Here are my initial comments from an earlier thread that went from one topic, to this one, to one on inspiration, so we never finished it.
God has power over the whole earth. But we can choose to allow Satan to own our will. Here are some verses that I feel do point out that our default condition is not to be saved, along with some commentary....Although I should note the default condition is due to our sin. If someone didn't sin the default condition wouldn't apply. But the Bible is quite clear that all have, so it does.
If by default condition you are referring to the condition before we sin, then yes, that is fine. But the Bible rarely addresses that issue, since everyone has sinned. And if you make the point that we don't have to warn people, I assume you include people who have sinned.
Since they have sinned, their condition is lost, and they are in need of warning.
JN 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
God does love the world and made a provision. But the condition is belief. Here it says plainly that anyone who does not believe in Him is condemned already.
1 John 5:10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
If one does not have the Son of God they do not have life. The next verse speaks to those who believe in the Son of God..again the condition is belief.
EPH 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Here we see that they were
a. dead in transgressions and sin
b. following the ruler of the air
c. by nature objects of wrath
d. but now they received His grace
e. They received it through faith.
Again we see the chain...lost, objects of wrath, faith, which leads to grace, forgiveness and salvation.
RO 3:9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
RO 3:11 there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
RO 3:12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."
RO 3:13 "Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
RO 3:14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
RO 3:15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
RO 3:16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
RO 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know."
RO 3:18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
RO 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Here Paul notes that all are unrighteous, and convicts the whole world of sin for violating his law. They are all silenced by the law and are accountable to God for their sin.
RO 3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Again we see that the condition of the gift of righteousness from God apart from law is through faith to all who believe.
