Illogical Blends in Scripture
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Illogical Blends Found in Scripture
Table of Contents
Illogical Blends Found in Scripture. 1
The Main Question – How Are We Saved?. 1
Supernaturalism versus Naturalism.. 2
Blend of Divine Actions and Human Actions. 5
The Error of Double Predestination. 9
Everyone Goes to Heaven if God Does it All 10
Did God Harden Pharaoh’s Heart?. 13
The Jews Rejected God’s Offer of a Personal Relationship with Him.. 13
Double Pre Deemphasizes Spreading the Gospel 16
Might as well be an Atheist 16
Without Faith it is Impossible to please God. 17
Introduction
Christianity is a thinking faith (Is. 1:18[1]), but logic and reason aren’t enough – we live by faith confirmed by logic when we look back to see what God did. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: (Heb. 11:6).”
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
Faith is based on what we can’t see, it’s not fact until we look back and see what God did in caring for us. The Christian walk goes forward in faith that God will keep His promises to us and that He will bless our obedient service to Him. God’s people can see evidence of His love, care, and provision when we look back and see how He prepared us to serve Him and guided us where He wanted us to go:
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. I Corinthians 2:14
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5 That happened when Ruth’s husband died.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 Something that seems bad can be a real test of faith.
It took great faith for Ruth to leave Moab for Israel when she’d been told she wouldn’t find a husband. When Ruth went to glean, Ruth 2:3 tells us “her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz.”
“Her hap” means that there was no logical reason Ruth could see to choose Boaz’s field to glean.
When Naomi told Ruth who Boaz was, Ruth could see that God had guided her both to Israel and to Boaz’s field. That made her faith fact. We follow God in faith that obeying Him will work out, then we look back and see how He made it happen. Each step of faith makes the next step easier.
Many atheists complain that the Bible is illogical. This should be no surprise:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. I Corinthians 1:23-24
Galatians shows Jews that their life-long practice of following the law was not a means of salvation; it only demonstrated their need for Christ (Acts 15:11[2], Gal. 3:24-25[3]). They must also admit that their eagerly-awaited and long-promised Messiah had come, they’d missed it, and they needed His forgiveness.
It’s easy to see why the Gospel is a stumbling block for Jews, but why is it foolishness to Greeks? This is because of the logical thinking built into the structure of the Greek language. The idea of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection enabling salvation is inconsistent with Greek thought. It’s illogical because Jesus being both God and man is impossible by Greek rules of logic. God and man cannot be blended together.
This chapter shows how Greek logic doesn’t match Biblical ideas. This is a problem with Greek thought, not with God, of course. It also discusses many other illogical, that is, non-Greek, blends found in the Bible.
The Main Question – How Are We Saved?
Jesus commanded Christians to go and teach all nations (Mt. 28:19-20[4]). We must find new disciples for Christ and help them work out their salvation by learning more about His commands. Christians can’t always agree on what should be taught and they can’t even agree on how salvation occurs:
The deepest cleft which separates men calling themselves Christians in their conceptions of the plan of salvation, is that which divides what we may call the Naturalistic and the Supernaturalistic views. The line of division here is whether, in the matter of salvation of man, God has planned simply to leave men, with more or less completeness, to save themselves, or whether he has planned himself to intervene and save them. The issue between the naturalist and the supernaturalist is thus the eminently simple but quite absolute one: Does man save himself or does God save him?[5]
The point of division here is whether God is conceived to have planned actually himself to save men by his almighty and certainly efficacious grace, or only so to pour out his grace upon men as to enable them to be saved, without actually securing, however, in any particular cases that they shall be saved.[6]
Dr. Warfield uses “Autosoterism” to describe the process of a person saving himself.
There are fundamentally only two doctrines of salvation: that salvation is from God and that salvation is from man. The former is the doctrine of common Christianity; the latter is the doctrine of universal heathenism.[7]
In all religions except Christianity, man saves himself, either by performing rituals, thinking pure thoughts, doing good works, or following some specified path. The religious authorities lay out some path by which a seeker can arrive at salvation, be it called nirvana, satori, or whatever term the religion uses.
