FREE WILL or CALVINISM?



DID GOD IN ETERNITY PAST REALLY PREDESTINE CERTAIN PERSONS TO ETERNAL TORMENT?

Most everyone wherever the gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached has heard John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." in which they were offered the hope of being saved. Jesus said the "world through him might be saved" - not just part of the "world"!

Again, Jesus said this offer went out to all that were lost in Lk. 19:10 - "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." - not some of the lost, but all of it!

John the Baptist said of Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:9).

Paul said "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11). Titus said that the grace of God that made such an offer possible and to all men.

The reason that God's grace appeared to "ALL MEN" is expressed in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance". Now if God doesn't want anyone to perish, He must want them to have eternal life because that is exactly what He said in John 3:16, "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". He stated that further in 2 Peter 3:9 by saying "all should come to repentance". Why would God not want "all" to come to repentance if He did not want them to have eternal life? Does God really expect repentance from those who will spend eternity in hell?

Jesus says in John 12:32, "And I [Jesus], if I be lifted [on the cross] up from the earth, will draw all men unto me". Note, he did not say he would draw only some to himself. If Jesus "draws all men" to himself, then the final choice is each persons. Jesus already demonstrated his choice by drawing all men to himself!

Jesus is the savior of ALL men in 1 Tim. 4:10 - "For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of ALL MEN, specially of those that believe".

Rom. 5:6 says, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly", not just some of the ungodly! Romans 5:18 "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous". 2 Cor. 5:14-15 agrees that Jesus died for all, "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead, and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again."

Heb. 2:9 "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man" - not just some men.

1 John 2:2 "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" - not just some of it (or them).

Now again, can anyone be saved or just certain ones God elected? Look at 1 Tim. 2:1 "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men?4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

We are to pray for all men because God desires that all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Does that mean everyone will be saved? Not at all, because Jesus said only those that believe in Him would be saved. That is why we are to pray for all men - so they have a better opportunity to be saved (we will see how people get a better opportunity to get saved when we look at how they get saved in Rom. 10 in a few minutes). Now if God wills all men (obviously women too) to be saved, then that means He can not will that ANY be lost! This is so obvious, it does not seem reasonable that anyone can believe that God has appointed before He created anything (or anyone) that certain persons will go to eternal torment in hell and certain persons will go to heaven, but since there are some people who believe that, a study like this is necessary! The belief that God has predetermined that some people will go to hell is a "doctrine of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1) to defeat many who would have called on the name of the Lord to be saved (Rom. 10:13 "For whoever shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved")!

Classes of individuals are predestined to be saved (only), not individuals! No one is predestined to be lost...except those who chose not to believe. Election is like a train...every one who gets on gets to the train's destination, and it is the free will choice of persons to decide if they will get on it or not! " And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48). If you get on the train, you were ordained to be in the "destination" (or "predestined") group.

If you do not have eternal life presently and would like to, go HOW TO RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE


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WHEN DID JESUS SAY THE RAPTURE WOULD TAKE PLACE?

WHEN DID PAUL SAY THE RAPTURE WOULD TAKE PLACE?

HOW DOES THE DAY OF THE LORD RELATE TO THE RAPTURE?

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