The Church of Christ -The Peaceable Kingdom

With the birth of Jesus, the angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth  peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14) The prophet Isaiah wrote of the peaceable kingdom and the establishment of the church in Isaiah 2:1. He said, “It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Those who will obey God will learn peace. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

After Peter had drawn his sword and struck off the ear of the servant of the high priest, Jesus told Peter, “Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” (Matt. 26:52)

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”

(2 Corinthians 13:11).

"IRRESISTIBLE GRACE"

Larry Yarber

            "Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye" (Acts 7:51).

            The theory of 'irresistible grace' logically follows the first three tenets of Calvinism. If man is born having inherited the sins of his parents and incapable of doing any good whatsoever, then how is he ever going to be saved? Calvinism's answer, 'unconditional election', or better known as 'predestination'. God has already determined to save some of these reprobates in spite of themselves. He then sent Jesus to die for these 'limited few'. Not for all reprobates, mind you, but for the 'limited few'. Since no one in this elect group is capable of doing any thing that is right, how are they ever going to bow before God in humble submission and change their ways? Calvin's answer, 'irresistible grace'. The Holy Spirit will descend upon them and force them to yield in complete obedience to God and His Word.

            As our opening text states, the Holy Spirit can, is, and has been resisted by men in all three dispensations of time. The Holy Spirit has never forced anyone to obey or disobey God. This is a gross misunderstanding of the Spirit and His role in the redemption of mankind. Even in the age of the miraculous, Paul said that the spirit of man was subject to the individual man and not to the Holy Spirit Himself, "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints" (1st Corinthians 14:29-33). Jonah is the classic example of the above (Jonah 1:1-3). Jonah was moved (given a message) by the Holy Spirit of God to go preach to sinful Nineveh (2nd Peter 1:19-21 and Jonah 1:1-3). But he refused to do so (Jonah 1:1-3). As those in our opening text, their fathers, and Jonah, all resisted the bidding of the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51 and Jonah 1:1-3). This confirms and establishes the fact that the Holy Ghost is not irresistible!

            The work of the Holy Spirit was to reveal God's will unto mankind, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: ..." (John 16:13). Remember, prior to the NT dispensation of time the Spirit had only revealed part of God's plan, but now we have been given 'all truth', "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by the Spirit: ..." (1st Corinthians 2:7-10). The work of the Holy Spirit in redemption was/is to make God's will known, not to force anyone to obey or disobey it.

            Calvinist use passages such as this to teach 'irresistible grace', "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" (Acts 16:14). A close examination of the passage reveals that the Holy Spirit is never mentioned in the text. Lydia's heart was opened because she gave attendance to the words spoken by Paul. There was no miraculous conversion here, but simple obedience by Lydia to the preaching of the gospel. The theory of 'irresistible grace' is not of God, but man!