A fellow told me something a while back that I would
appreciate your
thoughts on. It was a shocking thing for me to accept and it actually
caused me to become very angry with him. Still his words haunt my heart. . .
We all know the scriptures that say the elect were predestinated from
before the foundation of the earth:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
The fellow told me that since the elect were predestinated from
before the foundation of the earth then that would require that the
unsaved or lost would have to also have been predestinated from
before the foundation of the earth.
By OMISSION!!
He knew I had been a kind of local basketball star earlier in my youth so he put it this way:
Suppose 20 guys showed up to form a basketball team but only
10 could be selected. The ten that are selected are like the elect. The ten not selected are actually selected not to play simply by being refused by the act
of omisssion and by being denied the opportunity to be part of the team. Such are the state of the lost, he said.
See what he's saying?
He went on . . .
He explained that since God hardened Pharoah's heart in order to
glorify Himself in Israel's eyes, that He
sent a lying spirit unto
Ahab and unto Saul in order to accomplish His will, then the unsaved
are here to be used by God as a means of teaching and correction for
the chosen elect.
I asked him about man's free will. He said man only thought he had
free will. He said God works in man to achieve His own purpose and
pleasure.
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
He pointed out the scriptures that say no man cometh by me
less the Father calls Him.
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
He
added this as well to prove man had no
will or ability to "accept Chrsit as his savior":
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
He continued with other scriptures:
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and
whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?
Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand
of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to
the potter to make it.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to
vanity, not willingly,
but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Anyhow, are the lost doomed already and do they only serve as
edification for the saints. Are the lost truly just lab rats in God's master plan? Were all things predestinated since before the foundation of the world?
Any thoughts?
