An Article on free will

okay and ? In case you weren't aware, the elect are scattered around the world. Duh
The Bible says ... Jesus died for all, loves all, and wants all men to be saved.

But Calvinism says ... Jesus died only for the elect, loves only the elect, and only wanted the elect to be saved.


John 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

[Calvinist version: "The world/whoever" means "mankind/the elect from all over the world." Most of us would think - and rightly so - that this verse is an instruction on how anyone can be saved, that anyone who believes will be saved. But in Calvinism, it's not an instruction on how to be saved because not everyone can be saved; it's merely a statement informing us of how the elect are saved: the elect will believe and not perish.]

John 5:24: "... whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned ..." [Calvinist version: Only the elect can "hear and believe," and so only they will be given eternal life. Once again, not an instruction, just a statement.]

Titus 2:11: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." [Calvinist version: But only the elected people will be able to see that grace and accept that salvation. Sure, it "appears" to the non-elect, but they can't see it because God blinds their eyes and hardens their hearts because He predestined them to hell. (Question: Why would God need to blind and harden people that were created to be unable to see and believe from the very beginning anyway?)]

1 Corinthians 15:22: "For as in Adam all die, so as in Christ all will be made alive." [Calvinist version: Calvinists assume that the "in Christ" people are those predestined to be saved. However, Ephesians 1:13 tells us how we become "in Christ: "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." It's not that there are elected people God predestined to save and causes to believe; it's that anyone who believes becomes "in Christ" and will be saved. Once we believe, and anyone can, we become part of the "in Christ" group, the group that God predestined to take to heaven. God chose the destination of the "in Christ" group, but we choose whether to be part of that group or not.]

1 Timothy 2:3-6: "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all men ..." [Calvinist version: Just because God wants all men to be saved doesn't mean that all men can be saved, and "a ransom for all men" really just means "for all kinds of men, for mankind, for all the elect."]

1 Timothy 4:10: "... that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe." [Calvinist version: Once again, "all men" doesn't mean that salvation is actually available to all individual people, just to all kinds of people, the elect from all nations. However, it would be quite redundant if "all men" and "those who believe" both mean "the elect": "... who is the Savior of the elect, and especially of the elect."]

Romans 5:18: "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." [Once again, Calvi-Jesus didn't die for "all men," just for "all kinds of men, mankind." But non-Calvi-Jesus (Jesus as seen in the Bible when read plainly and clearly) died for everyone's sins, to justify us all and offer all of us eternal life. But we choose to accept it or reject it.]

Romans 10:13: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." [Calvinist version: "Everyone who calls" doesn't mean everyone can call. "Everyone who calls" means only the elect because only the elect can/will call on the Lord.]



This first point alone is all you need to see how twisted and destructive Calvinism is.

To make Scripture fit their view, Calvinists say that "all men" and "whosoever" and "the world" really mean "just the elect" or "all KINDS of people" ... but not ALL individual people. Lots of verses to twist. If it was just one verse, I could be more understanding of them getting it wrong. But it's many. Scripture repeatedly, consistently tells us Jesus died to save all, that He paid for all men's sins so that all could live. And then Calvinists go and repeatedly, consistently twist each verse to mean "only the elect, from all nations."

[However, Calvinists misinterpret our belief of "Jesus died for all men, to save all people," accusing us of saying "all people will be saved," of universalism. But that's not what we're saying. We're saying He died for all men's sins to offer all men eternal life, but we have to choose if we will accept it or reject it. But since Calvinists think we don't get a choice, that we can't reject Jesus's sacrifice, and that Jesus died only for those going to heaven (the elect), they think we're saying "all people are going to heaven" when we say "Jesus died for all people." And since all people clearly don't go to heaven, then it must mean (in Calvinism, according to their presuppositions) that Jesus didn't die for all. And so when the Bible says "all men," they reinterpret it as "the elect." What a mess it makes when you deny the biblical truth of free-will, that God gave us all the right and responsibility to decide if we want Jesus as Lord and Savior, or not!]

