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Man is perfectly free to sin.


Man is perfectly free to sin. This statement is undeniable. When he becomes a drunkard it is to please himself; and when
This statement is undeniable.  
he is covetous to meanness, or dishonesty, when he is guilty of licentious acts, when he provokes God by his
blasphemies, and when with wicked hands he slays his neighbor, he commits these crimes to gratify himself.
And the same doctrine is true with reference to all his transgressions. No man on trial in court would venture to urge, as
an excuse for his criminal acts, that he was compelled to commit them, unless indeed physical force was used ;
and if he offered such a plea every judge and jury in the world would regard this false pretense as an aggravation of
his guilt. Satan can only tempt men to sin; he cannot coerce them to commit it. He possesses a great intellect, vast
experience, unwearied perseverance, and hosts of agents; nevertheless, if men resist the devil he will flee from them.
Every man's consciousness tells him that he sins because of his own personal wishes, and not because of outside
force. Haman planned to murder Mordecai, not for Satan's pleasure but his own. Ananias and his wife kept back part of
the price, not to gratify the prince of darkness, but to satisfy their own covetous hearts.
The testimony of human consciousness proves that men sin because they themselves resolve upon it. And if we cannot
believe our consciousness upon this question wecannot believe it about anything. We must reject its utterances when it
tells us that we are living, or walking, or speaking, or working. To reject the evidence of our consciousness about our sins
coming solely from ourselves would compel us to discard belief in all our experiences. Either then our sins are our own, or
we can believe nothing, and our consciousness is but a constant instrument of deception.
From the fall of our first parents in Eden down to the last record of guilt in the Scriptures, God invariably assumes the
responsibility of men for their sins; and in a great many instances he asserts it; and this responsibility rests upon their
freedom to sin.
Man has lost his liberty to serve God. Paul says in Eph. 2:1, "You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses
and sins." The death of which he speaks is a moral death; it represents men without Christ as destitute of all power to
turn to Jesus.
When a man is "dead drunk" he cannot reason; he cannot walk, he is stupid and helpless. So the unsaved are under the
curse of sinful intoxication, and they are dead to all the claims of God, and to all the charms of a loving Saviour; and left
to themselves, they would never seek or find salvation. The Saviour says, John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the
Father who hath sent me draw him." There is a lack of moral ability in every human heart to come to Jesus till the
drawings of grace lift the man from his helplessness and slavery and place him at the feet of Jesus.
The impenitent man might be compared to Samson when his hair was shorn; the great Israelite was robbed of his eyes,
thrust into prison, bound with fetters of brass, and he did grind in the prison: and the only power he had was to inflict


death; for when the Philistines were feasting in the temple of Dagon, Samson seized two of the pillars and the house fell,
Man is perfectly free to reject salvation.
killing himself and three thousand of his enemies.
 
The unregenerate man has lost his moral eyesight, he is in the prison of unbelief, he is chained by sinful habits, he is
When he becomes a drunkard it is to please himself;  
grinding this world's grist, and he has only strength to destroy his own soul and the souls of others: The Philadelphia
 
Confession of Faith in Article IX says truly:
and when he is covetous to meanness, or dishonesty,
"Man in a state of innocency had freedom and power, to will and to do that which was good, and well pleasing
 
to God… Man by his fall into a state of sin hath wholly lost all his ability of will, to any spiritual good accompanying salvation, so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able by
when he is guilty of licentious acts,  
his own strength to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto."
 
The palsied will of an unsaved man is made free to serve God by the Holy Spirit. When the Comforter smote the
when he provokes God by his blasphemies,
heart of persecuting Saul his opposition to Christ instantly perished, and his earnest cry was, "Lord, what wilt thou have
 
me to do? An iron paralysis held the will of Paul in its resistless power, so that he was approvingly helpless to exercise
and when with wicked hands he slays his neighbor,  
any faculty of his soul for God until the Comforter made his heart the temple of Jehovah and began to "work in him
 
both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
he commits these crimes to gratify himself.
It is through this blessed working that God's people are willing in the day of his power" to render obedience or to make
 
painful sacrifices. The will of man, so free to sin, so powerless to decide for Christ's service, is strengthened and sanctified by
And the same doctrine is true with reference to all his transgressions.  
the Spirit in conversion, and receives his assistance ever afterwards to steadfastly steer the soul for a heavenly port.
 
Men are conscious that they are free to sin, and when they are brought into the liberty wherewith Christ makes his people
No man on trial in court would venture to urge,
free, they are conscious that God's Spirit has given them deliverance front the bondage of unbelief, and they are
 
conscious that their renewed hearts willingly love and serve the Saviour.
as an excuse for his criminal acts,
 
that he was compelled to commit them,  
 
unless indeed physical force was used ;
 
and if he offered such a plea every judge and jury in the world
 
would regard this false pretense as an aggravation of his guilt.
 
