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Quote (chosenone @ Sep. 06 2010,10:58) Another scripture you two won't believe, but here it is anyway… 1Cor.15:22-28…
22 For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified.
23 Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruit, Christ; thereupon those who are Christ's in His presence;
24 thereafter the consummation, whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father, whenever He should be nullifying all sovereignty and all authority and power.
25 For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy is being abolished: death.
27 For He subjects all under His feet. Now whenever He may be saying that all is subject, it is evident that it is outside of Him Who subjects all to Him.
28 Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be All in all.I did say that most would disagree with me. But even so… truth isn't so because of a majority of opinion.
God Bless, Jerry.
thats so easy to say when the translation of course makes it seem that way Chosenonehow about study the greek,
how about who words are you going to believe more,IN what Jesus said? or what you “THINK” apparently what Paul said.
To all! One of you said that we are still under the old covenant and old Law. We are now under the new in Luke 22:20….”This cup is the new covenant in His blood, which is shed for you.” He then gave us the new Commandments in Math. 22:37-40
He also magnified the Law on the Sermon on the Mount. Funny that I said this already in another post….Because God send His only begotten Son into the world to save us, and we now can be saved. But don't make the mistake and think that it is automatic. We still need to become like Christ in every way. He obeyed everything perfectly…
Again thanks goes to our Heavenly Father and Christ Jesus to die for us, no greater love has He who gave His life so we can live….
Peace Irene.Hi Irene, you say….QUOTE]He then gave us the new Commandments in Math. 22:37-40
[/QUOTE]You make a commom mistake, His (JESUS) teaching were for Israel, see Matt.15:24 …Now He, answering, said, “I was not commissioned except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
This is an example of what Paul said in 2Ti.2:15 …correctly cutting the word of truth. Another scripture: Ro.15:8 …For I am saying that Christ has become the Servant of the Circumcision, for the sake of the truth of God, to confirm the patriarchal promises.
To understand scripture it is neccessary to know “who is speaking, and to whom it is spoken”. A good rule of thumb is “All scripture is FOR us, but not all scripture is ABOUT us.God Bless.
Hi SF, You say…
Quote chosenone,
you did not answer any of my questions,I thought I did, please repeat those questions you say I did not answer, I will endeaver to do so.
God Bless, Jerry.
Quote (SimplyForgiven @ Sep. 07 2010,00:52) chosenone,
you did not answer any of my questions,
SFyou better use a copier to CO because he likes to repeat questions wen he cannot answer.
Pierre
how about who words are you going to believe more,IN what Jesus said? or what you “THINK” apparently what Paul said?
SAVED FROM WHAT??? WHAT am i being saved FROM?
But in the end, does it really matter what “WE” think, isnt more important what God thinks?
That means i can sin all i want and still be saved?
You mean right now i can go outside and act as if i never knew God, and i can still be saved?
my actual question is what is the POINT TO PREACH OR TELL ANYONE ABOUT GOD, EVEN YOUR FAMILY, IF YOU ARE ALREADY SAVED. why sit here and waste your time reading and responding when you are already saved?There is this chance Co, that i can hear your full explanation,
and of course i might refute things here and there,
What im trying to understand, and with the vague explanations i cannot understand.Quote (chosenone @ Sep. 07 2010,05:18) Hi Irene, you say….QUOTE]He then gave us the new Commandments in Math. 22:37-40
[/QUOTE]You make a commom mistake, His (JESUS) teaching were for Israel, see Matt.15:24 …Now He, answering, said, “I was not commissioned except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
This is an example of what Paul said in 2Ti.2:15 …correctly cutting the word of truth. Another scripture: Ro.15:8 …For I am saying that Christ has become the Servant of the Circumcision, for the sake of the truth of God, to confirm the patriarchal promises.
To understand scripture it is neccessary to know “who is speaking, and to whom it is spoken”. A good rule of thumb is “All scripture is FOR us, but not all scripture is ABOUT us.God Bless.
Hi SF, You say…
Quote chosenone,
you did not answer any of my questions,I thought I did, please repeat those questions you say I did not answer, I will endeaver to do so.
God Bless, Jerry.
You are half right, Jesus was send to Israel to preach the gospel there first, he even told his apostles not to go into any gentile cities.Mat 10:5 ¶ These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
The reason for this were the 70 weeks, Dan. 9:24.
After the 70 weeks were up, this happened.
Act 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Georg
Quote (Baker @ Sep. 07 2010,07:43) Quote (chosenone @ Sep. 07 2010,05:18) Hi Irene, you say….QUOTE]He then gave us the new Commandments in Math. 22:37-40 You make a commom mistake, His (JESUS) teaching were for Israel, see Matt.15:24 …Now He, answering, said, “I was not commissioned except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
This is an example of what Paul said in 2Ti.2:15 …correctly cutting the word of truth. Another scripture: Ro.15:8 …For I am saying that Christ has become the Servant of the Circumcision, for the sake of the truth of God, to confirm the patriarchal promises.
To understand scripture it is neccessary to know “who is speaking, and to whom it is spoken”. A good rule of thumb is “All scripture is FOR us, but not all scripture is ABOUT us.God Bless.
Hi SF, You say…
Quote chosenone,
you did not answer any of my questions,I thought I did, please repeat those questions you say I did not answer, I will endeaver to do so.
God Bless, Jerry.
You are half right, Jesus was send to Israel to preach the gospel there first, he even told his apostles not to go into any gentile cities.Mat 10:5 ¶ These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
The reason for this were the 70 weeks, Dan. 9:24.
After the 70 weeks were up, this happened.
Act 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Georg[/quote]
Hi Georg,Excellent answer; Georg!
I knew you had it in you to be helpful if you chose to be.God bless
Ed J (Joshua 22:34)
http://www.holycitybiblecode.orgQuote (Baker @ Sep. 07 2010,07:43) Quote (chosenone @ Sep. 07 2010,05:18) Hi Irene, you say…. Quote He then gave us the new Commandments in Math. 22:37-40 You make a commom mistake, His (JESUS) teaching were for Israel, see Matt.15:24 …Now He, answering, said, “I was not commissioned except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
This is an example of what Paul said in 2Ti.2:15 …correctly cutting the word of truth. Another scripture: Ro.15:8 …For I am saying that Christ has become the Servant of the Circumcision, for the sake of the truth of God, to confirm the patriarchal promises.
To understand scripture it is neccessary to know “who is speaking, and to whom it is spoken”. A good rule of thumb is “All scripture is FOR us, but not all scripture is ABOUT us.God Bless.