But look at the verses above, without twisting them or reading into them. Does "all" sound like "only some" in these verses? Or does it only sound like "only some" when read with the presuppositions that only the elect can be saved and that people don't get a choice about Jesus?

Be aware: To make Calvinism appear biblical, Calvinists will often say "God loves everybody," but what they mean (and will say, when pushed) is that He actually has two different kinds of love. He has a saves-your-soul-because-Jesus-died-for-you kind of love for the elect and a Jesus-didn't-die-for-you-but-God-gives-you-food-and-water-on-earth kind of "love" for the non-elect before they're sent to hell for eternity for being the unbelievers He created them to be. (They also call this "grace," two different kinds of grace, so that they can say "See! God is gracious to all, even the non-elect.")

Wow ... if that's "love," I'd hate to see hate!

Go ahead and ask them. Ask a Calvinist who says "God loves everybody" how they can say something like that if He predestines the non-elect to hell, and see what they say. And then ask them to find you a verse - just one verse - that clearly teaches "two different kinds of love: one for the elect and one for the non-elect."



Because in my Bible, God Himself tells us how He shows His love for sinners, Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Are we not all sinners? I'd say we all are, so therefore Jesus died for all of us. But if Jesus died only for the elect, not for the non-elect, then wouldn't that mean that only the elect are sinners? And at what point were the elect "still sinners" if they (according to Calvinism) were really saved since before time began, always set apart as God's "elect" before they were even born? It's really just a (false) formality to say that the elect were ever sinners or separated from God if they were never really lost or on their way to hell at any point in time, if they were created as saved, like Calvinism says.

Calvinism doesn't make sense. And it's very deceptive.

So don't trust them when they say "God loves all people." They do not believe God loves all people the same way, in a salvation kind of way. God only loves the elect enough to send Jesus to die for them, to give them salvation. Everyone else has to settle for mashed potatoes and gravy.

You just did what the article said you would.

J.
 
So you're admitting that persons are:
DARING
SELF-WILLED
THEY DON'T TREMBLE

What do you expect?
I guess God made them this way.

Peter the Apostle wrote that prior to being saved, people have a self-will that brings such people under damnation with the devil according to the Apostle Peter:

the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority, daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties
(2 Peter 2:9-10).

Self-will or image of Christ will​

These 16 parts integrally contribute to one full composition. A response to post #6,699.
Part 1 of 16: Illegitimate Isolation
Part 2 of 16: Self-exaltation
Part 3 of 16: Unity Prayer (Acts 4:24)
Part 4 of 16: CHOOSE, ABLE, list
Part 5 of 16: God creates all
Part 6 of 16: Matthew 11 examined
Part 7 of 16: Free-willian NT Conflict
Part 8 of 16: John 3 16/Matthew 11:25
Part 9 of 16: Free-willian Self-savior
Part 10 of 16: Faith, the gift of God
Part 11 of 16: Free-willian are self-willed
Part 12 of 16: The Potter and the clay
Part 13 of 16: the problem here
Part 14 of 16: you confuse Calvin for Christ
Part 15 of 16: Christ controls Christians
Part 16 of 16: Christians hear Christ
 
Peter the Apostle wrote that prior to being saved, people have a self-will that brings such people under damnation with the devil according to the Apostle Peter:
the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority, daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties

Self-will or image of Christ will​

These 16 parts integrally contribute to one full composition. A response to post #6,699.
Part 1 of 16: Illegitimate Isolation
Part 2 of 16: Self-exaltation
Part 3 of 16: Unity Prayer (Acts 4:24)
Part 4 of 16: CHOOSE, ABLE, list
Part 5 of 16: God creates all
Part 6 of 16: Matthew 11 examined
Part 7 of 16: Free-willian NT Conflict
Part 8 of 16: John 3 16/Matthew 11:25
Part 9 of 16: Free-willian Self-savior
Part 10 of 16: Faith, the gift of God
Part 11 of 16: Free-willian are self-willed
Part 12 of 16: The Potter and the clay
Part 13 of 16: the problem here
Part 14 of 16: you confuse Calvin for Christ
Part 15 of 16: Christ controls Christians
Part 16 of 16: Christians hear Christ
1742833413522.png
Predestination Does Not Mean "No Choice"
Controversial "Predestination" Verse
Does Romans Teach Predestination?
Does Ephesians Teach Predestination?



