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Hoekom red God nie almal nie?

(Skrywer anoniem)

Persoon A: Een ding wat my eerlikwaar pootjie is die idee van die verkiesing. Jy weet, die idee dat God vooruit kies wie gered sal word en wie nie. Ek weet dit is Bybels, maar ek hou nie daarvan nie. Dit klink net nie reg óf regverdig nie.

Persoon B: Ja, ek het al voorheen gehoor dat mense dit sê. Ek moet jou vra: As jy God was, hoe sou jy dit gedoen het? Wat sou meer regverdig wees?

Persoon A: Wel, ek sal beslis nie vooraf kies wie is in en wie is uit nie! Ek sou almal ’n gelyke kans gee om gered te word. Ek sou dit so maak dat elke mens wat ooit geleef het in staat was om die evangelie op ’n manier te hoor in hul leeftyd. En almal sou ’n regverdige kans gegee word om ’n keuse te maak sonder dat ek besluit nog voor hulle gebore is!

Persoon B: Goed, maar siende dat jy God is, sou jy alwetend wees, nie waar nie?

Persoon A: Wel, ja. Natuurlik.

Persoon B: Dan sou jy elke persoon se ewige lot geweet het voordat jy hulle geskep het. So, dan is jou skeppingsdaad, met die wete of hulle hemel of hel toe gaan wanneer hulle sterf, oorsakend. Sien, selfs in jou eie stelsel, besluit jy in werklikheid vooruit oor almal se ewige bestemming, net deur hulle te skep.

Persoon A: Ek besef die hart van die vraag is eintlik dit: “Waarom kies God om slegs sommige mense te red, maar nie ander nie? Hoekom red Hy nie net almal nie?”

Persoon B: Ek het daardie vraag vir ’n lang tyd gevra en tot ’n besef gekom. Dit kom nie van ’n harde teologiese teorie nie, maar van die basiese evangelieboodskap wat sedert kindsbeen aan my bekend is. Die basis van die Christendom is dat ons almal sondaars is en dat ons almal ’n redder nodig het. Ons almal het Jesus nodig – sonder Hom het ons geen hoop. Reg?

Persoon A: Ja.

Persoon B: En ons almal het ’n redder nodig, want ons is almal sondig en ons almal verdien die oordeel vir ons sondigheid. Stem jy saam?

Persoon A: Natuurlik.

Persoon B: Ons almal verdien die hel. Dit is nie ’n maklike ding om te sê nie, maar om dít te erken is ’n baie belangrike stap om Jesus se soenoffer, wat ons red van hierdie verskriklike lot, te aanvaar. Dus, as elke enkele een van ons God se oordeel verdien, moet ons nie vashaak op die vraag: “Hoekom red God nie almal nie”. Die vraag wat ons eintlik moet antwoord is: “Waarom red God enigiemand?”

Hoekom aanvaar sommige die Evangelie en ander nie?

(Stuart Olyott)

Hoekom aanvaar sommige die Evangelie en ander nie?

Die rede hiervoor is nie in die Evangelie self nie – dieselfde boodskap word aan almal verkondig (Romeine 10:13). Die rede hiervoor is nie in die aard van die hoorders nie: almal van hulle is geestelik ewe dood (Efesiërs 2:1), almal van hulle is van nature anti-God (Romeine 8:7-8), almal van hulle, aan hulleself oorgelaat, sou beslis nie die reddende Evangelie nooit aanvaar nie, maar sal in hul sondes vergaan (1 Korintiërs 2:14). Die ware rede hiervoor is dat sommige geroep is en ander nie (Matteus 22:14). Almal is geroep met dieselfde boodskap, maar nie almal is verkies nie. Net ’n paar ontvang die oproep wat hulle op die ou end met Christus verenig (Kolossense 1:9). Dit is ’n wonderwerk – soos Lazarus hoor hulle die Goddelike uitnodiging, en word trouens na Christus gebring daardeur! Hierdie spesiale en innerlike oproep word na verwys in Romeine 8:30; 1 Korintiërs 1:9; 2 Tessalonisense 2:13-14; 2 Petrus 1:10. Dit is ’n daad van God, en God alleen (1 Kor 1:9; 2 Timoteus 1:8-9). Dit word spesifiek toegeskryf aan God die Vader (Romeine 8:30; 1 Kor 1:9; Galasiërs 1:15; Efesiërs 1:17-18; 1 Johannes 3:1). Dit word betyds gegee, want dit was van ewigheid beplan (Romeine 8:28-30; 2 Timoteus 1:9; Efesiërs 1:4). Dit is alles deel van God se doel in Christus. Sodra dit gegee is, word dit nooit teruggetrek nie (Romeine 11:29). Dit is hoog, heilig en hemels (Filippense 3:14; 2 Timoteus 1:9; Hebreërs 3:1).