Jesus declared that it is impossible for any man to save himself:
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Autosoterism contradicts the Bible. God is involved in every salvation, but what about man? Do human beings have anything to do with salvation, or is salvation a purely supernatural phenomenon?
Supernaturalism versus Naturalism
Although there are many subtleties, if God does it all and humans have nothing to do with salvation, there are two major views of pure supernatural salvation: double-predestination and universalism. Double-predestination argues that from the foundation of the world, God destined some for Heaven and some for Hell, regardless of what they do. Universalism says everyone will go to Heaven regardless of what they do.
If salvation is purely supernatural and is completely without human choice, universalism has the better of the argument. If salvation is all up to God and God is not willing that any should perish (II Peter 3:9[8]), none will. If God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:31[9], 33:11[10]), no wicked will die.
The Bible makes it clear, however, that some will go to Hell, so universalism doesn’t work:
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15
If the population of Heaven and of Hell was determined before the foundation of the earth, there was no need for Jesus to die on the cross. Double-predestination is also anti-biblical:
And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. Psalm 9:8 see also II Peter 2:4-22
When asking God not to wipe out Sodom, Abraham appealed, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right (Genesis 18:25b)?” God agreed that it would be unjust to wipe out the good with the evil. How much more unjust would it be to consign some to Hell regardless of what they do?
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:49-50
On the other hand, it is impossible for any man to save himself. Dr. Warfield explained the dilemma:
The issue is indeed a fundamental one and it is closely drawn. Is it God the Lord that saves us, or is it we ourselves? And does God the Lord save us, or does he merely open the way to salvation, and leave it, according to our choice, to walk in it or not?[11]
Each time he states the issue of the nature of salvation, Dr. Warfield frames the question in terms of Aristotelian logic which is based on “either / or.” Either God does everything required for salvation without human participation, or human beings save themselves with God being involved only to provide the universal means of salvation. Rabbi Sachs argues that “either / or” is not the only form of logic:
Hebrew religious beliefs only imperfectly translate into the language of ancient Greece. Fundamental to Aristotelian logic is the law of the excluded middle: either a proposition is true, or its negative is true. It is this principle that frames the existence of evil as a theological problem. Either God exists, or evil exists. If God exists, then evil does not exist. It is either a prelude to, or a preparation for, the good. Seen in full context, it is not evil at all. Alternatively, evil exists, therefore God does not exist. This is a philosophical, detached, disengaged, analytical, left-brain way of thinking about facts.
But faith does not operate by the logic of the left brain and the law of the excluded middle. God exists and evil exists. The more powerfully I feel the existence of God, the more strongly I protest the existence of evil.[12]
Rabbi Sachs illustrates his definition of “both / and” in opposition to “either / or:”
I embrace both sides of the dichotomy I mention: science and religion, philosophy and prophecy, Athens and Jerusalem, left brain and right brain. This too is part of Abrahamic spirituality. People have often noted, yet it remains a very odd fact indeed, that there is not one account of creation at the beginning of Genesis, but two, side by side, one from the point of view of the cosmos, the other from a human perspective. Literary critics, tone-deaf to the music of the Bible, explain this as the joining of two separate documents. They fail to understand that the Bible does not operate on the principles of Aristotelean logic with its either / or, true-or-false dichotomies. It sees the capacity of grasp multiple perspectives as essential to understanding the human condition.[13]
The Bible warns that Greeks would not appreciate the “both / and” logic of the Bible:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. I Corinthians 1:23-24
The saving power of Christ’s death is foolishness to Greeks because Aristotelian logic can’t handle Jesus being both God and man. He had to be both to save us, but that’s anti-Aristotelian. Could salvation blend the supernatural with the natural as Jesus blended both God and man? Could salvation be a blend of “both / and” instead of “either / or” as Dr. Warfield declares? There are many “both / and” blends in Scripture.
