Reading but Never Seeing: Why Scripture Remains Hidden to the Lost

[bdavidc]

Have you ever noticed people who are blind to the Bible: When Truth is Staring Them in the Face? When you defended your faith, you’ve likely run into it, people twisting Scripture, misquoting verses, or denying plain biblical truth that’s staring them in the face. You can quote verse after verse, and still they’ll say, “That’s not what it means.” It’s as if they’re blind to what’s written clearly on the page. The reason is simple: their eyes haven’t been opened by the Lord. Until Jesus opens a person’s heart and mind, they will not truly understand the Word of God, no matter how many times they read it.

This truth is seen clearly in the Gospel of Luke. After His resurrection, Jesus sat at the table with two disciples. “He took bread, blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him” (Luke 24:30-31). A few verses later, “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Until that moment, they didn’t grasp what the Scriptures had been saying all along. The meaning wasn’t hidden by lack of intelligence, it was hidden because spiritual understanding comes from God alone.

God’s Word is not just ink on a page. It is living, and it is spiritual. That’s why reading it with the natural mind will not bring life or clarity. Without the Spirit of God opening our understanding, the Bible remains sealed. That’s why Scripture tells us that the natural man “receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him” (1 Corinthians 2:14). It takes the work of the Holy Spirit to make a person see what is spiritually discerned.

This is why arguments with those who reject the truth often go nowhere. They may be well-spoken, religious, and even knowledgeable, but if their eyes have not been opened by the Lord, they remain blind guides (Matthew 15:14). Just like the Pharisees who searched the Scriptures but missed the very Messiah those Scriptures pointed to (John 5:39-40), many today are reading, but not seeing.

So what does this mean for you? First, it means we must never approach the Bible casually. We must pray and ask God to teach us. We must spend time with Jesus, not just learning about Him, but knowing Him. “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law” (Psalm 119:18). Second, when we stand for truth and meet resistance, we shouldn’t be surprised. Truth is not something people can understand unless God grants them light. That should keep us humble, dependent on prayer, and focused on pointing people to Christ, not just winning arguments.

The Bible is not just a religious book. It is the very Word of God. And only those who draw near to the Author will be given understanding. “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). Are you seeking that light, or just reading the words? Only one path leads to truth.

 

[Davy]

Have you ever noticed people who are blind to the Bible: When Truth is Staring Them in the Face? When you defended your faith, you’ve likely run into it, people twisting Scripture, misquoting verses, or denying plain biblical truth that’s staring them in the face. You can quote verse after verse, and still they’ll say, “That’s not what it means.” It’s as if they’re blind to what’s written clearly on the page. The reason is simple: their eyes haven’t been opened by the Lord. Until Jesus opens a person’s heart and mind, they will not truly understand the Word of God, no matter how many times they read it.

....

Very true.
I recall in High School I tried to actually study The Bible, seriously, as we were raised in the Church. But I never got baptized until I turned 40. So I recall how it seemed my understanding was closed off when young. Still, I always believed in God and in Jesus even then.

When I got baptized in Christ, and actually asked God to give me understanding in His Word, that's when The Holy Spirit hit me, and I couldn't stop Bible study until I'd gone all the way through, line upon line, chapter by chapter. And I do have to say that my education did help me in the discipline of Bible study, along with maturity of having traveled overseas much. And also, I saw the political workings going on in the world first, which made me wonder what was really going on. And that also is another factor that made me turn to God for understanding.

So I have that comparison of my early years of The Bible not making a whole lot of sense vs later years when God opened up His Word in my spiritual eyes and ears.

 

[The Gospel of Christ]

Have you ever noticed people who are blind to the Bible: When Truth is Staring Them in the Face?

You mean these guys? Yes, I see these demons on the TV all the time.

 

[Davy]

You mean these guys? Yes, I see these demons on the TV all the time.

Many have been spiritually blinded from God's Truth during this present world. That's why Jesus answered His disciples like He did when they asked Him why He spoke in parables to the multitudes (Matt.13).

But also, God has ordained a group of "crept in unawares" to work the negative side of His Plan (see Jude 4). And that is for trying His elect like gold is purged with fire, which those without eyes to see, and ears to hear, they're having been blinded, will not realize and thus will be deceived.

