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Jesus told His disciples that no one would be able to come to Him without the Father's drawing power. (Like a spiritual tractor beam..)
ET denys this. ET says that man can draw himself to God at any time. But that is not scriptural. Grace means that it is God's doing, not man's. Here's more:
Quote:
"Lk. 8:10 To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables; in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand."
God purposely opens the eyes of some people, and blinds other people. Why? To show His Grace in His time!
Quote:
"Lk. 10:21-22 No one knows who the Father is except the Son...and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."
Here again, Jesus shows us plainly that it is the decision of the Father and the Son, not man.
Quote:
"Mk. 4:10-12 To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables.… lest they return again and be forgiven."
Question: Have you repented and been forgiven?? If yes, then you must know that it was GOD who made you to understand it. Men who have not been drawn yet do not understand that they have been forgiven! Hallelujah! BUT, when the Father DRAWS you, He spontaneously converts and forgives and heals you!! It is HIS doing, not man's. This is what is so important to understand. Otherwise, you cannot understand what is meant by God's grace.
Quote:
"Jn. 6:65 For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."
Does the Father "grant" it to everyone? Yes, but not at the same time! That's why some are saved now. "Many are called, but few are chosen." That doesn't mean that most are rejected! That means that a few are chosen in this life. But all are called eventually.
Quote:
"Jn. 12:32 And if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Myself."
Here's the promise! Jesus will indeed draw all men. Some now, the rest later. Count on it!
Quote:
"Jn. 17:2 Even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life."
Does Jesus have authority over all mankind? YES, and He knows how to use it to our advantage, folks! It's called GRACE!
Quote:
"Acts 3:26 ...and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."
Did God do something here without man's permission?!? YES! He BLESSED us by turning us from our wickedness!
Does that include Ted Bundy?? YES! (But Bundy didn't know it, poor fellow.. But by now he probably already knows it! )
THAT is God's GRACE. He reveals His Power to us individually, according to when He so chooses. Individually. And when He does, we are set free!
Quote:
"Acts 11:18 God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."
Repentance IS GRANTED, NOT CHOSEN. By GRACE we are saved. God's decision, NOT ours!
Quote:
"Acts 18:27 On arriving, he [Paul] was a great help to those who by grace had believed."
and this:
Quote:
"Acts 16:14 And the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul."
Because they haven't yet been shown by the Father that they have been blessed with Life! And when He draws them to Himself, they will automatically convert and be revived from the dead! All this, by God's grace!
Jesus told the centurion that he would be "thrust down to hell." Was he? I believe he was. But not in the afterlife, but while on Earth, when he saw people receiving God's grace to know Life! What Life? Eternal Life? It is a quality of life. And others were receiving it, and he was tormented because he was not yet drawn by the Father.
But when the Father decides to draw him individually, he will spontaneously repent, be healed and revived into that same Eternal Life.
Many of us need to move from this "Believe in God" to this ................................"Believe also in me".
You cannot deny what was manifested through the life of Jesus Christ is the polar opposite of our understanding of what is written and attributed to God in the Old Testament scripture.
You do not deserve the hell that the preachers of it tell you, you deserve nothing other than to be fixed by the hands Him that created you, and if anymore else a more improved model, made in His own Image.
Jesus told His disciples that no one would be able to come to Him without the Father's drawing power. (Like a spiritual tractor beam..)
ET denys this. ET says that man can draw himself to God at any time. But that is not scriptural. Grace means that it is God's doing, not man's. Here's more:
Right concept ... wrong application. Decision theology denys it.
But go on ahead and just keep on telling yourself that the God\Jesus doesn't address the eternal damnation of unbelievers in the Bible. Wanton blindness on your part won't change the fact that Jesus in the NT only but expanded on what was revealed in the OT. (see post 392)
Right concept ... wrong application. Decision theology denys it.
But go on ahead and just keep on telling yourself that the God\Jesus doesn't address the eternal damnation of unbelievers in the Bible. Wanton blindness on your part won't change the fact that Jesus in the NT only but expanded on what was revealed in the OT. (see post 392)
Of course God's love is eternal, but not because of the use of "the ages of the ages." God is the eonian God. His love is especially manifested during the ages, but the ages, collectively, come to an end.
SOME INFORMATION FOR INTERESTED STUDENTS
A snippet from THE OUTCOME OF INFINITE GRACE – LOYAL F. HURLEY
“Only as one sees God’s Plan of the Ages do they see the beauty of God’s Program for the redemption of the race.
Heb. 11:3 should read, “Through faith we understand that the ages were planned by the Word of God.” The ages will collectively end. A literal translation of Heb. 9:26 is, ‘But now, once for all, with a view to the end of the ages, has He been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.’
Throughout the eons there is sin and evil, condemnation and death. At the end of the eons all will be justified (Rom. 5:18,19), and all will be reconciled through Christ’s blood (Col. 1:20).
A snippet from MUST AION MEAN ETERNAL? – PHILIP SCRANTON
"There are many texts in which aion and aionios cannot bear the meaning of eternity. And there are no texts in which the meaning of a limited period of time does not make reasonable sense. Our great loss is that when we ascribe the meaning of eternity to these words, we obliterate from view God's purpose of the eons. Further, the character of God is slandered, making Him the inflictor of incomprehensible woe.
