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NASB | Romans 5:6 ¶ For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 5:6 ¶ While we were still helpless [powerless to provide for our salvation], at the right time Christ died [as a substitute] for the ungodly. |
Subject: Christ dying only for elect? |
Bible Note: Hello Joe, you asked about Saul, Jonah and Jeremiah.. In each case, God in His sovereignty knew that each person that you mentioned would be 'set apart' for His service and accomplish a special mission for His purpose. However, God knew this BEFORE they ever came to a knowledge of salvation. I think that you too often are confusing salvation with election since salvation must come before 'election'. Jeremiah and Jonah both 'believed' God and accomplished their tasks through faith. But they gained approval by their faith, since God called them in a time when He dealt differently with mankind (before Christ). You see, they did not receive the promise that we now have in Christ when they gained approval of God by their faith (Hebrews 11:39-40). So therefore, it is hard to say that they were 'predestined' since they did not have the knowledge of Christ. However, in Saul's case, he was apprehended by God in a direct way, being led to salvation to Jesus Christ when the Lord appeared to Him (Acts 9). But in each case, Jeremiah, Saul and Jonah did not choose God to begin with, and this is a point that Calvinists continue to dodge. They each came to a point where they had to choose to follow Christ and be his 'chosen instruments'. They were not saved from conception. Saul made the decision to follow Christ after the Lord apprehended him (Acts 9), Jonah made the decision to finally go to Nineveh (Jonah 3:3), and Jeremiah followed the Lord's command at an early age, even though he objected to his calling because he was a youth (Jer. 1:6-8). In each case, it is clear that Jeremiah, Jonah and Saul had to each make a decision to fulfill their calling in the Lord. This conscious acceptance of God and their adherence thereof is what caused their salvation, not because they were predestined to make those choices..Actually, I am concerned about the chuch dying out in a Calvinistic worldview. So I will do all I can to help people realize that Calvinism is flawed and 'found wanting' in areas where Arminianism is sound. Thanks Joe, for your questions. |