Paul's Ministry to the Gentiles Continues

Tom:

This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment. We are in the Book of Acts chapter 28, and we’re going to pick up with verse 24:“And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.”Now, Paul had invited the Jewish leaders, who were in Rome, come and hear what he had to say, and they agreed to it.And he talked about the Law of Moses and out of the prophets, and he spoke from morning to evening explaining, really who the Messiah is, that Jesus is the Messiah.And verse 24 said, Dave, “And some believed the things which were spoken and some believed not.”Now that’s the way it’s going to be, isn’t it?

Dave:

Yeah, if that was the way it was with Jesus that will be the way it is with us.Now the reason for that, Tom, is everyone has the power of choice.And I won’t launch into a treatise on Calvinism, but Calvinism teaches:Oh, No, you can’t believe any way, you’re just totally depraved, but you have to be born again, and then Christ is able to give you the Holy Spirit, can then give you the faith to believe the gospel—and some have been predestined for heaven and some for hell.That is not the way it is!But otherwise, Tom, we would have to say what do you mean, some believed the things?Well, of course, they couldn’t do otherwise, — these are the ones, who are predestined for heaven, and some believed not—it robs those words of their meaning!

Tom:

Right.Verse 25:“And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyeshave they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”Now Dave, doesn’t this back up a—you brought up Calvinism—doesn’t this reinforce the idea that there are some who just won’t believe, can’t believe, I won’t say won’t but can’t believe, because their eyes are closed, their ears are shut.

Dave:

This is said in other ways.Jesus says it—he quotes from the Old Testament, but Paul, I think, is giving us an explanation here.In other words, it’s not that God has blinded them, but notice what it says:Isaiah the prophet said: “Go to this people and tell them, hearing you will hear, but you won’t understand; seeing you will see, and not perceive.”Now why would that be?Because God has blinded them—well, in some sense He has, because if you have turned your back on God and you have turned a deaf ear to him, it’s not that God deafened me, it’s not that he made me ignore him, it’s not that God has forced unbelief upon me, I did that.But now notice what it says, picking up in the middle of verse 10:Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.They would not receive it, and for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned.Why does he send them a strong delusion?Because they refused to receive the love of the truth.It’s the same thing that is being illustrated for us here with Paul in Acts 28.He says, Go to this people to say hear you will hear, but you won’t understand, seeing you will see, and not perceive, for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing.Their eyes have they closed lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and should be converted and I should heal them.You’re getting a commentary on these verses from Paul.

Tom:

But Dave wouldn’t a Calvinist say quote Romans chapter 3 and say well, this is the way we all are, our heart is waxed gross, our ears are dull of hearing, that’s the way it is with everyone.

Dave:

Well yes, he would say we are totally depraved.Yeah, but these people—it’s not that they are totally depraved and they can’t.It’s not that God made them this way.It says the heart of this people is waxed gross, their ears are dull of hearing, their eyes have they closed lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand.So, this isn’t something that oh, everyone is totally depraved, you have to be born again, you have to be regenerated is the word that they would use, before then God can give you faith, and so forth.It’s not what it is saying, it’s not blaming God.Well, let me just jump back to Isaiah chapter 5, God is talking about his vineyard, and he says:Mine vineyard is Israel, and I’ve done everything.I’ve fertilized and watered and care for and pruned, but it brings forth wild grapes.And then God asks this question:What more could I have done to my vineyard that I have not done to cause it to bring forth good grapes?God is saying that to mankind.It’s not oh they are all totally depraved, they couldn’t possibly understand, you going to have to be regenerated first.

Tom:

Or extend irresistible grace to them.

Dave:

That’s what I was going to say Tom—what more could I have done?They could have said well, you could have given us irresistible grace. You could have made us one of the elect, and you predetermined this from the beginning.No.So, these people some believed.Let’s go back to that again.Some believed and some believed not.Now, what does the Bible say?The Ethiopian eunuch who wants to be baptized and he says what would hinder me from being baptized?Well—if you are one of the elect you can, but otherwise you’re not even going to understand this.No.What about Romans:10:9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
See All..., if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart.Yeah, but I can’t believe because I’m totally depraved, I mean, are you taunting me with a verse like that? Was Jeremiah—were the prophets of Israel taunting Israel when they came to say— “Please, God is sending me to tell you, please repent.Please, I don’t want to punish you, I don’t want to cast you out of your land.”Is God taunting us?I mean, after all, he has already predetermined that we’re going to be cast out of the land.We are already totally depraved so we couldn’t possibly believe anyway.He hasn’t made us among the elect; he hasn’t chosen us for salvation.Well, Tom, it doesn’t make sense, and it turns God into a monster who is—the way I used to put it:Man is in the bottom of a pit—let’s say a well, it’s fifty feet down there, and I hold a rope.I lower the rope ten feet above his head, he can’t reach it.I say, Please, please grab that rope; I want to take you out, please, come on, come on!No, God says, what else could I have done?And God is not taunting people with the offer of salvation—taunting people who can’t even believe and whom he has not chosen for salvation.No, it is to whosoever will, and we do have that power of choice, and that’s how the Bible even ends.Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely.Well, that’s the situation with these elders of Israel.And Tom, I’m afraid we didn’t get finished here.

Tom:

Dave, we’ll come back next week, and the Lord willing, we will finish up the Book of Acts.

Dave:

We’ll pick it up, Tom, at Verse 28:“Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.”