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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: What is predetermination all about |
Bible Note: Hi, EdB... I do not think that it is a complicated issue so much as a difficult one. The difficulty does not arise from the text, but rather it arises by our resistance to it. The human heart holds a very high regard for what we deem as essential liberties. When a passage appears to tread upon the toes of that to which we hold dear, then we become uncomfortable. That discomfort ought to drive us to diligence, for it is precisely those pain points that God is seeking to address. It should be noted that I pointed the questioner to the specific Bible passages where the word “predestined” was used. There are many other words that address this attribute of God; and there are even more places in Scripture that speak to His sovereignty. We could point people to look into the controversy on various sides of an issue spanning the centuries. Alternatively, we could point people to the Word of God (Hebrews 1:1-2), the very means by which the Holy Spirit will bring them to the truth (John 14:26). They will not be sanctified by the controversy. Rather they are sanctified by the word of truth (John 17:17), as our Lord Jesus prayed (cf John 17:6, 8, 14, 17, 20). The Holy Spirit has the power to bring these little ones to the truth through the Word -- even without the mediation of others. Let us not fear that He will do an inadequate job. Let us rather rejoice that He cannot fail and that His Word will not return to Him void. In Him, Doc |