Hi SF, You say…
Quote chosenone,
you did not answer any of my questions,I thought I did, please repeat those questions you say I did not answer, I will endeaver to do so.
God Bless, Jerry.
You are half right, Jesus was send to Israel to preach the gospel there first, he even told his apostles not to go into any gentile cities.Mat 10:5 ¶ These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
The reason for this were the 70 weeks, Dan. 9:24.
After the 70 weeks were up, this happened.
Act 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Georg
Hi Georg,Excellent answer; Georg!
I knew you had it in you to be helpful if you chose to be.God bless
Ed J (Joshua 22:34)
http://www.holycitybiblecode.orgChosenone to add to my last post,
Since George made it clear that there was more than what you stated about the Gospel solely directed towards isreal
How will you approach this?
Will you compelelty reject what he proved or do you now agree what you stated was only half the truth?Lets be direct, will you only accept what you believe and nothing else
what if your wrong?Quote (SimplyForgiven @ Sep. 07 2010,05:55) how about who words are you going to believe more,IN what Jesus said? or what you “THINK” apparently what Paul said?
SAVED FROM WHAT??? WHAT am i being saved FROM?
But in the end, does it really matter what “WE” think, isnt more important what God thinks?
That means i can sin all i want and still be saved?
You mean right now i can go outside and act as if i never knew God, and i can still be saved?
my actual question is what is the POINT TO PREACH OR TELL ANYONE ABOUT GOD, EVEN YOUR FAMILY, IF YOU ARE ALREADY SAVED.why sit here and waste your time reading and responding when you are already saved?There is this chance Co, that i can hear your full explanation,
and of course i might refute things here and there,
What im trying to understand, and with the vague explanations i cannot understand.
Hi SF.
Thanks for the kind words, you and Piere have a very nice christian way of expressing your opinion of me.I'll try to answer you questions to the best of my ability.
Quote how about who words are you going to believe more,IN what Jesus said? or what you “THINK” apparently what Paul said?
I believe Jesus words, I tried to explain to you what He (Jesus) said in Matt.15:24 “I was not commissioned except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Now I'm not sure if you understand what He meant, If you do not then ask others what this means. I think it's quite clear.Quote my actual question is what is the POINT TO PREACH OR TELL ANYONE ABOUT GOD, EVEN YOUR FAMILY, IF YOU ARE ALREADY SAVED. why sit here and waste your time reading and responding when you are already saved?
The point is… It isn't you, or anyone else, that can coach or convince others how to be saved, it is God, and Him alone, through His Son Christ Jesus that saves us. The following scriptures say so…Eph.2:8-10 …8 For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you; it is God's approach present,
9 not of works, lest anyone should be boasting.
10 For His chievement are we, being created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God makes ready beforehand, that we should be walking in them.
We are saved by “the Grace of God”, that is what scripture says, notice it says “”and this is not out of you”, also “For His chievement are we”.
I think this should be clear enough for you to understand.So when you say ” my actual question is what is the POINT TO PREACH OR TELL ANYONE ABOUT GOD, EVEN YOUR FAMILY, IF YOU ARE ALREADY SAVED.why sit here and waste your time reading and responding when you are already saved?”
The answer, of course is… Preach the 'good news' of Christ Jesus, His sacrifice, and what He had to go through, for you to have been conciliated to God (2Cor.5:18-19).To sum up, Ro.11:33-36 …
33 O, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
34 For, who knew the mind of the Lord? or, who became His adviser?
35 or, who gives to Him first, and it will be repaid Him?
36 seeing that out of Him and through Him and for Him is all: to Him be the glory for the eons! Amen!Hope I have answer ALL your questions.
God Bless, Jerry.
Quote (SimplyForgiven @ Sep. 07 2010,16:16) Chosenone to add to my last post,
Since George made it clear that there was more than what you stated about the Gospel solely directed towards isreal
How will you approach this?
Will you compelelty reject what he proved or do you now agree what you stated was only half the truth?Lets be direct, will you only accept what you believe and nothing else
what if your wrong?
SF.
Please get your facts correct. My comment was that Jesus was commissioned to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”, He was commissioned to them only.
The scripture you refer to in Acts, I see nothing that contradicts what I posted.
Please explain?Jerry.
For SF and anyone interested.
A lengthly explanation, for anyone thats interested.
The Living God
THE SALVATION OF THE UNBELIEVER
AS GOD is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of those who believe (1 Tim.4:10), we may confidently rest on one grand and glorious foundation truth–that all salvation is of God, and neither believer nor unbeliever has any part in it. On the one hand this assures us of the possibility of saving all men, for God alone is able, and, on the other, it bars out all human schemes for their restoration, whether by works, or suffering, by giving them a second chance, or by any cause whatever which originates in man. Those who believe are saved by His grace (Rom.4:16); those who do not believe are saved through His judgments, but in both it is He alone Who is Saviour.
Faith is but the channel of grace; it does not produce salvation. Judgment is but a means He uses, a process which leads to the opening of the unbeliever’s eyes. It does not remove his guilt or cleanse a single sin. That is done wholly and solely by the blood of Christ. Every effort to bring about the ultimate salvation of all through the purgatorial or penitential sufferings of the sinner is a denial of this great truth. Judgments do not save, but the God Who judges is also the Saviour, and all His dealings with mankind are governed by the grand goal which He has set before Him–to become All in all His creatures.
In setting forth the process by means of which God brings the unbeliever back to Himself we must remember that few believers are able to analyze the method used in their own salvation. Now, if we are not able to explain our own experience, how shall we understand His method with others? Yet, strange as it may seem, God’s dealings with the unbeliever are much more easily apprehended than His way with us. The very simplicity of faith baffles us. Most theological systems seek to base belief on evidence, and speak of “Christian evidences” as the foundation of the believer’s salvation. This is, rather, the method He uses in the deliverance of the unbeliever.FAITH AND EVIDENCES
The case of Thomas is an example of the overpowering force of evidence where faith is wanting (John 20:26-29). No man can long withstand the testimony of his senses, even when (unlike Thomas) his interests may be opposed.
The tangible proofs given to support the proclamation of the kingdom affords a rich field for the study of the effect of evidence on the human heart. The unbeliever will be saved by sight. He will yield to the force of facts. He will be convinced by logic. What evidence is most suited for this purpose? In our Lord’s ministry we can see both the helps and the hindrances offered by the senses. The consideration of a few cases will reveal what most moves men and what makes them obstinate.
