Well, realize we've been over similar before. It took me a few posts, but you did concede there was an answer:
I think too, that a third party assessment is worth a second look here as well:
Scripture is the final arbiter.
I don't think they did. You have not adequately explained how the "subjects of the kingdom" are not among the elect as you claimed.
Pretty much would make you Arminian at that point. If I've lost my salvation, can I get it back? What would you recommend, if not, to one who has already lost it? Your theology will have a few of us in a church 'without God' or simply giving up the lost cause after that point. Not a lot of hope in your theology, is there? :think:
No one loses salvation. As long as one is part of the Body of Christ, he is heaven-bound. Man cannot detach himself from the Body of Christ much like the ear cannot remove itself from being attached to the head. UNLESS Christ Himself detaches one from being part of His Body by blotting out his name from the book of life. It's Jesus Who Himself blots out non-overcomers from the book of life. And a person is judged an overcomer or not, only AFTER he dies. There's hope while alive. And it's God through Christ Who does the judging. His judgment is righteous and fair and He shows no partiality. No one need worry. We're in good Hands.
Forgive me for being neurotic or seeing this as incongruent. As a Calvinist, with perseverance of the saints, I have reconciliation but with synergism as opposed to monergism, I'd be troubled by this. That is, if I were a synergist, this would not give me hope. I was greatly tossed between the two as a synergist.
The debate between synergism and monergism came about because both Calvinists and Arminians honestly believed in the lie that people are born spiritually dead in sin.
My position views every man as part of the Body of Christ unless Christ Himself has blotted out one's name from the book of life. I don't consider myself as being alone in that Body. That's absurd. Our being in His Body is all God's work FOR man through Christ. And there is no partiality with Him.
I have explained it in many different threads, and just recently, here.
I read some of those posts. I've been thinking along the same lines, if I understand what you're saying--that Christ's death was effective for the whole human race, and one has to reject Christ to be put in the other camp.
There is only one reason why one is refused entry into the heavenly portals and instead thrown into the lake of fire: his name is not found written in the book of life. Rev 20:15; 21:27.
What's not true of all men? Rom 5:10 talks of having been ("were") reconciled by His death, and afterward being ("shall be") saved by His life. How does that work? Sounds like you are agreeing with Samie, that we are all reconciled at the time of His death, but something else happens afterward.
Not all men are reconciled to God while they are enemies, most are under God's wrath and condemnation as they are enemies Jn 3:18,36. Not so if Christ died for you Rom 5:10.
But Christ said He came not into the world to condemn the world (Jn 3:17 the verse before the one you cited). So if Jesus came so that the world might be saved, and "most" in the world are under God's wrath and condemnation, because they didn't believe in Jesus, and they didn't have a chance to believe in Jesus, then it sounds like Jesus was lying--He really did come into the world to condemn those that He knew wouldn't believe--because He decided before the world began that they wouldn't believe, according to you, but His presence here (definitely by God's hand) together with their unbelief (which you say is by God's hand, since Jesus didn't come to reconcile them) is what condemns them, according to the verse you cited.
Post 177 and 175 you understand the points made with scripture?