He IS NOT "Sovereign". He is first and foremost FATHER. Our Lord did not teach us to pray "Our Sovereign, who art in heaven, controlling everything according to Thy good pleasure". Our Father. That revelas A LOT about what the Lord is really like, and the family unit is the greatest human illustration of what God is like(Psalms 103), and how he feels towards His offspring(Acts 17),
Again, his attributes do NOT contradict each other.
Romans 9:20-22 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
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:
--These verses show the sovereignty of God. He will have mercy upon whom he chooses. That is sovereignty. And who are you that should speak against God?
You are simply a lump of clay in the potter's hand. God is sovereign and he can do with you whatever he wants to. You deserve nothing but Hell itself. You are not worthy of the least bit of his grace. However, by his grace he stretches out his hand to you and offers you the gift of eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ--for God is no respector of persons. You don't deserve it, but he offers it to you anyway. We deserve nothing but the wrath of God. Are you not glad that God is still in control and it is Christ that defeated Satan on the cross?
even the bad ones(Isaiah 1:18). No father creates children to kill them, and if he does even the unsaved say such a man is evil and put him in jail. But Calvinists would have us believe that the glorious Saviour is a sadistic child abuser who made billions of souls simply to damn them so he could show us how great he is. Gee, I am not impressed, I am repulsed, as any moral agent must be.
Romans 11:33-36 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
--How unsearchable are his judgements--but you know them. Right?
His ways are past finding out. But you have found them out. Right?
Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Arminius of course!
Who hath been his cousellor? Do we dare say that Arminius claims to be?
Don't you think that your post is a tad bit arrogant?
God is infinite. Do you claim to understand an infinite God with your finite mind?
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
--You still claim to know his thoughts and his ways?
--Notice how these verses also speak to the sovereignty of God.
To call God "a sadistic child abuser" is blasphemy, and has really crossed the line. You need help.
Paul taught excommunicating blasphemers-1Tim 1:20. It is high time we purged the body of Christ of this blasphemy and the ones who refuse to renounce it.
What blasphemy? The so-called blasphemy of beleiving in the attributes of God. Something here is wrong.
James said:
1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God
cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust,
and enticed.
1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when
it is finished, bringeth forth death.
1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh
down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.
The above passage TOTALLY REFUTES what the Calvinists have posted here--that God DOES tempt man with sin, that He is fact is the author if it.
I am not a Calvinist. But I do not remember any Calvinist stating that God is the author of sin. Either way that is not what that passage teaches; it is far from it.
James denies the whole blasphemous idea! He said to LET NO MAN SAY such things and I am obeying. The ideas of Beloved, Dustin and others are wretched blasphemy. Jesus is the author od FAITH, not sin-Heb 12.
He said "Let no man say, I am tempted of God." He did not say: "Let no man say such things." Now who is changing the Word of God. That is heresy. And a stiff warning is given in Rev.22 about those who do such things.
James is not the author of faith.
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto
Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Every GOOD GIFT comes down from heaven, and the Lord SHOWS NO PARTIALITY, unlike the "god" of Calvinism. Is sin a "good" thing? Is sickness a "good" thing? Is abortion, where little baby boys and girls are torn to pieces as they are assassinated a "good" thing? Is it "good" when people starve to death? If anyone answers YES, to such things, you are one sinful, immoral, demented person. Only the Devil himself would call such things good.
So what are you insinuating? That Calvinists think all these evils are good things. The Bible does say:
"All things work together for good, to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose." And that includes sickness, death, assasnations, death by drunkenss, etc. All things work together for God. I ask again: Do you know the mind of the Lord? Are you his counsellor?
Good according to God's Word is what Jesus did:
10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with
power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were
oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Healing is good and from God, and sickness is bad and from the Devil. Period.
Paul was afflicted with a thorn in the flesh (probably an eye disease or some other physical affliction). God would not heal it. It was sent from God. God's answer to Paul--"My grace is sufficient for you."
Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletus. Why couldn't he heal him when he had healed others?
He told Timothy to talke a little "wine" for thy stomachs sake and thy oft infirmities. That indicates that Timothy was often sick. Why couldn't Paul heal him.
Epaphroditus, it says was sick, even nigh unto death. He was very sick. Why couldn't Paul heal him? I will tell you why. It wasn't God's will. It was all for God's good, and for God's glory. The sickness was of God, and not from the devil. Here is another case just in case you don't believe the above.
John 9:1-3 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
--What was the cause of the sickness? The parents? The man himself? The devil? NO! None of the above. Jesus said the reason that this man was sick was
that the works of God should be made manifest in him. That is why. It was God's will for him to be blind from his birth. Those are the words of Christ.
Now then DK, I have given you the citations, and could give MANY MORE to support my statements above. Those who foolishly charge God with sin, like Job did, magnify their guilt, for to whom much is given, much will be required.
Actually you have given me nothing at all. You have thrown around a few references, but how much Scripture did you actually post?
The Devil is the FATHER of sin, not God. God is the God of life, all that pertains to sin and death came from the Devil, and entered human existence through Adam's fall.
The devil did not bring sin into this world.
"Wherefore, as
by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
--There is free will. Adam chose to sin. He could not blame it on Eve, and neither one of them could blame it on the devil. It was their choice to sin. If you don't believe that you don't believe the Bible. Romans 5:12 clearly states that sin entered the world through Adam.
The Devil is the one who "controls" the unsaved until they get saved(Eph 2:1-4)
The devil doesn't control anyone. The implication there is that every unsaved person is demon-possessed. That is control. But it is not reality. Satan has influence in this world but not control. Man still has a choice in this world to choose Christ. God still sits on his throne and is ultimately in control of all things. Satan can do nothing without the permission of God. God knows exactly what is going on. He is omniscient and omnipotent. Do not take away from the attributes of God.
and are translated OUT OF the KINGDOM(
Dpn't know what you are talking about here. I am saved, but I am still in this world. I have not been "translated" as Enoch was. You better define your terms better.
HELLO--THE DEVIL IS A KING!)
More accurately he is referred to as a prince--the prince of the power of the air.
of darkness, and into the Kingdom of His Son-Col. 1:13. I am amazed that what I am sharing, and consider Basic Bible doctrine, and which I knew well within months after getting saved, escapes these Calvinists here. Amazing and tragic.
I am amazed at you very poor grasp of Scripture and your downright blasphemous charges against God. God--"a sadistic child abuser!" Unbelievable!