Posted on 01/06/2011 4:39:50 AM PST by The Ignorant Fisherman
As a boy growing up in the late 70s I was a passionate Pittsburgh Steelers fan. The Steelers were notoriously known for their solid defense and were nicknamed the "Steel Curtin. This solid defense of the Steelers allowed very little offensive gain from their opponents and is legendary and highly acclaimed by football fans unto this day.
"Almighty God as it were puts up His steel curtain defense of EVERLASTING grace and mercy against His lost and perishing creature (man)"
In the light of ETERNITY, Almighty God as it were puts up His steel curtain defense of EVERLASTING grace and mercy against His lost and perishing creature (man) in a desperate attempt to prolong and derail our godless rebellion and ETERNAL destiny of perdition and doom in the ETERNAL prison hold called, the Lake of Fire (John 3:16-17, Rev. 20:11-15).
The Bible states,
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17)."
My friend, can you not see how Almighty Gods grace and mercy and providential management on our behalf when we were once lost and dead in our trespasses and transgressions (Isa. 53:6, Rom. 5:10, Eph. 2:1-2) has spared and kept us from our own self destructive will and lawless rebellious desires against our Creator and against His ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS absolutes (Isa. 53:6, Rom. 2:4, 5:6, 2 Peter 3:9,15). He has - through out all of our lives prior to our salvation - always put up His Heavenly Steel Curtain defense as we in our past unbelief and godless rebellion beat our drum to the course of this world and have sought to rush and carry our self willed and godless agenda straight in to the HELL Zone (Gen. 3:22-24, Rom. 2:4, Eph. 2:1-10).
How else could we have ever come to a saving knowledge of the truth if it had not been for Almighty Gods Steel Curtain of grace and mercy (Luke 18:13, Rom. 2:4, 1 Tim. 2:3-4)?
It is with ALL of Almighty Gods ETERNAL BEING that He desires ALL to come to repentance and to a full acknowledgment of their transgressions against the ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS absolutes of His ETERNAL Person (John 3:17, 1 Tim. 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9). Almighty God also greatly desires ALL to come to a saving knowledge of His Son - The Lord Jesus Christ mans only means for propitiation and pardon for ETERNAL redemption (Acts 4:12, Rom. 10:2-4, 1 Cor. 1:30, 1 John 2:2). Oh beloved, what Divine wondrous love! What could ever in FOREVER - compare to the ETERNAL Divine righteous love of mans omnipotent and omniscient Creator (Jude 1:25)?
Rushing Ones Rebellion into the Hell Zone
These wondrous truths of time and ETERNITY also apply to all of the worlds - past and present - lost and unregenerate children of Adams fallen race (Rom. 5:12). My friend, NO ONE will ever end up in the Lake of Fire for all ETERNITY without choosing to go there for themselves (John 3:36, 1 John 5:12). My friend, NO ONE ever ends up FOREVER in the Lake of Fire without fighting tooth and nail against the EVERLASTING grace and mercy of Almighty Gods Heavenly "Steel Curtain".
"When an unregenerate individual - whether morally virtuous or wickedly vile - out right rejects Almighty God's ETERNAL sovereignty, he as a raging bull seeks to push the limits of Almighty Gods grace and mercy"
There comes the point in each individuals life (this temporal earthly existence) in which they have solidly chosen and have set in concrete their decision for or against their Creator (Ezek. 24:13, Hosea 7:13, Matt. 23:37, Rom. 1:18-32). When an unregenerate individual - whether morally virtuous or wickedly vile - out right rejects Almighty God's ETERNAL sovereignty, he as a raging bull seeks to push the limits of Almighty Gods grace and mercy. What is most tragic is that God will eventually step out of the way and lets these God haters beat their godless drum in this "brief existence" called "time" unto their ETERNAL doom (Rom 1:18-32). History is filled with these countless precedents of the godless virtuous and vile who have rejected Almighty Gods saving grace through out the 6000 year history of creation. As Almighty Gods infallible Word so truly states, All have sinned (Rom. 3:23)! All have violated and have transgressed Almighty Gods ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS absolutes and His Ten Commandments in their hearts, souls, minds and with their actions (Rom. 3:10-23)! My friend, Virtuous or vile ALL have Sinned! ALL are violators of Gods ETERNAL righteous absolutes! ALL need Gods saving solution and Savior!
Beloved, God is Righteous!
My friend, for years some of us have prayed vigilantly for loved ones and individuals to come to a saving knowledge of the Savior, only to have these individuals choose to die in their sins and transgressions in the end (John 8:24, Rom. 6:23). My friends, has Almighty God turned a deaf ear to our desperate pleas and petitions for our loved ones? GOD FORBID!!!! Almighty God wants these individuals saved and regenerated more then we ever could. God fully comprehends the entire magnitude of their ETERNAL destiny and loves them more then we ever could with A PERFECT AND ETERNAL LOVE (John 3:16-17, 1 John 4:9,16). God the Father sent and gave His only begotten Son to meet our ETERNAL dire needs (Rom. 6:23, 10:4, 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 John 3:5). God the Son put on humanity and violently died and shed His sinless blood on the cross for the sins of the whole world to be our perfect propitiation and Savior (Gal. 1:4, Heb, 10:7-10, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 John 2:2, Rev 1:5).
