Glenn Beck's "Twelve Values": Hard Work

‘In both references [Ephesians 2:10 & Philippians 2:13] it is God who not only directly intervenes in the life of the sinner to redeem them, but then already has planned out the work that He desires to have accomplished through His children.’


Paul it is good to see another Protestant voice at TownHall. In your quote do you mean ‘redeem’ or ‘regenerate’? In regards to justification are you among those you hold to monergism?

Thank you ValiantForTruth for scoping out my blog, as well as you questions.

As far as your first question, I mean both redeem and regenerate. If one is regenerate, then one is redeemed. If one is redeemed, then one has to be regenerate as well. To me they are interchangeable terms that mean essentially the same thing.

On your question about monergism, I would affirm that position as well, although I am not a Calvinist. I merely agree that the sinner is helpless until God moves to redeem/regenerate the sinner's otherwise "dead" spirit, and then that person is capable of moving, willing, and obeying the mandates of God.

Again, thanks for asking.

And thank you for reply. My welcome to you was good independent of your answers.

My first question have in view Hebrews 9:12...

'He [that is Jesus] entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.' As if the redeemed were purchased by blood on the cross, then in time the application of that redemption results in the regeneration of the redeemed.

Secondly, I didn't use the term Calvinist because Calvinism must be defined these days before it is used because of the caricatures given to it by those who would disparge it.

To be clear, are you saying that God moves alone in the regeneration of sinners so that they can respond in faith and repentance? or does the sinner 'dead in sin' somehow cooperate in the new birth? I am equating regeneration with the new birth.

You asked, "To be clear, are you saying that God moves alone in the regeneration of sinners so that they can respond in faith and repentance? or does the sinner 'dead in sin' somehow cooperate in the new birth? I am equating regeneration with the new birth.

Until the sinner is regenerate, then he is, as you've written, "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). He has no inclination to cooperate on his own, nor could he, since to cooperate at all requires that God instill spiritual life into the person so that he can spiritually react to God in a favorable way. Prior to that he is an enemy of God's (Rom. 5:10; Col. 1:20), and is content to remain that way (Rom. 3:11; Eph. 4:18; Tit. 3:3).

Conversely, when the sinner is redeemed of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in him, then there is a gradual sanctification that take place whereby the saint becomes more and more like Jesus as the Holy Spirit nurtures the reconciled relationship unto maturity between the saint and God.

I hope my reply has answer your questions. Again, thanks for asking.

There is a gap between your second and third paragraphs, where you jump to sanctification. There can be no sanctification apart from justification. But thanks for answering me.

If you are so inclined, I would be interested in hearing about your work in apologetics.