A question to consider
Colin Maxwell's writing here brings a question to mind. From the previous post that I swiped from him - "J. Vernon McGhee wrote: ”It is clearly understood that the unregenerate man who practices these sins has no portion in the kingdom of Christ and God. If a professing Christian practices these sins, he immediately classifies himself. No matter what his testimony may be on Sunday or what position he may have in the church, such a person is saying to the lost world that he is not a child of God. To live in the corruption of the flesh is to place one’s self beyond the pale of a child of God.” [Comments on Ephesians 5:5] Again: Someone may say, ‘Wait a minute. You said a child of God could confess a sin and come back into fellowship with God.’ That is right, but a child of God cannot confess a sin and continue in that sin. That is a dead giveaway that such a person is not a child of God.” [Comments on Ephesians 5:4, following his statement: ”Fornication is a sin. Regardless of where you are or who you are, if you are living in fornication today, you cannot be a child of God.”]I’m sure there’s more I could add to that, but I’ve plenty to do today. Enough there for us all to chew on!"
The question: The woman at the well, whose story is told in John 4:6-29, did she go back to that man who was not her husband that night?
Labels: Free Grace Theology
posted by mark pierson at 10:50 AM
3 Comments:
Perhaps, but it would only be for a season, if you became a new creation in Christ.
I know a strong Christian man, who was brought to conversion, and yet was living with his girlfriend. He now loved the light, and came into the light, and so little by little his sin was exposed, and he repented, and got married.
The thing that was good was that the Holy Spirit did through the Word being preached in church. No one pushed him aside, or condemned him, but it happened in a real way.
July 14, 2008 1:22 PM
Don,
Good thoughts. But I wonder about something - did your friend come to faith under the preaching of easy-believism?
Another thing, Jesus said that He came to seek and to save the lost and to call sinners to repentance. If she had gone back that very night could it be said that she had repented?
July 14, 2008 1:59 PM
John, my friend, came to Christ in a PCA pre-mil church. Odd combination, but the Pastor preached the reformed doctrines. Pastro Decker was his name.
John repented, nad trusted in Christ, as we all do. But then God cleans us up for the rest of our lives.
He washes us clean, and we no longer need to washed; except our feet.
I believe I must have been in a Cornelius state for a while, but I'm not sure.
One thing is certain, the genuine convert will hate sin, which he once loved, and love Christ, whom he once hated. He will turn from his idols, and to God. For some, the truning may be very sanctifying, or even tremendously sanctifying, as Paul was. Or it may take time to clean the cob webs of sin out of the soul, though the soul is regenerated.
Repntance and faith will be gifts from God in the newly converted soul, and born again spirit, that's for sure.
July 14, 2008 4:24 PM
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