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NASB | Matthew 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 5:44 "But I say to you, love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [Prov 25:21, 22] |
Subject: Praying for the 'World'. |
Bible Note: Dear Atdcross, Your exegesis of 2 Peter 3:9 is quite confusing. This epistle was written by the apostle Peter to a group of believers (see 2 Peter 1:1). How could his continual use of the first person plural pronouns include anyone other than the writer and the recipients? Considering the reason the epistle was written, how could an affirmation of God's desire that not any should perish be any kind of encouragement if it meant some other bunch? There's an old adage that states, "When the plain sense of a passage makes perfect sense don't seek any other sense." "But it may be asked, If God wishes none to perish, why is it that so many do perish? To this my answer is, that no mention is here made of the hidden purpose of God, according to which the reprobate are doomed to their own ruin, but only of his will as made known to us in the gospel. For God there stretches forth His hand without a difference to all, but lays hold only of those, to lead them to Himself, whom He has chosen before the foundation of the world." --John Calvin on 2 Peter 3:9 "'...not willing that any should perish;' [is intended to mean] not any of the us, whom He has loved with an everlasting love, whom He has chosen in His Son, and given to Him, and for whom He has died, and who are brought to believe in Him." --John Gill (on 2 Peter 3:9) "The simplest (simplistic some would say) solution is to see these verses as applying only to the elect. This makes eminent sense and complies with the analogy of the Bible." --John Hendryx (on 2 Peter 3:9) "God is long-suffering towards the elect prior to their conversion." --Wilhelmus a Brekel, when discussing 2 Peter 3:9 "The true and satisfying reason of the delay of the second coming of Christ is the Lord’s long suffering toward His own elect" --Alexander Nesbit (on 2 Peter 3:9) John Owen, Thomas Peck, A. W. Pink, James H. Thornwell, Francis Turretin, are among the others saying very much the same thing regarding this verse. You posit a week argument and -- clearly -- an unpopular one among the learned of the church. I'm not certain what makes this verse have such appeal to the universalist and his ilk. In Him, Doc |