Belief: Its Power and Limitations Part 5

X. The eternal salvation of sinners is a covenant salvation ordered by God and faithfully performed by God. HEB 13:20 c/w 1PE 1:2-5. A. This covenant is secure in spite of the beneficiary’s flaws (2SAM 23:2-5), analogous to the named heirs of a man’s will which cannot be changed after his death. GAL 3:15. B. God made an enduring covenant with the earth and mankind that He would never again destroy either by a global flood. GEN 8:21; 9:11. 1. Can the sinner’s unbelief of this reality thwart it? 2. Is it the sinner’s belief of this reality what makes it effective? 3. God confirmed this covenant with the token of the rainbow. GEN 9:12-17. a. Does man’s belief or unbelief of the connection of the rainbow with God’s covenant affect that fact in any way? b. A blind man's belief or unbelief of what he cannot confirm with his senses neither MAKES nor UNDOES the rainbow or that covenant. 4. The everlasting kindness and covenant of peace God has sworn to His people is as certain as His sworn covenant concerning the waters of Noah. ISA 54:7-10. Belief, Its Power And Limitations 2-5-23 Page 9  a. Man’s belief or unbelief of the security of the Noahic covenant does not make, negate or alter it. b. So, man’s belief or unbelief of the security of the everlasting covenant of salvation does not make, negate or alter it. C. God made a sworn promise to David that He would raise up Christ to his throne and neither belief nor unbelief affected or affects that reality either. ACT 2:30-31; PSA 2:1-6. 1. This royal government shall never be set aside because “...The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (ISA 9:7). 2. This certain perpetuity of government is the basis for the perpetuity of the church of Jesus Christ against all opposition. MAT 16:18; EPH 3:21. 3. The certainty of Messiah’s government is also the certainty of His people’s salvation since He is a king-priest forever by God’s zeal and oath. HEB 7:21. XI. Consider that there are many things that God has declared as fact, as history, etc. which are not conditioned upon the belief of the sinner. A. God alone created all things out of nothing by His word. HEB 11:3. B. God created a flawless, immortal Adam who sinned away his flawlessness and immortality, bringing sin and death into creation, passing this onto all his posterity. ROM 5:12. C. God entered time in the person of Jesus Christ to save His people from their sins by His bloodshed, death, burial and resurrection. 1TI 3:16; MAT 1:21; ROM 4:25. D. All the facts about the work of Jesus Christ being all that was necessary to redeem, justify and resurrect the people given to Him to save are stated with the same historical certainty as any other aspect of history stated in Scripture like creation, the fall, the Flood, the Law covenant, the Davidic covenant, etc. E. Similarly, everything which God has sworn to do of His own will is immutable and certain. Why should the everlasting covenant of salvation by Jesus Christ which God determined to do by Himself be any less immutable and certain? F. If we accept the proposition that man’s unbelief negates what God has done or forbids God from doing what He has determined to do (as many hold concerning the eternal salvation of sinners), would not man’s unbelief be able to frustrate Him in other areas? 1. God has emphatically declared that Jesus Christ will certainly return to judge the earth and force all men before His judgment seat where they will be measured by their condemning works. ACT 17:31 c/w REV 20:11-13. 2. God has similarly declared that all outside of Christ will be cast into the lake of fire at the final judgment. REV 20:6, 14-15; 21:8. 3. God will also certainly destroy the present heavens and earth. 2PE 3:10. 4. If unbelief of God’s declared unconditional doings and promises concerning the eternal salvation of His people by Jesus Christ can thwart His will in that area, what about these other declarations? 5. The logical conclusion of a falsely assumed power of the sinner’s belief or unbelief in matters that are singularly of God’s will would imply that that the sinner’s unbelief could thwart the return of Christ and Final Judgment! 6. Thus, logically, the most loving thing to do for the unconverted would be to facilitate their unbelief by not preaching the gospel to them! 7. This is the logical conclusion of a faulty premise. G. Mind that man’s unbelief in areas of God’s stated independent actions and promises does not nullify history nor His power and intentions. 1. He has saved His own people by Christ and will save them from final judgment and wrath by Christ. Belief, Its Power And Limitations 2-5-23 Page 10  2. In this matter, the unbelief of the sinner does not make the faith of God to do what He has intended to do of no effect. a. The unbelief of the Jew concerning the futility of works-righteousness shall not make the faith of God to save by Christ’s righteousness of no effect. ROM 3:3-6, 20-23. b. The unbelief of the elect Jew shall not thwart the will of God to take away his sins according to God’s sworn covenant of forgiveness. ROM 11:27-29. c. The unbelief of any of God’s elect shall not thwart God’s faithfulness to do what He has sworn to do for them and to them. 2TI 2:10-14. 3. Never deceive yourself into concluding that there are no consequences to unbelief. God has many ways of judging unbelief, especially wilful unbelief in the face of known history and duty. LUK 12:47-48. 4. A son remains a son regardless of folly but folly has its costs. LUK 15:11-24. 5. By faith we work out our own salvation which God has worked into us and so avoid blame, harm and rebuke while showing the the world a better way. PHIL 2:12-16. XII. There indeed is salvation that is conditioned upon the sinner’s belief. A. Believers know that they are born of God and are not only natural men. JOH 1:12-13. B. Believers know that they are justified by Jesus Christ. ACT 13:39. C. Believers know that they have everlasting life. JOH 6:47. D. Believers know they have passed from death to life and shall not come into condemnation. JOH 5:24. E. Believers are assured of a blessed resurrection. JOH 6:40; ROM 8:10. F. Believers save themselves from an untoward generation. ACT 2:40. G. Believers are added to the company of God’s saints. ACT 2:41; 26:18. H. Believers receive a forgiveness of sins upon conversion. ACT 2:38; 3:19. I. Believers are saved unto fellowship with God and Christ. 1JO 1:3-4. J. Believers know there is a fount of cleansing blood for their defilements. 1JO 1:9. K. Believers are saved from the fear of death and bondage. HEB 2:14-15. L. Believers dethrone Satan (and his lies) in their heart and submit to King Jesus and His liberating truth. ACT 2:36-47; GAL 5:1. M. Believers are delivered from the futility of works-righteousness. ROM 10:3-4, 9-11. N. Believers find rest for their souls in Christ. MAT 11:28-30. O. Believers have joy and peace by the knowledge of full atonement. ROM 5:10-11. P. Believers are assured they are saved from wrath by Christ. ROM 5:8-9. Q. Believers are delivered to patient waiting for Christ’s return. 1TH 1:10. R. Believers know that putting God first is always right and He is faithful to honor that. MAT 6:33-34. S. Believers grow closer to God through Christ by knowledge of Him. EPH 4:12-15. T. Believers are best fitted for soundness of mind. 2TI 1:7 c/w ACT 26:24-25. U. Believers are indeed conquerors in this world and of this world. 1JO 5:4. V. Believers have hope which transcends this world. 1PE 1:3-4. W. This is just a partial list of the certainties promised to believers only. Unbelievers cannot claim them and contrarily invite deeper delusion unto their own destruction. 2TH 2:10-12. XIII. Belief, therefore, has considerable power but only in those things which God has declared to be conditioned upon belief. Belief, Its Power And Limitations 2-5-23 Page 11