I'll start with a simple one.
If it seems to me that if the elect are predetermined, there is hardly a need for sharing the gospel message. Consider this illustration.
Let’s say that I'm a minister and I received a phone call from a friend who's father is about to die and has never heard the gospel. Why can't I respond by saying "Don't worry, if he is one of the elect he'll go to heaven anyway. If he's not, I would just be wasting my breath."
Please be sure to glorify God in your response.
Welcome, I hope you find what you are looking for and May God Richly Bless You in your pursuit of Bible truths!!!
A few random thoughts for you to think about.
-Predestination/Election is a very God glorifying doctrine because it provides the downcast sinner who is pricked and compelled to respond to God's command to repent and be converted with hope and praise unto the God who is merciful to sinners and the Lord Jesus who died for their sins.
-God's revealed will is to repent and believe, the Gospel is Good News to the sinner who desires to be reconciled unto God by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are called to repent and believe, how do we respond to this command? indifference? disdain? or with hope, trust and faith in the promises of God.
-My favorite Free-Will/Arminian question: What makes one to respond and compelled to come while the other rejects the Gospel? What makes us to differ? Hint: John 6:44
-More of a direct response to you question is: if your friend dies without hearing the gospel you know (as much as we can know these things) his fate is sealed. But if you 'waste your breath' there is a possibility that you were the means or the instrument used by God to save that soul.
-Consider that God knows all, from His perspective all the outcomes, including the salvation of sinners, are fixed. SO whether you refer to it as predestination, preordination, foreknowledge, or what have you the end result will unfold the way God knew that it would.
-If one must hear the gospel message in order that he/she is to be saved what will happen to those who have no knowledge of the way unto salvation - it is our duty as Christians to prayerfully share the Good News with our fellow man that we may be the means used by God to bring others to Christ.
Also, see my last few posts on the Roman Catholicism thread which also deals with these issues.
AC
