It is only through God's will that man may
become holy or sanctified—freed from sin, so he
may serve God and may receive God's reward—which
is salvation— as a "gift from God".
10D.1
What did God do in
order for man to merit or deserve God's compassion and mercy?
The
bible gave the answer in Romans 11:32,
thus,
"For God has made all people
prisoners of disobedience, so that He might show mercy to them
all." (Today's English Version)
The same verse in other versions of the Bible;
For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all.
(Revised Standard Version)
For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
(New King James Version)
God
purposely made all people
prisoners of disobedience, so that He might show mercy to them
all.
10D.2
What is meant by all men were made prisoners of disobedience?
No less than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself
explains, thus in Mathew 26:41,
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
(KJV)
The same verse in other version of the Bible:
"Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
(New American Standard)
Man was made prisoner of disobedience
simply means that man as flesh was
created weak by God. In such a
condition, man finds it difficult to resist
temptation and difficult to follow God's
commandments, and therefore he becomes susceptible or prone to commit sin.
10D.3 What has God decreed against the sinner, against one who lets
his weakness rule his whole being?
In
Romans 6:23, this is written:
For the wages of sin is death; but the
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV)
God's
decreed that the payment for sin is death.
10D.4 Does the cessation of one's
breath render man fully paid for his sins?
No! The cessation of one's breath or
death is not the full payment of
sin.
Man must not fail to reckon that there is still a second death in the
lake of fire.
In Revelation 20:14, this is written:
And death and hell were cast into the lake
of fire. This is the second death. (KJV)
The second death
in the lake of fire is the full payment of sin.
________________
God
purposely made all people
"prisoners of disobedience", so that He might show mercy to them
all (Romans 11:32). Man as "prisoner of disobedience"
simply means that man as flesh was
created weak by God (Mat. 26:41). Weak
in the sense that man finds it difficult to resist
temptation and difficult to follow God's
commandments, and therefore he becomes susceptible or prone to commit sin.
In such a wretched situation, God's law requires
the sinful man to die for his sins (Rom. 6:23)
and that is the second death in the lake of fire, which
is the full payment of his sins (Rev. 20:14).
Thus, a sinful man will no longer have the right
to serve God. He must first be sanctified or
made holy so he can serve the Lord God again.
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