Subject: Hebrews 6:6 explained |
Bible Note: Greetings John! Thanks for the reply my friend! It wasn't your understanding that I was concerned about my friend, but simply your way of expressing your difference of opinion. I do believe that it is possible (but very rare) for a true believer to reject Christ and be lost. But again, I note that this is not an heretical view. Does it differ from Calvinism? Yes! Is it heresy? No! We simply disagree on this issue. But, if I disagree with someone, I will usually say so and then state why, hopefully based on Scripture! :-) Emotionals statements and or exclamations don't really lead to mutually beneficial discussions. Now we have some common ground to build upon. I too think that Judas is referred to in John 17:12. However, we do diverge in that I think that Judas was one of those given to Christ - or a true believer. Here is why: John 17:12 is an exception clause. The text itself says, "Not one of them was lost except for the son of destruction." An exception means that what was true of the first group was not true of the last. The rest of the disciples were not lost, but Judas was lost. In order for him to be lost, he had to have been one of them to begin with. How does this relate to John 6:37-40? In the same way that 1 Tim. 2:4 relates to John 5:29. God's will is that all will be saved, but not all will be saved. God's will is that none be lost, but Judas was lost. If we are going to say that because God wills something it must occur, then we would have to save that all will be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). We would have to say that Jerusalem would have embraced God (Mt. 23:37). Therefore, there must be some sort of condition upon God's will for us. This is where I believe that all of the 'if' passages come into play. Now, I know how a Calvinist will generally respond to 1 Tim. 2:4. He will typically argue that 'all' doesn't mean 'all'. So, you probably won't find 1 Tim. 2:4 convicing as a proof that man can resist God's will for them. However, Mt. 223:37 is a different case. There is no word 'all'. :-) So, before you faint from my outrageous view that something God willed could fail to come to pass (because of conditions only), please explain to me how Jerusalem could resist the express will of God in Mt. 23:37? These types of dicussions can get long since there are so many issues to discussion. May I recommend that we focus on the following for now? 1) To what does the excemption clause of John 17:12 refer? Was Judas lost or not? 2) Can God's will for our lives be impacted by our choices? For instance, can God desire someone to be saved and that person not be saved? Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |