Tuesday, September 9, 2014

All Christians believe in PREDESTINATION

All Christians believe in PREDESTINATION

January 19, 2011 at 7:17pm
At the time of the American Revolution, almost every Christian denomination in America affirmed the Reformed doctrine of predestination.  Christians believed that God alone was to be credited with their salvation—even their cooperation with God’s grace was brought about by God’s grace.  God had chosen some for eternal life and not others, and only God knew his reasons for the selection.  Baptists, Anglicans, Congregationalists, Dutch Reformed, and (of course) Presbyterians—all stood solidly upon this biblical teaching.  One thing, however, was sure—God didn’t choose us because he knew we would believe.  Rather, we believed because God chose us.  God was God, and all the glory would go to him.

After two centuries of immersion in American culture, however, American Christianity has entered the new millennium in a state of crisis.  Few Americans today believe in predestination.  They may say they do, but they then define predestination as based upon God’s foresight of our faith.  In the end, the reason I’m saved was because of my free will, not God’s sovereign choice.  I guess the reason I believed when my neighbor didn’t is because I was just better than my neighbor.  I was good enough to believe by my own free will.  I thank you, Father, that I had the good sense to cooperate with you....

I’ll say this right at the outset.  Free-will Christianity is a bastardization of biblical Christianity.  It is inconsistent Christianity.   Perhaps “heresy” is even a fair term for it.  All this “free will” thinking is just another form of legalism, making salvation depend upon us rather than upon Jehovah.   Don’t get me wrong—many who buy this thinking are genuine, sincere believers and will be with the Lord forever.  After all, a major point in this class will be that God’s grace is more powerful than our blindness.  But there has been a lack of biblical teaching here for decades.  The result of this dearth has been an even bigger problem, a problem so terrifying as to threaten the very vitality of the American church.   We have lost sight of God’s greatness.  How rare today is a sermon on God’s majesty, his sovereign power, his wrath, his judgment, his overpowering rule over history, his supremacy, his fierceness, his eternal predestination.  If we’re really, really honest with ourselves, Do we truly know God anymore?  We have tamed God.  Castrated him, perhaps.  As one theologian laments... our thoughts of God have become far too human.

This should come as no surprise in America.  For two centuries, the church has existed in an American culture whose highest values are personal liberty and individual rights.  It would be quite natural for Christians here to filter the Bible through such a lens.  The kingdom of God has to be all about me.  It has to be relevant to my life, right?  And if I am saved, it has to be because of my decisions, right?  My will has to be free, right?  God would be unfair to have it any other way.  God has to be an equal opportunity Savior.  Isn’t God a democracy?  Didn’t Jesus preach about the Republic of God?  All this is to suggest that American churches don’t teach predestination because they are more American than they are Christian.  We have come to think that our God is small.  Now it’s time for a new Reformation in the churches, a Reformation in which we honor God as God, not just as mascot.  We need a Reformation in which God is glorified as God, and not just as someone who “fills our needs.”  Enough about our needs!  It’s far past time we let God be God.  I know of no “need” more pressing than this.
Still, even with all this misunderstanding about predestination, nearly every major Christian denomination in history has felt compelled to have some doctrine of predestination.  Our generation is not the first to have to work through this biblical issue.  About the year 400, Augustine and Pelagius fought over this doctrine—and Pelagius was condemned as a heretic for his doctrine of free will.  Then at the Council of Orange in 529 AD, the Christians united to reject free will in favor of God’s sovereign grace.  And again in 855, the Council of Valence affirmed a double predestination.  During the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, Martin Luther called the doctrine of predestination the cor ecclesia, the heart of the Church.  Luther wrote more about predestination than did John Calvin, even though the term “Calvinism” was unfortunately applied to the doctrine.  If one looks at the greatest theologians in the 2,000 years of Christian history—Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Edwards—although these men disagree on other issues and are by no means infallible, all of them agree on this question of predestination.
click here to get the rest of the article.
http://christianstudy.homestead.com/files/classes/predestination/lesson1.htm
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Some Thoughts on Christian/Homeschooling & Govt INDOCTRINATION













Some Thoughts on Christian/Homeschooling & Govt INDOCTRINATION

April 23, 2009 at 8:41am
THOUGHTS ON PUBLIC SCHOOL
Tuese Ahkiong apolojedi2@yahoo.com 6-3-04 These are notes taken from Christian Apologist Greg Bahnsen

Public schools need to resolve the following issues:
Issues need to be resolved in a pluralistic fashion and to the equitable treatment of all taxpayers and all viewpoints.