These are the smaller posts of the "predestination vs. free-will" series, in order:
Is Our Eternity Decided For Us?
"Predestination vs. Free-Will" Overview
Should "Predestination vs. Free-Will" Matter To Christians?
Predestination Manipulation
Does "In Control" Mean "Controlling Everything"?
How Could A Loving God Condemn People To Hell?
Sovereignty And Free-Will Working Together
What Does "God Is Sovereign" Mean?
Does God Cause Childhood Abuse?
Do We Have An Effect On "God's Will"?
How To Know God's Will
Are We Forced To Be Obedient Or Disobedient?
The Elect - Foreknown By God
Predestined For Salvation? Or For Something Else?
Prepared For Destruction/Hard Hearts - A Look At Romans 9
According To The Concordance ... It's NOT Predestination
God Set Pharaoh Up
God Does Not Cause Us To Sin
The Holy Spirit And "Dead People"
Pre-chosen People? Is God's Call Irresistible?
Some Problems With Predestination/Calvinism (And What I Think The Bible Really Says)
Acts 13:48: Not As "Predestination" As It Sounds
My Response To A "Predestination" Post I Recently Read
What About Those Who Never Heard of Jesus?
Does Believing In Predestination Affect Our Prayers?
Can You Lose Your Salvation?


1. Isaiah 43:7: “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

First of all, God made all of mankind for His glory. He made man in His image. He made man to know Him and have a relationship with Him. And when man fell, He made a way for all people to be saved. But while He made everyone for His glory and provided salvation for all, only some will choose it. And those are the people He is talking about here. Actually, this verse speaks specifically of Israel, the race through whom He chose to give Jesus to the world. It does not necessarily mean that people were formed and made and created to be believers, for God’s glory. It’s just zeroing in on Israel here and the special role He gave them.


2. Jeremiah 1:4-5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

This one is easy. It is the word of the Lord coming to Jeremiah about Jeremiah and his role as a prophet. It’s not meant to be taken as “I have pre-determined which people will choose Me and which won’t.” The message of hope that Christians can take away from this passage in general is that God knows us all before He creates us. He knows who we will become. And we are not cosmic accidents. We are thoughtfully- and deliberately-made creations.


3. Matthew 22:14: “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

First off, notice at the beginning of the chapter that those who were originally invited to the wedding banquet (i.e. those who were offered salvation, invited to heaven) chose not to come. They were invited, but they refused. It was their choice. So the king told his servants to go out and invite anyone they could find who might be willing to come. Once again, they were invited, not forced or just gathered up because they were on some sort of “saved by predetermination” list. And when the guests arrived, the king found one who had snuck in, who was not really an invited guest (i.e. he wasn’t a true believer). And he was thrown outside. This is when we read that “many are invited, but few are chosen.”

I don’t think this is saying that the guests are pre-chosen and have no choice about being believers or not, but that not everyone who shows up is chosen to stay. Only the true believers will really make it into heaven. This echoes the idea in Matthew 7:22-23 that there will be some who say, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” And Jesus will say, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” If someone isn’t a true believer – if they are only acting like believers or have a “religion” of their own making – then they will not be chosen to stay at the wedding banquet (i.e. they will find out that they do not have a true, saving faith).


4. John 15:16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit . . .”

Jesus is speaking here specifically to the disciples. He handpicked his disciples and gave them the task of going out and spreading His message and making more disciples. It’s not a verse on salvation.


