Salvation : All Are Given A Chance . . . But

SALVATION : ALL ARE GIVEN A CHANCE . . . BUT . . . : PT 1

Copyright 1994 - 2009 Endtime Prophecy Net

Published On : April 30, 2001

Last Updated : May 7, 2009

Rastafarian Doctrine, The Bereans, Twisting The Scriptures,
Universal Nature Of Salvation Plan, God Is No Respecter Of
Persons, One In Christ, Not All Will Be Saved, The Path Of
Unbelievers And Rebellious, Not All Fish Bite, Two Fishless
Nights, Smart Fish Or Dumb Fish?, Foolishness Of The Gospel,
Predestination, Children By Adoption, The Endtime Deceivers

Some time ago, a woman wrote to me regarding a problem she
had encountered while trying to witness to members of the
sect known as the Rastafarians. To be honest, I know very
little about this group; but according to the message she
sent me, the problem lies in the fact that they embrace a
doctrine which states that Salvation is only meant for black
persons. As this woman noted -- and naturally I agree with
her -- all matters regarding doctrinal truth and error, can
best be determined by looking to the Scriptures. As I have
stated on previous occasions, this is precisely what the
Bereans did in the seventeenth chapter of the Book of Acts,
after Paul and Silas had presented the doctrine of Christ to
them. Consider the following verses:

"And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by
night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue
of the Jews. These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so."
Acts 17:10-11, KJV

Based upon my personal knowledge of the Scriptures, and more
specifically, my understanding of the doctrine of Salvation,
I must concur with this dear woman and clearly say that the
Rastafarian's so-called doctrine of "Blacks only" is utterly
false, totally ridiculous and quite unScriptural. It has no
Biblical foundation whatsoever; that is, unless a person or
a particular group purposely distorts the meaning of the
Scriptures for their own personal convenience. But then, the
practice of perverting the true meaning of the Scriptures is
nothing new. It has been happening since the First Century;
and probably before that as well. The Apostle Peter wrote
the following regarding certain individuals who were trying
to distort the meaning of some of Paul's more profound
doctrines:

"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these
things; in which are some things hard to be understood,
which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do
also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."
2 Peter 3:16, KJV

That word "wrest" is derived from the Greek word "strebloo",
pronounced streb-lo'-o, which means to twist, or to pervert
language in a metaphorical sense. The writers of the New
Testament undeniably prove that Jesus died on the Cross in
order to make the Plan of Salvation not only known, but also
available, to all men everywhere, regardless of national or
ethnic origin. God is trying to save as many people as He
possibly can; but, as I explain in such articles as "Free
Will And Personal Choice" and "Love And Light, Or Rod And
Wrath?" -- and as we will see in a moment -- He usually does
not override our personal choice. In fact, this theme is the
primary message of my article "Is Salvation Meant For All
Men?". It is because of God's Love, Mercy, Compassion, and
desire to save all of His creations, that Peter and Paul
wrote the following verses. I have taken the liberty to
capitalize certain words in these verses for the sake of
emphasis:

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared
to ALL MEN,"
Titus 2:11, KJV

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour; Who will have ALL MEN to be saved, and to come unto
the knowledge of the truth."
1 Timothy 2:3-4, KJV

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men
count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to
repentance."
2 Peter 3:9, KJV

Some of my other articles concerning Salvation which you may
be interested in reading include "Message To The World", and
"The Blood Atonement: In Jesus' Own Words". Jesus Himself
not only made it quite clear that the Gospel of Salvation
would be preached to all nations before His glorious Return,
but that by His Death upon the Cross, He would also draw all
men to Himself. Common sense dictates that if God was not
interested in the Salvation of all of humanity, then He most
definitely would not have made the Plan of Salvation such a
public affair, as we see in the following verses. Instead,
He would have chosen to send His emissaries secretly to only
witness to those whom He had ordained. Again, I have taken
the liberty to capitalize certain words for the sake of
emphasis:

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in ALL THE
WORLD for a witness unto ALL NATIONS; and then shall the end
come."
Matthew 24:14, KJV

"And he said unto them, Go ye into ALL THE WORLD, and preach
the gospel to EVERY CREATURE."
Mark 16:15, KJV

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and UNTO THE
UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH."
Acts 1:8, KJV

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life."
John 3:16, KJV

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL MEN
unto me."
John 12:32, KJV

If you are not yet personally convinced of these two points,
following are some additional verses I have compiled, which
clearly show the all-inclusive, global nature of God's Plan
of Salvation. Again, I have capitalized some words for the
sake of emphasis:

"BUT AS MANY AS RECEIVED HIM, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name:"
John 1:12, KJV

"The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light,
that ALL MEN through him might believe."
John 1:7, KJV

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commandeth ALL MEN EVERY WHERE to repent:"
Acts 17:30, KJV

"Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all
men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the
free gift came upon ALL MEN unto justification of life."
Romans 5:18, KJV

". . . because we trust in the living God, who is the
Saviour of ALL MEN, specially of those that believe."
1 Timothy 4:10b, KJV

"For YE ARE ALL THE CHILDREN OF GOD by faith in Christ
Jesus."
Galatians 3:26, KJV

It should be clear then that hearing the Gospel, as well as
accepting the truth of the Gospel, is available to all men
everywhere. As we saw earlier, the Apostle Paul wrote in his
Epistle to the Romans that we are all sinners; we have all
come under condemnation; and so we all require a Saviour;
and that is Jesus Christ. As I point out in "Message To The
World", there are no exceptions. In short, as the following
verses plainly tell us, and as I also mention in the article
"Is God A Racist?", God is not a respecter of persons. He is
not partial to His creations. He does not have one special
race of people who have a unique hold on Salvation because
of their bloodline. It does not matter who we are in the
flesh, but rather what we become through spiritual rebirth,
by our acceptance of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ:

"Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take
heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our
God, NOR RESPECT OF PERSONS, nor taking of gifts."
2 Chronicles 19:7, KJV

"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I
perceive that GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS:"
Acts 10:34, KJV

"For there is NO RESPECT OF PERSONS with God."
Romans 2:11, KJV

"And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing
threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven;
NEITHER IS THERE RESPECT OF PERSONS WITH HIM."
Ephesians 6:9, KJV

"And if ye call on the Father, WHO WITHOUT RESPECT OF
PERSONS judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time
of your sojourning here in fear:"
1 Peter 1:17, KJV

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there
come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly
apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing,
and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to
the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges
of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God
chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of
the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you,
and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they
blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye
fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But IF YE HAVE
RESPECT TO PERSONS, YE COMMIT SIN, and are convinced of the
law as transgressors."
James 2:1-9, KJV

So again, the Gift of Eternal Life is not just for Blacks,
or for Whites, or for Orientals, or for Jews; or just for
anyone else; it is available to all men. We are all either
saved, or we are unsaved. We are either washed in the Blood
of the Lamb, or else we are not. That is all that God sees.
While we may be of different nationalities in the flesh,
once we come to Christ, once we are born of the Spirit, we
lose our Earthly nature, and we take on the nature of the
inner man of the Spirit; we become new creatures; and we all
become one in Him; we each become a part of God's spiritual
family; as we see here:

"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have
put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for
ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then
are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."
Galatians 3:27-29, KJV

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new."
2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth
is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches
of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in
the inner man;"
Ephesians 3:14-16, KJV

But, there is an interesting catch to this situation. As I
point out in some of the aforementioned articles, while the
Gift of Salvation is freely open to all men, and while God
is no respecter of persons, at the same time, the Scriptures
also make very clear that not everyone will be saved. While
it may surprise you, Jesus Himself tells us that most people
will in fact not be saved, due to their unbelief, and their
rebellious and wicked hearts. Consider these verses:

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate,
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few
there be that find it."
Matthew 7:13-14, KJV

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the
world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved."
John 3:19-20, KJV

". . . Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he
find faith on the earth?"
Luke 18:8b, KJV

In a small comment found in his second Epistle to the
Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul also adds this interesting
thought:

". . . for all men have not faith."
2 Thessalonians 3:2, KJV

We can compare this situation to a fishing expedition. You
may recall that when the Lord first began recruiting His
Disciples, He chose certain brothers who were fishermen by
occupation. These included Peter, James, John and Andrew.
You will also know that the Lord often used simple stories
about everyday life, called Parables, in order to explain a
certain concept regarding the Kingdom of Heaven. When He
chose some of these men, He said to them:

". . . Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 4:19b, KJV

The message here was clear. Whereas before they had been
fishers of real fish, now they would be fishers of souls for
the Kingdom of Heaven. As experienced fishermen, they knew
that not every day is a good day out in the boat. Sometimes
the fish bite, and sometimes they don't. I recall two times
where the Disciples had bad nights. God used the first to
convince them of Jesus' Messiahship, as we see here:

"Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch
out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And
Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all
the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word
I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they
inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the
other ship, that they should come and help them. And they
came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees,
saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For
he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the
draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also
James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners
with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from
henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought
their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him."
Luke 5:4-11, KJV

Concerning the second fruitless night, I am not sure if the
Lord allowed it in order to show them their backslidden
condition -- because they had returned to their old fishing
occupation -- or if He did this merely to strengthen their
weakened faith following the Crucifixion, by proving to them
once again that He was indeed the risen Messiah:

"After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the
disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he
himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called
Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of
Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith
unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go
with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship
immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when
the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the
disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto
them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And
he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the
ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they
were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter,
It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the
Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was
naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other
disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from
land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net
with fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they
saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now
caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full
of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all
there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith
unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst
ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus
then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish
likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed
himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the
dead."
John 21:1-14, KJV

As any fisherman knows, after a while, sometimes the fish
become rather smart. They recognize the color and shape of
the lure; they see the glint of the hook where it has not
been carefully covered by the bait; and they avoid it and
refuse to bite. Ironically, while these real fish may save
themselves from the frying pan, in the spiritual parallel
to this example, the exact opposite holds true. While some
smart, worldly people think that they are safe by refusing
the "foolishness" of the Gospel, they are in fact placing
themselves in grave danger of not just being placed in the
frying pan, but of being cast directly into the fire. They
would be much better off if they simply took the bait -- the
Cross/Hook of Christ -- and allow themselves to be caught by
God's fishermen. More on this in a moment; but allow me to
share a few verses with you regarding such world-wise people
who do not understand, and who in fact resist God's Spirit
working in their lives:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
1 Corinthians 2:14, KJV

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of
God."
1 Corinthians 1:18, KJV

"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of
them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto
them."
2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV

So which are you, dear reader; a dumb fish or a smart fish?

While in God's Mercy, we are all eventually given a chance
to hear the Gospel of Salvation, and thus faced with the
all-important choice of either accepting or else rejecting
the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ as Atonement for our sins, the
Bible also plainly tell us that only those people who have
been predestinated and chosen by God the Father Himself,
will take heed to the Voice of His Spirit calling in their
lives, and will be saved. That is why Jesus plainly stated:

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
John 6:37, KJV

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me:"
John 10:27, KJV

Clearly then, it is God the Father who gives the sheep to
the Great Shepherd; His own dear Son. He is the One who
places the spark of faith in our hearts, so that we will
have the desire to fulfill His Will by being saved. Thus,
contrary to what some people may think, choosing Christ is
not something of which we can personally boast. It is only
the work of God the Father, and Jesus Christ, our Great
Shepherd, as we see here:

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the
blood of the everlasting covenant,"
Hebrews 13:20, KJV