I witnessed to a believer once about endtime events, and asked them questions to make sure they understood the Scripture. And they did show they understood, at that moment in time. About two weeks later, I asked them those same Bible questions about what we went over, and it was like our conversation had never ever taken place. They didn't know what in the world I was talking about. So I had to chalk that up as a lesson God was giving me, that during this present world it is not given for everyone to understand just yet. Not everyone is given spiritual eyes to see, and ears to hear, and I'm talking solely about brethren believers on Jesus Christ, and the "strong meat" of God's Word that Apostle Paul mentioned in Hebrews 5.

 

[The Gospel of Christ]

Many have been spiritually blinded from God's Truth during this present world. That's why Jesus answered His disciples like He did when they asked Him why He spoke in parables to the multitudes (Matt.13).

But also, God has ordained a group of "crept in unawares" to work the negative side of His Plan (see Jude 4). And that is for trying His elect like gold is purged with fire, which those without eyes to see, and ears to hear, they're having been blinded, will not realize and thus will be deceived.

I witnessed to a believer once about endtime events, and asked them questions to make sure they understood the Scripture. And they did show they understood, at that moment in time. About two weeks later, I asked them those same Bible questions about what we went over, and it was like our conversation had never ever taken place. They didn't know what in the world I was talking about. So I had to chalk that up as a lesson God was giving me, that during this present world it is not given for everyone to understand just yet. Not everyone is given spiritual eyes to see, and ears to hear, and I'm talking solely about brethren believers on Jesus Christ, and the "strong meat" of God's Word that Apostle Paul mentioned in Hebrews 5.

Yes, I agree — not everyone is given eyes to see.
But here’s the irony: you’re using that truth to justify blindness, not expose it.

You're responding to an image and a critique about Scofieldism and political Zionism, but instead of addressing the issue directly, you defaulted to vague fatalism: “God has blinded them for now… not everyone is given to understand…”

But here’s the truth:
Scofieldism is the deception

It teaches that unbelieving Jews remain God’s chosen,
It separates the Church from Israel,
It idolizes a political state that rejects Christ,
And it twists prophecy into war propaganda.

It was literally funded and planted in American theology by Zionist agents — you don’t get more “crept in unawares” (Jude 4) than that.

So when you refuse to rebuke that system — and instead talk like it’s just “God’s mysterious plan” —
all you’re doing is shielding deception.

Now about Israel’s “blindness”…
Yes — Paul does say Israel was hardened in part (Romans 11:25).
But that wasn’t a pause button on their judgment — it was a cutoff.

“They were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.” — Romans 11:20
“God is able to graft them in again — if they do not continue in unbelief.” — Romans 11:23

That’s not “Oh well, they’re blinded for now.”
That’s: They were cut off.
And the only way back is faith in Jesus.

Paul makes it crystal clear:
“Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” — Romans 9:6
“If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed.” — Galatians 3:29
“There is no difference between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all.” — Romans 10:12

Jesus Himself told them:
“The Kingdom will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its fruit.” — Matthew 21:43
So no — Jewish hardening isn’t a loophole.
It’s a warning.

So let’s stop pretending Scofield’s doctrine is “strong meat.”
It’s theological arsenic dressed in a King James suit.

And yes — deception is part of God’s plan.
But Scofieldism is part of the test —
And you're not supposed to bow to it.

 

[Wick Stick]

Scripture Remains Hidden to the Lost​

I'm not sure the Found are doing much better, tbh

 

[bdavidc]

I'm not sure the Found are doing much better, tbh

Who do you consider the found to be?

 

[Wick Stick]

Who do you consider the found to be?

Christians

 

[Davy]

Yes, I agree — not everyone is given eyes to see.
But here’s the irony: you’re using that truth to justify blindness, not expose it.

You're responding to an image and a critique about Scofieldism and political Zionism, but instead of addressing the issue directly, you defaulted to vague fatalism: “God has blinded them for now… not everyone is given to understand…”

Nah... I disagree. I'm not pointing specifically to "Scofieldism" nor any other ism. I'm pointing to the fact that among all... peoples of this present world time, God has not given all spiritual eyes to see, and ears to hear, just as Lord Jesus revealed in Matthew 13 about the multitudes. Thus the audience is general in nature, and not about the false doctrines by certain men.

But here’s the truth:
Scofieldism is the deception

It teaches that unbelieving Jews remain God’s chosen,
It separates the Church from Israel,
It idolizes a political state that rejects Christ,
And it twists prophecy into war propaganda.

Apostle Paul in Romans 11 taught that God has put the "spirit of slumber" upon the majority of Paul's brethren the Jews, so you need to learn to accept that fact, as written...

