Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
Subject: THE CROSS |
Bible Note: Hello again, Flinkywood. Reformer Joe has given adequate answers to your questions about Calvinists from a Calvinistic perspective. His reference to Jesus' parable in Matthew 20 was excellent and is the same one I'd have cited. There is one observation that I would like to make, however. When a Calvinist says he believes that all who truly call on the name of the Lord will be saved, he is talking about the elect -- unless my understanding of Calvinism is fatally flawed -- because only the elect would be calling on the name of the Lord in the first place. Whereas the Calvinist would say, therefore, that the sinner calls on the name of the Lord and is therefore saved BECAUSE he is of the elect, I would say (because that's what I believe the Bible teaches) that the sinner by calling on the name of the Lord is saved and thus BECOMES the elect. In one of the concluding verses of his Revelation of Jesus Christ, John issues an appeal, a beautiful and wonderful invitation: "And the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) and the bride (the church of Christ) say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17) Who then are the elect? They are the "whosoever wills" of Revelation 22:17! --Hank |