At this stage this is a published Draft I will be adding to it. If you have comments or additions please let me know.
Recently my wife and I have been reflecting on the difficulty of observing those around us who appear to not have a solid Biblical Faith, and many who resist it nor are even open to the message. Now I find this a very tough subject to address and it hardly ever gets discussed openly, yet it is so important. We can find many passages in the Bible that tell how important it is, even beyond our own life in our human bodies.
Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
There are 26 verses in the NT that specifically use the words Eternal Life, most of which express either the desire to have it or the way to have it.
If you boil down Biblical Protestant Theology you will find that it can’t be earned, that your righteousness must exceed even that of the Pharises and you just can’t do it on your own, there will always be at least one obsticle. It is only a gift from God, and God is sovereign in his sovereignty in choosing us.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Old John Gill wrote on that verse:
John 6:29
Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God,…. The main and principal one, and which is well pleasing in his sight; and without which it is impossible to please him; and without which no work whatever is a good work; and this is of the operation of God, which he himself works in men; it is not of themselves, it is the pure gift of God:
that ye believe on him whom he hath sent; there are other works which are well pleasing to God, when rightly performed, but faith is the chief work, and others are only acceptable when done in the faith of Christ. This, as a principle, is purely God’s work; as it is an act, or as it is exercised under the influence of divine grace, it is man’s act: “that ye believe”; the object of it is Christ, as sent by the Father, as the Mediator between God and men, as appointed by him to be the Saviour and Redeemer; and believing in Christ, is believing in God that sent him. The Jews reduce all the six hundred and thirteen precepts of the law, for so many they say there are, to this one, “the just shall live by his faith”, Hab 2:4.
A few of the other verses in John 6 clarify this (I suggest reading and rereading all of John 6, I find it best in the KJV):
Twice Jesus stated:
Jhn 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jhn 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
But our assurance is confirmed….
Jhn 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Jhn 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Jhn 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
But it is essential to believe in Christ Jesus…
Jhn 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Jhn 6:48 I am that bread of life.
This is not something that happens to everone even if they hear the message…
Jhn 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
Jhn 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
So pray for those you know and care about. Pray that God has chosen them before the foundation of the world, and brings them to an understanding of faith. We really are not given knowledge to know who God has chosen and his timing when to bring them into his kingdom.
Jhn 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Pray someday they will respond to the word preached to them as many in the early days of the church did, who God openned their hearts to hear the gospel.
Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Act 16:14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:5-17 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
If one is looking for initial actions to be taken upon realizing that one has been chosen, scripture highlights these responses:
- Recognizing our sinfullness and lack of personal righteousness to save us.
- The Bible speaks directly about beginning to repent and affirming as John Newton wrote: “Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound) That saved a wretch like me!“.
- Beyond that, as one grows in the knowledge and understanding of faith, one will begin submitting to God’s Word in the Bible, getting Baptised into a Visiable Church community, and beginning to take on the character of Jesus Christ which will go on for a lifetime.
- The Reformed faiths have term “Credible Profession of Faith” which is used to give credence to a new believer asking to join the church. This of course is subjective. Not everyone is articulate, nor fully knowledgable of Bible Doctrine and some don’t even have the ability to more fully understand.
- It can be as simple as:
Luk 7:50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Or as extensive as this taken from the OPC.
Before permitting anyone to make profession of his faith in the presence of the congregation, the session shall announce his name to the congregation on a prior Lord’s Day in order that the members of the church may have opportunity to acquaint the session with such facts concerning him as may appear to be irreconcilable with a credible profession. In order for the session to assure itself so far as possible that the candidate makes a credible profession, it shall examine him to ascertain that he possesses the doctrinal knowledge requisite for saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, relies on the merits of Christ alone, and is determined by the grace of God to lead a Christian life.
One of my favorite pastors, Dr. S. Lewis Johnson cautions about our orthodoxy in this way.
“Well, we know the two extremes. There is such a thing as dead orthodoxy, but there also is a lot of confusion and activity going on in churches in which there is no orthodoxy at all, or very little orthodoxy. What we need is something in between, to love the word of God, and to feel it touch one’s heart, and to go outside and labor as a servant of the Lord, and to love the brethren as Christ has loved us in his infinite, self-sacrificial way.”
