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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: THE CROSS |
Bible Note: Greetings Jibbs! The question of whether or not Adam and Eve freely choose to sin is directly relevant to our understanding of fallen man today. Your last post cited a quote which denied that man ever had any free will whatsoever. Thus, you will forever deny that man has or could have the ability to accept or reject salvation. The usual Calvinistic tactic when discussing free will is to simply say that fallen man is free to sin, but nothing else. However, Adam and Eve were not fallen. So, there can only be two possible options. Either God MADE them sin or they freely choose to sin. If the first is true, then there are serious problems with judgement. How could a holy God make us sin and then condemn us for sinning? If the latter is true, then there is no reason to believe that man has lost the ability to make a choice, since there isn't any Scripture which actually says that he has lost that ability. Now, we would both agree that fallen man, left to his own devices would not reach out to God. However, where I differ with Calvinism is that I serve a God who draws all to Him, and offers salvation to all, not just some. Because He draws and convicts them, they are enabled to respond. The only thing we really differ on is the extent of all these things. You believe that God makes some people respond to the Gospel even while they are dead in sin. I believe that God makes it possible for all me to respond to the Gospel even while they are dead in sin. You believe that God only wants some to be saved. I believe that God wants all to be saved. You believe that God only died for some, while I believe that Christ died for all. The main difference between the two views is that I can actually produce Scripture which says what I believe! ;-) Calvinists act as though it is just impossible that people could respond to the Gospel, but even Calvinists teach that people respond to the Gospel. The only difference is one of degrees. If God can draw some, why can't He draw all? Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |