Hi Darren,
I thought this piece from no. 5 of the LOF series was really good and shows a lot of Scriptures concerning ALL being saved.
http://bible-truths.com/lake5.html --------------------
"Who WILL have all men to be saved" (I Tim. 2:4).
Second witness:
"For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, Who is the Saviour of ALL MEN, especially [but not exclusively] of those who believe" (I Tim. 4:10).
Doesn’t God will that most of humanity will eternally perish in the lake of fire?
"The Lord…is NOT WILLING that ANY should perish [eternally]…" (II Peter. 3:9).
Second witness:
"And I, if I be lifted up [on the cross] from the earth, will draw ALL MEN UNTO ME" (John 12:32).
But doesn’t the whole world need first to have their sins atoned for?
"And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our’s only, but also for THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD" (I John 2:2).
Second witness:
"The next day John sees Jesus coming unto him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, which TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD" (John 1:29).
Hasn’t the Church proven by their interpretation of the "lake of fire" that it is "impossible" to save all mankind?
"Who then CAN be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE" (Matt. 19:25-26).
See Second Witness in Job 42:2.
Isn’t it up to each individual to "CHOOSE CHIRST" in order to be saved?
"You have NOT CHOSEN ME, but I have CHOSEN YOU…" (John 15:16).
But didn’t Billy Graham say at one of his crusades that "we must come to Christ all on our own?" To not even pray for those making that decision, because that decision to "come to Christ" must be theirs and THEIRS ALONE?
"NO MAN CAN COME TO ME [by his own free will choice] except the Father which has sent me DRAW HIM [Greek: DRAG HIM] and I WILL raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).
See Second Witness in Verse 65.
Are you telling me that I never did seek God ON MY OWN?
"There is NONE that seeks after God" (Rom. 3:11b).
See Second Witness in Psalm 14:2.
But what if I believe that I can and I do WILL to serve God on my own.
"For it is GOD which works IN you both TO WILL and TO DO of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
See Second Witness in I Cor. 15:10.
Well I know for a fact that it says in Heb. 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God, so surely we must work up our OWN FAITH in order to please God?
"For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that [that ‘FAITH’] is NOT OF YOURSELVES [well where does it come from then, if not from US?]; it is the GIFT OF GOD" (Eph. 2:08).
Second Witness:
"…and what have you that you did not RECEIVE….?" (I Cor. 4:7).
But surely everyone will have to acknowledge the RISEN Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] before they can ever be saved, so when does that happen?
"That at the name of Jesus [Jehovah-Saviour—THEIR Saviour] EVERY knee should bow, in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth; and that EVERY tongue should confess [‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED, Rom. 10:9)] that Jesus Christ [The Christ that God ‘raised from the dead.’ Christ was already ‘RISEN’ when this was written in Phil. 2:11] is Lord [‘Lord’ means ‘master’—acknowledging Christ as Master of their lives], to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11).
But doesn’t this sound like ALL that we do to be saved is OF GOD, and not of ourselves?
"God is operating ALL in all" (I Cor. 12:6)
"Yet ALL is of God" (II Cor. 5:18)
"For OF Him, and THROUGH Him, and TO Him, ARE ALL THINGS: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:34)
"…being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who works ALL THINGS after the counsel of His OWN WILL" (Eph. 1:11).
This almost sounds like we can do absolutely NOTHING on our own to bring about our own salvation.
"I am the vine, you are the branches … for without me you can do NOTHING" (John 15:5).
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mercy, peace and love
Kat