1) Public Acknowledged Prayer Or Private Prayer In The Public School
How should the public school resolve acknowledge prayer or prayer time? Should there be compulsory prayer? Heads bow? Recited prayer? Should there be compulsory silence or participation? Should there be redemptive or morally expressed prayer? Should there be repetitive prayer?
Are prayers to be given through Christ mediation or are they to be generic prayers? Are prayers to be said in the name of Jesus? Mary? Buddha? Allah? Joseph Smith? Jehovah?
There is NO way to resolve the public school prayer issue in an equitable way to please all views and all tax payers. No prayer in public school does not resolve the issue, because Christians are suppose to pray. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All we are suppose to do is to be for the glory of God and therefore we must pray.

2) The lifestyle of teachers. Should public schools be permitted to hire homosexuals? free love teachers? teachers who promote teacher and student dating? recreational drug users? Cultists? Occultists? Communist? Should teachers who use foul-language be hired? Hindus? Buddhist?

3) Social Behavior Of Students should there be a dress code? gang clothes? distribution of condoms? should school lunches include pork? Schoolyard disputes? should homosexual couples go to proms? cross-dressers?

4) Curriculum. Origin? Evolution? Homosexuality? Promiscuous Sex? Morals?--whose? Is man basically good? Are humans unique from animals or equal? Can animals be used in experiments?

5) Laws. Are there laws of mathematics? Is there more than matter in the universe? Are there laws of science? Are there laws of morality? Should a student be punished for cheating? Stealing? Lying? Is the universe just random?

Should people be forced to finance what they disagree with?
What’s the way to peace in the public school? The way to peace is the FREE MARKET? Let parents make their own choices and pay for it. The way to peace is for ALL SCHOOLS, ALL SCHOOLS to be PRIVATELY FUNDED.
IT IS LOGICALLY IMPOSIBLE TO SATISFY ALL VIEWS AND ALL TAXPAYERS.
Should your children be raised and molded CONTRARY TO YOUR VALUES AND CONVICTIONS as their parents?

JUSTICE requires that parents be allowed to act according to their conscious when comes to these school issues. Parents should be able to decide whether they want their children to be taught by homosexuals? Evolution? Whether condoms should be part of their children’s education?

Should anyone be obligated to pay for his neighbor’s children’s education? What if it’s according to a Hindu-standard, homosexual, Muslim, Catholic? Why should I be put in a position where I am compelled to subsidize my Muslim neighbor’s kids get educated in Muslim values? Or homosexual values?

Public schools are inherently impossible.
They are Hypocrites and Tyrants. They do NOT get the majority opinion of parents. In fact, public school administrators do not like parents attending school board meetings. The Most Politically Clever Group’s Opinion Usually Gets Their Way. Therefore, public schools finance the wishes of one group out of the wallets of others, and is, essentially a fraud.
There needs to be a gradual phasing out of public schools and phasing in of the new approach.
A.S.A.P. the public schools should ALL BE CLOSED because THERE ARE NO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Christian Parents SHOULD therefore
1) LOOK AND PRAY FOR THE CLOSING OF ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2) BE CONCERNED WITH THEIR CHILD’S EDUCATION IN EVERY AREA OF LIFE IN A WAY THAT IS PLEASING TO GOD. It is my conviction based on Scripture, that the Lord has appointed to parents the responsibility and final authority to secure, guide and control the education of their children. God requires that parents TRAIN their children concerning this world and in all areas of life think God’s thoughts after Him and walk in all His ways. The Bible teaches that God made man in His image and he was created for God’s glory to study this world, subdue it, and develop it for God’s glory. God did NOT APPOINT THE GOVERNMENT TO EDUCATE CHILDREN.
The CURSE OF SIN has corrupted man’s intellect. Sin has corrupted man to point where he rebels against God and God’s Truth.
The doctrine of Creation says parents should educate their children to glorify God and see His creation in the way He wants. The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Knowledge. It’s not the end or after the public education. Col 2.8 Our philosophy is according to Christ and not to the traditions of this world.

