Day 176

Of Free Will.

Chapter 9, Paragraph 3.

” …is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself; or to prepare himself thereunto.”

Scripture Lookup

Titus 3:3-5

John 6:44

Reflection

Lying on the floor, an elderly woman called out to her emergency alert system: “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” That tv commercial of a couple decades ago enjoyed immense popularity, spawning t-shirts and jokes. Despite the cheesiness of the commercial, though, that one phrase – “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” – describes the state of mankind concerning salvation. Because of the corrupt nature humanity inherited when Adam and Eve fell, there is nothing we can to do restore ourselves to that place of communion with God.

Our modern culture likes to tell us that we can have it all. Great job, good friends, health, happiness, inner peace – anything can be ours if we just visualize it or work hard enough for it. In other words, we have the power within us to align stars and create our own destiny, no matter what lies in our way. Such philosophy makes us the strongest being in the universe – if we have enough drive to become it. This thinking has crept into some churches, offering a salvation of our own doing. Such insidious thinking places God in the backseat of saving faith, rather than the author and perfecter of it. The truth is, dead men cannot align stars, much less move an atom. We are wholly dependent on Christ to save us.

We are fallen, and we cannot get up. Unlike that elderly woman in that old commercial, the unregenerate man or woman cannot even cry out for help. Our wills must be changed so that we can will that which is spiritually good. Thankfully, God is the bringer of life!

Questions to Consider

• Are you guilty of expecting people to save themselves, rather than relying on the Holy Spirit to regenerate them?