A Nagging Question

Just a nagging question I have from before I was a believer. I'll have some more to post up eventually as I remember them...

The main question is to do with God's knowledge. The most agreeable answer I've come across is:

"I don't know. He's God, you know. Only he knows how it works."

My main question is to do with being saved. My understanding of what is generally accepted as God's knowledge is that:

God knows EVERYTHING. God knows past, present and future.

If God does indeed know everything, would he therefore know that I would eventually become a believer? Does he know, before death, whether someone will open their heart to him and his Son and have the faith required to be saved?

It's always puzzled me. Even now, having met God and felt him in my heart, I am still unsure about this. If he knows, then what is the point in testing us? If he doesn't know, then it no longer makes him all knowing and also disproves him as all powerful as knowledge is power.

Again, I don't read the Bible as I don't trust it (yet). Scripture is more than welcome. I will be reading any replying posts as confirmation of your own personal belief in what you think the answer is.

It's not for me to argue, I just wonder what answers are out there. Thanks for any assistance in advance.

[sweetlybroken1]

You ask a wonderful question. While God's knowledge knows no limits, we have even more information about how salvation works with this in mind. Scripture makes this very clear. The Bible tells us that the Lord does in fact know of those who will be saved, because He predestined them for salvation before the foundation of the world. It is the Lord who saves and who has determined those who would be saved before we were even born or had done anything.. Please consider the following scriptures:

"According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" (Ephesians 1:4,5)

"Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it. The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day" (Deuteronomy 10:14,15)

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance" (Psalm 33:12)

"Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple" (Psalm 65:4)

"And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears along with them?" (Luke 18:7)

It is God and God alone who does the choosing of individuals unto salvation by Grace. We cannot come to the Lord unless we are regenerated because Scripture explains that we are spiritually dead so we are unable to even desire spiritual life unless God grants that desire to us.

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" (John 15:16)

"Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48)

If I posted the many scriptures that speak of this glorious truth, we'd be here all day. I hope this helps answer your question. God is good and its amazing to think that He choose us and granted us salvation, despite the depravity we once had in our hearts. If you care to talk about this more, feel free to message me.

Thank you for the reply. I can see by your examples from scripture how it does look like God has chosen us, humans as a whole, to be saved.

The thing I don't understand is each individuals salvation: Does God know if my best friend, an Atheist, will finally see God's light before death and be saved?

I saw God and made the decision myself to put my love, faith and trust in Him. If I understand your examples correctly, and I hope I have, that would mean that God knew I would make this decision and it had been destined that I would be one of the "the people He has chosen as His own inheritance" (Psalm 33:12).

[sweetlybroken1]

Originally Posted by Chalkboard

Thank you for the reply. I can see by your examples from scripture how it does look like God has chosen us, humans as a whole, to be saved.

The thing I don't understand is each individuals salvation: Does God know if my best friend, an Atheist, will finally see God's light before death and be saved?

I saw God and made the decision myself to put my love, faith and trust in Him. If I understand your examples correctly, and I hope I have, that would mean that God knew I would make this decision and it had been destined that I would be one of the "the people He has chosen as His own inheritance" (Psalm 33:12).

Humans as a whole? If by this you mean that God has predestined every single person for salvation, then no. God has unconditionally selected His elect, but He did not select everyone.

"And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, "The older shall serve the younger." As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whoever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." Therefore He has mercy on who He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why you have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us who He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?" (Romans 9:10-24)

[sweetlybroken1]

Originally Posted by Chalkboard

Thank you for the reply. I can see by your examples from scripture how it does look like God has chosen us, humans as a whole, to be saved.

The thing I don't understand is each individuals salvation: Does God know if my best friend, an Atheist, will finally see God's light before death and be saved?

I saw God and made the decision myself to put my love, faith and trust in Him. If I understand your examples correctly, and I hope I have, that would mean that God knew I would make this decision and it had been destined that I would be one of the "the people He has chosen as His own inheritance" (Psalm 33:12).

You ask if God knows if your best friend who is an atheist will one day see the light before death and be saved. The answer is yes- God knows. How does God know? Well He can see into the future, sure. But He knows who will be saved because He himself (the Lord) determined who would be saved. Scripture speaks of the depravity of man being so severe that we are spiritually dead. Being spiritually dead, we are unable to even know the Father unless Jesus reveals HIm to us.

"All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27)

If your friend does come to know God in a saving manner sometime in the future, it is because God permited it and elected him. Whoever has been elected unto salvation will come to know the Lord. This requires regeneration prior to salvation. It requires the grace of God to awaken us from our spiritual death (again, the consequences of sin are so serious that scripture compares it to death).

"Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh , and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19)

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God." Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me" (John 6:44, 45)

Salvation is from God alone, so of course He knows whether or not a specific person was elected to be saved from eternity past.

[sweetlybroken1]

Originally Posted by Chalkboard

I saw God and made the decision myself to put my love, faith and trust in Him. If I understand your examples correctly, and I hope I have, that would mean that God knew I would make this decision and it had been destined that I would be one of the "the people He has chosen as His own inheritance" (Psalm 33:12).

I apologize for my numerous replies to this post. You've written a lot and I'd like to respond to everything, so I keep doing so in individual posts to avoid confusion or a ridiculously long reply.

You comment about how you saw God and made the decision to put your faith and trust in Him. Please recognize that you would not have been able to see God in such a manner had God not regenerated your heart first and brought you to life spiritually.

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the princes of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:1,2)

As scripture explains, we are dead in our sins. We are like walking corpses (spiritually speaking). This explains what Jesus means in John chapter 3 when He speaks of regeneration. He has to bring us to life spiritually first before we are saved.

"Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicoedmus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes and you heard the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:3-8)

Jesus compares this necessary regeneration to the wind, meaning just like the wind, we have no control over it. It comes and goes as the Lord pleases, just like spiritual life. The Spirit brings us to the point of salvation, not we ourselves. Any desire you have to serve the Lord, came from God.

Again, whether or not you believed had no effect on God's sovereign decree to elect you to salvation. God elected you prior to your choice to believe in Him. Your salvation is not based on whether or not God saw in your future that you would believe. It is not based on your behavior at all. It is based on God's election of you before you were even born or the foundations of the world were here. Keep in mind the scripture I quoted from Romans 9,

"For though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I hated" (Romans (11:13)

Before Jacob and Esau were born or had the ability to do any works, God's decree of salvation stood. It has nothing to do with our actions. Its all about God's choice in presdestination. Again, I hope this helps.

[MaggieMye]

Chalkboard: IMO: God has a plan for your life. He knows the path that He has for you if you become saved and He knows the path you will suffer, if you don't.
The question is....do you want to risk eternity without Him by putting off submitting to His loving will and plan for you?
He died so you can be with Him. How sincere are you and how desparate for knowledge of Him are you? What are YOU willing to do to get it?
IT IS THAT SIMPLE.
Maggie

"But He knows who will be saved because He himself (the Lord) determined who would be saved."

I do not agree with this statment.The Lord does not determine who will be saved because then everybody would be saved. God desires that no man will perish!! It is our choice if we will be saved. It takes a concious decision on our part to be saved.

I believe every person will have the oppurtunity to become saved but the choice can never be forced on them. God does not cross over free will. How can it be love if you are forced into it! God loves unconditionally!

Yes it is true God knows who will be saved but it is not by His doing but by our own. We make the choice to sin, we make the choice to be saved or refuse God. Then the question would be ask, Why would God create us even though we are going to turn away from him? The answer is that He gives everyman a choice.

Chalkboard wrote "what is the point in testing us?"

He tests us so we would have free will. Salvation comes down to free will and free will can only be individual.

I do stress that God Loves us all and He desires us all to come to know him. But is it our will to know him. If you draw near to me then i will draw near to you.

[MahogonySnail]

Yes sweetlybroken is presenting just one of two main possible views about God's sovereinnty and how it relates to an individual's salvation.
As long as that doctrine sweetlybroken presents still includes the truth that "God desires that no man will perish!! " , it's on the ball.

[sweetlybroken1]

I can understand the emotional argument you've provided. But is it really scriptural? You've provided one, maybe two scriptures to back this idea up (I'm speaking specifically to Millsy). Can you offer more scripture? Because if your argument is not grounded in scripture, its not worth anything. I'd be glad to elaborate on these scriptures as well because I believe they cause much confusion when discussing predestination.

[MahogonySnail]

The best teaching I heard on this subject was by Don Carson. He is Calvinist I think and believes in predestination but he more or less presents it as a middle ground between the other view with examples from Old and New testaments, and it makes a whole lot of sense.

I know the doctrine of individual election alone is not strictly true because I know missionaries who spend 3 years in hard honest prayer for whole villages until they come to saving knowledge of Christ. They give of themselves in that way not because they think there might be some elect in that village, but because they have an honest desire to see the WHOLE village saved. For the Calvinist who believes some are destined to salvation and others to ****ation, where do you draw the line? Give up after first preaching, concluding they are not called? Then again, election is not always false either. Certain individuals have been specifically chosen by God for certain specific purposes. Such as John the Baptist, the apostle Paul, etc. But we must realise this is not the same rule fits all for everyone, it is still within the context of God's will and desire for the whole of human race to come to saving knowledge of Christ. These specifically chosen individuals are intended to bless the whole general population who are not called in the same manner.
Every time the Gospel is preached in the new testament, it is an open all whosoever will come invitation to whoever is listening. It is an open and general invitation and if God wants to close the hearts or minds of some and open it in others, that is His choice. But we can't always blame God for why people aren't saved. People have free will and free choice, Jesus said on a number of occasions, "If any man has ears to hear, let him hear". He did not say, "Let only the elect, those God chose to save, hear".

