| HISTORIC BAPTIST DOCTRINE __________________ God does Not Love Everyone |
| Don't choke! This subject might be a little hard for some to swallow. If you believe that God is loving everyone and you don't want to hear different, then stop reading now, because the cold hard fact is that He doesn't. Why would I go there with this? Because I believe you can not have a proper understanding of the amazing sovereign grace of God toward His people, if you are believing in universal love. John 3:16, when properly understood in it's context, does not ensure the wicked that God is loving them. I used to believe that God's love was universal, until a few years ago. Where is the love of God found? Romans 8:39 tell us exactly where the love of God is found. It is found in Christ Jesus. Those that are not in Christ Jesus, do not have access to the love of God. Some would argue that everyone is outside of Christ and don't have access to God's love until they choose to believe and then get access to the love of God. Wrong! If the sinner is outside of Christ, then God is not loving him and the wrath of God abides on him and he already stands condemned before God. If he realizes it or not, the sinners worst nightmare is to be a sinner in the hands of an angry God. So, when does a sinner get put into Christ, to have access to the love of God? Ephesians 1:4 tells us that we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. The "in Him," I believe refers to Christ. That would put us in Christ before the creation of the world, which would be before He created man. Since God does not change nor fail, it as been a done deal for a very long time. "God loves the sinner and hates the sin." that is true to His people only, because of the righteousness of Christ being imputed to the sinner due to the fact that the wrath of God has been appeased toward that sinner, because of the redemption of that sinner through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which God then declares him righteous in His sight. What makes up the sinner? A sinner is a God hating, spiritually dead pile of sin scratching around on this planet. There is nothing in the sinner that would cause God to love him. That would mean that the love of God for the sinner must come from within God Himself. "But....but.....God wants us to choose Him, so our love will be a true love for Him." Hey, then let's give God, in our doctrine, the same freedom! Understanding the torment of Hell, should indicate that God does not love everyone. I will not even attempt to describe the torment of Hell, because I don't think there is a person alive today that can accurately explain the severity of the torment that awaits the God rejecting wicked sinner. God is not loving those in Hell. There is no grace in Hell. Those in Hell do not love God and never did. Their hatred of God may be intensified, but it was there when they were alive. Question: Why is this hard cold fact not offensive to me? Answer:1Jo 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. (The we and us are the same people) 1Jo 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. God's love for His people is the motivation for the saving of His people. But, what is the bottom line for the salvation of His people? His glory! We, as His people, need to praise Him and give all the glory to Him for His love toward us, such unworthy creatures as ourselves, as vessels of honor, that He has afore prepared for His glory! In Christ, John Posted: Feb 10th 2006, 07:03 PM |