davidbu@tekigm2.men.tek.com (David Buxton) (12/15/89)
Everybody has been predestined for salvation. It is too bad that everyone
does not accept God's plan for them:
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who
will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth." (1 Tim. 2:3-4)
". . . . .not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repen-
tance." (2 Peter 3:9)
All lost by fall of Adam vs salvation through Christ. (Ro. 5:18,19)
Not appointed to wrath but to salvation. (1 Thes. 5:9)
God takes no pleassure in death of anyone. (Ezekiel 18:31; 33:11)
To some people the following text sounds like God's selective election. It
does not have to be read that way. God has a plan of salvation for every-
one; a plan of salvation, through Jesus Christ, for everyone. God predes-
tined that Jesus would come to die for me. The predestination in this text
is that Jesus would come.
"but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or
defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was
revealed in these last times for your sake." (1 Peter 1:19,20)
Ephesians 1:4,5 and 2 Ti 1:9,10 say the same thing.
I think the following text makes things quite clear. God knows in advance
who will choose Him and for these He has predestined a plan. God knows the
beginning from the end. That does not mean that God forces the beginning
from the end, at least not with respect to each man's free will to choose
or to deny God:
"For those God FOREKNEW he also predestined to be conformed to the
likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many broth-
ers." (Ro. 8:29)
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one
can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to
do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph.
2:8-10)
Salvation is for everyone who desires it. It is a free gift which means
anybody can accept it:
"Come ALL you who are thirsty, come to the waters; . . . . (Is. 55:1)
". . . . and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water
of life." (Rev. 22:17)
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. (John 3:16)
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he
gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12)
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to ALL men."
(Titus 2:11)
Notions of predestination can tempt some to leave another man's fate in the
hands of God. In the following text it is clear that we will be held
accountable for such negligence:
"At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of
man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the
word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked
man, You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to
dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked
man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his
blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from
his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but
you will have saved yourself." (Ezekiel 3:16-19)
The choice is clearly ours to make:
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have
set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life,
so that you and your children may live . . . . (Deut. 30:19-20)
". . . Choose you this day whom you will serve. . . . . but as for me
and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Josh. 24:15)
". . . Thus saith the Lord, Choose ye." (1 Ch. 21:11)
God promised blessings to people and nations who chose to follow Him.
Matthew 6:24 clearly says we cannot serve two masters. God can protect and
bless us if we serve Him. He cannot protect us if we turn our allegiance
over to another. If you insist that God predestines everything then why
were so many of His covenants and promises conditional? God could have
simply predestined that His people would be loyal to Him and have dispensed
with the conditions:
"If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,
torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its
evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had
planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom
is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and
does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do
for it." (Jer. 18:7-10)
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I
will be found by you", declares the Lord, "and will bring you back
from captivity. . . . . . (Jer. 29:13,14)
"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for
the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." (Isaiah. 1:19,20)
Conditions of 'on the throne' covenant with David. (1 Kings 2:3,4)
God's Covenant with Solomon was clearly conditional and the terms of
God's covenant with David are repeated. (1 Kings 9:2-9)
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those
sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together,
as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not wil-
ling." (Matt. 23:37)
"Then Jesus told them, 'You are going to have the light just a little
while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness over-
takes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is
going.'" (John 12:35) Soon after this we find Paul saying that Jew
and Greek are all alike before the Lord. (Gal. 3:28,29)
Some see 1 Peter 3:18-22 as scripture that supports their 'soul prison'
theology. I see it as a scripture that reveals the patient work of the
Holy Spirit for 120 years. In spite of the patient work of Jesus, through
the Holy Spirit, only 8 accepted. This passage of scripture speaks of God's
patience rather than any notion of predestination.
"God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being
built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through
water, and this water symbolizes baptism that . . . .(1 Peter 3:20-22)
Many of the texts that appear to predestine salvation simply predestine for
a special work or purpose of God. There are those who God chooses for a
special work, perhaps they are to be Evangelists. Not all evangelists, in
spite of the thousands they bring to Christ, choose to keep up a close
relationship with their Saviour. Being chosen to evangelism, for example,
does not mean being chosen for salvation. And many who reject Him in
terms of salvation, are chosen to do a work, perhaps of destruction or pun-
ishment.
"No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached
to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Cor.
9:27)
The story of Jonah and the whale. We know that Jonah was called upon
to deliver a message of warning to Ninevah. We are not told if he
will be saved when Jesus returns.
