One more post tonight

[eleneariel]

And this is the confidence which we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of Him. --I John 5:14-15

If we ask what is within the will of God, He answers and we obtain that which we have requested. This is well and good, and I believe it-- until I try to start applying it literally. I understand why God hasn't answered some of my prayers, since it's evident that I don't know what is in His will or not.

But. If it is God's will that "none should perish, but all have eternal life", then does that mean that every time a believer prays for the salvation of another, it will be answered (whether immediately or years later) in the affirmative?

And if someone dies unsaved, is it because nobody prayed for their salvation?

Comments

[equuschick.livejournal.com]

Here goeth me, thinking out loud. Yes, it is God's will that all be saved- But when you look at this verse in the context of the rest of God's Word, it is not God's will that all be saved at the expense of His justice. It is God's will, in short that all meet the perimeters to be saved. If they don't meet the perimeters than He will not save them, even though it may have been God's own desire that they meet those perimeters so that He could justly save them. If an individual refuses to meet those perimeters, then our own prayers can't save them.

Hmm. Tear it apart. I am thinking out loud.

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

I know there's a flaw in my thinking somewhere, I just can't find it yet. You sound logical--think away!

[equuschick.livejournal.com]

Gee. You're sure a difficult person to have a discussion with. =P
In all seriousness however, I do think that your flaw lies somewhere in misunderstanding the verse you quote saying "It is God's will that none should perish and that all shall inherit eternal life." It is what God wants for everyone, Mari. God also wanted Israel not to be the stubborn and rebellious nation it grew up to be. What He wants is not always what we choose. There is "God's Will" as in God's Soverign Plan and Will that Has Nothing to Do with Us, and then there is "God's Will" as in, what God would give us if we'd accept it. And now, *cough* this is the part where I always get into trouble with the world at general because the bottom line is Free Will. There's God Will, and our Free Will. There are two things that God will never sacrifice, Mari. His Justice, and our Free Will.