We can only hope we all can grow to live that way.
If you wish to go further into the basic doctrines behind this I highly recommend these studies which I recently posted in my Bi-Weekly Summary ending 12-7-2024.
These include my all time favorite Dr. S. Lewis Johnson sermons on Election.
I also highly recommend his Canons of Dort series.
Dr. S. Lewis Johnson has some good old sermons on our election.
I commented on these two years ago. But it’s perhaps 15-20 years ago I first heard them. They are both incredibly powerful.
Rainbow Trout 
There is a good post by Mike Ratliff giving some insight about faith.
Genuine Faith vs Human Faith
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November 7th Remembering Pearl Harbor Day.
Spurgeon has a good word on how God’s Grace can go out to anyone anywhere.
December 7, 2024
Morning
“Base things of the world hath God chosen.” — 1Co 1:28
Walk the streets by moonlight, if you dare, and you will see sinners then. Watch when the night is dark, and the wind is howling, and the picklock is grating in the door, and you will see sinners then. Go to yon jail, and walk through the wards, and mark the men with heavy over-hanging brows, men whom you would not like to meet at night, and there are sinners there. Go to the Reformatories, and note those who have betrayed a rampant juvenile depravity, and you will see sinners there. Go across the seas to the place where a man will gnaw a bone upon which is reeking human flesh, and there is a sinner there. Go where you will, you need not ransack earth to find sinners, for they are common enough; you may find them in every lane and street of every city, and town, and village, and hamlet. It is for such that Jesus died. If you will select me the grossest specimen of humanity, if he be but born of woman, I will have hope of him yet, because Jesus Christ is come to seek and to save sinners. Electing love has selected some of the worst to be made the best. Pebbles of the brook grace turns into jewels for the crown-royal. Worthless dross he transforms into pure gold. Redeeming love has set apart many of the worst of mankind to be the reward of the Saviour’s passion. Effectual grace calls forth many of the vilest of the vile to sit at the table of mercy, and therefore let none despair.
Reader, by that love looking out of Jesus’ tearful eyes, by that love streaming from those bleeding wounds, by that faithful love, that strong love, that pure, disinterested, and abiding love; by the heart and by the bowels of the Saviour’s compassion, we conjure you turn not away as though it were nothing to you; but believe on him and you shall be saved. Trust your soul with him and he will bring you to his Father’s right hand in glory everlasting.
Evening
“I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” — 1Co 9:22
Paul’s great object was not merely to instruct and to improve, but to save. Anything short of this would have disappointed him; he would have men renewed in heart, forgiven, sanctified, in fact, saved. Have our Christian labours been aimed at anything below this great point? Then let us amend our ways, for of what avail will it be at the last great day to have taught and moralized men if they appear before God unsaved? Blood-red will our skirts be if through life we have sought inferior objects, and forgotten that men needed to be saved. Paul knew the ruin of man’s natural state, and did not try to educate him, but to save him; he saw men sinking to hell, and did not talk of refining them, but of saving from the wrath to come. To compass their salvation, he gave himself up with untiring zeal to telling abroad the gospel, to warning and beseeching men to be reconciled to God. His prayers were importunate and his labours incessant. To save souls was his consuming passion, his ambition, his calling. He became a servant to all men, toiling for his race, feeling a woe within him if he preached not the gospel. He laid aside his preferences to prevent prejudice; he submitted his will in things indifferent, and if men would but receive the gospel, he raised no questions about forms or ceremonies: the gospel was the one all-important business with him. If he might save some he would be content. This was the crown for which he strove, the sole and sufficient reward of all his labours and self-denials. Dear reader, have you and I lived to win souls at this noble rate? Are we possessed with the same all-absorbing desire? If not, why not? Jesus died for sinners, cannot we live for them? Where is our tenderness? Where our love to Christ, if we seek not his honour in the salvation of men? O that the Lord would saturate us through and through with an undying zeal for the souls of men.
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