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There is a very simple answer to your question. Jesus died, rose from the dead and assended into heaven to save HIS PEOPLE. His sacrifice is not bound by time in any way but reaches back to the old Testament believers and forward to all who will come to faith in Him in the future. All of these people have been predistined from before the foundation of the earth as the bible clearly tells us. So therefore if those people who pased away a week earlier, those who were around Him, the guy in the next country, the south African and the Chinese guy... If they are in God's book of life, then yes they will be saved and Christ's work was for them.
God's work is always effectual and it never fails. What He decrees comes to pass. It this were not so then God would not be God. If there was one single molecule running around the universe outside of God's control, it could very well undo all of God's plans. That is not the case in any respect. Almighty is just what it says. A very simple concept really and everything in the universe exists because of this Almightyness of God.
So many Christians today that have very little understanding of the bible actually believe that the will of sinful man can frustrate the plans of God. That's exactly what you really believe if you think that choosing or not choosing to be a believer is a function of the will. What hogwash that is. If God had left us in that state there would be exactly zero believers in the world.
Eh..... if God is God.....what the heck does he need a BOOK for? Think He might be worried of getting distracted by happenings in another galaxy or something? Please don't tell me that the Almighty is keeping a list...and checking it twice....gonna find out who's naughty and......
Or maybe there is this exclusive little club that only very special people get to join and maybe God is afraid of a Cosmic case of Alzheimers and He'll forget who was in the club and who wasn't.
Will you please just once give me a break. You are communicating about the single Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omnicient Being. I really don't think He needs to keep a Stenopad in His backpocket.
By the way, I was talking to God earlier today. Apprently He is pretty happy with most of what I've been doing......but I think He's a bit mifted with you. I'll try to put in a good word for you next time we talk....
There is not one single concept that Paul wrote that is not all throughout the scripture from beginning to end. Give me an example of Pauline teaching that is not in accord with what the Lord Jesus taught. I think that you will have difficulty in finding that teaching.
In your earlier posts in this thread it seemed to me that you believed that we are saved by our good works or by our good intent, this is nowhere taught by Jesus.
The definitive teaching By Jesus Himself about salvation is in His answer when He was asked by Nicodemus "What must we do to be saved"? "You MUST be born again". was the answer and it's the only answer. Therefore, what we believe or don't believe is nothing but a moote point if God has not by His completely sovereign will and choice regenerated us to spiritual life from our Adamic condition of spiritual death. It's at this point and only at this point that we begin to understand anything at all about God, his plans for us and for His entire creation.
Working your way into salvation through good works is not exactly what I mean...nor is it good intent. God is pure grace...Grace by definition is the "un-deserved mercy of God." Despite all you say and your very learned declarations about plans...there is one thing regarding the GRACE of God...He shows and will show mercy for us in this life - before this life and after this life. That is the best we can hope for...I truly believe he even saves the worst sinner..the most wicked as well as the most good...God does not judge the way we humans do. He is beyond spite - punishment and or human revenge.
All I know is that I love him and God loves me without limit..that is all I need to know...That deep and powerful love it what sustains us all. I love God. It is that simple- the way God loves us is like the eastern proverb..
"I DO NOT LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE IS GOOD- I LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE IS LIKE MY LITTLE CHILD"
Imagine when you hold a babe in your arms- your own child or the child of another...THAT IS THE WAY GOD LOVES YOU...it is more powerful than all the scripture ever written.... LOVE.
Working your way into salvation through good works is not exactly what I mean...nor is it good intent. God is pure grace...Grace by definition is the "un-deserved mercy of God." Despite all you say and your very learned declarations about plans...there is one thing regarding the GRACE of God...He shows and will show mercy for us in this life - before this life and after this life. That is the best we can hope for...I truly believe he even saves the worst sinner..the most wicked as well as the most good...God does not judge the way we humans do. He is beyond spite - punishment and or human revenge.
All I know is that I love him and God loves me without limit..that is all I need to know...That deep and powerful love it what sustains us all. I love God. It is that simple- the way God loves us is like the eastern proverb..
"I DO NOT LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE IS GOOD- I LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE IS LIKE MY LITTLE CHILD"
Imagine when you hold a babe in your arms- your own child or the child of another...THAT IS THE WAY GOD LOVES YOU...it is more powerful than all the scripture ever written.... LOVE.
There is a few problems with the things you are saying from a Christian standpoint. Christians believe that most of what we know about God and all we know about His plans for His creation we get from the bible. The bible tells us that God has a people that are His own posession of His own choosing and those people will be saved from His judgement. These people are the objects of God's special Grace. This is a particular Grace that is extended only to those whom God has chosen as His children.
All the other sons and daughters of Adam will not recieve this particular grace but they will get what God has promised them, Justice. In the garden God told Adam that he would surely die if he sinned and sin he did. This death is both physical and spiritual and that is the condition of all Adams seed except those whom God has chosen for redemption. Universalism is in no way Christian and is a complete refudiation of everything the bible teaches.
