Matt Slick Live Broadcast Date:

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network. If you want to give me a call, dial 8772072276 or email info at karm.org. Today's date is January 23, 2023.

I can't believe February is sneaking up around the corner. If you want to give me a call, you can. All right, 8772072276 and you can email me at info at karm.org. So you can do that and just send me a radio question or whatever it is in the subject line and a radio comment and that'll be fine and I can get into that. So I was talking to the producer right before the show and we're thinking about doing some other stuff and I won't get into that right now but he was telling me. I started laughing. He's telling me about an audio clip from a woman pastor and I'm just cracking up because it's so stupid that this woman, I don't know who she is, has gone to heaven hundreds of times and seen celebrities there. I'm just like, are you kidding me? That is awesome.

Yeah, that's right. I've been to heaven hundreds of times. Hundreds of times. I saw celebrities and we sat down talking.

It's like, are you serious? Oh my goodness. So man, I wish I had enough money to be able to fly out and not in cargo hold like I have to fly all the time. Cargo hold, I'm six feet tall. I've got to fit in these seats and just like I'm cramped up. Anyway, so it'd be nice to go in business class, get a little bit more room and go to these churches and just go in there on a Sunday with a camera, like a pair of glasses.

I have a camera in them or something or a lapel mic, camera, whatever, and go in and take pictures. Some audio, some of these wackos. You know, that's right, I've been to heaven hundreds of times. Hundreds of times. See, celebrities there. Really?

That's what you're going to comment about, right? Man, if I went to heaven, I tell you, when I came back, I'd say, oh my goodness, I'm an unworthy servant. I'm an unworthy wretch, saved by the grace of God, kept by the grace of God. Oh man, I can't believe he let me come in there. And here I am telling you about the greatness of my Lord and Savior. Or, hey, I saw celebrities. You did right.

So which one do you think is biblical? It's inexplicable. So I love that. What movie is that from? It's inexplicable. The Princess Bride? I don't know.

Maybe someone who knows will be able to tell me because it's inexplicable. I can't get over it. Oh man. You know, I need to have a t-shirt, a good, comfortable, big t-shirt that says, so much heresy, so little time.

And I need to have another one that says, so much stupidity, so little time. Oh man. I can't help it. I'm sorry. I get a kick out of stupidity. And I don't know, maybe it's a defense mechanism. I've got a friend, Dave.

This is true, true story. There's a word for it. I don't know what it is. It's a condition he's actually been diagnosed with, that when he is hurt in a lot of pain, he laughs. And there's an actual word for it. And there's a psychological thing where the pain receptors cross pollinate with the cross wire, whatever, with the funny bone. And he'll laugh when he gets hurt really bad.

And I've seen it happen. I remember once we're out in the backyard and we're doing some sprinkler work, right? So he happened to be, oh man, it's one of my favorite stories of all time. So he's pulling on this sprinkler head, right? It's one of those spring loaded sprinkler heads. And watch, I have my supervisor's hat on.

I'm keeping a safe distance. And so he's down there. It's my sprinklers, too.

He's down in there digging. We're trying to take the broken sprinkler head. And this one sprinkler head, it would not come up. It wasn't the little one. It was one of those big ones, those massive ones for the corner or whatever.

It was going to shoot 8,000 feet and all that kind of stuff. But he's got it down there and we're twisting. I couldn't get it up. So he's tried. And so he gets down there. He's pulling this thing. He's pulling, he's pulling, he's pulling.

And he's stretching this spring about a foot. And it let loose. Oh, man.

Oh, wow. It slapped him in the fingertips because he has fingertips around the whole thing. And it locked onto his fingertips.

The springs not only slapped him apart, but then it clamped onto his fingerprints. I'm sorry. And all he could do, all he could do was look at me and hold it up in the air and go, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, like a monkey. I'm telling you, I must die. I mean, I was laughing so hard.

