The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not meant for everyone, for many cannot receive it, no matter how hard they may try!

@PloughBoy -- from your perspective -- a person can't really believe or know they are born from above unless it has been granted to them from God. That sort of sounds strong Calvinism.

Sue D. said:

@PloughBoy -- from your perspective -- a person can't really believe or know they are born from above unless it has been granted to them from God. That sort of sounds strong Calvinism.

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Sue once a person have a new birth, "they know it" and if any person is around them, they are going to know something has happen to that person! Just like in the Book of Acts on the day of Pentecost!!! The Holy Spirit is going to be like fire and they cannot whole it!!!!!

Yes, once I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior -- I Did know it -- I could tell that the Holy Spirit had come to indwell me -- there was a inner peace that had never been there before. But it was not a jump up and down experience for me. I'm very conservative -- never spoke in tongues -- never caste out anything -- never walked on water. I also have never doubted my salvation. There are areas in Scripture that I"ll never understand -- doesn't bother me at all.

Sue D, most of the time you sound like a "Calvinist", a powerful one too, pretty soon i do believe you are going to be a full blow one! Fired up!

Sue D. said:

Yes, once I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior -- I Did know it -- I could tell that the Holy Spirit had come to indwell me -- there was a inner peace that had never been there before. But it was not a jump up and down experience for me. I'm very conservative -- never spoke in tongues -- never caste out anything -- never walked on water. I also have never doubted my salvation. There are areas in Scripture that I"ll never understand -- doesn't bother me at all.

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Christian Standard Bible
Agrippa said to Paul, "Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian {Calvinist] so easily?"

A Christian is Not a Calvinist or an Armenian -- but a born again believer.

Well we will see, Sue, and just, settle in, and just rather be called: "a Child of The Living God". Will that be alright?

Sue D. said:

The title of this thread is "The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not meant for everyone.........." are you referring to the Gospel unto salvation? Because we have salvation through Jesus Christ and no one else.

Look at John 3:16 "For God so loved the 'world', that He gave His only begotten Son.... that who so ever believeth........shall not perish but have eternal lifel" That sounds pretty 'everyone' to me. God is the Only one who knows who His elect are. We Are told to go to the entire world -- no matter who they are.

Who ever calls upon the Name of the Lord Will be saved.

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True Sue

But not all will be saved...

John 3:16-21 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not meant for everyone, for many cannot receive it, no matter how hard they may try!

Their names are not in the Book of Life and The Lamb.

John 3:3,5,7 We must be born again.

Dave M said:

Mark 16:15
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Luke 24:47
And that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 16:24 ESV / 4 helpful votes
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!


yet it is very obvious we are to proclaim the good news to all people,,, and not boast about ourselfs being born from above and holding other people in contempt because they are not.

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So true Dave,

We are to love the lost souls and pray for them.

But there is a fine line at times between what is confirming The Truth in The Word and what is perceived as condemnation.

Bless you

PloughBoy said:

Well, you did say it to, 3:16...only the ones who believes, so it is not for everyone.
And you said: "who ever calls". so it is not everyone.

"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

"Not every one who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

So the word "many" rest assured,

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Well put brother.

We know 'many' will not be saved, their wouldn't be all the warnings in scripture, also there would be no need for the Great White Throne Judgement is all were saved.

"We" don't save anyone -- that is the job of the Holy Spirit --'we' Are to Share the Gospel unto salvation with All who will listen. Sometimes 'we' like to play the role of the Holy Spirit -- who We feel is worthy Of salvation. God know who will and who won't -- He has His plan for all of us.

PloughBoy said:

1st one must know what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is and not what they think it is.

In order to catch a fish on a hook or in a net, you cast the hook or net into the big sea, you might catch something and you might not!

So it is with the "casting out the proclamation of the Gospel,of Jesus Christ into a big world"

Just because you cast it out there where are thousands of fish does not mean they are going to jump on your hook or climb into your net or jump in your boat.

But concerning salvation "the elect will bite" for it is in them to be attractive to the bait! Or they are drawn by attractions of the net for it is irresistible. For they do not fight the hook or make their way out of the net. "Many are called but only a few are chosen". We proclaim to all because the elect is among them, and he said "my sheep hears my voice ! I like it!

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Don't I now it my friend

But when they don't bite first we prepare the area we will fish (we pray), we pre-bait the area, (drop a few words of scripture here and there as we meet people). We try one bait on the hook, (share the word), if it doesn't work we try another method (share Jesus another way), we pray more and in time the one who was holding the rod (not us) catches the one who took the bait, that one is saved, next please.

Oh to be fishers of men brother

Sue D. said:

How about THIS -- the Holy Spirit convicts a person of their sinning -- it's a God thing. Being one of God's elect -- He alone knows who they are. Obviously those who accept Jesus Christ as lord and Savior are of the elect.

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So true Sue,
He calls us we do not call Him, He knows whose name is in the Book of Life and the Lamb.

Sue D. said:

there's no conundrum -- God is sovereign. He alone is in control. The lake of fire and brimstone is meant only for satan, the beast and the false prophet. As well as those who don't accept God' way to stay Out of it. God has provided the one and only way to stay out. He alone knows who will / who Won't stay out.

