Hello everyone, I have a question for you...
Do you believe all of mankind is forgiven? Not universal salvation but universal forgiveness? Let me share what I read on Les Feldick's site a few weeks ago while doing bible study and see if you all agree with him.
First, let me say that most Christian churches teach effectual forgiveness. They teach that sins are not forgiven until one believes Jesus died for their sins. Or that having one's sins forgiven equates to being saved. They believe that Christ's death on the cross provides salvation and therefore applies only to those that believe it.
Others claim that the effectual forgiveness doctrine is not in Paul's writings. Below are a few scriptures they use to support their belief that one is saved by Christ life and not by his death, as necessary as His crucifixion was. They teach when you place your trust in the gospel, you receive the Spirit of Christ and you are now in-Christ. Eph 1:7 teaches when you are in-Christ, you have redemption, and the forgivness of sin.
Ephesians 1:7
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace"
Romans 5:6
"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"
Romans 5:10
"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (resurrection)."
1 John 2:1
"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."
1 Corinthians 15:21
"For since by man [came] death, by Man also [came] the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive."
When I was studying on the internet I saw where Les Feldick says this on his site:
"I noticed in my studies of this past week that in all of Paul's letters that we never have to beg God to forgive us of our sins. Think about that. And yet for most people who are putting out the plan of salvation they say, "You have to ask God to forgive you of your sins, and you have to repent." Well I can't find any of this in Paul's letter to the Church Age believers. It's not in here, but rather my Bible tells me that when Christ died the death of the Cross, He took on Himself not just the sins of those who are saved, but rather He took on the sins of every human being that has ever lived or will ever live. And when He took every human being's sin then He could cry to the Father, "Those sins are forgiven," All of those sins are buried in the deepest sea, never, never to be brought before us again. So even when lost people slip out of this life into eternity, their sins are already forgiven. But they had not believed unto Salvation." www.lesfeldick.org/lesqa-a.html#18a
Les Feldick continues:
"You know, I think when people go to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, they won't be going there for all their sins. They're not going there because of the drunkenness, and adultery and whatever you want to call sin. They're going there because of their unbelief! And if I'm not remembered for anything else I want to be remembered for that. That lost humanity is going to their eternal doom for only one reason, and that is they refuse to believe that everything is already done."
The composite of believers around the whole world that makes up the True Body of Christ, whether we're Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Catholics - that's moot. If we're born again and children of God, we are automatically in that Body of Christ, and that Body of Christ may be meeting in Church buildings. But always remember that not all people meeting in those Church buildings are in the Body of Christ. That depends of course how much of the "Truth" is promoted. If the people in that particular building believe for their salvation that Jesus Christ died for their sins, was buried and rose again, + Nothing, then these people are what are called "true believers, and are part of the Body of Christ!" www.lesfeldick.org/lesqa-b.html#4b
Any comments are welcome on this topic?
Jimmy
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