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Eternal Damnation - God-imposed or Self-imposed?

by Jack Vorster  
1/15/2012 / Christian Living

IT STARTS WITH SELF-DISCIPLINE
A person who has a 9-5 job has to get up in time each morning in order to get to work on time. As a result of knowing that he is required to be self-disciplined for this purpose in order to reap the benefits, he chooses to do so. It is SELF-IMPOSED.

When the Word of God became man, He chose to make Himself of no reputation for a specific purpose. It was SELF-IMPOSED.

When a person hears the Good News and responds positively, he becomes re-born and then chooses to follow and be obedient to the Word thereafter. It is SELF-IMPOSED.

When a Christian sins as a result of giving in to temptation, he reaps what he sows. His choice to sin was SELF-IMPOSED.

WE DO THE RENEWING TRANSFORMATION FOLLOWS
"be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." It is clear from this Scripture that God is not going to renew your mind - you have to do it yourself as a RESULT of your salvation and what you already have learned from His Word. It is SELF-IMPOSED.

And neither can Jesus do it for you. Humility is not Son-imposed. God does not impose Himself on anyone with anything. "if you abide in me and my words abide in you". Again, the choice is ours. It is either a rejection or it is SELF-IMPOSED. Jesus IMPLORES us to IMPOSE upon ourselves.

Christians are supposed to make decisions based on the Truth and make it a SELF-IMPOSED resolve to go one way or the other.

Yes, our salvation is SON-IMPOSED when we accept and receive it, but from thereon it becomes SELF-IMPOSITION, in which case He will then IMPART the blessings that go with it. One can also lose one's salvation through a SELF-IMPOSED act.

Self-imposition can also extend to other areas where the consequences are tragic and permanent.

A would-be employer notes on the applicant's resume that numerous short-lived jobs are listed. He turns the applicant away KNOWING a job offer is likely to become another statistic on the applicant's resume.

PREDESTINATION IS SELF-WILLED
Just like the would-be employer who turns down an application because he simply knows that the applicant's history indicates a non-conforming attitude, God knows ("before the foundation of the world") who will and who won't come to salvation. Yes, everyone is called to respond, but not everyone will respond positively. This is what makes it predestination - and not a matter of God choosing to save some and not others.

Our God-given free will is what steers us one way or the other - and God knows the direction beforehand. We are either children of the devil (like Jesus pointed out to the scribes) and remain so or we hear the call of God and come running. Thus, we are either called to salvation or we are not. Predestination - but self-imposed.

Using their God-given freedom of choice, Lucifer and a third of all the Angels rebelled against God and as a consequence they fell. Their decision to oppose God was SELF-IMPOSED. Did this mean that they were more powerful than the Triune God? No! It simply means that freedom of choice allows you to do your own thing.

Lucifer, now Satan, orchestrated the fall of man and as a result fallen man became an adherent of the kingdom of darkness. It is only by God's Grace that man is permitted to continue to reject God by a self-imposed act of the will.

A test of power does not enter the equation except to use it to reject or accept the Good News.

THE CHOICE REMAINS OURS
God's love for man is so great that He won't forcibly drag anyone into Heaven who does not love Him and who prefers to remain captive to the forces of darkness. This preference is a self-imposed one and only once the Truth hits home will a Son-imposed transformation take place.

Now retired, Jack Vorster has a background in marketing in the field of newspaper advertising. As a result of a life-changing experience he turned his attention to the study of the human make-up and the realities connected to human behaviour based on the Word of God.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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