God predestined that Pharaoh would let His people go and he did in
spite of himself. Few would anticipate finding Pharaoh in heaven. The
story of Nebuchadnezzar is quite different. He was a king searching
for honest answers and searching for God. God had plans for both of
these kings. They reacted to God quite differently. One was respon-
sive to God and the other rejected God.
It is possible for sinners to repent and turn to God. It is also possible
for the righteous to turn back to sin and to pay the eternal penalty of the
2nd death.
"If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he
will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. But
if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he will surely live; he
will not die." (Ezekiel 18:26-27) (See also Ezekiel 33:12-20)
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
You need to PERSEVERE so that when you have done the will of God, you
will receive what he has promised." (Heb. 10:35,36)
"And if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of
the ungodly and the sinner?" (1 Peter 4:18)
"They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of
Balaam . . . ." (2 Peter 2:15)
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in
him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If
anyone DOES NOT REMAIN in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away
and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and
burned." (John 15:5,6) "And if they do not persist in unbelief, they
will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again." (Rom.
11:23)
The Prodigal son. He was the father's son, then was 'lost' and then
was found again. The father, speaking to the other son, said ". . .
'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had
to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours WAS DEAD and
is alive again; he WAS LOST and is found.'"
We can make our calling and election sure. We can keep up our relationship
with Him. We can persevere:
"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling
and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,
and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10)
Only in Christ is our security. We can be fully confidant of our sal-
vation as long as we remain in Christ. (Rom. 8:37-39)
The admonition to endure to the end clearly implies that some will not
endure and remain always in Christ. Only in Christ can we endure.
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake but he that
endureth to the end shall be saved." (Matt. 10:22)
"For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast unto the end." (Heb. 3:14)
The parable of the 5 foolish virgins who let their oil run out is a
story of those who did not 'endure'. (Matt. 25:1-13) Verse 13 reads:
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."
The parable of the seed that fell upon different soils. It sprang up
but not all the seed grew to full maturity. "Those on the rock are
the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they
have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing
they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who
hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries,
riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good
soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word,
retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." (Luke 8:13-15)
"No temptation can come upon you that is not common to man: but God is
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are
able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye
may be able to bear it." (1 Cor. 10:13)
As long as we are secure in Christ no one can snatch us away. Choose you
this day (every day) whom you will serve and let it be the Lord.
Dave (David E. Buxton)
davidbu@tekigm2.MEN.TEK.COMbralick@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Will Bralick) (12/17/89)
In article <Dec.15.02.05.24.1989.17790@athos.rutgers.edu> davidbu@tekigm2.men.tek.com (David Buxton) writes: | | Everybody has been predestined for salvation. It is too bad that everyone | does not accept God's plan for them: So how do you account for: "For many are invited, but few are chosen." (Matt. 22:14) ~~~~ It doesn't say _all_; the implication in Christ's parable of the wedding banquet is that there are some that are not even invited. (Those that _are_ invited should be sure to be ready.) It is true that when the wedding invitations were rejected, the king commanded his servants: "Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you can find." (Matt. 22:9) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ But this leaves open the possibility that there are those who were a) not originally invited, and b) not found and subsequently invited. Clearly, if the original invitees and the "anyone you can find" formed a partition of the race, then _all_ would have been invited. Regards, -- Will Bralick | ... when princes think more of bralick@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu | luxury than of arms, they lose bralick@gondor.cs.psu.edu | their state. with disclaimer; use disclaimer; | - Niccolo Machiavelli
mike@unmvax.cs.unm.edu (Michael I. Bushnell) (12/19/89)
In article <Dec.17.02.21.03.1989.15479@athos.rutgers.edu> bralick@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Will Bralick) writes: >But this leaves open the possibility that there are those who were >a) not originally invited, and b) not found and subsequently invited. >Clearly, if the original invitees and the "anyone you can find" >formed a partition of the race, then _all_ would have been invited. (Re the parable of the banquet) The interpretation of this parable that makes the most sense to me is that the original invited guests were Israel, and that the the "slime" invited later are the Gentiles. -mib -- Michael I. Bushnell \ This above all; to thine own self be true LIBERTE, EGALITE, FRATERNITE \ And it must follow, as the night the day, mike@unmvax.cs.unm.edu /\ Thou canst not be false to any man. Telephone: +1 505 292 0001 / \ Farewell: my blessing season this in thee!