But without faith it is impossible to please God.(Heb11:6) Whatever is not of faith is sin(Rom14:23). Arminians say that their "holy spirit" dwells in the hearts of unbelievers, preparing their hearts, helping them to "make a decision" to follow Christ, and drawing them "closer to God's love". The Arminian affirms that their "holy spirit" helps unbelievers to learn to pray. Thus, the Arminian preacher urges his hearers that, "Right now, if you feel the Holy Spirit convicting you of your sins, then it is time for you to ask God to come into your life." Indeed, you will often hear Arminians confessing that, "Before I was saved I could feel the Holy Spirit touching my heart, making me interested in God, leading me to church, helping me read the Bible, and making me cry out to God." Yet Hebrews 11:6 and Romans 14:23 declare that unbelievers cannot please God. The deeds of those without faith are sinful and abominable in the sight of God. But what about Arminians, don't they teach that their "holy spirit" performs works through unbelievers? Correct. Arminians believe that their "holy spirit" performs works in unbelievers. Thus, the Arminian believes in a "god" where "god the holy spirit" causes an unbeliever to pray or seek after God, which "prayers" or "seeking" the Bible says are wicked. Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God; every prayer of the unconverted is not to the Just God and Savior of the Bible, for "How can they call on Him on whom they have not believed?"(Rom10). Every prayer of the unbeliever is merely a lust of the devil, for "the things that the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils."(1Cor10:20) Reader, let no Arminian delude you! The Arminian will lead you to believe in a "holy spirit" who works sin in the hearts of unbelievers, by making them pray and seek after God WITHOUT FAITH. Hearken not to any lost Arminian preacher! 100% of the thoughts and deeds of unbelievers are evil, yet, the Arminian preacher says that some of these thoughts and deeds are the works of the Holy Spirit. Thus the Arminians "holy spirit" CONTRIBUTES to the sin of the unbeliever, by causing those thoughts and deeds to occur, which God declares to be sin. All Arminians are lost. But what about true believers? True believers know that they were children and worshippers of the devil, and that only he -- the god of this world -- prevailed in their hearts until their conversion. True believers know that every thought, word and deed prior to their conversion was 100% evil, and they dare not say that the Holy Spirit worked in their hearts at this time, for this would be making the Holy Spirit the worker of evil. When God converts one of His elect, what does that person believe? This person will not be converted to Arminianism -- God does not feed believers poison -- but this person will know the truth. He will believe that by one man's disobedience many were made sinners and that by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous. The believer is assured that by nature all men are equally children of wrath and that by faith all who believe are children of God. All those blessed with the gospel know that it is only Christ's righteousness and atoning blood that saves them from hell. They hear Christ say, "I come to do your will, O my God ... you Law is within my heart,"(Psa40) "by which will (done by Him) we (who believe him to be the Son of God, who fulfilled His Father's Law) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, at once are sanctified ... for by one offering he has perfected for ever them who are sanctified."(Heb10). "We declare unto you glad tidings that God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead and by Him all who believe are justified from all the things from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses."(Acts13). By that Law they were in all things condemned; therefore they are, now that they believe that Law fulfilled by Christ, in all things, justified in the sight of God, by the righteousness of Jesus imputed to them, when they believe Him to be raised from the dead. "And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit"(Acts13). Every believer is personally convicted of these truths. This gospel doctrine is communicated and thoroughly ascertained to them, on the one hand, of sin and death, according to the manner of its entrance, reign and destruction; so also, on the other hand, the righteousness and life, according to the manner of its entrance and eternal reign by Jesus Christ the Lord. As sin and death were transferred and conveyed to me, without any agency or concurrence upon my part, from Adam, the figure or type of him that was to come, through the natural generation; so in like manner, righteousness and life, with the destruction of sin, all sin and death, as pertaining to me, are transferred and conveyed to me, without any agency or concurrence upon my part, by the glorious and eternally adored Antitype, Jesus Christ, (who is God over all, blessed for ever Amen,) through the faith or knowledge of Himself, freely given to me for it is His own gift and work, the spiritual regeneration, whereby I am born of God, a child of God, an heir of God, a joint-heir with Christ, a partaker for ever of Christ and all the benefits of redemption. Thus it is written in Romans 3, in immediate connection with the finished proof of all flesh being under sin and death, "But now without the Law, the righteousness of God", that is of Emanuel, God manifested in the flesh, "is manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by the faith," that is, as explained in Heb 11, the evidence, discovery, knowledge or conviction, "of Christ to all and upon all them that believe, so there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." So all that believe the apostolic record concerning that righteousness to be true, are justified freely by the love of God through the redemption that is in Jesus. "To declare at this time His righteousness, that He might be JUST, and the JUSTIFIER of Him who believes in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Neither, but through a law of faith. Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith," that is, the righteousness believed, called "faith" as being the object of faith, in opposition to all works whatsoever, in this business of justification, but the finished work of the Son of God, "without the deeds of the Law ... Then is the Law annulled through faith? Let it not be! But we establish the Law." Establish the Law, how? In the blood of God, in which it was fulfilled; sprinkled, that is to say manifested in the believer's conscience, by the Holy Spirit, and the spring of all our love, gratitude and obedience to God, and the source of all our peace and joy before God. So the Scripture is fulfilled which says, "By the knowledge of Himself shall my righteous Servant justify many." Fulfilled I say, with regard to me in whom that knowledge or evidence is given. "And we preach the gospel to you, the promise made to the fathers, that this God has fulfilled to us, their children, raising up Jesus; as also it has been written."(Acts13). Now, the Resurrection of Christ from the dead, implies, that he was, thereby, declared to be the Son of God, with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness (Rom1:4). It also implies, that He, the promised Messiah, had fulfilled all righteousness; and that He was raised up, for a certain testimony, pledge, or token of assurance to all men, that His Father had accepted His now finished work, even the work of glorifying the Father, by becoming obedient to the death for the sake of His people, according as the Lord Himself had spoke, saying, "I have glorified You on the earth. I finished the work that You gave Me to do. And now Father, glorify Me with Yourself." (Jn17:4-5) "And by him all that believe"--What are they said to believe? Answer: those very glad tidings, that God raised Jesus from the dead. "By him all who believe," that is, hold those glad tidings to be true, of the Resurrection, for a matter of fact, understanding the meaning of the Resurrection, "ARE"--no intervention of acts of any kind, no space in between, no delay, no suspense, for even a moment, but instantaneously and at once are--"JUSTIFIED from all things that you could not be justified by the Law of Moses." It is a certain truth that there was a Law of Moses, and that I was accursed by it; then to me who believe God's testimony in these things, it is *equally certain* that God raised Jesus up again from the dead, in token of his having fulfilled the Law, and of His having borne away the curse of the Law, in His own body upon the cross. Moreover, it is *equally certain* that I who believe that fact of the Resurrection, to be just as God says, AM JUSTIFIED, by that very believed righteousness, which He accomplished. This righteousness is freely imputed to me, without any works, of any kind, being produced upon my part. Not even faith, or knowledge of this righteousness, is my act; but, as said before, the gift, the act, the work of God Himself in me; if so be, the causing of the light to shine out of darkness, and forming the eye to see that light, be the gift, the act, the work of God (according to Eph2:8, Col2:12, 2Cor4:6). Observe, here is my rock, I do not build my assurance upon the sand of a heated imagination, or strong presumptions of my own "marks of grace". But here I stand upon my rock, a truth which to eternity would stand firm as the basis of Jehovah's throne, whether I believed it or not; a truth, which now by grace I know to be *equally certain* as the existence of my God Himself. There is *no more certainty* that God created the worlds and that He raised Jesus from the dead, than that I will be saved. I saw neither of those two former events. If God's mere assertion does not satisfy me, I must expect no other evidence. I will expect none. I stand convinced. I am certain that Jesus is the Son of God; that God has raised Him from the dead, in testimony of His having fulfilled all righteousness. The Substitution has taken place, and therefore the debt is paid. Here is one certain truth planted by Jehovah's hand in my mind, "that God has raised up Jesus," upon which he has grafted this other certainty also, "that by Him all who believe are justified." The former, namely, the Resurrection of Jesus, cannot stand in my mind, as a truth, without the latter, namely my own personal justification by the work of the Son of God, which I believe. All true believers have this infallible promise that they will be saved, and they do not call God a liar, for they have the witness in themselves. But how another group of people think it to compliment God, by the doubts and fears concerning their salvation. These people are unregenerate for they call God a liar in his promise to save all believers. "The one believing in the Son of God has the witness in himself. The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son."(1Jn5:10) Andrew C. Bain http://www.Godnoliar.com -- Read the Sound of Grace pages at http://www.soundofgrace.com To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: soundofgrace-unsubscribe@... To view our online archive go to our web page at http://www.associate.com/groups/soundofgrace