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Draw all men to myself

Blammo

New Member
reformedbeliever said:
By paying the price on the cross for thier sins, if He redeemed them, then they would be saved. I don't think they were saved.

I don't think they were saved either. However, I do believe the price was paid. What did they lack? Faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is a free gift, (salvation by grace), that is received through faith.
 
Blammo said:
I don't think they were saved either. However, I do believe the price was paid. What did they lack? Faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is a free gift, (salvation by grace), that is received through faith.

Amen! And God is the author and finisher of our faith!
 

Blammo

New Member
Tom Butler said:
Tom Butler wrote:
Now, this phrase: "...not imputing their trespasses unto them..."
If God is reconciling the world, interpreted as every person, and is not imputing their trespasses to them--every person--how is this not universalism? I don't believe we Baptists believe in universalism, so will some of you scholars take a crack at exegeting this passage?[QUOTE}


Blammo responded:
Not a scholar by any means, but I'll take a crack at it.
Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life (And a couple of other passages)

Tom's reply
I don't quite understand how Romans 5:18 and the other verses explains "not imputing their trespasses" in II Cor 5:19. If "world" means everybody, then does not "not imputing their trespasses" eliminate any basis for God's judgment upon them? I'm looking for an answer to the questions, who are the world, and to whom was Paul referring when he said their trespasses would not be imputed to them.

While I'm at it, in Ro 5:18, Paul refers to the "free gift unto the justification of life." What is the free gift?

If I purchase a gift for you, when does it become yours? When you receive it, right? If you do not receive it, you do not have it. That does not mean it has not been paid for and offered to you, does it?

If I wrote you a check for $100.00, and you stuck it in a drawer somewhere, do you have $100.00 dollars?
 

Allan

Active Member
Tom B.:
19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
This does not take a great exegete in order to clearly understand this peice of scripture.

...reconciling the world unto himself... - This 'reconciling' is a present tence (active) participle showing a present and on going process. Not that the world IS reconciled but is BEING reconciled. What does this have to do with the rest of the verse, simple; AS this reconciling is going on toward the world, those who WOULD BE (choose to be- ie. place Faith in) reconciled it is THEN that their tresspasses are not imputed unto them. It is simply refering to the continuing calling of God that none should perish but all (who will) come to repentence. Thus the reason Paul explains that we are ambassadors in Christs stead AS THOUGH God did beseach you, and is asking that you (who - the world) be reconciled to Himself.

God was in Christ doing this reconciling (calling) and is now in us still doing His same Calling to reconciliation.
 
Blammo said:
Tom Butler said:
Tom Butler wrote:
Now, this phrase: "...not imputing their trespasses unto them..."
If God is reconciling the world, interpreted as every person, and is not imputing their trespasses to them--every person--how is this not universalism? I don't believe we Baptists believe in universalism, so will some of you scholars take a crack at exegeting this passage?

If I purchase a gift for you, when does it become yours? When you receive it, right? If you do not receive it, you do not have it. That does not mean it has not been paid for and offered to you, does it?

If I wrote you a check for $100.00, and you stuck it in a drawer somewhere, do you have $100.00 dollars?


Not unless he cashes it and it has sufficient funds....lol
 
In Isaiah 6 when Isaiah saw Jesus in the temple and He called Isaiah to go preach. Was Isaiah sent to call people to repent? Was he sent to make them guilty?
 

psalms109:31

Active Member
Farmer

reformedbeliever said:
Surely you do not think it is man that gets the ground ready? The Holy Spirit is the one who makes the ground receptive. The ground is made ready by the enablement of the Holy Spirit ...... so that they may hear and see. Read Mark 4 the parable of the sower. Why would Jesus say that "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN."

The Farmer that sits back and lets God do all the work, will have no crop.

To whom has Jesus given the secrets to, to those who trust in Him.

If you are not in Christ and trusted in Him you will never understand for it is Him who opens our eyes to see.
 

Allan

Active Member
Reformed
In Isaiah 6 when Isaiah saw Jesus in the temple and He called Isaiah to go preach. Was Isaiah sent to call people to repent? Was he sent to make them guilty?
I am pretty positive that Isaiah volenteered (chose) to go, in conjuction with God calling him...anyhoo...

He was not given the ministry of reconciliation, as we are discussion from 2 Cor 5:19 - but with due respect to your question it was both.
 
Allan said:
Reformed

I am pretty positive that Isaiah volenteered (chose) to go, in conjuction with God calling him...anyhoo...

He was not given the ministry of reconciliation, as we are discussion from 2 Cor 5:19 - but with due respect to your question it was both.

The point I'm making is that unless God has a general call that goes to every individual to repent.... He would not be just in His judgement of them. I'm sorry I thought this thread was about God calling all men.
 

GordonSlocum

New Member
Blammo said:
This morning I was reading and came across...