"God fully comprehends the entire magnitude of their ETERNAL destiny and loves them more then we ever could with A PERFECT AND ETERNAL LOVE"
Through out these individuals (our loved ones and the whole worlds ) entire lives (existence in time) Almighty God has put up the Heavenly Steel Curtain and has made every attempt to deliver these godless and lawless individuals (whether virtuous or vile - good or evil) from their fallen state and ETERNAL doom, but in the end these choose ruin and destruction instead of ETERNAL righteousness and fellowship with their Creator in spirit and truth (Matt. 25:41, John 4:24, Rev. 20:11-15). What is most tragic is that these individuals chose to rejected Gods saving grace through out their entire short flower of the field lives and live in a delusion about the ETERNAL realities of righteousness and judgment. These - in the end - dive head first over Almighty God's "Heavenly goal line stance" into ETERNAL perdition, ruin and judgment (i.e., into the Hell Zone). Each human being is the sole captain of their ETERNAL destiny. In the end, it is each ones own personal decision that chooses their ETERNAL destiny and habitation.
"In the end, it is each ones own personal decision that chooses their ETERNAL destiny and habitation"
My Beloved, always remember that in Almighty God is no evil or unrighteousness (Job 34:10, Psalm 116:5, Rom. 9:14). He NEVER can lie (Titus 1:2, Heb. 6:18). He is only LOVING, MERCIFUL, GRACIOUS, LONG SUFFERING and most of all RIGHTEOUS (Psalm 86:15, 103:8, 116:5, 145:17, John 4:9,16, 2 John 1:3)!
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen 18:25c)
There are many hard and overwhelming realities to deal with today in this lost and dying world. May we be bold as lions to see these realities for what they are from Almighty Gods Eternal perspective? It is from this Heavenly position that we will be set free from all of the temporal overwhelming realities of time and ETERNITY (John 8:32, 36, Col. 3:1-2).
My friends let me quote Almighty God once more.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17)."
My beloved, I do not know how to state anything more wonderful than that! Beloved, enjoy God and let him LOVE you as only He can in these trying days.
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful . 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither ; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper . 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away . 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish .
I had always thought that God was "All Powerful" but this author seems to be telling us that God is powerless. That despite all of God's efforts he is unable to save some of his creatures from their own fallen nature. That man's own fallen will is more powerful than God's ability to mold their will to his.
Amen. Once the "click" goes off in our heads that God is really, truly sovereign over all He has created, and that He is not a careless nor imprecise Lord, but an omnipotent owner of everything, including who we are and what we do and why we do it, life is never the same. Our perspective turns from us and our inabilities to God alone and His perfect ability to bring about exactly what He has ordained from the foundation of the world.
"All glory to God" really means "all."
When I finally understood that (as Harleyd once said) the Bible makes perfect sense and life is "knowable" for the first time.
"For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" -- 1 Corinthians 4:7
All this "me-ism" is a hold-over from Rome. "I decide my fate; I perform my good works; I choose wisely."
In fact, the "choice" is God's and we, as believers, respond in gratitude for His free gift of grace and in glory for the only "name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12.)
First of all.. you got to read the whole post before you start tearing it done.. lol
My friend... Some thing doesn’t click with you... you have all those good web sites on your FR page.. (The most beloved of all Dr. McGee) and you are as ignorant of the Scriptures as any one I have ever seen. My friend you need to read more of God’s Word, study it and believe it. Then you might get saved. I’m dead serious and I am not being a wise guy, sarcastic or malicious. God as my witness.
Friend, Read John 1:12, 3:16-17... Very carefully... and see who must CHOOSE to believe, to be saved and to receive the Savior. It’s one personal choice. That is the one thing that Almighty God will NEVER do! Force any one into Heaven. We are not robots but made in the image of God. I will, I ought, I choose.
God help you son .
I.F.
I did read your whole post. Your conclusion seems to be that God is powerless to save you unless you save yourself. If that is not your conclusion, then how do you explain your position that God gives his all out effort to save every single person on the planet, and yet only some of them are actually saved? Is God powerless to save those that ultimately are not saved? Is there some power in man that can overcome God's will?
you are as ignorant of the Scriptures as any one I have ever seen.
I think you are engaging in Hyperbole. I've been on this forum for 10 years and my posting history speaks for my biblical knowledge.
Its one personal choice. That is the one thing that Almighty God will NEVER do!
Of course it is ultimately a "personal choice". God molds the wills of those he chooses and they voluntarily and with open heart choose him. Don't you believe that God molded your will so that you made the decision to choose him? Or was there some goodness in your cold dead heart that others were not blessed with?
I will, I ought, I choose.
Wow, you sound like Obama with all those personal pronouns. I... I... I... I... I... I... I... I... I...
Methinks you have it backwards. God wills first and then when he has molded your will to his, then you choose him. You do it voluntarily, for sure, but you would never do it unless God changed you so that you would. He interferes with your free will, which is naturally in emnity with God and then when God is ready, you WILL choose him.
Are you suggesting that God is incapable of interfering with your free will? If so, then how on earth did you make the decision for Christ?
God help you son .
He already has. He interfered with my free will and I thank God he did.
Now you have a better understanding of what happens when you even begin to suggest that God is all powerful; that God is King and He sits on His throne ruling over creation. This is what happened to the state of Christianity. Welcome to the Reformed side.
Of course it is ultimately a "personal choice". God molds the wills of those he chooses and they voluntarily and with open heart choose him.
Amen. I think just about every Christian will point back to a particular passage of scripture that "spoke" to them.
People frequently quote this passage but it is taken out of context. You have to read the entire statement from 16-19:
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen 18:25c)
How can God be just if He makes more of “a desperate attempt to prolong and derail (the) godless rebellion” of some but not of everyone? 12 and 13 year old children die every day with little if any knowledge of God and most live beyond their alloted three score years and ten hearing the gospel many times. By your theory God “has made every attempt to deliver (some) godless and lawless individuals” but not others.
My friend, this was just one scenario of Almighty God’s grace and mercy to humanity. The key is to see things from ETERNITY’S perspective.
By faith we have to believe that the God of all the earth will always do right! It is not my “theory”. I quoted count less verses of God’s love, grace and mercy.
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