God's
purpose is never defeated. It is realized when the preaching that is
heard bears fruit in repentance and faith, but it is realized as well
when the sound of the gospel goes forth into all the earth, and the
words of the preachers unto the ends of the world, and when some, even
many, do NOT obey the gospel. Whether the gospel shall be obeyed or
not, does not, in the last instance, depend upon
the will of man. By nature and of himself, no man can hear and obey
the Word of God. When the sound of the gospel goes forth into the earth,
there is a twofold operation of God upon them that hear this sound. On
the one hand, there is an operation of Almighty upon the heart and mind
of sinful man whereby he becomes hardened and blinded; on the other
hand, there is the operation of God's irresistible grace, so that His
Word is heard unto salvation, and faith is the fruit...
In our day
it is in vogue to present the gospel as an offer of God, as a kind
invitation. Such a presentation of the gospel pleases the flesh of
sinful man. It flatters him. He likes to hear that God comes to him with
an offer that he may accept or reject. It pleases him to hear that it
is up to him, that it depends on the choice of his own mind and will
whether he will accept or decline that kind invitation...
.. the
gospel is more than an offer, more than a kind invitation; it is a
DEMAND; this stands to reason, for it is the gospel of God. God always
demands, just because He is God. In the way of obedience to what He
demands, He blesses us with life and glory. When any man, therefore,
hears the sound of the gospel, this demand of God is conveyed to his
consciousness: the demand to repent, to mourn over sin in sorrow after
God, to turn away from unrighteousness and corruption and rebellion
against the Most High, to seek righteousness, to turn back to God.
Righteous By Faith Alone, 492, 493
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