Satan can only tempt men to sin;
 
he cannot coerce them to commit it.
 
He possesses a great intellect, vast experience, unwearied perseverance,  
 
and hosts of agents;
 
nevertheless, if a man resists the devil
 
he will flee from him.
 
Every man's consciousness tells him
 
that he sins because of his own personal wishes,  
 
and not because of outside force.
 
Haman planned to murder Mordecai,
 
not for Satan's pleasure but his own.
 
Ananias and his wife kept back part of the price,
 
not to gratify the prince of darkness,
 
but to satisfy their own covetous hearts.
 
The testimony of human consciousness proves
 
that men sin because they themselves resolve upon it.
 
And if we cannot believe our consciousness upon this question
 
we cannot believe it about anything.
 
We must reject its utterances when it tells us that we are living, or walking,
 
or speaking, or working.
 
To reject the evidence of our consciousness about our sins
 
coming solely from ourselves
 
would compel us to discard belief in all our experiences.
 
Either then our sins are our own,
 
or we can believe nothing,
 
and our consciousness is but a constant instrument of deception.
 
From the fall of our first parents in Eden
 
down to the last record of guilt in the Scriptures,  
 
God invariably assumes the responsibility of men for their sins;
 
and in a great many instances he asserts it;
 
and this responsibility rests upon their freedom to sin.
 
Man has lost his liberty to serve God.
 
Paul says in Eph. 2:1,  
 
:"You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins."
 
A man left to himself,
 
would never seek or find salvation.
 
The Saviour says, John 6:44,  
 
:"No man can come to me,
 
:except the Father who hath sent me draw him."
 
There is a lack of moral ability in every human heart
 
to come to Jesus till the drawings of grace.
 
a natural man,  
 
is not able by his own strength  
 
to convert himself
 
 
 
When the Comforter smote the heart of persecuting Saul  
 
and his earnest cry was,  
 
:"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?  
 
The Holy Spirit came to reside
 
never to depart.
 
The Holy Spirit can only convict man of sin;
 
he cannot coerce him to be saved.
 
if a man resists the Holy Spirit
 
he may leave him.
 
:My spirit shall not always strive with man,
 
 
 
[[Christ died for all]]
 
 
[[Can a Man Be Unborn]]
 
 
[[Once Saved Always Saved]]




[[--]]
[[--]]

Latest revision as of 01:43, 3 April 2024

Man is perfectly free to sin.

This statement is undeniable.

Man is perfectly free to reject salvation.

When he becomes a drunkard it is to please himself;

and when he is covetous to meanness, or dishonesty,

when he is guilty of licentious acts,

when he provokes God by his blasphemies,

and when with wicked hands he slays his neighbor,

he commits these crimes to gratify himself.

And the same doctrine is true with reference to all his transgressions.

No man on trial in court would venture to urge,

as an excuse for his criminal acts,

that he was compelled to commit them,

unless indeed physical force was used ;

and if he offered such a plea every judge and jury in the world

would regard this false pretense as an aggravation of his guilt.

Satan can only tempt men to sin;

he cannot coerce them to commit it.

He possesses a great intellect, vast experience, unwearied perseverance,

and hosts of agents;

nevertheless, if a man resists the devil

he will flee from him.

Every man's consciousness tells him

that he sins because of his own personal wishes,

and not because of outside force.

Haman planned to murder Mordecai,

not for Satan's pleasure but his own.

Ananias and his wife kept back part of the price,

not to gratify the prince of darkness,

but to satisfy their own covetous hearts.

The testimony of human consciousness proves

that men sin because they themselves resolve upon it.

And if we cannot believe our consciousness upon this question

we cannot believe it about anything.

We must reject its utterances when it tells us that we are living, or walking,

or speaking, or working.

To reject the evidence of our consciousness about our sins

coming solely from ourselves

would compel us to discard belief in all our experiences.

Either then our sins are our own,

or we can believe nothing,

and our consciousness is but a constant instrument of deception.

From the fall of our first parents in Eden

down to the last record of guilt in the Scriptures,

God invariably assumes the responsibility of men for their sins;

and in a great many instances he asserts it;

and this responsibility rests upon their freedom to sin.

Man has lost his liberty to serve God.

Paul says in Eph. 2:1,

"You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins."

A man left to himself,

would never seek or find salvation.

The Saviour says, John 6:44,

"No man can come to me,
except the Father who hath sent me draw him."

There is a lack of moral ability in every human heart

to come to Jesus till the drawings of grace.

a natural man,

is not able by his own strength

to convert himself


When the Comforter smote the heart of persecuting Saul

and his earnest cry was,

"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?

The Holy Spirit came to reside

never to depart.

The Holy Spirit can only convict man of sin;

he cannot coerce him to be saved.

if a man resists the Holy Spirit

he may leave him.

My spirit shall not always strive with man,


Christ died for all


Can a Man Be Unborn


Once Saved Always Saved


--

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