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NASB | 2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; for by doing these things [actively developing these virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin]; |
Bible Question:
Dear Noble, You wrote:"So I would like to reach out to our friends who use the name “Reformed”. I hope they would consider the possibility that they are not saved and that God is locking them into that position by deceiving them into thinking that they had been chosen to be saved. Their position seems to allow for that. I hope that that fear would lead them to ask God for mercy, that it be not so, and to trust him. He will yet respond to their faith." Rest easy. God Himself, through His Word and Spirit, assure me of my position in Christ. As to my reformed brethren, I would'nt worry about their position in Christ either if I were you. It seems unlikely that the founders of protestantism were all mis-led pagans! Imagine John Bunyon, who wrote "The Pilgrims Progress" a lost soul; Or John Newton who penned the lyrics for "Amazing Grace"; Martin Luther whose words broke the hold of the popes and translated the first Bible into the Language of the people; C.H. Spurgeon the English evangelist and preacher whose ministry was used of God to bring untold thousands to confess Christ; Martin Lloyd Jones; OR Jonathon Edwards and John Whitfield whose preaching on the sovereignty of God ignited the first great revival in colonial America: etc.etc. I wonder how much you know about "those who who use the name “Reformed"? I bear you no hard feelings Noble, but what you have written could not go unanswered John REFORMED |
Bible Answer: It is a matter of personal redemption. We are a part of group. Human beings. Males. Females. Rich. Poor. Educated. Uneducated. Tall. Short. And sometimes the Bible seems to put us into classes. Jews. Gentiles. The Church. Them that are without. The just. The wicked. They that are wise. But also, we are individuals. Every man shall give account of himself to God. We are to bear one another’s burdens. But each man shall ear his own burden. It may be that this is an issue worth considering at this point, and potentially, elsewhere. The influence of the group is strong. We are born into families, into society, and all of it seems sometimes to be arrayed for one purpose, to get us socialized. We are pressured into conforming, and those who accede are given desirable consequences; a sense of belonging, approval, promotions. Those who resist those pressures are faced with severe consequences. Ostracism. Ridicule. Prison. Within the family and within the church similar pressures are exerted on the individual to conform. Adherence to group norms is rewarded with social reinforcements: smiles, pats of the back, words of praise from the platform, applause. We are each a part of some group, maybe of many groups at once. But sometimes we are alone. “We” shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. But “every man” shall give account of the deeds done in the body. “They” were judged before the great white throne, but it is “whosoever” that was cast into the lake of fire. The church is a wonderful institution and the fellowship and sharing are God’s design. But God is not granting group salvation. It is individual. All those who are in Christ will be saved (are saved) but it is the individual who is added to the body of Christ. It is not even two by two, as with the animals entering Noah’s ark. It is one by one. Many statements are made in scripture about groups of people because they are found doing the same thing. There are “those” who repent and “those” who refuse. There are “those” who believe and “those” who don’t. So, in some sense it does matter what group we belong to. But we become a part of that group because of our personal response. In the end, God will hold us personally responsible. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. Let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's. |