Post by ambassador on Dec 21, 2009 22:16:09 GMT -5
Should I Witness?
There is a certain sect of professing Christians who claim that God has already chosen a select group of people to go to Heaven, and chose the world to go to Hell (they call it “predestination”). Because of this, they do not agree in witnessing to the lost world. Clearly, this is not supported by Scripture. God wants everyone to go to Heaven, as 2 Peter 3:9 says. The Bible never says God chose people to go to Hell. Anyone who goes to Hell CHOSE to go there—God gave them a free will to accept of reject His offer of salvation. We should witness to everyone. They can chose whether or not they want to believe the Gospel.
“Limited atonement” (the false idea that Christ only died for the Christians) is often used in conjunction with predestination. The Bible says that Christ died for everyone, not just for those who would be saved. “Limited atonement” contradicts 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 where the Bible says, “…if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all….” We read twice that CHRIST DIED FOR ALL MEN! Everyone has a chance to be saved (although most of mankind will refuse God’s plan of salvation). Hebrews 2:9 KJV says Christ “tasted death for every man.” Every man died in Adam, but every man can be made alive in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22). Clearly, there is no select number of who is to be saved and who is to be lost.
In His foreknowledge, God already knew who would accept His offer of salvation, and that coincided with His will because those are the exact people He chose to serve Him! This is what the Bible means when it calls the Christians “the elect” (for instance, Romans 8:33 or Colossians 3:12). We were elected to serve Christ—but the Bible does not say God has sent everyone else to a lost eternity. God the Son was the Father’s “elect,” He was sent to do the Father’s will (Isaiah 42:1). The word “elect” does not mean “elected for Heaven, or for Hell.” It means selected for a task, a role.
According to Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:5, 11, God “predestinated” Christians. Way back in eternity past, He chose us Christians to serve Him! People have distorted the true Biblical meaning of “predestination” and made a religious definition of predestination. Nowhere in the Bible does it say God chose a certain number of people to go to Hell—these people chose to go to Hell VOLUNTARILY.
John 1:7-11 KJV testifies to the fact that the Light (Jesus Christ) “which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” If God chose some people to go to Hell, why has this light from God lit every man? Obviously, God has NOT chosen people to go to Hell like so many claim because God has lit EVERY MAN with the Truth. EVERYONE has heard enough knowledge from God to make a decision for salvation, the sad news is that most refuse to have faith in what God says, so they remain lost. It may seem impossible, but God’s Word is true, and you better believe what it says!
The Bible says that “the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11 KJV; compare Colossians 1:23)? Should we be proclaiming the Gospel of Grace? YES! YES! YES! Every person is born with an innate knowledge of a Creator God, and everyone is “without excuse” just as Romans 1:20 states; however, God has given us Christians the responsibility of verbally telling everyone of the Gospel of Grace.
As the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21: the Lord gave us Christians the ministry of reconciliation. That is, we “ambassadors for Christ” have the ministry of telling the lost world that God has already reconciled them with Himself through Christ and His finished work on the cross! All they have to do place their faith in Paul’s Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and this brings about their salvation!
There is a certain sect of professing Christians who claim that God has already chosen a select group of people to go to Heaven, and chose the world to go to Hell (they call it “predestination”). Because of this, they do not agree in witnessing to the lost world. Clearly, this is not supported by Scripture. God wants everyone to go to Heaven, as 2 Peter 3:9 says. The Bible never says God chose people to go to Hell. Anyone who goes to Hell CHOSE to go there—God gave them a free will to accept of reject His offer of salvation. We should witness to everyone. They can chose whether or not they want to believe the Gospel.
“Limited atonement” (the false idea that Christ only died for the Christians) is often used in conjunction with predestination. The Bible says that Christ died for everyone, not just for those who would be saved. “Limited atonement” contradicts 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 where the Bible says, “…if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all….” We read twice that CHRIST DIED FOR ALL MEN! Everyone has a chance to be saved (although most of mankind will refuse God’s plan of salvation). Hebrews 2:9 KJV says Christ “tasted death for every man.” Every man died in Adam, but every man can be made alive in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22). Clearly, there is no select number of who is to be saved and who is to be lost.
In His foreknowledge, God already knew who would accept His offer of salvation, and that coincided with His will because those are the exact people He chose to serve Him! This is what the Bible means when it calls the Christians “the elect” (for instance, Romans 8:33 or Colossians 3:12). We were elected to serve Christ—but the Bible does not say God has sent everyone else to a lost eternity. God the Son was the Father’s “elect,” He was sent to do the Father’s will (Isaiah 42:1). The word “elect” does not mean “elected for Heaven, or for Hell.” It means selected for a task, a role.
According to Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:5, 11, God “predestinated” Christians. Way back in eternity past, He chose us Christians to serve Him! People have distorted the true Biblical meaning of “predestination” and made a religious definition of predestination. Nowhere in the Bible does it say God chose a certain number of people to go to Hell—these people chose to go to Hell VOLUNTARILY.
John 1:7-11 KJV testifies to the fact that the Light (Jesus Christ) “which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” If God chose some people to go to Hell, why has this light from God lit every man? Obviously, God has NOT chosen people to go to Hell like so many claim because God has lit EVERY MAN with the Truth. EVERYONE has heard enough knowledge from God to make a decision for salvation, the sad news is that most refuse to have faith in what God says, so they remain lost. It may seem impossible, but God’s Word is true, and you better believe what it says!
The Bible says that “the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11 KJV; compare Colossians 1:23)? Should we be proclaiming the Gospel of Grace? YES! YES! YES! Every person is born with an innate knowledge of a Creator God, and everyone is “without excuse” just as Romans 1:20 states; however, God has given us Christians the responsibility of verbally telling everyone of the Gospel of Grace.
As the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21: the Lord gave us Christians the ministry of reconciliation. That is, we “ambassadors for Christ” have the ministry of telling the lost world that God has already reconciled them with Himself through Christ and His finished work on the cross! All they have to do place their faith in Paul’s Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and this brings about their salvation!