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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: Greetings Kalos! Someone once said that when we remove tension from Scripture we destroy the truth. The fact is that both God's will and man's will are involved in salvation. God's will is supreme because if He had not come to die upon the cross, no one could be saved. However, Scripture also makes it clear that man has a role to play as well. The best passage to illustrate both is 2 Cor. 5:18-20: "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." Notice that God made reconciliation possible but that people are implored to be reconciled. Even the passage that you cited illustrates that man has a role to play (John 1:12-13) as it is those who receive and believe who are given the right to become children of God. God's will is the ultimate source of salvation but man must also believe and receive. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |