Subject: What does Bible teach on election? |
Bible Note: Joe, The verse in 2Peter 3.9 says ..... not wishing for ANY to PERISH but for ALL to come to repentance. What has REPENTANCE (if one is TRULY and ETERNALLY saved) got to do with me staying saved? How can a True born-again Believer perish? Why would Peter may such a redundit statement to people who are already saved? The context is about the future terrifying day of the Lord. Peter says the Lord is "holding back" on returning because of His desire that ALL people EVERYWHERE be saved. In closing God would be a VERY UNJUST God if He went against His promise that Jesus died for ALL, and YET only those He "picks" will ever get into heaven. God would also be a liar if He picks who gets saved and who goes to hell because Jesus says ALL that come to me will NEVER be cast out. EZE 33:11 "Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?' DEU 4:29 "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 1TH 2:16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved; 1TI 2:3-4---- This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. TIT 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 1CO 7:16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? (Where's the PREDESTINATION in this verse? I believe Ephesians 1.4-5 is NOT talking about God picking people to be saved, it's about Who and what "method" God uses to get anybody saved. These two verse are saying that God PREDETERMINED who (i.e.Jesus) people would have to go through if they wanted to be saved. Ephesians is not saying we are predestined to salvation. If you read the verse grammatically correct it says we (which would include both saved and unsaved) were predestined to HAVE TO go through God's Son in order to be saved. It was God's goodness, graciousness and kindness which "allowed" that to happen. I believe Romans 9 is NOT talking about personal salvation. I believe were dealing with national salvation. Because Israel (for the most part) rejected Jesus God rejected them. The Jews are still God's "chosen" people BUT they are no longer a "blessed" people. They have been "cut off" (lost nationally) from the main tree body (God) and the Gentiles have been "grafted" in (saved nationally.) |