Rom 11:7-10
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
KJV

Apostle Paul even warns those in Christ to not be ignorant of this mystery and not be wise in our own conceits about it, as you show you are...

Rom 11:25-28
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
KJV

It is obvious that you yourself are spiritually blinded about the "synagogue of Satan", thinking that means all unbelieving Jews, when it's actually about foreigners that crept in among the Jews, which are not true bloodline Judah, but instead are the "crept in unawares" of Jude 4 ordained to the condemnation of being against The Father and His Son. It was those foreigners that crept in that were responsible for Jesus' crucifixion, and swaying the people to agree with their worker plants among the crowds to yell, "crucify Him!"

You're just another that shows you don't know your Old Testament history, and instead allow yourself to follow political workers instead.

 

[nedsk]

View attachment 62047

Have you ever noticed people who are blind to the Bible: When Truth is Staring Them in the Face? When you defended your faith, you’ve likely run into it, people twisting Scripture, misquoting verses, or denying plain biblical truth that’s staring them in the face. You can quote verse after verse, and still they’ll say, “That’s not what it means.” It’s as if they’re blind to what’s written clearly on the page. The reason is simple: their eyes haven’t been opened by the Lord. Until Jesus opens a person’s heart and mind, they will not truly understand the Word of God, no matter how many times they read it.

This truth is seen clearly in the Gospel of Luke. After His resurrection, Jesus sat at the table with two disciples. “He took bread, blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him” (Luke 24:30-31). A few verses later, “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Until that moment, they didn’t grasp what the Scriptures had been saying all along. The meaning wasn’t hidden by lack of intelligence, it was hidden because spiritual understanding comes from God alone.

God’s Word is not just ink on a page. It is living, and it is spiritual. That’s why reading it with the natural mind will not bring life or clarity. Without the Spirit of God opening our understanding, the Bible remains sealed. That’s why Scripture tells us that the natural man “receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him” (1 Corinthians 2:14). It takes the work of the Holy Spirit to make a person see what is spiritually discerned.

This is why arguments with those who reject the truth often go nowhere. They may be well-spoken, religious, and even knowledgeable, but if their eyes have not been opened by the Lord, they remain blind guides (Matthew 15:14). Just like the Pharisees who searched the Scriptures but missed the very Messiah those Scriptures pointed to (John 5:39-40), many today are reading, but not seeing.

So what does this mean for you? First, it means we must never approach the Bible casually. We must pray and ask God to teach us. We must spend time with Jesus, not just learning about Him, but knowing Him. “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law” (Psalm 119:18). Second, when we stand for truth and meet resistance, we shouldn’t be surprised. Truth is not something people can understand unless God grants them light. That should keep us humble, dependent on prayer, and focused on pointing people to Christ, not just winning arguments.

The Bible is not just a religious book. It is the very Word of God. And only those who draw near to the Author will be given understanding. “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). Are you seeking that light, or just reading the words? Only one path leads to truth.

Apparently you have eyes tell me what you see here

John 6:40
This is indeed the will of the father that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life and I shall raise him up on the last day.

John 6:54
Whoever feeds upon my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.

Who will have eternal life and be raised up in the last day?

 

[The Gospel of Christ]

Nah... I disagree. I'm not pointing specifically to "Scofieldism" nor any other ism. I'm pointing to the fact that among all... peoples of this present world time, God has not given all spiritual eyes to see, and ears to hear, just as Lord Jesus revealed in Matthew 13 about the multitudes. Thus the audience is general in nature, and not about the false doctrines by certain men.




Apostle Paul in Romans 11 taught that God has put the "spirit of slumber" upon the majority of Paul's brethren the Jews, so you need to learn to accept that fact, as written...

Rom 11:7-10
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
KJV

Apostle Paul even warns those in Christ to not be ignorant of this mystery and not be wise in our own conceits about it, as you show you are...

Rom 11:25-28
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
KJV

It is obvious that you yourself are spiritually blinded about the "synagogue of Satan", thinking that means all unbelieving Jews, when it's actually about foreigners that crept in among the Jews, which are not true bloodline Judah, but instead are the "crept in unawares" of Jude 4 ordained to the condemnation of being against The Father and His Son. It was those foreigners that crept in that were responsible for Jesus' crucifixion, and swaying the people to agree with their worker plants among the crowds to yell, "crucify Him!"

