as rightly stated in the Westminster Confession of Faith, fallen in
Adam, man is in a state of sin, wholly incapable of doing anything
pleasing to God to merit salvation, including salvation through
ceremonies and will worship :
" Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability
of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation
( Joh.15:5; Rom. 5:6; Rom.8:7 ) :
so as, a natural man, being altogether averse from that good
( Rom.3:10; Rom.3:12 ), and dead in sin
( Eph.2:1; Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13 ),
is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare
himself thereunto ( Joh.6:44; Joh. 6:65; 1Co.2:14; Eph. 2:2-5;
Tit. 3:3-5 ). "
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giving God the glory is completely contrary to unregenerate man
and is therefore seen by God as deserving of the wrath of God.
( Ro. 1:18-32 )... man therefore does not believe unto salvation
because he wanted to. Joh. 8:44
it is by His doing that anyone is in Christ ( 1 Cor. 1:30 ) and that
man believes unto salvation comes from God alone ( Mt. 19:25,26
Joh. 3:3, Joh. 6:44, Joh. 6:29, Acts 13:48, Eph. 1:3-12 ) without
human assistance in any way. ( Eph. 2:1-9 ) " lest man should boast "
v.9
" Blessed is the one whom You choose, and cause to come near You. He
shall dwell in Your courts " Ps. 65:4
" where then is the boasting ?... it is excluded " Ro. 3:27,28
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man is saved " by the faith of Jesus " ( Ro. 3:22-28, Gal. 3:22 )
and not by " the will of man " Joh. 1:12,13
for such is to heap the glory for the doing on man and not Christ.
will worship as a means to salvation as well as ceremony as a means
to salvation is part of the Simon Magus cult of Acts 8:9-24 which
Scripture and history apart from Scripture, attribute to sorcery.
Simon Magus is labeled by Scripture and Christian history as the
first heretic... his cult can be seen as the progenitors of
Arminianism ( Evangelical / Charismatic Protestantism ) and
Catholicism... both have developed a gospel of will worship and
ceremony as the means to salvation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Magnus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinomianism
those who are saved by grace are those who were appointed to believe
unto eternal life. ( Acts 13:48 ) these alone are freed from sin
( Mt.1:21) and therefore from a pure heart bring the praise of the
lips to God Most High for salvation ( Isa. 57:15-21) which He provides
by Sovereign grace alone, ( Eph. 2:8,9 ) He being the Author and
Perfecter of the Faith ( Heb.12:2 ) He graced upon the elect.
Eph. 1:3-14
.
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