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Churchwork
05-01-2006, 04:29 PM
John 3 is most certainly addressing new birth, for some are going to hell in v.18 because they have not been born-again, they choose not. The wind bloweth pertains the regeneration in the spirit of the man's intuition, communion and conscience. Calvinist confuse man's will in 1.13 which is referring to man's plans, with "whosever believeth" in Johne 3.16. The latter is in the image of God to make a choice, while the former speaks of plans.

There is no distinction between all who will believe and whoever believe for they all must still believe to receive. In either case God says if you don't believe, you will not receive and will be condemned (3.8). Obviously such a warning is not given if it was upon a programmed choice in calvinism, otherwise that is vanity.

Rom. 8.29 says God predestinates by foreknowing our choice (John 3.16), so that in our being chosen it is based on this condition. We see the choice, and the warning the choice needs to be made, because new birth is dependant on our choice made in God's image like the right offering Abel gave.

Israel will only believe when God returns in Person. This is the prophecy and the promised covenant of God's foreknowing their choice. "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not" (10.25). This verse precedes the other verses. They believe not because they are not His sheep. This is a looking back at the situation. If a person is not born-again it is because they are not in the body of Christ, but instantly when they believe they are in the body of Christ so looking back upon knowing we are chosen we know we believe in the body of Christ and we know those who are not saved is because in our looking back at them since they are not in the body we know they don't believe. "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep" (v.26).

One is a looking forward to believe to not go to hell; the other is a looking back to know whence one is saved they are chosen. The Scriptures are allowed by God to speak in both these fashions without legalism. One is saying believe (3.16) because they are not saved (v.18), and other says you believe because you are chosen (a sheep).

This is really not so hard to understand unless you are in heady calvinism of the soul which smothers the spirit's intuition; consequently ruining proper cause and effect. The unsaved are soulical and live soulishly, while those who are saved though not soulical, may still be soulish and will lose rewards. Christians need to be delivered from the petty self and legalisms. Be willing to see something from different persectives that God is showing instead of creating a legalism.