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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: Which proposition is scriptural? |
Bible Note: John, Thanks for responding in detail to this post. "Unless your analogy is flawed, it is clear that, you equate God throwing a life-line to the one who is perishing with the offer of the gospel. This establishes that, you are among those who believe that man is saved by an action of his own will. That man must come to the conclusion that he is lost before he takes hold of the life-line." Yes John, I believe in the "foolishness of preaching": 1 Corinthians 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. Preaching by a "sent" preacher provides a day of visitation to all that hear the message. "The problem which I have with your illustration is as follows: 1. The person who needs to be saved must be aware that his life is in danger to begin with." Thus the need of a preacher. "2. He must also believe that the Life-guard is really there and that the life-line is truly his only hope." The surity of death, hell, and inability to keep the law to the point that the law becomes a schoolmaster that leads to Christ is all part of the gospel message from the preacher. Aside from these, there is the message from observing nature so that none are without excuse. "It is my contention (formed from my understanding of Scripture) that the perishing man does NOT believe he is in jeopardy at all! He is happily splashing around in waters of sin and the offer of a life-line, is to him, foolishness. (1 Cor 2:14). No one, not one, is in search of "The Life-guard". (Rom 1)" Again, it is the responsibility of the life guard (preacher) to compell the lost to come to Jesus "To carry on with the analogy (from a biblical perspective)...our drowning friend is not "drowning"; He is in fact, from his mothers womb, "dround" already. It is too late for life lines and CPR. He was still-born." Well, then is our preaching useless? "Remember Pastor Glenn, we are speaking of a spiritual, rather than physical, rescue. Our friend needs a miracle, not a life line. It's too late to expect him to help himself!" Yes, Jesus is a spiritual Life Line: 1 Corinthians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. "Therefore, in answer to your question: "So you seem to wonder how I can also believe in choice. Doesn't scripture teach both?", my answer is yes. " I am so glad to hear you say that the scriptures teach both man's choice and God's sovereignty. "But the choice for Christ (grabbing the life-line) comes as a result of the miracle of the new-birth." You may be right. I am not sure of the order, but it is indeed the greatest miracle. Pastor Glenn |