The rich young man was hindered by his possessions. The Samaritans were helped by the Lord’s words. The resurrection of Lazarus led many Jews to rely on His acts. These illustrate God’s method in the judgment of the unbeliever. He removes hindrances–no earthly acquisitions interfere with the decisions of the heart, for both heaven and earth flee from the face of Him Who sits on the throne. He works the greatest possible miracle, by raising them from the dead. He reads the inmost secret of their hearts. He appears in their very presence in soul-dismaying splendor. They cannot doubt His power or His perfections, and no motive remains to lead them to deceive themselves.
The judgment of unbelievers takes place in the interval between the passing of this present earth and the creation of the new. Every tie which bound them to the earth has been burned up. They are the subjects of the most astounding miracle ever wrought, having been raised from the dead. They are in the presence of the Divine Majesty. Their secrets are bared to His awful gaze. The character of their judgment, being adjusted to their acts, not simply as to severity but so as to correct them, will reveal God’s purpose to save and reconcile them to Himself. This, followed by their death in the lake of fire and subsequent vivification at the consummation, is the basis of their reconciliation through the blood of the cross (Col.1:20).
The excuses offered by those who were bidden to the great supper (Luke 14:18) are all removed before the great white throne. No fields or oxen or wives will intrude between the spirit and the great Judge.
In the judgment day God will judge the hidden things of humanity (Rom.2:16). We are prone to consider this a mere exhibition of His omniscience, to facilitate the trial of the sinner and to insure his condemnation. But more than this, it cannot but have a most powerful effect on the unbeliever’s attitude toward Christ. What was it that impressed the woman of Samaria (John 4:19,29)? It was His knowledge of her hidden secrets. As a result we read that many of the Samaritans of that city believe in Him because of the woman’s word that He told her all that she had done (John 4:39).
The blessed results achieved by His exposure of the woman at Sychar’s spring will be multiplied by many millions at the great white throne. There is nothing hidden that shall not be manifested (Matt.10:26). As in Corinth, the hidden things of the unbeliever’s heart become apparent, and, falling on his face, he will worship God (1 Cor.14:25).
Perhaps no miracle wrought by our Lord and His apostles created a stronger conviction than that of raising the dead. When Lazarus was raised many of the rulers believed, and the chief priests were concerned lest all should believe on Him because of this sign (John 11:45,48). When Peter raised Dorcas it also was used to convince many who believed on the Lord. Can we imagine what conviction it must have brought to Lazarus and to Dorcas themselves, if they should have had the slightest tendency to doubt? Could there have been any stronger proof of divine power than that their very life had come back to them at the bidding of One Who is stronger than death? In the process of winning the unbeliever we judge their resurrection and final vivification to be ample to account for salvation and reconciliation entering their lives.SAUL OF TARSUS
The apostle Paul’s case is of surpassing significance in its bearing on the salvation of unbelievers. He was the foremost of sinners, and it cannot be denied that, among men, there was no case quite as desperate as his. All question as to God’s ability to save vanishes in the light of his call on the Damascus road. The miraculous means employed in his case surely would suffice for every one of God’s enemies. And who will deny, on sober reflection, that the appalling power and glory of the august judgment session into which the unbeliever is ushered by his resurrection will be unutterably more impressive?
The apostle’s vision passed. He came back to a scene where all was as before. He alone had changed. But the unbeliever sees the power and presence of God not only in his own deliverance from death, but in all around him. The vision does not vanish. The divine presence abides.GOD AS JUDGE
The change which eventuates in the ultimate salvation of the unbeliever is wrought, not only by his resurrection, but by the august judgment session, when he stands in the presence of Christ, with all his unbelief swept away by the awful realization of His power and the justice of His throne. We are asked, Is it possible for them to repent? Rather, we would like to know, Is it possible for them not to repent, or change their minds? We cannot conceive an unrepentant sinner before the great white throne.
God’s thoughts and man’s imaginations are nowhere more at variance than on the subject of judgment, or punishment. God is love; man is hate. David was wise when he was given the choice of fleeing before his enemies or falling into the hand of Yahweh. He uttered a gre
at truth when he exclaimed “Let us fall, I pray, into the hand of Yahweh, for His compassions are abundant; but let me not fall into the hand of humanity.” And surely his choice was vindicated, for when the messenger was stretching out his hand in destruction toward Jerusalem, Yahweh showed Himself merciful, and said, “Enough, now hold back your hand” (2 Sam.24:10-16).NINEVEH
Jonah went through the streets of Nineveh, crying: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overturned!” (Jonah 3:4). But God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and He regretted the evil He said He would do unto them. “And He did it not” (Jonah 3:10). And what did Jonah do? Was he not pleased at the success of his mission? Did he not glory in the character of His God? Alas! he was like the many today. Like Jonah, they imagine that God has a streak of hate in His character and that He wanted to destroy Nineveh to give it exercise. But He had an object in threatening its destruction. Now that they repented and the object was attained, why should He belie His character and destroy them from sheer vindictiveness? Jonah’s God was a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of much benignity, and regretting of the evil which He had threatened (Jonah 4:2).
DESTRUCTION
The thought that the resurrection and judgment of the unbeliever is only a prelude to his final “destruction” in the lake of fire must be judged by its moral effect, for it has no support whatever in the Scriptures. In the first place “destruction” (by which annihilation or extinction of being is intended), is never used of the lake of fire or of the second death. It is always used of the sinner before his resurrection at the great white throne. Those who are “destroyed” in Gehenna will be there. Those who “perished” in the wilderness and at the flood will be raised. “Destruction” is never annihilation. It never precludes resurrection and salvation. Indeed, it is a necessary precursor of salvation. The Lord came to seek and to save the “destroyed” (lost). So that, even if there were a single passage telling us that the unbeliever is “destroyed” in the second death (which there is not) we would still have every reason to believe God when He assured us that all who are dying in Adam shall be made alive in Christ (1 Cor.15:22).
Let no one suppose that we plead for the repeal of God’s word regarding the doom of the unbeliever. Far from it. But we do plead for the removal of those harsh, human perversions of His word, which seek to make Him a man like ourselves, hateful and hating one another, vindictive and vicious in our views of the so-called “penalties” of sin. We plead for a revision of our vocabulary on this important theme.
The terms destroy and destruction are so often used of irrecoverable ruin that a few examples will be given to show how far this is from the truth. The rendering “lost” is always the translation of the word for destroy. It would be the utmost folly for the Son of Mankind to seek, much less to save those who are annihilated. The lost sheep and the lost coin and the lost prodigal all had been destroyed, yet all were found and saved. Were the whole world lost or destroyed in the lake of fire, that would be no hindrance to salvation. Rather, it would be the very sphere in which alone salvation can operate. Christ cannot save anyone unless first he is destroyed, or lost.GOD IS THE SAVIOUR
Such is the salvation of the unbeliever. It is not only in absolute accord with every passage in the word of God, but in utmost harmony with the God Who is revealed through that word. How can anyone who truly loves Him rest satisfied with less than this, the only true, the only scriptural solution?