As far as we human beings are concerned -- everyone we know could be in the "I accepted" group. I have done so.

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We do not know whose name is in the Book of Life and The Lamb, we are not meant to know, we are to share the Gospel, share the Good News, share Jesus with all we can in the world. Some fish won't bite even if it is their favourite meal on the hook.

Sue D. said:

God certainly is 'love' and He is also Righteous in all He does.

God -- in His mercy -- provided the cross / blood of Christ for all.

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Amen

Trevor said:

The scripture tells us that we were chosen before the world was made Ploughboy, and our hearts were fashioned by God to receive the gospel. So when one of the elect hear the Word for the first time, they come alive and receive it with joy, because to them, it is life. At least it was to me. To others, a man raising the dead, casting out demons and walking on water is fantasy and their minds cannot accept it.

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Greeting Trevor,

I cannot fully agree with what you say here.

We are born into sin, we are influenced by sin, the world and the devil, we can be bad people, some more than others, maybe by our experiences in the world, maybe by others. When we hear The Word for the first time, I wouldn't imagine many accept The Word first time they hear it. Jesus says, I stand at the door and knock, He is ever so patient with us.

Now when we are born again, then we do come alive, the spirit joins with our spirit, we are made whole.

We are all different for sure, some are brought up in Christian homes and never get saved, I was the opposite situation. But our worldly experiences do mould us, for the bad, once saved we are being moulded a new way, as new creations we are moulded in righteousness.

Thanks be to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in Jesus Name, Amen

PloughBoy said:

Sue once a person have a new birth, "they know it" and if any person is around them, they are going to know something has happen to that person! Just like in the Book of Acts on the day of Pentecost!!! The Holy Spirit is going to be like fire and they cannot whole it!!!!!

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It is wonderful when a lost soul is attracted to a saved soul as a friend, I have heard them say, 'I don't know what it is about this person, there is something special about the person but I cannot put my finger on it'

Simples... It Is Jesus.

PTL \o/

The trouble with predestination doctrine is that it conflicts with a lot of other verses.

2Pet 3:9; The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

God doesn't 'wish' for anyone to perish. He wants 'all' to come to repentance.

1Tim 2:3; This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1Tim 2:4; who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

God 'desires' ALL men to be saved. God wants ALL men to come to the knowledge of the truth.

So if God wants these things, but yet ALL men don't get saved... that leaves us with free-will. God doesn't force anyone to be saved or not to be saved.

A lot of verses are taken incorrectly and made to say something they don't say.

Rom 8:29; For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
Rom 8:30; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

He 'foreknew'. I don't doubt that God knows the future. I have no problem with God knowing what happens in the future.
But just because He knew what choices people were going to make, doesn't mean He made them make those choices.
I may know you well enough to 'know' what kind of ice cream you're going to buy tomorrow. But that doesn't mean I made you make that choice.

Notice this verse doesn't say He predestined anyone to get saved. He says he 'foreknew' who was going to choose to be saved.
However if you do choose to be saved... "then" and ONLY then... it's predestined that you will be conformed to the image of His Son.

I may know what you're going to do in the future. I may 'know' you're going to join the military tomorrow. I didn't make that decision for you,
but I knew you were going to do it. Now then, now that you've made that decision, it's 'predestined' that you will get a very short haircut and wear a uniform.

Eph 1:4; just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
Eph 1:5; He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

This verse does not teach 'pre-existence'. Again people twist things to mean something it doesn't say.
If God knows the future, He knew mankind would fall. He already had a plan for salvation.. Jesus. He had this plan 'before the foundation of the world'.
He predestined us to adoption 'as sons'. People like to leave out the 'as sons' (or daughters) part of this verse. That changes the meaning of the verse.
I could say He 'predestined' us to become hamsters. He didn't predestine us to make the choice. He predestined what would happen to us after we made the choice.
Read the last part of verse 5 again... 'according to the kind intention of His will'.

If 2 Peter 3:9; and 2Tim 2:4; say it's God's will that all men be saved, and Eph 1:5 say this is according to the intention of His will.... then the only way these verses make sense
and don't conflict with the other verses is... He predestined what was going to happen to us.. after "we" made the choice to accept Jesus.

and there is more, B-A-C

as you no doubt know.

thank you for helping to share some understanding for those who are trying to understand.


Bless you ....><>

Dave M said:

whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

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Whosoever believes is determined by God giving them the gift of faith to believe.

Brother-Paul said:

Don't I now it my friend

But when they don't bite first we prepare the area we will fish (we pray), we pre-bait the area, (drop a few words of scripture here and there as we meet people). We try one bait on the hook, (share the word), if it doesn't work we try another method (share Jesus another way), we pray more and in time the one who was holding the rod (not us) catches the one who took the bait, that one is saved, next please.

Oh to be fishers of men brother

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LOL, "and behold I will make you a fisherman of men"

PloughBoy said:

LOL, "and behold I will make you a fisherman of men"

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I'm hooked brother; hook line and sinker.

PTL