Friend,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this to you today as a response to the email that you sent a couple of days ago; I appreciate your patience in giving me some time to answer with scripture and careful thought. As you have previously noted, all of our conversations do seem to run down to "God's Sovereignty", which is good because this is THE theme of the Scriptures. Now, getting to your email. Based on our recent conversation and the quotes in your message, here's what I believe to be your main points:
- God is not sovereign over the wills of men, all men; Especially in the area of "Salvation". According to what you said, the Lord merely opens the way for those to freely (or not) choose Him.
- Jesus died for all men, everyone who ever lived, who is living and who will ever live, even those in Hell;
- Because some people do accept the Lord as Savior, and it is within every man to make such a decision, then there is some good born into all men.
- God does love everyone, and you used 2 Peter 3:9 as a proof text.
- I asked you if you had assurance that you would be with the Lord if you died tonight, and you hesitated, and ultimately said that you can't know that. For this, you used Romans 2:16 and 2 Tim 4:1 to state that ALL judgements based on the good things man does weigh against the bad things man does at the end of History are done by Jesus and therefore no one can have assurance now or any other point in history.
In response to your points above, I will show that:
- God is sovereign over all things. Nothing comes to pass that wasn't ordained by God.
- Jesus did die for His children and only His children. He did not come to save and "pave a way" for each and every individual.
- Because the Lord on High is sovereign, He graciously converts our wicked hearts to hearts that willingly accept, and always accept His Son.
- Because God is Sovereign and He elects those He loves to be His followers, He does not therefore love each and every person.
- Finally, because God is Sovereign, He elects His Children, and provides His Children the way through the redeeming work of the Cross, His Children have FULL assurance based on this work and therefore have EVERY hope and confidence that we will remain in His Grace until Glory.
First, I'd like to establish the fact, from the Bible that God is indeed sovereign (all-powerful) and being sovereign, He is in control of all things. There is no other doctrine or belief that so exalts God as this one does; His right to do all that He pleases. All of the world is His (Ex 19:5) and therefore all souls are His to command (Ez 18:4). It is reasonable therefore to believe that he works ALL things after the Counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11). I urge you Friend that you prayerfully and carefully read and study the following scriptures and consider their meanings for this IS the Word of God. Consider then all of the uses of "Chosen", sovereignly selected by His choice (Isa 43:20, 1 Kings 3:8, Psa 89:3, 105:6, 106:5, Matt. 20:15, Matt 22:14, Mark 13:20, John 15:16, Acts 9:15, Acts 22:14, Acts 10:41, 1 Cor. 1:27, 2 Thess. 2:13, Eph. 1:4, James 2:5, 1 Peter 2:9, Rev. 17:14, Psalm 33:12, Rom 16:13, John 13:18, Deut. 7:6). And then, there are all of the uses of the word "Elect". The Election of God toward His Chosen people is a divine act of distinguishing Love, Sovereignty that is eternal, absolute, definite, irrevocable and personal. Election communicates that by His divine Choice, God's predetermination of His Children are set apart as objects of mercy which become subjects of His Grace and are sanctified and prepared for Heaven (Matt. 24:22, Matt. 24:31, Luke 18:7, Rom. 8:33, 2 Tim. 2:10, Titus 1:1, Col 3:12, 1 Peter 1:2, Isa. 45:4, Isa. 65:9, 2 John 13, Rom. 9:11, Rom. 11:5, Rom 9:27, Rom. 11:7, 1 Thes. 1:4, 2 Peter 1:10, Rom. 11:28, Eph 1:9).
And like I keep stressing, there is no other doctrine that teaches the saved sinner to Love his Heavenly Father as this one does. It is only those that have been made objects of His love, by HIS choice, can know REAL love and praise Him for it. The saved sinner is then so encouraged to first Love his Savior and to consider is there any like our God? Is there any other that the seraphims could say "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts" (Isa 6:3). Saved sinners know that God is a GREAT God (2 Chron 2:5), to whom belongs righteousness (Ps 11:7), glory (John 17:5), Wisdom (Rom 11:13, Power (Ps 66:3), might (Eph 1:19), everlasting (Isa 40:28), forever (Deut 33:27), righteous in all His judgments (Rev 16:7), merciful (Jms 5:11), Love (Rom 8:39), patient (Rom 15:15), reserving the wicked for destruction (Job 21:30).
God's choice of particular and certain individuals unto salvation rests solely in His own sovereign will. His choice of electing sinners is not based on anything good within these individuals (a choice, standing, etc). God gives faith and repentance to each individual He elects. Therefore those whom God sovereignly elects, through the Power of the Holy Spirit, come to a willing acceptance of Christ. God's choice is the ultimate cause of Salvation, not the sinners choice of Christ. And until we realize this, we cannot be thankful to our Savior. See Acts 11:18, Acts 13:48. Romans 9:10-21, Ephesians 1:4-11, Ephesians 2:4-10, Romans 8:29-30, Prov. 16:4, I Peter 2:8, Jude 4, II Peter 2:12, Rev. 17:17, Rev. 13:8, Luke 10:20, Phil. 4:3, Rom. 9:22, 23, Rom. 1:28, Rom. 2:5, II Thess. 2:11, Acts 13:4, John 12:39, 40, Matt. 25:41, John 9:39., Matt. 11:25, Luke 2:84.
