This is in regards to Christ's death on the cross for sinners.
2007-09-02 01:46:20 · 23 answers · asked by Kidd! 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Caribbean Queen - You have no reason to fear that you are not one of God's elect as long as you meet the following conditions. (Assurance of salvation is NOT a requirement for being a Christian):
1. You are trusting in Christ's perfect life, death on the cross, and resurrection for the payment of your sins. (He gives you HIS righteousness to stand before his holy Father on Judgment Day.)
2. You seek to obey him to the best of your ability, knowing that your obedience never earns your salvation.
3. You are not engaging in habitual sin.
If you want, you can visit My Yahoo! 360 (via my profile) and read about how to become a Christian.
2007-09-02 10:56:30 · update #1
Thinking - I based my comment in point 3 above on 1 John 3:9.
1 John 3:9 (Amplified Bible)
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
9No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and [a]habitually] practices sin, for God's nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.
2007-09-02 16:01:33 · update #2
Thank you Booth. Christ's death on the cross was a reconciliation of God's own unto himself, payment in full for the sins of those who would believe in him. If God's purpose was to make salvation possible for everyone, then the creature would be in charge of the Creator, and the King of Kings would become the kitten of kittens. Predestination would have been a farce and a fuzzy plan at best. There is no question in my mind that God made salvation for the elect absolutely certain, and we can rest in the love that it took to bring our salvation about.
2007-09-02 02:30:51 · answer #1 · answered by ccrider 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This still baffles me because some verses state that all are invited to God's kingdom through Christ's blood. Others say that some are predestined for salvation. I would like to believe that since God made us all then we are all equally entitled to that gift once we accept and serve God. I don't want to believe that some are born without the hope of coming to Christ because of predestinaiton. I will be watching the answers to this question carefully because I am also interested in learning and knowing the answer. Sometimes I do wonder if I am part of the elect because I have such a hard time following the will of God no matter how determined I am. Pray for me please.
2007-09-02 05:15:12 · answer #2 · answered by Caribbean Queen 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If God is choosing who is saved, doesn’t that undermine our free will to chose and believe in Christ? The Bible says that we have the free will choice – all we have to do is believe in Jesus Christ and we will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10). The Bible never describes God rejecting anyone who believes in Him or turning away anyone who was seeking Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). Somehow, in the mystery of God, predestination works hand in hand with a person being drawn by God (John 6:44) and believing unto salvation (Romans 1:16). God predestines who will be saved, and we must choose Christ in order to be saved. Both facts are equally true. Romans 11:33 proclaims, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!”
Recommended Resource: Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer.
2007-09-02 05:52:48 · answer #3 · answered by Freedom 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sorry Kidd, but I must repectfully disagree with your number 3.
There are millions of Christians who are engaging in "habitual sin" because God has not yet seen fit to relieve them of it.
Furthermore, we will all be sinners until the day we die.
Please don't make the gospel message murky, in an attempt to be helpful, without clear scriptural annotation.
As for supporting my contention: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Every one of us, every single day of our lives, as long as we have earthly bodies.
To your question: I believe His death was necessary only in order to "make salvation for the elect certain." I think.
HOWEVER I disagree with your question on the following bases:
1) We can't really presume to "know" God's purpose in anything. He alone is God.
2) Can't use predestination and concept of "the elect" as a bludgeon for the unsaved
3) Anything that sends people further away from the kingdom of God (even on Y!A) cannot be from God.
2007-09-02 13:17:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
1 John 2:29, "If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that EVERY ONE THAT DOETH RIGHTEOUSNESS IS BORN OF HIM". God is righteousness so can anyone do righteousness without God being in the individual's life? Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"; suppose a man ,who has never believed in Jesus, were to risk his life to save another person who is unknown to him and in the process dies, will that man go to hell? If some of God's creation are tares or goats, I believe they are few in number. Anyone ,who believes a goat can become a sheep or that a tare can become wheat, believes as Darwin did. God shows us his spiritual things thru observing the things he created and a sheep stays a sheep. Romans 9:16-17, "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, THAT I MIGHT SHEW MY POWER in thee, and that my name might be declared throuhout all the earth". God showed He had power over Pharaoh to cause a might earthly king to act contrary to nature. He, under his own will ,would have let those people go many plagues back but God hardened his heart. Verse 24, says election and God's control over us even happens today; "Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles". The potter has power over the clay not the other way around! We are the created and are in the control of the Creator.
2007-09-02 13:41:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
God made a choice to offer Salvation to all.The call of salvation is to all.The Blood shed on Calvary was for the sins of the world.I believe there are the Chosen ones who were chosen before the foundation of the world and then there are those who choose to follow.My sister in-law was not a Believer and she had breast cancer and we thought it was beaten.Then at the one year check up she was told they had missed a tumor that had been there in the first x-rays.She was told there was nothing they could do and she should get her affairs in order she was going to die.She was a fighter and fought courageously for a year before she died.I was very angry with God and I asked Him why He had let her die when I had prayed so hard believing she would be healed.His answer was this:If she hadn't gone through what she went through she wouldn't be here with Me now:Then I realized He had answered my prayers,she had eternal life.She was not dead but alive forever more.So I would say she was pre destined for salvation because she read her Bible and sought God.When you prayed for her you could feel her love for Him and you knew she was saved.She knew she may not make it but she never gave up.
2007-09-02 13:33:08 · answer #6 · answered by flossie mae 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Both.
Jesus's death on the cross makes salvation for all men POSSIBLE, but it is only EFFECTIVE (certain) for the elect when they REPENT and BELIEVE.
If you hold to the Arminist Doctrine of Limited Atonement (the L in Tulip) then of course you do not believe that.
Most folks derive their postition (Calvinist or Arminism) by reading CALVIN or ARMINIUS (sic) and NOT all of the Bible passages that address the subject. If they just stuck with the Bible we wouldnt HAVE any Arminiests. (just an opinion)
....theBerean
2007-09-02 02:19:33 · answer #7 · answered by theBerean 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Salvation is for those who keep the commandments "I, the Lord am bound when you do what I say, but when you do not what I say, ye have no promise" The Lord does not save people in their sins, he saves them from their sins. Repentance is necessary for salvation. Believing on the Lord means doing what he says. You are saved by grace only after you work as hard as you can. You can never work hard enough so grace is necessary. Bury your talent and it will be given to another.
2007-09-02 07:58:54 · answer #8 · answered by scotty_84116 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. Salvation is possible for all! Not just an elect few.
2007-09-03 02:11:07 · answer #9 · answered by Pamela V 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
God offers salvation to ALL. It is up to the person to except it. If I offered you a million dollars and told you all you need to do is run around the house 10 times and you only run around the house 9 times then you have not meet the conditions to except the million dollar, Same way with Salvation God sent Jesus and said all we need to do it Believe. That means we need to believe that He died arose and is going again.
2007-09-02 07:56:19 · answer #10 · answered by PREACHER'S WIFE 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