Neutrality in education is impossible and immoral.
ONE IS AN ENEMY OF GOD IF ONE SUBJECTS THEIR CHILD TO THE PAGANS. James 4.4

From the beginning of history, it has been a parental duty to give their child an education that is governed by the word of God. Therefore, children should not be trained according to public or neutral standards but according to THE WORD OF GOD.
Deut 6. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. The first and immediate application of this commandment is: “and therefore these words shall be taught to your children in everything you do.” God is saying if you are faithful to me, if you love me, if you are a covenant keeper with me, when your children rise up, sit down, walk along the way, they will see the world from His perspective.

VOUCHERS (or faith assisted programs)
The government does NOT give anything away for free. One shouldn’t receive money from the government because the Christian does not believe that the government has the right to educate his child. First of all, the money is immorally acquired. One group of people is compelled against their will and values to pay for the education of their neighbor’s kids in a philosophy antithetical to theirs. Second, the state has strings.

On the other hand, Christians may support bills and laws for vouchers but NOT use them. WHY? Because I believe, in the Providence of God, vouchers may be used to destroy the public schools or bring at least some competition and accountability which would be better than the system we now have.

SHOULD CHRISTIANS TEACH IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS in order to evangelize?
Christians teaching in the public schools to evangelize is FALLACIOUS THINKING AND A FAILURE TO APPLYING THE FULL TEACHING OF GOD’S WORD. This is NOT Biblical and not thought out clearly by the Christian. If the Christian were to declare to the public school their intention to evangelize, they can bet they won’t be working long. --I’m not addressing the Christian’s intention. They may be good but they’re not truthful.



from American Vision
1. Matthew 12:30 & Luke 11:23: Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”
2. Comment: Are the public schools for Jesus? If not, they are against Him.

3. Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
4. Comment: Per Hebrews 11:6, the government schools cannot please God because they do not believe nor do they teach students to believe that He exists.

5. Romans 14:23b: “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.”
6. Comment: The government schools are not teaching from a position of faith in God.

7. Matthew 10:32-33: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”
8. Comment: John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16 declare that Jesus made the world. Government schools refuse to acknowledge this fact. Therefore they are disowned by Christ.

9. Matthew 18:5-6: “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But, if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
10. Comment: Studies show that 65% to 88% of all churched youth who attend public schools leave the faith by their freshman year in college. There is a direct connection between a godless education and a godless life. There will be a judgment for those who turn children away from Christ.

11. Jeremiah 10:2a: “Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen.”
12. Comment: What part of “Learn not the way of the heathen” do we not understand?

13. Luke 6:39-40: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”
14. Comment: A Christian parent must not turn the leading of their child over to a system that is spiritually blind. Education is discipleship and students will become like the teacher. Do you want your children to become like their (often atheist) teachers?

15. Psalm 1:1-2: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
16. Comment: Children and their parents are blessed when they avoid the ungodly counsel in the government schools. The same is true for the sinful socialization with sinful classmates and the mocking, scoffing attitudes invariably picked up at school. How can a child meditate day and night on God’s law in a government school? Contrast “blessings and cursings” in Deuteronomy 28, and see which one you want to receive.

17. 2 Corinthians 6:13-18: “I am talking now as I would to my own children. Open your hearts to us! Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: ‘I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
18. Comment: We are forbidden to partner with unbelievers in the education of our children.

19. Proverbs 9:10: “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding.”
20. Comment: Government schools lack the fear “of the Lord,” and therefore cannot teach wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

21. Psalms 34:11: “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
22. Comment: How can are children supposed to learn the fear of the Lord? Parents teach it to them by instruction and example!

23. Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
24. Comment: Education must be predicated on the foundation of Christ, not on humanistic thought.

25. Ex. 20:3: “You shall have no other Gods before me.”
26. Comment: Evolution and humanism are substitutes for the true and living God.

27. Ex. 20:12: “Honor your father and mother.”
28. Comment: Government schools dishonor parents (and, by example, teach children to do the same) by claiming the State can nurture children better than the parents.

29. Ex. 20:15: “You shall not steal.”
30. Comment: Government schools take money forcibly from property owners (who often have no children left at home) to pay for other people’s education. This is legal plunder and is immoral. It’s hypocritical that schools expect Johnny not to cheat on a test (taking answers that belong to Billy), while pretending to see nothing wrong with taking money from Billy’s dad (who may be wealthy) to pay for Johnny’s education. Public schools do not operate on a biblical ethic which states that giving is to be voluntary. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says that “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

31. Deuteronomy 6:6-7: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
32. Comment: This describes a full-time, 24/7, daily, 365 discipleship paradigm.

