Saturday, April 25, 2015

The "Loving Savior" of Modern Christendom


Consider the following: One man is promoted by others as the "loving savior" of another man who is perishing. He is said to possess the following attributes...

  • He loves the perishing man.
  • He desires to save the pershing man.
  • He has the power to save the perishing man.
  • He has the opportunity to save the pershing man.
  • He is the only one capable of saving the perishing man.
Yet, in spite of this testimony of loving desire coupled with the power, singular capability and opportunity to save the perishing man - the perishing man perishes none the less.  In such a scenario it seems abundantly clear that one or more of the attributes initially ascribed to this "loving savior" must be false. Any reasonable observer must recognize that:
  • Either this "loving savior" did not love the perishing man.
  • Or this "loving savior" did not desire the perishing man's salvation.
  • Or this "loving savior" did not have the power to save the perishing man.
  • Or this "loving savior" did not have the opportunity to save the perishing man.
  • Or this "loving savior" did not believe he alone could save the perishing man.
Many in Christendom today describe Jesus Christ as just such a "loving savior" with precisely the same attributes towards the perishing and producing precisely the same results in the form of untold millions who end up in hell none-the-less. But how do these attributes stack up to the bible's testimony regarding the Lord Jesus Christ?  In the scriptures we find that:
  • God is the only one capable of saving the perishing. (Matthew 19:26, Revelation 5:1-12)
  • God had the opportunity to save the perishing. (II Corinthians 5:21)
  • God has the power to save the perishing. (Isaiah 63:1)
  • God hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. (Psalm 115:3), and thus his failure to save the perishing is incontrovertible evidence that God did not desire this end.
These observations lead us to the unavoidable logical conclusion that is likewise affirmed in the scriptures:
  • God did not purpose to save the perishing (John 17:2, Ephesians 1:4-5, Matthew 23:33).
  • Neither did his Son atone for the perishing (John 10:11, 26).
  • Neither does his Spirit regenerate the perishing (Galatians 4:6, Romans 8:9), and thus we conclude...
  • Neither does God love the perishing, even as the scriptures plainly state (Psalm 5:5, 11:5),
  • Neither was he obliged to (Exodus 33:19).
The Lord Jesus Christ loves his people with the exact same love that God the Father has for Him (John 15:9).  He is an indisputable loving savior, not because he loves all of humanity, but because he loves "his people" (Matthew 1:21). He does not love the perishing as evidenced by the fact that he would not so much as pray for them (John 17:9) and the fact that he consigns the perishing to hell (Matthew 25:41). To claim that He did love them is nothing short of defining the love of god as the eternally abiding wrath of God - an identify fallacy of the highest order. God's love is an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) that is unassailable in its saving efficacy (Romans 8:31-39). But it is also a particular love, irrespective of how unpopular that truth may be in a time when it would take a revival for many to achieve Laodicean zeal. 




4 comments:

  1. Excellent writing here. I love the scriptural logic that draws us into rightly dividing the word of truth and correct doctrinal conclusions. This is very reminiscent of some of the writing of Elder S.A. Paine, which I also greatly admire.

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  2. Yes sir! Certainly beats the Christian Irrationalism that seems so prevalent today. :-)

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    1. Amen brother. I couldn't agree more.

      May God bless our studies and understanding of his relentlessly logical word,
      TETH

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