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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: why would God withhold the gift of faith |
Bible Note: Dear Parable, "To confirm, are you saying that God creates unbelievers only to destroy them?" No, I do not believe that God is at all sadistic nor are any of His works less than perfect in their holiness. But we are not dealing with a race of victims. We are dealing with a race of rebels; By birth none seek God, none are righteous, all have gone astray seeking the fulfillment of their lusts and all are counted as children of God's wrath, being without hope and without God in the world. Salvation comes to those whom God shows mercy. The rest recieve His justice. Unless one understands the sink of depravity which is the heart of fallen mankind, one cannot fully appreciate how gracious God is, having sent His Son to die for us, and this while we were still actively seeking His downfall! "Do you mean to suggest that all will be saved on the last day? Isn't this universalism? Hasn't this doctrine been shown to be unbiblical?" No my statement does not support universalism and no, it is not unbiblical. John 6:40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." John 6:44,45 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me." "Isn't this faith an "assent from it's recipient"? Strictly speaking, assenting is a response to faith. If one believes something, they belive it. It is not a choice that one makes whether or not to believe. For instance, I'm sure you believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, did you believe this on your own, or did God reveal it to you? I you answer, "I believed it on my own (a choice I made after learning the facts of the bible) then, I suppose, you are liable to change your mind if you lose confidence in those facts. On the other hand, if it was a revelation from God, who not only informed but also transformed you by the work of the Holy Spirit, through the power of the Gospel, you now have the mind of the immutable God of the universe! "If not, is faith involuntary" becomes a mute question. I must get about my business for now. Til then I look forward to hearing your thoughts. God Bless, John |