Rev20
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The Gentiles who are born of the Spirit are counted as offspring of Abraham, therefore, they are chosen as if they had been a natural descendant
There is no evidence of that. Rather, all evidence points to the contrary argument, that the remnant of Israel are God's chosen people, while the Gentiles were finally allowed into the kingdom without conversion to the laws of Moses, as previously required by the old covenant.
An analogy of that is found in the temple. Until Christ's sacrifice, Gentiles were not allowed into the inner court of the temple (called the "earth"), but were required to remain in the outer court (the "sea"), unless they were circumcised and converted to the laws of Moses as required by the old covenant.
But Christ broke down that wall by abolishing the old covenant with his death. However, in no case is it written that the Gentiles will ever become priests. The priesthood was promised specifically to the children of Israel.
Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. (Romans 9:7-8 [NIV])
Whereas those who naturally descended from Abraham are not all counted as descendants of Abraham, because they are not chosen,
It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. (Romans 9:6 [NIV])
There you go again, ripping verses out of context. Who was Paul's target audience? He tells you as plain as day:
"Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?" -- Rom 7:1 KJV
That target audience -- the children of Israel -- does not change until about the middle of Chapter 11, and then only briefly to warn some out-of-line Gentiles to quit bragging.
The letter to the Romans was address to those called to be saints, and the saints are all from the children of Israel. Therefore, the letter was most likely addressed to the founders of the church -- the devout Jews from Rome that were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost:
"And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven . . . Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes," -- Acts 2:10 KJV -- Acts 2:5, 10 KJV
But even so, I will not argue the matter of the inclusion of the Gentiles into the promises of Israel any further, because my point of argument in all this is predestination and choice of God before the foundations of the world, even if you lessen the scope of who God chose from the foundation of the world, according to your own misguided belief, how can you deny God has predestined and chosen before the foundation of the world? Forget identifying "who" these chosen are, the scriptures declare this truth,
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love (Ephesians 1:4 [ESV])
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:30 [NIV])
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29 [NIV])
To the point where our lives are even written out in books in heaven before we even lived them,
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (Psalm 139:16 [NLT])
These are truths you cannot deny.
I am not denying any of those truths. But I refuse to rip them out of context, as you insist on doing. Ephesians 1 and Romans 8 are referring ONLY to the remnant of Israel, as CLEARLY explained in my previous posts; and Psalms 139 is referring to Christ, who was also one of God's elect:
"Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." -- Ps 139:16 KJV
There is a similar verse in Psalm 40:
"Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me," -- Ps 40:7 KJV
The Hebrews quoted that verse in reference to Christ's sacrifice of himself:
"Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God." -- Heb 10:5-7 KJV
By the way, the historical record seems to point to Augustine as the first to promote the false doctrine that Gentiles are "predestined" and "elect". The statements highlighted in red are completely false.
"Thus it is said by the Apostle Paul, 'That He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
In this next statement, Augustine rips a verse out of another passage [highlighted in blue] and inserts it into Romans 11:32,
"Then, as to that saying of the apostle, "For God hath concluded all in unbelief, that He may have
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
![Oh My! mercy mercy](/data/assets/smilies/animated-smileys-sad-164.gif)
It is bad enough that Augustine made so many false statements. But to combine verses addressed to different audiences and from different contexts to create an entirely new context, is nothing short of scandalous.
Again, the statements in red are completely false.
Rev