There is much confusion today with the Dispensational "grace" regardless apostasy pervading our society and Church.

Justification with Sanctification and responsibility of man are seen totally disconnected to most people.

To Pelagius in 400 A.D. and today's apostate Dispensational "grace" regardless followers, responsibility always implies ability. They BOTH reason, in their darkened imaginations, that if a man has the responsibility to respond to a "promise" of salvation, he must also have the natural ability to accept this "free gift" of unconditional (they think) salvation, without repentance and committance to His Lordship being required. Also, this natural ability of thinking enables them to do God's will thereafter according to what they think best.

They call this (1) natural ability of all unregenerate men "saving faith, SYNONYMOUS with, they think, their believing (thinking), or trust"; this (2) unconditional free gift offered to them, a promise of salvation, for them to just accept; and all this (3) offered freely and without any requirement on their part as continuing sinners, offered by the free "grace" of God.   This they call the "finished work of Christ."  The satan must be laughing his head off at this.

All the "grace" regardless, whether Ecumenical or self-assuming New Age Fundamentalists, think of their god, by way of analogy, as an electric utility company who has wired their house for his service at birth.  All they must do is choose to throw the switch (make a mental notation) and enjoy all the benefits of the utility thus totally controlled by them, whether they prefer light or darkness.  And since they always have this relationship of permanent wiring to the utility provided, they can never lose service.  Isn't their god's "grace" wonderful?  And the best part is that all of it is totally under their control, without any commitment on their part in any manner, and it is all totally free.   Praise their god, they say, for his great "grace".

This is pure humanism, self-serving man saving himself, inventing in his own imagination his own theology. This type of thinking is NOT contained in the scriptures, except in their demon energized imaginations.  These are the twisted teachings of Dispensationalism from Dallas Theological Seminary since its inception in 1924. 


THE SCRIPTURES TEACH 

I. Unregenerate man has NO ABILITY to either KNOW or OBEY the wishes of God. This in the scriptures is called "death". Man is said to be dead in sin (knowing only to seek and choose for self). When man lost the ability to seek and choose Eternal Life in the Garden, he still retained the ability to seek and to choose, however. Eternal Life was excluded from his ability to obtain for himself. He now could only seek and choose for himself selfishness (sin). Sin entered the world and death (inability to know or obey God) by sin. However, man does have the ability to seek and choose, but he enters the world totally blind.

God's will is that all men repent and commit to Lord Jesus Christ, as the Holy Spirit individually enlightens all man at some time in their lives as to what their dead state is and Who He is. He then will be indwelt by Christ who as God is Eternal Life. Man is to turn form his selfishness, self-serving, now to serve His Lord and walk with His Lord in fellowship again. This is our only required response to the Gospel: repent and commit to Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is very simple. It means martyrdom to self. Simple does not mean easy (without effort). We are being saved through Faith of Christ (Holy Spirit Mind of Christ) in us alone and not by any works of us (Eph 2:8-9 and 10), but this indwelling faith of Christ (mind of Christ) produces "Good" works Works by God (Eph 2:10, Heb 9:14, James 2:20-22).

II. Man has NO ABILITY, to either REPENT or COMMIT himself to the Holiness and Love of His Lord, Creator God, apart from the enlightening and empowering of the Holy Spirit to the liberating Gospel, good news. Before the Holy Spirit's enlightenment of His Holiness and Love and empowering offered to every man, principally made known by preaching the Gospel, man only knew to choose self-serving. After this enlightenment and empowering of his God given retained faculty from the Garden, he may choose to either accept or reject the "Tree of Life" offered to him again. Because of this retained ability, to seek and to choose, man is commanded of his own volition according to the scriptures to "repent and commit for the Kingdom (rule) of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15 and Luke 24:47).

