Author: Hafley, Larry Ray

What if God never sees fit to regenerate the unregenerate soul? If God never does his work, never regenerates the soul, never grants it repentance and faith, whose fault will it be? Imagine meeting God at the judgment, having characterized him as the God who demanded repentance and faith, but who knew all along that the sinner could not obey, and then, failing to regenerate the poor soul, sends it into everlasting fire for not doing what he knew it could not do without his aid! I tremble for those who have to face the Almighty One having so charged him!

Jesus promised to build his church (Matt. 16:18). He spoke of the kingdom being “at hand” (Matt. 4:17). It did not begin before Acts 2. Beginning in Acts 2, we read of “the church” and of those who were in the kingdom (Acts 2:47; 5:11; 8:1, 3, 12; Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:9). Are you in it? Have you been born again in obedience to the truth (Jn. 3:3, 5; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Pet. 1:22-25)?

DOES MAN HAVE A FREE WILL?
This series of articles is a response to an article by “Elder Wayne Camp, Pastor” of Pilgrims’ Hope Baptist Church, Memphis, TN. Elder Camp’s article was entitled, “THE COMMONLY BELIEVED LIE CONCERNING THE ALLEGED FREE WILL OF MAN,” and appeared in The Grace Proclamator and Promulgator, August, 1995, Pp. 1-10. While this review will not completely cover Camp’s conclusions, it will supply sufficient study material to address the question of our title.

A good way to begin dealing with John 14:26 with a “oneness” Pentecostal is to look at the last part of the verse first. When the text says, “he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance,” ask them if they understand who is being referred to by the pronouns, “you” and “your.” Generally, they will see that “you” and “your” refers to the disciples being addressed. Once they agree to that, they have shown their ability to distinguish between persons mentioned in the text. If they can see that “you” and “your” refers to certain people, and if they can infer from those pronouns who those people are, they should have no problem being able to see the same thing with respect to the other pronouns used in the text.

Perhaps every form of teaching, every means of honorable, militant defense of the truth, has its own particular “down side” or “drawback.” Debates are no exception. Let us not, though, fail to use any medium simply because of its potentially negative aspects. Avoid the abuses as much as possible (Rom. 12:18). Understand, too, that not all allegedly “bad” results connected with a debate are therefore evil. Despite the ugly reaction to Jesus and the apostles, there was nothing inherently “wrong” or sinful in their manner and methods (Matt. 12:14). Their debates led to many unfortunate and regrettable events, but the fault was not theirs (Cf. Acts 7:51-60). In other words, debate and discussion are not to be abandoned because some “set all the city on an uproar,” or because opponents make the minds of others “evil affected against the brethren” (Acts 14:2; 17:5).