Why is it that you guys zero in on one scripture but not include the others?
We who are now believers where once the ungodly, remember?!
All that you provided in Romans 5, does not do away with the other scriptures that teach that God chose from the ungodly, those whom He predestined and whose names were written in the book of life before the creation of the world.
When you read information such as what you posted above, apply the information given in other scriptures such the following:
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"For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
'Those He predestined' would also infer that there are those that He did not predestined. Since the scripture says 'those' it is speaking of a specific group 'those predestined.' It also reveals that there are some who do not belong to those who were predestined. It's specifying a group 'those God foreknew, those God predestined,' which demonstrates also that some were not foreknown and predestined.
Predestined (proorizó) means to foreordain, to mark out before hand, to preestablish and that before the world began. And God did not do this by looking into the future through all of the generations to see who would believe or by their good works, but predestined those throughout all of history by His Sovereign choice and will. For as Paul says regarding this issue, "It therefore does not depend on man's efforts or desires but on God's mercy. Consider the following:
"and all who dwell on earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
"And the inhabitants on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come."
The two scriptures above demonstrate that, before the world began, there were ungodly people whose names were not written in the book of life and there were ungodly people whose names were written in the book of life, this taking place before the world began. It demonstrates that there are some from the ungodly whose names were never written in the book of life. Therefore, those people throughout every generation whose names were not written in the book of life will never believe, because they were not predestined to eternal life and therefore will not be drawn by the Father to the Son.
This is not Calvinism, but is the truth of God's word. Regarding those whom God chose, you also have to consider the following:
"Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were [appointed] for eternal life believed."
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To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone, and, A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were [appointed].
===================================================================================================
You have the two scriptures above that refer to those who believed that they were appointed to believe. Pay attention to all of these scriptures and stop camping on just certain scriptures. Apply all of the information and not just some in order to come to a right conclusion.
If you've got people being predestined and some not. Some whose names that were not written in the book of life before the world began. If you have scripture that states that those who believed were appointed to do so, then include these in order to come to a right conclusion. That conclusion being that by God's Sovereign choice He decided to save some throughout all of history, predestining them and writing their names in His book before the world ever began and some He didn't. Paul demonstrates this in the following:
=======================================================================================
Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. 11Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand, 12not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! 15For He says to Moses:
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.
========================================================================================
God's Election:
Strong's Concordance
eklogé: a (divine) selection
Original Word: ἐκλογή, ῆς, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: eklogé
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-log-ay')
Definition: a (divine) selection
Usage: a choosing out, selecting, choice (by God).
Apply all related scriptures and understand that there were some who were predestined for election and whose names were written in the book of life before the world began. And there were those who were not predestined for election and whose names were not written in the book of life before the world began.
Oh, but that's unfair! No it isn't! Because everyone is worthy of eternal condemnation. But God in His love, grace and mercy chose to save some. Those whom God did not choose are receiving the consequences of their sins.
We who are now believers where once the ungodly, remember?!
All that you provided in Romans 5, does not do away with the other scriptures that teach that God chose from the ungodly, those whom He predestined and whose names were written in the book of life before the creation of the world.
When you read information such as what you posted above, apply the information given in other scriptures such the following:
===============================================================================================
"For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
'Those He predestined' would also infer that there are those that He did not predestined. Since the scripture says 'those' it is speaking of a specific group 'those predestined.' It also reveals that there are some who do not belong to those who were predestined. It's specifying a group 'those God foreknew, those God predestined,' which demonstrates also that some were not foreknown and predestined.
Predestined (proorizó) means to foreordain, to mark out before hand, to preestablish and that before the world began. And God did not do this by looking into the future through all of the generations to see who would believe or by their good works, but predestined those throughout all of history by His Sovereign choice and will. For as Paul says regarding this issue, "It therefore does not depend on man's efforts or desires but on God's mercy. Consider the following:
"and all who dwell on earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
"And the inhabitants on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come."
The two scriptures above demonstrate that, before the world began, there were ungodly people whose names were not written in the book of life and there were ungodly people whose names were written in the book of life, this taking place before the world began. It demonstrates that there are some from the ungodly whose names were never written in the book of life. Therefore, those people throughout every generation whose names were not written in the book of life will never believe, because they were not predestined to eternal life and therefore will not be drawn by the Father to the Son.
This is not Calvinism, but is the truth of God's word. Regarding those whom God chose, you also have to consider the following:
"Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were [appointed] for eternal life believed."
=====================================================================================================
To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone, and, A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were [appointed].
===================================================================================================
You have the two scriptures above that refer to those who believed that they were appointed to believe. Pay attention to all of these scriptures and stop camping on just certain scriptures. Apply all of the information and not just some in order to come to a right conclusion.
If you've got people being predestined and some not. Some whose names that were not written in the book of life before the world began. If you have scripture that states that those who believed were appointed to do so, then include these in order to come to a right conclusion. That conclusion being that by God's Sovereign choice He decided to save some throughout all of history, predestining them and writing their names in His book before the world ever began and some He didn't. Paul demonstrates this in the following:
=======================================================================================
Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. 11Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand, 12not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! 15For He says to Moses:
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.
========================================================================================
God's Election:
Strong's Concordance
eklogé: a (divine) selection
Original Word: ἐκλογή, ῆς, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: eklogé
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-log-ay')
Definition: a (divine) selection
Usage: a choosing out, selecting, choice (by God).
Apply all related scriptures and understand that there were some who were predestined for election and whose names were written in the book of life before the world began. And there were those who were not predestined for election and whose names were not written in the book of life before the world began.
Oh, but that's unfair! No it isn't! Because everyone is worthy of eternal condemnation. But God in His love, grace and mercy chose to save some. Those whom God did not choose are receiving the consequences of their sins.
