GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU?

[Kenny'sID]

My reply covers both...

If you felt lt necessary to cover something other than what the OP was concerned about, I doubt he'd mind so no worries.

 

[Mark Quayle]

And that goes right along with the Unmerited favor?

I'm not sure I understand your question --or rather, why you are asking it. You capitalize it, which makes me wonder if you are referring to TULIP, where the 'U' stands for Unconditional Election (not Unmerited favor). "Unmerited favor" is just a simple definition for Grace, wherever (generally) found in Scripture.

So if by "unmerited favor" you are referring to the Grace given us by God in regenerating us, as it works also in sanctification, works and so on --the Christian walk-- yes, what I said goes along with unmerited favor. It is not by our merits that we do what is right, but by the power of God in us.

 

[TedT]

And that goes right along with the Unmerited favor?

If this refers to salvation you got it right - no sinner deserves the grace of salvation.

But if it refers to UNconditional election then I must disagree with it:

I was asked: "Where is your verse that states the opposite of UE?"
Every verse that states or implies our GOD is loving, righteous and just.

1 Timothy 5:21 I charge thee before GOD and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the ELECT angels. Since there are elect angels we can assume that the demonic angels were passed over for election or not considered for election. Angels do not presumably have any racial solidarity, ie, they all are holy or sinful by their own choice, not by anyone else's choice. So now we have to answer the question: were some elected before or after the fall of the Satanic rebellion?

IF they were elected / chosen before the fall then there is no stated reason for the non-election of the others. Unmerited election then also means unmerited non-election, ie, for no lack of merit at all some were passed over for salvation and NOT chosen to be saved if they should ever sin.

What can we make of such a supposition? Can we say it is loving? Righteous? Just? The best we can say is HE is sovereign and if HE chose this way then who are you to argue, which is not a real answer at all. Why teach us HE is loving, righteous and just if it has no meaning in the biggest question in their existence: Why were some passed over for election!!!

It is entirely possible that the decision for some to receive unmerited election and others to receive unmerited rejection for election with no indication that this decision was loving, righteous or just could have precipitated the Satanic war in heaven for NOT BEING loving, righteous or just so they committed themselves to war, putting their faith in the belief that YHWH was a false god and a liar, unworthy of being their GOD.

This is what 'unconditional' implies. It implies 'no reason', not just an 'unknown reason' because if there was a reason there would be merit by being on the side of the reason. Unconditional election means they were just as acceptable for election as everyone but did not receive it....that is what 'without merit' also means! That does NOT sound like my GOD at all. IF they were passed over for a evil they did then there is merit to the election of those that were not passed over but who got the promise of election because they did not do that evil!!

BUT, if election was a response to the Satanic rebellion to reward those angels who did not rebel and to pass over those angels who did rebel and condemn them on the spot, then merit makes sense. Their rebellion to the command to put their faith in the Son and to love one another which they heard in the beginning* is the reason they were passed over to be HIS Bride. The choice by some to accept HIM as their GOD and to put their faith in in HIS Son was the reason they were elected based upon the merit of this choice to obey the commandment.

*[1 John 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

1 John 3:8 ...for the devil sinneth from the beginning. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's commentary(#27) says: “sinneth from the beginning - from the time that sin began; from the time that he became what he is, the devil.”


1 John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. I believe that John is referring to the loving purpose GOD has for each of us: 1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment. ]


Thus we probably have a precedent for election being based upon merit and proper free will decisions being the condition of being elected. And since unconditional election is false in the first people elected, I strongly suggest that it is wrongly used for sinful men who were also elected before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4, (you know: at the beginning, the time of the Satanic fall, perhaps).

 

[TedT]

I said I reject Unconditional election.

IF GOD had any reason to choose some for election and not others then that is the condition some measured up to. IF there was no reason then HE, without a reason, choose some and not others to election and so some suffer hell for no reason at all. Now the reason I find in the Bible is in the response to their hearing the gospel and where they put their faith. Those who accepted HIS deity and HIS Son got chosen / elected to be HIS heavenly bride by means of the promise of the gift of salvation found in the Son if they should sin, and those who rejected HIS deity and who put themselves outside of HIS grace and mercy forever became eternally evil, passed over for election and condemned already. This is what conditional election means and is a logical reading of the Bible… Jn 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

1. Find one verse that even hints that it is impossible for us to have had a pre-conception existence and

2. Find one verse that forces us to accept that we were created on earth.

 

[rturner76]

I'm not sure I understand your question --or rather, why you are asking it. You capitalize it, which makes me wonder if you are referring to TULIP, where the 'U' stands for Unconditional Election (not Unmerited favor). "Unmerited favor" is just a simple definition for Grace, wherever (generally) found in Scripture.

So if by "unmerited favor" you are referring to the Grace given us by God in regenerating us, as it works also in sanctification, works and so on --the Christian walk-- yes, what I said goes along with unmerited favor. It is not by our merits that we do what is right, but by the power of God in us.

My mistake for capitalizing the U. I think of unmerited favor as a title but it was misleading the way I used it.

Yes, I was referring to unmerited favor being grace. I was asking in the form of a question to allude to the fact that I wasn't sure the statement was correct.

 

[rturner76]

Thus we probably have a precedent for election being based upon merit and proper free will decisions being the condition of being elected. And since unconditional election is false in the first people elected, I strongly suggest that it is wrongly used for sinful men who were also elected before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4, (you know: at the beginning, the time of the Satanic fall, perhaps)

My religion believes it is grace and our actions or response to that grace that we are judged on. I see it like grace opens the door but we must walk through it.

 

[TedT]

I see it like grace opens the door but we must walk through it.

Yes I used to accept this until I came to understand how it denies the perfection of GOD's love for us. Love is patient, right? Perfect love is perfectly patient.

This doctrine suggest that there are some in hell who could be saved but there comes a time when HE quits waiting for them to repent and shuts the gate of hell forever...contradicting HIS perfectly patient love for them.

Please consider that IF they can indeed be saved if they should change their mind that HE would wait as long as it takes to save everyone who could repent and therefore might repent...and hell would slowly empty. THIS is GODly love.

I suggest that hell is only for those who have sinned the unforgivable sin, ie, their free will decision to eternally reject HIM as Lord and Saviour which puts them outside of HIS grace and mercy forever. As enslaved by sinfulness they will never be able to repent and, as much as HE loves them, HE must abide by their free will decision or the claim to free will is meaningless.

 

[sunshineforJesus]

I believe God has a plan for all of us and will reveal it to us in his time.

 

[TedT]

Yes I used to accept this until I came to understand how it denies the perfection of GOD's love for us. Love is patient, right? Perfect love is perfectly patient.

This doctrine suggest that there are some in hell who could be saved but there comes a time when HE quits waiting for them to repent and shuts the gate of hell forever...contradicting HIS perfectly patient love for them.

...crickets...