Blend of Prayer
Prayer involves a person asking God for supernatural help. We labor together with God when we pray for something within His will (1 Cor. 3:9[14]). We can’t expect just any prayer to be answered:
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. I John 5:14-15
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:2
This verse promises that we’ll receive anything we ask “according to his will.” Why do we have to pray for God’s will? Won’t God do His will regardless? James tells us that this is faulty reasoning, we have to ask. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “thy will be done.” God’s will won’t always be done if we don’t pray for it. Instead of being entirely of God, that is, entirely supernatural, prayer blends in a natural element:
And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. Genesis 25:21
God had promised Abraham “for in Isaac shall thy seed be called (Genesis 21:12).” God promised that Isaac would have children, yet He didn’t carry out His will until Isaac labored together with God by praying that God would fulfill His promise. Jesus healed the Canaanite woman’s daughter because of her faith and because she begged Him fervently (Mt. 15:22-28). Natural prayer was followed by supernatural healing.
The Bible gives general direction for prayers in affliction, but is specific about sickness:
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. James 5:13-15
“Afflicted” means “grievously affected or troubled as by a disease: mentally or physically impaired.” Paul prayed that God would remove the thorn from his flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-9[15]), but God refused. We can pray to God about any trouble or burden, but this passage told the sick to call on the elders of the church to pray and anoint the sick person with oil “in the name of the Lord.” As with any other prayer, nothing will happen unless the sufferer asks. Would some of our sick get well faster if we prayed in this manner?
There’s another supernatural element blended into prayer – the Holy Spirit helps us get it right:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26
God does something supernatural in answering prayer and the Holy Spirit fixes up our prayers when we don’t express them well. Prayer blends the supernatural with the natural. God sometimes won’t carry out His will unless humans ask Him to do so, but when we don’t know how to ask, God helps us. God does most of it, but humans have to pray to get things started. It was clearly God’s will to release Peter from prison (Acts 12:1-11). Would God have released him if the church hadn’t been praying for his release (Acts 12:12[16])?
These notes about the Lord’s Prayer show how natural and supernatural blend together in a short passage:
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father1 which art in heaven2, Hallowed be thy name3. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth4, as it is in heaven5. Give us this day our daily bread6. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors7. And lead us not into temptation8, but deliver us from evil9: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever10. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13
1) God has many names and many roles. When we pray, we’re petitioning our heavenly father who cares for us and who gives good things to those who ask Him. (Matthew 7:11[17])
2) We must remember where God is, and to direct our prayers toward His throne. (Matthew 5:34[18])
3) We must always praise God. God doesn’t need our praise. Praising Him reminds us to be grateful for what He has given us instead of being anxious for what He hasn’t given us. Praising Him reminds us that He’s a good God who wrote the rules in the Bible to tell us how to be happy in this life.
4) It is God’s will that His kingdom arrive on earth, but we are rewarded when we pray for it.
5) We would be better off if Gods will were done in earth. Satan has been cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:7-8[19]) so God’s will is done there, but God’s will won’t be done on earth until His kingdom comes.
6) God has promised to meet all our needs (Phi. 4:19[20]), but we must ask for them in prayer and give thanks (De. 28:47-48[21]).
7) We’re forgiven sinners saved by grace. As good stewards of God’s grace, we must pass it on (I Peter 4:10[22]). If we don’t forgive others, God won’t forgive us (Matthew 6:15[23]). Our forgiveness of others sets the standard for God’s forgiving us.
8) We’re supposed to avoid temptation, but we need God’s help to strengthen us to flee it.
9) God is our refuge and strength (Ps. 46:1[24]), only He can deliver us from the evil Satan proposes for us.
10) Acknowledging God’s power and His victory over Satan gives us confidence and strengthens our faith.
Every phrase of the Lord’s Prayer shows how what we do weaves into what God will do.
Blend of Divine Actions and Human Actions
The Bible teaches that natural human actions affect the supernatural:
And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58
So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Exodus 17:10-13
God’s supernatural intervention in the battle depended on Moses’ doing what God had told him to do.
How can a holy, perfect God love sinners, all of whose righteousness is as filthy rags? Yet He does. How can a loving God send people to Hell? How can a perfect God of justice allow anyone into Heaven?
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? Psalm 8:4
How can Jesus be both God and man at the same time? The Bible teaches both.
We speak of athletes’ talent and we are aware of their training efforts. World-class achievement blends the supernatural, that is, the abilities that God gave, with the natural, the effort the athlete, musician, or artist puts into developing God’s gift.
Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-30. The servants who used what they were given were praised. As for the servant who did nothing with the talent he had been given, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:30)”
Our abilities are supernatural gifts from God to us. What we do with them is our gift back to God.