33. Proverbs 1:8: “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”
34. Comment: It is assumed that the father and mother are doing the teaching. No one else is mentioned in scripture as having that role.

35. Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
36. Comment: It is the father’s job to train and instruct his own children.

37. Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is grown, he will not depart from it.”
38. Comment: There is a way a child should go. Parents need to be training the child in that direction, not in the world’s sin-attracted direction.

39. Proverbs 13:20: “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
40. Comment: Children should not be allowed to have foolish companions. Proverbs 22:15 tells us that foolishness is “bound up” in the heart of a child. Ecclesiastes 4:12 states that a “chord of three strands is not easily broken.” It is hard to break a bond of foolishness once friendships are made.

41. Isaiah 54:13: “And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”
42. Comment: Children who are taught of the Lord will be peaceful. The converse is also true.

43. Proverbs 16:25: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
44. Comment: This pretty much speaks for itself.

45. James 4:17: “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
46. Matthew 7:6b: “Neither cast your pearls before swine lest they trample them under their feet and then turn again and tear you to pieces.”
47. Comment: The swine is the secular humanist foundation of the government schools in combination with those who knowingly deliver it to the innocent. The pearls are your children. Torn to pieces are the children, the parents, the family and the nation.
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Does God love the sinner and hate the sin or does he hate the sinner and throw them into the lake of fire?

Does God love the sinner and hate the sin or does he hate the sinner and throw them into the lake of fire?

May 22, 2009 at 4:03pm
DOES GOD HATE ANYONE? By Matt Slick o f carm.org
The universalists repeatedly say things like, "God loves us all so much that He will save us all"; or "He hates the sin, but loves the sinner"; or "God is love, and will not send anyone to hell."
Universalists teach that God is so full of love, that He simply cannot send anyone to eternal hell fire. It is against His infinite love. They want God to forgive all, even those who openly reject Him and die cursing God.
I must admit, it is nice to think of God's love being so infinitely great that all will ultimately be saved. Hell is a terrible place and I don't want anyone to go there. But it does not matter what I think. It matters what the Bible says.
God is love (1 John 4:8), but God also punishes the sinner and hates all who do iniquity. God is not one sided. He is not simply an infinitely loving God. He is also infinitely just. He must deal with sin. He must punish the sinner.
In the truth of God's word, we find that the Lord has provided one way by which we may be saved. That single way is through Jesus' sacrifice. For all who trust in Him, salvation will come. But to those who turn away, God's wrath abides upon them: "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him," (John 3:36).
Does God hate anyone?
Does God hate anyone? The answer is yes.
· Psalm 5:5, "The boastful shall not stand before Thine eyes; Thou dost hate all who do iniquity,"
· Lev. 20:23, "Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I shall drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them."
· Prov. 6:16-19, "There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers."
· Hosea 9:15, "All their evil is at Gilgal; indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will love them no more; All their princes are rebels."
Are these verses hard to read? Do they make you feel uncomfortable? They should. God hates sin. But, He does not punish sin. He punishes the sinner. Sin cannot be tied up and thrown into a fire. It cannot be put in a box or glued to a stick. It is rebellion. It is rebellion in the heart. It is breaking God's Law. Sin occurs inside the heart and mind of people. Therefore, God must punish the sinner. Why? Because He is both Holy and Just and the person who sins offends God. God's Holy and Just character will not allow Him to ignore this offense. Why?....
God's Law is Perfect
When God said, "Let there be light," it happened. When He commanded that the oceans be, they came into existence. God's word is powerful. What He says is never futile, empty, or without power.
The Law is a reflection of God's character. It is pure and perfect. It is powerful. The Ten Commandments reflect God's holiness and justice. These commandments are not without punishments. A law without consequences is only an empty slogan.
To sin is to break God's Law and offend His character. To sin means to challenge His character and authority. It means you go against His word. But God is not a liar. His word is true. He has said He will punish the lawbreaker.
But, praise be to God, that while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us (Rom. 5:6). There is no way we can appease God. That is why God became one of us (John 1:1,14; Heb. 2:17), to take our place and become sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, people have two options:
1. Trust Jesus, God in flesh, as your savior and put your faith in the sacrifice that He made on the cross and in nothing you do.
2. Reject the cross and let the penalty of the Law fall upon you.
Either God pays, or you do -- forever. Which will it be?
"For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins," (Heb. 10:26). If there is no sacrifice available for you, then God's wrath abides upon you because He hates sin and your sin is not removed (John 3:36). Trust Jesus alone or the wrath of God will abide upon you forever.
Conclusion
The sobering fact is that God is so holy and righteous that He hates the sinner (Psalm 5:5; Lev. 20:23; Prov. 6:16-19; Hos. 9:15). Some say that we should say that God only hates the sin but loves the sinner. But, the above scriptures speak contrary to that. But it is also true that He is love (1 John 4:8). It is better to accept the love of God found in Jesus than to reject it and suffer His wrath.

