So many doctrines these days seek to wrest the initiative of salvation away from God and onto themselves.
But God is sovereign.
He has sent grace into the world...for all men. Our decision is whether we wish to cooperate with God or not. No acceptance of His grace is required. It is already done. All we can do is reject it.
The universal grace of God is for all. It is like a sunny day. The sunny day is for all. Now people can refuse to participate in that sunny day by remaining indoors or walking around in a parka or some other inappropriate clothing. But that doesn't change the sunny day....only HOW we will cooperate or not. We are not the ones deciding if the day is sunny or not.
So then the initiative rests always with God.
There is a pernicious doctrine floating around that states that grace is only ours if we accept it. But that takes the initiative away from God and gives it to evil men....who have a self-serving agenda of personal gain. God is not like that. He is a Giver.
So then the church is full of "takers"...rather than cooperators with His grace. His grace is freely given to all by His love. When we cooperate with His love we grow IN that grace..so as to love others.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men,
No religious organization can claim to be the exclusive dispensers of God's grace.
1 Timothy 4:10
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.
Especially...but not exclusively. An honest appraisal of the words from God reveal that God chooses to retain the initiative. It is HE who decides on whom He will have mercy. So then many are saved outside the church boundaries...by the will of God.
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.
God is love and He is good. We tend to forget that in order to force Him into our own selfish image.
But God is sovereign.
He has sent grace into the world...for all men. Our decision is whether we wish to cooperate with God or not. No acceptance of His grace is required. It is already done. All we can do is reject it.
The universal grace of God is for all. It is like a sunny day. The sunny day is for all. Now people can refuse to participate in that sunny day by remaining indoors or walking around in a parka or some other inappropriate clothing. But that doesn't change the sunny day....only HOW we will cooperate or not. We are not the ones deciding if the day is sunny or not.
So then the initiative rests always with God.
There is a pernicious doctrine floating around that states that grace is only ours if we accept it. But that takes the initiative away from God and gives it to evil men....who have a self-serving agenda of personal gain. God is not like that. He is a Giver.
So then the church is full of "takers"...rather than cooperators with His grace. His grace is freely given to all by His love. When we cooperate with His love we grow IN that grace..so as to love others.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men,
No religious organization can claim to be the exclusive dispensers of God's grace.
1 Timothy 4:10
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.
Especially...but not exclusively. An honest appraisal of the words from God reveal that God chooses to retain the initiative. It is HE who decides on whom He will have mercy. So then many are saved outside the church boundaries...by the will of God.
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.
God is love and He is good. We tend to forget that in order to force Him into our own selfish image.
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