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L Judah on Dunamis Mixtape-Injustice
Heart racing, palpitation cardiac Christian ajar like mason, open
for you my hopes in, more than a vow so it can’t be broken
no sweat of your brow unless you be uplifted
couldn’t even provoke it so consider yourself gifted
the heavy lifting already been done
stay centered and truthful he’s running the one
enjoy fun in the son to bind the spirit and sit to you overcome with a divine experience
period, now right the sentence life behind bars the rhyming remnant
flying cars and diamond pendent, might find me lost on an island tempted
but its all be preempted like Bush at war or the one who came before
and like Paul I still carry a thorn so hit. So quick to adorn you need to be warned
I bid you not listen to the rest of the song, you think you figured out what the L was for
I was Lust landlord ladies I labadored
laid-up lukewarm languishing in the Lord
life don’t last long, licentious and liquored(le-cord)
like lace and lingerie I lifted LJ
laugh at latter-day, lambasted Luther
libel larcenist like a LA looter
lollapolusa looking for love’s loofa
matter of fact just call me Judah
cause I don’t want to talk about the L’s
then I have to talk about the hell
and I have already seen to much
so whether its Lion or the Lamb, I’ll let you be the judge
What consistency would there be in God’s electing certain persons unto life everlasting, then sending Christ into the world to make salvation possible for all men but certain for none?
The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans, pens what could be considered a fatal blow to the Doctrine of Election. In his letter to the Romans chapter 8 versus 29 and 30, the Apostle Paul writes,” For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” Hidden in these verses we find what has been called the Gold Chain of Salvation. Simply stated it means that everyone that is foreknown is predestined. Everyone who is predestined is called. Those who are called are rewarded with justification. So in the end those who have justification end up in the glorification stage. So thus we have the golden chain that leads to salvation.
If we read the passages of scripture without properly applying the entire counsel of God then there would be no apparent problems. Then those whom God foreknow would choose him based upon their free will or choice and then the trickling down effect would happen. This would lead one to experience salvation, due to the actions of man. By applying an ellipsis[1] to the golden chain, we find that we have a difference of meaning in these passages. By applying the word all, we find that the meaning would prove contradictory to scripture. The problem would arise in the part of the passage that claims “those he called he also justified.” The bible is very clear that everyone who is called will not be justified. The Apostle Paul states” that we are justified by faith.” (Romans 5:1) So we can deduce that faith is a must for one to be justified. In his letter to the Thessalonians, Apostle Paul states, “for all men have not faith.”
By searching out others scriptures, we find that Paul could not have been suggesting that everyone would be glorified in the end. He was specifically talking about a particular group of people. So the foreknowledge that Paul discusses was not a prior knowing that men were going to choose him but an inward call “that he gives to some people that he does not give to others.”[2] The Princeton theologian Charles Hodge asserts,[3]”that those who God peculiarly loved, and by thus loving, distinguished or selected from the rest of mankind; or to express both ideas in one word, those whom he elected or predestined.” So we see that the called ones are those whom God choose and elected for his own good pleasure.
John Calvin in his commentary on Romans 8:29 states:
But that readers may better understand the Apostle’s meaning, it may be well to repeat what I have already said, — that the word foredetermine does not refer to election, but to that purpose or decree of God by which he has ordained that the cross is to be borne by his people; and by declaring that they are now called, he intimates, that God had not kept concealed what he had determined respecting them, but had made it known, that they might resignedly and humbly submit to the condition allotted to them; for calling here is to be distinguished from secret election, as being posterior to it. That none then may make this objection — that it appears to no one what lot God has appointed for him, the Apostle says, that God by his calling bears an evident testimony respecting his hidden purpose. But this testimony is not only found in the outward preaching of the gospel, but it has also the power of the Spirit connected with it; for the elect are there spoken of, whom God not only addresses by the outward word, but whom he also inwardly draws.[4]
Once again you get to see that the emphasis is placed upon the inward call that God makes to the elect. The inward call is an efficacious call that is strictly given to the elect. This is not the common call of all men. The Gospel of Matthew highlights the concepts with the words,” Many are called but few are chosen.” Many received the call of God but only the chosen or elect, heed to the call.[5] Pressing home the fact, that the predestined receive a call that is distinctly different than the common call of all men.[6]
[1] An ellipsis is a word that is omitted but must be applied to make the sentence grammatically correct.
[2] RC Sproul. Chosen by God. (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishing,Inc.,1986) pg. 135
[3] Charles Hodge. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. ( Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,1886) pg. 284
[4] John Calvin. Commentary on Romans.(Available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom38.xii.ix.html)
[5] Stanley Toussaint. Behold the King: A Study of Matthew. (Portland: Multnomah Press, 1980.) pg.256
[6] RC Sproul. Chosen by God. (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishing, Inc., 1986) pg.135
As I was reading Jonathan Edwards, Freedom of the Will I was thinking about the theological genius that this man possessed. His insight into certain texts and preaching skills were impeccable. He was an evangelist that was a part of the Great Awakening where he stood on five points:
(1) Will cause a greater esteem for Christ ,
(2) will operate against the interest of Satan,
(3) will cause a greater regard for Scripture,
(4) will lead persons to truth, convincing them of those things that are true, and
(5) operates as a spirit of love to God and man.
Now my problem with this much esteem preacher was that after all of this great preaching this man went home and to enslaved Africans. It just seems strange that one could have such a great hermeneutic of scripture but it did not make an impact on his lifestyle that he would not want to have slaves As I read the article over at Recovering the Gospel it asserts:
“Blacks were not saying that slavery was not prompted by God. That is were we need to get. I get in trouble when I say this, and that’s OK. You have to understand slavery in the context of sovereignty to make any sense out of it at all. So the abolitionist didn’t run away from that, they ran to it. They said yes God intended it, but he intended it for your destruction and their elevation and for the advancement of His glory in the succeeding generations of Africans who would came to know and love him…”.
Now he presents an interesting perspective of slavery from the entitled book, but it still bears a bit of scrutiny that can be applied to the topic. At the end of the day it is still the sovereignty of God that causes all things to happen but that does not remove the responsibility of man’s error. Edwards should be held accountable for his defense of slavery in the same way that we would hold Paula White to the standard of the scripture.
just my thoughts
Evangel’s verse on Timothy Brindle’s Sacrifice of Worship has to be one of the illest verses in Christian Hip Hop.
Truly unworthy, now I present my whole body as a sacrifice in view of his mercy…
To clear up the debt of sin, we cashed in the act of Christ
And lashed in his back with stripes were spiritual medicines
Renewed through the bible I fight my truest rival
Trying to kill myself like I’m suicidal
Tongue once a militant shank, unwilling to think
Lewd aggression fill in the blank
Now its used for blessing
Use to talk in pride and falsified and lied
While my Lord defying feet walked in stride
I used my head for a crowd of cheers and styles appears..
Now its loud and clear it should be bowed in prayer
They were once grips for lootin and fist for duken
Now my hands I through up like my wrist were puckin
In praise, not loving the carnal
Sin amassed back then past acting like Governor Arnold
My eyes were disgusted with the crust of lusting
Peering at the wows. Now I crosseyed like I’m staring at my nose.
Don’t walk in the flesh like pro keds
My left eye sins get rid of the lisa lopez
I make them offer-ring to the king
As there placed on thee alter
By faith they are altered
And that’s my life of service
Availed to live Godly cause daily my body’s a sacrifice of worship
