The question of man’s responsibility seems to perplex many minds. They find it difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile it with the fact of his total want of power. If, it is argued, man is perfectly powerless, how can he be responsible? If he cannot of himself repent or believe the gospel, how can he be responsible? And then, again, if he is not responsible to believe the gospel, on what ground can he be judged for rejecting it?
Thus the mind reasons and argues; and, alas! theology does not help it to a solution of the difficulty, but, on the contrary, increases the mist and confusion. For, on the one hand, a certain school of divinity teaches, and rightly so, man’s utter powerlessness—that he will not, and cannot, come if left to himself—that it is only by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit that any one ever does come—that, were it not for free, sovereign grace, not a single soul would ever be saved—that, if left to ourselves, we should only go wrong, and never do right.
From all this it infers that man is not responsible. Its teaching is right, but its inference is wrong. Another school of divinity teaches—and rightly so—that man is responsible—that he will be punished with everlasting destruction for rejecting the gospel—that God commands all men everywhere to repent—that He beseeches sinners, all men, the world, to be reconciled to Him—that He will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
From all this it infers that man has power to repent and believe. Its teaching is right; its inference, wrong. Hence it follows that neither human reasonings, nor the teachings of mere theology—high or low—can ever settle the question of responsibility and power. The word of God alone can do this, and it does it in a very simple and conclusive manner. It teaches, proves, and illustrates, from the opening of Genesis to the close of Revelation, man’s utter powerlessness for good, his ceaseless proneness to evil. It declares, in Gen. 6, that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart is only and continually evil. It declares, in Jer. 17, that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. It teaches us, in Rom. 3, that there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Further, not only does scripture teach the doctrine of man’s utter and hopeless ruin, his incorrigible evil, his perfect powerlessness as to good, and his invariable proneness to evil; but it furnishes us with an array of evidence, perfectly unanswerable, in the shape of facts and illustrations drawn from man’s actual history, to prove the doctrine. It shows us man in the garden, believing the devil, disobeying God, and driven out. It [shows him, when thus driven out, going on in wickedness until God had to send the deluge. Then, in the restored earth, man gets drunk and degrades himself. Man is tried without law, and proves himself a lawless rebel. He is tried under law, he becomes a willful transgressor. Prophets are sent, he stones them; the Baptist is sent, he beheads him; the Son is sent, he crucifies Him; the Holy Ghost is sent, he resists Him.
Thus, in every volume, as it were, of man’s history—the history of the human race—in every section, every page, every paragraph, every line, we read his total ruin, his utter alienation from God. We are taught in the most distinct manner possible, that, if left to himself, he never could, and never would—though most surely he should—turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. And, in perfect keeping with all this, we learn from our Lord’s parable of the great supper, in Luke 14 that not so much as a single merely invited guest will be found at the table. All who sit down there are “brought,” or “compelled” Not one ever would come, if left to himself. Grace, free grace, must force them in; and so it does, blessed forever be the God of all grace!
But, on the other hand, side by side with all this; and taught with equal force and clearness, stands the solemn and weighty truth of man’s responsibility. In creation, under the law, and in the gospel, man is addressed as a responsible being, for such he undoubtedly is. And further, his responsibility is, in every case, measured by his advantages. Thus, in the opening of the Epistle to the Romans, the Gentile is viewed as without law, but responsible to listen to the testimony of creation, which he has not done. The Jew is viewed as under law, and responsible to keep it, which he has not done. Then, in chapter 6, Christendom is viewed, as responsible to continue in the goodness of God, which it has not done. And in 2 Thess. 1 we read that those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be punished with everlasting destruction. And, finally, in Heb. 2, the apostle urges home this most solemn question, “ How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?”
Now, the Gentile will not be judged on the same ground as the Jew; nor the Jew on the same ground as the nominal Christian. Each will be dealt with on his own distinct ground, and according to his light and privilege. There will be the few stripes and the many stripes, as in Luke 12 It will be “ more tolerable” for some than for others, as in Matt. 11 The Judge of all the earth will do right; but man is responsible, and his responsibility is measured by the light and advantage afforded him. All are not huddled together promiscuously, as though they were all on one common ground. On the contrary, there is the nicest discrimination, and no one will ever be condemned for slighting and refusing advantages which were not within his reach. But surely, the very fact that there will be a judgment at all, proves, even were there no other proof, that man is responsible.
And by whom, let us ask, is the very highest type of responsibility incurred? By the rejecter or the neglecter of the gospel of the grace of God. The gospel brings out all the fullness of the grace of God. All His resources are there displayed. The love of God; the precious work and glorious Person of the Son; the testimony of the Holy Ghost. Moreover, God is seen in the gospel, in the marvelous ministry of reconciliation, actually beseeching sinners to be reconciled to Him. Nothing can exceed this. It is the very highest and fullest display of the grace, mercy, and love of God; and therefore all who reject or neglect it incur the most solemn responsibility, and bring down upon themselves the very heaviest judgment of God. Those who refuse the testimony of creation are guilty. Those who break the law are guiltier still; but those who refuse God’s proffered grace are the guiltiest of all.
Will any still object, and say they cannot reconcile the two things, man’s powerlessness and man’s responsibility? Let them bear in mind that it is none of our business to reconcile them. God has done that for us by placing them side by side, in His own eternal word. It is ours to submit and believe, not to reason. If we listen to the conclusions and deductions of our own minds, or to the dogmas of conflicting schools of divinity, we shall be ever in a muddle and a jumble, perplexed and confused. But if we simply bow to scripture we shall know the truth. Men may reason and rebel; but the question is whether is man to judge God, or God to judge man? Is God sovereign, or is He not? If man is to sit in judgment on God, then God is no longer God. “ Ο man, who art thou that repliest against God?”
This is the great question. Can we answer it? The plain fact is, this difficulty as to the question of power and responsibility is all a complete mistake, arising from ignorance of our own true condition, and our want of absolute submission to God. Every soul in a right moral condition will freely own his responsibility, his guilt, his utter powerlessness, his exposure to the just judgment of God, and that were it not for the sovereign grace of God in Christ, he should inevitably be damned. Any one who does not own this, from the very depths of his soul, is ignorant of himself, and virtually sitting in judgment upon God. Thus it stands, if we are to be taught by scripture.
Take a case. A certain man owes me a hundred pounds; but he is unprincipled and extravagant, and he has rendered himself quite unable to pay me. And not only is he unable, but unwilling. He has no desire to pay, no desire to have anything to do with me. If he sees me coming along the street, he skulks away down the first opening, to avoid me. Is he responsible? And am I justified in taking legal proceedings against him? Does his total inability to pay do away with his responsibility?
Further, I send my servant to him with a kind message; he insults him. I send another; he knocks him down. I send my son to beg of him to come to me, and to own himself my debtor, to confess, and take his proper place, and that I will not only forgive him his debt, but take him into partnership with myself. He insults my son in every possible way, heaps all sorts of indignity upon him, and, finally, murders him.
All this is but a very feeble illustration of the actual condition of things between God and the sinner; and yet some will reason and argue about the injustice of holding man responsible. It is all a fatal mistake, and such it will yet be found to be, in every case. There is not a soul in hell that has any difficulty in the matter. And, most surely, there is no difficulty felt by any in heaven. All who find themselves in hell will own that they receive the due reward of their deeds; and all who find themselves in heaven will own themselves “ debtors to mercy alone.” The former will have to thank themselves; the latter will have to thank God. Such we conceive to be the only true solution of the question of “ responsibility and power.”