(John 10:27) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Just because God is not bound by time, where He can interact with your past present and future, and knows you completely, it does not mean He is making you to believe in Him. If so, He is an unjust and a partial God.
Justice is to not save any of us. Mankind is doomed to sin other than God saving him. Man is so corrupt by sin he does not have the ability to come to God and it is his own sinfulness that he thinks he can.
Which is why Christ came as mediator. Do you want to give the same excuse to Christ? He will say to those, I never knew you.
Christ is not just a mediator. He fully represents those who are saved. He's not pleading your case and asking God to have mercy on you for this infraction or another. His very righteousness covers the unrighteousness of the saved sinner.
(Luke 8:13) "But the ones on the rock [are those] who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
Is God making the person believe temporarily to just to make them fall away?
Danus said:
Mercy on the other hand is to forgive. If man has nothing to be forgiven then he is righteous on his own, which God already says he's not. A sinful man says he comes to God and accepts God. That his his own sin speaking that. How honored God must be that any wretched man can say he accepts God in to his own presence.
We arent speaking about a sinner who comes the first time but a believer who insulted the grace of God.
??? Nope, there are no "believers" who insult the grace of God. No real beliver walks away from what they believe.
Danus said:
What Jesus is describing is something God is not even effecting on those who "believe for a while". What is being described is a dead useless faith. the type of faith not from God, "No Root".
Can I take it as faith without work?
That would be backwards. You can take it as works without faith, because there is no real work without real faith. The root being spoken of is faith. it is the source, the connection, the channel of faith to the believer. It's the means of life giving faith (nutrient) to the believer. Faith.
1Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons
Mat 24:24 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Let me know if the elect is saved or not.
Sure. These verse are not speaking of the chosen unconditional in Christ, the elect, the saved. Yes the elect are saved and they are the only ones saved. the non elect are not saved.
1 Timothy 4:1 is only one sentence and completely irresponsible to use as an argument against unconditional election because it speaks of the lost and those people trying to save themselves with their own works, their own mysticism.
Let's open up the next 9 verses.
4 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They
forbid people to marry and order them
to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
Your use of Matthew 24:24 as an argument on the elect not being saved is completely perplexing in that I don't know why your using it to base that argument. I think your pointing out that the elect will be deceived??? But that can't be right because Jesus says that can't be deceived.
The NIV says 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive,
if possible, even the elect.
"IF" possible, but it's not. My NIV Study says "if that were possible" and the KJV says "If possible". However, the most striking fact of this verse is that Jesus himself mentions the elect, the chosen. NLT has it this way,
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
So to answer you question again, the elect are the chosen by God for salvation and they are saved of no merit or effort of their own, but by his will along, they are granted mercy and forgiveness. The non-elect are not. they are left to their own sin. God calls all, and wishes all to be saved and anyone who seeks God can find him and be saved, but many will not do this, and even some who do will not trust in Christ, but in their own selves. Those are the ones who God is saying "I never Knew you."
