Beacon-Ministries

 

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS

On

SALVATION OF ALL

 


 

It is God’s will that all men are saved:

"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and One mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (I Timothy 2:4-6).

 

God accomplishes all that He desires to do:

"But He is in one mind, and who can turn Him? and what His soul desireth, even that He doeth" (Job 23:13).

"For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places" (Psalms 135:5,6).

"Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isaiah 46:10).

"In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11).

 

The Lord Jesus Christ taught His followers to love their enemies. He revealed that this was the very nature of the Father:

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:44-48).

 

God is love:

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (I John 4:8-10).

"How excellent is Thy lovingkindness" (Psalm 36:7a).

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins" (Ephesians 2:4, 5a).

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. " (Romans 5:8).

"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared" (Titus 3:4).

"God is love..." ( I John 4:16a).

 

We have the assurance of God that love never fails:

"Charity never faileth" (I Corithians 13:8).

To fail is the translation of [Greek #1601] ekpipto (ek-pip'-to), from G1537 and G4098; to drop away; specially, be driven out of one's course; figuratively, to lose, become inefficient. And it is also translated as – "be cast," "fall" (away, off), and "take none effect."1

All creation shall be freed from the bondage of vanity and corruption:

"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Romans 8:19-22).


All of the Lord’s works shall praise Him, and He will raise up all who be bowed down:

"The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and Thy saints shall bless thee... The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. " (Psalms 145:8-10,14).

 

All shall bow down:

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear" (Isaiah 45:22-23).

"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10,11).

 

This confession is the work of the Holy Spirit:

"Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost" (I Corinthians 12:3).

 

Therefore, every creature will praise the Lord:

"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever" (Revelation 5:13).

 

"The Love of God"

The Love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell

It goes beyond the highest star

And reaches to the lowest hell

The guilty pair, bowed down with care

God gave His Son to win

His erring child He reconciled

And pardoned from his sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill

And were the skies of parchment made

Were every stalk on earth a quill

And every man a scribe by trade

To write the Love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry

Nor could the scroll contain the whole

Though stretched from sky to sky.

Oh Love of God, How rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forever more endure

The saint’s and angel’s song.

 - Frederick M. Lehman, 1917

 

"The only victory love can enjoy is the day when its offer of love is answered by the return of love. The only possible final triumph is a universe loved by God and in love with God." -- William Barclay

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by Clyde L. Pilkington, Jr.
© 2004-2007