Subject: Show in the Bible once saved always |
Bible Note: Reformed, I just saw for the first time something in the Scripture you posted. Matt 18:12 "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? Matt 18:13,14 "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish." I noticed that part of that text says, "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it" Does not the positive conditional term, "If it turns out that he finds it," also imply at the same time the negative possibility also. If it turns out that he does not find it? I know the text ends with the following words, "it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish." And that also begs the question, what if the one straying has no desire to return? I realize it's not the will of God that any perish, and that speaks of God's will, but hasn't God given us a limited free will also? Does God allow us freedom to operate within the designed limits somewhere between God's perfect will, and His permissive will? |