You're just another that shows you don't know your Old Testament history, and instead allow yourself to follow political workers instead.

Yes — Romans 11 teaches a partial hardening. I’m not denying that. Paul makes it clear:

“What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened.” — Romans 11:7

But you’re twisting Paul’s warning into an excuse to exalt ethnic Israel in unbelief, and that’s exactly what he warned against:

“Do not boast against the branches… do not be arrogant, but tremble.” — Romans 11:18,20

The remnant is saved by grace, not by bloodline. And the rest were cut off — not exalted.

You quoted:
“Blindness in part has happened to Israel… until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in. And so all Israel shall be saved…” (Romans 11:25–26)

Let’s be clear:
Paul is describing a mystery — not a political prophecy.
He’s not saying all ethnic Israel automatically gets saved.
He’s saying the same Deliverer who saved the Gentiles will also save believing Jews — through faith, not through DNA.

That’s why he says earlier in the same chapter:

“If they do not continue in unbelief, they will be grafted in.” — Romans 11:23

There’s one tree. One Deliverer. One way in: faith in Christ.


But here you’ve gone off the rails:
“It wasn’t the Jews who rejected Jesus — it was foreigners who crept in…”

That’s a fantasy. You’re rewriting the Gospels to fit a weird racial mythology — as if Jesus wasn’t crucified by His own people, fulfilling exactly what the prophets said would happen:

“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” — John 1:11
“This is the heir; come, let us kill Him.” — Matthew 21:38 (spoken by the Jewish leaders in His parable)
“You crucified and killed Him by the hands of lawless men.” — Acts 2:23 (Peter speaking to Jews)

Peter, Stephen, and Paul all affirmed this truth to their fellow Israelites.
Your claim that it was “foreigners who crept in” is pure revisionism — not Bible.

Let’s address your logic:
You say I’m “blind” because I reject your Scofield-infected interpretation of Romans 11?

Let me remind you: Paul didn’t write Romans 11 to glorify unbelieving Israel.
He wrote it to explain why so many Jews were rejecting Christ — and to urge both Jews and Gentiles to humility and repentance.

You’ve twisted that into a doctrine where unbelieving Jews remain God’s VIP nation, even while they remain enemies of the Gospel (Romans 11:28). That’s not faith. That’s nationalist idolatry.

And you’ve managed to flip God’s judgment into political flattery. That’s not discernment — it’s deception.

Final Word:

Yes, blindness in part happened to Israel.
Yes, God will graft them back in if they do not persist in unbelief (Romans 11:23).
No, there is no “ethnic salvation package” waiting for national Israel.
No, Christ was not crucified by imposters or foreigners — He was rejected by the leadership of Israel, just as foretold.

And as for the “synagogue of Satan” — Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 are talking about those who claim to be Jews but are not— spiritually, covenantally — the same way Paul said “not all who are of Israel are Israel.”

If you’re defending unbelief and calling it God’s plan…
If you’re promoting Zionist myths and calling it prophecy…
…then yes, you are blind —
but not because God made you that way.

Because you’re refusing to see the Son.

 

[Davy]

Yes — Romans 11 teaches a partial hardening. I’m not denying that. Paul makes it clear:

“What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened.” — Romans 11:7

But you’re twisting Paul’s warning into an excuse to exalt ethnic Israel in unbelief, and that’s exactly what he warned against:

“Do not boast against the branches… do not be arrogant, but tremble.” — Romans 11:18,20

Oh no I am not doing that.
Instead, you are simply looking for excuses to hate the Jews. That's the real matter I see. And I am not Jewish, at least not that I know of, my ancestors came to the Americas from 16th century France and were French Protestants persecuted by the Catholic Church.

What I am doing is simply pointing to what Apostle Paul taught in Romans 11 about it, and for us to not be wise in our own conceits, which means what? It means don't be so ready to cast the unbelieving Jews off, because for the majority of them, their time to believe on Jesus Christ is not until that "spirit of slumber" God put upon them is removed. And Paul gave us the time when that will happen in the future.

So what's your excuse for your bias against the unbelieving Jews? Did you have a bad experience with them at some point in your life??

 

[The Gospel of Christ]

Oh no I am not doing that.
Instead, you are simply looking for excuses to hate the Jews. That's the real matter I see. And I am not Jewish, at least not that I know of, my ancestors came to the Americas from 16th century France and were French Protestants persecuted by the Catholic Church.

