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 | "ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED"!!! | Matt 22:37 | John Reformed | 64442 | ||
Dear Ftima, You asked: If God's plan only includes a select "elect" what purpose does Jesus serve? Ans: "Unconditional Election is the doctrine which states that God chose those whom he was pleased to bring to a knowledge of himself, not based upon any merit shown by the object of his grace and not based upon his looking forward to discover who would "accept" the offer of the gospel. God has elected, based solely upon the counsel of his own will, some for glory and others for damnation (Romans 9:15,21). He has done this act before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4-8)." "This doctrine does not rule out, however, man's responsibility to believe in the redeeming work of God the Son (John 3:16-18). Scripture presents a tension between God's sovereignty in salvation, and man's responsibility to believe which it does not try to resolve. Both are true -- to deny man's responsibility is to affirm an unbiblical hyper-calvinism; to deny God's sovereignty is to affirm an unbiblical Arminianism." You asked: "If it has already been predetermined by God who will and who will not be saved why the entire book of books? God could have written this plan in one sentence!" Ans: It pleased God to provide mankind with His written Word. God does not operate in a vacumn, but rather utilizes means by which His eternal decree is fulfiled. The Bible is one of God's means. We know His plan is perfect as it is, so I see no reason to speculate about how(or why) He could have accomplished His plan differently. You asked: How does one know if he/she belongs to the elect...(?) Ans: By faith. My assurance comes from the evidence of the Holy Spirit in my life; good works, my desire stemming from love, to please Jesus, my hatred of sin etc. Your question goes on to ask: "and if this knowledge is possible why obey the gospel of Christ if no matter what you do you cannot change your destiny?" Love for Christ and repentence from sin are part of the new nature we recieve in salvation. And why would I want to change my destiny anyway? If I am truly born again (which I firmly believe I am) my destiny is Heaven! Calvinism (as you have charecterized it) just DOES NOT make sense in the grand scheme of things. But as I have come to realize, calvinism is just a nickname for Biblical Christianity. It shows a sovereign God reigning over His creation and it believes that all He has done is just and holy. If you are interested in what "calvinism" truly teaches, I suggest you visit the website listed below. The 2nd and 3rd paragraphs were copied from www.reformed.org. God Bless You, John |
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2 | "ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED"!!! | Matt 22:37 | FTimA | 64532 | ||
Mark 16:16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. Acts 2:21 'AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.' Acts 15:1 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." Acts 15:11 "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." Acts 16:31 They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; Rom 10:13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; All of the passages listed above tell us what we must do to be saved. Which ones are we supposed to do and which ones, if any, are we not? What process do you use to determine this? |
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