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Well you know how I believe now but before, as a Universalist, I believed the same as you Shana. If there is a God, he is sovereign and in control of EVERYTHING. There is no free will, it's all been planned out.
I like the way Martin Zender responds to that wonderment.
“We all have wills, they are just not free.
Then why do we even exist, we might ask? Why do our wills exist? Is God playing chess with Himself? Why does He even need us? Why does He bother letting us think that we’re free?
I think it is in this perceived realm of freedom that we live and learn. God has given us the gift of NOT FEELING HIS CONTROL, and it is this gift that allows us to struggle with decisions, suffer for mistakes, and revel in the overcoming of obstacles.
It is this gift that allows us to turn to Him with tears both of sorrow and of joy.
I think the idea is to bring us in humble adoration to His feet. If it takes a sovereign God to assure that we come to this blessed place, then let’s let Him be sovereign—at the same time reveling in our perceived (but not actual) freedom.” (end quote)
I think that negative experiences work into us the motivation to choose differently in the future.
In Acts 17 Paul told the Athenian crown that "in Him we are moving and living and are" and "He gives to all, life and breath and all."
So since God is everywhere, why does it seem hard for Him to control His creation and His created beings?
God often spoke of Israel as controlling them with bridle and bit. That is how a rider controls a horse.
Yet we all have wills. The Bible calls our will "the will of the flesh." The flesh is enmity to God. So our will must be at enmity to God (unless God intervenes). Get it?
In Acts 17 Paul told the Athenian crown that "in Him we are moving and living and are" and "He gives to all, life and breath and all."
So since God is everywhere, why does it seem hard for Him to control His creation and His created beings?
God often spoke of Israel as controlling them with bridle and bit. That is how a rider controls a horse.
Yet we all have wills. The Bible calls our will "the will of the flesh." The flesh is enmity to God. So our will must be at enmity to God (unless God intervenes). Get it?
Actually God says if one must be moved about by bit and bridle one has NO understanding.
Hi Steph, To whom we yield your members to is to whom we serve. Will we yield our dominion to Satan or to God? Choose ye this day whom you will serve.
Jesus death is not what saves us, it is His LIFE that does.
The question in my mind is what does His life represent?
To me it is total surrender to the will of the Father, to walk in perfect obedience, to say only what the Father says and do only what the Father says, to love as He loves never doing evil for evil but overcome the evil with good.
Hi Pneuma,
Thank you for your thoughts. I don't believe the Bible tells us that we are saved by either His life only or His death only... could you let me know why you think that or clarify what you mean? The gospel (that Jesus died and rose again) is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. So we are saved both by His death (forgiven of past sins and rescued from the power of sin) and by His life (walking after the Spirit and not after the flesh, by faith, in newness of life). Romans 5:10 tells us that since we are reconciled to God by His death, much more shall we be saved by His life. So we have our entrance into Christ through the atonement, and His resurrection life empowers godly living which leads to inheriting eternal life. That Jesus ransomed us by His death is declared powerfully in the Scriptures.... 1 Peter 1:18,19 ; Mark 10:45 ; 1 Timothy 2:6 ; Revelation 5:9...
I agree that if we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption and if we sow to the Spirit we will reap eternal life. Sowing to the Spirit is impossible unless one has first been ransomed from slavery to sin.
This is just something I am studying at the mo, so be gentle with your corrections if you see any blatant error here.
Thank you for your thoughts. I don't believe the Bible tells us that we are saved by either His life only or His death only... could you let me know why you think that or clarify what you mean? The gospel (that Jesus died and rose again) is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. So we are saved both by His death (forgiven of past sins and rescued from the power of sin) and by His life (walking after the Spirit and not after the flesh, by faith, in newness of life). Romans 5:10 tells us that since we are reconciled to God by His death, much more shall we be saved by His life. So we have our entrance into Christ through the atonement, and His resurrection life empowers godly living which leads to inheriting eternal life. That Jesus ransomed us by His death is declared powerfully in the Scriptures.... 1 Peter 1:18,19 ; Mark 10:45 ; 1 Timothy 2:6 ; Revelation 5:9...
I agree that if we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption and if we sow to the Spirit we will reap eternal life. Sowing to the Spirit is impossible unless one has first been ransomed from slavery to sin.