Does God hate people or love them? John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:7-8 and Psalm 5:5; 11:5; Proverbs 6:16-19; Hosea 9:15
1. God loves
A. (John 3:16) - "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
B. (Rom. 5:8) - "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
C. (1 John 4:7-8,16)- "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love...16God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God... "
2. God hates
. (Psalm 5:5) - "The boastful shall not stand before Thine eyes; Thou dost hate all who do iniquity."
A. (Psalm 11:5) - "The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates."
B. (Proverbs 6:16-19) - "There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, 19A false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers."
C. (Hosea 9:15) - "All their evil is at Gilgal; indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will love them no more; All their princes are rebels."
God both loves and hates. His nature is love (1 John 4:8), but He is also righteous (Psalm 7:9) and holy (Isaiah 6:3). The very fact that He does not incinerate all of humanity for its sin against Him is due to his loving kindness. God doesn't owe anyone anything. We are sinners and as such, we have offended Him because we have broken His laws -- and His laws are a reflection of His character. But, God in His great mercy, sent His Son to die for our sins so that we might have eternal life by receiving Christ as Savior (John 1:12; Rom. 10:9-10).
Does God hate? Yes. Does God love? Yes. This is not a contradiction. This is simply the truth.

DOES GOD LOVE THE SINNER AND HATE ONLY HIS SIN? DR. JOHN H. GERSTNER
“Repent or Perish” forces people to ponder seriously the popular slogan, “God hates the sin and loves the sinner.” Is a necessary repentance consistent with “God loves the sinner?” If God loves the sinner while he is alive, it is strange that God sends him to hell as soon as he dies. God loves the sinner to death? Loves him to everlasting torment?
There is something wrong here. Either God loves the sinner and will not send him into the furnace of His eternal wrath; or He sends him into His eternal wrath and does not love him. Either “you are going to hell unless” because God hates you, as you are. Or, God loves you and “you are going to hell unless” is false.
What leads almost everyone to believe that God loves the sinner is that God does the sinner so much good. He bestows so many favors including letting him continue to live. How can God let the sinner live and give him so many blessings, unless He loves him? There is a kind of love between God and sinners. We call it the “love of benevolence.” That means the love of good will. Benevolens — willing well. Doing well. God can do well to the sinner without loving him with the other kind of love. “Complacent love,” a pleasure in, affection for, admiration of. It exists in perfection between the Father and the Son, “in whom I am well pleased” (Matt.3:17; Mk.1:11).
God is perfectly displeased with the sinner. The sinner hates God, disobeys God, is ungrateful to God for all His favors, would kill God if he could. He is dead in trespasses and sins. (Eph.2:1) “The thoughts and intents of his heart are only evil continually.” (Gen.6:5) He is the slave of sin (John 8:34), the servant of the devil, (Eph.2:2).
God has no complacent love for the sinner at all. He has a perfect hatred of him, “1 hate them with a perfect hatred.” (Ps. 139:22)
Why does God do so much good for those He perfectly hates and as soon as they die impenitent send them immediately to hell and never in all eternity does them one solitary favor more? It is to show His willingness to forgive the sinner if only he will repent. It shows the sincerity of God’s willingness to pardon the greatest sinner that, even while He hates him with a perfect hatred, He showers him with constant daily blessings.
As I mentioned in Chapter 1, there is no “problem of pain.” The only problem is the “problem of pleasure.” Dreadful as it is, it is not surprising that God sends sinners to hell. The problem is why He does not do it sooner. Why does God let a hell-deserving sinner live a minute and then let him prosper like the green bay tree (Ps.37:35), as well? It is obvious that God can destroy the ungrateful. Why doesn’t He? That is the problem.
Yes, the sinner suffers, too. But so little. It is a gentle reminder: though the sinner receives many divine favors, that does not mean that God is pleased with him. It is in spite of the fact that God hates him with a perfect hatred.
Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness
and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the
kindness of God leads you to repentance? (Rom.2:4)
Our text also shows that the one reason a sinner is permitted to be born into and enjoy this world rather than wake up as an infant in hell is that God, with His love of benevolence, is determined to give the sinner a “chance,” an opportunity to repent. Alas, most sinners use it as a chance to sin! They make God’s blessed love of benevolence into a curse.
In this world the sinner enjoys nothing but the benevolent love of God. Every experience of pain as well as pleasure is from God’s love — of benevolence. Even pain is from love because it tends to wake the sinner to his danger. God indeed loves the sinner, whom He hates with a perfect hatred, with a perfect love of benevolence.