You know, there are a lot of things about God that we really don't like in our fallen human state. We don't like it that God is angry. He is angry with sinners and we are told this time after time in His word. It kind of freaks us out to realize that God is a jealous God but that is what we are told in His word. The bible also tells us "God is no respecter of persons". When you study the bible you begin to get a grasp of the character of God that he reveals to us. Have you ever heard the word propitiate or propitiatation?
The simple meaning of this word is, "TO SATISFY THE ANGER OF". THIS CONCEPT WAS VERY IMPORTANT IN BOTH THE OLD TESTAMENT TEMPLE WORSHIP AND IN THE NEW COVENENT.
In the old covenent, once a year on the Day of atonement the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies in the temple. This was the only time he was allowed there. He sprinkled the blood of a perfect lamb who had been sacrificed on the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant. This was an act of propitiation on behalf of God's people. In other words this temporarily satisfied God's anger with His people because of their sin. In the new covenant it's the blood of Jesus that covers the believer and propitiates God's WRATH. This was the perfect sacrifice that was only needed to be done once for all God's people.
That is what all the Christian hymns about being Washed in the blood of the lamb are all about. Or, there's power, power wonder working power in the blood, in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus is called "The Lamb of God" as a TITLE by John the Baptist when John first saw him. Jesus is this Lamb, the perfect and the final lamb who was slain for His people to satisfy God's anger and wrath on a fallen world and a fallen humankind.
Are YOU washed in the wonderworking Blood of the Lamb?
There is a few problems with the things you are saying from a Christian standpoint. Christians believe that most of what we know about God and all we know about His plans for His creation we get from the bible. The bible tells us that God has a people that are His own posession of His own choosing and those people will be saved from His judgement. These people are the objects of God's special Grace. This is a particular Grace that is extended only to those whom God has chosen as His children.
All the other sons and daughters of Adam will not recieve this particular grace but they will get what God has promised them, Justice. In the garden God told Adam that he would surely die if he sinned and sin he did. This death is both physical and spiritual and that is the condition of all Adams seed except those whom God has chosen for redemption. Universalism is in no way Christian and is a complete refudiation of everything the bible teaches.
You know, there are a lot of things about God that we really don't like in our fallen human state. We don't like it that God is angry. He is angry with sinners and we are told this time after time in His word. It kind of freaks us out to realize that God is a jealous God but that is what we are told in His word. The bible also tells us "God is no respecter of persons". When you study the bible you begin to get a grasp of the character of God that he reveals to us. Have you ever heard the word propitiate or propitiatation?
The simple meaning of this word is, "TO SATISFY THE ANGER OF". THIS CONCEPT WAS VERY IMPORTANT IN BOTH THE OLD TESTAMENT TEMPLE WORSHIP AND IN THE NEW COVENENT.
In the old covenent, once a year on the Day of atonement the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies in the temple. This was the only time he was allowed there. He sprinkled the blood of a perfect lamb who had been sacrificed on the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant. This was an act of propitiation on behalf of God's people. In other words this temporarily satisfied God's anger with His people because of their sin. In the new covenant it's the blood of Jesus that covers the believer and propitiates God's WRATH. This was the perfect sacrifice that was only needed to be done once for all God's people.
That is what all the Christian hymns about being Washed in the blood of the lamb are all about. Or, there's power, power wonder working power in the blood, in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus is called "The Lamb of God" as a TITLE by John the Baptist when John first saw him. Jesus is this Lamb, the perfect and the final lamb who was slain for His people to satisfy God's anger and wrath on a fallen world and a fallen humankind.
Are YOU washed in the wonderworking Blood of the Lamb?
Calvin was not the only person who believed in the Covenants of Grace! I would say that I'm more a follower of the Theology of St. Augustine than Calvin. Of course both of these Theologins were primarily concerned with expounding the truths of the bible in some logical and organized manner.
it is fair, that is a correct statement. however, many will tell you that there is the sin of unbelief. Now that is a big one, Christ cannot cover that one. A person has no faith? that is not covered either!.... rubbish, what Christ accomplished covers all. It is so simple that people dont wanna believe it. We, Mankind, love to complicate things.
Amen to that!!!!
Romans 3:3-4
For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid:
2Timothy 2:13
If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
God will always be faithful even when we are not. Faithfulness is his nature...he cannot be unfaithful for unfaithfulness is not who he is. If belief is necessary in order to be saved and we all know it is...he will make us believe for it is God who works in each of us giving us the desire and the will to do what pleases him.
Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Hmm.....discussing whether Christ died for EVERYONE, or just those that believe (as long as we still actually agree on the necessity of faith) doesn't seem all that important compared to the question of WHAT GOD we choose to worship.
There is just one God, Vizio. Perhaps you have forgotten that.
So you think that everyone is saved? That's the logical outcome of your theology. If Christ died for a pagan's sins....why is the pagan not saved?
Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. In theological terms it's called objective justification.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: Whilewewere stillsinners, Christ died for us.
So why is the pagan not saved? Because the objective is not credited to the person, only when it is subjective. The unbeliever rejects what God did and seeks their own solution.
John 3:16 that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 8:8
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Luke 10:16
“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
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