Not Willing That Any Should Perish, Wraps it Up, for the one not wrapped up in their own confidence.
John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (My first pastor, when I was a child, used to say, “all means all and that’s all means) Not Willing That Any Should Perish
Not Willing That Any Should Perish
John MacArthur once said, “If you could lose your salvation you would.” By the way, if you could, you already would have!
It’s too bad that I must stoop to this level to defend the Truth about salvation and the Eternal keeping of Such. Those with “deeper” thinking 🙂 quit presenting God’s Word as an intellectual book. The flock doesn’t need “highfalutin” words like soteriology – Preach what the Bible uses – SALVATION. (158 times in the Word of God)
To those who lean “Calvinistic,” it would do you well to not lean on your own understanding – Simply rely on John 3:16.
We should not fear the words foreknowledge and omniscience. It does not require the input of a “theologian” or “scholar” to discern the Love of God. Simply put, pre-ordination is birthed by the foreknowledge of God knowing who will deny Him. This isn’t complicated!
John 1:9 “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Verse 11 “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” Verse 12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” Verse 13 “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Do you want a God that you can explain? Do any of us fully understand His Holiness, Sovereignty, Foreknowledge, Forced Election (tongue in cheek)?
If God simply chooses those for Salvation, that is, the recipient of Salvation has no say in the matter, but they are so “special” that God limits His atonement to that class of Spiritually-classed souls, then I submit; there is no need for:
The Great Commission, Preaching, Holy Spirit conviction, repentance, belief, faith, a calling on the Lord, assurance of Salvation, Christian schools, institutions of Biblical higher learning, why plead with those on their deathbed to accept Christ? on and on and on we could go.
Furthermore, what was the purpose of Acts 16:30 “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
I’m drawing a line in the sand – I will not argue, discuss, nor sit with a Brother and commune about Calvinism vs Arminianism. I will stick with how the Holy Spirit, through God’s Word, has solidified the Truth about Salvation and Eternal Security. My preaching and teaching will, indeed, be saturated with the foreknowledge of God and the free will of man. The marvelous plan of salvation was designed before man roamed the earth, because our Wonderful God loved us so much, even though He knew we’d fall, laid a gift of salvation at our feet.
The thief on the cross asked and Christ gloriously provided eternal security.
So, would Christ have provided Salvation if the thief had not asked? Maybe, because, if the thief was “chosen” with no personal requirement to say yes to Christ, Salvation was already his? Not true
In Acts, ole Agrippa was on the brink of Salvation, but he rejected – He didn’t have to reject!
The FINISHED WORK OF CALVARY provisionally provided Salvation to ALL. Will all accept? NO – Will all reject? NO
Video – Calvinism or Arminianism — Who Cares?
Predestination isn’t complicated if you allow God to be God.
Revelation 22:13 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
God knows all, God knows who, and God knows when; thus God chooses because God is God.
Limited atonement; no, no, no – if you believe that Christ died for a few and not the whole, the Doctrine of Salvation and the Gospel has eluded you.
Galatians 1:6 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:” Read all of Galatians chapter 1
Muse upon the following:
- A banker doesn’t study counterfeit money, but the “real thing”
- Those who call themselves Calvinists or Arminianists wade into shallow Spiritual water
- Here’s a novel idea, trust God’s Word and call yourself a Biblicist
- To point #2 above, why are you following a man?
- Greek nor Hebrew required, only God’s Word, the KJV, and the teaching of the Holy Spirit FIRST
- Theologians and scholars, from such, steer away
- Keep your “high brow” educational launching pads on the back burner
- Hermeneutics
- Homiletics
- Exegesis
- How about maintaining Hebrews 4:12 as your Preaching and Teaching construct
- Christians need to be fed God’s Word as it is written, not with a Strong’s concordance dangling from the Spiritual hip
- Studying, learning, and gaining knowledge and wisdom are good and nothing wrong with point #7, unless you derive your Spiritual power from those points and elect to disregard Spiritual prioritization.
- I rejoice when the Spirit bears witness with me, how about you?
- Are you trusting your education, a previous Pastor, teacher, or professor? Selah
- ‘Parable of the Banquet’ verses 15 – 24: Luke 14:24 “For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” Foreknowledge or Forced Election
- The ‘Rich Young Man’ is confronted directly by Christ: Matthew 19:16 – 22 “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”
Let’s create clarity before delving in! To you, the theologian/ scholar, let’s use the Bible to take care of your “total depravity” hangup.
- Romans 3:10 KJV – “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
- Romans 3:23 KJV – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
- Romans 5:8 KJV – “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
- Romans 5:12 KJV – “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
- Romans 6:23 KJV – “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
NOW, WAS THAT DIFFICULT?
How about allowing God the opportunity to take His place on the Throne
Following are a few points of unapologetic conviction, not preference.
- God desires that all be saved 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.”1 Timothy 2:4 "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
- John 12:32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
- John 16:8 "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:”
- Resisting God Luke 7:30 “But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.”Acts 7:51 “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”
- 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.”
- Luke 19:41 “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,”
- Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”
- Matthew 22:3 “And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.”
- Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
- John 7:17 “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”
- In Mark 10, the rich young ruler, confronted by Christ, said no! Mark 10:22 “And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.”
- Free Will John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”The fact that we sin, is free will – 1 John 1:9
- 1 Corinthians 3:13 “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”
1 Corinthians 3:14 “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.”
1 Corinthians 3:15 “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” - James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
- 1 Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”
- Acts 26:20 “But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.”
- 1 Timothy 2:4 “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
- John 7:17 “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”
- 1 Corinthians 3:13 “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”
- Eternal Security John 10:27-29 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”John 5:24 – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
- 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.”
- 1 John 5:13 – “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
- Ephesians 2:8,9 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
- John 10:28 – “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
Hebrews 6:4 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,”
Hebrews 6:5 “And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,”
Hebrews 6:6 “If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
2 Timothy 1:12 “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”
Romans 8:13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
Summary: I’m sticking with God’s Word. It’s been consistently taught, maintained, and wrought in my soul by the Holy Spirit, as He bears witness with me.
I will stick with the KJV, Eternal Security, God’s Foreknowledge, Man’s free will, Faith, Salvation, Grace, and predestination/election per God’s foreknowledge. NO Argument.
“Many theologians do battle over election and predestination. It has been my experience that the more persons with whom you share the Gospel, the more persons that get elected.” ~Jerry Falwell (autobiography)
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12
The power is in God’s Word:
In Acts 17 “but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”
In Matthew 7 “and few there be that find it.”
There is a worldwide call from a Sovereign God to ALL and a choice by the free will of man to accept or reject.