Civic you had better hope that God grants repentance and faith, or else, there is
no hope for any of us, none whatsoever. The reason being is this:
all are without strength (
spiritual to do good) to help themselves, being under the power of sin and the devil himself.
Christ died for us while we were
unable to obey Him, and without ability to save ourselves, from anything
within ourselves. This weakness or inability is no doubt sinful; but it is
our inability, not our guilt, that the Apostle here designates. When we were unable to keep the law of God, or do anything towards our deliverance from Divine wrath, Christ interposed, and died for those whom He came to redeem.
The rest of chapter five Paul will prove his point by teaches us that we were given the righteousness of God based upon the obedience of
one person, that is Christ, not one thing did we did to earn the free gift of life,
not one~or else it ceases to be a gift, but a debt God owes man! If a debt owed
, then Christ died in vain.
Galatians 2:21
“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness
come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
The law in this verse means
any commandment that said.....
"This DO and live, sin, and died."
So, you say there is not
one scripture which teaches that faith and repentance is ever given to unbelieving, reprobate, God hating sinner.
Philippians 1:29
“For unto you
it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only
to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”
civic, this scriptures is so clear, that it is impossible to escape its teachings, unless one is hellbent on pushing is bias position above the word of God.
I have more, but I'm going to keep this post as short as possible, thinking much more will be said.
Let us consider
the subject of repentance being a work of the sinner who at enmity against God,
or, a gift given to God's elect, or I could say the fruit of the new man that God created within his elect. Either or, both are true.
The Author and efficient cause of repentance is not man himself,
but God; “then hath God also
granted repentance to the Gentiles” (
Acts 11:18), it is not in the power of man to repent of himself, for he is by nature blind, and has no sight and sense of sin; his understanding is darkened with respect unto it, and he is darkness itself
till made light in the Lord; and until he has a sight and sense of sin he can never truly repent of it; his heart is hard and obdurate, his heart is an heart of stone, and he cannot really repent of sin
until that stony heart is taken away, and an heart of flesh is given; and whenever he becomes sensible of his need of repentance, he prays to God for it, saying, “Turn thou me, and I shall be turned”: nor do exhortations to repentance suppose it in the power of man to repent of himself; since these are only designed to bring him to a sense of his need of it, and of his obligation to it, and of his impotence to it of himself through the hardness of his heart, and to direct him to seek it of God, who only can give it. But only those who have been called into this grace, have the power
and the desire to repent, but
not until then. It is a gift of the new covenant of grace.
Hebrews 8:10-13.
The sole efficient cause and author of repentance is God, Father, Son, and Spirit. God the Father, “if God peradventure
will give them repentance” (
2 Tim. 2:25). Christ, the Son of God, as mediator, is exalted “to
give repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (
Acts 5:31), and the Spirit of God reproves for sin, convinces of it, and works repentance for it (
John 16:8).
The moving cause of it
is the free grace of God; it is a grant and favour from him, a gift of Christ, which he, as a prince and a savior bestows (
Acts 11:18;
5:31), and an operation of the power and grace of the Spirit of God, and
entirely flows from the sovereign will and mercy of God, “who hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth” (
Rom. 9:18),
not giving grace to repent.
Close for now with this wonderful scripture that sums it up so beautifully: biblical repentance, in the exercise of it,
follows upon real conversion and divine instruction,.....
“Surely
after that I was turned I repented, and
after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh:
I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.” (
Jeremiah 31:19)....
Upon such a turn as is made by powerful and efficacious grace, and upon such instruction as leads into the true nature of sin, the effect of which is blushing shame and confusion. All of God's children said...AMEN, and AMEN.
