On the basis of their willful decision, or on the choosing of God?
What did Paul say? On behalf of God, as if God Himself were begging, be reconciled to God.
If God elected all who would be irresistibly saved, He wouldn't need to beg, and begging them to do so would be a lie.
If God reprobated the rest, begging them to be reconciled would be a lie.
Is that really so hard to grasp?
Put another way: the reprobates can't be saved and the elect can't perish.
I know, that when I share the Gospel message, if anyone hears and believes the message, it is because God chose them in Christ for the purpose of redemption.
Reprobates can believe for a time. What you see reveals nothing because you're putting faith in a hypothetical process (personal election) that NO ONE is privvy to.
But if you trusted what Paul said, that the saving Gospel is ITSELF the power of God to salvation, you'd rejoice that anyone and everyone might be saved, if they simply believe, and that when they do believe, they ARE saved.
My lack of omniscience precludes me from knowing who will believe, until they make confession.
What does confession prove? Even deceived reprobates can do that for a season. You yourself could turn out to be one. Anyone could be.[
That has nothing to do with Limited Atonement.
Indirectly, perhaps, but it has everything to do with it.
At least proclaiming the Gospel indiscriminately is not lying to people, telling them God loves all of them, when He doesn't .
Are you saying God does love everyone, even the reprobate?
But that is not what is proclaimed. The first part of the Gospel message is to tell sinners that they sin against the moral standards (Law) of God, and are condemned by doing so. Second part of the Gospel message, is that there is only one escape, and that is to believe that God came in the flesh, fulfilled all the Law without sin on His part, suffered the wrath of God for sin and died the death of His people on the cross, achieving forgiveness for their sins through His shed blood, and resurrected from death to provide those He justified access to everlasting life in heaven with Him.
None of that applies to any number of people you could ever preach to. That makes it a lie from the mouth of God, and it does make you a liar (dishonest, at the very least) because you believe in Limited Atonement and so you know what you're preaching CAN'T save some of them. Not won't, CAN'T.
There are several safeguards against creating false conversions, with the language I suggest in the above.
There is only one safeguard. Preach the Gospel of the grace of God in its purity.
I think this is very important . . . what are our motivations? What is in our hearts when we share this good news? Mine is a desire to see others find the release from slavery to sin, death, and the devil
ONLY if they're elected to do so. Otherwise, they're already as good as in Hell.
I feel no compunction that I have to persuade or sell the audience of the Truth of the message, but simply believe I might witness a Godly conversion of hearts/minds freed by the truths of Holy Scripture.
I'd agree with that.
What about you? What exactly is your motivation to proclaim the Gospel?.
To see the lost saved. ANY of the lost.
ANYONE.
Limited Atonement forbids you saying that. If you're honest you'll admit it.
