[boatbums]

Dearest Mark, I'm pretty sure I have told you before that I am not Calvinist in my beliefs although I do agree with them in certain areas, and those areas are in agreement with the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Where I disagree is in the idea that God brought into existence people with no hope of redemption who would be, by design, incapable of coming to faith in Christ.

If you think about it, we accept that God is not bound by time - it is an island in the sea of his eternity - and by that knowledge we accept that he foreknew who would believe and who would reject him before they even existed. Therefore, we must also accept that knowing this God STILL allowed those people to exist. Now I do not claim to understand this at all, but I do know that God is all good and that everything he does is good. Scripture says,

"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:7)

I cannot understand the aversion some people have to the character of God that they presume to be negative. It's like they want to ignore the Scriptures that clearly state it or allegorize it or rationalize it. Instead, I believe we should accept by faith what God has revealed about his nature and trust that he is good and righteous and holy in all that he does.

[MarkBsnr]

Dearest Mark, I'm pretty sure I have told you before that I am not Calvinist in my beliefs although I do agree with them in certain areas, and those areas are in agreement with the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Where I disagree is in the idea that God brought into existence people with no hope of redemption who would be, by design, incapable of coming to faith in Christ.

That is correct; you have. I must keep better track of who believes what (!!!!). You must understand, though, that we believe that God offers salvation to all, that He is the God of Love and Hope; any hint of alteration of the identification of Him into a latter day Dagon is very repugnant to us.

If you think about it, we accept that God is not bound by time - it is an island in the sea of his eternity - and by that knowledge we accept that he foreknew who would believe and who would reject him before they even existed. Therefore, we must also accept that knowing this God STILL allowed those people to exist. Now I do not claim to understand this at all, but I do know that God is all good and that everything he does is good. Scripture says, "That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:7)

That and much more. I object to the depiction of God as infinite love and infinite hate (my words). Still, we have the words of Paul telling us that God wills all men to be saved. Does that not hold out hope for every man? Is God capable of finally getting the attention of every man before he is Judged to eternal hellfire? I pray that He not only is, but does.

I cannot understand the aversion some people have to the character of God that they presume to be negative. It's like they want to ignore the Scriptures that clearly state it or allegorize it or rationalize it. Instead, I believe we should accept by faith what God has revealed about his nature and trust that he is good and righteous and holy in all that he does.

Remember that we believe that much of the OT God is simply misunderstood by the people who received His message - look at the tremendous difference in message between the OT and the New. Look at the OT Jehovah who sent bears to eat the children who called Elisha a crazy bald old coot and compare that to the Incarnation of Jesus.

Since God is unchangeable and immuteable, then it is we humans that simply got it wrong.