Christ died for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD, God now commandeth ALL MEN everywhere to repent, since God is not willing that ANY should perish but that ALL should come to repentance, because in His infinite grace GOD WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, AND TO COME UNTO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.
The word ‘world’ like the word ‘all’ doesn’t always mean what you want it to mean.
John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray
not for the world, but for them which
thou hast given me; for they are thine.
If He was the savior of the whole world you’d think He would pray for the world. He prays for those God has given him.
John 12:19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.
Did the entire planet go after him?
The verses that you depend on for your understanding are simply not as clear as you would like them to be.
The words ‘all’ and ‘world’ rarely, if ever, mean what you have construed them to mean.
The world is not a reference to the number of people on the planet.
The word ‘world’ might be better understood to refer to the sin nature of man. The people of the planet in their wickedness.
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The Love of the Father is language pointing to salvation.
The price paid by the Lamb of God was too costly to exclude anyone. Those who exclude themselves, choose to do so. God excludes no one, not even a persecutor of the Church like the Pharisee Saul.
Saul is a good example of someone being saved by Gods action. He didn’t have a whole lot of choice in the matter.
How many times do your sins need to be paid for?
If Jesus has paid for your sins then they never need to be paid for again.
If Jesus has paid for the sins of every person on the planet then the payment is in full. Nothing more needs to be paid. Even if they reject the Lord by your definition the payment has been made. So now one of two things must happen.
1. Jesus would need to go get a refund. Somehow give the suffering back.
2. No one goes to Hell to pay for their sins. The payment would have already been made.
That is just not possible.
Whether you believe in election or freewill, Jesus knew every single person that was to be saved (whether it was by Gods choice or mans choice it doesn’t matter) and He paid for their sins ONLY.
Salvation is indeed a decision -- a decision for Christ: "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve..." (Josh. 24:15)
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
There is nothing here about being saved because they have chosen God --- Read a little further.
They want to serve God because God chose them and saved them.
Joshua 24:16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
Joshua 24:17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
Egypt is a picture of the dominion Satan. We are under bondage to sin. This part of the bible is a wonderful picture of salvation. They didn’t choose to leave Egypt, they didn’t want to leave Egypt, but they did. It was all Gods work.
Exodus 14:12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
There was no freewill choice.
Read what Paul says to the Thessalonians: "For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1 Thess. 1:9). Was that not a deliberate decision, or was it happenstance?
It is neither. It is a result of salvation. Go back to verses 4 and 5.
1 Thessalonians 1:4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
They were elected by God ---CHOSEN by God. Not choosing God.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
They didn’t just hear the word and make a decision. The gospel came with power and the Holy Ghost, God worked in them. That is why they turned from idols.
What about those converted on the day of Pentecost?
What about the day of Pentecost?
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
So 3,000 people made a freewill decision, not likely. God saved those 3,000. Read a little further.
Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And
the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
His work.
The moment a sinner turns to Christ, he or she is saved, born again…
How can anyone contribute anything to their birth?
The baby has no input as to their birth. That is why the Lord used such an example. Nicodemus understood it was impossible for man to get himself born again.
John 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Jesus told him you have to be born of the spirit, God must resurrect your spirit. When you are born again your spiritually dead self must be made alive.
Yes Lazarus was already saved, the Lord presented him as a picture, of salvation. The dead can do nothing on their own. By using Lazarus Jesus was showing salvation is all his Work.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live:
How can the dead believe? Do the dead have freewill?
The bible is teaching that it is God that gives the spiritually dead the ability to believe.
Since the offer of salvation is TO ALL MANKIND, nothing could be fairer. We are all dealt "the same cards".
The offer is not made to those that have never heard gospel.
Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
If all were given the same cards then there would be the same percentage of Christians in Iran, India, China, or the U.S.A.
There would be no need to evangelize, no need for missionaries.
All would have an equal chance whether they had heard the word or not.
The fact is God gets the word to those He intends to save.
He got the word to Ruth, and Rehab, and the Samaritan woman at the well. That is why it is so important to get the word out.
The point of the paralytic man is he did not believe Jesus was the saviour, he did not even consider Jesus could forgive his sins. He made absolutely no freewill decision to make Jesus his Lord. Jesus just saved him, Jesus gave him the gift of eternal life. The man had no choice in the matter.
Jesus could just as easily said to everyone that was gathered, your sins are forgiven. He didn’t, He chose this man. The man did not choose Jesus.
Author