The sinner, as I said, makes every divine blessing into a curse including God’s love of benevolence. This he does by construing a love of benevolence as a love of complacency.
Construing God’s love of benevolence as a love of complacency is fatal. Instead of the divine forbearance leading to repentance, it is used as an excuse for non-repentance. Thus the sinner is not saved but damned by God’s love of benevolence.
God “loves” the sinner benevolently and hates the sinner displacently. If the sinner dies impenitent, God removes His love of benevolence and pours out the full wrath of his displacent love.
As far as “hatred of sins” is concerned, sins do not exist apart from the sinner. God does hate sinning, killing, stealing, lying, lusting, etc., but this alludes to the perpetrator of these crimes.
God never hates the redeemed even when they sin. Is He an unfair respecter of persons? No! (Act. 10:34) God hates the unredeemed sinner but loves the redeemed even when they sin for a good and just reason. God loves the redeemed even when they sin because His Son, in whom God is always well-pleased, ever lives to make intercession for them. (Rom.8:27, 34) Christ died to atone for the guilt of His people’s sins. When they sin, these are atoned-for sins. They are sins with their guilt removed. In one sense, they are not sins at all. God does not hate His people when they sin because they are in His Son, Christ Jesus. And they are made acceptable in His Son. He “has made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Eph. 1:6)
Divine nepotism? No, His Son died for these people and paid the price for their sins past, present, and future. They are cancelled before they are committed. That is truth, not fiction. Righteousness, not nepotistic favoritism. In fact, it is not their original relationship to Christ which makes their sins guiltless, but Christ’s making satisfaction for their sins that created the relationship as children adopted into the family of God.
God, in hot displeasure, chastens His people when they sin (Ps.6: 1; 38:1). It is not hatred but complacent love in Christ Jesus. “Whom the Lord loves He chastens.” (Heb. 12:6,7) God loves His people even when He afflicts them and hates the impenitent even when He befriends them.
Why the chastening when there is love? God blessed the wicked when there was holy hatred. Now He chastens His people when there is holy love. This is because true moral behavior must be perfected. No sin can be tolerated in those for whom Christ died. He died to purchase a “peculiar people zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:14) Being redeemed, so far from tolerating their sinning, precludes it. Anyone who persists in sinning proves thereby that he is not a child of God. God punishes His own especially because they are His children. “You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth: Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” (Amos 3:2)
“Upright” man was promised and warned. A holy, just, and perfect God would promise and warn. Eternal life — if obedient. Instant death — the moment of disobedience. (Gen.3:5; Ecc.7:29)
When man sinned, he died spiritually and was rejected from communion with God his maker and friend. (Gen.3; Rom. 5:12ff) The wrath of God was upon him; labor was his lot; suffering in childbirth; alienation and death, as threatened. God is holy; of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. (Hab. 1:13)
Yet mortal man “lived” on (though to live in pleasure is death, 1 Tim. 5:6), and so did promise. When the angels sinned they perished without delay, without promise, without hope.
Man’s fate was better and worse than the fallen angels’ lot. It was a day of possible salvation but also of possible greater damnation, greater damnation for sinning away the day of possible salvation. God in His wrath; God in His mercy; at the same time.
This was a terrible but holy wrath. God was using His omnipotent power but according to His perfect justice. Man was affected but he deserved it. It was no more, no less, than he deserved. God is no more powerful than holy; no more holy than powerful.
As man continued to sin, God continued to increase His fury. His wrath is in no hurry. The record is kept, all accounts receivable. Every idle word will be brought into judgment (Matt. 12:36). The cup of iniquity must be filled. Then wrath to the uttermost. (1 Thess. 2:16) God’s glory shines in the perfection of His work.
But — God decreed the sin, (Prov. 16:4). Yes, for good and for glory. Man did it for evil and for shame.
A little sin and infinite wrath? A little sin against an infinite God is infinite. Wrath is in perfect proportion to the guilt. But even if the punishment were finite it would go in “infinitely,” unendingly, because the sinner continues to sin in resenting it.
All glory to God for His holy anger. (John 17:3; Rom.9: 17f)
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  • Vincent Michael Krivda likes this.
  • Matthew Schultz I believe God hated Esau..
    May 22, 2009 at 5:59pm · Like
  • Sye Ten Bruggencate That was even before he was a sinner.
    May 22, 2009 at 8:45pm · Like
  • Darren Ooyman I think it's fair to say that when God hates Esau, it means God loves him less than Jacob, since Esau is the one who gave up his birthright. When Jesus said "we must hate our parents" he didn't mean we "hate" in the sense that we mean it, but in the sense that we must love God more than our parents. 