Let those who are fond of reasoning about the destiny of the universe accept their own premises and follow them out logically and the inevitable conclusion will be a universal reconciliation. Try it and see. All will acknowledge these premises:God is love, therefore
God is omnipotent, thereforeGod is not love if He will not do all He can for His creatures, neither is He omnipotent if He is unable to save them. Both revelation and reason are arrayed against the false delusion of unending torment for the unbeliever. It degrades the sacrifice of Christ to a mere attempt to remedy an evil which it cannot cure. O, my brethren, why do you limit His love, why do you paralyze His power? Is the Christ Who saved you capable of completing His work by saving all like you? Or, if He can, why will He not?
Confess that this terrible doctrine cannot but lead you to doubt His perfections. It brings you up to a blank wall, to a pit of dense darkness. But the blessed truth opens up a glorious vista flooded with the love light of God.THE JUST JUDGMENT OF GOD
But, we are told, God’s justice demands judgment. There is truth in this. But if God’s justice must be displayed at the expense of His love, the extinction of the unbeliever in the lake of fire, far from forever removing an eyesore from the universe, places a blot upon His character which eternity itself can never erase. If we do not doubt His willingness to save them, then we must acknowledge His inability. If we cannot question His power, then we must limit His love, and then we endanger the very foundation on which all eternal bliss must be established.
But we do not need to rest on reason. At best, it is usually the refuge of unbelief. God has spoken, and real reason rests on His revelation. He is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of those who believe. God give us grace to glory in such a God!
In the opening chapters of Romans Paul lays the foundation on which God’s just judgment is based. He closes his indictment of mankind with these words: “. . . God’s just statute, that such as are committing them are deserving of death . . .” (Rom.1:32). As the first death cannot be the effect of any judicial procedure on God’s part, it is evident that the death penalty awaits all who come into the judgment. Whatever may be the variety and degree of the tribulation and anguish meted out to each, one common end awaits them all–the second death.VIVIFIED IN CHRIST
But, some will ask, if they were condemned to death, how can they be raised again? What right have they to the grace and life that will be their portion? We answer, none. They will have no more claim on the ecstatic bliss of that unending day than I or you, or any believer! What right have we? None at all. But in Christ we have a perfect title to every favor. So it will be with the unbeliever. It is not written that “Even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also shall all be vivified,” but “thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified” (1 Cor.15:22). Adam’s death involves all, irrespective of their deserts. Christ’s life extends to all, apart from their personal merits.
And here is where the unbeliever learns to love God. The judgment has exposed his own unworthiness. The grace of vivification will illumine his heart with the love of God in Christ. Then shall be fulfilled God’s universal goal:“. . . to Me will bow every knee,
And every tongue will be
acclaiming God.”This is the method He will use to bend the stubborn knees. He will not use physical force but moral suasion. Neither will He wring out a confession of sin from every tongue. The Greek word as here used means acclaim, which involves a complete acknowledgment and acquiescence in the divine will.
The crowning and conclusive exhibition of God’s power and love toward the unbeliever awaits the consummation. The eons are past. All sin is banished. Evil is no more. The Son of God has nearly completed His mediatorial work. All the living are in perfect accord with God. Nothing remains but the conquest of death and the reconciliation of its denizens. It is the on
ly enemy left in all God’s universe. Then, and not till then will the vast concourse of mankind emerge from the domain of death never to enter it again. Then death will be despoiled, the last enemy laid low. Then shall all awake to live in the light and love of Him Who will have become the Saviour of all mankind.A. E. Knoch
——————————————————————————–Quote (chosenone @ Sep. 08 2010,13:16) For SF and anyone interested. A lengthly explanation, for anyone thats interested.
The Living God
THE SALVATION OF THE UNBELIEVER
AS GOD is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of those who believe (1 Tim.4:10), we may confidently rest on one grand and glorious foundation truth–that all salvation is of God, and neither believer nor unbeliever has any part in it. On the one hand this assures us of the possibility of saving all men, for God alone is able, and, on the other, it bars out all human schemes for their restoration, whether by works, or suffering, by giving them a second chance, or by any cause whatever which originates in man. Those who believe are saved by His grace (Rom.4:16); those who do not believe are saved through His judgments, but in both it is He alone Who is Saviour.
Faith is but the channel of grace; it does not produce salvation. Judgment is but a means He uses, a process which leads to the opening of the unbeliever’s eyes. It does not remove his guilt or cleanse a single sin. That is done wholly and solely by the blood of Christ. Every effort to bring about the ultimate salvation of all through the purgatorial or penitential sufferings of the sinner is a denial of this great truth. Judgments do not save, but the God Who judges is also the Saviour, and all His dealings with mankind are governed by the grand goal which He has set before Him–to become All in all His creatures.
In setting forth the process by means of which God brings the unbeliever back to Himself we must remember that few believers are able to analyze the method used in their own salvation. Now, if we are not able to explain our own experience, how shall we understand His method with others? Yet, strange as it may seem, God’s dealings with the unbeliever are much more easily apprehended than His way with us. The very simplicity of faith baffles us. Most theological systems seek to base belief on evidence, and speak of “Christian evidences” as the foundation of the believer’s salvation. This is, rather, the method He uses in the deliverance of the unbeliever.
FAITH AND EVIDENCESThe case of Thomas is an example of the overpowering force of evidence where faith is wanting (John 20:26-29). No man can long withstand the testimony of his senses, even when (unlike Thomas) his interests may be opposed.
The tangible proofs given to support the proclamation of the kingdom affords a rich field for the study of the effect of evidence on the human heart. The unbeliever will be saved by sight. He will yield to the force of facts. He will be convinced by logic. What evidence is most suited for this purpose? In our Lord’s ministry we can see both the helps and the hindrances offered by the senses. The consideration of a few cases will reveal what most moves men and what makes them obstinate.
The rich young man was hindered by his possessions. The Samaritans were helped by the Lord’s words. The resurrection of Lazarus led many Jews to rely on His acts. These illustrate God’s method in the judgment of the unbeliever. He removes hindrances–no earthly acquisitions interfere with the decisions of the heart, for both heaven and earth flee from the face of Him Who sits on the throne. He works the greatest possible miracle, by raising them from the dead. He reads the inmost secret of their hearts. He appears in their very presence in soul-dismaying splendor. They cannot doubt His power or His perfections, and no motive remains to lead them to deceive themselves.
