If God desires all men to be saved will His word go out in void?
Matthew 23:37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
That's what
- She
Without a clear-cut definition of sin, morality becomes a mere argument over the best way to train animals
- Manya the Holy Szin (The Quintara Marathon)
I may not be as old as dirt, but me and dirt are starting to have an awful lot in common
- Stephen R. Donaldson
It would depend on if God's desire for men to have free will and choose him freely is less than his desire that all will be saved.
Judging by the fact that we can choose to reject God I think the answer is obvious.
But is God behind that rejection?
"Why, LORD, do you make us wander from your ways
and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?" (Isa. 63:17)
Blessings,
Lee
"What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)
Scripture is clear that the way is narrow and few will find it, but the road to destruction is broad, and many will find that one.
And I believe there are three clear threads in Scripture, eternal punishment, annihilationism, and God all in all, and I don't see how to put them together, but I believe that all will be true.
Blessings,
Lee
"What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)
And I believe there are three clear threads in Scripture, eternal punishment, annihilationism, and God all in all, and I don't see how to put them together, but I believe that all will be true.
Blessings,
Lee
What do you mean by annihilation, and can you give the scriptures that speak of it?
Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.
What do you mean by annihilation, and can you give the scriptures that speak of it?
Matthew 10:28 is probably the one that points most in that direction.
"I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill
The main philosophical argument I see for universalism is as follows:
-God wants everyone to be saved 2 Peter 3:9.
-If not everybody is saved, God does not get His way.
-If God does not get His way, his omnipotence comes into question.
The third point is where the argument fails. There are a number of passages, especially in the Old Testament, where God does not get His way even though He makes clear what result He wants. Nonetheless, God remains firmly in control; He simply allows people to experience the consequences of their actions.
"I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill
Now you are saying God is working against himself?
"What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)
There are a number of passages, especially in the Old Testament, where God does not get His way even though He makes clear what result He wants. Nonetheless, God remains firmly in control; He simply allows people to experience the consequences of their actions.
But what about Isaiah 55:10-11? God's purposes will all be fulfilled.
PR 16:4 The Lord works out everything for his own ends--even the wicked for a day of disaster.
PR 16:9 The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
PR 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
ISA 14:27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
These are only a few of such verses.
Blessings,
Lee
"What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)
But what about Isaiah 55:10-11? God's purposes will all be fulfilled.
PR 16:4 The Lord works out everything for his own ends--even the wicked for a day of disaster.
PR 16:9 The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
PR 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
ISA 14:27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
These are only a few of such verses.
Blessings,
Lee
The Lord has purposed for His Son to come to earth to provide Salvation to those who would receive Him. Purpose accomplished.
It would be a cruel God, indeed, to have His Son go through all that if everybody gets a free pass.
The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.
Well then that destroys your argument that God gets what he desires and he desires everyone to be saved.
Well, his desire is to show mercy, which means we must first need mercy.
"What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)
The Lord has purposed for His Son to come to earth to provide Salvation to those who would receive Him. Purpose accomplished.
But God also commands everyone everywhere to repent! The stated purpose here would be that everyone repent.
It would be a cruel God, indeed, to have His Son go through all that if everybody gets a free pass.
No, people have to repent and put their faith in Jesus, his sacrifice is the atonement for sin.
"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 Jn 2:2)
Blessings,
Lee
"What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)
But God also commands everyone everywhere to repent! The stated purpose here would be that everyone repent.
And, yet, people die not having repented.
No, people have to repent and put their faith in Jesus, his sacrifice is the atonement for sin.
Yes, and that negates universal salvation.
"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 Jn 2:2)
Blessings,
Lee
But it's like making a vaccine for the Bubonic plague available to every person on the planet - only those who take advantage of the vaccine get to remain alive.
The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.
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