In John 5:34 Jesus is talking to unbelievers who are seeking to kill Him and He says this to them…
“But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.”
John 5:34 NASB1995
Then just a few sentences later He tells them that He will not be their accuser before The Father but instead Moses will be the one to accuse them.
“Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope.”
John 5:45 NASB1995
Just like in the parable in Luke 13:6-9 Jesus is trying to save people who refuse to repent and believe.
In Romans 2:4-5 Paul tells the Jews that God’s kindness and patience is leading them to repentance but because of their stubborn heart they refuse to repent and will receive the wrath of God on Judgement day.
“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,”
Romans 2:4-5 NASB1995
In Revelation 2:20-21 Jesus gives Jezebel time to repent but she refuses to cooperate.
“But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.”
Revelation 2:20-21 NASB1995
God has been trying to get the nation of Israel to repent for half of the Old Testament and during His entire ministry and they still refused to cooperate. The scriptures are full of examples of God urging people to repent who refused to cooperate.
I quite like those scriptures. So much so I added a section to my website with it (along with some other supporting scriptures). Below i s the content added.
Man and Repentance
Calvinism basically presents the idea that God just selects certain ones for salvation and that selection is irresistible. That the person will be saved because God has decreed it.
In this section we wish to show that salvation can be resisted. We start with the following parable.
He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.' " (NKJV, Luke 13:6-9)
The parable is talking about people, and how God comes to look for fruit, but finding none, does God give up? No, He tries again to bring the person to repentance, by fertilizing the tree. Note the scripture has a clear “IF”, “if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.”. The concept of “person” driven repentance is also found in the following:
He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity. If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. But if they do not obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. (NKJV, Job 36:10-12)
Note the “If”, if the person repents, they will have life, if they don’t repent they will perish. In the book of John, Jesus was talking to unbelievers, and he said:
Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. (NKJV, John 5:34 )
But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. (NKJV, John 5:40)
We see here Jesus saying He spoke to them that they “may be saved”, but they “are not willing to come”. Jesus always extends salvation but people are often unwilling. As is shown in the following:
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! (NKJV, Matthew 23:37)
God wanted to save the people of Israel over the generations, but they were for the most part unwilling.
Romans shows that God wants to extend repentance, but people often are stubborn in heart and unrepentant.
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,(NKJV, Romans 2:4-5)
The book of Revelation also shows that God gives people “time to repent”.
Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. (NKJV, Revelation 2:20-21)
God was obviously extending repentance, but Jezebel did not repent. Jezebel had a chance to repent. So too with us, the choice for life or death is in our hands.
The idea of repentance was also shown in the Old Testament so it is not a new idea.
Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.' (NKJV, Jeremiah 26:3)
Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; then the LORD will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you. (NKJV, Jeremiah 26:13)
Note the scripture above says “perhaps” everyone will listen, that word means, maybe, possibly, there is an element of the unknown in the persons decision.
'And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, (NKJV, Leviticus 26:23 )
Leviticus also shows a process of God bringing various disasters to try to reform, or bring repentance, but we see above there is still the “IF”
So we have seen that God time and time again tries to draw people to repentance, but they may or may not listen. Calvinism’s idea that God randomly selects people for salvation is not consistent with the truth of the Bible regarding repentance. God tries to bring repentance, man can resist it, salvation is not irresistible.
An online book on Free Will Salvation in man. A counterargument to Predestination.
www.everybodymattersministry.com
