red77 said:
Fine - its obviously going to bring up emotional responses, but I'm going to say this to you again pastor, how can you claim that God can achieve his own will - COMPLETELY - and still believe in eternal sufering?
God works all things out within the counsel of his will - yes or no? God wills all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth - possible or not for God? With man this is impossible - with God ALL kinds of things are possible - in direct context to the disciples shocked question regarding who could be saved......... Your doctrine says that God cannot achieve his will......
Red I have already answered all of these questions with you many times over in various threads and debates. You honestly refuse to acknowledge it, so I'm done answering. Honestly it is quite irritating. Here is the final answer and you can take it or leave it:
God desires all men to be saved, but all ment won't be saved. We know this because Jesus said the way to life is very narrow and only a few find it. We know Jesus said that at the day of judgment, He will separate His own people from the ones who aren't His and that those who aren't His are cast into the Lake of Fire for all eternity.
If what you say is true the verse should say God desires all men to be saved and forces them to be so.
The Lord says with God all things are possible and that is true. We have never denied that. But it still does not ever say that all will be saved. In fact it says directly the opposite and extremely clearly at that. You refuse to see it and you make the excuse that you have heard all of this before. Fine then, why in the world do you try and FORCE your doggone views on everyone else? It is clear that most of the people on this board don't accept Universalism. You won't get me to accept Universalism no matter how hard you try, so please just give it up.
And here is a news flash: I believe pretty strongly in most aspects of the Open View, so if you really want to understand that, why not participate in some of the many fine threads on that subject here and you will understand why I believe like I do. I don't believe God violates the free will of man and that He allows us to choose to reject Him or accept Him. The Bible bears this out for us again and again.
I also do not believe that everyone will choose to accept God. I don't see it anywhere in the Scriptures, and your repeated attempts to get me to agree has not worked, because I don't believe it is there. I believe the verses Universalism uses to try and prove its case are taken way out of context and don't mean what Universalism says they mean. I have explained that to you time and time again, Red. I have explained it in the Battle Royale, and I have explained it to Stephen. If anyone could have convinced me that Universalism was Biblical it might have been Stephen because I honestly like the guy, but I don't believe it is Biblical and I honestly don't think I ever will. Hey if I'm wrong everyone is saved anyway, so why keep at it?
I believe very firmly that the Scriptures teach irrefutably that many will not in fact accept God's provision of salvation found in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that those who don't will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. I don't believe the Bible teaches that all will be saved and I don't believe that people can repent and be saved after they die. I find that nowhere in the Bible. It is not there because it is not true. There is no repentence after death, nor is there a single verse indicating someone repents after death.
The most wicked aspect of Universalism to me is the belief that Satan and the fallen angels will repent and be saved. That is a wicked and unBiblical doctrine. Nothing anyone has said or ever will say can show me anything otherwise.
I am always willing to study and search Scriptures and if anyone can show me a verse clearly where it says Satan and fallen angels repent and get saved I would be glad to admit I was wrong. But no such verse exists. To continue to insist it does is just ludicrous.
Many churches and religions have abandoned the teaching of the eternal punishment as it is found in the Bible, but I will not be such a Pastor. I am not out to win popularity contests but to preach the Word and warn people that they need to be saved or they will have a day of reckoning with the Lord, and it won't be pretty. It is not popular these days to preach and teach the fires of hell, but the Bible is plain on the subject and if the Bible is plain on the subject then we have to teach it.
There are many other important doctrines in the Word of God that we must never abandon as well: such as the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Trinity-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, salvation is by grace through faith alone plus nothing else, salvation is through Jesus Christ and Him alone, He is the only way to the Father, etc....
I will always be there to stand for Biblical truth and will be willing to defend against untruth.
God bless and have a good night.