What I am doing is simply pointing to what Apostle Paul taught in Romans 11 about it, and for us to not be wise in our own conceits, which means what? It means don't be so ready to cast the unbelieving Jews off, because for the majority of them, their time to believe on Jesus Christ is not until that "spirit of slumber" God put upon them is removed. And Paul gave us the time when that will happen in the future.

So what's your excuse for your bias against the unbelieving Jews? Did you have a bad experience with them at some point in your life??

No — I’m not “looking for excuses to hate Jews.” That’s a lazy accusation meant to avoid dealing with the actual scriptures I quoted.

I’m quoting Paul. I’m quoting Christ — the King of the Jews.
I’m pointing out what they taught — not because I hate anyone, but because I love the truth.

You’re trying to play the emotional card to avoid the theological one. But Paul didn’t exalt ethnic Israel in their unbelief — he warned the Gentile Church not to become arrogant like them.

“They were broken off because of unbelief… and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble.” — Romans 11:20

This isn’t about personal bias. It’s about spiritual blindness — and that blindness applies to anyone who rejects Christ, Jew or Gentile.

And for the record, Paul did say they were cut off:

“God did not spare the natural branches. He will not spare you either.” — Romans 11:21
“They are enemies of the gospel for your sake… but beloved for the sake of the patriarchs.” — Romans 11:28

So yes — God still has a redemptive plan for some of Israel. But it’s in Christ. There is no covenant apart from Him.

If quoting that bothers you, your issue isn’t with me — it’s with the Bible.

 

[The Gospel of Christ]

Only in the delusional circus of Scofield theology™ can I worship Jesus Christ — the KING of the JEWS — quote His own words, quote Paul, and get told I’m a "Jew-hating Nazi".

Let me get this straight…

I worship a Jewish King.
I follow His Jewish apostles.
I quote Jewish scripture.
I believe salvation came from the Jews — John 4:22
And you’re accusing me of antisemitism…
…because I won’t bow down to unbelieving political Zionists who reject that same Jewish King?

ROFL.

This is what happens when people throw out the Gospel and start treating ethnicity like a get-out-of-judgment-free card.

“They were broken off because of unbelief… and you stand by faith.
Do not be arrogant, but tremble.” — Romans 11:20

That’s Paul.
Not Hitler. Not some blog.
PAUL.

But you’ve replaced the words of Christ and the Apostles with the Scofield Study Notes™ — and now anyone who reads the Bible out loud gets branded a bigot.

No, my friend.
I don’t hate Jews.
I hate false doctrine.
I hate the lie that you can reject Jesus and still be “God’s chosen.”

Because if anyone — Jew or Gentile — could be saved apart from Christ, then the Cross was pointless.
And that’s the real blasphemy.

 

[Sister-n-Christ]

View attachment 62047

Have you ever noticed people who are blind to the Bible: When Truth is Staring Them in the Face? When you defended your faith, you’ve likely run into it, people twisting Scripture, misquoting verses, or denying plain biblical truth that’s staring them in the face. You can quote verse after verse, and still they’ll say, “That’s not what it means.” It’s as if they’re blind to what’s written clearly on the page. The reason is simple: their eyes haven’t been opened by the Lord. Until Jesus opens a person’s heart and mind, they will not truly understand the Word of God, no matter how many times they read it.

This truth is seen clearly in the Gospel of Luke. After His resurrection, Jesus sat at the table with two disciples. “He took bread, blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him” (Luke 24:30-31). A few verses later, “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Until that moment, they didn’t grasp what the Scriptures had been saying all along. The meaning wasn’t hidden by lack of intelligence, it was hidden because spiritual understanding comes from God alone.

God’s Word is not just ink on a page. It is living, and it is spiritual. That’s why reading it with the natural mind will not bring life or clarity. Without the Spirit of God opening our understanding, the Bible remains sealed. That’s why Scripture tells us that the natural man “receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him” (1 Corinthians 2:14). It takes the work of the Holy Spirit to make a person see what is spiritually discerned.

This is why arguments with those who reject the truth often go nowhere. They may be well-spoken, religious, and even knowledgeable, but if their eyes have not been opened by the Lord, they remain blind guides (Matthew 15:14). Just like the Pharisees who searched the Scriptures but missed the very Messiah those Scriptures pointed to (John 5:39-40), many today are reading, but not seeing.

