Many, even I, for a time emphasized the futility that seems to be pregnant in the sovereignty of God; namely predestination. There is yet a common question, that even to my ears has not been adequately answered. For the answer, just didn't seem complete enough. Not that the truth revealed was less true, or insuffecient to the cause for which it was offered, rather, it lacked, in my mind, at least another angle of the definition that adequately describes reality.
Of the matter of predestination, it is asked in a number of ways;
"can man believe in God but not be saved?"
The question is quickly dismissed with God's sovereign choice, and rightly so. Yet, we cannot even come close to approaching the wisdom that is inherent to that truth. There is, however, something we can approach and understand and by manner of visitation come to the realization of the truth.
I believe, that any man, who believes in God, in such a way that his life is changed, increasingly, evermore, desires and achieves obedience to God's ordinances and precepts, and perseveres in that faith until the end, must be saved.
Why the emphasis on the doctrines then?
How do you tell the difference between true belief and unbelief, which can certainly look like genuine belief by nature of it's posture, even in yourself, is my rhetorical question...
"Counterfeit money is certainly a good mental picture of this"
Though I answered in short, this is a good question, for what I described certainly seems within the power and control of the man in question, by the nature of cause and effect. Yes, it seems to be in his power. Yet, in reality, this is not in our power. For if it was, you would see more do it. But what do you see? You see those who confess the name of Jesus quickly run back to their old lives with only a few minor pious changes. Perhaps they now attend church, perhaps they now read their bible. Perhaps they even pray. (I feel like I'm becoming A.W. Pink here :)) However, they will always lack obedience and they cannot please God, for their obedience is based on and rooted in the flesh. They do so, as the flesh and their belief is false because the believe in God, by way of themselves. Their view of God is merely an extension of their view of themselves. Which is why they always lack assurance, or they have it in total, having never been tested. No! it's not in our power to persevere, to obey or to believe in such a way so as to cause true obedience. No if God's Spirit resides in you, then you set your hope on the Spirit and the Law of Faith. In this you have real assurance and a belief that pleases God, unlike the flesh. As we experience the world though, we see so many examples of false belief. We see so many examples of believing that is simply a mental ascent to facts about God; emotional experiences near God, fellowship with real believers that leads to common grace enrichment, but never permanant change. That is because, the Gospel of Jesus Christ affects every person. It always will. We were designed to respond to it. It's in our blood. You hear the words of truth and the atoms that make up your chemical being are immediately catalyzed, yet so as to serve God's purpose and design. So then, the emphasis on the doctrines is to provide believers some measure of understanding of what it looks like to have a faith that perseveres. Why is this necessary? Among the many known and unknown reasons, one of which I'm certain, and that one is because God does not sanctify us entirely, immediately. He moves us through the wilderness of SIN in stages, according to His commandment. We serpentine through the desert in order to learn obedience to God from the things from which we suffer. Thus the doctrines are a helpful pointer to the understanding of the true commandment of God. Because Satan is a tempter of those who are weak and strong, but he's wiley and God ordained a method for us to have understanding, even before we have the experience to know how to use it to give us assurance of the faith.
So then, what's the point. The point is simply this, it's not as though God is unloving in the passing over of some. Though He does, but this is the wrong dichotomy. No, it as though there are many counterfeits and we're trained daily to believe that because the name Jesus Christ passes over your lips that you must be saved. Thus, you tend to believe that there are those who could meet and experience the truth of God in total, as God Himself designed it, but God would reject them. The problem is that the one who thinks this cannot discern the counterfeit faith. Theybelieve that we should assure false converts in their mental ascent even though they openly reject the doctrines and stand opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That somehow, we should be seduced into believing that harmony with unbelievers is better than rightfully dividing the truth of God, which in some cases caused unbelievers to be swallowed up by the Earth. I say no. It's better to believe in God to the end. It's better to rightfully divide the truth of God. It's better to share the gospel with unbelievers and test the spirits and see if they be of God. In this, we fulfill the two greatest commandments and the great commission.