Christ's redeeming work at the Cross and resurrection was intended for those who God chooses, a particular group of individuals - this work is powerful enough to ensure the salvation of His children. For instance, In the Gospel of John, we see, repeatedly, that Jesus makes the distinction between those he came to save and those he didn't.
"John 6:39: And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
The Father, though, did not give everyone to Jesus, meaning He did not merely provide a "way" to the Father for everyone because the Father does not love everyone. Consider this passage:
"John 10:26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Further on in John, we see that Jesus prays only for those that are given to him by the Father (not everyone). Jesus prays to the Father because he knows that prayer that the Will of the Father is effectual (and not up to man's whims).
"John 17:9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours."
Because of the fall, man is unable to come to a saving knowledge of the Gospel on his own. As I said before, the sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is deceitful and totally corrupt. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature; therefore, he will not choose good over evil. Therefore, this dead and corrupt being must be made anew and regenerated by the Spirit. The resulting Faith is not something that man contributes to his salvation but is the result of it. An utter and total gift of God. See Genesis 2:15-17, Psalm 51:5, Jeremiah 17:9, John 6:44, Romans 3:10-18, Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Ephesians 2:1-10, Gen. 2:17, Job 14:4, Ps. 51:5, Prov. 30:12, Jer. 13:23, Matt. 11:25, John 3:19, John 5:21, John 6:53, John 8:19, John 3:3, Acts 13:41, Rom. 3:10-12, Rom. 5:12, I Cor. 1:18, I Cor. 2:14, II Cor. 1:9, II Cor. 5:17, Eph. 2:1-3, Eph. 2:12.
This, at times, especially for those new to it is a hard truth. It "feels" like God is playing the puppet-master and is unfair. Before we jump to this conclusion, however, let me remind you that Scriptures say:
Ezekial 18:25-29 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. 27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
Romans 9:20-24 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
Now on to your 2 Peter quote. As I believe I have fully covered this question above, I will only mention here that it is important to remember the audience here in 2 Peter 3:9 that states "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." Peter is speaking to the Church here and is evident within this verse in the use of the "you" and elsewhere in the book (See 2 Peter 1:1 and 2 Peter 3:11-14). As I have shown above, the Lord truly does not wish and therefore does not allow ANY to perish that are his own (Praise be to God). For what can the Lord "want" or wish that the Sovereign Holy King of the Universe not get?
Continuing, God therefore does not love everyone, as the Word states:
Psalms 5:5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers (notice it doesn't say work) of iniquity.
Psalms 7:11 God a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.
Psalms 11:5 The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
Ephesians 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
But the Good news for those in Christ:
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:4 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
All that said, the Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has FULL assurance that the Lord will keep him until the end. All who were chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and given this faith are eternally saved. They are ACTIVELY kept in the faith by His work, not by our works (but good works are a fruit of this inward work of the Spirit), by the power of the Almighty God and thus persevere to the end. See John 6:35-40, John 6:44, Romans 8:28-30, Romans 8:35-39, Ephesians 1:13-14, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:12-13, Jude 24-25.
But there is exceedingly good news too. Although the Lord doesn't love everyone, He graciously, fully, loves His children. With this love, the Christ-follower has no fear of the final judgement. As it says in 2 Corinthians, the Believer in Christ Jesus has no fear for the Final Judgment of Man. 2 Cor 5:10. The Christian should be free from the fear of Judgment. Although the natural man should GREATLY fear it, the Christian should be free from such fear. It is the universal teaching of Scripture that Christians are delivered from this fear of the Day of the Judgment. See Hebrews 2:15, 2 Peter 3:12, Romans 8:15, 23-24, I Cor 1:30
Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Romans 8:23-24 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.”
1 John 4:17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
Despite the Christian's unworthiness and all of their sins and filthy actions, they are Children of the High King. The Father will NEVER reject his children. See I John 4:17. Christians do not fear the Final Judgment, they instead rely solely on the finished work of Christ for them. They cannot rely upon their own acts, for they are the cause of much misery and so woefully inadequate. Thanks be to God for that.
See Rom 5:1, Phil 1:6, Jude 1:24
Phil 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Jude 1:24 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
The Lord, His Character, Holiness and Sovereignty is something with which we must all grapple. Some choose to ignore such things, but these truths are, at the end of the day, unavoidable. It is the foundation of all knowledge and the basis of the Believer's Faith. I pray, dear Friend, that the Lord would cause you to study these scriptures with a fleshy heart and that you would come to realize how understanding this infects and affects every area of life and ministry.
Your Friend,
David.