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do
of his good pleasure."
Philippians 2:13, KJV

So again, we cannot heed the call of the "great shepherd of
the sheep", unless we have been ordained to do so. Here are
some additional verses concerning being predestinated and
chosen as the foreordained, adopted children of God, through
faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I have again placed
some words in capital letters for the sake of emphasis:

"Ye have not chosen me, but I HAVE CHOSEN YOU, and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your
fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the
Father in my name, he may give it you . . . If ye were of
the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are
not of the world, but I HAVE CHOSEN YOU OUT OF THE WORLD,
therefore the world hateth you."
John 15:16, 19, KJV

"So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be
called, but FEW CHOSEN."
Matthew 20:16, KJV

"For many are called, but FEW ARE CHOSEN."
Matthew 22:14, KJV

"And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh
should be saved: but for the elect's sake, WHOM HE HATH
CHOSEN, he hath shortened the days."
Mark 13:20, KJV

"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and
glorified the word of the Lord: and AS MANY AS WERE ORDAINED
TO ETERNAL LIFE believed."
Acts 13:48, KJV

"For WHOM HE DID FOREKNOW, HE ALSO DID PREDESTINATE to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren."
Romans 8:29, KJV

"According as HE HATH CHOSEN US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION
OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and without blame
before him in love . . . Having PREDESTINATED us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will . . . 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 1:4-5, 11, KJV

"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you,
brethren beloved of the Lord, because GOD HATH FROM THE
BEGINNING CHOSEN YOU TO SALVATION through sanctification of
the Spirit and belief of the truth:"
2 Thessalonians 2:13, KJV

"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of
this life; that he may please HIM WHO HATH CHOSEN HIM to be
a soldier."
2 Timothy 2:4, KJV

"Hearken, my beloved brethren, HATH NOT GOD CHOSEN the poor
of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which
he hath promised to them that love him?"
James 2:5, KJV

"But YE ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvellous light:"
1 Peter 2:9, KJV

"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings:
and THEY THAT ARE WITH HIM ARE CALLED, AND CHOSEN, and
faithful."
Revelation 17:14, KJV

So, once we do hear the Voice of His Spirit calling in our
lives, and accept the Sacrifice of His dear Son as Atonement
for our sins, as I mentioned earlier, we become spiritually
adopted into the Heavenly Family; and in fact, into the
Royal Household of God Himself. We become His adopted sons
and daughters. Consider these additional verses:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power TO
BECOME THE SONS of God, even to them that believe on his
name:"
John 1:12, KJV

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to
fear; but YE HAVE RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION, whereby
we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with
our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be
also glorified together."
Romans 8:15-17, KJV

"For ye are all the CHILDREN OF GOD BY FAITH IN CHRIST
JESUS."
Galatians 3:26, KJV

"Having predestinated us unto THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN by
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of
his will,"
Ephesians 1:5, KJV

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
FELLOWCITIZENS with the saints, and OF THE HOUSEHOLD OF
GOD;"
Ephesians 2:19, KJV

So as you can plainly see, since before the world began,
God the Father has set into motion His special "Salvage And
Adoption Plan". If you would like to read more about this,
please see such articles as my series "Is Jesus The Only
Begotten Son Of God?". Allow me to remind you again that
this Plan is most certainly not limited to just one race of
people, as the Rastafarians would have you to believe. Jesus
Christ died for the sins of all men everywhere; and whoever
teaches contrary to this, is a liar and a deceiver. Do not
fall for such lies and trickery! We were duly warned of such
wayward doctrines by the writers of the New Testament many
years ago, as we see by these verses:

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up
into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:"
Ephesians 4:14-15, KJV

"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For
it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace;
not with meats, which have not profited them that have been
occupied therein."
Hebrews 13:9, KJV

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils;"
1 Timothy 4:1, KJV

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears;"
2 Timothy 4:3, KJV

Please go to part two for the conclusion of this article.

Go To Part Two . . .