____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ June 1, 2003 ____________________________________________________ God is the Potter; We are the Clay by Tom Edwards According to the thinking of many religious people today, man is born into this world totally depraved. This also implies that he is not only without the ability to serve God, but also without the desire to even want to do so, along with the absence of even the slightest yearning for heaven and redemption. So his salvation will have to depend completely upon the Lord, as if the lost soul is a mindless piece of clay to be solely fashioned by the potter to whatever shape or for whatever purpose he desires. And for those few whom God has arbitrarily chosen to save, according to many Calvinists, the Lord will, therefore, have to infuse with even the aspiration to want to do right, which is imputed by the Holy Spirit and referred to as an "irresistible grace" that will give the recipient an "irresistible urge" to do God's will. To the contrary, however, sin is not something one is born with. Nor can it be transmitted from one generation to the next through the genes or chromosomes. Rather, "...sin is the transgression of the law" (1 Jn. 3:4). Paul shows that it was because of their own sins -- and not that of Adam's, nor their parents', nor anyone else's -- for which the Ephesians had been spiritually dead, prior to obeying the gospel: "And you were dead in YOUR trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1, emphasis mine). An accountable person is responsible for obeying or not obeying, because God gave him a freewill. And if there be no freewill, then why do we find so many instances in both the Old and New Testaments in which man is challenged to exercise that freewill? For example, Moses states, "...I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse, so choose life in order that you may live..." (Deut. 30:19). Joshua also told the people to choose between serving God or the false gods (which their forefathers had served), or those false gods of the Amorites; but he had certainly made up his mind to serve the true and the living God (Josh. 24:15). Would not this admonition be rather senseless though, if man did not have a freewill? God wants us to make the right choices, but He does not force anyone to do so against his or her will. We, therefore, need to "reason together" with the Lord (Isa. 1:18) to realize our need for Him, to see His love for us, and to learn the way of salvation that He has made freely for all. The Bible says that "the kindness of God leads you to repentance" (Rom. 2:4); and it is the Lord's desire for none to perish, but for all to come to the knowledge of the truth, to repent, and to be saved (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:4). But salvation involves more than merely what God wants. Jesus, for instance, wept over the people of Jerusalem because He knew of the destruction that was coming to them (Luke 19:41-44). He longed to gather them together the way a hen would its brood -- but they "would not have it!" (Luke 13:34), for they "were unwilling" (Matt. 23:37). Jesus died so all could be saved; but, sadly, it will only be a "few" who will be, compared to all those who will be lost, when the judgment day comes (cf. Heb. 2:9; 1 Jn. 2:2; Matt. 7:13,14); for many have "trampled under foot the Son of God" (Heb. 10:29), and have considered His sacrifice "foolishness" (1 Cor. 1:18). Perhaps one passage often cited by those who do not believe in the freewill of man, to try to assert that he is totally powerless to have anything at all to do with his own salvation -- even in making a choice toward it -- is Romans 9:20,21: "On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, `Why did you make me like this,' will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?" We are like clay in the potter's hands, in a manner of speaking; but we are certainly different than clay, too, in various ways: for one, we have a freewill to choose the course of our life. We must, therefore, decide wisely. Paul instructs Timothy that "everyone who names the name of the Lord" is to "abstain from wickedness" (2 Tim. 2:19). Doesn't that imply freewill? We must choose to put off sin and not yield to it. He goes on to illustrate this with the vessels of "honor" and those of "dishonor" that can be found in a large house (v. 20); and then appeals to the freewill of man, by saying, "Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work" (v. 21). According to this passage, who has the responsibility toward becoming a "vessel for honor"? Was it all entirely up to the Lord? Paul states, "if a man cleanses himself." It reminds us of Peter's exhortation to the people on the day the church was established: "Save yourselves from this untoward [perverse, NASB] generation" (Acts 2:40). He was saying this to non-Christians. They had the responsibility (the freewill) toward submitting to the plan of salvation, if they wanted to be saved. This was something that no one else could do for them -- not by any kind of proxy or substitute. Each person had to believe (v. 36), confess faith in Christ (Acts 8:36-38), repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38), and be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10). Another interesting parallel is that which we find in the Old Testament: Jeremiah 18:6-10. Here, God tells His people, "...'Behold, like clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel"' (v. 6). But does this mean that the Lord would simply fashion them according to an arbitrary will, regardless of their inclination, action, or inaction? As it goes on to say, "At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it" (vv. 7,8). So God not only can, but also will change His mind when His wayward people repent of their evil ways to receive His mercy and avoid His wrath. This we see exemplified in the case of Nineveh and the preaching of Jonah. Jonah cried out, "...'Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown"' (Jonah 3:4). God was going to bring His wrath upon them. However, when they heard this, they repented with sackcloth, fasted, and sought God's mercy (vv. 5-9). When the Lord saw this, He was able to be just in changing His mind and withholding His wrath: "When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And he did not do it" (v. 10). Consider also the reverse of this in Jeremiah 18:9,10: "Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it." Why would the Lord change His mind and not bless the nation He said He formerly would? Because those blessings were conditional; and His people, due to their sinful ways, were now failing to meet those conditions. So God's "molding" of His people was based on whether they would make themselves "moldable" or not. At the time of Jeremiah's writing, the Lord was intending on "fashioning calamity against" His people "and devising a plan against" them; but He still was urging them to repent, so that He would be able to righteously change His mind concerning the outpouring of His wrath upon them: "Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds" (v. 11). So, clearly, though God is the potter and we are the clay, the way He fashions us does depend upon our individual response or rejection of Him. For God does not arbitrarily sculpt "vessels of honor" and "vessels of dishonor" out of the people -- rather, they must choose to be one or the other (cf. 2 Tim. 2:20,21). Nor does He directly make some "clay" so hard that it is beyond any potential to work with -- for it is the Lord who admonishes the people to "Harden not your hearts" (Heb. 3:8). As we have seen, the Lord doesn't want people rejecting Him; but, rather, that all will accept Him (and His plan of salvation) and be redeemed. How important it is, therefore, to be the right kind of clay. Though a masterful sculptor can fashion or sculpt many beautiful objects, that clay must first be malleable in order for him to do so. For if it be hardened, it will then be to the potter a useless substance that cannot be shaped into any skillful design. This can be liken to the person who has hardened his heart toward the almighty God; and, as a result, banishes the Lord from his life and remains in a lost state. Pharaoh, for example, continually hardened his heart toward God (Exod. 8:15,19,32; 9:7,34). A hardened heart is one that is stubborn, rebellious, and proud; and, therefore, opposed to the Lord and will not submit to His ways. Is there any wonder, therefore, why the Bible teaches that "...'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble"' (James 4:6)? Stephen, in his last speech, boldly pointed out the stubbornness of those who would soon put him to death. This hardness of heart on their part caused them to reject the Holy Spirit and to act just like many of their forefathers who had persecuted and killed the prophets whom God had sent to them (Acts 7:51,52). Did the Lord "mold" them to be that way? How preposterous to even think such! They had no one to blame but themselves for becoming like "hard clay," which was unfit for the potter. One of the subtle dangers of sin is that it can deceitfully harden one's heart toward the things of God; and, thus, cause the believer to become an unbeliever who falls away from the Lord (Heb. 3:12,13). In thinking of this, how often do we find people committing sin in our time that they don't even view as being sin? They have been deceived. And many of these individuals might be those who believe that they are actually living for God and in a right relationship with Him (such as the apostle Paul prior to his conversion), but they just don't realize the transgressions that are in their lives and hindering them from even having a true relationship with the Lord. We need to, therefore, discern thoroughly between sin and righteousness; to always strive to be obedient to God, realizing our responsibilities, so that the Lord can better fashion us for our good and to His liking. This might remind you of Paul's instruction to the brethren in Philippians 2:12,13: "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." We can note from this that the Lord's working in us is coupled with our cooperation: we must strive to work out our salvation by working together with Him. Corresponding to this is the Hebrew writer's exhortation to endure "...so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised" (Heb. 10:36), which means that we are to "live by faith" -- and not "shrink back to destruction" (vv. 38,39). It is in this manner, of living by faith, that Christ can be "formed" in us (Gal. 4:19). What better "shape" to be molded to can there be, than to "look" more like Jesus in all that we say and in all that we do? Let us, therefore, always strive to be the right kind of clay in the Potter's hands, so that He can truly fashion us to how He sees best. May the lyrics to the following song also be our prayer as a Christian: "Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mould me and make me after Thy will, While I am waiting, Yielded and still" (George C. Stebbins). In view of these truths, let us each yield ourselves to the Potter this day by our faith and obedience to the gospel -- and continually do so. ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________