Subject: Show in the Bible once saved always |
Bible Note: John, I am sure you have probably engaged in many conversations both on the internet and face to face with fellow christians that disagree with the theology you propose here. I am not wanting to debate it as there are enough of those threads already. But I just wanted to point out one of your verses. Eph 2:1-5 "we were by nature children of wrath" says that we were the children of wrath becuase of what we did. "we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath" so we see that the wrath of God is upon those that DO those things (not those that are born) Ephesians 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. (because the do the sins he listed not becuase they are born) Coloss 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; (He gave them over becuase they chose to not retain God in their knowledge as an willful act of rebellion) Also the favorite of the Hyper Predestination view is that about Pharoah being made for destruction but they forget to read the source of which Paul is quoting and the story says Pharoah hardened his heart after the first encounter with Moses then after that it says God hardened His heart. The point is Yes God will harden a mans heart as judgement. This happens when a person continually chooses to do evil in the face of knowledge, that person can loose hope of salvation becuase they will never let the Holy Spirit convict them of sin. It is not as complicated as academic theologians wish it were. I am glad that I am predestined for glory, but not because God decided I would be saved and someone else would not, having nothing to do with how we live. (that would be to say that God decided he would create certain people to live life and then populate eternal hell where they could be in torment for all eternity) That is such a gross misinterpretation of the text about .. Rom 9:22-24 "What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? " It is understood as saying, "God does not just wipe out satan and sinners that will never repent, becuase He has a plan and in the End he will let these horrible sinners that kill christians and hardent their hearts not only to God but to any human decency continue living, until 1) His purpose is accomplished 2) some He is even having patience with enduring their hard heartedness until they come to repentance, because some will. |