God created marriage and gave us many passages in the Bible that tell us how to conduct marriages. Marriage has supernatural elements in that God put drives, desires, and needs in men and women to draw them together. There is no logical reason for women to want to hang around with men or for a man to want to support a wife and family; these emotional drives are of God.
Marriage also has natural elements in that each married person chooses whether to die to self and serve the family or whether to continue life as a self-centered individual.
When Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God,” Jesus replied, “thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Mt. 16:16-18[25]). Peter was a fallible human being. Jesus didn’t build His church on Peter, He built it on His divinity, but He staffed it with fallible human beings and warned that the church would be full of tares (Mt. 13:24-30, Mt. 13:38, 40[26]).
The church is preserved supernaturally, but it operates naturally based on the decisions and actions of men and women. The Book of Revelation teaches that Christ takes away the candlestick of a congregation if it gets too far from His program, but He promised that the church as a whole will carry on.
We sometimes speak of the church as having a mission, but we could also speak of God’s mission of redemption having a church.
The New Testament church means the “church universal” which includes everyone everywhere who has accepted salvation on the terms offered in God’s Word, but “church” also refers to individual local assemblies that have individual characteristics and different ways of carrying out their God-ordained mission.
Jesus commanded His people “teach all nations (Matthew 28:19).” We’re commanded to convey Jesus’ teaching to everyone we can. Paul made it clear that we must tell people about Jesus’ offer of grace:
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Romans 10:14-15
This shows the blend of missions. Nobody can be saved unless God draws him, but we have to plant and water by preaching the gospel to them (Acts 13:48[27]). God gives the increase. We must pray that God will draw the people whom we reach so that they can choose to accept the gospel of salvation. God wants them to repent, but how we pray and how they hear us affects how God carries out His will that they repent.
Some object that many people have never heard; must they go to Hell because we didn’t spread the gospel to them? Paul explains that observing creation is sufficient for those whom we haven’t reached:
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20
But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:45-48
God grades on the curve. We’re held accountable for what we know, but how that works is one of the secret things that belong unto the LORD our God (Deu. 29:29[28]).
Salvation is both supernatural and natural. God draws men to Himself. We spread the word to all whom we can. When someone hears, and God draws, the person arrives at the point of making an honest choice between accepting or rejecting salvation. No man can choose salvation without being drawn but God draws everyone to the point of making an honest choice at least once.
The Bible teaches that God gave human beings freedom to choose whether to follow God’s will or not:
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Exekiel 33:11
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Matthew 23:37
Human beings are disinclined to choose the “strait gate:” Some have said that the fact that so few choose to accept Christ’s offer of salvation means that Satan is more powerful than God. Jesus said that’s not so:
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Luke 10:18
Satan will ultimately be defeated, but in the meantime, relatively few will choose to accept God’s offer of salvation. The Old Testament states that few who claimed to be among the people of God were in fact His:
Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. I Kings 19:18
When David numbered Israel, Joab reported, “And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword (I Chronicles 21:5).” That’s 1,100,000 men. A few generations later, only 7,000 faithful remained. That’s .63% or less than 1 in 100. As Jesus said, “few there be that find it.”
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14
Nature teaches the same lesson. My wife was born with thousands of eggs in her ovaries. Only three became persons. Each tree in a forest sheds millions of seeds, but no new tree can grow unless a tree dies to make space for it. Of all the seeds a tree creates in its lifetime, on average, only one can become a new tree.
Salvation is not based on what people do; it is based on what they believe:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18
Salvation blends the supernatural and natural. God does all the work of salvation. God draws a person to the point of making a free choice whether to believe or not. If the person chooses to believe, God saves him.
There is a further blend in salvation in that we’re commanded to work out the details with God’s help:
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13
You can’t live by my convictions, you need your own. Working out your own salvation means figuring out what you believe and why you believe it. That requires a blend of your efforts in prayer and Bible study and God’s guidance via the Holy Spirit which He put into you.
The more scientists study the one-direction flow of time, the less they understand it. God gave hints:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: Hebrews 1:3
Time was one of “all things” which were created “in the beginning.” God created everything, including light, the force of gravity, physics, chemistry, biology, and the flow of time. He upholds His creation, that is, He keeps the universe running including every breath you take and every beat of your heart.
