Tasted Death for every Man !
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John 3:16 teaches Jesus died for the world. Not just the elect. John 3:15-16 says “whosoever”, not just the elect. 2 Peter 3:9 teaches the Lord wants “all” to come to repentance. Not just the elect. 1 Tim. 2:4 teaches God our Saviour desires all men to be saved. Not just the elect. Romans 1:16 teaches the gospel is for all who believeth. Not just the elect. 2 Cor. 15:5 says He died for all. Not just the elect. Rev. 22:17 says whosoever will. Not just the elect. 1 Tim. 2:6 says gave a ransom for all. Not just the elect. 1 Jn. 2:2 says he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Not just the elect.
Any teaching or belief that violates these passages (which Calvinism does) should be rejected as false (which Calvinism is).
Any teaching or belief that violates these passages (which Calvinism does) should be rejected as false (which Calvinism is).
Here is what two ministers emailed me about God’s foreknowledge a while back.
“God knows whatever He wants to know through whatever means He chooses to know it, whenever He chooses to know it, and can even limit Himself in His own knowledge has no problem with passages such as Matthew 24:36. Reread that sentence and let it sink in. Why, at the time of Matthew 24:36 for sure, did only the Father know the day and hour of Christ's second literal coming? Was Jesus not omnipotent and omniscient? What about the Holy Spirit? The simple answer is that Jesus and the Holy Spirit, at least at that time, chose not to know (in other words, they both willingly limited their own knowledge), which is a clear demonstration of the awesome, matchless power of the Godhead. The same principle holds true at any point in human history.
Therefore, the matter is not about whether or not any member of the Godhead has the ability to know anything, about anyone, at any time, as all three members of the Godhead are omni-everything in harmony with their divine nature. The matter deals with what God CHOOSES to know about anything, anyone, or any time.
God has the ability to know, or not to know (Jeremiah 19:5), whatever He wants to know through whatever means He chooses to know it. There are some things that we might know that God doesn't. Before balking at that statement, read Hebrews 8:12. One important thing people often fail to recognize about God is that God can choose to limit Himself (Matthew 24:36-39) and can also choose to "forget" certain aspects of a person's life (Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10:17), all in harmony with His flawless, perfect will.
Every aspect of the Godhead is "omni," (Revelation 19:6) or all encompassing, all in harmony with the nature of God (I John 1:5; 4:8; etc.).
Therefore, God is omniscient (all knowing) meaning that all 3 members of the Godhead have the ability to know anything and everything, whenever they want to know it, by whatever means they choose to know it. So, for example, Jesus' words in Matthew 24:36 are not about ability but authority.
So let's try to simplify it.
1. Is God omniscient? Yes--Psalm 139:1-12; Isaiah 46:9-11; etc.
2. Does omniscience mean that God has the ability to know where everyone will spend eternity? Yes, obviously.
3. Does omniscience mean that God determines, selects, or chooses who goes to heaven or hell, without mankind having any say in the matter? No. God having the ability to know anything and everything is not the same as God forcing man to make sinful or scriptural choices.
Passages on the free will of mankind are observed in the Scriptures when mankind is instructed in any form to choose, turn, obey, yield, or be told what he may or may not do, etc. (Genesis 2:15-17; Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:14-15; Ezekiel 18:21-28; Acts 2:40; Romans 6:16-18; I Corinthians 6:9-11; etc.).
God desires for all men to come to repentance (II Peter 3:9) and God desires for all men to be saved (I Timothy 2:4), but not everyone chooses to take the path that leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14).”
“We must not confuse knowledge with FOREknowledge. I am personally not convinced that God chooses to exercise His power to know everything about the FUTURE BEFORE it happens. However, this does not in any way call into question whether or not He chooses to know the PAST or what is happening in the PRESENT. These things he knows fully and completely. Of course, God knows everything men are doing when those things are happening. The question is whether or not He chooses to know them BEFORE they happened.
God has the power to know anything He chooses to know. But it appears to me that He also has the power to choose NOT to know the future until it HAPPENS. I know that He chooses to know everything in the past and everything that is happening in the present, because the Bible says so. He will bring every work into judgment with every hidden thing -- Ecc. 12:14; etc.
God can do whatever He chooses to do. But we only know what He chooses to do by what He tells us in the Bible. I know He chooses to know everything in the past and present because He says so in the Bible. I also know that He has the ~power~ to know everything in the future, and I know that He has exercised His power to know SOME things in the future, because the Bible tells me so. The question is: Where does the Bible say that God has chosen to know EVERYTHING that will ever happen in the future in the life of EVERY individual? I don't know where the Bible says that, and I have given (in the election outline) some verses that appear to me to indicate that God did not know certain things BEFORE they happened.
Consider the fact that Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:1-3,14; 20:28)? So why was there something that the Father knew that Jesus did not know -- Matt. 24:36? If Jesus possesses Deity, then He must have had the power to know this, if He had chosen to know it. The only way I can explain that verse is to conclude that the Father chose to know this information beforehand; but it did not suit Jesus' purposes on earth to know it, so He chose not to exercise His power to know it. In my view, here is a specific future fact that at least one member of the Godhead chose not to know beforehand.
God is all-powerful. He can do anything He chooses to do. If so, then does He have the power to choose NOT to know a thing, if He wishes not to know it? It seems to me that, if we really believe that God is all-powerful, then we have to accept the fact that He has the power to choose not to know some things about the future, if He wills to not know them. God's power to know is just a part of His overall power. To claim that God is all-powerful is not to say that he will actually do everything He has the power to do. Since His power to know is part of His overall power, it follows that, as with all His other powers, He will choose to do (i.e., to know) only those things that suit His purposes to do (know).
This view, however, is not necessary to understand the main point of my article on election. Whether or not one shares this view of God's foreknowledge, we can still agree that salvation is conditional on man's conduct.”
“God knows whatever He wants to know through whatever means He chooses to know it, whenever He chooses to know it, and can even limit Himself in His own knowledge has no problem with passages such as Matthew 24:36. Reread that sentence and let it sink in. Why, at the time of Matthew 24:36 for sure, did only the Father know the day and hour of Christ's second literal coming? Was Jesus not omnipotent and omniscient? What about the Holy Spirit? The simple answer is that Jesus and the Holy Spirit, at least at that time, chose not to know (in other words, they both willingly limited their own knowledge), which is a clear demonstration of the awesome, matchless power of the Godhead. The same principle holds true at any point in human history.
Therefore, the matter is not about whether or not any member of the Godhead has the ability to know anything, about anyone, at any time, as all three members of the Godhead are omni-everything in harmony with their divine nature. The matter deals with what God CHOOSES to know about anything, anyone, or any time.
God has the ability to know, or not to know (Jeremiah 19:5), whatever He wants to know through whatever means He chooses to know it. There are some things that we might know that God doesn't. Before balking at that statement, read Hebrews 8:12. One important thing people often fail to recognize about God is that God can choose to limit Himself (Matthew 24:36-39) and can also choose to "forget" certain aspects of a person's life (Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10:17), all in harmony with His flawless, perfect will.
Every aspect of the Godhead is "omni," (Revelation 19:6) or all encompassing, all in harmony with the nature of God (I John 1:5; 4:8; etc.).
Therefore, God is omniscient (all knowing) meaning that all 3 members of the Godhead have the ability to know anything and everything, whenever they want to know it, by whatever means they choose to know it. So, for example, Jesus' words in Matthew 24:36 are not about ability but authority.
So let's try to simplify it.
1. Is God omniscient? Yes--Psalm 139:1-12; Isaiah 46:9-11; etc.
2. Does omniscience mean that God has the ability to know where everyone will spend eternity? Yes, obviously.
3. Does omniscience mean that God determines, selects, or chooses who goes to heaven or hell, without mankind having any say in the matter? No. God having the ability to know anything and everything is not the same as God forcing man to make sinful or scriptural choices.
