Subject: WHO DID CHRIST DIE FOR ?????? |
Bible Note: Greetings Humpy! I don't mean this disrepectfully in any way, but it won't matter how many verses I produce, they will always mean something else to you because of your theological perspective. But, try these verses: 2 Cor. 5:14 - " For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." Is. 53:6 - " We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." John 1:29 - "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" 1 Tim. 2:6 - "who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time." Heb. 2:9 - " But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." 1 John 2:2 - " He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. " Rom. 5:18 - "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." These are just a few that I found by doing a quick word search! :-) Now, I have heard all of the responses to these verses before. 'World' only means believers all around the world. 'All' only means all the elect. Ect.... ;-) But, I don't buy it. :-) But, back to Esau, I wasn't trying to say that God hated a whole nation. I don't believe that Paul is trying to establish that God hated Esau in the sense that we use the term hate. I believe that Paul was trying to establish that God choose to work through Jacob (and his descendents) and not Esau, and this is evidence that God can do what He wants to accomplish His purpose of election. Now, contrary to what many argue, I see God's purpose of election in Rom. 9-11 as an expansion of Israel. The complaint Paul was arguing against wasn't that God was having mercy on Israel. It was that God was having mercy on Gentiles. Paul makes the case that God can have mercy on whomever He wants, and that Israel has always meant more than just physical Israel anyway. This, I believe, is the context of Rom. 9:13. My complaint has always been that we stop in Rom. 9 without going on to Rom. 11 where we are told that God's plan is to have mercy on all. But, I will leave me comments at this juncture. I definitely don't want to start another long debate on this topic. I have posted, as have Reformed John and Reformer Joe, many times on this topic. If you would like to read both sides of this debate, simply search for our user ids. God bless you my brother! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |