A Great Gulf Fixed

By Justas Iam

Jesus described a divine separation from sinners in Luke 16 as the "great gulf fixed". Man's "free will" created it. This book examines God's repeated enforcement of the "great gulf" separation upon sinful mankind through history. It is demonstrated through the accounts of:
The closed gate of Eden.
The closed door of Noah's Ark.
The closed communications by the confusion of languages.
The closed direct fellowship with God through Abraham.
The closed path of salvation to men through the Law.
And finally, as revealed by the Scriptures,
The closed access to salvation by mankind's, now, fallen will through self-generated "faith".

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Harbor Press
• Release date: Feb 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781386261445

Book preview

A_Great_Gulf_Fixed_Large_Front_RGB.jpg

A Great Gulf Fixed

A STUDY OF THE GULFS OF SEPARATION BETWEEN GOD AND MAN

n

Justas Iam

Copyright © 2020 by Justas Iam.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Iam/New Harbor Press

1601 Mt Rushmore Rd, Ste 3288

Rapid City, SD 57701

www.netharborpress.com

A Great Gulf Fixed/ Justas Iam —1st ed.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Part 1: The Fixed Gulfs in Scripture

Chapter 1: The Great Gulf Fixed of Luke 16:19-31Fact or Fiction?

The context of, and purpose for, the parables of Jesus

The Mystery of Understanding

Chapter 2: The Fixed Gulf Principle in a Broader Context

Chapter 3: The fixed gulf in Eden

The Mystery of Election

Chapter 4: The fixed gulf of Noah

Chapter 5: The fixed gulf of Languages

Chapter 6: The fixed gulf of Abraham

Chapter 7: The fixed gulf of Israel

A New Gospel is Introduced

Chapter 8: : A Review of Six, Earthly Fixed Gulfs

Part 2: The Final Fixed Gulf The Fact of, and the Illusion of, Free Will

Topic 1. The Place of Work(s) in Theology

Topic 2. Next Question - Belief - Whose Work is it?

Topic 3. God’s Fairness

Two creation principles: Kinds and Moral Inheritance

Topic 4. Does God ever command the Impossible of Man?

Topic 5. In Defense of God’s work of Election to Salvation

Topic 6. The Scriptural Components of the Salvation Sequence

Topic 7. God’s Irresistible Grace of Drawing

Topic 8. Why Spiritually dead Men cannot come

Topic 9. All men in Adam

Original Sin

The in the loins truth

Topic 10. Free Will lived in Adam and It died in Adam

Two Masters

Man as a god

Two Spiritual States

Topic 11. The Fallen Will causes Man’s Rejection of God

Why there is No Excuse

Topic 12. Salvation by God’s Will Alone

Topic 13. The Importance of Sound Doctrine

Topic 14. Salvation in this Age of Grace is a Mystery

Conclusion

g

Preface

This book is a

study of God’s employment of the principle of fixed gulfs. His purpose for the use of fixed gulfs is for the maintenance of the separation between His Holy Estate and the sinful estate of fallen mankind. There are several examples of God’s ordained acts of separation in the Bible. Some of them are obvious and well-known. Others will be examined that are less obvious, and perhaps uncomprehended by many Christians. This study hopes to show the nature of, the consistency of, and the reasons for, God’s employment of fixed gulfs between Himself and sinful mankind.

The format of this study is presented in two parts. The literal expression fixed gulf only occurs once in Scripture – in Luke, Chapter 16. This is the account where Jesus, reveals the afterlife fates of a poor man named Lazarus and an unnamed rich man. Following that is an examination of some other occurrences in the Bible where God employs assorted types of fixed gulfs to govern fallen mankind’s access to Him. To support this discussion, various doctrinal points will be offered to document the development of the progressive relationship between God and man. These points are included because of the importance God gives the subject of doctrine in His exhortations to Timothy and Titus by the pen of the apostle Paul. Sound doctrine matters.

1 Tim. 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

Tit. 2:1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

Part 2 of this book proceeds to explore the reality of, and the implications of a specific fixed gulf that the author labels as the The Seventh Fixed Gulf – The Fact of, and the Illusion of Free Will. Whether or not the reader agrees with the Scriptural soundness of the conclusions offered regarding free will, the author’s conclusions are not presented in judgment of anyone who maintains a different view. Nevertheless, sound doctrine is the responsibility of every believer and is to be sought.

This be may one reason why 2 Timothy 2:15 warns believers against mis-dividing God’s word of truth. It can result in shame.

2 Tim. 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

A careful examination of Scripture reveals how God, through a variety of fixed gulfs, controls the physical and willful actions of all mankind in any of their self-willed attempts at reconciliation with Him. The author hopes that this book might enhance the reader’s appreciation of God’s grace in the miracle of salvation, because every salvation is ultimately by grace alone.

g

Introduction

Perhaps you are familiar

with the proverbial story about the traveling salesman who gets lost in the country. While standing at a country crossroads, the perplexed salesman sees an old farmer nearby, sitting in a rocking chair on his porch. He approaches the farmer to get directions and asks, Excuse me sir, do know where the Jones farm is? Yep, is the farmer’s solitary reply. Well, is it down this road to the left? Nope, replies the farmer. After a few moments of silence, he asks, Is it to the right then? Another solitary Nope comes from the old farmer. Okay, so I guess that I’ll keep going straight ahead. concludes the frustrated salesman. The farmer shakes his head and chuckles, Sonny, I hate to tell ya, but ya cain’t git there from here. Y’er lost fer sure!

