LIABILITY OF MAN AND HIS LACK OF POWER

CH Mackintosh

     The question of the responsibility of man seems to stump many souls. They consider that it is difficult-if not impossible-to reconcile this principle with the fact that man has absolutely no power. "If man-argue-is absolutely powerless, how can it be responsible? If he himself can not repent and believe the Gospel, how can you be responsible? And if he finally is not responsible to believe the gospel, on what basis, then, may be judged by refuse? "

     Here's how the human mind thinks and argues, and theology, unfortunately, does not help to solve the difficulty, but, on the contrary, adds to the confusion and darkness. Well, first, a school of theology 'high' or Calvinist-teaches-and correctly-complete impotence or inability of man that if he leaves it to its own devices, nor will he ever want to come to God , that this is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit, which if not for the free and sovereign grace, never a soul could be saved, that, if we depended only never do wrong and we would work well. From all this, the Calvinist concludes that man is not responsible. Their teaching is correct, but your deduction is incorrect. The other school of theology, the "low" or Arminian-teaches-and correctly-that man is responsible , they will be punished with everlasting destruction for rejecting the Gospel, that God commands all men everywhere to repent; praying sinners, all men, to the world, to be reconciled to Him, that God desires all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. From all this, the system infers that man has the power or the power to repent and believe . His teaching is correct, your deduction, wrong.

     It follows that neither human reasoning and the teaching of mere theology-high or low-can never resolve the question of the responsibility of man and his lack of power. The word of God can only do so, and does so in the simplest and conclusively. She teaches, demonstrates and illustrates, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, the utter helplessness of man to do good and relentless evil inclination . Scripture, in Genesis 6, states that "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is continuous only evil. " In Jeremiah 17 says that "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." In Romans 3 tells us that "there is none righteous, no not one, no one understands. No one who seeks God. All have turned aside, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no not one. "

     Furthermore, Scripture not only teaches the doctrine of absolute and irremediable ruin of man, his incorrigible evil, their total inability to do good and its invariable evil inclination, but also provides us with a wealth of evidence, absolutely unanswerable, in the form of facts and illustrations taken from the actual history of man, demonstrating the doctrine. It shows a man in the garden, believing the devil, disobeying God and being ejected. The sample,   after being expelled following his path of evil, until God finally had to send the flood. Then, in the land restored, the man gets drunk and degraded. It is tested without the law, and proves to be a rebel without a law. Then it is tested under the law, and becomes a willful transgressor. Then they are sent the prophets, and the man's stoned, John the Baptist is sent, and the man beheads him, the Son of God is sent, and the man is crucified, the Holy Spirit is sent, and the man resists.

     Thus, in each volume, so to speak-of the history of mankind, every section, every page, every paragraph, every line, we read about his utter ruin, of their total alienation from God. We are taught, in the clearest way possible, that if man depended, nor could ever want-but surely-should turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. And, in perfect agreement with this, learn from the parable of the great supper which the Lord spoke in Luke 14, that not even one of the guests wanted to be at the table. All who sat at the table, they were "forced into". Not one ever would have attended if it had been left to their own decision. Grace, free grace of God, should compel you to come, and so it does. Blessed be forever the God of all grace!

     But on the other hand, side by side with this, and taught with equal force and clarity, is the solemn and important truth of man's responsibility. At Creation, God addresses man as a responsible being, for that undoubtedly it is. And also your responsibility, in each case, is measured by its benefits. So when you open the book of Romans, we see that the Gentile is considered in a lawless condition, but being responsible for providing heard the testimony of creation, what has not. The Jew is regarded as being under the law and is responsible for storing, what has not. Then, in chapter 11 of the epistle, Christianity is considered responsible for staying in the goodness of God, which he did not. And in 2. Thessalonians 1, we read that those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, shall be punished with everlasting destruction. Finally, in Chapter 2 of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the apostle urges awareness in this solemn question: "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?"

     However, the gentle will not be judged on the same basis as the Jewish, nor Jew be judged on the same basis as nominal Christian. God will deal with each one on its own distinct terrain and under the light and privileges received. There are those who receive "many stripes" and who is "light beating" according to Luke 12. It will be "more tolerable" for some than others, according to Matthew 11. The Judge of all the earth will do what is right, but the man is responsible and its liability is measured by the light and the benefits that were given. Not all the groups are indiscriminately, like fringe into common ground. On the contrary, as strict distinction is made, and no one will ever be convicted of belittling and rejecting benefits that have not been within reach. But surely the mere fact that there will be a trial, proves conclusively, although there was no other evidence-that man is responsible.

     And who-asked-is the quintessential prototype of irresponsibility? He who despises or rejects the Gospel of God's grace. The Gospel reveals the fullness of God's grace. All divine resources are deployed in the Gospel: God's love, the beautiful work and the glorious Person of the Son, and the witness of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, in the Gospel, God is seen in the wonderful ministry of reconciliation, begging sinners to be reconciled to Him^[1]. Nothing can surpass this. It is the highest and full deployment of grace, mercy and love of God, therefore all who reject or despise, are responsible in the strictest sense, and bring upon themselves the severest trial God. Those who reject the testimony of the Creation are guilty, those who break the law are still guilty, but those who reject the grace offered, are the most guilty of all.

     Is there anyone who still objected and say it is not possible to reconcile the two things: the impotence of man and man's responsibility? The note that it is not for us to reconcile. God has made to include both truths one beside the other in his eternal Word. It behooves us to subject ourselves and believe, not reason. If we consider the conclusions and deductions of our minds, or dogmas of antagonistic schools of theology, fall into a tangle and will always perplexed and confused. But if we simply bow to the Scriptures, we will know the truth. Men can reason and rebel against God, but the question is whether man is to judge God or God will judge the man. Is God sovereign or not? If man is to stand as a judge of God, then God is no longer God. "O man, who art thou that replies against God" (Romans 9:20).

     This is the fundamental question. Can we respond to it? The plain fact is that this difficulty concerning the issue of power and responsibility is a complete mistake arising from ignorance of our true condition and our lack of absolute submission to God. Every soul who is in good moral condition, freely acknowledge their responsibility, their fault, their utter helplessness, his merit of the righteous judgment of God, and were it not for the sovereign grace of God in Christ, she would inevitably doomed. All those who do not recognize this, from the depths of his soul, ignoring themselves, and placed virtually judgment against God. Such is the situation, if we are to be taught by Scripture.

     Take an example. A man owes me some money, but is an unconscious man and wasteful, so it is unable to pay me, and not only fails, but does not have the slightest desire to do so. Do not want to pay me, wants nothing to do with me. If you saw me coming down the street, would hide as soon as I could as long as I dodged. Are you responsible? Do I have grounds to sue him? Did his total inability to pay me exonerates?

    Then I send my servant with an affectionate message. Insults. I send another, and smite. Then I send my own child to pray him come to me and my debtor acknowledge, to confess and take its own place, and to tell you not only want to forgive your debt, but also associate it with me. He then insults my son in every way possible, take all sorts of reproach against him and finally kills him.

     All this is simply a very weak illustration of the true condition of things between God and the sinner, but some want to reason and argue about the injustice to hold that man is responsible. This is a fatal mistake from every point of view. In hell there is not a single soul who has some difficulty on this subject. And surely in heaven no one feels any difficulty in this regard. All who are in hell will recognize that got what they deserved according to their works, while those who are in heaven 'debtors to grace alone "is recognized. The first must be thanked themselves, the latter must give thanks to God. We believe that this is the only real solution to the issue of accountability and the power of man ^[2].