Does God unconditionally elect to save some and send others to hell?
Or
Does God give people a choice to choose heaven or hell.
Think those are the only two choices?...of course not!
However...
... these are Not the choices that are important.
Some will say "I am elect, therefore I seek God and am saved"
while others say "I seek God and am saved, therefore I am elect"
In both instances one puts their faith in a doctrine or teaching about God; they feel secure knowing they are saved because either they have been choosen by God or have chosen God.
Putting ones faith in a doctrine for security and salvation is a kind of golden calf, nothing more than worshiping the created instead of the Creator; it is subtle form of idol worship where one derives their security from a doctrine, teaching or systematic theology instead of the nature of God and His feelings and intentions toward us as revealed in Jesus.
It is not important if Jesus went to the cross to save the elect or if Jesus went to the cross to give all a choice to be elect.
What is important ....
...Is Jesus went to the Cross to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that He Loves you!
It is in this and this alone that we should find our security and salvation.
With regards to elect or chosen, I picture the scene at The Skull ( Luke 23:39-43) which I think portrayed the 3 kinds of people and we as believer or unbeliever can relate or chose which person we are.
One person at the center is the Lord Jesus Christ and surely we could not be him.
Second person is the criminal at one side hurling insults at him: �Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!�
Third person is the other criminal who rebuked him and said �Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.�
Jesus answered him, �I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise�.
I dont think our third person had doctrine or systematic theology nor good works and yet he is in paradise.
Jesus died for everyone when we all were sinners!!! But not all accept His salvation and are saved!
It is like you all can have ticket to the aircraft (granted for you by the airlines) but not all of them come to the airport to take this ticket and fly to Saudi Arabia......
Or you, a beggar, got a present -a check for a huge amount of money- but however you prefer to stay on street and beg for money. Why are you here? You didn�t come to bank to get your money. Why? Well they could arrest you�.etc. But the fact is you didn�t claim your money. Having money, you do not have them.
It means Jesus died for all of us, but only the Small Remnant will be saved who OBEY God Jesus and live the holy lives in FAITH in Him. God knows that end from the beginning because He is Omnicsient. So, He knows the Small Remnant who finally will accept His Gift of salvation through FAITH in God Jesus and this Small Remnant He calls the ELECT and the Chosen people.:
* John 1:29, "The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'"
* John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
* John 4:42, "and they were saying to the woman, 'It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.'"
* 1 Tim. 4:10, "For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers."
* 1 John 2:2, "and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."
* 1 John 4:14, "And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world."
Yrs, Bahira, I think it is one of the plainest truths, yet one of the most misunderstood truths that Jesus died and paid the price for ALL, yet some either don't believe it, think it is to good to be true, reject the offer or do Not want it.
There are some who would rather choose death than to humble themselves or permit themselves to be humbled....
I would like to look at John 17:1-3,in light of the Greek.
John 17:1 Jesus spoke these things and lifted up His eyes to Heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may also glorify You,
John 17:2 as You gave to Him authority over all flesh, so that to all which You gave to Him, He may give to them everlasting life.
John 17:3 And this is everlasting life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
In verse 2 Christ is given authority over all flesh.
He then 'gives' eternal life' to those given to Him.
This life is not earned by 'Trying' to live holy,or even by being obedient.
Obedience is the reult,not the cause of beong given life in Christ
Greek for 'give' is: didomi
Pronounced: did-o-mee
G1325
δίδωμι
didōmi
Thayer Definition:
1) to give
2) to give something to someone
2a) of one�s own accord to give one something, to his advantage
2a1) to bestow a gift
2b) to grant, give to one asking, let have
2c) to supply, furnish, necessary things
2d) to give over, deliver
2d1) to reach out, extend, present
2d2) of a writing
2d3) to give over to one�s care, intrust, commit
2d3a) something to be administered
2d3b) to give or commit to some one something to be religiously observed
2e) to give what is due or obligatory, to pay: wages or reward
2f) to furnish, endue
3) to give
3a) to cause, profuse, give forth from one�s self
3a1) to give, hand out lots
3b) to appoint to an office
3c) to cause to come forth, i.e. as the sea, death and Hell are said to give up the dead who have been engulfed or received by them
3c) to give one to someone as his own
3c1) as an object of his saving care
3c2) to give one to someone, to follow him as a leader and master
3c3) to give one to someone to care for his interests
3c4) to give one to someone to whom he already belonged, to return
4) to grant or permit one
4a) to commission
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by Thayer�s/Strong�s Number: a prolonged form of a primary verb (which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses)
Citing in TDNT: 2:166, 166
Verse 3;To know GOD.
The Greek word for 'Know' is ginosko.
G1097
γινώσκω
ginōskō
Thayer Definition:
1) to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
1a) to become known
2) to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of
2a) to understand
2b) to know
3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman
4) to become acquainted with, to know
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by Thayer�s/Strong�s Number: a prolonged form of a primary verb
Because God will judge us according to our works!!!! So His HOLY Scripture says.
I usually explain it so:
If I knowing Jesus will sleep in Cairo with Arabs then HOW I will ge to the Kingdom of Heaven? Knowing the TRUTH I reject this truth. Because if I do not do what is right, I am sinning. Do you remember what is a sin of omission?
A sin of omission is failing to do something good when you know you should. The Good Samaritan parable is a classic example of this (Luke 10:30-37). Both the priest and the Levite passed by the injured man without helping him, leaving him half-dead.
James 4:17, "Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin."
So, remember that punishment for sin is DEATH and LIVE a HOLY life as Scripture teaches you or get to the hell fire. It is your choice.
Where God teaches us to be holy as He is HOLY?
"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:13-16)