The judgment of unbelievers takes place in the interval between the passing of this present earth and the creation of the new. Every tie which bound them to the earth has been burned up. They are the subjects of the most astounding miracle ever wrought, having been raised from the dead. They are in the presence of the Divine Majesty. Their secrets are bared to His awful gaze. The character of their judgment, being adjusted to their acts, not simply as to severity but so as to correct them, will reveal God’s purpose to save and reconcile them to Himself. This, followed by their death in the lake of fire and subsequent vivification at the consummation, is the basis of their reconciliation through the blood of the cross (Col.1:20).
The excuses offered by those who were bidden to the great supper (Luke 14:18) are all removed before the great white throne. No fields or oxen or wives will intrude between the spirit and the great Judge.
In the judgment day God will judge the hidden things of humanity (Rom.2:16). We are prone to consider this a mere exhibition of His omniscience, to facilitate the trial of the sinner and to insure his condemnation. But more than this, it cannot but have a most powerful effect on the unbeliever’s attitude toward Christ. What was it that impressed the woman of Samaria (John 4:19,29)? It was His knowledge of her hidden secrets. As a result we read that many of the Samaritans of that city believe in Him because of the woman’s word that He told her all that she had done (John 4:39).
The blessed results achieved by His exposure of the woman at Sychar’s spring will be multiplied by many millions at the great white throne. There is nothing hidden that shall not be manifested (Matt.10:26). As in Corinth, the hidden things of the unbeliever’s heart become apparent, and, falling on his face, he will worship God (1 Cor.14:25).
Perhaps no miracle wrought by our Lord and His apostles created a stronger conviction than that of raising the dead. When Lazarus was raised many of the rulers believed, and the chief priests were concerned lest all should believe on Him because of this sign (John 11:45,48). When Peter raised Dorcas it also was used to convince many who believed on the Lord. Can we imagine what conviction it must have brought to Lazarus and to Dorcas themselves, if they should have had the slightest tendency to doubt? Could there have been any stronger proof of divine power than that their very life had come back to them at the bidding of One Who is stronger than death? In the process of winning the unbeliever we judge their resurrection and final vivification to be ample to account for salvation and reconciliation entering their lives.
SAUL OF TARSUSThe apostle Paul’s case is of surpassing significance in its bearing on the salvation of unbelievers. He was the foremost of sinners, and it cannot be denied that, among men, there was no case quite as desperate as his. All question as to God’s ability to save vanishes in the light of his call on the Damascus road. The miraculous means employed in his case surely would suffice for every one of God’s enemies. And who will deny, on sober reflection, that the appalling power and glory of the august judgment session into which the unbeliever is ushered by his resurrection will be unutterably more impressive?
The apostle’s vision passed. He came back to a scene where all was as before. He alone had changed. But the unbeliever sees the power and presence of God not only in his own deliverance from death, but in all around him. The vision does not vanish. The divine presence abides.
GOD AS JUDGEThe change which eventuates in the ultimate salvation of the unbeliever is wrought, not only by his resurrection, but by the august judgment session, when he stands in the presence of Christ, with all his unbelief swept away by the awful realization of His power and the justice of His throne. We are asked, Is it possible for them to repent? Rather, we would like to know, Is it possible for them not to repent, or change their minds? We cannot conceive an unrepentant sinner before the great white throne.
God’s thoughts and ma
n’s imaginations are nowhere more at variance than on the subject of judgment, or punishment. God is love; man is hate. David was wise when he was given the choice of fleeing before his enemies or falling into the hand of Yahweh. He uttered a great truth when he exclaimed “Let us fall, I pray, into the hand of Yahweh, for His compassions are abundant; but let me not fall into the hand of humanity.” And surely his choice was vindicated, for when the messenger was stretching out his hand in destruction toward Jerusalem, Yahweh showed Himself merciful, and said, “Enough, now hold back your hand” (2 Sam.24:10-16).
NINEVEHJonah went through the streets of Nineveh, crying: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overturned!” (Jonah 3:4). But God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and He regretted the evil He said He would do unto them. “And He did it not” (Jonah 3:10). And what did Jonah do? Was he not pleased at the success of his mission? Did he not glory in the character of His God? Alas! he was like the many today. Like Jonah, they imagine that God has a streak of hate in His character and that He wanted to destroy Nineveh to give it exercise. But He had an object in threatening its destruction. Now that they repented and the object was attained, why should He belie His character and destroy them from sheer vindictiveness? Jonah’s God was a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of much benignity, and regretting of the evil which He had threatened (Jonah 4:2).
DESTRUCTIONThe thought that the resurrection and judgment of the unbeliever is only a prelude to his final “destruction” in the lake of fire must be judged by its moral effect, for it has no support whatever in the Scriptures. In the first place “destruction” (by which annihilation or extinction of being is intended), is never used of the lake of fire or of the second death. It is always used of the sinner before his resurrection at the great white throne. Those who are “destroyed” in Gehenna will be there. Those who “perished” in the wilderness and at the flood will be raised. “Destruction” is never annihilation. It never precludes resurrection and salvation. Indeed, it is a necessary precursor of salvation. The Lord came to seek and to save the “destroyed” (lost). So that, even if there were a single passage telling us that the unbeliever is “destroyed” in the second death (which there is not) we would still have every reason to believe God when He assured us that all who are dying in Adam shall be made alive in Christ (1 Cor.15:22).
Let no one suppose that we plead for the repeal of God’s word regarding the doom of the unbeliever. Far from it. But we do plead for the removal of those harsh, human perversions of His word, which seek to make Him a man like ourselves, hateful and hating one another, vindictive and vicious in our views of the so-called “penalties” of sin. We plead for a revision of our vocabulary on this important theme.
The terms destroy and destruction are so often used of irrecoverable ruin that a few examples will be given to show how far this is from the truth. The rendering “lost” is always the translation of the word for destroy. It would be the utmost folly for the Son of Mankind to seek, much less to save those who are annihilated. The lost sheep and the lost coin and the lost prodigal all had been destroyed, yet all were found and saved. Were the whole world lost or destroyed in the lake of fire, that would be no hindrance to salvation. Rather, it would be the very sphere in which alone salvation can operate. Christ cannot save anyone unless first he is destroyed, or lost.
GOD IS THE SAVIOURSuch is the salvation of the unbeliever. It is not only in absolute accord with every passage in the word of God, but in utmost harmony with the God Who is revealed through that word. How can anyone who truly loves Him rest satisfied with less than this, the only true, the only scriptural solution?
