Think!! God does not force people to accept His love, mercy, forgiveness and the gift of salvation you can choose to reject God and go to hell==All your choice!
Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.
You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
Free Will is a lie. You were either chosen by Jesus to have eternal life or you were chosen for punishment.Think!! God does not force people to accept His love, mercy, forgiveness and the gift of salvation you can choose to reject God and go to hell==All your choice!
Knowing that God is in control of all things is basic doctrine. Nobody can resist the will of God like pharaoh couldn't resist Jesus hardening his heart so that he may make his power known when he laid his judgment on Egypt. In like manner he will make his power known on this wicked generation.Will you choose to believe God's eternal living Word or reject it??
God Would Have ALL Men to be Saved!!
2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Timothy 2:4 God==Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. == A stake in the false teaching Calvinism's heart!
Long story short, the 'Middle Ground' option you referred to is Reincarnation. And yes, it's Biblical.
Thanks, but I was approaching the topic from how an unbeliever comes to faith.not trying to get into your conversatation, but consider this. we all start out with the same amount of God given faith, but we must do something also... add to what we was given. supportive scripture.
A. God gives us all the measure of Faith. Romans 12:3 "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith".
B. now we add to it. 2 Peter 1:5 "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2 Peter 1:6 "And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2 Peter 1:7 "And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2 Peter 1:8 "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:9 "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2 Peter 1:10 "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
2 Peter 1:11 "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
hoped this helped.
PICJAG.
So some men are less depraved (the ones whose heart does not harden) than others?Men harden their hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit when He attempts to impart faith to them.
Incorrect.It is unbiblical.
Heb 9:27, And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Gee, I remember the days of 'permissive' and 'absolute will'. Preceptive will is a new one on me (I have heard of decretive). I wonder how many other 'wills' we can deduce God has from Scripture?1 Timothy 2:4 shows God's preceptive will in what God desires, wishes of man. God has made a pathway to salvation available to man through Christ and therefore it is God's desire, wish that all men take that pathway of salvation. Yet all men will not take that pathway to salvation through Christ therefore God does not always get what He desires of man, see Matthew 23:37 where Jesus "would-willed" but those Jews "would-willed not".
All that happens therefore is controlled by God's will, whether it be God's preceptive will, decretive will or permissive will. Those men who of their own free will who do as God desires, then it happened for God desired it to happen in man following His commands. Men of their own free will can choose to NOT do as God desires but that disobedience comes with a high price of being lost eternally. So yes, man can go against God's preceptive will but it will cost a man a price he cannot afford to pay.
Knowing that God is in control of all things is basic doctrine. Nobody can resist the will of God like pharaoh couldn't resist Jesus hardening his heart so that he may make his power known when he laid his judgment on Egypt. In like manner he will make his power known on this wicked generation.
I believe His will always comes to pass."So are you saying what God's will doesn't always come to pass?"
If God planned it that way then yes but, did His will come to pass when Adam and Eve did not eat from the tree of life? Was it not His will that they should have eaten of the tree of life?
In reincarnation, a person dies, gets reincarnated, dies again, gets reincarnated, dies again.I'm not exactly sure why you posted that verse as it does not debunk Reincarnation.
Would you please explain your interpretation to us?
I think that time and chance happen to everything (Ecclesiastes 9:11).So some men are less depraved (the ones whose heart does not harden) than others?
You didn't answer the question.The Bible teaches that it is appointed to man once to die; and after this the judgment.
I did answer the question.You didn't answer the question.
How do you interpret the above verse (Heb 9:27)?
I did answer the question.
Reincarnation is out of the picture because in it, a man is not appointed to die but once; he is appointed to die many times.
I believe His will always comes to pass.
Does His will come to pass when He is not willing that any should perish? I believe so. How? Answer: If I were God I could tell you.
This may help...
Deuteronomy 29:29 (KJV) The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Close enough. I just want to be crystal clear about how you interpret Heb 9:27 so as to not put words into your mouth.
So basically, according to your interpretation, everyone has to die and it's only one time. We are talking about the Word of God here that never changes. God never breaks the Law. No exceptions.
This is unfortunate because verses about the Rapture are now in contradiction. Millions of Christians look forward to the day they will not taste of death and be with the LORD in the air...
1 Thessalonians 4:17
"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord"
Too bad that's not going to happen... unless of course Hebrews 9:27 doesn't mean what you're telling us it means.
What about Enoch and Elisha? They never died. Uh oh... God lied again?
Genesis 5:24
"And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him"
What about Lazarus who rose from the dead?
John 11:14
"Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead"
And the Valley of Dry Bones?
Ezekiel 37:10
"So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army"
So many stories of the dead rising again, only to die later.
What about the Second Death?
Revelation 21:8
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death"
Die once and die twice is a contradiction no matter how One tries to spin it.
Let's clear this up once and for all...
All Hebrews 9:27 is teaching is that for every death, there is a judgement. That's it. One Death = One Judgement... simple.
I take it you mean that foreknowledge is God knowing beforehand what we will choose which in effect makes predestination of none effect.Therefore predestination is according to foreknowledge (Romans 8:29-30, 1 Peter 1:2).
Apples and oranges.Really?? Are there people here that think it is God's will that people murder, steal and live in evil??? Think some more!!