Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to SOME people?

St. SteVen · Dec 5, 2023

Wait... that's not what it says.
Shouldn't it say, "... good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people."?
Yes indeed.

But what are we taught? It is NOT for all people, but only for SOME.

Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to SOME people?

- Why would there be joy for all people when we limit the glad tidings to the Elect?
- How could it be for all people when we claim the narrow way, and FEW that find it?
- What about the countless billions that have never even heard? Tidings of great joy for them?

Luke 2:10 NIV
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

/

JohnDB · Dec 5, 2023

St. SteVen said:
Wait... that's not what it says.
Shouldn't it say, "... good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people."?
Yes indeed.

But what are we taught? It is NOT for all people, but only for SOME.

Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to SOME people?

- Why would there be joy for all people when we limit the glad tidings to the Elect?
- How could it be for all people when we claim the narrow way, and FEW that find it?
- What about the countless billions that have never even heard? Tidings of great joy for them?

Luke 2:10 NIV
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

/

All people as in ALL Nationalities and race. Not each and every single individual.
It's a Hebrewism....there are many such idioms of speech.

rwb · Dec 5, 2023

St. SteVen said:
Wait... that's not what it says.
Shouldn't it say, "... good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people."?
Yes indeed.

But what are we taught? It is NOT for all people, but only for SOME.

Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to SOME people?

- Why would there be joy for all people when we limit the glad tidings to the Elect?
- How could it be for all people when we claim the narrow way, and FEW that find it?
- What about the countless billions that have never even heard? Tidings of great joy for them?

Luke 2:10 NIV
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

/

Why do we find so much confusion over this three letter word 'all'? When Scripture uses the word all to identify those who are blessed with eternal life through belief in Christ it almost universally uses 'all' to prove there is in Christ no longer any distinction between Jew & Gentile believers.

Every believer knows "good tidings of great joy" shall only be to all who are saved by grace through faith. All without distinction, as has been pointed out already, but not without exception!

St. SteVen · Dec 5, 2023

JohnDB said:
All people as in ALL Nationalities and race. Not each and every single individual.
It's a Hebrewism....there are many such idioms of speech.

Right. From every tribe tongue and nation...

Who are we missing?

/

St. SteVen · Dec 5, 2023

rwb said:
Every believer knows "good tidings of great joy" shall only be to all who are saved by grace through faith.

How is that good tidings for ALL people? Sounds more like SOME to me.
That's the point here. Only a presupposition changes ALL to SOME.

/

St. SteVen · Dec 5, 2023

rwb said:
Why do we find so much confusion over this three letter word 'all'? When Scripture uses the word all to identify those who are blessed with eternal life through belief in Christ it almost universally uses 'all' to prove there is in Christ no longer any distinction between Jew & Gentile believers.

Every believer knows "good tidings of great joy" shall only be to all who are saved by grace through faith. All without distinction, as has been pointed out already, but not without exception!

What do you make of the use of the word "all" in verse 18 here?

Romans 5:18-19 NIV
Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people,
so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners,
so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

/

amadeus · Dec 5, 2023

St. SteVen said:
Wait... that's not what it says.
Shouldn't it say, "... good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people."?
Yes indeed.

But what are we taught? It is NOT for all people, but only for SOME.

Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to SOME people?

- Why would there be joy for all people when we limit the glad tidings to the Elect?
- How could it be for all people when we claim the narrow way, and FEW that find it?
- What about the countless billions that have never even heard? Tidings of great joy for them?

Luke 2:10 NIV
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

/

To all people indeed! To whom is God's invitation? Who is Jesus calling? Who will be turned away who comes to God and His Son with an open and repentant heart? Give God the glory!

quietthinker · Dec 6, 2023

St. SteVen said:
Wait... that's not what it says.
Shouldn't it say, "... good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people."?
Yes indeed.

But what are we taught? It is NOT for all people, but only for SOME.

Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to SOME people?

- Why would there be joy for all people when we limit the glad tidings to the Elect?
- How could it be for all people when we claim the narrow way, and FEW that find it?
- What about the countless billions that have never even heard? Tidings of great joy for them?

Luke 2:10 NIV
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

/

I've had a visitor from Europe staying for some days. They initiated a discussion about God because they knew my interest.
It was an opportunity to share the Good News in uncomplicated straightforwardness and gentleness. An impasse arose in their mind and they called the evening short. The next morning their bags were packed and they left in a decided hurry but not before I asked if they took offence from what was said the previous evening. The reply was 'much more than offence'

Yes, the Good News for all will be seen as an irreconcilable threat by many. The response of most when Jesus returns in the clouds is alarming, 'They will cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.' Revelation 6:16

Whenever was a lamb wrathful? Something terrible has happened in their perception that they feel threatened by a lamb! The threat is of such a nature they would rather suicide than face the lamb. This was forcefully brought to my awareness with my visitor's response.

St. SteVen · Dec 6, 2023

quietthinker said:
I've had a visitor from Europe staying for some days. They initiated a discussion about God because they knew my interest.
It was an opportunity to share the Good News in uncomplicated straightforwardness and gentleness. An impasse arose in their mind and they called the evening short. The next morning their bags were packed and they left in a decided hurry but not before I asked if they took offence from what was said the previous evening. The reply was 'much more than offence'

Yes, the Good News for all will be seen as an irreconcilable threat by many. The response of most when Jesus returns in the clouds is alarming, 'They will cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.' Revelation 6:16

Whenever was a lamb wrathful? Something terrible has happened in their perception that they feel threatened by a lamb! The threat is of such a nature they would rather suicide than face the lamb. This was forcefully brought to my awareness with my visitor's response.

That's a good testimony with a seemingly unfortunate outcome.
Hard to know what God is up to in a situation like this.
He uses several of us in the process of planting seed and watering and tending.
And then there's the matter of the soils.

Will you change your approach next time? Seems you didn't do anything to offend him.
Probably has nothing to do with you. They were running away from you and God.
Which tends to go full circle. Which brings one back face-to-face.

Father God,
I prayer that you will complete the work begun in this visitor.
Bring more Christians and situations to reach this person with your love.
Draw them to yourself. - AMEN

/

St. SteVen · Dec 6, 2023

St. SteVen said:
Father God,
I prayer that you will complete the work begun in this visitor.
Bring more Christians and situations to reach this person with your love.
Draw them to yourself. - AMEN

And people think I don't care about salvation in the here and now. (sigh)

/ @Nancy

quietthinker · Dec 6, 2023

St. SteVen said:
That's a good testimony with a seemingly unfortunate outcome.
Hard to know what God is up to in a situation like this.
He uses several of us in the process of planting seed and watering and tending.
And then there's the matter of the soils.

Will you change your approach next time? Seems you didn't do anything to offend him.
Probably has nothing to do with you. They were running away from you and God.
Which tends to go full circle. Which brings one back face-to-face.

Father God,
I prayer that you will complete the work begun in this visitor.
Bring more Christians and situations to reach this person with your love.
Draw them to yourself. - AMEN

/

Jesus lavished kindness on those in his orbit...... and those outside it. I think of the water he turned into wine at the wedding, of the thousands he fed with a few loves, of the healing of the paralytic and the fact that he didn't freak out his executioners by presenting himself to them after his resurrection, of the raising of the dead who incidentally never asked him, confessed their sin or were baptised. And while all this was public knowledge he was maligned and murdered.

Such is the heart of Man in its natural state.

quietthinker · Dec 6, 2023

St. SteVen · Dec 25, 2023

Seems like a good day to reintroduce this topic.
From the OP...