According To His Mercy He Saved Us
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5)
Think about that in light of what you have been taught. Compare it to the traditional teaching that “He saved us” when we accepted His offer of salvation, or when we repented of our sins, etc.
The Mercy from God is NOT conditional. It is freely poured out on all sinners from the boundless and unending love of God, Who, in His omnipotent wisdom, has determined that it was good for all mankind to become disobedient. Why? In order that He may demonstrate that He is merciful. Paul was addressing the disobedience of Israel when he said…
“From the standpoint of the gospel they (Israel) are enemies for your (Gentiles) sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.” (Romans 11:28-32)
Note it is “God’s choice” to “shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all”. It is also “God’s choice” as to whom He will save.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” (Ephesians 1:3-4)
There is nothing clearer in Scripture to me than that the salvation of the sinner is “God’s choice” and it is “according to the kind intention of His will”. It is also clear to me that the institutional churches of Christianity do not believe God when they insist that salvation is the “free choice” of the individual. That does not make them bad people, but it does make them unbelievers as to how many people will be saved. Christian unbelievers…go figure.
Think about that in light of what you have been taught. Compare it to the traditional teaching that “He saved us” when we accepted His offer of salvation, or when we repented of our sins, etc.
The Mercy from God is NOT conditional. It is freely poured out on all sinners from the boundless and unending love of God, Who, in His omnipotent wisdom, has determined that it was good for all mankind to become disobedient. Why? In order that He may demonstrate that He is merciful. Paul was addressing the disobedience of Israel when he said…
“From the standpoint of the gospel they (Israel) are enemies for your (Gentiles) sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.” (Romans 11:28-32)
Note it is “God’s choice” to “shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all”. It is also “God’s choice” as to whom He will save.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” (Ephesians 1:3-4)
There is nothing clearer in Scripture to me than that the salvation of the sinner is “God’s choice” and it is “according to the kind intention of His will”. It is also clear to me that the institutional churches of Christianity do not believe God when they insist that salvation is the “free choice” of the individual. That does not make them bad people, but it does make them unbelievers as to how many people will be saved. Christian unbelievers…go figure.