The Carnal Mind is Enmity Against God pt.8 Spurgeon
Now, my Hearers, “the Bible alone is the religion of Protestants”—but whenever I find a certain book much held in reverence by our Episcopalian Brethren, entirely on my side, I always feel the greatest delight in quoting from it. Do you know I am one of the best Churchmen in the world, the very best, if you will judge me by the Articles and the very worst if you measure me in any other way? Measure me by the Articles of the Church of England and I will not stand second to any man under Heaven’s blue sky in preaching the Gospel contained in them. For if there is an excellent epitome of the Gospel, it is to be found in the Articles of the Church of England.
Let me show you that you have not been hearing strange doctrine. Here is the 9th Article, upon Original or Birth Sin.
“Original Sin stands not in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly talk) but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam. Whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusts always contrary to the spirit. And, therefore, in every person born into this world, it deserves God’s wrath and damnation.
“And this infection of nature does remain, yes, in them that are regenerated, whereby the lust of the flesh, called in the Greek, phronema sarkos which some do expound the wisdom, some sensuality, some the affection, some the desire, of the flesh, is not subject to the Law of God. And although there is no condemnation for them that believe and are baptized, yet the Apostle does confess that concupiscence and lust has of itself the nature of sin.”
I want nothing more.
Will anyone who believes in the Prayer Book dissent from the doctrine that “the carnal mind is enmity against God”?
12 Comments:
I agree ... but God ...
September 02, 2006 4:45 PM
"who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses , made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved).
September 02, 2006 6:29 PM
we are in bondage to sin. We are blind deaf and dead to the things of God. We don't want anything to do with Him until He regenerates us, awakens us to truth. We are His Enemy until He changes our hearts. No one comes to the Father unless they are drawn...
Cristina
September 03, 2006 12:58 AM
Cristina: You are right-on!
Mark
September 03, 2006 12:26 PM
Even a non-Calvinist believes that people are without hope and at emnity agaqinst God were it not for His intervention. Even a non-Calvinist believes that salvation is all of Grace, all of God.
I just wanted to chime in on your comment above mine.
September 04, 2006 9:10 AM
But what a non-Calvinist doesn't believe is that, without regeneration, a person is too busy hating God to want to come to Him at all.
September 04, 2006 10:17 AM
Your are right Mark. God does it all in salvation. Man does nothing. The non-calvinist view that God draws, but man makes the final decisive decision is not all of grace and all of God. It is grace plus man's decision. It is a little intervention, a little nudge and a man generated decision. There would be bragging here and that is why Paul said in Eph. 2:8-9 that faith is a gift of God not a man generated work for which he can boast.
September 04, 2006 4:21 PM
Whatever, Jazzycat.
September 05, 2006 9:00 AM
A biblical doctrine cannot logically be both affirmed and denied at the same time. I will take the 'WHATEVER' as agreement on this point.
September 05, 2006 5:25 PM
No, take the whatever that I am tired of hearing the same mischaracterizations from you. Prrrr.
Believing is not doing.
It is a little intervention, a little nudge and a man generated decision.
This is what parenting ... and winning a bride etc... is all about.
Hi Mark. :~)
yawn...
September 07, 2006 11:03 AM
But man-generated is the mischaracterization. God generated it with His sacrifice, His Word, His Spirit, His witnesses, His revelation, His wooing etc...
whatever!
September 07, 2006 11:16 AM
Rose said...... But man-generated is the mischaracterization. God generated it with His sacrifice, His Word, His Spirit, His witnesses, His revelation, His wooing etc...
Excuse me, but your sentence two above is a description of the Calvinistic, reformed view of irresistable grace if it is 100% effective. I believe your view is that man through his free will makes the final call here and the grace spoken of is resistable. If that is your view, then I have not mischaracterized anything.
Mark, has posted a whole Spurgeon series on the carnal mind at emity with God and unable to come to faith apart from God doing it all in salvation. The 'all' includes giving man the faith to believe. The 'all' includes a regeneration that means all the the Father gives Jesus will come to Jesus and none will be lost.
September 07, 2006 6:29 PM
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