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Originally Posted by Dave
------There is a considerable number of scriptures which contradict the conclusions that you may be drawing from Ephesians. In addition, the verses you quote in Ephesians 2 contradicts 1 Corinth 15.
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Are you referring to 1 Cor 15 talking about the resurrection of all the dead? This is consistent with Daniel 12:2 which also says that all the dead will be resurrected, however there will be a division:
Daniel 12:2
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Which is consistent with the Sheep/Goat division Jesus describes in Matthew 25
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
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----- Furthermore, there is ample evidence that God of the NT is merciful and forgiving and will not allow any person to be lost… here is just a sample of the scriptures which portray a loving God…
Matthew 18:14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that ANY of these little ones should be lost.
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Matt 18:14 is set in context of the 100 sheep the shepherd owns, so it's referring to those whom Jesus considers his sheep and whom the Father predestinated before the beginning of time and belong to God. Not everyone is Jesus' sheep and not everyone knows his voice. In fact some aren't even sheep, but goats (Matt 25:31-46)
Jesus made it clear to the Pharisees as he did in many other places that not everyone belonged to him including some of those who call him "Lord, Lord" but practice evil (Matt 7:21-23).
John 8
21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and
you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”
23 But he continued, “
You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
This is not to diminish the promise in Matt 18:14. The verse promises that if God choses you and considers you his, Jesus isn't going to lose you no matter how far you stray. The debate Calvinists and others have is whether or not you can know you are truly saved and belonging to God while alive, or do you have to wait until you find yourself in heaven? Nevertheless scripture seems to steer us away from dwelling on such questions as Paul tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) and Peter tells us to make every effort to confirm our calling and election (2 Peter 1:10)