Results 1 - 4 of 4
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | What about those who have never heard? | Rom 1:16 | John Reformed | 39556 | ||
Dear Mommapbs, I have asked "bible believing christians" to answer this question: "What happens to people who never have heard the Gospel (does God have an alternative plan for their salvation)?" Some of the answers I have recieved have been based on wishful thinking, others on human reason. None on Scripture. I ask this question bring into focus the erroneous doctine of Arminius and his followers. Arminians say that God has given fallen man "choice" in salvation. That it would be injust of God to save some and leave others to perish. If God has not provided for every person the "opportunity to accept Christ", how then can they defend their doctrine? John |
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2 | Clarification from John Reformed...? | Rom 1:16 | Brent Douglass | 40242 | ||
Brother John Reformed, I'd like to respond to your question, but I need to clarify something first. In the posting that I'm responding to, you made the statement, "I ask this question to bring into focus the erroneous doctine of Arminius and his followers." Were you referring to your frequent asking of the question, "What happens to people who never have heard the Gospel (does God have an alternative plan for their salvation)?" to "Bible-believing Christians" in general? OR Were you referring more specifically to your posting of the original question to the forum? -- "Dear Forum, I would like to propose a discussion concerning the Gospel. Is it God's sole means of salvation?" FYI -- I would not place myself as either a follower of Arminius (and all of the "points" of his followers at Dort) or as a full 5-point Calvinist. Based on my reading of the Scriptures, I can not fully agree with either group. |
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3 | Clarification from John Reformed...? | Rom 1:16 | John Reformed | 40300 | ||
Dear Brent, At the time I posted my original question (Is the Gospel the sole means by which men must be saved?), I was convinced that the answer was absolutey yes. I posted it for the purpose of drawing people into the debate over "free will in unregenerated man" (who chooses whom?). The reason for this somewhat circuitous approch, was based on a conviction I held at the time, which was: If it can shown that God does not supply the means of salvation to every individual, then we must conclude that, He never intended to save all men. Since my initial post, my conviction of the efficacy of my premise has proved to be less than scriptual. I have found that there have indeed been some exceptions. The thief next to Jesus on the cross for one. Others may include those who die in infancy, the mentaly and physicaly handicapped (those so severely afflicted that normal means of communication are for them impossible). Matt 19:26 "And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." The last thing a defender of "Soverign Grace" wants to do is to employ human reason to put God in a box! Perhaps the question would be better asked thus: Is the Gospel the ordinary means by which God calls His calls men unto Himself? God Bless Brent, John PS On which of the 5 points do you disagree? |
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4 | Clarification from John Reformed...? | Rom 1:16 | Brent Douglass | 40374 | ||
Dear John, Thanks for clarifying your meaning. I'll wait and respond to my difficult with tulips a little later, but let me do my best to answer your question of whether or not the Gospel is the sole means of salvation. I tend to ramble profusely, so I'll take several replies to encapsulate each idea separately and provide separate targets for others. 1) The message of the Gospel is the sole means of salvation in the sense that only by the shed blood of Jesus can anyone enter the presence of God -- anyone from the fall on through the entire human race, since all have sinned. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, all the great cloud of witnesses from Hebrews 11 (and 12:1-3) are in heaven now only because of the sinless life, shed blood, and resurrection of Jesus. Believers today also receive salvation only because of this, and this is Good News. Any attempt to remove this stumbling block and place all religions on equal footing mocks Christ and proclaims God a heartless butcher who would needlessly sacrifice His Son simply to add yet another way amongst the others. What an absurd caracature of God that would be! There is no other way to the Father but through the person and work of Christ, and there never was. In this sense, the Gospel is the only means. |
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