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NASB | Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 10:9 because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. |
Bible Question: John Reformed and Reformer Joe: In 2 Peter 3:9b appears this phrase, "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentence." Of whom is the Apostle speaking when he uses the words "any" and "all"? Does he really mean "any" and "all" or is he saying one thing and meaning something else? --Hank |
Bible Answer: Dear Hank, You wrote: "." Of whom is the Apostle speaking when he uses the words "any" and "all"? Does he really mean "any" and "all" or is he saying one thing and meaning something else?" 2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. It goes without saying, that Peter is addressing believers when he said " but is patient toward you". If "any" in the following clause meant "everyone universally", why then does the preceeding clause not say " everyone universally" instead of the specific pronoun "you" which refers to believers ( Peter's immediate audience and believers world-wide present and future.i.e., God's elect). But, not being an expert in languages, I may be wrong; for neither does he say "but is patient toward you, not wishing for "any of you" to perish". It very well may be that God is patiently waiting for "all men" to have an opportunity to hear the gospel and repent. Yet, those who will believe and those who will not are known To Him from all eternity. No Bible believing christian thinks that our omniscient God is waiting to see what will happen. And personally, I don't believe that God needs to look into the future to see who will believe. ACT 15:18 " Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." Creation was not an experiment on the part of God. He did not need to find out what would happen if He created a material univerese and placed a creature formed after His likeness into it. No; He made it according to His all perfect design, the universe; all that it contains; and everything that ocurs in it. He is the Potter and we are the clay (Rom 9) The question " why some will believe and others will not" is not addressed in this passage. We must not be found guilty of pitting one verse against another. As I have attemted to explain to EdB, it is not necessary for me to twist or ignore John 3:16 in order to prove election. Neither must I throw out 2 Peter 3:9. The fact is neither verse speaks to why or how faith comes to an individual. It is a common error to isolate a single verse and to come to a conclusion (ignoring that our interpretation places it in discord with other passages), and are satisfied for the sole reason that it agrees with our tradition. We are all guilty of this error from time to time and we need to recognize it if we are to grow in our knowledge of God's Word. John |