Part 1 of 4, Chapter 6 in FOR HIS GLORY
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. John three sixteen. kjv
The Tree
It all started with that tree and man’s choice to eat its fruit. Man’s free will collided with God’s mandate and the world changed because Sovereign God had the last word. He always does.
And so it is today – the struggle of our will to obey Him. We too, are forbidden to try to satisfy our soul-hunger by eating the world’s fruit, but we’ll keep trying as long as we believe Satan’s lie.
Good News
Because of Adam’s sin, all humans are predestined to inherit a sinful nature. However, Jesus is the “new Adam” (I Cor. 15:45-49) and all who hear and believe the Gospel (Rom. 10:9-13) are released from the spiritual-death curse of Adam’s sin.
As Jesus said in John 3:16, whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. John 1:12 says that He gave the right to become children of God, to all who received Him and who believed in His name. And I revel in Rev. 22:17.
In I Tim. 2:4, Paul writes that God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” And II Peter 3:9 says that God “is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” (nasb). All.
His Love Is Enough!
God is love (I John 4:7-10), and considering the wonder of what Jesus won for us at such great cost, I would fear insulting His glory and even blaspheming Him, by saying that He proves His sovereignty and glorifies Himself by predestining some, even infants, to an eternal hell. That violates everything about love.
Are the “every knee” of Romans 4:11 and Phil. 2:9-11, and the “Christ” of Col. 1:15-20, Heb. 1:2-4 and Heb. 2:7-8 not enough to prove that?
Ken Stoltzfus
Kidron, Ohio 44636
April 29, 2022
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