I've received an appropriate number of responses about my gay bashing post but it was mostly about gays, the second paragraph questioned predestination. I was not being sarcastic when I admitted I don't understand it. Predestination, free will or both, I want to know. The only text I have I have trusted over biblical matters is the bible, (usually NIV) and it isn't clear to me. Can it be both? Please respond. CaliBob
If predestination is true and God chooses who will be saved, and not saved, without their choice, there are some things to consider.
That means that God's kingdom is not true love, for the people that believe in the God of Israel, and confess Christ, do not truly love God but they have no choice but to obey the truth seeing no other alternative.
God is not evil that He would condemn people that have no choice in their salvation, for it would go against the nature of God.
Those that God chose would mean that their faith, their love, their hope, their confession of Christ, is not real for it did not come from them but from God.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and there is none that does good, no, not one, and if you offend in the least of the law then you offend in all, and what makes you to differ from another, and God is no respecter of persons, so why would God choose some and not others when all are sinners, and in the same boat.
The Bible says many are called but few are chosen, so if God chooses without the person having a choice, then why is God calling people that cannot be chosen, for He would only work in the lives of those He chose, for it would serve no purpose to work in the lives He did not choose.
God is the Savior of all men, who will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.
The Lord is not willing that any perish but all come to repentance and be saved.
Jesus lights every person born in this world, so all people have the chance to see the light of Jesus and be saved.
The Spirit and bride say Come, and anybody that wants salvation can have that salvation.
God commands everyone to repent, so why is He commanding all people to repent if it does not matter to the ones He did not choose.
All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
So God wants all people to be saved, so God did not choose who will be saved, and not saved, without their choice, so they should understand the Bible.
We did not choose God, but He chose us, and many are called, but few are chosen.
When God calls a person He will work in their life to get them to the truth, and when they get to the door of truth they have to open it for we have a choice, but they would of not gotten to the door of truth unless God was working in their life, so He chose us, but He does the calling and choosing on earth according to our response to truth.
The Bible says that the Lord knows them that are His having this seal, that everyone that name the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Which if a person hates sin, and does not want sin, they can abstain from sin by the Spirit.
And only a Spirit led life is sealed, and saved, but if they are led of the Spirit they would not sin.
And there is no excuse for sin because when they sin they enjoy it, for if they did not enjoy it they would not do the sin, so if they enjoy the sin they are doing it on purpose, so there is no excuse.
Also we have a choice between good and evil, so if they sin they could of chose the good, and nobody forced them to sin.
A lot of people are not trying to beat some sins but doing them on purpose thinking they are right with God.
The Bible says if a person holds unto sin the blood of Christ cannot wash that sin away.
And if it is true that we cannot abstain from sin, and we sin daily, then how can the blood of Christ wash away all our sins if we can never cease from sinning, for we would always have sin on our record.
Which the Bible says that some have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, for they think that they are right with God even if they hold unto sin and will not let it go.
That is why many are called but few are chosen, for not everybody that confesses Christ wanted to give up some sins, but wanted to hold unto some sins and think they are right with God, and said they could not stop it even though the Bible says by the Spirit they can stop the sin.
The saints are predestined to salvation means that God already had the plan to give mankind salvation before He laid down the foundation of the world, and this salvation is to whoever wants this salvation.
For God is love, and His kingdom love, and He is not evil, and He could not judge the wicked for their sins if He chose them in the beginning to not be saved, for they did not have the choice to obey the truth.
All that predestination is about people wanting to believe things according to the flesh that produces many hypocrites, which causes the world to say those hypocrites, and the Bible says give no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed.