"If The Trumpet Give An Uncertain Sound"

I Cor. 14:8

 

    

This religious generation in which we are living has been tricked, deceived, and lied to by their leaders. The time has come for the servants of God to speak in plain English and tell men the truth. "If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to battle?" If the gospel is to be preached and understood by men, these three questions must be answered:

     WHAT HAPPENED IN THE GARDEN? Was man totally ruined by the Fall, or was he just partially handicapped? The Scripture says, "In Adam all died." The sin of Adam brought about the total ruin and spiritual death of our race, so that the natural man has no ability or desire to bring himself back into fellowship with God.

     WHAT HAPPENED AT CALVARY? Did Christ, by his substitutionary sacrifice and atonement, make redemption a possibility, or did he actually accomplish the redemption of his people? The Scripture says that he "obtained eternal redemption for us." He did not just make it possible for sin to be put away, but he "put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."

     HOW IS SALVATION ACCOMPLISHED? Is it the gift of God, or is it of man? The Scripture says, "Salvation is of the Lord." Is salvation by works, or by grace? The Scripture says, "By grace are ye saved." Is eternal life an offer of grace, or an operation of grace; an invitation, or a gift? The Scripture says, "The gift of God is eternal life." Is the gospel a generous proposal, or a proclamation? Is it good advice, or good news? It is the proclamation of good news: "It is finished!" Is salvation by choice, or by revelation? It is a revelation: "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." "When it pleased God...who called me by his grace to reveal his Son in me." Is salvation the result of man's will, or the result of God's will; is it accomplished by God's choice or by man's choice? The Scripture says, "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." Are repentance and faith moral persuasions, accomplished by the gifted preacher, or are they holy dispositions created in the heart by God Almighty? The Scripture says these are gifts of God (Rom. 2:4; Eph. 2:8).

 

 

Don Fortner