Since the proud and elected Baptists in here chose to be afraid to allow nonBaptists to post discussion within the Baptist only sub forums, this spot will serve.
I know, right?
Here is the question for them which even the most seasoned and confident Bible thumper who claims to know God cannot accurately answer.
Well, the question is answerable from the Bible, just not from the so-called Calvinistically defined 'pre-destiners', 'electors', etc, who all abuse those words and 'wrest' them to their own destruction as Peter warned them from doing, but they choose to do it anyway (but in their mindset, they cannot but do it since they were 'elected' to think stupidly, using their incoherent position). Then they turn around and mock those who do not agree with them, denying their very own position, in that even they follow through with what they actually believe and teach, then why argue with someone who is made that way by God to say what they say? A
sinine. Let them blather on, that men may know them mad. They self-define who is saved and lost, and make themselves the standard of criteria.
If God did indeed have the power and ability to elect and appoint those
God appointed and elected only 'one'. His Son, Jesus Christ.
Isa_42:1 Behold
my servant, whom I uphold;
mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon
him:
he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Mat 12:15 But when
Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed
him, and
he healed them all;
Mat 12:16 And charged them that they should not make
him known:
Mat 12:17 That it might
be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Mat 12:18 Behold
my servant, whom I have chosen;
my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Now, "whosoever will" may come and take of what God offers in His Son, and they become 'elect' in Him, and no other way. God chose His Son, and allows as many who "will" to choose His Son, even "freely". Anyone who refuses the Son, refused the Father, and chose themselves outside of the 'elect'.
Does God foreknow who will so choose to be in Christ. Absolutely. Does that negate the choice of anyone? Absolutely not.
who will be called to Righteousness and who will inherit The Kingdom, why then did He create as well the vast hoards who will be dammed?
1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of
God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4
Who will have all men to be saved, and to
come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Notice the "knowledge" part.
Will billions be lost? Absolutely yes. Did God make them just so they could experience the wrath of God and the lake of fire? Absolutely not. The fire was never meant for mankind, not a single person thereof:
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire
*,
prepared for the devil and his angels:
All of mankind could have boarded the 'ark' of Genesis 3:15, Jesus Christ. But only a handful, compared to the billions will choose to board.
In light of this apparent Omnipotence and Sovereign Rule, what then is the purpose or function of The Damned?
God is Omnipotent:
Mat_28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
God is Sovereign:
Job_9:12 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?
Yet the answer is found in Romans 9:
Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known,
endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23 And
that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
God was longsuffering to those whom He knew who resist his mercies and grace, and sleight His offer in His Son, and therefore, demonstrates even through them, His perfect character of Love, Mercy & Justice.
God offered the choice of His Son to all.
Do your best to refrain from talking in circles and caveated uncertainty.
Only those who take the unscriptural approach, as noted above, and wrest the scriptures will talk in circles, because their foundation was themselves.
Remember, Apostle James, theorized to be The Original Baptist, stated in 1:7 a guarantee of God's Bounteous Wisdom upon request for spiritual matters.
Jas 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6 But let him
ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
For whatsoever is not of faith is sin, and sin is the transgression of the Law, and the wages of sin is the second death.
So, I agree with James. Ask God, in Faith. God explains His own words.
As well, recall the many times you have heard a babbling professional church talker proclaim how crucial it is "We Know Who We Are In Christ."
A person can know that they are in Christ, but there are some who are deceived, because they have a false Christ, based upon themselves. They have made themselves the judge.