Oh, man. And here I am cracking up. There's no sympathy whatsoever. And the poor guy's in absolute pain.

He's dying. So anyway, it was inconceivable. That's right. That's what Stephen says. So anyway, I still remember that every time I tell that guy to crack it up.

And he recovered like 10 minutes later. He goes, I got no sympathy from you. I said, of course not. He said, are you kidding? It was too funny.

So it's kind of a running gag now. I'll say that because he lives in California and I'm in Idaho. I'll say, hey, why don't you come on up and we'll work on sprinklers together. I'll get my supervisor's cap. And he goes, I'll be right up. Okay.

Sounds good. So, yeah, that's right. In fact, since I'm talking about stupidity like this. So he was up a week or so ago working on stuff. And so I sliced my finger. Okay. And not really bad, about a quarter of an inch slice.

Not big enough for anything bleeding. I'm just washing it out and all this stuff. Right. And it stung. You know, it's like what you do stuff.

Okay. So, you know, he's just kind of looking at it, kind of chuckling a little bit because, hey, it was I did something stupid. You know, I had a razor blade. It was one of those I cut myself like, man, what an idiot. And so, you know, we all do stupid things. Right.

So later that day, it was, you know, it wasn't bleeding anymore. We're at a hardware store. Right. And we were trying to figure out how to get shelving up. And I reach into this rack of metal to grab this one piece.

And I misjudge the distance. And I hit the corner of a piece of metal right on that wound. Oh, man.

Oh, man. I mean, I'm hopping around in the aisle like, man, it's a thing. And he's got no sympathy for me. He's laughing. And I'm sitting there. I'm crying basically. I go, that hurt worse the second time than the first time.

And after about a minute, you know, I was able to see straight. You know, it's like, man, that hurt. And so he's cracking up.

Right. You know, I'm laughing too because it's so stupid. So with my other hand, I reach into the same pile. I jam it into a corner of metal. I'm doing the circle dance in the aisle again.

Jumping up and down. You can't help it. And he's cracking up.

I'm laughing because it's so stupid. I hurt myself twice inside like one minute. Oh, man. Good times.

So I hope you guys out there radioing or laughing. Oh, man. Oh, yeah, I got a lot of stupid stories like that. I want to write a book that says the title is Stupid Things I've Done to Hurt Myself. And you know, that'd be a good story in there. I got some good ones. Oh, yeah, I know Don says I need a babysitter. The hardware story looks like it was too tough.

No, you know, it's what happens. OK, I'm good. I'm good. I had a good time with those stupid stories. Hope you guys enjoyed that.

She says you should bubble wrap me. Anyway, that was a lot of fun. Guys who build stuff, they're going, yep. Oh, I got stories, too. That is just what happens. Well, I got a stupid fishing story to tell you.

All right. Hey, look, it's inconceivable. That's what it is. It's inconceivable. And that's that's from Princess Bride, isn't it, Charlie? That's from Princess Bride. Great movie.

It's inconceivable. I also like the line in there. He's just mostly dead. I like that line.

And I just say he's mostly a heretic and stuff like that. A lot of fun. All right. Now what do I do? Hey, there's no callers. Give me a call.

877-207-2276. You can also e-mail me and just put in the e-mail radio question radio comment and e-mail it to info at karm.org info at karm.org. Today is Tuesday, so I'm going to send a newsletter out tonight and Thursday. We're probably going to finish up my Bible study, but teaching on the Book of Romans. And I wait.

I think I have a debate tomorrow night, too. Let's see. Get in here.

Look. Hold on. Where is today?

Where's today? Come on. There we go. So, yeah, debate on the Trinity tomorrow and. Oh, yeah, I'm going to be doing tag team. That's right.

With Andrew Rapoport and stuff. Oh, and by the way, I get a correction. So I said it was yesterday. I said that I'll be down in Salt Lake City on February 10th.

