What Does It Mean That God Desires All People To Be Saved?

[Cameron143]

God seeks out all whose hearts are good soil for a relationship with Him. I hope you are not being affected by some of the Calvinist false teachers who are being allowed to roam this forum.

God seeks and saves the lost. There is no biblical evidence that Abraham had any type of relationship with God before God sought Him out.
And like yourself, I am perfectly capable of seeking God for truth and like the Bereans to search the scriptures.

 

[HeIsHere]

Jeremiah 29:13-14a

For minute I thought she had no clothes, LOL, then I took another look, nice, subtle color overlay.

I need more coffee I think!

 

[HeIsHere]

Scripture says none seek Him. Romans 3:10-12

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks
God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

It does indeed.

 

[Magenta]

For minute I thought she had no clothes, LOL, then I took another look, nice, subtle color overlay.

I need more coffee I think!

That is one of my rare male angels .

Although I am pretty certain it is more androgynous since
there were no tell-tale signs of, mmmm, never mind .

 

[oyster67]

All 3 of these men were sought out by God, not the other way around.

A relationship with God is a two-way street. That is the very definition of fellowship and communion. These men did seek a closer walk with their maker. This walk was available to their contemporaries as well. Romans 1 makes such things very clear. Hebrews 11 speaks of the days of old also.
Hebrews 11:4
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

 

[Cameron143]

A relationship with God is a two-way street. That is the very definition of fellowship and communion. These men did seek a closer walk with their maker. This walk was available to their contemporaries as well. Romans 1 makes such things very clear. Hebrews 11 speaks of the days of old also.
Hebrews 11:4
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

So what in your response diminishes what I wrote? The Bible clearly teaches that we love God because He first loved us.

 

[oyster67]

God seeks and saves the lost. There is no biblical evidence that Abraham had any type of relationship with God before God sought Him out.

Are you trying to imply that God gives some greater opportunities to find Him than others? There is no Biblical basis for such ideas. This is the false doctrine of men like Calvin. God is no respecter of gender, race, or anything else. The call goes out to all. It always has.

 

[HeIsHere]

Scripture says none seek Him. Romans 3:10-12

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks
God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Well as Mr. Flowers is noted as saying...

Does proof that I am incapable of calling the president on the telephone also prove that I am incapable of answering the telephone if the president were to call me?

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good…Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord? There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. – Psalm 14:1; 4-5

But not everyone is a fool, but some are and some are not.

 

[oyster67]

So what in your response diminishes what I wrote? The Bible clearly teaches that we love God because He first loved us.

He first loved all of us, not just a special select few. He knocks on the door of every heart. He requires a response of faith on our part.

Hebrews 11:6
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

 

[Magenta]

Well as Mr. Flowers is noted as saying... Does proof that I am incapable of calling the president on the
telephone also prove that I am incapable of answering the telephone if the president were to call me?

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who
does good…Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not
call upon the Lord? There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. – Psalm 14:1; 4-5

But not everyone is a fool, but some are and some are not.

Those who are fools deny God's existence... and without faith? It is impossible to please Him.

I don't know who Mr. Flowers is .

 

[cv5]

Judas the Iscariot

Judas Iscariot.....Judas of Kerioth. Probably the only disciple not from the region of Galilee.

 

[The_Watchers_2017]

Let's suppose I am going on a trip. I make all the arrangements, set a date, and wait. But I also would like it to be a family excursion. I desire their company.

Is it considered a desire if I only have a strong feeling of wanting? Do I need to do anything to make my desire a desire? If I volunteer to incur all the expenses for my family does this make it a desire when before it wasn't? What if I only volunteered to pay for some family members? Does this affect whether it is a desire or lessen the desire to have the company of my family?

I ask these questions so they will be top of mind when asking the same questions about God's desire that all people are saved? Can God's desire for the salvation of people be independent of people? Does God have to do anything for people in order for His desire to be genuine? If so, does He have to act equally towards all people for His desire to be real?

I'm not attempting to offer this as proof of one set of ideas over another. It is simply to understand the nature of what is entailed in a desire and what is not. Consequently, and perhaps impossibly, I am asking for unbiased thought. I am asking that as you consider the question, you set aside, as much as is possible, how you would answer based on your other held beliefs, and consider the question independently from other doctrine.

Thanks. And I look forward to your responses.

if God only allowed ONE SOUL from Humanity to enter into the Kingdom of God and no one else, it was indeed God's desire just to have ONE, and possibly for specific Reasons to have just this special ONE only, but indeed His desire.

 

[Simona1988]

I see the plans and interest God showed in Jacob even though he seems more sinful to me than Esau. I don't see his attention to Esau. That must be assumed.

