Originally posted by Primitive Baptist:
God does not love every man without exception. The doctrine of the word of God cannot be reconciled with this Arminian, humanistic lie.
In that case, then anyone God does not love at the beginning of their life is out of this world, because "God so loved the world..."
God hated Esau before he committed any good or evil act (Rom. 9:11-13). God hated Esau not because He knew Esau would reject Him because God hated Esau without any regards to anything He knew Esau would do.
This is not what the writer to the Hebrews says:
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
11:20
however
See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
12:16-17
NOW take a look at Malachi 1:3
"Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" the Lord says. "Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals."
In other words, at first there WAS an inheritance.
If you go back to Genesis 25, we can see what the Lord actually said about the boys before they were born:
"Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger."
I see no hate here. Only a prophecy of the future of the two boys in relation to each other and the fact that both will be progenators of nations, which means Rachel is going to have a BUNCH of grandkids and great grandkids! If God had indicated hate at this point, Isaac would not have blessed both his sons, which Hebrews 11 says he did.
Thus, when Paul talks about the boys in Romans 12, the only thing Paul says stands by God's decree ahead of time is that of the two nations Rebekkah was carrying, the older would serve the younger. Then there is a period. The sentences break. Paul then adds the Malachi verse showing what that meant and what God did regarding that. The writer to the Hebrews explains why: Esau was godless.
It was not a capricious move on God's part that makes no sense to us at all. The reason is given.
This is called the sovereignty of God. It is inconsistent to teach God loves every man without exception, and He sent Jesus to die for every man without exception, but God does not deliver the gospel to every man without exception to give him a "chance" to be saved. God is not a God of chance, but of purpose (Is. 14:24).
You are using 'chance' with a different meaning than we intend. Please consider the word "opportunity" instead -- because you are right when you say God is not a God of chance, but of purpose. This is the same God who declares that He is not willing that ONE should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance...
The love of God resulted in the salvation of the Ephesian church (Eph. 2:4). If God loves every man without exception, why is everyone not saved if salvation is the result of the love of God.
The Bible answers you:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
John 3:16-18
In other words, each man has a say in the matter of his eternal destiny.
Certainly God would not send a man whom He loved to hell because nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:39).
The 'us' in your quote is born again Christians. Please stay in context.
The elect have been the children of God from all eternity because He died for the children of God (Jn. 11:52). Why, if God loves every man without exception, does not every man receive a "chance" to be saved? Did Jesus obtain eternal redemption for every man without exception and cast the lot into the laps of man to dispose of it in whatever way he sees fit?
Every man does receive enough knowledge of the truth to either accept it and follow, in which case the Father will lead him or her to Christ, or to reject it. Romans 1. Romans 2. And the rest of the Bible as well. Jesus, in the meantime, atoned for all sins. But via a person's choice of non-belief, the person is allowed to refuse that.
How many Arminians on this board go into all the world as a witness for the testimony of Jesus Christ? How many souls have you "won?"
Well, I'm not an Arminian, but on this internet my husband and I do indeed go out into the world. We also go on speaking tours because of his research into the speed of light ( see
www.setterfield.org ) and its indication of a very young universe, exactly as the Bible says. We receive letters from students and professors around the world thanking Barry for his work and me for my writing. We have standing invitations to speak at any Capernwray campus in the world
http://www.capernwray.org.uk/index2.html
and have received invitations from countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and of course here in North America. The gospel is always a part of his presentation, and the response we get from Christians and non-Christians is incredible.
We also are funding, from our own monies a Zimbabwean medical student through medical school. His financing dropped off the far side of nowhere when the political/financial system there collapsed a few years ago. He is a student at the University of Adelaide in South Australia and a fine Christian man. His plans are to take his family back to Zimbabwe and open a medical clinic there.
Any other questions?
How much money do you give to "missionaries?" How often do you go the extra mile to deliver the gospel to the unlearned and heathen? If you are like most Arminians I know the answers to the questions above are "none," "none," "a dollar here and there," and "never." That makes you, in my humble opinion, a hypocrite guilty of sending souls to hell.
Thank you for your kind words. We are doing everything we know how to do with all the resources we have, all of which are the Lord's.
We don't just go the extra mile, fella, we go the extra ten to twelve thousand miles. Jet lag is a familiar feeling. So is wondering if we will be able to pay all our bills from month to month. But you know something? The Lord is faithful and always there is money from someone and help, too.
And we are both totally anti-Calvinism. Neither are we Arminian or Pelagian or semi-Pelagian either. We simply endeavor to be biblical Christians.
Now, what have you done?
[ November 20, 2002, 11:32 PM: Message edited by: Helen ]