Featured Acts 17 and Total Inability

Adam and Eve knew they had been bad in disobeying what God had said. So imagine your own self in the same place. You would want to hide yourself.
At least then you still have a sense of shame, some in this world lose that.
People can still experience similar feelings today, they do something wrong at work, and they want to hide it from the boss.
Unless God reaches out to change men's hearts, they wont come to Him because their deeds are evil. Evil hearts wont believe in Christ. It is one reason Calvinism says you must be born again regenerated first, otherwise you wont believe.

Luke 5
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

John 3
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

 

So we should interpret the word all in Acts 17 to sometimes refer only to all the elect.
Like the angel bringing tidings of good news and great joy to all people who are elect.
And world does not mean world in that it is also exclusive.
For God so loved the world...
But wait maybe loved does not mean loved.
So once again all does not always mean all.
And so on and so on.
Maybe the unwashed masses need a Bible translation which includes (elect) where appropriate.

 

God commands all men to repent and believe.
But of course why not, all here means all mankind all over the earth, Paul is saying Jesus is not a local God of the Jewish religion only, Paul
brings that point out in his comment on the 'to the unknown god inscription' on an altar.

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you

And about love and God, God says Jacob he loved and Esau He hated.
God does hate some and loves some, God does not love all, unless you want to disagree with scripture.

God so loved the world, does not mean God loves every person in the world. Just that His love extends beyond the land of the Jews to some gentiles.

Romans 9:23-25
New King James Version

23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

25 As He says also in Hosea:

“I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”

The above is only for the vessels of mercy, not for the vessels of wrath, as it says 'MY PEOPLE'
and unbelievers are not his people. His people get saved because He loves them.

Matthew 1:21
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Obviously, logically the unsaved are not his people whom He loves.

Hebrews 12:6
For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

 

QUOTE Scott Downey, "And about love and God, God says Jacob he loved and Esau He hated.
God does hate some and loves some, God does not love all, unless you want to disagree with scripture."

"God so loved the world, does not mean God loves every person in the world. Just that His love extends beyond the land of the Jews to some gentiles."

Now there is a terrible decree.

I am in awe of this statement.

 

@atpollard
Your haste to anger is duly noted. John 3:16 is why I cannot accept all of tulip. Mr. Downey's assessment of God's Love was astonishing to me. Do you adhere to this idea? I will try to choose my words more carefully. I have read and heard many different takes on Romans 9, Genesis 25 and Malachi 1. God foreknew Esau's choices and pharaoh's. There is a time allotted for repentance. Maybe the elect are special servants of God who are the under shepherds of His sheep. I believe the sin's of world were on Jesus during the agony of Gethsemane, the scourging, the long walk to Golgotha and as He died on the cross. He has risen from the dead and ascended to the Father's right hand as our intercessor. All fell in Adam and all can rise through the man Christ Jesus.

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

For those who will jump on us-ward
Acts 17:26-31
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
(Romans 10)

28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

29 For as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

I do not reject scripture but do reject Mr. Downey's description of God's Love toward mankind.

 

@atpollard
Read my post on the issue of Esau and pharaoh.
Maybe the elect are special servants of God who are the under shepherds of His sheep. Maybe the passage is about Israel and the elect are the remnant.
As for the rest of John 3 how do they know their deeds are evil? I have been told since childhood that the world being lost is the fault of lazy Christians. I believe the answer is found in this passage. I believe John 3 to be essential in evangelizing. It begins with a rich ruler seeking God and ends with a bug eating prophet in the desert who has known God since before birth.

John 3
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Why not stop at hate the light?
Maybe their conscious is not yet seared with a hot iron?

Romans 1
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
They did not like retain suggest they knew better. And there is space given (long suffering) for repentance.
Wait they were like that before the foundation of the world right?
God made them as vessels of destruction?
Potters always plan for a massive reject rate?
Seek the Lord while He may be found! Repent while there is time!

Matthew 23:37
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”
They chose not to?

By the way my quick general responses as a New member was deemed trolling by a Well known member.
IMHO the titles seem to be greetings in the marketplace which can also be an annoyance.

 

Acts 17
Paul uses the words us and we referring to his audience on the subject of mankind which included those who responded to the word and those who mocked.

 

Malachi 1 was written after Genesis 25. God chose Jacob over Esau to be the father of His chosen. Does the word hate here refer to Esau"s sin and that of his heritage Edom?

What about this use of the word hate?
Luke 14
26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple."
Seems to be "loves more" maybe.
I do not believe God hates most of mankind. He hates their sin and unwillingness to humbly repent.

Matthew 23:37
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”
They chose not to?

Act 17 and 2 Peter 3
The connection is the word us.
Okay, discard 2 Peter 3 as suggested regarding Romans 9 and focus on Paul's audience in Acts 17. Both us and we are used referring to mankind.

 

Did not some of the audience accept the message.
Acts 17
34 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

As to jumping around and covering the 5 points no need to cover all here.
I believe the scriptures you brought up were addressed.
Please reciprocate.

Enlighten us as to the meaning Matthew 23:37
Jesus would have gathered them however ________?

 

Found John Gill's comments that it was it was the human will of Jesus rather than the divine will speaking. Although the word often was used which would suggest plural or many times through history. So when He was with the Father in eternity He was expressing human will at those times also? I will keep looking.

Not finding much from MacArthur or Sproil so far.

 

John Piper has it covered. Also 2 wills however both are divine. One is His Desire and the other His Glory.
https://document.desiringgod.org/does-god-desire-all-to-be-saved-en.pdf?ts=1446647103

 

"The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. " ( Psalms 5:5-6 ).

Perhaps hate does not really mean "hate", and "abhor" does not really mean the same as "hate"?

Maybe, instead of reading it and "hitting the high points", believers should be carefully weighing His every word against all the rest;
Maybe we should read it like the book of letters that it is, instead of in "verses".

I myself did that for years, until recently.
I encourage all of my brothers and sisters to do the same.

I agree with Mr. Downey about this subject.

If God loved each and every man, woman and child that ever lived, why is He going to cast most of us into eternal torment in His wrath?
For sins that His Son has already paid for?

No.
There's far more to the Bible than John 3:16 all by itself seems to be saying, Dball.

Psalms 5:5-6 and Psalms 11:5 are both in there as well.
Do they also mean exactly what they are saying?

 

In Acts of the Apostles 17:22-31, I see that Paul is speaking to everyone on Mars Hill;
and his audience is the same as who he is speaking about here:

" and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28 for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead." ( Acts of the Apostles 17:26-31 ).

I've highlighted where I see him speaking to everyone there, and what he said applies to all of them.
As a race, God is not far from every one of us.
We are the offspring of God.
We should seek after Him, if haply we might feel after him and find Him.
He commands all men to repent.

According to other places in His word, why do people repent and seek Him, while others do not?
Here's one:

John 3:19-21.

Agreed.

But that in no way cancels out what the Lord has revealed to the churches in Romans 1:18-32, Romans 3:10-18, John 3:19-20 and many others.
We as men are completely unwilling to approach the Lord on His terms because it would require that we give up our sin.

That's what makes being born again so very necessary.