God loves everyone?
- Thread starter Hammster
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“If I have the means to save everyone from a house fire and only pick one to save, even if they were foolish and started the fire themselves, I am not more merciful to one than to the others?”At this point, I don't even remember what question you are talking about...
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- Aug 11, 2017
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It was a valid question. Predestination makes God responsible for everyone who burns in the lake of fire which is according to the scriptures the majority of people. So if predestination were true that would make God more vengeful than merciful. Of course most Christians know this is not the case, while others have unfortunately been misled.
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renniks
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Yes, at least part of the truth about Jesus.
"During the night he saw someone dressed in white raise his hand and say, “Stand up and follow me.” The Persian man said, “Who are you?” The man in white replied, “I am the Alpha and the Omega. I’m the way to heaven. No one can go to the Father, except through me."
Sure sounds like the gospel to me.
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- Apr 5, 2007
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The question assumes that man is just foolish, and God would be unjust if He didn’t just overlook the foolishness. There is no mention of how holy God is, and how wicked men are, or how gross sin is.
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What is your answer? Do you believe, in this scenario, that God could save everyone if He desired?
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- Mar 4, 2005
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"Atheist" doesn't mean you are without God, that you haven't heard of, or met, him yet; "Atheist" means that you KNOW, without doubt, that God doesn't exist. That in spite of creation, the Bible, the church and millions of testimonies to the contrary, you know there is no God.
Babies don't know that. In fact, the Holy Spirit can minister to babies/toddlers and, if they are prayed for, I am quite sure that he would do so.
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Are you saying that God does not know all things?
He created ALL people in his image, had no idea that some of them would not follow him, and doesn't know those whom he has not chosen?
In other words, you were once "as the others".
ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Romans 6:23. The difference between Christians and non Christians is that we know the Saviour; the One who laid down his life to reconcile us to God. We have forgiveness and reconciliation with the Father.
Potentially, ALL could belong to Christ, be his child and be saved; read John's Gospel and count the times that Jesus says "whoever believes", "whoever accepts" or "everyone who believes ..."
Not everyone will be saved; many will reject, and continue to reject, his free gift of salvation.
That means that everyone is a robot; it doesn't matter what we do, read, say, believe etc, God has chosen some and will force salvation upon them which they have no choice but to accept.
That also means that God created many in his own image, knowing that he was not going to choose them to belong to him - and then he would send them to hell for not believing in him, when they were unable to do so anyway. That does not sound at all fair - and certainly not like love.
As I see it it's not awesome at all; it's dreadful.
You're implying that we have a God who created everyone in his image and knew that everyone would sin, chose only some of us sinners to be saved and belong to him, and that those not chosen to be his can do nothing about it.
Jesus said that we should love our enemies, Matthew 5:44, that if we love only those who will love us back; what good is that? Matthew 5:46. And that we should be perfect as God is perfect, Matthew 5:48.
But it seems, from your argument, that God does what Jesus told us not to do; that he selected a few for salvation and to receive his love and doesn't bother about anyone whom he hasn't chosen. In other words, God shows love only to those who show love to him, and they can only show love to him if he has already decided to save them and show them his love.
That's not love.
Love is patient, kind, always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. God IS love, 1 John 4:8. He is also truth; he is holy, pure, merciful, just, full of compassion and does not want anyone to perish, 2 Peter 3:9.
We love because God first loved us, 1 John 4:19. When we look at the cross and realise what God did for us, we see his love for us, 1 John 3:16 - then we respond to that love. Some don't. But have they really been shown that pure, amazing, unconditional love, or have they been told "you will only be saved if you do ...... belong to this church, believe this doctrine or have been chosen to believe"?
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Foreknow means to to have known as in a loving relationship, not know things about what someone did in a future life. Those God foreknew as His own. Dont imply God did not know as God knows all things before they occur.
Many people mistakenly view this foreknowing as nothing more than foreknowledge, do you get that?
For 'whom' HE foreknew, He also did predestine., not what he foreknew.
The 'others' God did not foreknow them in a loving relationship. He had no great love for the others, He disregarded them. For example those who rejected the OC, God disregarded them, He did not help them to salvation. He ignored them, so HE certainly then did not die for them He did not foreknow, that is just a useless waste of His time patiently waiting for the reprobate to repent and believe when He knows they never will.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.
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God does not help the reprobate to salvation, God and Christ only aids the seed of Abraham to salvation. And no that is not just jews!
Hebrews 2
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying:
“I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
13 And again:
“I will put My trust in Him.”
And again:
“Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”
14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Christ also only propitiates the sins of the people whom HE aids to salvation who are the seed of Abraham, whose seed you are as He foreknew you. God made the promise to Abraham that his seed would be as the stars for number, so a vast hose then He propitiates the sins of that people not all people. That people would be the ones God gave him as believers!
Hebrews 2
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying:
“I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
13 And again:
“I will put My trust in Him.”
And again:
“Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”
14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Christ also only propitiates the sins of the people whom HE aids to salvation who are the seed of Abraham, whose seed you are as He foreknew you. God made the promise to Abraham that his seed would be as the stars for number, so a vast hose then He propitiates the sins of that people not all people. That people would be the ones God gave him as believers!
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If your spiritually minded , you will know that believers are as Isaac was a child of the promise God made to Abraham. If your not spiritually minded, you wont acknowledge this and your going to have turmoil trying to figure it out, you will fail, and you will be deceived.
Galatians 3
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
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And since the letter of Hebrews was written to the Hebrew Christians, they would have understood that the atonement, propitiation was only for the people of God, those that God called as the seed of Abraham, those children that God gave to Christ as believers, and no one else
'through Isaac your seed shall be the called'
Romans 9
6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,
7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.”
8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
'through Isaac your seed shall be the called'
Romans 9
6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,
7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.”
8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
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- Oct 10, 2011
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God loves (in that He appreciates, admires, etc) every single one and all of His Creation or creations, even if some of them are only temporary ones, (in the sight of other not so temporary ones), only meant for here, or only to ever be and/or exist in realities like these or this one only, eternally, etc...
One is meant for only one kind of life, while the other, or some others, are only here temporarily, and are meant for another kind of life, etc...
God Bless!
One is meant for only one kind of life, while the other, or some others, are only here temporarily, and are meant for another kind of life, etc...
God Bless!
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I wasn't - I was asking you if that was what you were saying. It was a question.
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