I was wrong. It'll be the 17th. That's when I'm going to be down in Salt Lake City going to the Mormon Mormonism Research Ministries new building that they have.

It's in Sandy. And I'll be there on on the 17th. 17th is. February. Come on. Here we go.

That's right. It'll on the 17th. I'm speaking at nine o'clock in the morning. That's pretty tough for me because like last night, I was in my wake at three o'clock and finally get to sleep around three thirty.

Sorry, I had a sniffing nose because I'm laughing so much. I don't know how I'm going to make it on a Saturday at nine o'clock being someplace in the morning, but I will. It'll be so tough, but I'll do it. So if any of you are interested in checking it out and you want to go down there, I'd love to meet you. You know, it'd be fun Saturday. Maybe even Laura would go if she would lower her standards. She lives in the not too far from there.

I'm going to give the address or anything. So there you go. You can't wait for Matt on standing for truth tonight or tomorrow. Tomorrow night. Right. Isn't it tomorrow night?

Isn't that what that is? Because tonight I don't have anything on my calendar. Let me get over to my calendar, making sure.

Yeah, that's right. I have nothing on my calendar for tonight. So someone said, OK, it is tomorrow. All right. All right. I think we should get serious now.

All right. Let's get to Ron from Wake Forest, North Carolina. Welcome, Ron. You're on the air.

Yes, sir. I wanted to ask a question about the predestination. You know, I'm trying to understand. I think I can't quite understand it. You know, I'm trying to research it.

OK, well, the word predestination or predestined is the Greek word for it. So it's five times the New Testament. And when we get back from the break, I will take a look at it. OK, because we got a break. So hold on, buddy. Hey, folks, if you want to give me a call, 877-207-2276. We'll be right back. It's Matt Slick live, taking your calls at 877-207-2276.

Here's Matt Slick. All right, everybody. Welcome back to the show. If you want to give me a call, all you have to do is dial 877-207-2276.

And you can also email me at info at karm.org. And I just put in there a radio question or radio comment and then we'll check it out. All right. Let's get back on the air with Ron.

Ron, are you still there? Yes, sir. All right. So let me read you a quote from a theological dictionary. OK, and it does it really well.

I can explain it, but this is really good job. Predestination, God's actions in willing something to a specific result, also called for ordination. Some Christian theologians, particularly in the reformed tradition, have seen it as indicating God's eternal decree by which all creatures are foreordained to eternal life or death. It may also be used synonymously with election and indicates God's gracious initiation of salvation for those who believe in Jesus Christ. Now, there's a little bit of difference. I would go with some of that, but it's good enough for that.

So predestination is God bringing things to bear, causing things to occur either directly or indirectly. That's the intro level of it. OK. Are you with me so far? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So as I said before the break, the word is prooridzo in the Greek, and it occurs five times in the New Testament.

So let's see. Where are those verses? I was just looking at them in the break. Where did it go?

I had them right there. So I'll go find it. I have my notes.

I'm going through all of my notes and stuff like this. And so what we see is that God is – look at it this way. In Ephesians 1.11, it says that God works all things after the counsel of his will. So nothing can occur unless God has willed it. Now, within theology, we would say that God wills something by his direct action and he wills something by his permissive action. So he wills to let people sin. He doesn't want them to sin, but he wills to allow it.

It's his choice to allow it. So it's his will to allow people to disobey. So by direct and indirect means, by direct, willing, and indirect, God brings about whatever he desires. So in Acts 2.23, it says this man delivered up by the predetermined plan. Now, that's the word also for predestination. It's because it's the same Greek word, prooridzo. Delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men.

So check this out. So God planned it, God predestined it, but they're the ones responsible. This man delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to the cross. To a cross by the hands of godless men and put them to death. That's Acts 2.23.

Here's Acts 4.27-28. For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus whom you appointed, or anointed, excuse me, both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do whatever your hand and your purpose predestined to occur. Now, if you look at that, you'll see it says that God anointed Jesus and gathered Herod and Pontius Pilate.

