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Kat:

To me it is not a question of certainty, but one of a living and very real hope. If we doubt at every turn, where is the faith? Paul called this hope we have like a race.

1Cor 9:24  Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

We should take on the race with all we've got, and strive like Jesus said to enter the "narrow gate."

Luke 13:23  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"
    And He said to them,
v. 24  "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

The Spirit of Christ indwelling should become apparent to us. If your perspective on life is being changed from world mindedness, if your attitude is changed towards mercy and kindness to others, you should know/feel that... you should sense a difference in yourself and over time as you look back you can see how you have changed. It is not an arrogant certainty, because that could even fuel our carnality... but it is very real, a living hope in Christ.

Heb 6:17  Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath,
v. 18  that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.
v. 19  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,

v. 10  For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
v. 11  And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,

mercy, peace and love
Kat

theophilus:
It does no good to quote Scripture unless you can understand and discern the meaning, which comes by the Spirit of God.

I stand chided, even though I didn't quote scripture to rebutt but to learn what any of you knew about it. Without quoting scripture this time, I remember Ray wrote about Jesus' last prayer on the cross. Ray was trying to show that the Father forgave ALL those involved in the crucifixion of Christ. According to Ray, we all had a part in the Lord's death.

But as you clarified above, Jesus NEVER prayed for the whole world. Therefore, I must conclude that those Jesus prayed for, because they didn't know what they were doing, were some of the elect that eventually came to believe in Jesus.

dodrill:
This has bothered me too - dying TO Christ and dying FOR Christ - are so very different - and I don't care if it's the Pope or Bob Geldof praying or actively doing something to bring the plight of the poor and the oppressed to public attention - blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God
Maybe being an Elect of God requires you to physically die also?

Dave in Tenn:
"God" and "righteousness" are on all sides.  Even "sides" which lay no claim to God, lay claim to Righteousness and let other's claim God on their behalf.  How can this be?  A house divided against itself cannot stand.

The carnal mind really only has two choices:  1.  Return evil for evil and call it good.  2.  Find some reason to refrain from returning evil for evil and call that good.  What a woeful selection.

The option of returning good for evil is not open to them.  I'm not sure how it is even open to me in all cases, not being one who has to make these large world-scale decisions--at least not yet.  But I do believe that the Lord God intends evil for good, though it takes time for His plans to come to pass. 

 

dodrill:
well said - what choices we have - very little - the root of it all is money - and the love and enslavement of it all - bring down the strongman - and then what do we have? a house divided against itself cannot stand - we are so far from the bond of unity that should or does exist between us all - rooting out the evil in my opinion is stopping the money machine of greed that makes war happen - just me Dave venting :)

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