That's just reformed double speak!
Romans 6:16 - Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Matthew 7:14 - Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Luke 13:24 - Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Jesus did say to strive to enter in, and the way this is done in the New Covenant is to abide IN Christ by submitting our lives to Him as we fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12)
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthen me (Philippians 4:13), which is how we strive as we fight the good fight of faith by submitting ourselves unto the Holy Spirit allowing Him to make us strong in God's Word
This is not earning our salvation or doing things in our own strength and ability as the unlearned falsely claim, this is being a true son of God by being led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14) based on God's Word (See John 16:13, and John 17:17) to be obedient to the Lord to abide IN Him.
ScooterJackson,
You accuse me of "reformed double speak," yet your entire rebuttal rests on the classic synergistic error of
confusing the evidential traits of an already-saved son with the conditions required to become one. You claim that your system doesn't "earn" salvation, but the moment you make the ultimate success of God's eternal purpose contingent upon your independent ability to "abide, submit, and fight," you are turning the Covenant of Grace into a blatant Covenant of Works.
Let us systematically address your scriptures with strict linguistic and causal precision to show that human responsibility is the
consequence of a sovereign decree, not its cooperative cause.
1. The Causal Error on Romans 6:16 and 8:14
You quote
Romans 6:16 (
"to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey...") and
Romans 8:14 to argue that being a true son depends on your act of yielding and being led by the Spirit.
Look carefully at the text's grammar. In
Romans 8:14, Paul writes:
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
The phrase
"as many as are led" is a descriptive marker, not a conditional threat. Paul does not say,
"If you manage to lead yourself into submission, God will reward you by making you a son." Rather, being led by the Spirit is the
unstoppable consequence of the fact that you are
already a son by
Phase I (Eternal Election) and
Phase III (Vital Regeneration). The Spirit does not wait for a dead, hostile carnal mind (
Romans 8:7) to autonomously volunteer to submit; He monergistically quickens the elect, which
causes them to joyfully yield and obey.
2. The Strait Gate and Striving (Matthew 7:14 & Luke 13:24)
You point to Jesus' commands to
"strive to enter in" and note that few find the narrow way. You assume that "striving" implies a variable creaturely ability that decides the outcome.
Let the text speak:
Why do the "few" find it, while the "many" are not able?
Jesus completely settles this in the very same gospel narrative. Man in his natural state lacks the structural ability to come to Christ. In
John 6:44, Jesus states:
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him."
The Greek word for "strive" in
Luke 13:24 is
agōnizomai. The spiritual striving, the fighting of the good fight (
1 Timothy 6:12), and the keeping of the faith are not independent human contributions. They are the practical manifestation of
Phase IV (Practical Sanctification). The elect strive because God is actively working in them. As you accurately quoted
Philippians 4:13,
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." If Christ is the source of the strength, then the glory for the striving belongs entirely to the Surety, not to the fleshly effort of the creature.
3. Abiding is the Fruit, Not the Root (John 15 & 17:17)
You argue that under the New Covenant, the way we stay saved is to "abide in Christ by submitting our lives." This is a direct inversion of New Testament theology.
We do not submit in order to abide; we abide because we have been legally and vitally joined to the Vine by an unalterable decree. In
John 17:17, Jesus prays to the Father:
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."
Sanctification is a divine operation, not a human tightrope. Our good works, our continuing in the Word (
John 16:13), and our practical obedience do not keep us saved; they are the evidential proof that Christ has
already saved us by an unalterable, eternal decree. To make our flawed, ongoing obedience a condition to maintain our position in Christ is to look at the finished legal transaction of the Lamb on the cross (
Phase II) and declare it insufficient without your personal assistance.
Conclusion: Responsibility Is Not Freedom
Human responsibility is absolutely real, and the elect are commanded to obey, fight, and stand. But
responsibility does not equal libertarian free will. Fallen man is fully accountable to God for his rebellion, yet he is morally bankrupt and enslaved to sin until sovereign grace sets him free.
Your system turns the Holy Spirit into a passive coach who offers advice and strength, waiting to see if you will "allow Him to make you strong." The Bible presents a Sovereign Monarch who
"worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (
Ephesians 1:11). The Spirit doesn't check to see if you signed the peace treaty; He writes the law directly onto the hearts of the elect (
Jeremiah 31:33). The cross was a total success, the timeline of grace is unbroken, and your conditional framework stands completely dismissed.