5. 1 Corinthians 2:7: “No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”

This “wisdom” is about the salvation that God offers to all people. From the very beginning, God knew that when He created people, they would fall. So He pre-planned Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation, for our glory. But this doesn’t mean that it was only given to some people, that He only destined certain people to receive salvation. It’s available for all, but only those who accept it will be glorified by it.


6. Galatians 1:15: “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace . . .”

This has nothing to do with salvation in general or the idea that God pre-chooses who gets salvation and who doesn’t. It’s talking specifically about Paul and the special role to which God called him, to preach to the Gentiles. God set him apart for this role. It is not saying God sets apart certain people to be saved and others to be damned.


7. 1 Peter 1:1-2: “To God’s elect . . . who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood”

I don’t think this is talking about specific people being chosen to be saved, but about God planning to help those who believe in Him to grow in their obedience to Jesus with the Spirit’s help. It’s like saying that God knew from the beginning that He was going to send Jesus to save us and be our example and that He would send the Holy Spirit to help us become more like Jesus. It’s not that we were “chosen for salvation according to His preference,” but that those whom He foreknew would become believers are “chosen according to His foreknowledge to be sanctified, to become more obedient to Jesus, and to grow to be more like Him.”

I know that we stumble over the words “chosen” and “elected,” thinking that it must mean that God chooses us based on nothing but His own preference. However, when it comes to salvation, I think this “choosing/election” is based on us, on our willingness to turn to Him.

Look at Romans 11:4-5:

“And what was God’s answer to him? ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.”

God did not arbitrarily choose a remnant. He chose those who had not chosen Baal. The people influenced their future themselves, by choosing to turn from God or toward God. And He chose those who chose Him. And likewise, He hardened those who chose against Him (Romans 11:7-8). But it was the people’s choice. They chose first, then God responded to them according to their choice. I think it’s the same with us. God foreknows who will turn to Him and who will turn away. And in His grace, He chooses the group that turns to Him. Yet whether we are chosen or not is still based on us and our willingness to believe in Him. (And what did He choose the 7000 for? If you go to 1 Kings 19:14-18, you see that He chose them, reserved them, not to be believers, but to be spared from death so they could be prophets alongside Elijah. Election is about God choosing someone for a job, a task, not about Him predestining them for salvation.)

I have to admit, as I reread this passage (1 Peter 1:1-2), I really began to wonder if it means that God determines who will believe and who won’t. And so I decided to see what else Peter says. And in 2 Peter 1:1, he says “To those who . . . have received a faith as precious as ours.” And I looked up “received” in the concordance to see what I could learn. But in this verse, the word is actually “obtained” which basically means to get something because God “allotted” it to us, through no control of our own. Yikes! Maybe I have been wrong.

But it’s true. It’s true that faith is given to us as a gift. We have done nothing to create it or deserve it or earn it.

“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.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

It is wholly by God’s doing that we can have faith. So in that sense, it is right. (However, I just learned that there is debate about if "faith" is the gift in that verse or if it's that "salvation" is the gift. And the more I read, the more I side with salvation being the gift. But even if faith is the gift ...) But I think that while we could not create it – that God has to be the one to give it to us, to make it possible – we still have the option to accept it or reject it. That's what a gift is. It's something that is offered, not forced, and it's something that the receiver has to choose to accept or reject.



J.
 
View attachment 1616
Predestination Does Not Mean "No Choice"
Controversial "Predestination" Verse
Does Romans Teach Predestination?
Does Ephesians Teach Predestination?



