I didn't say it wasn't!
But if there is no salvation save the elect, then God has created and sustained us just to throw them in hell.
But that is not what He has said, and to throw all those souls into hell because HE chose not to elect them is the worst type of monster.
If I am not elected, even though I pray, go to Church, live a pious life, have been born-again and filled with the Holy Spirit, He has created ME just to go to hell. You see, even though you may THINK you are elected, you don't KNOW for sure, as God does not reveal where you end up until after you are dead. And if You are not elected, You will end up in hell too.
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Election – foreknowledge – predestination – assurance or eternal security
These divine actions do not belong to humans.
These applied to and are only in Christ.
In Christ the believer or the body of Christ is elected, foreknown, predestined and has assurance.
If you are in Christ
The correct idea about Salvation as being only in Christ and is not a commodity or a license or certificate. Only
if the believer participates in the existence of Christ, either by divine action or by the will, can it be said there is Salvation. It is not a gift in the sense of receiving an object which the believer possesses, but using gift as a metaphor for Salvation refers to the fact that it cannot be bought or earned.
Salvation essentially is limited to having an ongoing relationship with the Lord Jesus where as in Ephesians 1:6 it reads that Salvation is the acceptance by God in Christ. Since it is only Christ who is accepted, all who are in His Body are accepted. What is true of Christ is true for believers only if believers “stay” joined "in Christ."
The salvation Christ provides is not in us. Salvation is only in Christ and only if we are “in Christ” are we able to participate in His Salvation. What is true of Christ is true for believers only if believers “stay” joined in Christ.
Here is an analogy about being "in Christ."
It is the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic from New York to South Hampton. If you buy a ticket, get on board and don’t jump overboard, you will arrive in South Hampton having enjoyed all the luxuries of the Queen Mary 2 and the benefits of being in South Hampton.
Now, let the names be changed:
It is the Lord Jesus’ translife journey from earth to heaven. If you believe, live your life in Christ and don’t jump off the translife journey in Christ, you will arrive in heaven having enjoyed all the luxuries of His Grace while on earth and the benefits of heaven. What is elected, foreknown, predestined, and assured is the Lord Jesus’ translife journey from earth to heaven
JUST DON”T JUMP OVERBOARD when some one tells you the tranlife trip in the Lord Jesus is just a myth.
2 Corinthian 1:8-10 is not about an Apostle Paul who no longer wanted to be an apostle but one under great duress. In the ship analogy the Apostle Paul would still be on board ship or “in Christ.”
Suppose, “If I am saved because I do not jump out of the boat then I can say I am saved because of my actions for I did not jump out of the boat.” If you believe in unconditional election this is logical but not the point. If one jumps overboard it can be safely assumed he is not “in Christ,” was not saved, and is not going to South Hampton. This does not attribute any reason why others remained on board.
Does your personal experience fits the analogy of jumping ship? Granted, just because you jumped ship does not mean the captain does not send a life boat for you. The question is not will the captain try to recover the jumper but will the jumper return to the ship in the life boat? Whatever the case, it is only those on board (in Christ) who can attain the destination of South Hampton. The only points being made of the ship crossing the Atlantic from New York to South Hampton is you must have a ticket for the passage, board the ship and remain on board to arrive in South Hampton. There is nothing mentioned about the motivation of those remaining “in Christ.”
The emphasis - “The salvation Christ provides is not in us. Salvation is only in Christ and only if we are “in Christ” are we able to participate in His Salvation. What is true of Christ is true for believers only if believers stay joined in Christ.
It is conceded that there is the implication that believers must remain on board even while watching others jump ship. If the "not jumping overboard" is an estimate of the believers’ work for salvation - so let it be called works. I see the Bible encouraging believers and not the Holy Ghost to persevere.
Additional issues:
First: Does a believer’s decision to follow the Lord Jesus stems from his own will to follow or from the absolutely sovereign God who allows no free will? If the answer is there is no free will, thus God is entirely responsible for deciding who believes and who does not believe and for who goes to heaven and who suffers the second death. Of course, this is the logical extension of Calvinistic and Reformed theological position of unconditional election.