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To: Mr Rogers

“But since it is foreknowledge, rather than God choosing, the men who reject Christ do so on their own volition and to their own doom.”

According to what you are saying God is making an offer He knows is not valid to some since by foreknowledge or whatever, he knows that only certain ones will believe and therefore they are the ones to whom the offer is directed. The offer is useless to those God knows will not believe.

We are not questioning how they come to believe here but to whom the offer is directed. “Whosoever believeth...” must refer to those whom God knows will believe since God does not do useless things.


771 posted on 03/09/2010 7:26:45 PM PST by blue-duncan
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To: blue-duncan

“According to what you are saying God is making an offer He knows is not valid to some since by foreknowledge or whatever, he knows that only certain ones will believe and therefore they are the ones to whom the offer is directed.”

I am saying no such thing. The offer is valid to everyone. He knows who will choose what, but THEY choose. And they will live or die by the choice they make. It is a real choice.

As a rough analogy...if I give my son (in his 20s) some cash now, and tell him to spend it wisely, I know (OK, I predict with a high probability of being correct) he will waste it. The money would be real, his choice would be real, the money would be wasted...but my call to him to spend it wisely would be real & valid.

Obviously, I don’t know the future. God does. But the idea is the same - God knows what the real choices will be before they are made, without forcing them to be made that way.

““Whosoever believeth...” must refer to those whom God knows will believe since God does not do useless things.”

A genuine offer made to all, knowing many will reject it, isn’t a useless thing. In the end, God will still have sons predestined to be like Christ, and those who have rejected him will have demonstrated his patience, mercy, goodness & justice. When they are condemned, they will have no excuse before God. And all will see (I believe those condemned will know as well) that God has been both very loving, very merciful, and very just.

And thus God will be glorified, not for being powerful enough to destroy anyone he chooses, but for being merciful, long-suffering, loving and just.


772 posted on 03/09/2010 7:47:35 PM PST by Mr Rogers (I loathe the ground he slithers on!)
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