This is just something I am studying at the mo, so be gentle with your corrections if you see any blatant error here.
Steph
HI Steph, scripture tell us we are reconciled by His death but saved by His life.
Romans 5:10
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Here is a little article I wrote that might help you understand better what I am saying.
Why preach the gospel at all?
Without a doubt this is one of the most frequent question asked of me, everywhere I post I come across this question.
Here is my answer to this question
For me the reason Jesus was sent and the reason Jesus sends us is to free people through Him from sin and death. Salvation is not complete just because one believes Jesus died for them. Believing is only the starting point on our journey toward full salvation, for we are reconciled by His death, but saved by His life.
All men everywhere are already reconciled by His death, this is a done deal because He died 2000 years ago for all men's reconciliation and mans belief or unbelief CANNOT change this fact. If someone does not believe Jesus died for them simply does not change the fact that He did.
So then all men everywhere have already been reconciled, but not all men are yet saved from sin and death.
Therefore Jesus send us out in order to proclaim His salvation by His LIFE.
His death reconciled all men, but His LIFE is what saves all men, this salvation is not a one time deal as such, but is a long process of walking in His LIFE and forsaking our own. Taking up the cross and following Him and enduring unto the end that we might be saved.
Thus we are told to proclaim His death and therefore His reconciliation for all men as a FACT that cannot be disputed , and we are to do this so that the entire world can have the same hope in His LIFE that we to have. Thus it is not by His death that sin and death are defeated but by His LIFE.
When we witness about that which Jesus done, we are first to tell all men that they have been reconciled because of His death, this fact breathes hope into the world that God does indeed love them. Then after people become aware of the fact of this reconciliation by His death we are to proclaim His resurrection. And it is because of the fact that He was resurrected OUT OF DEATH that the world is given hope of the same resurrection OUT OF DEATH. We are NOT saved from death, we are saved OUT OF DEATH, for it was while we were DEAD in sin that He died and was raised to life again for us.
So the resurrection is a moving from DEATH to LIFE, so as He died for all men, so to did He rise for all men, and this is the gospel of the good new toward ALL MEN EVERYWHERE.
If one believes Jesus died for all men, should it not go without saying that when He rose again that it was for all men also? Can we really separate His death from His resurrection? If so, how then can DEATH be swallowed up of LIFE?
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 9Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
God instruct us and teaches us and guides us, but NOT with bit and bridle as though we are a horse or mule.
Pneuma, thank you for your thoughts! I am in much agreement with you, in particular about the truth that our salvation is not complete.... It is nearer now than when we first believed! I do read that Paul says the message of reconciliation involves imploring people to be reconciled to God, so I maintain that we are reconciled to God by Jesus' death but this only takes place when we believe (demonstrating faith in Christ and repentance towards God). His death made this reconciliation possible for every sinner!! When we believe, we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into light, we are ransomed from slavery to sin, and freed to obey from the heart. Christ lives in us and we walk by faith! I also agree that enduring until the end will lead to eternal life, and that some will fall away and not endure... . Many call this a works based salvation and that grieves me. It is all by God's grace, for Him, from Him and to Him. He has, after all, prepared these good works for us to do, redeemed us from lawlessness, and purified us as a people for His own possession - zealous for good works. He gives us His Spirit! Though we can sin, we are not doomed to. We are saints and priests, and there is no temptation from which God has not prepared a way out for us. We also have access to the very throne of grace for help in time of need. Jesus was tempted as we are and was without sin, so the excuse of being unable not to sin is based in error which has harmed the church.
Just my thoughts and ramblings. . Thanks again for sharing your article!
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. Many call this a works based salvation and that grieves me. It is all by God's grace, for Him, from Him and to Him. He has, after all, prepared these good works for us to do, redeemed us from lawlessness, and purified us as a people for His own possession - zealous for good works. He gives us His Spirit! Though we can sin, we are not doomed to. We are saints and priests, and there is no temptation from which God has not prepared a way out for us. We also have access to the very throne of grace for help in time of need. Jesus was tempted as we are and was without sin, so the excuse of being unable not to sin is based in error which has harmed the church.
. Thanks again for sharing your article!
