Is All Always All?

Posted on July 4, 2019 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters

Calvinists want us to believe that Jesus did not die for all, but only for the elect. I do not wish to simplify, but in short form their thesis is as follows;

  1. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
  2. We are all dead in our trespasses and sins. (Eph 2:1) Dead men can do nothing. But God quickened us together with Him. (Col 3:22) There is none that seeks after God (Romans 3:14) and none can come unless the Father draws him. (John 6:44)
  3. Therefore, we all are lost and cannot come to God without His intervention. We can do nothing of ourselves because dead men can’t do anything. So if you are not elected you are not called.

Armenians believe that salvation is available to all who seek God.

  1. 4:29 and Jeremiah 29 12-14 tell us that we should seek Him and when we do we will find Him. How can this be when no man seeks God?
  2. “For God so loved the world that whosoever (all!) believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
  3. John 16:7-8 says, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world (all) of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” Notice please, convict the world, not just the elect!
  4. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (I Tim. 2:5,6)
  5. “For whosoever (all) shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Now my question: is all always all? Isaiah 53:6 says. “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone (all) to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” That plainly says that we all have sinned and that Jesus paid for the sins of all, not just the elect. Does all mean all in both cases? All begins and ends that verse. If it is just for the elect, it doesn’t mean all!

In all!!! honesty, there are some verses where all probably is not all.

  1. All things are possible” (Mark 9:23) All things? Another translation says, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” If so, I want to grow to 6 ft. 3 inches. What must I do to get this all or everything?
  2. All liars will burn. In that case, who won’t burn? And all idolaters will burn (Rev. 21:8) Have you ever had any idols in your life?
  3. When we come to Christ he makes all things new. We are new creatures. (II Cor 5:17) That must be only in God’s eyes because we see plenty of the old man in all of us.
  4. Col 3:22 teaches that we are subject to our government in all But we interpret it to be overridden if what we are asked to do is anti-Scriptural. So all isn’t all!

Does the Bible contradict itself? I can’t believe that it does, but neither can I believe that all does not really mean all based on Isa. 53:6. If you are strongly in the Calvinist camp, I do not expect this little, simple devotional to change your mind. But because of it, I cannot be a five-point Calvinist. While there are many verses quoted to substantiate each side, I cannot believe this simple statement in one verse is incorrect or misleading.

Written By Neil Fichthorn: Rev. Neil Fichthorn is a seasoned conference and camping servant having served at Gull Lake Bible Conference, Sandy Cove Ministries as President, and an interim Executive Director at Pinebrook Bible Conference. He also served in church music for decades as a choir director and arranger. He has been Bill Welte’s mentor and friend for over 45 years.

Think About This: “Calvinism emphasizes divine sovereignty and free grace; Arminianism emphasizes human responsibility. The one restricts the saving grace to the elect; the other extends it to all men on the condition of faith. Both are right in what they assert; both are wrong in what they deny. If one important truth is pressed to the exclusion of another truth of equal importance, it becomes an error, and loses its hold upon the conscience. The Bible gives us a theology which is more human than Calvinism and more divine than Arminianism, and more Christian than either of them.”-Philip Schaff

The Daily Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 22-24, Acts 5:22-42| You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. – Romans 5:18

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.

 

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