Replies

That is an "after-action" report! ...No, Paul is pretty clear that those Jews who died were not unsaved heathen rabble going along for the show. They were "SAVED" Jews, saved from the sin of slavery of Egypt through the waters of "regeneration"

An “after-action” report??? That’s a new one. I didn’t realize God gave reports to us. :O)

You are adding your interpretation and assuming they “lost” their faith. God divided the sea, led them by a cloud, fed and water them, and still they wanted more from God. They questioned God’s sovereignty (“Can God do X???") and never believed that God was able to do the thing He had promise. There He was in full view on Mount Sinai surrounded by the cloud and still they made a golden calf and claimed THAT was the God who brought them out of Egypt. If there is any case of man’s uttered depravity it was at this moment. Even after God’s righteous wrath smote the “stoutest” ones they still rebelled. We are told in Psalms 78:22:

“Because they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation”

We are also told they worshipped other gods:

"If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served..." Joh 24:15

Paul is perfectly consistent with Psalms 78 in that the Jews lack of faith was evident in their grumbling. As you can see by Psalms 78 it plainly states that they “did not believe in God” and they “did not trust” Him.

What then is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 12? It is simply the outward call of Paul telling people they must believe and to examine themselves.

BTW-And less I get the "Ah-Ha. Gotcha nasty old Calvinist. Doesn’t Psalms 78 indicate the Jews could repent to God.” All of this is shown as a historical lesson for record. It is an “outward call”. As we see later, God tells these people that they will die in the wilderness and their children will come into the land. God raised up the next generation that, for a time, followed after Him fulfilling His promise. It wasn't based upon the choice of the children.

An “after-action” report??? That’s a new one. I didn’t realize God gave reports to us. :O)

Sure! The whole Bible is God's "report" to us about His love.

You are adding your interpretation and assuming they “lost” their faith

I think it is clear that they DID lose their faith. Does the Scripture report that some of the Jews did not believe that the Decalogue was from God? Did some of the Jews sit the covenant agreement, the sprinkling of the blood by Moses? No, they were all there. They all crossed, they all were saved from the Egyptians (sin), they all promised to obey the commandments. Modern day Christians do the same thing today, brother... Can you deny that some believe with all of their heart that they are saved, and then fall away, just as the Jews did in the desert? Your quotes from the Psalms merely explain the "latter" falling away. But those same people all agreed to follow the Commandments and they all came through the Reed Sea. They were all "saved"...

AFTERWARDS. They first DID and later did NOT.

As we see later, God tells these people that they will die in the wilderness and their children will come into the land. God raised up the next generation that, for a time, followed after Him fulfilling His promise. It wasn't based upon the choice of the children.

I would think there was an element of choice present, but God has His own agenda. My point, however, is that the "saved" can and do fall away, not about God's free will to elect whom He will. Paul uses those Jews as an example to beware, not to fall away, a REAL possibility that Paul warns of in 1 Cor 10 and Hebrews 3,4. Besides those specific Jews, Paul tells the Corinthians and Galatians that certain actions will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. In each case, Paul is talking about people who were "saved" - but the salvation is not done yet.

Regards