These are the smaller posts of the "predestination vs. free-will" series, in order:
Is Our Eternity Decided For Us?
"Predestination vs. Free-Will" Overview
Should "Predestination vs. Free-Will" Matter To Christians?
Predestination Manipulation
Does "In Control" Mean "Controlling Everything"?
How Could A Loving God Condemn People To Hell?
Sovereignty And Free-Will Working Together
What Does "God Is Sovereign" Mean?
Does God Cause Childhood Abuse?
Do We Have An Effect On "God's Will"?
How To Know God's Will
Are We Forced To Be Obedient Or Disobedient?
The Elect - Foreknown By God
Predestined For Salvation? Or For Something Else?
Prepared For Destruction/Hard Hearts - A Look At Romans 9
According To The Concordance ... It's NOT Predestination
God Set Pharaoh Up
God Does Not Cause Us To Sin
The Holy Spirit And "Dead People"
Pre-chosen People? Is God's Call Irresistible?
Some Problems With Predestination/Calvinism (And What I Think The Bible Really Says)
Acts 13:48: Not As "Predestination" As It Sounds
My Response To A "Predestination" Post I Recently Read
What About Those Who Never Heard of Jesus?
Does Believing In Predestination Affect Our Prayers?
Can You Lose Your Salvation?


1. Isaiah 43:7: “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

First of all, God made all of mankind for His glory. He made man in His image. He made man to know Him and have a relationship with Him. And when man fell, He made a way for all people to be saved. But while He made everyone for His glory and provided salvation for all, only some will choose it. And those are the people He is talking about here. Actually, this verse speaks specifically of Israel, the race through whom He chose to give Jesus to the world. It does not necessarily mean that people were formed and made and created to be believers, for God’s glory. It’s just zeroing in on Israel here and the special role He gave them.


2. Jeremiah 1:4-5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

This one is easy. It is the word of the Lord coming to Jeremiah about Jeremiah and his role as a prophet. It’s not meant to be taken as “I have pre-determined which people will choose Me and which won’t.” The message of hope that Christians can take away from this passage in general is that God knows us all before He creates us. He knows who we will become. And we are not cosmic accidents. We are thoughtfully- and deliberately-made creations.


3. Matthew 22:14: “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

First off, notice at the beginning of the chapter that those who were originally invited to the wedding banquet (i.e. those who were offered salvation, invited to heaven) chose not to come. They were invited, but they refused. It was their choice. So the king told his servants to go out and invite anyone they could find who might be willing to come. Once again, they were invited, not forced or just gathered up because they were on some sort of “saved by predetermination” list. And when the guests arrived, the king found one who had snuck in, who was not really an invited guest (i.e. he wasn’t a true believer). And he was thrown outside. This is when we read that “many are invited, but few are chosen.”

I don’t think this is saying that the guests are pre-chosen and have no choice about being believers or not, but that not everyone who shows up is chosen to stay. Only the true believers will really make it into heaven. This echoes the idea in Matthew 7:22-23 that there will be some who say, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” And Jesus will say, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” If someone isn’t a true believer – if they are only acting like believers or have a “religion” of their own making – then they will not be chosen to stay at the wedding banquet (i.e. they will find out that they do not have a true, saving faith).


4. John 15:16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit . . .”

Jesus is speaking here specifically to the disciples. He handpicked his disciples and gave them the task of going out and spreading His message and making more disciples. It’s not a verse on salvation.


5. 1 Corinthians 2:7: “No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”

This “wisdom” is about the salvation that God offers to all people. From the very beginning, God knew that when He created people, they would fall. So He pre-planned Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation, for our glory. But this doesn’t mean that it was only given to some people, that He only destined certain people to receive salvation. It’s available for all, but only those who accept it will be glorified by it.


6. Galatians 1:15: “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace . . .”

This has nothing to do with salvation in general or the idea that God pre-chooses who gets salvation and who doesn’t. It’s talking specifically about Paul and the special role to which God called him, to preach to the Gentiles. God set him apart for this role. It is not saying God sets apart certain people to be saved and others to be damned.


7. 1 Peter 1:1-2: “To God’s elect . . . who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood”

I don’t think this is talking about specific people being chosen to be saved, but about God planning to help those who believe in Him to grow in their obedience to Jesus with the Spirit’s help. It’s like saying that God knew from the beginning that He was going to send Jesus to save us and be our example and that He would send the Holy Spirit to help us become more like Jesus. It’s not that we were “chosen for salvation according to His preference,” but that those whom He foreknew would become believers are “chosen according to His foreknowledge to be sanctified, to become more obedient to Jesus, and to grow to be more like Him.”

