Many = All Many times In The Bible

Secret church

This was given to me by my mom from a friend of hers.

"The church was a mystery kept secret since the world began. The old testiment proclaimed the comming, the Messiah, but said nothing of the royal priesthood (1Pet 2:9)of those in Christ, the church: according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began(Rom 16:25): But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory(1 cor 2:7) And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ(eph 3:9: This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church (eph 5:32).

But how could God, who had promissed Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servant the prophets(Amos 3:7), keep the church secret, hidden from those to whom He had promissed to reveal all that He would do? He predestined the Church which was kept secret since the world began before the foundation of the world. It is something He had done, not something He would do which would be revealed to the prophets. It is the church which is predestined, not who will be in it. Who will be in it will are those who accept Christ and endure in their faith to the end: he that endures to the end shall be saved (Matt 10:22).

When the Lord said that many are called, but few are choosen(Matt 22:14), He was telling us that most of the people called are not choosen. When Paul wrote whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified (Rom 8:30), he is speaking of the church: those who let him in when He knocks, who let Him live in them to conform them in His image to be justified and glorified. And when Paul wrote: I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway, he was telling us that his own salvation was not predestined but was depended on his enduring love to the end"

 

No one disputes that Jesus is a Ransom for many.
And no one disputes that His sacrifice does not redeem or ransom everyone.

The problem comes when we confuse Christ's propitation made for all (1Jn 2:2)and the Redemption of many that is applied by faith in the propitiation (Rom 3:25).
Yes, Christ did give His life a ransom for many and that ransom/redemption is imparted via faith. Therefore it does not preclude Christ dieing for all, it precludes that not all will be of faith thus only many will be ransomed.

You stated "When slaves were redeemed --were they set free or not". There is no question that they were freed, however I must ask:
Do you believe that all the elect after Christs death were born saved and free from condenation??

If you stated no (and I'm pretty sure you will), the question then becomes, why not, since Christ 'paid' the Ranson already through His death and therefore has set them all free?
Answer: Because we must believe that the ransom be applied to or imparted for us.

 

I see nobody has answered Allan's question...so I'll post it again...

How can a person be damned only after their rejection of a message that can not save them?

 

No, because that is a non answer. If we are "all in the same boat", the elect and non elect alike, Christ's death is for everyone.

Maybe you would like to take a stab at it? If the Gospel message is not for the reprobate, how can you reject something (and be held accountable for) that was never intended for you?

 

...but I thought Christ paid for the sins of the elect before they enter this world? What wrath would there be for them since their sin was already atoned for?

You still haven't answered how the reprobate can be held accountable for rejecting a message not intended for them! I'm not blaming the Lord for anything, but asking YOU to provide the Scriptural support for this view!

 

His chosen where the ones I was refering to concerning those set free (those who are of faith or the elect).

No one is making the argument that Christ died for us 'if we believe'. Christ died and that is a fact, but the propitiation of his death is only imparted 'by faith' (Rom 3:24-26). Another way of say it is that we are justified, as says the scripture, 'by faith' (Rom 3:28; Rom 5:1; Gal 2:16; Gal 3:24). Am I wrong on this?

I do not deny Rippon that scripture states He died for His own or better to make those He foreknew His own [as the end result of His work]. But at the same time I also can not deny that the scripture states that "God so loved the world" and that He is 'the propitiation' for the sins 'of the whole world', 'Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth' ,et... Thus there is more to the story IMO.

Thus I find the comfusion comes when we confuse Christ's propitation made for all (1Jn 2:2) and the Redemption of many that is applied by faith in the propitiation (Rom 3:25).

 

Actually, yes.

...and the reprobate that HAVE heard the Gospel? What are they accountable for? Is the Gospel nothing more than rubbing salt in a wound to them? Accountability is different from Christ's propitiation. John 3:18 and John 8:24 state man dies eternally for rejecting Christ (the Gospel). If the Gospel is not intended for the reprobate, you have a HUGE dilema, and they cannot be held accountable for something not intended for them in the first place.

I thought calvinism doesn't teach double predestination

 

Scripture also says that the reprobate will be blotted from the book of life, that when sin springs to life death occurs, etc. That is why context is king. The children of wrath being spoken of in your "proof text" were jews, that they were also children of wrath along with the gentiles (since they thought they held special honor as jews).

 

This is the "hump" (for lack of a better word) in Calvinism that I just cannot get over.

I do not understand how a just God can hold someone accountable for rejecting Christ when they were offered no way to escape the penalty for their sin.

 

Ahhh...so you haven't cleared the speed bump after all? :laugh:

Neither have I (as much as I have tried to in the past).

I think Allan's question he has posed is one that cannot be answered by calvinism using Scripture, and is an excellent one.

 

You're so funny! :laugh:

Actually, if I had to pick one person on this board that I agree with regarding C/A, it would be Allan. I think he has the most balanced view.