III. Our salvation is TOTALLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD (Eph 2:8-9), but our responsibility is to seek and to choose God, who then gives us repentance and commitment, and thereafter to be led by the indwelling Holy Spirit imparting the faith of Christ (Eph 2:10) by which we "are being saved" (2 Cor 2:15; 1 Cor 1:18; 1 Cor 15:1-2; Eph 2:5: Eph 2:8,10) by our required obedience (1 Sam 15:22; Rom 1:5; Rom 16:26; 2 Cor 10:5-6; 1 Peter 1:2, etc.) in sanctification (1 Thess 4:3-4; 2 Thess 2:13. 1 Peter 1:2).  With our minds we are enjoined to serve the law of God in our spirits, knowing that we must shun the flesh which obeys the law of sin and death (Rom 7:25).

Out of our TOTAL INABILITY to know or obey God, God enables us by His indwelling to act responsibly. Our obedience under His total enabling, all and only by His grace, will be the basis of our eternal judgment based on works (the saved, Eph 2:10, 2 Tim 3:17, and 2 Cor 5:10; the lost, Hebr 9:14; and  Rev 20:12-13; everyone, Rev 2:23, Matt 16:27, Prov 24:12): namely, works of sin selfishness (Rev 20:12-13), dead flesh works of still blind but religious "trusting" (Hebr 9:14),  or "good" works (Eph 2:10) directed and empowered by the faith of Christ Himself within us who are obedient (1 Sam 15:22 and James 2:20-24).

We shall be without excuse for so great and complete a salvation offered to us.  Man in the captivity of selfishness (sin) may seek help for himself, but only after God enlightens him and empowers him, he may choose (seek) the new Life in Lord Jesus Christ for himself, then repenting and committing is given by God; God THEN gives him His Indwelling Life (faith) and Fellowship to walk in obedience to Him.  Christ then fulfills the Last Adam and the Second Man IN US. Eden is restored.   Christ in us is our hope of Glory (Col 1:27).


SUMMARY OF PRESENT-DAY APOSTASY 

To the modern Dispensational"grace" regardless, a Pelagian and humanistic gospel people hear today, they think they have the ability to "exercise" their natural trust (they say is faith) in a Savior for a promise of a home in Heaven without any moral requirements or Lordship at all.  Therefore, they tend to see Justification and Sanctification as a totally free gift, apart from any obedience to the Holy Spirit of God. Since they think they possess the ability to mentally affirm this promise, and accept this free-gift or not, that is all that is required of them.  After all, it is an unconditional free gift, they falsely reason.  Anyone need only mentally affirm the offer and accept it, just like they might believe George Washington was our first President, they say.  Their assurance is their believing or trusting in their believing a dead letter written promise, they insist.

And, further, if they of their own ability should choose and decide to do something "for Christ" they need only decide what to do, then do it, expecting God's approval and later an appropriate reward in Heaven.  In the scriptures, these self directed works are called "dead" works, and not at all meritorious.  They become, in effect, their own god and worship and serve the creature instead of the Creator (Rom 1:25).

Unfortunately, this apostate gospel has so infused our society that the Calvinists now teach nearly an identical state of salvation and living. One simply trusts in God for his zapping election for Heaven, live scrupulously by the dead letter of the scriptures, doing what you think is God's will--the modern day Pharisees.  All dead works. "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (Rev 3:1, Sardis church, of chronological Reformation, Calvinist, timing in history).

This is a grave unscriptural error today. It results in NO salvation at all, and purely dead works, according to the scriptures.  None of it involves true saving faith.  This is the state of the Laodicean visible apostate "grace" regardless church today. Indeed, Christ is seen standing outside, knocking.

It is easy to discern the derivation of this false "grace" regardless gospel today. First the Calvinists taught that (1) a man's trust and faith and repentance are all simultaneous occurrences in time, and that (2) these occurred without any initial response from man required.  Therefore, they blurred and corrupted any understanding of what each term represented according to scriptures.  Indeed, in the Synod of Dort, and later in the Westminster Confession, they clearly equate a man's trust and believing and repentance with saving faith.