Those are two individuals. Along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel. That's the people groups. To do, individuals and groups, to do whatever your hand and your purpose predestined to occur. And what they're talking about here is the crucifixion of Christ. So sin was predestined. But when we say it's predestined, we don't say that it's caused by God. Let me explain something.

I'm giving you a lot of info, but let me explain something. We have in theology different levels of causation. We have ultimate, proximate, and efficient causation.

So I'm going to work from efficient up. So Adam and Eve were in the garden. Adam freely chose to rebel. No one forced him to eat the fruit. He is his own cause of his own sin. So we say he is the efficient cause. He's the agent of his own action. The proximate cause is the condition in which the sin occurred.

The approximate conditions or the condition. So we would say that God put the garden there with the trees there, allowed the devil to come in. So God allowed this, and so he's the proximate cause, but not the efficient cause. So Adam alone is responsible for his own actions.

God didn't make him do it. So this is the difference between what we call efficient and proximate causation. And ultimate causation is, well, God made the universe, put the solar system and the planet there, and that's how come it's all there.

It's the foundation of everything. All right, so when we say God predestines things like the crucifixion, it's the ultimate and proximate conditions that are God's handiwork. But the efficient causation, the direct hand in action, is done by the unbelievers. No one forced him to do this, but they did it.

God knew it and worked it out. That's a whole other issue of bringing people to do things and stuff like that. We'll get into that right now.

But they're the ones responsible, and God predestined it to occur. All right? I can go on, but I hope that kind of helps so far. Yes, sir. I'm just smiling, especially when it comes to salvation. That's the biggest thing. Well, then let me go to the next verse I was going to show you.

All right. This is Ephesians 1, 4, and 5. Just as He, that's God the Father, chose us, that's the elect, in Him, that's Jesus. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

In love, He predestined us to adoption through Jesus Christ Himself. So election must come with predestination. In order for an individual to be saved, God must choose them in Christ from the foundation of the world, and then He brings about their belief, regeneration, salvation, through the predestining work that He does. And that's a varied system that God has. And Romans 8, 29 says this, Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined. So the foreknown ones are also the predestined ones. And the last verse, Ephesians 1, 11, Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose, who works all things after the counsel of His will. So anyone who claims to be a Christian and denies predestination is denying Scripture. And I know there's a lot of people out here who deny the idea that God chooses people for salvation and predestines them.

I just showed you some of the Scriptures where it's taught. Yes, sir. Okay. Yes, sir.

Does that help? Yes, sir. Okay. Got any other questions or objections or, you know, whatever?

No, I'm just trying to understand it. You know, I heard you talk about it and other people talk, and then other people, you know, talk against it, too. You know.

Yeah, well, talking against it is not good. Hey, hold on a sec. We've got a break coming up. We've got nobody waiting. Let's see what they say. Tell me what they say about talking against it, if you're still there. Hey, folks, we'll be right back after these messages.

Please stay tuned, and hopefully it will be interesting. It's Matt Slick live, taking your calls at 877-207-2276. Here's Matt Slick. All right, everybody, welcome back to the show. If you want to give me a call, 877-207-2276. Ron, are you still there? Yes, sir.

You're in. All right, so I gave you a lot of stuff, and then you said people are arguing against it. Can you remember some of the stuff that they were saying? Well, I know a lot of them, you know, they say that salvation has labeled anyone whosoever. And, you know, I came across a lot of what you've probably seen before. Somebody said you were preaching false doctrines because of your predestination stuff you were talking about.

Now, who was that? Well, but I've just written the Scriptures. I mean, these people, they don't like God's sovereignty. They want their own. I'm like, come on, grow up, you know.

Don't do that. And so I love to discuss this with people because they'll go to John 3.16, for example, and they'll say, would God love the world that whosoever would believe, right? They say, see, it means anybody.

Anybody who can't. Well, it doesn't say that. How do you know that's what it means?

