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Does God love the lost?

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Agent47

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All humans reject God. God must choose to save them. God makes the choice. You do not.
All rejectors will go to Hell.
Pray that God extends you grace or you too will spend eternity in hell.
Such prayers are pointless since he chose whoever he would save before the foundation of earth....unless you imply your prayers can change his choices
 

MennoSota

Well-Known Member
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However you define love, two mutually exclusive acts can't point to love. God loves in choosing and He loves for not choosing some. That's pure unadulterated nonsense
God defines what love is. We follow God's definition.
Far too many people condemn God because His ways do not fir into their personal definitions.
God says He is love. Whatever God does is love, not because we think it is love, but because the Creator says he is love.
 

MennoSota

Well-Known Member
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I'm not a universalist.

Why does it give you such immense joy to distract by stereotypes and tags? Is it to make me waste time defending myself instead of focusing on the the weight of your response to the subject question?
Perhaps emoji's are hard for you to follow. Relax. Sit down with Spurgeon and smoke a cigar. [emoji267]
 

HankD

Well-Known Member
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God defines what love is. We follow God's definition.
Far too many people condemn God because His ways do not fir into their personal definitions.
God says He is love. Whatever God does is love, not because we think it is love, but because the Creator says he is love.

1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

HankD
 

MennoSota

Well-Known Member
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Such prayers are pointless since he chose whoever he would save before the foundation of earth....unless you imply your prayers can change his choices
Why do we pray? Is it for God’s sake or ours?
Since we do not know who God has placed in the Lambs Book of Life, we cannot say that life is meaningless. I suggest that until we are redeemed we should eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.
 

JonC

Moderator
Moderator
Everything you're saying I'm in agreement. But my point is His love as we know/comprehend it being demonstrated in choosing can't equally be demonstrated in not choosing.

That's essentially saying God is Love His choices notwithstanding. And in that case, you can't appeal to His choices to demonstrate love

The 'totally uncalled' were a nypothetical example and I mentioned as such. No need correcting it. That's an unnecessary distraction.
Perhaps the difference is in the centrality of God versus the centrality of man in the argument. If God's ultimate will in salvation is focused on the well being and desires of those who will not believe then is God's love expressing this will the same to that people (can we say God loves them)? And here I'd have to say no, we would say that God does not love them (He's either hateful or apathetic).

But if God's will in salvation is focused on His glory then it is different. Perhaps the Father's love for the Son and the Son's love for the Church is where we need to be looking. If this is where we focus, then God's love is demonstrated equally in the choosing and the not choosing because at the center is Christ (not men).

God loves the lost as a Creator loves His creation. But God loves those who are "in Christ" as a Father loves the Son.
 

Agent47

Active Member
Site Supporter
God defines what love is. We follow God's definition.
Far too many people condemn God because His ways do not fir into their personal definitions.
God says He is love. Whatever God does is love, not because we think it is love, but because the Creator says he is love.
That's a fact. What's not is the claim that choosing and not choosing men demonstrate His love
 

Agent47

Active Member
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Perhaps the difference is in the centrality of God versus the centrality of man in the argument. If God's ultimate will in salvation is focused on the well being and desires of those who will not believe then is God's love expressing this will the same to that people (can we say God loves them)? And here I'd have to say no, we would say that God does not love them (He's either hateful or apathetic).

But if God's will in salvation is focused on His glory then it is different. Perhaps the Father's love for the Son and the Son's love for the Church is where we need to be looking. If this is where we focus, then God's love is demonstrated equally in the choosing and the not choosing because at the center is Christ (not men).

God loves the lost as a Creator loves His creation. But God loves those who are "in Christ" as a Father loves the Son.
I'd say throwing in glory into the works does not help you; it muddies the water even more for it suggests eternal life/damnation equally glorify God, and if this is so, both should be celebrated and perhaps longed for in equal measure

God does not love the lost as a Father loves the Son. Thank you for answering OP
 

Agent47

Active Member
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Why do we pray? Is it for God’s sake or ours?
Since we do not know who God has placed in the Lambs Book of Life, we cannot say that life is meaningless. I suggest that until we are redeemed we should eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.
You're right, we should gamble. Eternity is a gamble
 

JonC

Moderator
Moderator
I'd say throwing in glory into the works does not help you
Before I posted I thought, unfortunately, that you might. I say unfortunately because Scripture ascribes the love of salvation to be purposed for the glory of God (I wasn't throwing it in....anytime we speak of salvation it is already there).
God does not love the lost as a Father loves the Son. Thank you for answering OP
Yes, exactly. Before you and I were saved we were lost and God did not love us as children.
 

Agent47

Active Member
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Yes, exactly. Before you and I were saved we were lost and God did not love us as children.
I'd like to believe that OP is not addressing our past state of unbelief but rather those who are eternally damned when they used the term lost. I hope this is no deliberate bait and switch
 

Agent47

Active Member
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@JonC , this is not difficult. If God's love for you was demonstrated in choosing you before you were born, separating you, effectually drawing you to Himself, forgiving your sins,baptizing you with His Holy Ghost, and sealing you up unto that day, then the next guy who is not a beneficiary of all these,and who perished in his sins,can't be said to be loved by God as you are.

But if God loved you equally, had mercy on you,willed that you be saved, and offered to save you, and you accepted His offer while the other rejected it,then truly,logically and honestly, God loved you both equally
 

Agent47

Active Member
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That is your opinion based upon your human definition of love. I reject your opinion.
God's definition of love includes saving and not saving? Cool.

Beats me why we should get picky between lake of fire and New Jerusalem seeing all are expression of God's love
 

Agent47

Active Member
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Nope. Eternity is by God's ordination and will, which he is under no obligation to reveal to us.
It's a gamble in that you can't tell if you are ordained and willed to eternal life or damnation. Guess,hope and pray...all of which don't affect God's 'ordination and will'
 

MennoSota

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God's definition of love includes saving and not saving? Cool.

Beats me why we should get picky between lake of fire and New Jerusalem seeing all are expression of God's love
God's definition of love is certainly different than yours.
 

MennoSota

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
It's a gamble in that you can't tell if you are ordained and willed to eternal life or damnation. Guess,hope and pray...all of which don't affect God's 'ordination and will'
Enjoy life on this earth in either case. Our times are in God's hand.
 

JonC

Moderator
Moderator
I'd like to believe that OP is not addressing our past state of unbelief but rather those who are eternally damned when they used the term lost. I hope this is no deliberate bait and switch
The lost are the lost (we were once lost). There are no "lost but not really" people, and there is no difference between the love God had for me when I was lost than the love God had for any man who died without coming to Christ. The difference is that there is a difference between God's love for me in Christ and God's love for those of the world.
 
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