Let those who are fond of reasoning about the destiny of the universe accept their own premises and follow them out logically and the inevitable conclusion will be a universal reconciliation. Try it and see. All will acknowledge these premises:God is love, therefore
God is omnipotent, thereforeGod is not love if He will not do all He can for His creatures, neither is He omnipotent if He is unable to save them. Both revelation and reason are arrayed against the false delusion of unending torment for the unbeliever. It degrades the sacrifice of Christ to a mere attempt to remedy an evil which it cannot cure. O, my brethren, why do you limit His love, why do you paralyze His power? Is the Christ Who saved you capable of completing His work by saving all like you? Or, if He can, why will He not?
Confess that this terrible doctrine cannot but lead you to doubt His perfections. It brings you up to a blank wall, to a pit of dense darkness. But the blessed truth opens up a glorious vista flooded with the love light of God.
THE JUST JUDGMENT OF GODBut, we are told, God’s justice demands judgment. There is truth in this. But if God’s justice must be displayed at the expense of His love, the extinction of the unbeliever in the lake of fire, far from forever removing an eyesore from the universe, places a blot upon His character which eternity itself can never erase. If we do not doubt His willingness to save them, then we must acknowledge His inability. If we cannot question His power, then we must limit His love, and then we endanger the very foundation on which all eternal bliss must be established.
But we do not need to rest on reason. At best, it is usually the refuge of unbelief. God has spoken, and real reason rests on His revelation. He is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of those who believe. God give us grace to glory in such a God!
In the opening chapters of Romans Paul lays the foundation on which God’s just judgment is based. He closes his indictment of mankind with these words: “. . . God’s just statute, that such as are committing them are deserving of death . . .” (Rom.1:32). As the first death cannot be the effect of any judicial procedure on God’s part, it is evident that the death penalty awaits all who come into the judgment. Whatever may be the variety and degree of the tribulation and anguish meted out to each, one common end awaits them all–the second death.
VIVIFIED IN CHRISTBut, some will ask, if they were condemned to death, how can they be raised again? What right have they to the grace and life that will be their portion? We answer, none. They will have no more claim on the ecstatic bliss of that unending day than I or you, or any believer! What right have we? None at all. But in Christ we have a perfect title to every favor. So it will be with the unbeliever. It is not written that “Even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also shall all be vivified,” but “thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified” (1 Cor.15:22). Adam’s death involves all, irrespective of their deserts. Christ’s life extends to all, apart from their personal merits.
And here is where the unbeliever learns to love God. The judgment has exposed his own unworthiness. The grace of vivification will illumine his heart with the love of God in Christ. Then shall be fulfilled God’s universal goal:“. . . to Me will bow every knee,
And every tongue will be
acclaiming God.”This is the method He will use to bend the stubborn knees. He will not use physical force but moral suasion. Neither will He wring out a confession of sin from every tongue. The Greek word as here used means acclaim, which involves a complete acknowledgment and acquiescence in the divine will.
The crowning and conclusive exhibition of God’s power and love toward the unbeliever awa
its the consummation. The eons are past. All sin is banished. Evil is no more. The Son of God has nearly completed His mediatorial work. All the living are in perfect accord with God. Nothing remains but the conquest of death and the reconciliation of its denizens. It is the only enemy left in all God’s universe. Then, and not till then will the vast concourse of mankind emerge from the domain of death never to enter it again. Then death will be despoiled, the last enemy laid low. Then shall all awake to live in the light and love of Him Who will have become the Saviour of all mankind.A. E. Knoch
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HI Chosenone,What is this an explanation of?
Ed J (Joshua 22:34)
http://www.holycitybiblecode.orgall
does this comment realy say what Paul says to Timothy;;
AS GOD is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of those who believe (1 Tim.4:10), we may confidently rest on one grand and glorious foundation truth–that all salvation is of God, and neither believer nor unbeliever has any part in it1Ti 4:4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
1Ti 4:5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
1Ti 4:6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.
1Ti 4:7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
1Ti 4:8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1Ti 4:9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance
1Ti 4:10 (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
1Ti 4:11 Command and teach these things.
1Ti 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
1Ti 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.
1Ti 4:14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
1Ti 4:15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.
1Ti 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.Now were in scriptures does it say what is written in CO comment;;;
The change which eventuates in the ultimate salvation of the unbeliever is wrought, not only by his resurrection, but by the august judgment session, when he stands in the presence of Christ, with all his unbelief swept away by the awful realization of His power and the justice of His throne. We are asked, Is it possible for them to repent? Rather, we would like to know, Is it possible for them not to repent, or change their minds? We cannot conceive an unrepentant sinner before the great white throne.
God’s thoughts and man’s imaginations are nowhere more at variance than on the subject of judgment, or punishment. God is love; man is hatethis is what scriptures say;;Jn 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
this are the words of Jesus on the Judgement;;Jn 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
Jn 3:20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
Jn 3:21 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 Godthis as no scripture value because it is a opinion of men;But, we are told, God’s justice demands judgment. There is truth in this. But if God’s justice must be displayed at the expense of His love, the extinction of the unbeliever in the lake of fire, far from forever removing an eyesore from the universe, places a blot upon His character which eternity itself can never erase. If we do not doubt His willingness to save them, then we must acknowledge His inability. If we cannot question His power, then we must limit His love, and then we endanger the very foundation on which all eternal bliss must be established.
THE QUESTION OF JUDGEMENT DOES NOT LAY IN THE HANDS OF GOD ,BUT MEN,MEN HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE TO WILLINGLY SERVE GOD IF NOT THIS WILL BE SEEN AS A REJECTION OF GOD S WILL ,JUST LIKE THE Israelites WERE REJECTED BECAUSE OF THERE REFUSAL TO OBEY GOD,IF WE DO NOT WANT WHAT IS GOOD FOR YOU WELL THEN GET LOST.
Jn 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
Jn 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truthRev 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
Ro 8:13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
Ro 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the LordWhat Paul say here above is that if we live a live according to the spirit we will live accordingly to the spirit in Christ,but if we live accordingly to our sinful nature then we will be die and bring into judgement at the resurection.and be judge accordingly of our actions.
so all what CO is showing as not much value in scriptures.
Pierre
Quote (SimplyForgiven @ Sep. 08 2010,15:09) Another Question:
WE are Saved from What?
Death. 1Cor.15:26God Bless.
Quote JUST LIKE THE Israelites WERE REJECTED BECAUSE OF THERE REFUSAL TO OBEY GOD,IF WE DO NOT WANT WHAT IS GOOD FOR YOU WELL THEN GET LOST. Ro.11:26 …26 And thus all Israel shall be saved, according as it is written, Arriving out of Zion shall be the Rescuer. He will be turning away irreverence from Jacob.
