Results 1 - 2 of 2
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | CAN THE DEVIL STEAL A GIFT OR GOD TAKEIT | Rom 11:29 | kalos | 9876 | ||
So the same Bible that *says* the gifts (plural) of God are irrevocable actually *means* that they are not irrevocable? What is wrong with this picture? In my Bible I see no evidence of a God who cannot be trusted to keep his Word OR of a devil who is "greater [than] he that is in you" (1 John 4:4), which the devil would have to be before he could steal a gift that God gives you. |
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2 | CAN THE DEVIL STEAL A GIFT OR GOD TAKEIT | Rom 11:29 | Beau | 9887 | ||
You've somehow misunderstood my response and the context of the verses I quoted. I have in no way implied that God does not keep His word nor that the enemy is even remotely close to, let alone greater than, God in power and might. God certainly kept His word with the children of Israel regarding the promised land, but they could not enter it as God had planned because of their sin and rebellion. And in Mat. 13 with the parable of the sower, Jesus very pointedly emphasizes that the devil takes away the Word that was sown in the heart of the listener. If you care to argue the point with Jesus, be my guest. (grin) The text is very clear. Just because God allows the enemy to take some ground, cause discontent and spur all manner of evil, does in no way imply that the enemy is greater than God. One need look no further than the life of Job to see clearly that God can and does allow a healthy measure of suffering to happen in the world in order to further His sovereign purposes. Look at an example in 1 Kings 14:7-10 "Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I raised you up from among the people and made you a leader over my people Israel. [8] I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes. [9] You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have provoked me to anger and thrust me behind your back. [10] Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel--slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone." God clearly gave Jeroboam a "gift". But because of Jeroboam's rebellion, the gift was taken away by God. The promise of the gift was always there and was never revoked. But it was Jeroboam's sin (or another way to say it is Jeroboam's rejection of the gift through his actions) that caused God to remove it. Throughout the Bible, God's promises and gifts are not without responsibility on our part. While, as Paul says, the promise and gift of eternal life are indeed irrevocable, we still have the option of rebelling, rejecting and discarding the gifts of God through our actions. This is what Paul is talking about in Rom. 11:29. Even the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord carries with it the act and responsibility of accepting Him through faith as our Savior. The gifts have never been revoked, but we as a rebellious people clearly discard them every day. Faithfully ... |
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