"Thy people shall be
willing in the day of thy power,
in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the
dew of
thy youth."
Psalm 110:3
Any who suppose
that God is
sovereign in every area, except over man's will, imply that man
exercises some
control that is outside the realm of God's power and authority. Were
that true,
then God would not be God! All creatures live, move, and have their
being in
Him, Acts 17:28. It also would mean that man is not completely lost,
since he
would still retain the power and possibility of believing on Christ.
Such a
teaching is contrary to all that the Scriptures witness of natural men.
They
are spiritually dead, unable, and unwilling to come to Christ, unless
God first
gives them the power and authority, John 1:11,12.
Nevertheless, it
is just as
wrong to assume that since God does the saving, that He saves against
the
sinner's will. The glorious truth of Psalm 110:3, and all of Scripture,
is that
no matter how strong the sinner's opposition to the Gospel of God's
sovereign
grace in Christ, God's will, purpose, and grace will conquer. Notice
that the
verse reads, "Thy people SHALL be
willing..."
Who are these
people? They
are God's by His eternal distinguishing choice. He chose a people out
of all of
fallen humanity, that He might show them His mercy and unmerited favor
in
Christ, Eph. 1:3-5. They are God's by redemption. When the Lord Jesus
Christ
died on the cross, he purchased unto God the Father, that people whom
the
Father chose and gave to Him. Christ prayed for them in the garden, "I pray for them: I pray not for the
world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And
all mine
are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them," John
17:9,10. They are God's by regeneration. In time, the Spirit of God
does work
upon the heart of every elect sinner. He first produces life in them,
by
revealing in them Christ, who is life, 1 John 5:20! They willingly come
to Him
in faith, believing on Him alone, whose blood and righteousness cover
them, and
make them accepted in Christ, Ephesians 1:6-9.
Are you a willing
sinner?
Do you agreeably and uniquely trust Christ alone for your salvation,
giving him
all the glory for His almighty, sovereign grace? Is Christ daily in
your mind
and heart? Do you serve him in every ordinance of His Word? Do you
graciously
receive all of His doctrine? Are you generous in your giving and
service, and
gracious in attitude toward one another? This is the power and grace of
God in
the heart of the Lord's people, Ezra 1:1-6.