Passages on the free will of mankind are observed in the Scriptures when mankind is instructed in any form to choose, turn, obey, yield, or be told what he may or may not do, etc. (Genesis 2:15-17; Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:14-15; Ezekiel 18:21-28; Acts 2:40; Romans 6:16-18; I Corinthians 6:9-11; etc.).
God desires for all men to come to repentance (II Peter 3:9) and God desires for all men to be saved (I Timothy 2:4), but not everyone chooses to take the path that leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14).”
“We must not confuse knowledge with FOREknowledge. I am personally not convinced that God chooses to exercise His power to know everything about the FUTURE BEFORE it happens. However, this does not in any way call into question whether or not He chooses to know the PAST or what is happening in the PRESENT. These things he knows fully and completely. Of course, God knows everything men are doing when those things are happening. The question is whether or not He chooses to know them BEFORE they happened.
God has the power to know anything He chooses to know. But it appears to me that He also has the power to choose NOT to know the future until it HAPPENS. I know that He chooses to know everything in the past and everything that is happening in the present, because the Bible says so. He will bring every work into judgment with every hidden thing -- Ecc. 12:14; etc.
God can do whatever He chooses to do. But we only know what He chooses to do by what He tells us in the Bible. I know He chooses to know everything in the past and present because He says so in the Bible. I also know that He has the ~power~ to know everything in the future, and I know that He has exercised His power to know SOME things in the future, because the Bible tells me so. The question is: Where does the Bible say that God has chosen to know EVERYTHING that will ever happen in the future in the life of EVERY individual? I don't know where the Bible says that, and I have given (in the election outline) some verses that appear to me to indicate that God did not know certain things BEFORE they happened.
Consider the fact that Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:1-3,14; 20:28)? So why was there something that the Father knew that Jesus did not know -- Matt. 24:36? If Jesus possesses Deity, then He must have had the power to know this, if He had chosen to know it. The only way I can explain that verse is to conclude that the Father chose to know this information beforehand; but it did not suit Jesus' purposes on earth to know it, so He chose not to exercise His power to know it. In my view, here is a specific future fact that at least one member of the Godhead chose not to know beforehand.
God is all-powerful. He can do anything He chooses to do. If so, then does He have the power to choose NOT to know a thing, if He wishes not to know it? It seems to me that, if we really believe that God is all-powerful, then we have to accept the fact that He has the power to choose not to know some things about the future, if He wills to not know them. God's power to know is just a part of His overall power. To claim that God is all-powerful is not to say that he will actually do everything He has the power to do. Since His power to know is part of His overall power, it follows that, as with all His other powers, He will choose to do (i.e., to know) only those things that suit His purposes to do (know).
This view, however, is not necessary to understand the main point of my article on election. Whether or not one shares this view of God's foreknowledge, we can still agree that salvation is conditional on man's conduct.”
Because the same grace that saved us (Eph. 2:8) is also the same grace that motivates, instructs, and warns us not to continue in sin (Rom. 6:1, 12-18ff). Grace has the answers for salvation when one ask what must we/I do? What do you want me to do? (Acts 2:37-28; Acts 16:30ff; Acts 9:6). Grace tells us what we must do to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 7:21). Jesus brought us salvation. On the cross, He died for all men (2 Cor. 5:15), and He brought us a soul saving message to all through His sacrifice, His words, His apostles and disciples. All of that is grace and is how His grace that has brought salvation has appeared to all men. In having mercy upon us, He saved us by His grace which instructs us, not only how to be saved, but also how to live such a life that we can walk worthy of our calling as a Christian to glorify God (Ti. 3:5, Ti. 2:11; Eph. 2:8, 4:1; 1 Cor. 6:20).
Passages such as Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:9ff; Heb. 5:9; Rom. 6:1 etc etc teaches that we aren’t to live in sin.
The Bible gives us a list of sins to avoid and a list of commandments or teachings to know whether or not we are living in Christ.
1 Cor. 6:9-10, Gal. 5:19-26, 2 Pet. 1:3-12, 1 Jn. 2:28, 3:3-10, 18, 19, 23-24, 4:7-8, 16, 21, 5:1-3, etc etc.
That is how we examine ourselves to know we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).
