3 classes of People

I did answer you. Since verse 23 does not say, "certain Jews and certain Greeks", and verse 24 does not say "other Jews and Greeks", it stands to reason both verses are talking about both saved and unsaved. Otherwise, verse 23 would be saying nobody gets saved, and verse 24 would be saying that everyone gets saved.

 

Only one "class" of people. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. For God hath given to every man the measure of faith. It is up to man to excercise that faith into a form of belief: one that believes in the One True God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, or no god, or yet other gods. But God still gives to every man the measure of faith.

Calvinists will remain blind to these two facts because of their desire to follow only what seems to make "sense" to them.raying:

Calvinists cannot discern the uniformity of God in His Omniscience. They can only "see" what has been presented to their logic. God goes way beyond their logic. For that FACT I am very glad in Jesus!

raise: :Fish: raise:

 

Mind if I join in the fray here?

Can anyone explain to me what Acts 13:48 means:

"And when the Gentiles heard this ['the word of God,' see 13:44], they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."

Seems to me that there is a cause - effect corollation mentioned in that last clause (ordained >>> believed).

 

I didn't say verse 23 was talking about the unsaved. I said it was talking about both saved and unsaved. (Jews as in Jews, Greeks as in everyone who is not a Jew.)

 

I believe it means exactly what it says. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

The greek word translated "appointed (or ordained)" has nothing to do with predestination of salvation at all. Those from verse 47 (the Gentiles) now appointed, now believed. The inverse and converse cannot be assumed. Again, calvinism looks at this in scope of man's finite timeline...not God's infinite timeline.

 

1: Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2: Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
3: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
18: 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;
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1 Corth 1: 23
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;
Sent of God to preach

He was preaching to the church at Corith and they were supposedly saved but I doubt if all were saved so I guess he was preaching to both, due to the uproar in the church in those days. Paul was also sent of God to preach to them. Now please read vs 21 to see why those that were saved. Please don't leave out the most important part for that is how the rest falls in line, such as called, predestinated, justified and glorified.

When I preach every Sunday I preach to both for it is among the unsaved we get our members.

 

That is easy, they love darkness more than light.

 

The preaching of Christ crucified.

 

It is really very simple:

1 Corinthians 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

If the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to state that there are three classes of people, who am I to argue? Accept it by faith that it is true.
There are the Jews. The church has not replaced them. I believe that replacement theology is heretical. The Jews still exist. It is the Arabs on one hand and the Muslims as a whole on the other hand that are trying to replace the Jews. The Catholic Church claims replacement theology, saying that they are the church that has replaced the Jews. No, the Jews still exist. They exist as a nation in Israel, and God knows them that are is, the same way that He knows (under all of Christendom) them that are His.

Apart from the Jews there are the Gentiles: the rest of the world--the great unsaved populace of this world.

Then there is the church of God: both saved Jew and saved Gentile who become one in Christ. There is no such thing as a Jewish Christian or a Gentile Christian. We are all one in Christ. This is the differentiation Paul was making.
There are three classes of people.
And none of this has to do with predestination or Calvinisim. You can hop off of that train any time.
DHK

 

I agree DHK; but the first Christian churches were made of of previous Jews in worship. To talk about the stumbling block for the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles is to say that it is a stumbling block and foolishness to the world for the world loves its own, lest their deeds be reproved and that is where the future membership of the church lies.

 

The world is no different today than it was back then. There is still the nation of the Jews. They need to be won to Christ. There are still Gentiles. They need to be won to Christ. Among those Gentiles and Jews they are either saved or unsaved. There are no further divisions. Then there is the church of God. Those are the three clear distinctions that Paul drew. We can draw no other divisions. They still stand today as they were then.
DHK

 

I am in 100% agreement with this post.

 

I agree also but the unbelievers are the "world", whether Jew or Gentile. There is the church and there is the world.

 

The unbelievers are in the world: both Jews and Gentiles.

 

Well said, DHK. That is one valid division into three classes of people, scripturally.

Another Scriptural division is the natural man ("psuchekos"), the fleshly or carnal man ("sarkikos"), and the spiritual man ("pneumatikos). Another valid division, as well. :thumbs:

Ed