Yeah, I understand that and was only talking about Jeremiah 18 in my post when I said he was saying if...I agree with you on Nineveh...God sent the message that he was going to destroy them...then he had mercy on them because I think he felt sorry for them because they all repented in sack cloth and ashes...So I do agree that he did change his mind... just like the scripture says.
Calvinists: The Just Shall Live BEFORE Having Faith
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You make men smarter and more powerful than God.
In your philosophy Jonah is smarter and more wise than God Himself. God is not sure what is going to happen in your philosohy, but Jonah does...
Jonah 4:2 [FONT="]And he prayed unto the [/FONT][FONT="]Lord[/FONT][FONT="], and said, I pray thee, O [/FONT][FONT="]Lord[/FONT][FONT="], was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for [/FONT][FONT="]I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil[/FONT][FONT="].
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In your philosophy Jonah is smarter and more wise than God Himself. God is not sure what is going to happen in your philosohy, but Jonah does...
Jonah 4:2 [FONT="]And he prayed unto the [/FONT][FONT="]Lord[/FONT][FONT="], and said, I pray thee, O [/FONT][FONT="]Lord[/FONT][FONT="], was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for [/FONT][FONT="]I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil[/FONT][FONT="].
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I've got to get some work finished right now, but I will reread those scriptures you posted...However, the first verse that is coming to mind for me right now, is when Jesus said that if I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself...but I am going to reread all of the scriptures you posted as soon as I get a chance...
I do not understand the thinking involved in this accusation. The faith required to be saved is produced by God through the Holy Spirit acting on the word of God.
Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
John 16:7 ¶ Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
For the cause of Christ
Roger
Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
John 16:7 ¶ Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
For the cause of Christ
Roger
Please look up 'anthropomorphic language'.
God does not change His mind. He does not repent, seeing He is not man. We are made in His image, yet He is nothing like us.
If God changed His mind, then He learned something that caused Him to change His mind. Then if He learned something, He is not omniscient. If He is not omniscient, He is not omnipotent. Then if He changes His mind, is not omniscient, is not omnipotent, then He is no longer God. Its a snowball effect. One little heresy(though open theism is not a little heresy) gives rise to many.
God does not change His mind. He does not repent, seeing He is not man. We are made in His image, yet He is nothing like us.
If God changed His mind, then He learned something that caused Him to change His mind. Then if He learned something, He is not omniscient. If He is not omniscient, He is not omnipotent. Then if He changes His mind, is not omniscient, is not omnipotent, then He is no longer God. Its a snowball effect. One little heresy(though open theism is not a little heresy) gives rise to many.
It is true that God does not change His mind. God never makes mistakes that He needs to correct. God does withhold His judgment by His mercy and grace for a time. This is what God did in the case of Nineveh. Nineveh was judged and destroyed later but the preaching of Jonah gave a space of time for God to demonstrate His mercy and save souls in Nineveh. We see this quite often in the OT and we are the benefactors of it for we all should have been and were worthy of destruction before we came to Christ. Even so God will not withhold judgment save for a time that men will be saved.
For the cause of Christ
Roger
For the cause of Christ
Roger
I had a locution one time. A locution, according to the old saints, is to actually hear physical words in your ear coming from the outside.
I had met God fairly recently and I was driving down the road and became so distraught over my mother not knowing God and not wanting her to face eternal death. I felt like I would give up having ever met Him and would face that eternal death in her place if I could switch places with her so she could live.
I almost wrecked my car because I was crying so bad I couldn't see and was desperately trying to pull over with traffic whizzing by and honking at me. I heard words and felt actual breath on my left ear (drivers side). The words were: Do you trust Me?
I said aloud, yes, of course I trust You, I do!
And never again from that moment on did I ever come to such despair over anyones soul. I have no answer really, no explanation, no guarantee for another, but I don't need it. I only need to know that He is good and can be trusted with my own soul and with the souls of everyone else. He will do what good, fair, right, merciful, just - and He will always and all times do so.
