My God is a Loving God and He desires Love from those who He created to love Him. To read some of the Calvinist post I have began to wonder if we are writing about the same God. You know the great creator of the world and the Cosmos and man.
Does the Calvinist God Love man or does He hate most men? The reason I would like to know is the Calvinism description of God is not love, purity, or divine. Your picture of the real God does not match what is in scripture. You tell us that God works all things after the council of His own will and then you paint God as being both evil and good. The creator of sin. Viciously condemning those he never gave chance to. You claim He created them to murder. Then you claim it's all for the glory of God? You are making God out to be like your selves,
Lost Sinners
Do you really believe you know anything about the real God? Not only this why would anyone worship such a tyrant as you so willingly make Him out to be?
[Snip]The Bible says" God is LOVE" Not evil hatred.
[Snip].
MB
I know that long before I saw election, predestination, calling, and so forth from Scripture, I believed on Jesus Christ from my heart and confessed with my mouth...and my faith and desire to tell people, when they ask ( 1 Peter 3:15 ) if I am a Christian, has only gotten stronger over the years, not weaker.
My desire to abstain not only from the appearance of sin, but even the un-noticed sins that I gave into in private, has also only gotten stronger over the years.
When long ago I was nervous about confessing Christ to unbelievers, now I don't bat an eyelash...even when they make fun of me.
When I consider that what I knew about the Lord and salvation basically amounted to "Arminianism" as a newborn believer 41 years ago...
Changed into "Traditionalism" for the next 25 years after that...
Became "4-point Calvinism" ( essentially "Amyraldianism", where I couldn't decide whether Scripture detailed Christ's sacrifice for only His sheep, or for all of mankind ) for 13 of the last 16 years...and finally settled on "5 Point Calvinism" for the past few years now...
....I know that my beliefs and understanding about God have changed drastically from when I first heard His word from a pulpit in 1978 at the age of 12.
With all that said,
I can say that it is my firm belief that "my God" was still the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...but I wasn't clear on who He was, what He did to save me, and how much He loves me until fairly recently.
My sincere hope is, that everyone here will come to see the same truths that I have from God's precious word.:)
Glad you edited this, Dave.
The first draft seemed way too rough with its faulty conclusion. I highlighted in red what stood out to me most.
Bottom line, God doesn't change, we do.
I would suggest that understanding just how much God loves us is a never ending process. Thankfully, his love doesn't depend on our understanding, though our enjoyment of it does.
I need to remember that I'm here to edify, and learn...not to stomp on anyone.
Sometimes being blatantly honest can be seen as stomping, and I'd really rather avoid the appearance of evil.:)
Yet the Bible still says they are with out excuse;
Rom 1:20
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
God's Word is always right. I do not doubt it.
MB
You apparently assume that those who put an emphasis on maintaining the importance of the nature of God’s love would not believe He would also be a God who exercises judgment and wrath. Why would you discount your opponent’s perspective of the nature of God’s love to also include understanding His nature judgment and wrath based on his commitment to upholding this divine attribute (love)? Your question seems quite telling concerning the differences between the views of the nature of God…
Wrong! God has given them ample warnings and opportunities to repent and be saved. Men actually choose to go to hell because they don't want to repent and they love sin more than God.
MB
Pardon me, God is one. God is
His own Son and His own holy Spirit. I believe if we cry out to God and ask He will provide. Sinner or saint. God provides for me why not you and everyone else.
You may judge me for my boldness. Yet it does not effect me. Everywhere there are judges. You are no different than any of them. Remember Christ was not gentile with the Pharisee's because of their hypocrisy. I work to be Like Christ don't you?
MB
I worship a God of Love, Grace and Mercy!... He didn't have to save anyone and he would have been just... His Son Jesus Christ could have come down from the cross and said they are not worth it... AND WE AREN'T!... Does not God have the right to save who he wants?... In Christ the will of the Father was carried out... I worship a God where Heaven is going to be full of the redeemed, exactly as God purposed it... None added and none lost, according to the counsel of the Godhead... THAT'S MY GOD... Brother Glen:)
Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.