Yes. And since we have the knowledge of God's love for us - proven by the acceptance of God the Son to incarnate and defeat the devil under the conditions created by the fall of Adam, that is, not by using divine power, but, paradoxically, through suffering and death - we would be right to assume that Esau was not forgotten.

God seeks and saves the lost. There is no biblical evidence that Abraham had any type of relationship with God before God sought Him out.
And like yourself, I am perfectly capable of seeking God for truth and like the Bereans to search the scriptures.

Abraham was a polytheist, just like all ancient people. They were all seeking God, but in the wrong way. God's mercy chose a simple-minded man because he was more prepared to receive the revelation of God, than, let's say, an Egyptian philosopher full of himself, intelligent and arrogant.

 

[cv5]

am perfectly capable of seeking God for truth and like the Bereans to search the scriptures.

Seek prophetical truth as well. That is your weak suit. As in nonexistent.

BTW....the Bereans were Jews for the most part. Likely having their own outreach ministry to the Gentiles after Paul's visit. Very propitious to say the least.

Act 17:10
As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
Act 17:11
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Act 17:12
As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

 

[Cameron143]

Are you trying to imply that God gives some greater opportunities to find Him than others? There is no Biblical basis for such ideas. This is the false doctrine of men like Calvin. God is no respecter of gender, race, or anything else. The call goes out to all. It always has.

I'm saying you don't need to assume things into scripture to understand scripture. When we do we distort scripture.
The Bible says the fallen condition of mankind has him not seeking God. The scripture also says that God has done things to help man to seek him.
Life Bible itself testifies that God deals with people in different ways and to differing degrees. The dealings of God with Israel as opposed to other nations reflects this reality. Your own experience as opposed to others reflects this too.
I'm amazed sometimes that Christians take positions so adamantly that their understanding is more informed by their positions than scripture

I'm not directing this comment towards anyone in particular. Each person can evaluate for themselves. Neither do I exempt myself from the same scrutiny for I may be most guilty of all. And threads are prone to go in many directions. I'm definitely guilty of this. But individual ideas should be able to stand or fall based on their own without someone having to fall into one camp or another and without predisposing to another a whole set of views because you are so predisposed.

 

[cv5]

I see the plans and interest God showed in Jacob even though he seems more sinful to me than Esau. I don't see his attention to Esau. That must be assumed.

Jacob MORE sinful than Esau? How in the world did you reach that erroneous conclusion?

Esau's cardinal sin was despising God's covenant provided to His fathers. And evidently he did so with gusto. Including marrying pagan wives without restraint or repentance. Things did not go so well for the Edomites thereafter BTW. They are mostly spoken to in terms of judgement. Not to say that there were not Edomites that have been saved in the past and will be in the future.

Heb 12:16
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Genesis 26:34-35 (NASB)
When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; 35 and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Genesis 28:9 (NASB)
and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.

Genesis 36:2-3 (NASB)
2 Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; 3 also Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth.

 

[Cameron143]

Yes. And since we have the knowledge of God's love for us - proven by the acceptance of God the Son to incarnate and defeat the devil under the conditions created by the fall of Adam, that is, not by using divine power, but, paradoxically, through suffering and death - we would be right to assume that Esau was not forgotten.



Abraham was a polytheist, just like all ancient people. They were all seeking God, but in the wrong way. God's mercy chose a simple-minded man because he was more prepared to receive the revelation of God, than, let's say, an Egyptian philosopher full of himself, intelligent and arrogant.

Unless you know that God sought out Esau then you have no way of knowing whether He did or not. To say with certainty is to go beyond scripture.
And the scripture also says that God doesn't choose to make Himself known because of anything that is true of us but according to His sovereign pleasure.
But we have gone far afield from the original question.

 

[Magenta]

Not many have a burning bush experience or get knocked off their horse on the way
to Damascus. The number of times I hear well respected teachers say things like,
God does not speak to anyone any more? Jeepers. They ought not to say such things.

 

[Cameron143]

if God only allowed ONE SOUL from Humanity to enter into the Kingdom of God and no one else, it was indeed God's desire just to have ONE, and possibly for specific Reasons to have just this special ONE only, but indeed His desire.

Agree. Do you have an answer for the question?

 

[cv5]

I see the plans and interest God showed in Jacob even though he seems more sinful to me than Esau. I don't see his attention to Esau. That must be assumed.

I know prophecy is not your interest......but I though this to be pertinent nevertheless....

Mal 1:2
I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
Mal 1:3
And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness
Mal 1:4
Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.


Eze 25:12
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;
Eze 25:13
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.
Eze 25:14
And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 32:29
There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.
Joe 3:19
Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
Amo 1:11
Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:
Oba 1:8
Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
Jer 49:8
Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.
Jer 49:10
But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.
Oba 1:9
And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.