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Why doesn’t God save everyone?

Person A: I’ll tell you one thing that honestly trips me up: the idea of election. You know, that God chooses in advance who will be saved and who won’t. I know it’s biblical but … I don’t like it. It just doesn’t seem right. Or fair.

Person B: Yeah I’ve heard people say that before. So I’ve gotta ask: how would you do it, if you were God? What would seem more right and fair?

Person A: Well I certainly wouldn’t choose in advance who was in and who was out! I would give everyone an equal chance to be saved. I’d make it so every human who ever lived was able to hear the gospel somehow in their lifetime. And everyone would have a fair chance to make a choice, without me deciding their fate before they’re even born!

Person B: K … but you, being God, would be omniscient … all-knowing … yes?

Person A: We’ll, yeah. Of course.

Person B: Then you’d already know every person’s eternal fate before you created them. So then, your act of creating them, knowing whether they’d be going to heaven or hell when they died, is causative. See … even within your system, you would, in fact, be choosing everyone’s eternal destiny in advance. Just by creating them.

Person A: I guess the heart of the question is really this: why does God choose to save some people, but not others? Why doesn’t he just save everyone?

Person B: I asked that question for a long time … but then Ihad a realization. And it didn’t come from some hard theological theory, but from the basic gospel message I had known since forever ago. Kinda the ground-floor of Christianity is that we’re all sinners and we all need a savior. We all need Jesus … and without him we have no hope. Right?

Person A: Yeah.

Person B: And we all need a savior because we’re all sinful and … we all deserve judgement for our sinfulness. Yes?

Person A: Of course.

Person B: We all deserve hell. It’s a tough thing to say, but admitting it is a crucial step in accepting Jesus’s atoning sacrifice that saves us from this terrible fate. So if every single one of us deserves God’s judgement, we shouldn’t get hung up on the question, “Why doesn’t God save everyone” …

The question that should really boggle our minds is this … “Why does god save anyone?”

Why do some accept the gospel and some not?

(Stuart Olyott)

The reason is not in the Gospel itself – the same message is preached to all (Romans 10:13). The reason is not in the nature of the hearers: all of them are equally dead spiritually (Ephesians 2:1), all of them are naturally anti-God (Romans 8:7-8), all of them, left to themselves, would certainly never accept the saving Gospel, but would perish in their sins (1 Corinthians 2:14). The true reason is that some are effectually called and some are not (Matthew 22:14). All are called by the same message but not all are ‘called out’ by it. Only some receive the call which actually united them to Christ (Colossians 1:9). It is a miracle – like Lazarus they hear the Divine summons, and are actually brought to Christ by it! This special and inward call is referred to in (Romans 8:30; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Peter 1:10). It is an act of God, and of God alone (1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:8-9). It is specifically attributed to God the Father (Romans 8:30; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Galatians 1:15; Ephesians 1:17-18; 1 John 3:1). It is given in time because it was planned in eternity (Romans 8:28-30; 2 Timothy 1:9; Ephesians 1:4). It is all part of God’s purpose in Christ. Once it is given, it is never withdrawn (Romans 11:29). It is high, holy, and heavenly (Philippians 3:14; 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 3:1).