Witnessing to Unbelievers

[Rescued One]

Is God's grace resistable or not there?

I know the answer, but want some of your thoughts, I've had a lot of pressure about a Christian's duty to witness. An Arminian pastor said God can't convert some people.

I thought Christians were taught that God is omnipotent. When I told my mother
that Jesus would forgive her sins, she replied, "I don't sin."

 

[Arial]

Is God's grace resistable or not there?

I know the answer, but want some of your thoughts, I've had a lot of pressure about a Christian's duty to witness. An Arminian pastor said God can't convert some people.

I thought Christians were taught that God is omnipotent. When I told my mother
that Jesus would forgive her sins, she replied, "I don't sin."

God's grace to save is irresistible because it is always effectual to do what he gives it to do. The Christians job is to defend the gospel. preach the gospel, and live the gospel. Sometimes, the life lived is the witness. It is God's wheel house to open the ears of his elect to hear and believe at the proper time.

To say God can't convert some people is to say some people are more powerful than God. The correct way of saying that would be that God won't open the eyes and hearts of some people. Some he does not, and will not regenerate. And it is not because they are worse than other anymore than the basis of his election is on a persons goodness. We are all on equal footing before being brought to Christ.

Don't lose hope with your mother. My mother would say the same thing, and all she meant was she didn't go around committing the sins a legalistic church announced as sins. She was raised in Baptist and Methodists churches. Not all are legalistic, but in her era (she was born in 1910) and in small communities like she grew up in, everyone was counting the sins of others, overlooking their own. It is a lack of understanding what sin is and its blatant treason against God's holiness, and our shortfall as his image bearers.

My mother came to Christ, straight out of Christian Science, when she was in her mid seventies. It took my brother relentlessly preaching the gospel and exposing the ant-Christ of C.S. like a cult de-programmer. Followed by me stepping in a gentler quieter manner (can you believe that of me!) after I heard the voice of the Shepherd and followed him. I think one of the most effective things was that overnight there was a difference in me as noticable as up is from down.

 

[Papa Smurf]

Is God's grace resistable or not there?

Hello Rescued One, the Bible tells us that it is not .. e.g. John 6: 37-40, 44 (see below). It's not "irresistible" in the way we might expect it to be at first however, because God, for instance, felt it necessary to assure us that He will patiently wait for all of us/His elect, that is, to come to Him and be saved (2 Peter 3:9).

John 6​

37 ~All~ that the Father gives Me ~will~ come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. ​

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. ​

39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of ~all~ that He has given Me ~I lose nothing~, but raise it up on the last day. ​

40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.​

​

44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws* him; and I will raise him up on the last day. ​

Now, this is pure conjecture on my part (so please be sure to hold it as nothing more than that) but I believe that this may be part of the reason that the angels long to look into this matter (of our salvation, that is .. 1 Peter 1:12).

I've had a lot of pressure about a Christian's duty to witness.

I'm not sure why He did it, but it's clear that part of the road toward saving faith always seems to involve the input and help of those of us who are already believers.

Romans 10​

13 “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” ​

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? ​

​

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. ​

An Arminian pastor said God can't convert some people.

Hmmm, did he tell you why he believes that by any chance

I thought Christians were taught that God is omnipotent.

We are

When I told my mother that Jesus would forgive her sins, she replied, "I don't sin."

It sounds like she needs to take a look in the mirror known as the Holy Writ and do a reality check What I've found is that most people who believe what your mom does know they are guilty, they just think that they are basically/mostly a good person rather than a horrible sinner. However, this is only because they use Hitler as their standard and compare themselves to Him, instead of God
The good news is, God has the answer for her and everyone else like her. As Calvinist Charles Spurgeon once said,

"The Law is for the self-righteous to humble their pride: The Gospel is for the lost, to remove their despair"​

God bless you!!

--Papa Smurf
p.s. - this is another one of Spurgeon's quotes, one of my very favorites, in fact, and since it concerns this thread's topic, our GREAT need to be His witnesses .. e.g. Mark 16:15; Acts 1:9; Romans 10:17, here it is

​

*ἑλκύω/helkuo, that we translate as "draws" in John 6:44 ~never~ means to woo or entice, whether Biblically ~or~ extra-Biblically. Rather, it means to draw in the sense of leading or impelling (to "draw" by inward power).

δελεάζω/deleazo (e.g. James 1:14) means to woo/entice/etc.

 

[Papa Smurf]

This: Mark 16:15; Acts 1:9; Romans 10:17, in my last post should have been this Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:17 instead! I didn't see it in time to edit it, but the good news is that the link actually takes you to Acts 1:8

Sorry about that!

And YIKES, there is another typo. This: "However, this is only because they use Hitler as their standard and compare themselves to Him, instead of God" most definitely should have been this instead: "However, this is only because they use Hitler as their standard and compare themselves to him, instead of God".

Again, sorry about that!!