They don't realize that what they're doing is just reading into the text all kinds of stuff. If you go to John 3.16, for God loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes. Well, it actually says in the Greek, pos hopistuon, when it literally doesn't have the word whoever in the Greek. That's the Greek word, hos.

It's not there. It's pos hopistuon, all the believing one. All the one believing. It doesn't say how they come to believe. It just says if they believe, well, then they won't perish. We agree. The predestination people agree.

That's right. But God granted they believe. Philippians 1.29.

This is what the Bible said, and I show this to them, and I get people just hating what I say because they're humanists, because they use their own ideology, their own feelings, their own sensibilities to determine biblical truth. They don't realize they're doing it, but that's exactly what's happening. It's not good. You know? Yes, sir. So, yeah. That's what it says.

You've got to go with what it says. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Okay. They just call me Matt.

Matt's great. That's funny. Okay. Yes, sir. I have it. I know. Yeah, Matt. I get it. Go ahead. Yeah. Now, if I wanted to research this, how would I do it?

That's my biggest thing. I want to more look into it. Do you have any recommendations for doing that?

No. Yes, you could go to, I would do this. Make sure it gets the right address. BlueLetterBible.com. BlueLetterBible.com. Okay.

And it has all kinds of stuff there, and it's free. So, you can type in a verse. Right. Like, for example, you can go to Romans 8, 29, and you can pick the King James if you want, or you can pick the, I'm going to do this, the ESV, and you hit the thing. And then what happens is, it comes up with tools, and you can look up the word predestined in there. Right.

It has an interlinear, it has a, you can do a big study that way. Just learn how to use that thing, and it would be great. Okay. Yes, sir.

Easy to do. Well, thank you. You're welcome. I appreciate it, Matt. And by the way, I become a supporter of you every month now. Oh, well, thank you.

That's really nice. I appreciate that. Yeah, really, we do appreciate that, because we do need it. And thanks. No problem. All right, man. You have a good night, sir. You too.

You too, man. God bless. All right. Well, that was a good call.

That was a good call. Now, you know what I'm going to do is, since we're on that topic, how about if I do a little bit of teaching on it? Okay. I'm going to do a little bit more teaching on this idea of God and his sovereignty. This is not something that's taught in churches that I'm aware of. I have never heard that I can recall a sermon or a series that have focused on the sovereignty and greatness of God and his decrees.

I've never heard it. If I were a pastor again, you know, every now and then, not every day, of course, but you know, maybe once a year or whatever, a couple of years, I would probably teach something specific on it because it's so important. But we know that God predestines. Did you also know that God chooses individuals for salvation?

People say, no, no. He only chooses groups of people, and it's up to you and your free will. It's more humanist philosophy.

That's what that is. This is John 13, 18. Jesus says, I do not speak of all of you.

I know the ones I have chosen. But it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled. He who eats my bread has lifted up his heel against me. So he knows who he has chosen.

Jesus says that. And the Greek word is eklekomai, to pick out, choose for oneself, choosing out of many things. Then we go to Acts 9, 15, where Paul the Apostle, he got knocked off his horse and all that stuff, and he's sent to the tanner, Simon, and he says, I don't trust this guy. This is Acts 9, 15, but the Lord said to him, go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings of the sons of Israel. So he's a chosen instrument. And the word there in the Greek is eklego, excuse me, eklege.

It occurs six times, and it's translated as election and chosen and varying things. And Romans 11, 7, what then that which Israel is seeking for is not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened. Colossians 3, 12, and so as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion. 2 Thessalonians 2, 13, but we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation, through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in God. So that is right there. I mean, it's what it says.

So different translations, I've got 10 listed here of this one I just read. God chose you, chose you. God hath from the beginning chosen you. He's chosen you. He chose you for salvation.

It all says the same thing. He chose you for salvation. So that's what the Bible says. He's chosen you. And does God elect and choose people and individuals?