When walk according to the Spirit and not the flesh (Rom. 8:1) and are spiritually minded (v6), is one of the ways we practice the righteousness of God.
All of that is by His grace, as we did not deserve to be taught how to be saved or instruct on how to live to be saved.
Passages such as Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:9ff; Heb. 5:9; Rom. 6:1 etc etc teaches that we aren’t to live in sin.
The Bible gives us a list of sins to avoid and a list of commandments or teachings to know whether or not we are living in Christ.
1 Cor. 6:9-10, Gal. 5:19-26, 2 Pet. 1:3-12, 1 Jn. 2:28, 3:3-10, 18, 19, 23-24, 4:7-8, 16, 21, 5:1-3, etc etc.
That is how we examine ourselves to know we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).
When walk according to the Spirit and not the flesh (Rom. 8:1) and are spiritually minded (v6), is one of the ways we practice the righteousness of God.
All of that is by His grace, as we did not deserve to be taught how to be saved or instruct on how to live to be saved.
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Here is others answers from two other ministers in articles
“In some matters, God has purposed and revealed that something will happen. He has absolutely predestined or foreordained that this will be done. In such cases, He knows it will be done. Why does He know this? Does He know because He looks into the future and sees it happening? No. He knows it because He is faithful to do what He promises. And not only is He faithful, but He is able to do it. He’s going to be around in a hundred or a thousand or ten thousand years to bring it to pass.
He knows the outworkings of the free acts of His creatures. He not only foreknows how certain events will lead to other events in the total complexity of reality, but He directly knows how the complex motives of multitudes of men will work themselves out in multitudes of personal acts”(Zond. Ency. p. 532). Added to this, Scriptures infer that God also knows all the possibilities or all the options, and all the options that could be exercised without violating His justice or sidetracking His will. For example, God will allow Abraham to appeal for the sparing of Sodom and Gomorrah, and God is willing to spare the city on behalf of ten righteous people (Genesis 18:32). Yet at the point of ten the conversation ends, indicating that there are no more options after this level but the destruction of these cities. We see the same flexibility in Exodus 32:10 “Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation”. In response, Moses will appeal to God and ask for mercy upon the nation (32:11-14). God will change His mind as a result of Moses’ intercession, indicating that in this situation more than one option existed. As noted in a previous lesson, God even knows what people would have done if they were given the opportunity (1 Samuel 23:11).
The Certain and Uncertain
People tend to forget that there are things that God has purposefully planned such as the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the church that were certain (Acts 2:23; Ephesians 3:10-11). On the other hand, there are things in the future that remain flexible. Note the above examples: On certain conditions, Sodom could have been spared, and another option existed concerning the future of the nation of Israel during the lifetime of Moses. In like manner, God decreed against the city of Nineveh, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). The city repented, and the city was not overthrown, indicating that in certain areas, the future remains open. Through Jeremiah, God made it clear that the destinies of nations are not written in stone, nations can come to a premature end, or they can survive longer than expected, and the free willed actions of men tip the scale in one direction or the other: “At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it” (Jeremiah 18:7-10). The same principle applies to the salvation or condemnation of individuals (2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 18:21-24). Thus the eternal reward or condemnation of any living individual is not so fixed that they cannot alter it by their own free willed choices (2 Timothy 2:11-13).
Applications
This is one reason why God commands us to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17). There are things that cannot be altered, for example, one cannot change the fact that salvation is in Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), that one must be baptized to be saved (Mark 16:16); or that one will eventually die (Hebrew 9:27). Howbeit, there are things that are flexible. God told Hezekiah to get his house in order for he was going to die, Hezekiah prayed and God granted him fifteen additional years of life (Isaiah 38:1-5).”
“In some matters, God has purposed and revealed that something will happen. He has absolutely predestined or foreordained that this will be done. In such cases, He knows it will be done. Why does He know this? Does He know because He looks into the future and sees it happening? No. He knows it because He is faithful to do what He promises. And not only is He faithful, but He is able to do it. He’s going to be around in a hundred or a thousand or ten thousand years to bring it to pass.