    God is utmost loving and just equally. It would be erroneous to set God's love against his justice, because they go together.
    May 25, 2009 at 3:23pm · Like
  • Darren Ooyman "DOES GOD LOVE THE SINNER AND HATE THE SIN OR DOES HE HATE THE SINNER AND TRHOW HIM INTO HELL???"

    Well here is a question for you: If God doesn't love sinners than why did Jesus need to die for sinners? (Romans 5:8) God hates sin, I would say God hat    es obstinate sinners. Your question presents a false problem anyway, since what is insinuated is that God hates all of us, despite the fact that he loved us by providing a final sacrifice. Apparently he "hated" us and loved us at the same time.
    May 25, 2009 at 3:45pm · Like
  • Tuese Ahkiong God loves salvifically only sinners whom He has placed in Christ before the foundation of the world. He loves every sinner in a common grace sense in providing them life, health, strength... Psalm 7.11 God is angry with the wicked everyday. God hates those outside of Christ. When you were outside of Christ, you were God' enemy, an object/child of wrath, a wage earner of death. Col 1.21, Eph 2.1-3, rom 8.7-8.
    If peeps reject Christ, God's wrath REMAINS on them. John 3.36. It remains b/c it's been since the first moment of life. 
    The sinner is born under God's wrath; worthy to be placed into God's wrath forever.
    Again, the only reason God loves Christians is because of Jesus, otherwise they're just on death row, waiting in line to go to hell.
    Rom 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
    Whose the us? The book of Romans was written to Christians. The us is not every person on the earth. Jesus died only for His people.
    Study the order of salvation, it might be helpful. Rom 8.28-30
    May 25, 2009 at 6:16pm · Like
  • Tuese Ahkiong Does God love the sinner in hell? 
    According to Rom 8:35-39 is not a person separated from the love of God? 
    Does God love the devil?
    May 27, 2009 at 8:48am · Like
  • Andrew Rails In Matt. 5:44 Jesus commands the people to love enemies. Does this refer only to human adversaries, or to the supernatural as well. If it is all encompassing, I would say that God would be a hypocrite if He didn't have some form of love for the Devil. It may not be affection, but I'm sure that the Potter has some love for all His creations, even the ones that are severely marred.
    May 27, 2009 at 8:45pm · Like
  • Tuese Ahkiong Matt 5:43-48 43"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' 44"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; 

    for He causes     His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 

    46"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47"If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
    July 3, 2009 at 8:02pm · Like
  • Tuese Ahkiong THE CONTEXT DESCRIBES HOW JESUS' FOLLOWERS SHOULD BE LIKE THEIR FATHER IN HEAVEN IN THAT HE LOVES EVIL PEOPLE IN BENEVOLENT/COMMON GRACE SENSE (HE GIVES THEM HIS RAIN, HIS FOOD, GOOD HEALTH...) 
    Notice how Jesus commands HIS people to love (benevolent    ly) the evil. He keeps a distinction between the 2 groups.
    It's interesting that elsewhere in Scripture Jesus commands the death of his enemies in a parable and Paul says Jesus will punish those who do not know him with blazing fire.
    Luke 19:27But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me."

