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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: Hi Doc, I agree the letter is to believers but that does not demand “any” be understood as confined to them or a group called “the chosen”. It is not denied that the letter is encouragement to its readers but it is still no reason to confine “any” to the aforementioned group. In my initial comment, I attempted to show that if “any” is understood as having reference to only “the chosen,” then they must not have been saved at the time of reading, or else why would God need to have patience with them and desire their repentance and salvation (cf. v.15) if they are already saved? The plain sense of “any” seems to be “any”, not a specific group at the exclusion of another. John Calvin on 2 Peter 3:9: Maybe “no mention of the purposes of God” was hidden from Calvin but it is not a mystery to me why some are saved and others not since the Bible makes it clear (e.g. John 3:36; Mark 16:16). Furthermore, the last sentence quoted seems contradictory since “stretch[ing] forth His hand” with the intention of laying hold of some and not all is in itself making a difference between one and another. John Gill: I cannot see any warrant for Gill’s exclusion of those outside the community of the Church (cf. John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; Ezekiel 18:23,32; 33:11; Jonah 4:11). John Hendryx: Regarding the “simplest…solution”, I am unaware of this verse being hard to understand in the first place; that “any” means all men was a given, at least, to me. Wilhelmus a Brekel: No argument except to say that prior to salvation, the elect are not "elect" but sinners and God is patient with all sinners (Ps 145:8-9a; Nahum 1:3a; Matthew 5:45). Alexander Nesbit: If he is correct, then it must be because the readers were not yet saved; if saved, no delay for Jesus’ return was required for their sake. Most likely, if they had it their way, they wanted Jesus to come while they were reading the letter (cf. v.15a)! With all due respect to John Owen, Thomas Peck, A. W. Pink, James H. Thornwell, Francis Turretin, as well as the persons cited above, the Bible shows me they are mistaken. Just because my argument is weak does not necessarily mean my conclusion is faulty and “unpopular” as it may be “among the learned of the church” is no reason why I should go against what God has revealed to my conscience and agree with them. Not being universalistic, I am not certain why they would find it so appealing. I know why I do. I pray my comments have not “sounded” rude and that you have not been personally offended by my admission of disagreement. |