1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
over the past few weeks this calvinist has been challenging me, and trying to tell me(as expected) that the "lost sheep" only pertains to the elect, those God loves and chose. Thats also his response(again, as expected) to all the "world" and "all" passages, where there doesnt seem to be any reason to restrict the meanings to those "worlds" and "alls"
Sad enough, Im beginning to wonder if hes right....that God only wants to save a few people...that God is really not good at all, to all. But then I hear myself and realize that cant be.
Ninja, there is an article over at Spirit to Spirit that Mary wrote some
years back. It is "That which was LOST." Try to think, what was
it that was LOST? Was it not the MIND of Christ. The MIND of Christ,
or the Christ in YOU, deep in the inner depths of man, was "lost" in
the fall. In the end, we will rejoice over this sheep that is found....
IN US.
We really don't need all this other junk in us.
Well, that's the way I see it.
Hope that helps.......
God is no respecter of persons, His Elect is Christ in you!
thats a good point actually
Hi 777 :icon_flower:
so who are those cast into the LOF, would they be ALL those who Christ didnt LOVE..by Calvanist STANDARDS that would surely deemed to be so
is this LOF fire figurative or soMething which awaits the fate of the unbelieving ..
Throu Death comes LIFE, for the FLESH profits NOTHING, ALL flesh HAS to PERISH for LIFE to RULE
Christ will indeed SAVE ALL, even those who ARE saved throu the fire and suffer loss[ loss of their Flesh]
The loss of their carnality to GAIN that which was LOST,we each are the prodical son. RETURNING home
Stick around these parts Ninja...there are those who can aid you... :icon_flower:
Hear my Spirit singing NOW...............
Been down in the hogpen
Shucking that corn for the rich man
Heard my Father calling out to me
Think I'll leave this hogpen
Think I'll leave "this" corn
Think I'll go to my Father!
Think I'll run to meet HIM!
Wonder if He sees me coming!
Wonder what He will do?
Think I'll keep on running.
That's just what I'll do!
he he he new poem and or song.
Yall pray for me, I have hundreds of poems, actually better than
that one........that's a little jingle....that I just heard inside me,
but ....I'm fixing a website of my Poetry.......so yall pray.