He knows the outworkings of the free acts of His creatures. He not only foreknows how certain events will lead to other events in the total complexity of reality, but He directly knows how the complex motives of multitudes of men will work themselves out in multitudes of personal acts”(Zond. Ency. p. 532). Added to this, Scriptures infer that God also knows all the possibilities or all the options, and all the options that could be exercised without violating His justice or sidetracking His will. For example, God will allow Abraham to appeal for the sparing of Sodom and Gomorrah, and God is willing to spare the city on behalf of ten righteous people (Genesis 18:32). Yet at the point of ten the conversation ends, indicating that there are no more options after this level but the destruction of these cities. We see the same flexibility in Exodus 32:10 “Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation”. In response, Moses will appeal to God and ask for mercy upon the nation (32:11-14). God will change His mind as a result of Moses’ intercession, indicating that in this situation more than one option existed. As noted in a previous lesson, God even knows what people would have done if they were given the opportunity (1 Samuel 23:11).
The Certain and Uncertain
People tend to forget that there are things that God has purposefully planned such as the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the church that were certain (Acts 2:23; Ephesians 3:10-11). On the other hand, there are things in the future that remain flexible. Note the above examples: On certain conditions, Sodom could have been spared, and another option existed concerning the future of the nation of Israel during the lifetime of Moses. In like manner, God decreed against the city of Nineveh, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). The city repented, and the city was not overthrown, indicating that in certain areas, the future remains open. Through Jeremiah, God made it clear that the destinies of nations are not written in stone, nations can come to a premature end, or they can survive longer than expected, and the free willed actions of men tip the scale in one direction or the other: “At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it” (Jeremiah 18:7-10). The same principle applies to the salvation or condemnation of individuals (2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 18:21-24). Thus the eternal reward or condemnation of any living individual is not so fixed that they cannot alter it by their own free willed choices (2 Timothy 2:11-13).
Applications
This is one reason why God commands us to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17). There are things that cannot be altered, for example, one cannot change the fact that salvation is in Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), that one must be baptized to be saved (Mark 16:16); or that one will eventually die (Hebrew 9:27). Howbeit, there are things that are flexible. God told Hezekiah to get his house in order for he was going to die, Hezekiah prayed and God granted him fifteen additional years of life (Isaiah 38:1-5).”
yeah I'm struggling..... God can't turn a blind eye too something once something is known, it can't be unknown can it? I know God can do all things but God would be lieing to God if He pretended to not know something , do you believe Yeshua is fully God and fully Man ? also all knowledge that has and is and will be has already been to Father He knows past present and future as its already been so for He, if Yeshua is He, would be lying to Himself if He pretended to forget when Yeshuas presence will be here again? To Me if Yeshua says The Father is Greater than I then there is non Greater Than God so if Yeshua is God He would be the Greatest and also He would not lie saying He doesn't know the Time of the alloted day, I'm gonna be called a heretic here but I don't think Yeshua thinks Himself equal to Most High and even Yeshua admitting He is The Son still doesn't make Him equal to God as a Father is more senior to a Son, why do men always try to say Yeshua claimed Himself God?
Don’t struggle. Trust. Don’t overthink. You’ll get this.
Understand that God is not a monster who has eternally decreed an individual to be damned to hell for all eternity. It is impossible for God to lie (Heb. 6:18). Jesus and the Father are one (Jn 10:30; 1 Jn. 5:7). Jesus was God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16; Phil. 2:6, 7; Col. 2:9; Jn. 1:1-14-17, etc etc).
Understand that God is not a monster who has eternally decreed an individual to be damned to hell for all eternity. It is impossible for God to lie (Heb. 6:18). Jesus and the Father are one (Jn 10:30; 1 Jn. 5:7). Jesus was God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16; Phil. 2:6, 7; Col. 2:9; Jn. 1:1-14-17, etc etc).
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Amen
“and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
2 Timothy 3:15-17
“knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
2 Peter 1:20-21 KJV
“and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
2 Timothy 3:15-17
“knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
2 Peter 1:20-21 KJV
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