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Colossians 1:17
Although time started “in the beginning” at the moment of creation, He was “before all things.” Our languages don’t deal well with the concept of something happening or existing before time started.
And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Rev. 10:6-7
It’s just as hard to think about the end of time. God liveth for ever and ever, which implies that time as we know it will go on forever, but the Bible also says that time will end. At that point, the mystery of God will be finished in that we will understand Him and His nature.
I look forward to understanding how God could exist both before and after time. What came before time? What will come after time? Do the words “before” and “after” have any meaning in this context?
The Calvinism Heresy
Calvinism is the simple idea that human choice has NOTHING to do with salvation: God decides who will go to Heaven and who will go to Hell no matter what they do. Calvinism makes Jesus Christ a liar:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Luke 13:34
Jesus lied in mourning that they wouldn’t choose to follow Him because they could not – God had already chosen some of them for Hell and they couldn’t choose to accept His offer of salvation, and Jesus knew this.
The Lord God also lied:
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 33:1
The Lord God lied in urging them to turn from their wicked ways because He knew that He had chosen some for Hell and they couldn’t turn. John the Baptist and the Old Testament prophets also lied in urging repentance. Predestination and free will are discussed in more detail in the next section.
The Error of Double Predestination
Rev. 13:8 speaks of “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Before He spoke the world into existence, Jesus knew Adam would sin and that He would have to die to take the punishment for your sins, my sins, and for everyone who ever lived. In spite of knowing that, He loved us enough to create us anyway.
“Double predestination” asserts that God predestined some people to be saved and go to Heaven and others to be damned to eternity in Hell no matter what they do or however young they die. Calvinists refer to God’s “irresistible grace” in that when God predestinates someone for Heaven, that person will receive enough of God’s grace to go to Heaven no matter what. Let’s start with reality:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
The Bible teaches predestination, election, foreknowledge, and free will. It’s as hard to reconcile them as reconciling Jesus being both fully God and fully man, but that’s what God expects us to believe.
Jesus taught free will to Nicodemus:
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18
Condemnation comes from not believing “in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” not from God predestinating a living soul to Hell. You don’t have to do anything to go to Hell, but you must choose to believe in Jesus Christ in order to go to Heaven when you die.
Augustine taught unconditional election by irresistible grace in the early fifth century. He taught that all non-elect babies went to Hell even if they died “before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good (Is. 7:16).” David contradicted this: “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. (2 Sam. 12:23).”
Some say David’s son went to Heaven because his father was saved. That can’t be true because sin nature is passed down through the father (Gen. 5:3[29]) and because God judges people as individuals (De. 24:16[30]).
David’s confidence that he would see his child again suggests that every birth is written in the Lamb’s book of life to be blotted out once it’s no longer possible for the person to find God (Is. 55:6[31]). “I will not blot out his name out of the book of life (Rev. 3:5[32])” matches Asian custom. When a Jew converts to Christianity, orthodox families conduct a funeral and erase the name from the family register as though the renegade had never been born. When a sinner fails to hear God’s final call to repentance, the name is blotted out.
Everyone Goes to Heaven if God Does it All
If salvation or damnation is totally up to God, if people aren’t free to choose or refuse to accept Christ’s offer of salvation, everyone will go to Heaven and there was no need for Jesus to die.
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 33:11
It pleases God when people turn and live. Everybody will turn, live, and go to Heaven when they die if Heaven or Hell is up to God alone. This idea is known as “universalism.” Some people will go to Hell (Rev. 20:14-15[33], Rev. 21:8[34]), however, so double predestination as Calvinism defines it is false.
Chapters 2 and 3 of Ezekiel show that saying people cannot choose is against the Word of God. John 3:16 shows that God wants everyone, not just a few. Double-pre says that God draws only the elect few with "irresistible grace" to salvation whether they like it or not; the Bible says Jesus draws everyone:
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. John 12:32
Did the Prophets Lie?
