate which pointed to the N.T. Substance [TLJC as the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep pointing to salvation in Christ alone]. The Fish Gate as the O.T. Shadow that points to the N.T. Substance [the seven-fold Ministry of God the H.S.]. This is where we are because the next part of the substance of the spiritual life for the Jews and Gentiles has to do with the Seven-Fold ministry of God the Holy Spirit.

1. Regeneration = the HS creates a human spirit for the imputation of eternal life, TIT 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

Anothen = from above JOH 3:3, “Jesus said `Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a person is born again [anothen – from above], he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
JOH 3:7, “Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again [anothen – from above].’

The sovereign will of God and the free will of man co-exist in human history by divine decree.

The first principle is that Regeneration is accomplished totally by God, it is not something that we accomplish. It teaches that the sinner is guilty, the sinner is responsible for sin, the sinner is guilty enough to be punished eternally, the sinner is given the opportunity,
JOH 1:9 There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

God has revealed His laws, not the Mosaic but the natural laws of God in their conscience and in their mind, the law of God is written on their hearts. This is the second half of our premise, The Free Will of Man co-exists in Human History by Divine Decree. Because mankind has a free will, they are responsible to live up to that free will.

They are responsible to believe in the true and living God and then to come through faith to the gospel and through Jesus Christ so that they can be saved.

And yet on the other side, as we noted on Friday, we know that those who are saved are because of the sovereign purpose of God. This is the doctrine of regeneration, or if you will, the new birth, or being born again [anothen – anew or from above].

JAM 1:18 says, “In the exercise of His will, He brought us forth by the word of truth so that we might be, as it were, the firstfruits among His creatures.”

However, when the Lord chooses an analogy, He chooses it very cautiously and carefully so as to make a very important point.

And it was the Lord Himself who chose this analogy of new birth, being born again, or regenerated. And the bottom line is simply this, it is impossible for someone to do something in order to be born. At the point of physical birth we are born physically alive and spiritually dead. We are spiritually dead before we commit our first sin. And we are totally helpless to do anything about our status of total depravity.

We are all totally helpless to understand spiritual phenomena because we are dichotomous, having a body and soul but no human spirit.

It is the utter impossibility of such a thing as PEOPLE doing something to be born again which apparently has escaped a lot of people.

When God deals with mankind He is not subject to time like we are.

He can and does make decisions based upon eternity not time. For we read that EPH 1:4 He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

The premise is The sovereign will of God and the free will of man co-exist in human history by divine decree.

The first half of the premise is that the sovereign will of God chooses or elects the believer before the foundation of the world.
The second half of the premise: The free will of man co-exists with God in time although God knew how the individual would chose in eternity past.

Just because mankind did not exist experientially and was not yet born when God chose Him that does not mean that God didn’t know how each one of us would choose and violated the free will of man.

This falls under the principle of ISA 65:24 “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

This is why God can draw man unto Himself without violating the second half of our premise: The free will of man.

JOH 6:44 “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him;”

So many believers have thought they did something to become born-again……when they did nothing.

Therefore, because God is not subject to time then when He gives us to our Lord, He is not violating our free will.

In fact, on the contrary, He has ALREADY taken into account our free will decisions at a time when we did not exist personally.

And therefore because of this we can have the utmost of confidence that in 1PE 1:5, we are protected by the power of God through a faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

And when our Father gave us to our Lord before we were born again or born from above our Lord who said inHEB 10:7 “’Behold, I have come To do Thy will, O God…….DID IT!’”

The will of God for TLJC was to lose not even one of us whom the Father gave Him.

ACT 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”

Consequently, God the Father would be a Liar and a sinner for in MAT 3:17 behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

God the Son would be a liar, for in JOH 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. God the HS would be a liar for the entire Bible was inspired by the HS, 2PE 1:21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the HS spoke from God.

Not only that but the Word of God would lose its power and integrity and therefore MAT 24:35 would not come to pass, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”

And believe it or not, Satan, the god of this world would win the angelic conflict and become the god of the universe.

It is nothing more than the superficiality of a wimpy, gimpy, skimpy, pimpy, spinless gutless jelly-fish and the misunderstanding of what the Scripture has to say especially dealing with what we can understand.

MAT 19:26 And looking upon {them} Jesus said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Mankind who is not existing and coming into existence does so based upon something done for them, not something they did, or something they desired, or something they sought.

Not what the Calvinists, Protestants, Lutherans, Baptists, Presybeterans, Plymouth Brethren, Reformed Churches.

PRO 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.

Not the Catholics, the Pentecostals, the Name and Claim it crowd, the Methodists, the Congregationalists, the Salvation Army = The free will of man.

PRO 16:11 A just balance and scales belong to the Lord; All the weights of the bag are His concern.

HEB 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

If the Lord wants to talk about what we do, He talks about having faith.

But when the Bible starts talking about being born again, it no longer is talking about anything that you or I could do.

The analogy of being born again [anothen – “from above” “anew”] describes a reality to which the one born can make no contribution to one’s birth.

And the Lord used this analogy not only for time but also to reveal to us something that took place in another creation before the human race was created.

ROM 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

PRO 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.

We were all born completely apart from any consideration or effort on our part.

The person being born coming into existence, comes into existence apart from any desire or any action on his own behalf.

Birth happens to us not because we desire it, not because we want it, or not because we followed the steps to be born.

When the Lord chooses an analogy, He chooses an analogy to convey a spiritual truth that is inherent in the simplest understanding of that analogy.

It’s not a contradiction or perplexing to say you didn’t do anything to be born into this world, and then to say then you do not do anything to be born into the realm of God’s world.

No one gives himself physical life, and no one gives himself or herself spiritual life.

There are no steps that you do to become alive, either physically or spiritually.

This idea of regeneration or being born again or new birth is unmistakably presented in the Scripture as the first divine act in salvation.

In the order of salvation, regeneration is the first thing God does to save us.

The only feature that comes before regeneration is election, and that was in eternity past before the foundation of the world, EPH 1:4.

JOH 6:44, Jesus said, “No man comes unto Me except the Father draw him,” that’s the effectual call, that’s the irresistible grace.

And all whom the Father calls comes to me…which is known as irresistible grace.

The question then is this, if it is true that the Father draws us with a supernatural powerful grace and He draws irresistibly and He draws effectually, or effectively,

If it is true that it is an unyielding summons, it is a subpoena that you can’t deny and that all who are drawn come, how can the sinner respond?

What is there in the unregenerate, what is there in the sinner that can initiate or create a response?

Where is the second half of the premise: The free will of man co-exists in human history by divine decree?

One of the things that strikes you very clearly is when someone is dead, it doesn’t matter what the stimulus is.

Because death is the inability to respond.

Total depravity = is important to remember in the light of this particular emphasis on regeneration for it is the very work of regeneration that takes the person out of this condition.

ROM 8:7, “The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God, it does not subject itself to the law of God, it is not even ABLE to do so.”