    2 Thess 1:7-9 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of h
    July 3, 2009 at 8:02pm · Like
  • Galen Sterling-Smith When you say "God hates those outside of Christ," do you mean what Darren means in that God loves them less? It's a bit confusing to think that God hates us then chooses us to love Him, we accept and then He loves us. Isn't it more like we're wayward children doing stupid stuff that's going to get us killed like the Prodigal Son? Isn't God's love like that? God loves us, hates what we do by choice or "accident" but if we choose to humble ourselves before Him he accepts us back, but if we don't it's like He loves us but has to stick by His word--you chose to disobey and rebel, you chose the consequences that come with it. Isn't sin like a covering, or a glue that needs to be washed off, but if it isn't that's what gets punished. If he happen to be wearing said glue and parading around in it, then we (the sinner) get punished. But Christ's blood is what washes us clean and becomes our covering, right? Because even after Salvation we continue to sin whether by choice or by accident. The difference is we are no longer (or should no longer be) comfortable with it. I know some people go through complete 180's in life and usually it seems like people who come from radical situations into Christ. So what about people that have known Him "all" their lives and still struggle with sin problems? Are those people well informed sinners or people saved by Christ still? We are supposed to be in the World, not Of it, so what happens when we mess up and sin? What happens when we fall for the same crap over and over again? Is our salvation nullified? What if the sin is like an addiction? I know that Christ is stronger than the world and gives us strength to be more than conquerers, so what happens if we don't tap into that strength? Does that mean it doesn't work, we don't have it or we're not capable of using it? If we don't, does that mean Christ isn't in us and we are fooling ourselves into thinking we are saved when we are not? And about loving the enemy, DOES God love Lucifer still in some way? Like a pitying love or something? Because if He does, how could he hate the sinner? Lucifer is the father of lies, the father of sin, the original sinner. Anyone who sins is following him and not God. I'm sure God hates that rebellion because it separates us from Him, but isn't Jesus the thing that reattaches us to Him? Again, wouldn't sin be like a "covering" (even though it springs from the heart, just go with me here) that can be washed away by Christ's blood?
    November 6, 2009 at 12:55pm · Like
  • Tuese Ahkiong I WILL ANSWER U IN CAPITOLS.
    When you say "God hates those outside of Christ," do you mean what Darren means in that God loves them less? 
    GOD LOVES HIS BRIDE (THE CHURCH) IN A SPECIAL & DIF WAY FROM HOW HE LOVES THOSE WHO ARE NOT HIS, OTHERWISE HE WOU    LD BE AN ADULTERER. 

    Isn't it more like we're wayward children doing stupid stuff that's going to get us killed like the Prodigal Son? 
    IF UR TALKING ABOUT GOD'S ELECT ONLY.

    But Christ's blood is what washes us clean and becomes our covering, right? 
    ONLY THE ELECT B/C IF WASHED ALL CLEAN THEN ALL WOULD GO TO HEAVEN.

    So what about people that have known Him "all" their lives and still struggle with sin problems? 
    WELCOME TO CHRISTIANITY! ROM 7

    Are those people well informed sinners or people saved by Christ still? 
    SAVED. UR SAVED BY GRACE ALONE & KEPT IN BY GRACE ALONE AND NOT BY UR WORKS.

    We are supposed to be in the World, not Of it, so what happens when we mess up and sin? 
    CONFESS, ASK FORGIVENESS, REPENT

    What happens when we fall for the same crap over and over again? SEE ABOVE

    Is our salvation nullified? NO

    What if the sin is like an addiction? 
    INVOLVE ACCOUNTABILITY, PASTORS, LEADERS, PRAYER, WORD...

    so what happens if we don't tap into that strength? 
    THE STRENGTH TAPS INTO U

    Does that mean it doesn't work, we don't have it or we're not capable of using it?
    WE = CHRISTIANS, RIGHT? 

    If we don't, does that mean Christ isn't in us and we are fooling ourselves into thinking we are saved when we are not? 
    YES, POSSIBLE

    And about loving the enemy, DOES God love Lucifer still in some way?
    GOD HATES SATAN

    Like a pitying love or something? 
    GOD USES SATAN FOR HIS PURPOSES.

    Because if He does, how could he hate the sinner? 
    BIBLE SAYS SO.

    isn't Jesus the thing that reattaches us to Him? 
    HERE'S A ? 4U. CAN JESUS LOSE SOMEONE HE HAS SAVED?

    Again, wouldn't sin be like a "covering" (even though it springs from the heart, just go with me here) that can be washed away by Christ's blood?
    JESUS BLOOD CLEANSES ALL HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SIN. BUT NOT ALL ARE HIS PEEPS.
    November 6, 2009 at 11:04pm · Like
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