Calvinism declares that everyone suffers from “total depravity” which makes lost people unable to repent. The only way anyone can get to Heaven is for God to elect to draw them with irresistible grace. Their beliefs and actions have nothing to do with it. This means that Moses, Joshua, the OT prophets, and John the Baptist lied when they urged people to repent and that Jesus lied when He wept over Jerusalem:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Luke 13:34
Double predestination argues that people who are predestinated to Hell could not accept Him, so Jesus lied when He said “ye would not” instead of saying “ye could not.” He also lied in saying that Tyre and Sidon would have repented after believing His “mighty works” because they couldn’t repent either:
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Matthew 11:21
God Permits Free Will
Jesus wanted the Jews to accept Him as Messiah. They chose not to accept His offer of saving grace and He did not force them. God takes our actions into account:
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. Psalm 18:20
God has given all of us free will such that God’s supernatural grace is not irresistible; we are free to reject God’s offer of grace and His other commands, but we bear the consequences of our choices.
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Deuteronomy 5:29
And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. Psalm 106:15
2 Kings 17:10-15 speaks of the Lord sending prophets and seers urging His people to turn away from idols, but the people refused. Did the Holy Spirit lie in inspiring this account? Why send the prophets if the people were unable to choose to turn?
Is Ezekiel’s warning a lie? How can a just God (Gen. 18:25[35]) hold anyone accountable for not warning the lost if the wicked person is predestinated to go to Hell regardless of what we or they do?
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Ezekiel 33:8-9
Double pre says that the Holy Spirit lied in inspiring the prophet Ezekiel to urge, “Turn ye, and live,” - they were predestinated to go to Hell and could not choose to turn and live:
Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? Ezekiel 18:23
For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. Ezekiel 18:32
Single Predestination
Scripture teaches that “the elect” must hear the Gospel to know what to believe:
And when the Gentiles heard this [I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles], they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Acts 13:48
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: II Thessalonians 2:13
This is consistent with Rom. 8:28-30[36] which explains how God’s people are called: Foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. That sounds like salvation is totally up to God, but Rom. 10:13-17[37] speaks of people calling on the name of the Lord to be saved and points out that the unsaved must hear, which requires a preacher, and that preachers must be sent.
These passages show “single predestination” in that some are ordained for Heaven but the word must be preached to them so that they can choose to believe. Being of “the elect” doesn’t guarantee salvation:
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. II Timothy 2:10
We’re given examples of God Himself explaining what He wanted when He called people to His service.
Isaiah Chapter 6 tells how God called Isaiah. When Isaiah protested that he was unworthy, an angel touched a coal to his mouth and pronounced his sins taken away (6:6-7). When the Lord asked whom He could send, Isaiah said, “Here am I, send me (6:8).” God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called as Jesus called Saul on the road to Damascus and then instructed him in Arabia (Gal. 1:17[38]).
Jeremiah chapter 1 tells how the LORD called Jeremiah who said, “I cannot speak: for I am a child (1:6).” God touched his mouth and said, “Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth (1:9).” God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called, but they have to be willing to choose to hear and obey.
For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. II Corinthians 8:12
How many refused when God called them to be prophets? We know men who were called to be pastors but left God’s path as difficulties arose. How many refused God’s command to “take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms (Hos. 1:2)” knowing the pain wifely betrayal would bring?
“Abraham believed God (Rom. 4:3[39], Gal. 3:6[40], Jas. 2:23[41]).” How many men refused God’s call to father His chosen people before Abraham accepted the call? Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word (Lk. 1:38[42]).” How many women refused for fear of being stoned for becoming pregnant out of wedlock (De. 22:21-22[43])?
Double pre offers the ultimate copout.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
If a child goes astray, a parent can shrug, think “Predestinated to go to Hell” and feel no responsibility.
Limits to Free Will
Men aren’t given complete free will - God is active in human history:
By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 16By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. Proverbs 8:15-16
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Proverbs 21:1
This matter [Nebuchadrezzar eating grass outdoors for 7 years] is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. Daniel 4:17
These verses say that He puts some in positions of authority. The Bible does not lie; God gave us the ability to choose what to believe and what to do. Our Lord draws every man sufficiently and enlightens every man as much as necessary for that individual to make an honest decision for or against obedience and salvation of his own free will. If Saul, Isaiah, or Jeremiah had refused God’s call, He would have called someone else as He called Aaron to help Moses lead the Exodus (Ex. 4:14[44]) when Moses refused His call.
