Featured But God Is Love!

Isn't the Christian message that the lighthouse in your analogy is Jesus Christ?

Thus the good news of Christianity is that God offers salvation to ALL through Jesus Christ.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

 

First, it’s not my analogy. I was commenting on what someone else posted.

Let me ask you this. Do you believe the gospel is a “sincere” offer to all who hear it?

peace to you

 

But on the other hand calvinists would never cover over anything right. You calvinists insist that God decrees everything that happens and yet He does not decree that people end up in hell. Your theology is full of holes and you are to blind to see them or you just ignore them.

As far as Christ Jesus paying for all sins at the cross, I am surprised that you calvinists have not figured this one out. Man has a God given free will so if someone goes to hell it is because they rejected salvation. God in His sovereignty looks at man and says "thy will be done".

I know it will be a bit hard for you to grasp because of the calvinist blinders you have on but keep trying to understand scripture and I am sure you will find the truth.

 

Wow your view of God is to say the least astounding. He say that He wants all to be saved but then according to you that's not true because He just arbitrarily grabs a bunch of people and throws them into hell for no other reason then He can.

That is the sovereign God that you hold to, the one that decrees all things including sin and then condemns people when they do what He has decreed for them to do. You guys have a warped view of God and it sure is not biblical.

 

Yes, I believe it is a sincere offer. As opposed to what? An insincere or disingenuous one?

 

Can you not see the difference between man choosing to reject God and God decreeing that they will reject God? That in a nut shell is the difference between calvinism and real free will.

 

The question is why does God fully saves some?

1] Because He has given them the real choice to trust in His son for salvation (free will)
2] Because He picked some out and condemned the rest because He could. (determinism)

 

thats because that is what is in your heart to do

 

You answered your own question. It is the difference between free will and determinism. If ones decides to reject God that is on them if one is forced to reject God then that is on God.

 

Have you ever read and history of what augustine came out of. He pulled much of what he came to teach from his early learning in gnostic teachings of manichaeism. When he and pelagius had their disagreement, instead of staying where he was theologically, more in the center, augustine ran to the far end of the logic pool and dove back into gnosticism.

Do a bit of reading about augustine, learn about him yourself.

 

Your caricature of Reformed theology is not accurate.

According to scripture, there is no “real free will”. Paul uses several chapters in Romans explaining that very fact.

All mankind has already rejected God, according to scripture. That God has chosen to intervene in the lives of those He has chosen is a testimony of His grace and love.

There is no one seeking God absent His intervention.

peace to you

 

Actually it is not the fairness of God rather it is the justice of God. The bible does not say God is fair and the justifier, rather it says " that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

 

Why call it a caricature of Reformed theology, I just use your own words to describe it.

Paul says they do not but he does not say the can not. If your view were true then why the gospel message? Remember we are all sinners and, according to calvinism, if none seek or can understand the gospel then that means none. So what you are putting forward is just what you calvinists say is not true. God picks all those that will end up in hell by not picking them when He could have done so. His choice and since He is sovereign who would we be to argue with Him.

That is why God gave man a real free will so that where man ends up is their responsibility. Does God draw people sure but what He does not do is force people to be saved. Only calvinism does that.

 

Firstly, Paul most certainly says the soul that sins is a slave of sin. Paul personified sin as a master controlling the lives of sinners. They have no “free will”. They do the will of the “sin master”. That is his point in Roman’s.

Second, I believe the “elect” are as unable as any other person when it comes to seeking God. The difference is, God intervenes in the lives of the elect and supernaturally empowers them (regeneration) to be able to overcome sin, understand the truth of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and respond with saving faith.

All men are already responsible for their actions in rejecting God.

peace to you

 

I have to think that you never heard of salves that were freed by their masters or of slaves that ran away from their masters.

I am saddened that you would think so little of God that you believe that He would hold out salvation to those that have no chance of getting it.

This is the same God that went to the cross, the same God that draws all to Himself, the same God that said, I am the way, the truth and the light. The same God that said, come to me and I will give your rest.

For you, God is the one that condemns billions to an eternity in hell for no other reason than He can. That may be your God but he is assuredly not mine.

 

The "God is love" argument is a bit of a slippery slope, and one I most often hear from liberals (usually in regards to their pet sin i.e. sodomy or abortion). Anyone can argue "God is love, therefore how can He do/not do X, Y, or Z?" What they really mean is that if God is love then He needs to conform to their own subjective (and corrupt) standards of what love is.

 

That is a "humanist" perspective ... you are calling God to answer for how things appear from a human point of view. Job did the same thing and God called him on it.

You are operating from the flawed initial assumption that everyone deserves to be saved, when the reality is that NOBODY should be saved ... damnation for all is JUSTICE. The guilty get punished. From THAT starting point, God's is free to "HAVE MERCY ON WHOMEVER I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL SHOW COMPASSION TO WHOMEVER I SHOW COMPASSION.” (Romans 9:15) as His divine right.

 

God is love, however His Love is discriminate and only in Christ Rom 9:13

13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Rom 8:39

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In the greek the definite article goes before the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, so that indicates that its Gods only distinct Love, it must be only to those He views in Christ Jesus, hence all others God does not love, but hates justly as esaus !