Predestination says that God chooses a certain individual for salvation and another for ****ation. But there are subtle differences between the doctrine of predestination and what the bible actually teaches on this issue if we are prepared to lay aside for one moment our favourite preacher.

For example, in Eph 1 the use of the words "in Christ", and "in Him", should set the context of what Paul is actually saying: Scripture says.
eg Eph 1:4 He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.

This is basically how Calvinist predestination interprets it:

Eph 1:4 He chose us before the foundation of the world.


The inclusion of the words "in Him", is so subtle, but it shows that the context of predestination is all about Christ. In other words, it is not that God (in general) has specifically chosen a certain individual for ****ation and another for salvation, but that by faith any person may enter into God's foreordained plan to save the whole human race , and by virtue of that they are predestined "in Christ". Not predestined of themselves , or of God's specific favour upon them, for God is no respector of persons.

To be chosen "in Him", is another way of saying, now that you have received Christ (and are "in Him"), you share in the predestined plan of God, which was before the foundations of the world, and by virtue of that you can be confident in your eternal destiny because God's purposes never fail.

Maybe the PNT commentary on the bible explains it better:


Chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. This does not affirm that God chose some individuals and rejected others, but that before the world was, before there was Jew or Gentile, God chose to have a people for himself, the whole church of Christ, a covenant people confined to no one earthly race.

Having predestinated us. Foreordained that we, the church of Jesus Christ, should be adopted as his children. The whole line of argument is general instead of particular. God foreordained a church which should be composed of those adopted as his children.

Other scriptures that are supposed to prove Calvinistic predestination such as Jacob and Esau in Romans 9, are not so much proving anything in regards to whether God chooses an individual to be saved or not, but to discuss God's overall, general plan to save not only the Israelites, but Gentiles as well.

While there elements of truth in Calvinistic predestination, it is not perfectly aligned with sound scriptural interpretation.


That's all I'll say about that.

[wattie]

Neither Calvinist nor Armenian but biblical:

-- God's election is about those who have responded to God's call.. someone becomes God's elect because they responded to the Holy Spirit's conviction for salvation. Like a person being held up for an office.. they have been drawn up for election.. but have to accept the opportunity..

This is not full-blown calvinism.. because full-blown calvinism.. they never ask Jesus for salvation.

This opportunity is also given to ALL people.. God doesn't just select some to be saved and **** others.. that is false doctrine.. salvation is available to anyone who calls upon Jesus name for salvation.

Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.


Not Arminian either--

Because salvation cannot be lossed even if a person rebels against Jesus after salvation.. because Jesus owns the salvation. Asking for the salvation doesn't mean you own it..it is Jesus who indwells us with His Holy Spiirt.. not us indwelling Him.

Free will to ask Jesus for salvation.. not free will to terminate salvation. Consider the fact that you can't terminate your biological relationship to your parents by walking away from them, and your parents would never give you the gun to commit suicide with.. they would take the gun away. So God removes the means for us to terminate salvation.

John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.

1Pe 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,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.


Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

It is a bit far fetched to say that Jesus did not include ourselves when He said nothing could take us out of His hand! It is a bit strange when Jesus says he WILL give everlasting life to someone who believes in Him, and then say it isn't everlasting if someone falls away. this eternal life is His promise to us.. not our promise to Him!

So it is not Arminian


Not Calvinistic-- because you DO need to ask Jesus for salvation

Not Arminian- because salvation can in NO WAY be lossed.. the only way you can not have it is rejecting salvation till the day and die and if you were not genuine about asking for salvation-

nothing to do with works.. nothing to do with baptism.. just between you and Jesus.. asking for salvation.. pure and simple.


Forget Luther, Arminian, Calvin, etc.. and just let the bible interpret itself. An example of this:

'He who endures to the end will be saved'.. alone this verse look like only those who persevere have salvation..

but with it's surrouding verses:
(Mat 10:17) But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

(Mat 10:18) And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

(Mat 10:19) But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

(Mat 10:20) For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

(Mat 10:21) And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

(Mat 10:22) And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

(Mat 10:23) But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

These verses do not mention salvation as in eternal salvation.. but salvation as in being rescued from tribulation.. from trouble.. from persecution.

The word 'save' or 'saved' in scripture does not aways mean eternal salvation! Sometimes it just means be rescued from trouble..