Did God Harden Pharaoh’s Heart?
God told Moses that Pharaoh would not let His people go because of hardness of heart. Did God force Pharaoh to harden his heart and go to Hell by making it impossible for him to obey God? Ex. 9:34 says that Pharaoh “sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.” James 1:13-14 tells us that God does not tempt people to sin; people are drawn into sin by their own lusts. Pharaoh chose to sin and hardened his own heart as God told Moses he would. God is outside of time. He knows the future but gives us free will.
And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. Psalm 106:15
Ex. 10:20[45] tells us that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart after the plague of locusts. That is consistent with Is. 55:6 “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:” Pharaoh hardened his own heart at a time when he could have found the LORD but chose not to. After that, the LORD withdrew from him so that Pharaoh could no longer call on him and blotted his name out of the book of life.
The Jews Rejected God’s Offer of a Personal Relationship with Him
God had one-on-one fellowship with Adam and Eve in the garden. Once Adam fouled himself through sin, God could no longer relate to him in the same way, but God still desired to relate to His creation. Abraham was a friend of God. God wants you to be His friend, but you have to want to be His friend.
Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? II Chronicles 20:7
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. James 2:23
And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. Exodus 33:11a
God wanted to relate to the Children of Israel as individuals:
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. 5Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Exodus 19:4-6
God’s people chose neither to draw nigh to Him nor rely on Him. God’s people chose not to talk to God. Moses reviewed what had happened:
And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 25Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. 26For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. Deuteronomy 5:24-27
How sad! How very, very sad! They had heard the voice of God and lived. They chose not to relate to God as He desired so He gave them the law. Hear the sorrow in God’s voice:
And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. 29O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Deuteronomy 5:28-29
Individual Christians are urged to ask God to forgive their sins. That gives us the power to be Sons of God, which is a family relationship.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:12
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. I John 3:2
Who Blinded the Jews?
Paul gave us another pro-choice, free will verse:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9
What about this? Elect Jews found salvation, but God blinded the rest so that they couldn’t find it?
What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. Romans 11:7-8
For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. Isaiah 29:10
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Romans 11:25
All the Jews “shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him (Zec. 12:10).” Did God apply double predestination only to Jews and block some from salvation until the fulness of Gentiles? No, there is a limit to the opportunity God gives each of us to repent and turn to Him:
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. I Corinthians 9:27
God’s people hardened their own necks for so long that they could no longer find God and were cast away:
Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. II Kings 17:14
But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, 17And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. Nehemiah 9:16-17
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Psalm 95:8
Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers. Jeremiah 7:26
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Hebrews 3:8
Paul certainly didn’t think lost Jews were unconditionally predestinated to Hell:
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 14If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. Romans 11:13-14
Acts 28:17ff tells us that when Paul arrived in Rome, he called the Jews together, and persuaded them “from morning til evening (Ac. 28:23[46]).” He couldn’t have done that if they’d been predestinated.
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; II Corinthians 5:11a
And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. Acts 28:24
Isaiah predicted that some non-Jews would hear and consider Christ’s teaching:
So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Isaiah 52:15
The Jews were told to attract “the nations” by showing how choosing to obey statutes God had given Israel benefitted them. Scripture speaks of “the nations” being astounded at God punishing Israel when they chose not to obey (1 Sa. 3:11[47], 2 Ki. 21:12[48], 2 Chr. 29:8[49], Jer. 18:16[50], 19:3, 8[51], 25:18[52], Mich. 6:16[53]).
Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Deuteronomy 4:6-8
Modern Christians are as conspicuously visible to the lost as Jews were to “the nations.” We accomplish the goal of showing the blessings of belonging to God by choosing to obey this command:
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:35
Double Pre Deemphasizes Spreading the Gospel
Belief in double predestination de-emphasizes Jesus’ command to us to spread His Gospel. When my aunt was a teenager, a visiting missionary said that Chinese maps were inaccurate. As he traveled from one village to his next appointed meeting, he’d pass villages he hadn’t known because they weren’t on the map. He said that people there would go to Hell unless more missionaries were sent.
