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NASB | James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | James 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well [to believe that]. The demons also believe [that], and shudder and bristle [in awe-filled terror--they have seen His wrath]! [Deut 6:4; 11:13-21; Mark 12:29] |
Bible Question:
Disciplerami, Thanks for all the work you put into that answer, I sincerely appreciate it. I agree that God has made himself known to all men so that they are without excuse. Is it possible in any scenario, given all you have said about God being evident to all men, that God could withhold salvation from some simply because he desires to do so? In other words, since all men have the natural ability to detect the Creator is it possible that God simply will not save some because it his soveriegn right? In such a case would that man be without excuse, or would he have the excuse that God never sparked him with the Holy Spirit? God Bless. |
Bible Answer: Greetings, I believe in the Sovereighnty of God, but I believe it allows for man's free will. God's eternal plan will be accomplished! The following is the Calvinist view of Sovereignty, aptly related by ___ [not necessary to give his name.] _______________ ___ denies free will: "...God chooses believers of His own sovereign." ___ idea of God's Sovereignty: "God micromanages the universe in a Reformed view, and even man's will is subjected to his control, which I think is the most clearly Biblical position." ___ criticizes the body of Christ that is under the absolute control of God's sovereign will: "many opt to read _Tribulation Force_ and _The Mark._ That is a SERIOUS problem for the body of Christ, choosing entertaining reading over the life-changing message of the sovereign God. ___ says the word is powerless without supernatural intervention: "God the Holy Spirit," by His sovereign will "will supernaturally re-create to believe the message." ___ shows Jesus didn't die for everyone: "If we say that Christ died for ALL the ungodly (i.e. all humanity), then the fact that there will be people in Hell demonstrates that Christ was unable to save all" and "Christ died not to OFFER payment of sins to all men..." ___ impressed with Calvinism: "Mainly what caused my shift in thinking is the God-centeredness of Calvinism, " ___ explains that if God wanted the lost to be saved, they would be saved: "from a Calvinist perspective, the only way God 'prevents people from being saved' is by not extending saving grace to them. It is the depravity of their nature, their sin, their active rebellion against a holy God which prevents them from being in a right standing with God." [note: ___ needs to explain what the impartiality of God means.] ___ relates how our decisions are God's decisions which He makes our decisions because they are His decisions: "He already has taken our future decisions into account and that he has prepared good works for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:10), we can rest comfortably that God will honor and bless our God-honoring decisions." [note: this view is necessary because free will would nullify the sovereignty of God]. ___ answers how God's absolute sovereignty isn't responsible for everything: "Did God MAKE the Pharisees sin?" The Pharisees were born sinners, so the answer to that is "no." On the other hand, God directed their innate sinfulness through circumstance and withholding repentance so that the very act he decreed (the atonement) would take place." ___ explains that Sovereignty allows or permits free will: "God's sovereign will includes everything that He either actively engages in or actively permits to occur" and "the decreed event can either come from God causing it directly, or by God allowing it to happen." ___ wouldn't sing, "Let Him have His way with Them": "And, personally, I find the idea abhorrent that we as human beings "let" the sovereign Lord of the universe do anything. Who is in charge here, anyway?" ___________________ I wanted to pull together some thoughts of an 'unabashed Calvinist' to contrast it with my view of the sovereignty of God. You can see that some people do believe that God uses men to accomplish the higher purpose of glorifying Himself, even if that means their eternal destruction. :( I'll try to speak more on this at a later time. God bless, Disciplerami |