Yeah, he does. The word eklektos, which is elect, to elect somebody, election, which goes with predestination. So, we know that Abraham was chosen, specifically as an individual by God. Jacob was also chosen. That's Romans 9, 10 through 13. Judah was chosen.

I get references. Moses was chosen, Zerubbabel. Witnesses to Christ's resurrection were also chosen, as was Matthias in Paul. And there's many interesting verses about this, being chosen. The elect, the chosen ones. Matthew 24, 22, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. Matthew 24, 24, to mislead if possible even the elect. God will gather his elect from the four winds.

All these verses, I'm just speaking with the addresses. And we see the word for chosen. Many are called the fewer chosen. Rufus is chosen in the Lord, those who have been chosen of God. Paul endures all things for the sake of the chosen.

Then we have another work to choose, to select, to elect. Paul is a chosen vessel. God chose to love Jacob and he hated Esau. God has remnants of believers due to his choice.

He goes on and on and on like this. So this is why I believe it. It's why I teach it, because that's what it says. I can't tell you how many times I've had discussions with people where they say, no, I refuse to believe in a God who would choose people for salvation. I say, okay, well, okay, if you're going to refuse to believe in the God of the Bible, you would never do that, and then I read scriptures to them. And you know what so many of them do? Refuse to believe it.

Now, that's a problem. I read the scriptures to them and they reject the scriptures. Sometimes what I'll do is I will say the verse without quoting the reference in the middle of a sentence. I might say, well, I believe that God works all things after the counsel of his will. I was just quoting Ephesians 1-11, and I have people say, no, they don't. He does not do that. And I'll say, well, I believe he makes all things, even the wicked for the day of destruction.

No, he would never do that. I just quoted Proverbs 16.4. So I'll do that with them sometimes, and they will reject God's word. Let me ask you out there, are you rejecting God's word in this area? Are you saying, no, God would never do that of individuals?

Yes, he would. I just read the verses and proved it. It's right there. So what's your choice? What do you do?

Do you choose to submit to God's word or submit God's word to your preferences? That's a question you've got to ask and answer. Okay, hey, if you want to give me a call, 877-207-2276. We'll be right back after these messages, please, Steve. It's Matt Slick live, taking your calls at 877-207-2276.

Here's Matt Slick. All right, everybody, welcome back to the show. I hope you're enjoying the show and the teaching. All right, there we go. Let's get to Roy from Durham, North Carolina. Roy, welcome, you're on the air. Good evening, sir. Good evening.

Boy, you fixed that chair. I am really not trying to be confrontational. I'm just trying to understand the predestination chosen. Let's take it to the ultimate extreme of your chosen. How do you know your chosen? How do you know your chosen? Because I believe. You're an amazing Bible.

Your knowledge is incredible. Where do you get your blessed assurance as a Southern Baptist? I get it from Scripture. 1 John 5.13 says these things are written so you may know you have eternal life. So you can know. Well, if God saves you.

That's just something I have a hard time with. Let me explain. Well, let me explain. Because the chosen ones believe. Okay.

There you go. Okay, I am not a Bible theologian. I am just somebody trying to understand, okay?

That's where I'm coming from. Okay, so what's the point of evangelizing or preaching the word if God already knows who he's going to pick? He's going to pick them anyway. I mean, doesn't that forego the great commission to go out and preach the gospel to everyone in the world?

I mean, if he's going to pick them anyway, what's the point? Okay, let me ask you. Does the Bible teach predestination?

Does it? Well, yeah, I can see where it says the chosen. I understand that. I honestly do. Well, hold on.

I just asked. Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Hold on.

I've done this a thousand times, so hold on. So, does the Bible teach predestination? The answer is yes, it does. Does it teach election? Yes, it does. Does it also teach us to go out and evangelize? Yes, it does.

Yes, it does. So, we're to believe both that we're to go evangelize and do this. We don't know the means by which God calls his people in or the criteria or anything.