You can’t get there from here is a well-worn line in humor, but in the context of getting to heaven, the humor disappears. In the context of salvation, it becomes a serious matter. Unlike the salesman who knows that he is lost, there are a great many people who think they know the way to get to heaven, but they are tragically on the wrong road. To make matters worse, they are unaware of their lost state. If they believe in some sort of heaven at all, they are unwittingly following one of Satan’s roadmaps. Satan never ceases working to point people down the wrong road. Millions of people, as a result, are on the road to a destination much worse than the road to nowhere. They are on the road to eternal torment in Hell. Why? Because they have adopted a false doctrine of salvation from either their own, or someone else’s, mis-dividing of Scripture.

There are many people whose solution to this potential travel problem is simply the denial of any reality of Heaven or Hell. By their denial, these people excuse themselves of any need to search for the path to heaven. They may avoid any anxiety about not getting there, but they will spend their eternity in regret. Another fact that such people try to deny, but cannot successfully deny, is the existence of God. Many zealous people try to do so, but try as they will, the Bible calls them fools.

Psa. 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. …."

What the fools of Psalm 14:1 are actually saying is, "no" to God. The words there is are italicized additions to the original text. When you remove those italics, what the fool has said is "no to God. For a person to know there is a God, which Scripture says that all men inherently know (Rom. 1:19-20), and then to say no" to Him is the ultimate foolish act.

The work of the Holy Spirit, as summarized in John 16, further affirms the foolishness of all denials of God and His righteousness. Notice that the work of the Holy Spirit applies to "the world".

John 16:8  And when he is come, he (the Holy Spirit) will reprove (convict) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 

Given this truth, the outright rejection by anyone in "the world", of the salvation offer of God through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit is the ultimate unforgivable sin.

Mat. 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

Scripture pointedly affirms that all men are without excuse, regarding their awareness of God.

Rom. 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

The seeing and understanding actions cited in this verse are the result of the general calling work of the Holy Spirit among mankind. The evidence of creation is a general call or revelation to all men that a Creator exists. This is the reason why Scripture affirms that it is because of the knowledge of the "invisible things of God that all men are without excuse. Yet people many still dare to persist in their foolishness by saying in their hearts, ….no God".

However, there are many people who are not so foolish or so proud to deny the existence of God. There are probably more people who do believe in an afterlife than those who don’t. Nevertheless, many of these people are still relying on a wide variety of the beliefs or philosophies of men that will lead them to some presumed sort of heaven. Paul explicitly warned the Colossians against the dangers of the philosophies of men.

Col. 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 

The power and impact of the verb "spoil" in this verse needs to be understood. It comes from the Greek word sulagogeo. Similar English translations of this word are to lead away as booty, or seduce. Paul’s audience in the letter of Colossians were believers. Verse 8 was a vital warning to them about the deadly diversion tactics that Satan employs within the church. However, Satan also uses these same diversions of philosophy, vain deceit, and the traditions of men to keep unbelievers away from God’s truth. Satan’s prime goal from the beginning is to sulagogeo man away from God.

Getting back to the subject of God, while Scripture confirms that all men have an awareness of God, multitudes have lived, and still live, in denial of Him, as noted in this passage of Romans 1:

Rom. 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

Rom. 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 

Rom. 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 

Rom. 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 

Rom. 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Many Christians acknowledge the true God and the Heaven where he resides, but even among believers, there is an unfortunate absence of any uniformity of belief about how one gets to heaven. There are many who may actually be depending on the wrong road in their presumed journey to heaven.

It is a frustrating thing to take a wrong turn when you are traveling. Worse yet is the aggravation of having traveled for hours down the wrong road before discovering your error. But it will be an error of eternal proportions for those who die and find out that false directions to heaven have deceived them. If they err in their belief about the way of salvation after death, they will join the rich man of Luke 16 on the wrong side of the great gulf fixed, as taught by Jesus. This gulf will be the focus of the discussion of Chapter 1. Wrong turns in journeys in this life can usually be re-traced and corrected, but ending up on the wrong side of the great gulf fixed after death becomes the ultimate point of no return. The door is forever shut, and the gulf is eternally fixed.

I believe that the phrase great gulf fixed communicates a biblical principle that much of Christianity has overlooked. Although great gulf fixed is a phrase that appears only once in the Bible, it is a principle that God repeatedly demonstrates in Scripture. He uses this principle for the same purpose of everything He does – to bring glory to Himself.

Rev. 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. 

By the use of fixed gulfs, He is teaching men about the depth of their helplessness in their sin, as well as their utter inability to achieve or assist in their own salvation. The ultimate lesson revealed to men is the magnitude of the truth that salvation is by grace alone.

Fixed gulfs have been imposed by God upon mankind at various times in history to display His sovereignty over His creation. They are acts of God employed to accomplish His ordained purpose among the special part of His creation that bears His image – man.

The focus of Part 1 of this book is to examine some of the occurrences of the fixed gulf principle in Scripture and God’s purposes behind them. The repeated occurrences of the fixed gulfs that will be discussed, although not labeled as such, accomplish the same purpose as the fixed gulf described in the story of Lazarus and the rich man in the gospel of Luke. God is the creator of all fixed gulfs, and only by His sovereign will and grace can they be bridged. In the account of Lazarus and the rich man, there is a permanency to that gulf, and no hope of crossing remains. The other fixed gulfs which occur within mankind’s history on earth, serve the purpose of pointing men to the same ultimate and solitary bridge which God will provide by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. First, a careful analysis of the Luke passage, which contains the only actual mention of the term fixed gulf, is needed to establish the principle. The principle will be reviewed and analyzed in the next chapter.

Part 1

g

The Fixed Gulfs in Scripture

Chapter 1

g

The Great Gulf Fixed of Luke 16:19-31

Fact or Fiction?

The Word of God

provides answers to all of the crucial life questions that should arise in the minds of men as they begin to use their power of reason, while contemplating their own existence and their surroundings. Questions such as, Who am I? How did this world begin? "Why am