So what does this mean for you? First, it means we must never approach the Bible casually. We must pray and ask God to teach us. We must spend time with Jesus, not just learning about Him, but knowing Him. “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law” (Psalm 119:18). Second, when we stand for truth and meet resistance, we shouldn’t be surprised. Truth is not something people can understand unless God grants them light. That should keep us humble, dependent on prayer, and focused on pointing people to Christ, not just winning arguments.

The Bible is not just a religious book. It is the very Word of God. And only those who draw near to the Author will be given understanding. “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). Are you seeking that light, or just reading the words? Only one path leads to truth.

Except the lost are incapable of drawing near to our Lord unless or until our Lord calls them to himself.

Why? Because God consigned all people unto disobedience. The natural minded woman and man cannot understand the things of God. Not unless or until God shows mercy and his Holy Spirit enters into those he predestined to receive his free irrevocable gift of eternal security in his Salvation.

Those people's names,his Elect,The Elect, of God,were written down by God in his Lambs Book of Life before the foundation,creation,of the world.

Just as Jesus,the Lamb of God,was sacrificed for the sins of the Elect in this world before the world was made.

Just as Jesus, God,The Word made flesh who then dwelt among us, said .

No one,not one,can come to him unless God leads,calls , them. And the only way we can hear and answer that call,is if God has insured a change to our natural mind that otherwise is incapable of understanding that . And this is accomplished by his Holy Spirit entering into us.

Jesus said,not everyone is meant to understand his teachings and come to repentance. Which is why he taught using parables exclusively. Because only those God means to understand shall.

While that understanding is not given to others by God. Otherwise,they would understand and come to repentance.

This is all derived from God's own words , scripture, and compiled here as a synopsis of what God's salvation entails.

Writing this I could already hear detractors accusing, CALVINISM!

Which serves as an example of natural minds sin of Bigotry.

While proving exactly what God taught. Their minds do not understand those things. Because they are foolish Calvinism to them.

However,what it actually truly is,is God's own words compiled there in brief. Yet,found all throughout the New Testament.

Christianity is Exclusive. (Elect) Not Inclusive.(Universal Redemption,)

It is not tolerant. (Anything goes) It is intolerant. (of sins)

The term,identity, The Elect of God, is definitive in his words.

For those fond of AI search.
Here are some key verses about the elect:

• Romans 8:33: "Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies."
  
  
• Isaiah 42:1: "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles."
  
  
• • Luke 18:7: "And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?"
  • Matthew 22:14: "For many are called, but few are chosen."
  • Mark 13:20: "And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days."
  • Colossians 3:12: "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and long-suffering."

Not everyone who says to him, Lord,Lord,is known by him .

"Christianity is members only?"

Yes!

Heaven has a gate. And a vetting process.

Hell is Inclusive and has open borders.

Deal with it.
We say we believe in God.
We say the Bible is his message to this world .

Then some of us can't read his words without our saying,arguing , that's not what he actually meant to say!

It's odd for someone to think ,as an individual in this faith, I am his. I am one of his Elect.
Only to then argue, anyone can choose to become that.

When God never said any such thing.

 

[bdavidc]

Apparently you have eyes tell me what you see here

John 6:40
This is indeed the will of the father that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life and I shall raise him up on the last day.

John 6:54
Whoever feeds upon my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.

Who will have eternal life and be raised up in the last day?

You're not addressing the actual point of the post. The issue wasn’t about who will be raised on the last day, it was about why some people read the Bible and still reject the clear truth written on the page. I quoted Luke 24:45, where it says Jesus “opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures.” That’s the core message, unless God opens someone's eyes, they will not see the truth, no matter how many verses you show them.

Throwing in a passage from John 6 without context doesn't prove anything, it only reinforces the point. Many people heard Jesus say those words and still walked away in unbelief (John 6:66). Why? Because they didn’t understand what He meant spiritually. Jesus explained it Himself, “The flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

So again, quoting Scripture doesn’t guarantee someone sees the truth. It takes spiritual understanding, and that comes from God, not sarcasm or selective proof-texting.

 

[bdavidc]

Christians

Yes, I can see that. This is exactly why the Lord says, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). These are people who think they’re saved, but they’re not. They may be religious or quote Scripture, but they don’t actually know Christ, and they don’t understand His Word because their eyes have never been opened by Him.

 

[bdavidc]

It's odd for someone to think ,as an individual in this faith, I am his. I am one of his Elect.
Only to then argue, anyone can choose to become that.