He doesn't tell us, as my friend Bill McKeever said. Well, I understand that. There's so much confusion around it. Yeah, because people, there's confusion because people don't pay attention to the Word of God and submit themselves to it. Because they're humanists in their hearts and they rebel against the truth of God's great sovereignty. So, there's confusion because they don't want God to be God. They want themselves to be in place. They want themselves to have the sovereignty. They want themselves to be the ones who are the final choice.

They're arrogant, they're egotistical, and they're humanists. It doesn't mean they're not saved, but they have not gotten rid of that area of sinfulness from their hearts and minds yet. The fact is, God predestines, God elects, God chooses.

Oh, no, I got it. The fact is, God does these... One final point, it kind of ties in with the original sin that, granted, Adam sinned and imparted sin into the world. But, you know, I think Calvinists take it to the personal level. And so, everybody's born as a sinner. I can understand that on a theory. Yes, that's true. But in the real world, you know, the baby that died.

Real world? You know, taking its first breath. Isn't there some comfort for somebody like that? Well, he wasn't chosen, I guess. Well, hold on. I mean, it seems pretty hard. Well, hold on.

You're not understanding the issues, okay? So, original sin is the sin that Adam did. It's passed down to us. This is Romans 5.19. For as through the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners. Even so, through the obedience of the one, the many we made righteous. So by Adam's sin, the many were made sinners. That's what the Bible says.

Okay? And through one man sin entered the world. And death through sin. So death spread to all men because all sinned. Romans 5.12.

So babies... Now, just hear me out. Babies are born fallen. They're born sinful. They're born with a fallen nature. But it doesn't mean they just go to hell if they die.

I mean, I've lost a son. God help us if they do. Well, look, here's the thing. If they do, that's God's business. If they don't, that's God's business.

I know that people want to say, Well, they can't go to hell because they're so cute. Well, that's humanist philosophy. I'm just saying logically, we don't know exactly. And so don't say this is how it is. You can say, Oh, I believe this. And so my opinion is that all babies who die go to heaven.

I can't prove it from scripture. I agree with you. I certainly hope so.

And I certainly hope so. For instance, just as recent as the 1800s, one-third of the children born in America didn't make it five years old. That's irrelevant to what we're talking about. We also worship a loving God. Now, where's the love in that? If they all go to hell, there's no love in that. Yes, there is.

Okay, let me tell you. You've got to stop thinking in humanistic terms. God is love by nature, 1 John 4.8. We all are by nature children of wrath, Ephesians 2. We are all by nature children of wrath, Ephesians 2.3. We all belong separated from God and judged because it's our nature. God's love is such that He saves us.

That's where the love is. And for someone to say, well, it's not loving if you let a baby go. If someone says, it's not loving if you let a baby go to hell, I'm going to say to them, show me in the Bible where that's the right statement to say. Because people have sentimentality, and it may be true, it may not be true, but go to the Word of God and find it in the Word of God. That's what I say to people. To many people what they do is just feel what they want to be right, and then God has to agree to that. And that's sin.

You need to stop. You need to go, what does the Bible say? I'll tell you, I take consolation in the story of Jesus and the children that almost come to Him as a child. So it kind of tells me on my personal gut level that He makes some provision for the little innocence.

That's just me. Can I find it where it says in the Bible, babies don't go to hell? Of course not.

It's not in there. But Jesus had that story where He brought the children to Him and said, all must come to me as these. As children. With faith. The trusting. It's well known.

Yes. It's as children who are faithful and trust. They just trust. And that's one of the verses I go to in support of the idea that all babies who die go to heaven.

But it does not approach. Well, I agree with you. That's all I'm saying. Well, listen, you've explained it very well, and I appreciate your time. Thanks. Okay, well, God bless.

All right. All right, let's get to Max from South Carolina. Max, welcome. You're on the air. Max, I love you, brother. Hey.