 

[Rescued One]

Thank you. I like the replies. My mother was born in 1924 and passed away several years ago. She lived far away so we were only in touch by phone. One Easter a neighbor told her "He is risen" and she thought that was weird. She didn't believe in the Trinity or the Bible. We sent her an NIV large print Bible. I tried to talk her into reading John Chapter Three. She wanted us to know that she rubbed her hand over the cover when she walked by. Then I asked her again to read John Chapter Three. It meant nothing to her. On her last Christmas, I sent gifts and wrote to her that she'd go to heaven if she would believe in Jesus.
I don't think she ever did. She didn't believe He was God.

My four(maybe only three) living siblings don't speak to each other or me.

 

[Arial]

Thank you. I like the replies. My mother was born in 1924 and passed away several years ago. She lived far away so we were only in touch by phone. One Easter a neighbor told her "He is risen" and she thought that was weird. She didn't believe in the Trinity or the Bible. We sent her an NIV large print Bible. I tried to talk her into reading John Chapter Three. She wanted us to know that she rubbed her hand over the cover when she walked by. Then I asked her again to read John Chapter Three. It meant nothing to her. On her last Christmas, I sent gifts and wrote to her that she'd go to heaven if she would believe in Jesus.
I don't think she ever did. She didn't believe He was God.

My four(maybe only three) living siblings don't speak to each other or me.

So sad to hear all that. My heart goes out to you.

 

[makesends]

Is God's grace resistable or not there?

I know the answer, but want some of your thoughts, I've had a lot of pressure about a Christian's duty to witness. An Arminian pastor said God can't convert some people.

I'm hoping your answer is that it is a mistaken question. God's grace is always there, but the term, "Irresistible Grace", refers to what God does in giving spiritual life (regeneration) to the spiritual dead —not to the many daily nor special graces with which God deals with humans.

I thought Christians were taught that God is omnipotent.

That Arminian pastor thinks God wants to convert everyone, so, since not everyone converts, I guess that is the logical conclusion. My wife told me (at high volume) that God can't use me unless I'm obeying. HA! Joke's on the ones disobeying, because God is using them THAT way.

When I told my mother
that Jesus would forgive her sins, she replied, "I don't sin."

Wow!

 

[Rescued One]

I'm hoping your answer is that it is a mistaken question. God's grace is always there, but the term, "Irresistible Grace", refers to what God does in giving spiritual life (regeneration) to the spiritual dead —not to the many daily nor special graces with which God deals with humans.

That Arminian pastor thinks God wants to convert everyone, so, since not everyone converts, I guess that is the logical conclusion. My wife told me (at high volume) that God can't use me unless I'm obeying. HA! Joke's on the ones disobeying, because God is using them THAT way.

Wow!

Wow! That's what I thought.

I know that God has blessed me every day. He helps me. Where would I be without Him!

Sometimes we learn what not to do by the things people blurt out (such as not to blurt out everything that crosses our minds). I was once told thst rebellious people repond to kindness more than punishment. So many books are still being written about parenting, and parents keep struggling!

 

[Rescued One]

If God is in charge of my life, he meant it to be lonely. I don't know why .

 

[Arial]

If God is in charge of my life, he meant it to be lonely. I don't know why .

You have us. And we have you.

 

[Rescued One]

You have us. And we have you.

God bless you! And the internet.

 

[makesends]

God bless you! And the internet.

WHAT???? (gasp) God bless the INTERNET???? —SATAN'S TOOL!!!! (just kidding). (Yes, I came from that sort of background; variously TV, Rock and Roll (y'know, like, The Carpenters), and, well, Jazz, before that, movies and theatre in general, and anything that stirred the flesh, like honkey-tonk and dancing.)

 

[Arial]

God bless you! And the internet.

And you. Yeah about the internet. I have no one in my circle, not even family that I can discuss the things of Reformed theology with since my brother passed in 2019. The rest are all Armenians and get angry if you say what the believe is not according to Scripture. (Sound familiar?) My brother and I used to sit for hours probing into the Doctrines of Grace, and discussing the books we read on the subject. I miss him.

 

[Rescued One]

WHAT???? (gasp) God bless the INTERNET???? —SATAN'S TOOL!!!! (just kidding). (Yes, I came from that sort of background; variously TV, Rock and Roll (y'know, like, The Carpenters), and, well, Jazz, before that, movies and theatre in general, and anything that stirred the flesh, like honkey-tonk and dancing.)

The internet is my only source of communication and information with like-minded people.

 

[Rescued One]

And you. Yeah about the internet. I have no one in my circle, not even family that I can discuss the things of Reformed theology with since my brother passed in 2019. The rest are all Armenians and get angry if you say what the believe is not according to Scripture. (Sound familiar?) My brother and I used to sit for hours probing into the Doctrines of Grace, and discussing the books we read on the subject. I miss him.

I understand. My son, his wife and children are Orthodox.