Secondly, the early Dispensationalists in this country (1910 to date), taking these errors of Calvinism even farther, clearly and forcibly teach that (1) all these terms of faith, trust, repentance, and believing were all synonyms in fact, and that (2) no prior commitment of any kind by man is sought by God. This reduced all these specific scriptural doctrines to the mere "trust" of any man in "anything".  A man is simply to act on his unregenerate faith (ability to trust) given to him at birth in a dead letter promise, without any personal moral commitment of himself to a Personal Holy Lord God Himself.  And they plainly and repeatedly and forcefully teach this very thing in their illustrations and plain statements today.  See www.doffun.com articles, "Believing and New Age Believing" and "Faith and New Age Faith," and "Repenting and New Age Repenting." for a detailed documentation of their lies. .

This is why every Seminary (Cemetery) or Bible School (Cemetery) today, whether Calvinist or so-called Fundamentalist, teaches this unscriptural doctrine of trust, believing, and faith being synonyms, regardless of whether they are Calvinist or "grace" regardless or whatever denomination.  This means that regardless of what denomination today one goes to there is no means of hearing what the scriptural response required of man is to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And also, there is no means of knowing the scriptural living of a life that is pleasing to God.   Justification and Sanctification are not understood at all.

And of most importance today, only few wholeheartedly and doggedly preach that repentance is necessary.  Repentance is the pivot upon which all relationships of God to man rest. Indeed, repentance is the essence (essential quality) of man's understanding and relationship of God throughout his living in flesh upon this earth.   The reader is strongly encouraged to read our section Repentance vs. New Age Repentance for a clear understanding of what scriptural repentance is.  Unfortunately, today, this Calvinist blurring of all specific aspects of repentance, believing (committing to Lordship), and resulting saving faith have all been subsumed in everyone's minds as Biblical gibberish meaning just "trust" a promise of Heaven by God.  In actuality, there is no scripture that teaches salvation upon trusting a promise, and certainly no warrant to think every word of God is not of specific meaning and necessity.

Consequently, we say that today no true gospel of the Lord Jesus is preached by any popular preacher or writer.   And saving Justification and Sanctification is as far from the average church goers understanding as a cocker spaniel has of his veterinarian.

However, the Holy Spirit of God, still working in the hearts of those sincerely repenting, seeking His forgiveness, and committing themselves to His Lordship, He will regenerate and inhabit "whosoever will" even today, despite what they hear being taught and preached.   But their continuance in the faith or their growth at all in knowledge and understanding of Christ and His Life resurrected for us is totally hindered at every step.  The Holy Spirit is thereafter grieved or even completely quench by the doctrines of demons in our churches today.  Dearly beloved, we are entering the last day of world wide apostasy foretold by the apostles.

Conclusion

We are justified by Christ and sanctified by Christ    We are justified through faith of indwelling Christ and sanctified through faith of indwelling Christ.   Our salvation is by our Loving God of such "grace" which is indwelling us, His Risen Christ.  The Loving "Grace" of God is the mighty working of Christ within us and through us to do what we cannot do for ourselves.    Grace is the reason, Christ is the cause, and His faith is the means.  

In ACTUAL fact, indwelling Christ  is our wisdom, righteousness,  sanctification, and restoration (redemption).    Our salvation is not just a dead letter bookkeeping transaction only in Heaven, as the Calvinists teach and the apostate "grace" regardless teach.  We are justified through faith of God Himself, and sanctified through faith of God Himself (Eph 2:8-9 and 10) indwelling us after we truly repent and commit to God Himself as the scriptures throughout plainly declare.  We are justified by Christ and sanctified by Christ.  All is from our Loving Father Himself of such "grace" which is indwelling us, His Risen Christ, His only begotten Son (Acts 13:33). 

Today, in every worldly "c"hristian church no man will hear, from another man, the salvation of God being preached or taught.  There are always rare exceptions--except in the providence of God.   Unregenerate men have only the ability to seek and to choose God, left to them on Adam's departure from the Garden. They are simply blinded to know God and to see Whom they must choose or even seek.