God Got The Memo

1. Election is based on God's foreknowledge.

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

2. Election means God planned man's salvation before the creation. It means God, by his foreknowledge, has predestinated the Christian to a glorious future. It is not who is predestinated, but what we are predestinated to. We are predestinated to be "conformed to the image of His Son"...NOT salvation!

Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Ephesians 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:

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Romans 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

3. Election does not mean God arbitrarily chooses who will be saved and who will not be. He has revealed that He wants all men to be saved.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

This is not rocket science, folks. Predestination is based on the foreknowledge of God...whether you want to believe it or not. Therefore, if you are saved, you ARE already predestined according to the foreknowledge of God to be conformed to the image of Christ.

 

So, according to you, God looked into the future and learned who would choose Jesus. Then after looking into the future, God determined to save those He foresaw believe. Therefore, those He foresaw not believing do not have a chance to be saved because God foresaw them not believe.
Hmmmm........ I learned something new today. That must be how I was made in God's image....... that learning and all.

 

And you Linda have just made belief meritorious.

 

We've tried logic before, Linda. Though I TOTALLY agree with you, the prognosis for them is pretty dim.

skypair

 

Can't say that I didn't try!!!

 

The bolded above is a red herring. I did not see that in Linda's post anywhere (or in any description of foreknowledge by any non cal on this board...ever)....but I'm sure you already knew that
That's open theism...not non-calvinism.

 

No. You still can't get it right, can you. Look at my lips ---- HE DIDN'T THEN DETERMINE TO SAVE WHOM HE SAW WOULD BELIEVE! They were saved according to His OFFER of salvation. HE THEN DETERMINED THEIR GLORIOUS FUTURE!

You must have a mental block on this issue. So let's get on the "short bus," go to our "special ed" class and rehearse this again ----- 1) God foreknows EVERYTHING. 2) He doesn't have to "dictate" the future before He can know how it comes out. 3) You are denigrating the justice and the love of God to say that He favors only those He has chosen (which is all you CAN say with your theological perspective).

skypair

 

You obviously do not understand the foreknowledge of God....biblical foreknowledge does NOT mean looking into the future. God ALREADY knows all...He is Omniscient. If you would quit interpreting Scripture through the eyes of John Calvin/TULIP,etc., you might learn alot more new things.

 

So, Linda, are you saying that God is merely passive when He looks into the future?

What ever happens will happen?

 

If God is omniscient, he cannot be omnipotent, since he is powerless to change the future. If that is true, why pray? God can't change anything How do these things reconcile?

 

What do you mean by "IF" God is Omniscient? Why do you say He can't be Omnipotent? God is Omnipotent/ALL powerful; Omniscient/ALL knowing; and Omnipresent/ALL over/everywhere.

Seems as though it is the Calvinists who limit God.

 

Linda didn't say that. Is that what you believe? Is God still learning? What more does God have to know? Do you mean to say that Calvininsts don't believe He is omniscient, like others believe that He is?

 

Of course not.

I thought that was what she was saying. What does she mean by foreknowledge then? The fore means before. Before denontes a time "before" something. The text does not say God has always known us.... although He has. It says He foreknew us.
To me, the foreknowledge is an intimate knowledge.... as a man knowing his wife.
With God it is not the sexual knowledge, but the close intimacy. He foreloved us.

 

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

I don't see anything about intimacy here. Peter is stating facts. Those that Peter was writing to were chosen according to his foreknowledge. That simply means omniscience. God knew aforetime who would be saved and who would not be saved. He in no way would affect their choice. He would not force them one way or another. He would not influence them to choose to receive or reject. They of their own accord would make the choice. He just knew about it in advance. He knew aforetime. It was his foreknowledge.

 

How were people created a "certain way" ?
Can you elaborate on this ?
In what "certain way" were they created and then have to suffer because of it ?

 

Reread my post. Omniscience and omnipotence are mutually exclusive attributes.

 

The "certain way" is for destruction with no chance at salvation.

 

No they are not, they blend perfectly because God is perfect. All knowing and all powerful go hand in hand. You know as much about God's attributes as you do politics

 

Limited Atonement---Christ didn't die for all...He died only for the "elect". Then you say, "If" Christ died for all, then all would be saved. On the contrary...the atonement is not limited by some rejecting Christ's sacrifice on the cross on their behalf. An inheritance is not reduced in value because some of the heirs refuse their share.