Why Do We Bother to Pray for Unbelievers?
Why bother praying for unbelievers if God has already chosen who will be saved and who will not?
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Why bother praying for unbelievers if God has already chosen who will be saved and who will not?
The idea of “limited atonement” under the doctrine of election is an open-handed issue at The Point. There are doctrinal issues that are not open for debate or personal interpretation (closed-handed). Examples would be the deity of Jesus, the Bible as the perfect Word of God, and salvation being through faith alone in Jesus and His work. Open-handed issues are those theological concepts that are open for debate. Examples would be the age of the earth or the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of election and this sub-part, called by some “limited atonement,” is in that open-hand category.
Here are a some thoughts from C.H. Spurgeon, brilliant theologian, pastor and preacher, on the tension we must hold between God’s sovereign work of predestination and man’s free will. These are from a sermon preached in 1858.
In January of 2013 I turned over a new leaf. I endeavored to eat right and to exercise. I enrolled at the YMCA and by mid-year I made it on the list of top 25 attenders. In 2013, I ran, biked, attempted an elliptical, lifted weights, performed countless sit-ups and pull-ups; I only ate pizza, French fries, and deep-fried wings a handful of times; and I felt great. That was 2013. Early in 2014 my drive waned. My workouts became less frequent, McDonald’s French fries never tasted better, and wings, well…. The old leaf was back. Fewer trips to the gym became no trips to the gym.
As we continue through our Victory sermon series, we think it will be of tremendous spiritual benefit to ask you to memorize Romans 8 with us. The primary reason we are asking this is because memorizing Scripture is perhaps the single most crucial element to spiritual growth and victory over sin.
Victory has come because the deathblow to all the enemies of God has been levied through the life, death and …
As I stumbled to the kitchen to get my morning dose of Mountain Dew (don’t judge me), I heard Luanne say, “This stuff is hard.” She was sitting on the couch, Bible and DNA* booklet laid open, working through the book of Mark. My answer was, “Yep, and isn’t it wonderful?” I want to be as equally honest with you. DNA groups are going to be tough.
1 + 1 + 1 = 1 It is true that proper worship of God must spring from a proper …
We cannot ignore that as we read the Bible God calls His people to be a people of prayer. Jesus …
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