So you don't believe scripture? Just your own version?
Quote (Ed J @ Sep. 08 2010,13:52) Quote (chosenone @ Sep. 08 2010,13:16) For SF and anyone interested. A lengthly explanation, for anyone thats interested.
The Living God
THE SALVATION OF THE UNBELIEVER
AS GOD is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of those who believe (1 Tim.4:10), we may confidently rest on one grand and glorious foundation truth–that all salvation is of God, and neither believer nor unbeliever has any part in it. On the one hand this assures us of the possibility of saving all men, for God alone is able, and, on the other, it bars out all human schemes for their restoration, whether by works, or suffering, by giving them a second chance, or by any cause whatever which originates in man. Those who believe are saved by His grace (Rom.4:16); those who do not believe are saved through His judgments, but in both it is He alone Who is Saviour.
Faith is but the channel of grace; it does not produce salvation. Judgment is but a means He uses, a process which leads to the opening of the unbeliever’s eyes. It does not remove his guilt or cleanse a single sin. That is done wholly and solely by the blood of Christ. Every effort to bring about the ultimate salvation of all through the purgatorial or penitential sufferings of the sinner is a denial of this great truth. Judgments do not save, but the God Who judges is also the Saviour, and all His dealings with mankind are governed by the grand goal which He has set before Him–to become All in all His creatures.
In setting forth the process by means of which God brings the unbeliever back to Himself we must remember that few believers are able to analyze the method used in their own salvation. Now, if we are not able to explain our own experience, how shall we understand His method with others? Yet, strange as it may seem, God’s dealings with the unbeliever are much more easily apprehended than His way with us. The very simplicity of faith baffles us. Most theological systems seek to base belief on evidence, and speak of “Christian evidences” as the foundation of the believer’s salvation. This is, rather, the method He uses in the deliverance of the unbeliever.
FAITH AND EVIDENCESThe case of Thomas is an example of the overpowering force of evidence where faith is wanting (John 20:26-29). No man can long withstand the testimony of his senses, even when (unlike Thomas) his interests may be opposed.
The tangible proofs given to support the proclamation of the kingdom affords a rich field for the study of the effect of evidence on the human heart. The unbeliever will be saved by sight. He will yield to the force of facts. He will be convinced by logic. What evidence is most suited for this purpose? In our Lord’s ministry we can see both the helps and the hindrances offered by the senses. The consideration of a few cases will reveal what most moves men and what makes them obstinate.
The rich young man was hindered by his possessions. The Samaritans were helped by the Lord’s words. The resurrection of Lazarus led many Jews to rely on His acts. These illustrate God’s method in the judgment of the unbeliever. He removes hindrances–no earthly acquisitions interfere with the decisions of the heart, for both heaven and earth flee from the face of Him Who sits on the throne. He works the greatest possible miracle, by raising them from the dead. He reads the inmost secret of their hearts. He appears in their very presence in soul-dismaying splendor. They cannot doubt His power or His perfections, and no motive remains to lead them to deceive themselves.
The judgment of unbelievers takes place in the interval between the passing of this present earth and the creation of the new. Every tie which bound them to the earth has been burned up. They are the subjects of the most astounding miracle ever wrought, having been raised from the dead. They are in the presence of the Divine Majesty. Their secrets are bared to His awful gaze. The character of their judgment, being adjusted to their acts, not simply as to severity but so as to correct them, will reveal God’s purpose to save and reconcile them to Himself. This, followed by their death in the lake of fire and subsequent vivification at the consummation, is the basis of their reconciliation through the blood of the cross (Col.1:20).
The excuses offered by those who were bidden to the great supper (Luke 14:18) are all removed before the great white throne. No fields or oxen or wives will intrude between the spirit and the great Judge.
In the judgment day God will judge the hidden things of humanity (Rom.2:16). We are prone to consider this a mere exhibition of His omniscience, to facilitate the trial of the sinner and to insure his condemnation. But more than this, it cannot but have a most powerful effect on the unbeliever’s attitude toward Christ. What was it that impressed the woman of Samaria (John 4:19,29)? It was His knowledge of her hidden secrets. As a result we read that many of the Samaritans of that city believe in Him because of the woman’s word that He told her all that she had done (John 4:39).
The blessed results achieved by His exposure of the woman at Sychar’s spring will be multiplied by many millions at the great white throne. There is nothing hidden that shall not be manifested (Matt.10:26). As in Corinth, the hidden things of the unbeliever’s heart become apparent, and, falling on his face, he will worship God (1 Cor.14:25).
Perhaps no miracle wrought by our Lord and His apostles created a stronger conviction than that of raising the dead. When Lazarus was raised many of the rulers believed, and the chief priests were concerned lest all should believe on Him because of this sign (John 11:45,48). When Peter raised Dorcas it also was used to convince many who believed on the Lord. Can we imagine what conviction it must have brought to Lazarus and to Dorcas themselves, if they should have had the slightest tendency to doubt? Could there have been any stronger proof of divine power than that their very life had come back to them at the bidding of One Who is stronger than death? In the process of winning the unbeliever we judge their resurrection and final vivification to be ample to account for salvation and reconciliation entering their lives.
SAUL OF TARSUSThe apostle Paul’s case is of surpassing significance in its bearing on the salvation of unbelievers. He was the foremost of sinners, and it cannot be denied that, among men, there was no case quite as desperate as his. All question as to God’s ability to save vanishes in the light of his call on the Damascus road. The miraculous means employed in his case surely would suffice for every one of God’s enemies. And who will deny, on sober reflection, that the appalling power and glory of the august judgment session into which the unbeliever is ushered by his resurrection will be unutterably more impressive?
The apostle’s vision passed. He came back to a scene where all was as before. He alone had changed. But the unbeliever sees the power and presence of God not only in his own deliverance from death, but in all around him. The vision does not vanish. The divine presence abides.
GOD AS JUDGEThe change which eventuates in the ultimate salvation of the unbeliever is wrought, not only by his resurrection, but by the august judgment session, when he stands in the presence of Christ, with all his unbelief swept away by the awful realization of His power and the justice of His throne. We are asked, Is it possib
le for them to repent? Rather, we would like to know, Is it possible for them not to repent, or change their minds? We cannot conceive an unrepentant sinner before the great white throne.
