According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. 1 Peter 1:2
When the truth that promise and duty go hand in hand is not known, the doctrine of predestination and foreknowledge of God is misrepresented to mean that there are people who have been predestinated by God's sovereign act to be saved, and that no matter what they do, they will eventually be saved. But according to J Wesley, "The true predestination or foreappointment of God is:
• He that believeth shall be saved from the guilt and power of sin.
• He that endureth to the end shall be saved eternally.
• They who receive the precious gift of faith thereby become the sons of God; and, being sons, they shall receive the Spirit of holiness, to walk as Christ also walked."
Toni
When the truth that promise and duty go hand in hand is not known, the doctrine of predestination and foreknowledge of God is misrepresented to mean that there are people who have been predestinated by God's sovereign act to be saved, and that no matter what they do, they will eventually be saved. But according to J Wesley, "The true predestination or foreappointment of God is:
• He that believeth shall be saved from the guilt and power of sin.
• He that endureth to the end shall be saved eternally.
• They who receive the precious gift of faith thereby become the sons of God; and, being sons, they shall receive the Spirit of holiness, to walk as Christ also walked."
In this sense, promise (salvation) and duty (faith) go hand in hand without infringing on the doctrine of salvation being a free gift which ultimately depends on the sinner exercising his freewill to accept the free gift of God. Such is the promise of God in John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life". This is a classical scripture signifying promise and duty.
To teach any other thing other than this is to teach what is not consistent with bible truth. Consistently, the bible presents the promise of God to save the sinner, yet, this promise will only be profitable to those who believe, and it is "whosoever" that can believe, not a select group.
Toni