So 'he who endures to the end will be saved'. means.. he who is patient and perseveres through these hard times will be delivered out them!'


Other example.. 'Faith without works is dead' in James

The context of this verse is about acts of service to God.. eg Abraham and Rahab. Neither of these people were eternally saved through their acts of faith!

If they had done nothing.. then they would missed an opportunity to trust God by an act for Him.. not that they would have lost salvation.. or never had it in the first place!

'faith without works is dead' equals.. not taking the opportunity to use the hope within them to serve God - means it is dormant, useless.... does not mean lost salvation or that they never had salvation in the first place.

They were justified by works in that there acts of service were pleasing to God.. and were righteous acts:

Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

They were NOT justified by works in terms of their eternal salvation!

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Rom 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
Rom 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
Rom 4:3 For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;


That is my 4 cents

Originally Posted by sweetlybroken1

You ask if God knows if your best friend who is an atheist will one day see the light before death and be saved. The answer is yes- God knows. How does God know? Well He can see into the future, sure. But He knows who will be saved because He himself (the Lord) determined who would be saved. Scripture speaks of the depravity of man being so severe that we are spiritually dead. Being spiritually dead, we are unable to even know the Father unless Jesus reveals HIm to us.

"All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27)

If your friend does come to know God in a saving manner sometime in the future, it is because God permited it and elected him. Whoever has been elected unto salvation will come to know the Lord. This requires regeneration prior to salvation. It requires the grace of God to awaken us from our spiritual death (again, the consequences of sin are so serious that scripture compares it to death).

"Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh , and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19)

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God." Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me" (John 6:44, 45)

Salvation is from God alone, so of course He knows whether or not a specific person was elected to be saved from eternity past.

If God has pre-selected certain people,I guess you can say that when somebody feels like God has turned away from them that it could be because that person is not a selected one?

Sorry i havn't been able to reply earlier. I was asked to provide scripture to back up my arguement.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

These are the words of Jesus himself. I do not see any arguement that can say that people are selected for salvation. The chosen are the ones who have turned to God and given their heart to the Lord. Sorry if I get emotional about this argument, but the opinion that God selects and denies people salvation is just destructive. I don't want people who to feel that God is not their for them. Who are we as saved people to be better than the unsaved. We all have sin and we have all fallen but i know i own my life fully and wholly to the Grace that Jesus Christ shows me. I am saved by grace and i have to work every day and hour and minute to choose to obey and lay my life down to Jesus Christ.

So,....if we are predestined to be saved, then what is the purpose of creating people who are not. The unsaved people are predestined to be tossed into a lake of flame? For wht purpose? A strange Idea,....and an interpretation that describes a very cruel and sadistic god. That is inconsistent with the claim that god is loving or merciful. Why is this so prevalent an idea?

[wwjd_kilden]

If the Lord has pre- destined those who will be saved, why are we even here? I think God as PLANS for our lives, abd a good will, but I don'tbelieve in destiny, at least not that everything is set far in advance, though I DO belive some things in life are meant to be, and guided by God. As has been staded, we have free will, so we can choose not to believe, or to believe and still walk away. It seems so meaningless if someone is already "trown ayay" from before the beginning of times, and quite contradicts the whole point of sending Jesus, as only the selected ones would be saved anyways. or?

Romans 11 says something about some beeing chosen by grace,and the others being hardenes, nut it also says those can be given a new chance, if they start believing. The same chapter says all of Isreal will be saved

I don't understand that part either...does that mean all of Isreal will come to believe in Christ? And what is Isreal? Only the true decendants? the nation? those who are true to His Word?...

[above]

Kilden is right. There would be no point to work hard to be a good christian if our fates are predestined anyway. You could just lean back and relax, let destiny do its job. No, I think every single person has to earn his right for salvation. Also those rules and proposals the bible makes would be meaningless otherwise.

The best answer I have heard is that God loves us so much
that He always trusts in us to do the right thing (Just like a loving Father should!)
He gives us every opportunity to repent, *Hoping and trusting* (analogously) that we will do the right thing.

[Slepsog4]

Above,

We don't EARN the right to be saved. That is impossible. We have been given the opportunity. That does not mean there are no conditions. The chief condition is faith (John 1:12). But biblical faith is obedient. It is proven by its doing.

Originally Posted by Jair

The best answer I have heard is that God loves us so much
that He always trusts in us to do the right thing (Just like a loving Father should!)
He gives us every opportunity to repent, *Hoping and trusting* (analogously) that we will do the right thing.

.....and as any loving father here would agree, if the child decides to not repent and love us back, we cast them into a burning lake of fire to be tortured for eternity. Forgive my sarcasm but is this what we are calling merciful and loving? I ask any father if this is the way they would agree to deal with their children.