God is working all things after the counsel of His will and according to His perfect schedule. But the improper translation of "for the ages of the ages" ignores the purpose and climax of history. The holies of the holies (plural/plural) were the two inner confines of the tabernacle. (1Kings 8:6 literal translation instead of the most holy place). They were more holy than the outer court and the camp and all the places outside the camp. In like manner, the ages of the ages are the two greatest ages of history because of what will transpire during their time. It does not cast the smallest shadow on the brilliance of God's glory to say that glory be attributed to Him during the climatic eons when His purpose will be realized by all and His glory seen more clearly than ever before."
A snippet from AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WORDS – Louis Abbott
"As mentioned previously, there are several analogous expressions in the Scriptures which should show the meaning of the words under discussion. In Ex. 26:33 (LXX), tou hagiou ton hagion, "in the holy of the holies." This is similar to the "eon of the eons" of Eph. 3:21. In IKings 8:6 (LXX) we see, eis ta hagia ton hagion, "for the holies of the holies" - similar to "eons of the eons." The "holy of the holies" and "holies of the holies" refer to the tabernacle. Psalm 44:7 says, ho thronos sou ho theos, eis ton aiona tou aionos, "Thy throne, O God, is for the eon of eon"-similar to Heb. 1:8. Daniel 7:18: "until eon of the eons" and similar to that of Eph. 3:21, where a singular is followed by a plural, "eon of the eons." In these expressions we see the eons corresponding to the holies in the tabernacle.
While there are many different teachings on the types in the Tabernacle of Moses, it should not be too difficult to see that there were at least five divisions: (1) without the camp; (2) in the camp; (3) in the court; (4) in the holy place; and (5) in the holy of holies. These may be likened to the five eons we find in the Scriptures (past eons, present eon, future eons). The last eon is called the "eon of the eons," because it, like the "holy of holies," is the climax of the others. In Hebrews chapter 9, the Greek text of Nestle reads (margin v. 25), eis ta hagia ton hagion, "into the holies of the holies," and (v. 3), hagia hagion, "holies of holies." Just as the two holy places in the tabernacle are called the holies of holies, so the last two eons are often called the eons of the eons.
As the tabernacle illustrated man's approach to God, it corresponds closely with the eonian times, which also brings man to God. The "holy of holies" was a single holy place. The "eon of eons," a single eon. It was the pre-eminence of the "holy of holies," in relation to the other holy places, which caused it to be so designated. So the pre-eminence of the "eon of the eons" lies in its being the fruitage and harvest of previous eons. The same is true of the "holies of the holies" of Heb. 9:25. They may be likened to the "eons of the eons" of Rev. 11:15; 22:5."
AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WORDS Chapter Five
Many of us need to move from this "Believe in God" to this ................................"Believe also in me".
You cannot deny what was manifested through the life of Jesus Christ is the polar opposite of our understanding of what is written and attributed to God in the Old Testament scripture.
You do not deserve the hell that the preachers of it tell you, you deserve nothing other than to be fixed by the hands Him that created you, and if anymore else a more improved model, made in His own Image.
It is amazing HOW Jesus phrased that, isn't it....Ye believe in God,,,, believe also in me." He knew they already believed in God (but that it had not benefited or transformed them because they had the wrong image of God emblazoned on their hearts and in their minds).
Right concept ... wrong application. Decision theology denys it.
But go on ahead and just keep on telling yourself that the God\Jesus doesn't address the eternal damnation of unbelievers in the Bible. Wanton blindness on your part won't change the fact that Jesus in the NT only but expanded on what was revealed in the OT. (see post 392)
"Eternal damnation" is only found in Mark 3.29.
66 books called the Protestant Bible.
1 verse only.
Pretty small stuff for such a big topic as you make it to seem, wouldn't you say, twin??
As I was reading your posts this morning an old song came to my mind that I've not listened to in many years..... it seems fitting to share with you at this time:
It is amazing HOW Jesus phrased that, isn't it....Ye believe in God,,,, believe also in me." He knew they already believed in God (but that it had not benefited or transformed them because they had the wrong image of God emblazoned on their hearts and in their minds).
If this doesn't cause us to question OURSELVES and not God,how that Jesus Christ is the exact opposite of the wrong image we have formed in our minds of God and how we understand him to be by the OT scriptures,it shows how hardened our hearts have become .
How can anyone with the slighest bit of intelligence, believe that Jesus Christ and all that He represented, believe that he is the exact representation of the understanding we have of the God of the OT scriptures ?.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. Heb 1:3
Jesus Christ either represented who God really IS or he didn't, he told folk if you have seen me you have seen the Father, how hard is that to understand ?.
Where were the floods, the fire and brimstone,the slaughter of enemies and all the other atrocities attributed to God in the life of Jesus, if he is the exact representation of who God is according to Hebrews 1:3 ?.
As I was reading your posts this morning an old song came to my mind that I've not listened to in many years..... it seems fitting to share with you at this time:
Blessings of His grace to you too, my dear Heartsong!
brian
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YES! He BLESSED us by turning us from our wickedness!
A response to post #392