When God never said any such thing.

Yes, the Bible teaches that the natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14), and that no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). But to say that only a predetermined group was chosen to receive eternal life, and that no one else can possibly respond, goes beyond what Scripture says.

Romans 11:32 says, “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” This shows the universal condition of sin, but also God’s desire to show mercy to all. Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” John 1:9 speaks of Jesus as the true Light, “which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” The call of the Gospel is universal, “Repent, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15), and God holds people accountable for how they respond.

The Greek word for “draw” in John 6:44 is helkō, which means to pull or attract, not to force or override the will. Jesus also said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw (helkō) all men unto me” (John 12:32). The drawing of God is not limited to a select few, it is extended to all, but not all respond. That’s why Jesus wept over Jerusalem and said, “Ye would not” (Matthew 23:37). The problem is not God’s failure to elect more people, it is man’s stubborn refusal to believe.

The term “elect” (Greek: eklektos) in Scripture refers to those who are in Christ. Ephesians 1:4 says we are chosen “in Him” before the foundation of the world. This choosing is not arbitrary, it is based on foreknowledge (Romans 8:29). God foreknew who would respond to the Gospel in faith, and those are the ones He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. That’s not speculation, that’s exactly what Romans 8:29 says.

The Lamb’s Book of Life is referenced in Revelation 17:8, but Revelation 3:5 also says, “He that overcometh... I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.” This shows that names can be blotted out, which contradicts the idea that it is fixed from eternity past with no change possible.

God is not excluding people from salvation. He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). To say otherwise misrepresents God's revealed will in Scripture. The Gospel is not just for an inner circle, it is offered to all, and whoever believes has eternal life (John 3:16, Romans 10:13).

So yes, only those who are truly in Christ will be saved. But anyone who hears the Gospel and believes is invited in. The idea that people are shut out from the beginning with no opportunity is not Sola Scriptura, it is an assumption layered onto Scripture, not drawn from it.

 

[Sister-n-Christ]

Yes, the Bible teaches that the natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14), and that no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). But to say that only a predetermined group was chosen to receive eternal life, and that no one else can possibly respond, goes beyond what Scripture says.

Romans 11:32 says, “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” This shows the universal condition of sin, but also God’s desire to show mercy to all. Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” John 1:9 speaks of Jesus as the true Light, “which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” The call of the Gospel is universal, “Repent, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15), and God holds people accountable for how they respond.

The Greek word for “draw” in John 6:44 is helkō, which means to pull or attract, not to force or override the will. Jesus also said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw (helkō) all men unto me” (John 12:32). The drawing of God is not limited to a select few, it is extended to all, but not all respond. That’s why Jesus wept over Jerusalem and said, “Ye would not” (Matthew 23:37). The problem is not God’s failure to elect more people, it is man’s stubborn refusal to believe.

The term “elect” (Greek: eklektos) in Scripture refers to those who are in Christ. Ephesians 1:4 says we are chosen “in Him” before the foundation of the world. This choosing is not arbitrary, it is based on foreknowledge (Romans 8:29). God foreknew who would respond to the Gospel in faith, and those are the ones He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. That’s not speculation, that’s exactly what Romans 8:29 says.

The Lamb’s Book of Life is referenced in Revelation 17:8, but Revelation 3:5 also says, “He that overcometh... I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.” This shows that names can be blotted out, which contradicts the idea that it is fixed from eternity past with no change possible.

God is not excluding people from salvation. He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). To say otherwise misrepresents God's revealed will in Scripture. The Gospel is not just for an inner circle, it is offered to all, and whoever believes has eternal life (John 3:16, Romans 10:13).

So yes, only those who are truly in Christ will be saved. But anyone who hears the Gospel and believes is invited in. The idea that people are shut out from the beginning with no opportunity is not Sola Scriptura, it is an assumption layered onto Scripture, not drawn from it.

No,it is drawn from it.

 

[Wick Stick]

Yes, I can see that. This is exactly why the Lord says, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). These are people who think they’re saved, but they’re not. They may be religious or quote Scripture, but they don’t actually know Christ, and they don’t understand His Word because their eyes have never been opened by Him.

Oh, well... yeah those exist, but I wouldn't limit it to just the pretenders.

There are plenty of genuine Christians out there who really don't read/study/understand much of their Bibles. Fortunately, being a Bible scholar isn't what is required. Believe God. Do right. Love each other. God will take care of the rest.