I know that we stumble over the words “chosen” and “elected,” thinking that it must mean that God chooses us based on nothing but His own preference. However, when it comes to salvation, I think this “choosing/election” is based on us, on our willingness to turn to Him.

Look at Romans 11:4-5:

“And what was God’s answer to him? ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.”

God did not arbitrarily choose a remnant. He chose those who had not chosen Baal. The people influenced their future themselves, by choosing to turn from God or toward God. And He chose those who chose Him. And likewise, He hardened those who chose against Him (Romans 11:7-8). But it was the people’s choice. They chose first, then God responded to them according to their choice. I think it’s the same with us. God foreknows who will turn to Him and who will turn away. And in His grace, He chooses the group that turns to Him. Yet whether we are chosen or not is still based on us and our willingness to believe in Him. (And what did He choose the 7000 for? If you go to 1 Kings 19:14-18, you see that He chose them, reserved them, not to be believers, but to be spared from death so they could be prophets alongside Elijah. Election is about God choosing someone for a job, a task, not about Him predestining them for salvation.)

I have to admit, as I reread this passage (1 Peter 1:1-2), I really began to wonder if it means that God determines who will believe and who won’t. And so I decided to see what else Peter says. And in 2 Peter 1:1, he says “To those who . . . have received a faith as precious as ours.” And I looked up “received” in the concordance to see what I could learn. But in this verse, the word is actually “obtained” which basically means to get something because God “allotted” it to us, through no control of our own. Yikes! Maybe I have been wrong.

But it’s true. It’s true that faith is given to us as a gift. We have done nothing to create it or deserve it or earn it.

“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.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

It is wholly by God’s doing that we can have faith. So in that sense, it is right. (However, I just learned that there is debate about if "faith" is the gift in that verse or if it's that "salvation" is the gift. And the more I read, the more I side with salvation being the gift. But even if faith is the gift ...) But I think that while we could not create it – that God has to be the one to give it to us, to make it possible – we still have the option to accept it or reject it. That's what a gift is. It's something that is offered, not forced, and it's something that the receiver has to choose to accept or reject.



J.
As to Ephesians 2:8-9.....it's accepted that all 3 are gifts: Grace, Faith, Salvation.
All 3 are a gift because it's something we cannot work for....
and that's exactly what a gift is.

Faith might seem like a problem at first because if God is gifting us faith, it seems like GOD is deciding WHO will be saved.
But no. The gift is FAITH....but God offers this free gift to all....AND, it has to be ACCEPTED.

A gift is of no value if it is not wanted...
if it's left in its box and not used.

So, yes, all 3 are gifts.
(check out the Greek - you're good at this).
 
As to Ephesians 2:8-9.....it's accepted that all 3 are gifts: Grace, Faith, Salvation.
All 3 are a gift because it's something we cannot work for....
and that's exactly what a gift is.

Faith might seem like a problem at first because if God is gifting us faith, it seems like GOD is deciding WHO will be saved.
But no. The gift is FAITH....but God offers this free gift to all....AND, it has to be ACCEPTED.

A gift is of no value if it is not wanted...
if it's left in its box and not used.

So, yes, all 3 are gifts.
(check out the Greek - you're good at this).
Already did, you are spot on @GodsGrace.

J.
 
Peter the Apostle wrote that prior to being saved, people have a self-will that brings such people under damnation with the devil according to the Apostle Peter:
the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority, daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties
Kermos,,,
I've been on the defensive too long now.
YOU also have to reply to what YOU believe to be the truth.

How about being serious and replying to my posts?

I've given you a lot to reply to.
 
You keep on repeating yourself, almost as if you don't have the ability to offer a sound rebuttal.

No, TULIP is a man made tradition, not part of the Gospel, in any way, shape or form.

