Does God need my permission to save me?

[Greg J.]

I think the issue here is that two concepts are being blended in some people's minds with the use of the word "permission."

For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. ”It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. (Romans 9:15-16, 1984 NIV) See the entire passage for the exact context.

The idea that it is immoral for God to act to save without a person's permission is false. Think of this as God asking the person a question that requires a "no" or "yes."

However, it is true that God had offered eternal life to everyone to which a person must answer "no" or "yes" (genuinely from the heart). He didn't need to do this, but he did.

In both cases, yielding to God is the better choice. The similarities between these two contexts seem to make the original poster's question more confusing than it really is. In the first case (which does not actually arise) the person would be best off answering "yes" as an authorization. In the second case the person would be best off answering "yes" as an acceptance.

 

[masmpg]

Jesus said in Matthew:7:7: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" Even though we do not seek Jesus, He seeks us through the conviction of the Comforter, those convictions cause us to cry out like Paul did in Romans:7:24: "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" If we do not ask we will not receive anything. We are told in James:1:6: "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

The answer to your question is YES God does need our permission to "save" us. Otherwise everyone would be "saved" and sin would reign in heaven. David tells us in
Psalms:34:18: "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." And again in Psalms:51:17: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." This is the ONLY way we are drawn to Christ.

 

[Steve Petersen]

A TV preacher said this in a sermon.

What did he mean and why did he say this?

Is there any Biblical passages that corroborate?

People have been fighting over the doctrine of salvation for centuries.

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

Could God make a rock so large He couldn't lift it?

Pointless discussions because there is no way to know empirically.

 

[bcbsr]

A TV preacher said this in a sermon.

What did he mean and why did he say this?

Is there any Biblical passages that corroborate?

Acts 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" The word "believe" is in the imperative, and thus something the individual does, making salvation contingent upon the person. That's the nature of the gospel. It is contrary to the the fatalistic puppet theology of Calvinism (which is simply a regurgitation of Augustinian theology)

 

[Steve Petersen]

Acts 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" The word "believe" is in the imperative, and thus something the individual does, making salvation contingent upon the person. That's the nature of the gospel. It is contrary to the the fatalistic puppet theology of Calvinism (which is simply a regurgitation of Augustinian theology)

What does 'saved' mean in this context?

 

[Steve Petersen]

Salvation can have different contexts. Personal, national, universal. They can all have TEMPORAL meaning.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

OJB
And Moshiach’s Shlichim said, "Have emunah in the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua, and you will come to Yeshu’at Eloheinu, you and your bais."
RSV
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
RSVCE
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
TLV
They said, “Put your trust in the Lord Yeshua and you will be saved—you and your household!”
VOICE
Paul and Silas: Just believe—believe in the ultimate King, Jesus, and not only will you be rescued, but your whole household will as well.

What does 'saved' mean in this context?

 

[Steve Petersen]

OJB
And Moshiach’s Shlichim said, "Have emunah in the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua, and you will come to Yeshu’at Eloheinu, you and your bais."
RSV
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
RSVCE
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
TLV
They said, “Put your trust in the Lord Yeshua and you will be saved—you and your household!”
VOICE
Paul and Silas: Just believe—believe in the ultimate King, Jesus, and not only will you be rescued, but your whole household will as well.

Rescued from what?

One could understand this is several ways.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Rescued from what?

One could understand this is several ways.

There is only one way to find out.