When my aunt asked my grandfather about it, he told her that God had chosen who would go to Heaven and who would go to Hell so it didn’t matter whether missionaries were sent.
The verses about election and predestination speak of saved people. This supports the idea of single predestination. There are no verses showing people being predestined for Hell. God draws everyone to the point of making an honest choice. How else could everyone acknowledge God’s justice (Gen. 18:25[54], Rev. 15:3[55])? Rom. 1:20 says they have “no excuse.” God grades on the curve:
And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:47-48
Those who learn the mind of God by studying His works are held accountable for what they learn. Those who hear the word from one of His servants are accountable for that.
Might as well be an Atheist
Calvinism teaches that God chose some for Heaven and others for Hell no matter what the do. If that is true, what people do in this life makes no difference – their fate is already sealed no matter what. Someone who believes that is effectively the same an atheist. If there is no God, people can do whatever they want to do without worrying about what God wants. What they do makes no difference. If everyone is predestinated for Heaven or Hell no matter what they do, they might as well do whatever they want to do without worrying about what God wants – what they do makes no difference.
Without Faith it is Impossible to please God
We can’t understand how to reconcile God’s sovereignty and His gift of free will any more than we can understand Jesus being fully God and fully man. Election, ordination, single predestination, and free will are all taught in the Bible. We are to believe them as we believe in Jesus, the God-man who was made in the flesh, whether we understand or not.
A verse-by-verse analysis of Calvinist’s claim that God predestinating some for Hell and their denial of free will is found at
https://successful-marriage.blogspot.com/2021/06/an-examination-of-tulip-five-points-of.html
[1] Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18
[2] But we believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they [non-Jews]. Acts 15:11
[3] Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Galatians 3:24-25
[4] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20
[5] Benjamin B. Warfield, The Plan Of Salvation, Wm. B. Erdsman, (Grand Rapids 1942) p 16
[6] Benjamin B. Warfield, The Plan Of Salvation, Wm. B. Erdsman, (Grand Rapids 1942) p 21
[7] Benjamin B. Warfield, The Plan Of Salvation, Wm. B. Erdsman, (Grand Rapids 1942) p 33
[8] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. II Peter 3:9
[9] Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 18:31
[10] Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 33:11
[11] Benjamin B. Warfield, The Plan Of Salvation, Wm. B. Erdsman, (Grand Rapids 1942) p 85
[12] Sachs, Rabbi Johnathan, “The Great Partnership – Science, Religion and the Search for Meaning”, Shocken Books, p 240
[13] Sachs, Rabbi Johnathan, “The Great Partnership – Science, Religion and the Search for Meaning”, Shocken Books, p 10
[14] For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. I Corinthians 3:9
[15] And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. II Corinthians 12:7-9
[16] And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. Acts 12:12
[17] If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 7:11
[18] But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Matthew 5:34
[19] And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. Revelation 12:7-8
[20] But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
[21] Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; 48Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. Deuteronomy 28:47-48
[22] As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. I Peter 4:10
[23] But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:15
[24] God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
[25] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:16-18
[26] The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. Matthew 13:38, 40
[27] And when the Gentiles heard this [I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles], they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Acts 13:48
[28] The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29
[29] And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth: Genesis 5:3
[30] The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. Deuteronomy 24:16
[31] Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Isaiah 55:6
[32] He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Revelation 3:5
[33] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14-15
[34] But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:8
[35] That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Genesis 18:25
[36] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30
[37] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:13-17
[38] Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Galatians 1:17
[39] For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Romans 4:3
[40] Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Galatians 3:6
[41] And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. James 2:23
[42]And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38
[43] Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you. 22If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. Deuteronomy 22:21-22
[44] And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. Exodus 4:14
[45] But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go. Exodus 10:20
[46]And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. Acts 28:23
[47] And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. I Samuel 3:11
[48] Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. II Kings 21:12
[49] Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. II Chronicles 29:8
[50] To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. Jeremiah 18:16
[51] And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. 8And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. Jeremiah 19:3, 8
[52] To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day; Jeremiah 25:18
[53] For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people. Micah 6:16
[54] That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Genesis 18:25
[55] And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Revelation 15:3
posted by Bill Taylor at 3:38 PM
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