Hello Friends!
The Bible clearly teaches throughout the Old and New Testaments the
“partnership” of the Sovereignty of God (Omniscience) and Man’s
Responsibility (Human will). This is known as the Doctrine
of Concurrence (Compatibility).
Let’s take a brief look at just a couple of the many
Scriptures surrounding this important doctrine for our further clarification,
edification and understanding found in God’s Holy Word – To the glory of Jesus Christ!
The Doctrine of Concurrence
It is quite clear: The sinner is accountable
for “faith” in “Jesus
Christ” and culpable
for “sinful” rejection of “Jesus Christ!”
It is role of the Christian and
our evangelical duty to present “Jesus
Christ” through
the “Gospel” to everyone!
To explore this doctrinal discussion, we will
consider the following
two Scripture passages from both the Old and New Testaments:
Isaiah Chapter 10
God
is completely Sovereign! In the tenth chapter of Isaiah we see that “woe” is upon “Assyria” and yet this nation is simultaneously
the “rod” of God’s “anger” and “staff”
of His “indignation”:
Woe to
Assyria, the rod of My anger and
the staff in whose hand is My indignation – Isaiah 10:5
Then
Israel is called an “ungodly
nation” and the people of God’s “wrath”:
I will
send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath I will
give him charge, to seize the spoil, to take the prey,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets – Isaiah 10:6
God
uses “Assyria” and basically
says “you will be My instrument of fury against the “ungodly nation” of My “wrath” who have rejected Me.” Yet “Assyria” does not “mean” to or even “think” to act as the agent of God’s wrath:
Yet he
does not mean so, nor does his
heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy,
and cut off not a few nations – Isaiah 10:7
But,
it is “in his heart to
destroy” to cut off many “nations.”
In other words, for “Assyria”
this is another opportunity for them to grab more power by beating up on an
unsuspecting” Jerusalem”:
For he
says, ‘Are not my princes
altogether kings? Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria
like Damascus? As my hand has found the kingdoms of the
idols, whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem
and Samaria, as I have done to Samaria and her idols,
shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols? – Isaiah 10:8-11
God
then turns on “Assyria”
to “punish” them for their “arrogant heart”
and “haughty looks”:
Therefore
it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion
and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant
heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks. For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent; also I
have removed the boundaries of the people, and have
robbed their treasuries; so I have put down the
inhabitants like a valiant man – Isaiah
10:12-13
However,
God uses an analogy of an “ax,”
a “saw,” a “rod” and a “staff”
to make His point clear:
Shall
the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up,
or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood! – Isaiah 10:15
In
this passage of Isaiah, we clearly
see the Doctrine of Concurrence! God
will hold every person accountable for the evil acts they commit. And yet, God
is Sovereign over those
evil acts – Amazing!
John Chapter 3
Jesus
knew what Nicodemus was really thinking (see John
2:23-25), so He answers the true question of Nicodemus’ heart – “how
is one “born again?”:
Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God.” – John
3:3
Jesus’
point is that just as we could do nothing to produce our own physical
birth; we are also unable to produce spiritual life
– “the kingdom of God.”
Sinful flesh can only produce flesh and only Spirit produces spirit!
Next
Nicodemus wants to know how he can affect this “second”
birth:
How can a man be born when he
is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can
he? – John 3:4
Jesus’
point here is that being “born
again” is a miraculous
miracle of God! There is no
way Nicodemus can do this! Therefore, we are absolutely
dependent on a divine work of the Holy Spirit. One must plead for
God to give new life – “God, be merciful to
me, a sinner!” This is God’s saving choice!
Later,
John confirms his understanding that we “receive nothing” unless it is “given” to us
by God from “heaven”:
John
answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him
from heaven… – John
3:27
And
yet, we see also here in this passage that there is a human being commanded
to “believe”:
And as
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be
lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal
life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God
did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved. He who
believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned
already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God – John
3:14-18
In
this passage reminiscent of the Old Testament book of Numbers
chapter 21, we find the Doctrine of
Concurrence. Those who “believe”
escape judgment – Man’s Responsibility.
On the other hand, those who “do
not believe” are “condemned already” – The Sovereignty of God.
PERSONAL
CHALLENGE: In your personal
study of God’s Word, be mindful of the Doctrine
of Concurrence and you will begin to see it EVERYWHERE
throughout the Scriptures – The Sovereignty of
God and
Man’s Responsibility!
While
we might not fully understand this doctrine in our human minds, they are
indeed Biblical truths directly from the “mind
of the Lord” Jesus Christ!
Thank
you for your desire for Biblical discernment and Truth – Praise the Lord!
May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect
love, mercy and grace!
Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while
there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
Blessings!
Shane <><