The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation
at
Question
"Isn't
it true that only the 'Regenerated,' that is, only the 'Born Again,'
the 'Saved' people can communicate with God, for the purpose of solving their
problems?"
Answer
The answer
is yes. The only ones that have access
to God are those that are His own. Because the only access to God is through whom? Christ.
It [Bible] says, "No man comes to the Father, except by
me." You can't go to God on any
terms, for any reason, unless you come through Christ. The way has been opened for us. And that's what the writer of Hebrews means
when he says, "Let us come boldly unto the Throne of Grace, to find help
in time of need."
No, there is
no promise in the Bible that God will answer the prayer of an unsaved person,
no promise at all. God is not
obligated. God is not bound. God has made no such promise, because there
is no access to God. Access only comes
through Christ.
You say,
"Does that mean that God never does for a person what they ask
done?" That's a very difficult
question, and it's been asked a number of times. I would venture to say, that an unbelieving,
unsaved person might pray a prayer to God, "Well, God, I wish I had a
wife." And three months later find
a girl and marry her. Or he might pray,
"You know, I wish my mother would get well," and maybe his mother get
well.
So it is
possible that circumstances could appear to look like God answered a prayer,
when in fact, it was just the working out the providential plan of God anyway,
and the prayer was irrelevant to what God was going to do. I mean, if you pray, "Lord heal my
mother," only one of two things can happen. Either she does or doesn't
get healed, and if she does, it does not mean that God answered your
prayer. It just means she got better.
But, it also
true, and I want to say this, that God may for His own purposes, hear the cry
of an unregenerate person. The point is this, He is not obligated to do that. There is no claim on that. Because, you see in John it says, "if you ask anything," Jesus said, "in my
NAME." If you come in Christ's
name, if you come in Christ, then the Father will do it. He has no obligation to answer the prayer of
an unregenerate person, though sometimes He may in His sovereign choice. And sometimes, it may appear as if a prayer
has been answered, simply by the way things turned out.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's
"MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986