God’s thoughts and man’s imaginations are nowhere more at variance than on the subject of judgment, or punishment. God is love; man is hate. David was wise when he was given the choice of fleeing before his enemies or falling into the hand of Yahweh. He uttered a great truth when he exclaimed “Let us fall, I pray, into the hand of Yahweh, for His compassions are abundant; but let me not fall into the hand of humanity.” And surely his choice was vindicated, for when the messenger was stretching out his hand in destruction toward Jerusalem, Yahweh showed Himself merciful, and said, “Enough, now hold back your hand” (2 Sam.24:10-16).
NINEVEHJonah went through the streets of Nineveh, crying: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overturned!” (Jonah 3:4). But God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and He regretted the evil He said He would do unto them. “And He did it not” (Jonah 3:10). And what did Jonah do? Was he not pleased at the success of his mission? Did he not glory in the character of His God? Alas! he was like the many today. Like Jonah, they imagine that God has a streak of hate in His character and that He wanted to destroy Nineveh to give it exercise. But He had an object in threatening its destruction. Now that they repented and the object was attained, why should He belie His character and destroy them from sheer vindictiveness? Jonah’s God was a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of much benignity, and regretting of the evil which He had threatened (Jonah 4:2).
DESTRUCTIONThe thought that the resurrection and judgment of the unbeliever is only a prelude to his final “destruction” in the lake of fire must be judged by its moral effect, for it has no support whatever in the Scriptures. In the first place “destruction” (by which annihilation or extinction of being is intended), is never used of the lake of fire or of the second death. It is always used of the sinner before his resurrection at the great white throne. Those who are “destroyed” in Gehenna will be there. Those who “perished” in the wilderness and at the flood will be raised. “Destruction” is never annihilation. It never precludes resurrection and salvation. Indeed, it is a necessary precursor of salvation. The Lord came to seek and to save the “destroyed” (lost). So that, even if there were a single passage telling us that the unbeliever is “destroyed” in the second death (which there is not) we would still have every reason to believe God when He assured us that all who are dying in Adam shall be made alive in Christ (1 Cor.15:22).
Let no one suppose that we plead for the repeal of God’s word regarding the doom of the unbeliever. Far from it. But we do plead for the removal of those harsh, human perversions of His word, which seek to make Him a man like ourselves, hateful and hating one another, vindictive and vicious in our views of the so-called “penalties” of sin. We plead for a revision of our vocabulary on this important theme.
The terms destroy and destruction are so often used of irrecoverable ruin that a few examples will be given to show how far this is from the truth. The rendering “lost” is always the translation of the word for destroy. It would be the utmost folly for the Son of Mankind to seek, much less to save those who are annihilated. The lost sheep and the lost coin and the lost prodigal all had been destroyed, yet all were found and saved. Were the whole world lost or destroyed in the lake of fire, that would be no hindrance to salvation. Rather, it would be the very sphere in which alone salvation can operate. Christ cannot save anyone unless first he is destroyed, or lost.
GOD IS THE SAVIOURSuch is the salvation of the unbeliever. It is not only in absolute accord with every passage in the word of God, but in utmost harmony with the God Who is revealed through that word. How can anyone who truly loves Him rest satisfied with less than this, the only true, the only scriptural solution?
Let those who are fond of reasoning about the destiny of the universe accept their own premises and follow them out logically and the inevitable conclusion will be a universal reconciliation. Try it and see. All will acknowledge these premises:God is love, therefore
God is omnipotent, thereforeGod is not love if He will not do all He can for His creatures, neither is He omnipotent if He is unable to save them. Both revelation and reason are arrayed against the false delusion of unending torment for the unbeliever. It degrades the sacrifice of Christ to a mere attempt to remedy an evil which it cannot cure. O, my brethren, why do you limit His love, why do you paralyze His power? Is the Christ Who saved you capable of completing His work by saving all like you? Or, if He can, why will He not?
Confess that this terrible doctrine cannot but lead you to doubt His perfections. It brings you up to a blank wall, to a pit of dense darkness. But the blessed truth opens up a glorious vista flooded with the love light of God.
THE JUST JUDGMENT OF GODBut, we are told, God’s justice demands judgment. There is truth in this. But if God’s justice must be displayed at the expense of His love, the extinction of the unbeliever in the lake of fire, far from forever removing an eyesore from the universe, places a blot upon His character which eternity itself can never erase. If we do not doubt His willingness to save them, then we must acknowledge His inability. If we cannot question His power, then we must limit His love, and then we endanger the very foundation on which all eternal bliss must be established.
But we do not need to rest on reason. At best, it is usually the refuge of unbelief. God has spoken, and real reason rests on His revelation. He is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of those who believe. God give us grace to glory in such a God!
In the opening chapters of Romans Paul lays the foundation on which God’s just judgment is based. He closes his indictment of mankind with these words: “. . . God’s just statute, that such as are committing them are deserving of death . . .” (Rom.1:32). As the first death cannot be the effect of any judicial procedure on God’s part, it is evident that the death penalty awaits all who come into the judgment. Whatever may be the variety and degree of the tribulation and anguish meted out to each, one common end awaits them all–the second death.
VIVIFIED IN CHRISTBut, some will ask, if they were condemned to death, how can they be raised again? What right have they to the grace and life that will be their portion? We answer, none. They will have no more claim on the ecstatic bliss of that unending day than I or you, or any believer! What right have we? None at all. But in Christ we have a perfect title to every favor. So it will be with the unbeliever. It is not written that “Even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also shall all be vivified,” but “thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified” (1 Cor.15:22). Adam’s death involves all, irrespective of their deserts. Christ’s life extends to all, apart from their personal merits.
And here is where the unbeliever learns to love God. The judgment has exposed his own unworthiness. The grace of vivification will illumine his heart with the love of God in Christ. Then shall be fulfilled God’s universal goal:“. . . to Me will bow every knee,
And every tongue will be
acclaiming God.”This is the method He will use to bend the stubborn knees. He will not use physical force but moral suasion. Neither will He wring out a confession of sin from every tongue.
The Greek word as here used means acclaim, which involves a complete acknowledgment and acquiescence in the divine will.
The crowning and conclusive exhibition of God’s power and love toward the unbeliever awaits the consummation. The eons are past. All sin is banished. Evil is no more. The Son of God has nearly completed His mediatorial work. All the living are in perfect accord with God. Nothing remains but the conquest of death and the reconciliation of its denizens. It is the only enemy left in all God’s universe. Then, and not till then will the vast concourse of mankind emerge from the domain of death never to enter it again. Then death will be despoiled, the last enemy laid low. Then shall all awake to live in the light and love of Him Who will have become the Saviour of all mankind.A. E. Knoch
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HI Chosenone,What is this an explanation of?
Ed J (Joshua 22:34)
http://www.holycitybiblecode.org
Hi Jerry,You haven't answered my question?
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