Zguy28
New Member
OK, I get where you are coming from now, that some folks are specifically and irresistibly pre-destined by God while everyone else is not. Am I expressing that correctly?Recall that Paul had been a zealous Orthodox Pharisee (a Pharisee of Pharisees) and he led persecutions against other Jewish people who placed their faith in Jesus being their Messiah. Paul was present at the stoning of Stephen. He believed he was doing the right thing for God until his encounter with the risen Lord on the way to Damascus with plans to carry out more persecutions.
The point is that, yes, God had selected various individuals to carry out his purpose of testing His people. Yes, God hardened Pharoah's heart for the intended purpose, yes, Jesus chose Judas, also for the intended purpose. Do they have a chance at salvation? I'd say they don't.
God had mercy on Paul and used him for His specific purpose. Through Paul many inspiring and insightful teachings of Christ and our relationship with Christ were written. Upon conversion, Paul understood that he was specifically pre-destined, as were the other Apostles, to carry out the message of Salvation through Grace to the world and to make disciples of men.
Yes, the Bible also says that upon hearing God's Word, some will respond and some people's hearts will be hardened but that is because they rejected God's Grace, they allowed themselves to be deceived and remained blinded by Satan (the god of this world) because they loved darkness rather than light. (Recall the Parable of the Sower and the seed)
However, if you are saying that Paul stipulates that from among all the people in this world God has already pre-ordained whom He is going to give salvation to and whom he is not going to give salvation to, then I disagree with your understanding of God's Grace and that perhaps you may be misunderstanding what Paul was referring to.
God's Grace is open to all, lest the Atheists and scoffers in this forum have no chance of being saved and your effort to share the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ to them is in vain.
I do disagree though, but I am staunchly Calvinist so...
