Matt. 18.10-14 Let None One of These Little Ones to Perish

[Paul]

"10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that [sheep], than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish" (Matt. 18.10-14).

Not sure how this passage could support Calvinism. Seems completely out of character from the god of Calvinism because God doesn't want any of them to perish so He seeks (prevenient grace) even to the very last one who has gone astray. That's not the kind of love we see in the god of Calvinism who takes glory in passing over billions giving them no possibility of salvation. Where is the love in that? "Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep" (Luke 15.6). "In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!" (v.7) God reaches out and the lost sheep must repent and return/believe to God. In that order, not return/believe then repent.

[servant77]

On the second time reading through your post and prayerfully wondering what this is like compared to the world before the flood :
did Yhwh want any of the people to perish ? The Ark would not hold all the people, but could it have worked like it did in Nineveh if the people had repented in sackcloth and ashes, even though Yhwh did not offer a chance for the world to be spared as far as I know?

Then, the last thought that occurred to me as reading it, "one lost sinner" vs ninety-nine who are not lost ....
are there even one person in one hundred on earth today who is not lost ? (It seems dramatically fewer people than this are saved).

Yet the sins of all mankind are paid for by the blood of the lamb who was slain, right ? - just not efficacious for those who never believe ? Meaning EVERYONE who comes to Jesus, He will in no wise cast out,
but how many will come to Jesus ?

Or again, as the Father says - "whoever seeks Me will find Me" ; but how many will seek Him and keep seeking Him ?

Then once more it is written concerning the keys: (to the teachers?) "You have the keys of the kingdom but you refuse to enter in. And if a little one(young child? or unbeliever any age?) comes seeking the kingdom, you do all you can to prevent them from entering..." So the little ones referred to here are not in the kingdom yet, and I don't see that all, many, or some, or a few? of them will be ... Is this clarified somewhere ?

[Paul]

On the second time reading through your post and prayerfully wondering what this is like compared to the world before the flood :
did Yhwh want any of the people to perish ? The Ark would not hold all the people, but could it have worked like it did in Nineveh if the people had repented in sackcloth and ashes, even though Yhwh did not offer a chance for the world to be spared as far as I know?
Just because the "Ark would not hold all the people" doesn't mean before that God didn't do all He could to try to urge people to repent.


Then, the last thought that occurred to me as reading it, "one lost sinner" vs ninety-nine who are not lost ....
are there even one person in one hundred on earth today who is not lost ? (It seems dramatically fewer people than this are saved).

You're missing the point. The 99 is not 99% of the world saved; but the 1% is God reaches out to even the very last person.


Yet the sins of all mankind are paid for by the blood of the lamb who was slain, right ? - just not efficacious for those who never believe ? Meaning EVERYONE who comes to Jesus, He will in no wise cast out,
but how many will come to Jesus ?
The blood is efficacious whosoever is willing.


Or again, as the Father says - "whoever seeks Me will find Me" ; but how many will seek Him and keep seeking Him ?
For example, you don't find God because you don't seek Him, that's why you teach a person can lose salvation (non-OSAS in your profile) -- no longer seeking Him -- after allegedly being saved. God simply doesn't save you in the first place. And that's sad that is the way you want to be. You prefer a selfish salvation one based on your own strength to be saved or stay saved.


Then once more it is written concerning the keys: (to the teachers?) "You have the keys of the kingdom but you refuse to enter in. And if a little one(young child? or unbeliever any age?) comes seeking the kingdom, you do all you can to prevent them from entering..." So the little ones referred to here are not in the kingdom yet, and I don't see that all, many, or some, or a few? of them will be ... Is this clarified somewhere ?
You misquoted me. I didn't say "prevent them from entering." That's Satanic. I said God has prevenient grace, which means God provides sufficient grace to all to have the free choice. You're confused.

There is something seriously wrong with you.

[Churchwork]

servant77 do you really need 12 question marks in your post? Are you that confused?