Featured Is salvation available?

I see that the context there is mankind's hardened heart towards God, specifically His nation of Israel.
It has no bearing on God's choice to save someone, and does not impede Him from carrying out His will.

What it proves is our unwillingness, as a race, to come to the Lord in repentance, and only reinforces what the Lord tells us in Romans 1:18-32, Romans 3:10-18, John 3:19-20, Psalms 10, Psalms 14, Jeremiah 13:23 and many others.

I agree, my friend.
Please see immediately above.

 

Vanism or Calvinism...you decide!

 

If what you say is correct then the preaching of the Gospel to sinners for their salvation is completely pointless

 

Both ERROR

 

There is no point in preaching to the Elect who can only be saved as they are already chosen for this purpose

 

I might be overlooking something but I don't think there are verses that directly say that. A couple of old testament verses come close but you could argue the application I guess. We are told to be ready to give a reason for the hope that lies in us. We are told to imitate Paul in Phillipians chapter 3 and he was after all a messenger to the gentiles. We are told to love our neighbors which covers a lot of areas but surely being concerned about their eternal souls would be included in that. We are given the great commission of course. We always argue Ephesians 1 and 2 but later in Ephesians we are told we are to do good works. I don't think that relegates us to social work, does it?

I don't know how much we will be able to converse with those who are about to be damned but I could see them making that accusation if I hung around with them, and worked with them and never said anything so yes, I do believe that could happen. I also believe that those us who are saved are bought with a price and owned by Jesus and it is possible for us to be unprofitable servants. You could spend a lot of time arguing whether that is possible if you are predestined to be one of His but you can just as well argue that the warning is real and it is a means to keep you from becoming that useless servant and your concern and worry that you could fail is what God uses as a means to keep you from failing.

 

Not by any stretch of the imagination, my friend.
Rather, it fulfills God's purposes.

 

Please read the below again...
The reasons for Him causing men to preach the Gospel of His grace, accomplish more than simply gathering the elect to God, spiritually:

" For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where [is] the wise? where [is] the scribe? where [is] the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 that no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." ( 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 ).

Did you get all that, my friend?
There are several reasons that the Lord uses the preaching of the cross here:

1) To confound those of this world that are wise in their own eyes.
2) To confound the things of this world that we, as men, consider mighty.
3) To demonstrate the power of God to those who are called, those whom He has saved.
4) All in order that no flesh, no man, may glory or be prideful in His sight.

It is of God that anyone is in Christ Jesus.
To the unbeliever the Lord Jesus is made a stumblingblock and foolishness, and to the believer He is made wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.


Good evening to you.

 

Romans 8:29-30.
Romans 9:6-24.

The Bible clearly says,
The Gospel ( the preaching of the cross ) is foolishness to them that perish, while it is the power of God to them that are saved ( 1 Corinthians 1:18 ).

It is believed by some, and rejected by most.

" And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." ( John 6:65 ).

" He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." ( John 8:47 ).

" Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand." ( John 10:25-28 ).

" And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. " ( Acts of the Apostles 13:48 ).

The Bible teaches differently, Van, in many places.
Please read it again, my friend.

 

how so?

 

so, when you were an unbeliever, before you were saved, the Gospel was not a stubling-block and foolishness?

WHO puts this stumbling-block before those who do not believe?

 

Ah...the third option of saved by works...

 

How is the Gospel be "rejected" by most, when you have said earlier that no one can "resist" the Lord? Further, to be able to REJECT the Gospel, these must have a FREE WILL to do so, or are you saying that they have been foreordained to do this?

 

you might believe in this heresy, but don't try to make out that I do

 

First, God is not constrained by any necessity. Second, Why Preach? Because that is the will of God, and we love doing it.

By the same reasoning I could ask, why do you pray at all, when it clear for your free will thinking that God does not prevail over the will of man? By your thinking, the Catholics were doing it right with the Inquisition.

The will and purpose of God according to election.

You have to stop confusing biblical theology with your carnal imaginations.

 

Why does Jesus Christ say in Mark 16:15, "And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature", which is the entire human race? This Good News is NOT Good News, if the majority are hell-bound and have zero hope! It is NOT Good News to tell the greater majority of the human race, that Jesus Christ has not died for their sins, and they are going to eternal punishment, and there is nothing that they can do to change this! Nor can God really do anything, because He has already determined those who will be saved!

Jesus' words in this verse gives a FALSE Hope to "every creature", because they CANNOT be saved, as God has placed a barrier, so that they cannot believe, as He has designed before the salvation of the elect only.

This, my friend, is reformed HERESY!

 

That's exactly what it means and you know it.