You need to come back to your senses and let go.

J.
Then you keep repeating yourself, and dont get it deleted either
 
Your question should be .... To Whom Was the Bible Written and why?
@MTMattie

I answered this already, so why would my question be - "To Whom Was the Bible Written and why?"
To find out who the bible was written for and why we need to consider a number of important points about this issue.
Really, it should not even be question. Why would God give his word to those who have no love for it, and no power to understand it, until they have first been change into a new man after the image of Jesus Christ, by the power of God?

1st Corinthians 2:14​

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

1st Corinthians 1:18​

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

Fact 1. Scripture was Written to Everyone

The appeal of the Bible is universal; addressed to all humanity. It is a book that everyone can understand.
This is your personal opinion that goes against the word of God in so many places. Show me just one book of the sixty six books where it is addressed to all. Besides, not everyone an understand the scriptures, very few have a overall spiritual understanding of the scriptures, very few, and even those few have error mixed with truth. This speaks of the sad state of the body of sin and death that each one lives in.

2nd Peter 3:16​

“As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

If Peter said this, how much more so is this true of all of God's children, much less the world.

FACT 2. The Bible Is Written in Everyday Language

One way that we know the Bible was written for everyone is the language in which it was composed. As recently as about one hundred years ago, we did not possess any Greek writings that were contemporary with the New Testament. The Greek of the New Testament was different from the classical Greek of Plato and Sophocles. Most scholars speculated that it was some special kind of “Holy Ghost” language—not the ordinary speech of that day.

This all changed at the end of the nineteenth century. In a garbage dump in Egypt, the discovery was made of the letters, contracts, receipts, etc. of ordinary people who lived at the same time as Jesus. It became clear from these writings that the New Testament was written in the same common, everyday language of the people, not some special Bible language. This reinforces the idea that the Bible was written to the masses, not just to an elite few.
Nora, It is hard to believe that an average intelligent person would even post that which you you posted here. What you have posted did not prove one thing in your favor, and really Nora......... found something in a garbage dump in Egypt? Nora, I could tell you that the word of God overall is written in common, everyday language of folks that truly make up the Christian faith. Yet using common everyday language, still the Holy Ghost hid truths in his word, which could only be known by that person being taught of God.

FACT 3. The Bible Is an Understandable Book

The Bible has been written in such a way that everyone can understand it. This, of course, does not mean that everyone will understand it, or that any one person will understand everything in it. Neither does it mean that a person will understand it the first time they read it. The more one reads and studies the Bible, the more it will be understood.

The Apostle Paul compared his speaking to the church at Thessalonica as a mother caring and feeding her own children. He wrote:

He spoke in plain language that they could understand; in the same way a mother takes care of her children. As the mother speaks to her children in language they can understand, God’s Word speaks to us in language we can understand.
Really? Then why did not hardly any understand that God was going to bring the Gentiles into the fold of God and to make two, one holy, spiritual temple for the Spirit of God to dwell in world without end?

Romans 16:25​

“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:”

Ephesians 3:5​

“Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;”

Paul and other prophets used the same scriptures that contain the hidden mysteries of God to reveal the same! You ahve no ideal what you are talking about.

Luke 24:25​

“Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

I could just keep going, but enough on this point ~ you have no clue as to what you are saying.
Furthermore, God will hold everyone responsible as to how they receive His Word. This is another indication that the Bible was written with everyone in mind. Therefore, every person needs to pay close attention to its message.
As the Creator of all things, all will give account unto God ~ God has revealed his Eternal Godhead power in creation leaving all without an excuse. Psalm 19; Romans 1; etc.
 
Agreed-
The hardening of the heart is a good little study.
God never hardens our heart because He wishes that all men could come to be saved.
The two ideas would conflict.
Yes

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV 1900) — 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
 

John 10:15​

“As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

If Jesus laid down his life for all, then this scripture would have no meaning whatsoever.

John 10:16​

“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”
I see Johann did all the work.

Be well.
 
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