All decisions are His and all decisions will be good. I only need to know this hope. He may save a man or woman on their deathbed if He so chooses. They may even be the last that are first in the end, I don't know.
The verse you've given here is not a cause of despair but rather of great hope!
I had met God fairly recently and I was driving down the road and became so distraught over my mother not knowing God and not wanting her to face eternal death. I felt like I would give up having ever met Him and would face that eternal death in her place if I could switch places with her so she could live.
I almost wrecked my car because I was crying so bad I couldn't see and was desperately trying to pull over with traffic whizzing by and honking at me. I heard words and felt actual breath on my left ear (drivers side). The words were: Do you trust Me?
I said aloud, yes, of course I trust You, I do!
And never again from that moment on did I ever come to such despair over anyones soul. I have no answer really, no explanation, no guarantee for another, but I don't need it. I only need to know that He is good and can be trusted with my own soul and with the souls of everyone else. He will do what good, fair, right, merciful, just - and He will always and all times do so.
All decisions are His and all decisions will be good. I only need to know this hope. He may save a man or woman on their deathbed if He so chooses. They may even be the last that are first in the end, I don't know.
The verse you've given here is not a cause of despair but rather of great hope!
Jonah smarter than God? How did you come by that in my posts? Jonah knew as God did that if Nineveh believed this message of destruction, there may be a chance that they would repent and cry out to God, and God in turn would repent of the destruction He said He would do unto them. Jonah knew God's heart as seen in Jeremiah 18.
Yes, look up this man made theology to explain away Scripture that goes against their beliefs.
God is omniscient. God is perfect in knowledge. Let's allow Scripture to describe this attribute and not man. People like to use words like "omniscient", define it in man's terms, and then put God into their definition. I'm not willing to do that. I try to allow Scripture to be as honest to me as possible.
God is omniscient. God is perfect in knowledge. Let's allow Scripture to describe this attribute and not man. People like to use words like "omniscient", define it in man's terms, and then put God into their definition. I'm not willing to do that. I try to allow Scripture to be as honest to me as possible.
How do you know that not everyone will hear the gospel? He can speak it to a man who lives where there ARE no bibles! 
He spoke the gospel to men in the OT. They saw it from afar but they welcomed it even though they wondered over what they heard.
If the gospel must be heard for a man to live, and He wishes for no man to perish, how do you believe that not every man will hear the gospel?
This is a deep matter and incomprehensible for men. We are being very excercised this morning!
He spoke the gospel to men in the OT. They saw it from afar but they welcomed it even though they wondered over what they heard.If the gospel must be heard for a man to live, and He wishes for no man to perish, how do you believe that not every man will hear the gospel?
This is a deep matter and incomprehensible for men. We are being very excercised this morning!
God changing His mind is not God making a mistake. See Jeremiah 18 for a look into the heart and mind of God. Praise the Lord He changed His mind about me. I was once an object of His wrath, a child of disobedience. But upon hearing the gospel, I believed upon Jesus Christ and was saved. I am no more an object of God's wrath through Jesus Christ. Amen!
Yes Paul says faith is a gift when speaking of spiritual gifts. So it would be something over and above saving faith. But according to Scripture it is the joint action of the Gospel (the Word of God) and the Holy Spirit on the hearts and minds of people that generates faith. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17). And only those who believe are born again (John 1:12,13).
If saving faith is a gift of God, and God desires the salvation of all humanity, then everyone would receive this "gift". But because the Gospel generates faith, the command is to go and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mk 16:15,16).
The Gospel is called "the seed" which produces the New Birth (1 Pet 1:23-25) so it is quite clear that when the Gospel is preached the Holy Spirit convicts and convinces sinners and thus saving faith is generated in human hearts.
If saving faith is a gift of God, and God desires the salvation of all humanity, then everyone would receive this "gift". But because the Gospel generates faith, the command is to go and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mk 16:15,16).
The Gospel is called "the seed" which produces the New Birth (1 Pet 1:23-25) so it is quite clear that when the Gospel is preached the Holy Spirit convicts and convinces sinners and thus saving faith is generated in human hearts.
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