Featured Why Are Sinners Told to “Seek the Lord”?

There are many who have.lived and died and never heard the gospel preached.

 

An argument from silence is no argument at all.

 

Pretty sure it is Jesus that saves, not preaching.

 

You have contradictory statements here.

 

If you do not think that passage is in the context of salvation then there is really nothing to discuss here. You are wrong.

 

Notice the keyword you use is... "offer."
Jesus does not act like a door to door salesman who has a great, free, "offer" that the homeowner should mull over and then decide to either take or reject.
Jesus comes and tells you that you are chosen to receive this gracious gift that you did not even think you needed. It is your inherited Inheritance.

Hebrews 9:15-17
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

It is really important to understand that Jesus and the Apostles all understood that Jesus is the Passover Lamb and as the sacrificial lamb he established the New Covenant for his brothers and sisters who are adopted children.

Jesus is no door to door salesman with an "offer."

 

The genuine "offer" of the gospel is real. Although it is opposed by two Calvinist groups at least that I have heard of, the Gospel Standard Strict Baptists, and the Protestant Reformed Churches of America. They are wrong and it is not a universal Calvinist teaching that the offer is not real.

 

Romans 10 doesn't say preaching SAVES people.

 

You don't see it because, as usual, you hyperfocus on portions of the text taking them out of context. You don't look at the whole.

 

First, where do you see salvation as an offer, vs something that was accomplished? Second, if Jesus died for all, why was that not enough? I'm more interested in your view on the second quesion.

 

You have to remember a couple of things:
1. Not everyone even hears the gospel. This has been pointed out to you on this thread. Those that don't hear the gospel don't respond and are lost. So the "fairness" issue is something universal atonement people have to deal with anyway.

2. There is NO case where someone in scripture responds to the gospel and is turned away because Christ didn't die for them. So if I say that all the non elect reject the gospel and the elect don't you cannot refute that - because it looks the same whether you are a limited or universal atonement believer.

3. There are timing issues that men cannot explain involving God's eternal decrees, the atonement and men's response.

4. There are verses in scripture that indicate God wants everyone to be saved. There are also verses that explain he has chosen not to do that. If we try to over emphasize one doctrine over the other we have to twist words and meaning of scripture.

5. All these doctrinal positions from yours to the hyper-Calvinists can be logically arrived at using scriptures we have available. Clearly, we are in over our heads trying to figure out God.

Basically, Calvinists want to honor God and give him all the glory for anyone being saved. Sometimes I think some of them go to far with their logical conclusions.

Most non Calvinists honestly want to protect God's honor too. They see reformed doctrine as making God unloving or even cruel. I understand that.

But if you are viewing this as an issue that God owes man some kind of fair chance or equal opportunity because man is not all that bad and God owes us something you are on very dangerous ground. Every Calvinist of any kind will be upset over that view and so should every good General Baptist or classic Arminian.

SBG, it would be helpful if you would explain your reasoning - which of the two above describe you?