| “Helping to throw a little more light
on the Predestination-Free Will Mystery” |
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God wills.....YOU CHOOSE! |
Here is an amazing ...almost unbelievable truth:
Nowhere in Scripture is GOD'S predestining will/power of
election, separate from OUR free-will choice.
From Genesis to Revelation, salvation, though a
predestined work on God's part, yet it is equally a
freewill choice on our part - the two, like two
harmonising, yet opposite, sides of the same
coin...something, we would have to admit, our limited
ability cannot really comprehend.
No wonder Paul sums up his comprehensive exposition of
this topic with, "How unsearchable are His judgments and
His way past finding out!" (Romans chapters 9-11.)
In other words, the Biblical truth (whether we
understand it or not) is:
Whatever God has predestined in heaven for us, is
fulfilled by our choice here on earth. Our choice is
always part of the equation. The handle is on our side
of the door. That is, salvation at all times is
conditional!
[Please note that by 'predestination' or 'election',
reference here is not made to, what some call, God's
'permissive will'; but rather to His 'directive will'.]
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'For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life' (John 3:16.)
'O Jerusalem ....how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens
under her wings, and you would not! Behold your house is
left desolate. For you shall not see Me henceforth, till
you shall say, Blessed is He Who comes in the name of
the Lord.' (Matthew 23:37-39.)
'Behold I stand at the door and knock. If ANY MAN hear
my voice, and open the door, I will come in to Him, and
sup with him, and he with Me.' (Revelation 3:20.)
The chiefest apostle (Paul) speaking: 'I discipline
myself, lest when I have preached unto others, I myself
should be a castaway (like the initial generation of
Israel in the wilderness).' (1 Corinthians 9:27-10:1-12.)
'I will put you in remembrance, how the Lord, having
saved the people out of Egypt, afterward destroyed them
that believed not!' (Jude 5.)
"Since the promise of entering His rest still stands,
let us be careful that none of you be found to have
fallen short of it!' (NIV. Hebrews 4:1.)
'If God spared not the natural branches (of the Israel
vine), take heed lest He also spare not thee. Behold the
goodness and severity of God. On them who fell,
severity. But toward you, goodness, IF you continue in
His goodness, otherwise you also shall be cut off! And
they also, IF they abide not still in unbelief, shall be
grafted in again." (Romans 11:21-23.)
"He who overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white
raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the
Book of Life!' (Revelation 3:5.)
'Whosoever hath sinned against Me (without true
repentance/forsaking of sin), him will I blot out of My
Book!' (Exodus 32:33.)
'What shall separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus OUR LORD?' Answer: 'YOUR SINS have
separated between you and your God! (that is, when Jesus
is no longer 'OUR LORD'! (Rom. 8:35 & 39, Isaiah 59:2.)
No man is able to pluck My sheep, that is, those who
hear my voice and are following Me, out of my Father's
hands.' (John 10:27-29.)
'Every branch in Me (that is, 'in Christ and therefore
is a new creation'!) that bears not (good) fruit, He
(Christ) takes away.....and they are burned!' (John 15:2
& 6.)
YET THERE IS A SENSE THAT....
'The Lord is not willing that ANY should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.' (2 Peter 3:9) Yet
many perish by free-will!
And, 'God our Saviour will have ALL men to be saved, and
come unto the knowledge of the truth.' (1 Timothy
2:3-4.) But not all are saved!
'FOREKNOWLEDGE' - A 1/3 DIMENSION - THE EDGE OF THE
'COIN'
It is true, God's foreknowledge is another, though
equally independent, part of the mix.)
* For example:
'Elected according to the foreknowledge of God.' (1
Peter 1:2.)
'Whom God did foreknow, he also did predestinate.'
(Romans 8:29.)
* The 3 dimensions in one
verse (twice):
Abraham shall become a great nation....for (1) I (fore)
know that (2) he will command his children after him and
keep the way of the lord; that the Lord may bring upon
him (3) all I have spoken of him' (Genesis 18:18-19.)
'Jesus being handed over, according to (1) God's
predetermined plan (will) and (2) foreknowledge, (3)
you
have crucified.' (Acts 2:23.)
Now perhaps we can understand Paul's assessment of such
matters: "How unsearchable are His judgments and His
ways past finding out!' |
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NOT OF OUR WORKS,,
BUT FAITH-ACCEPTANCE with fruit |
As we all know (or should know),
salvation is not by 'works', that is, works which
qualify us before God. lndeed no person qualifies him or
herself given their otherwise unconverted sinful state
in the sight of an all-seeing holy and just God. Rather,
Scripture teaches us that we are only acceptable to God
on the exercise
of our faith-acceptance of God's free gift of
salvation from sin (its guilt, penalty and nature)
through the reconciling death and resurrection and
Lordship of His Son, Jesus Christ, by which
experience (if genuine) we are born anew, bringing forth
the fruit of true repentance from known sin,
manifested by faith obedience, all by the
power of the new-birth life/Spirit which we have in
reality accepted.
For, in a word, the Blood of Christ does not cover
sin, but rather cleanses/eradicates it, on
our faith-acceptance of the truly new birth in
Christ. And the proof? We do not retain a sinful
nature! |
'New cloth is never added to
on old garment!'
(though, with further light, sanctification
continues thereafter of non-sinful mistakes).
'For if any man is in Christ, he is a new
creature. Old things ore passed
away, and behold all things are become new.' (2
Corinthians 5:17.)
'A tree is either good and its fruit good: or
corrupt and its fruit corrupt!
It is known by its fruit.' (Matthew 12:33.)
But remember:
'Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners'
(even if we hold the preconversion record of being
'the chiefest of sinners!') |
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DISCLAIMER & CLAIMER |
It has not
been the purpose of this material to presume
to reconcile the apparent difference between
'predesiination/election' and 'free-will'.
Put simply, 'predestination' concerns
GOD - what He does or does not do
while 'free-will' concerns US
- what we do or do not do....by way of
faith-acceptance manifesting obedience.
Surely we would need to agree that, while we
might never be able to totally comprehend
the 'how' of marrying these two ingredients
of salvation, yet we do well to fully
appreciate and comprehend our side of the
'coin' relating to what God holds
us responsible for...our
faith-acceptance of His sin-saving
offer and working...
that being OUR CHOICE!
May this material be helpful to this end. |
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"IT IS OUR CHOICE
AND NO OTHER CAN CHOOSE HELL OR HEAVEN FOR US"
CLICK |
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Just recently did this -
a
topic l've wanted to open up on for some time, but have hesitated being the can of worms that it
is.
I certainly haven't wanted to
add to the stupidity of the
debate stretching over millenia.
Yet
I felt it important,
if only because the majority used their stance
as
the sporning ground for
that incideous doctrine of
OSAS...
enough to make even Lucifer think
he
was having a bad dream!
Eh?...
though much to the joy of so-called
'evangelical' and 'called-outs' of today, still living
in the
Dark Ages
of Calvinism, Whitfield, Spurgeon etc and Pentecostalism.
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