The last caller, he had some really good points. And I'm still struggling. I had to ask the screener, how do I ask this about predestination? I guess I don't fully understand it. Just give it a shot. Go for it.

Because we've only got like five minutes. So go ahead. You're saying so. Yeah, I know. We're right there on the air. But predestined means only a certain amount of people will be saved.

Am I taking that right or wrong? Of course only a certain amount of people are going to be saved. God from all eternity knows exactly what's going to happen and how many people are going to be saved. Only a certain number are saved, of course. I'll send 1 Timothy 2 verse 4, and I don't want everyone to be saved.

He desires all to be saved. So here's a question. I've done this without. Hold on. Let me jump in.

We only have so much time, so I'm going to go a little bit quicker than I normally would. But yes, I'm very familiar with that. And you can cross-reference that with 2 Peter 3.9 as well. He wants all to be saved. So here's a question. It's a trick question. You ready?

Would God ever do anything or speak in such a way so people would not be saved? It's a trick question. Okay, what do you say? Come on. My wife is saying yes. Yes, my wife. Good for her.

Give your wife a good hug and a high five because she got it right. Let me show you. This is in Mark 4, 10 through 12, and they're asking about the parables. He's speaking in parables, and he answers in verse 11. To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside, outside the kingdom, get everything in parables so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand. Otherwise, they might return and be forgiven.

Whoa. He speaks in parables, so they won't be forgiven. Okay, now I'm not contradicting scripture with scripture. If God wants that, that's the case.

He wants everyone to be saved, and it means equally in every sense, then we have to harmonize it with the rest of scripture, that Jesus speaks in parables so people will not be saved. They've got to do that, you see. I'm not going to be able to finish this today. And then in 2 Thessalonians 2, 11. Oh, man. I mean, just to add fuel on the fire, excuse me.

Here's what it says. This is in the end times. The Antichrist is coming and things like that, and for this reason, well, he comes with power and signs and false wonders and deception and things like that. For this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.

What? Why, no, he wants everyone to be saved. What people mean by that is generally, he's the blond-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian surfer dude dressed in a woman's nightgown, standing at the door of your heart asking permission for you, in your wisdom, to let him in.

It's all up to you. Please, oh, come on, everybody. Look, if God wants to save somebody, just take a look at what it would do with Paul. Paul was going out killing the Christians.

He hated them. And Jesus said, you're mine. He converted them. So why doesn't God do that with everybody?

He does it right there in Acts 9. There's all kinds. I know real quick, I just want to speak one. Go ahead. I just want to speak one thing. I just look for Jesus for my hope because I'm struggling with a lot of things, and to hear some of this, it's a little confusing still even right now. Maybe I need to call you back tomorrow.

Yes, call back tomorrow. I look to hear him from hope, and I don't want to be, I don't want to fall short. Let me give you the hope that's in it. He chose you from the foundation of the world, and his loving thoughts for you are infinite in number. He didn't leave it up to you, the sinful whims of your own self.

He called you. Why he chose you, I don't know, but he did. And he will never leave you and never forsake you no matter what you're going through. You cannot shake his love for you or his commitment to you because Jesus Christ shed his blood for you. You're one of the chosen ones, right? You believe. There's no way he'll abandon you, okay? Thank you, brother.

That's the truth, man. Just think about this. If he predestined you from the foundation of the world, that means from forever ago. He chose you, and his thoughts of you are infinite in number in a loving way. You remember that. And then compare it with what you're going through.

Why is he allowing it? There's a reason. You call back tomorrow. Exactly. There you go.

All right? I'm going to have to call back. Yep. Thanks.

You call back? Thanks, Matt. God bless. All right, brother. Okay. All right. Hey, folks. Sorry about that.

And Martin from Charlotte, North Carolina. Give me a call back tomorrow if it's predestined. Hey, God bless everybody. Have a good evening. Bye-bye.