Quote:
Originally Posted by byHismercy
Aron and Kevin thank you both. You brothers are pursuing the truth in the word and your council is the kind I need. Amen to seeking the Kingdom of God first and it being near, in our hearts and in our mouths, Aron.
The reformed position takes scripture and its' interpretation makes so much sense sometimes. One problem I have with it, though is it doesn't align God with His will for us all. He desires that NONE should perish. But then He somehow changed into a god who chooses some but not the rest....leaving them to perish for eternity? I cannot believe our righteous Lord would create us with the foreknowledge....yes, the intention....of letting most of them suffer hell, forever. To say He alone chooses is to say He doesn't love us all. It is to say that He didn't die for all. Which is verbatim what I was told in the reformed assembly the other day. ``We believe He didn't die for everybody! Only His elect!" This god breaks my heart. And does not seem to match His own word??
And I agree, Aron, this discussion is good and important to have, and could be a real testimony of Jesus.
byHismercy
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One day, while walking through a crowded commercial area downtown, something on the ground caught my attention. Printed in bold letters on this flyer were the words, "free ice cream". Needless to say, I swooped down and picked it right up. It turned out that a nearby frozen yogurt restaurant was having a grand opening and because of the occasion they were giving out free frozen yogurt to their first 100 customers.
Of course having nothing on my mind at this point other then free ice cream, it was only a little later after I indulged in my good fortunes that the Lord used that day to teach me about predestination.
There are many out there led to believe that election is a matter of being predestined before birth at the individual level like Christ was, as in, the Lord saying to himself " ok,
so and so will be born on this day and I have already decided that this person specifically will be a Christian when they grow up" sort of thing.
There are some exceptions, but the Lord taught me that predestination in general is a matter of a potential that he's created open-endedly to be filled by whomever makes the individual choice to partake in His free gift of eternal life.
The Lord then affirmed this message to me through scripture with the verse in Romans 11:25 that speaks about Israel being hardened
until the number of gentiles be fulfilled. This verse showed me that just as in the first 100 customers getting free ice cream so it is with Heaven and the gentiles. There is a specific number (not specific individuals) that the Lord has set aside to be fulfilled. Yet, he already has a name set aside for those that are chosen.
And also the parable of the Great Banquet in Matthew 22:1-14 when Jesus speaks about sending out invitations to guests for his wedding banquet. Ultimately those invitations were not responded to only to be later extended to all others.
This of course was fulfilled when the Jews rejected the gospel thus bringing it to the Gentiles but I am led to believe this principle is still at work even within the gentile communities.
So you see, the flyer that I picked up from the ground was originally mailed to specific addresses in the area but apparently one of those address
ees discarded their flyer and so I was the one that picked it up and redeemed it in their place. I assume many more than 100 flyers where mailed but only 100 were able to be redeemed.
Salvation, in short, is just like this offer for free ice cream. I believe everyone does have the individual opportunity to respond to it but as it turned out many will discard it or walk right past it only to be picking up by someone else and in my case it was only by His mercy that person was me.
And yes absolutely, the Lord died for
everyone so that we all will be given the opportunity of receiving his free gift of salvation.