2 Corinthians 5:17-20 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

When we, who are saved and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, open our mouths and preach the gospel, to any man, are we not, as ambassadors for Christ, drawing men unto Christ? If a man believes and is saved he has in essence been drawn by the Father. (By the word of God and the Holy Spirit) If a man does not believe he has still in essence been drawn by the Father. (By the word of God and the Holy Spirit)

If I am wrong I have no doubt I will be told. :tonofbricks:

:laugh:

What can I say - We disagree.

Regardless - not one person on the face of the earth will go to heaven apart form hearing the Gospel and then believing. (Exceptions are all who do not reach the "age" of accountability."
 

Blammo

New Member
GordonSlocum said:
:laugh:

What can I say - We disagree.

Regardless - not one person on the face of the earth will go to heaven apart form hearing the Gospel and then believing. (Exceptions are all who do not reach the "age" of accountability."

What part of my post says that people need not hear the gospel and believe it to be saved?

:confused:
 

Tom Butler

New Member
In post #39 I asked:
In Ro 5:18, Paul refers to the "free gift unto the justification of life." What is the free gift?

Blammo answered:
If I purchase a gift for you, when does it become yours? When you receive it, right? If you do not receive it, you do not have it. That does not mean it has not been paid for and offered to you, does it?

I respond:
But what is the gift? The passage refers to the free gift unto the justification of life. So the gift is not justification but unto justification. I'm not trying to trick anybody, here. I just want to know.

Blammo, read Allan's explanation of Romans 5:19. That's an exegesis.
Would you agree with his in post #48, or would you like to take another crack?

Allan, thanks for the exegesis. I have some questions, but in a later post
 

l_PETE_l

New Member
We were loved before the creation of the world, but it was only in Christ. In the mean time, however, I confess, that the love of God was first in point of time, and of order, too, as to God, but with respect to us, the commencement of his love has its foundation in the sacrifice of Christ. For when we contemplate God without a Mediator, we cannot conceiveof Him otherwise than as angry with us: a Mediator interposed between us, makes us feel, that He is pacified towards us. As, however, this also is necessary to be known by us — that Christ came forth to us from the fountain of God’s free mercy, the Scripture explicitly teaches both — that the anger of the Father has been appeased by the sacrifice of the Son, and that the Son has been offered up for the expiation of the sins of men on this ground — because God, exercising compassion towards them, receives them, on the ground of such a pledge, into favor 373
The whole may be summed up thus: “Wheresin is, there the anger of God is, and therefore God is not propitious to us without, or before, his blotting out our sins, by not imputing them. As our consciences cannot apprehend this benefit, otherwise than through the intervention of Christ’s sacrifice, it is not without good reason, that Paul makes that the commencement and cause of reconciliation, with regard to us.

What are the opinions on this take on it?
 

Tom Butler

New Member
Allan said:
Tom B.:
This does not take a great exegete in order to clearly understand this peice of scripture.

...reconciling the world unto himself... - This 'reconciling' is a present tence (active) participle showing a present and on going process. Not that the world IS reconciled but is BEING reconciled. What does this have to do with the rest of the verse, simple; AS this reconciling is going on toward the world, those who WOULD BE (choose to be- ie. place Faith in) reconciled it is THEN that their tresspasses are not imputed unto them. It is simply refering to the continuing calling of God that none should perish but all (who will) come to repentence. Thus the reason Paul explains that we are ambassadors in Christs stead AS THOUGH God did beseach you, and is asking that you (who - the world) be reconciled to Himself.

God was in Christ doing this reconciling (calling) and is now in us still doing His same Calling to reconciliation.

I yield to your knowledge of the Greek, and agree that God is actively in the process of reconciling sinners to himself.

I promised some questions, so here goes:
Do you define "world" as every person without exception? If so, the question arises, so how can God reconcile every person to him, when many don't want to be reconciled and refuse to choose him as Savior?

The passage seems to be making a flat statement that God is in Christ reconciling. Not attempting to reconcile, or potentially reconciling, but actually reconciling. Further, God is not imputing their trespasses to them. So we have two things going on here: Reconciling and not imputing trepasses. Who the objects of God's action? You can see the problem is "world" means everybody. It has to mean everybody is saved, no one goes to hell. So to fit with other scripture, "world" must mean something else.

You said "As this reconciling is going going on toward the world, then those who WOULD BE (choose to be-place faith in) reconciled, it is then that their trespasses are not imputed to them."

Ah, so those who are being reconciled are only those who choose to be. Not every person without exception. So "world" does not mean everybody. Further, the passage does not state that reconciling is going on toward the world. God is actually reconciling, not reconciling toward or attempting to do so.

I guess I've made more statements than asked questions. My desire is to let this passage inform my theology, not try to squeeze the passage to fit the view that I already hold.
 
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